KR102188195B1 - Endoscopic device and method for controlling the endoscopic device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, provided is an endoscopic device which can be securely inserted. The endoscopic device comprises: an overtube changeable by an external force; a direction sensing unit including a rod body protruding to the outside through a front end of the overtube and deformable by the external force, and a first sensor attached to the rod body; a second sensor attached to an outer surface of the overtube and capable of sensing the force; and an elastic head provided at an end of the rod body, wherein the first sensor can sense a shape of the rod body when the rod body is deformed, and the second sensor can sense the force applied to the outer surface of the overtube.

Description

Endoscopy device and method of controlling the endoscope device {ENDOSCOPIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE ENDOSCOPIC DEVICE}

The following description relates to an endoscope device and a method of controlling the endoscope device.

The endoscopic device can be inserted into an organ with a curved path, such as the large intestine. If the endoscopic device proceeds unintentionally and inappropriately, there is a risk that the endoscopic device will come into contact with the organ and cause organ damage, such as perforation and pain.

Cameras are sometimes used to determine the direction of the endoscopic device. However, it is very difficult to determine the curvature information of an organ using only the camera image, and it is difficult to determine the direction of the endoscope apparatus.

In addition, the endoscope device is classified into a flexible endoscope device and a commercial endoscope, and the flexible endoscope device is not directly manipulated and inserted like a commercial endoscope, but is remotely controlled through the driving unit 16. In the case of a commercial endoscope, since the contact force with an organ is directly sensed by hand, the endoscope user can easily recognize a dangerous situation. However, in the case of the flexible endoscope device, since it is difficult to transmit information about the contact force with an organ, the difficulty of insertion is higher. In this background, there is a need for an endoscope device capable of safe insertion.
Prior art includes Patent Publication No. 10-1670162, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5296351, Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0032235, and Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0120476.

The above-described background technology is possessed or acquired by the inventor in the process of deriving the disclosure content of the present application, and is not necessarily known as a known technology disclosed to the general public before the present application.

An object of an embodiment is to provide an endoscope device capable of safe insertion and a method of controlling the endoscope device.

An endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment includes: an overtube changeable by an external force; A direction detection unit including a rod body protruding outward through a front end of the overtube and deformable by an external force, and a first sensor attached to the rod body; A second sensor attached to the outer surface of the overtube and capable of sensing a force; And an elastic head provided at an end of the rod body, wherein the first sensor is capable of detecting a shape of the rod body when the rod body is deformed, and the second sensor is applied to the outer surface of the overtube. It is possible to sense the force that becomes.

The overtube may include a tube body and a plurality of receiving holes penetrating along a length direction of the tube body, and the direction sensing unit may be provided in any one of the plurality of receiving holes.

The direction sensing unit is relatively slidable with respect to the overtube inside the one receiving hole.

The endoscope device may include: a first power transmission cable fixed to one side of the tube body and extending to the rear of the tube body; And a second power transmission cable fixed to the other side of the tube body and extending to the rear of the tube body.

The endoscope device may further include a driving unit that transmits power to the first power transmission cable and the second power transmission cable based on the shape of the rod body and a force applied to the outer surface of the overtube. .

A plurality of first sensors may be provided, and some of the plurality of first sensors may be disposed along the circumference of the rod body.

Another part of the plurality of first sensors may be disposed along the length direction of the rod body.

A plurality of second sensors may be provided, and a plurality of second sensors may be disposed along the periphery of the over tube.

The elastic head may surround the front end of the rod body.

The elastic head may be a balloon into which air is injected.

A method of controlling an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a direction sensing unit including an over tube, a rod body protruding outward from the over tube through a front end, and a first sensor attached to the rod body, and the A method for controlling an endoscope apparatus including a second sensor attached to an overtube and an elastic head provided at an end of the rod body, the method comprising: advancing the overtube forward until the direction sensing unit is bent; Determining a temporary travel path of the overtube based on the bending information detected by the direction detection unit; Determining a final travel path by modifying the temporary travel path based on the force information measured by the second sensor; And transforming the shape of the overtube based on the final progress path.

The method of controlling the endoscope device may include reducing the volume of the elastic head when the overtube reaches a set position; And retreating the direction sensing unit to the rear so that the front end of the direction sensing unit is located inside the over tube.

The elastic head is a balloon into which air is injected, and in the step of reducing the volume of the elastic head, the air injected into the elastic head may be discharged to the outside.

The endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment may determine a path that the overtube proceeds forward through a safe component and set the path.

The endoscope device according to an embodiment determines the bending direction of the organ based on the contact between the elastic tube provided at the end of the over tube and the organ, determines the steering of the over tube according to the bending direction of the organ, and at the same time The steering value can be corrected based on the contact force information between the and the organ.

The following drawings attached to the present specification illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention, so the present invention is limited to the matters described in such drawings. It is limited and should not be interpreted.
1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a state in which an endoscope apparatus enters a human organ according to an exemplary embodiment.
2 is a side view of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment.
3 is a front view of an overtube according to an embodiment.
4 and 5 are diagrams schematically illustrating a state in which an endoscope apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment changes direction and proceeds.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an endoscope apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the rights of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents, or substitutes to the embodiments are included in the scope of the rights.

The terms used in the examples are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features. It is to be understood that the presence or addition of elements or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude in advance.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. Does not.

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the embodiments, the detailed description will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the constituent elements of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a) and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the component is not limited by the term. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but another component between each component It should be understood that may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected”.

Components included in one embodiment and components including common functions will be described using the same name in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, descriptions in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and detailed descriptions in the overlapping range will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a state in which an endoscope apparatus enters a human organ according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the endoscope device 1 may penetrate into a human body. The endoscope apparatus 1 transmits power to the over tube 11 which is made of a flexible material and is deformable, the elastic head 14 provided in front of the over tube 11, and the over tube 11 ) May include a driving unit 16 to deform.

The elastic head 14 may have a more flexible material than the over tube 11 and may have no angled portion at the end. For example, the elastic head 14 may be a balloon in which air is injected. As another example, the elastic head 14 may be a round rubber ball, and it should be noted that the type of the elastic head 14 is not limited. The elastic head 14 prevents the end of the over tube 11 from directly contacting the organ, thereby preventing damage to the organ.

The over tube 11 is appropriately deformed in shape by the drive unit 16 to enter the inside of the organ. For example, the large intestine or cardiovascular system has a shape that is bent a plurality of times, and the over tube 11 may be deformed near the front end to pass through the bent shape.

The driving unit 16 may change the shape of the over tube 11.

2 is a side view of an endoscope apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a front view of an overtube according to an exemplary embodiment.

2 and 3, the endoscope apparatus includes an over tube 11, a direction detection unit 12, a second sensor 13, an elastic head 14, power transmission cables 151 and 152, and a drive unit 16. ) Can be included.

The over tube 11 may be deformed by an external force. The over tube 11 may be made of a flexible material. The over tube 11 may be passively deformed by receiving an external force by the inner wall of the large intestine, for example, or may be actively deformed by receiving power from the driving unit 16. The over tube 11 may have a pillar shape in which a hollow is provided, for example, a cylinder shape. The over tube 11 may include tube bodies 110 and 111 and a plurality of receiving holes 112, 113 and 114 formed through the tube bodies 110 and 111 along the longitudinal direction (x axis direction) of the tube bodies 110 and 111. have.

The tube bodies 110 and 111 may include a main part 110 having a relatively flexible material, and a head part 111 provided at a front end of the main part 110 and having a relatively rigid material. Since the head part 111 has a relatively rigid material compared to the main part 110, even if a force is applied from the direction sensing unit 12 while the direction sensing unit 12 is deformed, the direction sensing unit 12 ) Can be supported relatively stably.

The plurality of receiving holes 112, 113, and 114 may be formed through the tube bodies 110 and 111 in the longitudinal direction. The direction sensing unit 12 may be provided in any one of the plurality of receiving holes 112, 113, and 114. Hereinafter, a description will be made based on that the direction sensing unit is provided in the first receiving hole 112. Although not shown in the drawings, the endoscopic apparatus may accommodate other components necessary for surgery other than the direction sensing unit 12. It should be noted that examples of other components may include, but are not limited to, cameras, lighting, and surgical instruments. Cameras, lighting, and surgical instruments, etc., so as not to interfere with each other with the direction detection unit 12, among the plurality of receiving holes 112, 113, 114, not the first receiving hole 112, the second receiving hole 113 or 3 It may be provided in each of the receiving holes 114. It should be noted that the number of the plurality of receiving holes 112, 113, and 114 is not limited to three, and may be less or more than three.

The direction detection unit 12 protrudes to the outside through the head part 111 which is the front end of the over tube 11 and is deformable by an external force, and a first sensor attached to the rod body 121 (122) may be included. The first sensor 122 may detect the shape of the rod body 121 when the rod body 121 is deformed. For example, the first sensor 122 may be a soft sensor using a polymer.

The first sensor 122 may be provided in plurality. Some of the plurality of first sensors 122 may be disposed along the circumference of the rod body 121. According to this structure, the plurality of first sensors 122 may detect deformation in various directions. For example, the first sensor disposed on the y-axis can efficiently detect the deformation in which the rod body 121 rotates in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction around the z-axis, and the first sensor disposed on the z-axis The sensor may efficiently detect a deformation in which the rod body 121 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise around the y-axis.

Some of the plurality of first sensors may be disposed along the length direction of the rod body 121. When the rod body 121 is deformed, the central portion and the end of the rod body 121 have different strain rates. Since a plurality of first sensors are provided along the length direction of the rod body 121, a plurality of first sensors The sensor may more accurately detect the deformation of the rod body 121.

The direction sensing unit 12 is relatively slidable with respect to the over tube 11 inside the first receiving hole 112. The direction sensing unit 12 may protrude to the outside of the over tube 11 or may be completely inserted into the over tube 11 and disposed so that there is no part protruding outward. The direction detection unit 12 performs a direction detection function in a state protruding outward until the endoscope device reaches a desired position, and when the endoscope device reaches a desired position, it retreats to the rear and the inside of the overtube 11 Can be inserted into In a state in which the direction sensing unit 12 is retracted to the rear, other components may slide along the plurality of receiving holes to protrude forward of the over tube 11. According to this structure, since the direction sensing unit 12 serves to assist the progression of the over tube 11 and then is inserted into the over tube 11, it will not interfere with other components during the operation. I can.

The second sensor 13 is attached to the outer surface of the over tube 11 and is capable of sensing force. The second sensor 13 can detect a force applied to the outer surface of the over tube 11. The second sensor 13 may be a force sensor. The second sensor 13 may have a flexible material. A plurality of second sensors 13 may be provided, and the plurality of second sensors 13 may be disposed along the periphery (clockwise direction in FIG. 3) of the over tube 11. Since the plurality of second sensors 13 are disposed along the periphery of the over tube 11, it is possible to detect not only a force applied in the y-axis direction but also a force applied in the z-axis direction. Referring to FIG. 3, two second sensors 131 and 132 provided in the y-axis direction are capable of sensing a force applied in the y-axis direction, and two second sensors 133 and 134 provided in the z-axis direction. ) Can detect the force applied in the z-axis direction??.

The elastic head 14 may be provided at the end of the rod body 121. The elastic head 14 may surround the front end of the rod body 121. The elastic head 14 may occupy a larger volume than the rod body 121. The elastic head 14 surrounds the front end of the rod body 121, so that the end of the rod body 121 may prevent damage to the organs.

The power transmission cables 151 and 152 are fixed to one side of the tube body and extend to the rear of the tube body, and the first power transmission cable 151 is fixed to the other side of the tube body and extend to the rear of the tube body. A transfer cable 152 may be included. The power transmission cables 151 and 152 may be fixed to the head part 111 of the tube body, for example. For example, when the driving unit 16 pulls the first power transmission cable 151 backward, the overtube 11 may rotate clockwise around the z-axis, and the driving unit 16 transmits the second power. When the cable 152 is pulled backward, the over tube 11 may rotate in a counterclockwise direction around the z-axis. It should be noted that the power transmission cables 151 and 152 are shown as two, but are not limited thereto. For example, the plurality of power transmission cables may further include two power transmission cables spaced apart from each other in the z-axis direction. These two power transmission cables can rotate the overtube 11 about the y-axis.

The driving unit 16 may transmit power to the power transmission cables 151 and 152. The driving unit 16 transmits power based on the shape of the rod body 121 sensed by the first sensor 122 and the force applied to the outer surface of the overtube 11 sensed by the second sensor 13. Power can be transmitted to the cables 151 and 152. For example, the driving unit 16 may transmit power by pulling the first power transmission cable 151 and/or the second power transmission cable 152 rearward.

4 and 5 are diagrams schematically illustrating a state in which an endoscope device according to an exemplary embodiment changes direction and proceeds, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an endoscope device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the method of controlling the endoscope device includes the step of advancing the over tube forward until the direction detection unit is bent (S100), and based on the bending information sensed by the direction detection unit, Determining the temporary travel path of the tube (S200), the step of determining the final travel path by modifying the temporary travel path based on the force information measured by the second sensor (S300), and based on the final travel path , Deforming the shape of the overtube (S400), reducing the volume of the elastic head when the overtube reaches the set position (S500), and so that the front end of the direction sensing unit is located inside the overtube. It may include a step (S600) of retreating the direction detection unit to the rear.

In step S100, the over tube 11 may be moved forward until the direction sensing unit is bent. The over tube 11 can be advanced forward by a user or a device. For example, the user may manually advance the overtube 11 through a hand or a device, and the overtube 11 may automatically proceed in an autonomous driving method. While the overtube 11 advances forward, the elastic head 14 can contact the inner wall of the organ. In this case, the rod body 121 may be deformed by an external force applied to the elastic head 14, and the first sensor 122 detects the bending information of the rod body 121 The current shape can be determined.

In step S200, the driving unit may determine a temporary travel path of the over tube based on the bending information detected by the direction detection unit. For example, the drive unit modulates the power applied to the first power transmission cable 151 and/or the second power transmission cable 152 to deform the over tube 11, thereby providing a temporary path of the over tube 11 Can be determined.

In step S300, based on the force information measured by the second sensor, the temporary travel path may be modified to determine the final travel path. For example, if the force measured by the second sensor is greater than the preset force, the temporary travel path may be modified to reset the shape of the over tube 11.

In step S400, the driving unit may change the shape of the overtube based on the final progress path.

In step S500, when the over tube reaches the set position, the volume of the elastic head may be reduced. For example, when the elastic head 14 is a balloon into which air is injected, the endoscope apparatus may reduce the volume of the elastic head by removing air from the balloon.

In step S600, the direction sensing unit may be retracted rearward so that the front end of the direction sensing unit is located inside the over tube. The direction sensing unit no longer protrudes to the outside of the over tube, and at this time, other components necessary for surgery may protrude forward of the over tube.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described by the limited drawings, a person of ordinary skill in the art can apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order from the described method, and/or components such as a system, structure, device, circuit, etc. described are combined or combined in a form different from the described method, or other components Alternatively, even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent, an appropriate result can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments and claims and equivalents fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (13)

An overtube changeable by external force;
A direction sensing unit including a rod body protruding outward through a front end of the overtube and deformable by an external force, and a first sensor attached to the rod body;
A second sensor attached to the outer surface of the overtube and capable of sensing a force;
An elastic head provided at an end of the rod body; And
It includes a driving unit that transmits power to the over tube to deform the over tube,
The first sensor can detect the shape of the rod body when the rod body is deformed, the second sensor can detect a force applied to the outer surface of the overtube,
The drive unit, based on the shape of the rod body sensed by the first sensor, by adjusting the strength of the power transmitted to the over tube, the endoscope device to deform the over tube.
The method of claim 1,
The overtube includes a tube body and a plurality of receiving holes penetrating through the length direction of the tube body,
The direction detection unit is an endoscope device provided in any one of the plurality of accommodation holes.
The method of claim 2,
The direction sensing unit is an endoscope device that is relatively slidable with respect to the overtube inside the one receiving hole.
The method of claim 2,
A first power transmission cable fixed to one side of the tube body and extending to the rear of the tube body; And
An endoscope apparatus further comprising a second power transmission cable fixed to the other side of the tube body and extending to the rear of the tube body.
The method of claim 4,
The drive unit, based on the force applied to the outer surface of the overtube, the endoscope device for transmitting power to the first power transmission cable and the second power transmission cable.
The method of claim 1,
The first sensor is provided in plural, and some of the plurality of first sensors are disposed along the circumference of the rod body.
The method of claim 6,
Another part of the plurality of first sensors is disposed along the length direction of the rod body.
The method of claim 1,
The second sensor is provided in plural, and the plurality of second sensors are disposed along the periphery of the overtube.
The method of claim 1,
The elastic head is an endoscope device surrounding the front end of the rod body.
The method of claim 9,
The elastic head is an endoscope device that is a balloon in which air is injected.
A direction sensing unit including an over tube, a rod body protruding outward from the over tube through a front end, and a first sensor attached to the rod body, a second sensor attached to the over tube, and the rod body In the method for controlling an endoscope apparatus comprising an elastic head provided at an end of the and a driving unit for transmitting power to the over tube to deform the over tube,
Determining, by the driving unit, a temporary travel path of the over tube based on the bending information detected by the direction detection unit; And
The driving unit, based on the force information measured by the second sensor, modifying the temporary travel path to determine a final travel path, and transforming the shape of the overtube based on the final travel path. How to control the endoscopic device. delete delete

Images