JPH01148232A - Apparatus for automatically inserting endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adapt the title apparatus to a pipeline having a fine diameter or steep angle part, by determining the curving direction of a curving pipe part corresponding to the output of a sensor for detecting the approach of the leading end of an endoscope to a pipe wall. CONSTITUTION:At first, a motor 12 is rotated by a predetermined angle in a forward direction to curve a curving pipe part 7 by a predetermined angle in an upward direction and the output of a potentiometer 16 is taken in is a curving angle signal through a voltage detection circuit 25 and, when this curved angle is equal to or less than the limit angle preliminarily inputted by a control part 31, the output of the corresponding pressure sensor 27a is taken in. It is judged whether the output of a comparator 33 is an H-level and, when said output is the H-level or less, operation is again executed from the beginning. When the output of the comparator 33 is an H-level, the motor 12 is stopped and the output of the potentiometer 16 is written in a memory 34a. Hereinafter, in the same way, the motor 12 is rotated in a reverse direction and a motor 17 is rotated in a forward/reverse direction and the curving pipe part 7 is curved in lower left-and-right direction and the data of memories 34a-34d are compared to calculate the max. value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an automatic endoscope insertion device that automatically inserts an endoscope into a duct.

[Prior art]

A conventional example of such an endoscope is the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-13
There is a conduit observation device described in Japanese Patent No. 5820. Here, an arm that is biased outward is provided at the tip of the cable,
Self-propelled wheels are attached to this, and the cables are inserted into the pipeline using these wheels.

There is also a cuff type intrabody cavity insertion device described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-88091. Here, a fluid-tight cuff is provided on the outside of the endoscope, which can be inflated and expanded by external fluid, and can also be moved reciprocally in the axial direction of the endoscope by remote control. The endoscope is moved by alternately combining them.

However, because the former has a structure in which the arm radiates outside the endoscope, it can only be applied to a device that is inserted into a duct having a certain diameter. The latter also has the disadvantage that it is difficult to move forward in a conduit with corners that are bent by more than 90 inches.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As described above, the conventional automatic endoscope insertion device has the disadvantage that it cannot be applied to a narrow diameter conduit or a conduit with steep corners.

This invention was made to deal with the above-mentioned circumstances,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic endoscope insertion device that can be applied to narrow-diameter conduits and conduits with steep corners.

[Means for solving problems]

The automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention is provided outside the pipe, and includes an insertion device 19 for inserting the endoscope into the pipe, a bending mechanism 11 for bending the curved pipe portion 7 of the endoscope, and an endoscope insertion device 19 for inserting the endoscope into the pipe. A sensor 26.41 detects the approach of the tip of the endoscope to the tube wall, and when the tip of the endoscope approaches the tube wall, the bending tube section 7 is bent in vertical and horizontal directions via the bending mechanism 11. A bending direction determining unit 32 is provided that determines the bending direction of the bending tube portion 7 according to the output of the sensor 26.41 when bending in each direction.

[Effect]

According to the automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention, when the tip of the endoscope comes into contact with the tube wall, insertion is interrupted, and when the curved tube section is bent in any direction (up, down, left, or right), it comes closest to the tube wall. The bending direction of the conduit can be detected depending on the direction of the bend. Thereafter, the endoscope can be automatically inserted into any complicatedly curved conduit by curving the curved tube portion according to the detected bending direction of the conduit and then restarting insertion. Furthermore, since the insertion device is provided outside the duct, it can be applied to narrow ducts.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment. The endoscope 1 includes an insertion section 2 made of a flexible tube, an operation section 3 that is located at the proximal portion of the insertion section 2 and performs various operations for insertion, and an operation section 3.
It consists of an eyepiece section 4 for viewing the image of the image guide fiber, and a light guy V cable 5 for guiding illumination light from a light source.

Here, since the configuration of the optical system is not related to the gist of the present application,
Explanation will be omitted. Further, the endoscope is not limited to such an eye bath scope, and may be an electronic scope.

At the distal end of the insertion section 2, a curved tube section 7 is provided, in which a plurality of joint members 6 are mutually pivotally supported along the axial direction.

Then, four angle wires 9 for vertical and horizontal bending (only angle wires 9a and 9b for vertical bending are shown in FIG. 1) are attached to the most distal joint member 8 along the circumference of the tube. They are fixed via vibrators 10 at 90 mm intervals. By pulling each of these angle wires 9, the bending tube portion 7 can be freely bent in the vertical, horizontal, and horizontal directions.

The operating section 3 is provided with a bending mechanism 11 for remotely operating the bending tube section 7 of the insertion section 2 . In addition, the first
Although only the vertical bending mechanism 11 is shown in the figure, a horizontal bending mechanism with a similar structure is also provided.

Here, the bending mechanism 11 will be explained in detail.

Motor 1 capable of forward and reverse rotation driven by drive device 26
The rotation of 2 is transmitted to the rotating drum 13 via reduction gears 14 and 15.
transmitted to. A pair of angle wires 9a and 9b for vertical bending are fixed to the circumference of the rotating drum 13. In addition, a potentiometer 1 is mounted on the same axis of the rotating drum 13.
6 is connected. The output of the potentiometer 16 is input to the voltage detection circuit 25, and the rotation angle signal of the rotating drum 13,
That is, a vertical bending angle signal of the bending tube section 7 is generated.

The same applies to the left and right bending mechanism not shown in the drawings, and for this purpose the motor 17 and the potentiometer 1
8 is provided. However, the drive device for the motor 17 is the same as the drive device 26 for the motor 12.

Therefore, when the rotary drum 13 is rotated by driving the motor 12, one of the angle wires 9 is wound around the drum 13 and pulled, and the other angle wire 9 is let out.

As a result, the curved tube portion 7 is curved toward one angle wire side.

The insertion device 19 will be explained. The insertion section 2 of the endoscope 1 is arranged between a pair of rollers 20 whose bodies are constricted toward the center. An insertion device 19 is provided outside the conduit. A gear 21 is fixed to the shaft of the roller pair 20. The roller pair 20 is rotatably supported by the fixed arm 24.

Rotation of the motor 23 driven by the drive device 29 is transmitted to the roller pair 20 via the gear 22.

Due to the forward rotation of the roller pair 20, the insertion portion 2 is pushed in by the frictional force with the roller surface. Conversely, the insertion section 2 is pulled out by the reverse rotation of the roller pair 20.

On the outer periphery of the most distal joint member 8, there are pressure sensors 26 on the top, bottom, left and right, corresponding to the placement positions of the four angle wires 9.
A, 24b, 24c, and 24d are arranged respectively. Additionally, a pressure sensor 2 is also provided at the tip of the most tip joint member 8.
6e is placed. These pressure sensors 26a-2
6e is a sensor based on the principle that voltage changes due to pressure change. Therefore, the output signals of the pressure sensors 26a to 26e are taken into the voltage detection circuit 27. In order to detect a pressure higher than a certain pressure, a reference value generation circuit 28 and a comparator 33 are provided. When the output voltage of the voltage detection circuit 27 exceeds the reference voltage, the comparator 33 outputs an A value signal is generated.

Next, the control section 30 will be explained. The control section 30 includes a comparator 33, an output command control section 31, and a bending direction determination section 32.

The bending direction determining unit 32 includes memories 34a and 34b for storing the output of the potentiometer 16, and the potentiometer 18.
A memory 34c stores the output of.

34d1 A comparator 38 that compares the outputs of the memories 34a to 34d and detects the maximum value, and an operator that outputs 90% of this maximum value to the output command calculation unit 31 as a target value! ! y, part 3
Consists of 9.

The output command calculation section 31 receives the output signals of the comparator 33, the calculation section 39, and the voltage detection circuit 25, and outputs a control signal to the drive devices 29 and 26.

The automatic insertion operation of the endoscope according to the first embodiment will be explained. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a case will be described in which an endoscope is inserted into a conduit that is bent 90 degrees downward in the middle. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control section 30.

When the operation is started, the pressure sensor 26 at the tip is activated in step 2.
The output of e is taken into the voltage detection circuit 27.

In step 3, check whether the output of the comparator 33 is at H level or not.
That is, the tip of the insertion section 2 contacts the tube wall as shown in FIG. 2, and it is determined whether the pressure at the tip of the insertion section 2 is equal to or higher than the reference pressure. If there is no contact, then in step 4, the motor 23 is driven to rotate the pair of rollers 20 in the forward direction, thereby inserting the insertion portion 2 into the conduit.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the tip of the insertion portion 2 comes into contact with the tube wall, the output of the comparator 33 becomes H level, and the drive of the motor 23 is stopped in step 5. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA-, the pipe line in FIG. 2 is bent downward.

The subsequent operation is to check in which direction this conduit is bent, up, down, left, or right.

Therefore, first, in step 6, the motor 12 is rotated in the forward direction by a predetermined angle. Thereby, the curved tube portion 7 is curved upward by a predetermined angle. In step 7, the output of the potentiometer 16 is taken in as a bending angle signal via the voltage detection circuit 25.

In step 8, it is determined whether this bending angle has been input in advance to the output command control section 31 and has reached a certain limit angle. If the angle is below the limit angle, in step 9, the output of the pressure sensor 27a corresponding to the angle wire for upward bending is taken in. In step 1°, it is determined whether the output of the comparator 33 is at H level, that is, the tip of the insertion section 2 is in contact with the tube wall;
Determine whether the pressure is greater than or equal to the reference pressure. If there is no contact, step 6 is executed again. If the output of the comparator 33 is at H level, the motor 12 is stopped in step 11. Note that if it is determined in step 8 that the bending angle has reached the limit angle, step 9 is skipped and step 11 is performed.
So, stop the motor 12 immediately.

Then, in step 12, the output of the potentiometer 16 is written into the memory 34a.

Similarly, in step 13, the motor 12 is rotated in the opposite direction to bend the bending tube section 7 downward.

In step 14, the output of the potentiometer 16 is taken in, and in step 15, it is determined whether the bending angle has reached the limit angle. If the angle is below the limit angle, in step 16 the output of the pressure sensor 27b is taken in, and in step 10 it is determined whether the output of the comparator 33 is at H level. If it is not at H level, step 13 is executed again. If the level is H, the motor 12 is stopped in step 18. If it is determined in step 15 that the bending angle has reached the limit angle, the motor 12 is immediately stopped in step 18.

Stop. Then, in step 19, potentiometer 1
6 is written to the memory 34b.

Next, in step 20, the motor 17 is rotated in the forward direction,
The curved pipe portion 7 is curved to the left. In step 21, the output of the potentiometer 18 is taken in, and in step 22, it is determined whether the bending angle has reached the limit angle. If the angle is below the limit angle, in step 23 the output of the pressure sensor 27c is taken in, and in step 24 it is determined whether the output of the comparator 33 is at H level. If not H level, step 2
Execute ゜ again. If the level is H, the motor 17 is stopped in step 25. Note that if it is determined in step 22 that the bending angle has reached the limit angle, the motor 17 is immediately stopped in step 25.

Then, in step 26, the output of the potentiometer 18 is written into the memory 34c.

Furthermore, in step 27, the motor 17 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the bending tube section 7 is bent to the right. In step 28,
The output of the potentiometer 18 is taken in, and in step 29 it is determined whether the bending angle has reached the limit angle. If the angle is below the limit angle, in step 30, the pressure sensor -'+27
The output of d is taken in, and in step 31 it is determined whether the output of the ratio i converter 33 is at H level. If it is not at H level, step 27 is executed again. If the level is H, the motor 17 is stopped in step 32. Note that step 29
If it is determined that the bending angle has reached the limit angle, the motor 17 is immediately stopped in step 32. Then, in step 33, the output of the potentiometer 18 is stored in the memory 34d.
write to.

As described above, it is possible to detect how far the curved pipe portion 7 is bent in each of the up, down, left and right directions until it comes into contact with the pipe wall.

Therefore, in step 34, the calculation unit 39 compares the data in the memories 34a to 34d, that is, the output bending angle signals of the potentiometers 16 and 18, and determines the maximum value. The direction in which this maximum value is obtained is the direction in which the conduit is bent, and if the curved tube section 7 is bent in this direction, the endoscope can be inserted easily. Therefore, further add 9 of this maximum value.
It outputs to the output command control section 31 with 0% as the target value. In step 35, the motor 12 or 17 corresponding to the memory that generates this maximum value is rotated forward or backward. In step 36, the potentiometer 16 or 1 at this time is
Take in the output of 8. In step 37, it is determined whether this matches the target value. If they do not match, step 35 is executed again. If they match, return to step 2. FIG. 4 shows the state when this coincidence occurs. After this, in the operation from step 2, it is inserted until the tip comes into contact with the tube wall again, and this operation is repeated, so that the tip of the curved tube section is always bent according to the bending direction of the tube, and the endoscopic view is A speculum is automatically inserted into the conduit.

According to the first embodiment, when the tip of the bending tube section 7 comes into contact with the tube wall, the insertion is temporarily stopped, the bending direction of the tube is detected, and the bending tube section 7 is bent accordingly. , the insertion will start again, so it can be automatically inserted into a duct that has a corner of 90" or more. Also, the insertion device is installed outside the duct, and a bending wire and a pressure sensor are installed inside the endoscope. It can be applied to small-diameter pipes as well.

Here, the target value is not limited to 90% of the maximum value, but may be any other percentage.

Furthermore, without finding the maximum value of the output of the potentiometers in the vertical and horizontal directions, the larger of the outputs of the upper and lower potentiometers and the larger of the outputs of the left and right potentiometers is detected, and the curved pipe section may be controlled to curve in these directions, that is, in diagonal directions of the upper right, lower right, lower left, and upper left.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

This uses a shape memory alloy as the bending mechanism. In FIG. 6, parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Shape memory alloys 44 for vertical and horizontal bending are provided at four locations around the bending tube portion 7 on the upper, lower, left and right sides. In FIG. 6, only the shape memory alloy 44a for upward curving is shown. Both ends of the shape memory alloy 44 are fixed to the fixing part 43. The rear end of the shape memory alloy 44 is connected to the electrical heating device 4 via a conductive wire.
2. Connected to the resistance value detection circuit 41. The resistance value detection circuit 41 and the energization heating device 42 are connected to the control section 30. The control section 30 includes an output command control section 31 and a bending direction determining section 32.

In the second embodiment, pressure is detected by detecting the resistance value of the shape memory alloy. It is known that the resistance value of a shape memory alloy has characteristics as shown in FIG. When a constant current is applied to a shape memory alloy to heat it, the shape becomes curved and the resistance value gradually decreases at a constant rate as shown by the characteristic line A-C-B. However, at the 0 point, when it contacts the tube wall and pressure is applied, the resistance value stops decreasing as shown by the characteristic line A-C-D. Therefore, by detecting the resistance value, it is possible to know at what temperature, that is, at what bending angle, the tube wall is contacted.

Specifically, in the flowchart of Figure 5, steps 6 to
Instead of the step 33, shape memory alloys 44a, 4b, 44c are used for vertical and horizontal bending.

44d is heated to a predetermined temperature, the resistance value at that time is detected, and the resistance values are respectively stored in memories 34a, 34b, and 34c.

34d. Instead of detecting the maximum value in step 34, memories 34a, 34b.

Shape memory alloy 44a stored in 34c and 34d,
The minimum value of the resistance values of 4b, 44c, and 44d is detected, and the direction showing the minimum value is determined to be the direction in which the conduit is bent.

The second embodiment also produces the same effects as the first embodiment, and since the shape memory alloy replaces the bending wire and pressure sensor of the first embodiment, further miniaturization is possible.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention, when the tip of the endoscope comes into contact with the tube wall during insertion, the insertion is interrupted, the bending direction of the tube path is detected, and the curved tube portion is adjusted accordingly. Since insertion is resumed after the endoscope is bent, the endoscope can be automatically inserted into complex-shaped and narrow ducts.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams showing an example of insertion, and FIG. 5 is the operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the automatic endoscope insertion device according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the characteristics of the shape memory alloy used in the second embodiment. 2... Insertion part, 6, 8... Joint member, 7... Curved pipe part, 9... Angle wire, 11... Curving mechanism,
12゜17.23... Motor, 13... Rotating drum, 16°18... Potentiometer, 19... Insertion device, 20... Roller pair, 25.27... Voltage detection circuit, 26... Pressure sensor, 28... Reference value generation circuit, 30... Control unit, 31... Output command control unit, 3
2... Curving direction determining unit, 33... Comparator, 34a,
34b. 34 c, 34 d...memory, 38...comparison section,
39...Arithmetic section. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Atsushi Tsuboi

Claims (1)

[Claims] an insertion means provided outside the conduit for inserting the endoscope into the conduit, a means for curving a curved portion of the endoscope, and a means for detecting approach of the tip of the endoscope to the conduit wall; When the tip of the endoscope approaches the tube wall, the bending section is bent in various directions via the bending means, and the bending direction of the bending section is determined depending on the output of the detection means when bending in each direction. An endoscope automatic insertion device comprising means for determining.