JPH05285091A - Bending apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve higher working efficiency by facilitating work of guiding the tip part of an inserting section to a target within a large space part. CONSTITUTION:Positions of joint parts are measured with respect to a reference point of an inserting part as set optionally with a joint coordinate calculating section 61 in the insertion of the inserting part while a target in a desired insertion space is observed with a master scope CCD51. Thus, a relative positional relationship between the target and the inserting part is measured to guide the inserting part to the target based on the results of measurement from the joint coordinate calculating section 61 and the master scope CCD51.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to, for example, a medical lumen,
Alternatively, the present invention relates to a bay bending apparatus in which a bay bending portion having a multi-joint structure is provided in an insertion portion inserted into an insertion target space such as an industrial pipeline such as a gas pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a distal end of a flexible tube is used for an endoscope in which an insertion section formed by the flexible tube is inserted, for example, into a medical lumen or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe. A bay-bent portion that can be bent and deformed is disposed in the portion.

A plurality of bay bending pieces arranged side by side along the axial direction of the insertion portion are rotatably connected to the bay bending portion via connecting pins to form a multi-joint structure. Further, for example, a shape memory alloy wire is used as an actuator that bends the bay bending portion of the multi-joint structure, and the shape memory alloy wire is used for each joint portion between a plurality of bay bending pieces arranged in the bay bending portion. It is considered that the joints between the plurality of bay bending pieces arranged in the bay bending portion are independently bent by each shape memory alloy wire by individually mounting the joints.

In this case, the shape memory alloy wire has a shape of a predetermined length stored in advance, and the shape of the wire is plastically deformed to a reference shape in which the length of the wire is extended from the memorized shape, and then the shape of the bent portion of the bay is changed. Is set. Then, when the shape memory alloy wire is not energized, the shape memory alloy wire is held in the reference shape, and due to the heat generated when the shape memory alloy wire is energized, the shape memory alloy wire is restored to the memory shape. With the contraction and deformation of the shape memory alloy wire, the joint between bay bending pieces is bent.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the above-described bay-bending device having the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to bend the bay-bending portion along the duct shape in a duct having a relatively small diameter such as the small intestine or the large intestine. Suitable for work to move the flexible tube forward.

However, a flexible tube is inserted into a large space such as the stomach and gallbladder, and the tip of the insertion portion of the flexible tube is reached to a target in the large space such as the stomach and gallbladder by the master-reave method. When attempting to guide the part, it is necessary to carry out a bay bending operation on the bay bending portion with the target object always inserted in the field of view, which causes a problem that the work is troublesome.

Therefore, it is difficult to guide the distal end of the insertion portion of the flexible tube to a position near the target object in a large space such as the stomach or gallbladder, and it takes time and labor, resulting in a long working time. There is.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to facilitate the work of guiding the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the flexible tube to a target in a large space.
An object is to provide a bay bending apparatus capable of improving the work efficiency.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a bay bending portion, in which a plurality of bay bending elements are connected so as to be bay-bendable through joints, is provided in an insertion portion to be inserted into an insertion target space. In a multi-joint structure bay bending apparatus, position measuring means for measuring the position of each bay bending element with respect to an arbitrarily set reference point of the insertion portion, and observing a target object in the insertion target space, the target Observation means for measuring the relative positional relationship between the object and the insertion portion, and a control means for guiding the insertion portion to the target object based on the measurement results from the position measurement means and the observation means. It is equipped.

[0010]

When the insertion portion is inserted, the position of each bay bending element with respect to the reference point of the insertion portion, which is arbitrarily set by the position measuring means, is measured, and the observing means observes the target object in the insertion target space. The relative positional relationship between the insertion part and the insertion part is measured, and the insertion part is guided to the target object based on the measurement results from the position measurement means and the observation means.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. FIG. 5 shows a parent-child scope 1 which is a kind of endoscope inserted into a medical lumen or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe.

The parent-child scope 1 is provided with a parent scope 2 having a relatively large tube diameter at the insertion portion and a child scope 4 having a relatively small tube diameter inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 of the parent scope 2. ing.

At the distal end forming portion 6 of the insertion portion 5 of the parent scope 2, the distal end surface is provided with the opening of the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 and
The illumination windows 7 and 7 and the observation window 8 to which the emission end of the light guide that guides the illumination light is fixed are provided.

Further, the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is formed by a bay bending portion 21 composed of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator, and an observation window portion 10 and an illumination window portion 11 are arranged on the tip end surface of the insertion portion 9. It is set up.

In FIG. 2, the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is passed through a small-diameter conduit to the large space portion 1 from the inlet 13 of the large space portion 12.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the bay bending portion 21 of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator forming the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 when inserted into the inside of the child scope 2.

The base end side of the bay bent portion 21 is connected to the operating portion on the hand side. Further, in this bay bending portion 21, two or more types of bay bending pieces 22 and 23 made of metal and having a substantially cylindrical shape are alternately arranged in parallel along the axial direction. in this case,
One of the bay bending pieces 22 is set to have a length dimension larger than that of the other bay bending piece 23. A jacket tube (not shown) made of an elastic material is attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the bay bending pieces 23 ...

Further, each bay bending piece 22 has a pair of front projections 24a, 24a facing each other at its front end and a pair of rear projections 24b, 24b facing each other at its rear end. ing. Similarly, a pair of front projections 25a, 25a oppositely arranged at the front end of each bay bending piece 23, and a pair of rear projections 25b, 25b oppositely arranged at the rear end thereof are provided so as to project. ..

The rear projections 25b, 2 of the bay bending piece 23
Front protrusions 24a, 2 of the rear bay bending piece 22 adjacent to 5b
4a, and the rear projections 24b, 24 of the bay bending piece 22.
front projections 25a, 25 of the rear bay bending piece 23 adjacent to b
and a are rotatably connected to each other via connecting pins 26 to form a plurality of joints 21a of the bay bending portion 21, which is formed in a multi-joint structure.

Further, a pair of SMA control circuits (driving means) 28 for controlling the operation of a later-described thermal deformation member 27 ... Formed by a bidirectional shape memory alloy (SMA) coil in each bay bending piece 23. , 28, and a pair of SMA power supply posts 29, 29 in each bay bending piece 22, respectively. In this case, the pair of SMA control circuits 28, 28 and the pair of SMA power supply posts 29, 29 are displaced by 90 ° in the circumferential direction of each bay bending piece 23, 22 with respect to the mounting position of the pair of connecting pins 26, 26. It is located in.

Further, the thermal deformation members 27 ...
The actuators 2 and 23 are operated to bend and bend. In this case, each heat-deformable member 27 has a first shape in which it is held in a standard coil length state when it is not heated and a second shape when it is heated that contracts so that the coil length is shorter than the standard coil length. The shape and the shape are stored in advance.

Further, one end of the thermal deformation member 27 is connected to the SMA power supply post 29 of each bay bending piece 22, and the other end is the SMA control circuit 2 of the bay bending piece 23 adjacent to the bay bending piece 22.
8 is connected.

When all the heat-deformable members 27 are held in the first shape when not heated, all the bay bending pieces 22 and 23 of the bay bending portion are held in the substantially linear reference shape. .. Further, when any one of the heat deformable members 27 is electrically heated, the heated heat deformable member 27 is deformed into the second shape at the time of heating, and the contraction operation of the heat deformable member 27 at that time causes a change in its position. Joint portion 21a between the bay bending pieces 22 and 23
It is designed to be locally bent and bent.

A pair of lead wires 30 and 31 are provided in the bay bending portion 21 as shown in FIG. The base ends of these lead wires 30 and 31 are connected to a control device (not shown) provided on the proximal side of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator. One end of each thermal deformation member 27 is connected to one lead wire 30 via the SMA power supply post 29.

The other end of each thermal deformation member 27 is connected to the SMA control circuit 28. This SMA control circuit 28
A pair of discrimination circuits 32, 32, a pulse width modulation circuit (PWM) 33, 33 and a power MOS-FET 3 are provided inside.
4, 34 are provided. Then, each thermal deformation member 27
The connection ends of the SMA control circuit 28 and the SMA control circuit 28 are connected to the other lead wire 31 through the power MOS-FET 34, the pulse width modulation circuit 33, and the discrimination circuit 32, respectively. In this case, the discrimination circuit 32 of each bay bending piece 23 has a channel (CH) corresponding to the position of each bay bending piece 23.
1, CH2 to CHn) are set.

Then, when the manipulator is in operation, a multi-channel PPM (Pulse
The phase modulation signal is input to the discrimination circuit 32 of the SMA control circuit 28. This multi-channel PPM signal transmits a control signal proportional to the amount of bending by the SMA of the thermal deformation member 27 at an arbitrary joint position as a change in pulse position with respect to a clock pulse.

Further, this multi-channel PPM signal is S
The discrimination circuit 32 of the MA control circuit 28 identifies the signal corresponding to each channel with reference to the clock pulse. Then, the output signal from the discrimination circuit 32 is input to the pulse width modulation circuit 33. This pulse width modulation circuit 3
In 3, the signal is converted into a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal proportional to the change in the pulse position identified for each channel. Then, the PWM signal output from the pulse width modulation circuit 33 is supplied to the power MOS-FET 34, and the power MOS-F is changed by the pulse width of the PWM signal.
The switching time of the ET 34 changes and the thermal deformation member 27
The amount of heat generated by the SMA changes, and the bay bending angle of the joint portion 21a between the bay bending pieces 22 and 23 is adjusted.

Further, the parent scope 2 is provided with a feeding amount control section for controlling the feeding amount of the child scope 4. The feeding amount control unit is provided with a drive mechanism for the child scope 4 equipped with, for example, a linear ultrasonic motor, and as shown in FIG. 6, on the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 of the parent scope 2. A plurality of micro-rollers 41 ... Are provided for the feeding operation of the child scope 4.

These micro rollers 41 are connected to an encoder (not shown) so that the number of rotations thereof can be measured. Then, the delivery amount of the child scope 4 is calculated from the number of revolutions of the micro roller 41 x the circumferential length of the micro roller 41, and the calculated data of the delivery amount of the child scope 4 is detected by the delivery amount on the hand side. It is connected to the section 65.

Further, each joint 21a of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope 4 is provided with an optical fiber type bay bending angle detecting sensor shown in FIG. In this case, child scope 4
The same number of sets of detection sensors as the number of bay bending portions 21 in the bending direction are attached to each joint portion 21a. For example, when the bay bending portion 21 has two bending directions as in this embodiment, two sets of detection sensors are attached to each joint 21a.

Further, the bay bending angle detection sensor of each joint 21a is provided with a pair of optical fibers 44, 44 arranged in parallel. A micro prism 43 is arranged on one end side of these optical fibers 44, 44. A light emitting element 45 is connected to the other end of the one optical fiber 44, and a light receiving element 46 is connected to the other end of the other optical fiber 44. Further, the light emitting element 45 has an IC chip 4
7 is connected, and the light receiving element 46 is connected to the bay bending angle detection unit 64 on the near side.

Then, when the bay bending angle detection sensor is in operation, when a current is applied at the same frequency as the operating frequency of the IC chip 47, the corresponding light emitting element 45 illuminates, and the light of this light emitting element 45 is reflected by the micro prism 43 and received. Reach element 46. At this time, the voltage generated by the light receiving element 46 changes according to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element 46, so that the bay bending angle of each joint 21a can be detected according to the generated voltage.

Further, a distance measuring section for measuring the distance to the target in the insertion target space is provided at the tip of the child scope 4. An ultrasonic transducer, for example, is provided in this distance measuring unit. Then, ultrasonic waves for distance measurement are radiated from the ultrasonic transducer at the tip of the child scope 4 toward the target object, and the time from the irradiation until the reflected wave returns and the sound velocity to the target object. It is designed to measure the distance of.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a control section (control means) of the entire bay bending apparatus of the child scope 4.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 51 is a parent scope CCD (observation means) attached to the observation window portion 8 of the parent scope 2, and reference numeral 56 is a child scope CCD attached to the observation window portion 10 of the child scope 4.

Parent scope CCD 51 and child scope C
The CD 56 is connected to the image forming units 52 and 57, respectively. Further, a display unit such as a TV monitor for displaying the observation image formed by the image forming units 52 and 57 is provided on the hand side.

This TV monitor is provided with a parent screen 71 and a child screen 72 within the parent screen 71 as shown in FIG. 8 (A). In this case, the child screen 72 can be erased as needed. Then, one of the observation images formed by the image forming units 52 and 57 is selectively displayed on the main screen 71 and the sub screen 72 of the TV monitor, and these observation images can be displayed simultaneously.

The image forming section 52 is connected to the feature storage section 55 via the feature extraction section 53. Furthermore, the feature extraction unit 53 includes a target input unit 54 such as an input pen.
Are connected.

At the beginning of use of the parent-child scope 1, as shown in FIG. 8A, an observation image by the parent scope CCD 51 is displayed on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor, and an observation image by the child scope CCD 56 is displayed on the child screen 72. Are displayed respectively. At this time, the observation target portion 73 which is the target in the insertion target space is observed by the observation image by the parent scope CCD 51 displayed on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor, and the observation target portion 73 and the insertion portion of the child scope 4 are observed. It is designed to measure the relative positional relationship between the sensor 9 and 9.

Further, when the observation target portion 73 in the observation image displayed on the main screen 71 of the TV monitor is input by the input pen or the like of the target input section 54, the shape, color, etc. of the observation target portion 73. The features are extracted by the feature extraction unit 53 and stored in the feature storage unit 55.

The characteristic data of the observation target portion 73 stored in the characteristic storage unit 55 is the child scope CCD 5
The data of the observation image by 6 are input to the comparison unit 58. In the comparison unit 58, the sub screen 7
A portion of the observed image on the upper side of FIG. 2 that matches the feature data of the observation target portion 73 stored in the feature storage unit 55 is searched for. The comparison unit 58 is connected to a bay bending amount calculation unit 59 that calculates the bay bending amount of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope CCD 56.

Further, reference numeral 60 denotes an origin joint discriminating portion for discriminating the joint portion 21a which is the origin of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope CCD 56. The origin joint determination unit 60 is the bay bending portion 21.
Is connected to a joint coordinate calculation unit (position measuring means) 61 that calculates the position (coordinates) of each joint 21a.

Further, the origin joint discriminating unit 60 is connected to a feeding amount detecting unit 65, and the joint coordinate calculating unit 61 is connected to a bay bending angle detecting unit 64. Then, in the origin joint determination unit 60, when the observation target portion 73 in the observation image displayed on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor is input by the input pen or the like of the target input unit 54, the feeding amount detection unit 65.
The joint portion 21a serving as the origin is determined based on the detection data sent from the. In this case, the joint part 21a, which is the origin, uses the child scope CCD 56 as the parent scope 2
Of the amount of feeding out from the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 and the joint portions 21a of the bay bending portion 21 stored in advance
It is supposed to be decided from the length data.

In the joint coordinate calculation unit 61, the bay bending portion 21 is based on the detection data sent from the bay bending angle detecting portion 64 and the data of the length of each joint portion 21a of the bay bending portion 21 stored in advance. The positions (coordinates) of the respective joint portions 21a are calculated, and the positions of the bay bending pieces 22, 23 with respect to the arbitrarily set reference point (origin) of the bay bending portion 21 of the insertion portion 9 are measured. There is.

Further, the joint coordinate calculation unit 61 is connected to a storage unit 62 for storing the data of the child scope CCD 56 before the advance and a comparison unit 63, respectively. The comparison unit 63 is connected to the bay bending amount calculation unit 59.

Then, the bay bend amount calculation unit 59 receives the input data from the comparison units 58 and 63 (joint coordinate calculation unit 6).
1 and the measurement result from the parent scope CCD 51), the bay bending amount of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope CCD 56 is calculated, and the tip of the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is guided to the observation target portion 73 which is the target. It is like this.

Here, when the observation target portion 73 in the observation image displayed on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor is input by the input pen or the like of the target input section 54, it is displayed on the child screen 72 of the TV monitor. The bay bending amount of the first joint portion 21a ₁ at the most distal position of the bay bending portion 21 is calculated so as to move the observation target site 73 to the center of the child screen 72.

Further, after the input with the input pen or the like, the bay bending portion 2 is made to match the coordinates at the time of the input with the input pen or the like.
Each of the joints 21a ₂ and ₃ behind the first joint 21a ₁
… The amount of bay bending of _n is calculated.

Further, the bay bending amount calculation unit 59 has a child scope CCD corresponding to the calculation result from the bay bending amount calculation unit 59.
A bay bend signal generation unit 64 that generates a bay bend control signal of the bay bend section 21 is connected.

A multi-channel PPM signal, which is a bay bending control signal, is output from the bay bending signal generator 64, and the multi-channel PPM signal is supplied to each SMA control circuit 28 of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope 4. Then, each joint portion 21a of the bay bending portion 21 is bay-bent.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the parent-child scope 1 is orally inserted into the insertion target space such as the stomach through the esophagus. At this time, the observation image from the parent scope CCD 51 of the parent scope 2 is displayed on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor as shown in FIG.
The observation image by D56 is displayed on the child screen 72. Then, on the parent screen 71 of the TV monitor, together with the observation target portion 73 which is the target in the insertion target space, the child scope 4 is displayed.
The tip portion of the insertion portion 9 of the
3 and the relative positional relationship between the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 are measured.

Further, in this state, the main screen 7 of the TV monitor is displayed.
The observation target site 73 in the observation image displayed on the screen 1 is input by the input pen or the like of the target input unit 54. Observation target region 73 input by the input pen or the like at this time
The features such as the shape and the color are extracted by the feature extraction unit 53 and stored in the feature storage unit 55.

Further, the observation target site 73 in the observation image displayed on the main screen 71 of the TV monitor is the target input section 5.
At the time of input with the input pen 4 or the like, the origin joint determination unit 60 determines the joint portion 21a serving as the origin based on the detection data sent from the feed amount detection unit 65.

Further, the characteristic data of the observation target portion 73 stored in the characteristic storage unit 55 is the child scope CCD 56.
It is input to the comparison unit 58 together with the data of the observation image by. Then, the comparison unit 58 searches the observation image on the sub-screen 72 for a portion that matches the characteristic data of the observation target portion 73 stored in the characteristic storage unit 55.

The distal end portion of the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is directed toward the observation target portion 73, that is, the observation target portion 73 is located at the center of the observation image on the child screen 72 as shown in FIG. 8B. In the moving state, the first joint portion 21a _{1 at} the most distal position of the bay bending portion 21 is bay-bent as shown in FIGS. 9 (A) and 9 (D).

Then, the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is moved forward. At this time, the data of the bay bending angle of the first joint portion 21a ₁ along with the forward movement of the child scope 4 indicates that the second joint portion 21a ₂ behind the first joint portion 21a ₁ (see FIG. 9B,
(Shown in (E)), the third joint portion 21a ₃ (FIG. 9C,
(Shown in (F)) and the like are sequentially transmitted to each joint 21a.
It should be noted that all the joint portions 21a located in front of the joint portion 21a which is operated for bay bending are returned to the straight state in which the bay bending angle is 0, and a so-called bay bending shift operation is performed.

As a result, the distal end portion of the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is observed as shown in FIG. 8C with the observation target portion 73 still being captured in the center of the observed image on the child screen 72 of the TV monitor. It is possible to calculate and guide the route to a position near the target portion 73.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8D, a new observation target portion 74 is confirmed in the observation image of the child screen 72 of the TV monitor. In this state, subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8E, the observation image of the child screen 72 and the observation image of the parent screen 71 are exchanged. At the same time, the new parent screen 7 replaced here
A new observation target part 74 is input in one observation image with an input pen or the like.

Further, the child scope 4 is advanced toward the new observation target portion 74, and the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is moved.
The leading end of is guided to a position near the new observation target portion 74 in the observation image on the parent screen 71. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 (F), the observation image of the sub-screen 72 which is an obstacle is erased.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned configuration, when the parent-child scope 1 is used, the bay with respect to the reference point of the insertion section 9 arbitrarily set by the origin joint determination section 60 along with the insertion operation of the insertion section 9 of the child scope 4. The position (coordinates) of each joint 21a of the bent portion 21 is measured by the joint coordinate calculation unit 61, and the parent scope CCD 51 observes the observation target site 73 that is the target in the insertion target space.
The relative coordinate relationship between the observation target portion 73 and the insertion portion 9 is measured to measure the joint coordinate calculation portion 61 and the parent scope CCD.
Since the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is guided to the observation target portion 73 based on the measurement result from 51, the tip portion of the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 is guided to the target object in the large space portion 12. The work can be performed more easily than before, and the work efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 10 shows a modification of the guiding work for guiding the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 such as the child scope 4 to a target in the large space 12 such as the stomach.
Here, as shown in FIG. 10A, the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 is inserted up to the entrance position of the large space 12 such as the stomach as shown in FIG. The observation screen 75 by the manipulator 77 is shown, and 76 is an observation image by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the observation screen 75.

In this case, the large space portion 1 shown in FIG.
An observation image 76 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 at the entrance position of 2 is stored in an image memory of a computer or the like and is frozen on the observation screen 75 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the TV monitor.

Next, the tip of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 is inserted into the large space 12 for a predetermined distance as shown in FIG. At this time, an observation image 76 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 at the entrance position frozen on the observation screen 75 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the TV monitor as shown in FIG. 10B.
In addition, a computer graphic image 77 ′ of the manipulator 77 after insertion drawn by a computer or the like
Are overlaid and displayed. At this time, the observed image 76 of the manipulator 77 at the insertion position shown in FIG. 10E is stored in the image memory of the computer or the like.

The tip of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 is inserted deeper into the large space 12 as shown in FIG. 10 (F). At this point, the observation screen 7 displayed by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the TV monitor.
5 is replaced with the observation image 76 of the manipulator 77 at the previous insertion position (shown in FIG. 10E) as shown in FIG. 10C, and after the insertion drawn by a computer or the like. The computer graphic image 77 'of the manipulator 77 at the position shown in FIG. At this time, the observed image 76 of the manipulator 77 at the insertion position shown in FIG. 10F is stored in the image memory of the computer or the like.

After that, the same operation is repeated, and the observation image 76 of the manipulator 77 at the previous insertion position is replaced and displayed on the observation screen 75 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the TV monitor. ,
A computer graphic image 77 ′ of the manipulator 77 after insertion drawn by a computer or the like is displayed in an overlapping manner.

Therefore, in the case of the above-described structure, the computer graphic image 77 'of the inserted manipulator 77 drawn by a computer or the like is superposed on the observation screen 75 by the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 77 displayed on the TV monitor. Since the parent scope 2 cannot directly observe the child scope 4, the actual operation position of the manipulator 77 can be recognized, and the relative position between the observation target portion and the manipulator 77 can be recognized. The relationship can be grasped with certainty.

11 (A) to 11 (C) show an example of use of the bay bending portion 21 formed of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator such as the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 having the above structure. 11
(A) shows a state in which the bay bending portion 21 composed of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator having the above-described configuration is used as a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator of a microrobot 81 for coronary artery surgery via the thoracic cavity and inserted into the body. In FIG. 11A, reference numeral 82 is an endoscope provided separately from the microrobot 81. Then, the target object in the insertion target space is observed by the endoscope 82, and the relative positional relationship between the target object and the microrobot 81 is measured.

In the microrobot 81, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), the insertion portion 8 having a flexible articulated structure is used.
3 is provided. The tip of this insertion portion 83 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 (C), a micro gripper 84 and a fixed leg 85 are provided in a protruding manner. The fixing leg 85 is provided with a fixing portion 85b fixed to the inner wall of the cavity or the like by means of suction or the like at the tip of the leg portion 85a.

Further, the micro gripper 84 is provided with a holder 84b fixed to the tip of the flexible sheath 84a, and a grip portion 84c is held by the holder 84b. The grip portion 84c is provided with a pair of holding members (treatment portions) 87, 87 that are opened and closed.

The endoscope 82 has a microrobot 8
As in the case of No. 1, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), an insertion portion 93 having a multi-joint structure that bends flexibly is provided. An illumination window 93a of the illumination optical system, an observation window 93b of the observation optical system, a treatment instrument insertion channel 93c, etc. are provided at the tip of the insertion portion 93. Then, a cutting treatment tool 94 for cutting the blood vessel is inserted into the treatment tool insertion channel 93c.

Next, the operation of the surgical microrobot 81 having the above configuration will be described. This surgical microrobot 81 is used, for example, in bypass surgery in which, when a coronary artery or the like is clogged in the treatment of myocardial infarction, the clogged part of the blood vessel is excised and the remaining parts are joined together.

At the time of such treatment, as shown in FIG. 11A, the insertion portion 83 of the micro robot 81 and the insertion portion 93 of the endoscope 82 are percutaneously inserted into the chest of the patient H, respectively. .. Then, while observing the inside of the body with the endoscope 82, the micro robot 8 reaches a target treatment target site.
The tip of the insertion portion 83 of No. 1 is guided. In this case, since the insertion portion 83 of the microrobot 81 and the insertion portion 93 of the endoscope 82 have a multi-joint structure that bends flexibly, they can be surely guided to the back side of the heart I of the patient H, for example.

After the tip portion of the microrobot 81 is guided to the treatment target portion, the tip portion of the microrobot 81 is fixed to a position near the treatment target portion by the fixing legs 85. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11C, the bypass operation of the coronary artery J is performed by the resecting treatment instrument 94 inserted through the microgripper 84 of the microrobot 81 and the treatment instrument insertion channel 93c of the endoscope 82. Be done.

12 (A) and 12 (B) show a bay bending portion 21 formed of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator such as the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 12 (B). This is applied to an endoscopic treatment tool 102 to be inserted into a body cavity through an endoscope 101 as shown in FIG. 12 (A). The endoscope 101 is provided with a flexible and soft insertion portion 103. A tip forming portion 104 is connected to the tip end side of the insertion portion 103 via a curved portion.

An illumination window 104a of an illumination optical system, an observation window 104b of an observation optical system, a treatment instrument insertion channel 104c, etc. are provided on the tip surface of the tip forming section 104. The treatment instrument 102 is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 104c.

In addition, a linear ultrasonic drive micro gripper 105 is attached to the distal end of a flexible sheath formed of, for example, a tightly wound coil at the insertion portion of the treatment instrument 102. The micro gripper 105 is provided with a pair of holding members (treatment parts) 106, 106 that are opened and closed.

Next, the operation of the endoscopic treatment tool 102 having the above configuration will be described. This endoscope treatment tool 102 is a treatment tool insertion channel of the endoscope 101 that is orally inserted into the body.
It is guided to the intended treatment site in the body through 104c.
For example, as shown in FIG. 12 (A), the endoscope 101 is orally previously inserted into the gallbladder M via the esophagus, stomach, duodenum L, etc., and then the treatment instrument insertion channel of this endoscope 101.
The endoscopic treatment tool 102 is inserted into 104c and guided into the gallbladder M.

At this time, the endoscopic treatment tool 102 is guided to the target object in the gallbladder M, which is a large space, as in the child scope 4 of the first embodiment. Then, the microgripper 105 of the treatment instrument 102 is opened and closed to operate the gallstone N in the gallbladder M.
Is destroyed.

Further, FIG. 13 shows a multi-purpose instrument such as the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 of the first embodiment in a treatment tool for the industrial endoscope 111 inserted into the industrial conduit P such as a gas pipe. This is an application of the bay bending portion 21 composed of a degree-of-freedom manipulator.

An illumination device 112 and a pair of CCD cameras 113 for observation are provided on the distal end surface of this industrial endoscope 111, and three short-length multi-degree-of-freedom tubular manipulators 114 for working in piping are provided. , 115 and 116 are fixed at their base ends. These manipulators 114, 11
Reference numerals 5 and 116 are formed by bay-bent portions 21 made of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator such as the insertion portion 9 of the child scope 4 of the first embodiment, which is flexible.

Further, an illuminating device and an observing means such as a CCD camera for observing are provided at the tip of the first manipulator 114, and the repairing part Q in the industrial pipeline P is provided by the first manipulator 114. A working unit magnifying endoscopic system unit is formed for closely and directly watching.

Further, a micro gripper 117 formed by, for example, a basket type treatment section is provided at the tip of the second manipulator 115. The micro gripper 117 forms a tool transporting part that holds the work tool such as the welding material 118 and approaches the repairing part Q while gripping it.

The tip of the third manipulator 116 is provided with a laser beam emitting portion and a grinder working portion. And this third manipulator
By 116, a working portion is formed which approaches the repairing portion Q in the industrial pipeline P and performs repairing work such as welding with a laser beam or grinding with a grinder.

14 and 15 show the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. In this embodiment, the illumination window section 119 and the CCD camera for observation are provided at the distal end portions of the first manipulator 114 and the third manipulator 116 of the endoscope 111 having substantially the same structure as the industrial endoscope 111 of FIG. An observation window section 118 for the same is provided.

Then, the two observation window portions 118, 118 of the first manipulator 114 and the third manipulator 116.
While observing the target object A in the large space 12 three-dimensionally, the relative positional relationship between the target object A and the tip of the second manipulator 115 is measured, and the second manipulator is measured.
An observation means for guiding the tip of 115 to the target A and bringing it to the vicinity is formed.

Furthermore, the two observation window portions 118 and 118 of the first manipulator 114 and the third manipulator 116.
The distance of the tip of the second manipulator 115 to the target A from the stereoscopic image of the target A observed by
A position measuring means for calculating the orientation is provided, and a control means for guiding the tip portion of the second manipulator 115 to the target A based on the measurement results from the position measuring means and the observing means.

FIG. 15 illustrates the operation of feeding the endoscope 111 into the large space R from the industrial pipe P having a relatively small diameter. First, as shown in FIG. 15 (D), the TV monitor is shown with the endoscope 111 and the three manipulators 114, 115, 116 having their distal ends inserted in the industrial conduit P, as shown in FIG. 15 (D). The observation screen 121 by the CCD camera 113 of the endoscope 111 shown in FIG.

In the observation screen 121 of FIG. 15 (A), the opening portion of the entrance portion from the industrial pipeline P to the large space portion R and the tip portions of the three manipulators 114, 115 and 116 are formed in the approximate center. Is displayed.

Further, the endoscope 111 is operated to move forward, and as shown in FIG.
As shown in (E), the three manipulators 114, 115,
When the tip portion of 116 is inserted into the large space R, as shown in FIG.
As in the observation screen 121 of (B), the ratio of the opening portion of the entrance portion from the industrial pipeline P to the large space portion R in this screen becomes large.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15 (F), three manipulators 114, 115, 116 are inserted into the large space portion R, so that the distal end surface of the endoscope 111 extends from the industrial conduit P to the large space portion. When moving to a position near the opening of the entrance to R,
As in the observation screen 121 of FIG. 15 (C), the ratio of the opening portion of the entrance portion from the industrial pipeline P into the large space portion R in this screen is further increased.

In this way, the ratio of the opening portion of the entrance portion exceeds a certain value, and the distal end surface of the endoscope 111 is set to the industrial conduit P.
From the origin of the bay bending portion 21 of the three manipulators 114, 115, and 116 by stopping the forward movement of the endoscope 111 at the time when the endoscope 111 moves to the position near the opening of the entrance portion into the large space R. The joint 21a is always the same joint 21
It can be set to a.

Further, the endoscope 11 projected on the TV monitor
From the rate of change of the ratio of the opening of the entrance portion into the large space R in the observation screen 121 by the CCD camera 113 of 1 to the three manipulators 114 with respect to the opening position of the entrance portion,
By calculating the tip positions of 115 and 116, the tip portions of the three manipulators 114, 115, and 116 can be guided to the observation target site that is the target.

It should be noted that one manipulator 115 forms a pseudo three-dimensional observation image of the target object A, and from the pseudo three-dimensional observation image of the target object A, the tip portion of the second manipulator 115 with respect to the target object A is formed. The distance and direction may be calculated, and the tip of the second manipulator 115 may be guided to the target A.

16 and 17 show the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. FIG. 16A shows an endoscope 121.
1 shows a schematic configuration of the entire system. FIG.
In (A), 122 is the operation section of the endoscope 121, 123 is the insertion section,
124 is a universal code. The universal cord 124 is connected to the light source device 125.

Further, on the eyepiece side of the endoscope 121, distance measuring means 126 for measuring the distance between the distal end of the endoscope 121 and the target object A in the insertion target space and the TV camera 127 are attached. ing. The data processing unit 128 is included in the distance measuring means 126.
The data processing unit 128 is connected to the control unit 129 and the image forming unit 130.

Further, the image forming unit 130 has a TV camera 127.
, The control unit 129 and the 3D monitor 131 are connected to each other. Further, the control unit 129 is connected to the detection unit 133 and the treatment tool driving device 135. A 3D position sensor 132 is connected to the detector 133.

Further, a treatment instrument 134 is inserted in the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope 121. This treatment tool 134
The treatment tool driving device 135 controls movements and rotations in the x, y, and z directions, and opening and closing of the treatment section at the distal end.

Further, the distance measurement data obtained by the distance measuring means 126 is processed by the data processing section 128, and the image forming section 130 is processed.
After being 3D imaged in 3D, as shown in FIG.
Displayed on monitor 131. Further, a mark for indicating the target object A is displayed on the 3D image on the 3D monitor 131. This mark moves on the 3D image according to the movement of the 3D position sensor 132.

The position of the 3D position sensor 132 is sent by the detection unit 133 to the image forming unit 130 via the control unit 129. The TV camera 127 and the distance measuring means 126 can be selectively switched. Then, the image from the TV camera 127 is displayed on the 3D monitor 131 by the image forming unit 130,
Alternatively, it is displayed on the 3D monitor 131 after being combined with the image formed from the distance measurement data by the distance measuring means 126.

FIG. 17 shows a schematic structure of the distance measuring means 126. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 141 is an optical fiber bundle disposed inside the insertion portion 123 of the endoscope 121, 142 is an objective lens disposed opposite to the tip end portion of the optical fiber bundle 141,
Reference numeral 143 is an eyepiece lens that is arranged to face the base end of the optical fiber bundle 141.

Further, the distance measuring means 126 includes a laser device 145.
, Light receiving element 146, optical path changing means 147, half mirror 148
, And a control circuit 149, respectively. In this case, the optical path changing means 147 is formed of, for example, a polygon mirror or an acousto-optic modulator (AOM), and is arranged to face the eyepiece lens 143.

The half mirror 148 is the optical path changing means 14
7 and the laser device 145. further,
A light receiving element 146 arranged in a direction orthogonal to a direction connecting the optical path changing means 147 and the laser device 145 is arranged to face the half mirror 148 with a space therebetween.

Then, the laser light emitted from the laser device 145 is transmitted through the half mirror 148, and then the optical path changing means 147.
The light enters the eyepiece lens 143 of the endoscope 121 via the optical path, passes through the optical fiber bundle 141 and the objective lens 142, and is irradiated onto the target object A.

The reflected light from the target A passes through the opposite path and is reflected by the half mirror 148 to be received by the light receiving element 146.
Is received by. Here, the time from the emission of the laser beam to the reception of the laser beam is detected by the control circuit 149.

Further, the optical path changing means 147 sequentially guides the laser light to each optical fiber in the optical fiber bundle 141,
To be scanned. Then, by subtracting the time corresponding to the light path in the endoscope 121 from the data of the time from the emission of the laser light to the light reception detected by the control circuit 149, the endoscope 121
The distance between the tip of the target and the target A is measured.

Then, in the case of the above-mentioned configuration, the 3D formed based on the distance data obtained by the distance measuring means 126.
The image is combined with the image from the TV camera 127 and displayed on the 3D monitor 131. Therefore, the operator moves the mark on the 3D monitor 131 with the 3D position sensor 132 and operates a switch or the like (not shown) at the target position to fix the mark.

Further, the control unit 129 controls the marked target A
Is calculated by calculating the distance and direction from the treatment instrument insertion channel opening of the tip of the endoscope 121 corresponding to the position of
5 and the treatment section at the tip of the treatment instrument 134 is set as the target object A.
Guide to the position.

Therefore, also in this case, similarly to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to easily carry out the work of guiding the treatment portion at the tip of the treatment instrument 134 to the target object A in the large space portion, and to improve the work efficiency. be able to.

18 (A), (B), and (C) show the inside of the industrial conduit 152 bent into a substantially L shape as shown in FIGS. 18 (D), (E), and (F). 3 shows an observation screen 151 sent from an endoscope 153 inserted in the TV monitor to a TV monitor.

Here, as shown in FIG.
When 153 is positioned on the front side of the L-shaped bent portion in the conduit 152, the image 154 of the conduit 152 in the observation screen 151 is displayed in the central portion as shown in FIG. Is darker than the outer circumference.

Then, as shown in FIG.
When 153 advances to the position of the L-shaped bent portion in the conduit 152, the image 154 of the conduit 152 in the observation screen 151 has a left side portion as compared with a right side portion as shown in FIG. 18B. Get dark.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
When 153 advances to a position beyond the L-shaped bend in the conduit 152, the observation screen 15 is displayed again as shown in FIG. 18 (C).
The image 154 of the conduit 152 in 1 returns to a state where the central portion is darker than the outer peripheral portion.

Therefore, since the bending angle, the direction, etc. of the conduit 152 can be recognized from the change in the degree of brightness of the image 154 of the conduit 152 in the observation screen 151 of the endoscope 153, Based on the information of the image 154 of the duct 152 in the observation screen 151 of the endoscope 153 and the data of the extension amount (insertion amount) of the endoscope 153, the bay bending operation of the endoscope 153 is performed to determine the bending shape of the duct 152. Can be controlled accurately according to.

When the bent shape of the industrial pipe 152 is known in advance, the insertion length detecting scale of the endoscope 153 is used to detect the endoscope.
The insertion length of 153 may be calculated, and the joint portion reaching the position of the bending portion in the conduit 152 may be controlled to perform the bay bending operation in an optimum state.

Further, FIG. 19 shows a modification of the feeding amount detecting portion of the child scope 4 fed from the parent scope 2. This is the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 of the parent scope 2.
The induction electromotive coil 161 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the device, and the electromagnetic layer 162 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the child scope 4 at a position corresponding to the joint portion 21a. In this case, the induction electromotive coil 161 is operated during the feeding operation of the child scope 4.
The number of the electromagnetic layers 162 passing through the section is counted by the induction electromotive coil 161, and thus the amount of extension of the child scope 4 is obtained.

FIG. 20 shows the bay bending portion 2 of the child scope 4.
9 shows a modified example of the bay bending angle detection unit of each joint 21a of No. 1 in FIG. This is the sensor unit 17
A strain gauge 172 and an IC chip 173 are incorporated in the sensor unit 171 and the sensor unit 171 is provided in each joint 21a of the child scope 4.
As many sets as the number in the bending direction are attached to each. Then, when the bay bending angle detection unit is in operation, by passing a current according to the operating frequency of the IC chip 173, the output of the corresponding strain gauge 172 can be obtained.

FIG. 21 shows a view angle switching mechanism of the endoscope. This is because the endoscope 181 formed by a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator for observation equipped with a light emitter 182 and a CCD camera 183 as shown in FIG. Switching adapter 184
Is rotatably attached.

In this case, the adapter 184 has a pair of window portions 18
5, 185, and a narrow-angle lens 186 and a wide-angle lens 187 are attached. Then, by rotating the adapter 184 by 90 °, the narrow-angle lens 186 or the wide-angle lens 187 can be selectively attached to the front surface of the CCD camera 183 of the endoscope 181 to switch the viewing angle of the endoscope 181. You can do it.

In FIG. 22, the objective lens 191 arranged in the observation window in front of the CCD camera 183 is made of a functional polymer material. In this case, the objective lens 191
Is an inner lens made of a mixed material of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylic acid (PAA).
Electrodes 193 and 194 are attached to both ends of 192, and an outer lens 195 formed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is arranged outside these inner lens 192 and electrodes 193 and 194.

Then, in this objective lens 191, when the power source 196 is turned on and a voltage is applied between the electrodes 193 and 194, water moves from the outer lens 195 side to the inner lens 192 side, and the entire objective lens 191 is The angle of view of the objective lens 191 can be adjusted by deforming the shape of the object so that it approaches a spherical shape. Furthermore, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0119]

According to the present invention, the position measuring means for measuring the position of each bay bending element with respect to the arbitrarily set reference point of the insertion portion, the target object in the insertion target space, and the target object and the insertion portion are observed. Since the observation means for measuring the relative positional relationship between the target object and the control means for guiding the insertion portion to the target object based on the measurement results from the position measurement means and the observation means are provided, the target object in the large space part is provided. The work of guiding the distal end of the insertion portion of the flexible tube can be easily performed, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a control system of an entire bay bending device for a child scope in a parent-child scope according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a state in which the insertion portion of the child scope of the first embodiment is inserted into the stomach.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a bay bending portion of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a bay bend control device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the parent-child scope.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a delivery amount detection unit of a child scope.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a bay bending angle detection unit of each joint.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a guidance work for guiding the child scope to a target object.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the bay bending operation of the child scope.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modified example of the guiding work for guiding the child scope to the target object.

11A is a schematic configuration diagram showing a state in which a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator of a surgical microrobot is inserted into the body, FIG. 11B is a schematic configuration diagram showing a bypass operation state of a coronary artery of a heart, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator inserted into the body.

12A and 12B show a treatment tool for an endoscope, FIG. 12A is a schematic configuration diagram showing a usage state, and FIG. 12B is a schematic configuration diagram showing an enlarged main part of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator inserted in a gas pipeline.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a feeding operation of the endoscope according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows a third embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a schematic block diagram of the whole endoscope system, (B) is a schematic block diagram which shows the observation image of an endoscope.

FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a distance measuring unit.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of detecting the bending direction of the pipeline in the industrial pipeline.

FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a modified example of the delivery amount detection unit of the child scope.

FIG. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a modified example of the bay bending angle detection unit of each joint.

21A and 21B show a view angle switching mechanism of an endoscope, FIG. 21A is a perspective view of a distal end portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 21B is a plan view of an adapter.

FIG. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram of an objective lens arranged in an observation window.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Child scope, 9 ... Insert part, 21 ... Bay bend part, 21a
… Joints, 22, 23… Bay bending piece (bay bending element), 51
... Parent scope CCD (observation means), 61 ... Joint coordinate calculation unit (position measurement means).

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] July 10, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0005

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0005]

In the bay bending apparatus having the above-mentioned conventional structure, for example, a bay bending portion is bent along a duct shape in a duct having a relatively small diameter such as a small intestine or the large intestine. It is suitable for the work of advancing the flexible tube.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

However, a flexible tube is inserted into a large space such as the stomach or gallbladder, and the tip of the insertion portion of the flexible tube is reached to a target in the large space such as the stomach or gallbladder by the master-slave method. since when trying Ayatsuro to direct part has to bay the bending action of the bay bent portion in a state where a target always placed in the field of view, there is a problem that the operation becomes cumbersome.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0016

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The base end side of the bay bent portion 21 is connected to the operating portion on the hand side. Further, in this bay bending portion 21, two or more types of bay bending pieces 22 and 23 made of metal and having a substantially cylindrical shape are alternately arranged in parallel along the axial direction. in this case,
One of the bay bending pieces 22 is set to have a length dimension larger than that of the other bay bending piece 23. In addition, bay bending piece
Outer tubes (not shown) made of an elastic material are attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of 22 , .

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0020

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, the thermal deformation members 27 ...
The actuators 2 and 23 are operated to bend and bend. In this case, the respective thermal deformation member 27 reference coil length of the state unheated during the first shape by remote coil length second shape when heated to shrink so as to be shorter in the holding in the < br /> It is stored in advance.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0027

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, the parent scope 2 is provided with a feeding amount control section for controlling the feeding amount of the child scope 4. The feeding amount control unit is provided with a drive mechanism for the child scope 4 including, for example, a linear ultrasonic motor, and is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the treatment instrument insertion channel 3 of the parent scope 2 as shown in FIG. A plurality of micro-rollers 41 for calculating the delivery amount of the child scope 4 are provided.

[Procedure Amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0047

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, the bay bending amount calculation unit 59 has a child scope CCD corresponding to the calculation result from the bay bending amount calculation unit 59.
A bay bend signal generator 66 for generating a bay bend control signal for the bay bend 21 is connected.

[Procedure Amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0048

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

A multi-channel PPM signal, which is a bay bending control signal, is output from the bay bending signal generator 66 , and the multi-channel PPM signal is supplied to each SMA control circuit 28 of the bay bending portion 21 of the child scope 4. As a result, each joint portion 21a of the bay bending portion 21 is operated to bay bend.

[Procedure Amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0096

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, the distance measurement data obtained by the distance measuring means 126 is processed by the data processing unit 128, converted into a 3D image by the image forming unit 130, and then displayed on the 3D monitor 131.
Shown. 16B is displayed on the 3D monitor 131.
The displayed 3D image is shown by 136.
1 observation field of view 137 is an observation field of view 136 of the endoscope 121.
It shows the projection of the observation target part displayed inside.
It Further, a mark for indicating the target object A is displayed on the 3D image on the 3D monitor 131. This mark is 3D
It moves on the 3D image according to the movement of the position sensor 132.

[Procedure Amendment 9]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Procedure Amendment 10]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 6]

[Procedure Amendment 11]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 9

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 9]

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Akio Nakata 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Ueda 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideyuki Adachi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Katsunori Sakiyama 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Tatsumi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Fujio 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaaki Hayashi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Within the academic Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) inventor on KuniAkira Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Hatagaya 2-chome No. 43 No. 2 Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. in

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bay bending apparatus having a multi-joint structure, wherein a bay bending portion in which a plurality of bay bending elements are connected to each other through joints so as to be bay bendable is provided in an insertion portion to be inserted into an insertion target space. , Position measuring means for measuring the position of each bay bending element with respect to an arbitrarily set reference point of the insertion part, and observing the target object in the insertion target space, and between the target object and the insertion part And a control means for guiding the insertion part to the target object based on the measurement results from the position measuring means and the observing means. Bending device.