KR101962533B1 - Management Device For Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoscope management apparatus capable of preventing an endoscope failure due to excessive bending of a flexible endoscope insertion unit using a smart phone immobilized on an endoscope.
The present invention includes a soft type endoscope having an operation portion, an insertion portion capable of being bent and bent, and a transmission cable, an endoscope management terminal connected to the operation portion through the transmission cable, and a smart phone mounted on the upper portion of the operation portion . The smartphone determines whether the measurement value of the tilt sensor is within a predetermined reference range and warns the tester operating the operation unit when the tilt sensor is out of the reference range that the endoscope is broken due to excessive bending of the insertion unit .

Description

Management Device For Endoscope

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope management apparatus, and more particularly, to an endoscope management apparatus capable of preventing an endoscope failure due to excessive bending of a soft type endoscope insertion unit using a smart phone immobilized on an endoscope.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Generally, an endoscope is widely used in a medical field where an insertion section inserted into a body cavity of a human body is inserted to observe the internal organs or body cavity.

In 1868, Kussmaul of Germany developed the endoscope for use in the human body, and since then the fiber optic endoscope was developed in 1957 and the electronic endoscope was developed in 1983 through the remarkable development of science and medicine, .

Currently, endoscopes used in hospitals and clinics are very expensive medical equipment that is filled with precision components with complicated structure and high technology, and they are disinfected with disinfectant to prevent cross infection of patients when endoscopes are reused. Korean Patent No. 10-0673412 and Korean Patent No. 10-1238765 disclose conventional techniques for replacing a contaminated endoscope insertion portion.

Conventionally, endoscopes can be classified into a soft type and a hard type. A flexible endoscope that can be freely bent includes an insertion portion to be inserted into the body cavity of the human body and an operation portion to control the insertion portion.

Incorrect use or manipulation of the endoscope can lead to catastrophic failure, which can be bothersome to the surgeon and threatens the patient being examined. Therefore, endoscope management manuals related to the usage guidelines, such as safe handling of endoscopic instruments and cleaning and storage at the time of completion of the tests, are made, and on-site training courses and checklists are provided to physicians, nurses and endoscopists participating in endoscopy. And monitoring is performed to prevent malfunction of the endoscope.

However, in the process of inserting a thin and long endoscope insertion part into the patient's body cavity and inspecting the lesion by moving the position of the distal end inserted into the body cavity using the endoscope manipulation part, the connection part between the operation part of a hard material and the insertion part An endoscopic failure such as wire breakage, poor image quality, leakage, and the like are caused as a result of accumulation of excessive bending and bending operations.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0673412 (registered on Jan. 17, 2007) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1238765 (registered on Feb. 25, 2013)

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope management apparatus capable of preventing an endoscope failure by recognizing whether an endoscope insertion portion is bent in an appropriate range according to a tilt measured in a smartphone, thereby warping an excessive bending state of the endoscope insertion portion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope management apparatus capable of providing an examiner with a diagnosis of a lesion by providing information of a subject to be examined, a past medical record, and a test image through a smart phone mounted on the endoscope operation unit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endoscope management apparatus comprising: an endoscope of a flexible type having an operation unit, an insertion unit that can be bent and a transmission cable; An endoscope management terminal connected to the operation unit through the transmission cable; Wherein the smartphone determines whether the measured value of the tilt sensor is within a predetermined reference range and informs the tester operating the operating unit that the measured value of the tilt sensor is excessively bent Thereby warning the user of the risk of failure of the endoscope.

The insertion portion may include a connecting portion coupled to one end of the operating portion, a bending portion bent according to the operation of the operating portion, and a distal end extending from the bending portion, A wire mesh of stainless steel and an outer rubber coating are provided and a first objective lens for transmitting the reflected light from the observation portion to the optical fiber and transmitting the optical image to the optical fiber is provided on the distal end portion, A second objective lens is installed in the smartphone, and the smart phone warns of a risk of failure due to excessive breakage occurring at a connection portion between the operation unit and the connection unit.

Further, the smartphone receives and displays the information of the testee, the past medical record, and the test image from the endoscope management terminal using the short-range communication module, and the endoscope management terminal is built in the hospital or connected to an external communication network And acquires information of the examinee from the established medical information system, a past medical record, and a test image.

The mount includes a first holder coupled to an upper end surface of the operation unit, a second holder fixing the smartphone, and a cylindrical connection pipe connecting the first holder and the second holder, The first holder is implemented as a tightening nut, and the second holder is implemented as a clamp.

In addition, the smartphone recognizes the initial value of the tilt sensor for the 3-axis direction in the current state of the smartphone during the initialization process, sets a reference range that satisfies the safety range according to the initial value, And a warning operation is executed when the measured value of the sensor is out of the set reference range.

According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to prevent an endoscope failure by warning an operator who operates the endoscope to an excessive bending state of the endoscope insertion portion, and to easily and easily perform a trouble check using a smart phone without using expensive inspection equipment There is an advantage.

In addition, according to the present invention, an examiner can easily diagnose a lesion by providing information of a testee, a past medical record, and a test image through a smart phone mounted on an endoscope control unit, and can share a video in real time using a smart phone It can be utilized in cooperation, and consultation can be made with images stored in smartphone after inspection.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a use example of a main part of an endoscope management apparatus according to the present invention. Fig.
Fig. 2 is an exemplary view showing a connection portion between an operation portion and a connection portion when the endoscopic examination is performed. Fig.
Fig. 3 is an exemplary view showing a posture of a smartphone changing in a safety zone when an operation unit is moved so that the connection site is not excessively broken during an endoscopic examination; Fig.
4 is a block diagram of an endoscope management apparatus according to the present invention.
5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the endoscope management apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. Also, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

1 is a use example of a main part of an endoscope management apparatus according to the present invention.

The endoscope management device according to the present invention includes a soft type endoscope 10 and an endoscope management terminal 50 that can be bent so as to be inserted into a body cavity of a human body.

The endoscope 10 mainly comprises an operating portion 11, an elongated insertion portion 12, and a transmission cable 16.

The insertion portion 12 of the endoscope 10 is enclosed by a wire mesh of stainless steel so as to protect internal precision components such as an optical fiber and an objective lens and is not distorted and deformed, Rubber coatings are made of materials that are resistant to stomach acid and various chemical substances as well as waterproof, and have flexibility and elasticity that are appropriate.

The insertion section 12 includes a connection section 13 coupled to one end of the operation section 11, a bending section 14 bent by the operation of the operation section 11 and a distal end section 15 extending from the bending section 14 .

And a transmission cable 16 for coupling with the endoscope management terminal 50 is coupled to the side of the operation unit 11. [ The transmission cable 16 transmits the light source of the light source unit 51 to the optical fiber of the operation unit 11. The distal end portion 15 is provided with a small-sized objective lens which transmits the reflected light from the observation portion and transmits the optical image to the optical fiber. An objective lens for imaging the optical image transmitted from the optical fiber is provided in the operating portion 11.

The examiner looks down on the optical image formed on the objective lens of the operating section 11 by bringing the head close to the operating section 11 and checking the observed part of the examinee. This narrows the field of view and restricts the motion of the examiner. The optical image formed on the objective lens of the operation unit 11 is photographed by the smartphone 30 and displayed on the screen so that the inspector can easily see the observation site of the examinee by viewing the screen of the smartphone 30. [

A mount 20 for mounting the smartphone 30 is provided on the operation portion 11 of the endoscope 10. [

The first holder 21 and the second holder 22 provided at both ends of the mount 20 are connected to each other by a bent cylindrical connection pipe 23. A mirror for changing the path of the light can be provided inside the coupling tube 23. The first holder 21 may be implemented as a tightening nut, and the second holder 22 may be implemented as a forceps.

The tightening screw of the first holder 21 can be fitted to the outer surface of the upper end of the operation unit 11 and the smartphone 30 can be engaged with the second holder 22 The smartphone 30 can be slantingly mounted on the top.

The partially cut portion of the second holder 22 exposes the camera and the flash lamp disposed on the rear side of the smart phone 30 so that the optical image formed on the objective lens of the operation unit 11 can be photographed by the smart phone 30 The camera and the flash lamp disposed on the rear side of the exposed smart phone 30 are closely attached to the inlet of the connection pipe 23. [ The lower portion of the second holder 22 supporting the smartphone 30 is supported on the hand gripping the operation portion 11 for the endoscopic examination so that the operation portion 11 can be stably adjusted.

In general, the assistant who assists the endoscope manipulation in addition to the examiner is provided, and the examiner performing the endoscope examines the endoscope 10 with both hands. For example, the examiner can grasp the insertion portion 12 with his right hand and insert the leading end portion 15 and the bending portion 14 into the body cavity of the examinee to see the observation portion to which the leading end portion 15 is aimed. The user operates the switch with his / her finger to move the operating portion 11 with his left hand and bend the bending portion 14 at the same time. Of course, inspection can be performed by holding the operation portion 11 with the right hand and holding the insertion portion 12 with the left hand.

As shown in Fig. 2 (a), the general position of the connecting portion A of the connecting portion 13 at the time of the endoscopic examination using the both hands of the examiner using both hands is such that the portion connecting the operating portion 11 and the connecting portion 13 is gentle . When the operation unit 11 is biased to one side while the insertion unit 12 is being inserted or withdrawn, the insertion unit 12 moves in the body cavity of the examinee while the operation unit 11 is tilted, The connecting portion 13 connected to one end of the operating portion 11 is also inclined so that the connecting portion A connecting the operating portion 11 and the connecting portion 13 is excessively broken as shown in FIG. do. As the bending state is repeated, the optical fiber, the wire mesh, and the like installed inside the insertion portion 12 may be deformed, or the outer rubber film may be wrinkled, twisted, swollen, or even broken to form a gap. That is, a failure due to the fatigue load of the insertion portion 12 occurs.

The insertion portion 12 of the examinee has limited movement within the body cavity of the examinee and the connecting portion 13 is fixed to the lower portion of the operation portion 11 and the mount 20 is fixedly coupled to the upper portion of the operation portion 11, The posture of the connection unit 13 and the smartphone 30 are in accordance with the movement of the operation unit 11. [ 2 (a), when the connecting portion A of the operating portion 11 and the connecting portion 13 is gently bent, the inclination of the smartphone 30 is within the allowable range, The inclination of the smartphone 30 is out of the allowable range when the connecting portion A of the operating portion 11 and the connecting portion 13 is excessively bent as shown in Fig. That is, excessive bending of the connecting portion A between the operating portion 11 and the connecting portion 13 can be measured by the posture change of the smartphone 30 during the endoscopic examination. 3, when the endoscope insertion portion 12 is vertically suspended, the smartphone 30 located at the upper portion of the operation portion 11 is positioned in the safe region S Means a changing operating environment.

The orientation of the smartphone 30 can be recognized by using a tilt sensor built in the smartphone 30. Therefore, the reference range of the tilt sensor is set in advance in correspondence with the smartphone 30 changing in the safe area S, and the slope measured by the tilt sensor of the smartphone 30 during the endoscopic examination is compared with the set reference range It is possible to determine whether the posture of the smartphone 30 changes in the safe area S. At this time, the tilt sensor can measure tilt in three axis directions (x axis, y axis, z axis), for example, a gyro sensor can be applied, and the reference range corresponds to the three axis directions, Can be set. For example, when the application of the smartphone 30 is initialized when the smartphone 30 is mounted on the mount 20 to prepare for the inspection, (Slope) of the reference value, and sets the reference range based on the initial value.

Then, when the measurement value of the tilt sensor is out of the reference range at the endoscopic examination, the warning operation is executed. That is, the smartphone 30 constrained to the movement of the operation unit 11 continuously checks whether the safe area S is deviated during the endoscopic examination, and if the posture of the smartphone 30 is in the safe area S If it is determined that it is detached, a warning sound may be output through a speaker to warn the inspectors of the risk of failure of the insertion unit 12. [ Of course, it is also possible to visually warn the screen of the smartphone 30 of an excessive bending state with respect to the connection site A.

The warning operation of the smartphone 30 causes the inspector to adjust the movement of the operation portion 11 so that the connection portion A of the operation portion 11 and the connection portion 13 is temporarily bent and gently bent again do. As described above, since the excessive bending state of the connecting portion A generated in the endoscopic examination process is not maintained, the failure of the insertion portion 12 can be prevented.

On the other hand, it is possible to provide the examinee who performs the endoscopic examination with information of the testee and data and image information about the medical record that can help diagnose the lesion through the smartphone 30. This will be described with reference to FIG.

The terminal control unit 52 of the smartphone 30 and the endoscopic management terminal 50 each include a local communication module for wireless communication. The local communication module includes Bluetooth, Zigbee) can be applied.

 Also, the terminal control unit 52 of the endoscopic management terminal 50 communicates with the medical information system 60, which is established in the hospital or built on a cloud basis connected to the external communication network, via the Internet to transmit the information (name, Date of diagnosis, inspection items, etc.) and past medical records and inspection images.

In response to the information request command sent from the smartphone 30 to the examinee in response to the operation of the inspector, the terminal control unit 52 responds to the information of the examinee acquired from the medical information system 60, And delivers the image to the smartphone 30. Accordingly, the examiner can directly check the information of the examinee displayed on the screen of the smartphone 30, the past medical record, and the examination image.

If a lesion on the observation site is suspected during the endoscopic examination for the examinee, the image is photographed and stored in the smartphone 30 according to the operation of the inspector, and the lesion image of the examinee thus stored is transmitted to the terminal control unit 52 again So that it can be reflected and stored in the medical information system 60. After completion of the endoscopic examination, the image stored in the smartphone 30 separated from the mount 20 can be called up for consultation while consulting the examinee. In addition, during the endoscopic examination, the image of the smartphone 30 can be transmitted and shared in real time, so that it can be used when collaborating with other medical staff.

Hereinafter, the operation of the endoscope management apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

A transmission cable 16 is connected between the side of the operating section 11 and the light source section 51 of the endoscope management terminal 50 and the smartphone 30 is mounted on the mount 20 of the operating section 11. [ (70).

The application of the smartphone 30 is initialized. In the initialization process, an initial value of the tilt sensor is set for the three-axis direction based on the current state of the smartphone 30, and a reference range for the safety area S is set based on the initial value.

The smart phone 30 and the terminal control unit 52 include a local communication module capable of performing wireless communication using Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth. The smartphone 30 transmits an information request command to the terminal control unit 52 to the examinee in accordance with the operation of the inspector. In response to this, the terminal control unit 52 receives the testee's information (name, age, medical history, examination date), past medical record and test image from the medical information system 60 and transmits it to the smartphone 30 do. The information of the testee, the past medical record and the test image are displayed on the screen of the smartphone 30 (72).

The examiner inserts the endoscope insertion portion 12 into the body cavity of the examinee to perform the examination. At this time, the switch of the operation unit 11 is operated to bend the bending unit 14 to change the observation site aimed at the distal end part 15 and to transmit the image of the observation site aimed at the distal end part 15 to the smart phone 30 And displays it on the screen (74).

The posture of the smartphone 30 constrained by the movement of the operation unit 11 is measured during the endoscopic examination. That is, the measured value of the three-axis direction measured using the tilt sensor of the smartphone 30 is compared with a preset reference range (76). As a result of the comparison, if the smartphone 30 determines that the smartphone 30 has deviated from the safety zone S, the endoscope connection unit 13 is warned of the risk of failure of the endoscope due to excessive bending. At this time, the smartphone 30 can output a warning sound through the speaker or visually display it on the screen to warn the user (78).

If the lesion is suspected to be observed during the endoscopic examination of the testee, the image is photographed and stored in the smartphone 30 according to the operation of the tester (80). The lesion images of the test subjects thus stored can be transmitted to the terminal control unit 52 and reflected on the medical information system 60 for storage. In addition, after the endoscopic examination is completed, the testee can call and display the image stored in the smartphone 30, and if necessary, transmit the image to the testee's smartphone.

In the embodiments described so far, a method of directly photographing the optical image of the observation part with the smartphone 30 and displaying it on the screen has been applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image of the observation part transmitted from the endoscope management terminal 50 It is possible to apply another method of displaying it on the screen by receiving it from the smartphone 30. In order to realize such another method, a CCD is provided as an image pickup element for forming an optical image and photoelectrically converting an optical image to generate an image pickup signal, and an image pickup signal formed by the image pickup element of the tip end portion 15 is supplied to a transmission cable 16 To the endoscopic management terminal 50 via the network. After that, the terminal control section 52 performs image processing of the imaging signal of the observation part transmitted from the transmission cable 16 and displays it on the monitor 53 of the endoscopic management terminal 50. Also, the image may be transmitted to the smartphone 30 and displayed on the screen of the smartphone 30. In this way, the smartphone 30 compares the measurement values in the three-axis direction measured using the tilt sensor with a predetermined reference range while performing an inspection while displaying an image of the observed part of the examinee, It is possible to warn the user of the risk of failure of the endoscope due to excessive bending of the insertion portion 12.

10:
11:
12:
13: Connection
14: Bending section
15:
16: Transmission cable
20: Mount
30: Smartphone
50: Endoscopic management terminal
51: Light source
52:
53: Monitor
60: Medical Information System

Claims (5)

An endoscope of a soft type having an operation portion, an insertion portion that can be bent and bent, and a transmission cable;
An endoscope management terminal connected to the operation unit through the transmission cable;
A mount coupled to an upper end of the operating portion;
And a smartphone mounted on the mount top,
The smartphone determines whether the measured value of the built-in tilt sensor is within a predetermined tilt reference range, and when the measured value of the tilt sensor deviates from the reference range, And the endoscope management device warns of a failure of the endoscope. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the insertion portion includes a connecting portion coupled to one end of the operating portion, a bending portion bent according to the operation of the operating portion, and a distal end extending from the bending portion,
The inserting portion is provided with a stainless steel wire mesh and an outer rubber coating for protecting the optical fiber and the objective lens therein,
And a second objective lens for forming an optical image to be transmitted from the optical fiber is provided in the operating section, and the second objective lens for focusing the optical image transmitted from the optical fiber is provided on the operating section,
Wherein the smartphone warns a user of a risk of failure due to excessive breakage occurring at a connection portion between the operation unit and the connection unit. The method according to claim 1,
The smartphone receives and displays the testee's information, the past medical record, and the test image from the endoscope management terminal using the near field communication module,
Wherein the endoscope management terminal acquires information of a testee, a past medical record, and a test image from a medical information system constructed on a cloud basis connected to an external communication network. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mount includes a first holder coupled to an upper end surface of the operation unit, a second holder for fixing the smartphone, and a cylindrical connection pipe connecting the first holder and the second holder, Wherein the first holder is implemented as a tightening nut, and the second holder is implemented as a clamp. The method according to claim 1,
The smartphone recognizes the initial value of the tilt sensor in the three axial directions in the current state of the smartphone during the initialization process, sets a reference range that meets the safe range according to the initial value, When the measurement value of the endoscope is out of the set reference range.

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