KR20140127951A - Endoscope apparatus having wireless interface - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention includes: a sensor which is arranged in the remote terminal of the endoscope apparatus and provides endoscope data; at least one electron control actuator which controls the operation of the endoscope part based on a received control signal; a first wireless transceiver which is connected to a sensor and the electronic control actuator, transmits the endoscope data received from the sensor, and transmits the received control signal to the electron control actuator; and a potable type power which is connected to the sensor, the first wireless transceiver, and the electron control actuator.

Description

[0001] ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS HAVING WIRELESS INTERFACE [0002]

The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus having a wireless interface.

Diagnostic endoscopy is a common procedure in the United States and in many countries, and will probably be the next second to interventional cardiology in general hospital income.

Conventional endoscopy uses a flexible endoscope, which is generally controlled by an internal tension wire. Such probes typically include means for illumination, intestinal lavage, imaging (usually via a CCD camera chip in a remote tip), as well as a working channel in which biopsy forceps, snares, high frequency therapy probes can be inserted .

Such devices allow doctors to see and treat esophageal, gastrointestinal, and respiratory polyps or other common diseases. Although developed over 20 years, the endoscopy used in today's gastrointestinal diseases is complex and expensive. In addition, many endoscopes

It should be kept close to the use. Further, endoscopes are typically cleaned and sterilized by manual and expensive cleaning machines. As a result, the hospital's gastrointestinal department must invest considerable capital investment in endoscopes and consoles, and must spend considerable staff time and hospital space to store and reprocess endoscopes. Reducing the need for endoscopy inventory, inspection, preparation, and handling would allow hospital resources to be freed, thereby contributing to cost savings or increased patient throughput.

In the present invention, an endoscope apparatus is provided, the endoscope apparatus including an endoscope portion and a control and display unit.

The present invention provides an endoscopic apparatus comprising: a sensor disposed at a remote end of the endoscope portion to provide endoscope data; At least one electronic control actuator for controlling the operation of the endoscope portion based on the received control signal; A first wireless transceiver, coupled to the sensor and the at least one electronic control actuator, for transmitting endoscopic data received from the sensor and delivering the received control signal to the at least one electronic control actuator; And a portable power source coupled to the sensor, the first wireless transceiver, and the one or more electronic control actuators.

The endoscope apparatus according to the present invention has the effect of reducing endoscope inventory as well as reducing (or eliminating) staff time, equipment, and hospital space required for endoscope preparation and handling.

1 is a schematic diagram of an actuator useful in connection with the present invention;
Figures 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams illustrating several possible alternative examples for placing an actuator in a structural element in an endoscope of the present invention.
4 is a schematic perspective view of a structural element and actuator useful in an endoscope of the present invention.

The endoscopic system of the present invention preferably utilizes inexpensive system components to achieve disposable economics.

For example, as noted above, the endoscope of the present invention preferably utilizes a wireless interface chipset rather than rely on expensive and often unreliable electrical connectors. Inexpensive wireless interfaces are currently available from many sources, including Bluetooth TM wireless interfaces available from Motorola, as well as IEEE 802.11b wireless interfaces available from, for example, Cisco, Apple, and Lucent. Depending on the economy, the air interface may be provided to each module of the endoscope portion, for example, or may be provided to each actuator of the endoscope portion.

The sensing system used in the endoscope portion preferably includes an energy source and an imaging subsystem (also referred to herein as an " imaging detector ") at or near the remote end of the endoscope portion. For example, the energy source may be a light source such as a light emitting diode (e.g. a white-light-emitting laser diode) or a fiber optic light source such as an optical fiber bundle with a diffuser at the remote end, wherein the light emitting diode is presently preferred. The imaging system may be, for example, an optical fiber or a camera, such as a CCD camera chip or a CMOS camera chip. A low cost CMOS or flying-spot imaging subsystem is currently preferred, such as Micron Photobit, Pasadena, Calif., Conexant, Newport Beach, CA, CByond, Oak Park, CA, Microvision, Including Microm edical in Castle Pine Village, Colorado, Photo Vision Systems in Cote Land, New York, Sarnoff Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, Van guard Labs in Taiwan, and many other manufacturers.

Of course, other optically-based and non-optically-based systems may operate in the visible light region or other regions of the spectrum, use reflected radiation or fluorescence, or may cause internal sources or external causes Or other imaging modalities similar to ultrasound or optical coherent tomography, for example.

The endoscope of the present invention has an overall well-known appearance. For example, an endoscope may be used as an endoscope, for example, for insufflation, lavage, and for insertion of tools such as biopsy forceps, snares, high frequency therapy probes, . However, as will be discussed in more detail below, it is desirable to use an inexpensive electronic actuator made of an electroactive polymer, which actuator is referred to as a conventional pull wire (often referred to as Bowden cables) ≪ / RTI > in the endoscopic structure.

Although a simple pull-wire or probe system known in the art can be used in connection with the present invention as long as it has desirable manufacturing economics, the presently electroactive polymer actuator is the most excellent in this respect. Electroactive actuators also provide additional advantages in controlling the shape and rigidity of the endoscope portion along its length, as will become clear from the discussion below.

The power source for the endoscope of the present invention is generally a battery. By incorporating battery power into the endoscope, interconnect cost and complexity are reduced. Also, a reuse built-in limit for limiting the use of an endoscope to a patient can be provided, if desired, thereby avoiding cross-contamination problems.

Essentially, one or more batteries may be provided at any location within the endoscope, but it is preferably provided at a proximal end of the endoscope, which may be in the form of an integrated and sealed control handle, for example. Electronic devices for the air interface, including actuators for electronic actuators and other components, may also be provided at the proximal end of the endoscope.

The peer control and display unit is preferably a computer, such as a standard laptop personal computer, which provides processing, memory and display capabilities, and also has a fellow air interface and appropriate operating software. If desired, a computer mouse pad, built-in or peripheral joystick, or similar device may be used to adjust and control the endoscope, for example, with a semi-automatic assistive device based on image analysis, such as manually or as discussed in more detail below .

The laptop is preferably connected to the Internet, for example, via a dial-up or wireless connection network. Once the computer is web-enabled, images and patient research data are stored, analyzed, retrieved, and shared in one or more remote databases.

The wireless connection between the endoscope and the laptop may be selectively configured to automatically recognize the endoscope model, configuration, serial number, calibration, and other data by the computer. Integrating these automatic recognition features with web-based inventory and patient-scheduling management systems enables automated management of inventory, reorder and just-in-time delivery, and reduces inventory and handling costs . If desired, the user prompt can suggest and confirm the reorder.

Endoscopes are usually delivered in sterile packaging. Once the endoscope has been removed from the package, (a) bringing the endoscope close to the computer, the computer automatically recognizes that the endoscope is nearby and turns on the endoscope, (b) manually turning the small sealed power- (C) by using a switch-bar key that may be included on the endoscope, or in a similar manner, the endoscope may be powered on. If desired, a welcome screen can be set up asking for logon and patient information. The user then generally controls the endoscope, performs the examination (e.g., selecting images and video sequences and annotations to be stored during the examination), completes the examination, and logs out. One specific embodiment of the endoscopic apparatus of the present invention is shown in Figure 13 As a block diagram.

The illustrated endoscopic system includes a control and display unit, such as an endoscopic portion 1300 and a computer 1354. Wireless interfaces 1360a and 1360b (including a driver) are provided between the endoscope 1300 and the computer 1354. The control signal is transmitted from the computer 1354 to the endoscope portion 1300 via the air interface 1360a, 1360b. The control signal includes a signal that is ultimately transmitted from the driver associated with the electronic interface 1360b to the actuator 1310 but may also include a signal directed to the LED 1321 and camera 1322 at the remote end of the endoscope 1300, May also include other signals. Data including data from strain gauges, depth gauges, etc. (not shown), if present, as well as imaging data from camera 1322 are also transmitted wirelessly from endoscope portion 1300 to computer 1354, And transmitted via the interfaces 1360a and 1360b.

As is typical, the computer 1354 includes a processor 1362, a memory 1363, and a display 1364. The camera data transmitted over the air interfaces 1360a, 1360b is shown on the display 1364. Using this information, an operator can operate an adjustment controller 1356 which can use the operation software 1365 to generate data (along with any other relevant data, such as data from strain gages, etc.) And the software calculates a control signal. The control signal is transmitted to the actuator 1310 in the endoscope 1300 via the driver in the wireless interface 1360b to adjust and control the shape of the endoscope portion 1300. [

The orientation of the head module as a function of the advancing distance is stored in the computer and serves as a map for the subsequent deflection module. The distance data may be provided, for example, from a length gauge or linear displacement transducer as discussed above. The data associated with the orientation of the head module may be, for example, an adjustment step (e.g.,

The input from a central-search computer algorithm) or from an input signal from a position sensor or strain gauge. Using this map, the electrical control signal for the actuator is calculated as a function of insertion depth. As a result, when subsequent modules arrive at locations previously occupied by the head module, the actuators in these modules are operated such that they take the orientation of the head module when the head module exists at that particular insertion depth.

The above result shows that the endoscope maintains its path in the three-dimensional space while reflecting the shape of the track (orbit) moving through it. This is illustrated in the drawings with a simple schematic diagram of an endoscope, which includes a plurality of deflection modules 1204 (one with reference numeral) and one working tip 1203 and a linear displacement transducer 1230). These figures show the orientation of the endoscope immediately after insertion (Figure 12a), at the midpoint of the insertion (Figure 12b) and at the fully inserted point. As can be seen in these figures, as the endoscope advances, the endoscope maintains its orientation at a given insertion depth. Although the present invention has been described in terms of a few exemplary embodiments, there are many other variations of the embodiments described above that will be apparent to those skilled in the art, even when the elements are not explicitly referred to as illustrative. It is understood that these variations are within the teaching of the present invention, and the present invention should be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (4)

An endoscopic device comprising:
(a) as an endoscopic portion:
(I) a sensor disposed at a remote end of the endoscope portion to provide endoscope data;
(Ii) at least one electronic control actuator for controlling the operation of the endoscope portion based on the received control signal;
(Iii) a first wireless transceiver, coupled to the sensor and the at least one electronic control actuator, for transmitting endoscopic data received from the sensor and for transmitting the received control signal to the at least one electronic control actuator; And
(Iv) a portable power source coupled to the sensor, the first wireless transceiver, and the one or more electronic control actuators;
(b) a control and display unit, comprising: (i) a wireless link coupled to the first transceiver of the endoscope portion, for receiving endoscopic data from the first transceiver and transmitting a control signal to the first transceiver; A wireless transceiver; (Ii) a control section, coupled to the second wireless transceiver, for transmitting a control signal to the one or more actuators of the endoscope section via the first and second wireless transceivers; And (iii) a display portion that displays information received from the sensor via the first and second wireless transceivers.
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable power source includes a battery.
The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronically controlled actuator comprises at least one electroactive polymer actuator.
Endoscopic device.
2. The endoscopic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control and display unit comprises a personal computer.

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