KR20180053958A - Endoscope apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope device and a control method thereof are disclosed. The endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a sub probe which is formed on a probe unit for observing a mucous membrane of an organ of a subject, generates a laser beam to the mucous membrane of the organ, and includes a light transmitting unit for collecting scattered light reflected from the mucous membrane of the organ; and a stabilizing unit which prevents the sub probe from being shaken by absorbing and fixing the distal end part of the sub probe to the mucous membrane of the organ. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the quality (sharpness) of an endoscope image can be improved by preventing the probe of the endoscope device from being shaken and the accuracy of the surgery and diagnosis of a lesion using the endoscope image can be improved.

Description

[0001] ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus, and more particularly, to an endoscope apparatus having a stabilizing function for compensating for the shake of a probe for observation of a long-term mucous membrane and a control method thereof.

Optical endoscopes have been used by medical professionals such as stomach, bronchial, esophagus, duodenum, and rectum to observe organs inside the human body that can not directly see lesions and to use them for cancer diagnosis or surgery. Generally, diagnosis using an endoscope is performed by inserting a probe into a human body to observe a long-term mucous membrane. To this end, an image sensor such as a charge coupled device (CCD) is provided at the distal end of the probe.

In order to improve the accuracy of lesion examination or surgery, an endoscope apparatus having a laser scanning optical imaging apparatus has been developed. The laser scanning optical imaging device scans a long-term mucous membrane with laser light and generates an image using light reflected from the long-term mucous membrane.

Conventional image sensors (charge coupled devices) generate images with a low magnification of about 5 to 6 times, whereas laser scanning optical imaging devices generate high magnification images (about 600 times or more) Thereby enabling to observe the lesion tissue of the lesion more precisely.

However, the laser scanning type optical imaging apparatus has a disadvantage that the quality (sharpness) of a high magnification image can be deteriorated even by minute shaking (shaking) of the probe. The vibration of the probe during the endoscopic diagnosis is inevitably caused by various causes such as vibration due to the insertion device at the time of inserting the probe and movement of the organ (stomach, large intestine, etc.).

Since the general image generated using the charge coupled device has a low magnification of about 5 to 6 times, it is possible to observe the image of the object in real time. However, since the laser scanning optical imaging device generates a high magnification image at a level of several hundred times, Even if the probe is shaken very finely, it is impossible to monitor the real time image because excessive shake occurs in a high magnification image.

Due to such a problem, conventionally, still images are successively generated by a laser scanning optical imaging device, and then some images having the highest sharpness among several still images are selected and observed. However, it is a reality that it is difficult to obtain a laser scanning optical image having excellent image quality as a result of probe shaking constantly occurring in endoscopic diagnosis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made on the basis of the technical background described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope apparatus having a stabilization function capable of preventing shaking of a sub- And to provide a method for stabilizing the probe.

An endoscope apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a endoscope apparatus that is detachably disposed in a probe section for observing a long term mucous membrane of a subject and generates laser light for the long term mucous membrane and for collecting scattered light reflected from the long term mucous membrane A sub-probe including a transmitting portion; And a stabilization part formed on the probe part, for preventing shaking of the sub-probe by adsorbing and fixing the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucous membrane.

The stabilizing unit may include a suction unit that forms a negative pressure in a gap between the optical fibers constituting the light transmitting unit and adsorbs the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa.

The optical transmission unit collects scattered light for generating a laser scanning optical image, and includes an optical fiber bundle through which the light emitted from the laser light and the scattered light are received through the entire section, a light emitting unit emitting the laser light, And an optical fiber bundle including a light receiving unit disposed in a surrounding form and collecting the scattered light.

The stabilizing portion may include a suction channel provided between a covering layer surrounding the light transmitting portion and an outer skin layer forming the outer periphery of the sub-probe; And a suction device that forms a negative pressure on the suction channel and sucks the end portion of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa.

Wherein the sub-probe further comprises an outer layer which forms an outer circumferential surface of the sub-probe and which surrounds the light transmission portion, and an extension portion which is further extended at a position overlapping the end portion of the light transmission portion is formed at one end of the outer layer, The light transmitting portion may not be disposed at a portion where the extension portion is formed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for preventing a laser scanning optical image generated by an endoscope apparatus from shaking, comprising the steps of: forming a laser beam on a probe section for observing an organ mucous membrane of a subject, Probe for generating scattered light reflected from the organ, and for preventing scattering of the sub-probe by adsorbing and fixing the distal end of the sub-probe including the light transmitting portion for collecting the scattered light reflected from the organ mucous membrane to the organ mucosa.

The prevention of the shaking of the sub-probe may include forming a negative pressure in a gap between the optical fibers constituting the light transmitting portion and adsorbing the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa.

The shaking of the sub-probe may include forming a negative pressure on a suction channel formed in the sub-probe, and adsorbing the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa.

Preventing the shake of the sub-probe includes detecting a shake of the sub-probe including a light transmitting portion for generating laser light for generating the laser scanning optical image and collecting scattered light reflected from the long-term mucous membrane; And controlling the attitude of the sub-probe to compensate for the shaking of the sub-probe according to the detected shaking of the sub-probe.

According to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, it is possible to improve the quality (sharpness) of the endoscopic image by compensating the probe swing of the endoscopic device, and to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and surgery of the lesion using the endoscopic image .

1 is a configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of a probe unit constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a configuration diagram of a stabilizer constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart of a sub-probe posture control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that a peak point is detected in an image according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is an enlarged view of a portion 'B' in FIG.
7 is a front view of a sub-probe constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a posture adjusting apparatus constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
9 to 12 are diagrams for explaining the operation, function, and operation effect of the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a perspective view of a sub-probe constituting an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a sectional view of a sub-probe constituting an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
15 is a configuration diagram of a stabilizer constituting an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a view for explaining a method of controlling the attitude of the sub-probe according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a perspective view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a diagram showing the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention.
19 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.
20 is a view showing a configuration of a sub-probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a view showing a configuration of a sub-probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals whenever possible throughout the specification. In addition, since the sizes and thicknesses of the respective components shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

As used herein, 'to' is a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be, for example, software, FPGA or hardware component. The functions provided in the " part " may be performed separately by a plurality of components, or may be integrated with other additional components. It is to be understood that the term " portion " herein is not limited to software or hardware, but may be embodied in an addressable storage medium and configured to reproduce one or more processors.

The endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the attitude of the sub-probe to compensate for the shake of a sub-probe provided to generate a high magnification image (laser scanning optical image) And the like.

1 is a configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 100 includes a laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 and a probe unit 120.

The laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 scans a long term mucous membrane of the human body with a laser beam and uses the scattered light of the laser beam collected and reflected by the long term mucous membrane to generate a high magnification image Optical image).

2 is a perspective view of a probe unit constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2, the probe unit 120 is inserted into a body of a examinee or a subject to be examined and is provided for observing organs inside the subject.

The probe unit 120 may include an image sensor 130 for generating a low magnification image and a sub-probe 140 for scanning a laser beam and collecting scattered light to generate a high magnification image .

The image sensor 130 may be illustratively provided as a charge coupled device (CCD) or the like. The image sensor 130 may be provided at a distal end of the probe unit 120. In order to adjust the brightness of the inside of the organ, light sources 131 and 132 may be provided at the distal end of the probe unit 120.

The sub-probe 140 includes a light transmitting portion 150 and a stabilizing portion 160. The light transmitting portion 150 may be provided by being inserted into an instrument channel provided in the probe portion 120 by way of example. Accordingly, the sub-probe 140 may be selectively coupled to the probe unit 120.

The light transmitting unit 150 is connected to the laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 and may include an optical cable. In one embodiment, the light transmitting portion 150 may be provided as a confocal probe made of an optical fiber bundle.

Some of the optical fibers of the light transmitting portion 150 are provided with a light receiving portion (reference numeral 154 in Fig. 7) for receiving the scattered light of the laser light, and the other portion is provided with a light emitting portion 152).

Although the light receiving unit 154 and the light emitting unit 152 are described as a plurality of optical fiber bundles in the present embodiment, the light receiving unit 154 or the light emitting unit 152 may be formed of one light guide for transmitting light. It is also possible.

For example, the light receiving unit 154 may be formed of one light guide having a large diameter, and the light emitting unit 152 may be formed of a plurality of optical fiber bundles surrounding the light receiving unit 154.

The tip portion of the light transmitting portion 150 constituting the sub-probe 140 may protrude from the distal end portion of the probe portion 120 and may be elongated in the forward direction Z. [ In one embodiment, the light transmitting portion 150 may be provided so as to have flexibility that can be bent in the up, down, left, and right directions so that the posture can be adjusted.

The stabilizer 160 controls the attitude of the sub-probe 140 according to the shaking of the sub-probe 140 to perform a stabilization function to compensate for the shake, It is possible to prevent the occurrence of shaking in the image. The securing unit 160 will be described later with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig.

First, referring to FIG. 1, an example of a laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 for generating a high magnification image will be described. The laser light source 111 generates a predetermined single wavelength or multi-wavelength laser light Can be provided.

A bandpass filter 112 passes a laser beam of a specific wavelength to be scanned in a long-term mucous membrane among the laser beams generated by the laser beam source 111. The laser light source 111 and the band pass filter 112 may be illustratively provided to generate laser light having at least one wavelength of 415 nm to 540 nm.

The laser light having passed through the bandpass filter 112 is supplied to the light transmitting portion 150 through a coupling 113 and is transmitted through at least a part of the optical fiber bundle of the light transmitting portion 150 to the mucous membrane Mucosa). At this time, coupling 116 may be a beam splitter, which is a reflecting mirror or other optical device, which illustratively reflects part of the light beam and transmits the other part.

In one embodiment, a plurality of laser beams having different wavelengths can be injected into the mucosa of the organs through the light transmitting portion 150. Illustratively, a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 415 nm and a green laser beam with a wavelength of 540 nm can be injected into the long-term mucosa.

The blue laser light has a wavelength shorter than that of the green laser light and can be reflected by superficial capillary networks and received by the light transmitting part 150. Since the green laser light has a longer wavelength than the blue laser light, it can be reflected by the subepithelial tissue through the skin, and received by the light transmitting part 150.

The scattered light collected through the optical transmission unit 150 is transmitted to the sensor unit 115 via the coupling 113 via the long pass filter 114. In an embodiment, the sensor portion 115 may comprise a spectrograph and a sensing unit. The sensor unit 115 can generate a Raman spectrum of scattered light or generate a high magnification image (laser scanning optical image) using the information of the scattered light collected by the probe unit 120 .

The spectroscope spectroscopies the laser light including the collected Raman scattered light to generate spectral data. In this case, the spectral data may include measurable Raman spectroscopic data, the Raman spectroscopic data includes Raman mutation waveforms, the abscissa indicates Raman variation, and the ordinate indicates intensity (brightness). A medical expert is a computer for controlling the endoscope and confirming information observed by the endoscope. The computer is electrically coupled to the laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 and the probe unit 120, and the laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 (Laser scanning optical image) generated by the laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 and the probe unit 120, the Raman spectroscopic spectral information, the low magnification image (CCD image) can be displayed.

Illustratively, diagnostic information on a subject's organ can be obtained by comparing Raman spectroscopic spectral information with base information stored in the terminal 10 or built in a server connected to the network 10 by the terminal 10 Can be generated from one result. Illustratively, the diagnostic information may be generated in the form of probabilistic information on a particular disease or probabilistic information on a number of diseases.

Since the image generated by the laser scanning optical image generating unit 110 is a high magnification image having a magnification of several hundreds, a medical professional can more accurately check the lesion tissue and contribute to diagnosis of a lesion or operation of a lesion. However, the high magnification image generated by the laser scanning type optical imaging apparatus has a disadvantage that the sharpness is lowered and the image quality is deteriorated even if fine fluctuation occurs in the probe unit 120 or the sub-probe 140.

In order to solve this problem, the endoscope apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a stabilization unit 160 that performs a stabilization function for controlling the attitude of the sub-probe 140 adaptively to the probe swing.

3 is a configuration diagram of a stabilizer constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 3, the stabilizer 160 may include a shake detector 162 and a posture controller 164.

The shake detecting unit 162 detects shaking of the sub-probe 140 in real time. The posture control unit 164 controls the posture (position and / or direction) of the sub-probe 140 in accordance with the shake information of the sub-probe 140 detected by the shake detecting unit 162 so that the shake does not occur in the high- do.

4 is a flowchart of a method of controlling an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 to 4, in a state where the probe 120 is inserted into a human body of a subject, an image of an organ's long-term mucous membrane is generated (S10). In the first embodiment, in order to detect the shaking of the sub-probe 140 in real time, an image generated by the endoscope apparatus is used.

In one embodiment, in order to precisely detect the shake of the sub-probe 140, the high magnification image generated by the laser scanning optical image generating section 110 may be used. Alternatively, when the image generated by the image sensor 130 has a magnification sufficiently high enough to detect the shake of the sub-probe 140, the image generated by the image sensor 130 may be used as a sub- 140 can be detected.

Hereinafter, an example in which the shake of the sub-probe 140 is detected using a high magnification image will be described. In order to detect the shake of the sub-probe 140, the image processing unit 1622 detects a peak point in the high-magnification image (S20). The peak point is set as a reference point for detecting the shaking of the sub-probe 140.

In one embodiment, the image processor 1622 may extract an edge from a high-magnification image, and then determine a point or an image area having the brightest brightness among a plurality of image areas distinguished by edges, as a peak point.

In the present embodiment, the image region having the brightest brightness is determined to be the peak point. However, the peak point may be determined as the peak point, or the brightness value may be determined based on a value other than brightness, for example, The peak point can be determined.

In another embodiment, the peak point may be detected by extracting an object corresponding to the lesion tissue in the image. For example, if the lesion tissue has a specific color or brightness contrasted with normal tissue, an object representing the color or brightness may be detected as a peak point.

At this time, the peak point may be determined as the brightest point among the extracted objects, or may be determined as the coordinate center of the object calculated by the center-of-gravity calculation method, but it is not necessarily limited in this manner.

In one embodiment, the image processing unit 1622 detects peak points in each of successively generated high magnification images, and calculates coordinate information of the peak points detected in each image. The coordinate information of the peak point may be provided in two-dimensional coordinates, but may be provided in one-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates. The coordinate information of the peak point of each of the images calculated by the image processing unit 1622 is provided to the detecting unit 1624 in real time.

The detection unit 1624 detects the coordinate variation of the peak point based on the coordinate information of the peak point calculated by the image processing unit 1622 (S30). The detection unit 1624 can calculate the coordinate variation value by comparing the coordinate information of the peak point input in real time with the coordinates of the reference point.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing peak points detected in an image according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion 'B' of FIG. For convenience of description and understanding of the present invention, detection of peak points (P1, P2, P3) in three consecutively generated images is superimposed in one drawing.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, a solid line indicates a first image generated in a state in which the sub-probe 140 is not shaken, and a dotted line and a dashed line indicate a second image and a third image generated in a state in which the sub- .

3 to 6, when the first peak point P1 extracted from the first image is set as the reference point, the detecting unit 1624 detects the second peak point P2 extracted from the second image and the first peak P2, And a coordinate variation value between the third peak point P3 extracted from the third image and the first peak point P1. The coordinate change value of the peak point detected by the shake detecting unit 162 is provided to the posture control unit 164 to compensate for the shaking of the sub-probe 140. [

In one embodiment, the posture controller 164 may include a control unit 1642, a motor controller 1644, a motor 1646, and an attitude controller 1648. The control unit 1642 controls the motor controller 1644 by applying a Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm based on the coordinate variation value of the peak point calculated by the shake detecting unit 162. In this embodiment, (S40).

At this time, the motor 1646 may be any one of a servo motor, a stepping motor, and a linear motor. However, this is merely an example of a motor, and is not limited to the motor exemplified above.

The motor 1646 may be positioned on the other end side of the sub-probe 140 spaced apart from one end of the sub-probe 140 wound with the elastic body 1648a. That is, the motor 1646 may be adjacent to an operation portion (not shown) side of the probe 120 on which an operation device (not shown) or the like is installed, or may be located further rearward than the operation portion of the probe 120.

The control unit 1642 determines the direction in which the coordinate variation values of the second peak point P2 and the third peak point P3 are minimized with reference to the first peak point P1, The motor controller 1644 can be controlled so that the attitude of the sub-probe 140 is controlled. When the motor 1646 is driven by the motor controller 1644, the posture adjusting device 1648 is driven by the motor 1646 to correct the posture of the sub-probe 140 in real time (S50).

FIG. 7 is a front view of a sub-probe constituting the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention Fig. 4 is a perspective view for explaining an orientation adjusting apparatus constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 8, the outer covering layer 140a of the sub-probe 140 is shown by a dotted line.

The envelope layer 140a surrounds the internal structure of the sub-pro 140 and forms the outer periphery of the sub-pro 140. [

The light emitting portion 152 of the sub-probe 140 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is disposed at the center of the sub-probe 140, and the light receiving portion 154 surrounds the light emitting portion 152 The light emitting unit 152 and the light receiving unit 154 are not distinguished from each other and a laser beam having a specific first wavelength is projected through the entire cross section of the optical fiber bundle arranged on the sub- And the laser beam of the second wavelength reflected on the optical fiber bundle is received again through the entire cross section of the optical fiber bundle is also included in the embodiment of the present invention.

The subroutine 140 according to the present embodiment collects scattered light for generating a laser scanning optical image and transmits an optical fiber bundle through which the emission of the laser light and the scattered light are received through the entire section, And an optical fiber bundle including a light emitting portion 152 for emitting light and a light receiving portion 154 for surrounding the periphery of the light emitting portion 152 and collecting the scattered light.

3, 7, and 8, in one embodiment, the posture adjusting device 1648 includes a spring-shaped elastic body 1648a and wires 1648b-e connected between the elastic body 1648a and the motor 1646 ). ≪ / RTI >

The wires 1648b-e may be formed of, for example, a metal material such as a stainless metal material, a titanium alloy material, or a plastic material.

A cylindrical insertion groove 140b into which the elastic body 1648a can be inserted may be provided between the coating layer 150a of the light transmitting portion 150 and the outer skin layer 140a of the sub- The elastic body 1648a is inserted into the insertion groove 140b so as to surround the periphery of the light transmitting portion 150. [

The wires 1648b to e are arranged at intervals of 90 占 along the circumferential direction of the elastic body 1648a and extend toward the motor 1646 along the longitudinal direction Z of the elastic body 1648a. Each of the wires 1648b to e is fixed at one end to the distal end side of the elastic body 1648a and the other end is coupled to the four axes of the motor 1646 to support the elastic body 1648a in a compressed state.

The wires 1648b to e can be individually driven in accordance with the four-axis drive of the motor 1646 and the amount of compression at the four points of the elastic body 1648a can be adjusted as the drawing-in drive value of each wire 1648b to e is adjusted Respectively. Accordingly, as the direction of the elastic body 1648a is adjusted, the posture of the light transmitting portion 150 inserted into the elastic body 1648a can be adjusted on the X-Y plane.

 For example, a first wire 1648b disposed on the upper side of the elastic body 1648a among the wires 1648b-e by the motor 1646 is stretched and a third wire 1648b disposed on the lower side of the elastic body 1648a is stretched. (1648d), the posture of the sub-probe 140 is adjusted to be inclined downward on the Y-axis. When the third wire 1648d disposed on the lower side of the elastic body 1648a is expanded and the first wire 1648a disposed on the upper side of the elastic body 1648a is expanded and contracted, Is adjusted to be inclined upward on the Y-axis.

As another example, the second wire 1648c disposed on the left side of the elastic body 1648a among the wires 1648b-e by the motor 1646 is stretched and the fourth wire 1648e arranged on the right side of the elastic body 1648a , The posture of the sub-probe 140 is adjusted in the rightward direction on the X-axis. Conversely, when the second wire 1648c disposed on the right side of the elastic body 1648a is extended and the fourth wire disposed on the left side of the elastic body 1648a is expanded and contracted, the attitude of the sub- And is adjusted to the left direction. It is also possible to stretch or shorten the entire wires 1648b-e by the motor 1646 to adjust the position of the distal end of the sub-probe 140 in the Z-axis direction.

In the illustrated example, the wires 1648b-e are formed between the elastic body 1648a and the covering layer 150a of the light transmitting portion 150, but are formed between the elastic body 1648a and the outer covering layer 140a of the sub- . Although the figure shows an example of adjusting the attitude of the sub-probe 140 by four wires 1648b to e, the number and arrangement angles of the wires 1648b to e may be variously changed.

In the above description, the sub-probe 140 is driven using the four-axis motor. However, it is also possible to correct the posture of the sub-probe 140 by various driving devices not shown.

9 to 12 are diagrams for explaining the operation, function, and operation effect of the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9, when the probe 120 of the endoscope apparatus is inserted into the human body and the image of the long-term mucous membrane 20 is monitored in real time, The sub-probe 140 may be slightly shaken due to various causes such as vibration, contact between the endoscope apparatus and the organ, or the like.

The shaking phenomenon of the sub-probe 140 is a factor that makes it difficult to perform real-time monitoring of a high magnification image provided by the laser scanning type optical warping apparatus. Also, due to the low sharpness of the high magnification image, it is difficult for the physician to accurately determine the state of the lesion tissue 22. [

According to the first embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, as shown in FIG. 10, by controlling the attitude of the sub-probe 140 adaptively according to the swing of the sub-probe 140 in real time, (Laser scanning optical image) can be prevented.

11 and 12, an example of compensating for the shaking of the sub-probe 140 by detecting the lesion tissue 22 as a peak point in a high magnification image is shown. When the sub-probe 140 moves downward on the Y-axis as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 11, the endoscope apparatus according to the present embodiment adjusts the posture of the sub-probe 140 upward on the Y- do.

On the contrary, when the sub-probe 140 moves to the upper side on the Y-axis as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 12, the endoscope apparatus according to the present embodiment adjusts the posture of the sub- . In this way, by correcting the posture of the sub-probe 140 so as to compensate for the shake of the sub-probe 140, it is possible to observe in real time a high-definition image that does not shake around the lesion tissue 22.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sub-probe constituting an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a sub-probe constituting an endoscope apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 13, the outer skin layer 140a of the sub-probe 140 is shown by a dotted line. In describing the second embodiment of the present invention, redundant description of the same or corresponding configuration as the first embodiment described above may be omitted.

The endoscope apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention measures the posture of the sub-probe 140 using the posture sensor 1626 without detecting the shake of the sub-probe 140 based on the image analysis, And differs from the first embodiment in that the posture of the sub-probe 140 is corrected so as to compensate for the shake of the sub-probe 140 according to the measured value.

15 is a configuration diagram of a stabilizer constituting an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13 to 15, the stabilization unit 160 includes a shake detecting unit 162 including an attitude sensor 1626, and a control unit for controlling the attitude of the sub-probe 140 based on measured values of the attitude sensor 1626 And a posture control unit (164).

A space portion 140c for installing the signal transmission portion 1628 is provided in the central portion of the optical transmission portion 150 of the sub-probe 140 along the longitudinal direction Z thereof. The signal transfer unit 1628 includes a power supply line 1628a for supplying power to the attitude sensor 1626 and a signal line 1628b for transmitting the measured value of the attitude sensor 1626 to the control unit 1643 . Meanwhile, the space 140c may be filled with resin such as resin.

In one embodiment, the posture sensor 1626 may be provided as a gyro sensor. The posture sensor 1626 may be attached to the distal end of the light transmission part 150 of the sub-probe 140 to calculate angular velocity values in the X, Y, and Z axis directions in which the shake occurs and output the calculated angular velocity values to the controller 1643 .

At this time, the optical fiber 151 of the light transmitting portion 150 may not be disposed at the position where the attitude sign 1626 is disposed, and the optical fiber 151 is disposed along the outer periphery of the attitude sensor 1626.

The control unit 1643 can control the motor controller 1644 by calculating a drive value for attitude correction of the sub-probe 140 according to the measured value of the attitude sensor 1626. [ 16 is a view for explaining a method of controlling the attitude of the sub-probe according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

16, the solid line represents the measured value of the attitude sensor 1626, and the dotted line represents the calculated attitude correction value for compensating the shaking of the sub-probe 140. [ 15 and 16, the controller 1643 may control the motor controller 1644 to compensate the attitude of the sub-probe 140 in a complementary manner to the measured value of the attitude sensor 1626.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the shaking of the sub-probe 140 in the X and Y directions is compensated by the motor 1646 and the attitude regulating device 1648, and the Z-axis fluctuation is compensated by the feeding controller 1645, And can be compensated by the feeding portion 1647 driven thereby. The feeding unit 1647 can drive the sub-probe 140 in the Z-axis direction to compensate the Z-axis shaking of the sub-probe 140. [

The feeding part 1647 and the feeding controller 1645 are for pulling or pulling the sub-probe 140 into the probe part 120. The feeding part 1646 includes a driving part such as a motor part (not shown) And the feeding controller 1645 may include a power supply unit (not shown) and a sensor unit (not shown). The feeding controller 1645 according to the present embodiment drives the feeding unit 1647 under the control of the control unit 1643 to pull the sub probe 140 toward the probe unit 120, In the case where the end portion is contacted with the object to be inspected, for example, on the long-term inner wall of the test subject, the feeding controller 1645 detects this and stops withdrawing the sub-probe 140, 1646 can be controlled. The feeding controller 1645 can sense the contact between the sub-probe 140 and the object to be inspected based on a current change or a voltage change of the motor unit.

17 is a perspective view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In describing the third embodiment of the present invention, redundant description of the same or corresponding components to those of the first and second embodiments described above may be omitted.

The third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it further includes a suction device 180 that forms a negative pressure in the gap 156 between the optical fibers 151 of the light transmitting portion 150 in the sub- There is a difference from the embodiments. The suction device 180 can prevent the sub-probe 140 from shaking by adsorbing the distal end of the sub-probe 140 to the organ mucosa.

18 is a view showing the operation of the endoscope apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 17 and 18, the suction device 180 sucks air into the air gap 156 between the optical fibers 151 through the suction pipe 181 to form a vacuum, so that the distal end of the sub- Probe 140 can be prevented from being shaken by being attracted and fixed on a long term mucous membrane such as tissue 22.

19 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. 19, a separate suction channel 182 is provided between the outer skin layer 140a of the sub-probe 140 and the covering layer 150a of the light transmitting portion 150, and air in the suction channel 182 By the suction by the suction device 180, the sub-probe can be fixed to the long-term mucous membrane.

According to a modification of the present invention, the suction channel 182 is not provided between the outer skin layer 140a and the cover layer 150a, but may be provided as a separate space in the light transmitting portion 150. [ Alternatively, one or more suction pipes may be separately provided on the side surface of the sub-probe 140 so that the sub-probe 140 is adsorbed and fixed on the long-term mucous membrane.

20 is a view showing a configuration of a sub-probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

20 is a sectional view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. 20, the sub-probe 140 according to the present embodiment includes an outer cover layer 140a surrounding the light transmitting portion 150 and the light transmitting portion 150. The outer cover layer 140a is provided with a light transmitting portion 150 are formed at the positions where they overlap with the ends of the protrusions 150a and 150b.

That is, the optical fiber 151 of the light transmitting portion 150 is not disposed at the portion where the extension portion 140b of the outer shell layer 140a is formed, and is formed as an empty space. That is, the light transmitting portion 150 is not disposed at the portion where the extension portion 140b is formed.

Accordingly, when a negative pressure is formed in the gap 156 between the optical fibers 151 through the suction device 180 and the end of the sub-probe 140 is sucked and fixed on the mucous membrane, The end of the transfer part 150 and the mucous membrane may be spaced apart. Therefore, as the mucous membrane and the light transmitting unit 150 are directly in contact with each other, distortion and the like of a test image that may occur can be prevented.

FIG. 21 is a view showing a configuration of a sub-probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

21 is a sectional view showing a part of an endoscope apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. 21, the sub-probe 140 according to the present embodiment includes a posture control unit 164 including a control unit 1642, a motor controller 1644, a motor 1646 and an attitude adjusting device 1648, And a suction device 180 and a suction pipe 181 which form a negative pressure in the gap between the optical fibers 151 of the optical transmission part 150. [

That is, the sub-probe 140 according to the present embodiment simultaneously performs the shake correction by the posture adjusting device 1648 and the attraction and fixing of the sub-probe 140 via the gap, thereby obtaining a more stable Raman spectroscopic spectral image and / Or a high magnification optical image can be obtained.

The endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is described as being configured such that the probe section is inserted into the organ of the subject to be examined but the probe section is not inserted into the organ and the probe section of the tissue examination specimen collected from the organ of the subject is examined May be included in embodiments of the present invention.

An endoscopic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be utilized to observe mucous membranes of various organs such as stomach, bronchus, esophagus, duodenum, rectum and the like by way of example. According to the present embodiment, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent and early detect cancer by precisely diagnosing lesions such as precancerous lesion and cancer based on high-quality images without shaking.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to analyze the histopathological information by Gastric adenocarcinoma, Gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, chronic atrophic gastritis, alcoholic gastric ulcer, etc. by real- , The exact range of lesions, and so on, and also provides an accurate discrimination of lesion resection margin.

In addition, during the screening endoscopy examination, it is possible to accurately judge the screening by real-time classification of the normal and abnormal portions of the entire gastrointestinal mucosa. In addition, a more accurate differential diagnosis is possible in the case of colonic disease. For example, it is possible to distinguish between Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and tuberculous enteritis in real time.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, It is natural to belong to the scope.

22: lesion tissue 20: long term mucosa
100: endoscope apparatus 110: laser scanning optical image generating unit
120: Probe unit 130: Image sensor
131, 132: light source 140: sub-probe unit
150: optical transmission part 151: optical fiber
152: light emitting portion 154: light receiving portion
156: Pole 160: Anguish Government
162: shake detecting unit 1622:
1624: Detecting section 1626:
1628: Signal transmission unit 164:
1642, 1643: Controller 1644: Motor controller
1645: Feeding controller 1646: Step motor
1647: Feeding part 1648: Posture adjusting device
1648a: Elastic body 1648b-e: Steel wire
180: Suction device 181: Suction pipe
182: Suction channel

Claims (9)

A sub-probe detachably disposed on a probe for observing a long-term mucous membrane of a subject and including a light transmitting portion for generating laser light as the long-term mucous membrane and collecting scattered light reflected from the long-term mucous membrane; And
And a stabilizing portion formed on the probe portion to prevent shaking of the sub-probe by adsorbing and fixing the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa. The method according to claim 1,
The stabilizing portion includes:
And a suction device which forms a negative pressure in a gap between the optical fibers constituting the light transmitting part and sucks the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa. The method according to claim 1,
The light-
An optical fiber bundle for collecting scattered light for generating a laser scanning optical image and receiving light emitted from the laser light and scattered light through the entire section and a light emitting portion for emitting the laser light and a light emitting portion And an optical fiber bundle including a light-receiving portion where the scattered light is collected. The method according to claim 1,
The stabilizing portion includes:
A suction channel provided between a covering layer surrounding the light transmitting portion and an outer skin layer forming the outer periphery of the sub-probe; And
And a suction device which forms a negative pressure on the suction channel and sucks the end portion of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The sub-probe further includes an outer layer forming an outer circumferential surface of the sub-probe and surrounding the light transmitting portion,
Wherein an extension portion that is further extended at a position overlapping an end portion of the light transmission portion is formed at one end of the sheath layer and the light transmission portion is not disposed at a portion where the extension portion is formed. A method for preventing shaking of a laser scanning optical image generated by an endoscope apparatus,
The end portion of the sub-probe, which is formed in the probe portion for observing the organ's organ mucous membrane and includes a light transmitting portion for generating laser light as the organ mucous membrane and collecting the scattered light reflected from the organ mucous membrane, To prevent shaking of the sub-probe. The method according to claim 6,
To prevent the sub-probe from shaking,
And forming a negative pressure in a gap between the optical fibers constituting the light transmission portion to adsorb the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa. The method according to claim 6,
To prevent the sub-probe from shaking,
And forming a negative pressure on a suction channel formed in the sub-probe to adsorb the distal end of the sub-probe to the organ mucosa. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
To prevent the sub-probe from shaking,
Detecting a shake of a sub-probe including a light transmitting portion for generating laser light for generating the laser scanning optical image and collecting scattered light reflected from an organ mucous membrane; And
And controlling the attitude of the sub-probe to compensate for the shaking of the sub-probe in accordance with the detected shaking of the sub-probe.

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