Self-propelled endoscope system and its control method

Abstract

A self-propelled endoscope system capable of controlling the movement of an endoscope according to an embodiment, wherein the endoscope is inserted inside a protective sheath installed in a patient's body, comprising: an endoscope operating device capable of operating the relative position of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath, the rolling angle of the endoscope, and the bending angle of a bendable bending portion located at the end of the endoscope; and a control unit for controlling the endoscope operating device, and the control unit can control the endoscope operating device based on the driving record of the endoscope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled endoscope system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope is a medical device used for directly examining the inside of internal organs or body cavities. The endoscope is designed to be inserted into the human body to observe diseased organs that cannot be directly seen without surgery or autopsy. For example, the types of endoscopes can include bronchoscopes, esophagoscopes, gastroscopes, duodenoscopes, proctoscopes, cystoscopes, laparoscopes, or ureteroscopes, etc.

[0003] For example, endoscopic surgery using a ureteroscope is considered the most commonly used and reliable method for removing kidney stones. For example, this method uses a radiological diagnostic device such as a C-Arm, inserts the ureteroscope through the urethra into the kidney, uses a laser to crush the stones, and uses a basket to remove the stones. Here, the laser and the basket are inserted through the internal channel of the ureteroscope.

[0004] In addition, in order to confirm the position of the endoscope located inside the body, continuous use of radiological diagnosis is required, which poses a risk of radiation exposure to both doctors and patients. In particular, since a very slender endoscope such as a ureteroscope has limited degrees of freedom (1 degree of freedom for bending, Bending 1DOF), the surgical difficulty is very high, and precise operations need to be performed by two surgical staff together, so communication problems may occur between them. In addition, since the surgical staff needs to hold the endoscope for a long time, when the surgical staff feels arm fatigue, the surgical precision may be reduced. As described above, endoscopic surgery requires precision, which leads to increased fatigue of the surgical staff. In addition, since the size of the stones cannot be accurately measured by using only an endoscope, medical accidents such as injuring the patient's ureter may occur during the process of removing inadequately fragmented stones. If the ureter is damaged, surgery needs to be performed immediately through an incision, and there may be fatal sequelae afterwards.

[0005] Considering these problems, it is necessary to develop an endoscope device that can reduce the risk of radiation exposure for doctors and patients, reduce the fatigue of doctors, and prevent medical accidents.

[0006] The above description has been owned or obtained by the inventors during the process of conceiving the present disclosure, and is not necessarily prior art known before the filing of the present application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] An object of one embodiment is to provide a self-propelled endoscope system and a control method thereof.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] According to an embodiment, a self-propelled endoscope system capable of controlling the movement of an endoscope, wherein the endoscope is inserted inside a protective sheath installed in a patient's body, and includes: an endoscope operating device capable of operating the relative position of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath, the rolling angle of the endoscope, and the bending angle of a bendable bending portion located at the end of the endoscope; and a control unit for controlling the endoscope operating device, and the control unit can control the endoscope operating device based on a driving record of the endoscope.

[0011] The self-propelled endoscope system further includes a sensor for sensing relative position information of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath, and the driving record may include information about the relative movement of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath.

[0012] The sensor may include a first magnetic body and a second magnetic body respectively installed on the protective sheath and the endoscope.

[0013] A basket for clamping a calculus present in a patient's body can be inserted into the endoscope, and the control unit can control the endoscope operating device so that the endoscope automatically returns to the position where the endoscope is located at the time point when the clamping operation of the basket is completed.

[0014] A basket for clamping a calculus present in a patient's body can be inserted into the endoscope, and when the clamping operation of the basket is completed, the control unit can (a) withdraw the endoscope from the protective sheath, (b) release the clamped calculus by opening the basket, (c) re-insert the endoscope and control the endoscope operating device so that the endoscope automatically returns to the position where the endoscope is located at the time point when the clamping operation of the basket is completed.

[0015] The driving record may include an operation control amount, which is the operation amount of the endoscope operating device according to the passage of time from the first time point to the second time point.

[0016] The first time point may be a time point when the end of the endoscope is at a relatively specific position with respect to the protective sheath.

[0017] The second time point may be a time point when a surgical instrument inserted into the endoscope performs a specific task.

[0018] At least one of the first time point and the second time point may be an arbitrary time point that can be set by a surgical staff.

[0019] The operation amount may include the translation amount of the endoscope, the change amount of the rolling angle of the endoscope, and the change amount of the bending angle of the endoscope.

[0020] The control unit may (a) determine whether there is a forward-backward movement section between the first time point and the second time point, in which section the endoscope passes through a specific position and then returns again, (b) if there is the forward-backward movement section, generate a shortening control amount by removing the operation amount according to the passage of time of the forward-backward movement section from the operation control amount, and (c) control the endoscope operating device according to the shortening control amount.

[0021] The control unit may (a) determine whether there is a forward-backward movement section between the first time point and the second time point, in which section the endoscope passes through a specific position and then returns again, (b) if there is the forward-backward movement section, generate a correction control amount, which includes the change amount of the rolling angle and the change amount of the bending angle of the forward-backward movement section, does not include the translation amount of the forward-backward movement section, and has an execution time shorter than the time of the forward-backward movement section, (c) generate a shortening control amount by replacing the operation amount according to the passage of time of the forward-backward movement section in the operation control amount with the correction control amount, and (d) control the endoscope operating device according to the shortening control amount.

[0022] When the end of the endoscope is at a relative specific position with respect to the protective cover, the control unit may initialize the posture of the endoscope so that the endoscope has a specific rolling angle and a specific bending angle.

[0023] The self-propelled endoscope system further includes a display that outputs an image of the inside of the patient's body to the surgical staff, and the control unit may perform the display by overlapping the expected position and posture of the endoscope at a time point after the current set time on the image.

[0024] The self-propelled endoscope system may further include a clutch that can be operated by the surgical staff and can perform or stop the continuous driving of the endoscope operating device.

[0025] The self-propelled endoscope system may further include a master device for remotely operating the endoscope operating device, which is located at a position separated from the endoscope operating device and is driven by the surgical staff.

[0026] Advantages of the Invention

[0027] According to one embodiment, the endoscope can move itself to a specific position based on kinematic records, thereby significantly reducing the surgical fatigue of the surgical staff.

[0028] According to one embodiment, especially in the case of kidney stone surgery, repetitive tasks such as repeatedly inserting and removing the endoscope can be automatically performed to sequentially remove multiple stone fragments at specific positions.

[0029] According to one embodiment, especially in the case of kidney stone surgery, based on previous drive records, the task of repeatedly accessing a specific position can be quickly performed, which was originally difficult due to the complex internal structure. In addition, since accessing a specific position along the shortest path can be achieved based on previous drive records, the surgical time can be greatly shortened. As a result, the stability of the surgery can be improved by reducing the time of general anesthesia for the patient, especially for elderly patients. According to the simulation results, the average surgical time of 2 hours can be shortened to less than 1 hour. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 The drawings showing a device for endoscopic surgery according to one embodiment.

[0031] Figure 2 The block diagram showing a self-propelled endoscope system according to one embodiment.

[0032] Figure 3 The schematic diagram showing the configuration of a self-propelled endoscope system according to one embodiment.

[0033] Figure 4 The drawings showing the insertion of the endoscope into the patient's body.

[0034] Figure 5 The drawings showing the process of a general kidney stone removal surgery.

[0035] Figure 6 The flowchart showing the control method of a self-propelled endoscope system according to one embodiment.

[0036] Figure 7 And Figure 8 The drawings showing the steps of storing drive records according to one embodiment.

[0037] Figure 9 The exemplary diagram showing the operation control amount, which graphically shows the operation amount of the endoscope operating device operated by the surgical staff in a specific section over time.

[0038] Figure 10 And Figure 11 The drawings showing the steps of correcting drive records according to one embodiment.

[0039] Figure 12 Another example diagram for displaying the operation control amount, which graphically shows the operation amount of the endoscopic operation device operated by the surgical staff in a specific section over time.

[0040] Figure 13 The figure for showing the steps of correcting the drive record according to another embodiment.

[0041] Figure 14 The figure for showing the shortened control amount generated by performing the steps of correcting the drive record according to another embodiment. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0042] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that when adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, even if the same components are shown in different drawings, they have the same reference numerals. In addition, during the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the specific description of the known technology unnecessarily obscures the key points of the embodiments, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0043] Moreover, when describing the components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. However, the use of the above terms is only for distinguishing the component from other components, and is not used to limit the essence, arrangement or order of the corresponding component. When it is described that one component is "connected", "coupled" or "contacted" with another component, the component may be directly connected or contacted with the other component, and another other component may also be "connected", "coupled" or "contacted" between the components.

[0044] The components having the same functions as the components in any one of the embodiments are described with the same names in other embodiments. When no counterexample is mentioned, the description recorded in any one of the embodiments can be applied to other embodiments, and thus the specific description is omitted within the scope of repetition.

[0045] Figure 1 The figure for showing the device for endoscopic surgery according to one embodiment.

[0046] Refer to Figure 1 , the device 900 for endoscopic surgery may include an endoscope 910 and a surgical instrument 920.

[0047] The endoscope 910 may include a control handle 911 that can be held by hand by a surgical staff, an instrument channel 912 for guiding a surgical instrument 920, an insertion tube 913 connected to the control handle 911 and inserted into the body, a bending section 915 located at the end of the insertion tube 913 and capable of performing a bending operation, a knob 914 rotatably provided on the control handle 911 and capable of adjusting the angle of the bending section 915 according to an operation, and a magnetic body 916 provided in the insertion tube 913. The function of the magnetic body 916 will be described later.

[0048] The surgical instrument 920 may include an operation section 921 that is held and operated by hand by a surgical staff, a surgical instrument cable 922 connected to the operation section 921 and inserted into the insertion tube 913 of the endoscope 910, and an action section 923 that is located at the end of the surgical instrument cable 922 and is operated by the operation section 921. For example, the action section 923 may include a basket capable of grasping a calculus present in a patient's body. Hereinafter, the case where the action section 923 is a basket will be described as an example. However, differently, the action section 923 may also be another means known to those skilled in the art, such as a laser lithotripter for crushing a calculus.

[0049] For example, the operation section 921 may include a first operation section 921b and a second operation section 921b. Among them, the operation section 921 may move the second operation section 921b that relatively moves with respect to the first operation section 921b to the first operation section 921b, thereby operating the action section of the surgical instrument 920. According to the operation of the operation section 921, the operation section 923 may perform a specific task (for example, operating the basket or operating the laser lithotripter).

[0050] Figure 2 To show a block diagram of a self-propelled endoscope system according to an embodiment; Figure 3 To show a schematic diagram of the configuration of a self-propelled endoscope system according to an embodiment.

[0051] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The self-propelled endoscope system 1 may control the movement of the endoscope 910 inserted into the protective sheath 11 or the movement of the surgical instrument 920 inserted through the endoscope 910. For example, the self-propelled endoscope system 1 may include an endoscope operating device 12, a control unit 13, a sensor 14, a main device 15, an input unit 16, a clutch 17, a radiodiagnostic device 18, a display 19, and a radiation shielding wall W.

[0052] The protective sheath 11 may be placed in a patient's body to prevent damage to the patient's body caused by friction with the endoscope 910. The protective sheath 11 includes a protective hole provided in its longitudinal direction for guiding the endoscope 910.

[0053] The endoscope operating device 12 can provide a driving force to drive, roll, or bend the endoscope 910, or provide a driving force for the surgical instrument 920 to perform a specific task. For example, the endoscope operating device 12 can have a structure that can connect / disconnect a commercial endoscope and / or a commercial surgical instrument. The endoscope operating device 12 can have a physical fastening to each operating part of the commercial endoscope and / or the commercial surgical instrument, and can operate the commercial endoscope and / or the commercial surgical instrument by driving the fastening part and based on the signal input through the main device 15. In addition, instead of using a commercial endoscope and / or a commercial surgical instrument, an endoscope and / or a surgical instrument dedicated to the endoscope operating device 12 can be used, and the endoscope operating device 12 can be formed integrally with the endoscope and / or the surgical instrument. The endoscope operating device 12 can include a translation operating part 121, a rolling operating part 122, a bending operating part 123, and a surgical instrument operating part 124.

[0054] The translation operating part 121 can operate the relative position of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective cover 11. For example, the translation operating part 121 can include a drive source configured to move the entire endoscope 910 forward or backward by moving a block that holds the control handle 911 of the endoscope 910 along a linear guide.

[0055] The rolling operating part 122 can operate the rolling angle of the endoscope 910. For example, the rolling operating part 122 can include a drive source configured to rotate a block that holds the control handle 911 of the endoscope 910 based on the axis of the endoscope 910.

[0056] The bending operating part 123 can operate the bending angle of the bending part 915 of the endoscope 910. For example, the bending operating part 123 can include a drive source configured to pull a wire inserted into the bending part 915.

[0057] The surgical instrument operating part 124 can include a drive source configured to be relatively movable with respect to the block that holds the control handle 911 of the endoscope 910 and to drive another block on which the surgical instrument 920 is mounted.

[0058] In addition, the above description is only an example of the endoscope operating device 12. As another example, unless otherwise mentioned, any slave device having a master-slave relationship can be used as the endoscope operating device 12, such as Korean Patent Publication No. 1882093, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-279688, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-117394, etc.

[0059] The control unit 13 can control the endoscope operating device 12. For example, the control unit 13 can control the endoscope operating device 12 based on control signals input through the sensor 14, the main device 15, the input unit 16, and / or the clutch 17, so as to operate the endoscope 910 and the surgical instrument 920. As Figure 6 described below, the control unit 13 can control the endoscope operating device 12 based on the driving record of the endoscope 910, so that the endoscope 910 can move by itself. For example, the driving record can include information about the relative movement (translation, rolling, and bending) of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11.

[0060] The sensor 14 can sense information about the relative position of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11. The control unit 13 can control the endoscope operating device 12 based on the information sensed by the sensor 14.

[0061] As an example, the sensor 14 can include a first magnetic body 111 (see Figure 4 ) respectively provided on the protective sheath 11 and a second magnetic body 916 (see Figure 1 ). For example, the first magnetic body 111 can be provided at a specific position on the protective sheath 11, and the second magnetic body 916 can be provided at a specific position on the insertion tube 913. The control unit 13 can sense the relative position of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11 based on the magnitude of the magnetic force acting between the first magnetic body 111 and the second magnetic body 916. For example, the first magnetic body 111 can be provided at a position offset to one side with respect to the longitudinal center line of the protective sheath 11. Similarly, the second magnetic body 916 can be provided at a position offset to one side with respect to the longitudinal center line of the insertion tube 913. According to the above structure, the control unit 13 can sense the relative rolling angle of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11.

[0062] As another example, the sensor 14 can be a displacement sensor connected between the protective sheath 11 and the endoscope 910 to sense changes in the relative position.

[0063] As still another example, the sensor 14 can sense the translation amount, rolling angle, bending angle of the endoscope 910, and / or the operation of the surgical instrument (for example, whether the basket is clamped or not) by sensing the operation amount of the endoscope operating device 12.

[0064] In this specification, in addition to the above exemplary devices, the sensor 14 can also be any device capable of sensing information about the relative position of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11. For example, as described later, the radiological diagnostic device 18 can be used as the sensor 14.

[0065] The main device 15 can be located at a position separated from the endoscopic operation device 12 and driven by the surgical staff, or the endoscopic operation device 12 can be remotely operated. Figure 3 The illustrated main device 15 is only an example, and the type of the main device 15 is not limited to the scope of the present invention.

[0066] The input unit 16 can receive instructions from the surgical staff and transfer them to the control unit 16. For example, the input unit 16 can include a known user interface such as a keyboard or a mouse. The surgical staff can select a section storing the driving record of the endoscope 910 through the input unit 16.

[0067] The clutch 17 can be operated by the surgical staff, receive instructions from the surgical staff and transfer the instructions to the control unit 13, so as to perform or stop the continuous driving of the endoscopic operation device 12. For example, as Figure 3 shown, the clutch 17 can have a foot pedal structure that allows information to be input through the foot instead of using the user's hand.

[0068] The radiological diagnostic device 18 can photograph and image the inside of the patient's body. The radiological diagnostic device 18 can provide the position of the endoscope 910 to the surgical staff. For example, a C-arm can be used as the radiological diagnostic device 18.

[0069] Through the radiological diagnostic device 18, the position of the protective sheath 11 can be easily known. In addition, regardless of the movement of the endoscope 910, the protective sheath 11 can maintain a fixed position in the patient's body, and the protective sheath 11 and the endoscopic operation device 12 can be kept in a fixed state with each other through a fixing tool. Through the above structure, image processing can be performed on the images obtained from the radiological diagnostic device 18, so as to collect the relative position between the protective sheath 11 and the endoscope 910, and drive the endoscope 910 based on the collected information. In other words, when using the radiological diagnostic device 18, the endoscope 910 can be operated even without using the magnetic bodies 111 and 916 as described above. Specifically, the control unit 13 can sense the relative position of the endoscope 910 with respect to the protective sheath 11 based on the images obtained by using the radiological diagnostic device 18. Thus, it can be interpreted that the radiological diagnostic device 18 is included in the sensor 14.

[0070] The display 19 can provide an image of the inside of the patient's body to the surgical staff through a camera mounted on the radiological diagnostic device 18 and / or the endoscope 910. For example, the surgical staff can select the positions of the end of the protective sheath 11 and a specific part (such as a renal calyx) in the patient's organ displayed on the display 19 by means of a touch screen or mouse click, and the control unit 13 can extract the relative distance between the two selected points and provide the extracted relative distance to the surgical staff.

[0071] For example, in the autonomous mode, the control unit 13 can determine the expected position and posture of the endoscope 910 at a certain time point after the current set time, and superimpose it on the image of the patient's body interior captured as a semi-transparent image, so as to be displayed through the display 19. In this case, the surgical staff can operate the clutch 17 to determine whether to continue to allow the endoscope 910 to move autonomously without additional operations, or stop or end the autonomous mode as needed, and directly drive the endoscope 910 using the main device 15. With the above configuration, when an error occurs due to the aging of the endoscope 910 and the degree of the bending angle, the surgical staff can correct the error through intervention adjustment, thereby significantly improving the stability of the surgery. In addition, the control unit 13 can collect the information corrected by the surgical staff's intervention adjustment and use it as big data for the deep learning algorithm to reduce the driving error of the endoscope 910.

[0072] The radiation shielding wall W can be provided between the area where the surgical staff is located and the area where the patient is located. In other words, the radiation shielding wall W can be provided between the main device 15 and the endoscope operating device 12 to separate the two areas, namely the area where the surgical staff is located and the area where the patient is located. Through the above radiation shielding wall W, the risk of radiation exposure to the surgical staff who need to perform surgeries on a large number of patients caused by the radiological diagnostic device 18 can be reduced.

[0073] Figure 4 A drawing showing the insertion of the endoscope into the patient's body; Figure 5 A drawing showing the process of a general kidney stone removal surgery.

[0074] Referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the process of kidney stone removal surgery through a ureteroscope can be understood. The kidney stone ks is mainly located in the minor calyx mc of the kidney k. To perform the kidney stone removal surgery, first, the protective sheath 11 is inserted through the patient's urethra UA, passed through the bladder B and the ureter U and placed so that the end is located at the renal pelvis (rp) connected to the ureter U of the kidney k. In this case, the endoscope 910 is inserted along the protective sheath 11, and the surgical staff can operate the endoscope 910 in a state where the bending part of the endoscope 910 passes through the end of the protective sheath 11 and is near the renal pelvis (rp), so as to scan the kidney stone ks. In addition, although Figure 4 only simply shows the internal structure of the kidney k, in fact, the internal structure of the kidney k is much more complex. In addition, as Figure 4As shown, in order to obtain an image of the movement of the endoscope 910 viewed from a third-person perspective, there is the following problem: that is, it is necessary to continuously use radiation energy using the radiodiagnostic device 18. Therefore, the work of searching for kidney stones ks is mainly performed through the camera of the endoscope 910 from the first-person perspective. However, without using other external information, it is impossible to know the roll angle and bending angle from the image viewed through the endoscope 910, and it is difficult to determine the directionality. In particular, the renal calyx mc where kidney stones ks are common has a multi-branched structure, so it is difficult to determine which renal calyx mc to enter.

[0075] In addition, once a kidney stone ks is found, it is necessary to crush the stone and repeatedly remove the multiple crushed fragments from the patient's body using the basket 923 (see Figure 1 ) and the endoscope. For example, when a 1 cm diameter stone is crushed into 2 mm diameter fragments, a total of 125 repeated insertion and removal operations are required. In other words, it is necessary to repeat the process shown 125 times for each kidney stone ks. Figure 5 shown.

[0076] In the state of crushing the stone, in order to separately remove the crushed stone fragments, the endoscope 910 needs to move along the same path to the renal calyx mc dozens of times, resulting in continuous accumulation of the fatigue of the surgical staff. In addition, when the surgical staff cannot place the endoscope 910 in the same renal calyx mc as the previous working position and inserts it into another renal calyx mc, it may increase the operation time or the operation cannot be perfectly performed.

[0077] In addition, since the kidney k is a relatively solid organ compared to other organs, during the operation, the kidney k usually remains in the same position. As a result, except for the basket operation b in the process shown in Figure 5 , at least one or more of the remaining three steps can be automatically performed (as described below in Figure 6 ), thereby reducing the fatigue of the surgical staff and performing the stone removal operation faster and more accurately. The remaining three steps are: (a) inserting so that the end of the endoscope 910 is located at the renal pelvis rp; (c) removing the endoscope 910 from the patient's body and the protective sheath 11 while clamping the stone; (d) opening the basket and releasing the stone from the removed endoscope 910.

[0078] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a control method of a self-propelled endoscope system according to an embodiment; Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a drawing showing steps of storing a drive record according to an embodiment.

[0079] Refer to Figures 6 to 8, the control method of the self-propelled endoscope system 1 can be executed as follows. Hereinafter, taking a kidney stone removal surgery as an example for description, however, unless otherwise specified, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that this embodiment can also be applied to other surgeries.

[0080] First, in step S11, the surgical staff can insert the protective sheath 11 into the patient's body. The protective sheath 11 can be inserted through the patient's urethra, bladder and ureter so that its end is located in the renal pelvis of the kidney.

[0081] In step S12, after step S11, the endoscope operating device 12 can translate the endoscope 910 to the protective sheath 11. In addition, the control unit 13 can detect information by the sensor 14 during the translation of the endoscope 910, thereby controlling the endoscope operating device 12 so that the end of the endoscope 910 is at a relative specific position and / or at a specific rolling angle with respect to the protective sheath 11. This process can be executed regardless of the driving record of the endoscope 910. Step S12 can also be referred to as an initialization step. For example, the control unit 13 can initialize the posture of the endoscope 910 so that when the end of the endoscope 910 is at a relative specific position with respect to the protective sheath 11, the endoscope 910 has a specific rolling angle and a specific bending angle. For example, the specific position can be the renal pelvis, which makes the end of the endoscope 910 easily contact most of the renal calyces.

[0082] In step S13, after step S12, the surgical staff can scan for stones by operating the endoscope 910 using the main device 15. When a stone is found, in step S14, the surgical staff can operate the surgical instrument 920 using the main device 15 to crush the stone. Thereafter, in step S15, with the endoscope 910 maintaining the same position and posture, the surgical staff can replace the surgical instrument 920 from a stone crushing tool (e.g., a laser lithotripter) to a stone clamping tool (e.g., a basket), and in step S16, the surgical staff can perform the basket work of clamping the stone.

[0083] In step S21, during the operation of the main device 15 by the surgical staff, the driving record of the endoscope 910 from the first time point to the second time point can be stored. In step S21, the endoscope operating device 12 can record the operation amount of operating the endoscope 910 over time. Such an operation amount over time can be referred to as an "operation control amount". In addition, the "operation amount" can also include the translation amount of the endoscope 910, the change amount of the rolling angle of the endoscope 910, and the change amount of the bending angle of the endoscope 910. Above, examples of the operation control amount are shown in Figure 9 and Figure 12

[0084] For example, as Figure 7As shown, the step S21 of storing the drive record can be executed in a section between specific events. For example, in step S21, the control unit 13 can determine whether the end of the endoscope 910 is in a relative specific position with respect to the protective sheath 11 based on the signal sensed by the sensor 14 (step S211), and start storing the drive record at the corresponding time point (step S212). In addition, the control unit 13 can determine whether the surgical instrument 920 has performed a specific operation based on the operation amount of the endoscope operation device 12 (step S213), and end storing the drive record at the corresponding time point (step S214).

[0085] For another example, as Figure 8 shown, the step S21' of storing the drive record can be executed in a section between arbitrarily set time points based on the command of the surgical staff. For example, in step S21', the storage of the drive record can be started according to whether the surgical staff inputs a drive record start instruction through the input unit 16 (steps S211', S212), and the storage of the drive record can be ended according to whether the surgical staff inputs a drive record end instruction through the input unit 16 (steps S213’, S214).

[0086] In step S16, when clamping the stone, the surgical staff can operate the main device 15 to move the endoscope 910 backward together with the stone, or send information that the stone has been clamped to the control unit 13 through the input unit 16 to automatically operate the endoscope operation device 12, so as to take out the endoscope 910 from the protective sheath 11 in step S17, and remove the stone by releasing the stone from the surgical instrument 920 in step S18.

[0087] In step S19, the control unit 13 can receive confirmation from the surgical staff on whether stone removal has been completed at the previous working position where the basket work was performed.

[0088] In step S19, if information indicating that there is a residual stone at the previous working position is input, the control unit 13 can automatically move the endoscope 910 itself based on the drive record of the endoscope 910 collected in step S21, so as to insert it again, so that the end of the endoscope 910 is located at the same position as the previous working position in step S22. Therefore, steps S16 to S19 and step S22 can be repeatedly executed until all the stones are taken out from the position where the basket clamps the stones. Through step S22, the surgical staff does not need to remember the path that the endoscope 910 has passed to reach the previous working position and operate the main device 15 along that path, and only needs to perform the work under the basket (step S16), thereby greatly reducing the fatigue level of the surgery. In addition, since there will be no trial and error that may occur when the surgical staff finds the previous working position, the surgery time can also be greatly shortened.

[0089] In step S20, if information indicating that stone removal has been completed at the previous working position in step S19 is input, the control unit 13 may receive confirmation from the surgical staff regarding whether stone removal has been completed at all working positions.

[0090] When information indicating the existence of a working position where stone removal has not been performed is input in step S20, step S12 may be executed, and step S13 may be executed, in which the surgical staff sequentially performs scanning of the stone.

[0091] Figure 9 It is an example diagram showing the operation control amount, which graphically shows the operation amount of the endoscopic operation device operated by the surgical staff in a specific section over time.

[0092] Figure 9 A series of processes of moving the endoscope 910 to a specific working position by the surgical staff is shown, in which the surgical staff moves the endoscope 910 forward in the wrong direction, causing the end of the endoscope 910 to pass through a specific position (see the section between 2 and 3 seconds), then moves the endoscope 910 backward again (see the section between 3 and 4 seconds), then changes the direction of the end of the endoscope 910 (see the section between 4 and 6 seconds), and moves the endoscope 910 forward (see the section between 6 and 7 seconds).

[0093] For example, such a phenomenon may occur when the endoscope 910 gets stuck on the inner wall of the patient's organ and encounters resistance. Even so, when the same repeated operation is performed and the endoscope 910 is thus moved back to the previous working position by itself, repeated impacts will be applied to the patient's organ, which may lead to medical accidents. In addition, the trial-and-error time of moving forward and backward in this way will unnecessarily increase the operation time. Therefore, embodiments for solving this problem will be described below.

[0094] Figure 10 and Figure 11 It is a drawing showing the steps of correcting the driving record according to an embodiment.

[0095] Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 11 , the control method of the self-propelled endoscope system 1 may further include step S23 of correcting the driving record. Step S23 includes step S231 of determining whether there is a forward-backward movement section and step S232 of generating a shortened control amount, and step S22 may be executed using the shortened control amount generated as above (see Figure 6 ).

[0096] Here, the "forward-backward movement section" refers to a section in the operation control amount where the end of the endoscope 910 passes through a specific position and returns again, which may refer toFigure 9 the section between 2 and 4 seconds in

[0097] If, in step S231, the control unit 13 determines that there is a forward-backward movement section between the first time point and the second time point, in step S232, the control unit 13 may generate a shortening control amount by removing the operation amount according to the passage of time of the forward-backward movement section ( Figure 9 the section between 2 and 4 seconds of

[0098] The control unit 13 can control the endoscope operating device 12 according to the shortening control amount generated as above, thereby preventing a burden on the patient's body. In addition, when the surgeon finds the correct target position after multiple trials and errors, the trial and error can be omitted and the endoscope 910 can be directly moved to the target position along the shortest path, thus significantly shortening the operation time.

[0099] Figure 12 FIG. is another example diagram showing the operation control amount, which graphically shows the operation amount of the endoscope operating device operated by the surgeon in a specific section over time.

[0100] Figure 12 shows a series of processes in which the surgeon moves the endoscope 910 to a specific working position. Among them, the surgeon moves the endoscope 910 forward in the wrong direction, causing the end of the endoscope 910 to pass through a specific position (see the section between 2 and 3 seconds), then moves the endoscope 910 backward again (see the section between 3 and 4 seconds), and then moves the endoscope 910 forward (see the section between 4 and 5 seconds). Different from Figure 9 is that the rolling angle and the bending angle change in the forward-backward movement section (the section between 2 and 4 seconds). At this time, simply deleting the forward-backward movement section (the section between 2 and 4 seconds) is not enough. Therefore, an embodiment for solving this problem will be described below.

[0101] Figure 13 FIG. is a drawing showing the steps of correcting the drive record according to another embodiment; Figure 14 FIG. is a drawing showing the shortening control amount generated by performing the steps of correcting the drive record according to another embodiment.

[0102] Referring to Figure 13 and Figure 14 , the steps S23' of correcting the drive record according to another embodiment include a step S231' of determining whether there is a forward-backward movement section, a step S232' of generating a correction control amount, and a step S233' of generating a shortening control amount. And the shortening control amount generated as above can be used to execute step S22 (see Figure 6 ).

[0103] In step S232, the "correction control amount" may be, for example, the operation amount over time, which includes the rolling angle change amount and the bending angle change amount of the forward-backward movement section, and does not include the translation amount of the forward-backward movement section.

[0104] In step S233', the control unit 13 may generate a shortening control amount by replacing the operation amount over time of the forward-backward movement section in the operation control amount with the correction control amount.

[0105] By this method, even if the moving direction of the end portion of the endoscope 910 changes in the forward-backward movement section, this change can be reflected in the driving record of the endoscope 910, and unnecessary forward and backward translation repetition during the self-running of the endoscope 910 can be prevented. In addition, as Figure 14 shown, the correction control amount can be executed at a higher change rate in a shorter time than the time of the forward-backward movement section, thereby further shortening the operation time.

[0106] In summary, the description has been made with reference to the limited accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, those of ordinary skill in the art can make various modifications and changes based on the above description. For example, the described technology is executed in an order different from the described method, and / or the described components are combined or assembled in a form different from the described method, or other components or equivalents are substituted or replaced, and reasonable results can also be achieved.

[0107] Therefore, other embodiments, other embodiments and equivalent substitutions of the claims are also included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self - propelled endoscope system capable of controlling the movement of an endoscope, wherein, The endoscope is inserted inside a protective sheath installed in a patient's body, characterized in that it includes: an endoscope operating device capable of operating the relative position of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath, the rolling angle of the endoscope, and the bending angle of a bendable bending portion located at the end of the endoscope; and a control unit for controlling the endoscope operating device, wherein the control unit controls the endoscope operating device based on a driving record of the endoscope, the driving record includes an operation control amount which is the operation amount of the endoscope operating device according to the passage of time from a first time point to a second time point, the operation amount includes a translation amount of the endoscope, a change amount of the rolling angle of the endoscope, and a change amount of the bending angle of the endoscope.

2. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: a sensor for sensing relative position information of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath, wherein the driving record includes information on the relative movement of the endoscope with respect to the protective sheath.

3. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensor includes a first magnetic body and a second magnetic body respectively installed on the protective sheath and the endoscope.

4. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A basket for clamping a calculus existing in the patient's body is inserted into the endoscope, and the control unit controls the endoscope operating device so that the endoscope automatically returns to the position where the endoscope is located at the time point when the clamping operation of the basket is completed.

5. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A basket for clamping a calculus existing in the patient's body is inserted into the endoscope, when the clamping operation of the basket is completed, the control unit (a) takes out the endoscope from the protective sheath, (b) releases the clamped calculus by opening the basket, and (c) makes the endoscope re-enter and controls the endoscope operating device so that the endoscope automatically returns to the position where the endoscope is located at the time point when the clamping operation of the basket is completed.

6. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first time point is the time point when the end of the endoscope is at a relative specific position with respect to the protective sheath.

7. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second time point is the time point when a surgical instrument inserted into the endoscope performs a specific task.

8. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the first time point and the second time point is an arbitrary time point that can be set by a surgical staff.

9. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit, (a) determines whether there is a forward-backward movement section between the first time point and the second time point, in which section the endoscope passes through a specific position and then returns again, (b) if there is the forward-backward movement section, generates a shortened control amount by removing the operation amount according to the passage of time of the forward-backward movement section from the operation control amount, (c) controls the endoscope operating device according to the shortened control amount.

10. The self - propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit, (a) determines whether there is a forward-backward movement section between the first time point and the second time point, in which section the endoscope passes through a specific position and then returns again, (b) If there is the forward-backward movement section, generate a correction control amount, the correction control amount including a rolling angle change amount and a bending angle change amount of the forward-backward movement section, not including a translation amount of the section other than the forward-backward movement section, and having an execution time shorter than the time of the forward-backward movement section, (c) Generate a shortening control amount by replacing an operation amount according to the passage of time of the forward-backward movement section in the operation control amount with the correction control amount, (d) Control the endoscope operating device according to the shortening control amount.

11. The self-propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein, When the end of the endoscope is at a relative specific position with respect to the protective sheath, the control unit initializes the posture of the endoscope so that the endoscope has a specific rolling angle and a specific bending angle.

12. The self-propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein, Further included is: a display that outputs an image of the inside of the patient's body to the surgical staff, The control unit performs display by overlapping an expected position and posture of the endoscope at a time point after the current set time on the image.

13. The self-propelled endoscope system according to claim 12, wherein, Further included is: a clutch that can be operated by the surgical staff and can perform or stop continuous driving of the endoscope operating device.

14. The self-propelled endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein, Further included is: a master device for remotely operating the endoscope operating device, which is located at a position separated from the endoscope operating device and is driven by the surgical staff.

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