Endoscopic Capsule System with Tactile Feedback

Abstract

An endoscopic capsule system, comprising: an endoscopic capsule having magnetism and adapted to be introduced into a hollow organ of a patient; an extracorporeal guiding and moving device for the endoscopic capsule, which has a movable multi-hinged cantilever pivotally mounted at one end on a support frame and includes a manipulating device having magnetism and pivotally mounted at the other free end of the cantilever to drag, rotate, sway and / or pitch the endoscopic capsule according to the actual movement of the manipulating device; and a control device designed and adapted to define the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulating device, wherein force and / or torque generating means or braking means are provided, which are adapted to affect the extracorporeal guiding and moving device at least for a preselected movement of the cantilever and / or the manipulating device, and the force and / or torque generating means or braking means are connected to the control device to generate a counterforce and / or counter-torque or braking force against the moving force and / or guiding force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device according to the actually defined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulating device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an endoscopic capsule system for magnetically guiding an in-vivo endoscopic capsule. Hereinafter, the guiding device according to aspects of the present invention will be described by taking the application in gastrointestinal medicine as an example. The entire content of the present invention can also be applied to other medical application fields or technical systems such as the respiratory system, visceral surgery, arthroscopy or neurosurgery. For example, such a technical system can be a pipeline system in which an object to be controlled is provided. Background Art

[0002] A magnetically driven endoscopic capsule system is a type of endoscope that is preferably an endoscopic capsule but may also be a probe or catheter and is introduced into a patient, for example, by the patient swallowing it in the form of a pill or capsule. After introduction, the endoscopic capsule is advanced in the intestine mainly by natural peristaltic movement. In order to affect the movement and orientation of the swallowed endoscopic capsule, a magnet (hereinafter referred to as the capsule magnet) located inside the endoscopic capsule and an external magnet (hereinafter referred to as the magnetic manipulation device) located outside the patient are provided.

[0003] Both the capsule magnet and the magnetic manipulation device are adapted to generate a magnetic field with a known polarization direction. For this purpose, solenoids and permanent magnets as well as combinations of single or multiple of these two possibilities are applicable. The device may also include a plurality of permanent magnets or a plurality of solenoids, and their magnetic fields are superimposed to form a synthetic magnetic field. The advantage of using permanent magnets is that although the capsule and the manipulation device have a simple structure, a relatively strong magnetic field is generated, which is why they are particularly suitable for medical use. In addition, compared with solenoids, permanent magnets do not require an energy supply to maintain the magnetic field.

[0004] Today, a variety of different types of magnetic endoscopic capsule systems have been developed and designed specifically for examining the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines. Therefore, although this method was initially developed for examining the small intestine, which was previously difficult to access by endoscope, now all parts of the gastrointestinal tract can be examined by an endoscopic capsule. In particular, since endoscopic examinations of the stomach and colon play a crucial role in the early detection of cancer, the examinations of the stomach and large intestine are clinically much more important than the examinations of the esophagus and small intestine.

[0005] According to the current prior art, the movement and orientation of the swallowed magnetic endoscopic capsule can be controlled by a (pre-programmed) computer control system (so-called robotic system) or by manual guidance of an operator.

[0006] For example, EP2347699A1 discloses a magnetically driven capsule endoscope, which has an in-vivo magnetic endoscope capsule and an extracorporeal magnet, preferably with a permanent action, which is mounted on a computer-controlled robotic arm. Due to the arrangement and orientation of the capsule magnet provided inside the endoscope capsule, the endoscope capsule can be tilted about its transverse axis, rotated about its vertical axis, and rolled about its longitudinal axis by interacting with the (permanent) magnet outside the body. In this way, control of the orientation of the endoscope capsule about all three axes (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) of its Cartesian coordinate system is provided.

[0007] According to EP2347699A1, the position and orientation of the extracorporeal permanent magnet are controlled by a robotic actuator. The robotic actuator is in turn controlled by a computer, which receives sensor signals / feedback signals from a position sensor integrated in the endoscope capsule and from an operator-machine interface that enables an operator to input control instructions to move the endoscope capsule. These sensor signals are then processed by the computer and converted into calibrated movements of the extracorporeal magnet, which are executed by the robotic actuator, without being directly affected by the operator and which can help to keep the relative position between the endoscope capsule and the extracorporeal permanent magnet within an optimal range for executing the control instructions input by the operator. In other words, through the direct information feedback between the endoscope capsule and the robotic arm, intuitive and predictable control of the position and orientation of the endoscope capsule can be achieved for the controller. For a complete understanding of the structure / components and functions of the endoscope capsule according to the present invention, reference is made here to the endoscope capsule disclosed in EP2347699A1.

[0008] However, a disadvantage of the magnetically driven capsule endoscope disclosed in EP2347699A1 is that the movements that the computer-controlled robotic arm for guiding the endoscope capsule can also perform can cause collisions with or without force acting on the patient's body and thus have a dangerous effect on the patient's or the controller's body. In other words, a robot of the traditional concept is prone to cause fatal injuries to personnel or damage adjacent objects in the case of incorrect movement.

[0009] During the application of a magnetically driven capsule endoscope to a patient, it may also happen that, due to the excessive distance between the external permanent magnet and the magnetic endoscope capsule relative to each other, the operator who controls / guides / moves the external permanent magnet, and thus also the position and orientation of the magnetic endoscope capsule, by inputting control instructions into a computer inadvertently interrupts the current magnetic field. As a result, the magnetic endoscope capsule can no longer be guided by the external permanent magnet and remains at the position where the magnetic field last existed in the gastrointestinal tract, at least without considering the influence of natural peristaltic movements. In such a case, the operator must first restore the magnetic field between the external permanent magnet and the magnetic endoscope capsule. Therefore, the operator needs to guide the robotic arm equipped with the external permanent magnet above the abdominal wall of the patient until the endoscope capsule responds again to the movement of the external permanent magnet. This situation is clearly very time-consuming and unnecessarily prolongs the procedure.

[0010] In addition, the operator may also input control instructions into the computer and thereby move / guide the external permanent magnet relative to the endoscope capsule at a non-optimal distance. As a result, the endoscope capsule is usually difficult to move / locate, or can only move / locate itself very slowly, which prolongs the procedure and is at the same time inefficient. To sum up, the operator of a magnetically driven capsule endoscope cannot perceive the magnetic force that depends on the positions of the two magnetic components, which makes the practical application more difficult.

[0011] In DE102011054910A1, a medical robotic system for magnetically guiding an endoscope capsule by means of an external motor-driven positioning device with a maximum of three degrees of freedom is disclosed. The positioning device can be driven to perform a translational movement of the distal connection interface to which the magnetic end effector is connected / can be connected. The magnetic end effector itself has a maximum of two degrees of freedom to be driven for a preferred rotational movement of the magnetic field generator, thereby controlling the magnetic endoscope capsule inside the patient.

[0012] To reduce the risk of injury caused by the orientation of the robotic guidance of the external magnetic field generator, the specific degrees of freedom of the magnetic field generator are integrally sealed or enclosed. Thus, in the robotic system disclosed in DE102011054910A1, the number of degrees of freedom of the robotic guidance of the magnetic field generator that can be freely accessed from the outside is reduced. In this way, the function of the device is not restricted and the device can be used in medical application situations in direct contact with the patient's body, thereby minimizing the adverse effects on the patient's body.

[0013] However, this design of a robotic system for magnetically guiding an endoscopic capsule is very complex and requires multiple manufacturing steps and a large number of individual components, thus increasing the manufacturing cost. In this regard, the acquisition cost of such a robotic system for hospital or doctor surgeries is also very high. Compared with alternative endoscopic systems that may provide similar results at a lower price, such complex robotic systems are quite uneconomical, thus enabling them to occupy only a small market share.

[0014] On the other hand, the manual guidance control of an external magnetic field generator has the advantage that the device structure can exhibit minimal complexity. In other words, the manual guidance of an external magnetic field generator requires fewer components to achieve the same function compared to a robotic system. At the same time, it is easier to manufacture and the associated costs are lower.

[0015] Furthermore, the operator obtains permanent information feedback about the motion parameters, especially collisions with or without force acting on the patient's body, at least through their sense of touch by manually orienting the external magnetic field generator. Therefore, when orienting the magnetic field generator, actions that endanger the patient are first excluded.

[0016] In view of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscopic capsule system that exhibits higher functionality in terms of magnetism. A specific object of the present invention is to improve the positioning ability of the endoscopic capsule system, and in this way improve the examination accuracy and minimize the necessary application duration, especially by allowing the intentional control of the orientation of the endoscopic capsule. Summary of the Invention

[0017] The above object is achieved by an endoscopic capsule system including the features of the present invention.

[0018] Therefore, the core of the present invention lies not only in defining or determining the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the magnetic manipulation device as proposed by the prior art, but also in generating a counterforce and / or counter torque or braking force by a force and / or torque generating device or a braking device according to the actually defined or determined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulation device, in order to resist the moving force manually applied by the operator to the external guiding and moving device of the endoscopic capsule system for controlling the capsule.

[0019] In other words, as previously described, too fast or sudden movement / guidance of an extracorporeal guiding and moving device having a manipulating device mounted at one end, or movement / guidance of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device in the case where the distance between the magnetic manipulating device and the endoscopic capsule is too large, will cause an interruption of the magnetic field between the endoscopic capsule and the magnetic manipulating device and thus result in a loss of control over the endoscopic capsule. By (continuously) defining / determining the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulating device, conclusions can be drawn regarding the manual displacement of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device and / or the manipulating device performed by the operator. Based on this, a counterforce and / or a counter torque or a braking force is generated to resist the manual displacement of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device and / or the manipulating device performed by the operator. In this way, due to the generated counterforce and / or counter torque or braking force, the operator receives a haptic feedback indicating that a further displacement of his / her extracorporeal guiding and moving device and / or the manipulating device may cause an interruption of the magnetic field between the endoscopic capsule and the magnetic manipulating device. Due to the generated haptic feedback, the operator also receives information about in which direction the endoscopic capsule will be lost if the extracorporeal guiding and moving device and / or the manipulating device continues to be displaced. In this way, an accidental loss of the endoscopic capsule during application due to a magnetic field interruption is avoided and the controllability of the endoscopic capsule is improved.

[0020] In addition, compared with the prior art, the overall operation of the system is more efficient. For example, since the generated haptic feedback depends on the displacement between the magnetic manipulating device and the magnetic endoscopic capsule, the operator can perceive the operation of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device and / or the manipulating device in a way that can be compared to a rubber-band-like connection between the manipulating device and the endoscopic capsule; as the displacement between the manipulating device and the endoscopic capsule increases, the counterforce generated by the haptic feedback also increases, just like a rubber band being stretched and generating an increasingly large counterforce. This rubber-band-like effect is generated / simulated by the system by appropriately parsing the sensor data and generating corresponding control for the actuator to achieve the corresponding haptic feedback force. Obviously, since a rubber band has to penetrate the patient's skin, there is actually no rubber band in the system, and this control principle can be described as a "virtual rubber band" between the magnetic manipulating device and the magnetic endoscopic capsule.

[0021] Specifically, an endoscopic capsule system is provided, which includes: an endoscopic capsule that is magnetic and adapted to be introduced into a hollow organ within a patient; an extracorporeal guiding and moving device for the endoscopic capsule, which has a movable multi-hinged cantilever that is pivotally mounted at one end on a support frame and includes a manipulating device that is magnetic and pivotally mounted at the other free end of the cantilever to drag, rotate, sway, and / or pitch the endoscopic capsule according to the actual movement of the manipulating device; and a control device that is designed and adapted to define the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulating device. According to the present invention, force and / or torque generating means or braking means are also provided, which are adapted to affect the extracorporeal guiding and moving device at least for a preselected movement of the cantilever and / or the manipulating device, and the force and / or torque generating means or braking means are connected to the control device to generate a counterforce and / or counter-torque or braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device according to the actually defined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the manipulating device.

[0022] To control and generate these counterforces and / or counter-torques or braking forces against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device, the correction angle of the tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule and / or the roll angle of the endoscopic capsule are used as a measure of the counterforce and / or counter-torque or braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device.

[0023] The counterforce and / or counter-torque or braking force representing the tactile feedback of the operator against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device can be generated in different ways at the guiding and moving device. For example, the counterforce and / or counter-torque against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device can be generated by at least one torque control actuator of the cantilever. As an alternative, the braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever and / or the manipulating device can be generated by a brake lining on a brake disc.

[0024] To effectively define or determine the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule and the manipulating device, the endoscopic capsule system can be provided with a plurality of sensors. According to another aspect of the present invention, the position and / or orientation of the manipulating device can be defined or determined by at least one angle sensor. The position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule can be defined by an inertial sensor provided inside the endoscopic capsule.

[0025] The extracorporeal guiding and moving device can be provided with a rotatable and tiltable handle / joystick, by means of which the position and / or orientation of the manipulating device is manually adjusted. The manual rotation of the handle / joystick that causes the magnetic manipulating device to sway is thus mechanically transmitted to the holding structure of the magnetic manipulating device (i.e., in the form of a holding fork), and occurs without abutment / stop / limitation. In addition, the handle / joystick has a movement freedom of approximately ±80° when manually tilted. In addition, the handle / joystick is also designed to hold the angular position of the manipulating device after manual adjustment when released by the operator. In this way, the last position / orientation of the handle / joystick and the manipulating device is maintained.

[0026] For the vertical movement of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device for moving the manipulating device towards or away from the abdominal wall of the patient, the multi-hinged cantilever of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device can have a parallelogram arm with a spring element or a spring-damping element. The spring element or the spring-damping element is thus used for the weight compensation of the manipulating device, so that no lifting work has to be done during the movement of the manipulating device in the vertical direction, and only the forces for acceleration and braking need to be applied. In addition, the spring element or the spring-damping element can be designed to compensate for the weight of the operator's arm, so that the operator can place his / her arm on the extracorporeal guiding and moving device, thereby allowing continuous operation of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device in a rather relaxed manner that does not accelerate muscle fatigue. According to another aspect of the present invention, the handle / joystick also has a member designed to support the operator's arm, which can carry the weight of his / her arm. In order to maintain the fine motor manipulation of the angular freedom (e.g., tilting, swaying) of the handle / joystick while carrying the weight of the operator's arm by this member, at least one angular freedom of the handle / joystick acts separately / independently of the above member. In order to increase the ease of use of the endoscopic capsule system, the parallelogram arm can also be driven in a torque-controlled manner.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, the parallelogram arm can also be designed to guide the manipulating device to a position where the magnetic connection between the manipulating device and the endoscopic capsule is interrupted when the handle / joystick is released. In other words, when the handle / joystick is released by the operator, for example due to an application interruption, the manipulating device automatically moves away from the abdominal wall of the patient and the endoscopic capsule in the vertical direction through the parallelogram arm until the current magnetic field between the manipulating device and the endoscopic capsule is interrupted.

[0028] Alternatively, the parallelogram arm can also be designed to guide the manipulation device to a position directly above the endoscopic capsule when the handle / joystick is released. This means that when the handle / joystick is released by the operator, the manipulation device is moved vertically by the parallelogram arm within the current magnetic field range between the manipulation device and the endoscopic capsule to be as close as possible to the abdominal wall portion of the patient directly above the endoscopic capsule.

[0029] The endoscopic capsule system can also be fully automatic, thus making the overall operation of the system more convenient. To achieve this, the rotational drive of the handle / joystick can be designed to be driven by torque control.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, the manipulation device can be driven to roll without abutment / stop / limitation. In this way, the manipulation device can be made to roll at an angle of more than 360 degrees in response to the tilt of the handle / joystick. However, the rolling of the manipulation device is not limited to torque-controlled driving. Alternatively, according to one aspect of the present invention, the magnetic manipulation device can be driven by displacement control or angular drive.

[0031] It should be clearly pointed out that the above aspects can achieve the purpose of the present invention separately or in any combination with each other, and therefore should be claimable within the scope of this application separately or in any combination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 The clinical application of the endoscopic capsule system according to the present invention and the corresponding control are schematically shown;

[0034] Figure 2 The basic structure of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device with corresponding actuators and sensors is schematically shown;

[0035] Figure 3a and Figure 3b The control mechanism of the tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule according to the present invention is shown; and

[0036] Figure 4a and Figure 4b The control mechanism of the roll angle of the endoscopic capsule according to the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Figure 1Shows the entire endoscopic capsule system 1 during a conventional clinical application. The endoscopic capsule system 1 includes: an endoscopic capsule 2 that has been introduced into the gastrointestinal tract of a schematically represented patient 3; an extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4 having a movable multi-hinged cantilever 5 that is pivotally mounted at one end on a support frame 6 and includes a magnetic manipulation device 7 pivotally mounted at the other free end of the cantilever 5; and a control device 8 that is designed and adapted to define or determine the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 relative to the manipulation device 7. In addition, the endoscopic capsule system 1 is equipped with a force and / or torque generating device or a braking device 9 that is adapted to affect the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4 at least for a preselected movement of the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulation device 7. The force and / or torque generating device or the braking device 9 is also connected to the control device 8 and generates a counter force and / or a counter torque or a braking force against the movement force manually applied to the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulation device 7 according to the actually defined or determined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 relative to the manipulation device 7.

[0038] To enable the operator 17 to manually move / guide the manipulation device 7, a handle / joystick 12 is provided at the end of the cantilever 5 on which the manipulation device 7 is mounted. The handle / joystick 12 is connected to a holding structure (e.g., in the shape of a holding fork) of the manipulation device 7 that is not shown, and this holding structure is capable of transmitting the movement of the handle / joystick 12 to the manipulation device 7. Thus, the tilting and / or rotation of the handle / joystick 12 causes the manipulation device 7 to roll and / or sway.

[0039] The multi-hinged cantilever 5 itself is designed to have multiple parts, preferably three parts, to provide movement of the manipulation device 7 about all three axes (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) of a Cartesian coordinate system. The part of the cantilever 5 that enables movement in the vertical direction (z-axis) is designed in the form of a parallelogram arm 13 that includes a spring element or a spring-damping element 14 for compensating the weight of the manipulation device 7. The spring element or the spring-damping element 14 can also be designed to compensate for the weight of the operator 17's arm, so that the operator 17 can place his / her arm on the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4, thus allowing continuous operation of the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4. In addition, the handle / joystick 12 can have a member, not further shown, that is capable of bearing the weight of the operator 17's arm. To maintain fine motor manipulation of the angular degrees of freedom (e.g., tilting, swaying) of the handle / joystick 12 while bearing the weight of the operator 17's arm through this member, at least one angular degree of freedom of the handle / joystick 12 acts independently of the above-mentioned member. As previously mentioned, the cantilever 5 is pivotally mounted at its other end on the support frame 6. The end of the support frame 6 that contacts the floor can have rollers / wheels 18, and the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4 can be moved thereby.

[0040] The endoscopic capsule system is also provided with a video processor 15, which receives the wirelessly transmitted image data of the gastrointestinal tract recorded by the endoscopic capsule 2 and processes this data. The visualization of this data in real-time video form is provided by connecting the video processor 15 to the endoscopic screen 16 via a cable 20. In this way, the operator 17 can monitor the tilt and / or viewing direction of the endoscopic capsule 2 and adjust it as needed by tilting and / or rotating the handle / joystick 12.

[0041] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, both the endoscopic capsule 2 and the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 are equipped with sensors for respectively defining the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the magnetic manipulation device 7. While the endoscopic capsule 2 is provided with an inertial sensor (not further shown), the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 is equipped with at least one, preferably a plurality of, angle sensors 11. When the operator 17 manually applies a moving force to the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulation device 7 through the handle / joystick 12, the angle sensors 11 determine / record the actual position and / or orientation of the manipulation device 7. These position and / or orientation data of the manipulation device 7 measured by the angle sensors 11 are then transmitted to the control device 8. At the same time, the inertial sensor provided inside the endoscopic capsule 2 transmits data related to the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 in the form of a radio signal to the radio frequency receiver 19 provided inside the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4. Similar to the position and / or orientation data of the manipulation device 7, the radio signal received by the radio frequency receiver 19 is transmitted to the control device 8. The control device 8 processes these position and / or orientation data of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the magnetic manipulation device 7 and controls / regulates the reaction force and / or reaction torque or braking force generated by the force and / or torque generating device or braking device 9 based on them. In other embodiments, the sensor inside the endoscopic capsule 2 can be any sensor or sensor configuration that allows inferring the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 at least relative to the manipulation device 7. The sensor in the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 can be any sensor or sensor configuration that allows inferring the position and orientation of the manipulation device 7 at least relative to the endoscopic capsule 2.

[0042] In Figure 2 a preferred embodiment, the basic structure of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 having corresponding actuators and sensors is schematically shown. Figure 1 The basic structure and reference numerals of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 shown remain unchanged, so only the differences Figure 1 and Figure 2 between the extracorporeal guiding and moving devices 4 are emphasized below. Figure 2 It shows only in Figure 1The angular sensors 11 indicated therein are arranged at some specific positions above the cantilever 5 and at the end of the cantilever 5 where the manipulation device 7 is mounted. The extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 is preferably provided with six angular sensors 11, each of which determines the individual position / orientation of the cantilever 5 and the magnetic manipulation device 7, so that the position and / or orientation of the manipulation device 7 can be accurately determined.

[0043] In particular, an angular sensor 11 is provided for each hinge of the multi-hinged cantilever 5 and thus for each axis of movement (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) of the cantilever 5 to determine the angle and thus the position of each part of the cantilever 5 in this way. In addition, the magnetic manipulation device 7 itself is equipped with an angular sensor 11, which can determine an unlimited angular region since the manipulation device 7 can roll without abutment / stop / limitation. In addition, the handle / joystick 12 is provided with an angular sensor 11, which can determine the orientation of the manipulation device 7 by measuring the angle of the handle / joystick 12 during tilting. The last angular sensor 11 is arranged to determine the rotation angle of the handle / joystick 12 and thus the swing angle of the manipulation device 7. This angular sensor 11 is similar to the angular sensor 11 of the manipulation device 7 designed to determine an unlimited angular region.

[0044] As described above, the control device 8 controls the force and / or torque generating device or the braking device 9 based on the position and / or orientation data of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the manipulation device 7 measured by the inertial sensors and the angular sensors 11. Generally speaking, the force and / or torque generating device or the braking device 9 is realized by different components capable of generating a reaction force and / or a reaction torque or a braking force. In Figure 2 it, the reaction force and / or reaction torque against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever 5 and / or the magnetic manipulation device 7 is generated by the torque control actuator 10 of the cantilever 5. For example, by applying a reaction torque to the corresponding actuator 10, a corresponding reaction force can be generated that the operator 17 can perceive as a tactile feedback. Alternatively or additionally, a disc brake or other type of brake can be used to generate an appropriate braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulation device 7. Therefore, the reaction force and / or reaction torque or braking force can be generated in different ways. Although not shown in Figure 2 it, the parallelogram arm 13 can also be driven in a torque-controlled manner to increase the usability of the endoscopic capsule system 1.

[0045] As Figure 2As shown, in addition to the torque control actuator 10 of the cantilever 5, another actuator 21 is provided at the magnetic manipulation device 7. However, the actuator 21 of the manipulation device 7 is not a torque control actuator, but a displacement control or angle drive actuator 21, enabling the manipulation device to roll without abutment / stop / limitation. In other embodiments, the sensor within the endoscopic capsule 2 can be any sensor or sensor configuration that allows the inference of the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 at least relative to the manipulation device 7. The sensor in the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4 can be any sensor or sensor configuration that allows the inference of the position and orientation of the manipulation device 7 at least relative to the endoscopic capsule 2.

[0046] Generally, the endoscopic capsule 2 follows the movement / guidance of the manipulation device 7 unhindered, which is why the force and / or torque generating device or braking device 9 does not generate a counterforce and / or counter torque or braking force in this case. However, if the movement of the endoscopic capsule 2 no longer corresponds to the movement of the manipulation device 7, i.e., if the endoscopic capsule 2 cannot follow the manipulation device 7 due to the hollow organ blocking the movement in the x or y direction, then the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the manipulation device 7 deviate from each other. In this case, a counterforce and / or counter torque or braking force is generated by the force and / or torque generating device or braking device 9, thereby indicating the current deviation to the operator 17 in the form of the generated haptic feedback. To control / regulate the haptic feedback generated due to the deviation between the endoscopic capsule 2 and the manipulation device 7, the present invention provides two control mechanisms.

[0047] Figure 3a and Figure 3b The control mechanism shown is used to control / regulate the tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule 2 when the operator 17 manually displaces the manipulation device 7 via the handle / joystick 12, so that the endoscopic capsule 2 moves linearly in the x direction on the horizontal plane. In Figure 3b shows the compensation movement for avoiding the tilt of the endoscopic capsule 2.

[0048] Specifically, Figure 3a shows the orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 in the case where the magnetic manipulation device 7 is disposed directly above the endoscopic capsule 2, which will hereinafter be referred to as the initial position of the magnetic manipulation device 7. Thus, the endoscopic capsule 2 orients itself such that the polarization direction (N / S) of the capsule magnet is anti-parallel to the polarization direction of the manipulation device 7. At the same time, according to the present invention, the control of the tilt angle of the manipulation device 7 is designed such that the tilt angle of the handle / joystick 12 (relative to the horizontal plane, hereinafter referred to as α H ) corresponds to the tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule 2 (relative to the horizontal plane, hereinafter referred to as α C ):

[0049] (1) αH = α C

[0050] In contrast, since the polarization directions of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the manipulation device 7 are anti-parallel to each other, α H and the tilt angle α of the manipulation device 7 in its initial position M 、α M,0 are related as follows:

[0051] (2) α M = α M,0 = -α H

[0052] Figure 3b shows the influence on the orientation of the manipulation device 7 when the manipulation device 7 is manually displaced relative to the endoscopic capsule 2 in the x-direction of the horizontal plane from the initial position shown by moving the handle / joystick 12, so that the x-positions of the manipulation device 7 and the endoscopic capsule 2 deviate from each other by a difference Δx in the x-direction. Due to the current circular magnetic field, the displacement of the manipulation device 7 in the x-direction of the horizontal plane via the handle / joystick 12 generally causes the endoscopic capsule 2 to tilt. However, according to the present invention, the changes in the position and / or orientation of the magnetic manipulation device 7 are continuously recorded by the angle sensor 11 of the external guiding and moving device 4 as described above. These sensor data can be provided to the control device 8 simultaneously, and the control device thus controls / regulates the tilt angle α of the magnetic manipulation device 7 in the case of a deviation between the x-position of the manipulation device 7 and the x-position of the endoscopic capsule 2 Figure 3a such that equation (1) remains valid and prevents the endoscopic capsule 2 from tilting. Therefore, α M is continuously corrected by the correction angle Δα M . Based on this, the actual tilt angle α of the manipulation device 7 M is represented by the sum of the tilt angle Δα of the manipulation device 7 in its initial position and the correction angle Δα of the tilt angle of the manipulation device 7 M : M,0 M

[0053]

[0054] (3) α M = α M,0 + Δα M

[0054] In other words, α H represents the target tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule 2, which is manually adjusted by the operator 17 and measured by the angle sensor 11 provided in the handle / joystick 12. On the other hand, α C represents the actual tilt angle of the endoscopic capsule 2, which is adjusted by the magnetic field between the endoscopic capsule 2 and the manipulation device 7 and measured by the inertial sensor provided in the endoscopic capsule 2. To ensure αC corresponding to α H , α is continuously determined by the angle sensor 11 M and is adjusted accordingly by the actuators 10, 21. This relationship results in the following equation for controlling / regulating the tilt angle α of the endoscopic capsule 2 C :

[0055] (4) α M,n+1 = α M,n + f(α C,n - α H,n )

[0056] Based on the above, although the exact displacement Δx is unknown due to the unknown distance Δz in the vertical direction between the endoscopic capsule 2 and the magnetic manipulation device 7, Δα M can be regarded as a measure of the manual displacement Δx of the manipulation device 7 in the x - direction of the horizontal plane. Therefore, Δα M is used as a measure for controlling and generating the haptic reaction force F H,x in the x - direction of the horizontal plane:

[0057] (5) F H,x → f(Δα M )

[0058] In practice, due to the calibration adjustment of the manipulation device 7 and the transmission of the position and / or orientation data of the endoscopic capsule 2 via radio signals, the aforementioned control method results in a delay. However, since the slow movement of the operator 17 during application can be anticipated, this is insignificant.

[0059] Figure 4a and Figure 4b show another control mechanism of the endoscopic capsule 2 according to the present invention, which is used to orient the manipulation device 7 vertically above the endoscopic capsule 2 by manually displacing the manipulation device 7 along its y - axis using the handle / joystick 12, such that the y - axis 22 of the endoscopic capsule 2 is set in the horizontal plane.

[0060] Figure 4a shows the orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 and its y - axis 22 in the case where the magnetic manipulation device 7 is vertically arranged above the endoscopic capsule 2 and the polarization directions of the magnetic manipulation device 7 are perpendicular. The endoscopic capsule 2 orients itself such that the polarization direction of the capsule magnet arranged within the endoscopic capsule 2 is anti - parallel to the polarization direction of the permanent magnet outside the body, that is, the y - axis 22 of the endoscopic capsule 2 is horizontally oriented and the endoscopic capsule 2 does not roll. According to the present invention, the endoscopic capsule 2 is designed to have a stable horizontal line, which means that rolling of the endoscopic capsule 2 around its longitudinal axis / x - axis 23 is avoided.

[0061] Figure 4bshows the effect on the orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 when manually displacing the magnetic manipulation device 7 relative to the endoscopic capsule 2 along the y-axis (i.e., in the lateral direction of the endoscopic capsule 2) starting from the situation shown in Figure 4a . In this case, the endoscopic capsule 2 starts to roll about its longitudinal axis / x-axis 23, thereby forming a so-called roll angle β of the endoscopic capsule 2 between the y-axis 22 of the endoscopic capsule 2 and the horizontal plane. C . This change in orientation is equally recorded by the inertial sensors within the endoscopic capsule 2 and the angle sensors 11 of the extracorporeal guidance and movement device 4, and appropriate sensor data can be provided to the control device 8. Similar to Figure 3b Δα in M , β C is used as a measure of the manual displacement Δy of the manipulation device 7 in the y-direction of the horizontal plane and as a measure for calculating and generating a haptic reaction force F H,y in the y-direction of the horizontal plane to resist the roll of the endoscopic capsule 2 about its longitudinal axis / x-axis 23:

[0062] (6)F H,y → f(β C )

[0063] Contrary to the control / adjustment mechanism for the tilt angle α C , the roll angle β C is not directly controlled and adjusted by a correction angle. Instead, due to the feedback obtained through the haptic reaction force F H,y generated in the y-direction of the horizontal plane, the operator 17 of the endoscopic capsule system 1 can intuitively compensate for this displacement Δy of the magnetic manipulation device 7 in the y-direction of the horizontal plane. During the actual application of the endoscopic capsule system 1, situations may occur such as manipulating the endoscopic capsule 2 in the deep left flexure of the colon, in which case it is advantageous to position the magnetic manipulation device 7 on the side of the endoscopic capsule 2 to achieve the required force on the endoscopic capsule 2 through the magnetic field. In this case, the operator 17 intentionally accepts and also controls the roll of the endoscopic capsule 2 about its longitudinal axis / x-axis 23 and the reaction force F H,y generated in the y-direction of the horizontal plane to position the endoscopic capsule 2 in the desired position.

[0064] In summary, the present invention thus relates to an endoscopic capsule system 1, comprising: an endoscopic capsule 2, which is magnetic and adapted to be introduced into a hollow organ of a patient's body 3; an extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 for the endoscopic capsule 2, which has a movable multi-hinged cantilever 5, which is pivotally mounted at one end on a support frame 6 and comprises a manipulating device 7, which is magnetic and pivotally mounted at the other free end of the cantilever 5, for dragging, rotating, swaying and / or pitching the endoscopic capsule 2 in accordance with the actual movement of the manipulating device 7; and a control device 8, which is designed and adapted to define the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 relative to the manipulating device 7. According to the invention, such an endoscopic capsule system 1 further comprises a force and / or moment generating device or a braking device 9, which is adapted to influence the extracorporeal guiding and moving device 4 at least for a preselected movement of the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulating device 7, the force and / or moment generating device or the braking device 9 being connected to the control device 8 to generate a counter force and / or a counter moment or a braking force against a moving force and / or a guiding force manually applied to the cantilever 5 and / or the manipulating device 7 in accordance with the actually defined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule 2 relative to the manipulating device 7.

[0065] List of reference numerals

[0066] 1 Endoscopic capsule system

[0067] 2 Endoscopic capsule

[0068] 3 Patient's body

[0069] 4 Extracorporeal guiding and moving device

[0070] 5 Cantilever

[0071] 6 Support frame

[0072] 7 Manipulating device

[0073] 8 Control device

[0074] 9 Force and / or moment generating device or braking device

[0075] 10 Actuator of the cantilever

[0076] 11 Angle sensor

[0077] 12 Handle / joystick

[0078] 13 Parallelogram arm

[0079] 14 Spring element or spring damping element

[0080] 15 Video processor

[0081] 16 Endoscopic screen

[0082] 17 Operator

[0083] 18 Roller / Wheel

[0084] 19 Radio Frequency Receiver

[0085] 20 Cable

[0086] 21 Actuator of the Manipulating Device

[0087] 22 Y-axis of the Endoscopic Capsule

[0088] 23 X-axis of the Endoscopic Capsule

[0089] N North Pole

[0090] S South Pole

[0091] α C Tilt Angle of the Endoscopic Capsule

[0092] α H Tilt Angle of the Handle / Joystick

[0093] α M Tilt Angle of the Manipulating Device

[0094] α M,0 Tilt Angle of the Manipulating Device in its Initial Position

[0095] Δα M Correction Angle of the Tilt Angle of the Manipulating Device

[0096] Δx Displacement of the Manipulating Device in the x-direction on the Horizontal Plane

[0097] F H,x Reverse Force in the x-direction on the Horizontal Plane

[0098] β C Roll Angle of the Endoscopic Capsule

[0099] Δy Displacement of the Manipulating Device in the y-direction on the Horizontal Plane

[0100] F H,y Reverse Force in the y-direction on the Horizontal Plane

[0101] Δz Distance between the Manipulating Device and the Endoscopic Capsule in the Vertical Direction

Claims

1. An endoscopic capsule system (1), comprising: An endoscopic capsule (2) which is magnetic and adapted to be introduced into a hollow organ within a patient (3); An extracorporeal guiding and moving device (4) for guiding and moving the endoscopic capsule (2), the extracorporeal guiding and moving device (4) having a movable multi-hinged cantilever (5), the cantilever being pivotally mounted at one end on a support frame (6) and including a manipulating device (7) which is magnetic and pivotally mounted at the other free end of the cantilever (5) for dragging, rotating, swaying and / or pitching the endoscopic capsule (2) in accordance with the actual movement of the manipulating device (7); And A control device (8) which is designed and adapted to define the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule (2) relative to the manipulating device (7), Characterized in that it further comprises: A force and / or torque generating device or a braking device (9) which is adapted to act on the extracorporeal guiding and moving device (4) at least for a preselected movement of the cantilever (5) and / or the manipulating device (7), the force and / or torque generating device or the braking device (9) being connected to the control device (8) to generate a counterforce and / or a counter torque or a braking force against a moving force manually applied to the cantilever (5) and / or the manipulating device (7) in accordance with the actually defined position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule (2) relative to the manipulating device (7).

2. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tilt angle (α C ) of the endoscopic capsule (2), the correction angle (Δα M ) and / or the roll angle (β C ) of the endoscopic capsule (2) are used as a measure of the counter force and / or the counter torque or the braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever (5) and / or the manipulation device (7).

3. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The counterforce and / or the counter torque against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever (5) and / or the manipulating device (7) is generated by at least one torque control actuator (10) of the cantilever (5).

4. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The braking force against the moving force manually applied to the cantilever (5) and / or the manipulating device (7) is generated by brake linings on a brake disc.

5. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The position and / or orientation of the manipulating device (7) is defined by at least one angle sensor (11), and the position and / or orientation of the endoscopic capsule (2) is defined by an inertial sensor provided within the endoscopic capsule (2).

6. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extracorporeal guiding and moving device (4) has a rotatable and tiltable handle / joystick (12) by means of which the position and / or orientation of the manipulating device (7) is manually adjusted.

7. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, When the handle / joystick (12) is released, the position and / or orientation of the manipulating device (7) after manual adjustment is maintained.

8. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The handle / joystick (12) has a member capable of carrying the weight of the operator's (17) arm, wherein at least one angular degree of freedom of the handle / joystick (12) acts independently of the member.

9. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The multi-hinged cantilever (5) of the extracorporeal guiding and moving device (4) has a parallelogram arm (13) with spring elements or spring-damping elements (14).

10. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The parallelogram arm (13) is driven in a torque-controlled manner.

11. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The parallelogram arm (13) guides the manipulating device (7) to a position where the magnetic field is interrupted when the handle / joystick (12) is released.

12. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The parallelogram arm (13) guides the actuating device (7) to a position directly above the endoscopic capsule (2) when the handle / joystick (12) is released.

13. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The rotational drive of the handle / joystick (12) is driven in a torque-controlled manner.

14. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The actuating device (7) is driven to roll without abutment.

15. The endoscopic capsule system (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that, The actuating device (7) is driven in a displacement-controlled or angle-driven manner.

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