A method for determining bending information of a sheath for a cavity endoscope

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for determining bending information of a cannula for a channel endoscope. A plurality of bending measurement tubes are arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the cannula for the channel endoscope; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; the bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube, and the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer cannula are the same. The fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of a plurality of first calibration positions on the inner wall of the outer cannula, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at a second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer cannula; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of the bending measurement tube; the fixed end points of the respective bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer cannula are different. The method: for each bending measurement tube, determine the cable displacement information based on the displacement sensor; based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the cannula for the channel endoscope. The present application can determine the bending information of the cannula for the channel endoscope stably, quickly, efficiently, and at low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of robot control, and particularly to a method for determining bending information of a channel endoscope outer sheath. Background Art

[0002] Endoscopic surgery through natural human body cavities enables surgical instruments to enter the human body cavity through natural human body cavities (such as the oral cavity, esophagus, bronchus, stomach, colon, rectum, etc.) for diagnosis and treatment. During the surgical process, a channel endoscope outer sheath needs to be inserted into the natural cavity. The channel endoscope outer sheath is hollow and is used to accommodate several different types of surgical instruments, guiding the end effector of the surgical instrument to finally reach the surgical operation point. During the surgical process, the bending deformation of the instrument channel causes the spring catheter and cable that wrap the transmission cable of the instrument to deform, increasing the non-linear friction between the transmission cable inside the instrument channel and its spring catheter, resulting in a relatively large cumulative frictional force, thereby causing the transmission position of the transmission end of the transmission cable to be inaccurate, leading to inaccurate control of the end effector of the instrument. Generally, the outer sheath of the robot for endoscopic surgery through natural human body cavities, the instrument channels of the surgical instruments, and the cable transmission structure of the transmission instrument are all tightly wrapped. Therefore, the bending state of the cable transmission structure can be equivalently evaluated by online identifying the bending state of the channel endoscope outer sheath, providing effective feedback information for realizing precise control at the end.

[0003] Currently, shape detection sensors can be configured on the channel endoscope outer sheath. For example, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors can detect the fiber Bragg grating of local strain, and the change in the Bragg wavelength reflected by it reflects the change in the bending curvature of the shape sensor. Then, the 3D shape is obtained through differential geometry methods to identify the bending state of the channel endoscope outer sheath.

[0004] However, the sensitivity of this type of sensor is affected by environmental factors (such as light and temperature changes). Moreover, the fiber bending sensor has a certain dependence on the mechanical properties of the fiber itself. Its main material is silica, which is tensile but not shear-resistant. In some rough installations or improper operations, it is extremely easy to cause brittle fracture and sensor failure, resulting in poor stability in determining bending information. In addition, there are also problems of relatively high cost, complex installation and maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention provide a method for determining bending information of a channel endoscope outer sheath, which can stably, quickly, efficiently, and at low cost determine the bending information of the channel endoscope outer sheath, providing effective feedback information for realizing friction evaluation during the surgical process of the robot for endoscopic surgery through natural cavities and realizing precise control of the end instrument.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for determining bending information applied to a cannula of a channel endoscope. The cannula of the channel endoscope includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the cannula; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable. The length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube. The fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer cannula are the same. The fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer cannula, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at a second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer cannula; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of each bending measurement tube; the fixed end points of the respective bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer cannula are different. The method includes:

[0007] For each of the bending measurement tubes, determine the cable displacement information based on the corresponding displacement sensor;

[0008] Based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the cannula of the channel endoscope; wherein, the bending information includes the bending position section of the outer cannula and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer cannula.

[0009] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a device for determining bending information applied to a cannula of a channel endoscope. The device includes:

[0010] A cable displacement information acquisition module for determining the cable displacement information based on the corresponding displacement sensor for each of the bending measurement tubes;

[0011] A bending information determination module for determining the bending information of the cannula of the channel endoscope based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube; wherein, the bending information includes the bending position section of the outer cannula and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer cannula.

[0012] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a data processing electronic device, including:

[0013] At least one processor; and

[0014] A memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein,

[0015] The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor. The computer program is executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the method for determining bending information applied to a cannula of a channel endoscope according to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Fourthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a processor to implement the method for determining bending information applicable to the outer sleeve of a channel endoscope according to any embodiment of the present invention when executed.

[0017] Fifthly, the present invention provides a computer program product including a computer program which implements the method for determining bending information applicable to the outer sleeve of a channel endoscope according to any embodiment of the present invention when executed by a processor.

[0018] In the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes sequentially arranged on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of each bending measurement tube; the fixed end points of the respective bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are different. The specific method for determining the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope is as follows: for each bending measurement tube, the cable displacement information is determined based on the corresponding displacement sensor, and then, based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope is determined, where the bending information includes the bending position segment of the outer sleeve and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position segment of the outer sleeve. In order to obtain the friction force value between each spring catheter and the transmission cable in the instrument pipeline of the flexible surgical robot through the natural channel, the present application embeds several bending measurement tubes on the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope, and utilizes the bending characteristics of the cable combined with the spring catheter to online identify the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope during use, and can stably, quickly, efficiently, and at low cost determine the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope. Thus, the cumulative bending curvature of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope can be determined according to the bending information, providing effective feedback information for realizing friction evaluation during the operation of the natural channel surgical robot and realizing precise control of the end effector.

[0019] It should be understood that the content described in this part is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it used to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a flexible surgical robot through a natural cavity according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the physical structure of the outer sleeve of a cavity endoscope according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the physical structure of any one of the bending measurement tubes according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the bending measurement tube arranged in a surrounding and tiled manner on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention

[0025] Figure 5 Flowchart of the method for determining bending information applied to the outer sleeve of a cavity endoscope provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of determining the cable displacement information according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope having two outer sleeve bending position segments according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the measurement tube support frame in the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 Flowchart of a method for determining bending information applied to the outer sleeve of a cavity endoscope provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the device for determining bending information applied to the outer sleeve of a cavity endoscope provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] It should be noted that the terms "first preset condition", "second preset condition", etc. in the description and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units does not have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0034] Before introducing the technical solution, an exemplary description of the application scenario can be given first. Transnatural cavity endoscopic surgery is to make surgical instruments enter the human cavity through the natural cavities of the human body (such as the oral cavity, esophagus, bronchus, stomach, colon, rectum, etc.) for diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, a flexible surgical robot through natural cavities can be used to perform transnatural cavity endoscopic surgery. For a schematic diagram of the flexible surgical robot through natural cavities, see Figure 1 . As Figure 1 shown, the flexible surgical robot through natural cavities includes an instrument channel, a surgical instrument, and a cavity endoscope outer sheath (referred to as the outer sheath).

[0035] Among them, the flexible surgical robot through natural cavities uses a cable drive method to remotely operate the end surgical instrument. Specifically, the inside of the instrument channel is a transmission cable. The end of the surgical instrument includes an end effector, and the effector is connected to the transmission cable, and the transmission cable extends all the way to the drive mechanism of the instrument, such as a motor. When implementing a surgical operation command, the end effector is driven by the transmission cable to perform a surgical operation. Among them, the cable drive structure usually consists of an internal transmission cable and a spring catheter (a tight helical spring configuration) that wraps the cable. The two ends of the spring catheter are fixed at both ends of the instrument channel to guide the transmission path of the internal transmission cable.

[0036] Among them, the outer sheath is hollow and is used to accommodate several different types of surgical instruments, guiding the end effector of the surgical instrument to finally reach the surgical operation point. During a general surgical procedure, the outer sheath needs to be inserted into the natural cavity, and several surgical instruments extend into the outer sheath. The surgical instruments enter the body along with the outer sheath. After the outer sheath and the surgical instruments reach the appropriate position of the surgical point, the end effector of the surgical instrument extends out of the outer sheath, thereby performing the surgical operation. During the process of the end effector of the surgical instrument reaching the surgical operation point, the operator needs to adjust the posture of the outer sheath so as to drive the end effector of the surgical instrument to smoothly reach the surgical operation point, and then perform subsequent surgical operations.

[0037] Based on the above hardware structure, during the operation using a flexible surgical robot through the natural cavity, the bending deformation of the instrument channel causes the spring catheter wrapping the cable and the transmission cable to deform simultaneously, increasing the non-linear friction between the transmission cable inside the instrument channel and its spring catheter. Further, due to the possible formation of multiple bends, the cumulative friction between the transmission cable and its spring catheter is relatively large, resulting in inaccurate transmission positions at the transmission end of the transmission cable, such as the transmission position of the motor. Thus, it is difficult to ensure the accuracy of the control of the end effector of the instrument, which poses a challenge to the precise control of the end effector.

[0038] Due to the spatial limitation at the end of the surgical robot instrument, it is often impossible to add additional sensors to the instrument. Therefore, in order to obtain the friction of the cable transmission structure caused by bending as described above, the bending information of the flexible surgical robot through the natural cavity can be identified online. Usually, the outer sheath of the surgical robot through the human natural cavity, the instrument channel of the surgical instrument, and the cable transmission structure of the transmission instrument are all tightly wrapped. Therefore, the bending information of the cable transmission structure can be equivalently evaluated by identifying the bending information of the outer sheath online, thereby providing effective feedback information for the precise control of the end, and further calculating more accurately the transmission error of the surgical robot caused by friction and combining other compensation algorithms to improve the control accuracy of the end instrument.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] For the schematic diagram of the physical structure of the outer sheath of the endoscopic outer sheath involved in the embodiment of the present invention, refer to Figure 2 . As Figure 2 shown, the outer sheath of the endoscopic outer sheath includes multiple bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the outer sheath of the endoscopic outer sheath. A thin solid black line in the figure represents a bending measurement tube. The bending measurement tube is a physical device specifically used to measure the bending information of the outer sheath of the endoscopic outer sheath. Each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier. A displacement sensor is configured at the fixed starting point of each bending measurement tube. The fixed ending points of each bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the outer sheath are different.

[0041] Each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a bourdon tube that surrounds a part of the cable, and the length of the cable is greater than the length of the bourdon tube. To clearly illustrate the structure of each bending measurement tube, one of the bending measurement tubes will be taken as an example for illustration here. Refer to the schematic diagram of the physical structure of any one bending measurement tube in Figure 3 , such as Figure 3 . The middle black solid line represents the cable, and the length of the cable is b; the rectangular frame that surrounds a part of the black solid line (cable) represents the bourdon tube, and the length of the bourdon tube is a.

[0042] It should be specifically noted that the purpose of including the bourdon tube in the bending measurement tube is as follows: Since the hardness of the cable is relatively high, when the outer sleeve bends, it cannot drive the cable to form a natural arc, resulting in a problem of low determination accuracy of the bending information obtained based on the bending measurement tube; by adding a bourdon tube outside the cable, since the bourdon tube can form a natural arc, when the outer sleeve bends, the entire outer sleeve including the bending measurement tube can form a natural bending arc, which is beneficial to improving the determination accuracy of the bending information of the outer sleeve.

[0043] Next, the fixed positions of the cable in the bending measurement tube and the bourdon tube in the bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve will be described in detail. The fixed end points of the cable and the bourdon tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same, and the fixed starting points of the cable and the bourdon tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are not necessarily the same. Specifically, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve, and the fixed starting point of the bourdon tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve.

[0044] Among them, the number of the first calibration positions can be one or more. As Figure 2 shown, it is predefined that Figure 2 the leftmost side of the outer sleeve is the proximal end of the outer sleeve, and the rightmost side is the distal end of the outer sleeve. Figure 2 In the example, there are three first calibration positions ( Figure 2 characterized by the white rectangular frames in), which are position 1, position 2, and position 3 respectively. Which first calibration position the cable of each bending measurement tube is fixed to can be predefined. For example, a total of 10 bending measurement tubes are included, and the starting positions of the cables of the 10 bending measurement tubes can be different. It is preset that the fixed starting points of the cables of 3 bending measurement tubes are located at position 1, the fixed starting points of the cables of 5 bending measurement tubes are located at position 2, and the fixed starting points of the cables of 2 bending measurement tubes are located at position 3.

[0045] Among them, the number of the second calibration positions is one. When determining the second calibration position in advance, first determine the first calibration position farthest from the proximal end of the outer sleeve as the reference first calibration position. Therefore, the second calibration position can be located on the right side of the reference first calibration position. For example, Figure 2In the example, the position S represents a determined second calibration position ( Figure 2 which is characterized by the black rectangular frame in). The bourdon tubes of each bending measurement tube are fixed at this second calibration position. In a specific application, the second calibration position can be set at a preset distance to the right of the reference first calibration position, where the specific value of the preset distance can be set according to actual requirements.

[0046] Exemplarily, there are a total of 2N bending measurement tubes, and the cable fixed starting points of N bending measurement tubes are located at the same first calibration position. For the schematic diagram of the N bending measurement tubes arranged and tiled around the inner wall of the channel endoscope outer sheath, see Figure 4 . The unique digital identifier corresponding to the first bending measurement tube is "1", the unique digital identifier corresponding to the second bending measurement tube is "2", and so on. The fixed end points of each bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the channel endoscope outer sheath are different. Figure 4 The solid black-filled long rectangular in represents the second calibration position, and the long rectangular filled with diagonal lines represents the first calibration position corresponding to these N bending measurement tubes. For any one of the bending measurement tubes, the fixed end points of the cable and the bourdon tube are the same. The fixed starting point of the cable is at Figure 4 the first calibration position in, and the fixed starting point of the bourdon tube is at Figure 4 the second calibration position in. For each bending measurement tube, a displacement sensor is configured at the fixed starting point of the bending measurement tube. Additionally, a tension maintaining device can be configured at the fixed starting point to ensure that the cable of the bending measurement tube is in a tensioned state.

[0047] Particularly, the number of bending measurement tubes is not specifically limited here. The number of bending measurement tubes can be set according to the measurement accuracy of the bending information. The more the number of bending measurement tubes, the higher the measurement accuracy of the bending information.

[0048] Figure 5 FIG. is a flowchart of a method for determining bending information applied to a channel endoscope outer sheath according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to the situation of determining the bending information of a channel endoscope outer sheath. This method can be executed by a device for determining bending information applied to a channel endoscope outer sheath. This device can be implemented in the form of hardware and / or software. This device can be configured on a computer device, and the computer device can be a notebook, a desktop computer, a smart tablet, etc. As Figure 5 shown, this method includes:

[0049] S110. For each of the bending measurement tubes, determine cable displacement information based on the corresponding displacement sensor.

[0050] Among them, the displacement sensor is an electronic device used to measure the displacement information of the bending measurement cable. It can convert the position or linear displacement of the bending measurement tube into a readable electrical signal for operations such as digitization, control, and processing. In this embodiment, the displacement sensor may include, but is not limited to, an inductive displacement sensor, a capacitive displacement sensor, a photoelectric displacement sensor, an ultrasonic displacement sensor, and a Hall displacement sensor, etc.

[0051] Specifically, since a displacement sensor is configured at the fixed starting point of each bending measurement tube, the cable displacement information corresponding to the bending measurement tube can be determined according to the displacement sensor corresponding to the bending measurement tube.

[0052] Exemplarily, for the schematic diagram of determining the cable displacement information, refer to Figure 6 , when the bending measurement tube bends, the displacement sensor configured at the fixed starting point of the bending measurement tube can collect the cable displacement information. Figure 6 ΔL in is the cable displacement information. If the bending measurement tube has a bending change compared with the previous moment, the cable displacement information is ΔL; if the bending measurement tube has no bending change compared with the previous moment, the cable displacement information is 0.

[0053] S120. Based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube, determine the bending information of the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity.

[0054] Among them, the bending information includes the bending position section of the outer sleeve and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sleeve. For the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube, refer to Figure 6 the schematic diagram of the bourdon tube structure on the right. The cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube is a fixed parameter of the bourdon tube and is a definite quantity, which can be directly obtained here.

[0055] Specifically, during the operation using the natural cavity flexible surgical robot, the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube can be determined at any time. If the cable displacement information of one or several bending measurement tubes is non-zero, it indicates that the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity is in a bent state at some positions. Therefore, one or more bending measurement tubes to be processed with non-zero cable displacement information can be determined first, and then,

[0056] According to the digital identifier of the bending measurement tube to be processed, determine the bending position section of the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity. Since the fixed end points of each bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the endoscope are different, and each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier, as long as the digital identifier of the bending measurement tube with non-zero cable displacement information is determined, the bending position section of the outer sleeve can be determined.

[0057] In this embodiment, a preset displacement-curvature mapping function for the bending curvature of the outer sheath can be determined in advance. The preset displacement-curvature mapping function is as follows:

[0058]

[0059] In the formula, is the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sheath, ΔL is the total cable displacement change of each bending measurement tube included in the bending position section of the outer sheath, d is the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube,

[0060] In the specific implementation process, for the bending position section of the outer sheath, as long as the total cable displacement change of each bending measurement tube included in the bending position section of the outer sheath is determined, the total cable displacement change and the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube can be substituted into the preset displacement-curvature mapping function to obtain the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sheath.

[0061] Next, the derivation process of the preset displacement-curvature mapping function will be described in detail. When the bending position section of the outer sheath of the endoscope in the cavity bends, the bourdon tube of any one bending measurement tube in the bending position section of the outer sheath deforms, and the deformation relationship is as shown on the right side of Figure 6 The bourdon tube is composed of multiple spring single loops. In Figure 6 , an ellipse represents a spring single loop, b represents the width of the spring single loop, d represents the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube, S represents the cumulative arc length of contact between each unit at the bending part of the bourdon tube, represents the bending angle of each spring single loop, and Δx i represents the displacement information of each spring single loop. From Figure 6 , it can be seen that the cumulative arc length S of the bourdon tube bending is the sum of the widths of all the spring single loops in the bending part, and the cumulative bending curvature is the sum of the bending curvatures of the spring single loops, and the total cable displacement change ΔL is the sum of the displacements Δx i caused by each spring single loop. The above relationship can be expressed as:

[0062]

[0063] Furthermore, the deformation Δx i of each spring single loop satisfies the following relationship according to the cosine theorem:

[0064]

[0065] Here, it can be simply assumed that the bending part is uniformly bent. If it is not uniformly bent, only the coefficients allocated to each spring single loop are different, but the total bending curvature is Unchanged, the geometric relationship remains the same. Making this assumption facilitates the derivation of the formula but does not affect the result. Therefore, making this assumption, we have:

[0066]

[0067] Therefore, formula (2) can be further rewritten as:

[0068]

[0069] Finally, the mapping relationship model between the total cable displacement change of each bending measurement tube included in the bending position section of the outer sleeve and the cumulative bending curvature of the bending position section of the outer sleeve can be expressed as:

[0070]

[0071] Furthermore, according to the uniform bending assumption, the number of bourdon tube elements n included in the bending part satisfies:

[0072]

[0073] Therefore, formula (5) can be further rewritten as:

[0074]

[0075] Define the bending curvature at the bending part of the bourdon tube as κ, which satisfies the following relationship:

[0076]

[0077] Therefore, formula (7) can be further rewritten as:

[0078]

[0079]

[0080] If A(bκ) is Taylor-expanded, its expression is:

[0081]

[0082] If the remainder O(bK) of the expansion polynomial 2 is small enough, then the total cable displacement change ΔL of each bending measurement tube included in the bending position section of the outer sleeve and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sleeve satisfy the following linear relationship:

[0083]

[0084] Formula (12) can be transformed into:

[0085]

[0086] Preferably, formula (14) can be encapsulated into a mapping relationship model , and the mapping relationship model is as follows:

[0087]

[0088] where j is the digital identifier corresponding to the bending measurement tube, n is the total number of bending measurement tubes, is the bending curvature of the bending position section of the outer sleeve, and ΔL j is the total change in the cable displacement of each bending measurement tube included in the bending position section of the outer sleeve.

[0089] It can be understood that since the bending measurement tube and its bourdon tube are embedded in the outer sleeve, the calculated bending curvature of each bending measurement tube can correspond to the bending curvature of the embedded section of the outer sleeve. Due to the situation that there are multiple bending position sections of the outer sleeve of the endoscope, each bending position section of the outer sleeve and the corresponding bending curvature can be determined based on the above specific implementation method. The sum of the bending curvatures of each bending position section of the outer sleeve is the cumulative total bending curvature of the outer sleeve of the endoscope.

[0090] Exemplarily, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the outer sleeve of the endoscope having two bending position sections of the outer sleeve. As Figure 7 shown, the cable displacement information of the 1st to nth bending measurement tubes is zero, indicating that the part of the outer sleeve of the endoscope corresponding to the first n bending measurement tubes has not bent. The cable displacement information of the (n + 1)th to (n + m)th bending measurement tubes is non-zero, indicating that the area between the fixed end of the nth bending measurement tube and the fixed end of the (n + m)th bending measurement tube is the bending position section of the outer sleeve. According to the total change in the cable displacement corresponding to each bending measurement tube in the bending position section of the outer sleeve and the mapping relationship model it is recognized that the bending curvature of this bending position section of the outer sleeve of the endoscope is 90 degrees, and this bending position section of the outer sleeve can be called the first bending position section of the outer sleeve. The cable displacement information of the (m + 1)th to (m + k)th bending measurement tubes is non-zero, indicating that the area between the fixed end of the mth bending measurement tube and the fixed end of the (m + k)th bending measurement tube is the bending position section of the outer sleeve. According to the total change in the cable displacement corresponding to each bending measurement tube in the bending position section of the outer sleeve and the mapping relationship model it is recognized that the bending curvature of this bending position section of the outer sleeve of the endoscope is 90 degrees, and this bending position section of the outer sleeve can be called the second bending position section of the outer sleeve. Then the outer sleeve of the endoscope has two bending position sections of the outer sleeve, and the corresponding cumulative bending curvature of the outer sleeve of the endoscope is 180 degrees.

[0091] Based on the above embodiments, the outer sleeve of the endoscope further includes: a measuring tube support frame for fixing the end points of the respective bending measuring tubes; the number of the measuring tube support frames is the same as the number of the bending measuring tubes, and the placement intervals of the respective measuring tube support frames on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same as the pipe length differences of the respective bending measuring tubes.

[0092] In this embodiment, for the schematic diagram of the measuring tube support frame in the outer sleeve of the endoscope, refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 where the thick black circular solid lines represent the measuring tube support frames. A plurality of measuring tube support frames are arranged on the inner wall of the outer sleeve at a preset distance difference in the axial direction. Among them, the preset distance difference is determined according to the pipe length differences of the respective bending measuring tubes. Small through holes with the same number as the bending measuring tubes are formed in the measuring tube support frame for fixing and guiding the bending measuring tubes, and the end of the bending measuring tube can be fixed to the support frame by, but not limited to, welding. Preferably, they are fixed in the order of length (clockwise / counterclockwise) until all the bending measuring tubes are fixed to the corresponding support frames. However, it can also be an unordered arrangement that does not follow the order from long to short (from short to long), but it is necessary to ensure that each bending measuring tube with a different length has one fixed to the support frame. In addition, as shown in the lower right corner of Figure 8 , the large through hole inside the measuring tube support frame can form a surgical instrument passage.

[0093] In this embodiment, each bending measuring tube can be fixed by the measuring tube support frame, so that the entire tube of each bending measuring tube is closely attached to the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the endoscope, improving the accuracy of equivalently measuring the bending information of the outer sleeve of the endoscope through the bending measuring tube.

[0094] It can be understood that the number of the measuring tube support frames can also be more than the number of the bending measuring tubes, so as to fix the displacement path of the bending measuring tubes on the inner wall of the outer sleeve. A larger number of measuring tube support frames are provided to connect the bending measuring tubes to ensure that the bending arc of the bending measuring tubes is closer to the bending arc of the outer sleeve, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the bending information.

[0095] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer catheter are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer catheter, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer catheter; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of each bending measurement tube; the fixed end points of the respective bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer catheter are different. The specific method for determining the bending information of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity is as follows: for each bending measurement tube, based on the corresponding displacement sensor, determine the cable displacement information. Furthermore, based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity, where the bending information includes the bending position segment of the outer catheter and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position segment of the outer catheter. In order to obtain the friction force value between each spring catheter and the transmission cable in the instrument pipeline of the flexible surgical robot through the natural cavity, in this application, several bending measurement tubes are embedded on the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity. By using the bending characteristics of the cable combined with the spring catheter, the bending information of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity during use is identified online, and the bending information of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity can be determined stably, quickly, efficiently, and at low cost. Thus, the cumulative bending curvature of the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity can be determined according to the bending information, providing effective feedback information for realizing friction evaluation during the operation of the surgical robot through the natural cavity and realizing precise control of the end effector.

[0096] Embodiment 2

[0097] Figure 9 It is a flowchart of a method for determining bending information applied to the outer catheter of the endoscope in the cavity provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention. On the basis of the foregoing embodiment, S120 is further refined. Among them, the same or corresponding technical terms as those in the above embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0098] As Figure 9 shown, the method includes:

[0099] S210. For each of the bending measurement tubes, determine cable displacement information based on the corresponding displacement sensor.

[0100] S220. For each of the bending measurement tubes, based on the cable displacement information and a preset bending judgment condition, determine at least one group of bending measurement tubes to be processed and at least one group of non-bent measurement tubes.

[0101] Among them, the preset bending judgment condition is a condition set in advance for judging whether the bending measurement tube is in a bent state. The group of bending measurement tubes to be processed includes at least two bending measurement tubes in a bent state. The group of unbent measurement tubes includes at least two bending measurement tubes not in a bent state.

[0102] Specifically, the preset bending judgment condition is: at least two bending measurement tubes with cable displacement information equal to or greater than the preset displacement threshold and adjacent digital identifiers are determined as a group of bending measurement tubes to be processed; at least two bending measurement tubes with cable displacement information less than the preset displacement threshold and adjacent digital identifiers are determined as a group of unbent measurement tubes.

[0103] In this embodiment, the preset displacement threshold is a fixed displacement value set in advance. In specific applications, there are cases where the cable displacement information of the bending measurement tube is extremely small. If the bending information of the outer sheath of the endoscope is determined based on the bending measurement tube with extremely small cable displacement information, there may be a low measurement accuracy. Therefore, a preset displacement threshold can be set. For each bending measurement tube, at least one group of bending measurement tubes to be processed and at least one group of unbent measurement tubes are determined according to the magnitude relationship between the cable displacement information and the preset displacement threshold.

[0104] Exemplarily, if there are a total of 20 bending measurement tubes, the cable displacement information of the 1st - 5th bending measurement tubes is less than the preset displacement threshold, the cable displacement information of the 6th - 12th bending measurement tubes is greater than the preset displacement threshold, the cable displacement information of the 13th - 17th bending measurement tubes is less than the preset displacement threshold, and the cable displacement information of the 17th - 20th bending measurement tubes is greater than the preset displacement threshold, then there are two groups of bending measurement tubes to be processed and two groups of unbent measurement tubes. The two groups of bending measurement tubes to be processed are the 6th - 12th bending measurement tubes and the 17th - 20th bending measurement tubes; the two groups of unbent measurement tubes are the 1st - 5th bending measurement tubes and the 13th - 17th bending measurement tubes.

[0105] S230. For each of the groups of bending measurement tubes to be processed, based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes included in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the bellows tube, determine the bending information of the outer sheath of the endoscope.

[0106] In this embodiment, determining the bending information of the outer sheath of the endoscope may specifically include the following steps:

[0107] S2301. Based on the first digital identifier of the first bending measurement tube and the second digital identifier of the last bending measurement tube in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, determine a target outer sheath bending position segment of the outer sheath of the endoscope.

[0108] On the basis of the above exemplification, for the group of bend measurement tubes to be processed that includes the 6th to the 12th bend measurement tubes, the 6th bend measurement tube is the first bend measurement tube, and the 12th bend measurement tube is the last bend measurement tube. If the digital identifier corresponding to the 6th bend measurement tube is "6", then the first digital identifier is "6"; if the digital identifier corresponding to the 12th bend measurement tube is "12", then the second digital identifier is "12".

[0109] In this embodiment, the specific implementation method is as follows:

[0110] (1) Obtain a preset coding-position mapping relation table.

[0111] Among them, the preset coding-position mapping relation table is a corresponding relation table between the digital identifier of the bend measurement tube and the position information of the fixed end point of the bend measurement tube on the outer sheath of the endoscope in the cavity.

[0112] In this embodiment, the preset coding-position mapping relation table is pre-saved in a preset storage unit, and it can be directly obtained here.

[0113] (2) Determine the starting digital identifier as the digital identifier adjacent to the previous one of the first digital identifier.

[0114] On the basis of the above exemplification, for the group of bend measurement tubes to be processed that includes the 6th to the 12th bend measurement tubes, if the digital identifier corresponding to the 6th bend measurement tube is "6", then the first digital identifier is "6", and the starting digital identifier is "5".

[0115] (3) Based on the starting digital identifier, the second digital identifier, and the preset coding-position mapping relation table, determine the bend starting position corresponding to the starting digital identifier and the bend ending position corresponding to the second digital identifier.

[0116] In this embodiment, on the basis of determining the starting digital identifier and the second digital identifier, by querying the preset coding-position mapping relation table, the bend starting position corresponding to the starting digital identifier and the bend ending position corresponding to the second digital identifier can be directly obtained.

[0117] (4) Determine the area from the bend starting position to the bend ending position of the outer sheath of the endoscope in the cavity as a target outer sheath bend position segment.

[0118] S2302. Based on the cable displacement information of each bend measurement tube in the group of bend measurement tubes to be processed and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bend curvature corresponding to the target outer sheath bend position segment.

[0119] The specific implementation method is as follows:

[0120] (1) Determine the total amount of cable displacement change corresponding to the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group based on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group.

[0121] In this embodiment, perform a summation process on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group to obtain the total amount of displacement change of the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group.

[0122] (2) Determine the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the target outer sheath based on the total amount of cable displacement change, the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube, and the preset displacement-curvature mapping function.

[0123] Wherein, the preset displacement-curvature mapping function is:

[0124]

[0125] In the formula, is the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sheath, ΔL is the total amount of cable displacement change corresponding to the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group, and d is the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube.

[0126] In this embodiment, substitute the total amount of cable displacement change and the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube into the preset displacement-curvature mapping function for calculation, and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the target outer sheath of the endoscope can be obtained.

[0127] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention determines the cable displacement information for each bending measurement tube based on the corresponding displacement sensor. Furthermore, for each bending measurement tube, based on the cable displacement information and the preset bending judgment condition, at least one to-be-processed bending measurement tube group and at least one non-bent bending measurement tube group are determined. Further, for each to-be-processed bending measurement tube group, based on the digital identifier of the bending measurement tube included in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube, the bending position section of the outer sheath of the endoscope and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sheath are determined, realizing stable, fast, efficient, and low-cost determination of the bending information of the outer sheath of the endoscope.

[0128] Embodiment III

[0129] Figure 10FIG. 0 is a schematic structural diagram of a bending information determination device for an outer sleeve of a cavity endoscope according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The device can execute the bending information determination method for the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope provided by the embodiments of the present invention. The outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope; each of the bending measurement tubes corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each of the bending measurement tubes includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of each bending measurement tube cable; the fixed end points of each bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are different, and the device includes: a cable displacement information acquisition module 310 and a bending information determination module 320.

[0130] The cable displacement information acquisition module 310 is configured to determine cable displacement information for each of the bending measurement tubes based on the corresponding displacement sensor.

[0131] The bending information determination module 320 is configured to determine the bending information of the outer sleeve of the cavity endoscope based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube; wherein, the bending information includes the bending position segment of the outer sleeve and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position segment of the outer sleeve.

[0132] In the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of each bending measurement tube; the fixed end points of the respective bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are different. The specific method for determining the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope is as follows: for each bending measurement tube, based on the corresponding displacement sensor, the cable displacement information is determined. Furthermore, based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope is determined, where the bending information includes the bending position segment of the outer sleeve and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position segment of the outer sleeve. In order to obtain the friction force value between each spring catheter and the transmission cable in the instrument pipeline of the flexible surgical robot through the natural channel, in this application, several bending measurement tubes are embedded in the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope. By using the bending characteristics of the cable combined with the spring catheter, the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope during use can be identified online, and the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope can be determined stably, quickly, efficiently, and at low cost. Thus, the cumulative bending curvature of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope can be determined according to the bending information, providing effective feedback information for realizing friction evaluation during the operation of the surgical robot through the natural channel and realizing precise control of the end effector.

[0133] Optionally, the bending information determination module 320 includes:

[0134] The bending measurement tube determination sub-module is configured to, for each of the bending measurement tubes, based on the cable displacement information and a preset bending judgment condition, determine at least one group of bending measurement tubes to be processed and at least one group of non-bent bending measurement tubes;

[0135] The bending information determination sub-module is configured to, for each of the groups of bending measurement tubes to be processed, based on the digital identifier of the bending measurement tubes included in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the outer sleeve of the channel endoscope.

[0136] Optionally, the bending measurement tube determination sub-module is specifically configured to determine at least two bending measurement tubes whose cable displacement information is equal to or greater than a preset displacement threshold and whose digital identifiers are adjacent to each other as a group of bending measurement tubes to be processed; determine at least two bending measurement tubes whose cable displacement information is less than the preset displacement threshold and whose digital identifiers are adjacent to each other as a group of non-bent bending measurement tubes.

[0137] Optionally, the bending information determination sub-module includes:

[0138] The bending section determination unit is configured to determine a target outer sheath bending position section of the endoscope outer sheath based on the first digital identifier of the first bending measurement tube and the second digital identifier of the last bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group;

[0139] The bending curvature determination unit is configured to determine the bending curvature corresponding to the target outer sheath bending position section based on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube.

[0140] Optionally, the bending section determination unit includes:

[0141] The mapping table acquisition subunit is configured to acquire a preset coding-position mapping relation table; wherein, the preset coding-position mapping relation table is a corresponding relation table between the digital identifier of the bending measurement tube and the position information of the fixed end point of the bending measurement tube on the endoscope outer sheath;

[0142] The start identifier determination subunit is configured to determine the digital identifier adjacent to the previous one of the first digital identifier as the start digital identifier;

[0143] The start and end position determination subunit is configured to determine the bending start position corresponding to the start digital identifier and the bending end position corresponding to the second digital identifier based on the start digital identifier, the second digital identifier, and the preset coding-position mapping relation table;

[0144] The bending section determination subunit is configured to determine the area from the bending start position to the bending end position of the endoscope outer sheath as a target outer sheath bending position section.

[0145] Optionally, the bending curvature determination unit includes:

[0146] The displacement change amount determination subunit is configured to determine the total cable displacement change amount corresponding to the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group based on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group;

[0147] The bending curvature determination subunit is configured to determine the bending curvature corresponding to the target outer sheath bending position section based on the total cable displacement change amount, the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, and a preset displacement-curvature mapping function;

[0148] Wherein, the preset displacement-curvature mapping function is:

[0149]

[0150] In the formula, is the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sleeve tube, ΔL is the total change in cable displacement corresponding to the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group, and d is the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube.

[0151] Optionally, the outer sleeve tube of the channel endoscope further includes: a measurement tube support frame for fixing the end points of the respective bending measurement tubes; the number of the measurement tube support frames is the same as the number of the bending measurement tubes, and the placement intervals of the respective measurement tube support frames on the inner wall of the outer sleeve tube are the same as the pipeline length differences of the respective bending measurement tubes.

[0152] The bending information determination device for the outer sleeve tube of the channel endoscope provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can execute the bending information determination method for the outer sleeve tube of the channel endoscope provided by any embodiment of the present disclosure, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects for executing the method.

[0153] It should be noted that the various units and modules included in the above device are only divided according to functional logic, but are not limited to the above division, as long as the corresponding functions can be realized; in addition, the specific names of the functional units are only for the convenience of mutual distinction and do not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0154] Embodiment 4

[0155] Figure 11 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The electronic device 10 is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a workbench, a personal digital assistant, a server, a blade server, a mainframe computer, and other suitable computers. The electronic device can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as, a personal digital processor, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wearable device (such as a helmet, glasses, a watch, etc.) and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are only examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention described herein and / or claimed.

[0156] As Figure 11As shown, the electronic device 10 includes at least one processor 11 and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor 11, such as a read-only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, etc. The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor. The processor 11 can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the computer program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 12 or the computer program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the random access memory (RAM) 13. In the RAM 13, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 10 can also be stored. The processor 11, the ROM 12, and the RAM 13 are connected to each other via a bus 14. An input / output (I / O) interface 15 is also connected to the bus 14.

[0157] Multiple components in the electronic device 10 are connected to the I / O interface 15, including: an input unit 16, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output unit 17, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 18, such as a disk, an optical disc, etc.; and a communication unit 19, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 19 allows the electronic device 10 to exchange information / data with other devices via a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0158] The processor 11 can be various general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the processor 11 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various processors running machine learning model algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any appropriate processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. The processor 11 executes the various methods and processes described above, such as the method for determining the bending information applied to the outer sleeve of the endoscope.

[0159] In some embodiments, the method for determining the bending information applied to the outer sleeve of the endoscope can be implemented as a computer program, which is tangibly included in a computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage unit 18. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed onto the electronic device 10 via the ROM 12 and / or the communication unit 19. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 13 and executed by the processor 11, one or more steps of the method for determining the bending information applied to the outer sleeve of the endoscope described above can be executed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the processor 11 can be configured to execute the method for determining the bending information applied to the outer sleeve of the endoscope by any other appropriate means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0160] The various embodiments of the systems and techniques described above in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuit systems, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments can include: being implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be a special-purpose or general-purpose programmable processor that receives data and instructions from, and transmits data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0161] The computer programs for implementing the methods of the present invention can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These computer programs can be provided to a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable processor of a bending information determination device for an endoluminal endoscope outer sheath, such that the computer programs, when executed by the processor, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowchart(s) and / or block diagram(s) to be implemented. The computer programs can be executed entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0162] In the context of this invention, a computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible medium that can contain, or store a computer program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Alternatively, the computer-readable storage medium can be a machine-readable signal medium. A more specific example of the machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection based on one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0163] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on an electronic device having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) through which the user can provide input to the electronic device. Other kinds of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including acoustic input, speech input, or tactile input).

[0164] The systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in a computing system including backend components (e.g., as a data server), or a computing system including middleware components (e.g., an application server), or a computing system including frontend components (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which the user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described herein), or a computing system including any combination of such backend components, middleware components, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected to each other by digital data communication in any form or medium (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include: local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), blockchain network, and the Internet.

[0165] The computing system can include a client and a server. The client and the server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The client-server relationship is created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. The server can be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or a cloud host, which is a host product in the cloud computing service system, solving the defects of difficult management and weak business scalability existing in traditional physical hosts and VPS services. It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used, with steps reordered, added, or deleted. For example, the steps recited in the present invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solution of the present invention can be achieved, and no limitation is imposed herein. The above specific embodiments do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining bending information of a cannula for a cavity endoscope, characterized in that The endoscope outer cannula includes a plurality of bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the endoscope outer cannula; each of the bending measurement tubes corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each of the bending measurement tubes includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer cannula are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer cannula, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer cannula; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of the cable of each of the bending measurement tubes; the fixed end points of the bending measurement tubes on the inner wall of the outer cannula are different, and the method includes: For each of the bending measurement tubes, determine the cable displacement information based on the corresponding displacement sensor; Based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the endoscope outer cannula; wherein, the bending information includes the bending position section of the outer cannula and the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer cannula.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining the bending information of the endoscope outer cannula based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube includes: For each of the bending measurement tubes, based on the cable displacement information and a preset bending judgment condition, determine at least one group of bending measurement tubes to be processed and at least one group of non-bending measurement tubes; For each of the groups of bending measurement tubes to be processed, based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes included in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending information of the endoscope outer cannula.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The preset bending judgment condition is: Determine at least two bending measurement tubes with adjacent digital identifiers and the cable displacement information equal to or greater than a preset displacement threshold as a group of bending measurement tubes to be processed; Determine at least two bending measurement tubes with adjacent digital identifiers and the cable displacement information less than the preset displacement threshold as a group of non-bending measurement tubes.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The determining the bending information of the endoscope outer cannula based on the digital identifiers of the bending measurement tubes included in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, the cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube includes: Based on the first digital identifier of the first bending measurement tube and the second digital identifier of the last bending measurement tube in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed, determine a target outer cannula bending position section of the endoscope outer cannula; Based on the cable displacement information of each of the bending measurement tubes in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, determine the bending curvature corresponding to the target outer cannula bending position section.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The determining a target outer cannula bending position section of the endoscope outer cannula based on the first digital identifier of the first bending measurement tube and the second digital identifier of the last bending measurement tube in the group of bending measurement tubes to be processed includes: Obtain a preset encoding-position mapping relationship table; wherein, the preset encoding-position mapping relationship table is a correspondence table between the digital identifier of the bending measurement tube and the position information of the fixed end point of the bending measurement tube on the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity; Determine the starting digital identifier as the digital identifier adjacent to the previous one of the first digital identifier; Based on the starting digital identifier, the second digital identifier, and the preset encoding-position mapping relationship table, determine the bending starting position corresponding to the starting digital identifier and the bending ending position corresponding to the second digital identifier; Determine the area from the bending starting position to the bending ending position of the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity as a target outer sleeve bending position segment.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein The determining the bending curvature corresponding to the target outer sleeve bending position segment based on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube includes: Based on the cable displacement information of each bending measurement tube in the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group, determine the total amount of cable displacement change corresponding to the to-be-processed bending measurement tube group; Based on the total amount of cable displacement change, the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube, and a preset displacement-curvature mapping function, determine the bending curvature corresponding to the target outer sleeve bending position segment; Wherein, the preset displacement-curvature mapping function is: In the formula, is the bending curvature corresponding to the bending position section of the outer sleeve, ΔL is the total change in cable displacement corresponding to the bending measurement tube group to be processed, and d is the cross-sectional diameter of the bourdon tube.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity further includes: a measurement tube support frame for fixing the end points of each bending measurement tube; the number of the measurement tube support frames is the same as the number of the bending measurement tubes, and the placement intervals of each measurement tube support frame on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same as the pipeline length differences of each bending measurement tube.

8. A bending information determination device applied to a cannula of a cavity endoscope, characterized in that, The outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity includes multiple bending measurement tubes arranged in sequence on the inner wall of the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity; each bending measurement tube corresponds to a unique digital identifier; each bending measurement tube includes a cable and a spring tube surrounding a part of the cable, the length of the cable is greater than the length of the spring tube, the fixed end points of the cable and the spring tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are the same, the fixed starting point of the cable is located at one of at least one first calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve, and the fixed starting point of the spring tube is located at the second calibration position on the inner wall of the outer sleeve; a displacement sensor is arranged at the fixed starting point of each bending measurement tube cable; the fixed end points of each bending measurement tube on the inner wall of the outer sleeve are different, and the device includes: A cable displacement information acquisition module for determining cable displacement information for each bending measurement tube based on the corresponding displacement sensor; A bending information determination module for determining the bending information of the outer sleeve of the endoscope in the cavity based on the digital identifier of each bending measurement tube, the corresponding cable displacement information, and the cross-sectional diameter of the spring tube; wherein, the bending information includes the outer sleeve bending position segment and the bending curvature corresponding to the outer sleeve bending position segment.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: One or more processors; A storage device for storing one or more programs, When one or more programs are executed by one or more processors, such that the one or more processors implement the method for determining bending information applicable to the outer sleeve of an endoluminal endoscope according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A storage medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, are used to execute the method for determining bending information applicable to the outer sleeve of an endoluminal endoscope according to any one of claims 1-7.

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