Endoscope, hardness adjusting method and system thereof and processing equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses an endoscope, a hardness adjusting method and system thereof and processing equipment. The endoscope comprises an insertion tube which can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube is adjustable. The endoscope hardness adjusting method comprises the steps that in the process that an insertion tube is inserted into a cavity, deformation data, collected by a deformation sensor, of the insertion tube are obtained; according to the deformation data, the curvatures of multiple positions of the insertion tube are determined; and according to the curvature of multiple parts of the insertion tube, the hardness value of one or multiple parts of the insertion tube is adjusted. Thus, in the process that the insertion tube is inserted into the cavity, the hardness of the insertion tube is accurately adjusted and controlled according to the bending condition of the insertion tube, and the pain degree of a patient in endoscopy is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of medical instrument technology, and in particular, relates to an endoscope and a hardness adjustment method, system, and processing equipment thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the medical field, the insertion portion of an endoscope is inserted into a cavity such as the esophagus or intestine to observe the interior of the object to be inspected, thereby achieving the discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of lesions.

[0003] During the process of advancing or withdrawing the endoscope, the user can manually adjust the hardness of the insertion tube in the insertion part to meet the requirement of smooth entry and exit of the endoscope. Specifically, a hardness adjustment structure is provided inside the insertion part of the endoscope. The user can pull the rope by turning the knob on the endoscope to control the hardness adjustment structure, thereby adjusting the hardness of the insertion tube.

[0004] However, manual hardness adjustment based on the hardness adjustment structure of the insertion tube is difficult to operate and cannot accurately adjust the hardness of the insertion tube, thereby causing the patient to suffer more pain during endoscopic examination. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide an endoscope and a hardness adjustment method, system, and processing device thereof, which can accurately adjust the hardness of the insertion tube and reduce the pain of the patient during endoscopic examination.

[0006] In the first aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting the hardness of an endoscope, wherein the endoscope includes an insertion tube that can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness is adjustable. During the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the deformation data of the insertion tube collected by the deformation sensor is first obtained; then, based on the deformation data, the curvature of multiple locations of the insertion tube is determined; finally, based on the curvature of multiple locations of the insertion tube, the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube is adjusted.

[0007] The above technical solution sets a deformation sensor on the insertion tube of the endoscope to collect deformation data when the insertion tube is inserted into the cavity, and determines the curvature of the insertion tube at various locations according to the deformation data, that is, determines the bending condition of the insertion tube in the cavity; and then automatically adjusts the hardness of the insertion tube according to the curvature of the insertion tube at various locations, that is, the bending condition of the insertion tube at various locations. In this way, during the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the hardness of the insertion tube is accurately adjusted according to the bending condition of the insertion tube, thereby reducing the pain of the patient during the endoscopic examination.

[0008] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, in the process of adjusting the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube according to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, first, at least one target position is selected from the insertion tube according to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, and the target pipe segments corresponding to each target position in the insertion tube are determined; then, based on the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, the target hardness value of each target pipe segment is determined, and the hardness value of the target pipe segment is adjusted to the target hardness value; wherein, the first corresponding relationship records multiple curvatures and the hardness values ​​associated with each curvature, and the hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not exactly the same.

[0009] In this way, by using the curvature of a target position to represent the curvature of a target pipe segment, and determining the hardness value of the target pipe segment based on the curvature of the target position, the segmented hardness adjustment of the insertion tube is achieved. In addition, the hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not exactly the same, that is, the hardness values ​​of different target pipe segments can be different. By accurately adjusting the segmented hardness of the insertion tube according to the bending conditions (i.e., curvature) of each segment of the insertion tube, so that the hardness values ​​of the pipe segments with different bending conditions are different, the hardness distribution of the insertion tube can be dynamically and accurately regulated, further reducing the discomfort of the patient during endoscopic examination.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, when the first curvature is greater than the second curvature, the hardness value associated with the first curvature is less than or equal to the hardness value associated with the second curvature; the first curvature and the second curvature are both curvatures recorded in the first corresponding relationship.

[0011] In this way, the target hardness value (i.e., the hardness value of the insertion tube after adjustment) is negatively correlated with the curvature as a whole. That is, from the overall trend of change, the greater the curvature (the greater the degree of curvature of the insertion tube), the smaller the hardness value of the insertion tube; the smaller the curvature (the smaller the degree of curvature of the insertion tube), the greater the hardness value of the insertion tube. In this way, when the endoscope bends in the cavity, the force of the tube segment with a large degree of curvature on the inner wall of the cavity is reduced by setting the tube segment with a large degree of curvature to a smaller hardness value, thereby increasing the smoothness of the endoscope's bends in the cavity and reducing the patient's discomfort during endoscopic examination. In addition, the risk of deterioration of the contents of the insertion tube (such as internal optical fiber, water vapor clamp channel, etc.) caused by the excessive hardness value of the tube segment with a large degree of curvature can also be reduced, thereby extending the service life of the endoscope.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the target position is a position on the insertion tube where the curvature is greater than a first threshold.

[0013] When the curvature of a certain position of the insertion tube is greater than the first threshold, it indicates that the curvature at this position is relatively large. If the hardness of the tube segment near the relatively large curvature is not accurately adjusted, the hardness value of the tube segment at the relatively large curvature may be too large, thereby affecting the patient's comfort and causing harm to the patient. However, the embodiment of the present application determines the position on the insertion tube where the curvature is greater than the first threshold as the target position, and then accurately adjusts the hardness of the tube segment near the target position, so as to better ensure the patient's comfort during endoscopic examination and reduce the possibility of the insertion tube causing harm to the patient.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the target pipe segment is a pipe segment obtained by extending the first preset length forward and the second preset length backward along the axial direction of the insertion tube based on the target position. In this way, based on the position point where the bending is serious (i.e., the target position point), the pipe segment with a larger degree of bending can be roughly located to accurately adjust the hardness of the pipe segment with a larger degree of bending, so that the subsequent hardness adjustment effect can be guaranteed. In addition, by adjusting the hardness of the pipe segment that is extended a certain length forward and backward based on the target position as a whole pipe segment, it is more in line with the actual physical laws, thereby ensuring the accuracy and adjustment effect of the subsequent segmented hardness adjustment.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: for a non-target tube segment in the insertion tube, adjusting the hardness value of the non-target tube segment according to the hardness value of a target tube segment adjacent to the non-target tube segment. In this way, in addition to accurately adjusting the hardness value of the target tube segment, the hardness value of the non-target tube segment is reasonably adjusted according to the hardness value of the adjacent target tube segment, so that the non-target tube segment is not too hard or too soft, thereby making the endoscope insertion and withdrawal smoother and reducing the patient's discomfort.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, in the process of determining the target hardness value of each target tube segment according to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, if the curvature of the target position is less than the second threshold value, the target hardness value of the target tube segment is determined to be a preset value; if the curvature of the target position is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the hardness value corresponding to the curvature of the target position is determined according to the second corresponding relationship in the first corresponding relationship. The target hardness value (i.e., the hardness value after the insertion tube is adjusted) is negatively correlated with the curvature as a whole. Specifically, when the curvature is less than the second threshold value, it indicates that the curvature of the tube segment near the target position is still relatively small, and the size of the hardness value of the tube segment has little effect on the patient's comfort, so the target tube segment can be controlled to be at a fixed target hardness value, which not only does not increase the patient's discomfort, but also avoids the hardness value of the tube segment with a small curvature being too small, which affects the smoothness of the mirror entry and exit. When the curvature is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the target hardness value is negatively correlated with the curvature, so as to increase the smoothness of the endoscope in turning in the cavity, reduce the patient's discomfort during endoscopic examination, and extend the service life of the endoscope.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the circumferential side. At this time, in the process of determining the target hardness value of each target tube segment according to the curvature of the target position, the target hardness value of the first side and the second side of each target tube segment can be determined according to the curvature of the target position. The first side is the side close to the cavity wall, and the second side is the side away from the cavity wall. The target hardness value of the first side is less than the target hardness value of the second side. By controlling the hardness value of the side of the insertion tube close to the cavity wall to be less than the hardness value of the side away from the cavity wall, it can be avoided that the hardness value of the side close to the cavity wall is too large, which causes the insertion tube to have an excessive effect on the cavity wall, so as to reduce the patient's discomfort.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, in the process of determining the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations according to the deformation data, a fitting curve of the bending shape of the insertion tube can be determined based on the deformation data, and then the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations can be determined according to the fitting curve.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: displaying the shape of the insertion tube in the cavity and the hardness value of the insertion tube on a display screen; determining a specified tube segment from the insertion tube in response to a user's operation to specify a tube segment of the insertion tube; and adjusting the hardness value of the specified tube segment to a specified hardness value in response to a user's operation to adjust the hardness of the specified tube segment. By displaying the shape and hardness value of the insertion tube in the cavity in real time, the user can know the bending condition and hardness value of the insertion tube in the cavity in real time. In addition, based on the real-time bending condition and hardness value of the insertion tube, the user manually adjusts the hardness value of the specified tube segment as needed. In this way, during the process of advancing and retracting the scope, not only can the hardness of the insertion tube be accurately adjusted according to the bending condition, but also manual intervention can be combined to meet the actual needs of the inspection process.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the insertion tube includes a bionic muscle. In this case, in the process of adjusting the hardness value of one or more parts of the insertion tube according to the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations, the voltage of the bionic muscle at one or more parts of the insertion tube can be controlled according to the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations to adjust the hardness value of the insertion tube. By using the bionic muscle in the insertion tube to make the hardness of the insertion tube adjustable, the internal mechanical structure of the insertion tube can be simplified, and the insertion tube itself can basically not bring radial load, thereby meeting the size requirements of the insertion part of the endoscope.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the insertion tube includes rubber, an outer braided net, a bionic muscle, and an inner braided net; the rubber is coated on the outermost side of the insertion tube, the inner braided net is on the innermost side of the insertion tube, the outer braided net is between the rubber and the bionic muscle, and the bionic muscle is between the outer braided net and the inner braided net; the outer braided net, the bionic muscle, and the inner braided net can change their hardness under the action of voltage. By arranging the bionic muscle between the inner and outer braided nets, the artificial muscle structure can be directly used as the insertion tube, which has both the function of the insertion tube and the function of adjusting the hardness.

[0022] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope, comprising a processing unit and an insertion tube that can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube being provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube being adjustable;

[0023] During the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the processing unit is used to: send the deformation data of the insertion tube collected by the deformation sensor to the processing device; receive the hardness adjustment instruction from the processing device, the hardness adjustment instruction is an instruction generated by the processing device according to the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations after the processing device determines the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations based on the deformation data; and change the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube in response to the hardness adjustment instruction.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the hardness adjustment instruction includes a first instruction for indicating the hardness value of each target pipe segment of the insertion tube; at this time, the processing unit is specifically used to: respond to each first instruction, change the hardness value of the target pipe segment to the corresponding target hardness value; the target hardness values ​​of different target pipe segments are not exactly the same.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the circumferential side; the hardness adjustment instruction includes a second instruction for indicating the hardness value of the target tube segment; at this time, the processing unit is specifically used to: respond to each second instruction, and change the first side and the second side of the target tube segment to corresponding target hardness values ​​respectively; the first side is the side close to the cavity wall, and the second side is the side away from the cavity wall, and the target hardness value of the first side is less than the target hardness value of the second side.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the insertion tube includes bionic muscles; in this case, the processing unit is specifically used to: respond to the hardness adjustment instruction, apply corresponding voltage to the bionic muscles at one or more locations of the insertion tube to change the hardness value at one or more locations of the insertion tube.

[0027] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a processing device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the method as described in any one of the first aspects above is implemented.

[0028] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope hardness adjustment system, comprising a display device, a light source host, a processing device and an endoscope, the endoscope comprising an insertion tube that can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube being provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube being adjustable; the processing device is used to execute a method as described in any one of the first aspects above.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of the above-mentioned first aspects is implemented.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a processing device, enables the processing device to execute any of the methods described in the first aspect above.

[0031] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the second to sixth aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an endoscope hardness adjustment system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the insertion part provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a method for adjusting the hardness of an endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of a segmented hardness adjustment process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the insertion tube provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the axial division of the insertion tube provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the bionic muscle-based insertion tube provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the insertion tube after voltage loading provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the bionic muscle structure provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig.11 A schematic block diagram of the structure of an endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0046] It should be understood that when used in the present specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0047] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” used in the specification and appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0048] As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the term "if" can be interpreted as "when" or "uponce" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" can be interpreted as meaning "uponce it is determined" or "in response to determining" or "uponce [described condition or event] is detected" or "in response to detecting [described condition or event]", depending on the context.

[0049] In addition, in the description of the present application specification and the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0050] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in the specification of this application mean that one or more embodiments of the present application include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the statements "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0051] See also Figure 1, which is a schematic block diagram of an endoscope hardness adjustment system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The endoscope hardness adjustment system may include but is not limited to: an endoscope 1, a light source host 2, a processing device 3, and a display device 4.

[0052] The light source host 2 is used to provide a cold light source for the endoscope 1. The processing device 3 is used to receive the image data sent back by the endoscope 1, and after processing the image data, display the corresponding image on the display device 4 for real-time observation by doctors or staff.

[0053] like Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the endoscope provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown, and the endoscope 1 may include a head end 11, a bending portion 12, an insertion tube 13, an operating portion 14 and a connecting portion 15. Among them, the head end 11, the bending portion 12 and the insertion tube 13 constitute the insertion portion of the endoscope 1.

[0054] like Figure 3 In the schematic diagram of the structure of the insertion portion provided in the embodiment of the present application, the head end portion 11 is fixedly connected to the bending portion 12 , and the insertion tube 13 is fixedly connected to the bending portion 12 .

[0055] The head end 11 may include imaging devices such as an image sensor and a lens, which are used to form an image under the illumination of the cold light source provided by the light source host 2, thereby capturing the image in the cavity. The bending portion 12 can be bent in four directions, up, down, left, and right, to drive the head end 11 to move in the corresponding direction.

[0056] The insertion tube 13 is usually provided with a hardness adjustable function, so as to facilitate the insertion of the endoscope into the patient's body during the endoscopic examination. The hardness adjustable means that the hardness of the insertion tube can be increased or decreased.

[0057] The operation unit 14 is used for the user to control the endoscope and perform corresponding operations during endoscopic examination. For example, the user can perform water supply and air supply operations, control the angle of the endoscope, etc. through the operation unit 14. The connection unit 15 is used to connect the light source host 2 or the processing device 3.

[0058] Optionally, the operating portion 14 may include a hardness adjustment button 14A for adjusting the hardness of the insertion tube 13. Figure 2 As shown, the hardness adjustment button 14A includes two adjustment options for increasing and decreasing the hardness of the insertion tube 13 .

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the insertion tube 13 is provided with a deformation sensor for detecting the real-time deformation of the insertion tube 13 and further detecting the bending of each part during the insertion of the insertion tube into the cavity. In specific applications, the deformation sensor can be provided at one or more positions of the insertion tube 13.

[0060] The deformation data collected by the deformation sensor can be transmitted back to the processing device 3. The processing device 3 determines the curvature of one or more locations of the insertion tube 13 based on the deformation data. The curvature can characterize the bending condition of the insertion tube 13. The larger the curvature, the greater the degree of bending, and the smaller the curvature, the smaller the degree of bending. After determining the curvature of one or more locations of the insertion tube 13, the processing device 3 can automatically adjust the hardness of one or more locations of the insertion tube 13 according to the curvature to control the one or more locations of the insertion tube 13 to be adjusted to the corresponding hardness value.

[0061] It is worth pointing out that in the related art, the hardness adjustment of the insertion tube 13 is usually manually adjusted by the user, and it is an overall adjustment, that is, the hardness of the entire insertion tube 13 is the same. The manual adjustment of the hardness value of the insertion tube 13 cannot timely and accurately regulate the hardness of the insertion tube 13, which will increase the discomfort of the patient when undergoing endoscopic examination. For example, when the endoscope is turning in the cavity, if the hardness value of the insertion tube 13 cannot be adjusted in time and accurately, the turning will not be smooth, which will increase the patient's discomfort. In addition, in the actual operation process, during endoscopic examination, in addition to operating the endoscope, the doctor or staff needs to perform many other operations. These operations make it impossible for the doctor or staff to concentrate on the endoscopic operation, which increases the difficulty for the doctor or staff to manually adjust the hardness of the insertion tube 13 in a timely and accurate manner.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, a deformation sensor is provided in the insertion tube 13 so that the processing device 3 can obtain the real-time bending condition of the insertion tube 13 and automatically adjust the hardness value of one or more parts of the insertion tube 13 according to the real-time bending condition. In this way, the hardness of the insertion tube 13 can be adjusted timely and accurately, and the operation difficulty is low, which reduces the discomfort of the patient when receiving endoscopic examination.

[0063] The following is an introduction to the endoscope hardness adjustment process provided in the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the flow chart.

[0064] See also Figure 4 , is a schematic flow chart of a method for adjusting the hardness of an endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application. During the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the method may include the following steps:

[0065] Step S101: Obtain deformation data of the insertion tube collected by the deformation sensor.

[0066] Among them, a deformation sensor is provided at one or more positions of the insertion tube, and the hardness of the insertion tube is adjustable. Exemplarily, the deformation sensor collects deformation data of the insertion tube in real time, and transmits the collected deformation data to the processing device. The processing device automatically adjusts the hardness value of the insertion tube according to the deformation data. Of course, the process of automatically adjusting the hardness of the insertion tube may not be performed by the processing device, which is not limited here. For example, if the computing power of the processing unit of the endoscope is sufficient, the process of automatically adjusting the hardness of the insertion tube may also be performed by the endoscope.

[0067] Step S102: Determine the curvatures of multiple locations of the insertion tube according to the deformation data.

[0068] When the insertion tube is inserted into a tortuous natural cavity of the human body, the insertion tube will present a curved shape in the natural cavity. At this time, the deformation sensor arranged at one or more positions of the insertion tube can collect the deformation data of the insertion tube. According to the deformation data, a fitting curve of the bending shape of the insertion tube can be determined, and the fitting curve can characterize the degree of bending at various locations of the insertion tube. According to the fitting curve, the curvature of one or more locations of the insertion tube can be determined.

[0069] Exemplarily, the deformation data is specifically coordinate data. For example, the deformation data collected and returned by the deformation sensor set at a certain position of the insertion tube is: (x n ,y n ,z n ). Where n represents the nth position.

[0070] When the least square method is used for curve fitting to model the bending shape of the insertion tube, a fitting curve as shown below can be obtained based on the coordinate data at various locations:

[0071] Z=a0+a1+a2x2+......+a n x n +b0+b1+b2y2+......+b n y n ;

[0072] Converting the fitting curve into a parametric equation, we can obtain: x = x(t), y = y(t), z = x(t); where θ≤t≤Φ, a0, a1...a n and b0, b1...b n are all constant coefficients.

[0073] Furthermore, the curvature k(x n ,y n ,z n ).

[0074] in, v and a are the points on the fitting curve (x n ,y n ,z n )'s velocity vector and acceleration vector.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, the curvature of each location of the insertion tube may be determined, or the curvature of one or more locations may be selectively determined, rather than determining the curvature of all locations of the insertion tube.

[0076] Step S103: adjusting the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube according to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations.

[0077] For example, after determining the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations, the processing device can determine the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube according to the curvature, and send a hardness adjustment instruction to the endoscope according to the hardness value. The endoscope adjusts the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube to the corresponding hardness value according to the hardness adjustment instruction.

[0078] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, during the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the hardness of the insertion tube is accurately adjusted according to the bending condition of the insertion tube, thereby reducing the pain of the patient during the endoscopic examination.

[0079] In the process of automatically adjusting the hardness of the insertion tube according to the curvatures of multiple locations of the insertion tube, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted as a whole, that is, the hardness value of the entire insertion tube is the same; or the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted in sections, that is, the insertion tube is divided into multiple sections along the axial direction of the insertion tube, and the hardness values ​​of the various sections are not completely the same.

[0080] When the hardness of the insertion tube is adjusted as a whole according to the curvature of the insertion tube, a target curvature representing the bending condition of the entire insertion tube can be determined according to the curvature of one or more locations of the insertion tube; then the hardness value of the entire insertion tube is determined according to the target curvature, and the hardness of the entire insertion tube is adjusted according to the hardness value. At this time, the average value or median value of multiple curvatures can be used as the target curvature.

[0081] Optionally, the curvature and the hardness value are associated, and the two are negatively correlated. That is, the greater the curvature, the smaller the hardness value of the insertion tube; conversely, the smaller the curvature, the greater the hardness value of the insertion tube. At this time, according to the corresponding relationship between the curvature and the hardness value, the hardness value corresponding to the target curvature can be determined.

[0082] Optionally, a curvature threshold is set. When the curvature is less than the curvature threshold, the hardness value of the insertion tube is a constant. When the curvature is greater than or equal to the curvature threshold, there is a functional relationship between the curvature and the hardness value. The functional relationship satisfies the relationship that the hardness value decreases with the increase of the curvature. There are multiple curvatures and the hardness values ​​associated with each curvature. At this time, first determine whether the target curvature is greater than the curvature threshold. If it is less than the curvature threshold, determine that the hardness value corresponding to the target curvature is a constant. If it is greater than or equal to the curvature threshold, the hardness value corresponding to the target curvature can be determined according to the functional relationship.

[0083] When the insertion tube is segmented and hardness is adjusted according to its curvature, each tube segment can be determined first, and then the hardness value of each tube segment can be determined according to its curvature, and finally each tube segment can be adjusted to a corresponding hardness value.

[0084] For example, see Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of a process of segmented hardness adjustment provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the method may include the following steps:

[0085] Step S501: select at least one target position from the insertion tube according to the curvatures of multiple positions of the insertion tube.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, a target position with a greater degree of curvature (also referred to as a target position point) can be selected from the insertion tube according to the curvature, and the subsequent hardness can be adjusted in a targeted manner. The specific method of selecting the target position is not limited here, for example, the target position can be selected by a preset threshold, or by a preset ratio or a preset number.

[0087] Optionally, as an optional embodiment of the present application, the target position is a position on the insertion tube where the curvature is greater than a first threshold value. The first threshold value can be set according to actual application needs.

[0088] When the curvature of a certain position of the insertion tube is greater than the first threshold, it indicates that the curvature at this position is relatively large. If the hardness of the tube segment near the relatively large curvature is not accurately adjusted, the hardness value of the tube segment at the relatively large curvature may be too large, thereby affecting the patient's comfort and causing harm to the patient. At this time, by determining the position on the insertion tube where the curvature is greater than the first threshold as the target position, and then accurately adjusting the hardness of the tube segment near the target position, the patient's comfort during endoscopic examination can be better guaranteed, and the possibility of the insertion tube causing harm to the patient can be reduced.

[0089] As another optional embodiment of the present application, the target position is a position point within the first ratio or first quantity range of the maximum curvature on the insertion tube. The specific values ​​of the first ratio and the first quantity can be set according to actual needs. For example, in some embodiments, the target position can be a position point within the first 20% of the curvature. In other embodiments, the target position can be a position point within the first 4 of the curvature.

[0090] Step S502: Determine the target tube sections corresponding to the target positions in the insertion tube.

[0091] Optionally, the target pipe segment is a pipe segment obtained by extending forward a first preset length and backward a second preset length along the axial direction of the insertion tube based on the target position.

[0092] The first preset length and the second preset length may be equal or unequal. When they are unequal, the absolute value of the difference between the first preset length and the second preset length may be less than a certain threshold, that is, the first preset length and the second preset length differ slightly.

[0093] In this way, based on the location point where the bending is serious (i.e., the target location point), the pipe section with a larger bending degree can be roughly located, so as to accurately adjust the hardness of the pipe section with a larger bending degree, thereby ensuring the subsequent hardness adjustment effect. In addition, by adjusting the hardness of the pipe section that is extended by a certain length before and after the target location as a whole pipe section, the adjacent parts that actually bend are treated as a whole as much as possible, which is more in line with the actual physical laws, and thus the accuracy and adjustment effect of the subsequent segmented hardness adjustment can be guaranteed.

[0094] For example, see Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the segmentation of the insertion tube provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown, and the target tube segments of the insertion tube may include: segment A, segment B, segment C, segment D, segment E and segment F.

[0095] The lengths of the target pipe segments may be the same or different. Figure 6 As shown, the lengths of segments C and D are not the same.

[0096] It is worth pointing out that in other segmented hardness adjustment embodiments, the insertion tube can be pre-divided into multiple tube segments, so as to determine the target tube segment according to the pre-divided tube segment situation where the target position point is located. In the embodiment of the present application, it is possible to choose not to pre-divide the tube segments, but to divide the insertion tube into tube segments according to the bending shape of the insertion tube in the natural cavity, so that the bending part can be accurately identified and the hardness of the bending part can be precisely adjusted, and the hardness adjustment effect is better.

[0097] Step S503, according to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, determine the target hardness value of each target pipe segment, and adjust the hardness value of the target pipe segment to the target hardness value; the first corresponding relationship records multiple curvatures and the hardness values ​​associated with each curvature, wherein the hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not completely the same.

[0098] The hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not exactly the same, which means that the target hardness values ​​of different target pipe sections may be the same or different.

[0099] It can be seen that by using the curvature of a target position to represent the curvature of a target pipe segment, and determining the hardness value of the target pipe segment based on the curvature of the target position, the segmented hardness adjustment of the insertion tube is achieved. In addition, the hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not exactly the same, that is, the hardness values ​​of different target pipe segments may be different. By accurately adjusting the segmented hardness of the insertion tube according to the bending conditions (i.e., curvature) of each segment of the insertion tube, so that the hardness values ​​of the pipe segments with different bending conditions are different, the hardness distribution of the insertion tube can be dynamically and accurately regulated, further reducing the discomfort of patients during endoscopic examinations.

[0100] Optionally, when the first curvature is greater than the second curvature, the hardness value associated with the first curvature is less than or equal to the hardness value associated with the second curvature; the first curvature and the second curvature are both curvatures recorded in the first corresponding relationship. In other words, the hardness value of the insertion tube after adjustment is negatively correlated with the curvature as a whole. That is, after the curvature is less than a certain threshold, the hardness value associated with the curvature will change very little or be a constant; after the curvature is greater than a certain threshold, the greater the curvature (the greater the degree of curvature of the insertion tube), the smaller the hardness value of the insertion tube; the smaller the curvature (the smaller the degree of curvature of the insertion tube), the greater the hardness value of the insertion tube.

[0101] It should be pointed out that during endoscopic examination, when the curvature of the insertion portion is too large, due to the complex shape of the natural cavity space, the curvature of the insertion tube will affect the smoothness of the endoscope turning in the natural cavity. When the hardness of the insertion tube remains unchanged, the greater the curvature of the part, the greater the effect on the inner wall of the natural cavity, causing more discomfort to the patient.

[0102] In addition, excessive bending of the insertion tube will increase the risk of degradation of the contents of the insertion portion. The contents of the insertion portion may include, for example, optical fibers, water vapor channels, etc. When the insertion tube is bent too much, the life of these contents will be reduced.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, the hardness value of the insertion tube after adjustment is negatively correlated with the overall curvature, so that the greater the degree of curvature, the smaller the hardness value. In this way, when the endoscope is turning in the cavity, the force of the tube section with a large degree of curvature on the inner wall of the cavity is reduced by setting the tube section with a large degree of curvature to a smaller hardness value, thereby increasing the smoothness of the endoscope turning in the cavity and reducing the discomfort of the patient during endoscopic examination. In addition, the risk of deterioration of the contents of the insertion tube (such as internal optical fiber, water vapor channel, etc.) due to the excessive hardness value of the tube section with a large degree of curvature can also be reduced, thereby extending the service life of the endoscope.

[0104] Optionally, when the hardness value of the inserted tube after adjustment is negatively correlated with the curvature as a whole, for each target pipe segment, first determine whether the curvature of the target position of the target pipe segment is greater than the second threshold value; if less than, determine the target hardness value of the target pipe segment as a preset value, which is a constant value; if greater than or equal to, determine the hardness value corresponding to the curvature of the target position according to the second corresponding relationship in the first corresponding relationship. Exemplarily, the second relationship is: p = f(k). Wherein p is the hardness value, k is the curvature, and p decreases with the increase of k. The second corresponding relationship can be determined by actual measurement or simulation based on the actual application scenario.

[0105] The second threshold can be set according to actual application needs and is not limited here.

[0106] It is worth pointing out that when the hardness value of the insertion tube after adjustment is negatively correlated with the overall curvature, if the curvature is less than the second threshold, it indicates that the curvature of the tube segment near the target position is still relatively small, and the hardness value of the tube segment has little effect on the patient's comfort. Therefore, the target tube segment can be controlled at a fixed target hardness value. This not only avoids increasing the patient's discomfort, but also avoids the smoothness of advancing and retracting the scope due to the hardness value of the tube segment with a small curvature being too small.

[0107] Based on any of the above embodiments, if the target position is used as a reference and a certain length is extended forward and backward to obtain the target pipe segment, some parts of the insertion tube may not be the target pipe segment. Figure 6 In the figure, both the C and E segments are target segments, but the D segment between the C and E segments is not a target segment, i.e., a non-target segment. At this time, for these non-target segments, the hardness adjustment may not be performed, i.e., the hardness of the non-target segments is the same as the initial hardness value. Alternatively, the hardness values ​​of the non-target segments may be adjusted to a constant value.

[0108] Of course, in other embodiments, the hardness of the non-target pipe segment can also be adjusted according to the hardness value of the target pipe segment adjacent to the non-target pipe segment. Figure 6The D segment in the figure is a non-target segment, and the hardness of the D segment is greater than the hardness value of the C segment and less than the hardness value of the E segment; or, greater than the hardness value of the E segment and less than the hardness value of the C segment. That is, the hardness value of the D segment is between the hardness values ​​of the C segment and the E segment. Moreover, the hardness value of the D segment is not much different from the hardness values ​​of the C segment and the E segment, that is, the difference is within a certain threshold. In this way, in addition to accurately adjusting the hardness value of the target segment, the hardness value of the non-target segment is reasonably adjusted according to the hardness value of the adjacent target segment, so that the non-target segment is not too hard or too soft, thereby making the endoscope entry and exit smoother, further reducing the patient's discomfort.

[0109] Based on any of the above embodiments, in addition to adjusting the insertion tube in sections along the axial direction, the hardness of the insertion tube can also be adjusted in regions along the circumference of the insertion tube, that is, the insertion tube is divided into regions along the circumference of the insertion tube, and the hardness value of each region is not exactly the same.

[0110] For example, see Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the axial division of the insertion tube provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. The insertion tube is divided into 8 areas along the axial direction, of which area G and area H are two of the areas.

[0111] In some embodiments, on the basis of segmented adjustment of the insertion tube, the hardness of the insertion tube is also adjusted in different regions (or sides) along the circumferential direction. At this time, for each target tube segment, the target hardness values ​​of the first side and the second side of each target tube segment are first determined based on the curvature of the target position of the target tube segment and the first corresponding relationship. The first side is the side close to the cavity wall, and the second side is the side away from the cavity wall. The target hardness value of the first side is less than the target hardness value of the second side. Exemplarily, Figure 7 The H region is the first side, and the G region is the second side. The hardness values ​​of the first side and the second side are different.

[0112] In specific applications, the first side and the second side can be determined by calibration. Exemplarily, the insertion tube is divided into 8 regions along the circumference, and these 8 regions are represented by A to H respectively; for each region in region A to region H, any position in the region is calibrated. When the insertion tube is inserted into the natural cavity, the sensor data collected by the optical fiber sensor is fitted to obtain the bending curve of the insertion tube; according to the concavity of the bending curve, it is determined whether the calibration position of each region is on the first side or the second side, and then it is identified whether the region corresponding to the calibration position is the first side or the second side. At the same time, since the insertion portion can be approximately regarded as a curved cylinder, the spatial curves and curvatures of other uncalibrated positions can be obtained by mathematical calculation.

[0113] For each target pipe section, after identifying the first side and the second side, the curvature of the target position can be obtained, and the curvature of the area where the position is located can be obtained, and the hardness value of the area can be determined according to the functional relationship p=f(k). The hardness values ​​of other areas can be given according to the hardness value of the area where the target position is located. For example, assuming that the area where the target position is located is area A, the hardness of area A can be given by the functional relationship p=f(k); the hardness of area B is based on the hardness value of area A, and is reduced by z%. Accordingly, area C increases by z%, and area D increases by 2z%.

[0114] In this way, by controlling the hardness value of the side of the insertion tube close to the cavity wall to be smaller than the hardness value of the side away from the cavity wall, it is possible to avoid excessive impact of the insertion tube on the cavity wall due to excessive hardness of the side close to the cavity wall, thereby reducing the patient's discomfort.

[0115] Based on any of the above embodiments, the shape of the insertion tube in the cavity and the hardness value of the insertion tube can also be displayed on the display screen, so that the user can understand the shape and real-time hardness value of the insertion tube in the natural cavity in real time. The display screen can be a display device.

[0116] At this time, the user can adjust the hardness value of the designated pipe segment to the designated hardness value based on the known insertion tube shape and real-time hardness value. Exemplarily, the processing device determines the designated pipe segment from the insertion tube in response to the user's operation of specifying the pipe segment of the insertion tube. For example, the pipe segment specifying operation can be an operation such as a click and drag by the user on the display screen. After specifying the pipe segment, the user can also specify the hardness value of the pipe segment. At this time, the processing device can adjust the hardness value of the designated pipe segment to the designated hardness value in response to the user's operation of adjusting the hardness of the designated pipe segment.

[0117] That is to say, the embodiment of the present application can not only automatically adjust the hardness according to the curvature of the insertion tube, but also provide a manual adjustment function for the user to manually intervene during endoscopic examination.

[0118] It can be seen that by displaying the shape and hardness value of the insertion tube in the cavity in real time, the user can know the bending condition and hardness value of the insertion tube in the cavity in real time. In addition, based on the real-time bending condition and hardness value of the insertion tube, the user manually adjusts the hardness value of the specified tube section as needed. In this way, during the process of advancing and retracting the scope, not only can the hardness of the insertion tube be accurately adjusted according to the bending condition, but also combined with manual intervention to meet the actual needs of the inspection process.

[0119] Based on any of the above embodiments, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the axial direction or along the circumferential direction. In the related art, the hardness adjustment function of the insertion tube is realized by relying on a hardness adjustment structure, which includes multiple parts such as a knob, a traction rod, and a movable pulley, making it difficult to achieve miniaturization of the insertion part.

[0120] In the embodiment of the present application, the hardness adjustment function of the insertion tube can be achieved by embedding a material with adjustable hardness in the insertion tube, which can simplify the structure of the endoscope and facilitate the miniaturization of the endoscope insertion part. Exemplarily, the material with adjustable hardness is bionic muscle. In this case, the insertion tube includes bionic muscle. Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the internal structure of the bionic muscle-based insertion tube provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the insertion tube 13 may include a rubber 13A, an outer braided net 13B, a bionic muscle 13C and an inner braided net 13D.

[0121] Among them, the rubber 13A is covered on the outermost side of the insertion tube 13, the inner net 13D is on the innermost side of the insertion tube 13, the outer net 13B is between the rubber 13A and the bionic muscle 13C, and the bionic muscle 13C is between the outer net 13B and the inner net 13D; the outer net 13B and the inner net 13D play the role of supporting structure.

[0122] The outer braided mesh 13B, the bionic muscle 13C and the inner braided mesh 13D can change their hardness under the action of voltage. Fig. 9 The schematic diagram of the internal structure of the insertion tube after voltage loading provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown, the outer braided mesh 13B and the inner braided mesh 13D serve as cathodes, the bionic muscle 13C serves as anodes, and a certain voltage is applied to the positive and negative poles to realize the hardness adjustable function of the insertion tube 13.

[0123] like Fig. 9 As shown, when voltage is applied to the positive and negative electrodes, the bionic muscle 13C will expand and enter the hole between the outer braided net 13B and the inner braided net 13D, so that the hardness value of the insertion tube 13 increases; when the voltage applied to the positive and negative electrodes is removed, the bionic muscle 13C will return to its original state and withdraw from the hole between the outer braided net 13B and the inner braided net 13D, so that the hardness value of the insertion tube 13 decreases. Based on this, the hardness value of the insertion tube 13 can be controlled by controlling the magnitude of the voltage applied to the positive and negative electrodes.

[0124] like Fig.10The schematic diagram of the bionic muscle structure provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown, and the bionic muscle 13C includes a PVC film 13C1, a conductor 13C2, a carbon nanotube and a silicone rubber 13C3. Among them, the PVC film 13C1 wraps the carbon nanotube and the silicone rubber 13C3. In addition, the conductor 13C2 is embedded in the carbon nanotube and the silicone rubber 13C3. The conductor 13C2 is used as an anode and is in full contact with the carbon nanotube and the silicone rubber 13C3 to ensure the uniformity of conduction.

[0125] It is worth pointing out that, by placing the bionic muscle between the inner and outer braided nets, the embodiment of the present application can directly use the artificial muscle structure as the insertion tube, which has both the function of the insertion tube and the function of adjusting the hardness. In addition, by using the bionic muscle in the insertion tube to adjust the hardness of the insertion tube, the internal mechanical structure of the insertion tube can be simplified, and the insertion tube itself can basically not bring radial load, thus meeting the size requirements of the endoscope insertion part.

[0126] When the insertion tube includes a bionic muscle, in the process of adjusting the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube according to the curvature of the insertion tube, the voltage of the bionic muscle at one or more locations of the insertion tube can be controlled according to the curvature of the insertion tube to adjust the hardness value of the insertion tube. That is, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted by controlling the voltage applied to the bionic muscle.

[0127] Shape sensors are set at multiple locations in the insertion part, and bionic muscles that can change hardness are set. In this way, during the endoscopic examination, the bending conditions of various parts of the insertion tube can be obtained through the shape sensors, and the hardness of each part can be adjusted in a targeted manner based on the bending conditions, thereby achieving flexible hardness control and reducing the pain of patients during endoscopic examination.

[0128] Optionally, when the user manually adjusts the hardness of the insertion tube through the hardness adjustment button of the operating part, when the user presses the hardness adjustment button, the endoscope can generate an electrical signal and transmit the electrical signal to the processing device. The processing device determines the hardness value indicated by the electrical signal based on the electrical signal, and determines the voltage value applied to the bionic muscle based on the hardness value; the corresponding voltage value is applied to the bionic muscle through the driver to control the hardness of the insertion tube to increase or decrease.

[0129] In some optional embodiments, the processing device can also obtain the real-time hardness of the insertion tube by obtaining the voltage value applied to the bionic muscle. There is a corresponding relationship between the voltage value and the hardness value. According to the corresponding relationship, the real-time hardness of the insertion tube can be determined according to the detected applied voltage. In addition, the detected real-time hardness of the insertion tube can also be displayed on the display device.

[0130] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the steps in the above embodiments does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] See also Fig.11 , which is a schematic block diagram of the structure of an endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application, the endoscope includes a processing unit 111 and an insertion tube 13 that can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor 112, and the hardness of the insertion tube 13 is adjustable.

[0132] During the process of inserting the insertion tube 13 into the cavity, the processing unit 111 is used to: send the deformation data of the insertion tube 13 collected by the deformation sensor 112 to the processing device; receive the hardness adjustment instruction from the processing device, the hardness adjustment instruction is an instruction generated by the processing device according to the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations after the processing device determines the curvature of the insertion tube at multiple locations based on the deformation data; and change the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube in response to the hardness adjustment instruction.

[0133] In a possible implementation, the hardness adjustment instruction includes a first instruction for indicating the hardness value of each target pipe segment of the insertion tube. At this time, the processing unit 111 is specifically used to: respond to each first instruction, change the target pipe segment to a corresponding target hardness value; the target hardness values ​​of different target pipe segments are not completely the same. That is, the insertion tube 13 is segmented hardness adjusted.

[0134] In a possible implementation, the hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the circumferential side. In this case, the hardness adjustment instruction includes a second instruction for indicating the hardness value of the target tube segment. The processing unit 111 is specifically used to: in response to each second instruction, change the first side and the second side of the target tube segment to the corresponding target hardness value respectively; the first side is the side close to the cavity wall, the second side is the side away from the cavity wall, and the target hardness value of the first side is less than the target hardness value of the second side.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the insertion tube 13 includes bionic muscles; in this case, the processing unit 111 is specifically used to: in response to a hardness adjustment instruction, apply a corresponding voltage to the bionic muscles at one or more locations of the insertion tube 13 to change the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube 13.

[0136] It should be noted that since the above-mentioned endoscope is based on the same concept as the above-mentioned method embodiments and system embodiments, its specific functions and technical effects can be found in the method embodiments and system embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0137] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application. Fig.12As shown, the processing device of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 120 ( Fig.12 Only one is shown in the figure), a memory 121, and a computer program 122 stored in the memory 121 and executable on the at least one processor 120, wherein the processor 120 implements the steps of any of the above method embodiments when executing the computer program 122.

[0138] The processing device may be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a notebook, a PDA, or a cloud server. The processing device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 120 and a memory 121. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Fig.12 It is only an example of a processing device and does not constitute a limitation of the processing device. It may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or a combination of certain components, or different components. For example, it may also include input and output devices, network access devices, etc.

[0139] The processor 120 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0140] In some embodiments, the memory 121 may be an internal storage unit of the processing device, such as a hard disk or memory of the processing device. In other embodiments, the memory 121 may also be an external storage device of the processing device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (Smart Media Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), etc. equipped on the processing device. Further, the memory 121 may also include both an internal storage unit of the processing device and an external storage device. The memory 121 is used to store an operating system, an application program, a boot loader (BootLoader), data, and other programs, such as the program code of the computer program. The memory 121 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0141] The technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above-mentioned function allocation can be completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiment can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. In addition, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above-mentioned system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be implemented.

[0143] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product runs on a processing device, the electronic device can implement the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments when the computer program product is executed.

[0144] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present application implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, which can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. Among them, the computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium can at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the camera / terminal device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, RandomAccess Memory), electric carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electric carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0145] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0146] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0147] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, electronic devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / electronic device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0148] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0149] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting the hardness of an endoscope, It is characterized in that The endoscope comprises an insertion tube which can be inserted into the cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube is adjustable; During the insertion of the insertion tube into the cavity, the method includes: Acquiring deformation data of the insertion tube collected by the deformation sensor; determining curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations according to the deformation data; According to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube is adjusted.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that According to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, adjusting the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube comprises: selecting at least one target position from the insertion tube according to the curvatures of the plurality of positions of the insertion tube; Determine the target tube sections corresponding to the target positions in the insertion tube; According to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, the target hardness value of each target pipe segment is determined, and the hardness value of the target pipe segment is adjusted to the target hardness value; the first corresponding relationship records multiple curvatures and the hardness values ​​associated with each curvature, wherein the hardness values ​​associated with different curvatures are not exactly the same.

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that When the first curvature is greater than the second curvature, the hardness value associated with the first curvature is less than or equal to the hardness value associated with the second curvature; the first curvature and the second curvature are both curvatures recorded in the first corresponding relationship.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The target position is a position on the insertion tube where the curvature is greater than a first threshold.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The target pipe section is a pipe section obtained by extending forward a first preset length and backward a second preset length along the axial direction of the insertion tube based on the target position.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: For the non-target pipe segment in the insertion pipe, the hardness value of the non-target pipe segment is adjusted according to the hardness value of the target pipe segment adjacent to the non-target pipe segment.

7. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that Determining the target hardness value of each target pipe segment according to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship includes: If the curvature of the target position is less than a second threshold, determining the target hardness value of the target pipe segment to be a preset value; If the curvature of the target position is greater than or equal to the second threshold, a hardness value corresponding to the curvature of the target position is determined according to a second corresponding relationship in the first corresponding relationship.

8. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the circumferential side, and the target hardness value of each target tube segment is determined according to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, including: According to the curvature of the target position and the first corresponding relationship, the target hardness values ​​of the first side and the second side of each target tube segment are determined; the first side is the side close to the cavity wall, the second side is the side away from the cavity wall, and the target hardness value of the first side is smaller than the target hardness value of the second side.

9. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: Displaying the shape of the insertion tube in the cavity and the hardness value of the insertion tube on a display screen; In response to a user's operation of specifying a pipe segment of the insertion pipe, determining a specified pipe segment from the insertion pipe; In response to a user's hardness adjustment operation on the designated pipe segment, the hardness value of the designated pipe segment is adjusted to a designated hardness value.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 7 to 9, It is characterized in that The insertion tube includes a bionic muscle; According to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, adjusting the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube comprises: According to the curvatures of the insertion tube at multiple locations, the voltage of the bionic muscle at one or more locations of the insertion tube is controlled to adjust the hardness value of the insertion tube.

11. An endoscope, It is characterized in that It comprises a processing unit and an insertion tube which can be inserted into the cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube is adjustable; During the process of inserting the insertion tube into the cavity, the processing unit is used to: sending deformation data of the insertion tube collected by the deformation sensor to a processing device; receiving a hardness adjustment instruction from the processing device, wherein the hardness adjustment instruction is an instruction generated by the processing device according to the curvatures of the insertion tube at the plurality of locations after the processing device determines the curvatures of the insertion tube at the plurality of locations according to the deformation data; In response to the hardness adjustment instruction, the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube is changed.

12. The endoscope according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The hardness adjustment instruction includes a first instruction for indicating the hardness value of each target tube section of the insertion tube; The processing unit is specifically used for: in response to each of the first instructions, respectively changing the hardness value of the target pipe section to a corresponding target hardness value; the target hardness values ​​of different target pipe sections are not completely the same.

13. The endoscope according to claim 12, It is characterized in that The hardness of the insertion tube can be adjusted along the circumferential side; The hardness adjustment instruction includes a second instruction for indicating a hardness value of the target pipe segment; The processing unit is specifically used to: in response to each of the second instructions, change the first side and the second side of the target pipe segment to the corresponding target hardness values ​​respectively; the first side is the side close to the cavity wall, the second side is the side away from the cavity wall, and the target hardness value of the first side is smaller than the target hardness value of the second side.

14. The endoscope according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The insertion tube includes a bionic muscle; The processing unit is specifically used to: in response to the hardness adjustment instruction, apply corresponding voltage to the bionic muscle at one or more locations of the insertion tube to change the hardness value of one or more locations of the insertion tube.

15. A processing device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, It is characterized in that When the processor executes the computer program, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented.

16. An endoscope hardness adjustment system, It is characterized in that The device comprises a display device, a light source host, a processing device and an endoscope, wherein the endoscope comprises an insertion tube which can be inserted into a cavity, the insertion tube is provided with a deformation sensor, and the hardness of the insertion tube is adjustable; The processing device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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