Endoscope control method and device based on flexible endoscope robot

Abstract

The present application discloses an endoscope control method and device based on a flexible endoscope robot. After receiving an endoscope delivery instruction, the method detects whether the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, the method controls the syringe pump to increase the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface and controls the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope, thereby reducing the front-end resistance and increasing the delivery force. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, the method controls the syringe pump to reduce the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface, thereby increasing the friction force and reducing slippage. The present application helps to improve the endoscope delivery performance of the flexible endoscope robot and reduce the displacement loss generated during the endoscope delivery process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to an endoscope control method and device based on a flexible endoscope robot. Background Art

[0002] Flexible endoscopes are common medical devices. Traditional flexible endoscopy procedures require the coordinated use of both hands to hold the endoscope, operate knobs, and manually maneuver the endoscope. In some cases, endoscopy requires image guidance from radiographs, forcing medical personnel to wear heavy lead protective clothing and perform manual manipulation for extended periods. This significantly impacts the quality of diagnosis and treatment, their physical strength, and their health. This is particularly true for experienced, older, or female medical personnel, who may even be forced to abandon endoscopy.

[0003] With the development of robotic-assisted technology, flexible endoscopy robots have emerged. Doctors can adjust the delivery length and posture of the flexible endoscope by adjusting the handle switches and buttons of the flexible endoscopy robot. Flexible endoscopy robots significantly reduce doctors' physical exertion and manual fatigue, lower operating requirements, and reduce radiation exposure to medical staff, while also improving interaction between medical staff and images.

[0004] However, flexible endoscope robots currently often suffer from poor endoscope delivery performance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides an endoscope control method and device based on a flexible endoscope robot, which helps to improve the endoscope delivery performance of the flexible endoscope robot.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for controlling an endoscope based on a flexible endoscope robot is provided, the method being executed by a controller of the flexible endoscope robot, the method comprising:

[0007] Receive an endoscope transport instruction from the operating console handle, the endoscope transport instruction instructs and controls the endoscope transport target displacement;

[0008] sending a displacement movement instruction to the conveyor, wherein the displacement movement instruction instructs the endoscope to be conveyed according to a target displacement;

[0009] During the endoscope conveying process, receiving the conveying position of the endoscope sent by the conveyor, and determining the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the conveying position of the endoscope;

[0010] Based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement, it is detected whether the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements;

[0011] If the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, the injection pump is controlled to increase the injection amount of the mucus added to the surface of the endoscope, and the clamping motor is controlled to increase the clamping force on the endoscope;

[0012] If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, the injection pump is controlled to reduce the injection amount of the mucus added to the endoscope surface.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0014] receiving an endoscope end bending instruction from an operation console handle, wherein the endoscope end bending instruction instructs the endoscope head end to perform bending motion;

[0015] sending a pulsator rotation movement instruction to a pulsator motor of a manipulator operating part, wherein the pulsator motor is used to drive the pulsator to rotate, and the pulsator rotation can drive the end portion of the endoscope to perform bending movement;

[0016] During the bending process of the endoscope tip, detecting whether the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds a limit based on the actual position of the pulsator motor and the limit position of the pulsator motor, wherein the limit position of the pulsator motor corresponds to the limit position of the bending of the endoscope;

[0017] If the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit, a first over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating table handle is adjusted. The first over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0019] receiving an endoscope rotation instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope rotation instruction instructs to control the endoscope to rotate;

[0020] sending an operating part rotational motion instruction to a rotary motor of a manipulator operating part, wherein the rotary motor is used to drive the endoscope to rotate;

[0021] Based on the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position of the endoscope, detecting whether the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit;

[0022] If the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit, a second over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating console handle is adjusted. The second over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0024] Acquiring an endoscopic image captured by a camera provided at the end of the endoscope;

[0025] The convolution operation and variance operation are performed on the endoscopic image using the Laplace operator to obtain the blur score of the endoscopic image. The blur score is used to represent the blur degree of the endoscopic image.

[0026] If the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds the blur score threshold, and the operating console has not currently issued a motion instruction, and the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is less than the air pressure threshold, the endoscope is controlled to perform water vapor operation to clear the blur state of the camera lens.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0028] Detecting the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope;

[0029] If the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is greater than the air pressure threshold, a high air pressure prompt is displayed in the interface, and guidance information for the suction operation is provided to the user.

[0030] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0031] If the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than the deviation threshold, the vibration frequency of the operating table handle is adjusted.

[0032] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0033] If the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than the deviation threshold, and the friction of the endoscope transportation is less than the friction threshold, a slip prompt icon will be displayed in a flashing manner in the interface. The slip prompt icon is used to prompt that the endoscope slips during transportation.

[0034] In some embodiments, the actual displacement of the endoscope is detected by a passive wheel encoder built into the conveyor, and the friction force of the endoscope conveyance is detected by a detection module installed on the surface of the endoscope before the conveyor.

[0035] In a second aspect, an endoscope control device based on a flexible endoscope robot is provided, which is provided in a controller of the flexible endoscope robot and includes:

[0036] A receiving unit, configured to receive an endoscope transport instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope transport instruction indicates control of the endoscope transport target displacement;

[0037] A sending unit, configured to send a displacement movement instruction to the conveyor, wherein the displacement movement instruction instructs the endoscope to be conveyed according to a target displacement;

[0038] The receiving unit is further configured to receive the delivery position of the endoscope sent by the conveyor during the delivery of the endoscope, and determine the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the delivery position of the endoscope;

[0039] The processing unit is used to detect whether the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to increase the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope, and control the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to reduce the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope.

[0040] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is further configured to receive an endoscope end bending instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope end bending instruction instructs the endoscope head end to perform a bending movement;

[0041] The sending unit is further used to send a pulsator rotation movement instruction to the pulsator motor of the manipulator operating part, the pulsator motor is used to drive the pulsator to rotate, and the pulsator rotation can drive the end portion of the endoscope to perform bending movement;

[0042] The processing unit is also used to detect whether the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit based on the actual position of the impeller motor and the limit position of the impeller motor during the bending process of the head end of the endoscope. The limit position of the impeller motor corresponds to the limit position of the bending of the endoscope; if the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit, a first over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating table handle is adjusted, and the first over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit.

[0043] In some embodiments, the receiving unit is further configured to receive an endoscope rotation instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope rotation instruction instructs the endoscope to rotate;

[0044] The sending unit is further used to send an operating part rotation movement instruction to the rotary motor of the manipulator operating part, wherein the rotary motor is used to drive the endoscope to rotate;

[0045] The processing unit is also used to detect whether the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit based on the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position of the endoscope; if the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit, a second over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating console handle is adjusted, and the second over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit.

[0046] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further used to obtain an endoscopic image captured by a camera provided at the head end of the endoscope; perform convolution and variance operations on the endoscopic image using a Laplace operator to obtain a blur score of the endoscopic image, where the blur score is used to characterize the degree of blur of the endoscopic image; if the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds a blur score threshold, and the operating console currently does not issue a motion instruction, and the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is less than the air pressure threshold, the endoscope is controlled to perform a water vapor operation to clear the blur state of the camera lens.

[0047] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further configured to detect an air pressure value in an operating space at the tip of the endoscope;

[0048] The device also includes: a display unit, which is used to display a high pressure prompt in the interface if the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is greater than the air pressure threshold, and provide the user with guidance information for the suction operation.

[0049] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the operating table handle if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further configured to display a slip prompt icon in a flashing manner in the interface if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold and the friction force of the endoscope transportation is less than a friction threshold. The slip prompt icon is configured to prompt that the endoscope slips during transportation.

[0051] In some embodiments, the actual displacement of the endoscope is detected by a passive wheel encoder built into the conveyor, and the friction force of the endoscope conveyance is detected by a detection module installed on the surface of the endoscope before the conveyor.

[0052] In a third aspect, a controller for a flexible endoscopic robot is provided, the controller comprising: a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory storing at least one computer program instruction, the at least one computer program instruction being loaded and executed by the processor, so that the flexible endoscopic robot implements the method provided by the first aspect or any optional method of the first aspect.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores at least one instruction. When the instruction is executed on a computer, the computer executes the method provided by the first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect.

[0054] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes one or more computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and run by a computer, the computer executes the method provided by the first aspect or any optional method of the first aspect.

[0055] Based on the implementation methods provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementation methods.

[0056] The method provided in this embodiment detects whether the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement after receiving the endoscope delivery instruction. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force during endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction threshold, the syringe pump is controlled to increase the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface and the clamping motor is controlled to increase the clamping force on the endoscope, thereby reducing front-end resistance and increasing delivery force, thereby improving the performance of the conveyor in delivering the endoscope. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force during endoscope delivery is less than the friction threshold, the syringe pump is controlled to reduce the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface, thereby increasing friction and reducing slippage, thereby improving the performance of the conveyor in delivering the endoscope. This method helps improve the endoscope delivery performance of the flexible endoscope robot and reduce displacement losses during endoscope delivery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a conventional flexible endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flexible endoscope robot system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an operating unit of a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flexible endoscope robot delivery unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an endoscope installation for a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 6 A flowchart of an endoscope delivery control method based on a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of an endoscope conveyor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 8This is a flow chart of a method for controlling an endoscope operating unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a process of controlling the rotation of an endoscope by a controller provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an operating table provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of information interaction between a controller and other components in a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 12 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an endoscope control device based on a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 13 This is a schematic structural diagram of a controller of a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] The embodiment of the present application designs a mucus removal mechanism at the robot conveyor site, an endoscope friction monitoring device, and a mucus injection device to control the delivery propulsion amount of the robot along with the handle and the change in the endoscope delivery displacement to change more accurately and stably.

[0072] When the flexible endoscope manipulation robot system is in use, the movement of the endoscope's tip is limited by the endoscope's hardware bending structure, and the endoscope can only bend within a limited range. When the doctor sees blurry endoscopic images or needs to trigger water vapor and suction functions in specific scenarios, the robot is designed in this embodiment to monitor the operating environment air pressure, the bending angle of the endoscope tip, and image blur. It also has an operation strategy that determines the conditions for automatic water vapor triggering and provides an early warning of excessive motion position of the endoscope tip.

[0073] This embodiment of the present application proposes a method for detecting and controlling endoscope operations using a flexible endoscope robot. The method includes methods for controlling endoscope transport, endoscope lens tip, and endoscope moisture and suction functions during the operation of the flexible endoscope robot. A controller monitors information such as transport friction, mucus injection pump injection volume, ambient air pressure, and endoscope lens tip bending angle, and parses operating instructions issued by the console to control robot motion. This method prevents damage to the robot's hardware due to excessive movement and provides prompts and filtering for illegal operations, thus protecting the safety of the robot and the patient.

[0074] The following is an example of the architecture of the flexible endoscope robot used in the embodiments of the present application.

[0075] Traditional flexible endoscopy, taking digestive flexible endoscopy as an example, see Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a traditional flexible endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application. The doctor holds the front end of the flexible endoscope in his right hand and the operating part 101 of the flexible endoscope in his left hand and places it on his chest. He uses his thumb, middle finger and ring finger to adjust the size knobs, such as the large wave wheel 106, the small wave wheel 107, the function button 108, etc. The middle finger controls the steam valve button 102 for air and water injection, and the index finger controls the suction valve button 103. When controlling the advance and retreat of the flexible endoscope, it is necessary to rotate the mirror body to always maintain a good field of view. When reaching the lesion or the area requiring biopsy, the corresponding instrument is inserted from the instrument channel 104 through the instrument channel inside the insertion part to the head end 105. The corresponding operation is completed with the cooperation of the visual field under the microscope.

[0076] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a soft endoscope robot system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 In the figure, the flexible endoscope robotic system includes a robotic trolley 201, robotic arms 202 and 203, an endoscope conveying device 204, an endoscope operating device 205, a controller 208, a doctor's console 206, and a supporting workstation. In master-slave control mode, the doctor's operating commands are converted into the movements of the robotic arms 202 and 203, which control the movement of the endoscope conveying device 204 and the endoscope operating device 205. The endoscope operating device 205 controls the curvature of the flexible endoscope. The endoscope conveying device 204 controls the length of the flexible endoscope that enters the human body. The endoscope operating device 205 and the endoscope conveying device 204 simultaneously control the rotation of the flexible endoscope, or they can be controlled independently, with the other following. The endoscope operating device 205 can also drive the instruments associated with the flexible endoscope.

[0077] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a flexible endoscope robot operating unit provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 In FIG, the operating part of the flexible endoscope robot includes a suction button 301 , a water-gas button 302 , an operating part 303 , an endoscope operating part 304 , an adapter 305 and an endoscope dial 306 .

[0078] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a flexible endoscope robot delivery unit provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 In the figure, the conveying part of the flexible endoscope robot includes an endoscope 401, a syringe pump 402 and a conveyor 403.

[0079] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the installation of a flexible endoscope robot endoscope provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 5 In the figure, the installation process of the endoscope of the flexible endoscope robot involves an instrument channel 501, a conveying part 502 and an endoscope harness 503.

[0080] In this embodiment, after the endoscope robot is installed with the robot operating unit adapter 305 and the conveyor 403 in the conveyor unit 502, the robot returns to its zero position and installs the endoscope 401. The operating unit 303 of the endoscope 401 is mounted on the adapter 305 of the robot arm operating unit and secured with a quick-connect buckle. The bending portion of the endoscope 401 is mounted on the conveyor 403 of the robot conveyor unit and secured with a clamping motor. The doctor can control the robot by moving the console handle to trigger functions such as conveying, bending, water vapor, and suction of the endoscope 401.

[0081] See also Figure 6 6 is a flow chart of an endoscope transport control method based on a soft endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is executed by a controller of the soft endoscope robot and includes the following steps.

[0082] S601: The controller receives an endoscope transport instruction from an operating console handle, where the endoscope transport instruction instructs to control the endoscope transport target displacement.

[0083] During the operation, the doctor can operate the endoscope by pushing the console handle forward. In response to the pushing operation, the console handle issues an endoscope delivery instruction to the controller.

[0084] S602: The controller sends a displacement movement instruction to the conveyor, where the displacement movement instruction instructs the conveyor to convey the endoscope according to the target displacement.

[0085] The controller determines the handle's displacement based on the handle's forward push speed per unit time. The controller then determines the target displacement for endoscope delivery based on a mapping between the handle's displacement and the endoscope's delivery displacement. Based on the target displacement for endoscope delivery, a displacement motion instruction is generated and sent to the conveyor. The displacement motion instruction carries the target displacement, thereby informing the conveyor of the required distance for transporting the endoscope.

[0086] After receiving the displacement motion command, the conveyor transports the endoscope according to the target displacement. During the endoscope transport process, the conveyor's passive wheel encoder, which includes a passive wheel in contact with the endoscope, detects the rotation angle of the passive wheel. Based on this rotation angle, the actual displacement of the endoscope is determined and transmitted to the controller.

[0087] S603 , during the endoscope delivery process, the controller receives the delivery position of the endoscope, and determines the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the delivery position of the endoscope.

[0088] In some embodiments, the conveyor detects the delivery position of the endoscope 401 in real time via the position detection module 701 and transmits the delivery position of the endoscope 401 to the controller. The controller receives the delivery position of the endoscope from the position detection module 701. The controller compares the delivery position of the endoscope 401 before the displacement movement instruction is sent to the conveyor with the delivery position of the endoscope 401 when the conveyor finishes transporting the endoscope 401, and determines the distance between the two delivery positions as the actual displacement of the endoscope.

[0089] S604: The controller detects whether the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement.

[0090] As an example, the controller determines the deviation between the endoscope's actual displacement and the target displacement, and based on this deviation, determines the actual delivery completion of the doctor's endoscope delivery instruction. Specifically, the controller compares the deviation between the endoscope's actual displacement and the target displacement with an acceptable displacement loss. If the deviation is less than the acceptable displacement loss, the controller determines that the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements. If the deviation is greater than or equal to the acceptable displacement loss, the controller determines that the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements. The acceptable displacement loss is, for example, the product of the target displacement and a set percentage, where the set percentage is, for example, 80%.

[0091] S605: If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements, the controller further determines whether the mucus injection volume of the injection pump is equal to the set initial injection volume.

[0092] S610: If the mucus injection volume of the syringe pump is not equal to the set initial injection volume, the controller adjusts the injection volume of the mucus added by the syringe pump to the endoscope surface to the set initial injection volume.

[0093] S606, if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements, the controller further determines whether the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold. If the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, S607 is executed.

[0094] In some embodiments, the conveyor detects the friction force conveyed by the endoscope 401 in real time through the friction force detection module 702 and sends the friction force conveyed by the endoscope 401 to the controller.

[0095] The friction threshold is, for example, the product of the friction during normal endoscope transport and a set percentage, where the set percentage is, for example, 80%. The friction during normal endoscope transport is obtained by testing the friction during endoscope transport when the endoscope transport capacity meets the requirements.

[0096] S607: If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, the controller controls the injection pump to reduce the injection amount of the mucus added to the surface of the endoscope.

[0097] If the friction force during endoscope delivery is less than the friction threshold, it indicates that slippage has occurred, resulting in too little friction. Therefore, by reducing the injection volume of the mucus injection pump, friction is increased, slippage is reduced, and the performance of the conveyor in delivering endoscopes is improved.

[0098] For example, please refer to the attached Figure 7 , attached Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of an endoscope conveyor 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The endoscope conveyor 700 includes a position detection module 701, a friction detection module 702, a motor motion module 703, an injection pump module 704 and a glue injection mechanism 705.

[0099] The friction force detection module 702 is connected to the detection module 708 via a connecting rod 706 and a guide tube 707. The detection module 708 is installed on the surface of the endoscope 401 in front of the conveyor 700.

[0100] S608, if the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, the controller controls the injection pump to increase the injection amount of mucus added to the endoscope surface and controls the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope.

[0101] If the friction force during endoscope transport is greater than or equal to the friction threshold, it indicates that the endoscope did not slip during transport. In this case, the displacement loss during endoscope transport is believed to be due to excessive front-end resistance, which is insufficient for the transport capacity to overcome. Therefore, this embodiment increases transport capacity through two methods. One method is to increase the amount of mucus injected, thereby reducing the sliding friction coefficient and reducing front-end resistance. The other method is to increase the clamping force on the endoscope, thereby increasing the transport force and improving the performance of the conveyor in transporting endoscopes.

[0102] S609, the controller determines whether the clamping force of the clamping motor is less than the clamping force threshold. If the clamping force of the clamping motor is less than the clamping force threshold, continue to execute S608. If the clamping force of the clamping motor is greater than or equal to the clamping force threshold, execute S607.

[0103] In some embodiments, if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold, the controller further adjusts the vibration frequency of the console handle to prompt the user that the current delivery capacity has decreased.

[0104] In some embodiments, if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold, and the friction of the endoscope transportation is less than a friction threshold, in this case, it is considered that the endoscope transportation has slipped, and a slip prompt is displayed in a flashing form in the interface. The slip prompt is used to indicate that the endoscope has slipped during the transportation process.

[0105] The method provided in this embodiment detects whether the actual delivery completion of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement after receiving the endoscope delivery instruction. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force during endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction threshold, the syringe pump is controlled to increase the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface and the clamping motor is controlled to increase the clamping force on the endoscope, thereby reducing front-end resistance and increasing delivery force, thereby improving the performance of the conveyor in delivering the endoscope. If the actual delivery completion of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force during endoscope delivery is less than the friction threshold, the syringe pump is controlled to reduce the injection volume of mucus added to the endoscope surface, thereby increasing friction and reducing slippage, thereby improving the performance of the conveyor in delivering the endoscope. This method helps improve the endoscope delivery performance of the flexible endoscope robot and reduce displacement losses during endoscope delivery.

[0106] The following is an example of the control method of the endoscope operating part in the embodiment of the present application.

[0107] For example, please refer to the attached Figure 8 , attached Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling an endoscope operating part provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is executed by a controller of a flexible endoscope robot and includes the following steps.

[0108] S801, the controller receives an inner lens end bending instruction from the operating console handle, where the inner lens end bending instruction instructs the inner lens end to be controlled to perform bending motion.

[0109] The doctor can trigger the bending instruction of the end of the endoscope lens through the operating table handle, and the operating table handle sends the bending instruction of the end of the endoscope lens to the controller.

[0110] S802 (not shown in the figure), the controller sends a pulsator rotation movement instruction to the pulsator motor of the robot arm operating part, the pulsator motor is used to control the rotation of the pulsator of the endoscope operating part, and the pulsator rotation can drive the end of the endoscope lens to perform bending movement.

[0111] S803, during the bending process of the inner lens end, the controller detects whether the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit.

[0112] Specifically, the controller compares the actual position of the pulsator motor with its limit position to detect whether the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit. For example, the controller obtains the distance between the actual position of the pulsator motor and its limit position and determines whether the distance satisfies a first limit-exceeding condition. If the distance between the actual position of the pulsator motor and its limit position satisfies the first limit-exceeding condition, the pulsator motor is considered to have exceeded the limit. The limit position of the pulsator motor corresponds to the limit position of the endoscope bending.

[0113] S804: If the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit, the controller outputs a prompt indicating that the impeller motor position exceeds the limit.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the controller displays a first over-limit prompt icon in a flashing manner in the interface and adjusts the vibration frequency of the console handle. The first over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual position of the pulsator motor is out of limit.

[0115] In one possible implementation of determining whether the distance between the actual position of the impeller motor and the extreme position of the impeller motor satisfies the first over-limit condition, if the distance between the actual position of the impeller motor and the extreme position of the impeller motor is zero, that is, the actual position of the impeller motor has reached the extreme position, then it is determined that the first over-limit condition is satisfied. In another possible implementation, the distance between the actual position of the impeller motor and the extreme position of the impeller motor is compared with a first distance threshold. If the distance between the actual position of the impeller motor and the extreme position of the impeller motor is less than the first distance threshold, in this case, it is considered that the actual position of the impeller motor is close to the extreme position and the risk of damage to the endoscope is relatively high. Therefore, by outputting a rotation over-limit prompt, such as a vibration prompt of the console handle and a flashing console interface icon, the user is prompted that the position of the impeller motor is over-limit, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the endoscope due to the position of the impeller motor being over-limit.

[0116] S808: If the actual position of the pulsator motor does not exceed the limit, the controller continues to control the bending movement of the inner lens end.

[0117] During the doctor's operation, the doctor issues water vapor and suction instructions to the controller through the console handle. After receiving the instructions, the controller issues mapped motor motion instructions to the water vapor and suction motors of the robotic arm operating part. By pressing the function handle button on the endoscope operating part, the endoscope lens end performs water vapor and suction operations.

[0118] S809 (not shown in the figure): the controller obtains an endoscopic image captured by the camera at the end of the endoscopic lens.

[0119] Specifically, a camera is provided at the end of the inner lens, and the camera is used to capture the field of view in front of the inner lens end. The controller instructs the camera to capture images in real time, thereby obtaining an endoscopic image.

[0120] S810: Perform blur detection on the endoscopic image. Specifically, use a Laplace operator to perform convolution and variance operations on the endoscopic image to obtain a blur score of the endoscopic image.

[0121] The blur score is used to represent the blur degree of the endoscopic image. For example, a larger blur score indicates a higher blur degree of the endoscopic image.

[0122] S811: If the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds the blur score threshold, detect whether the air pressure value of the operating space at the end of the endoscopic lens is less than the air pressure threshold.

[0123] S812: If the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds the blur score threshold, and the operating console has not currently issued a motion instruction, and the air pressure value of the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens is less than the air pressure threshold, the endoscope is controlled to perform water vapor operation and suction operation to clear the blur state of the camera lens at the end of the endoscope lens.

[0124] If the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds the blur score threshold, it indicates that the endoscopic image is too blurry. There may be some mucus stains on the camera lens at the end of the endoscopic lens, which affects the doctor's field of vision. Therefore, a water-vapor operation is performed to clean the lens at the end of the endoscopic lens, thereby removing the mucus stains adhered to the camera lens at the end of the endoscopic lens and improving the imaging clarity of the camera lens at the end of the endoscopic lens.

[0125] S813: If the air pressure value of the operating space at the end of the inner lens is greater than the air pressure threshold, a high air pressure prompt is displayed in the interface, and guidance information for the suction operation is provided to the user.

[0126] Specifically, the interface of the endoscope instrument channel is connected to an external air pressure detection module. Since the endoscope instrument channel is connected to the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens, the air pressure in the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens can be detected. The controller collects the air pressure value of the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens and compares it with a set air pressure threshold. If the air pressure in the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens is detected to be greater than the set air pressure threshold, an interface prompt is displayed indicating that the air pressure is too high, and guidance on the use of related operations such as suction is provided, thereby reducing the safety risks caused by excessive air pressure in the operating space at the end of the endoscope lens.

[0127] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the process of controlling the rotation of the endoscope by the controller provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes the following steps.

[0128] S814: The controller receives an endoscope rotation instruction from the console handle, where the endoscope rotation instruction instructs the endoscope to rotate.

[0129] During the doctor's operation, the doctor triggers the endoscope rotation command through the console handle, and the console handle sends the endoscope rotation command to the controller.

[0130] S815: The controller sends an operating part rotation motion instruction to the rotary motor of the manipulator operating part, and the rotary motor is used to drive the endoscope to rotate.

[0131] S816: The controller detects whether the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit based on the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position of the endoscope.

[0132] For example, the controller compares the actual rotational position of the endoscope with the rotational limit position of the endoscope to detect whether the actual rotational position of the endoscope exceeds the limit. For example, the controller obtains the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position of the endoscope, and determines whether the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position of the endoscope satisfies a second excess limit condition. For example, if the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position is zero, that is, the actual rotational position of the endoscope reaches the rotational limit position, then it is determined that the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position satisfies the second excess limit condition. For another example, if the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position is less than a second distance threshold, that is, the actual rotational position of the endoscope is close to the rotational limit position, then it is determined that the distance between the actual rotational position of the endoscope and the rotational limit position satisfies the second excess limit condition.

[0133] S817: If the actual rotational position of the endoscope exceeds the limit, the controller outputs a rotational limit exceeding prompt. For example, the controller displays a second exceeding limit prompt icon in a flashing manner on the interface and adjusts the vibration frequency of the console handle. The second exceeding limit prompt icon is used to indicate that the actual rotational position of the endoscope exceeds the limit.

[0134] Since the rotation of the endoscope operating part is affected by the endoscope wiring harness, the rotation of the endoscope operating part is subject to rotation limits. If the distance between the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position is greater than the distance between the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position, that is, the actual rotation position of the endoscope has reached the limit position, or the distance between the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position is less than the distance threshold, that is, the actual rotation position of the endoscope is close to the limit position, in this case, the risk of damage to the endoscope is relatively high. Therefore, the user is prompted by the vibration prompt of the console handle and the flashing of the console interface icon to indicate that the position of the impeller motor is out of limit, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the endoscope caused by the endoscope's rotation position exceeding the limit.

[0135] For example, see Figure 10 , Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an operating table provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 10 In FIG, the flexible endoscope robot system includes a console 206 , a display 901 and a handle 902 .

[0136] For example, see Figure 11 , Figure 11 A schematic diagram of information interaction between a controller and other components in a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0137] See Figure 11 In (a), the controller sends operation status and feedback to the console. The console sends the operation status to the UI display. The console sends feedback to the handles and pedals. The handles and pedals send operation commands to the console. The console receives the operation commands from the handles and pedals and sends them to the controller.

[0138] See Figure 11 In (b), the controller sends control instructions to the conveyor, and the conveyor sends information about each motor and each sensor in the conveyor to the controller.

[0139] See Figure 11 In (c), the controller sends control instructions to the operator, and the operator sends information about each motor and each sensor in the operator to the controller.

[0140] Figure 12 : is a structural schematic diagram of an endoscope control device 600 based on a flexible endoscope robot provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 600 is provided in a controller of the flexible endoscope robot, and the device 600 includes:

[0141] The receiving unit 610 is configured to receive an endoscope transport instruction from an operation console handle, wherein the endoscope transport instruction instructs to control the endoscope transport target displacement;

[0142] A sending unit 620 is used to send a displacement movement instruction to the conveyor, wherein the displacement movement instruction instructs the endoscope to be conveyed according to the target displacement;

[0143] The receiving unit 610 is further configured to receive the delivery position of the endoscope sent by the conveyor during the delivery of the endoscope, and determine the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the delivery position of the endoscope;

[0144] The processing unit 630 is used to detect whether the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to increase the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope, and control the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to reduce the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope.

[0145] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 610 is further configured to receive an endoscope end bending instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope end bending instruction instructs the endoscope end to perform a bending movement;

[0146] The sending unit 620 is further configured to send a pulsator rotation movement instruction to the pulsator motor of the manipulator operating part, wherein the pulsator motor is configured to drive the pulsator to rotate, and the pulsator rotation can drive the end portion of the endoscope to perform bending movement;

[0147] The processing unit 630 is also used to detect whether the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit during the bending process of the head end of the endoscope based on the actual position of the impeller motor and the limit position of the impeller motor. The limit position of the impeller motor corresponds to the limit position of the bending of the endoscope; if the distance between the actual position of the impeller motor and the limit position of the impeller motor meets the first over-limit condition, the first over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating console handle is adjusted. The first over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual position of the impeller motor exceeds the limit.

[0148] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 610 is further configured to receive an endoscope rotation instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope rotation instruction instructs the endoscope to rotate;

[0149] The sending unit 620 is further used to send an operating part rotation movement instruction to the rotary motor of the manipulator operating part, and the rotary motor is used to drive the endoscope to rotate;

[0150] The processing unit 630 is also used to detect whether the distance between the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position meets the second over-limit condition based on the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position of the endoscope; if the distance between the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position meets the second over-limit condition, the second over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating console handle is adjusted. The second over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit.

[0151] In some embodiments, the processing unit 630 is further used to obtain an endoscopic image captured by a camera provided at the head end of the endoscope; perform convolution and variance operations on the endoscopic image using a Laplace operator to obtain a blur score of the endoscopic image, where the blur score is used to characterize the degree of blur of the endoscopic image; if the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds a blur score threshold, and the operating console has not currently issued a motion instruction, and the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is less than the air pressure threshold, the endoscope is controlled to perform a water vapor operation to clear the blur state of the camera lens.

[0152] In some embodiments, the processing unit 630 is further configured to detect the air pressure value of the operating space at the tip of the endoscope;

[0153] The device also includes: a display unit, which is used to display a high pressure prompt in the interface if the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is greater than the air pressure threshold, and provide the user with guidance information for the suction operation.

[0154] In some embodiments, the processing unit 630 is further configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the operating console handle if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold.

[0155] In some embodiments, the processing unit 630 is further configured to display a slip prompt icon in a flashing manner in the interface if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold and the friction force of the endoscope transportation is less than a friction threshold. The slip prompt icon is configured to prompt that the endoscope slips during transportation.

[0156] In some embodiments, the actual displacement of the endoscope is detected by a passive wheel encoder built into the conveyor, and the friction force of the endoscope conveyance is detected by a detection module installed on the surface of the endoscope before the conveyor.

[0157] Figure 13 The controller 700 of the flexible endoscope robot provided in the embodiment of the present application is a schematic diagram of the structure of the controller 700, which includes: a processor 710, the processor 710 is coupled to a memory 720, and the memory 720 stores at least one computer program instruction, and the at least one computer program instruction is loaded and executed by the processor 710 to enable the flexible endoscope robot to achieve the above Figure 6 Example or Figure 8 Example or Figure 9 The method provided in the embodiment.

[0158] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments.

[0159] A refers to B, which means that A is the same as B or A is a simple variant of B.

[0160] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. Computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media. Available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, tape), optical media (e.g., DVD), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0161] The above embodiments 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, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An endoscope control device based on a flexible endoscope robot, characterized in that: A controller provided in a flexible endoscope robot, the device comprising: a receiving unit, configured to receive an endoscope transport instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope transport instruction indicates controlling a target displacement of the endoscope transport; a sending unit, configured to send a displacement movement instruction to the conveyor, wherein the displacement movement instruction instructs the endoscope to be conveyed according to the target displacement; The receiving unit is further configured to receive the conveying position of the endoscope sent by the conveyor during the conveying process of the endoscope, and determine the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the conveying position of the endoscope; A processing unit is used to detect whether the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope meets the requirements based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to increase the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope, and control the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope; if the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, control the injection pump to reduce the injection amount of mucus added to the surface of the endoscope.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The receiving unit is further configured to receive an endoscope end bending instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope end bending instruction instructs the endoscope head end to perform bending motion; The sending unit is further used to send a pulsator rotation movement instruction to the pulsator motor of the robot arm operating part, wherein the pulsator motor is used to drive the pulsator to rotate, and the pulsator rotation can drive the head end of the endoscope to perform bending movement; The processing unit is further configured to detect whether the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds a limit during the bending process of the endoscope tip, based on the actual position of the pulsator motor and the limit position of the pulsator motor, wherein the limit position of the pulsator motor corresponds to the limit position of the bending of the endoscope; If the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit, a first over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating table handle is adjusted. The first over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual position of the pulsator motor exceeds the limit.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The receiving unit is further configured to receive an endoscope rotation instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope rotation instruction instructs the endoscope to rotate; The sending unit is further used to send an operating part rotation movement instruction to the rotary motor of the manipulator operating part, and the rotary motor is used to drive the endoscope to rotate; The processing unit is also used to detect whether the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit based on the actual rotation position of the endoscope and the rotation limit position of the endoscope; if the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit, a second over-limit prompt icon is displayed in a flashing manner in the interface, and the vibration frequency of the operating console handle is adjusted, and the second over-limit prompt icon is used to prompt that the actual rotation position of the endoscope exceeds the limit.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to obtain an endoscopic image captured by a camera provided at the end of the endoscope; perform a convolution operation and a variance operation on the endoscopic image using a Laplace operator to obtain a blur score of the endoscopic image, wherein the blur score is used to represent a degree of blur of the endoscopic image; If the blur score of the endoscopic image exceeds the blur score threshold, and the operating console has not currently issued a motion instruction, and the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is less than the air pressure threshold, the endoscope is controlled to perform water vapor operation to clear the blur state of the camera lens.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processing unit is also used to detect the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope; if the air pressure value of the operating space at the head end of the endoscope is greater than the air pressure threshold, a prompt indicating that the air pressure is too high is displayed in the interface, and guidance information for the use of the suction operation is provided to the user.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to adjust the vibration frequency of the operating table handle if a deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than a deviation threshold.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processing unit is also used to display a slip prompt icon in a flashing manner in the interface if the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement is greater than the deviation threshold and the friction force of the endoscope transportation is less than the friction threshold. The slip prompt icon is used to prompt that the endoscope slips during transportation.

8. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The actual displacement of the endoscope is detected by a passive wheel encoder built into the conveyor, and the friction force of the endoscope conveyance is detected by a detection module on the surface of the endoscope before the conveyor is installed.

9. A controller for a flexible endoscope robot, characterized in that: The controller includes a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one computer program instruction, and the at least one computer program instruction is loaded and executed by the processor to enable the controller to implement the following steps: receiving an endoscope transport instruction from an operating console handle, wherein the endoscope transport instruction instructs controlling the endoscope transport target displacement; sending a displacement movement instruction to a conveyor, wherein the displacement movement instruction instructs the endoscope to be conveyed according to the target displacement; During the endoscope conveying process, receiving the conveying position of the endoscope sent by the conveyor, and determining the actual displacement of the endoscope based on the conveying position of the endoscope; Based on the deviation between the actual displacement of the endoscope and the target displacement, detecting whether the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope meets the requirements; If the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is greater than or equal to the friction force threshold, controlling the injection pump to increase the injection amount of the mucus added to the surface of the endoscope, and controlling the clamping motor to increase the clamping force on the endoscope; If the actual delivery completion degree of the endoscope does not meet the requirements and the friction force of the endoscope delivery is less than the friction force threshold, the injection pump is controlled to reduce the injection amount of mucus added to the endoscope surface.

Images