Information processing device, endoscope system, and processing method

Abstract

An information processing device (20) includes a processor (22) including hardware. The processor (22) acquires an attribute of an examinee, sets a condition related to control information regarding the insertion of an endoscope on the basis of the acquired attribute of the examinee, and generates control information on the basis of the set condition.

Description

Information processing device, endoscope system, and processing method

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an endoscope system, a processing method, and the like.

[0002] There is a demand for technology to perform endoscopic examinations of areas such as the large intestine without causing pain to the subject. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for creating operation support information using primary information acquired by various sensors attached to an endoscope and secondary information obtained by processing the acquired primary information, based on operation data from past examinations of the subject into which the endoscope is inserted and past support information.

[0003] International Publication No. 2016 / 135966

[0004] When a subject undergoes an endoscopic examination for the first time, the subject's attribute information is known in advance, but no specific method has been proposed for setting parameters for operating an endoscope based on this information. The method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applicable only to subjects who have previously undergone an endoscopic examination.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing device that includes a processor including hardware, which acquires attributes of a subject, sets conditions related to control information for inserting an endoscope based on the acquired attributes of the subject, and generates the control information based on the set conditions.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention relates to an endoscope system including the above-described information processing device and the endoscope.

[0007] Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a processing method that performs the steps of acquiring attributes of a subject, setting conditions for control information related to the insertion of an endoscope based on the acquired attributes of the subject, and generating the control information based on the set conditions.

[0008] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the large intestine. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a motorized endoscope system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a drive control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a bending section and its drive mechanism. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an advance / retreat drive device. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a connecting section including a roll drive device. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of an endoscope system. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for automatic insertion control. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process related to the technique of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for setting conditions. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between operation difficulty and control information. (A) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a subject's age and difficulty rank. (B) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a subject's gender and difficulty rank. (A) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a subject's BMI and difficulty rank. (B) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a subject's height and difficulty rank. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a combination of a subject's age and gender and difficulty rank. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process related to the technique of this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for setting conditions. (A) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a combination of a drug to be administered and a subject's gender and difficulty rank. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between a combination of past examination information and the gender of a subject, and a difficulty rank; a flowchart illustrating an example of processing related to changing conditions; a diagram illustrating the relationship between operation difficulty and a technique algorithm; and a diagram illustrating an example of information related to operation difficulty.

[0009] The present embodiment will be described below. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential constituent elements of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device 20 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 20 according to this embodiment includes a processor 22. The processor 22 acquires subject attributes, which will be described later. The subject refers to a person undergoing an endoscopic examination, which is an examination using an endoscope 100, which will be described later. In other words, the technique according to this embodiment relates to the control of the endoscope 100 used in the endoscopic examination. The subject attributes refer to properties or characteristics that distinguish one subject from another and that are common to multiple subjects. Specific examples include age, gender, height, weight, BMI, etc., but other properties or characteristics may also be used, as will be described in detail later. The processor 22 generates control information, which will be described later, based on the acquired subject attributes. The control information refers to parameters for controlling a drive device that drives the endoscope 100, and more specifically, parameters for controlling a drive control device 200, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and other figures. In other words, the technique according to this embodiment can also be implemented as an endoscope system 10 including the information processing device 20 and the endoscope 100. A more detailed example of the endoscope system 10 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

[0011] The processor 22 of this embodiment is configured with the following hardware. The hardware can include at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the hardware can be configured with one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on a circuit board. The one or more circuit devices are, for example, ICs, etc. The one or more circuit elements are, for example, resistors, capacitors, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, for example, the information processing device 20 of this embodiment may include a memory (not shown) and a processor 22 that operates based on information stored in the memory. This allows the processor 22 to function as the processing unit 24. The information may be, for example, a program and various data. The processor 22 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a register, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive, or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive. For example, the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the functions of each unit of the processing unit 24 are realized as processing by the processor 22 executing the instructions. The instructions here may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a program, or instructions that instruct the hardware circuitry of the processor 22 to operate. The memory is also referred to as a storage device. For the sake of convenience, the subject of processing related to the method of this embodiment is unified as the processor 22 unless otherwise specified, but it can be appropriately interpreted as a processing unit 24 as software, etc.

[0013] The above-described program can be stored in a non-transitory information storage medium, which is a computer-readable medium. The information storage medium can be realized by, for example, an optical disk, a memory card, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory can be, for example, a ROM or a non-volatile memory.

[0014] In the following description, colonoscopy is exemplified as an endoscopic examination according to the technique of this embodiment. That is, the endoscope 100 of this embodiment is exemplified as a flexible endoscope for observing the large intestine. The same applies to the tip portion 130 and the like included in the endoscope 100. However, the following description does not preclude the application of the technique of this embodiment to endoscopic examinations other than colonoscopy.

[0015] This section explains colonoscopy. Statistics show that colon cancer ranks highly among the most common cancers detected by organ in both men and women. While colon cancer is highly curable if detected early, symptoms are often unnoticeable in the early stages. Therefore, regular checkups are recommended to detect colon cancer early. If the fecal occult blood test, one of the tests, is positive, colon cancer is suspected, and a colonoscopy is performed to examine the colon in more detail. Alternatively, if symptoms suggestive of colon cancer, such as bloody stool, are detected, a colonoscopy is also performed. Subjects undergoing colonoscopy visit a hospital or other facility with their colon emptied through pre-treatment, etc., before undergoing the colonoscopy.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the large intestine. The large intestine is an intraperitoneal organ extending from the anus indicated by C1 toward the oral cavity and extending to the small intestine indicated by C9. The portion from the anus to the position indicated by C2 is referred to as the rectum, the portion from the position indicated by C2 to the position indicated by C3 is referred to as the sigmoid colon, and the portion from the position indicated by C3 to the position indicated by C4 is referred to as the descending colon. The boundary between the sigmoid colon and the descending colon indicated by C3 is referred to as the SD junction. The portion from the position indicated by C4 to the position indicated by C5 is referred to as the transverse colon, the portion from the position indicated by C5 to the position indicated by C6 is referred to as the ascending colon, the portion indicated by C7 is referred to as the cecum, and the portion indicated by C8 is referred to as the appendix. In this embodiment, the side toward which the endoscope 100 advances during colonoscopy is sometimes referred to as the back side. In other words, the cecum is the backmost part of the large intestine, and the anus is the frontmost part. In a colonoscopy, the lumen is inflated with a gas such as carbon dioxide, and the endoscope 100 is inserted so that the distal end portion 130 (described later) reaches the cecum, and observation is performed while the endoscope 100 is pulled back. Note that in the following description, inserting the endoscope 100 may be more specifically referred to as inserting the insertion portion 110, but the two terms are synonymous.

[0017] Colonoscopy is an examination that requires a high level of difficulty in inserting the endoscope 100. Here, "high level of difficulty in insertion" means that it is difficult to safely reach the distal end 130 of the endoscope 100 to the desired position. "Safely reaching the distal end 130 of the endoscope 100" means inserting the endoscope 100 so that the subject feels as little pain as possible.

[0018] One reason why a subject may experience pain during a colonoscopy is, for example, overstretching of the mesentery. More specifically, among the portions of the large intestine shown in FIG. 2 , the transverse colon and sigmoid colon are covered by the mesentery and are suspended from the abdominal wall, etc., via the mesentery, making them mobile. Therefore, if the sigmoid colon, etc., are excessively moved by force from the insertion section 110 (described below) during insertion of the endoscope 100, the mesentery is overstretched, causing the subject to feel pain via nerves passing through the mesentery. The ascending colon, descending colon, and rectum, however, do not have a mesentery and are fixed directly to the abdominal wall, etc., and therefore do not move. Therefore, the difficulty of inserting the endoscope 100 into the ascending colon, descending colon, and rectum is lower than the difficulty of inserting the endoscope 100 into the transverse colon and sigmoid colon.

[0019] The technique using the information processing device 20 of this embodiment can be applied to an endoscope system 10 in which operation is automatically controlled. Here, "automatically controlled operation" means that the endoscope 100 is operated not by manual operation by a user such as an operator, but by automatic operation by a drive control device 200 (described later), etc. In other words, the endoscope 100 in this embodiment is motorized, and the technique of this embodiment is applied to the motorized endoscope system 10. Note that the entity operating the information processing device 20, endoscope 100, etc. can also be called the operator, but in the following description, this entity will be referred to as the user.

[0020] Furthermore, automatic control, more specifically, refers to, for example, fully automatic control, but may also be semi-automatic control or partially automatic control. Fully automatic control refers to the drive control device 200 performing all control of the endoscope 100, such as the advancing / retreating operation, bending operation, and roll rotation operation described below. Note that advancing / retreating is a simplified expression for advancing / retreating. Furthermore, the roll rotation operation in this embodiment refers to the operation of rotating the insertion section 110 about the roll axis, where the axis of the internal flexible section 119 described below in FIG. 7 is the roll axis. For example, the advancing / retreating direction shown in B1 described below in FIG. 6 is the direction along the roll axis. Furthermore, semi-automatic control refers to the drive control device 200 performing one or more, but not all, of the operations of the endoscope 100. More specifically, for example, in a situation where the bending operation is performed based on the judgment of the drive control device 200, while the advancing / retreating operation and roll rotation operation are performed based on the judgment of the user, the endoscopic system 10 is controlled semi-automatically. Furthermore, partially automatic control means that, for example, when the endoscope 100 is smoothly inserted, the endoscope 100 is operated at the discretion of the user, but in a predetermined situation, the drive control device 200 operates the endoscope 100. The predetermined situation means, for example, a situation in which a predetermined loop described below occurs in the insertion section 110 described below, making it difficult for the user to continue inserting the endoscope 100 depending on the user's ability.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration example of a motorized endoscopic system 10. However, the motorized endoscopic system 10 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 3 , and many known configurations have been proposed, and the method of this embodiment can be widely applied. The endoscopic system 10 shown in FIG. 3 is a system for observing or treating the inside of the body of a subject lying on an operating table T. The endoscopic system 10 includes an endoscope 100, a control device 600, an operation device 300, a treatment tool 400, an advance / retreat drive device 800, and a display device 900. The control device 600 includes a drive control device 200 and an image control device 500. The control device 600 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the information processing device 20 in FIG. 1 .

[0022] The endoscope 100 is a device that is inserted into a lumen of a subject to observe an affected area. In this embodiment, the side that is inserted into the lumen of the subject is called the "distal side," and the side that is attached to the control device 600 is called the "proximal side." The endoscope 100 includes an insertion section 110, a connecting section 125, an extracorporeal flexible section 140, and connectors 201 and 202. The insertion section 110, the connecting section 125, the extracorporeal flexible section 140, and the connectors 201 and 202 are connected in that order from the distal side.

[0023] The insertion section 110 is a portion that is inserted into a lumen of a subject, and is configured in a flexible, elongated shape. The insertion section 110 in Fig. 3 includes a bending section 102, an intracorporeal flexible section 119 that connects the base end of the bending section 102 to the connecting section 125, and a tip section 130 that is provided at the tip of the bending section 102. An internal path 101 is provided inside the insertion section 110, the connecting section 125, and the extracorporeal flexible section 140, and a bending wire 160 (described below) passes through the internal path 101 and is connected to the bending section 102. The drive control device 200 drives the bending wire 160 via the connector 201, thereby bending the bending section 102.

[0024] An image signal line connecting an imaging device (not shown) included in the distal end portion 130 to the connector 202 passes through the internal path 101, and an image signal is transmitted from the imaging device to the image control device 500 via the image signal line. The image control device 500 displays an endoscopic image generated from the image signal on the display device 900.

[0025] The connecting portion 125 is provided with an insertion port 190 for the treatment tool 400 and a roll operating unit 121. The treatment tool channel is provided in the internal path 101, with one end thereof opening to the distal end portion 130 and the other end opening to the insertion port 190 for the treatment tool 400. An extension tube 192 extending from the insertion port 190 to the operating device 300 is connected to the insertion port 190. The treatment tool 400 is inserted from the opening of the extension tube 192 on the operating device 300 side, and protrudes from the opening of the distal end portion 130 via the insertion port 190 and the treatment tool channel. Note that the extension tube 192 may be omitted, and the treatment tool 400 may be inserted from the insertion port 190. The roll operating unit 121 is attached to the connecting portion 125 rotatably about the axial direction of the insertion portion 110, and the insertion portion 110 rolls when the roll operating unit 121 is rotated. As will be described later, the roll operation unit 121 can be electrically driven.

[0026] The advance / retract drive device 800, details of which will be described later with reference to Fig. 6, is a drive device that electrically drives and advances / retracts the insertion section 110. The extracorporeal flexible section 140 is detachable from the advance / retract drive device 800, and with the extracorporeal flexible section 140 attached to the advance / retract drive device 800, the advance / retract drive device 800 slides the extracorporeal flexible section 140 in the axial direction, thereby advancing and retracting the insertion section 110. Note that Fig. 6, which will be described later, shows an example in which the extracorporeal flexible section 140 and the advance / retract drive device 800 are detachable, but this is not limiting, and the connecting section 125 and the advance / retract drive device 800 may be configured to be detachable.

[0027] The drive control device 200 drives an actuator such as a built-in motor under the control of a drive controller 260 (described later) to electrically drive the endoscope 100. Alternatively, if the actuator is external to the drive control device 200, the drive control device 200 controls the electric drive by sending a control signal to the external actuator. The drive control device 200 may also drive a built-in pump or the like to cause the endoscope 100 to perform air supply and suction. Air supply and suction is performed via an air supply and suction tube that passes through an internal path 101. One end of the air supply and suction tube opens at the tip 130 of the endoscope 100, and the other end is connected to the drive control device 200 via a connector 201.

[0028] The operation device 300 is detachably connected to the drive control device 200 via an operation cable 301. The operation device 300 may communicate with the drive control device 200 via wireless communication rather than wired communication. For example, when driving the endoscope 100 semi-automatically or partially automatically as described above, when a user operates the operation device 300, the operation input signal is transmitted to the drive control device 200 via the operation cable 301, and the drive control device 200 electrically drives the endoscope 100 based on the operation input signal so that the endoscope operates in accordance with the operation input. The operation device 300 has an operation input unit with multiple channels corresponding to the forward / backward movement, two-way bending movement, and roll rotation of the endoscope 100. Each operation input unit is composed of, for example, a dial, joystick, cross key, button, switch, or touch panel. Note that the operation of advancing the insertion portion 110 is also referred to as an operation of pushing the insertion portion 110, and the operation of retracting the insertion portion 110 is also referred to as an operation of pulling the insertion portion 110. For example, the control of pushing the endoscope 100 a predetermined distance and the control of pulling the endoscope 100 a predetermined distance can be collectively referred to as advance / retract control. In addition, this advance / retract control may also be referred to as jiggling.

[0029] 4 shows a detailed configuration example of the drive control device 200. The drive control device 200 includes an adapter 210, an operation receiving unit 220, an air supply / suction driving unit 230, a communication unit 240, a wire driving unit 250, a drive controller 260, an image acquisition unit 270, a memory unit 280, and a sensor detection unit 290.

[0030] The adapter 210 includes an operation device adapter 211 to which the operation cable 301 is detachably connected, and an endoscope adapter 212 to which the connector 201 of the endoscope 100 is detachably connected.

[0031] The wire driving unit 250 drives the bending operation of the bending section 102 of the endoscope 100 based on a control signal from the drive controller 260. The wire driving unit 250 includes a bending operation motor unit that drives the bending section 102 of the endoscope 100. The endoscope adapter 212 has a bending operation coupling mechanism for coupling to the bending wire 160 on the endoscope 100 side, and when the bending operation motor unit drives the coupling mechanism, the driving force is transmitted to the bending wire 160 on the endoscope 100 side.

[0032] The air supply and suction drive unit 230 drives the air supply and suction of the endoscope 100 based on a control signal from the drive controller 260. The air supply and suction drive unit 230 is connected to the air supply and suction tube of the endoscope 100 via the endoscope adapter 212. The air supply and suction drive unit 230 includes an insufflation device and the like, and supplies air to the air supply and suction tube and suctions air from the air supply and suction tube.

[0033] The communication unit 240 communicates with drive devices provided outside the drive control device 200. The communication may be wireless or wired. The external drive devices include an advance / retreat drive device 800 that performs advance / retreat movement, a roll drive device 850 that performs roll rotation, and the like.

[0034] The image acquisition unit 270 is a communication interface that receives image data of an endoscopic image via wired or wireless communication from the video control device 500. The drive controller 260 generates insertion control information (described later) based on the endoscopic image acquired from the image acquisition unit 270.

[0035] The drive controller 260 controls the advance / retract movement, bending movement, and roll rotation of the endoscope 100, as well as the supply and suction of air by the endoscope 100. The drive controller 260 is hardware corresponding to the processor 22 in FIG. 1 . The drive controller 260 also controls the electric drive based on an operation input signal from the operation receiving unit 220. Specifically, when a bending operation of the bending section 102 is performed, the drive controller 260 outputs a control signal indicating the bending direction or bending angle to the wire driving unit 250, and the wire driving unit 250 drives the bending wire 160 so that the bending section 102 is bent in that bending direction or bending angle. When an advance / retract operation is performed, the drive controller 260 transmits a control signal indicating the advance / retract direction or the advance / retract movement amount to the advance / retract drive device 800 via the communication unit 240, and the advance / retract drive device 800 advances / retracts the extracorporeal flexible section 140 so that the endoscope 100 advances / retracts in that advance / retract direction or advance / retract movement amount. Furthermore, when a roll rotation operation is performed, the drive controller 260 transmits a control signal indicating the roll rotation direction or roll rotation angle to a roll drive device 850 (described later) via the communication unit 240, and the roll drive device 850 causes the insertion unit 110 to roll in that roll rotation direction or roll rotation angle. Similar control is performed for other electric drives.

[0036] When the sensor detection unit 290 includes a predetermined sensor or the like included in the endoscope 100, it includes an amplifier circuit that amplifies an output signal from the predetermined sensor, and an A / D converter that A / D converts the output signal from the amplifier circuit and outputs the detection data to the drive controller 260. Note that when the endoscope 100 does not include a predetermined sensor, the sensor detection unit 290 may be omitted.

[0037] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an endoscope 100 including a bending section 102 and its drive mechanism. The endoscope 100 includes the bending section 102, a flexible section 104, and a connector 201. The flexible section 104 corresponds to the internal flexible section 119 and the external flexible section 140 described in Fig. 3, and the connecting section 125 is not shown in Fig. 5.

[0038] The bending section 102 and the flexible section 104 are covered by an outer sheath 111. The interior of the tube of this outer sheath 111 corresponds to the internal path 101 in Figure 3. The bending section 102 includes a plurality of bending pieces 120 and a distal end section 130 connected to the distal ends of the bending pieces 120. The plurality of bending pieces 120 and the distal end section 130 are each connected in series from the base end side to the distal end side by a rotatable connecting section 125, forming a multi-joint structure. The connector 201 is provided with an endoscope-side coupling mechanism 162 that is connected to a coupling mechanism on the drive control device 200 side. Attaching this connector 201 to the drive control device 200 enables electric driving of the bending operation. In addition, a bending wire 160 is provided within the outer sheath 111. One end of the bending wire 160 is connected to the distal end portion 130, the bending wire 160 passes through the multiple bending pieces 120 and through the flexible section 104, turns back within the coupling mechanism 162 and passes through the flexible section 104 again, passes through the multiple bending pieces 120, and the other end of the bending wire 160 is connected to the distal end portion 130. The driving force from the wire driving section 250 is transmitted to the bending wire 160 via the coupling mechanism 162 as a traction force of the bending wire 160.

[0039] When the upper wire in the drawing is pulled, as shown by the solid arrow in B2, the lower wire is pushed, thereby bending the multiple joints of the bending piece 120 upward in the drawing. As a result, the bending portion 102 is bent upward in the drawing, as shown by the solid arrow in A2. When the lower wire in the drawing is pulled, as shown by the dotted arrow in B2, the bending portion 102 is similarly bent downward in the drawing, as shown by the dotted arrow in A2. Note that the bending portion 102 can be bent independently in two orthogonal directions. Furthermore, although FIG. 5 shows a bending mechanism for one direction, in reality, two sets of bending wires 160 are provided, and each bending wire 160 is independently pulled by a coupling mechanism 162, thereby enabling independent bending in two directions.

[0040] The mechanism for motorizing bending is not limited to the above. For example, a motor unit may be provided instead of the coupling mechanism 162. Specifically, the drive control device 200 may send a control signal to the motor unit via the connector 201, and the motor unit may drive the bending operation by pulling or loosening the bending wire 160 based on the control signal.

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a detailed configuration example of the advance / retract drive device 800. The advance / retract drive device 800 includes a motor unit 816, a base 818, and a slider 819. As shown in the top and middle figures, an attachment 802 that can be attached to and detached from the motor unit 816 is provided on the extracorporeal flexible section 140 of the endoscope 100. As shown in the middle figure, attaching the attachment 802 to the motor unit 816 enables electric drive for advance / retraction. As shown in the bottom figure, the slider 819 supports the motor unit 816 so that it can move linearly relative to the base 818. This slider 819 is fixed to the operating table T in FIG. 3. As shown in B1, the drive control device 200 transmits an advance or retreat control signal to the motor unit 816 via wireless communication, and the motor unit 816 and the attachment 802 move linearly on the slider 819 based on the control signal. This allows the endoscope 100 to advance and retreat. The drive control device 200 and the motor unit 816 may be connected by wire.

[0042] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the connecting portion 125 including a roll drive device 850. The connecting portion 125 includes a connecting portion main body 124 and a roll drive device 850. The treatment tool insertion port 190 is provided in the connecting portion main body 124 and is connected to the treatment tool channel inside the connecting portion main body 124. The connecting portion main body 124 is cylindrical, and a cylindrical member coaxial with the cylinder is rotatably provided inside the connecting portion main body 124. The base end of the intracorporeal flexible portion 119 is fixed to the outside of the cylindrical member, and this base end serves as the roll operation unit 121. This allows the intracorporeal flexible portion 119 and the cylindrical member to rotate relative to the connecting portion main body 124 around the axial direction of the intracorporeal flexible portion 119. The roll drive device 850 is a motor unit provided inside the connecting portion main body 124. As shown in B3, the drive control device 200 transmits a control signal for roll rotation to the roll drive device 850 via wireless communication, and the roll drive device 850 rotates the base end of the intracorporeal flexible section 119 relative to the connecting portion main body 124 based on the control signal, thereby causing the intracorporeal flexible section 119 to roll. This achieves roll rotation of the endoscope 100. Note that the roll drive device 850 may include a clutch mechanism that switches between non-motorised and motorized roll rotation. The drive control device 200 and the roll drive device 850 may also be wired and connected by a signal line passing through the internal path 101.

[0043] Furthermore, the endoscopic system 10 of this embodiment may be configured to automatically drive and control the endoscope 100 and further estimate the shape of the insertion section 110 and the external force acting on the insertion section 110. Many known methods have been proposed for estimating the shape of the insertion section 110, but for example, by further including an insertion shape calculation device 70, a source coil 72, an external force information calculation device 80, and the like shown in Fig. 8 in the endoscopic system 10 of Fig. 3, it is possible to realize estimation of the shape of the insertion section 110 and the external force acting on the insertion section 110.

[0044] For example, the multiple source coils 72 are provided at predetermined intervals in the insertion section 110. For example, a current generating device (not shown) outputs a sine wave current to each source coil 72, for example, sequentially from the source coil 72 closest to the distal end of the insertion section 110. Each source coil 72 generates a magnetic field using the current. Note that the current generating device may be configured to be included in the drive control device 200. The insertion shape calculation device 70 detects the magnetic field emitted from each source coil 72 via an antenna (not shown) and acquires position information of each source coil 72 based on the strength of the detected magnetic field. The insertion shape calculation device 70 also generates insertion shape information of the insertion section 110 based on the acquired position information of each of the multiple source coils 72, and transmits the generated insertion shape information to the drive control device 200 and the external force information calculation device 80.

[0045] The external force information calculation device 80 calculates external force information acting at each position in the longitudinal direction of the insertion section 110 based on the shape information of the insertion section 110 received from the insertion shape calculation device 70. A memory (not shown) of the external force information calculation device 80 pre-stores, for example, curvature data and bending angle data at multiple predetermined positions of the insertion section 110 when no external force is applied, and curvature data and bending angle data at multiple predetermined positions of the insertion section 110 acquired when a predetermined external force is applied to any position of the insertion section 110 from all conceivable directions. Note that the memory may store curvature radius data instead of curvature data. The external force information calculation device 80 calculates external force information at the position of each source coil 72 based on, for example, various data of the insertion section 110 received at the position of each source coil 72 and various stored data, and transmits the calculated external force information to the drive control device 200. The external force information includes information on the magnitude and direction of the external force, etc.

[0046] The method for calculating the insertion shape is not limited to a method using a magnetic field, and may be a method using, for example, ultrasound, light, etc. In this case, although not shown, for example, an ultrasound sensor, an optical fiber sensor, a strain sensor, etc. may be provided in the insertion section 110, and detection signals from these sensors may be transmitted to the sensor detection section 290 described above, and detection data may be transmitted from the sensor detection section 290 to the drive controller 260.

[0047] The automatic control process of the endoscope 100 can be realized by the processor 22 performing the method disclosed in, for example, International Publication No. 2019 / 155617. The flowchart in FIG. 9 is a simplified version of the automatic control flowchart in International Publication No. 2019 / 155617. Note that for ease of illustration, the wording of each flow in FIG. 9 is partially abbreviated. The processor 22 acquires an endoscopic image and insertion state information (step S1). Specifically, for example, the drive controller 260 acquires an endoscopic image via the image acquisition unit 270, acquires insertion shape information from the aforementioned insertion shape calculation device 70, and acquires external force information from the aforementioned external force information calculation device 80. In other words, the insertion state in step S1 in FIG. 9 is an abbreviation for insertion state information, and specifically refers to the aforementioned insertion shape information and external force information.

[0048] The processor 22 then determines the insertion status based on the acquired endoscopic image and the insertion status. If it determines that there is no problem with the insertion status (YES in step S2), it generates insertion control information (step S4). On the other hand, if the processor 22 determines that there is a problem with the insertion status (NO in step S2), it performs a correction process (step S3) and repeats step S1. The correction process (step S3) is repeated until it is determined YES in step S2. In other words, the status in step S2 in FIG. 9 is an abbreviation for the insertion status. An insertion status problem can occur, for example, when the insertion section 110 is bent, when a predetermined loop (described later) occurs in the insertion section 110, when a force greater than a predetermined reference value is applied to the insertion section 110, or when the lumen direction is lost. Details of the method for determining these insertion statuses are well known and will not be described further. However, whether a predetermined loop has occurred can be determined based on, for example, whether the shape based on the insertion shape information described above has a similarity to a shape associated with a predetermined loop stored in advance that is higher than a predetermined reference value. Also, for example, if the subject complains of pain, the processor 22 may perform an interrupt process in which the result of step S2 is determined to be NO.

[0049] The corrective process (step S3) is a procedure to be taken when the determination in step S2 is NO. That is, various programs for dealing with the above-mentioned problems are stored in the storage unit 280 of the drive control device 200, and the processor 22 identifies the cause of the NO determination in step S2, and selects and executes the program corresponding to that cause. Many known methods have been proposed to resolve these causes, so detailed description will be omitted, but the following methods can be given as examples.

[0050] For example, if it is determined in step S2 that the insertion unit 110 is bent, the processor 22 performs a process of repeating the advance / retract control of a predetermined distance a predetermined number of times. Alternatively, the processor 22 may perform a process of combining the advance / retract control a predetermined number of times with the roll rotation control of a predetermined angle. In this way, the bending of the insertion unit 110 can be eliminated.

[0051] Furthermore, for example, if it is determined in step S2 that a predetermined loop has occurred in the insertion section 110, the processor 22 performs processing that combines advance / retract control and roll rotation control to release the predetermined loop. The predetermined loops include an α loop, an inverse α loop, an N loop, a γ loop, and the like. Although detailed description will be omitted, control programs that combine advance / retract control and roll rotation control appropriate for each loop are known for releasing these loops, and these control programs are stored in the storage unit 280. Then, in step S3, the processor 22 identifies the type of loop, selects a control program appropriate for releasing the identified loop, and releases the identified loop. The processor 22 may also identify the position of the tip section 130 and, if the identified tip section 130 has reached the back of the large intestine, determine not to release the loop. This allows appropriate measures to be taken when a loop occurs.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, if it is determined in step S2 that a force equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value is being applied to the insertion portion 110, the processor 22 performs the same processing as when it is determined that the insertion portion 110 is deflected. That is, the processor 22 performs processing to repeat advance / retract control of a predetermined distance a predetermined number of times, or processing to combine advance / retract control a predetermined number of times with roll rotation control of a predetermined angle. In this way, excessive resistance received by the insertion portion 110 can be eliminated.

[0053] Furthermore, for example, if it is determined in step S2 that the lumen direction has been lost, the processor 22 performs processing to improve the field of view of the imaging device of the distal end portion 130. Processing to improve the field of view of the imaging device may include, for example, processing to search for the lumen by bending control and rotation control, processing to clean the surface of the objective lens of the imaging device by water supply control, processing to change the field of view of the imaging device by controlling the retraction of the distal end portion 130, and processing to expand the lumen by air supply control. Furthermore, if the lumen direction has been lost because folds have concentrated and the lumen has collapsed, the processor 22 may perform bending control to point the distal end portion 130 in the direction of the collapsed lumen, and then processing to expand the lumen by air supply control. In this way, the field of view of the imaging device is improved, and the lumen direction can be found.

[0054] The processor 22 then generates insertion control information (step S4). For example, the processor 22 detects the lumen direction from the acquired endoscopic image and generates a control program for advancing, bending, and rolling the insertion section 110. Note that, although a detailed description of a method for detecting the lumen direction from an endoscopic image will be omitted, examples include a method for evaluating the brightness of the acquired endoscopic image, as well as a method for combining a method for estimating the relative positional relationship in the depth direction for each pixel or region of the endoscopic image with a method for dividing regions in the endoscopic image according to structures such as the intestinal wall and folds.

[0055] Although detailed description and illustrations are omitted, the insertion control information may be generated using machine learning. For example, a trained model trained by machine learning using a dataset in which an endoscopic image is used as input data and operation content is labeled as a correct answer for the endoscopic image is stored in the storage unit 280. Then, in step S4, the drive controller 260 generates the insertion control information by inferring appropriate operation content from the endoscopic image acquired from the image acquisition unit 270. The trained model includes an input layer, an output layer, a multi-layer neural network, etc., and is generated by machine learning such as deep learning. Furthermore, there may be multiple types of trained models depending on the operation technique described below. Specifically, a trained model read from the storage unit 280 when the Push method described below is used as the operation technique may be separated from a trained model read from the storage unit 280 when the axis-holding shortening method is used. Furthermore, the trained model may be used not only for generating the insertion control information, but also for detecting the lumen direction from the endoscopic image. Specifically, by using a trained model including, for example, a fully convolutional neural network (FCN), a region division technique called semantic segmentation can be realized, and structural information that provides clues to the lumen can be obtained from endoscopic images.

[0056] The processor 22 then performs insertion control based on the insertion control information generated in step S4 (step S5). After step S5 is performed, the processor 22 acquires an endoscopic image and an insertion state in the same manner as in step S1 (step S6).

[0057] The processor 22 then determines whether the insertion unit 110 is in the expected insertion state as a result of the insertion control performed in step S5. If it is determined that the insertion unit 110 is in the expected insertion state (YES in step S7), the processor 22 performs step S8, which will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the insertion unit 110 is not in the expected insertion state (NO in step S7), the processor 22 performs step S2. In this case, the processor 22 determines NO in step S2 and performs the above-mentioned corrective process (step S3).

[0058] If the processor 22 determines YES in step S7, it determines whether the operation of the endoscope 100 has ended. If it determines that the operation of the endoscope 100 has not ended (NO in step S8), it performs step S4 again. As described above with reference to FIG. 2 , the goal of inserting the endoscope 100 during colonoscopy is to have the distal end portion 130 reach the cecum. Therefore, the processor 22 determines whether the distal end portion 130 has reached the cecum, which is the innermost portion. If the distal end portion 130 has not reached the cecum, it determines NO in step S8, and the insertion control of the endoscope 100 is repeated. On the other hand, if the processor 22 determines that the distal end portion 130 has reached the cecum, it determines that the operation of the endoscope 100 has ended (YES in step S8), and ends the flow. In this way, automatic insertion of the endoscope 100 can be achieved by performing the processing of FIG. 9 . The control information related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 in the method of this embodiment is the insertion control information generated in step S4 in the automatic insertion processing of the endoscope 100 shown in FIG. 9 , but it may be other information. That is, as will be described later, in this embodiment, the conditions for generating the insertion control information in step S4 of Fig. 9 are set based on the attributes of the subject. Note that hereinafter, the control information related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 may be simply referred to as control information.

[0059] An example of the processing method of this embodiment will be described using the flowchart of Fig. 10. The processing of Fig. 10 is processing in which, for example, a user starts the information processing device 20 and sets a program related to the processing of Fig. 9. The processor 22 acquires the attributes of the subject (step S10). Specifically, for example, the user operates an operation unit (not shown) of the information processing device 20 to read out the attributes of the subject who will be the subject of the endoscopic examination from a memory (not shown), thereby performing step S10. However, for example, step S10 may also be performed by the user manually inputting information via the operation unit (not shown).

[0060] Thereafter, the processor 22 sets conditions (step S100). More specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, for example, a difficulty rank is determined based on the attributes of the subject (step S110). The difficulty ranks refer to rank A, rank B, rank C, rank D, etc., and will be described in detail below. Note that in this embodiment, the difficulty ranks are categorized into four types, rank A, rank B, rank C, and rank D, but the number of classified difficulty ranks may be multiple and is not limited to four. In this embodiment, the difficulty of inserting the endoscope 100 increases from rank A to rank D.

[0061] Thereafter, the processor 22 generates control information (step S200). For example, the processor 22 generates the control information based on the conditions set by referring to the lookup table of FIG. 12 . That is, the processor 22 uses the operation difficulty rank as the condition set in step S100 as input data and generates the control information as output data. Note that in the following description, the lookup table will be simply referred to as a table. Also, while FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which ranks are set by referring to a table and control information is output, this is not limiting and ranks for attributes may be set using a sequence such as conditional branching. Sequences such as conditional branching can be realized, for example, by programming using basic syntax based on a programming language. Examples of basic syntax include if statements, then statements, else statements, and switch statements. Furthermore, ranks may be set using a classifier created by machine learning, for example. Specifically, ranks may be set using a classifier created by learning using, for example, gender, age, height, etc. as feature quantities and the set ranks as classes. The feature quantities here are also referred to as feature vectors. In this case, for example, gender may be a feature quantity with a variable of 0 for male and 1 for female. Alternatively, a classifier for males and a classifier for females may be prepared separately, allowing the classifier to be selected appropriately depending on the gender of the subject. Alternatively, a plurality of classifiers may be prepared depending on attributes other than gender. Furthermore, although the table in FIG. 12 shows the control information as including both the amount of operation per operation and the operation speed, it is sufficient for the control information to include at least one of the amount of operation per operation or the operation speed.

[0062] In the table of FIG. 12 , for example, when the operational difficulty is ranked A, the amount of operation per forward movement is 7 cm, the amount of operation per rotation is 120°, the operation speed for forward movement is 5 cm / sec, and the operation speed for rotation is 120° / sec. Furthermore, when the operational difficulty is ranked B, the amount of operation per forward movement is 5 cm, the amount of operation per rotation is 90°, the operation speed for forward movement is 4 cm / sec, and the operation speed for rotation is 90° / sec. Furthermore, when the operational difficulty is ranked C, the amount of operation per forward movement is 3 cm, the amount of operation per rotation is 60°, the operation speed for forward movement is 3 cm / sec, and the operation speed for rotation is 60° / sec. Furthermore, when the operational difficulty is ranked D, the amount of operation per forward movement is 2 cm, the amount of operation per rotation is 45°, the operation speed for forward movement is 1 cm / sec, and the operation speed for rotation is 45° / sec. In this way, the table in FIG. 12 shows that both the operation amount and the operation speed are varied depending on the operation difficulty rank, but it is sufficient that at least one of the operation amount and the operation speed is varied depending on the operation difficulty rank.

[0063] As described above, the processor 22 of this embodiment corresponds to the drive controller 260 in the specific endoscope system 10. In other words, it can be said that the processing in Fig. 10 is performed by the drive controller 260, and the control information generated in step S200 is, more specifically, parameters for controlling the drive control device 200 that electrically drives and controls the endoscope 100.

[0064] As described above, the information processing device 20 of this embodiment includes the processor 22 including hardware. The processor 22 acquires attributes of the subject, sets conditions for control information related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 based on the acquired attributes of the subject, and generates control information based on the set conditions.

[0065] In this way, the information processing device 20 of this embodiment can set specific conditions for generating control information related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 based on the acquired attributes of the subject before the endoscopic examination. This makes it possible to generate more specific control information. This allows the endoscope 100 to be controlled with greater consideration for the subject in endoscopic examinations that are difficult to insert, such as colonoscopy.

[0066] The method of the present embodiment may also be realized as an endoscope system 10. That is, the endoscope system 10 of the present embodiment includes the above-described information processing device 20 and the endoscope 100. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those described above.

[0067] The technique of this embodiment may also be realized as a processing method. The processing method of this embodiment performs a process of acquiring attributes of a subject (step S10), a process of setting conditions for control information related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 based on the acquired attributes of the subject (step S100), and a process of generating control information based on the set conditions (step S200). By doing so, the same effects as those described above can be obtained.

[0068] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 may generate control information related to at least one of the operation amount and operation speed of the endoscope 100. In this way, more specific control parameters related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 can be generated.

[0069] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 may generate control information in which at least one of the operation amount and the operation speed varies depending on the set conditions. In this way, specific control parameters related to the insertion of the endoscope 100 can be generated so as to correspond to the attributes of the subject.

[0070] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 may generate, based on set conditions, control information for controlling a drive device that drives the insertion of the endoscope 100. In this way, it is possible to drive and control the endoscope 100 in accordance with the attributes of the subject.

[0071] In the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 may set a rank of operation difficulty as a condition based on the attributes of the subject, and generate control information based on the set condition. In this way, multiple types of control information can be generated according to the level of operation difficulty.

[0072] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, when the operation difficulty is determined to be high, the processor 22 may perform control to reduce at least one of the operation amount and operation speed as control information compared to when the operation difficulty is determined to be low. By doing so, the endoscope 100 can be inserted more carefully for subjects with high operation difficulty.

[0073] Furthermore, for example, although not shown in a table, the control information may include a tolerance for the resistance generated between the insertion portion 110 and the intestinal tract when the insertion portion 110 is advanced. For example, if the conditions set in step S100 are rank A, the tolerance is set to 7 N. Similarly, if the conditions set in step S100 are rank B, the tolerance is set to 6 N. Similarly, if the conditions set in step S100 are rank C, the tolerance is set to 4 N. Similarly, if the conditions set in step S100 are rank D, the tolerance is set to 3 N. For example, if the endoscope 100 is inserted into a subject for which the conditions are set to rank D and a resistance of 5 N is detected when the insertion portion 110 is advanced, the processor 22 determines NO in step S2 of FIG. 9 as interrupt processing. This causes the processor 22 to execute step S3 of FIG. 9 and execute a control program for reducing contact between the intestinal tract and the insertion portion 110. This allows the endoscope 100 to be controlled based on the attributes of the subject, taking into consideration the burden on the subject.

[0074] Furthermore, the method of this embodiment may be applied by partially automatic control depending on the location in the large intestine. For example, when the tip portion 130 is located in the transverse colon or sigmoid colon, the endoscope 100 may be controlled by the processing of Fig. 10 , and when the tip portion 130 is located in the ascending colon, descending colon, or rectum, the user may manually operate the endoscope 100. This is because, as described above with reference to Fig. 2 , the most difficult insertion step in a colonoscopy is when the insertion portion 110 passes through the transverse colon and sigmoid colon.

[0075] Next, a specific method of step S110 in FIG. 11 will be described in more detail. For example, when the subject's attribute acquired in step S10 is age, the processor 22 refers to the table shown in FIG. 13A. When the subject's age is less than 50 years old, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. Similarly, when the subject's age is between 50 and 60 years old, the processor 22 sets rank B as the difficulty rank in step S110. Note that 50-60 in the table in FIG. 13A indicates between 50 and 60 years old. The same applies to other notations. Similarly, when the subject's age is between 60 and 75 years old, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110. Similarly, when the subject's age is 75 years old or older, the processor 22 sets rank D as the difficulty rank in step S110.

[0076] In other words, FIG. 13A shows that inserting the endoscope 100 is more difficult when the subject is older than when the subject is younger. The strength, flexibility, and intestinal condition of the subject's colon tissues change with age. Generally, the older the subject, the more fragile and stiff the intestinal tract tends to be. The table in FIG. 13A is set taking this into consideration. Therefore, it is appropriate to control the endoscope 100 so that at least one of the operation amount and operation speed is smaller for older subjects than for younger subjects. Thus, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 controls the control information so that at least one of the operation amount and operation speed is smaller when the subject's age, which is an attribute of the subject, is older, than when the subject's age is younger. This allows the endoscope 100 to be controlled with an appropriate operation amount or operation speed depending on the subject's age.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, when the processor 22 acquires the gender as an attribute of the subject in step S10, the processor 22 may refer to the table shown in Fig. 13(B). If the gender of the subject is male, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. Similarly, if the gender of the subject is female, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110.

[0078] That is, FIG. 13(B) shows that insertion of the endoscope 100 is more difficult when the subject is female than when the subject is male. The table in FIG. 13(B) is set taking into consideration the differences between men and women in terms of pelvic shape, colon fixation status, and intraperitoneal fat amount, which are thought to be factors that make colonoscopy more difficult for women than for men. More specifically, for example, women are more likely than men to have their sigmoid colon retracted into the pelvis, and to have excessive intestinal movement due to a smaller amount of intraperitoneal fat. Therefore, it is appropriate to control the endoscope 100 so that at least one of the operation amount and operation speed is smaller for female subjects than for male subjects. Thus, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 controls at least one of the operation amount and operation speed as control information to be smaller when the subject's gender, which is an attribute of the subject, is female, than when the subject's gender is male. In this way, the endoscope 100 can be controlled with an appropriate operation amount or operation speed depending on the gender of the subject.

[0079] Furthermore, for example, when the processor 22 acquires the BMI as an attribute of the subject in step S10, the processor 22 may refer to the table shown in FIG. 14A. If the BMI of the subject is less than 18.5, the processor 22 sets rank B as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the BMI of the subject is equal to or greater than 18.5 and less than 25, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the BMI of the subject is equal to or greater than 25 and less than 40, the processor 22 sets rank B as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the BMI of the subject is 40 or greater, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110. The table shown in FIG. 14A is set taking the following circumstances into consideration: Subjects with a high BMI are obese and therefore have a large amount of visceral fat, which makes it difficult for them to move their intestines. As a result, for example, when inserting the insertion section 110 into a highly curved area, a method of reducing pain by manipulating the insertion section 110 to make the curve less sharp cannot be applied to the subject, and the subject is therefore more likely to experience pain during colonoscopy. Also, subjects with too low a BMI tend to have difficulty inserting the insertion section 110 due to the complex course of their intestines.

[0080] Furthermore, for example, when the processor 22 acquires height as an attribute of the subject in step S10, the processor 22 may refer to the table shown in FIG. 14(B). If the height of the subject is less than 140 cm, the processor 22 sets rank D as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the height of the subject is 140 cm or more and less than 155 cm, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the height of the subject is 155 cm or more and less than 170 cm, the processor 22 sets rank B as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the height of the subject is 170 cm or more, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. The table shown in FIG. 14(B) is set because small subjects tend to have more complex intestinal tracts than large subjects, making insertion of the insertion portion 110 more difficult.

[0081] While FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate an example in which one attribute of the subject is acquired, this is not limiting and at least two attributes may be acquired in step S10. Furthermore, when multiple attributes are acquired individually, a separate rank may be set for the most careful insertion. Priorities may be set for each attribute, such as gender and age, and the rank for the attribute with the highest priority may be adopted. Furthermore, in order to make an appropriate judgment in a situation in which multiple attributes are acquired, a multidimensional table based on multiple attributes may be referenced. For example, FIG. 15 illustrates a two-dimensional table in which combinations of two attributes are associated with difficulty ranks.

[0082] 15 , for example, if the subject is male and under 50 years old, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. Also, if the subject is male and between 50 and 60 years old, the processor 22 sets rank A as the difficulty rank in step S110. Also, if the subject is male and between 60 and 75 years old, the processor 22 sets rank B as the difficulty rank in step S110. Similarly, if the subject is male and 75 years old or older, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110.

[0083] 15 , for example, if the subject is female and under 50 years old, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the subject is female and between 50 and 60 years old, the processor 22 sets rank C as the difficulty rank in step S110. If the subject is female and between 60 and 75 years old, the processor 22 sets rank D as the difficulty rank in step S110. Similarly, if the subject is female and 75 years old or older, the processor 22 sets rank D as the difficulty rank in step S110.

[0084] 15 shows an example in which age and gender are acquired as attributes, but this is not limiting. For example, the processor 22 may acquire other combinations of attributes, such as acquiring the subject's age and height in step S10. Furthermore, for example, the processor 22 may acquire three or more attributes, such as acquiring age, gender, and height in step S10. In this case, a multidimensional table consisting of combinations of the acquired attributes may be stored in advance in the storage unit 280 or the like. From the above, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 acquires at least two attributes of the subject's age, gender, height, weight, and BMI. In this way, it is possible to more accurately generate control parameters for the endoscope 100 that are suitable for the subject.

[0085] Although age, gender, BMI, and height are shown as subject attributes in FIGS. 13 and 14 , these are merely examples, and subject attributes are not limited to these. For example, although not shown, if the subject has a history of abdominal surgery, step S110 may set the difficulty rank to rank C, and if the subject has no history of abdominal surgery, step S110 may set the difficulty rank to rank A. Subjects with a history of abdominal surgery may have adhesions between their colon and surrounding tissues. This may result in an abnormal colon morphology or may be prone to pain at the adhesion sites. Therefore, subjects with a history of abdominal surgery are generally considered to have higher insertion difficulty than subjects without a history of abdominal surgery. Furthermore, the subject may be interviewed about whether they can tolerate the pain caused by the endoscopic examination, and the subject's response regarding the pain may be used as the subject's attribute. For example, if the subject answers that they can tolerate the pain, step S110 may set the difficulty rank to rank A. Furthermore, for example, if the subject answers that the pain is normal, step S110 sets rank B as the difficulty rank. If the subject answers that the pain is intolerable, step S110 sets rank C as the difficulty rank. The subject's family history may also be included in the subject's attributes. For example, if the subject has a family member with colorectal cancer, more careful colonoscopy is required. Information about the subject's chronic illnesses may also be included in the subject's attributes. For example, if the subject's chronic illnesses include IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), more careful endoscopic examination is required. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

[0086] In this way, it becomes clear that it is appropriate to treat subjects who are considered to have low operational difficulty based on age, gender, etc. in the same way as subjects who have high operational difficulty by taking these attributes into consideration. This makes it possible to generate more appropriate control information for the subject.

[0087] The processing method of this embodiment may be, for example, as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 16. The processing example of Fig. 16 differs from the processing example of Fig. 10 in that test information is further acquired (step S20) after the aforementioned step S10 is performed. The condition setting (step S100) of Fig. 16 also differs from that of Fig. 11 in that it is more specifically as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 17. In Fig. 17, the processor 22 determines a difficulty rank based on the subject's attributes and the test information (step S120).

[0088] The examination information in step S20 and the like is information related to the examination. The information related to the examination is, for example, the purpose of the examination. The purpose of the examination is, for example, the reason for undergoing a colonoscopy, such as the presence of symptoms such as bloody stool or a positive fecal occult blood test in the aforementioned medical examination, or may be a procedure such as polyp removal.

[0089] Furthermore, for example, the information regarding the examination may include information regarding sedation. Sedation refers to the administration of medication to induce a decrease in the level of consciousness. Information regarding sedation includes information regarding the sedative effect, various information for determining whether or not to use sedation in combination with an endoscopic examination, and the like. When sedation is used in combination with an endoscopic examination, after the endoscopy is completed, the subject is allowed to rest for a certain period of time on a recovery bed or the like, and then leaves the facility. Note that when sedation is used in combination with an endoscopic examination, certain actions are restricted on the day the endoscopy is performed. Examples of certain actions include driving a car, working at heights, and precision work.

[0090] The sedative effect can be determined by the user based on a sedation level classification, such as mild sedation, moderate sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia. Moderate sedation is also known as conscious sedation. Moderate sedation is a level of sedation at which the subject is able to respond intentionally to user prompts, maintains spontaneous breathing and cardiovascular function, and does not require airway management. Sedation used in conjunction with endoscopic examinations is generally considered to require reduced pain, the ability of the subject to follow user instructions, minimal complications, and a short recovery time after sedation. Sedation levels that meet the above requirements are generally considered moderate sedation. Light sedation is a level of sedation at which the subject is able to respond normally to user prompts, maintains normal airway, spontaneous breathing, and cardiovascular function.

[0091] For example, a user may set a sedation level equivalent to moderate sedation as "strong sedation" and a sedation level equivalent to mild sedation as "weak sedation." Alternatively, a user may set a sedation level that is moderate and has a long post-sedation recovery time as "strong sedation" and a sedation level that is moderate and has a short post-sedation recovery time as "weak sedation."

[0092] For example, the processor 22 can obtain the same effect as the processing of step S110 by referring to the table shown in FIG. 18(A). FIG. 18(A) is an example of a table showing a combination of gender as a subject attribute and a drug to be administered. However, the table is not limited to this, and may also show a combination of age as a subject attribute and a drug to be administered, and the user can determine the appropriate table. In FIG. 18(A), when the gender is male, rank A is set as the condition when drug A is administered, rank B is set as the condition when drug B is administered, rank C is set as the condition when drug C is administered, and rank C is set as the condition when no drug is administered. On the other hand, when the gender is female, rank B is set as the condition when drug A is administered, rank C is set as the condition when drug B is administered, rank D is set as the condition when drug C is administered, and rank D is set as the condition when no drug is administered. As mentioned above, since insertion is generally considered to be more difficult for women than for men, the table of FIG. 18(A) is configured so that different ranks are set depending on gender when the same drug is administered.

[0093] In FIG. 18A , Drug A is, for example, a drug with a high sedative effect, and Drug B is, for example, a drug with a lower sedative effect than Drug A. The specific drugs may be appropriately determined by the user to correspond to the set sedative effect. For example, if the sedation level for moderate sedation is set to "strong sedative effect" and the sedation level for mild sedation is set to "weak sedative effect," then Drug A may be Dormicum, which is used for moderate sedation, and Drug B may be triclofos sodium, which is used for mild sedation. Alternatively, if the sedation level is set to "strong sedative effect" when the sedation level is moderate and the recovery time after sedation is long, and if the sedation level is set to "weak sedative effect" when the sedation level is moderate and the recovery time after sedation is short, then Drug A may be Dormicum and Drug B may be propofol. 18A , the operation difficulty rank is set lower for both males and females when administering drug A, which has a strong sedative effect, than for administering drug B, which has a weak sedative effect. In other words, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 performs control to increase at least one of the operation amount and operation speed as control information when a drug with a strong sedative effect is administered compared to when a drug with a weak sedative effect is administered. In this way, the endoscope 100 can be controlled with an appropriate operation amount or operation speed depending on the strength of the sedative effect of the drug administered to the subject.

[0094] Drug C is a drug that does not have a sedative effect but has an analgesic effect, such as pethidine hydrochloride. Analgesia refers to the reduction of pain without a decrease in the level of consciousness. As described below, when sedation is not used in endoscopic examinations, it may be administered to a subject with the consent of the user and the subject. In FIG. 18A , drug C does not have a sedative effect, so the conditions set when drug C is administered are the same as the conditions set when no drug is administered. However, these conditions may be different from the conditions set when no drug is administered. Furthermore, although not shown, when drug C is administered to a subject in combination with drug A or drug B, the conditions can be adjusted to match the conditions for drug A or drug B. This is because a sedative effect is produced. Furthermore, in FIG. 18A , for both males and females, the conditions for administering drug A or drug B with a sedative effect are ranked lower than the conditions for not administering drug A or drug B with a sedative effect. In the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, when a drug with a sedative effect is administered, the processor 22 performs control to increase at least one of the operation amount and operation speed as control information compared to when the drug is not administered. In this way, the endoscope 100 can be controlled with an appropriate operation amount or operation speed depending on whether or not the drug administered to the subject has a sedative effect.

[0095] The decision to use sedation in conjunction with an endoscopic examination is made based on the subject's will and consent after the subject has received a sufficient explanation from the user and is satisfied with the decision. For example, if the subject prioritizes relieving pain, a sedation level with a strong sedative effect is set. Alternatively, if the subject desires sedation to relieve anxiety, a sedation level with a weak sedative effect is set. Alternatively, if the subject desires to observe endoscopic images together with the user, the user may set information indicating that sedation will not be used as information regarding sedation. Alternatively, if the subject desires to minimize the time required for the examination, the user may set information indicating that sedation will not be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination as information regarding sedation. This is because using sedation in conjunction with an endoscopic examination requires time for recovery, which would make it impossible to meet the subject's wishes.

[0096] Furthermore, for example, the information regarding sedation may include specific geographical factors. For example, specific geographical factors may be factors that require consideration of whether or not to use sedation in conjunction with the endoscopic examination, such as when the facility where the endoscopic examination is performed is located in a location where subjects primarily travel by car. More specifically, for example, if the subject personally arrives by car and wishes to drive home after the endoscopic examination, information indicating that sedation will not be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination may be set as information regarding sedation. When applying the method of this embodiment to endoscopic examinations at facilities with specific geographical factors, for example, information indicating that sedation will not be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination may be set as information regarding sedation for all subjects. However, for example, when a person who drives the car is accompanying the subject, or when the subject travels to and from the facility by taxi, the information indicating that sedation will be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination may be individually changeable as information regarding sedation.

[0097] Furthermore, for example, if a facility performing an endoscopic examination does not have a recovery room, information indicating that sedation will not be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination for all subjects may be set as sedation information. Furthermore, if a recovery room is temporarily unavailable for a period of time due to a specific circumstance, information indicating that sedation will not be used in conjunction with the endoscopic examination for all subjects during that period may be set as sedation information. A specific circumstance may be, for example, a situation in which a large number of patients are admitted due to a specific epidemic, requiring the reservation of dedicated hospital rooms. Based on the above, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 acquires examination information including sedation information, which is information related to sedation, and sets conditions related to the control information based on the subject's attributes and the examination information. In this manner, more appropriate control parameters for the endoscope 100 can be generated according to the subject's attributes and sedation information.

[0098] Furthermore, the information about the examination may be information about a past colonoscopy, such as information recorded in the past colonoscopy, such as information about the date and time the examination was performed, information about the difficulty of insertion, information about the type of endoscope 100 used, information about the time required for the examination, and information about the technique used in the examination.

[0099] In this case, for example, in step S120 of FIG. 17 , the processor 22 may refer to the table shown in FIG. 18(B). In FIG. 18(B), if the subject is male and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is low, rank A is set as the condition. Furthermore, if the subject is male and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is average, rank B is set as the condition. Furthermore, if the subject is male and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is high, rank C is set as the condition. Furthermore, if the subject is female and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is low, rank B is set as the condition. Furthermore, if the subject is female and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is average, rank C is set as the condition. Furthermore, if the subject is female and the past examination information indicates that the insertion difficulty is high, rank D is set as the condition. Note that in FIG. 18(B), for the same reason as in FIG. 18(A), different ranks are set for males and females when the insertion difficulty is the same as the past examination information. From the above, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 acquires examination information, which is information related to the examination (step S20), and sets conditions related to the control information based on the subject's attributes and the examination information (step S120). In this way, it is possible to generate more appropriate control parameters for the endoscope 100 according to the subject's attributes and the examination information.

[0100] 10 and 16 are processes for generating control information before a colonoscopy is performed, but the generated control information may be changed after the colonoscopy has started. For example, after the colonoscopy has started, the control information can be changed at an appropriate timing by periodically performing the process example shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19 using a timer interrupt or the like.

[0101] In FIG. 19 , the processor 22 determines whether the colonoscopy has been completed. If it is determined that the colonoscopy has not been completed (NO in step S310), the processor 22 performs the processing from step S320 onward. The processor 22 then determines the insertion status (step S320). For example, after starting the colonoscopy based on the control information generated in step S200, the processor 22 determines whether the number of times that a NO determination has been made in step S2 or step S7 of FIG. 9 has occurred equal to or exceeds a certain number of times. The processor 22 then determines whether the actual insertion difficulty matches the insertion difficulty set in step S100. If it determines that the insertion difficulty matches (YES in step S330), the processor 22 performs step S310 again. On the other hand, if it determines that the insertion difficulty does not match (NO in step S330), the processor 22 performs a process to change the conditions (step S340) and then performs step S310 again. For example, if the number of times that the processor 22 judges NO in step S2 of FIG. 9 is equal to or exceeds a certain number, the processor 22 judges NO in step S330, since the insertion section 110 has not been inserted as planned and the actual insertion difficulty of the subject does not match the insertion difficulty set in step S100 of FIG. 10.

[0102] For example, if the processor 22 determines NO in step S2 because a predetermined loop frequently occurs, it is necessary to insert the insertion section 110 more carefully. Therefore, for example, if the initial operational difficulty level set in step S100 was rank C, the processor 22 changes the operational difficulty level from rank C to rank D in step S340. Then, the processor 22 generates control information based on rank D and performs automatic control of the endoscope 100 again based on the control information.

[0103] Alternatively, for example, if the rate at which NO is returned in step S2 is lower than a certain rate, the processor 22 may determine NO in step S330 because the insertion of the insertion section 110 has been performed too carefully. In this case, if the initial operational difficulty level set in step S100 was rank C, the processor 22 changes the operational difficulty level from rank C to rank B in step S340. The processor 22 then generates control information based on rank B and automatically controls the endoscope 100 again based on the control information.

[0104] From the above, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 acquires insertion status information relating to the insertion status of the endoscope 100, and changes the conditions relating to the generated control information based on the acquired insertion status information (step S340). In this way, after the start of the endoscopic examination, the endoscope 100 can be controlled based on more appropriate control information.

[0105] Furthermore, for example, the control information generated in step S200 may be control information related to the operation procedure of the endoscope 100. That is, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 generates control information related to the operation procedure of the endoscope 100 based on set conditions. In this way, it is possible to control the endoscope 100 based on an appropriate operation procedure according to the attributes of the subject.

[0106] Many techniques for operating the endoscope 100 in colonoscopy have been proposed, but this embodiment illustrates the Push method and the axis-holding shortening method. The main difference between the two is the insertion technique for the sigmoid colon, which is difficult to insert, as mentioned above. The Push method is a technique based on pushing the insertion section 110, which may result in the aforementioned predetermined loop. Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as the loop method, loop generation method, etc. For example, if a large predetermined loop is generated by inserting the insertion section 110 into the sigmoid colon using the Push method, an operation to release the loop is performed at an appropriate position behind the SD junction. The operation to release the predetermined loop is determined appropriately depending on the type of loop that has been generated, etc. Note that using the Push method does not necessarily result in the predetermined loop being generated.

[0107] The axis-maintaining shortening method is a procedure that, when inserting from the sigmoid colon to the descending colon, avoids strong pushing that places excessive strain on the intestine, keeps the endoscope and the intestine as straight as possible, and enables insertion without creating any predetermined loops, and is sometimes called the straight method. In this embodiment, the insertion of the endoscope 100 is controlled mainly by, for example, using the hooking-the-fold method, a technique in which insertion is advanced by carefully passing over each fold of the large intestine one by one.

[0108] Furthermore, the control information may be configured by subdividing the push method into multiple types. For example, in this embodiment, the push method is classified into a "standard push method" and a "cautious push method." The "standard push method" basically performs a pushing operation, and if a predetermined loop occurs, it determines whether the insertion unit 110 can proceed even if the loop is formed. If the insertion unit 110 can proceed, the loop is not released. When the method using the "standard push method" is incorporated into the flowchart of FIG. 9 , for example, the processor 22 determines YES in step S2 of FIG. 9 even if a predetermined loop occurs, and if it subsequently determines YES in step S7, steps S4 to S7 are repeated. This allows colonoscopy to be performed in a short time. The "cautious push method" is similar to the "standard push method" in that it basically performs a pushing operation, but differs from the "standard push method" in that it prevents the formation of a predetermined loop early. For example, when the "cautious push method" is employed, the reference value for the degree of similarity with the predetermined loop for which a "NO" determination is made in step S2 of FIG. 9 is set lower than the reference value for when the "cautious push method" is employed. In other words, even if the degree of similarity between the shape of the insertion section 110 when the endoscope 100 is inserted and the shape of the predetermined loop is low, the processor 22 makes a "NO" determination in step S2, and a control program is executed to release the loop in step S3. In addition, the amount of operation and the operation speed per operation in this case may be determined according to conditions set based on the attributes of the subject described above. As will be described later, since the "cautious push method" is a procedure performed on subjects with a high difficulty rank, the amount of operation in the "cautious push method" is generally smaller than the amount of operation in the "standard push method." Similarly, the operation speed in the "cautious push method" is generally slower than the operation speed in the "standard push method." Since the Push method is a technique that can be applied to all subjects, the "careful Push method" is positioned as the safest and most reliable technique.

[0109] Whether to use the Push technique or the Axis-Maintained Shortening technique for a subject is determined by various factors. For example, a colonoscopy may be initiated using one technique and then switched to the other. That is, in this embodiment, a procedure algorithm that allows for a combination of multiple procedures may be configured, and a procedure algorithm may be selected in step S200 based on the insertion difficulty. For example, as shown in the table of FIG. 20 , if the subject's operation difficulty level is set to rank A in step S100, procedure algorithm A is generated in step S200 based on the table of FIG. 20 . Similarly, if the subject's operation difficulty level is set to rank B in step S100, procedure algorithm B is generated in step S200. If the subject's operation difficulty level is set to rank C in step S100, procedure algorithm C is generated in step S200. If the subject's operation difficulty level is set to rank D in step S100, procedure algorithm D is generated in step S200.

[0110] In procedure algorithm A, the endoscope 100 is automatically controlled based on the "standard push method" at the start of colonoscopy. In procedure algorithm B, the endoscope 100 is automatically controlled based on the axis-holding shortening method at the start of colonoscopy. In procedure algorithm C, the endoscope 100 is automatically controlled based on the axis-holding shortening method at the start of colonoscopy. In procedure algorithm D, the endoscope 100 is automatically controlled based on the "cautious push method" at the start of colonoscopy. In this way, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 generates control information with different operating procedures in accordance with the set conditions. In this way, the endoscope 100 can be controlled based on an appropriate operating procedure in accordance with the attributes of the subject, etc.

[0111] Furthermore, it is also possible to further combine the techniques described above with reference to Fig. 19. In other words, the procedure algorithm in Fig. 20 may include algorithms for a plurality of manipulation procedures, and may be configured so that the manipulation procedure can be changed midway.

[0112] For example, procedure algorithm A includes an automatic control algorithm for the "standard push method" and an automatic control algorithm for the "cautious push method." Then, if a colonoscopy is started using the "standard push method," and the processor 22 determines "NO" in step S330 of Fig. 19 , the processor 22 performs processing to change to the "cautious push method" in step S340.

[0113] Furthermore, for example, procedure algorithm B includes an automatic control algorithm for the "standard push technique," an automatic control algorithm for the "cautious push technique," and an automatic control algorithm for the axis-maintaining shortening technique. Colonoscopy is initiated using the axis-maintaining shortening technique. If the processor 22 subsequently determines "NO" in step S330 of FIG. 19 , it performs processing to change to the "standard push technique" in step S340. The axis-maintaining shortening technique is said to be a less painful technique than the push technique, but the axis-maintaining shortening technique cannot be applied in certain cases. Examples of such certain cases include when adhesions of the sigmoid colon are discovered after colonoscopy has begun, when the sigmoid colon is folded in a more complex manner than expected, or when the sigmoid colon is more relaxed than expected. In such cases, the folds of the colon do not flip, and the insertion section 110 does not advance as expected. The processor 22 then determines "NO" in step S7 of FIG. 9 and then determines "NO" in step S330 of FIG. 19 . Furthermore, if a problem occurs such as the subject complaining of pain after the colonoscopy is continued after changing to the "standard push method," the processor 22 determines NO in step S2 of Fig. 10, and further determines NO in step S330 of Fig. 19. As a result, the processor 22 performs processing to change the operating technique from the "standard push method" to the "cautious push method" in step S340.

[0114] Furthermore, for example, procedure algorithm C includes an automatic control algorithm for the "cautious push method" and an automatic control algorithm for the axis-maintaining shortening method. Similarly to procedure algorithm B, colonoscopy is started using the axis-maintaining shortening method, but if the processor 22 subsequently determines "NO" in step S330 of Fig. 19 , it performs processing to change to the "cautious push method" in step S340. Because a subject to whom procedure algorithm C is applied has greater operational difficulty than a subject to whom procedure algorithm B is applied, if the axis-maintaining shortening method cannot be applied, the method is immediately changed to the "cautious push method."

[0115] Furthermore, for example, procedure algorithm D includes only the automatic control algorithm for the "cautious push method." In other words, as described above, at the start of a colonoscopy, the endoscope 100 is automatically controlled based on the "cautious push method," and the operating procedure is not changed. This is because subjects with the highest operating difficulty level, Rank D, often fall into certain cases in which the aforementioned axis-maintaining shortening method cannot be applied.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, the characteristics of the endoscope 100 to be used may be further taken into consideration. For example, the Push method is suitable for an endoscope 100 with a thin and flexible insertion section 110, while the shaft-holding shortening method is suitable for an endoscope 100 with a thick and rigid insertion section 110. Therefore, for example, if the subject's gender as an attribute is female and the subject requests the use of an endoscope 100 with a thin and flexible insertion section 110, the processor 22 may set rank D as a condition in step S100 and perform processing to determine the above-described technique algorithm D in step S200. Furthermore, for example, if the processor 22 determines the above-described technique algorithm B or technique algorithm C in step S200, both the Push method and the shaft-holding shortening method can be selected, and therefore the user may select an endoscope 100 including an insertion section 110 to which either the Push method or the shaft-holding shortening method can be applied.

[0117] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 13 and the like, the conditions are set (step S100) by referring to a table, but step S100 may be performed by a method of calculating information relating to the difficulty of operation, for example.

[0118] The information regarding the operation difficulty is, for example, a number for quantifying the operation difficulty. In this embodiment, the number is referred to as an evaluation value. FIG. 21 shows examples of evaluation values ​​for each item. For example, if a user is male and the age is under 50, the evaluation value is set to +1; if the age is between 50 and 60, the evaluation value is set to 0; if the age is between 60 and 75, the evaluation value is set to -1; and if the age is 75 or greater, the evaluation value is set to -2. Similarly, for example, if a user is female and the age is under 50, the evaluation value is set to 0; if the age is between 50 and 60, the evaluation value is set to -1; if the age is between 60 and 75, the evaluation value is set to -2; and if the age is 75 or greater, the evaluation value is set to -3.

[0119] For example, for a male, if the BMI is less than 18.5, the evaluation value is set to -1, if the BMI is 18.5 or more and less than 25, the evaluation value is set to +1, if the BMI is 25 or more and less than 40, the evaluation value is set to 0, and if the BMI is 40 or more, the evaluation value is set to -1. Similarly, for a female, if the BMI is less than 18.5, the evaluation value is set to -2, if the BMI is 18.5 or more and less than 25, the evaluation value is set to 0, if the BMI is 25 or more and less than 40, the evaluation value is set to 0, and if the BMI is 40 or more, the evaluation value is set to -1.

[0120] For example, if a person is male and his / her height is less than 140 cm, the evaluation value is set to -2; if his / her height is 140 cm or more but less than 150 cm, the evaluation value is set to -1; if his / her height is 150 cm or more but less than 160 cm, the evaluation value is set to -1; and if his / her height is 160 cm or more but less than 170 cm, the evaluation value is set to 0. Furthermore, for example, if a person is male and his / her height is 170 cm or more but less than 180 cm, the evaluation value is set to +1; and if his / her height is 180 cm or more, the evaluation value is set to +2. Similarly, for example, if a person is female and his / her height is less than 140 cm, the evaluation value is set to -2; if his / her height is 140 cm or more but less than 150 cm, the evaluation value is set to -1; if his / her height is 150 cm or more but less than 160 cm, the evaluation value is set to 0; and if his / her height is 160 cm or more but less than 170 cm, the evaluation value is set to 0. Furthermore, for example, if the person is female and is between 170 cm and 180 cm tall, the evaluation value is set to +1, and if the person is 180 cm or taller, the evaluation value is set to +1.

[0121] For example, when a male subject is interviewed about his / her desires regarding pain, if the subject answers that he / she can tolerate the pain, the evaluation value is set to +1, if the subject answers that it is about average, the evaluation value is set to 0, and if the subject answers that he / she cannot tolerate the pain, the evaluation value is set to -1. Similarly, when a female subject is interviewed about his / her desires regarding pain, if the subject answers that she can tolerate the pain, the evaluation value is set to +1, if the subject answers that it is about average, the evaluation value is set to 0, and if the subject answers that she cannot tolerate the pain, the evaluation value is set to -1.

[0122] Furthermore, for example, if the subject is male and has had abdominal surgery, the evaluation value is set to −2, and if not, the evaluation value is set to 0. Similarly, for example, if the subject is female and has had abdominal surgery, the evaluation value is set to −3, and if not, the evaluation value is set to 0.

[0123] Furthermore, for example, when sedation is used in conjunction with an endoscopic examination on a male subject, if the sedative effect of the administered drug is strong, the evaluation value is set to +2, and if the sedative effect of the administered drug is weak, the evaluation value is set to 0. Furthermore, for example, if no drug with a sedative effect is administered to a male subject, the evaluation value is set to -1. Similarly, for example, when sedation is used in conjunction with an endoscopic examination on a female subject, if the sedative effect of the administered drug is strong, the evaluation value is set to +1, and if the sedative effect of the administered drug is weak, the evaluation value is set to 0. Furthermore, for example, if no drug with a sedative effect is administered to a female subject, the evaluation value is set to -2.

[0124] Furthermore, for example, for a male subject, if a record of easy insertion in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to +2, and if a record of average insertion difficulty in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to +1. For example, for a male subject, if a record of difficult insertion in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to -2, and if an insertion difficulty in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to -3. Similarly, for example, for a female subject, if a record of easy insertion in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to +1, and if an insertion difficulty in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to 0. For example, for a female subject, if a record of difficult insertion in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to -2, and if an insertion difficulty in a past examination remains, the evaluation value is set to -4.

[0125] Then, in step S100, the processor 22 calculates the sum of the evaluation values ​​for each item in FIG. 21 . For example, if the gender is male, the range of possible evaluation values ​​is −12 to +9. Similarly, if the gender is female, the range of possible evaluation values ​​is −17 to +4. Note that it is not necessary to use evaluation values ​​for all items in FIG. 21 ; the user may select appropriate evaluation values. For example, assume that the user selects gender, age, BMI, and height as attributes. If a certain subject is male, 36 years old, has a BMI of 22, and is 175 cm tall, then the sum of the evaluation values ​​will be +3, as shown in FIG. 21 . Similarly, if a certain subject is female, 70 years old, has a BMI of 18, and is 145 cm tall, then the sum of the evaluation values ​​will be −5, as shown in FIG. 21 .

[0126] The processor 22 then sets a difficulty rank, for example, according to the sum of the obtained evaluation values. For example, if the sum of the evaluation values ​​for a certain subject is in the range of +1 to +9, the processor 22 sets the difficulty rank for that subject to rank A. For example, if the sum of the evaluation values ​​for a certain subject is in the range of -3 to 0, the processor 22 sets the difficulty rank for that subject to rank B. For example, if the sum of the evaluation values ​​for a certain subject is in the range of -7 to -4, the processor 22 sets the difficulty rank for that subject to rank C. For example, if the sum of the evaluation values ​​for a certain subject is in the range of -17 to -8, the processor 22 sets the difficulty rank for that subject to rank D. Then, in step S200, the processor 22 generates control information corresponding to the set ranks A to D.

[0127] Note that, for example, the information regarding the operation difficulty is not limited to numbers but may be symbols such as letters or stars, and these symbols may be included as part of the table of FIG. 21 to calculate the insertion difficulty. For example, taking into account a predetermined track record, the letter "D" may be used instead of a number to indicate that the subject is female and 75 years of age or older. If "D" is included in the calculation result based on the table of FIG. 21 in step S100, the difficulty rank may be set to rank D. The predetermined track record may be, for example, that when the subject is an elderly female, the difficulty rank is often rank D regardless of whether other factors are taken into account. Similarly, information similar to the above-mentioned "D" may be assigned to items such as a history of abdominal surgery or items where insertion difficulty in past examinations was extremely difficult.

[0128] From the above, in the information processing device 20 of this embodiment, the processor 22 calculates information regarding the difficulty of inserting the endoscope 100, classifies the calculated information into predetermined ranks, and generates control information based on the classified predetermined ranks. In this way, the difficulty of inserting the endoscope 100 can be evaluated by calculation. For example, when there are many factors to consider in determining the difficulty of insertion, it may be convenient to be able to quantify the difficulty of insertion for each item.

[0129] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel features and advantages of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term described at least once in the specification or drawings together with a different term with a broader or equivalent meaning may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations and operations of the information processing device, endoscope system, and processing method are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0130] 10...endoscopic system, 20...information processing device, 22...processor, 24...processing unit, 70...insertion shape calculation device, 72...source coil, 80...external force information calculation device, 100...endoscope, 101...internal path, 102...bending portion, 104...flexible portion, 110...insertion portion, 111...outer sheath, 119...internal flexible portion, 120...bending piece, 121...roll operation unit, 124...connecting portion main body, 125...connecting portion, 130...tip portion, 140...external flexible portion, 160...bending wire, 162...coupling mechanism, 190...insertion port, 192...extension tube, 200...drive control device, 201...connector , 202...connector, 210...adapter, 211...adapter for operation device, 212...endoscope adapter, 220...operation receiving unit, 230...air supply and suction driving unit, 240...communication unit, 250...wire driving unit, 260...driving controller, 270...image acquisition unit, 280...storage unit, 290...sensor detection unit, 300...operation device, 301...operation cable, 400...treatment tool, 500...image control device, 600...control device, 800...advance and retreat driving device, 802...attachment, 816...motor unit, 818...base, 819...slider, 850...roll driving device, 900...display device

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a processor including hardware, the processor acquiring attributes of a subject, setting conditions regarding control information related to the insertion of an endoscope based on the acquired attributes of the subject, and generating the control information based on the set conditions.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor generates said control information relating to at least one of an amount of operation and an operation speed of said endoscope.

3. An information processing device according to claim 2, wherein said processor generates said control information in which at least one of said operation amount and said operation speed is different according to said set conditions.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor generates said control information for controlling a drive device that drives the insertion of said endoscope based on said set conditions.

5. An information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor sets a rank of operational difficulty as the condition based on the attributes of the subject, and generates the control information based on the set condition.

6. An information processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the processor performs control to reduce at least one of the operation amount and operation speed as the control information when the operation difficulty is determined to be high, compared to when the operation difficulty is determined to be low.

7. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor calculates information relating to the degree of difficulty of inserting the endoscope, classifies the calculated information into a predetermined rank, and generates the control information based on the classified predetermined rank.

8. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor acquires at least two of the subject's attributes of age, sex, height, weight and BMI.

9. An information processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the processor performs control to reduce at least one of the amount of operation and the operation speed as the control information when the subject's attribute, age, is older than when the age is younger.

10. An information processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the processor performs control to reduce at least one of the amount of operation and the operation speed as the control information when the subject's attribute of gender is female, compared to when the subject's attribute of gender is male.

11. An information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor acquires test information, which is information relating to a test, and sets the conditions relating to the control information based on the attributes of the subject and the test information.

12. An information processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that the processor acquires the test information including sedation information, which is information relating to sedation, and sets the conditions relating to the control information based on the attributes of the subject and the test information.

13. An information processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that the processor performs control to increase at least one of the amount of operation and the operation speed as the control information when a drug having a sedative effect is administered, compared to when the drug is not administered.

14. An information processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that the processor performs control to increase at least one of the amount of operation and the operation speed as the control information when a drug with a strong sedative effect is administered, compared to when the drug with a weak sedative effect is administered.

15. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor acquires insertion status information relating to the insertion status of the endoscope, and changes the conditions relating to the generated control information based on the acquired insertion status information.

16. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor generates the control information relating to an operating procedure of the endoscope based on the set conditions.

17. An information processing device according to claim 16, wherein the processor generates the control information with different operation techniques according to the set conditions.

18. An endoscope system comprising: an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 17; and the endoscope.

19. A processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring attributes of a subject; setting conditions related to control information for insertion of an endoscope based on the acquired attributes of the subject; and generating the control information based on the set conditions.

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