Endoscope Bending Control Using 3D Position Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inexperienced surgeons face difficulties in navigating the distal end of an endoscope to a target position within crooked body cavities, such as the intestinal tract, due to limited operability of existing endoscope systems.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope system with a bending portion driven by an electrical bending drive unit, incorporating a map information storage unit and a bending control unit that uses three-dimensional position and direction data to orient the distal end of the endoscope accurately towards a target position, utilizing a reference position near the rear end of the bending portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual bending operation is used by inexperienced surgeons, then the endoscope can be operated, but the distal end cannot be accurately positioned in crooked body cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical bending operations with an automated motor-driven bending system. The motor-operated bending portion automatically positions the distal end of the endoscope based on pre-stored map information, eliminating the need for manual wire manipulation and providing consistent, accurate positioning even for inexperienced operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-storing map information that correlates bending operations with resulting distal end positions in three-dimensional space. This pre-computed data allows the system to automatically determine the correct bending sequence and magnitude to reach target positions without requiring real-time manual adjustment or expert intuition.
2Ease of operation
If motor-operated bending is implemented, then operability is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a unified control system. The same motor-driven mechanism and map information storage serve both simple forward bending and complex three-dimensional positioning tasks. The system handles various bending directions and magnitudes through a single automated control architecture, reducing the need for separate mechanical systems for different operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses map information as a digital copy of the physical bending space. Instead of complex real-time sensing and calculation systems, the system stores pre-mapped relationships between bending commands and distal end positions, allowing accurate positioning through simple lookup and execution of stored data.
3Loss of information
If three-dimensional position data is collected through manual operations, then map information can be obtained, but the data collection process is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves continuous data collection by performing bending operations in all four directions (up, down, left, right) systematically and continuously storing position information. Rather than intermittent or selective measurements, the system continuously maps the entire three-dimensional bending space, ensuring complete coverage without gaps in the map information.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope system includes an endoscope with a bending portion installed on a distal side of an insertion portion; a bending drive unit which drives and bends the bending portion electrically; a map information storage unit which stores map information digitized by associating an amount of bending and a corresponding three-dimensional position and direction of a distal end of the insertion portion with each other, with a position near a rear end of the bending portion being designated as a reference position; a position and direction detecting unit which detects the position and direction of the distal end of the insertion portion; and a bending control unit which controls the bending drive unit to orient the distal end of the insertion portion into a target direction using the map information.