Endoscope Shape Display Reliability Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope shape display technologies do not provide reliable information on the accuracy of the shape displayed on the screen, leading to confusion for operators, especially when the endoscope is partially outside the detection range or when sensor accuracy decreases.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope shape display device that estimates the shape of the endoscope and calculates a reliability value based on sensor accuracy, shape change degree, and elapsed time, displaying this reliability information on the screen using fade-out and fade-in modes to indicate accuracy changes over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only the endoscope shape is displayed without reliability information, then the display is simple and clear, but the operator cannot determine how reliable the displayed shape is
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes to represent different reliability levels of the endoscope shape display. High reliability portions are displayed in one color (e.g., green) while low reliability portions are displayed in another color (e.g., red or yellow). This allows the operator to quickly assess the reliability of different segments of the endoscope shape without adding complex visual elements, thus resolving the contradiction between providing reliability information and maintaining display simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If the entire endoscope is within the effective detection range, then the shape can be displayed with high accuracy, but when portions are outside the detection range, the operator cannot identify which portions have reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the endoscope shape display into multiple portions based on detection reliability. Each portion is independently evaluated for its reliability status (within or outside effective detection range) and displayed accordingly. This segmentation allows the operator to identify specific portions with reduced reliability while maintaining accurate display of high-reliability portions, thus preventing loss of reliability information while preserving measurement precision for detectable segments.
3Ease of operation
If color changes are used to indicate detection range status, then the operator can easily confirm whether the endoscope is in the effective detection range, but the operator still cannot determine the reliability of the displayed shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes to represent reliability levels rather than just detection range status. By assigning specific colors to different reliability thresholds (e.g., green for high reliability, yellow for medium reliability, red for low reliability), the system maintains ease of visual confirmation while simultaneously providing reliable shape information. This resolves the contradiction by making the color-coding system serve dual purposes: indicating both detection range status and shape reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides operators with clear and continuous visual feedback on the reliability of the endoscope shape, reducing confusion and improving operational accuracy by indicating unreliable portions of the endoscope shape, thus assisting in precise navigation within complex observation objects.
Implementation Method 1
a shape sensor 130 that detects a position and an orientation of the endoscope 100 by sensing a magnetic field generated by a source coil 14i
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention has an object to provide an endoscope shape display device that is capable of providing an operator with information regarding how reliable a provided shape of an endoscope is. The endoscope shape display device according to the present invention displays a shape image indicating an estimation result of the shape of the endoscope and a reliability image that reflects a value of reliability of the estimation result (see Fig. 10).