Flexible tube insertion apparatus, insertion control apparatus, and flexible tube insertion method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12004709-B2
Application number	US-202017027224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Mar 27, 2018
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes: a flexible tube; a stiffness control system configured to control a stiffness of the tube; a buckling detection system configured to detect occurrence of a buckling in the tube; a pulling operation detection system configured to detect that a pulling operation of the tube is performed, after detection of the occurrence of the buckling; and a storage configured to store position information of a stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion of the tube neighboring a buckling portion of the tube and located on a distal side of the buckling portion. The stiffness control system is configured to enhance a stiffness of the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion, based on the position information, at detection of the pulling operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible tube insertion apparatus comprising:
a processor comprising hardware, the processor being configured to:
control a stiffness of each of various portions of a flexible tube configured to be inserted into a tract of a target;
detect occurrence of a buckling in the flexible tube;
detect that a pulling operation of the flexible tube is performed, after detecting the occurrence of the buckling;
store position information of a stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion including a portion of the flexible tube adjacent to a buckling portion of the flexible tube and located on a distal side of the buckling portion, and
increase a stiffness of the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion, based on the position information stored in the storage device, when the pulling operation is detected.

2. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
detect completion of the pulling operation, and
increase the stiffness of the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion when the completion of the pulling operation is detected.

3. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured not to increase the stiffness of the flexible tube during a period from when the occurrence of the buckling is detected to when the pulling operation is detected.

4. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising stiffness changing devices, and the processor is configured to independently control the stiffness changing devices, the stiffness changing devices being provided on the flexible tube and arranged along a longitudinal axis of the flexible tube, and each stiffness changing device being configured to change a stiffness of a portion of the flexible tube in which the stiffness changing device is provided.

5. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a shape of the flexible tube,
wherein the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is determined, based on information of the calculated shape of the flexible tube.

6. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a shape sensor configured to acquire shape information of each of various portions of the flexible tube, and the processor is configured to calculate a shape of an entirety of the flexible tube, based on the shape information of each of various portions of the flexible tube acquired by the shape sensor.

7. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the shape sensor includes bend sensors arranged along a longitudinal axis of the flexible tube, each bend sensor being configured to detect a bend of a portion of the flexible tube on which the bend sensor is provided, and
the processor is configured to calculate the shape of the flexible tube, based on information of a curvature of each of various portions of the flexible tube detected by the bend sensor.

8. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the shape sensor includes position sensors arranged along a longitudinal axis of the flexible tube, each position sensor being configured to detect a bend of a portion of the flexible tube on which the position sensor is provided, and
the processor is configured to calculate the shape of the flexible tube, based on information of a position of each of various portions of the flexible tube detected by the position sensor.

9. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate a curvature of each of various portions of the flexible tube, based on the shape information of each of various portions of the flexible tube acquired by the shape sensor, and configured to detect the occurrence of the buckling, based on the curvature.

10. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to judge that the buckling occurs in the flexible tube, if the curvature of any one of the various portions of the flexible tube exceeds a threshold for buckling occurrence detection.

11. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is a portion of the flexible tube that corresponds to a range in which the curvature exceeds a threshold for stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion determination that is lower than the threshold for buckling occurrence detection.

12. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to judge that the pulling operation is performed, when the curvature of the buckling portion decreases below a threshold for buckling elimination detection that is lower than the threshold for buckling occurrence detection.

13. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to set a buckling occurrence expectation area where the occurrence of the buckling is expected, and configured to determine that the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is a portion of the flexible tube that is located in the buckling occurrence expectation area in the flexible tube in which the buckling is eliminated.

14. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate a maximum point of a curvature of a bend portion that is located on a distal side of the buckling portion and is closest to the buckling portion, and configured to determine the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion, based on the maximum point.

15. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is a portion of the flexible tube that includes the maximum point and corresponds to a range including at least a part of the buckling portion.

16. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate an inflection point between the buckling portion and a bend portion that is located on a distal side of the buckling portion and is closest to the buckling portion, and configured to determine the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion, based on the inflection point.

17. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is a portion of the flexible tube that includes the inflection point and corresponds to a range including at least a part of the buckling portion.

18. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to calculate a velocity of each of various portions of the flexible tube, based on the shape information of each of various portions of the flexible tube acquired by the shape sensor, configured to calculate a velocity ratio of two mutually distanced portions of the flexible tube, and configured to detect the occurrence of the buckling, based on the velocity ratio.

19. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the processor is configured to judge that the buckling occurs in the flexible tube, when the velocity ratio of any one of sets of two portions of the flexible tube is lower than the threshold for buckling occurrence detection.

20. The flexible tube insertion apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to determine that the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion is a portion of the flexible tube that corresponds to a portion with the velocity ratio lower than a threshold for stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion determination that is higher than the threshold for buckling occurrence detection.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Tezuka Ryo
• Tojo Ryo
• Takahashi Takeshi

Classifications

• A61B1/00009

  of image signals during a use of endoscope · CPC title

• A61B5/065

  Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe · CPC title

• A61B1/31

  for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes {, colonoscopes} · CPC title

• A61B1/0058

  using shape-memory elements · CPC title

• A61B1/0057

  Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires · CPC title