Method And Apparatus For Examining The Light And/Or Image Transmission Properties Of An Endoscopic Or Exoscopic System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016015247-A1
Application number	US-201514755032-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jul 15, 2014
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for examining the light and/or image transmission properties of an endoscopic or exoscopic system having the components endoscope or exoscope, light carrier, light source and camera, wherein at least the endoscope or exoscope is taken from a first supply quantity of endoscopes or exoscopes and/or at least the light carrier is taken from a second supply quantity of light carriers, wherein the endoscope or exoscope is provided with an identifier and/or the light carrier is provided with an identifier, wherein the identifier or the identifiers contain/s identification data that individualizes the respective endoscope or exoscope and/or the respective light carrier, wherein the components are connected to each other so as to be ready for operation in the form of a current component combination. The method comprises the steps of: capturing the identification data of the endoscope or exoscope and/or the light carrier, capturing at least one transmission parameter of the current component combination, storing the identification data and the captured at least one transmission parameter. Also described is an apparatus for carrying out the method.

First claim

1 . A method, comprising
providing an endoscopic or exoscopic system having the components: an endoscope or exoscope, a light carrier, a light source and a camera,
wherein at least one of the following is met:
the endoscope or exoscope is taken from a first supply quantity of endoscopes or exoscopes, wherein the endoscope/exoscope is provided with an endoscope/exoscope identifier containing endoscope/exoscope identification data individualizing the endoscope/exoscope;
the light carrier is taken from a second supply quantity of light carriers, wherein the light carrier is provided with a light carrier identifier containing light carrier identification data individualizing the light carrier;

and wherein the endoscope, the light carrier, the light source and the camera are connected to each other so as to be ready for operation in the form of a current component combination;
further comprising, for examining at least one of light transmission properties and image transmission properties of the endoscopic or exoscopic system: capturing at least one of the endoscope/exoscope identification data and the light carrier identification data, capturing a transmission parameter of the current component combination, storing at least one of the endoscope/exoscope identification data and the light carrier identification data and storing the captured at least one transmission parameter.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising evaluating the transmission parameter currently captured so as to ascertain an operational capability of the current component combination for use in a surgical procedure.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the evaluating the transmission parameter currently captured comprises comparing the transmission parameter currently captured to a nominal value.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reading out at least one of light source identification data of the light source and a camera operating parameter of the camera.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising setting the camera operating parameter.

6 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising setting a light source operating parameter of the light source.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising analyzing an image supplied by the current component combination so as to ascertain a current setting of an operating parameter of the camera of the current component combination.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing a timestamp in addition to the storing of the at least one of the endoscope/exoscope identification data and the light carrier identification data and to the storing of the captured transmission parameter.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising evaluating a plurality of captured and stored transmission parameters, originating from examinations or measurements, carried out in time intervals, of at least one of the light and image transmission properties of different component combinations so as to deduce a performance of individual components of the endoscopic/exoscopic system.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising carrying out the evaluating with a weighting such that stored transmission parameters that were captured earlier have a lower weighting than stored transmission parameters which are captured later, or are not taken into consideration.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising carrying out the examination of the current component combination before use of the current component combination in a surgical procedure.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising carrying out the examination of the current component combination using at least one of a measurement target and a measurement sensor connected to the endoscope or exoscope.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising carrying out the examination of the current component combination during use of the current component combination in a surgical procedure, wherein at least one of an area of tissue and an instrument at the intracorporeal site is used as a measurement target.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising carrying out a multiplicity of individual examinations during the surgical procedure, and storing at least those results from individual examinations that represent a poor-quality state of the current component combination.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising capturing an incidence of occurance of the captured poor-quality states.

16 . An apparatus, comprising
an endoscopic or exoscopic system having the components: an endoscope or exoscope, a light carrier, a light source and a camera,
wherein at least one of the following is met:
the endoscope or exoscope is taken from a first supply quantity of endoscopes or exoscopes, wherein the endoscope/exoscope is provided with an endoscope/exoscope identifier containing endoscope/exoscope identification data individualizing the endoscope/exoscope;
the light carrier is taken from a second supply quantity of light carriers, wherein the light carrier is provided with a light carrier identifier containing light carrier identification data individualizing the light carrier;

and wherein the endoscope, the light carrier, the light source and the camera are connected to each other so as to be ready for operation in the form of a current component combination;
further comprising, for examining the light and/or image transmission properties of an endoscopic or exoscopic system: an identification unit which captures at least one of the endoscope/exoscope identification data and the light carrier identification data, a measurement system that captures a transmission parameter of the current component combination, a computer unit to which the measurement system and the identification unit are connected and which has a memory unit for storing at least one of the endoscope/exoscope identification data and the light carrier identification data and for storing the captured transmission parameter.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the computer unit has an evaluation unit, which evaluates the transmission parameter currently captured so as to ascertain an operational capability of the current component combination for use in a surgical procedure.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the evaluation unit compares the transmission parameter currently captured to a nominal value.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein a plurality of transmission parameters, captured at time intervals, of different component combinations are stored in the memory unit, further comprising a program that evaluates the stored transmission parameters in terms of a performance of individual components.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the program contains an algorithm which in the evaluation of the transmission parameters does not take into consideration transmission parameters that were captured earlier or gives transmission parameters that were captured earlier a lower weighting than transmission parameters that were captured later.

21 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the camera and the light source is networked with the computer unit such that at least one of camera identification data, a camera operating parameter of the camera, light source identification data and a light source operating parameter of the light source can be readout into the computer unit.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the camera operating parameter and the light source ope

Assignees

• Storz Karl Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Irion Klaus-Martin
• Abri Omid
• Schrader Stephan

Classifications

• A61B1/0669

  at proximal end of an endoscope · CPC title

• A61B1/00057 Primary

  provided with means for testing or calibration · CPC title

• A61B1/00059

  provided with identification means for the endoscope · CPC title

• G01N21/59

  Transmissivity (G01N21/25 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B1/042

  characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera · CPC title