Endoscopic vessel harvester with gyrosensor on handle for rotating camera view

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022022948-A1
Application number	US-202117498891-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 12, 2021
Priority date	Apr 30, 2019
Publication date	Jan 27, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An endoscopic vessel harvesting tool uses an optics system to present of a video image to a user. As the tool is manipulated around all sides of the vessel to dissect and cut surrounding tissue and side branches, the orientation of the captured image rotates. A motion tracker (e.g., gyrosensor) in the tool detects the rotation. By detecting a rotational angular velocity of the harvester handle during the harvesting procedure, the camera view orientation is compensated before display to the user. When the handle is rotated, the detected rotation is used to provide an opposite (canceling) rotation of the camera view so that a steady orientation is presented on the display. Thus, a vertically upward direction (or any other desired reference direction) remains substantially fixed in the displayed video images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An endoscopic harvesting system, comprising:
a harvesting device for insertion into a patient and having a handle; an optical system providing an image showing a field of view at a distal end of the harvesting device opposite from the handle; an angular motion sensor mounted for rotation with the optical system and providing a rotation signal in response to angular rotation around a longitudinal axis of the harvesting device; and an image processor receiving the image from the optical system and receiving the rotation signal, wherein the image processor generates a video output signal which is compensated by applying a counter-rotation to the image in response to the rotation signal.

2 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor is comprised of a gyrosensor.

3 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor is comprised of an accelerometer.

4 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor is comprised of a multi-axis motion tracker.

5 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the image processor is configured to calculate a current orientation according to the rotation signal, determine a difference between the current orientation and a reference orientation, and counter-rotate video frames of the video signal according to the difference.

6 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 5 wherein the image processor is configured to calibrate to a default rotational orientation.

7 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 6 wherein the image processor is configured to counter-rotate the video frames to maintain the default rotational orientation in a visual display of the video frames.

8 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 6 further comprising a user input for providing a user offset, wherein the image processor is configured to counter-rotate the video frames to maintain an offset rotational orientation in a visual display of the video frames.

9 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the optical system is comprised of an image sensor mounted at a distal end of a camera unit insertable into the harvesting device.

10 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 9 wherein the optical system further comprises a light source at the distal end of the camera unit.

11 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 10 wherein the optical system is a camera unit insertable into the harvesting device, wherein the system further comprises:
an insufflation tube extending longitudinally in the camera unit and extending out from a proximal end of the camera unit; and
cables connected to the angular motion sensor, image sensor, and light source and extending out from the proximal end of the camera unit;
wherein the cables and insufflation tube are bundled.

12 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the optical system is a camera unit insertable into the harvesting device comprising:
an optical fiber extending longitudinally through a camera unit;
a lens mounted at a distal end of the optical fiber; and
an image sensor disposed at a proximal end of the optical fiber.

13 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the harvesting device comprises a dissector unit.

14 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the harvesting device comprises a cutting unit.

15 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein the harvesting device comprises a combination dissector and cutting unit.

16 . The endoscopic harvesting system of claim 1 wherein:
the harvesting device has a center rotational axis when inserted into the patient:
the optical system has a center axis within the field of view in the image; and
the center rotational axis of the harvesting device is offset from the center axis of the optical system.

Assignees

• Terumo Cardiovascular Sys Corp

Inventors

• Fujii Tatsunori
• Kadykowski Randal J

Classifications

• A61B17/00008 Primary

  Vein tendon strippers (tube strippers A61M1/83) · CPC title

• A61B1/00097

  Sensors · CPC title

• A61B1/000094

  extracting biological structures · CPC title

• A61B18/1482 Primary

  having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy · CPC title

• A61B1/0684

  using light emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title