Manipulator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9878449-B2
Application number	US-201615002721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a manipulator system including: a manipulator that has an insertion section composed of a flexible section and a bending section and that has a bending-section drive unit for driving the bending section; an operation input unit; a flexible-section shape detecting unit and a bending-section shape detecting unit that detect curved shapes of the flexible section and the bending section, respectively; compensation-value setting units that set a compensation value on the basis of the curved shape detected by each of the shape detecting units; and a control unit that generates a curvature control signal for driving the bending-section drive unit according to an operating instruction input via the operation input unit and furthermore corrects the curvature control signal using the compensation value and transmits it to the bending-section drive unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A manipulator system comprising:
a manipulator that includes an insertion section having an elongated flexible section with flexibility and a bending section provided at a distal end of the flexible section and that includes a bending-section drive unit for causing the bending section to undergo bending motion;
an operation input unit via which an operator inputs an operating instruction to the bending section;
a flexible-section shape detecting unit that detects a curved shape of the flexible section;
a bending-section shape detecting unit that detects a curved shape of the bending section;
a control unit that generates a curvature control signal for driving the bending-section drive unit according to the operating instruction input via the operation input unit; and
a compensation-value setting unit that sets a compensation value for the curvature control signal on the basis of the curved shape of the flexible section detected by the flexible-section shape detecting unit and the curved shape of the bending section detected by the bending-section shape detecting unit,
wherein the control unit corrects the curvature control signal with the compensation value set by the compensation-value setting unit and transmits the corrected curvature control signal to the bending-section drive unit.

2. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulator includes a treatment tool that is inserted in the insertion section along a longitudinal direction thereof, and
the manipulator system further comprises a treatment-tool identifying unit that identifies whether the treatment tool is present or absent in the insertion section and, if the treatment tool is present in the insertion section, the treatment tool, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets the compensation value further on the basis of presence/absence of the treatment tool identified by the treatment-tool identifying unit and, if the treatment tool is present in the insertion section, a dynamic characteristic of the treatment tool identified by the treatment-tool identifying unit.

3. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulator includes a linear member that connects the bending section and the bending-section drive unit via the flexible section and transmits to the bending section a driving force generated by the bending-section drive unit, and
a path for setting a route of the linear member in the insertion section is provided in the insertion section.

4. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulator includes a linear member that connects the bending section and the bending-section drive unit via the flexible section and transmits to the bending section a driving force generated by the bending-section drive unit, and
the manipulator system further comprises an extracorporeal-part shape detecting unit that detects a curved shape of a basal end portion of the linear member pulled out of the insertion section, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets the compensation value further on the basis of the curved shape of the basal end portion of the linear member detected by the extracorporeal-part shape detecting unit.

5. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit feedforward-controls the bending-section drive unit, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets, as the compensation value, a gain used by the control unit for the feedforward control.

6. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit feedback-controls the bending-section drive unit, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets, as the compensation value, a gain used by the control unit for the feedback control.

7. The manipulator system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit transmits to the bending-section drive unit the curvature control signal having an offset signal superimposed thereon, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets, as the compensation value, the offset signal the sign of which is reversed when the direction of the bending motion of the bending section changes to a reverse direction.

8. A manipulator system comprising:
a manipulator having an insertion section that includes an elongated flexible section with flexibility and that includes a bending section provided at a distal end of the flexible section, a treatment tool inserted in the insertion section along a longitudinal direction thereof, and a treatment-tool drive unit that causes the treatment tool to undergo advancement/retraction motion and rotational motion in the insertion section;
an operation input unit via which an operator inputs an operating instruction to the treatment tool;
a flexible-section shape detecting unit that detects a curved shape of the flexible section;
a bending-section shape detecting unit that detects a curved shape of the bending section;
a control unit that generates an advancement/retraction control signal and a rotation control signal for driving the treatment-tool drive unit according to the operating instruction input via the operation input unit; and
a compensation-value setting unit that sets a compensation value for each of the advancement/retraction control signal and the rotation control signal on the basis of the curved shape of the flexible section detected by the flexible-section shape detecting unit and the curved shape of the bending section detected by the bending-section shape detecting unit,
wherein the control unit corrects the advancement/retraction control signal and the rotation control signal with the compensation values set by the compensation-value setting unit and transmits the advancement/retraction control signal and the rotation control signal to the treatment-tool drive unit.

9. The manipulator system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a treatment-tool identifying unit that identifies the treatment tool in the insertion section,
wherein the compensation-value setting unit sets each of the compensation values further on the basis of a dynamic characteristic of the treatment tool identified by the treatment-tool identifying unit.

10. The manipulator system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an extracorporeal-part shape detecting unit that detects the curved shape of a basal end portion of the treatment tool pulled out of the insertion section,
wherein the compensation-value setting unit sets each of the compensation values further on the basis of the curved shape of the basal end portion of the treatment tool detected by the extracorporeal-part shape detecting unit.

11. The manipulator system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the insertion section is provided with a plurality of channels that penetrate therethrough in the longitudinal direction and into which the treatment tool is inserted, and
the manipulator system further comprises a channel-in-use detecting unit that detects, from among the plurality of channels, a channel into which the treatment tool is inserted is provided, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets each of the compensation values further on the basis of the channel detected by the channel-in-use detecting unit.

12. The manipulator system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the control unit feedforward-controls the treatment-tool drive unit, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets, as the compensation value, a gain used by the control unit for the feedforward control.

13. The manipulator system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the control unit feedback-controls the treatment-tool drive unit, and
the compensation-value setting unit sets, as the compensation value, a gain

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Wakai Hiroshi
• HATAKEYAMA Naoya
• Iida Masatoshi

Classifications

• A61B2017/00022

  Sensing or detecting at the treatment site · CPC title

• A61B90/98

  using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders · CPC title

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title

• B25J18/06

  flexible · CPC title

• A61B90/96

  using barcodes · CPC title