WO2018034528A1 - Endoscopic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an endoscopic device comprising: a body part entering inside a human body; and at least one first sensor arranged on an outer surface of the body part so as to output an electrical signal when making contact with the inside of the human body, wherein the at least one first sensors are each arranged along the length direction of the body part at predetermined intervals.

Description

Endoscope device

The present invention relates to an endoscope device.

In general, endoscopy is to observe and examine the internal organs of the human body using an endoscope device. Endoscopy as described above can examine the inside of the human body without a procedure such as open surgery or incision surgery, it is widely used for the diagnosis of diseases in the medical field.

Endoscopy device is a medical device that is inserted into the body of the human body that can not directly see the lesion (lesion) without surgery or incision to make the organ or body cavity inside. To this end, the endoscope device is combined with the imaging device to photograph the affected part of the body.

After the endoscope device is inserted into the human body, it is difficult to determine where the upper end of the endoscope device is located through the internal view of the human body photographed by the imaging device of the endoscope device. In addition, after the endoscope apparatus acquires an image or an image of a specific lesion, it is difficult to know the location information of the affected lesion.

In order to solve the above problems and / or limitations, the problem to be solved by the present invention includes a plurality of sensors that can detect whether the body enters the body portion of the endoscope device through the electrical signal output by the sensor An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope device capable of determining where the endoscope device is located.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a body portion entering the human body and at least one first sensor disposed on an outer surface of the body portion and outputting an electrical signal when in contact with the human body, wherein the at least one first sensor They provide endoscope devices each disposed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the body portion.

The endoscope device of the present invention can easily determine where the endoscope device is located by using an electrical signal to detect whether the plurality of sensors disposed in the body portion enters the human body.

In addition, the endoscope device may provide the position information of the endoscope device to the display unit to obtain image information including the position information inside the human body.

1 schematically illustrates an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 schematically illustrates an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view showing a portion of the endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted into the human body.

5 is a diagram illustrating a display screen displayed by a display unit of an endoscope apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention includes a body portion entering the human body and at least one first sensor disposed on an outer surface of the body portion and outputting an electrical signal when in contact with the inside of the human body, wherein the at least one first sensor includes the body portion. Provided are endoscope devices which are respectively arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor may include at least one of a pressure sensor, an electrode sensor, and a touch sensor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it may further include at least one second sensor which is a temperature sensor disposed at a position corresponding to the first sensor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the body portion includes at least one protrusion protruding along the longitudinal direction of the body portion at the predetermined intervals, the at least one first sensor is disposed in the at least one protrusion, respectively Can be.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it may include a position estimating unit for receiving the electrical signal output from at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor to track the position of the endoscope device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the information on the position of the endoscope device may include information corresponding to the length of the body portion entered into the human body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first sensor is an electrode sensor, and the position estimating unit detects at least one of impedance and electrical conductivity based on the electrical signal output from the first sensor to determine the position of the endoscope device. Can be traced

In one embodiment of the present invention, the position estimating unit may determine whether the electrical signal output from the first sensor is an electrical signal by contact with the inside of the human body based on the temperature detected by the second sensor. have.

 In one embodiment of the present invention, the position estimating unit detects an electrical signal output from the first sensor that is located corresponding to the temperature detected by the second sensor is greater than a preset reference temperature, the electrical signal is It may be determined by an electrical signal caused by contact with the inside of the human body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, further comprising a photographing apparatus for providing the image information of the inside of the human body, and a display unit for displaying the image information, the display unit is also the position information estimated by the position estimation unit with the image information I can display it.

Other aspects, features, and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. Effects and features of the present invention, and methods of achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various forms.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or corresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. .

In the following embodiments, the terms first, second, etc. are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components rather than a restrictive meaning.

In the following examples, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the following examples, the terms including or having have meant that there is a feature or component described in the specification and does not preclude the possibility of adding one or more other features or components.

In the following embodiments, when a part such as a film, a region, a component, or the like is on or on another part, not only is it directly above the other part, but also another film, a region, a component, etc. is interposed therebetween. It also includes cases where there is.

In the drawings, components may be exaggerated or reduced in size for convenience of description. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, and thus the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated.

In the case where an embodiment may be implemented differently, a specific process order may be performed differently from the described order. For example, two processes described in succession may be performed substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order of the described order.

In the following embodiments, when a film, a region, a component, or the like is connected, not only the film, the region, and the components are directly connected, but also other films, regions, and components are interposed between the film, the region, and the components. And indirectly connected. For example, in the present specification, when the film, the region, the component, and the like are electrically connected, not only the film, the region, the component, and the like are directly electrically connected, but other films, the region, the component, and the like are interposed therebetween. This includes indirect electrical connections.

1 schematically illustrates an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 100 includes a body 110, a photographing unit 190, and a first sensor 120.

Body portion 110 of the endoscope device 100 has the shape of an elongated tube to observe the inside of the human body. Body portion 110 of the endoscope device 100 may have the flexibility to be refractive with a predetermined curvature according to the inside of the human body to be photographed.

The photographing device is coupled to the tip of the body 110. The photographing unit 190 may check the lesion inside the human body to check the cause of the patient's disease, the progress of the disease, and the like. In detail, the photographing unit 190 may generate an image for observing an organ or the like inside the human body. The photographing unit 190 detects the wavelength of the visible light region and transmits the image to the external display device in the form of an image, or detects the wavelength of the region other than the visible light region and transmits the image to the external display device in the form of an image. The invisible light photographing unit 190 may be. The invisible light photographing unit 190 may be a thermal imaging camera, an infrared camera, or a UV camera, but the inventive concept is not limited thereto. The invisible light photographing unit 190 may detect light that is not visible light and transmit the light to an external display device in an image form. Any means can be used without limitation.

Each of the first sensors 120 is disposed in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the body 110. The first sensor 120 may have a circular, elliptical, or polygonal shape on the outer surface of the body part 110, and the first sensor 120 may be disposed on the body part 110 to detect contact with the human body. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto. The first sensor 120 may detect whether the body 110 contacts a part of the human body. When the first sensor 120 detects a contact with a part of the human body, the first sensor 120 may output an electrical signal including information about the detection.

In detail, the first sensor 120 may include at least one of an electrode sensor, a pressure sensor, and a touch sensor. For example, when the first sensor 120 is an electrode sensor and the body 110 enters the human body, the first sensor 120 may have a current flow in contact with a part of the human body or may have an impedance value different. . That is, since the human body is a medium through which electricity flows, when the first sensor 120 comes into contact with a part of the human body, a change in impedance or a magnitude of current occurs in the first sensor 120. Furthermore, when the first sensor 120 is a pressure sensor, the external force applied to the body 110 may be sensed. The first sensor 120 may output an electrical signal including information about the pressure when a pressure (force) is applied to the body 110 from the outside. For example, when the body 110 enters the human body, the first sensor 120 may sense the pressure applied from a part of the human body. The first sensor 120 may detect the pressure to determine whether the body 110 has entered the human body. Similarly, when the first sensor 120 is a touch sensor, the first sensor 120 may determine whether contact with the human body is detected by detecting a change in capacitance, a change in electrical conductivity, or a change in light quantity according to an operating principle. .

2 schematically illustrates an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the endoscope device 100 includes a first sensor 120, a second sensor 130, a body 110, and a photographing unit 190. The body part 110 and the photographing part 190 are substantially the same as the body part 110 and the photographing part 190 shown in FIG. 1 and will not be repeatedly described.

A plurality of first sensors 120 are disposed in the body portion 110. The plurality of first sensors 120 are respectively disposed in the body portion 110 at predetermined intervals along the length direction of the body portion 110. The plurality of first sensors 120 may respectively detect whether the human body contacts each other, and provide information on the length of the body 110 entering the human body through the order or number of the detected first sensors 120. can do. On the other hand, the predetermined interval means the interval between the circles extending in the circumferential direction of the body portion 110 where the first sensor 120 is disposed.

The second sensor 130 is disposed near the first sensor 120. The second sensor 130 may be disposed at the same position as the first sensor 120 or may be spaced apart from each other. However, the second sensor 130 may be a position capable of measuring a temperature around the corresponding first sensor 120. The spirit of the invention is not limited thereto. The second sensor 130, which is a temperature sensor, may measure the temperature by detecting a change in electrical characteristics of the electrical element according to the temperature. The second sensor 130 may measure the temperature of the human body without directly contacting the human body. For example, even when the first sensor 120 of the endoscope apparatus 100 entering the human body does not contact the human body part at a position spaced apart from the human body part, the second sensor 130 which is a temperature sensor is a human body. You can sense the temperature. In this case, even if the first sensor 120 is spaced apart from the inside of the human body and cannot detect a contact with a part of the human body, the second sensor 130 senses a temperature near 36.5 degrees, which is a body temperature. The sensor 130 may additionally detect whether the human body enters into the human body.

According to one embodiment, the endoscope device 100 is different from only the first interval (L1) which is the interval between the first sensor 120 first entering the human body and the next first sensor 120 entering the human body, the remaining second The distance between the first sensor 120 may have a constant interval. The first interval L1 may be determined based on a position of an organ in the human body to be photographed by the endoscope device 100. For example, when the endoscope device 100 is a device for capturing the small intestine inside the human body, the first interval L1 may be set based on the length from the anus, which is an opening that enters the human body, to the small intestine to be photographed. Can be. Thereafter, the interval between the third to Nth (N is a natural number greater than 3) first sensor 120 may be constant to the second interval (L2). This is because it is not necessary to precisely track the position of the endoscope device 100 until reaching the target human organs, the body portion in consideration of the distance from the position from which the endoscope device 100 first enters the human body to the body to be photographed An interval between the first first sensor 120 and the second second sensor 130 disposed on the top of 110 may be preset. In addition, when the second sensor 120, which is disposed second, detects contact with the human body, the user may be informed that the organ of the human body to be photographed will be reached soon.

According to another embodiment, the body portion 110 may be formed with a protrusion including a plurality of protrusions protruding in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of first sensors 120 are disposed on each of the protrusions, and the first sensor 120 may easily contact the human body after entering the human body. Meanwhile, each of the plurality of protrusions may be disposed at the same interval as the preset interval.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the endoscope apparatus 100 includes a first sensor 120, a second sensor 130, a position estimator 140, a display unit 150, and an image storage unit 160. The first sensor 120 and the second sensor 130 are substantially the same as the first sensor 120 and the second sensor 130 described with reference to FIG. 1 and will not be repeated.

The position estimator 140 is electrically connected to at least one sensor of the first sensor 120 and the second sensor 130. The position estimator 140 may receive an electrical signal output from the first sensor 120. The position estimator 140 may estimate the position of the endoscope by analyzing the received electrical signal. The position estimator 140 may include a front end (hereinafter, referred to as a front end point) of the body part 110 to which the plurality of first sensors 120 first enter an opening of the human body and each of the plurality of first sensors 120. The first information about the distance from the place where the arrangement is made is stored in advance. The position estimator 140 may detect first sensors 120 that output an electrical signal in contact with a part of the human body, and estimate position information of the endoscope device 100 based on the first information.

For example, when the first sensor 120 is an electrode sensor, the position estimator 140 may detect an electrical conductivity or an impedance value based on the electrical signals of the first sensors 120. The position estimator 140 may determine first position information corresponding to the detected electrical conductivity or impedance value, and estimate position information that is the extent that the endoscope device 100 enters the human body.

According to an embodiment, the position estimator 140 may further consider an electrical signal output from the second sensor 130. The second sensor 130 is a temperature sensor, and the electrical signal output by the second sensor 130 includes information about ambient temperature. When the temperature detected by the second sensor 130 becomes equal to or greater than a preset reference temperature, the position estimator 140 detects a contact by the first sensor 120 disposed at a position corresponding to the second sensor 130. If not, the location information of the endoscope device 100 may be analyzed using the information detected by the second sensor 130.

According to an embodiment, the position estimator 140 contacts the inside of the human body with an electrical signal output from the first sensor 120 disposed corresponding thereto based on the temperature detected by the second sensor 130. It is possible to determine whether or not the electrical signal by. In detail, the first sensor 120 may output an electrical signal by a contact other than the contact of the human body. In this case, the position estimator 140 may estimate wrong position information. The position estimator 140 outputs the first sensor 120 through a temperature value detected by the second sensor 130. It may be determined whether the electrical signal is an electrical signal by contact with a human body. That is, since the human body has a body temperature of 30 degrees or more, the position estimating unit 140 includes the first sensor 120 disposed at a position corresponding to the second sensor 130 when it detects a temperature of 30 degrees or more. It can be determined that the electrical signal is output by the contact with.

For example, even if the first sensor 120 outputs an electrical signal according to a contact, the position estimator 140 detects that the temperature detected by the second sensor 130 disposed at a corresponding position is less than a preset reference temperature. The position estimator 140 may not use the position sensor 140 to estimate the position information of the endoscope 100 because the first sensor 120 outputs an electrical signal according to a contact caused by a factor other than contact with the inside of the human body. have.

Optionally, the position estimator 140 may estimate the position of the endoscope device 100 by detecting the number of the first sensors 120 that output electrical signals by contact. For example, if the first interval L1 described with reference to FIG. 3 is 20 cm, the second interval L2 is 2 cm, and the number of the first sensors 120 outputting electrical signals in contact with the human body is five, The endoscope device 100 may calculate that the endoscope device 100 is in a 26 cm position by calculating 20 + 2 * 3 based on the number of first sensors 120 that output an electrical signal.

Optionally, each of the plurality of first sensors 120 may output an electrical signal including a unique identification code. The location estimator 140 may detect the first sensor 120 corresponding to the unique identification code by analyzing the unique identification code. In detail, the position estimator 140 may determine the number of first sensors 120 of the first sensor 120 corresponding to the unique identification code. In this case, the position estimator 140 may determine whether to sequentially output the electrical signal from the first first sensor 120 positioned at the tip of the body 110.

The display unit 150 may display an image photographed by the photographing unit 190 of the endoscope device 100. The display unit 150 may include a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, and a three-dimensional display (3D). display, an electrophoretic display.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the display unit 150 may display image information captured by the photographing unit 190 and location information of the endoscope apparatus 100 estimated by the position estimating unit 140 together. The display unit 150 may receive the position information from the position estimator 140, and the photographing unit 190 may overlap the photographed image information to display the position information.

The image storage unit 160 may receive and store image information including the position information estimated by the position estimator 140.

4 is a view showing a portion of the endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention inserted into the human body, Figure 5 shows a display screen displayed on the display unit of the endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention Drawing.

Referring to FIG. 4, a part of the body 110 of the endoscope apparatus 100 is located in the large intestine, which is inside the human body of the patient to find a polyp or a tumor of the large intestine. The first sensor 120 disposed first is located at the tip point described with reference to FIG. 3. The second sensor 120 disposed secondly is spaced apart by the first interval L1 described with reference to FIG. 2. The first interval L1 is determined based on the organs inside the human body to be photographed by the endoscope device 100 and the opening and distance from which the endoscope device 100 is inserted. Each of the third to fifth first sensors 120 are spaced apart from each other at the same interval at the second interval L2. The endoscope device 100 may estimate the depth (or length) information in which the body 110 of the endoscope device 100 is inserted into the human body by monitoring the first sensors 120 that output electrical signals by contact. .

For example, when the first interval L1 is 15 cm and the second interval L2 is 1 cm, the position estimator 140 outputs electrical signals output by the first sensors 120 in contact with the large intestine or anus. Get delivered. As shown in FIG. 5, the first to fifth first sensors 120 are in contact with the large intestine or the anus. The position estimator 140 receives an electrical signal from the first to fifth sensors 120 disposed therein, obtains impedance information or electrical conductivity information, and contacts the large intestine of the first sensor 120. You can analyze the number or number of sensors placed in contact with the large intestine. That is, the position estimator 140 detects contact with the large intestine to five first sensors 120 among the first sensors 120 or the first sensor 120 arranged to the fifth. Based on the location information of the endoscope device 100 can be analyzed. In this case, the position estimator 140 may insert the body portion 110 of the current endoscope about 21 cm from the anus by using the first interval L1 and the second interval L2 stored in advance, or the imaging unit 190. Can be assumed to represent the large intestine about 21cm away from the anus.

Referring to FIG. 5, the endoscopic device 100 detects edema or tumor in the large intestine of the patient, and the endoscopic device 100 stored in the image storage unit 160 displays the image of the edema or tumor C. )to be. The image storage unit 160 stores the estimated position information in the image information so that the position information estimated by the position estimator 140 is displayed on the image information provided by the photographing unit 190 when the image 10 is stored. You can store it. The image 10 may provide information that the leiomyoma or tumor C was found at a distance of about 21 cm from the anus. In this case, when the endoscopic apparatus is found again later by the endoscope, the user who manipulates the endoscope device 100 may easily know how much the endoscope should be inserted to detect the edema or the tumor again. That is, the user can easily recognize where the endoscope device 100 is inserted by receiving location information of the endoscope through the display unit 150, and include the location information in an image of a specific edema or tumor. Or you can save it as an image file.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it is possible to make various modifications or variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims will include such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the spirit of the invention.

According to this invention, an endoscope apparatus is provided. In addition, embodiments of the present invention can be applied to the gastroscope or enteroscopic examination used in industry.

Claims (10)

A body part entering the human body; And And at least one first sensor disposed on an outer surface of the body and outputting an electrical signal when in contact with the inside of the human body. The at least one first sensor is disposed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the body portion, respectively. The method of claim 1, The first sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, an electrode sensor and a touch sensor. The method of claim 2, And at least one second sensor which is a temperature sensor respectively disposed at a position corresponding to the first sensor. The method of claim 1, The body portion includes at least one protrusion protruding in the longitudinal direction of the body portion at the predetermined interval, The at least one first sensor is disposed at each of the at least one projection. The method of claim 3, And a position estimator configured to receive an electrical signal output from at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor and track the position of the endoscope device. The method of claim 5, Information about the position of the endoscope device includes information corresponding to the length of the body portion entered into the human body. The method of claim 5, The first sensor is an electrode sensor, and the position estimator detects at least one of impedance and electrical conductivity based on the electrical signal output from the first sensor to track the position of the endoscope device. The method of claim 5, And the position estimating unit determines whether the electrical signal output by the first sensor is an electrical signal due to contact with the inside of the human body based on the temperature sensed by the second sensor. The method of claim 8, The position estimating unit detects an electrical signal output by the first sensor located at a temperature equal to or greater than a preset reference temperature when the second sensor senses the electrical signal. Endoscope device judged by the signal. The method of claim 5, An imaging device for providing image information inside the human body; And And a display unit for displaying the image information. And the display unit also displays the position information estimated by the position estimator together with the image information.

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