Flexible endoscope device with visual control and process for stabilization of such a device

Flexible endoscopic device

• whereby this device (1) comprises an elongated supple body (2) that has a flexible end segment (3) that carries or forms the head of the endoscope, equipped with an optical system (4) and able to be curved or bent in at least two mutually perpendicular directions, whereby said elongated body (2) is connected functionally, at its other end, to a control means (5) that can monitor at least the movements and/or the arrangement of said end segment,
• whereby this device (1) also comprises automatic means for orientation and positioning of the end segment (3) by visual control, whereby these means essentially consist of a means of video processing (6) receiving video images or signals supplied by the optical system (4) of the head of the endoscope (3′), by a computer means (7) that can implement visual control operations on the basis of processed video signals and providing control signals, and by actuating means (8, 8′) that are part of or are associated with control means (5) that are able to monitor the end segment (3) and receive control signals supplied by the computer means (7),
• whereby the means (6, 7, 8, 8′, 12, 12′) for automatic bending and positioning of the end segment (3) are organized functionally for forming at least one control loop (9) that is designed to minimize the error or an analogous dissimilarity measure between, on the one hand, a visual element or a target piece of visual information extracted from a reference image (10), and, on the other hand, a visual element or a corresponding piece of visual information extracted from the current image (10′) supplied by the optical system (4) of the head of the endoscope (3′), whereby said error is exploited to deliver control signals to the actuating means (8, 8′) monitoring the movements and the positioning of said end segment (3) in at least one direction,
• device (1), characterized in that the computer means (7) is able, by execution of a suitable program, to determine in real time, i.e., at least at the speed at which video images are supplied, an approximation, preferably by iterative processing, of the transformation to be applied to the current image (10′) that ends in a minimization of a cost function between a reduced image or a thumbnail (T*) obtained from the reference image (10) and a reduced image or thumbnail (T) that is obtained from the current image (10′) that is provided by the head (3′) of the endoscope and processed by the current approximated transformation.

Process for stabilization of a flexible endoscope by visual control,

• whereby said process implements a flexible endoscopic device (1) that comprises
• essentially an elongated flexible body (2) that has a flexible end segment (3) that carries or forms the head of the endoscope, equipped with an optical system (4) and able to be curved or bent in at least two mutually perpendicular directions, whereby said elongated body is connected functionally, at its other end, to a control means (5) that can monitor at least the movements and/or the arrangement of said end segment,
• whereby said process consists in producing automatically, via automatic means (6, 7, 8 and 8′) for orientation and positioning of the end segment (3) organized functionally in at least one control loop (9), a processing of images supplied by the optical system (4) of the head (3′) of the endoscope, visual control operations on the basis of processed video signals and the processing and delivery of control signals to actuating means (8, 8′) that are part of or are associated with the control means (5),
• whereby the control operations essentially consist in minimizing the error or an analogous dissimilarity measure between, on the one hand, a visual element or a target piece of visual information extracted from a reference image (10), and, on the other hand, a visual element or a corresponding piece of visual information extracted from the current image (10′) supplied by the optical system (4) of the head of the endoscope (3′), whereby said error is exploited to deliver control signals to the actuating means (8, 8′) that monitor the movements and the positioning of said end segment (3) in at least one direction,
• process wherein it consists in, within the framework of the control operations implemented by the computer means (7), determining in real time, i.e., at least at the speed at which video images are supplied, an approximation, preferably by an iterative processing, of the transformation to be applied to the current image (10′) that ends in a minimization of a cost function between a reduced image or a thumbnail (T*) obtained from the reference image (10) and a reduced image or thumbnail (T) obtained from the reference image (10′) supplied by the head (3′) of the endoscope and processed by the current approximated transformation.