# US 2014/0194682 A1 · Insertion device

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- Number: US 2014/0194682 A1
- Document ID: US20140194682A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/154,288
- Filed: 2014-01-14
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2012-06-27
- Assignees: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
- Applicants: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
- Inventors: Yoshitaka UMEMOTO; Kimihiko NAITO; Hiroaki MIYOSHI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194682A1

## CPC

- A61B 1/0016: {using motor drive units}
- A61B 1/00: Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes (examination of body cavities or body tracts using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/12; endoscopic instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/04); Illuminating arrangements therefor (for the eyes A61B3/00)
- A61B 1/00009: {of image signals during a use of endoscope}
- A61B 1/00055: {for alerting the user}
- A61B 1/00135: {Oversleeves mounted on the endoscope prior to insertion}
- A61B 1/00148: {using anchoring means}
- A61B 1/00154: {using guiding arrangements for insertion}
- A61B 1/0002: {provided with data storages}
- A61B 1/05: characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

An insertion device includes an idle state detector detecting an idle state in which an insertion section does not move in directions along the longitudinal axis when a rotation unit rotates in directions around the longitudinal axis, and a movement displacement calculator calculating a rotation direction and amount of the rotation unit based on a driving direction and amount of the driving member and calculating a movement displacement of the insertion section from a reference position in directions parallel to the longitudinal axis based on the rotation direction and amount of the rotation unit. the movement displacement calculator calculates the movement displacement of the insertion section so that a movement amount of the insertion section in the longitudinal directions while the idle state being detected is zero.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An insertion device comprising:
an insertion section extending from a proximal direction toward a distal direction along a longitudinal axis;
a rotation unit provided to an outer peripheral direction side of the insertion section rotatably relative to the insertion section in directions around the longitudinal axis, the rotation unit including a spiral fin portion spirally extending about the longitudinal axis;
a driving member which is configured to be driven to generate a driving force of rotating the rotation unit;
a driving force transmission unit which is configured to transmit the driving force generated in the driving member to the rotation unit;
a reference position determiner which is configured to determine a reference position that is a position of the insertion section serving as a reference;
an idle state detector which is configured to detect an idle state in which the insertion section does not move in directions along the longitudinal axis even when the rotation unit rotates in one of the directions around the longitudinal axis; and
a movement displacement calculator which is configured to calculate a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the rotation unit in accordance with a driving direction and a driving amount of the driving member, and configured to calculate a movement displacement of the insertion section from the reference position in directions parallel to the longitudinal axis in accordance with the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the rotation unit, the movement displacement calculator being configured to calculate the movement displacement of the insertion section from the reference position so that a movement amount of the insertion section in the directions parallel to the longitudinal axis while the idle state being detected by the idle state detector is zero.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The insertion device according to claim 1, wherein the idle state detector is configured to detect the idle state in accordance with at least one of a change of a drive current to drive the driving member with time, a change of a rotation speed of the rotation unit with time, and a change of a rotational acceleration of the rotation unit with time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The insertion device according to claim 2, wherein the driving force transmission unit is configured to apply a first propulsive force toward the distal direction to the insertion section and the rotation unit by rotating the rotation unit toward a first around-axis direction which is one of the directions around the longitudinal axis in a pressed condition where a press force is applied to the spiral fin portion toward an inner peripheral direction of the insertion section, and the driving force transmission unit is configured to apply a second propulsive force toward the proximal direction to the insertion section and the rotation unit by rotating the rotation unit toward a second around-axis direction opposite to the first around-axis direction in the pressed condition.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The insertion device according to claim 3, further comprising:
a memory configured to store rotation amount data indicating the relation between the driving amount of the driving member and the rotation amount of the rotation unit toward the first around-axis direction, and movement amount data indicating the relation between the rotation amount of the rotation unit toward the first around-axis direction and a movement amount of the insertion section toward the distal direction,
wherein the movement displacement calculator is configured to calculate the movement amount of the insertion section toward the distal direction resulting from the first propulsive force in accordance with the rotation amount data and the movement amount data, and configured to calculate the movement displacement of the insertion section from the reference position in accordance with the calculated movement amount.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The insertion device according to claim 3, further comprising:
a memory configured to store rotation amount data indicating the relation between the driving amount of the driving member and the rotation amount of the rotation unit toward the second around-axis direction, and movement amount data indicating the relation between the rotation amount of the rotation unit toward the second around-axis direction and a movement amount of the insertion section toward the proximal direction,
wherein the movement displacement calculator is configured to calculate the movement amount of the insertion section toward the proximal direction resulting from the second propulsive force in accordance with the rotation amount data and the movement amount data, and configured to calculate the movement displacement of the insertion section from the reference position in accordance with the calculated movement amount.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The insertion device according to claim 3, further comprising:
a slip state detector configured to detect a slip state in which the insertion section moves in one of the directions parallel to the longitudinal axis in response to an application force different from the first propulsive force and the second propulsive force generated by the rotation of the rotation unit in one of the directions around the longitudinal axis,
wherein the movement displacement calculator is configured to calculate a movement amount of the insertion section in one of the directions parallel to the longitudinal axis resulting from the application force in the slip state, and configured to calculate the movement displacement of the insertion section from the reference position in accordance with the calculated movement amount.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The insertion device according to claim 6, further comprising:
an image pickup element configured to image a subject; and
an image processor which is configured to perform image processing of an imaged subject figure, and configured to generate an image of the subject,
wherein the slip state detector is configured to detect the slip state in accordance with a change of the image generated by the image processor with time, and
the movement displacement calculator is configured to calculate the movement amount of the insertion section resulting from the application force in the slip state in accordance with the change of the image generated by the image processor with time.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The insertion device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a position determination operation section configured to input a position determination operation of determining the reference position of the insertion section,
wherein the reference position determiner is configured to determine the reference position of the insertion section in accordance with the position determination operation in the position determination operation section.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The insertion device according to claim 8, further comprising:
an image pickup element configured to image a subject; and
a memory configured to store a subject figure at the reference position in association with the movement displacement of an after-movement position moved from the reference position relative to the reference position when the subject is imaged at the reference position.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The insertion device according to claim 8, wherein the reference position determiner is configured to determine, as the reference position, a position of the insertion section situated when the operation signal is transmitted from the position determination operation section by the position determination operation.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The insertion device according to claim 8, further comprising:
an image pickup element configured to image a subject; and
a storage configured to store a subject figure at the after-movement position in association with the movement displacement of the after-movement position relative to the reference position when the subject is imaged at the after-movement position to which the insertion section has moved from the reference position.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The insertion device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an image pickup element configured to image a subject; and
an image processor which is configured to perform image processing of an imaged subject figure and configured to generate an image of the subject,
wherein the reference position determiner is configured to determine the reference position of the insertion section in accordance with the image processing in the image processor.