# US 2025/0143545 A1 · Endoscope protrusion calibration

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- Number: US 2025/0143545 A1
- Document ID: US20250143545A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/733,596
- Filed: 2024-06-04
- Published: 2025-05-08
- Earliest claimed: 2023-06-07
- Applicants: Auris Health, Inc.
- Inventors: Michael Duckjune Kim; Chauncey F. Graetzel; Olivier Lavoie; Daniel Shalom Eliahu; Brandon Ritter
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250143545A1

## CPC

- A61B 1/00057: {provided with means for testing or calibration}
- A61B 1/00149: {using articulated arms}
- A61B 1/00006: {of control signals}
- A61B 1/00009: {of image signals during a use of endoscope}
- A61B 1/00135: {Oversleeves mounted on the endoscope prior to insertion}
- A61B 1/00154: {using guiding arrangements for insertion}
- A61B 1/0016: {using motor drive units}
- A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
- A61B 34/30: Surgical robots
- G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection}
- G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation
- G06T 7/246: using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
- G06T 7/50: Depth or shape recovery
- G06T 7/60: Analysis of geometric attributes
- G06T 7/80: Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
- G06T 7/90: Determination of colour characteristics
- A61B 1/000096: {using artificial intelligence}
- A61B 34/25: {User interfaces for surgical systems}
- A61B 2017/00725: {Calibration or performance testing}
- A61B 2034/2051: {Electromagnetic tracking systems}
- A61B 2034/301: {for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes}
- A61B 2090/376: {using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy}
- G06T 2207/10024: Color image
- G06T 2207/10068: Endoscopic image
- G06T 2207/20081: Training; Learning
- G06T 2207/20084: Artificial neural networks [ANN]
- G06T 2207/30061: Lung
- G06T 2207/30244: Camera pose
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A robotic system capable of performing a protrusion calibration of an endoscope is disclosed herein. The endoscope includes an elongated scope with a sensor proximate a distal end and a tubular sheath, coaxially aligned with the elongated scope, which surrounds the elongated scope. The sheath and scope are movable relative to one another on a coaxial axis. The sensor may be a camera capable of capturing an opening formed by an inner lumen of the sheath positioned at a distal end of the sheath when the scope is retracted into the sheath such that the opening is made visible to the camera. A transition position where the sheath becomes visible from hidden may be detected based on analysis of readings from the sensor. Based on the transition position, distal ends of the sheath and the scope can be calibrated to provide a particular protrusion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A robotic system, comprising:
an instrument comprising a scope and a sheath, the sheath aligned with the scope on a coaxial axis and surrounding the scope, the scope having a sensor proximate a distal end of the scope; and
at least one computer-readable memory in communication with at least one processor, the memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the at least one processor to:
calibrate a relative position of the distal end of the scope in relation to a distal end of the sheath based at least in part on a detection of the distal end of the sheath with sensor data captured with the sensor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
execute a movement of the scope on the coaxial axis relative to the sheath,
wherein the detection is determined during the movement.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The robotic system of claim 2, wherein the detection is determined during a retraction of the scope on the coaxial axis relative to the sheath.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the calibration comprises executing an extension of the scope on the coaxial axis after the detection to position the distal end of the scope at a standard protrusion in relation to the distal end of the sheath.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the detection is determined based on a transition position, the transition position representing a position of the distal end of the scope relative to the distal end of the sheath whereby the at least one processor transitions between not detecting the sheath and detecting the sheath.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the detection comprises:
filtering one or more images from the sensor that is a camera based on a color of the sheath; and
determining that a filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies a threshold condition.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The robotic system of claim 6, wherein determining that the filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies the threshold condition comprises analyzing a single image.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The robotic system of claim 6, wherein determining that the filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies the threshold condition comprises analyzing multiple images.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The robotic system of claim 6, wherein determining that the filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies the threshold condition comprises comparing a pixel count of filtered portion remaining after the filtering to a threshold pixel count.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The robotic system of claim 6, wherein determining that the filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies the threshold condition comprises:
detecting a geometrical shape in the filtered portion.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The robotic system of claim 10, wherein determining that the filtered portion of the one or more images satisfies the threshold further comprises:
determining a center position of the geometrical shape that is circular; and
determining that the center position is within a range of variance.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The robotic system of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
maintain an alignment between the scope and the sheath on a coaxial axis based on the relative position.

### Claim 13

A system for calibrating an endoscope, the system comprising:
a scope;
a camera proximate a distal end of the scope;
a sheath surrounding and coaxially aligned with the scope; and
at least one computer-readable memory in communication with at least one processor, the memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the at least one processor to:
determine a transition position representing a position of a distal end of the scope relative to a distal end of the sheath where the sheath becomes detectable in an image captured by the camera; and
cause a coaxial movement of the scope relative to the sheath based at least in part on the transition position and an offset.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the first image and the second image are captured during a change in the position of the distal end of the scope relative to the distal end of the sheath.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the determining the transition position comprises:
filtering the second image based on a color of the sheath;
determining that a filtered portion of the second image satisfies a threshold condition; and
in response to the determination that the filtered portion satisfies the threshold condition, determining that a sheath is detected.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the determining the transition position comprises:
generating a binary image based on the filtered portion.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the determining that the filtered portion of the second image satisfies the threshold condition comprises:
masking the filtered portion with an inverse shape mask.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the determining that the filtered portion of the second image satisfies the threshold condition comprises:
applying the inverse shape mask to the filtered portion to generate a masked image; and
counting pixels in each quadrant of the masked image.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the determining that the filtered portion of the second image satisfies the threshold condition comprises:
masking the filtered portion with a segmentation mask generated using a trained neural network.

### Claim 20

A method for calibrating a protrusion of a scope relative to a sheath that surrounds and is coaxially aligned with the scope, the method comprising:
capturing one or more images with a camera proximate a distal end of the scope;
filtering the one or more images based on a visual property of the sheath to generate a filtered portion;
determining that the filtered portion satisfies a threshold;
determining a transition position; and
determining a target protrusion based at least in part on the transition position.