公开(公告)号：US11805986B2

公开(公告)日：2023-11-07

申请号：US17005973

申请日：2020-08-28

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Shuji Nakamura ,  Takeshi Takahashi ,  Yuichi Ikeda

IPC: A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/06

CPC classification number: A61B1/0057 ,  A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/0684 ,  A61B2562/02

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes a flexible insertion section to be inserted into a subject and bent by a reaction force from the subject, a variable stiffness unit provided in the insertion section and configured to change a stiffness of the insertion section, and a shape detector configured to detect a bent shape of the insertion section. The apparatus further includes a force specifier configured to acquire a distribution of the reaction force on a distal side from a predetermined point in the bent shape and specify a maximum reaction force position, and a stiffness controller configured to control a stiffness of the variable stiffness unit so as to increase a stiffness of the variable stiffness unit between the predetermined point and the maximum reaction force position.

公开(公告)号：US11291354B2

公开(公告)日：2022-04-05

申请号：US16445859

申请日：2019-06-19

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi ,  Ryo Tezuka ,  Shuji Nakamura

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/31

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes: a flexible tube to be inserted into an insertion target body; a state detector to detect state information of the flexible tube relating to a shape of the flexible tube; and a bent formation determining section to determine whether first and second bent portions bent in different directions are formed on the flexible tube based on the state information. The flexible tube insertion apparatus further includes a shape changing section, arranged in the flexible tube, to actively change the shape of the flexible tube so that an angle at which a first virtual flat plane on which the first bent portion is formed and a second virtual flat plane on which the second bent portion is formed intersect becomes smaller, when the bent formation determining section determines that the first and second bent portions are formed on the flexible tube.

公开(公告)号：US11006820B2

公开(公告)日：2021-05-18

申请号：US15713973

申请日：2017-09-25

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi ,  Yuichi Ikeda

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/06 ,  A61B5/06 ,  A61B1/31

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an insertion section, a bending portion provided in the insertion section, including a distal side and a proximal side, and deformable into an arcuate shape by bending in at least one predetermined direction, a distal-side bending portion, a proximal-side bending portion, a first variable stiffness section provided in the distal-side bending portion and configured to change a stiffness of the distal-side bending portion, a second variable stiffness section provided in the proximal-side bending portion and configured to change a stiffness of the proximal-side bending portion, and a controller for performing control to make a stiffness of the first variable stiffness section higher than a stiffness of the second variable stiffness section.

公开(公告)号：US10736488B2

公开(公告)日：2020-08-11

申请号：US15825286

申请日：2017-11-29

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/04 ,  A61B1/31

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes an insertion section including a bending portion and a flexible tube portion, variable stiffness sections which causes a change in a level of a bending stiffness of the flexible tube portion, a variable stiffness control section which controls the change in the bending stiffness of the flexible tube portion by the variable stiffness sections, an image sensor which images a subject in a forward direction of the bending portion, a cavity detection section which detects a presence of a cavity in the forward direction based on an image from the image sensor, and a time setting section that sets a time period. The bending stiffness is switched each time period set by the time setting section when the cavity detection section has detected the presence of the cavity in the forward direction.

公开(公告)号：US10349814B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-16

申请号：US15147381

申请日：2016-05-05

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  G02B23/24 ,  G06T3/00 ,  A61B1/018 ,  A61B1/04 ,  A61B1/06 ,  A61B34/20

Abstract: An endoscope system has an insertion portion, a front-view observation window that acquires a first object image, a side-view observation window that is provided in the insertion portion, and acquires a second object image, a video processor that generates a signal of an image, a setting storage section that records information on a deviation amount concerning a deviation, and an image processing section that performs, for the image, processing of changing disposition of at least either the image of the object in the first object image or the image of the object in the second object image in accordance with the deviation amount, and aligning a position of the image of the object in the first object image, and a position of the image of the object in the second object image with each other.

公开(公告)号：US20180098682A1

公开(公告)日：2018-04-12

申请号：US15838441

申请日：2017-12-12

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Shuji Nakamura ,  Takeshi Takahashi

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/008 ,  G02B23/24

CPC classification number: A61B1/00006 ,  A61B1/0053 ,  A61B1/0058 ,  A61B1/008 ,  A61B1/05 ,  A61B1/0676 ,  G02B23/2461 ,  G02B23/2476

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes an insertion section including a plurality of segments, a plurality of stiffness variable portions provided in the respective segments and configured to vary stiffness of the respective segments, and a state detector configured to detect a shape of the insertion section. The apparatus includes a state calculator configured to acquire a shape of a tube at a time when the insertion section advances into the tube, and configured to calculate a relative position of the segment to the tube, and a control device configured to control, based on the shape of the tube, the stiffness variable portion provided in the segment which is calculated the relative position to the tube by the state calculator.

公开(公告)号：US09913571B2

公开(公告)日：2018-03-13

申请号：US15281655

申请日：2016-09-30

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Tatsuya Obara ,  Takeshi Takahashi ,  Takashi Ito ,  Hideyuki Kugimiya

IPC: A61B1/04 ,  A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/12 ,  G02B23/24 ,  A61B1/015 ,  A61B1/018

CPC classification number: A61B1/0051 ,  A61B1/00009 ,  A61B1/0005 ,  A61B1/00091 ,  A61B1/00181 ,  A61B1/015 ,  A61B1/018 ,  A61B1/12 ,  A61B1/126 ,  G02B23/2484

Abstract: An endoscope system includes: an insertion portion inserted into a subject; a forward image pickup device configured to acquire a first subject image from a first direction; an image pickup device configured to acquire a second subject image from a second direction; and an image processing section configured to generate a bird's-eye view image based on a bird's-eye view subject image looking down on the subject from a virtual point of view away from the insertion portion and configured to execute a process of associating the first subject image and the first direction in the bird's-eye view subject image and associating the second subject image and the second direction in the bird's-eye view subject image.

公开(公告)号：US12108932B2

公开(公告)日：2024-10-08

申请号：US17408935

申请日：2021-08-23

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Tomoyuki Kugo ,  Takeshi Takahashi ,  Tomohiro Kitanaka

IPC: F16C1/12 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005 ,  F16C1/20

CPC classification number: A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/00006 ,  A61B1/0052 ,  A61B1/0057 ,  F16C1/12 ,  F16C1/20 ,  A61B1/0051 ,  A61B1/0055

Abstract: A variable-rigidity device includes a tubular member including a plurality of high-rigidity portions and low-rigidity portions arranged along a longitudinal axis, a core member arranged on an inner side of the tubular member and including a plurality of high-rigidity core portions and low-rigidity core portions; and an actuator configured to relatively move the core member with respect to the tubular member, in which the actuator is configured to cause a first force to repeatedly fluctuate with a passage of time, the first force causing the core member to relatively move with respect to the tubular member in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis.

公开(公告)号：US12004709B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-11

申请号：US17027224

申请日：2020-09-21

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Ryo Tezuka ,  Ryo Tojo ,  Takeshi Takahashi

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005 ,  A61B5/06 ,  A61B1/31 ,  A61B34/20

CPC classification number: A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/00006 ,  A61B1/00009 ,  A61B1/0002 ,  A61B1/0057 ,  A61B5/065 ,  A61B1/00045 ,  A61B1/0058 ,  A61B1/31 ,  A61B2034/2061

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes: a flexible tube; a stiffness control system configured to control a stiffness of the tube; a buckling detection system configured to detect occurrence of a buckling in the tube; a pulling operation detection system configured to detect that a pulling operation of the tube is performed, after detection of the occurrence of the buckling; and a storage configured to store position information of a stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion of the tube neighboring a buckling portion of the tube and located on a distal side of the buckling portion. The stiffness control system is configured to enhance a stiffness of the stiffness-to-be-enhanced portion, based on the position information, at detection of the pulling operation.

公开(公告)号：US11246474B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-15

申请号：US16182676

申请日：2018-11-07

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi ,  Yuichi Ikeda

IPC: A61B1/005 ,  A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/01 ,  A61B1/273 ,  A61B1/31

Abstract: A insertion apparatus includes a flexible tube, a detection section that detects state information of the tube, a calculation section that calculates, based on the state information, shape information of the tube, and an input section that inputs characteristic information of the tube. The apparatus also includes a calculation section that calculates, based on the characteristic information, an operation state of a distal end of the tube, an calculation section that calculates an insertion state of the tube at a specific point closer to a proximal end than the distal end, based on the shape information, characteristic information, and operation state, and a measurement section that measures an actual operation state of the tube at the specific point.