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：US11596294B2

公开(公告)日：2023-03-07

申请号：US16597066

申请日：2019-10-09

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Tomohiro Kitanaka

IPC: G08B21/04 ,  A61B1/00

Abstract: A variable stiffness device includes a first elongated member in a hollow shape extending along a longitudinal axis, and a second elongated member including a heater, disposed inside an inner circumference of the first elongated member, and extending in parallel to the first elongated member along the longitudinal axis. The first elongated member includes a high bending stiffness portion and a low bending stiffness portion alternately aligned along the longitudinal axis. One of the first elongated member and the second elongated member includes a shape-memory pipe. The heater extends through an inner space of the shape-memory pipe and configured to heat the shape-memory pipe to increase stiffness of the shape-memory pipe.

公开(公告)号：US12016520B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-25

申请号：US16992599

申请日：2020-08-13

Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION

Inventor： Takeshi Takahashi ,  Ryo Tezuka ,  Tomohiro Kitanaka

IPC: A61B1/00 ,  A61B1/005 ,  G06V10/10 ,  G06V10/764 ,  G06V20/64 ,  A61B1/31

CPC classification number: A61B1/00006 ,  A61B1/00078 ,  A61B1/00158 ,  A61B1/0051 ,  G06V10/17 ,  G06V10/764 ,  G06V20/64 ,  A61B1/31 ,  G06F2218/12

Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes a flexible tube to be inserted into a tract, a shape calculation system configured to calculate a shape of the flexible tube, and a bend detection unit configured to detect formation of first and second bend portions in the flexible tube, based on information of the calculated shape of the flexible tube. The apparatus also includes a positional relationship calculation unit configured to calculate a three-dimensional positional relationship expressed by a crossing angle between first and second imaginary planes respectively passing through the first and second bend portions, and a stiffness control system configured to control a stiffness of the flexible tube, based on the three-dimensional positional relationship.