US6835173B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Robotic endoscope
Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed Inc
•
Filing: 2001-10-05
•
Granted: 2004-12-28
•
Expires: 2021-10-05
Abstract
Abstract An endoscope is provided which comprises an elongated body adapted for insertion into a body lumen, and a plurality of electrically controlled actuators associated with the body which are controllable to impart an orientation to the body that is complimentary to the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted.
Inventors
- 👤 Lucien Alfred Couvillon, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 04:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B1/00; A61B1/00002; A61B1/00059; A61B1/00064; A61B1/00103; A61B1/005; A61B1/0051; A61B1/0052; A61B1/0053; A61B1/0055; G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/06; G06Q10/08; G16; G16H; G16H40/00; G16H40/60; G16H40/63; G16Z; G16Z99/00; A61B1/0058; A61B1/273; A61B1/2736; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/0043; A61M2025/0058
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 48
Claim 1
Independent Claim
67 words
An endoscope comprising an elongated body adapted for insertion into a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member and (b) electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators that are controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet and wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a second flexible sheet.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
67 words
An endoscope comprising an elongated body adapted for insertion into a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member and (b) electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators that are controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet and wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a second flexible sheet.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The endosoope of claim 1 , further comprising a sensing system at a distal end of the elongated body for sensing the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said endoscope is adapted to maintain an orientation that is complimentary to the natural orientation of the lumen as the endoscope is advanced into the lumen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said actuators are controllable to provide a desired curvature to said body in 3-dimensional space at each of a plurality of loci along the length of said body.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The endoscope of claim 2 , wherein said sensing system is an optical system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The robotic endoscope of claim 5 , wherein said optical system comprises a light source and a camera.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
12 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising lavage and insufflation tubes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said body is adapted to be manually advanced.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said endoscope further comprises a drive mechanism for advancing the body through the lumen in accordance with a drive algorithm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
11 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a depth gauge.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a linear displacement transducer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sensors that are adapted to provide feedback regarding the orientation of the elongated body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The endoscope of claim 12 , wherein said sensors are strain gauges.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The endoscope of claim 12 wherein said sensors are disposed upon one or more flexible sheets that are subsequently rolled to form a tube that is coaxial with said elongated body.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 12 , wherein said sensors are disposed on said first and second flexible sheets along with said actuators.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said electroactive polymer actuators comprise an electroactive polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polyacetylene.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein said electroactive polymer is polypyrrole.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a lubricious layer disposed on the outer surface of said body.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said elongated body is provided with a restoring force to bring it into alignment with its longitudinal axis, and wherein said elongated body deviates from such alignment when said actuators are in a contracted state.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The endoscope of claim 19 , wherein said tubular structural member further comprises a plurality of structural elements, and wherein at least a portion of said restoring force is provided by a plurality of springs disposed between structural elements.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
The endoscope of claim 19 , wherein at least a portion of said restoring force is provided by an elastic cover disposed over said tubular structural member.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 19 , wherein at least a portion of said restoring force is provided by said tubular structural member.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
56 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said tubular structural member comprises one or more structural elements selected from the group consisting of (a) an open-mesh network comprising at least one metallic filament, (b) an interconnected network of articulable segments, (c) a helical structure comprising at least one metallic filament, and (d) a patterned tubular sheet.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said tubular structural member further comprises a plurality of structural elements, wherein said structural elements comprise a series of short tubes.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
45 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said tubular structural member comprises a plurality of structural elements, and wherein said structural elements are disposed on one or more flexible sheets that are subsequently rolled to form a tube that is coaxial with said elongated body.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
23 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way of an individual cable.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way a multiplexed cable.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
32 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way of interconnection lines that are printed on said first and second flexible sheets.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said endoscope is equipped with a manual steering system that is operated under image guidance.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said endoscope is equipped with an automated or semi-automated steering system comprising a lumen-center-seeking algorithm.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
68 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said body comprises a lead module and a plurality of subsequent modules, and wherein said endoscope is adapted to travel through lumen in such a way that, when each subsequent module reaches a position in the lumen previously occupied by said lead module, said actuators cause said each subsequent module to replicate the orientation of the lead module at said position.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
22 words
The endoscope of claim 31 , wherein data regarding said position is provided by a depth gauge of a linear displacement module.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
23 words
The endoscope of claim 31 , wherein data regarding said lead module orientation is provided by strain gauges disposed in said lead module.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
13 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the lumen is an intestinal lumen.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscopic procedure, comprising: providing the endoscope of claim 1 ; and inserting the elongated body of said endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
21 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a lubricious hydrogel layer disposed on the outer surface of said elongated body.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
19 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said tubular structural member further comprises a plurality of tubular structural elements.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
26 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said first and second flexible sheets are rolled such that they are both coaxial with said tubular structural member.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
20 words
The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said first and second flexible sheets are disposed outside said tubular structural member.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscopic procedure, comprising: providing the endoscope of claim 2 ; and inserting the elongated body of said endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscopic procedure, compromising: providing the elongated body of said endoscope of claim 23 ; and inserting the endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
37 words
An endoscopic procedure, comprising: providing the endoscope of claim 30 ; and inserting the elongated body of said endoscope into said intestinal lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
74 words
An endoscope comprising an elongated body adapted for insertion into a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member, (b) electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators that are controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet, and (c) sensors disposed on a second flexible sheet that are adapted to provide feedback regarding the orientation of the elongated body.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
74 words
An endoscope comprising an elongated body adapted for insertion into a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member, (b) electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators that are controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet, and (c) sensors disposed on a second flexible sheet that are adapted to provide feedback regarding the orientation of the elongated body.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
26 words
The endoscope of claim 43 , wherein said first and second flexible sheets are rolled such that they are both coaxial with said tubular structural member.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
84 words
An endoscope, comprising: an elongated body adapted for insertion into an a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member and (b) a plurality of electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators associated with said body, said actuators being controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body that reflects the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet which is disposed inside said tubular structural member.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
84 words
An endoscope, comprising: an elongated body adapted for insertion into an a lumen, said elongated body further comprising (a) a tubular structural member and (b) a plurality of electrically controlled electroactive polymer actuators associated with said body, said actuators being controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body that reflects the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted, wherein a plurality of said actuators are disposed upon a first flexible sheet which is disposed inside said tubular structural member.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-12-28 | 2008-06-28 | 2008-12-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-12-28 | 2012-06-28 | 2012-12-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-12-28 | 2016-06-28 | 2016-12-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |