SELF-CENTERING ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM

摘要

A self-guiding, self-centering endoscope system provides for the advance of a head (10) of an endoscope (12) through the lumen of an internal organ with minimal discomfort to the patient in which use of anesthesia is substantially eliminated. The guiding system is implemented through an algorithm controlled computer (36) processing about 136 coordinate sectors of an electronic mask applied to a video output of the endoscope camera (13). This output is digitized by a video processing unit (38) and fed into a computer module (40) in which the algorithm compares derived gray scale values of the sectors with a preset gray scale parameter to differentiate between levels of varying reflectivity within and upon the walls of the lumen to thereby ascertain the best path for the head (10) of the endoscope (12). Through use of X-axis and Y-axis servo amplifiers (16) and motors (18, 20, 22), a real time correction of the position of the endoscope head (10) is obtained relative to the center of the lumen.