Patent ID: 8602968
Filing Date: 2013-12-10
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An endoscope apparatus comprising: an endoscope which includes a channel and an image pickup unit configured to capture an image; a display which displays the captured image; a therapeutic device which includes an insertion section configured to be inserted in a subject via the channel of the endoscope, the insertion section including a plurality of joint sections which are capable of being individually operated; an instruction input unit configured to receive an instruction for operating the therapeutic device, the instruction including a selection of at least driving one of the joint sections displayed on the display; a locus calculation unit which calculates a locus along which the therapeutic device is capable of moving when the selected joint section is operated on the basis of the instruction, when the operation instruction is input by the instruction input unit; a locus drawing unit which superimposes the locus on the image captured by the image pickup unit and displayed on the display; and a therapeutic device control unit which controls an operation of the selected joint section configured to cause the therapeutic device to move along the locus calculated by the locus calculation unit and displayed by the locus drawing unit, wherein the instruction input unit is capable of switching between a joint selection mode which instructs the selection of at least driving one of the joint sections, and a joint selection mode off, which does not instruct the selection of at least driving one of the joint sections, the instruction input unit further comprising a control output instruction device including a joint structure equivalently corresponding to the joint sections of the therapeutic device, and when the instruction input unit is switched to the joint selection mode off, a master-slave control of the therapeutic device is executed by the control output instruction device, and when the instruction input unit is switched to the joint selection mode, a control is executed by the therapeutic device control unit.