Abstract:
A camera system, particularly for minimally-invasive surgery, comprising an optics, wherein the optics is connected to at least one transparent film and the film is removable. Further, there is provided a method for cleaning a camera in minimally-invasive surgery wherein an optics of the camera is cleaned intracorporally by use of a cleaning device.

Description:
RELATED CROSS-REFERENCING 
     The present disclosure claims the priority of German Patent Application DE 10 2014 202 075.1 filed on Feb. 5, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to a camera system, particularly for minimally-invasive surgery, and a method for cleaning a camera for minimally-invasive surgery. 
     2. Discussion of the Background Art 
     In minimally-invasive surgery, special instruments and optics are introduced into the patient via working trocars. For this purpose, merely small incisions will have to be made in the skin. The advantages of minimally-invasive surgery reside e.g. in reduced scars, faster convalescence, reduced risk of infection and briefer stays in hospital. 
     As compared to open surgery, operations of the minimally-invasive type often require longer operation times. For this reason, it is important to minimize the number of instances where instruments are changed. Apart from the temporal aspect, the changing of instruments will each time cause an interruption of the workflow performed by the surgeon. In addition to the actual changing of instruments, it is required, depending on the type of operation, to clean the optics at regular intervals because these may become fogged or be soiled by body liquids. To this end, the optics has to be removed from the patient&#39;s body, be cleaned and be introduced again. As stated by physicians, this has to be performed at intervals of about 10 minutes. In case of longer operations, this can lead to up to 20 to 30 cleaning cycles. 
     It is an object of the disclosure to provide to provided a camera system and a method, particularly for minimally-invasive surgery, wherein the cleaning of a camera is simplified. 
     SUMMARY 
     The camera system of the disclosure comprises a camera with optics. Particularly, the camera is suited for minimally-invasive surgery so that the optics preferably is of the endoscopic type. Particularly, the optics comprises at least one surface which in conventional cameras is subjected to the influence of the ambience. By means of the optics, images of the operation situs are transmitted to a monitoring device. The respective concrete realization of the transmission and of the monitoring device is not relevant for the disclosure. 
     According to the disclosure, the optics has connected to it at least one transparent film, wherein said film is removable. Particularly, the film is connected to said at least one surface. Preferably, at least one film is connected directly to said at least one surface. By removing the film, also contamination depositing on the optics and obstructing the same while causing the image quality to deteriorate, will be removed from the optics along with the film. The film is transparent to visible light, i.e. it has low intrinsic absorption for visible light. Alternatively or additionally thereto, however, the film can also be transparent in the infrared range. 
     Preferably, the film covers said at least one surface of the optics entirely. 
     Particularly, the transparent film can be a film made of plastic. If it is desired to remove the transparent film from the optics intracorporally, the transparent film, in case it is a plastic film, has to be removed from the body either by suctioning or by guiding it away from the operation situs, and preferably it is guided out of the body. By way of alternative thereto, the transparent film can also be made of a biocompatible material such as e.g. gelatin so that, after having been removed from the optics, the transparent film can be left in the body and will be resorbed by the body. 
     Particularly, the film can be removed from the optics without leaving residues. Removal is performed particularly by peeling off the film. In order to allow for a residue-free removal of the film from the optics, the film can comprise a releasable adhesive layer connecting the film with the optics and particularly with said at least one surface of the optics. By way of alternative thereto, the connection of the optics with the film can be effected by Van-Der-Waals force and by adhesion, respectively. 
     Preferably, the optics is connected to a plurality of mutually superposed films. In such an arrangement, the films are preferably removable individually. Particularly, the optics and said at least one surface are covered by the plurality of mutually superposed films over their full surface area. The provision of a plurality of mutually superposed films makes it possible to clean the optics of the camera a plurality of times by successively removing individual transparent films wherein, with each removal of an individual film, also contamination obscuring the optics will be removed together with the film. Preferably, for cleaning, the last film when viewed from the optics of the camera will be removed. 
     Preferably, the film comprises a plurality of portions wherein a top side of a portion is preferably connected to an immediately preceding portion, and a bottom side of the portion with a directly following portion. A first portion is preferably connected to the optics. The individual portions are folded onto each other in such a manner that they are arranged in a meandering configuration. Particularly, the optics is cleaned by removing the respective last portion from the immediately preceding portion. Thus, multiple cleaning of the optics is possible in dependence on the number of the provided portions. 
     Preferably, the connection of the individual portions is releasable. For this purpose, an adhesive layer, which then of course has to be transparent, can be arranged between the individual portions, or the connection of the individual portions can be realized by adhesion. 
     Preferably, at least one film comprises a flap for facilitating removal. Said flap can be gripped more easily. This is of eminent advantage particularly in minimally-invasive surgery since, in this type of surgical intervention, removal of the film is performed intracorporally with the aid of an endoscopic instrument. In this regard, it is particularly preferred if the flaps are arranged with mutual displacement along the periphery of the film. Thereby, the flaps do not overlap each other, thus making it still easier to grip an individual flap. 
     Preferably, there is provided a removal device for removal of the transparent film. Said removal device is preferably designed as a gripping device which can be a separate instrument, again of an endoscopic type. 
     With particular preference, however, the removal device is connected to the camera. In this manner, only one instrument is required. Particularly, the removal device is designed in such a manner that, if a film comprises a plurality of portions, the individual portions of the film can be successively released from each other by pulling a flap that is preferably provided. 
     The disclosure further relates to a method for cleaning a camera system in minimally-invasive surgery, said camera system comprising a camera. In the method of the disclosure, the optics of a camera is cleaned intracorporally by use of a cleaning device. Thereby, it is not required anymore to remove the optics from the patient&#39;s body and to clean the optics externally. This allows for a considerable reduction of time required for the surgical operation. 
     Particularly, the cleaning device is arranged on an instrument and the camera on another instrument, wherein, for cleaning the optics, the cleaning device will be advanced to the optics and the optics will then be cleaned. Alternatively, the cleaning device can also be used for intracorporal cleaning of endoscopic instruments. For instance, in minimally-invasive robotic surgery, the position of each robot is known from the kinematics. The distance between the various robots is likewise known. (This can be determined both by the design and by a tracking system.) On the basis of this information, the optics which is held by a robot can be approached by an additional robot closely enough to allow for a cleaning process to be performed within the patient&#39;s body. By way of alternative thereto, the cleaning device can also be approached to the optics manually. 
     Preferably, the cleaning device is arranged on an instrument comprising the camera. 
     Particularly, cleaning the optics can be performed by rinsing and/or blowing and/or stripping by the cleaning device. 
     Preferably, the optics is connected to at least one film, wherein the optics will be cleaned by removing the film. By removing the film, also the contamination obscuring the optics will be removed. 
     Preferably, the optics is connected to a plurality of films so that the optics can be cleaned a plurality of times by removing of individual films. 
     Preferably, the film comprises a plurality of portions, wherein the individual portions are folded onto each other and the optics will be cleaned by releasing a portion from the immediately preceding portion. Particularly, a first portion is connected directly with the optics. Along with the released portion, also the contamination obscuring the optics will be removed. 
     Preferably, two successive portions are connected to each other by a releasable adhesive layer. 
     Preferably, said at least one film comprises a flap. Thereby, particularly, removal of the film is facilitated. It is particularly preferred that the film comprises a plurality of portions, wherein the respective last portion can be released by pulling the flap. Particularly, by continuously pulling the flap, all portions will be released successively. With each removal of a portion, a cleaning process will be performed on the optics. 
     Particularly, the cleaning device is designed as a removal device for removing the film. 
     Particularly, said method is designed in accordance with the above described device features. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A full and enabling disclosure of the present disclosure, including the best mode thereof, enabling one of ordinary skill in the art to carry out the disclosure, is set forth in greater detail in the following description, including reference to the accompanying drawing in which 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of the camera system of the disclosure, 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed view of the optics of the camera system of the disclosure comprising a plurality of films illustrated in exploded view, and 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view of an optics of the camera system of the disclosure comprising a film arranged in meandering configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The camera system of the disclosure comprises a camera  10  with optics  12 , wherein at least one surface of the optics  12  is subjected to influences from the ambience and particularly may be contaminated thereby. The camera  10  is designed as an endoscopic camera for minimally-invasive surgery. In  FIG. 1 , camera  10  is provided for monitoring the operation situs  14 . According to the method of the disclosure, a cleaning device  16 , likewise designed as a surgical instrument for minimally-invasive surgery, can be approached to the optics  12 . Subsequently, possibly existing contamination on the optics  12  can be rinsed off, blown off or stripped off by the cleaning device  16 . This method is particularly useful if the camera  10  as well as the cleaning device  16  are guided in a robot-based manner, particularly with the aid of a surgical robot. In this case, the position of the optics  12  of camera  10  is sufficiently known so that the cleaning device  16  can be advanced to the optics  12  in a precise manner. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded detailed view of an optics  12 . Optics  12  comprises a surface  18  fully covered by at least one transparent film  20 . In  FIG. 3 , three transparent films  20 ,  22 ,  24  are shown. In this arrangement, said films  20 ,  22 ,  24  are situated above each other and fully cover said surface  18  of optics  12 . Further, said films  20 ,  22 ,  24  comprise flaps  26 . These flaps  26  are arranged with mutual displacement along the periphery of the films. Thereby, gripping the flaps is facilitated and, in a corresponding manner, also removing the associated films is facilitated. 
     The first film  20  is directly connected to the surface  18  of the optics  12 . For cleaning the optics  12 , the respective last film  24  will be released by pulling it off. Contamination on film  24  will be removed from the optics together with the film. 
     A film ( FIG. 3 ) connected to the optics  12  can comprise a plurality of portions  30 , wherein these portions  30  are arranged in a meandering configuration. In this arrangement, the film comprises a first portion  28  which particularly is connected directly to the optics  12 . Further, the film comprises a last portion  32 . The individual portions are connected to each other by adhesive layers  34 . Further, the film comprises a holding flap  36  ensuring a better connection of film  26  to the optics  12 . Still further, the film comprises a pull-off flap  38 . By pulling said pull-off flap  38  in the direction marked by arrow  40 , the last portion  32  of the film will be released from the preceding portion. Continuously pulling the pull-off flap  38  along arrow  40  has the effect that all portions, from said last portion  32  to said first portion  28 , will be successively released from each other. This makes it possible to clean the optics  12  and remove contamination a plurality of times. Particularly, the individual portions will be released with the aid of a removal device  42  which is operative e.g. to wind up the film and which, as a result of the wind-up process, will be pulled on the pull-off flap  38  along arrow  40 . 
     Although the disclosure has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the true scope of the disclosure as defined by the claims that follow. It is therefore intended to include within the disclosure all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.