JP2004113805A - Control method for surgery system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method for a surgery system by which a user is required to give no special attention after interconnecting apparatuses wirelessly. <P>SOLUTION: The communication control method for the surgery system, in which wireless communication is possible among a plurality of controlled apparatuses and a system controller to integrally control a plurality of controlled apparatuses comprises: a free identification confirmation step to confirm free identification information not used by the system controller; an empty identification information transmission step to transmit the free identification information from the system controller when the free identification information exists; an occupancy request return step to receive the empty identification information by the controlled apparatuses and to return the occupancy request of the free identification information; and an allocating step to allocate the free identification information by the system controller based on the occupancy request returned by the occupancy request return step. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a control method for a surgical system.

手術 An endoscope operation system is one of operation systems including a plurality of medical devices and a centralized control device that controls these medical devices collectively. A general endoscopic surgery system includes an endoscope for performing observation, a camera head connected to the endoscope, a light source device for supplying illumination light to an observation site through the endoscope, and the camera head. An endoscope camera device for processing a captured image signal, a monitor for displaying a subject image of an observation site processed by the endoscope camera device, an insufflation device for inflating the abdominal cavity, a surgical device and a living tissue It is composed of a plurality of medical devices such as a high-frequency ablation device (hereinafter referred to as an electric scalpel) that supplies energy for excision or coagulation of the scalpel, and a treatment tool that applies energy from the electric scalpel to a treatment site while performing a procedure.

手 順 Here, the procedure for performing observation or treatment using the endoscopic surgery system will be briefly described. First, after inflating the inside of the abdominal cavity by the insufflation device, the endoscope is inserted into the test site, and illumination light is emitted from the light source device to obtain an optical image of the test site. The optical image obtained here is converted into an electric signal by the camera head and processed as a video signal by the endoscope camera device. By performing a procedure using the treatment tool while confirming the video signal on the monitor, the operator can observe the part to be examined or perform treatment. Thus, in order to perform observation or treatment, it is necessary to use a plurality of medical devices in parallel.

On the other hand, the surgeon performs an operation in a clean area in the operating room, but since many of the medical devices that make up the endoscope system are located in a dirty area outside the clean area, the operation of the medical device must be instructed by the operator. Accordingly, a third party (operator of the device) performs the operation, and the operator does not directly touch the hand. In addition, the functions of each medical device are individually independent, and require individual operations and controls. Therefore, the operator is required to be skilled in order to respond to the operator's request, and is always required to perform a complicated operation.

For this reason, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-114065 discloses that a medical device main body is provided with a communication port capable of two-way communication for the purpose of facilitating systematization of a plurality of surgical devices and improving operability. A plurality of surgical instruments individually having numbers (ID), and a surgical instrument control system including control means connected to a communication port of the surgical instrument and capable of centrally controlling each of the surgical instruments according to purpose are provided. It has been disclosed. In this system, each device is controlled by a central control device mounted on a cart or a remote controller for Dr mounted on a surgical bed.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-303654, in order to easily operate and control a plurality of devices and improve operability as a system, a means for displaying a function of a controlled device and a device for operating the controlled device are disclosed. A system controller provided with means is disclosed.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional endoscopic surgery system, since various transmission cables are connected to the camera head and the treatment tool used by the operator in a clean area, the movement range of the operator is limited. In addition to this, there is a problem that as the number of devices used increases, the clean area becomes more complicated with cables and the like.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable that each medical device is connected wirelessly. However, in order to identify each device, it is necessary to set an individual ID in advance for each device. Preparation can be complicated. It is also conceivable to assign IDs to the products themselves, but the assignment of individual IDs is limited in practice, and the user has to prepare the equipment to be used in consideration of combinations in which IDs do not overlap.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of controlling a surgical system that does not require special consideration of a user even when devices are wirelessly connected.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication control method of a surgical system capable of wireless communication between a plurality of controlled devices and a system controller for centrally controlling the plurality of controlled devices, A vacant identification information confirming step of confirming vacant identification information not used by the system controller; a vacant identification information transmitting step of transmitting the vacant identification information from the system controller when the vacant identification information is present; An occupancy request return step of receiving the vacancy identification information at the control device and returning an occupancy request of the vacancy identification information, and based on the occupation request returned in the occupation request return step, the system controller And allocating vacant identification information.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a surgical system that does not require special consideration of a user even when devices are wirelessly connected.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a view showing the overall configuration of an endoscopic surgical operation apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 particularly shows a configuration for performing a treatment in the abdominal cavity 2 of the patient 1 using a scope 3 for observing the state of the abdominal cavity 2 and a treatment tool 5 for performing a treatment in the abdominal cavity 2. Is shown.

A camera head 4 for capturing image information is connected to the scope 3, and the camera head 4 is connected to an image processing device 6 via a cable 10. Information processed by the image processing device 6 is displayed on a monitor 15 connected by a cable 16. Further, the light source device 7 is connected to the scope 3 via a cable 12.

The image processing device 6 is connected to the treatment instrument information reading device 8 by a cable 13. The treatment tool information reading device 8 is connected by a cable 14 to an oscillator 9 composed of a high-frequency oscillator or an ultrasonic oscillator. Energy generated by the oscillator 9 is supplied to the treatment tool 5 via the cable 11.

Here, the treatment tool information reading device 8 can be provided inside the image processing device 6 and the oscillator 9 by configuring a circuit. Further, the oscillator 9 is connected to a foot switch 19 for the operator to set a coagulation or incision mode.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a surgical system according to the first embodiment in which a plurality of surgical devices described in FIG. 1 are installed and a surgical operation is performed while communicating with a controller. As opposed to the system controller 101 as the central control device, there are respective surgical devices 102-N (N = 1, 2, 3,... N), which are controlled devices, as shown in FIG. A main control unit 102A for realizing the original function of the device, a communication control unit 102B for controlling communication, and a signal transmitting / receiving unit 102C for transmitting and receiving signals such as data are provided inside each of the surgical devices 102-N. I have. Further, a transmission / reception unit 102D for transmitting / receiving data to / from the outside is provided outside the operation apparatus 102-N. Examples of the surgical device 102-N include devices having functions such as an endoscope camera device, an endoscope light source, a scope holder, and an electric scalpel.

The system controller 101 manages each surgical apparatus 102-N with an individual ID number and centrally performs remote control. That is, the instructions of the operator in the clean area are collected by the system controller 101, and the settings of other devices are changed in synchronization with the change of the mode of the surgical device 102-N or the settings of the surgical device, or obtained by the scope. It is possible to reprocess the image data as a video signal or to control a plurality of devices in parallel.

The operation of the surgical device control system having the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Each surgical device 102-N as a controlled device initially does not have an ID number necessary for communication. Here, the system controller 101 has a role of issuing the ID number, and confirms that there is an unused ID number (empty ID) (step S1). Is always transmitted to each surgical apparatus 102-N at the specified frequency (step S2). When each of the surgical apparatuses 102-N receives the empty ID information, the operating apparatus 102-N returns the occupation information to the system controller 101 for use as its own control ID, and transmits the system information in the frequency band assigned to the control ID number. The operation is determined so as to perform transmission and reception with the controller 101.

When the system controller 101 receives the occupation information (step S5), it secures the ID (step S6), updates the information on the empty ID (step S3), and updates the frequency band assigned to the occupied ID. Send and receive data. By this repetition, the system controller 101 and each surgical apparatus 102-N can exchange signal information in each frequency band specified for each ID.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration when the first embodiment of the present invention is applied to an endoscopic surgical operation system for performing an endoscopic surgical operation. In this system, a variety of surgical devices are used in many cases, and the surgical devices are often divided into a plurality of devices and operated by centralized control.

In the endoscopic surgical operation system 201 shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of controlled endoscope peripheral devices are mounted on a first cart 210 and a second cart 220 arranged on both sides of a surgical bed 209 on which a patient lies. ing.

That is, the first cart 210 is equipped with endoscope camera devices 211 and 212, light source devices 213 and 214, an image processing device 215, a VTR 216, a first monitor 201, a system controller 217, and a centralized display panel 203. Each device has a communication means that can perform two-way communication and control wirelessly. The light source devices 213 and 214 are connected to the optical viewing tubes 204 and 205, respectively.

On the other hand, the second cart 220 has an electric scalpel 221, an insufflation device 222, and a system controller 223 mounted thereon. A CO2 cylinder 224 is connected to the insufflation device 222, and CO2 gas is supplied into the abdominal cavity of the patient 250 by an insufflation tube 225 extending from the insufflation device 222 to the patient. 202 is a second monitor, and 206 is a centralized operation panel.

The operation bed 209 in the sterilization area is provided with an operation unit 231 of a remote operation device for the operator, which is a centralized operation means used by the operator, in a detachable manner. This is for the operator himself to set and operate the respective endoscope peripheral devices mounted on the first cart 210 and the second cart 220 while staying in the sterilization area.

The centralized operation panel 206 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, and a touch sensor integrally provided on the display unit, and displays a status display of each device, operation switches, and the like as a setting screen. In addition to the display function, it has an operation function of performing an operation with an operation switch by touching a predetermined area of the touch sensor, so that bidirectional communication with the system controller 217 can be performed wirelessly.

When the centralized operation panel 206 is operated, the information is temporarily sent to the system controller 217 by wireless, and then transmitted to the corresponding endoscope peripheral device, and the operation of each endoscope peripheral device is directly performed. The same operation can be performed. As a result, the operation of each endoscope peripheral device can be controlled by the operation unit 231 and the centralized operation panel 206 of the operator's remote device.

Also, the system controller 223 normally operates as an auxiliary to the system controller 210, and when the communication volume for controlling each device increases, the burden is reduced by sharing the control according to the instruction of the system controller 210. It is possible. Further, by mounting a system controller for each cart, the configuration of the cart can be minimized in accordance with the operating environment, and control can be performed without any problem even when the cart is operated independently.

According to the above-described first embodiment, the ID of the device to be used is determined by dynamically allocating an empty ID of the central control device, so that each device can be recognized without error and the central control can be performed. In addition to the above, the user does not need to pay special attention to the equipment to be used, and also has the effect of eliminating the complexity of connecting cables in a clean area.

Further, according to the first embodiment, not only the connection between the respective surgical devices which has been conventionally required when the respective surgical devices are concentratedly used, but also the endoscope camera device and the optical viewing tube are not required. In particular, since a clean area can be used relatively widely, for example, the cable connecting the cables becomes unnecessary, the workability is greatly improved, and the operation environment is improved. Further, since the devices are wirelessly connected, the position of the operation unit, the position of the centralized display panel, and the like are not limited to the illustrated positions, and can be installed at desired positions.

(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a view showing a configuration of an endoscopic surgical operation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a view showing a state of a surgical instrument inserted into a patient's body cavity, and FIG. FIG.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 301 denotes an operating table, and 302 denotes a patient lying on the operating table. Reference numeral 303 denotes a scope holder that is installed on the operating table 301 and holds an endoscope 304 inserted into a body cavity of the patient 302 via a trocar 318 inserted into the patient. A TV camera 305 is connected to the endoscope 304 so as to capture an observation image of the inside of the body cavity of the patient 302 captured by the endoscope 304.

# 307 is a treatment tool such as a high frequency ablation device, which is inserted into the body cavity of the patient 302 via the trocar 306. Reference numerals 308 and 309 denote treatment tools, respectively, which are treatment tools such as an ultrasonic incision device and a medical laser device, which can perform treatments by different actions from the treatment tool 307, and are replaced with the treatment tool 307 as necessary. Used as

# 311, 312, and 313 are treatment tool devices for setting the output of the treatment tool 307, the treatment tool 308, and the treatment tool 309, and are connected to the respective treatment tools by cables. Reference numeral 314 denotes a discriminating device that discriminates the type of the treatment tool inserted into the trocar 306 based on a signal from the trocar 306, and is connected to the trocar 306 by a cable. A foot switch 317 is an input switch for operating the operation of the treatment tool, and is connected to the discriminating device 314.

Reference numeral 315 denotes a TV camera controller to which the TV camera 305 is connected by a cable. A light source device 316 is connected to the endoscope 304 via a light guide, and supplies illumination light necessary for observation by the endoscope 304. A TV monitor 319 displays an observation image of the endoscope 304 taken by the TV camera 305 via the TV camera controller 315 on the TV monitor 319.

Reference numeral 310 denotes a cart, which is a cart configured to be able to move in the hospital with the treatment devices 311 to 313, the discrimination device 314, the TV camera controller 315, the light source device 316, and the TV monitor 319 loaded thereon.

Here, the configuration of the treatment tool 307 and the trocar 306 will be further described with reference to FIG. 7 showing a state in the body cavity of the patient 302.

The insertion section 320 of the treatment instrument 307 is provided with, for example, a signal transmission section 321 that generates a signal of a specific frequency, and transmits a signal transmitted from the treatment instrument apparatus 311 through the cable 322. The signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 321 differs depending on the type of the treatment tool.

On the other hand, the trocar 306 is provided with a signal receiving section 323 for receiving the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting section 321. A cable 324 is connected to the trocar 306, and the signal received by the signal receiving unit 323 is transmitted to the discriminating device 314 by the cable 324.

Next, the connection of each device will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

The signal receiving unit 323 is connected to the discriminating device 314 such that the signal from the treatment tool received by the signal receiving unit 323 is transmitted to the discriminating device 314. The treatment device devices 311, 312, and 313 are connected to the determination device 314 to which the foot switch 317 is connected. The discrimination device 314 discriminates the type of the treatment tool inserted into the trocar 306 based on the transmitted signal, and connects the foot switch 317 to one of the treatment tool devices 311 to 313 corresponding to the discriminated treatment tool. It is configured to

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. The surgeon performs the surgery while observing the inside of the body cavity of the patient 302 captured by the TV camera 305 via the endoscope 304 displayed on the TV monitor 319.

6 and 7, the signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 321 of the treatment tool 307 is received by the signal reception unit 323, and the received signal is transmitted to the determination device 314. The discriminating device 314 discriminates the type of the treatment tool inserted into the trocar 306 according to the transmitted signal, and further, the foot switch 317 connected to the discriminating device 314 switches the corresponding treatment tool device 311 according to the discriminated signal. The state is such that the foot switch 317 is connected to the treatment tool device 311 in the discrimination device 314 so as to be operable. When the operator needs to use the treatment tool 307 and operates the foot switch 317, the treatment tool 307 inserted in the trocar 306 starts operating.

Here, the operation when the treatment with the treatment tool 307 is completed and the operator removes the treatment tool 307 from the trocar 306 will be described. In a state where the treatment tool is removed from the trocar 306, no signal is received from the treatment tool 307, so that the foot switch 317 in the determination device 314 is not connected to any treatment device. That is, in a state where the treatment tools are removed from the trocar 306, all the treatment tools do not operate even if the foot switch 317 is operated.

Next, when the treatment by the treatment tool 308 becomes necessary, the operator inserts the treatment tool 308 into the trocar 306. Then, a signal from the signal transmitting unit 321 provided in the treatment tool 308 is received by the signal receiving unit 323. Here, the signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 321 of the treatment tool 308 is a signal having a different frequency from the signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 321 of the treatment tool 307.

Based on the signal received by the signal receiving unit 323, the discriminating device 314 operates in the discriminating device 314 so that the foot switch 317 can operate the corresponding treatment tool device 312 as in the case of the above-described treatment tool 307. 317 is connected to the treatment instrument device 312. When the operator operates the foot switch 317 to operate the treatment tool 308, the treatment tool 308 inserted into the trocar 306 starts operating. The same applies to the case where the treatment is changed to the treatment instrument 309.

According to the above-described second embodiment, the transmission and reception of the signal for determining the type of the treatment tool is performed in the trocar, so that the signal transmission unit is not contaminated by bleeding during the treatment, and the organ of the patient is not stained. Since the signal transmitting unit is not covered by the above-described method, the treatment tool can be reliably determined.

In the present embodiment, the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting unit 321 has a different frequency for each treatment tool. However, even if a signal of the same frequency is transmitted by each treatment tool, the transmission pattern is different for each treatment tool. The same effect can be obtained if specified. Further, even if the signal is not a signal having a frequency, for example, a method of providing a temperature sensing unit on a heating element and a trocar having a different temperature for each treatment tool, a method of detecting a shape of an insertion portion of the treatment tool into the trocar, and the like. It goes without saying that the same effect as in the present embodiment can be obtained as long as the method can determine the type of the treatment tool by transmitting and receiving signals.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
A modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. FIG. The same components as those in the above-described second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

に お い て In FIG. 9, reference numeral 330 denotes a trocar, 331, 332, and 333 denote treatment tools used for different treatments, which are connected to the treatment tool devices 334, 335, and 336, respectively. On the cart 310 described in the third embodiment, the treatment tool devices 334, 335, 336, the switch allocating device 337, the TV camera controller 315, the light source device 316, and the TV monitor 319 are loaded.

Next, the configurations of the treatment tool 331 and the trocar 330 inserted into the body cavity of the patient 302 will be described with reference to FIG. The trocar 330 is provided with a treatment tool insertion hole 339 which is a circular hole through which the treatment tool 331 can be inserted and removed. The treatment instrument insertion hole 339 has a smaller inner diameter than the treatment instrument insertion hole 339, but has a circular hole with a size that does not hinder the insertion and removal of the treatment instrument. Two small diameter portions 341 are formed. Here, the distance between the first small diameter portion 340 and the second small diameter portion 341 is formed as L as shown in the figure.

ス イ ッ チ A switch 338 is provided in the insertion section 345 of the treatment instrument 331. When the state in which the switch 338 is pressed in the axial direction of the insertion portion 345 is transmitted to the treatment tool device 334 through the cord 342, a signal is transmitted from the treatment tool device 334. Further, when the pressed state of the switch 338 is released, the signal transmission from the treatment instrument device 334 is stopped.

Here, the treatment tool 331 has been described as an example, but the other treatment tools 332, 333 and the treatment tool devices 335, 336 have exactly the same configuration.

Next, the configuration of each treatment tool 331, 332, 333, each treatment tool device 334, 335, 336 and switch 337 will be described with reference to FIG.

The treatment tool devices 334, 335, and 336 to which the treatment tools 331, 332, and 333 are respectively connected are connected to a treatment tool determination unit 343 in a switch allocation device 337, and the treatment tool determination unit 343 is a treatment tool device. When a signal from any one of the treatment tool devices 334, 335, and 336 is continuously input twice within a preset time, the foot switch 317 is connected to the treatment tool device that has input the signal. It is configured to output a signal to the switch switching section 344 in the switch allocating device 337.

Here, the preset time and the distance L between the first small-diameter portion 340 and the second small-diameter portion 341 are set assuming a speed at which the insertion section 345 of the treatment instrument 331 is inserted into the trocar 330. ing. The switch switching unit 344 is configured to connect the foot switch 317 to a corresponding treatment device according to a signal from the treatment device determination unit 343.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. Using the surgical system shown in FIG. 9, the operator inserts the insertion portion 345 of the treatment tool 331 into the treatment tool insertion hole 339 of the trocar 330 to execute a treatment. Then, when the switch 338 is pressed by the first small-diameter portion 340 formed on the trocar 330, a signal is transmitted from the treatment instrument device 334 to the treatment instrument determination unit 343, and when the switch 338 passes through the first small-diameter portion 340, the switch is switched. The pressing of 338 is released and the signal transmission ends. When the insertion operation is further continued, the switch 338 is pressed by the second small-diameter portion 341 in the same manner as described above, and a signal is transmitted again. When the switch 338 passes through the second small-diameter portion 341, the signal transmission ends.

That is, a treatment is performed from the treatment device 334 at an interval determined by the speed at which the treatment device 331 is inserted into the treatment device insertion hole 339 of the trocar 330 and the distance L between the first small-diameter portion 340 and the second small-diameter portion 341. This means that the signal has been transmitted to the component determination unit 343 twice. Here, if the two signals transmitted to the treatment tool determination unit 343 are within a preset time, the treatment tool determination unit 343 sends the foot switch 317 to the switch switching unit 344 to the treatment device 334. A signal is generated to make connection, and the foot switch 317 is connected so that the treatment tool device 334 can be operated. When the surgeon operates the treatment tool 331 to execute the treatment, the foot switch 317 may be operated.

Here, when the two signals transmitted to the treatment tool determination unit 343 do not enter within a preset time, for example, the treatment tool 331 is not in a state where the insertion unit 345 of the treatment tool 331 is inserted into the trocar 330. When the switch 338 is erroneously interfered with another instrument or the like and the switch 338 is pressed twice consecutively in a state where the device is not used, a signal is transmitted from the treatment tool determination unit 343 to the switch switching unit 344. There is no. Since this is a state in which the foot switch 317 is not connected to any treatment device, even if the operator operates the foot switch 317 by mistake, the treatment device does not operate.

Next, the operation when the treatment with the treatment tool 331 is completed and the treatment with the treatment tool 332 becomes necessary will be described.

処置 The treatment tool 331 used so far is removed from the trocar 330, and the treatment tool 332 is inserted into the trocar 330. At this time, a signal is transmitted from the treatment tool device 335 to the treatment tool determination unit 343 of the switch allocating device 337 in the same manner as described above, and the foot switch 317 is connected by the switch switching unit 344 so that the treatment tool device 335 can be operated. Is done.

な の で Since the operation of the treatment tool 333 is similar, the description is omitted here.

According to the above-described modification, the trocar does not require a complicated configuration such as a signal receiving unit and a cable, so that it is possible to realize the treatment tool discrimination with the trocar being inexpensive and hard to break down. In addition, since the treatment tool is provided with a switch for transmitting a signal for discrimination and a signal is transmitted from the treatment tool device, the treatment tool does not increase in size and weight for the treatment tool discrimination. Furthermore, since the treatment tool can be operated only when the treatment tool is inserted into the trocar, it does not operate when the treatment tool is not inserted into the trocar.

Further, according to the above-described second embodiment and its modified example, even in the case of surgery in which various treatment tools are used properly, various treatment tools can be operated with one foot switch, so that the number of cables crawl on the floor of the operating room is reduced. Can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for setting up before the operation and clearing after the operation.

In addition, when the treatment tool is inserted into the patient's body cavity, the operator can immediately operate the treatment tool because the operation foot switch is in a state where only the treatment tool inserted into the patient's body cavity can be operated. Because it can be performed, the operation time can be reduced.

Furthermore, even when the treatment tool is not imaged by the TV camera that is capturing the inside of the patient's body cavity, the foot switch can be assigned to the corresponding treatment tool simply by inserting the treatment tool into the patient's body cavity. There is no need to perform an operation for guiding the treatment tool to a position where an image of the treatment tool can be taken, and desired observation can be continued.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope system as a wireless control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15, the centralized control unit 500 shown in FIG. 14 includes an overall management program 510, an endoscope control program ID0 (511), an image recording device program ID2 (512), and a light source control program ID1 ( 513), an electric scalpel program ID3 (514), and extension programs 515 and 516 are stored in advance.

In this configuration, a network system is built around a central control unit 500 as a central control controller, and various peripheral devices such as a light source 501, an endoscope 502, a recording device 503, and an electric scalpel 504 are included in the network. Is incorporated. That is, the central control unit 500 has a programmable user I / F, and performs collective management of the peripheral devices by optically connecting to various peripheral devices.

For example, a procedure when a new peripheral device (here, the electric scalpel 504) is added to the endoscope system will be described below.

# 1: The electric scalpel 504 continues to send a command to the central control unit 500 to connect to the network according to a predetermined protocol of optical communication.

# 2: Upon receiving the command, the central control unit 500 allocates an ID to the device, permits connection to the network, and notifies the electric scalpel 504 of the fact by optical communication.

# 3: The electric scalpel 504 sends its own control software created in the JAVA language or the like to the central control unit 500.

# 4: The central control unit 500 downloads the JAVA software from the electric scalpel 504 and reflects it on the user interface of the central control unit 500.

# 5: Thereafter, peripheral devices are identified by their ID numbers, and centralized management is performed by using JAVA software for each peripheral device.

Similarly, the procedure for deleting from the network is shown below.

# 1: The central control unit 500 has means for periodically detecting the status of each peripheral device to which all ID numbers are assigned.

# 2: For example, when the user wants to disconnect the electric knife 504 from the network, the user only has to move the electric knife 504 to a place where the light beam in the optical communication is cut off or cut off the power supply of the electric knife 504 itself.

# 3: When the central control unit 500 polls the connected device, the electric scalpel 504 does not return the device status.

4: In the case of optical communication, communication cannot be performed even when the light beam is interrupted by an obstacle such as a person, so that it is necessary to judge whether the communication is intentionally disconnected from the network or an obstacle. .

# 5: Then, the state of no notification is counted for each polling, and if communication does not recover after a specific time has elapsed, it is determined that the device has been intentionally removed from the network.

# 6: The central control unit 500 removes (erases) the application software of the removed device and reflects it on the user interface.

According to the third embodiment, it is not necessary to temporarily shut down the system when a new device is installed in the system or when a specific device is deleted from the system. Further, when a system is constructed by optical communication, it is possible to prevent an abnormal operation such as the system deleting the device due to a slight interruption of light such as a person passing in front. Further, the central control unit 500 does not need to have all the control programs to be connected in the central control unit.

A. The invention having the following configuration can be extracted from the first embodiment described above.

1. In energy treatment tools for coagulating and incising living tissue,
A bar code label is affixed to a part of the energy treatment device, and the bar code label is input as an image to an image processing device, whereby the condition of energy to be input to the energy treatment device is decoded. Energy treatment tool.

2. The energy treatment device coagulates and cuts a living tissue under an endoscope. The energy treatment device according to item 1.

3. An energy treatment device for coagulating or incising living tissue, an oscillator for supplying energy to the energy treatment device, and a surgical system including an imaging system for capturing an intraoperative image,
A surgical system, wherein an initial setting of an oscillator is performed by processing information of a barcode label attached to a part of the energy treatment device.

4. The bar code label is attached to a part of an insertion portion of the energy treatment device. ~ 3. An energy treatment device or a surgical system according to any one of the above.

5. The energy is a high frequency output. ~ 3. An energy treatment device or a surgical system according to any one of the above.

6. The energy is an ultrasonic output. ~ 3. An energy treatment device or a surgical system according to any one of the above.

7. The bar code label is provided with information on a mode of an oscillator used in combination, an output value, a name of a treatment tool, and specifications. ~ 3. An energy treatment device or a surgical system according to any one of the above.

「The“ conventional technology ”and the“ problem to be solved by the invention ”of the inventions 1 to 7 are as described above.

B. The invention having the following configuration can be extracted from the second embodiment.

8. In a surgical system including a plurality of used devices and a centralized control device that collectively manages these used devices wirelessly using an identification number (ID),
An operation system wherein an identification number used in each of the plurality of used devices is dynamically assigned based on an unused ID (unused identification number) of the central control device.

「The" conventional technology "and the" problem to be solved by the invention "of the above-mentioned invention 8 are as follows.

"Conventional technology"
One of the surgical systems including a plurality of medical devices and a centralized control device that controls these medical devices collectively is an endoscopic surgical system. A general endoscopic surgery system includes an endoscope for performing observation, a camera head connected to the endoscope, a light source device for supplying illumination light to an observation site through the endoscope, and the camera head. An endoscope camera device for processing a captured image signal, a monitor for displaying a subject image of an observation site processed by the endoscope camera device, a pneumoperitoneum device for expanding the abdominal cavity, and a surgical device for living tissue It is composed of a plurality of medical devices such as a high-frequency ablation device (hereinafter referred to as an electric scalpel) that supplies energy for excision or coagulation of the scalpel, and a treatment tool that applies energy from the electric scalpel to a treatment site while performing a procedure.

手 順 Here, the procedure for performing observation or treatment using the endoscopic surgery system will be briefly described. First, after inflating the inside of the abdominal cavity by the insufflation device, the endoscope is inserted into the test site, and illumination light is emitted from the light source device to obtain an optical image of the test site. The optical image obtained here is converted into an electric signal by the camera head and processed as a video signal by the endoscope camera device. By performing a procedure using the treatment tool while confirming the video signal on the monitor, the operator can observe the part to be examined or perform treatment. Thus, in order to perform observation or treatment, it is necessary to use a plurality of medical devices in parallel.

On the other hand, the surgeon performs an operation in a clean area in the operating room, but since many of the medical devices that make up the endoscope system are located in an unclean area outside the clean area, operation of the medical device is instructed by the operator. Accordingly, a third party (operator of the device) performs the operation, and the operator does not directly touch the hand. In addition, the functions of each medical device are individually independent, and require individual operations and controls. Therefore, the operator is required to be skilled in order to respond to the operator's request, and is always required to perform a complicated operation.

For this reason, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-114065 discloses that a medical device main body is provided with a communication port capable of two-way communication for the purpose of facilitating systematization of a plurality of surgical devices and improving operability. A plurality of surgical instruments individually having numbers (ID), and a surgical instrument control system including control means connected to a communication port of the surgical instrument and capable of centrally controlling each of the surgical instruments according to purpose are provided. It has been disclosed. In this system, each device is controlled by a central control device mounted on a cart or a remote controller for Dr mounted on a surgical bed.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-303654, in order to improve the operability of a system by operating and controlling a plurality of devices easily, means for displaying the function of the controlled device and operating the controlled device are disclosed. A system controller provided with means is disclosed.

"Problems to be solved by the invention"
However, in the above-mentioned conventional endoscopic surgery system, since various transmission cables are connected to the camera head and the treatment tool used by the operator in a clean area, the movement range of the operator is limited. In addition to this, there is a problem that as the number of devices used increases, the clean area becomes more complicated with cables and the like.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable that each medical device is connected wirelessly. However, in order to identify each device, it is necessary to set an individual ID in advance for each device. Preparation can be complicated. It is also conceivable to assign IDs to the products themselves, but the assignment of individual IDs is limited in practice, and the user has to prepare the equipment to be used in consideration of combinations in which IDs do not overlap.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope system device which does not require special consideration by a user while making the connection between the devices wireless.

C. The invention having the following configuration can be extracted from the third embodiment.

9. An endoscope for observing the inside of a body cavity, an image display device for capturing an image of the endoscope and displaying the image on a monitor, a treatment tool for treating the inside of the body cavity, and a treatment tool inserted into a patient and inserted into the patient In an endoscopic surgical operation system including a trocar that guides removably into a body cavity and an input switch for operating the operation of the treatment tool,
A treatment tool determination unit that determines the type of the treatment tool using the interaction between the treatment tool and the trocar,
A switch switching unit that switches connection of the input switch so that only the determined treatment tool can be operated.

10. The treatment tool discriminating means includes a signal transmission unit provided on the treatment tool and transmitting a signal of a different frequency for each type of treatment tool, and a signal reception unit provided on the trocar and receiving a signal transmitted from the treatment tool. 8. a corresponding treatment tool is determined from the frequency of the signal received by the signal receiving unit. The endoscopic surgical operation system according to claim 1.

11. The signal transmitting unit transmits a signal of the same frequency in a different transmission pattern for each treatment tool, the signal receiving unit receives a different transmission pattern for each treatment tool, and the treatment tool discriminating unit transmits a transmission pattern of the received signal. 10. The treatment tool is determined according to The endoscopic surgical operation system according to claim 1.

12. 10. The signal transmission unit is a heating element that generates a different temperature for each treatment tool, and the signal reception unit is a temperature sensing unit that senses temperature. The endoscopic surgical operation system according to claim 1.

13. The treatment tool discriminating means includes a switch pressing portion provided on a portion of the trocar into which the treatment tool is inserted, and a switch provided on a portion of the treatment tool inserted into the trocar and pressed by the switch pressing portion. And a signal transmitting unit that generates a signal when the switch is pressed, and receives a signal from the signal transmitting unit to determine a corresponding treatment tool. An endoscopic surgical system according to claim 1.

14． The treatment tool discriminating means is configured such that a portion of the trocar into which the treatment tool is inserted is formed of a reflection member, and is provided at a portion of the treatment tool to be inserted into the trocar, and receives light reflected by the reflection member. It has a photo-interrupter and a signal transmitting unit that generates a signal when the photo-interrupter receives reflected light, and determines a corresponding treatment tool by receiving a signal from the signal transmitting unit. 9. An endoscopic surgical system according to claim 1.

「The“ conventional techniques ”and“ problems to be solved by the invention ”of the above-mentioned inventions 9 to 14 are as follows.

"Conventional technology"
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called endoscopic surgery in which the physical burden on a patient is less than that of surgery involving laparotomy or the like has been performed. In particular, laparoscopic surgery is being widely performed. In this endoscopic surgery, the observation field obtained by the endoscope is displayed on a TV monitor, and a treatment tool is operated while looking at the operation field on the screen of the TV monitor to perform treatment in the patient's body cavity. Is

However, since there are a plurality of types of treatment tools, for example, a high-frequency ablation device and a medical laser device, the number of operation switches and the number of cables connecting the switches and the device are required as much as the number of treatment devices, which makes the operation complicated. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it takes a long time to set up and clean up before and after the operation because many cables are required. Further, since many cables crawl on the floor of the operating room, it is very difficult to move an operator, a nurse, or an apparatus during an operation.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-332883, when an operator utters the name of a treatment tool to be operated, only one of the various treatment tools connected so as to be able to operate only the treatment tool uttered by the surgeon is operated. It is disclosed that the operation switch of (1) is assigned to the treatment tool of the uttered name, eliminating the complexity of selecting a required switch from among a plurality of switches and reducing the number of cables.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-28713, a marker is provided at the distal end of a treatment tool used in a body cavity, and a necessary operation input is performed by imaging and discriminating the marker with a TV camera attached to an endoscope. Discloses that a cable between an operation input switch and a device to be operated is not required.

"Problems to be solved by the invention"
However, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-332883, the assignment of the switch function by the voice input means for selecting the treatment tool by the voice of the surgeon is performed after the surgeon has finished uttering the name of the therapy tool. Since it is performed, the operation of the treatment tool cannot be performed quickly. In addition, since there are sounds of other devices, assistants, nurses' voices, and the like in the operating room, voice input may not be performed reliably, which may cause problems such as prolonged operation time and increased stress on the operator. .

In addition, a new cable for transmitting the operator's voice to the voice recognition device is required, and the operator needs to attach a microphone before the operation, and the cable of the attached microphone is cumbersome. There is.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-28713, in order to input an operation by imaging a marker provided at the distal end of the treatment instrument, the marker at the distal end of the treatment instrument is always imaged by a TV camera. If it is not in the state, not only the operation input can not be performed, but also the marker is blocked by the tissue etc. in the patient's body cavity, and if it is in a dirty state, the tip of the treatment instrument is operated so that the marker can be reliably imaged, Because of the necessity of washing, problems such as prolonged operation time and increased stress on the operator arise.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and does not increase the number of operation input switch cables even when the types of treatment tools are increased, and furthermore, does not depend on the state of the treatment tools in the body cavity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a surgical system capable of quickly executing an input.

D. The invention having the following configuration can be extracted from the fourth embodiment.

15. A wireless control system including a plurality of peripheral devices and a central control unit capable of controlling the plurality of peripheral devices by optical communication,
Means for permitting connection to a network by returning an ID number by optical communication to a plurality of peripheral devices transmitted by optical communication,
Means for reflecting the state of the system in its own user I / F after the permitted peripheral device has transmitted its own control program;
Control means for centrally managing peripheral devices to which ID numbers have been allocated using the control program;
A wireless control system comprising:

「The" prior art "and the" problem to be solved by the invention "of Invention 15 described above are as follows.

"Conventional technology"
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional endoscope system. A light source 401, an endoscope 402, a recording unit 403, an electric knife 404, and the like are connected to a centralized control unit 400 by wires.

As shown in FIG. 13, the centralized control unit 400 shown in FIG. 12 includes various programs 410 (light source 411, endoscope 412, electric scalpel 413, recording device 414, insufflator 415) for controlling each unit. , Device A 416) are stored in advance. The central control unit 400 also prepares programs for devices that are not currently connected.

As described above, when a plurality of devices such as the endoscope 402, the light source 401, and the electric scalpel 404 are operated, the operation method varies depending on the devices, which is complicated and time is wasted on setting. In recent years, there has been known a system in which a network is constructed by a plurality of related devices in order to centrally control those devices, and each device is collectively controlled by a central control unit located at the center of the network.

In addition, systems that use optical communication have been developed in recent years in order to reduce the complexity of cables and the like.

"Problems to be solved by the invention"
1: The system must be temporarily shut down when a new device is installed in the system or when a specific device is deleted from the system.

# 2: In addition, when a system is constructed by optical communication, an abnormal operation occurs such that the system deletes the device due to a slight interruption of light such as a person passing in front.

3: It is necessary for the centralized control unit to have all control programs that may be connected in the centralized control unit. As a result, A: software upgrade when a new device is added becomes complicated.

B: The cost for increasing the volume of internal software increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and there is no need to temporarily shut down the system even when a new device is installed in the system or when a specific device is deleted from the system. When a system is built by communication, it can prevent abnormal operation such as deleting the device due to slight interruption of light, and centrally control all control programs that may be connected An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless control system that eliminates the need for having a wireless control system.

It is a figure showing the whole endoscope surgical operation device composition to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a surgical system according to a first embodiment in which a plurality of surgical devices described in FIG. 1 are installed and a surgical operation is performed while communicating with a controller. It is a figure showing the composition of the inside of each operation device 102-N. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the effect | action of a surgical operation device control system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration when a first embodiment of the present invention is applied to an endoscopic surgical operation system for performing a surgical operation under an endoscope. It is a figure showing the composition of the endoscopic surgery operation system concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the state of the surgical instrument inserted in the patient's body cavity. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how each device is connected. It is a block diagram for explaining the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which expands and shows the treatment tool shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the connection in a modification. It is a figure showing the composition of the conventional endoscope system used for explanation of the 3rd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a program stored in a central control unit illustrated in FIG. 12. It is a figure showing composition of an endoscope system concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a program stored in a central control unit illustrated in FIG. 14.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Patient, 2 ... Intraperitoneal cavity, 3 ... Scope, 4 ... Camera head, 5 ... Treatment tool, 6 ... Image processing device, 8 ... Treatment tool information reading device, 9 ... Oscillator, 10 ... Cable, 11 ... Cable, 12 ... Light cable, 13 ... Cable, 14 ... Cable, 17 ... Insertion part, 18 ... Barcode label, 20 ... Automatic discrimination switch

Claims (1)

In a communication control method of a surgical system capable of wireless communication between a plurality of controlled devices and a system controller for centrally controlling the plurality of controlled devices,
Empty identification information confirmation step of confirming empty identification information not used by the system controller,
When there is the empty identification information, empty identification information transmission step of transmitting the empty identification information from the system controller,
An occupancy request return step of receiving the vacancy identification information at the controlled device and returning an occupancy request of the vacancy identification information,
Based on the occupation request returned in the occupation request returning step, allocating the empty identification information in the system controller,
A method for controlling a surgical system, comprising:

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