SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEFLECTING ENDOSCOPIC TOOLS

1 . An endoscope sheath, comprising:

an endoscope housing, configured for housing at least a distal end of an insertion tube of an endoscope and allowing the traversing of an endoscopic tool therethrough; and

a tool deflector configured for deflecting said endoscopic tool by changing a direction of movement of said endoscopic tool in relation to a direction of movement of said distal end of said insertion tube.

2 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said insertion tube belongs to a bronchoscope.

3 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said endoscope housing is configured for housing the whole endoscope.

4 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , configured for being used only once.

5 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said endoscopic tool traverses said endoscope housing through at least one opening located on a surface of said endoscope housing.

6 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein said at least one opening is located at a distal extremity of at least one sheath channel, said sheath channel being configured for housing at least a portion of said endoscopic tool.

7 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said tool deflector deflects said endoscopic tool in a plurality of directions.

8 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said tool deflector is located on a surface of said endoscope housing, between a point at which said endoscopic tool traverses said endoscope housing and a distal extremity of said endoscope housing.

9 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said tool deflector is located on one of: an inner surface of said endoscope housing, and an outer surface of said endoscope housing.

10 . The endoscope sheath of claim 6 , wherein said at least one sheath channel is an integral part of said endoscope housing, and protrudes from said endoscope housing.

11 . The endoscope sheath of claim 6 , wherein said sheath channel is detachable from said endoscope housing.

12 . The endoscope sheath of claim 6 , wherein said tool deflector is configured to change said orientation of said endoscopic tool by moving a distal end of said sheath channel.

13 . The endoscope sheath of claim 1 , wherein said tool deflector is inflatable and deflects said distal end of said endoscopic tool by expanding and contracting.

14 . The endoscope sheath of claim 13 , further including a conduit for moving at least one fluid into and out of said tool deflector.

15 . The endoscope sheath of claim 13 , wherein a fluid within said tool deflector is heated to expand, and cooled to contract, thereby expanding and contracting said tool deflector.

16 . The endoscope sheath of claim 8 , wherein said point at which said sheath housing is traversed by said endoscopic tool is positioned such that at least one tip of said endoscopic tool is within a field of view of at least one imaging sensor attached to a distal end of said insertion tube.

17 . The endoscope sheath of claim 16 , wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imager.

18 . An endoscope, comprising:

an endoscopic channel, traversing an insertion tube of the endoscope, and configured for housing at least one endoscopic tool; and

an inflatable tool deflector located at a distal end of said endoscopic channel, for gradually deflecting a distal end of said endoscopic tool in relation to a distal end of said insertion tube;

wherein said inflatable tool deflector is in contact with said at least one endoscopic tool, and a change in at least one property of said inflatable tool deflector causes a deflection of said distal end of said endoscopic tool, with respect to said distal end of said insertion tube, by changing a direction of movement of said distal end of said endoscopic tool in relation to a direction of movement of said distal end of said insertion tube.

19 . The endoscope of claim 18 , wherein the endoscope is configured for being inserted into the airways of a patient.

20 . The endoscope of claim 18 , wherein said property of said inflatable tool deflector is one of volume and shape.

21 . The endoscope of claim 18 , further comprising at least one imaging sensor, for providing an image of at least a body lumen within which said insertion tube is inserted.

22 . The endoscope of claim 21 , wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imaging sensor.

23 . The endoscope of claim 21 , wherein a distal tip of said at least one endoscopic tool housed in said endoscopic channel is within a field of view of said at least one imaging sensor, so that an image of said distal tip is provided by said at least one imaging sensor.

24 . The endoscope of claim 23 , configured to be connected to an image processor, which determines said orientation of said endoscopic tool, through an analysis of said image of said tip.

25 . A system for generating a trajectory track of an endoscopic tool associated with an endoscope within a body lumen, comprising:

at least one imaging sensor attached to a distal end of an insertion tube of the endoscope, for generating an image of the body lumen;

a processing unit, for calculating the trajectory of the endoscopic tool based on an orientation of the endoscopic tool; and

a screen, for displaying the trajectory track on said image.

26 . The system of claim 25 , wherein said image of the body lumen further includes a tip on a distal side of the endoscopic tool.

27 . The system of claim 26 , further including:

an image processing unit, for calculating said orientation of the endoscopic tool, based on said image from said at least one imaging sensor.

28 . The system of claim 25 , wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imaging sensor.

29 . The system of claim 25 , further comprising:

a tool deflector, for changing said orientation of the endoscopic tool, relative to the endoscope; and

a measuring unit, for measuring at least one property of said tool deflector;

wherein said processing unit receives said measured property from said measuring unit, and calculates said orientation of the endoscopic tool, according to said property.

30 . The system of claim 29 , wherein said tool deflector comprises at least one inflatable unit, and said measuring unit measures one or more of:

a flow of fluid into and out of said inflatable unit of said tool deflector;

a pressure of said fluid; and

a volume of said fluid within said tool deflector.

31 . A system for guiding an endoscopic tool associated to an endoscope toward a target within a body lumen, comprising:

the system of claim 25 , wherein said at least one imaging sensor generates said image that further includes the target; and

a tool deflector, for changing said orientation of the endoscopic tool toward the target.

32 . A method for changing an orientation of an endoscopic tool associated with the endoscope, relative to a distal end of an insertion tube of the endoscope, comprising:

inserting the insertion tube into a body lumen; and

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool by changing at least one property of an inflatable tool deflector in contact with the endoscopic tool.

33 . The method of claim 32 , wherein said property is one of volume and shape.

34 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising:

providing an image of a target within said body lumen; and

calculating the orientation of the endoscopic tool.

35 . The method of claim 34 , wherein said calculating is performed through at least one of:

an analysis of an image of the endoscopic tool, by an image processor; and

a measurement of at least one property of at least one fluid directed to said inflatable tool deflector, and a conversion of said property into said orientation, according to calibration data.

36 . The method of claim 34 , further comprising:

calculating an estimated trajectory of the endoscopic tool, based on the orientation; and

superimposing a graphical trajectory track of said trajectory on said image.

37 . The method of claim 36 , further comprising:

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool so that said graphical trajectory track crosses said image of said target;

advancing the insertion tube and/or the endoscopic tool farther into said body lumen;

observing whether said graphical trajectory track crosses said image of said target; and

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool, if needed.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said observing is performed by a processing unit, and further including one or more of:

assigning a color to said graphical trajectory track, according to the orientation of said graphical trajectory track relative to said image of said target; and

emitting a sound, according to the orientation of said graphical trajectory track relative to said image of said target.