Flexible insertion apparatus with input device having actuator force control
View Patent ↗An insertion apparatus includes an elongated inserting section having a curving section, an input section which is provided in an operating section, receives an arbitrary input to curve the curving section in a movable range including a first range that includes the neutral input position and a second range that has an operation amount from the neutral input position exceeding the first range, a first actuator, a detecting section, a second actuator which gives a force towards the neutral position to the input section, and a control section which operates the first actuator and the second actuator, when the input amount to the input section is in the second range, thereby giving a force to the input section so that an input amount to the input section is in the first range.
1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:
an elongated inserting section having a curving section which has a neutral position and is curvable at an arbitrary angle and which is arranged near a distal end section;
an input device which is provided in an operating section arranged on a proximal end side of the elongated inserting section, has a neutral input position corresponding to an input to hold the curving section at the neutral position, and receives an arbitrary input to curve the curving section in a movable range including a first range that includes the neutral input position and a second range that has an operation amount from the neutral input position exceeding the first range, wherein the input device comprises:
a shaft section;
a dial section arranged on an end portion of the shaft section; and
a first gear section arranged on the shaft section;
a detecting sensor which detects a rotating direction and a rotation amount of the dial section which is an input to the input device;
a first actuator which is operated to curve the curving section at a certain curving angle;
a second actuator which gives a force towards the neutral input position to the input device; and
a controller configured to operate the first actuator to curve the curving section at a curving angle corresponding to an input amount to the input device, operate the second actuator to move the input device towards the first range, when the input amount to the input device is in the second range, and stop a drive of the second actuator, when the input amount to the input device moves into the first range,
the second actuator being arranged in the operating section,
a second gear section of the second actuator transmitting a rotation force of the second actuator to the input device via the first gear section.
2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller has a memory which stores the force given to the input device by the second actuator as a value of current in accordance with an input to the input device.
3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the value of current is set so that the force given to the input device by the second actuator increases as the input to the input device increases, when the input to the input device is in the second range.
4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the value of current is set so that the force given to the input device by the second actuator increases as the input to the input device increases, when the input to the input device is in the second range, and set so that the force given to the input device by the second actuator is constant, when the input to the input device is larger than a certain value.
5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the value of current is set so that the force given to the input device by the second actuator increases at a certain increasing rate as the input amount to the input device increases, when the input to the input device is in the second range, and the increasing rate of the force given to the input device by the second actuator is set to be lower than the certain increasing rate, when the input amount to the input device is larger than a certain value.
6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the value of current is set so that the increasing rate of the force given to the input device by the second actuator decreases as the input to the input device further increases, when the input to the input device is larger than the certain value.
7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the force given to the input device by the second actuator is smaller than a force input to the input device.
8. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second actuator gives a force in a direction opposite to an input direction to the input device.
9. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a curving angle of the elongated inserting section at a boundary between the first range and the second range is settable by the controller.