| CPC A61M 25/0147 (2013.01) [A61M 25/0108 (2013.01); A61M 2025/015 (2013.01)] | 15 Claims |
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1. A medical apparatus comprising:
a bendable body having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion including a first bending section and a second bending section, with the first bending section in a position distal and next to the second bending section and the second bending section in a position distal to the proximal portion, the first bending section including: at least two guide rings disposed in the bendable body and spaced a distance from one another to create a cavity, a tip, and a wall extending a length of the first bending section and operating to encapsulate the at least two guide rings, wherein the wall comprises a resilient outer lining and a resilient inner lining for encapsulating the at least two guide rings;
a first control wire running through the proximal portion and the second bending section and being connected to a distal end of the first bending section;
a second control wire running through the proximal portion and being connected to a distal end of the second bending section;
at least two lumens in the bendable body extending a length of the bendable body through the first bending section and the second bending section;
an actuator attached to a proximal end of the first control wire and to a proximal end of the second control wire, wherein the actuator operates to actuate the first control wire and the second control wire independently; and
a controller or processor that operates to:
select one of, or switch between, a plurality of modes;
in a case where the controller or processor has selected or switched to a targeting mode of the plurality of modes, control the first control wire and/or the second control wire, via the actuator, to bend the first bending section and/or the second bending section such that the first bending section and the second bending section operate to be manipulated by actuation of the first control wire and the second control wire, respectively, while manipulating the proximal portion so that: (i) the first bending section and the second bending section operate to bend or to be moved or oriented while a posture of the proximal portion is not moved by the controller or processor, (ii) the second bending section is disposed or positioned at or near a location to reach or be near a target, sample, or object, and (iii) the first bending section operates to be manipulated in any direction to reach the target, sample, or object without moving the second control wire after the second bending section has reached or is disposed at or near the location or near the target, sample, or object; and
in a case where the controller or processor has selected or switched to a follow a leader mode of the plurality of modes, control the first bending section to bend automatically or in accordance with an instruction received from or input by a user of the medical apparatus, and control the second bending section to bend based on:
(i) a bending amount of the first bending section in a distance in which the bendable body is advanced after the first bending section is bent, and/or
(ii) a bending amount of the first bending section in a case where the bendable body is advanced and the second bending section reaches a position where the first bending section was bent over a distance or along a path,
wherein a coverage area for the first bending section of the distal portion or for the bendable body, based on the location and bending planes/angles of the second bending section of the distal portion or of the bendable body is shown on a display, and the controller or processor further operates to: (i) ensure a desired coverage area to reach and/or view the target, sample, or object, and (ii) calculate bending angles and trajectory to situate the medical apparatus in a position to allow for viewing and/or reaching of two or more predetermined points in the target, sample, or object without having to further move one of the proximal portion, the first bending section of the distal portion, and/or the second bending section of the distal portion, where the target, sample, or object is a lesion and the coverage area includes the two or more predetermined points in the lesion.
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