JPH10263089A - Catheter with obstacle detecting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catheter having an obstacle detecting function whereby an increase in touch pressure level can surely be recognized. SOLUTION: This catheter detects the pressure of touch to a sensor part 3 provided at the end of a catheter tube, by using a pressure sensor which the sensor part 3 includes. As a result, the presence of an obstacle 28 ahead in the advancing direction is detected in accordance with a sensor output signal SS1 from the pressure sensor. Changes in the sensor output signal SS1 are converted into voices by a means 45 for making signals audible, so that they become audible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a catheter has been known as a kind of medical instrument to be inserted into a body. 2. Description of the Related Art A catheter tube having a diameter of several mm or less constituting a catheter is designed to be inserted into various tubes in a human body, for example, blood vessels. The distal end of the catheter tube is guided to a desired site in the body, where a measuring operation (for example, measuring blood pressure) and a therapeutic operation (for example, dilating a blood vessel) are performed. For this reason, the catheter operator needs to reliably guide the distal end of the catheter tube to a desired site by an external operation.

[0003] By the way, the tube in the body is not always straight, but is often partially bent or branched. In addition, the diameter of the tube is not always constant, and the tube itself becomes thinner or obstructions (eg, thrombus) inside the tube.
The tube may be thinner due to However, in the conventional catheter, since there is no means for detecting a state in front of the catheter tube in the traveling direction, the operator has to rely only on his / her intuition for operating the catheter tube. For this reason, skill was required to guide the tip of the catheter tube to a desired site. Therefore, it has recently been proposed to provide a function of a sensor for detecting an obstacle at the tip of the catheter tube, and to operate the catheter tube based on the result of sensing.

A catheter provided with an obstacle sensing mechanism has, for example, the following configuration. A pressure barrier is provided on the inner wall surface of the distal end portion of the catheter tube. The pressure barrier defines a chip chamber within the tube. A semiconductor pressure sensor chip is housed in the chip housing chamber while being mounted on a substrate. The chip receiving chamber is filled with, for example, silicone gel as a pressure transmitting medium. The opening of the catheter tube is sealed by a piston. Therefore, in this catheter, the outer surface of the piston serves as the distal end pressure receiving surface. When pressure is applied to the pressure receiving surface due to the presence of an obstacle, the pressure is transmitted to the pressure sensitive surface of the sensor chip via the silicone gel. Then, a change occurs in the resistance value of a strain gauge (not shown) formed on the pressure-sensitive surface. as a result,
The sensor chip outputs an electric signal corresponding to a change in pressure to the outside as a sensor output signal. The sensor output signal is amplified and A / D-converted, and finally CR
It is displayed as a graph or the like on the screen of T. By monitoring this graph on the screen of the CRT, the operator visually recognizes the presence or absence of an obstacle. More specifically, the appearance of an increase point in the line segment shown in the graph indicates that the touch pressure level has increased, thereby recognizing the presence of an obstacle.

[0005]

However, the catheter operator cannot always monitor the screen of the CRT during the actual operation. That is, it is necessary to check the situation at hand, or to check the X-ray transmission image to grasp the position of the catheter in the body. Therefore, although the information for determining the presence or absence of an obstacle is visualized as a graph, it is difficult for an operator to confirm the increase in the graph (that is, the increase in the contact pressure level). Therefore, there has been a demand for some improvement measures that can easily confirm such an increase in the contact pressure level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a catheter with an obstacle sensing function capable of reliably recognizing an increase in a contact pressure level.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the contact pressure of a sensor provided at the distal end of a catheter tube is controlled by a pressure-sensitive sensor provided in the sensor. A catheter for sensing and detecting the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead in the traveling direction based on a sensor output signal from the pressure-sensitive sensor. The gist of the invention is a catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the contact pressure of the sensor section provided at the tip of the catheter tube is detected by the pressure sensor provided in the sensor section, and based on the sensor output signal from the pressure sensor. In a catheter that senses the presence or absence of an obstacle in the front in the traveling direction,
Display means for visualizing the change in the sensor output signal, and a catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism, comprising: Make a summary.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the signal auditory means compares the sensor output signal with a predetermined threshold value to determine the magnitude of the signal. Comparison mode determining means, and a sound mode changing means for changing a mode of a sound emitted by the signal hearing aid means when the sensor output signal is equal to or less than the threshold value and when the sensor output signal exceeds the threshold value. It was said that it was equipped.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the voice mode changing means rapidly changes the mode of the voice before and after a threshold value. Claim 5
In the third aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the signal auditory means includes an audio signal generator for generating an audio signal, and a control program for causing the audio signal generator to generate a plurality of types of audio signals. It is assumed that the storage device includes a storage unit for storing and an audio signal selection unit for selecting a specific combination from the plurality of types of audio signals.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the third to fifth aspects of the present invention, the signal auditory means includes a threshold for changing the threshold value to be compared with the sensor output signal. It is assumed that a value changing means is provided.

Hereinafter, the "action" of the present invention will be described. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the sensor provided at the distal end of the catheter tube comes into contact with an obstacle located forward in the traveling direction, the sensor receives pressure from the obstacle.
The increase in pressure at that time is detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor and is output to the signal auditory means as a sensor output signal. As a result, the change in the sensor output signal is converted into a sound and is audible. Therefore, even during the actual operation, the catheter operator can easily and reliably recognize the increase in the contact pressure level through hearing. Therefore, it is possible to provide convenience in a case where the user cannot keep his / her eyes away from his / her hand during the operation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the sensor provided at the tip of the catheter tube comes into contact with an obstacle located forward in the traveling direction, the sensor receives pressure from the obstacle. The increase in pressure at that time is detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor, and is output to the signal auditory means and the display means as a sensor output signal. As a result, the change in the sensor output signal is not only visualized as, for example, a graph or the like, but is also converted into audio to be audible. Therefore, even during the actual operation, the catheter operator can more easily and reliably recognize the increase in the contact pressure level through two of the five senses of vision and hearing. Therefore, further convenience can be attained in a case where the user cannot keep his / her eyes away during the operation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the signal comparison and determination means compares the sensor output signal with a predetermined threshold value, thereby determining the magnitude of both. The sound mode changing means changes the mode of the sound emitted by the signal auditory means between a time when the sensor output signal is equal to or less than the threshold value and a time when the sensor output signal exceeds the threshold value based on the determination result. . Therefore, if this threshold value is set in advance to the allowable limit value of the tactile pressure level, the catheter operator can reliably recognize that this value has been reached by changing the voice mode.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the mode of the voice changes abruptly before and after the threshold value, the catheter operator can more reliably recognize that the threshold value has been reached. it can.

According to the present invention, when a specific combination is selected from a plurality of types of audio signals by the audio signal selection means, the audio signal generator is operated in accordance with the control program stored in the storage means. Generates the audio signal of the selected combination. Therefore, it is possible to select an optimal combination of audio modes used before and after the threshold value according to the surrounding situation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the threshold value can be changed by operating the threshold value changing means, so that the threshold value is previously set to the allowable limit of the contact pressure level according to the application. Can be set and adjusted.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

This catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism is for inserting a blood vessel, and is constituted by a catheter body 1 and a control system 31 for controlling the same. The catheter body 1 is a catheter tube (made of polyvinyl chloride, 1.6 m in diameter in this embodiment) inserted into the blood vessel 27.
m) 2 and operating means (not shown) provided at the proximal end of the tube 2 for operating the same outside the body. The operating means is constituted by, for example, a plurality of wires inserted into the tube 2 and a wire operating unit for operating the wires. A syringe (not shown) for pumping a liquid such as a drug solution or a contrast agent to the distal end side of the tube 2 is connected to the base end of the tube 2.

In the catheter body 1 of the present embodiment, a sensor assembly 3 as a sensor formed separately from the catheter tube 2 is attached to the distal end side of the catheter tube 2.

The sensor assembly 3 has an outer tube 4 and an inner tube 5. The distal end side of the outer tube 4 serving as the outer tube member is a large-diameter portion 4a having an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the catheter tube 2. On the other hand, the proximal end of the outer tube 4 is
The small diameter portion 4b has an outer diameter smaller than that of the small diameter portion 4a. The small diameter portion 4b is a portion that is fitted to the distal end opening of the catheter tube 2. Accordingly, a plurality of retaining grooves 6 extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface.
A piston 7 as a pressure receiving body is fitted in the distal opening of the outer tube 4 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the tube 2. The joint between the piston 7 and the outer tube 4 is sealed by a sealing material 8.

The inner tube 5, which is the inner tube member, is a tubular member having a smaller outer diameter and a shorter length than the outer tube 4. The inner tube 5 is non-slidably fitted into the outer tube 4. A notch 9 is formed at one end of the inner tube 5 protruding into the large diameter portion 4a. A pedestal 11 is joined to the inner wall surface of the cutout 9 with an adhesive A1. A semiconductor pressure sensor chip 10 as a pressure-sensitive sensor is mounted on the pedestal 11. The bonding material A1 is obtained by hardening a fluid substance.

Most preferably, the bonding material A1 satisfies all three requirements: a) being made of an insulating material, b) being hard, and c) being made of a biocompatible material. In view of such circumstances, the present embodiment uses a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin. This is because the epoxy resin satisfies all the above three requirements.

A back pressure chamber 19 may be formed between the upper surface of the pedestal 11 and the lower surface of the sensor chip 10, as shown in FIG. Further, the back pressure chamber 19 includes the pedestal 1.
It may be connected to the relative pressure region via a back pressure hole (not shown) formed in the first pressure sensor.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the semiconductor pressure sensor chip 10 has a thin portion at the center. A strain gauge 12 is formed on the upper surface of the thin portion. A plurality of unillustrated bonding pads are formed on the upper surface of the sensor chip 10. These bonding pads and the relay tabs 14 of the flat cable 13 are electrically connected via bonding wires 15. The flat cable 13 passes through the inside of the catheter tube 2 and reaches the base end of the tube 2.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the bonding material A1 is provided between the lower surface and the side surface of the pedestal 11 and the inner tube 5.
The gap between the notch 9 and the inner wall surface is sealed. As a result, the pedestal 11 is fixed to the inner tube 5. In addition, in the region near the base end of the pedestal 11 and the sensor chip 10, the bonding material A 1 also goes upward and seals the through hole of the inner tube 5 in a non-penetrating state. Accordingly, the pressure barrier 16 is located at a position slightly closer to the base end than the notch 9 inside the inner tube 5.
Are formed. The pressure barrier 16 entirely seals the bonding wire 15 drawn from the sensor chip 10. The medium barrier space 17 is defined in the outer tube 4 by the pressure barrier 16. The medium housing space 17 is filled with a silicone gel 18 as a pressure transmission medium. The pressure barrier 16 functions to prevent the silicone gel 18 from flowing toward the proximal end of the tube 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, a separation wall 21 exists inside the catheter tube 2. The separation wall 21 divides the inside of the tube 2 into two regions along the axial direction of the tube 2. The separation wall 21 defines a signal line lumen 22 and a liquid distribution lumen 23. Both lumens 22 and 23 are semicircular in cross section. The flat cable 13 is accommodated in the signal line lumen 22. In the liquid distribution lumen 23, a liquid medicine, a contrast agent, and the like as a liquid can flow. The reason for supplying the contrast agent is to grasp the position of the sensor assembly 3 in more detail by imaging the blood vessel. Examples of the drug solution include a thrombolytic agent.

The catheter tube 2 has a liquid discharge port 24 as an opening on the outer peripheral surface. The liquid discharge port 24 communicates the inside and outside of the liquid distribution lumen 23. Therefore, the liquid supplied from the proximal end side of the tube 2 is supplied to the affected part by being discharged from the outer peripheral surface side of the tube 2 through the liquid discharge port 24.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the catheter tube 2 has a distal end seal 25. The distal end sealing body 25 is made of a biocompatible material (for example, epoxy resin or the like) and seals only the liquid circulation lumen 23 among the two lumens 22 and 23 at the distal end. The tip sealing body 25 is located near the position where the liquid discharge port 24 is formed, and is located on the tip side of the tube 2 therefrom. Further, a fluid guide slope 25 a is provided on the base end side of the distal end sealing body 25. This fluid guide slope 25a
Is located inside the lumen 23 and near the liquid discharge port 24. In FIG. 1A, the fluid guide slope 25a is shown.
Are located almost directly below the liquid discharge port 24.

In the catheter body 1 configured as described above, when the sensor assembly 3 comes into contact with an obstacle (for example, a branch portion of the blood vessel 27 as shown in FIG. 2) 28, the piston 7 at the head of the sensor assembly 3 Is the obstacle 2
Receive pressure from 8. Then, the increase in the pressure at that time is transmitted to the sensor chip 10 as the pressure receiving surface via the silicone gel 18, causing a change in the resistance value of the strain gauge 12 located there. As a result, the sensor chip 10
Is designed to output an electric signal (ie, sensor output signal SS1) corresponding to a change in pressure to the control system 31 via the wire bonding 15, the relay tab 14, and the flat cable 13.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system 31 for controlling the catheter body 1. The control system 31 of the present embodiment includes an amplifier 32 for amplifying a sensor output signal, an A / D converter 33, a control computer 34,
RT35, audio signal amplification amplifier 36, speaker 37
And a mode selection switch 38. The control computer 34 includes a CPU 41, a memory 42, an I / O
An interface 43 and an audio signal generator 44 are provided.

The flat cable 13 pulled out of the sensor assembly 3 of the catheter body 1 passes through an amplifier 32 for amplifying the sensor output signal and an A / D converter 33.
It is electrically connected to the I / O interface 43 of the control computer 34. Therefore, the analog sensor output signal SS1 from the semiconductor pressure sensor chip 10 is
The signal is amplified by the amplifier 32. The amplified sensor output signal SS1 is digitized by the A / D converter 33, and is taken into the control computer 34.

A CRT 35 is electrically connected to the I / O interface 43 of the control computer 34, and the speaker 3 is connected via an amplifier 36 for amplifying an audio signal.
7 are electrically connected. The CRT 35 visualizes the signal output from the control computer 34 as a graph. On the other hand, the amplifier 36 amplifies the audio signals AS1 to ASn output from the control computer 34, and
Numeral 7 converts the amplified audio signals AS1 to ASn into audio to make them auditory. That is, a display means is constituted by the amplifier 32 for amplifying the sensor output signal, the A / D converter 33, the control computer 34, and the CRT 35. Also, an amplifier 32 for amplifying the sensor output signal, an A / D
The converter 33, the control computer 34, the amplifier 36 for amplifying the audio signal and the speaker 37 make the signal auditory means 4
5 are configured.

CPU 4 constituting control computer 34
1 is a sensor output signal S based on a predetermined program.
The magnitude is determined by comparing S1 with a predetermined threshold value Vth. In addition, the CPU 41
Changes the mode of the sound emitted from the speaker 37 when SS1 ≤ Vth and when SS1> Vth. That is, the CPU 41 is a signal comparison determination unit and a voice mode change unit.

The audio signal generator 44 is, for example, a conventionally known synthesizer or oscillation circuit, and plays a role of generating a plurality of types of audio signals. An audio generation program for causing the audio signal generator 44 to generate a plurality of types of audio signals AS1 to ASn is stored in the memory 42 in advance.

A mode selection switch 38 as an audio mode selection means is further electrically connected to the I / O interface 43 of the control computer 34. Therefore, the switch signal generated by the mode selection switch 38 is taken into the CPU 41 via the I / O interface 43. As a result, the CPU 41 selects a specific combination, for example, AS1 and AS2, from a plurality of types of audio signals AS1 to ASn based on the switch signal. Then, the selected two types of audio signals AS1, A
Of S2, one AS1 is assigned to the voice to be used when SS1 ≤ Vth, and the other AS2 is assigned to SS.
Allocate to voice used when 1> Vth. Then, the CPU 41 converts one of the audio signals AS1 and AS2 selected in this way into I / O according to the situation.
Output to the outside via the interface 43. For convenience of description, a voice used when SS1 ≤ Vth is called a first voice, and a voice used when SS1> Vth is called a second voice.

When the first voice and the second voice are compared,
It is desirable that the second voice can relatively draw the operator's attention. Therefore, for example, when the first sound is a continuous oscillating sound of “P”,
It is preferable that the second sound is a continuous oscillating sound called "B". This is because the latter is a muddy tone compared to the former having a clear tone, and is generally considered to be able to draw attention. When the first sound is a low sound, the second sound may be relatively high. When the volume of the first sound is set to a predetermined value, the second sound may be set relatively higher. When the sound quality of the first sound is set to be softer, the sound quality of the second sound may be set to be higher. When the first sound is, for example, an intermittent sound of “p, p, p”, the second sound may be an intermittent sound with an interval shorter than the intermittent interval of the intermittent sound. First
In the case where the rhythm of the second voice is a constant rhythm, the rhythm of the second voice may be irregular and irregular. The modulation may not be applied to the first audio but may be applied only to the second audio. This is because the latter is generally considered to be more alert than the former.

It is preferable that the mode of the voice is changed abruptly (or discontinuously) before and after the threshold value Vth. The reason for this is that the catheter operator's attention can be more reliably called as compared with the case where the mode of the sound is changed slowly (or continuously).

Next, the signal processing operation of the catheter will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the combination of the audio signals AS1 and AS2 is selected in the initial state.

In step S 1, the CPU 41 inputs the digitally converted sensor output signal SS 1 via the I / O interface 43. After this, the CPU 41
Shifts to the next step S2.

In step S2, the CPU 41 calls the data relating to the threshold value Vth stored in the memory 42, compares it with the sensor output signal SS1, and determines the magnitude thereof. If SS1 ≤ Vth,
That is, if it is determined that the threshold value has not been exceeded, the CPU
The process proceeds to the next step S3. If SS1> Vth, that is, if it is determined that the threshold is exceeded, C
The PU 41 shifts to step S8 without shifting to the next step S3.

In step S3, the CPU 41 proceeds to the next step S4 without changing the audio signal.
Specifically, the audio signal AS1 corresponding to the first audio is held as it is. Conversely, in step S8, the CPU
41 calls a predetermined program from the memory 42,
Change the audio signal based on it. Specifically, the first
The audio signal AS1 corresponding to the second audio is changed to the audio signal AS2 corresponding to the second audio. After the end of step S8, the CPU 41 shifts to step S4.

In step S4, the CPU 41 causes the sound signal generator 44 to generate one of the sound signals AS1 and AS2 according to the sound generation program. Thereafter, the CPU 41 proceeds to the next step S5.

In step S5, the CPU 41 outputs one of the obtained audio signals AS1 and AS2 to the speaker 37 via the I / O interface 43 and the amplifier 36. As a result, the audio signal AS1
, AS2 are converted into vibrations of the air and audible. Thereafter, the CPU 41 proceeds to the next step S6.

In step S 6, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the combination of voice mode selections should be changed based on the presence or absence of a switch signal from the mode selection switch 38. If the determination result is NO, the CPU 41 proceeds to the next step S7. If the determination result is YES, the CPU 41 shifts to step S9 without shifting to the next step S7.

In step S7, the CPU 41 maintains the current combination of voice mode selections. In step S9, the CPU 41 sets the mode selection switch 3
Based on the switch signal from No. 8, the combination of voice mode selections is changed to another one. In other words, A
The combination of S1 and AS2 is, for example, AS1 and AS
3, AS2 and AS3, A
It is changed to a combination of S4 and AS5.

After steps S7 and S9 are completed, the CPU 41 returns to step S1 and repeats the above processing. Now, the characteristic effects of the present embodiment will be listed below.

(A) Control system 31 of this catheter
When the sensor assembly 3 provided at the distal end of the catheter tube 2 comes into contact with the obstacle 28, the increase in pressure at that time is output to the display means and the signal auditory means 45 as a sensor output signal SS1. As a result, the change of the sensor output signal SS1 is determined by the C
It is visualized as a graph on the screen of RT35. In addition, the change in the sensor output signal SS1 is converted into an audio signal and then audible by the speaker 37. Therefore, even during the actual operation, the catheter operator can more easily and reliably recognize the increase in the contact pressure level through two of the five senses of vision and hearing. This is because the voice is perceived by the operator regardless of the position of the line of sight. Therefore, in the case where the user cannot keep his / her eyes away from his / her hand during the operation, further convenience can be achieved in terms of work. Further, with such a control system 31, even if one of the display means and the signal auditory means 45 malfunctions, the touch pressure level can be recognized by the other normal means. It is possible.

(B) Control system 31 for this catheter
Then, the CPU 41 serving as the signal comparison / determination means 45 compares the sensor output signal SS1 with a predetermined threshold value Vth, thereby determining the magnitude of both SS1 and Vth. CPU that is also a voice mode change unit
Reference numeral 41 further changes the voice mode between when SS1 ≤ Vth and when SS1> Vth, based on the determination result. Therefore, if the threshold value Vth is set in advance to the value of the allowable limit of the contact pressure level, the catheter operator can surely recognize that the value has reached such a value by changing the voice mode. That is, in the case of this vascular catheter, the threshold value V is set so as to be smaller than the contact pressure level that may damage the blood vessel 27.
It is only necessary to set th in advance.

(C) Control system 31 for this catheter
In this example, the mode of the sound is rapidly changed before and after the threshold value Vth. Therefore, the catheter operator can more reliably recognize that the tactile pressure level has reached the threshold value Vth as compared with a case where the voice mode is temporarily changed slowly.

(D) Control system 31 for this catheter
Then, a specific combination is selected from the plurality of types of audio signals AS1 to ASn by the mode selection switch 38. Then, according to the control program stored in the memory 42, the audio signal generator 44 generates an audio signal of the selected combination, for example, AS1 and AS2. Therefore, it is possible to select an optimal combination of voice modes used before and after the threshold value Vth according to the surrounding situation in the operating room.

For example, when another medical device in the operating room emits a sound, a sound mode that can be clearly distinguished from the sound emitted by the device can be selected. Therefore, it is possible to avoid misrecognition and confusion with the sound emitted from the device.

The present invention is not limited only to the above embodiment, but can be modified as follows, for example. ◎ Control system 5 of another catheter shown in FIG.
1, the configuration of the signal auditory means 52 is slightly different. That is, the signal auditory means 52 further includes a threshold changing switch 53 as a threshold changing means for changing the threshold Vth to be compared with the sensor output signal SS1. Therefore, the threshold change switch 5
By operating 3, the threshold value Vth can be increased or decreased to an arbitrary value within a predetermined range. Therefore, the threshold value Vth can be set and adjusted in advance to the allowable limit value of the contact pressure level according to the application.

In a catheter control system 61 of another example shown in FIG. 5, a siren 63 is used instead of the speaker 37 constituting a part of the signal auditory means 62. Further, the mode selection switch 38, the threshold value change switch 53 and the like are also omitted. In this control system 61, the first voice used when SS1 ≤ Vth is silence, and the second voice used when SS1> Vth is used.
Is the siren sound. In another such example,
The configuration can be simplified.

The control computer 41 once digitizes the sensor output signal SS1 as in the embodiment.
, The signal processing may be performed by an analog circuit without changing the analog signal.

◎ Sensor assembly 3 as a sensor unit
Is not necessarily limited to those exemplified in the embodiment, and may have a different structure.

The sound signal generator 44 described in the embodiment may be a signal obtained by sampling a sound such as a human language. ◎ Omitting the CRT 35 constituting a part of the display means,
A system that senses that the tactile pressure level has reached the threshold value only through hearing may be allowed. However, the configuration of the embodiment or another example is superior in that not only the sense of hearing but also the sense of vision can be sensed as before.

◎ The catheter body 1 of the catheter of the present invention includes a tube other than the blood vessel 27 in the body (for example, bronchi,
Of course, it may be used for insertion into the digestive tract, lymphatic vessels, urethra, etc.).

Here, in addition to the technical ideas described in the claims, the technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiments are listed below together with their effects. (1) The catheter with an obstacle sensing function according to claim 4, wherein the voice mode used when the threshold value is exceeded is a voice mode that can draw the operator's attention.

(2) In claim 4, the second voice used when the threshold value is exceeded is a continuous oscillation sound, and the first voice used when the threshold value is less than the threshold value is an intermittent oscillation. A catheter with an obstacle sensing function characterized by sound. With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(3) In claim 4, wherein the second voice used when exceeding the threshold value is an intermittent oscillation sound, and the first voice used when the threshold value is equal to or less than the threshold value is continuous oscillation. A catheter with an obstacle sensing function characterized by sound. With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(4) In claim 4, the second voice used when the threshold value is exceeded is a muddy tone, and the first voice used when the threshold value is less than the threshold value is relative. A catheter with an obstacle sensing function characterized by a clear tone. With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(5) In claim 4, wherein the second voice used when exceeding the threshold is a high tone, and the first voice used when the threshold is equal to or less than the threshold is relatively low. A catheter with an obstacle sensing function, characterized in that: With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(6) In claim 4, the sound quality of the second voice used when exceeding the threshold value is set to be harder, and the first voice used when lower than the threshold value is used. A catheter with an obstacle sensing function characterized by being softer. With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(7) In claim 4, the second voice used when the threshold value is exceeded is a short-duration sound with a short intermittent interval, and the first voice used when the threshold value is equal to or less than the threshold value.
A catheter with an obstacle sensing function, characterized in that the sound of the sound is an intermittent sound with a relatively long intermittent interval. With this configuration, when the tactile pressure level reaches the threshold value, the operator's attention can be surely attracted.

(8) The contact pressure of the sensor unit provided at the tip of the catheter tube is detected by the pressure sensor provided in the sensor unit, and the obstacle in the forward direction in the traveling direction is detected based on the sensor output signal from the pressure sensor. In a catheter for sensing the presence or absence of an object, a method for notifying an operator of the presence of an obstacle by hearing the operator by converting a change in the sensor output signal into sound and converting the sound into an auditory sound. . With this method, the operator can reliably recognize the increase in the contact pressure level.

(9) The contact pressure of the sensor section provided at the tip of the catheter tube is detected by the pressure sensor provided in the sensor section, and the obstacle in the forward direction in the traveling direction is detected based on the sensor output signal from the pressure sensor. In a catheter that senses the presence or absence of an object, in addition to visualizing the change in the sensor output signal, the change in the sensor output signal is converted into audio to be auditory, so that the operator is notified that there is an obstacle. A method of notifying an obstacle in a catheter, characterized in that the notification is made through visual and auditory senses.
In this way, the operator can more reliably recognize the increase in the contact pressure level.

The technical terms used in the present specification are defined as follows. "Biocompatible material: a material having low reactivity with blood, body fluid, lymph, and other biological substances, such as resins such as silicone resin, epoxy resin, polyvinyl chloride, metals such as stainless steel and gold, alumina, There are ceramics such as zirconia. "

[0069]

As described in detail above, claims 1, 3 to 6
According to the invention described in (1), it is possible to provide a catheter with an obstacle sensing function capable of reliably recognizing an increase in the contact pressure level.

According to the second to sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a catheter with an obstacle sensing function that can more reliably recognize an increase in the contact pressure level. According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the above effects,
That the threshold has reached the value of the permissible tactile level,
Recognition can be reliably performed based on the change in the voice mode.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above effects, it is possible to more reliably recognize that the contact pressure level has reached the threshold value. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above effects, it is possible to select an optimal combination of audio modes used before and after the threshold value according to the surrounding situation.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described effects, the threshold value can be set and adjusted in advance to the allowable limit value of the contact pressure level according to the application.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A is a cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of a catheter body in a catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
(C) is a sectional view taken along line BB in (a).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the signal processing operation.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another control system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Catheter main body, 2 ... Catheter tube, 3 ... Sensor part, 10 ... Semiconductor pressure sensor chip as a pressure-sensitive sensor, 35 ... CRT constituting a part of display means, 37
... Speaker which constitutes a part of signal auditory means, 38 ... Mode selection switch as audio signal selection means, 41 ... CP as signal comparison determination means and audio mode change means
U, 42: memory as storage means, 44: audio signal generator, 45, 52, 62: signal auditory means, 53: threshold change switch as threshold change means, 63: signal auditory means Sirens constituting a part, Vth: threshold value, SS1: sensor output signal, AS1 to ASn: audio signal.

Claims (6)

[Claims] A pressure sensor that detects a contact pressure of a sensor provided at a distal end of the catheter tube, and detects an obstacle in the forward direction of travel based on a sensor output signal from the pressure sensor. A catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism, characterized in that it comprises a signal auditory means for converting a change in the sensor output signal into a sound and hearing it by converting the change in the sensor output signal into a sound. 2. A sensor for detecting a contact pressure of a sensor provided at a tip of a catheter tube by a pressure-sensitive sensor provided in the sensor, and an obstacle in a forward direction in a traveling direction based on a sensor output signal from the pressure-sensitive sensor. A catheter for sensing the presence / absence of a sensor, comprising: a display unit for visualizing a change in the sensor output signal; and a signal auralization unit for converting the change in the sensor output signal into a sound and hearing it. A catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism. 3. The signal auditory means includes a signal comparing and judging means for judging the magnitude by comparing the sensor output signal with a predetermined threshold value; 3. A sound mode changing means for changing a mode of a sound emitted by the signal auditory means in the following cases and when the sensor output signal exceeds the threshold value. 4. The catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to claim 1. 4. The catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the voice mode changing means changes the voice mode rapidly around a threshold value. 5. The signal auditory means includes an audio signal generator for generating an audio signal, storage means for storing a control program for causing the audio signal generator to generate a plurality of types of audio signals, The catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: an audio signal selecting unit that selects a specific combination from among various types of audio signals. 6. The signal auditory means includes threshold changing means for changing the threshold to be compared with the sensor output signal.
The catheter with an obstacle sensing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7.