JP2007264513A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope with a CCD camera attached on the tip thereof, suitable to observe the inside of a bearing where lubricating oil such as grease is filled, for large-sized mechanical equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope includes: the tip part including a monitoring means, preferably, the CCD camera and a washing means; an operation part for controlling the tip part; a flexible tube wherein a signal line and a tube path connecting the tip part and the operation part are enclosed, and which is connected through a volute spring and/or bellows. The volute spring and/or bellows are freely expanded/contracted by a remote control. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope having a CCD camera attached to the tip, and more particularly to an endoscope that is filled with a lubricating oil such as grease and that is suitable for observation inside a bearing of a large-scale machine facility.

  An endoscope has a basic configuration of an insertion portion and an operation portion, and an optical device for observing the inside is attached to the distal end of the insertion portion, and the operation portion controls the movement of the insertion portion and the optical device. . Endoscopes with various structures according to applications such as medical treatment and equipment diagnosis and their attached equipment have been proposed.

  Patent Document 1 relates to a medical endoscope apparatus, and an illumination lens system for diffusing light from a light source device and an objective lens system for connecting an optical image of an observation location to the distal end of an insertion portion inserted into a body cavity. In the endoscope including the CCD as the imaging device, the light source device sequentially irradiates illumination light and excitation light that excites fluorescence in order to distinguish between a normal site and a lesion site in the body, and the image processing means In addition, it is described that the obtained image is processed so that an observer can observe it without visual discomfort.

  Patent Document 2 relates to an endoscope apparatus, which includes an optical system and an actuator for driving the optical system at a distal end portion of the endoscope, and the actuator is provided so that a cylindrical pipe and the inside thereof are movable in the pipe axis direction. An endoscope is described in which a zoom lens is attached to a moving body and an observation part is enlarged and observed by a piezoelectric actuator having a moving body and a friction plate for fixing the actuator body inside the endoscope with a frictional force. ing.

  Patent Document 3 relates to a pipe cleaning device and a pipe cleaning method for a medical endoscope. When a pipe such as a suction pipe inside the endoscope is contaminated with a body fluid or the like due to medical action, cleaning is necessary. Thus, it is described that the inside of a pipe line is washed with a flexible strip body to which brushes made of a large number of thin synthetic resin fibers or the like are attached.

  After the flexible strip is inserted into the pipe, the pipe is pulled up by a roller driven by an electric motor of a winder to clean the inside of the pipe.

In Patent Document 4, the endoscope insertion portion is positioned in the body cavity, and the observation window located at the distal end thereof is washed with a cleaning liquid, and then the cleaning liquid is added so that no cleaning liquid remains in the observation window. An endoscope including an observation window cleaning device that blows pressurized air is described.
JP 2006-43289 A JP 2006-660 JP 2005-111073 A JP-A-2005-267

  By the way, when trying to observe the damage state of the rolling roller inside the bearing and the rolling surface of the inner and outer rings with an endoscope, the path to the observation point is complicated and filled with a lubricant. In the medical endoscope described in No. 4 and the like, it is not easy to make the distal end portion to which the monitoring device is attached reach the observation point and observe.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of following a complicated path and allowing the distal end portion to reach the observation portion while cleaning the lubricant that obstructs the course.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following means.
1. A distal end provided with a monitoring means and a cleaning means; an operation portion that controls the distal end portion; a signal line that connects the distal end portion and the operation portion; and a conduit; An endoscope for an industrial machine comprising a flexible tube made of a bellows, wherein the hook spring or the bellows is telescopically extensible.
2. It includes a tip provided with a monitoring means and a cleaning means, an operation portion for controlling the tip, a signal line connecting the tip and the operation portion, and a conduit, and a part of the conduit is covered with a bellows An endoscope for an industrial machine, comprising a flexible tube made of a broken spring, wherein the bellows is telescopic.
3. The endoscope for industrial machines according to 1 or 2, wherein the monitoring means is a CCD camera.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to observe the damage state of the rolling roller inside the bearing and the rolling surface of the inner and outer rings, and it becomes easy to determine the deterioration damage state of the large-sized low-speed bearing. Moreover, when used together with the conventional iron powder concentration analysis, the inspection accuracy can be improved, which is extremely useful industrially.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an endoscope, 2 is a distal end portion, 3 is a flexible tube, 4 is an operation unit including an image device and a driving device, Is a cleaning liquid tank, 6 is a small compressor, 7 is a pump, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are valves, 12 and 13 are flow control valves, and 31 is a spring. 2 shows the AA cross section of FIG. 1, 23 is a lens cleaning water and drying air piping, 24 is a fat and oil cleaning water piping, 25 is a CCD camera signal line, and 26 is a wire.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal structure of the tip 2, 21 is a case, 22 is a CCD camera, 22 b is a CCD image sensor, 22 a is a lens with a CCD image sensor illumination, 23 a is a lens cleaning water nozzle, 24 a Indicates a nozzle for oil and fat cleaning water, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  The endoscope 1 controls the flow rate of cleaning water supplied to the distal end portion 2, the CCD camera 22, the lens cleaning water and drying air nozzle 23a, and the oil cleaning water nozzle 24a disposed in the distal end portion 2. The front end 2 and the operation unit 4 have a control line for the CCD camera 22, a CCD camera signal line 25 for transmitting an imaging signal and a control signal for the amount of illumination light, a grease cleaning water pipe 24, and lens cleaning water. The pipes 23 are connected.

  The CCD camera signal line 25 is a generic term for a bundle of a plurality of signal lines. The oil / fat cleaning water pipe 24 supplies cleaning water that fills the path to the inspection location or removes the lubricant covering the inspection location.

  In the endoscope according to the present invention, the CCD camera 22 is used for observing the inspection site. The CCD camera is inexpensive and compact and can be observed by entering a gap inside the machine, so that the inside of the machine can be observed with high accuracy.

  The CCD camera 22 includes a lens 22a with a CCD image sensor illumination and a CCD image sensor 22b. The lens 22a with a CCD image sensor illumination illuminates an inspection location and adjusts the imaging range.

  In order to remove the lubricant from the path and the inspection point attached to the lens 22a with illumination for the CCD image sensor, the lens cleaning water is ejected from the lens cleaning water and the drying air nozzle 23a, and the lens is dried after the cleaning. In order to blow out air.

  The CCD image sensor 22 is preferably capable of color photography, and the lens is preferably provided with a zoom mechanism.

  The CCD camera signal line 25, the grease cleaning water pipe 24, the lens cleaning water and drying air pipe 23 are contained in the flexible tube 3, and the tip 2 and the flexible tube 3 are inserted into the apparatus to be inspected. The

  The flexible tube 3 has a desired length by being connected via a hook spring 31, and the hook spring 31 is expanded and contracted by a remote operation using a wire so as to be bent into a desired shape.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional structure in the axial direction of a portion where the flexible tube 3 is connected through a spring 31, in which 26 is a wire, 31 is a spring, and 33 is a flange attached to the spring 31. Show. FIG. 5 shows an AA cross section of FIG.

  In order to adjust the amount of expansion / contraction of each part in the circumferential direction of the heel spring 31, the flange 33 is divided into four equal parts in the circumferential direction of the heel spring 31 and the distal end 2 side of the endoscope of the heel spring 31 The wire 26 that connects the flange 33 and the operation unit 4 is attached to the flange 33.

  By pulling the wire 26 to the operation unit 4 side, the reed spring 31 contracts, so the wire 26 attached in the direction in which the flexible tube 3 is refracted is pulled. When the wire 26 is returned, the retraction of the reed spring 31 is released by the reaction force of the reed spring 31 and is restored to a linear shape. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the flexible tube 3 in the radial direction.

  In the present invention, the number and arrangement position of the hook springs 31 used for connecting the flexible tubes 3 are not particularly defined. However, if they are attached in the vicinity of the distal end portion 2, it is effective that the photographing range can be easily adjusted. If the path to the observation unit is complicated, a plurality of hook springs 31 are attached at intervals as appropriate.

  The hail spring is preferably covered with elastic rubber or plastic in order to prevent the entry of oils and dirt from the outside. Moreover, you may use the bellows 34 which has corrosion resistance and an expansion-contraction function as shown in FIG.

  Further, when the pipe is large, the hook spring may be covered with a bellows 32 as shown in FIG. Moreover, when it has a some expansion-contraction part, a spring and a bellows can also be used together.

  For the flexible tube 3, it is preferable in terms of controllability and durability of the CCD camera to use an oil-resistant, flexible, and elastic oil-resistant rubber or plastic. It is preferable to use, for example, stainless steel or a steel material that has undergone surface modification, for the hook spring 31. The hook spring 31 and the flexible tube 3 can be joined with an adhesive, but the joining method is not particularly defined in the present invention.

  The operation unit 4 is an image device / drive device, displays an image of the CCD camera 22 as an image device, and processes the image and adjusts the illuminance of the illumination lens 22a for the CCD image sensor. Based on the displayed image, the driving device adjusts the flow rates of the cleaning water and drying air supplied to the lens cleaning water and drying air nozzle 23a and the oil cleaning water nozzle 24a, and the amount of wire 26 drawn out. adjust.

  The cleaning water is supplied by driving the pump 7 with a control signal transmitted from the driving device through the signal line b, sucking out the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank, and adjusting the opening / closing degree of the flow control valve (flow rate adjusting valve).

  The drying air is supplied by driving the small compressor 6 with a control signal transmitted from the driving device through the signal line a, and adjusting the flow rate of the obtained compressed air by adjusting the degree of opening and closing of the flow control valve (flow rate adjusting valve). Do. Switching between drying air and washing water is performed by valves 8, 9, 10, and 11.

  Since the endoscope according to the present invention is configured as described above, an inspection person is attached to the distal end even in a facility in which the path to the observation point is complicated and filled with a lubricant. While observing the image of the CCD camera 22 at hand, it is possible to adjust the expansion / contraction amount of the spring or bellows, freely bend the flexible tube, and allow the CCD camera to reach the observation section.

Example of the present invention. Sectional drawing of the flexible tube of the example of this invention shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part of the example of this invention shown in FIG. The axial direction sectional view which shows the structure of the part of a hook spring in the example of this invention shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a radial cross-sectional view of FIG. 4. Example of the present invention Example of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope 2 Tip part 3 Flexible tube 4 Operation part which consists of an imaging device and a drive device 5 Cleaning liquid tank 6 Small compressor 7 Pump 8, 9, 10, 11 Valve 12, 13 Flow control valve 31 Spring 32 Bellows 33 Flange 34筍 Spring replacement bellows 21 Case 22 CCD camera 22a CCD imaged illumination lens 22b CCD image sensor 23 Lens cleaning water and drying air piping 23a Lens cleaning water and drying air nozzle 24 Oil cleaning water piping 24a Oil and fat Nozzle for washing water 25 Signal wire for CCD camera 26 Wire

Claims (3)

  A distal end provided with a monitoring means and a cleaning means; an operation portion that controls the distal end portion; a signal line that connects the distal end portion and the operation portion; and a conduit; An endoscope for an industrial machine comprising a flexible tube made of a bellows, wherein the hook spring or the bellows is telescopically extensible.   It includes a tip provided with a monitoring means and a cleaning means, an operation part for controlling the tip part, a signal line connecting the tip part and the operation part, and a pipeline, and a part of the pipeline is covered with a bellows. An endoscope for an industrial machine, comprising a flexible tube made of a broken spring, wherein the bellows is telescopic.   The endoscope for industrial machines according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the monitoring means is a CCD camera.

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