JP3034905B2 - Electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention has a plurality of solid-state imaging devices as imaging means,
The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope in which each solid-state imaging device can be used by being connected to the same video processor.

[Prior Art] In a conventional electronic endoscope, one optical lens and one solid-state imaging device are arranged at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section.

By the way, an endoscopist, for example, in the case of a diagnosis in which a lesion is found while looking at a wide area in a body cavity, an endoscope having a lens system with a wide viewing angle and a deep observation depth is used. use. Further, for example, in the case of a detailed diagnosis in which an already known lesion is viewed in more detail, an endoscope having a lens system in which the magnification of an image is high and the observation depth is focused on a near point has been selected.

In addition, for example, it is difficult to observe the stomach corner 2 with a direct-view type electronic endoscope 1 as shown in FIG. 6, and if it is desired to diagnose the stomach corner 2 as shown in FIG. The endoscope 3 was used. In addition, for example, when it is desired to observe a blood vessel on the wall surface of a body cavity by infrared observation, an electronic endoscope for infrared observation having a filter for infrared observation in a lens system has been used. Replacing the electronic endoscope according to the purpose in this way is painful for the patient because the patient has to remove the endoscope insertion portion twice.

By the way, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-310639 discloses a conventional example having a plurality of independent imaging systems at the distal end of an endoscope insertion section.
There is a kind of stereoscope that can observe a subject three-dimensionally, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Publication. But,
In the case of this conventional example, the specifications such as the viewing angle and the observation depth of the lens system of each imaging system are equal, and the purpose of use of the entire scope is uniquely determined.

There is also a conventional example in which a lens system having two different characteristics is incorporated at the tip as described in JP-A-1-197716. However, in the case of this conventional example, as a connecting means for connecting the two image pickup systems and the signal processing device (video processor), a configuration is generally used in which a single electrical connector is used for connection.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, when imaging is performed using an electronic endoscope including one optical lens system, the viewing angle of the lens system is set to be wide so that observation can be performed over a wide range. For example, when trying to examine a lesion precisely, it is difficult to diagnose the details of the subject, and when imaging is performed using a lens system with a narrow viewing angle and an increased magnification, conversely, in a body cavity It becomes difficult to grasp the whole situation. Therefore, in the case of normal endoscopic diagnosis, in which a lesion such as an early cancer is found by a group examination or the like, and then a detailed examination of the lesion is performed, an electronic endoscope having a wide viewing angle is first inserted into the patient. After the diagnosis is made, the diagnosis must be performed a plurality of times by changing the electronic endoscope depending on the application, for example, by inserting another electronic endoscope having a high observation magnification into the patient and performing a diagnosis.

In addition, direct-view electronic endoscopes are easy to adjust to change the direction of the tip, so you can grasp the whole body cavity,
Although it is suitable for inserting into a small lumen in a desired direction, it is not suitable for making a detailed diagnosis along a body wall. Conversely, a side-view type electronic endoscope is suitable for performing a detailed inspection along the body wall, but the insertion property of inserting it in the target direction in a thin lumen is better than that of a direct-view type. Inferior.

In a conventional example having two image pickup systems as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-197716, the ends of the two image pickup systems are connected to the video processor by the same connection cable via one electric connector. When only one of the imaging systems is used, it is necessary to adopt a special configuration in which switching is performed within the video processor. For this reason, there is no compatibility in connection with the video processor for one conventional imaging system, and the endoscope is not compatible. The cost performance is low as a whole system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention has been made to compensate for the disadvantages of a conventional electronic endoscope system that waits for only one imaging system and an electronic endoscope system having a plurality of imaging systems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic endoscope capable of improving the performance, reducing the diagnosis time and the number of times, and reducing the burden on the operator and the patient.

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, a plurality of objective optical systems having different optical characteristics such as a viewing angle, an observation depth, a direct view, and a side view are provided at the tip of an insertion portion of an endoscope, and these objective optical systems are provided. A solid-state imaging device corresponding to each of the systems, and configures a plurality of independent imaging systems for leading imaging signals from each solid-state imaging device to the light source device connector through the endoscope operation unit with a signal cable, A plurality of electrical connectors are provided in the light source device connector corresponding to the respective imaging systems, and the plurality of electrical connectors and the video processor are selectively connected using one connection cable.

[Operation] With this configuration, at the time of use, one end of the connection cable is connected to an electrical connector corresponding to the imaging system to be used among the plurality of imaging systems, and the other end of the connection cable is connected. By simply connecting to a conventional video processor, an image captured with desired optical characteristics can be displayed on a monitor.

That is, the imaging system can be switched simply by selectively connecting one end of the connection cable to an electrical connector corresponding to the target imaging system, and a conventional system having only one imaging system (video processor, light source) Since the apparatus, the monitor, and the connection cable) can be used as they are, an electronic endoscope that is compatible with the conventional system and has excellent cost performance can be provided.

Example An example will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing the configuration of an endoscope system, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the distal end portion of the endoscope in an enlarged manner. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the light source device connector, the light source device and the video processor in FIG.

In FIG. 1, an electronic endoscope 1 includes an elongated, for example, flexible insertion section 2, and a large-diameter operation section 3 is connected to the rear end of the insertion section 2. A flexible universal cord 4 extends laterally from the operation unit 3, and a light source device connector 6 connected to a connector receiver of the light source device 5 is provided at an end of the universal cord 4. I have. The light source device connector 6 has a light guide connector 29 and an electric contact 26 as shown in FIG. Also,
A first electrical connector 7 is provided on the side of the light source device connector 6.
And a second electrical connector 8. The first and second electrical connectors 7 and 8 are connected to the first and second solid-state imaging devices disposed in the endoscope end portion 11 via signal cables 9 and 10, respectively.
Connected to 12,13.

The first or second light source device connector 6
One end of a connection cable 14 is selectively connected to the electric connector 7 or 8, and the other end of the connection cable 14 is connected to a connector receptacle of a video processor 15. The video processor 15 processes an electric signal from the solid-state imaging device 12 or 13 into a video signal for display and outputs the video signal to the monitor 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, an optical lens group 17 having a wide viewing angle, a small aperture stop, and a wide observation depth is provided at the distal end portion 11 of the endoscope.
While the solid-state imaging device 12 is disposed on the optical imaging surface of the optical lens, an optical lens group 18 having a narrow viewing angle, a high magnification, a large aperture, and a near depth of view is disposed. ,
In addition, the solid-state imaging device 13 is arranged on the optical imaging surface of the optical lens group 18. An image signal picked up by the solid-state image sensor 12 is supplied to the first electrical connector 7 via the signal cable 9, and an image signal picked up by the solid-state image sensor 13 is sent to the second electrical connector 8 via the signal cable 10. It is being supplied. That is, the solid-state imaging devices 12 and 13 form independent imaging systems. In this case, a light guide (not shown) is provided from the light source device 5 to the universal cord 4,
The illumination light is emitted to the subject side from an illumination window (not shown) provided at the distal end portion 11 through the endoscope operation portion 3 and the endoscope insertion portion 2 and provided in front of the distal end portion 11. It has become.

The connection cable 14 connected to the video processor 15
It can be connected to any of the electrical connectors 7 and 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the image signal of the imaging system to which the connection cable 14 is connected is processed by the video processing circuit 19, and the observation image is displayed on the monitor 16. On the other hand, a dimming circuit 20 is provided in the light source device 5 to make the image have an appropriate brightness. When the connection cable 14 is connected to the electrical connector 7, the video signal from the solid-state imaging device 12 is supplied to the video process circuit 19 through the cable between the contacts 21 and 22, and the image signal is processed. The image signal processed by the video processing circuit 19 is converted into a DC signal by the signal processing circuit 23, and the contact 24 →
The light enters the dimming circuit 20 through the cable between 25 and 26. In the dimming circuit 20, the DC signal from the signal processing circuit 20 is converted into a control signal for the diaphragm 27. That is, the dimming circuit 20 controls the aperture 27, and connects the lamp 28 to the light guide connector 29.
Optimize the amount of light incident on the incident end. The light guide connector 29 protrudes from the rear end of the light source device connector 6. Since the cable 30 connecting the contacts 25 and 26 is also connected to the contact 31 provided on the electrical connector 8, the connection cable 14
When the light source device 5 is connected to the electrical connector 8, the light control function of the light source device 5 can be similarly activated. The contact 32 is a contact from which an imaging signal from the solid-state imaging device 13 is led out via the signal cable 10.

In the above embodiment, the surgeon, during the operation, displays a wide-area image with a wide field of view and an enlarged image with a high magnification at the connection cable 14.
Is selectively connected to the first and second electrical connectors 7 and 8 so as to be selected as needed.

An operator using the electronic endoscope employing this embodiment performs a detailed examination and diagnosis by finding a lesion position in a wide area image, confirming the position, and switching the found lesion to an enlarged image. Conventionally, a wide-angle endoscope with a wide-area lens system was used to perform examinations for lesion detection,
After that, the diagnosis can be performed at once, such as performing a detailed inspection using a narrow-angle endoscope having a magnifying lens system. In addition, narrow-angle endoscopes, which generally have a narrow field of view and are difficult to adjust in direction, have a problem in insertability. However, by providing a wide-angle lens system, a wide-angle lens system can be used at the time of insertion, so insertability is improved. . Therefore, the burden on both the operator and the patient can be reduced by reducing the number of diagnoses and improving the insertability.

Further, when the present embodiment is used, the light source device, the video processor, the connection cable and the monitor which are conventionally used can be used, so that the compatibility with the conventional electronic endoscope system and the cost performance associated therewith can be achieved. Improvement can be achieved.

FIG. 4 relates to a second embodiment of the present invention, and shows another embodiment of the distal end portion of the endoscope in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a side-view optical lens group 41 is arranged at the distal end portion 11 in the endoscope system shown in FIG. 1, and the solid-state imaging device 12 is arranged on the optical image forming surface. An optical lens group 42 of a direct-view system is arranged, and the solid-state imaging device 13 is arranged on the optical image plane. In this case, a light guide (not shown) branches into two in the endoscope operation unit, and one light guide is provided to the side and the other light guide is provided to the front at the distal end portion 11. Illumination light is emitted from a side illumination window (not shown) and a front illumination window (not shown), respectively. The second embodiment is the same as FIGS. 1 and 3 except for the configuration of the tip portion 11.

In the above second embodiment, the surgeon selectively connects the connection cable 14 to the first and second electrical connectors 7 and 8 during the operation, so that the side-view image and the direct-view image can be displayed as needed. You can choose.

Since the surgeon can select a side-view image and a direct-view image according to the situation while inserting one electronic endoscope,
When you want to pass through a lumen such as the esophagus, use a direct view image,
If you want to see the body cavity wall in detail, you can switch to the side view image and see it. For this reason, the insertability and observation ability are improved,
The diagnosis time can be reduced, and the burden on the operator and the patient can be reduced. Also in the case of this embodiment, it is needless to say that it is compatible with the conventional electronic endoscope system (light source device, video processor, monitor and connection cable).

FIG. 5 relates to a third embodiment of the present invention, and shows another embodiment of the distal end portion of the endoscope in FIG.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the endoscope end portion 11 incorporates an infrared observation optical system 44 including an infrared observation filter 43 for transmitting light in the infrared region, and a normal observation optical system 45. In the configuration, the solid-state imaging device 13 is arranged on the imaging surface of the optical system 44, and the solid-state imaging device 12 is arranged on the imaging surface of the optical system 45. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 1 and FIG. Thus, by selectively connecting the connection cable 14 to the first and second electrical connectors 7 and 8, it is possible to switch between the infrared observation image and the normal observation image as necessary.

In each of the first, second, and third embodiments, two types of optical systems are incorporated in the endoscope distal end portion 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible that three or more optical systems are incorporated in the unit, a plurality of imaging systems are configured correspondingly, and a plurality of electrical connectors corresponding to each imaging system are provided in the light source device connector 6. Of course.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of imaging systems are provided at the distal end portion of the endoscope insertion section, and a plurality of electrical connectors corresponding to the respective imaging systems are used as the light source device connector. With this arrangement, the imaging systems having different optical characteristics can be easily switched by exchanging one end of the connection cable, and an image suitable for the purpose can be displayed. For this reason, compared with the conventional diagnosis using an electronic endoscope system having one imaging system, it is possible to improve the insertability of the endoscope, reduce the diagnosis time and the number of times, and reduce the burden on the operator and the patient. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of the electronic endoscope system,
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged end portion of the endoscope in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a light source device connector in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a light source device and a video processor, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a distal end portion of an endoscope showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are explanatory diagrams of the endoscope end portion, and are explanatory diagrams showing the drawbacks of a conventional electronic endoscope having only one imaging system. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic endoscope, 2 ... Insertion part 5 ... Light source device, 6 ... Connector for light source device 7 ... 1st electrical connector 8 ... 2nd connector 9,10 ... Signal cable, 11 ... Tip portion 12... First solid-state imaging device 13... Second solid-state imaging device 14... Connection cable 15... Video processor 16.

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Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A first solid-state image pickup device provided at a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion portion and disposed on a first objective optical system and an optical image forming surface thereof; and a signal cable for deriving the image pickup signal. A first objective system provided at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section, and having a second objective optical system having optical characteristics different from those of the first objective optical system, and an optical imaging surface thereof. A second solid-state imaging device and a second imaging system including a signal cable for deriving the imaging signal, and a connector provided to a connector connected to a rear end of the endoscope operation unit,
A light source device connector for connecting the endoscope to the light source device; and the first and second light source device connectors provided on the light source device connector.
First and second electrical connectors provided corresponding to the first and second imaging systems, respectively, for deriving each video signal from the imaging system to the video processor; A connection cable that is selectively connected to one of the electrical connectors and the other end is connected to one video processor.