JP5645385B2 - Endoscopic light projecting unit and endoscopic device equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an endoscope light projecting unit and an endoscope apparatus equipped with the same.

  In an endoscope apparatus such as a medical endoscope for observing or treating the inside of a living body, an illumination window and an observation window are disposed at the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion, and illumination light is emitted from the illumination window. And an observation image is acquired through the observation window. For example, light from a light source device such as a xenon lamp is guided to and emitted from the illumination window by a light guide member such as an optical fiber bundle. In recent years, instead of illumination light using such a light source device, a laser light source is used to generate illumination light by exciting and emitting a phosphor disposed at the distal end of an endoscope insertion portion.

  In addition, endoscope apparatuses have a strong demand for acquisition of higher-definition captured images and imaging at a high frame rate, and high intensity illumination light is required. For this reason, it is desirable to provide a reflective film having a high reflectance around the phosphor to effectively use the excited light as illumination light. It is known that a metal film such as silver or aluminum is generally suitable as the reflective film having a high reflectance.

  However, the inside of the endoscope insertion part becomes highly humid when inserted into a body cavity, and grease containing molybdenum disulfide is used as a lubricant for a sliding part such as a curved part, In a medical endoscope apparatus, a cleaning process in which the medical endoscope apparatus is immersed in a disinfectant containing peracetic acid or the like is performed after use. Therefore, inside the endoscope insertion portion, a phosphor that is weak against moisture and chemicals is likely to be deteriorated, and the metal reflective film is in an environment in which the reflectance is likely to decrease due to oxidation or sulfuration. For example, silver becomes black due to oxidation or sulfuration, and aluminum becomes cloudy due to oxidation. Therefore, it is difficult to continue to use a highly reflective metal film without reducing the reflectance, and at the output end of the optical fiber, a silicone-based material widely used for fixing, heat dissipation, adhesion, etc. Siloxy acid volatilized from the adhesive is deposited, and this also causes a decrease in the amount of light.

JP-A-7-289513

The present invention aims to provide an endoscope apparatus an endoscopic light projecting units without causing a decrease in illumination intensity regardless of the use environment, and that it is mounted.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) An endoscope projection unit that is disposed in a drilled hole formed in a distal end rigid portion of an endoscope insertion portion that is inserted into a subject, and that emits illumination light.
A light guide member that guides light from the light source and emits light from the light exit end of the tip;
A wavelength converting member that receives the emitted light from the light emitting end of the light guide member and converts the wavelength of the emitted light;
An outer cylinder member that houses the wavelength conversion member and is sealed in a state where one end side penetrates the light emitting end of the light guide member;
A translucent member that is fixed to the other end of the outer cylinder member and seals the other end;
A metal reflective film that reflects the light wavelength-converted by the wavelength conversion member inside the outer cylindrical member;
With
The endoscope light projecting unit, wherein the outer cylinder member is formed of a cylindrical sleeve and has a sealed structure in which the wavelength conversion member and the metal reflection film are sealed inside.
(2) An endoscope apparatus on which the endoscope projection unit is mounted.

According to the endoscope projection unit of the present invention and the endoscope apparatus equipped with the same, even if a metal reflective film is used, the reflection characteristics are not lowered, and the phosphor is not deteriorated at all times. High intensity illumination light can be obtained stably.

It is a figure for demonstrating embodiment of this invention, and is a notional block block diagram of an endoscope apparatus. It is an external view as an example of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the violet laser beam from a violet laser light source, the blue laser beam from a blue laser light source, and the emission spectrum by which the wavelength conversion of the blue laser beam was carried out with the fluorescent substance. It is sectional drawing which shows the basic structural example of a light projection unit. It is a block diagram of the fluorescent substance which has a multilayer structure. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of an endoscope front-end | tip part. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the distal end portion of the endoscope shown in FIG. 6. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a section lineblock diagram showing the 1st modification of a light projection unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd modification of a light projection unit. It is a block diagram which shows the mode of a connection with the light source in the case of arrange | positioning the light projection unit shown in FIG. 10 in an endoscope front-end | tip part. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd modification of a light projection unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the 4th modification of a light projection unit. It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of an endoscope front-end | tip part. It is an exploded view of the endoscope front-end | tip part shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the example which inserted the light projection unit in the forceps hole. (A) is process explanatory drawing which shows the state which connected the optical fiber to fluorescent substance, (B) is process explanatory drawing which shows the state which formed the metal reflective film in the side surface and back surface of fluorescent substance, (C) is fluorescent substance It is process explanatory drawing which shows the state which sealed the metal reflective film with glass.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and is a conceptual block diagram of an endoscope apparatus. FIG. 2 is an external view as an example of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an endoscope apparatus 100 that is one of medical devices includes an endoscope 11 and a control device 13 to which the endoscope 11 is connected. The control device 13 is connected to a display unit 15 that displays image information and an input unit 17 that receives an input operation. The endoscope 11 includes an imaging optical that includes an illumination optical system that emits illumination light from the distal end of an endoscope insertion portion 19 that is inserted into a subject, and an imaging element 21 (see FIG. 1) that captures an observation region. An electronic endoscope having a system.

  The endoscope 11 includes an endoscope insertion unit 19, an operation unit 23 (see FIG. 2) for performing an operation for bending and observing the distal end of the endoscope insertion unit 19, and the endoscope 11. Connector portions 25A and 25B that are detachably connected to the control device 13 are provided. Although not shown, various channels such as a forceps channel for inserting a tissue collection treatment instrument and the like, a channel for air supply / water supply, and the like are provided inside the operation unit 23 and the endoscope insertion unit 19. .

  The endoscope insertion portion 19 includes a flexible soft portion 31, a bending portion 33, and a tip portion (hereinafter also referred to as an endoscope tip portion) 35. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope distal end portion 35 has irradiation ports 37A and 37B for irradiating light to the observation region, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or CMOS for acquiring image information of the observation region. (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) An image sensor 21 such as an image sensor is disposed. An objective lens unit 39 is disposed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21.

  The bending portion 33 is provided between the flexible portion 31 and the distal end portion 35, and can be bent by a turning operation of the angle knob 22 disposed in the operation portion 23 shown in FIG. The bending portion 33 can be bent in an arbitrary direction and an arbitrary angle according to a part of the subject in which the endoscope 11 is used, and the irradiation ports 37A and 37B of the endoscope distal end portion 35 and the imaging element 21. Can be directed to a desired observation site. Details of the internal structure of the irradiation ports 37A and 37B of the endoscope insertion portion 19 will be described later.

  The control device 13 includes a light source device 41 that generates illumination light to be supplied to the irradiation ports 37A and 37B of the endoscope distal end portion 35, and a processor 43 that performs image processing on an image signal from the imaging element 21, and a connector portion 25A. , 25B to the endoscope 11. Further, the display unit 15 and the input unit 17 are connected to the processor 43. The processor 43 performs image processing on the imaging signal transmitted from the endoscope 11 based on an instruction from the operation unit 23 or the input unit 17 of the endoscope 11, generates a display image, and outputs the display image to the display unit 15. Supply.

  The light source device 41 includes a blue laser light source (white illumination light source) 45 having a central wavelength of 445 nm and a violet laser light source (special light source) 47 having a central wavelength of 405 nm as light emission sources. Light emission from the semiconductor light emitting elements LD1 and LD2 of each of the light sources 45 and 47 is individually controlled by the light source control unit 49, and the light quantity ratio between the emitted light of the blue laser light source 45 and the emitted light of the violet laser light source 47 is It can be changed freely.

  As the blue laser light source 45 and the violet laser light source 47, a broad area type InGaN laser diode can be used, and an InGaNAs laser diode or a GaNAs laser diode can also be used. In addition, a light-emitting body such as a light-emitting diode may be used as the light source.

  Laser light emitted from each of the light sources 45 and 47 is input to an optical fiber by a condenser lens (not shown), and is connected to a connector section via a combiner 51 that is a multiplexer and a coupler 53 that is a duplexer. 25A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the laser light from each of the light sources 45 and 47 is sent directly to the connector portion 25A without using the combiner 51 and the coupler 53.

  The laser beam combined with the blue laser beam having the center wavelength of 445 nm and the violet laser beam having the center wavelength of 405 nm and transmitted to the connector unit 25A is transmitted through the optical fibers 55A and 55B to the distal end portion of the endoscope 11 respectively. Up to 35. Then, the blue laser light excites the phosphor 57, which is a wavelength conversion member disposed at the light emitting ends of the optical fibers 55A and 55B of the endoscope distal end portion 35, and emits fluorescence. Some of the blue laser light passes through the phosphor 57 as it is. The violet laser light is transmitted without substantially exciting the phosphor 57 and becomes illumination light for special light observation with a narrow band wavelength.

  The optical fibers 55A and 55B are multimode fibers. As an example, a thin fiber cable having a core diameter of 105 μm, a cladding diameter of 125 μm, and a diameter of φ0.3 to 0.5 mm including a protective layer serving as an outer shell can be used. .

The phosphor 57 includes a plurality of types of phosphors (for example, a YAG phosphor or a phosphor such as BAM (BaMgAl ₁₀ O ₁₇ )) that absorbs a part of blue laser light and emits green to yellow light. Composed. Thereby, the green to yellow excitation light using the blue laser light as excitation light and the blue laser light transmitted without being absorbed by the phosphor 57 are combined to form white (pseudo white) illumination light. If a semiconductor light-emitting element is used as an excitation light source as in this configuration example, high-intensity white light can be obtained with high luminous efficiency, the intensity of white light can be easily adjusted, and the color temperature and chromaticity of white light can be adjusted. Can be kept small.

  The phosphor 57 described above can prevent noise superimposition that causes an obstacle to imaging or flickering when performing moving image display due to speckles caused by the coherence of laser light. In addition, the phosphor 57 takes into account the difference in refractive index between the phosphor constituting the phosphor and the fixing / solidifying resin serving as the filler, and the particle size of the phosphor itself and the filler is set to the light in the infrared region. In contrast, it is preferable to use a material that has low absorption and high scattering. This enhances the scattering effect without reducing the light intensity for red or infrared light, and reduces the optical loss.

  FIG. 3 is a graph showing the violet laser light from the violet laser light source 47 and the emission spectrum obtained by wavelength-converting the blue laser light and the blue laser light from the blue laser light source 45 by the phosphor 57. The violet laser beam is represented by an emission line (profile A) having a center wavelength of 405 nm. The blue laser light is represented by a bright line having a central wavelength of 445 nm, and the excitation light emitted from the phosphor 57 by the blue laser light has a spectral intensity distribution in which the emission intensity increases in a wavelength band of approximately 450 nm to 700 nm. The white light described above is formed by the profile B of the excitation emission light and the blue laser light.

  Here, the white light referred to in the present specification is not limited to the one that strictly includes all wavelength components of visible light, and examples thereof include R (red), G (green), and B (blue) that are reference colors. As long as it includes light in a specific wavelength band, for example, light including a wavelength component from green to red, light including a wavelength component from blue to green, and the like are broadly included.

  In the endoscope apparatus 100, the light emission intensity of the profile A and the profile B can be relatively increased and decreased by the light source control unit 49 to generate illumination light having an arbitrary luminance balance.

  Returning again to FIG. As described above, the illumination light composed of the blue laser light and the white light generated by the excitation light emitted from the phosphor 57 and the narrow-band light generated by the purple laser light is transmitted from the distal end portion 35 of the endoscope 11 to the observation region of the subject. Irradiated toward. Then, the state of the observation area irradiated with the illumination light is imaged on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 21 by the objective lens unit 39 and imaged.

  An image signal of a captured image output from the image sensor 21 after imaging is transmitted to the A / D converter 61 through the scope cable 59 and converted into a digital signal, and is transmitted to the image processing unit 63 of the processor 43 via the connector unit 25B. Entered. The image processing unit 63 performs various processes such as white balance correction, gamma correction, contour enhancement, and color correction on the captured image signal from the image sensor 21 converted into a digital signal. The picked-up image signal processed by the image processing unit 63 is sent to the control unit 65, converted into an endoscopic observation image together with various information by the control unit 65, and displayed on the display unit 15. It is stored in the storage unit 67 comprising a storage device.

Next, the light projecting unit 71 disposed at the distal end portion 35 of the endoscope insertion portion 19 and emitting illumination light will be described in detail.
A basic configuration example of the light projecting unit 71 is shown in FIG. The two light projecting units 71 shown in FIG. 1 have the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, the light projecting unit 71 guides light from the light source device 41 from the connector portion 25 </ b> A to the endoscope distal end portion 35, and an optical fiber 55 as a light guide member that emits from the light emitting end at the distal end. And a phosphor 57 that receives and emits light emitted from the optical fiber 55. Further, the outer periphery of the phosphor 57 is covered, the one end side is sealed with the optical fiber 55 extended, and the other end side is sealed with the outer cylinder member 73 having an opening, and the other end side of the outer cylinder member 73 is sealed. It has sapphire glass 75 which is a translucent member to stop. A metal reflection film 77 that reflects light emitted from the phosphor 57 is disposed outside the phosphor 57. The light projecting unit 71 has a structure in which the metal reflection film 77 is sealed in the outer cylinder member 73 and is not exposed to the outside of the outer cylinder member 73.

  A ferrule 79 having a communication hole for supporting the optical fiber 55 is provided inside the outer cylinder member 73, and holds the optical fiber 55 on the central axis of the outer cylinder member 73.

  The phosphor 57 is disposed at a position away from the light emitting end of the optical fiber 55, and the emitted light from the optical fiber 55 is diffused in the gap region 81 to have a wide beam diameter, and then the phosphor 57 is irradiated. I try to do it. Thereby, the volume which contributes to light emission (primary excitation) of the fluorescent substance 57 by external light is increased, and the luminous efficiency is further increased.

  The metal reflection film 77 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical member 73 between the outer peripheral surface of the phosphor 57 and in the gap region 81, and is formed on the ferrule side surface 79 b facing the phosphor 57 of the ferrule 79. ing. In other words, the metal reflection film 77 is formed outside the phosphor 57 excluding the light introduction portion of the phosphor 57 from the optical fiber 55 and the portion facing the translucent member 75. The emitted light is repeatedly reflected by the metal reflective film 77 and emitted toward the sapphire glass 75 side with high light utilization efficiency.

  The metal reflection film 77 is a thin film-like reflection film formed by plating, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.

  The outer cylinder member 73 is a sleeve made of a hard material such as stainless steel, nickel, copper, copper-tungsten alloy, copper-molybdenum-based composite material, phosphor bronze, or carbon, and an opening at one end of the outer cylinder member 73 is The sapphire glass 75 is sealed by fixing it with an adhesive 82, and the other end has a sealed structure in which the optical fiber 55 is passed through the adhesive 83 and sealed. As these adhesives 82 and 83, for example, an epoxy-based adhesive that does not volatilize siloxy acid can be used. Moreover, by forming the outer cylinder member 73 with a high thermal conductivity material such as the above metal material, heat generated in the vicinity of the phosphor 57 can be quickly diffused, and local heating can be prevented.

  The metal reflective film 77 can be made of silver or aluminum, and silver is particularly preferable because of its high reflectance. When silver is used for the metal reflection film 77, an organic sulfidation prevention layer can be formed on the surface of silver, or bismuth can be added to silver to improve reflectivity and corrosion resistance. If a sufficient thickness can be secured, an alumina reflective film can be used instead of the metal reflective film 77.

  According to the basic configuration of the light projecting unit 71 having the above-described configuration, the phosphor 57 and the sapphire glass 75 are arranged in this order in parallel with the optical axis of the optical fiber 55, so that the light emitted from the optical fiber 55. Can be emitted forward as illumination light with high efficiency.

  The outer cylinder member 73 is configured to include the ferrule 79 as a separate component, but instead, a thick portion for supporting the optical fiber 55 on the central axis is formed on one end side of the sleeve. In this case, the number of parts is reduced, and the assembly process can be simplified.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the phosphor 57 has a substantially conical center layer 85 whose diameter increases from the side facing the light emitting end of the optical fiber 55 to the opposite emitting surface side, and its outer layer 86. As the multi-layer structure, the central layer 85 may have a structure in which the blending density of the phosphor material is high and the outer layer 86 is low. In this case, the light from the optical fiber 55 is transmitted through the phosphor 57A along the center layer 85, so that the phosphor 57A can emit light with high efficiency. If a light diffusing material is mixed in the outer layer 86, light emitted from the center layer 85 and the like is diffused throughout the phosphor 57A, and more uniform light emission is obtained.

Next, a specific configuration example of an endoscope equipped with the light projecting unit 71 will be described.
6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the distal end portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the distal end portion of the endoscope shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the endoscope distal end portion 35 has a distal end rigid portion 87 made of stainless steel or the like in which a plurality of perforations are formed along the longitudinal direction, and the above-described light projecting unit or the like. Various parts are attached and configured. The distal end rigid portion 87 has a perforation hole 87a in which an imaging optical system including the image sensor 21 shown in FIG. 1 is accommodated, and the perforations formed on both sides of the perforation hole 87a. The light projecting units 71A and 71B are inserted into the holes 87b and 87c, respectively.

  The distal end hard portion 87 is covered with a distal end rubber cap 89, and the outer periphery of the distal end rigid portion 87 is covered with an unshown skin tube. The tip rubber cap 89 is formed with perforations 89a, 89b, 89c,... Corresponding to the perforations 87a, 87b, 87c,. Windows and irradiation ports 37A and 37B of the light projecting units 71A and 71B are opened.

  Here, FIG. 8 shows an AA cross-sectional view of FIG. The light projecting units 71A and 71B are inserted into the drill holes 87b and 87c of the tip rigid portion 87, and then set screws from a pair of lateral holes 91 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) communicating with the drill holes 87b and 87c. The light projecting units 71 </ b> A and 71 </ b> B are fixed to the distal end hard portion 87 by tightening with (Imobis) 93.

  According to the light projecting units 71A and 71B having the above configuration, the phosphor 57 and the metal reflective film 77 on the outside thereof are sealed in a state of being integrally accommodated inside the outer cylinder member 73. Even if the internal environment of the insertion portion 19 is high in humidity, grease containing molybdenum disulfide is applied in the vicinity, or the sterilizing / disinfecting liquid may invade partly, the light projecting units 71A and 71B The inside is not affected. Therefore, factors that lower the illumination light intensity, such as the metal reflection film 77 being sulfurized or oxidized, or the deterioration of the phosphor, are eliminated, and stable and high-intensity illumination light can be supplied.

  Further, since the light projecting units 71A and 71B are fixed by the set screws 93 while being inserted into the drilled holes 87b and 87c of the distal end rigid portion 87, the light projecting units 71A and 71B can be easily replaced. The maintainability is improved. In other words, when symptoms such as attenuation of illumination light intensity or change in color tone appear due to long-term use of the endoscope, replacement with a new light projecting unit can be easily performed.

Next, other configuration examples of the light projecting unit will be sequentially described.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a first modification of the light projecting unit. In the light projecting unit 72A, the light projecting unit 71 shown in FIG. 4 has a double tube structure of an outer tubular member 73 and a tubular member 97. That is, the ferrule 79 that holds the optical fiber 55 and the tubular member 97 that fixes the phosphor 57 are integrally accommodated inside the outer cylindrical member 73, and the ferrule side surface 79 b and the ferrule side surface 79 b inside the tubular member 97 are accommodated. To the opening 97a on the phosphor 57 side, a metal reflection film 77 is formed. In the following description, the same members as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

  According to the configuration of the light projecting unit 72A, an outer cylindrical member 73 having one end side sealed with a sapphire glass 75 with an adhesive 82, a ferrule 79 integrally connected to the tubular member 97, a phosphor 57, and a metal reflective film 77. The light emitter units 99 can be individually assembled and then combined to finish the light projecting unit 72A. That is, the assembled light emitting unit 99 is inserted into the outer cylinder member 73 whose one end is sealed, and the lead-out side of the optical fiber 55 is sealed with the adhesive 83 between the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 73. Thus, the light projecting unit 72A shown in FIG. 9 is produced. According to this, it is possible to divide the manufacturing process, and it is also possible to make either one or both of them, thereby improving the tact time at the time of manufacturing.

  The light emitter unit 99 is fixed to the outer cylinder member 73 by enclosing a filler or an adhesive (not shown) between the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 73.

Next, a second modification of the light projecting unit will be described.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the light projecting unit. The light projecting unit 72B has a structure in which a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of the light emitter units 99 shown in FIG. The light emitter units 99A and 99B are arranged so that the optical axes thereof are inclined with each other, and the emission optical axes of the light projecting units 72B intersect to illuminate a wider range more evenly.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a connection state with a light source when the light projecting unit 72B illustrated in FIG. 10 is disposed at the distal end portion of the endoscope. When a pair of the light projecting units 72B shown in FIG. 10 is incorporated in the endoscope shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the total of the two optical fibers 55-A and 55-B derived from the light projecting unit 72B on one side. Four optical fibers are connected to the coupler 53. The lights from the light sources 45 and 47 are multiplexed and then demultiplexed by the optical fibers 55-A and 55-B branched from the coupler 53, respectively, into a pair of light projecting units 72B at the endoscope distal end. And transmitted. Thereby, uniform illumination light is supplied to each light projecting unit 72B, and is emitted equally from each light emitter unit 99A, 99B.

Next, a third modification of the light projecting unit will be described.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a third modification of the light projecting unit. The light projecting unit 72C is configured such that one light emitter unit 99B of the light projecting unit 72B shown in FIG. 10 is replaced with a light emitter unit 99C using a light deflecting / diffusing member 101 instead of the phosphor 57. The configuration is the same as that of the light projecting unit 72B.

  This light emitter unit 99C introduces light of a different type from the excitation light of the phosphor 57 into the optical fiber 55-B and emits it as diffused light without wavelength conversion. When the connection between each optical fiber and the light source is as shown in FIG. 11, when the white illumination light source 45 is turned on, the light is emitted from the light emitter unit 99A through the optical fiber 55-A, and the special light source 47 is turned on. When lit, the light is emitted from the light emitter unit 99C through the optical fiber 55-B.

  The light deflecting / diffusing member 101 may be any material that transmits the laser light from the special light source 47, and for example, a light-transmitting resin material or glass is used. Furthermore, the light deflection / diffusion member 101 has a configuration in which a light diffusion layer in which fine irregularities or particles (fillers, etc.) having different refractive indexes are mixed on a resin material or glass surface, or a semi-transparent material. It is good also as a structure using. Thereby, the transmitted light emitted from the light deflection / diffusion member 101 becomes illumination light with a narrow band wavelength in which the amount of light is made uniform within a predetermined irradiation region.

  According to the configuration of the light projecting unit 72C, energy loss due to unnecessary excitation of the phosphor 57 is eliminated and higher intensity light is emitted compared to the case where the light from the special light source 47 is irradiated through the phosphor 57. The light can be emitted. Further, it is possible to prevent light from the fluorescent material 57 that is slightly excited and emitted from appearing as noise such as color unevenness in the observation image.

Next, the 4th modification of a light projection unit is demonstrated.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a fourth modification of the light projecting unit. In addition to the light projecting unit 72A shown in FIG. 9, the light projecting unit 72D includes an optical fiber 55-B, a ferrule 79 that holds the optical fiber 55-B, and a metal reflecting film 77 on the ferrule side surface 79b of the ferrule 79. The light emitter unit 99D is formed. Further, in place of the sapphire glass 75 disposed in the opening of the outer cylinder member 73, a light deflection / diffusion member 103 similar to the above-described light deflection / diffusion member 101 is disposed.

  According to the configuration of the light projecting unit 72D, the number of components can be reduced as compared with the light projecting unit 72C shown in FIG.

  The above-described configurations of the modification examples 2 to 4 of the light projecting unit are a configuration in which a plurality of light emitter units are arranged in one light projecting unit and a plurality of emission optical axes are provided. A plurality of light projecting units may be further provided in the section, and the configuration may be such that the outgoing light axis of illumination light is increased. Here, a configuration example will be described in which two pairs (a total of four) of light projecting units are arranged on both sides centering on a hole 87a in which the imaging optical system at the distal end portion of the endoscope is accommodated.

14 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the distal end portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the distal end portion of the endoscope shown in FIG.
In this configuration example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a total of four light projecting units are provided in the distal end rigid portion 87 of the endoscope distal end portion 35. The distal end rigid portion 87 has a perforation hole 87a in which an imaging optical system including the image sensor 21 shown in FIG. 1 is accommodated, and the perforations formed on both sides of the perforation hole 87a. For example, the light projecting units 71A and 71B having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 are inserted into the holes 87b1 and 87c1, respectively, and the light projecting units 71C and 71D are inserted into the drilled holes 87b2 and 87c2, respectively.

  Each of the light projecting units 71A, 71B, 71C, and 741D emits the same kind of light from the set of the light projecting units 71A and 71B, and the same kind of light is emitted from the set of the light projecting units 71C and 71D. In addition, each is connected to a light source.

  With the above configuration, the same kind of light is irradiated from both sides sandwiching the imaging optical system, and uniform illumination light with reduced illumination unevenness can be obtained.

  According to the configuration of each light projecting unit described above, the endoscope can be detachably disposed with respect to the distal end portion of the endoscope, and a hole for accommodating the light projecting unit can be disposed at an arbitrary position. The degree of freedom in designing the mirror tip is increased. In addition, since the light projecting unit is integrated with the thin outer cylinder member, the light projecting unit can also be used as a thin light fixture. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, it is also possible to insert a light projecting unit 71 into the forceps hole 105 of the endoscope insertion portion 19 and project it from the endoscope distal end portion 35 to irradiate light at an arbitrary position. In particular, it can be suitably used for photodynamic therapy (PDT).

  Moreover, as a structure of a light projection unit, it is also possible to glass seal the metal reflective film arrange | positioned on the outer side of fluorescent substance other than said each structure. FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C show a process of sealing the phosphor and the metal reflective film with glass.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, with the optical fiber 55 connected to the phosphor 57, a metal reflective film 77 is plated, evaporated, and sputtered on the side and back of the phosphor 57 as shown in FIG. 17B. A film is formed by, for example. Then, with the metal reflection film 77 formed on the surface of the phosphor 57, as shown in FIG. 17C, the outer periphery of the metal reflection film 77 and the phosphor 57 is sealed with chemically stable glass. .

  According to this configuration, the metal reflective film 77 is sealed with glass in a state where the metal reflective film 77 is formed on the outside of the phosphor 57, so that the metal reflective film 77 is hardly deteriorated and the phosphor 57 is hardly deteriorated. Thereby, it is possible to constantly and stably irradiate light with high brightness regardless of the use environment.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can change or apply the present invention based on the description of the specification and well-known techniques. included. For example, the endoscope apparatus is not limited to an electronic endoscope but may be a fiberscope.

As described above, the following items are disclosed in this specification.
(1) A light projecting unit that is disposed at the distal end of a medical device and emits light,
A light guide member that guides and emits light from the light source to the tip,
A wavelength conversion member that receives light emitted from the light guide member and converts the wavelength;
An outer cylinder member that covers the outer periphery of the wavelength conversion member and is sealed in a state where one end side extends the light guide member, and the other end side has an opening,
A translucent member for sealing the other end of the outer cylinder member;
With
A light projecting unit in which a metal reflection film that reflects light wavelength-converted by the wavelength conversion member is provided outside the wavelength conversion member, and the metal reflection film is sealed in the outer cylinder member.
According to this light projecting unit, even if a metal reflective film having a high light reflectance is used, the metal reflective film is sealed in the outer cylindrical member, so that there is no reduction in reflectance due to oxidation or sulfuration. High intensity illumination light can always be emitted regardless of the use environment.

(2) The light projecting unit of (1),
The light projecting unit in which the metal reflection film is disposed on at least a part of the outside of the wavelength conversion member excluding a light introduction portion from the light guide member of the wavelength conversion member and a portion facing the translucent member. .
According to this light projecting unit, light from the wavelength conversion member can be repeatedly reflected by the metal reflecting film, and light can be emitted with high light utilization efficiency.

(3) The light projecting unit according to (1) or (2),
A light projecting unit in which the metal reflective film includes silver.
According to this light projecting unit, high intensity light can be emitted with high reflectivity.

(4) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (3),
The light projecting unit, wherein the outer cylinder member includes a cylindrical sleeve and a sealing member that penetrates the light guide member and seals one end side of the sleeve.
According to the light projecting unit, the outer cylinder member is divided into the cylindrical sleeve and the sealing member, so that a simple part shape can be obtained, and productivity is improved.

(5) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (4),
A light projecting unit in which the light guide member is an optical fiber.
According to this light projecting unit, high-intensity light can be guided by the optical fiber, and the light guide member can have a small diameter.

(6) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (5),
A light projecting unit including a holding member that supports the light guide member inside the outer cylinder member.
According to this light projecting unit, the light guide member is stably supported by the holding member, and light can be easily emitted toward the center of the wavelength conversion member.

(7) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (6),
A light projecting unit in which the wavelength conversion member and the translucent member are arranged in this order in parallel with the optical axis of the light guide member.
According to this light projecting unit, since the wavelength conversion member and the translucent member are disposed along the light emission direction from the light guide member, the emitted light intensity can be increased efficiently.

(8) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (7),
The light projecting unit in which the wavelength conversion member and the tip portion of the light guide member are spaced apart.
According to this light projecting unit, the light emitted from the light guide member is diffused in the gap region to have a wide beam diameter, and then irradiated to the wavelength conversion member. Therefore, the volume contributing to light emission (primary excitation) of the wavelength conversion member by external light can be increased, and the light emission efficiency can be further increased.

(9) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (8),
A plurality of the light guide members are inserted through the outer cylinder member,
A first light emitter unit in which any one of the plurality of light guide members and the wavelength conversion member disposed on the light emitting side of the light guide member are integrally formed is provided inside the outer cylindrical member. Multiple floodlight units installed side by side.
According to this light projecting unit, the first light emitter units can be individually assembled and then combined with the outer cylinder member to be finished into a light projecting unit. According to this, it is possible to divide the manufacturing process, and it is also possible to make either one or both of them, thereby improving the tact time at the time of manufacturing.

(10) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (8),
A plurality of the light guide members are inserted through the outer cylinder member,
A first light emitter unit in which the light guide member of any one of the plurality and the wavelength conversion member disposed at a light emitting end of the light guide member are configured integrally;
A second light emitter unit in which another light guide member different from the light guide member and a light diffusing member arranged at a light emitting end of the light guide member are integrally formed;
Is a light projecting unit arranged in parallel inside the outer cylinder member.
According to this light projecting unit, the light irradiated through the wavelength conversion member and the light irradiated through the light diffusing member can be individually selected, energy loss due to unnecessary excitation of the wavelength conversion member is eliminated, and higher intensity is achieved. Light can be emitted.

(11) The light projecting unit according to (9) or (10),
A light projecting unit in which the light emitter units in the outer cylinder member are arranged with the outgoing optical axes inclined with respect to each other.
According to this light projecting unit, it is possible to illuminate a wider range more evenly by the crossing of the outgoing optical axes.

(12) The light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (8),
A plurality of the light guide members are inserted through the outer cylinder member,
A first light emitter unit in which any one of the plurality of light guide members and the wavelength conversion member disposed on the light emitting side of the light guide member are configured integrally;
A light projecting unit in which another light guide member different from the light guide member is arranged inside the outer cylinder member.
According to the light projecting unit, the first light emitter unit and the light guide member guided separately from the light emitter unit are arranged in parallel, so that the light irradiated through the wavelength conversion member does not pass through the wavelength conversion member. The light can be irradiated separately from the light to be irradiated.

(13) A medical device on which the light projecting unit according to any one of (1) to (12) is mounted.
According to this medical device, the reflectance of the metal reflective film easily decreases due to oxidation or sulfuration, such as a high humidity environment, an environment close to molybdenum disulfide, or an environment immersed in a disinfectant such as peracetic acid. Even in such an environment, since the metal reflective film is sealed in the outer cylinder member, the high reflectance of the metal reflective film can be maintained without being lowered. Thereby, high-intensity illumination light can always be obtained stably.

(14) (13) configured as a medical device,
An endoscope apparatus in which at least a pair of the light projecting units are arranged on both sides of an observation window for observing the inside of a subject at the distal end of an endoscope insertion portion to be inserted into the subject.
According to this endoscope apparatus, since the light projecting units are arranged on both sides of the observation window, a shadow is hardly generated in the observation image.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Endoscope 13 Control apparatus 19 Endoscope insertion part 21 Image pick-up element 35 End-of-endoscope part 37A, 37B Irradiation port 41 Light source device 45 Blue laser light source 47 Purple laser light source 55, 55A, 55B Optical fiber (light guide member)
57 Phosphor (wavelength conversion member)
71, 71A, 71B, 72, 72A, 72B, 72C, 72D Light projection unit 73 Outer cylinder member 75 Sapphire glass (translucent member)
77 Metal reflective film 79 Ferrule (holding member)
79a Communicating hole 79b Ferrule side surface 81 Crevice region 82, 83 Adhesive 87 Hard end portion 87a, 87b, 87c Drilling hole 97 Tubular member 99, 99A, 99B, 99C Light emitting unit 100 Endoscope device 101 Light deflection / diffusion member 103 Light deflection / diffusion member

Claims (12)

An endoscope projection unit that is disposed in a drilled hole formed in a distal end rigid portion of an endoscope insertion portion that is inserted into a subject, and that irradiates illumination light.
A light guide member that guides light from the light source and emits light from the light exit end of the tip;
A wavelength converting member that receives the emitted light from the light emitting end of the light guide member and converts the wavelength of the emitted light;
An outer cylinder member that houses the wavelength conversion member and is sealed in a state where one end side penetrates the light emitting end of the light guide member;
A translucent member that is fixed to the other end of the outer cylinder member and seals the other end;
A metal reflective film that reflects the light wavelength-converted by the wavelength conversion member inside the outer cylindrical member;
With
The endoscope light projecting unit, wherein the outer cylinder member is formed of a cylindrical sleeve and has a sealed structure in which the wavelength conversion member and the metal reflection film are sealed inside. The endoscope light projecting unit according to claim 1,
The metal reflection film is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member outside the wavelength conversion member excluding a light introduction portion from the light guide member of the wavelength conversion member and a portion facing the translucent member. Endoscope projection unit to be formed. An endoscope light projecting unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The metal reflecting film is an endoscope light projecting unit configured to contain silver. It is the light projection unit for endoscopes of any one of Claims 1-3,
The outer cylinder member, an endoscopic light projecting unit comprising a sealing member for sealing one end of the sleeve by penetrating the light guide member. An endoscope projection unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An endoscope projection unit in which the light guide member is an optical fiber. An endoscope projection unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An endoscope light projecting unit including a holding member that supports the light guide member inside the outer cylinder member. It is the light projection unit for endoscopes of any one of Claims 1-6 ,
An endoscope light projecting unit in which the wavelength conversion member and the light emitting end of the light guide member are spaced apart. An endoscope projection unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A plurality of the light guide members are inserted into the outer cylinder member,
An endoscope projection unit in which the wavelength conversion member is disposed at the light emitting end of at least one of the plurality of light guide members. An endoscope light projecting unit according to claim 8 ,
An endoscope projection unit in which a light diffusing member is disposed at the light exit end of at least one of the plurality of light guide members. An endoscope light projecting unit according to claim 8 or 9 ,
An endoscopic light projecting unit in which the light guide members are arranged such that their optical axes are inclined with respect to each other within the outer cylinder member, and the outgoing optical axes intersect. An endoscope apparatus in which the endoscope light projecting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is mounted. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
An endoscope apparatus in which at least a pair of the light projecting units are arranged on both sides of an observation window for observing the inside of a subject at the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion.

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