JP6038644B2 - Biological imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a living body imaging apparatus that is inserted into a dark place in a living body such as an intraoral cavity or an external auditory canal and picks up an imaging target place in the dark place.

  From the viewpoint of the recent advancement of medical care contents and enhancement of informed consent, for example, the carious dental caries is imaged and explained while showing the image of the caries imaged to the patient, or the image is confirmed In order to provide medical care, a biological imaging device such as an intraoral camera is used. For example, the living body observation apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 is one of them.

  In the case of such a living body observation device such as an intraoral camera, the toothed tooth to be imaged is in a dark place in the oral cavity, and thus it is necessary to take an image while illuminating the area to be imaged with illumination. For example, in the living body observation apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, illumination such as an LED is provided on the side of the window for imaging, that is, the side of the light passing end that allows incidence of reflected light reflected at the imaging target location. It is the structure which illuminates the imaging object location with the said LED, and images.

  However, since the illumination such as the LED is arranged on the side of the light passing end that allows the reflected light reflected by the imaging target portion to be incident, it is narrow and deep, for example, as in root canal treatment. If you try to image the root canal part and place the light passage end on the extension of the root canal, the irradiation light emitted from the LED will be irradiated from the side to the root canal, and the inside of the root canal you want to image It was difficult to illuminate the back side and capture a sufficiently satisfactory observation image.

International Publication No. 2005/104926 Pamphlet

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a living body imaging apparatus that can capture an image by reliably illuminating the inside of an imaging target location even in a narrow and deep imaging target location in a dark place. .

The present invention, by inserting a part in the dark in the living body, a hand of the biological imaging device for imaging an imaging target portion, have a light transmission end to allow incident of the reflected light reflected by the imaging target portion and the head portion to be inserted at the dark, the light guide portion for guiding the light incident from the light passage end, and an imaging unit that captures by receiving the incident light which guides the light guiding portion There are disposed in this order, to the head portion, the head lens assembly for guiding the light incident from the light passage end to the light guide portion, in the light passing end, said light guide portion guided, and coaxial illumination unit that irradiates toward the imaging target portion from the light transmission end as a coaxial illumination light substantially parallel to the optical axis and the optical axis of the incident light to be captured by the imaging unit, the entering and a beam splitter provided for the light guide and said the Shako coaxial illumination light coaxially In said head portion, a light source of the coaxial illumination unit is arranged in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the head portion, the coaxial illumination light emitted from the light source of the coaxial illumination unit is through the other lens Without being guided, the lens group in the head is guided and converged .

  The dark place in the living body described above can be a dark place space into which the living body imaging device can be inserted from the outside of the oral cavity, the ear canal, or the nasal cavity. For example, when the dark place in the living body is the oral cavity, It can be set as a medical treatment target site in the dark space such as a carious dental caries, a gingiva in which periodontal disease has developed, or a lesion part under the tongue.

  The coaxial illumination light can be configured not only with visible light but also with appropriate light that can be imaged by irradiating an imaging target location such as infrared rays and receiving reflected light reflected at the imaging target location with an imaging unit. . Moreover, the said coaxial illumination part can be used as the LED element and illumination means which irradiate the coaxial illumination light comprised with the above suitable lights. The coaxial illumination light may be diffused light that diffuses as well as convergent light called critical illumination and parallel light called Koehler illumination. In particular, when the imaging target location is behind the root canal of a carious tooth as in dental use in the oral cavity, clearer imaging is possible by using convergent light.

Further, the above put on the description of "In the light passage end, guided through the light guide portion, coaxial illumination light substantially parallel to the optical axis and the optical axis of the incident light to be captured by the imaging unit" The “ optical axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the incident light ” is not only completely parallel but also includes an optical axis that is slightly inclined with respect to the optical axis of the incident light. It is.

The reflected light reflected at the above-described imaging target portion may include not only the reflected light of the coaxial illumination light but also part of the reflected light due to natural light.
The imaging unit may be an imaging unit that captures a still image at a desired timing while capturing a moving image, a still image, or a moving image. The imaging unit can be an imaging unit that captures a digital image or an analog image using a CMOS sensor, a CCD image sensor, or the like.

By this invention, even if it is a narrow and deep imaging target location in a dark place, it is possible to capture an image by reliably illuminating the imaging target location.
Specifically, the coaxial illumination unit causes the light passage end portion to emit coaxial illumination light having an optical axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the incident light along at least a part of the light guide path of the incident light at the light passage end portion. Irradiation, that is, the optical axis of the reflected light that is incident from the light passage end and receives the reflected light guided through the light guide and picks up an image by the imaging unit and the optical axis of the coaxial illumination light Even if it is an imaging target location with a narrow depth, the reflected light reflected from the imaging target location is illuminated with coaxial illumination light inside the imaging target location with a narrow depth. Can be picked up from the light passing end and imaged.

Further, in the head unit, the in-head lens set that guides the incident light incident from the light passage end part to the light guide part, and the light passage end part guides the light guide part, A coaxial illumination unit that irradiates the imaging target portion from the light passage end as coaxial illumination light having an optical axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the incident light imaged by the imaging unit, and the incident light and the coaxial illumination A beam splitter for guiding light coaxially, and within the head unit, the light source of the coaxial illumination unit is disposed in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the head unit, The coaxial illumination light emitted from the light source is guided through the lens set in the head without passing through another lens and is converged. Therefore, the beam splitter provided in the head unit is a light source of the coaxial illumination unit. Coaxial illumination irradiated from It was redirecting, and the coaxial illumination light and the incident light to the light guide coaxially, it is possible to construct a compact living body image pickup apparatus.

As an aspect of the present invention, the light passage end portion is provided with a window portion that allows light to pass, and the window portion is arranged in an orientation inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the incident light. it can.
With this configuration, it is possible to prevent unnecessary objects from entering the interior, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of flare reflected in the captured image by reflection of reflected light or illumination light at the window.

  Specifically, by providing a light passage end portion with a window that allows light to pass through, it is possible to prevent unwanted materials such as saliva from entering the inside of the device, but the reflected light reflected from the imaging target location or irradiated When the illumination light passes through the window part, a part of the light is reflected on the surface of the window part, so the reflected light of the window part reflected on the surface of the window part appears as a flare, and the captured image becomes whitish. Or the light is blurred, and a clear observation image cannot be captured. On the other hand, by arranging the window portion provided at the light passage end portion in a direction inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the incident light, the window portion reflected light reflected by the window portion surface, and A clear observation image can be captured without being combined with the incident light to be imaged, that is, without causing flare.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the light passing end, Rutotomoni arranged in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the head portion, the head portion, the head portion of the incident light from the light passage end it is reflected towards the axial direction can Rukoto provided with reflecting means for redirecting it.

  According to the present invention, the degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of the light passing end and the like in the apparatus main body is improved, and for example, a living body imaging apparatus having a desired shape according to medical treatment contents can be configured. In addition, it is possible to capture a clear observation image by preventing the flare from being reflected by the window provided at the light passing end.

Further, as an aspect of the present invention, there can be provided an oblique illumination unit that emits oblique illumination light from the light passage end as an eccentric position decentered in a direction intersecting the optical axis of the incident light.
The oblique illumination light may be composed of parallel light as well as diffused light. Further, the oblique illumination light irradiated from the eccentric position may be diffused light out of the light irradiated in parallel with the optical axis of the coaxial illumination light irradiated from the light passing end, or from the eccentric position. Illumination may be performed by tilting the irradiation direction itself toward the imaging target location to obtain oblique illumination light.
According to the present invention, it is possible to irradiate coaxial illumination light inside a narrow and deep imaging target location and irradiate oblique illumination light around the imaging target location to capture a clearer observation image.

As an aspect of the present invention, the oblique illumination unit can be configured by a white illumination unit that emits white illumination light and a blue illumination unit that emits blue illumination light.
With this invention, it is possible to irradiate illumination light according to the application, such as irradiation of only white illumination light, irradiation of only blue illumination light, or irradiation of white illumination light and blue illumination light simultaneously, so-called cocktail light. it can. Specifically, when blue illumination light is irradiated as excitation light, visible region fluorescence is emitted from the dental caries, calculus, plaque, etc., so the dental caries, calculus, dental plaque, etc. are easily visually observed. be able to. On the contrary, a bright image can be picked up when white illumination light is irradiated. Thus, an observation image that takes advantage of the characteristics of the white illumination light and the blue illumination light can be captured.

As an aspect of the present invention, the light source in the oblique illumination unit and the coaxial illumination unit can be a common light source.
According to the present invention, a compact living body imaging apparatus can be configured. In addition, by sharing the light sources in the oblique illumination unit and the coaxial illumination unit, the number of components can be reduced, the assembling property of the biological imaging apparatus can be improved, and the material cost can be reduced.

Moreover, as an aspect of the present invention, a control unit that controls irradiation of illumination light in the coaxial illumination unit and the oblique illumination unit can be provided.
The above-described “controlling illumination light irradiation in the coaxial illumination unit and the oblique illumination unit” means that the coaxial illumination unit and the oblique illumination unit are simultaneously irradiated, one irradiation, or even the simultaneous irradiation. It means to control various irradiation situations, such as adjustment of.

  According to the present invention, an observation image in a desired illumination state can be taken. Specifically, only the narrow and deep imaging target location is irradiated with coaxial illumination light, or only its periphery is irradiated with oblique illumination light, or the contrast in the observation image of the narrow and deep imaging target location Therefore, by adjusting the light quantity balance between the coaxial illumination light and the oblique illumination light, various desired illumination conditions for capturing an observation image suitable for medical care can be created.

Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the apparatus main body can be provided with a focus adjustment unit for an imaging target location to be imaged by the imaging apparatus.
According to the present invention, it is possible to irradiate a narrow and deep imaging target location with coaxial illumination light and to capture a clear observation image with the focus adjusted inside the imaging target location.

As an aspect of the present invention, the dark place in the living body can be the oral cavity.
According to the present invention, the dental caries situation in the oral cavity, the defect part, the lesion part, the adhesion situation of calculus or plaque, the observation image of the root canal part, gingiva, cheek, and the lesion part of the tongue, It is possible to perform medical treatment while confirming the observed images and to provide informed consent.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a living body imaging apparatus that can capture an image by reliably illuminating the inside of an imaging target location even in a narrow and deep imaging target location in a dark place.

Explanatory drawing of an intraoral camera. Explanatory drawing of the internal mechanism of an intraoral camera. The perspective view of the internal mechanism of an intraoral camera. The schematic of the use condition of an intraoral camera. Explanatory drawing of an observation image photograph.

This embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an explanatory diagram of the intraoral camera C. FIG. Specifically, FIG. 1 (a) shows a plan view of the intraoral camera C, FIG. 1 (b) shows a side view of the intraoral camera C, and FIG. 1 (c) shows a bottom view of the intraoral camera C. ing.
1B and 1C, the camera internal mechanism 10 disposed inside the intraoral camera C is indicated by a broken line.

  2 is an explanatory view of the internal mechanism 10 of the intraoral camera C. Specifically, FIG. 2 (a) shows a longitudinal sectional view of the intraoral camera C, and FIG. 2 (b) shows the exterior 2 in a transparent state. The side view of the obtained intraoral camera C is shown. Furthermore, FIG.2 (c) has shown the enlarged view of the a part in Fig.2 (a).

  FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the camera internal mechanism 10 from the lower left side of the front, FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the use state of the intraoral camera C, and FIG. Explanatory drawing about the image photograph i (i1, i2, i3) is shown. Specifically, FIG. 5A is an observation image photograph i1 in a state where only the oblique illumination light L2 is irradiated, and FIG. 5B is an observation image photograph i2 in a state where only the coaxial illumination light L1 is irradiated. 5C is an observation image photograph i3 in a state where the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2 are irradiated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intraoral camera C is a large-diameter pen type, and in order from the distal end side (left side in FIG. 1) to the rear side (right side in FIG. 1), the insertion unit C <b> 1, switch unit C <b> 2, The camera internal mechanism 10 is arranged inside the exterior 2 constituted by the gripping part C3.

  The insertion portion C1 is a portion to be inserted into the oral cavity K where the imaging target location T is present, is a laterally truncated frustum shape that slightly narrows toward the tip side, and inclines the top surface on the tip side, A front end side exterior 2a having a flat bottom surface is provided, and a cover glass 27 having a substantially rectangular shape in bottom view is provided on the front end side bottom surface of the front end side exterior 2a to allow passage of illumination light L described later.

  The switch portion C2 is a portion provided with a switch S described later, and is a laterally-shaped substantially conical cone having a small diameter slightly toward the distal end side so that the distal end side has substantially the same shape as the rear end side of the distal end side exterior 2a. A trapezoidal intermediate exterior 2b is provided, and a plurality of switches S are arranged on the upper surface of the intermediate exterior 2b. Specifically, the switch S arranged on the upper surface of the intermediate exterior 2b is composed of four switches in order from the front end side: a main switch S1, an illumination changeover switch S2, an oblique illumination light source changeover switch S3, and an image changeover switch S4.

  The main switch S1 is a switch that switches ON / OFF of the power source of the intraoral camera C and functions as a shutter switch that captures a still image while capturing a moving image.

  As will be described later, the illumination changeover switch S2 includes the coaxial illumination LED 25 that irradiates the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination LED 26 that irradiates the oblique illumination light L2, as will be described later. It is a switch for switching.

The oblique illumination light source changeover switch S3 is a switch that is provided in the camera internal mechanism 10 to be described later and switches irradiation by the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b that constitute the oblique illumination light L2.
The image changeover switch S4 switches the observation image captured by the intraoral camera C and displayed on the monitor M between a moving image and a still image, or selects a still image to be displayed on the monitor M from a plurality of still images. It is a switch to be displayed.

  The grasping part C3 is a part where the practitioner grasps the intraoral camera C, and is arranged in the circumferential direction on the front end side of the substantially cylindrical rear end side exterior 2c and the rear end side exterior 2c whose bottom end is bottomed. A focus adjusting ring 3 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a cable 4 having one end connected to the monitor M is connected to the rear end of the rear end side exterior 2c.

The camera internal mechanism 10 disposed inside the exterior 2 configured as described above includes a head unit 20, a light guide unit 30, a focus adjustment unit 40, and an imaging unit 50 in order from the distal end side.
The head unit 20 is disposed on the front end side exterior 2a of the exterior 2, the light guide unit 30 is disposed on the front end side of the intermediate exterior 2b, and the focus adjustment unit 40 is located behind the intermediate exterior 2b and the front end of the rear end side exterior 2c. The imaging unit 50 is arranged behind the rear end side exterior 2c.

  The head unit 20 includes an oblique illumination arrangement board 21 arranged on the bottom surface on the front end side, a reflection mirror 22 arranged above the oblique illumination arrangement board 21, and an in-head lens group constituting an objective lens system arranged behind the reflection mirror 22. 23, a beam splitter 24 disposed behind the in-head lens set 23, and a coaxial illumination LED 25 disposed above the beam splitter 24.

  The oblique illumination arrangement board 21 is a base having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom, and includes a passage hole 21a that allows passage of the coaxial illumination light L1 and the reflected light Lr at the center of the bottom surface, and oblique illumination light is lateral to the passage hole 21a. An oblique illumination LED 26 for irradiating L2 is disposed.

  The oblique illumination LED 26 is composed of two blue LEDs 26a that irradiate the blue illumination light Lb downward, and two white LEDs 26b that irradiate the white illumination light Lw downward, and at the through holes 21a. On both sides, the blue LEDs 26a and the white LEDs 26b are arranged so as to be point-symmetric with respect to the center of the passage hole 21a.

  The blue illumination light Lb emitted from the blue LED 26a and the white illumination light Lw emitted from the white LED 26b constitute the oblique illumination light L2, but only one of the blue illumination light Lb and the white illumination light Lw is emitted, or Both irradiations are configured to be switched by pressing the oblique illumination light source switch S3 in accordance with the medical treatment contents and observation contents of the imaging target location T.

  In this way, the oblique illumination light L2 emitted from the oblique illumination LEDs 26 (26a, 26b) arranged on the side of the passage hole 21a is coaxially irradiated through the passage hole 21a as shown in FIG. The diffused light that diffuses downward at a position deviated laterally from the optical axis A of the illumination light L1 and the reflected light Lr incident through the passage hole 21a is spread on the teeth to around the imaging target location T. Irradiate.

  The reflection mirror 22 is disposed above the oblique illumination arrangement board 21, is irradiated from a coaxial illumination LED 25 described later, and is in the optical axis direction X of the in-head lens set 23 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the axial direction X). The guided coaxial illumination light L1 is reflected and redirected in the irradiation direction toward the passage hole 21a of the oblique illumination arrangement board 21, and the reflected light Lr incident through the passage hole 21a is converted into the rear axis. It is a mirror for changing the direction in the direction X2.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the axial direction X is a direction that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the intraoral camera C, and the irradiation direction is substantially orthogonal to the axial direction X downward on the paper surface of FIG. Direction. Further, in the axial direction X, a direction from the rear side toward the front end side is defined as a shaft front end side direction X1, and a direction from the front end side which is the opposite direction to the rear side is defined as a rear axis direction X2.

  Thus, in order to reflect and change the direction of the coaxial illumination light L1 guided through the lens set 23 in the head in the axial tip side direction X1 toward the passing hole 21a of the oblique illumination arrangement board 21 in the irradiation direction. The reflection mirror 22 is installed at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the axial direction X and the cover glass 27 parallel to the axial direction X. The traveling direction of the coaxial illumination light L1 whose direction is changed by the reflection mirror 22 is changed to the cover glass 27. On the other hand, the reflection mirror 22 is installed so as to be inclined more than 45 degrees toward the tip side so as not to be in the orthogonal direction Y. Note that the inclination angle to be inclined toward the tip side differs depending on the distance between the reflection mirror 22 and the cover glass 27, but it may be inclined by about 5 to 15 degrees. In this embodiment, the inclination angle is set to about 10 degrees. The coaxial illumination light reflected by the cover glass 27 is prevented from going directly to the imaging unit 50.

  The in-head lens set 23 is an optical unit that is disposed behind the reflecting mirror 22 and is assembled with the first lens 23a, the second lens 23b, and the third lens 23c from the front end side to the rear along the axial direction X. The in-head lens set 23 that functions as an objective lens system has a function of concentrating the coaxial illumination light (LED 25) on the imaging target location T (tooth root) and the imaging target location T itself on the imaging unit main body 52 side of the beam splitter 24. (The right side in FIG. 2) has a function of forming an image.

  Then, the real image formed by the objective lens system configured by the in-head lens set 23 is connected on the CMOS sensor 52a of the image pickup unit 50 by a relay lens system (focus adjustment lens set 43 and image pickup unit lens set 51) described later. Imaged.

  The elements constituting the in-head lens set 23 will be described in detail. The first lens 23a is constituted by a convex plano-convex lens that is convex rearward, and the second lens 23b is located at the front end side behind the first lens 23a. The third lens 23c is a biconvex lens disposed behind the second lens 23b.

  In addition, the front side convex portion of the third lens 23c is formed in a convex shape along the rear side concave portion of the second lens 23b, and the rear side concave portion of the second lens 23b and the front side convex portion of the third lens 23c are in close contact with each other. In this manner, the third lens 23c is arranged.

The beam splitter 24 is a polarization beam splitter that guides the coaxial illumination light L1 emitted from a coaxial illumination LED 25, which will be described later, by converting the direction of the light in the axial tip side direction X1 and guides the reflected light Lr in the rear-axis direction X2. It is composed.
In addition, since the polarization beam splitter itself which comprises the beam splitter 24 is well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The coaxial illumination LED 25 is a white LED that irradiates the white illumination light Lw provided above the beam splitter 24, and irradiates the white illumination light Lw downward from above, that is, in the irradiation direction toward the beam splitter 24.

  A polarizing plate 29 is disposed between the coaxial illumination LED 25 and the beam splitter 24. In consideration of the fact that the polarizing plate 29 is disposed in the vicinity of the LED 25 and that it is an intraoral camera, a thin film and a film shape having a wire grid structure excellent in heat resistance is used. As this type of polarizing plate, for example, Asahi Kasei WGF (registered trademark) sold by Asahi Kasei E-material Co., Ltd. can be used.

  In the head unit 20 configured as described above, the coaxial illumination light L <b> 1 emitted from the coaxial illumination LED 25 is incident on the beam splitter 24 via the polarizing plate 29. Then, the direction is changed in the axial tip side direction X1 by the inclined surface 24a in the beam splitter 24, guided to the axial tip side direction X1 as convergent light through the in-head lens set 23, and further reflected by the reflecting mirror 22 and passed. A light guide path that changes direction toward the object to be imaged toward the hole 21a, passes through the passage hole 21a of the oblique illumination arrangement board 21, and is irradiated from the cover glass 27 is defined as a coaxial illumination path R1.

  The light guide unit 30 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape that constitutes a light guide space that communicates the focus adjusting unit 40 and the head unit 20 to be described later, behind the beam splitter 24 in the head unit 20, and will be described later. The enlarged diameter part 31 fitted to the front end of the outer cylinder 41 of the focus adjustment part 40 is provided.

  The focus adjustment unit 40 includes an outer cylinder 41 and an inner cylinder 42 in which a focus adjustment lens group 43 as a front group of the relay lens system is assembled. The focus adjustment unit 40 is axially rotated while rotating the inner cylinder 42 with respect to the outer cylinder 41. In this configuration, the focus is adjusted by adjusting the position of X.

  Specifically, the focus adjustment lens set 43 assembled to the inner cylinder 42 has a fourth lens 43a formed of a plano-convex lens convex rearward disposed on the distal end side, disposed rearward thereof, and convex rearward. The fifth lens 43b is composed of a concave meniscus lens. The focus adjustment lens set 43 is disposed on the distal end side of the inner cylinder 42.

  The inner cylinder 42 assembled with the focus adjustment lens group 43 on the distal end side is loosely fitted inside a cylindrical outer cylinder 41, and a handle pin 42a penetrating a spiral slit 41a formed in the outer cylinder 41 to be described later is provided on the outer peripheral surface. Planted. The handle pin 42a is connected to the focus adjustment ring 3 that is fitted in the circumferential direction on the front end side of the rear end side exterior 2c.

The outer cylinder 41 loosely fitting the inner cylinder 42 described above is cylindrical, and a helical slit 41a is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof so that the handle pin 42a of the inner cylinder 42 is slidably penetrated.
A diaphragm mechanism 44 for adjusting the amount of light is disposed on the left side (incident light side) of the fourth lens 43a in the drawing.

  The imaging unit 50 arranged behind the focus adjustment unit 40 includes an imaging unit lens set 51 as a rear group of the relay lens system, an imaging unit main body 52 arranged behind the imaging unit lens set 51, and an imaging unit lens set. 51 and a fixing ring 53 that fixes an interval between the imaging unit main body 52 at a predetermined interval.

  The focus adjustment lens group 43 of the focus adjustment unit 40 constituting the relay lens system and the imaging unit lens group 51 disposed between the imaging unit main body 52 are configured by a concave meniscus lens that is convex on the distal end side. It is composed of a sixth lens 51a and a convex biconvex lens along a concave portion on the rear side of the sixth lens 51a, and a seventh lens 51b disposed so as to be in close contact with the rear concave portion of the sixth lens 51a. ing.

  In this manner, the imaging unit lens set 51 including the sixth lens 51a and the seventh lens 51b fixes the position of the focus adjustment unit 40 described above with respect to the outer cylinder 41 by the holding frame 51c.

  The imaging unit main body 52 has a convex shape that is laterally viewed from the side, includes a CMOS sensor 52a at the center of the rear end portion, and cuts excess infrared light of the reflected light Lr at the small diameter portion at the front end to prevent moire. A filter 52b having a low-pass function is arranged.

  The fixing ring 53 has a horizontal cylindrical shape, and allows insertion of the rear end side portion of the imaging unit lens set 51 and the small diameter portion on the front end side of the imaging unit main body 52 from the front and rear in the axial direction X. In this configuration, the interval in the axial direction X between the imaging unit lens set 51 and the imaging unit main body 52 is held at a predetermined interval.

  The CMOS sensor 52a of the imaging unit main body 52 is connected to the cable 4 via a circuit (not shown), and the cable 4 is connected to the monitor M. That is, the CMOS sensor 52 a is connected to the monitor M via the cable 4.

  The camera internal mechanism 10 is configured by assembling the head unit 20, the light guide unit 30, the focus adjustment unit 40, and the imaging unit 50 configured as described above along the axial direction X. Then, the light passes through the passage hole 21a of the head unit 20 and is converted in the rear-axis direction X2 by the reflection mirror 22, and the in-head lens set 23, the beam splitter 24, the light guide space of the light guide unit 30, and the focus adjustment unit 40. The light guide path of the reflected light Lr that is guided through the focus adjustment lens group 43 and the imaging unit lens group 51 of the imaging unit 50 and enters the CMOS sensor 52a is defined as an incident light path R2.

  At this time, the focus adjustment ring 3 is rotated to move the focus adjustment lens set 43 in the axial direction X so that the interval between the imaging unit lens set 51 and the focus adjustment lens set 43 constituting a part of the incident light path R2 is rotated. Thus, the reflected light Lr whose focus is adjusted can be received by the CMOS sensor 52a.

  When the optical system composed of the in-head lens set 23, the focus adjustment lens set 43, and the imaging unit lens set 51 in the camera internal mechanism 10 having the above-described configuration is summarized, the real image of the object to be photographed becomes the in-head lens set 23. Then, an image is formed on the right side of the beam splitter 24 in the drawing, and this image is formed on the CMOS sensor 52 a by the focus adjustment lens set 43 and the imaging unit lens set 51.

  The intraoral camera C thus configured includes a switch S, a coaxial illumination LED 25, an oblique illumination LED 26, a CMOS sensor 52a, a cable 4, and a control unit (not shown) to be controlled. A monitor M is connected to the cable 4. Further, the control unit may be built in the monitor M without being built in the intraoral camera C, or may be configured separately.

  In addition, the intraoral camera C has a built-in storage unit such as a RAM for storing moving images and still images captured by the CMOS sensor 52a, and the image data stored in the storage unit is displayed on the monitor M or is not shown. Can be exported to the outside via the interface. Note that the storage unit may be built in the monitor M without being built in the intraoral camera C, or may be configured separately.

  Further, as described above, the intraoral camera C irradiates the coaxial illumination LED 25 and the oblique illumination LED 26 with the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2 on the imaging target location T as shown in FIG. The reflected light Lr reflected by T enters the intraoral camera C, and the reflected light Lr received by the CMOS sensor 52a can be displayed on the monitor M.

  More specifically, when the main switch S1 is pressed, the intraoral camera C is activated, and the insertion unit C1 of the activated intraoral camera C is covered with a disposable cover (not shown), and the insertion unit C1 of the intraoral camera C that is held is held. Insert into the oral cavity K of the patient P.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, C activated by pressing the main switch S1 emits oblique illumination light L2 from the oblique illumination LED 26, and is emitted from the coaxial illumination LED 25 to guide the coaxial illumination path R1. The coaxial illumination light L1 passes through the passage hole 21a, and both the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2 pass through the cover glass 27 (see FIG. 2) and illuminate the lower portion of the insertion portion C1, so that the oral cavity that is a dark place The reflected light Lr reflected inside K passes through the cover glass 27 and the passage hole 21a, is guided through the incident light path R2, is received by the CMOS sensor 52a, and an image of the oral cavity K based on the reflected light Lr is displayed on the monitor M. indicate. While confirming the display of the monitor M or confirming the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2 emitted from the insertion portion C1, the direction and position are aligned with the imaging target location T imaged by the intraoral camera C. Then, the image of the imaging target location T is displayed on the monitor M.

  While observing the image of the imaging target location T displayed on the monitor M, the coaxial illumination LED 25 is turned ON / OFF, the oblique illumination LED 26 is turned ON / OFF, or the oblique illumination depending on the medical purpose and observation purpose of the imaging target location T. ON / OFF of the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b constituting the LED 26 is controlled by pressing the illumination changeover switch S2 and the oblique illumination light source changeover switch S3. Specifically, when the root canal is used as an imaging target location T for root canal treatment, when the coaxial illumination LED 25 is OFF-controlled and only the oblique illumination LED 26 is ON-controlled to irradiate only the oblique illumination light L2, FIG. As in the observation image photograph i1 shown in FIG. 5A, the tooth to is brightly illuminated and can be clearly displayed, but the inside of the root canal, which is the imaging target portion T, cannot be displayed darkly. In addition, the observation image photograph i displays the captured image data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part incorporated in the intraoral camera C as mentioned above.

  Conversely, when the oblique illumination LED 26 is turned off and only the coaxial illumination LED 25 is turned on and only the coaxial illumination light L1 is irradiated, as shown in the observation image photograph i2 shown in FIG. Although the inside of a certain root canal is brightly illuminated and can be clearly displayed, for example, the periphery of the imaging target portion T such as a tooth to is dark and the entire display becomes dark.

  However, when only the root canal treatment is intended, the inside of the imaging target portion T by the coaxial illumination light L1 as described above may be displayed brightly. For example, while confirming the caries state of the tooth to, the root canal When displaying the inside, the coaxial illumination LED 25 and the oblique illumination LED 26 are turned on and irradiated with the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2, as shown in the observation image photograph i3 shown in FIG. The inside of the root canal that is the imaging target location T and the teeth to around the imaging target location T are also brightly illuminated and can be clearly displayed.

  Further, when the blue LED 26a among the oblique illumination LEDs 26 is irradiated and the blue illumination light Lb is irradiated as the oblique illumination light L2, fluorescence in the visible region is radiated from the dental caries, dental calculus, dental plaque, and the like. The tooth toe image displayed on the monitor M allows easy visual observation of caries, calculus, dental plaque, etc. Conversely, when the white LED 26b is irradiated with the white illumination light Lw, a bright tooth to image is monitored. Since it can be displayed on M, the oblique illumination light source switch S3 is pressed according to the medical purpose or observation purpose, and the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b are turned on / off.

  In this way, the insertion portion C1 is inserted into the oral cavity K of the patient P, and the intraoral camera C that images the imaging target location T is passed through the passage hole 21a that allows the reflected light Lr reflected by the imaging target location T to enter. An incident light path R2 that guides the reflected light Lr incident from the hole 21a, a CMOS sensor 52a that receives and images the reflected light Lr that guides the incident light path R2, and an incident light of the reflected light Lr in the passage hole 21a By providing the coaxial illumination LED 25 that irradiates from the passage hole 21a as the coaxial illumination light L1 having the optical axis coinciding with the optical axis A of the reflected light Lr along a part of the irradiation direction in the path R2, the narrowness in the oral cavity K is provided. Even if the imaging target location T has a depth, the imaging target location T can be reliably imaged.

  Specifically, the coaxial illumination LED 25 causes the passage hole 21a as coaxial illumination light L1 having an optical axis that coincides with the optical axis A of the reflected light Lr along a part of the incident light path R2 of the reflected light Lr in the passage hole 21a. By irradiating more, that is, the optical axis A of the reflected light Lr incident on the passage hole 21a and guided through the incident light path R2 and picked up by the CMOS sensor 52a and the light of the coaxial illumination light L1 Since the axis substantially coincides with the imaging target location T, even the imaging target location T having a narrow depth is illuminated with the coaxial illumination light L1 up to the imaging target location T deep in the narrow location, and imaging is performed. The reflected light Lr reflected by the target location T can be incident on the passage hole 21a and imaged.

  Further, the passage hole 21a is arranged in the irradiation direction intersecting the axial direction X of the camera internal mechanism 10 having the incident light path R2, and the reflected light Lr is transmitted from the passage hole 21a to the axial direction X in the incident light path R2. The reflection mirror 22 is reflected toward the light source and changes the direction, and the reflection mirror 22 is inclined at an angle with respect to 45 degrees which is a predetermined angle at which the reflected light Lr changes the direction from the passage hole 21a toward the axial direction X. By arranging, the freedom degree about arrangement | positioning of the passage hole 21a etc. in the camera internal mechanism 10 improves, and the intraoral camera C of a desired shape can be comprised.

  Therefore, the observation image of the dental caries situation, the defect part, the lesion part, the adhesion situation of the calculus or the plaque, the root canal part, the gingiva, the cheek, the tongue lesion part in the oral cavity K is taken, and the taken oral cavity K It is possible to perform medical treatment while displaying and confirming the observed image on the monitor M, or to perform informed consent.

  Further, the reflection mirror 22 is reflected at the surface of the cover glass 27 by being disposed at an angle inclined with respect to 45 degrees that is a predetermined angle at which the reflected light Lr changes its direction from the passage hole 21a toward the axial direction X. Further, it is possible to prevent a reflection portion of the coaxial illumination light L1, the oblique illumination light L2, or the reflected light Lr from appearing as a flare, and to capture a clear observation image.

  Specifically, the provision of the cover glass 27 that allows light to pass can prevent unwanted materials such as saliva from entering the inside of the apparatus, but the coaxial illumination light L1, oblique illumination light L2, or reflected light Lr is covered. When passing through the glass 27, part of the light is reflected on the surface of the cover glass 27 and reflected as a flare, and the captured image becomes whitish or the light oozes to capture a clear observation image. become unable. On the other hand, the reflecting mirror 22 is reflected at the surface of the cover glass 27 by being disposed at an angle inclined with respect to 45 degrees that is a predetermined angle at which the reflected light Lr changes its direction from the irradiation direction toward the axial direction X. A clear observation image can be captured without combining the reflected light and the reflected light Lr to be imaged.

  Further, the coaxial illumination LED 25 is arranged in a direction intersecting the axial direction X, and the beam splitter 24 for guiding the reflected light Lr and the coaxial illumination light L1 coaxially is provided in the incident light path R2. Thus, the reflected light Lr and the coaxial illumination light L1 can be guided on the same axis to form a compact intraoral camera C.

  Further, by providing the oblique illumination LED 26 that emits the oblique illumination light L2 from the eccentric position decentered in the direction intersecting the optical axis A of the reflected light Lr, the narrow and deep imaging target location T is provided. While irradiating the coaxial illumination light L1, for example, the oblique illumination light L2 can be irradiated to the tooth to which is the periphery of the imaging target location T, and a clearer observation image can be captured.

  Further, the oblique LED 26 is composed of the white LED 26b that emits the white illumination light Lw and the blue LED 26a that emits the blue illumination light Lb, so that only the white illumination light Lw, only the blue illumination light Lb, Or the illumination light according to a use can be irradiated, such as irradiation as what is called cocktail light which irradiates white illumination light Lw and blue illumination light Lb simultaneously.

  Specifically, when the blue illumination light Lb is irradiated as excitation light, fluorescence in the visible region is emitted from the dental caries, dental calculus, dental plaque, etc. of the tooth to, so that the dental caries, dental calculus, dental plaque, etc. are displayed on the monitor M. Visual observation can be easily performed by the displayed image. Further, when the white illumination light Lw is irradiated, a bright image can be irradiated. In this way, it is possible to capture an observation image that takes advantage of the characteristics of the white illumination light Lw and the blue illumination light Lb.

  Further, by providing the intraoral camera C with a control unit that controls irradiation of illumination light in the coaxial illumination LED 25 and the oblique illumination LED 26, an observation image in a desired illumination state can be taken. Specifically, only a narrow and deep imaging target portion T is irradiated with the coaxial illumination light L1, or only the peripheral tooth to is irradiated with the oblique illumination light L2, or a narrow and deep imaging target. In order to make the contrast in the observation image of the point T stand out, various desired illuminations for capturing an observation image suitable for medical treatment are adjusted by adjusting the light quantity balance between the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2. You can make a situation.

  Further, by providing the camera internal mechanism 10 with the focus adjustment unit 40 for the imaging target location T to be imaged by the imaging device, the narrow and deep imaging target location T is irradiated with the coaxial illumination light L1, and the imaging target A clear observation image with the focus adjusted to the location T can be taken.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The living body of the present invention corresponds to the patient P,
Similarly,
The dark place and the oral cavity correspond to the oral cavity K,
The part to be inserted in the dark corresponds to the insertion part C1,
The biological imaging apparatus corresponds to the intraoral camera C,
The reflected light and incident light correspond to the reflected light Lr,
The light passage end corresponds to the passage hole 21a,
The light guide corresponds to the incident light path R2,
The imaging unit corresponds to the CMOS sensor 52a,
The coaxial illumination unit corresponds to the coaxial illumination LED 25,
The window corresponds to the cover glass 27,
The device body corresponds to the camera internal mechanism 10,
The reflecting means corresponds to the reflecting mirror 22,
The oblique illumination unit corresponds to the oblique illumination LED 26,
The white illumination unit corresponds to the white LED 26b,
The blue illumination part corresponds to the blue LED 26a,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

  For example, in the above description, the reflection mirror 22 is inclined with respect to a predetermined angle for changing the direction of the coaxial illumination light L1, and flare reflection due to reflection on the cover glass 27 is prevented. 27 may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis A of the reflected light Lr, thereby preventing flare from appearing in the captured image.

  In the above description, the coaxial illumination LED 25 is provided as the light source of the coaxial illumination light L1, and the oblique illumination LED 26 is provided as the light source of the oblique illumination light L2. A part of the light guide may be divided into oblique illumination light L2 and irradiated. That is, a compact intraoral camera C can be configured by sharing the light sources of the coaxial illumination light L1 and the oblique illumination light L2. Further, by sharing the light source in the oblique illumination LED 26 and the coaxial illumination LED 25, the number of parts is reduced, the assembling property of the intraoral camera C is improved, and the material cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the medical purpose and the observation purpose are limited to only a narrow portion such as a root canal, and the oblique illumination light L2 is not provided and the oblique illumination LED 26 is not provided, and only the coaxial illumination LED 25 is used. Also good. Further, the oblique illumination LED 26 is configured by the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b, but may be configured by only one of the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b, or may be configured by the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b according to the medical purpose or the observation purpose. The oblique illumination placement board 21 provided with the oblique illumination LED 26 constituted by any one of the above and the oblique illumination placement board 21 provided with the oblique illumination LED 26 constituted by both may be configured to be exchangeable. You may comprise so that illumination LED25 can be replaced | exchanged for the light source which irradiates irradiation light of a desired wavelength according to the medical treatment objective or the observation objective.

  Further, the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b constituting the oblique illumination LED 26 irradiate the diffused light downward, and the diffused light constitutes the oblique illumination light L2, but the blue LED 26a and the white LED 26b constituting the oblique illumination LED 26 are You may incline and arrange | position so that it may irradiate toward the optical axis A.

  Moreover, although it was set as the structure which connected the cable 4 which transmits the image signal to which the one end was connected to the monitor M at the rear end of the intraoral camera C, a wireless transmitter and a rechargeable battery for wirelessly transmitting the image signal are connected to the rear end side. It is good also as a structure made cordless by providing in the exterior 2c.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the imaging target location T is the tooth to or root canal in the oral cavity K. For example, the insertion portion C1 is inserted into an otolaryngological region such as the ear canal or the nasal cavity, and the inside is imaged. The intraoral camera C may be used for medical care in the otolaryngology region.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera internal mechanism 21a ... Pass-through hole 22 ... Reflection mirror 24 ... Beam splitter 25 ... Coaxial illumination LED
26 ... LED for oblique illumination
26a ... Blue LED
26b ... White LED
27 ... Cover glass 40 ... Focus adjustment section 52a ... CMOS sensor A ... Optical axis C ... Intraoral camera C1 ... Insertion section K ... Oral cavity L1 ... Coaxial illumination light L2 ... Oblique illumination light Lb ... Blue illumination light Lr ... Reflected light Lw ... White illumination light P ... patient R2 ... incident light path T ... imaging target location X ... axial direction

Claims (9)

A hand-held biological imaging apparatus that inserts a part in a dark place in a living body and images an imaging target location,
A head portion that has a light passage end portion that allows incidence of reflected light reflected at the imaging target location, and is inserted into the dark place ;
A light guide for guiding incident light incident from the light passing end;
And an imaging unit that receives and captures the incident light that guides the light guide unit is arranged in this order ,
In the head part,
An in-head lens set for guiding the incident light incident from the light passage end to the light guide;
In the light passage end, guided through the light guide portion, the imaging target portion from the light transmission end as a coaxial illumination light substantially parallel to the optical axis and the optical axis of the incident light to be captured by the imaging unit a coaxial illumination unit that irradiates toward,
A beam splitter for guiding the incident light and the coaxial illumination light on the same axis; and
In the head part,
The light source of the coaxial illumination unit is disposed in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the head unit,
The biological imaging apparatus , wherein the coaxial illumination light emitted from the light source of the coaxial illumination unit is guided through the in-head lens group without passing through another lens and converged . The light passage end portion, a window portion that allows passage of light are provided,
The living body imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window portion is disposed in a direction inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the incident light. The light passage ends, Rutotomoni arranged in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of said head portion,
To the head portion, the biological imaging device according to incident light in claim 2 in which the reflecting means provided for by reflected towards the axial direction change of the head portion from the light passage end. The oblique illumination part which irradiates from the said light passage end part as oblique illumination light from the eccentric position decentered in the direction which cross | intersects the optical axis of the said incident light is further provided in any one of the Claims 1 thru | or 3 further provided. The biological imaging apparatus described. The oblique illumination part is
The living body imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , comprising a white illumination unit that emits white illumination light and a blue illumination unit that emits blue illumination light. The oblique illumination unit and biological imaging device according to <br/> claim 4 light source is a common light source in the coaxial illumination unit. Biological imaging device according to any one of claims 4 to 6 control unit is provided for controlling the irradiation of the illumination light in the coaxial illumination unit and the oblique illumination unit. Wherein the apparatus main body, the living body image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7 focus adjustment unit provided with respect to the imaging target portion imaged by the imaging device. Biological imaging device according to any one of the dark is oral <br/> claims 1 to 8 in the living body.