JPH05341210A - Stereoscopic endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the stereoscopic endoscope device for thinning the diameter of the tip part of an inserting part by disposing at least two of plural objective optical systems on an axis for intersecting in parallel or non-vertically to a center axis of the inserting part. CONSTITUTION:As for the tip part 5 of an inserting part, the tip 5a is formed in a round and gently-sloping curve in order to soften resistance at the time of insertion, and formed in a shape in which a part of a column is cut by a plane 12 being parallel to a center axis 11. Two cover glass 7 provided in the outside of an objective optical system 6 is constituted so as to be exposed on an axis being parallel to the center axis 11 on this plane 12. That is, two optical axes of the objective optical system 6 are parallel to each other, and orthogonal to the center axis 11, respectively. Also, this plane 12 and the outside surface 13 on the column of the inserting part are connected by a gently-sloping slant face 14. In such a manner, the diameter of the tip part 5 of the inserting part can be thinned.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus having a plurality of objective optical systems.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an endoscope used in the medical field or the like, when an object to be observed is observed through the endoscope, there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp a stereoscopic effect by observation with one objective optical system. For example, when examining a protrusion in a body cavity,
Although obtaining a sense of perspective is a very important factor as a diagnostic index, it was difficult to observe a slight amount of non-flatness with the conventional endoscope. In recent years, a stereoscopic endoscope has been proposed and used to obtain this stereoscopic effect. The stereoscopic effect results from the parallax of the compound eyes,
The stereoscopic endoscope has two or more objective optical systems, and further includes a plurality of image pickup devices or the like corresponding to observe an observation object image through a monitor or record an observation image. May have. However, in the conventional stereoscopic endoscope, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of objective optical systems 1 are arranged on a shaft 3 that is at a right angle or a nearly right angle with respect to the central axis 2 of the endoscope insertion portion, The tip of the part had become thick. Further, in the arrangement of the objective optical system in such a conventional stereoscopic endoscope, the distance between the objective optical system for the right eye and the objective optical system for the left eye cannot be set so large in order to reduce the outer diameter of the insertion portion. , Sometimes there was not enough parallax to get between 3D objects.

[0003]

As described above, in the conventional stereoscopic endoscope apparatus in which a plurality of objective optical systems are provided on the axis perpendicular to the central axis of the insertion section, the outside of the tip section of the insertion section. The diameter was thick.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus in which the diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion is reduced.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of objective optical systems at the distal end portion of an insertion portion,
At least two of the plurality of objective optical systems are arranged on an axis that intersects with the central axis of the insertion portion in parallel or non-perpendicularly.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion portion of a stereoscopic endoscope, and FIG. 2 is a relationship between an operator's position, an observation surface, and a monitor image. Explanatory drawing of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which two or more monitors are connected to the stereoscopic endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment.

In the stereoscopic endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment, an elongated insertion portion adapted to be inserted into a subject such as a body cavity is provided extending from an operation portion which also serves as a grip portion on the proximal side. Further, a universal cord having a signal cable and the like installed therein is extended from the hand side of the operation section, and the universal cord is connected to a CCU (camera control unit). An image display angle adjusting device corresponding to the number of monitors is connected from the CCU, and the TV signal output from the CCU is adjusted to a video signal in which the vertical direction is adjusted to the operator's line-of-sight direction. Output.
Further, this monitor is a stereoscopic display monitor equipped with means for displaying stereoscopic video.

As shown in FIG. 1, two sets of objective optical systems 6 are provided at the tip portion 5 of the insertion portion, and cover glasses 7 are provided on the surfaces contacting the outside. CCDs 8 are respectively provided on the image forming planes of the two sets of objective optical systems 6, and signal lines 9 are connected to the CCDs 8. The signal lines 9 are extended from the insertion portion to a universal cord through an operation portion. Has been done.

The tip portion 5 of the insertion portion has a rounded and gentle curve at the tip 5a in order to reduce resistance during insertion, and a part of the cylinder is cut by a plane 12 parallel to the central axis 11. It is formed in a curved shape. The objective optical system 6
The two cover glasses 7 provided outside are exposed on an axis parallel to the central axis 11 on the plane 12. That is, the two optical axes of the objective optical system 6 are parallel to each other and orthogonal to the central axis 11. Further, the flat surface 12 and the cylindrical outer surface 13 of the insertion portion are connected by a gentle slope 14.

Although not shown, the endoscope in this embodiment has an illumination optical system and can illuminate an observation object by emitting illumination light from the tip.

A situation in which an operator uses the stereoscopic endoscope apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the two operators are facing each other. (Stereoscopic) The endoscope 16 is inserted into the observation body from a direction substantially perpendicular to the line-of-sight directions 17 of the two operators. There is one monitor for each of the two surgeons to be observed by the surgeon, and the monitor A19 observed by the surgeon A18 is placed next to the surgeon B20 with the monitor screen facing the surgeon A18. The monitor B21 observed by the operator B20 is placed next to the operator A18 with the monitor screen facing the operator B20. The objective optical system at the tip of the endoscope is directed downward, and an arrow 23 directed in the insertion direction of the endoscope is provided immediately below the tip on a horizontal observation surface. There is a point 24 on the side of the surgeon A. In this usage example, the operator A18 observes the arrow 23 and the point 24 on the observation surface as follows. The arrow 23 points to the right for the operator A18, and the point 24 is located on the right front side of the arrow 23. An image in the same direction as the line-of-sight direction of the operator A18 with respect to the observation surface is displayed on the monitor A19 within a circle indicated by reference numeral 26 as shown in the drawing. On the other hand, for the operator B20, the arrow 23 is facing left, and the point 24 is located on the left side of the arrow 23. An image of the operator B20 in the line-of-sight direction is displayed on the monitor B21 in a circle 27 as shown in the drawing. That is, with the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to make the operator's front-back, left-right direction and the front-back, left-right direction of the image displayed on the monitor consistent. It should be noted that, in the case of the configuration described in FIG. 2, the operator's line-of-sight direction and the display direction on the monitor can be matched most effectively.

According to the first embodiment, it is not necessary to dispose the objective optical system on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the endoscope, so that the tip portion of the endoscope can be made thin. .. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, in order to arrange two objective optical systems on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the insertion portion, the diameter of the endoscope distal end must be at least twice the diameter of the objective optical system. However, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the diameter of the tip portion may be equal to or larger than the diameter of the objective optical diameter. Further, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the distance between the optical axes of the two objective optical systems can be provided so as to be sufficiently separated, so that it is easy to obtain a stereoscopic effect.

It should be noted that as shown in FIG. 3, the monitors 19a, 19b, ..., 19f in this embodiment may be prepared in a required number according to the operator. In this case, the image display angle adjusting devices 29a, 29b, ..., 29 adapted to the visual line direction of each operator.
The fs are prepared and connected to the CCU 28 in the same number as the operator's line-of-sight direction. However, at this time, if it is considered that the operator's line-of-sight directions are substantially the same, one monitor may of course be observed by a plurality of operators.

FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view and an arrow A view of the distal end portion of the stereoscopic endoscope in the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is the second embodiment. It is an explanatory view when observing with such a stereoscopic endoscope. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in the following points.

The distal end portion 31 of the endoscope is provided with a flat surface portion 32 which makes an acute angle θ in FIG. 4 (a) with respect to the central axis of the insertion portion. The cover glass 7 provided on the front end side of the objective optical system 6 is exposed on the center line 33 of the plane 32 as shown in FIG. ing. The center line 33 intersects the center axis of the insertion portion at an angle θ.

According to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the angle formed by the observation body with respect to the insertion angle of the endoscope is approximately θ, an observation image from almost the front is obtained. In stereoscopic endoscopes, it is not desirable to observe from an oblique direction with respect to the observation object in order to obtain a stereoscopic effect.However, when observing a body cavity or organ, the angle between the insertion direction and the observation surface is vertical or Often the angles are not close to vertical. This problem is solved by the stereoscopic endoscope apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIGS. 6 and 7 relate to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the tip portion of the stereoscopic endoscope in the third embodiment and a view from the direction of arrow B, and FIG. 7 is the third embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the observation state of the organ by the stereoscopic endoscope which concerns. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments described above in the following points.

At the distal end portion 35 of the endoscope, the central axis of the insertion portion and the central axis of the insertion portion are shown in FIG.
A slope 37 having an acute angle θ ′ in FIG.
The central axis 3 of the slope 37 is as shown in the arrow B view in FIG.
A cover glass 7 provided outside the pair of objective optical systems 6 is exposed on the surface 4. The slope 37 is again connected to the cylindrical surface 39 at the tip end via the gentle slope 38, and the angle formed by the slope 37 and the slope 38 is an obtuse angle.
Further, the endoscope according to the present embodiment is configured so that the angle formed by the insertion direction and the observation direction by the objective optical system is an obtuse angle as α shown in FIG.

With the endoscope according to the third embodiment, a reward image which is difficult to obtain with the conventional endoscope can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the slanted surface 42 on the other side of the organ 41 that digs into the distal end direction side of the endoscope.
When observing, it is almost impossible to observe with a conventional rigid endoscope, and when observing this, an insertion hole for the endoscope must be provided separately, which puts a burden on the patient. However, with the endoscope of the present embodiment, a return image is obtained, and therefore observation can be performed without providing another insertion hole.

By the way, a monitor for displaying a stereoscopic image according to the present invention displays images obtained by polarizing images of a pair of objective optical systems in directions perpendicular to each other, and an operator wears polarizing glasses to observe the images. By doing so, a stereoscopic image is obtained.

However, at this time, the image displayed on the monitor looks stereoscopic, but, for example, the frame and background of the monitor do not appear stereoscopic, and the image displayed on the monitor becomes smaller as the observation distance increases and the surrounding stereoscopic image appears. Things that cannot be seen will cause discomfort to the surgeon. In particular, since the image of the endoscope is small, it is remarkably affected by the objects around it. To solve this, it is conceivable to enlarge the monitor, but enlarging the monitor is costly and requires space for installation.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, a bellows-like frame 53 having a sense of depth is displayed around a portion 52 on the monitor 51 for displaying an image by the endoscope, and the amount of the sense of depth due to the bellows is determined by the observer. It is configured so as to be linked to the amount of deviation between the two polarized images, that is, the distance to the observation object. In addition, a sample stereoscopic image 54, which makes it easy to obtain a stereoscopic effect and always looks stereoscopic, is displayed on the other part of the monitor 51 so as to alleviate the discomfort in the surroundings.

With this configuration, it is possible to provide a stereoscopic system for medical purposes, particularly in a stereoscopic view in an operating room, in which a sufficiently large monitor cannot be placed and a stereoscopic effect is easily obtained even when the observation distance becomes long. ..

On the other hand, the stereoscopic endoscopic image according to the present invention is a head mounted display (HMD) instead of a monitor.
You may observe by. As a conventional example of such an HMD, it is configured such that the right eye image is displayed on the right eye monitor and the left eye image is displayed on the left eye monitor, and the right eye observes only the right eye image and the left eye observes only the left eye image. Alternatively, it is known that a monitor image and a direct-view image by the naked eye are superposed by using a semitransparent member such as a half mirror provided in the field of view of the left and right eyes.

By the way, when the HMD is used for observation with an endoscope or a surgical microscope, it is required to be able to observe the state of the body surface opening with the naked eye in addition to the image inside the body cavity and the enlarged image. It goes without saying that the former conventional example cannot satisfy the above requirements because no image with the naked eye can be obtained at all, but in the latter conventional example, surgery is performed because the image of the endoscope and the image with the naked eye are overlapped. There is a problem that you cannot concentrate on. Further, as a configuration other than the above, it is conceivable to alternately observe an image of an endoscope or the like and an image of the naked eye, but there is a problem that it takes time and effort to switch between them.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, an image of an endoscope or the like and an image of the naked eye are respectively obtained depending on the direction of the line of sight during observation by the HMD.

The HMD 61 shown in FIG. 9 (a) has an HMD main body member 62 that covers the periphery of the eye to shield harmful light from the surroundings. The upper horizontal portion 63 is formed on the upper horizontal portion 63.
A vertical portion 64 that bends downward substantially vertically from the vertical portion and a monitor 65 are provided on the inner surface of the vertical portion 64, and an inclined portion 66 that obliquely bends downward from the vertical portion 64 and the inclined portion 6
6 has a view incident window 67, and a substantially horizontal lower horizontal portion 68 is formed on the front side. The monitor 65 has a monitor that displays a left-eye image on the left-eye side and a monitor that displays a right-eye image on the right-eye side when the operator observes the line of sight on the inner surface of the HMD main body member 62. The field-of-view entrance window 67 for observing with the naked eye is provided below the line of sight of the HMD body member 62.

With this configuration, when the line of sight is moved upward, an image of an endoscope or the like is observed, and when the line of sight is moved downward, the operator's hand such as surgery can be observed with the naked eye. Since this configuration does not use particularly expensive members and does not particularly require higher technology than the conventional one, a useful HMD having a wider use range than the conventional one at a cost substantially equal to that of the conventionally used HMD. Can be

Next, FIG. 9B shows another HMD 71.
This example is different from the example shown in FIG. 9A in that the image by the monitor 65 and the image by the view window 67 are observed through the prism 72.

With this configuration, when the image of an endoscope or the like is observed on the monitor 65, and when the image of the naked eye is observed, the view window 67 is used.
It is possible to reduce the amount of the angle in the line-of-sight direction that is switched between when observing with. In this way, the operator can reduce the feeling of fatigue caused by switching the line-of-sight direction.

FIG. 9C shows another HMD 74. This example differs from the examples shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B in that a half mirror 75 is provided inside the field-of-view entrance window 67 and the image on the monitor 76 is displayed on the half mirror 7.
It is a point that the light is reflected on the image No. 5 for observation. The half mirror 75 has different transmissivity and reflectance depending on the angle of the light beam. That is, when the angle is small as α in FIG. 9C, most incident light rays are reflected, and when the angle is large as β, most of the light rays are transmitted. Further, since the monitor 76 is provided on the inner surface of the convex portion 77 provided on the upper portion of the HMD 74, the operator cannot observe the image on the monitor almost directly.
The image on the monitor 76 is a mirror image, and is configured to be an erect image when the image reflected by the half mirror 75 is observed.

With the above-described configuration, the switching angle between the endoscopic image and the naked eye image can be small, and the monitor image and the naked eye image do not overlap over the entire surface unlike the conventional example.
It does not distract the surgeon's attention and fatigue. Further, the ratio of the monitor image on the half mirror 75 to the naked eye image can be freely selected by adjusting the angle at which the operator mounts the HMD 74.

The HMD shown in FIG. 9 is not limited to observing a stereoscopic endoscope image, but can be used for observing a stereoscopic image widely such as a stereoscopic microscope.

By the way, when various objects are placed around the monitor when observing a stereoscopic image on the monitor, the operator is unable to concentrate on the image on the monitor because the surrounding objects are distracted. The effect of stereoscopic images may not be obtained sufficiently. In other words, in the conventional stereoscopic image, the obtained stereoscopic effect may be affected by the environment around the place where the monitor is installed. In view of this problem, as shown in FIG. 10, a black low-reflector frame 83 is provided on the outer periphery of the monitor 82 so that an unnecessary object that hinders the observation of a stereoscopic image does not enter the visual field range 81 of the operator.

With this configuration, a stable and good three-dimensional effect can be obtained regardless of the monitor installation environment. Although it is desirable to provide the frame 83 of the low-reflector over the visual field range as shown in the figure, it is possible to obtain a certain effect even if the frame 83 does not cover the entire visual field range and is provided around the monitor to some extent.

[0036]

As described above, according to the stereoscopic endoscope of the present invention, the diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tip of the insertion portion of a stereoscopic endoscope.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a relationship between an operator's position, an observation surface, and a monitor image.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which two or more monitors are connected to the stereoscopic endoscope device.

4 and 5 relate to a second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of a stereoscopic endoscope and an arrow A view.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram when observing with a stereoscopic endoscope according to a second embodiment.

6 and 7 relate to a third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of a stereoscopic endoscope.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an observation state of an organ by the stereoscopic endoscope according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a front view for explaining an image display method for coordinating the stereoscopic effect between the endoscopic image and the surroundings on the monitor screen.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of an HMD.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a frame provided around the monitor.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a distal end portion of an insertion portion of a stereoscopic endoscope in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 ... Tip of insertion part 6 ... Objective optical system 7 ... Cover glass 8 ... CCD 11 ... Center axis of insertion part 12 ... Plane

Front page continued (72) Inventor Toyoji Harusawa 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Susumu Takahashi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akihiko Mochida 2-34-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takashi Fukaya 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optics Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshihiko Hashiguchi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Kenji Yoshino 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optics Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Keisuke Saito 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stereoscopic endoscope apparatus having a plurality of objective optical systems at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, wherein at least two of the plurality of objective optical systems are parallel or non-parallel to a central axis of the insertion portion. A stereoscopic endoscope device, which is arranged on an axis intersecting vertically.