JPH06269403A - Electronic endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate manual operations by keeping a vertical (top-bottom) direction without rotating an image on a TV monitor even when the main body of an endoscope is rotated around an optical axis while operating the endoscope, and easily grasping the orientation. CONSTITUTION:An electronic abdominal mirror 1 for picking up an endoscopic image with a CCD and displaying this image on an external monitor 27 is provided with magnetic coils 25 and 26 for calculating the rotating amount of the main body of the endoscope by detecting a position or inclination corresponding to a physical amount such as a magnetic field or gravity occupying a space where the main body of the endoscope is positioned and further, an endoscopic image rotation correcting means is equipped to rotate the direction of the image formed on the image pickup plane of the CCD around the optical axis and to keep the image on the monitor 27 in an erect normal state corresponding to the rotation of the abdominal mirror 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope apparatus for displaying an endoscopic image picked up by an image pickup device such as a CCD on a TV monitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an electronic endoscope (so-called videoscope) in which a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD is incorporated in an endoscope insertion portion or an operation portion main body. In this electronic endoscope, when the endoscope body is rotated around the optical axis during a surgical operation, the direction of the image of the subject is rotated on the TV monitor,
The vertical direction (vertical direction) of the image changes.

When performing an operation in a body cavity using this type of endoscope, the insertion portion of the endoscope may be rotated around the optical axis in order to change the field of view of the endoscope. At this time, the image on the TV monitor is rotated and tilted, or the top and bottom are reversed, so that orientation is not easy and manipulation of the procedure is difficult. This is because, especially in the case of a side-viewing type or a perspective type endoscope, the observation direction changes greatly,
It tends to be difficult to understand the orientation.

[0004]

As described above, in the electronic endoscope incorporating the solid-state image pickup device, when the insertion portion is rotated around the optical axis while the endoscope is being operated, it is displayed on the TV monitor. The image of is rotated and tilted, and the top and bottom are reversed.
In particular, in the case of a side-viewing type or a perspective type endoscope, the observation direction is greatly changed. As a result, it is not easy to grasp the orientation and it is difficult to perform the manipulating operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain an image on a monitor even if the endoscope body is rotated around the optical axis during operation of the endoscope. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscopic device that can maintain the vertical (vertical) direction without rotating, its orientation can be easily grasped, and manipulation of a procedure can be easily performed.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes an endoscopic image with an image pickup device through an optical system provided in an endoscope main body and displays this image on an external monitor. In the electronic endoscope apparatus for displaying, a detection unit that detects a rotation amount of the endoscope body by detecting a position and an inclination with respect to a physical quantity such as a magnetic field occupying a space where the endoscope body is located; Image rotation means for rotating the direction of the image formed on the imaging surface around the optical axis, a drive mechanism for operating this image rotation means, and the drive according to the rotation amount of the endoscope main body obtained by the detection means. An endoscope image rotation correction means for controlling the image rotation means by a mechanism so as not to rotate the image on the monitor is provided. Even when the endoscope main body is rotated around the optical axis during the operation of the endoscope, the image on the monitor does not rotate and the erect state can be always maintained.

[0007]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a case of performing laparoscopic surgery using a trocar will be described. Here, the electronic endoscope is a perspective laparoscope 1 that is a rigid endoscope. Figure 1
Indicates the usage state.

The laparoscope 1 has an insertion portion 2 and a hand operation portion 3. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 denotes an abdominal wall, and a plurality of trocar outer tube tubes 6, 7 are installed in the abdominal cavity 5 penetrating the abdominal wall 4, and the laparoscope 1 is provided through one trocar outer tube tube 6.
The insertion part 2 of is inserted. Further, a grasping forceps 8 is inserted through the other trocar outer tube 7, for example.

The insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1 has a straight tubular sheath 9, and a relay lens 10 is provided inside the sheath 9.
Is provided. A perspective type objective lens system (not shown) is provided in the distal end portion of the sheath 9, and the structure imaged by this is transmitted to the hand operation unit 3 side through the relay lens 10. A light guide fiber bundle 11 is inserted and arranged from the insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1 to the hand operation portion 3.

A CCD 14 as a solid-state image pickup element for converting an image formed on an image pickup surface into an electric signal (image pickup signal) is fixedly provided on the main body 13 of the hand-held operation section 3. An image rotator 15 is rotatably installed on the optical axis between the emitting end of the relay lens 10 and the image pickup surface of the CCD 14. By rotating around the optical axis, the image rotator 15 has a function of rotating the field image formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 14 by twice the rotation amount. The image rotator 15 is adapted to be appropriately rotated by a rotary drive device 17.

The CCD 14 has an amplifier circuit for amplifying the image pickup signal obtained thereby, and a signal cable 18 is connected to the amplifier circuit. The signal cable 18 is connected to a camera control unit 21 outside the endoscope through a flexible cable tube 19. The camera control unit 21 controls the reading operation of the CCD 14, processes the image pickup signal, and converts it into a video signal.
This video signal is transmitted to the TV monitor 22.

The light guide fiber bundle 11 is also
The flexible cable tube 19 leads to an external light source device for an endoscope (not shown). Therefore, the light guide fiber bundle 11 and the signal cable 1
Since 8 and 8 are combined into one, these are not complicated to handle during the procedure.

A sense coil 25 as a position sensor for detecting the amount of rotation of the endoscope main body from the position and orientation of the laparoscope 1 is provided inside the main body 13 of the hand-held operation section 3, for example, of the endoscope main body. Is provided. This sense coil 25
Has three magnetic receiving coils orthogonal to each other on three axes. And this detects the magnetic field which the source coil 26 mentioned later produces | generates, and detects the position and direction of itself.

The source coil 26 is the sense coil 2
As in the case of No. 5, it has three magnetic field generating coils orthogonal to each other on three axes. A drive circuit 28 of the control device 27 sequentially supplies a pulse current to each magnetic field generating coil to generate a reference magnetic field in the x, y, z axial directions in the space where the laparoscope 1 is used. An induced current is generated in each magnetic receiving coil of the sense coil 25 incorporated in the laparoscope 1 in each axial direction by the reference magnetic field. And this induced current is
It is detected by the detection circuit 29 of the control device 27. The drive circuit 28 and the detection circuit 29 are linked and controlled by the control device 27.

The detection result is output to the arithmetic unit 30. Then, this detection result is compared and calculated with the inclination (rotation) of the endoscopic image with respect to the position and orientation of the endoscope, which has been input in advance to the arithmetic unit 30, and thereby the rotational orientation around the axis of the laparoscope 1 and its orientation. Calculate the amount of rotation. Furthermore, the image rotator 15 required to erect the endoscopic image
The rotation data of is calculated. The data obtained by calculation in the calculation device 30 is sent to the drive control device 31. Drive controller 3
Reference numeral 1 constitutes an endoscopic image rotation correction means for controlling the operation of the rotation drive device 17 and rotating the image rotator 15 in a predetermined direction by a predetermined amount.

Next, the operation will be described together with the situation in which laparoscopic surgery is performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1 is inserted through one trocar outer tube 6,
A grasping forceps 8 is inserted into the other trocar outer tube 7.

Then, the organs and the like in the abdominal cavity 5 are observed through the laparoscope 1 to make a diagnosis, and the laparoscopic surgery using the grasping forceps 8 is performed. The observation state of the laparoscope 1 in this case will be described. First, in a normal posture in which the laparoscope 1 faces the front, the TV monitor 22 displays an endoscopic image (field image) as shown in FIG. Appears, and the operator recognizes that the laparoscope 1 is in an erect image corresponding to the front direction. The rotation angle of the image rotator 15 at this time is “0 °”, and an erect image is formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 14.

The laparoscope 1 is rotated from this state. what if,
When rotated 90 degrees clockwise, it is shown in Fig. 2 (b).
As shown in, the image rotator 15 and the CCD 14
Also rotates "90 °" clockwise. Therefore, the screen of the TV monitor 22 moves counterclockwise to "90.
° ', that is, it rotates in the opposite direction.

Here, the direction and amount of rotation of the laparoscope 1 are
As described above, the sense coil 25 is replaced by the source coil 26.
It can be known by detecting the state of the magnetic field generated by and processing it by the arithmetic unit 30. Drive controller 3
Reference numeral 1 controls the operation of the rotation drive device 17 according to the direction and amount of rotation of the laparoscope 1.

That is, the image rotator 15 is set to "4
5 ° ”Rotate counterclockwise. Therefore, the CCD 14
The image on the image pickup surface of is rotated 90 degrees clockwise,
As shown in FIG. 2C, the image on the imaging surface of the CCD 14 returns to the upright state. Therefore, the TV monitor 22
An upright image is always obtained on the screen. For this reason, even if the insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1 is rotated in a timely manner depending on the use situation, it is possible to observe the laparoscope 1 in an upright state with respect to the main body of the laparoscope 1.

In the structure of the above embodiment, it is incorporated in the main body of the hand operation unit, but it may be installed in the insertion unit. In this case, the drive source may be incorporated in the main body of the hand-held operation unit, and the CCD in the insertion unit may be rotated via a rotary tube or the like. The CCD can be directly opposed to the objective optical system.

FIG. 3 shows a modification in which the driving operation of the rotary drive device 17 is controlled by the fuzzy inference means 35. The fuzzy inference means 35 writes the data (rotational speed, rotation angle, holding time at the position after rotation, etc.) output from the arithmetic unit 30 into the membership function antecedent part (condition for the fuzzy rule to be established). Part),
Membership function consequent part (result part of fuzzy rule)
Outputs the control data of the image rotator 15 to the rotary drive device 17, and the rotary drive device 17 rotates the image rotator 15. The conditions are a rotation speed, a rotation angle, a holding time at a position after rotation, and the like, which are input from the input unit 36. It should be noted that other conditions may be added.

Therefore, first, the user inputs the above-mentioned condition data for rotation correction from the input unit 36 to the membership function antecedent unit. It should be noted that other conditions may be added.

However, under the condition set by the user, that is, the rotation angle of the endoscope is not more than a certain value, the rotation is within a certain time, the rotation correction is not applied, and the rotation correction operation of the endoscope image is ignored. Therefore, the image on the TV monitor 22 does not rotate due to camera shake or sudden rotation of the rigid endoscope 1. Therefore, the operator's fatigue due to monitor observation can be reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This is provided with an adapter 40 that surrounds the main body of the laparoscope 1 as described above, for example, the outer periphery of the insertion portion 2. The adapter 40 is placed by being placed on the surface of the abdominal wall 4 of the patient. The laparoscope 1 is constructed in the same manner as in the case of the first embodiment described above, and has an image rotator 15 for correcting the rotation of the endoscopic image thereof and a rotation driving device for the image rotator 15. A light guide base 4 is provided on the hand operation unit 3 of the laparoscope 1.
1 is provided. When used, the laparoscope 1 is inserted through the trocar outer tube 6.

An index 42 such as a bar code or a line extending in the axial direction of the insertion section 2 is provided on the outer circumference of the insertion section 2.
A sensor 44 for reading the index 42 is provided on the inner surface portion of the insertion hole 43 of the adapter 40 through which the insertion portion 2 is inserted.

As the sensor 44, a means such as light, ultrasonic wave, or weak electric current is used. As the insertion section 2 of the laparoscope 1 rotates, some indicators 42 pass in front of the sensor 44. Detect what you did. This detection data is sent to the arithmetic unit 45, where the rotation angle of the laparoscope 1 is calculated.

Further, the amount of rotation of the image rotator 15 required for erecting the image on the monitor is preliminarily calculated from the data of the amount of rotation of the endoscope image with respect to the rotation angle of the endoscope which is input to the arithmetic unit 45 in advance. Calculated and sent this data to the control device 46, which causes the image rotator 1 to
The rotary drive unit 5 is operated. The rotation of the endoscopic image of the TV monitor due to the rotation of the laparoscope 1 is corrected, and the monitor image is maintained in the upright state. In this embodiment, the sensor 42 provided on the adapter 40 is used to detect the index 42 of the laparoscope 1.
Therefore, the rotation of the laparoscope 1 can be reliably detected with a simple configuration means.

FIG. 5 shows a modification of the above-mentioned second embodiment. In this modification, the adapter 40 that rotatably holds the main body of the laparoscope 1 is held at an arbitrary spatial position by an articulated support arm 48 fixed to an operating table 47. Others are the same as those of the second embodiment described above.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the CC incorporated in the endoscope body
In an electronic endoscope apparatus that displays an endoscopic image captured by an image sensor such as D on a TV monitor installed outside the endoscope,
The rotation of the endoscope is detected by utilizing gravity, and the endoscope image is corrected so as to be upright based on the rotation angle data. The endoscope in this case uses the laparoscope 1 as an example, as in the above-described embodiment.

The laparoscope 1 has a hand-side operation section 3 having a first gravity sensor 51 for detecting the rotation of the endoscope about its axis and a second gravity sensor for detecting the tilt angle of the axis of the endoscope. 52
And are incorporated.

The first gravity sensor 51 for detecting the rotation of the endoscope about its axis is a hollow tube 5 in which a moving ball 53 is placed on the outer periphery of the main body of the hand-side operating section 3 and which is rounded in a so-called donut shape.
4 is attached. The moving ball 53 is always a hollow tube 54.
Is located in the lowest part of the endoscope and detects the rotation around the axis of the endoscope based on the amount of movement from the front position. Moving ball 5
As the detecting means of No. 3, for example, a number of proximity switches are arranged along the hollow tube 54 and the moving ball 53 is detected.

Using this detection data, the rotation drive device of the image rotator 15 is operated to correct the rotation of the endoscopic image of the TV monitor accompanying the rotation of the laparoscope 1, and the monitor image is erected. To maintain.

On the other hand, in the second gravity sensor 52 for detecting the tilt angle of the axis of the endoscope, a moving ball 55 is put in the main body of the hand-side operation portion 3 along the axial direction of the endoscope. The straight tube hollow tube 56 is installed, and the tilt angle of the axis of the endoscope is detected by detecting the position of the moving ball 55 that moves according to the tilt angle of the axis of the endoscope. Moving ball 55
As a detecting means of, for example, a large number of proximity switches are arranged along the hollow tube 56, and the moving ball 55 is detected. The inclination angle of the axis of the endoscope is calculated using this detection data. Then, when the tilt angle with respect to the vertical axis is equal to or less than the constant angle θ, the operation of correcting the rotation of the endoscopic image is canceled, and the control for fixing the endoscopic image at the position before the cancellation is performed.

Therefore, the rotation correction of the endoscopic image in the use of the laparoscope 1 is performed by the detection data of the first gravity sensor 51 for detecting the rotation around the axis of the endoscope, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. This is performed by controlling the rotation drive device of the image rotator 15.

In the situation A in which the laparoscope 1 is used upright, the first gravity sensor 51 operates when the laparoscope 1 is laid down in the state B on the opposite side without rotating. Resulting in. That is, although it is not actually desired to rotate, the operation of correcting the rotation of the endoscopic image by detecting gravity is performed, and unnecessary rotation of the endoscopic image occurs, resulting in poor usability.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the inclination angle of the endoscope axis is detected by the second gravity sensor 52, and the angle is θ.
When the following occurs, the rotation correction operation of the endoscopic image that is automatically performed is stopped, and the endoscopic image is fixed at the position before release.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation of correcting the rotation of the endoscopic image by detecting gravity even if the endoscopic image is not desired to be rotated, and the endoscopic image does not rotate, which is convenient.

FIG. 7 shows a gravity sensor 57 for simultaneously detecting the rotation angle of the endoscope about the optical axis and the tilt angle of the endoscope axis. The gravity sensor 57 accommodates a floating member 59 in a cavity formed in the wall of a cylindrical body 58, and at the position of the floating member 59, the rotation angle around the optical axis of the endoscope and the tilt angle of the endoscope axis. Are detected at the same time.

8 and 9 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a CCD 14 as a solid-state image pickup device is provided in the main body 60 of the hand-side operation section 3 of the laparoscope 1, and the optical image transmitted through the relay lens 61 is picked up. An image rotator 15 is rotatably installed on the optical axis between the CCD 14 and the relay lens 61. In FIG. 8, 62 is a light guide fiber.

The image rotator 15 has a function of rotating the visual field image formed on the image pickup surface of the CCD 14 by rotating around the optical axis. Image rotator 1
5 is rotationally driven by an image rotator drive device 64 which is also controlled by a control device 63 provided in the main body 60 of the hand operation unit 3, and automatically corrects the endoscopic image on the monitor to be upright.

As shown in FIG. 9, the main body 6 of the hand-held operating section 3
The outer periphery of 0 has a plurality of light receiving elements 6 at equal intervals over the entire circumference.
5 are provided. These light receiving elements 65 receive light from an illumination lamp 66 installed on the ceiling of the operating room, and which part of the main body 60 is most strongly exposed to light from the difference in the amount of light received by each light receiving element 65. The direction (rotation amount) of the endoscope is detected by this.

That is, the amount of rotation of the image rotator 15 required to erect the endoscopic image on the monitor is determined, and the image rotator driving device 64 controlled by the control device 63 controls the image rotator 15 so that the image rotator 15 is rotated. It is rotated and automatically corrected so that the endoscopic image on the monitor is upright. The light receiving element 65 or the control device 63 may be provided not on the endoscope body but on the holder of the endoscope holding device used for fixing the endoscope during the operation.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which a CCD 14 as a solid-state image pickup device is laterally arranged in the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1. Further, the image rotator 15 is interposed between the prism 66a provided on the image pickup surface of the CCD 14 and the objective lens 66b. In this case, since it becomes a back image in the image rotator 15 and then returns to the original front image by the prism 66, it is not necessary to reverse the image while the image captured on the image pickup surface of the CCD 14 is displayed on the monitor. In FIG.
68 is an image rotator driving device, 69 is a perspective type objective lens, and 70 is a light guide fiber bundle.

11 to 13 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a perspective laparoscope 1 is used.
This is an example of rotatably holding the insertion portion 2 of the copula holder 71, and an encoder 72 for detecting the rotation of the insertion portion 2 of the laparoscope 1 is incorporated in the scope holder 71.

On the other hand, the laparoscope 1 is provided with a solid-state image pickup device for picking up an observation field of view of the endoscope as in the case described above. An endoscopic image taken by this solid-state imaging device is displayed on a monitor 73 installed outside the endoscope. Monitor 7
The motor 3 is rotated by a motor 74 so that the endoscopic image is rotated upright. The rotation of the motor 74 is controlled by the controller 75. Controller 75
Takes in the rotation data of the endoscope detected by the encoder 72, controls the driver 76, and operates the motor 74.

When the laparoscope 1 is rotated about its axis, the monitor 73 itself is rotated in response to the rotation so that the endoscopic image is automatically corrected so as to be upright.

In the present invention, instead of using the image rotator, the image pickup device may be rotated for correction. Since the function of the image rotator is to rotate the image formed on the image sensor, the same function can be obtained even if the image sensor is relatively rotated.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, the image on the monitor does not rotate even if the endoscope body is rotated around the optical axis during the operation of the endoscope. The endoscopic image can be kept upright, its orientation is easy to grasp, and the operation of the procedure is easy. Further, since the rotation amount of the endoscope main body is obtained by detecting the position or inclination with respect to the physical quantity such as the magnetic field or gravity occupying the space where the endoscope main body is located, the portion of the detection means to be incorporated in the endoscope main body. Is relatively simple in configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a usage state of a laparoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the rotation correction operation of the endoscopic image according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a usage state of a laparoscope according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a usage state of the laparoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a usage state according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a usage state of the laparoscope according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified example of the gravity detection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the usage state according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an insertion portion of another modification of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the usage state according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a monitor unit of a laparoscopic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of a laparoscopic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Laparoscope, 2 ... Insertion part, 3 ... Hand operation part, 14 ... CC
D, 15 ... Image rotator, 22 ... TV monitor, 2
5 ... Sense coil, 26 ... Source coil, 27 ... Control device, 28 ... Drive circuit, 30 ... Arithmetic device.

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Akira Shiga 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tetsumaru Kubota 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akihiro Taguchi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hitoshi Mizuno 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Yoshino 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Shinkichi Tanizawa 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinji Yamashita 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Asahi Ishikawa 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Ori Inpass Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Iwao Kanamori 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electronic endoscope apparatus for picking up an endoscopic image with an image pickup device through an optical system provided in the endoscope main body and displaying the image on an external monitor, wherein the endoscope main body is positioned. Detecting means for obtaining the rotation amount of the endoscope main body by detecting the position and the inclination with respect to the physical quantity such as the magnetic field occupying the space,
The image rotation means for rotating the direction of the image formed on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device around the optical axis, the drive mechanism for operating the image rotation means, and the rotation amount of the endoscope main body obtained by the detection means. An electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an endoscope image rotation correction means for controlling the image rotation means by the drive mechanism so as not to rotate the image on the monitor.