JP2001128929A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the outer diameter of the tip of the inserting part of a slant view type or side view type endoscope. SOLUTION: A light guide fiber 10 is mounted around a lumen 6 for storing examination optical system lenses 7 at the insertion part 2 of a slant view type hard endoscope. The emitting end face 10b of the light guide fiber 10 is formed on the same plane as the top face 2a of the insertion part, and a number of fine bubbles 10a are formed in the light guide fiber 10. The illumination light guided by the light guide fiber 10 is partly reflected by the fine bubbles 10a and diffused in the outer peripheral direction, while the remaining illumination light is emitted from the top face 10b. As a result, the insertion part 2 emits light on the top face and in the longitudinal axial direction, and naturally, the illumination light is irradiated also in the direction of the visual field for examination. Therefore, it is not necessary to bend the top face of the light guide fiber 10 in the direction of the visual field for examination.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope having an observation field of view in a perspective direction or a side viewing direction and capable of reducing the outer diameter of an insertion portion of the endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, endoscopes having an elongated insertion portion have been developed.
In the medical field and the industrial field, it has come to be widely used for inspection of organs in body cavities or inside plants.

[0003] In this type of endoscope, not only a standard endoscope having an observation field of view in the front but also a perspective endoscope having an observation field of view diagonally forward or a field of view in the side. Side-view endoscopes have also been used.

In such a perspective endoscope or a side-view type endoscope, light from an emission end face of a light guide fiber disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion in parallel with the insertion portion is transmitted to a longitudinal axis of the insertion portion. In order to face the observation viewing direction that is obliquely forward or to the side with respect to the direction, it is necessary to shape the light emitting end face in a state of being bent in the observation viewing direction.

[0005] Therefore, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 58-16870.
In the oblique type endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-208, a light guide fiber inserted through an endoscope insertion portion covered with a hard outer tube is connected to an inner tube containing an observation optical system lens group and an outer tube. The light guide fiber is pressed and fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube, and the distal end of the light guide fiber is bent obliquely forward by the outer peripheral surface of the pressing member provided at the distal end of the inner tube and the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube. It is pressed and fixed in this state.

[0006]

However, since the bending radius of the light guide fiber cannot be reduced beyond a certain value, the light guide fiber does not break at the distal end of the insertion portion and is bent in the direction of the viewing field without difficulty. In order to maintain the adjusted posture, a space for securing a bent portion of the light guide fiber is required as disclosed in the above prior art.

As a result, it is difficult to reduce the outer diameter of the insertion portion of the oblique type endoscope or the side-view type endoscope because it is necessary to secure a bending space for the light guide fiber. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of reducing the outer diameter of an insertion portion in a perspective or side-view type endoscope.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an endoscope for observing in a perspective direction or a side view direction. A light guide fiber that emits light over the entire length is provided.

In such a configuration, since the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion emits light over a wide range, and the observation viewing direction in the oblique direction or the side viewing direction is illuminated over a wide range, it is necessary to bend the light guide fiber in the viewing direction. Disappears.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a perspective rigid endoscope.
The oblique rigid endoscope 1 has an insertion portion 2, an eyepiece 3, a connector 4 for connecting a light guide cable, and the like, and the distal end surface 2a of the insertion portion 2 is inclined in a direction orthogonal to the observation visual field direction. Have been.

An incident end face of a light guide fiber 10, which will be described later, faces the connector 4. A light guide cable extending from a light source device (not shown) is connected to the connector 4, and illumination light from the light source device is applied to the incident end face (not shown) of the light guide fiber 10 facing the connector 4. Is incident on.

FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of the insertion section 2. The insertion portion 2 includes an outer tube 5 as a cylindrical member formed in a cylindrical shape, and an inner tube 6 inserted and inscribed in the outer tube 5, and the observation optical system lens group 7 is housed in the inner tube 6. Have been. The distal surfaces of the outer tube 5 and the inner tube 6 are formed on the same surface on the distal surface 2 a of the insertion section 2.

The outer tube 5 is made of an inner circumferential tube 8 made of stainless steel.
And a transparent resin outer peripheral tube 9 and a light guide fiber 10 interposed between the two tubes 8 and 9 and extending from the connector 4 to form a three-layer structure.
Numeral 0 is arranged over the entire length from the eyepiece 3 side of the outer peripheral tube 9 to the tip of the insertion section 2.

The light guide fiber 10 is formed of a resin material, and has countless fine bubbles 10a formed therein. When illumination light is incident from the incident end face of the light guide fiber 10, a part of the light is
b, and the remaining illumination light is diffused in all directions by the fine bubbles 10a at the positions of the respective fine bubbles 10a. As a result, the insertion section 2 emits light over the entire length of the distal end face and the longitudinal axis direction, and naturally, the illumination light is also emitted in the observation visual field direction.

In such a configuration, the oblique rigid endoscope 1
A light guide cable extending from a light source device (not shown) is connected to a connector 4 provided on one side of the eyepiece section 3 of the eyepiece 3. When the illumination light is supplied, the illumination light is guided along the light guide fiber 10 toward the distal end of the insertion portion 2, and more than half of the illumination light is emitted from the emission end face 10b at the tip. The illumination light is generated by the fine bubbles 10 provided in the light guide fiber 10.
The light is irregularly reflected by a and is diffused in the outer peripheral direction of the insertion portion 2.

As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the insertion section 2 emits light over a wide area, and the observation viewing direction of the oblique endoscope 1 is illuminated. Therefore, the light guide fiber 10
It is not necessary to secure a space for bending the distal end portion in the observation viewing direction, and accordingly, the diameter of the insertion portion can be reduced.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 3 is an overall schematic view of a perspective rigid endoscope main body and a cover sheath, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a distal end portion of the cover sheath. The same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

The oblique rigid endoscope 11 according to the present embodiment.
Are the endoscope body 12 and the cover sheath 1 as a cylindrical member.
The connector 4 is formed on the base end side of the cover sheath 13 so as to face the incident end face of the light guide fiber 10.
A cover glass 14 is attached to the front end face of the camera.

The outer tube 8 of the cover sheath 13 is formed in a three-layer structure as in the first embodiment, and extends between the inner tube 8 and the transparent outer tube 9 from the connector 4 side. The light guide fiber 10 is interposed.

An inner tube 6 serving also as an insertion portion provided in the endoscope body 13 is detachably mounted on the cover sheath 13. This cover sheath 13 can be made disposable.

According to such a configuration, the cover sheath 1
By making disposable 1, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the inner tube 6 is not exposed to the outside during use during the operation, so that disinfection sterilization becomes unnecessary and the disinfection sterilization process is simplified. Can be.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the outer tube 5 may be formed by omitting the outer tube 9.
The light guide fiber 10 is attached to the inner peripheral tube 8 using an adhesive or the like.
May be a two-layered structure arranged in a circular tube around the periphery of the substrate.

Further, the light guide fiber 10 may be formed of a luminous resin that emits light over the entire length in the longitudinal axis direction when irradiated for a predetermined time. In this case, since it is not necessary to supply illumination light to the light guide fiber 10, the connector 4 provided in the eyepiece 3 becomes unnecessary.

Further, the outer tube 9 has a structure in which only the distal end is made transparent or fine bubbles 10a are formed only in the distal end of the light guide fiber 10 so that light is intensively emitted in the vicinity of the distal end. It is good.

The inner tube 8 constituting the outer tube 5 may be made of resin, and the outer tube 9 and the light guide fiber 10
And the inner peripheral tube 8 may be integrally formed. The endoscope to be employed is not limited to a perspective endoscope but may be a side-view type endoscope.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the entrance surface of an inner tube 34 for accommodating the observation optical system lens group 33 provided on the distal end surface 32a of the insertion portion 32 of the perspective endoscope 31. In the case where the output end face 35a of the light guide fiber 35 is obliquely processed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the light guide fiber 34a, a convex portion A is formed on the distal end surface 32a. The patient required great care when inserting.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the light guide fiber 10 is formed by combining the light emitting fiber 10 with the exit end face 10b of the light guide fiber 10 facing the distal end face 2a of the insertion portion 2 of the oblique endoscope 1. The tip 10d of each of the strands 10c is disposed on the extension line L of the entrance surface 6a of the inner tube 6 accommodating the observation optical system lens group 7 while keeping the inclination angle of the distal end face as it is.

Then, the distal end face of each wire 10c and the extension line L
Is filled with the transparent resin 15 so that the exit end face 10b of the light guide fiber 10 is flush with the entrance face 6a of the observation optical system lens group 7.

As a result, since no projection is formed on the distal end surface 2a of the insertion section 2 of the oblique endoscope 1, good insertability can be obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the light guide fiber 10 is arranged concentrically around the inner tube 6 accommodating the observation optical system lens group 7, FIG. Similarly, each wire 1 constituting the light guide fiber 10
0c is defined as an extension L of the entrance surface 6a of the inner tube 6.
By disposing the transparent resin 15 in the gap between the distal end face of each of the strands 10c and the extension line L, the output end face 10 of the light guide fiber 10 and the incident face 6a of the inner tube 6 are disposed.
By making them the same surface, the insertability is improved.

[Supplementary Notes] As described above, according to the present invention, the following configuration can be obtained. 1) In an endoscope for observing in a perspective direction or a side viewing direction, a tubular member constituting an endoscope insertion portion exterior is provided by a transparent member, and light is emitted inside the tubular member over the entire length in the longitudinal axis direction. An endoscope comprising a light guide fiber that is provided. In such a configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion emits light over a wide range, and the observation viewing direction in the oblique direction or the side view direction is illuminated over a wide range. Therefore, it is necessary to bend the light guide fiber at the distal end to form it. Disappears.

2) In a perspective endoscope or a side-view type endoscope, a light guide fiber which emits light over the entire length in the longitudinal axis direction is incorporated in a transparent cover sheath which can be inserted into and removed from the endoscope insertion portion. An endoscope characterized in that: In such a configuration, in addition to the operation and effect of (1), the disposable cover sheath eliminates the need for disinfection and sterilization of the endoscope insertion portion that is not exposed to the outside during operation, thereby simplifying the disinfection sterilization process. Can be

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion emits light over a wide area, it is possible to illuminate the observation direction of the oblique or side-view type endoscope. Since there is no need to bend the light guide fiber at the tip of the insertion section, there is no need to provide a bending space for the light guide fiber to bend and fit in the required direction without breaking at the tip of the insertion section. The outer diameter of the portion can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a perspective rigid endoscope according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a distal end portion of the rigid endoscope.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of a perspective rigid endoscope according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a tip portion of the cover sheath.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a distal end portion of a perspective rigid endoscope according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of a perspective rigid endoscope according to another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a front view taken along the arrow VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a distal end portion of a conventional oblique rigid endoscope.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of the same rigid oblique endoscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,11 Perspective rigid endoscope 5 Outer tube (tubular member) 13 Cover sheath (tubular member) 10 Light guide fiber

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope for observing in a perspective direction or a side viewing direction, wherein a light guide fiber that emits light over the entire length in a longitudinal axis direction is disposed on a cylindrical member constituting an endoscope insertion portion exterior. An endoscope characterized by the following.