JP2003337289A - Endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic endoscope apparatus in which the number of revolutions of a drum on which an insertion portion is wound can be exactly detected. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic endoscope apparatus consists of a CPU 20 which drives and controls a camera control unit 16 for forming an electronic imaging video signal by driving and controlling an electronic imaging device internally packaged in a drum device 4 to be wound with the small-diameter and long-sized endoscope insertion potion 2 having the electronic imaging device and a light source unit 15, etc., a drum revolution potensiometer 18 which is disposed on the outside of the drum device 4 and detects the voltage value meeting the rotational driving of the drum device 4 and a circuit 32 for detecting the number of revolutions of the drum for forming the signal of the number of revolutions of the drum which is the difference between the voltage value detected by the potentiometer 18 and a reference potential, in which the position of the endoscope insertion portion extended from the drum device 4 is computed by the CPU 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

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, and more particularly, to a plurality of thin and long endoscope insertion parts wound around a drum and drivingly controlling the endoscope insertion parts. The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope device having a drive control function built in the drum.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an electronic endoscope apparatus which inserts an insertion portion having an electronic image pickup device at its distal end into a lumen to pick up an image of an observation site has been widely used for medical and industrial purposes. There is.

Such a conventional endoscope apparatus has an electronic endoscope having an electronic image pickup device for picking up an image of an observation site in a lumen, and controls the driving of the electronic image pickup device of the electronic endoscope. A camera control unit (hereinafter, simply referred to as CCU) that processes an image signal generated and captured, a light source device that generates and supplies illumination light that illuminates an observation site in a lumen, and an image signal that is signal processed by the CCU. A display device or the like that displays an image of the observed region based on the above, and each is formed by an independent housing.

For this reason, when observing with an endoscope, various devices such as a CCU other than the electronic endoscope are mounted on a rack or the like and used, so that the entire electronic endoscope device is used. The size was large, and there were problems in transportability and operability.

Therefore, recently, the electronic endoscope described above,
An electronic endoscope apparatus in which a CCU and various devices are housed in a single housing, has good transportability and operability, and is capable of observing long pipes is also disclosed.
No. 04 publication.

In the electronic endoscope apparatus disclosed in this publication, in order to make it possible to observe a long pipe, a long insertion portion provided with an electronic image pickup device is formed at the distal end thereof. The insertion section is wound around a drum, and a bending control unit for bending and operating the CCU, the light source device, and the bending section provided at the distal end portion of the insertion section inside the drum. It is built in.

That is, when performing an endoscopic observation inspection, the insertion portion wound around the drum is unwound, and when the observation inspection is completed, the insertion portion is wound around the drum and stored. In the drum, a CCU for driving and controlling the electronic image pickup device of the insertion portion, a light source device for supplying illumination light to the insertion portion, and a bending control unit for driving the insertion portion to bend are built-in.

The CCU, the light source device, and the bending unit built in the drum are variously provided outside the drum and between the drive power source, the remote control unit, and the display device provided in the casing. An FFC or the like, which is a flat and flexible signal cable, is arranged between the inside and the outside of the drum so that the drive control signal and the generated video signal are exchanged. The length of this signal cable is set depending on the rotation amount of the drum that winds up and stores the insertion portion.

[0009]

In the endoscope apparatus disclosed in the above publication, the drum that winds up and winds the long insertion portion has a rotation mechanism and is formed of a non-metallic member. Thus, the housing housing the drum is electrically non-conductive.

On the other hand, the C provided inside the drum
The FCU, which is a signal cable, is electrically connected between the CU, the light source device, and the bending control unit, and the drive power supply, the remote control unit, and the display device provided outside the drum in the housing. There is. That is, the inside of the drum and the casing outside the drum are electrically connected to the same potential by the FFC.

The FFC is often used to connect the inside and the outside of the drum, but the thin cable of the FFC has a resistance value although it is a very small amount, so that even if the same signal is used, the FFC is connected to the inside of the drum. A potential difference occurs (including ground) with the outside.

On the other hand, when an abnormality or defect in the observed region is found from the image of the observed region picked up by the electronic image pickup device at the tip of the insertion portion, the position is determined by the amount of pulling out the insertion portion, that is, the amount of rotation of the drum. Calculation is performed.

A microprocessor is used in the CCU in order to perform the position detection calculation of the insertion portion based on the rotation amount of the drum and drive control of the insertion portion.

That is, in order to accurately calculate and calculate the position of the insertion portion, it is necessary to accurately detect the rotation speed of the drum. However, the FF connecting the inside and the outside of the drum is required.
There was a problem that the voltage value indicating the drum rotation speed could not be accurately detected due to the potential difference due to the resistance of the thin cable of C, and the accuracy of position calculation deteriorated.

Further, when expanding the function of the endoscope in which the operation reference potential of the microprocessor and the operation reference potential of the rotation speed detection means of the drum are the same, the microprocessor operation reference potential and the rotation speed detection means of the drum are used. There was no functionally expandable electronic endoscope device that can be used at a potential different from the operation reference potential of.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and various drive control means provided inside the drum for winding and winding the insertion portion, and provided outside the drum and for the drum. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscope apparatus capable of detecting an accurate drum rotation speed with the same potential as that of a drum rotation speed detection means for detecting the rotation speed and of expanding the function.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electronic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention comprises a drum means for winding and unwinding a thin and long endoscope insertion portion having an electronic image pickup device at its tip, and Driving control of a camera control unit that is installed in the drum means and that at least drives the electronic image pickup device provided at the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion to generate an electronic image pickup video signal and a light source unit that projects illumination light Endoscope driving control means, a drum rotation potentiometer means provided outside the drum means for detecting a voltage value according to rotational driving of the drum means, and detected by the drum rotation potentiometer means. And a drum rotation speed detection means for generating a drum rotation speed signal based on a difference between the voltage value and the reference potential. Based on the arm rotational speed signal, and wherein computing the position of the endoscope insertion portion unwinding from said drum means in the endoscope drive control means.

The reference potential of the drum rotation potentiometer means and the drum rotation speed detection means of the electronic endoscope apparatus of the present invention is the same as the reference potential of the endoscope drive control means incorporated in the drum means. Or a switching means capable of switching between different potentials.

In the electronic endoscope apparatus of the present invention, the number of rotations of the drum is indicated by setting the reference potential of the drum rotation number detecting means provided inside and outside the drum around the insertion portion to the same potential. The voltage can be accurately detected, and the position of the insertion part can be calculated with high accuracy. Further, by making it possible to switch the reference potential between the inside and the outside of the drum between the same potential and the different potential, it is possible to expand the function of the electronic endoscope apparatus.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing the overall configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a drum rotation number detection circuit of the electronic endoscope apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a drum device used in the electronic endoscope apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is used in the electronic endoscope apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating various drive control units built in the drum device, and FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a signal cable used in the electronic endoscope device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the overall structure of an electronic endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This Figure 1
The electronic endoscope apparatus shown in (1) is, for example, an industrial electronic endoscope apparatus 1 that is inserted into a long pipe to observe and inspect the inner wall of the pipe.

The industrial electronic endoscope apparatus 1 is composed of a long insertion portion 2 to be inserted into the pipe, and a main body portion 5 in which a drum device 4 around which the insertion portion 2 is wound is arranged.

At the tip portion of the insertion portion 2, a tip rigid portion 3a having an electronic image pickup device (not shown) incorporated therein, and a bending portion 3 for bending the tip portion of the insertion portion 2 vertically and horizontally.
b is provided, and the entire insertion portion 2 is formed of a flexible member. By bending the bending portion 3b in the vertical and horizontal directions, the electronic image pickup device provided in the distal end hard portion 3a faces the direction of the observation region, and the observation region can be imaged, and a curved pipe or the like can be inserted. Observation is also possible.

The base end of the insertion portion 2 is wound around a drum device 4 arranged inside the main body portion 5 through an insertion portion insertion opening provided in the front panel 6 on the upper surface of the main body portion 5. It has become so.

Although the detailed construction of the drum device 4 will be described later, a drum wound around the base end side of the insertion portion 2, a light source unit 15 and a camera control unit (hereinafter referred to as CCU) inside the drum. ) 16 and the electric bending unit 17 are arranged.

Inside the main body 5, a drum rotation potentiometer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a potentiometer) 18 for detecting a drum rotation voltage for detecting the rotational driving number of the drum device 4 is provided. A drum rotation speed detection circuit (not shown) that generates a rotation speed signal of the drum device 4 from the voltage value detected by the potentiometer 18, a drive power source for the light source unit 15, the CCU 16, and the electric bending unit 17, and operation instructions. A relay board or the like (not shown) that relays the signals and the generated video signals is arranged.

A cable 7 from a remote control unit 8 is provided on the front panel 6 on the upper surface of the main body 5.
Is provided, a monopot 9 having a display device 10, a connector to which a DC cable 12 from a battery 13 is connected, and a connector to which an AC cable 14 that is connected to a commercial power source are connected. .

On the front panel 6 of the main body portion 5, the remote control unit 8, the display device 10, D
A storage lid 11 containing a cushioning material capable of storing the C cable 12 and the AC cable 14 is provided, and when the endoscope observation is not performed, the insertion portion 2 is wound around the drum device 4 and wound. The remote control unit 8, the display device 10, the DC cable 12, and the AC cable 14 can be attached to the front panel 6 of the main body 5 with the storage lid 11 that can be stored.

Various units and circuits provided inside the drum unit 4 of the industrial electronic endoscope apparatus 1 and outside the drum unit 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The CCU 16 provided inside the drum of the drum device 4 includes a hard tip portion 3a of the insertion portion 2.
Drive control of the electronic image sensor provided in
A CCD drive and video signal processing for capturing a video signal captured and generated by an electronic image sensor, performing predetermined video signal processing to convert it into image data, and generating an image signal to be displayed on the display device 10 based on the image data. A circuit 19 and drive control of the CCD drive and video signal processing circuit 19;
It is composed of a microprocessor (hereinafter, referred to as CPU) 20 having means for driving and controlling various units and circuits and devices described later.

The CPU 20 controls the entire drive of the industrial electronic endoscope apparatus 1, a system control means 21, an electric bending control means 22 for controlling the driving of the electric bending unit 17, and a driving of the light source unit 15. It has a lamp control means 23 for controlling.

The light source unit 15 includes a light source lamp 24 for illuminating light and a lighting drive circuit 25 for controlling lighting of the lamp 24. The illuminating light projected from the lamp 24 is provided in the insertion section 2. The light is guided by a light guide fiber (not shown) and is projected from the distal end hard portion 3a to the observation site.

The electric bending unit 17 includes a left and right bending electric motor (hereinafter, referred to as R / L motor) 26 and a vertical bending electric motor (hereinafter, referred to as U / D motor) 27.
And a bending drive circuit 28 for driving and controlling the both motors 26, 27.

The R / L motor 26 is provided in the insertion portion 2 and bends the bending portion 3b in the left-right direction by pulling the left-right bending wire extending to the bending portion 3b. It has become.

The U / D motor 27 is provided in the insertion portion 2 and pulls the vertical bending wire extending to the bending portion 3b to bend the bending portion 3b in the vertical direction. It has become.

The CCD drive and video signal processing circuit 19 and the CPU 20 of the CCU 16 and the electric bending unit 17
As a drive power source of the FFC 30, a predetermined drive power source is supplied from the power supply device 33 by the power cable line 30e of the FFC 30. The power supply device 33 has a function of stabilizing the DC power supply when the DC power is supplied from the DC battery 13 by the DC cable 12, a function of generating and supplying a power supply of a predetermined voltage value, and the AC power supply. When the commercial power supply is supplied by the cable 14, it has a function of rectifying and stabilizing the commercial power supply into a DC power supply and generating and supplying the power supply with a predetermined voltage value.

The FFC is provided in the system control means 21 of the CPU 20 and the bending drive circuit 28 of the electric bending unit 17.
It is connected to the remote control unit 8 via an operation instruction signal line 30a of 30 and the system control means 21 drives and controls the operation of the electronic endoscope apparatus 1 by an operation instruction signal from the remote control unit 8. At the same time, the electric bending unit 17 is driven and controlled by an operation instruction of the remote control unit 8.

The CCD driving and video signal processing circuit 19
Is connected to the display device 10 via the video signal line 30b of the FFC 30 and displays the image of the observed region based on the image signal generated by the CCD driving and video signal processing circuit 19. The display device 10 is generally formed by a display element of a liquid crystal panel.

The output of the lamp control means 23 of the CPU 20 is connected to the power supply device 33 via the lamp control line 30f of the FFC 30. This lamp control means 2
3 is based on the lighting operation instruction of the light source unit 15 from the remote control unit 8, and is controlled by the power supply device 33
The lighting power of the lamp 24 is supplied through the lighting power supply line 30g of C30.

The FFC 30 includes the CCU 16, the light source unit 15, and the electric bending unit 17 provided inside the drum device 4, the remote control unit 8 provided outside the drum device 4, and the display device 1.
0, potentiometer 18 and drum rotation speed detection circuit 3
2 is a signal cable for connecting the relay substrate 31 having a power supply device 2 and the power supply device 33.

The detailed configuration of the potentiometer 18 and the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 provided on the relay board 31 will be described later, but the insertion section 2 is wound around the drum device 4 or fed out. The rotation speed signal of the drum is generated using the voltage value output from the potentiometer whose resistance value fluctuates in association with the rotation amount of the drum when the insertion portion 2 is extended or the extended position is calculated. It is a thing.

The drum rotation signal generated by the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 is output to the CPU 20 through the rotation detection line 30d of the FFC 30 and the ground potential which is the reference potential of the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32. Is FF
It is connected to the ground potential of the drum device 4 via the ground wire 30c of C30. That is, the ground wire 30 of the FFC 30
The ground potential of the drum device 4, the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32, and the ground potential of the potentiometer 18 are connected to each other via c.

Next, the structure of the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 will be described with reference to FIG. The potentiometer 18 that detects the rotation of the drum device 4 that winds the insertion portion 2 is supplied to one end thereof with 5V which is an operating potential stabilized with high accuracy by the high accuracy regulator 42, and the other end thereof. Is connected to a reference potential that is the same as the ground potential of the drum device 4.

The output potential of the potentiometer 18 is input to the plus side input terminal of the first operational amplifier 34 and is buffered by the first operational amplifier 34. The negative side input terminal of the first operational amplifier 34 is connected to the same potential as the output terminal. That is, the potentiometer 18 detects a potential indicating the number of rotations of the drum device 4, and the detected potential is output to the first operational amplifier 34.

On the other hand, the operating potential 5v generated by the high precision regulator 42 is supplied to the series circuit of the fine adjustment fixed resistor 35 and the fine adjustment variable resistor 36, and the fine adjustment is performed. The output of the variable resistor 36 for use is input to the positive side input terminal of the second operational amplifier 37, and is buffered by the second operational amplifier 37. The negative side input of the second operational amplifier 37 is connected to the same potential as the output terminal. That is, the reference potential for obtaining the rotation speed signal of the drum device 4 is set based on the potential detected by the potentiometer 18, and the set potential is output to the second operational amplifier 37.

The output from the potentiometer 18 buffered by the first operational amplifier 34 is a resistor 38.
Is supplied to the positive side input terminal of the third operational amplifier 41 via.

The output from the fine adjustment variable resistor 36 buffered by the second operational amplifier 37 is supplied to the negative side input terminal of the third operational amplifier 41 via the resistor 39.

A resistor 40 is connected between the negative side input terminal and the output terminal of the third operational amplifier 41. The resistors 38, 39 and 40 have the same resistance value.

The third operational amplifier 41 is a difference circuit for outputting the difference between the output of the first operational amplifier 34 and the output of the second operational amplifier 37. That is, the potentiometer 18 detects the first operational amplifier 34.
The third operational amplifier 41 detects and generates a differential potential signal between the potential indicating the number of drum rotations buffered by and the reference potential set by the fine adjustment variable resistor 36, and the differential potential signal is generated in the CPU 20 of the CCU 16. Output. CPU20
Is a differential potential signal from the third operational amplifier 41,
The number of rotations of the drum device 4 is calculated.

The reference potential, which is the ground potential of the potentiometer 18, the variable resistor 36 for fine adjustment, and the high-precision regulator 42, is connected by the FFC 30 so as to have the same potential as the ground potential of the drum device 4. ing.

That is, with the insertion portion 2 completely extended from the drum device 4, the potentiometer 1
The output of 8 is set to 0V, and the output potential of the potentiometer 18 when the insertion portion 2 is wound around the drum device 4 from 0V when it is completely paid out The rotation amount, that is, the winding amount of the insertion portion 2 around the drum device 4, or the feeding amount of the insertion portion 2 is calculated.

In detecting the amount of winding or the amount of extension of the insertion portion 2 as described above, if the potentiometer 18 is rotated to the mechanical rotation limit with the insertion portion 2 fully extended, it may be damaged. Therefore, the insertion part 2
The potentiometer 18 with the
It is necessary to leave some margin before the mechanical rotation limit of.

Therefore, when the insertion portion 2 is completely extended, there is a margin before the mechanical rotation limit of the potentiometer 18 (a position where a slight potential is output immediately before the maximum resistance). So that the output potential of the potentiometer 18 at the fully drawn-out position of the insertion portion 2 and the potential obtained by the fine adjustment fixed resistor 35 and the fine adjustment variable resistor 36 become the same potential. , The fine adjustment variable resistor 36 is adjusted and set.

That is, the potential detected by the potentiometer 18 when the insertion portion 2 is completely extended, buffered by the first operational amplifier 34, and input to the third operational amplifier 41, and the second operational amplifier. So that the potential input from 37 to the third operational amplifier 41 becomes the same potential,
The input potential of the second operational amplifier 37 is adjusted and set by the fine adjustment variable resistor 36. That is, the third operational amplifier 4
The differential potential of the output of 1 is adjusted to be 0V.

Next, the relationship between the drum device 4 and the potentiometer 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows the inside of the main body portion 5 of the industrial endoscope apparatus 1, in which the main body portion 5 and the front panel 6 are removed and the drum device 4 and the potentiometer provided in the housing 5 ′ are removed. 18 shows the relationship with 18.

The housing 5'is composed of a substantially U-shaped side plate 5'a,
5'b and 5'c are provided, and the side plate 5'a has a rotation center of the drum device 4 rotatably attached to the side plate 5'a and is connected to the rotation center. A handle (not shown) for rotating is provided.

The drum device 4 has a drum-shaped drum 51 as a whole, and is composed of left and right circular flange portions 51a and 51b, and a cylindrical portion 51c between the flange portions 51a and 51b. The outer peripheral portion of 51c and the circular flange portion 51a,
The insertion portion 2 is wound around the inner wall of 51b.

A hollow shaft 51e is provided at the center of the circular flange portions 51a and 51b and the center of the cylindrical portion 51c, and the hollow shaft 51e is rotatably attached to the side plate 5'a of the housing 5 '. It is locked. A gear 51d is engraved on the outer circumference of the circular flange 51a.

That is, in the drum device 4, a donut-shaped space portion is formed between the cylindrical portion 51c and the hollow shaft 51e, and the insertion portion 2 is formed in this space portion as shown in FIG. The above-mentioned CCU 16, the light source unit 15, and the electric bending unit 17 for driving and controlling the CCU 16, the light source unit 15, and the electric bending unit 17 are provided with a signal cable for supplying various signals such as drive power and drive control. The FFC 30 is wound around the space and extends from the hollow shaft 51e to the outside of the drum 51. Further, the cylindrical portion 1c of the drum 51 is provided with an insertion hole 51f through which the base end of the insertion portion 2 is inserted, and the R / L and U / D of the electric bending unit 17 are provided.
Motors 26, 27, CCU 15, and light source unit 16
The base end of the insertion portion 2 is connected to the.

On the other hand, a relay board 56 is provided on the bottom side of the casing 5 ', and the relay board 56 has a gear 5 engraved on the outer circumference of the circular flange portion 51a of the drum 51.
A gear 52 that meshes with 1d is provided. This gear 5
The rotary shaft of the potentiometer 18 is attached and fixed to the second shaft. That is, the rotation of the drum 51 rotates the gear 52 meshed with the gear 51d of the drum 51, and the rotation of the gear 52 rotates the rotation shaft of the potentiometer 18.

The relay board 56 is provided with a relay terminal 53 to which the operating potential terminal of the potentiometer 18, a ground potential terminal, and an output terminal are connected, and an FFC relay terminal 54 to which the FFC 30 is connected. ing.

In addition to the potentiometer 18, the gear 52, and the relay terminals 53 and 54, the relay substrate 56 has
Although not shown, the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 described above is used.
And a relay terminal connected to the power supply device 33, the remote control unit 8, and the connection connector of the display device 10.

A base end is connected to the FFC relay terminal 54 and is introduced from the hollow shaft 51e of the drum 51 into the space of the drum 51 so that the electric bending unit 17 and the CCU1 are connected.
5, and the FFC 30 connected to the light source unit 16,
The drum 51 is wound around the space of the drum 51 with some margin, and when the drum device 4 rotates in the direction in which the insertion portion 2 is wound, the winding of the FFC 30 is loosened,
On the contrary, the FFC 30 is wound so that the FFC 30 can be tightened when the insertion portion 2 is rotated in the direction in which the insertion portion 2 is unwound from the drum device 4.

As shown in FIG. 6, the FFC 30 includes a plurality of flat signal lines 5 on a flat insulating portion 53.
4a to 54h are embedded at equal intervals, and an electrode 5 connected to the signal lines 54a to 54h is provided at this terminal portion.
5a to 55h are provided.

The electrode 55a at one end of the FFC 30
55h is connected to the remote control unit 8, the display device 10, the potentiometer 18, the power supply device 33, etc. via the FFC relay terminal 54, and the other terminal of the FFC 30 is the CCU 16, the light source unit. 15 and the electric bending unit 17 are connected. That is, the inside and outside of the drum device 4 are electrically connected by the FFC 30.

Incidentally, the drum unit 4 by this FFC 30
In the connection between the inside and outside, especially in the transmission of the video signal between the CCU 16 and the display device 10, since the high frequency component of the color carrier signal is generally superimposed on the luminance signal, the image quality of the display image is deteriorated. A coaxial cable is used.

However, in the case of a flat cable like the FFC 30, deterioration of the image quality due to the high frequency component of the color carrier signal with respect to the luminance signal cannot be avoided when the video signal line and the ground line are paired.

Therefore, for example, a luminance signal is transmitted to the electrode 55a, a color carrier signal is transmitted to the electrode 55h, and the electrodes 55b to 55f are used as ground lines. That is, by disposing a plurality of ground lines for the luminance signal and the color carrier signal, it is possible to prevent interference between the video signal and the color carrier signal.

As described above, the endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention detects the drum rotation speed by using the output voltage from the potentiometer 18 by the rotation of the drum device 4 which winds the insertion section 2. The circuit 32 converts it into a voltage value signal indicating the number of rotations of the drum device 4, and based on the voltage value signal, CP
At U20, the extension length of the insertion portion 2 is calculated and calculated.

The function of driving and controlling the insertion portion 2 inside the drum device 4 and C for calculating the number of rotations of the drum device 4
A PU 20 is provided, a drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 and a potentiometer 18 are provided outside the drum device 4, and the ground potential of the drum rotation speed detection circuit 32 and the potentiometer 18 outside the drum device 4 is set to the drum device. By setting the same potential as the inside of No. 4, it was possible to detect the voltage value indicating the accurate rotation speed.

Further, it is possible to use it for other control of the endoscope apparatus based on the detected highly accurate rotation number information of the drum.

For example, in the electric bending unit 17 which bends the tip of the insertion portion 2, as the insertion portion 2 is wound around the drum device 4 and stored, the friction resistance between the bending inner wire and the inner surface of the insertion portion 2 is increased. Is increased, it is necessary to increase the motor torque of the bending drive motors 26 and 27. In this case, based on the detected drum rotation speed information, the electric bending control means 22 of the CPU 20 keeps the bending operation speed constant regardless of the position of the winding amount (drum rotation speed) of the insertion section 2. It becomes possible to control to keep it.

When the insertion portion 2 is wound around the drum device 4 and wound more than a certain amount, the drum rotation speed information indicates that
The bending operation can be prohibited (control stopped), and it is possible to prevent excessive stress from being applied to the bending wire.

Further, the insertion portion 2 has a certain degree or more of the drum device 4
When it is wound on, it becomes a state that virtually no endoscopic inspection is possible, so the lamp is forcibly turned off by the drum rotation number information,
It is possible to suppress heat generation of the endoscope device 1 and automatically reduce power consumption. As a result, it becomes possible to extend the life of the battery when it is driven by the battery.

Furthermore, in the case of a discharge type lamp such as a metal halide lamp of the light source unit 15 provided in the drum device 4, the color of the lamp varies depending on the installed state of the lamp.
That is, it is known that the spectral sensitivity characteristic and the light amount change. When the drum device 4 rotates in this way, stable spectral sensitivity and light quantity are obtained by correcting the spectral sensitivity and light quantity of the lamp based on the rotational speed information in response to changes in the spectral sensitivity and light quantity of the lamp.

For example, if the drum rotation number information is sent to the CPU 20 and the coefficient of the color correction circuit of the CCU 16 is changed or the white balance R, G, B gains are corrected by the drum rotation information, the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the lamp is obtained. It can absorb the change of to some extent and stabilize the color reproduction. Further, the drum rotation number information is sent to the CPU 20, and the drum rotation information
If the change in the light amount of the lamp is corrected by correcting the gain characteristic of the AGC gain, the change in the light amount of the lamp can be absorbed to some extent, and the brightness of the obtained endoscopic image can be stabilized.

Next, an endoscope apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 3 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The industrial endoscope apparatus 1'shown in FIG.
The electronic image pickup device provided in the distal end hard portion 3a of the insertion portion 2 of the industrial endoscope apparatus 1 described in 1. and the light source unit 1
5 and the electric bending unit 17 are controlled by the CPU of the CCU 16 based on the input instruction from the remote control unit 8.
An image recording unit 63 for recording a picked-up image signal is provided in addition to a system (hereinafter referred to as a basic system) which is drive-controlled by 20.

The image recording unit 63 is interposed between the remote control unit 8 (not shown) and the CCU 16, and is provided with an extended system microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as an extended system CPU) and the extended system CP.
Image data generating means for generating captured image signal data driven and controlled by U, audio data generating means for generating and recording audio information data in the image data generated by the image data generating means, and the image and audio data. And a reproduction control means for reproducing the image and sound data from the display device 10 and the speaker.

The front panel 6 of the main body portion 5 is provided with slots 62a and 62b for mounting a recording medium for recording images and voice data generated by the image data generating means and the voice data generating means. This slot 62
The recording media mounted on the a and 62b are semiconductor memory cards 61a and 61b, and CompactFlash (registered trademark), smart media (registered trademark), and the like are used.

The expansion system CPU of the image recording unit 63 controls the drive of the image data generating means, the audio data generating means, the recording control means, the reproduction control means, etc. on the basis of the input instruction from the remote control unit 8. And the drive control of the system control means 21, the electric bending control means 22, the ramp control means 23, etc., which is performed by the CPU 20 of the CCU 16.

The determination between the endoscope system of the basic system described with reference to FIG. 1 and the endoscope system of the extension system with the addition of the image recording unit 63 described with reference to FIG. 7 is performed as shown in FIG. The determination process is performed by a remote control CPU (not shown) provided in the remote control unit 8.

In the determination processing of the remote control CPU, when a drive power switch (not shown) of the remote control unit 8 is turned on in step S1, any command of the basic system or the extension system is sent in step S2. Is determined.

In this command determination, the command 1 is set when only the basic system is set, and the command 0 is set when the extended system is added to the basic system.

As a result of the determination in step S2, in the case of command 1, the basic system operation in step S3 is executed, and in the case of command 0, the extended system operation in step S4 is executed.

As shown in FIG. 7, an image recording unit 63 is added to the industrial endoscope apparatus 1 which is a basic system to generate an upgraded industrial endoscope apparatus 1 '. In this case, when viewed from the remote control unit 8, there is a possibility that the two systems (CPU) will be connected. However, the drum device 4
When connecting the inside and outside of the FFC 30 with the FFC 30,
Since the number and thickness of the 30 signal lines are limited, the number of signal lines cannot be easily increased.

Therefore, in the determination processing of the remote control CPU shown in FIG. 8, the command indicating the basic system and the extended system is determined. If there are a plurality of extended systems added to the basic system, it can be dealt with by increasing the number of bits of the specific command.
By identifying the communication command sent to the remote control unit 8 without increasing the number of signal lines, the extended CPU can be identified, and the remote control unit 8 changes the switch function according to the state of the extended system. It can be switched automatically.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the ground reference potentials of the high-accuracy regulator 42 and the potentiometer 18 can be connected and switched to the ground inside the drum device 4 or the ground outside the drum device 4. A switch 71 is provided. The movable contact piece of the changeover switch 71 is connected to the ground electrode of the high precision regulator 42 and the ground terminal of the potentiometer 18, and one fixed contact piece 71.
The a is connected to the ground inside the drum device 4, and the other fixed contact piece 71b is connected to the ground of the relay substrate 56 outside the drum device 4.

As a result, a CPU for detecting and calculating the rotation speed of the drum device 4 can be installed inside or outside the drum device 4, and the drum rotation speed can be calculated and calculated with high accuracy.

[Additional Notes] According to the embodiments of the present invention described in detail above, the following configurations can be obtained.

(Supplementary Note 1) Drum means for winding and unwinding a thin and long endoscope insertion portion having an electronic image pickup device at the tip, and a drum means incorporated in the drum means, at least the endoscope insertion portion Endoscope drive control means for driving and controlling a camera control unit for driving and controlling an electronic image pickup device provided at a tip portion of the section to generate an electronic image pickup video signal, a light source unit for projecting illumination light, and the drum means. A drum rotation potentiometer means for detecting a voltage value according to the rotation drive of the drum means,
And a drum rotation speed detecting means for generating a drum rotation speed signal based on a difference between the voltage value detected by the drum rotation potentiometer means and a reference potential. An electronic endoscope apparatus characterized in that the position of the endoscope insertion portion extended from the drum means is calculated by the endoscope drive control means based on the generated drum rotation speed signal.

(Supplementary Note 2) The reference potential of the drum rotation potentiometer means and the drum rotation speed detection means is the same as or different from the reference potential of the endoscope driving means incorporated in the drum means. 2. The electronic endoscope apparatus according to appendix 1, further comprising switching means for switching to.

(Supplementary Note 3) A drum structure is provided which has an elongated insertion portion, and the insertion portion is wound up. Means for detecting the number of rotations of the drum, a circuit inside the drum, and a circuit outside the drum are provided. In the electronic endoscope apparatus having means for connecting with a signal cable, a potentiometer is used as means for detecting the number of rotations in the drum, and the signal from the potentiometer is converted and amplified by an operational amplifier circuit or the like, and a system An electronic endoscope apparatus characterized by transmitting to a microprocessor for controlling.

(Supplementary Note 4) Means for transmitting the ground potential in the drum separately from other ground potentials to a circuit outside the drum, the transmitted ground potential in the drum, and the ground potential in the drum, The electronic endoscope apparatus according to appendix 3, further comprising means for switching in a circuit portion outside the drum.

(Supplementary Note 5) A potentiometer is used as a means for detecting the number of revolutions in the drum, the potentiometer is installed around the outer periphery of the drum, and the rotation of the drum is converted into the rotation of the potentiometer through a gear. And electronic endoscope device.

(Supplementary Note 6) In an electronic endoscope apparatus having an elongated insertion portion and having a drum structure for winding up the insertion portion, a circuit inside the drum and a circuit outside the drum are connected by a signal cable. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising: a means, a means for detecting the rotational speed of the drum, and a control means for controlling the state of the apparatus based on the detected rotational speed information of the drum.

(Supplementary Note 7) In an electronic endoscope apparatus having a slender insertion portion and having a drum structure for winding up the insertion portion, a circuit inside the drum and a circuit outside the drum are connected by a signal cable. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising: a means, a means for detecting the rotational speed of the drum, and a control means for controlling the bending of the insertion portion based on the detected rotational speed information of the drum.

(Supplementary Note 8) In an electronic endoscope apparatus having an elongated insertion portion and having a drum structure for winding up the insertion portion, a circuit inside the drum and a circuit outside the drum are connected by a signal cable. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising: a means, a means for detecting the rotation speed of the drum, and a control means for controlling a lamp based on the detected rotation speed information of the drum.

[0099]

In the electronic endoscope apparatus of the present invention, the endoscope drive control means provided inside the drum that winds up and winds the insertion portion, and the drum rotation speed detection provided outside the drum. Since the reference potential of the device is the same potential and the drive potential of the drum rotation speed detection means can be finely adjusted, the rotation speed of the drum can be accurately calculated and calculated, and the observation position of the observation site can be accurately grasped. It has the effect that can be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing the overall configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a drum rotation speed detection circuit used in the electronic endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a drum device of the electronic endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of control means built in the drum device of the electronic endoscope apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of a flat cable (FFC) used in the electronic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external view showing the overall configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus that is another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the electronic endoscope apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drum rotation speed detection circuit used in an electronic endoscope apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Industrial endoscope device 2 ... insertion part 4 ... drum device 5 ... Main body 6 ... Front panel 8 ... Remote control unit 10 ... Display device 15 ... Light source unit 16 ... Camera control unit (CCU) 17 ... Electric bending unit 18 ... Drum rotation potentiometer 31 ... Relay board 32 ... Drum rotation speed detection circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Drum means for winding and unwinding a thin and long endoscope insertion portion having an electronic image pickup device at its tip, and a drum means incorporated in the drum means, at least of the endoscope insertion portion. Endoscope drive control means for driving and controlling a camera control unit for driving and controlling an electronic image pickup device provided at a distal end portion to generate an electronic image pickup video signal, a light source unit for projecting illumination light, and the like, and external to the drum means. Provided on the drum rotation potentiometer means for detecting a voltage value according to the rotational drive of the drum means, and the voltage value detected by the drum rotation potentiometer means, based on the difference between the reference potential, A drum rotation speed detecting means for generating a drum rotation speed signal; and the endoscope drive control based on the drum rotation speed signal generated by the drum rotation speed detecting means. An electronic endoscope apparatus characterized in that the position of the endoscope insertion portion fed out from the drum means is calculated by means. 2. The reference potential of the drum rotation potentiometer means and the drum rotation speed detection means is the same as the reference potential of the endoscope driving means incorporated in the drum means,
Alternatively, the electronic endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit capable of switching between different potentials.