JP2005168606A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope in which the diameter of the distal end of an insertion tube is not enlarged even in the case of attaining a wide angle of view in order to improve a luminous intensity distribution property to thereby improve an observation performance. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope has: a light guide unit 33 provided on a distal end main body 31 while being inclined in an outer diameter direction to the longitudinal axis of the distal end main body 31 of a thin and long insertion tube and for transmitting illumination light for a testee body; and an imaging unit 32 provided on the distal end main body 31 adjacently to the light guide unit 33 and for picking up the optical image of the testee body illuminated by the illumination light from the light guide unit 33. In the distal end main body 31, an imaging unit disposing hole 31b where the imaging unit 32 is disposed and a light guide unit disposing hole 31d where the light guide unit 33 is disposed are formed and the imaging unit disposing hole 31b and the light guide unit disposing hole 31d are communicated at least on the proximal end side of the insertion tube. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to an endoscope characterized by the configuration of the distal end portion of an insertion portion.

  Conventionally, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field and the like. The endoscope is configured with an elongated insertion portion. An endoscope can observe various organs and the like in a body cavity by inserting the insertion portion into a body cavity, and can perform various treatments using a treatment instrument inserted into a treatment instrument insertion channel as necessary. it can. A bendable bending portion is provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion, and the observation direction of the observation window at the distal end portion can be changed by operating the operation portion of the endoscope.

  A conventional endoscope has a viewing angle of, for example, 140 degrees, and an operator observes the inside of a body cavity with an observation image of the viewing angle. When the operator wants to observe a part outside the visual field range while observing the inside of the body cavity, the operator can observe the part outside the visual field range by curving the bending portion. In such a conventional endoscope, two light guide units are provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, and illumination by these two light guide units is sufficient.

On the other hand, an endoscope having a wider viewing angle has been proposed as a conventional endoscope, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-258823 so that a wider range can be observed. The endoscope described in the above publication is provided with four light guide units at the distal end portion of the insertion portion. For this reason, the endoscope described in the above publication can illuminate so as to cover a wide visual field range, and as a result, the amount of light does not fall to the periphery of the observation image displayed on the monitor.
However, since the endoscope described in the above publication has four light guide units, there is a problem that the distal end portion of the insertion portion becomes thicker than the inner mirror having two light guide units. .

On the other hand, as a conventional endoscope, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-102432, an endoscope provided with three light guide units at the distal end portion of the insertion portion is proposed. Has been.
A conventional endoscope using three such light guide units is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a distal end portion of an insertion portion of a conventional endoscope using three light guide units.

As shown in FIG. 6, the insertion portion distal end portion 100 of the conventional endoscope using three light guide units has an outer diameter with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end portion main body 100A for light distribution. The light guide unit 101 is inclined in the direction (only one light guide unit 101 is shown in the figure). Reference numeral 103 denotes a light guide unit disposition hole formed in the distal end main body 100A in which the distal end side of the light guide unit 101 is inserted and disposed.
JP 2001-258823 A JP-A-4-102432

  In a conventional endoscope using three light guide units, the light guide unit is disposed so as to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end body for light distribution. For this reason, in the conventional endoscope, the boundary wall between the light guide unit and the imaging unit widens on the distal end side of the distal end portion main body, and the distal end portion main body becomes thicker and the insertion portion distal end portion becomes thicker. There is a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. In order to improve the light distribution and the observation performance, the diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion can be increased even when the viewing angle is wide. Aim to provide no endoscope.

A first endoscope according to the present invention is provided in the distal end body with an inclination in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end body of an elongated insertion portion, and transmits a subject illumination light. And an imaging unit that is provided in the tip body adjacent to the light guide unit, captures the reflected light from the subject illuminated by the illumination light from the light guide unit, forms an image, and images the image. A first disposition hole in which the imaging unit is disposed and a second disposition hole in which the light guide unit is disposed are formed in the tip body, and the first disposition hole The second arrangement hole is communicated with at least the base end side of the insertion portion.
In the second endoscope according to the present invention, in the first endoscope, a plurality of the second arrangement holes are formed around the first arrangement hole, and at least one second endoscope is provided. The first arrangement hole and the first arrangement hole are communicated at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion.

  The endoscope of the present invention has an effect that the diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion is not increased even when the viewing angle is wide in order to improve the light distribution and the observation performance.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 5 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an endoscope apparatus including an endoscope according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an insertion portion of the endoscope of FIG. 3 is a front view of the tip portion, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tip portion along the line P-P in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the relationship with the front end side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope 1 includes an operation unit 2 that performs a bending operation and a control of a duct system, and an insertion unit 3 that is connected to the operation unit 2 at the proximal end side and is inserted into a body cavity of a subject. And a universal cord 3a extending from the operation portion 2 and having a connector portion 4 at the tip. The connector unit 4 is connected to the light source device 5 and the video processor 6 via a predetermined connector. The video processor 6 is connected to the monitor 7. The insertion portion 3 has a flexible flexible tube portion 8, a bending portion 9 provided on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion 8, and a distal end portion 10 provided on the distal end side of the bending portion 9. Configured. The distal end portion 10 incorporates an imaging element 32d to be described later that images an observation site in the body cavity.

  The imaging signal of the observation site in the body cavity imaged by the imaging element 32d is transmitted to the video processor 6 via the universal code 3a. The video processor 6 includes a signal processing circuit (not shown) that processes the transmitted imaging signal to generate a standard video signal. The video processor 6 outputs a signal processed by the signal processing circuit to a monitor 7 as display means, and displays an observation image of the imaged observation site on a display screen 7a of the monitor.

  The operation section 2 is provided with an operation knob for remotely bending the bending section 9. By operating the operation knob, the endoscope 1 has a pulling action and a relaxing action of an operation wire (not shown) inserted through the insertion section 3, and as a result, the bending section 9 bends in four directions. It is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end surface 21 of the distal end portion 10 has an observation window 22 as a state-of-the-art lens constituting an imaging unit described later, and three light guide units described later. Three illumination windows 23a, 23b, and 23c as distal end lenses, a treatment instrument insertion channel opening 24 that is an opening of a treatment instrument insertion channel 24A (see FIG. 4), and the observation window 22 are washed. An air / water supply nozzle 25 which is an opening of the air / water supply channel 25A, and a front water supply channel opening 26 which is an opening of a front water supply channel 26A for washing body fluid such as blood and mucus in an affected area such as a subject; Is arranged.

  On the distal end surface 21 of the distal end portion 10, the illumination windows 23 (illumination windows 23 a to 23 c) are arranged around the center of the optical axis of the observation window 22 at a predetermined angular interval, for example, an interval of 120 degrees. In addition, the distance from the center of the observation window 22 to each illumination window 23 is substantially equal to the illumination window 23a and the illumination window 23c, and is larger than the distance to the illumination window 23b.

  The reason for providing only one illumination window 23b is as follows. That is, two endoscope windows are sufficient for an endoscope having a viewing angle other than a wide angle. However, in the case of an endoscope having a wide viewing angle as described above, a wide range must be illuminated. Therefore, it is necessary to provide three or more illumination windows. However, the provision of three or more illumination windows causes a problem that one light guide is added and the work becomes complicated in the process of assembling various built-in objects in the thin tip portion.

Therefore, only one of the illumination windows 23, for example, the illumination window 23b, is provided farther from the observation window 22 than the other illumination windows 23a and 23c. As a result, when a built-in object such as a light guide unit of the other illumination windows 23a and 23c is incorporated into the distal end portion 10, the light guide unit 33 corresponding to the illumination window 23 is finally easily incorporated. Specifically, after the imaging unit 32, the light guide unit 33 corresponding to the two illumination windows (23a, 23c), the air supply / water supply nozzle 25, and the pipelines for the front water supply channel opening 26 are densely inserted. When the light guide unit corresponding to the illumination window 23b is finally inserted in a narrow space, the illumination window 23b is located farther from the observation window 22 than the other illumination windows 23a and 23c, so that it can be easily inserted. The assemblability of the tip 10 is improved.
A treatment instrument insertion channel opening 24, an air / water supply nozzle 25, and a front water supply channel opening 26 are disposed between the illumination windows of each set and around the optical axis of the observation window 22. ing.

  Here, in addition to the imaging unit 32, the insertion unit 3 includes a light guide, which is an optical fiber bundle corresponding to the three illumination windows 23, a treatment instrument insertion channel opening 24, an air supply / water supply nozzle 25, and A plurality of channels such as a treatment instrument channel corresponding to the front water supply channel opening 26 are inserted. In addition to the imaging unit 32, six built-in objects are provided in the distal end portion 10, so that the diameter of the distal end portion 10 must not be increased.

  Therefore, between the three illumination windows 23, the treatment instrument insertion channel openings 24, the air / water supply nozzles 25, and the front water supply channel openings 26, which are the tips of the three built-in objects, are alternately arranged. Thus, in an endoscope having a wide viewing angle, illumination light is irradiated in a well-balanced manner, and the diameter of the distal end portion 10 is prevented from becoming thick.

  Specifically, the treatment instrument insertion channel opening 24 is disposed between the illumination window 23a and the illumination window 23b, and the air / water supply nozzle is disposed between the illumination window 23b and the illumination window 23c. The front water supply channel opening 26 is disposed between the illumination window 23b and the illumination window 23c.

Furthermore, the air / water supply nozzle 25 and the illumination window 23a are arranged on a substantially straight line indicated by PP on the distal end surface of the distal end portion 10 of the insertion portion 3 with the observation window 22 interposed therebetween. Yes.
This is because, even if dirt or the like adheres to the distal end surface of the distal end portion 10, at least one illumination window 23a is soiled together with the observation window 22 by water or gas coming out from the opening 25a of the air / water feeding nozzle 25. Just to remove it. As a result, the necessary minimum illumination amount can always be ensured, so that good observability can be obtained. In particular, in FIG. 2, the center of the air / water supply nozzle 25 and the center of the illumination window 23 a are in a point-symmetric position with respect to the center of the observation window 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tip portion 10 is provided with a hard tip portion main body 31.
The tip body 31 includes built-in objects such as an imaging unit 32 corresponding to the observation window 22 and three light guide units 33 (only one is shown in the figure) corresponding to the three illumination windows 23. It is arranged. The distal end body 31 is covered with a distal end cover 31a.

  The imaging unit 32 has an imaging unit disposition hole as a first disposition hole formed in the distal end body 31 so that the observation window (also referred to as an observation lens) 22 is exposed to the outside from the distal end cover 31a. It is inserted and arranged in 31b, and is fixed to the tip portion main body 31 with a filler or the like (not shown).

  The imaging unit 32 is provided on the observation window 22 and on the base end side of the observation window 22, and is provided on the base end side of the objective optical system 32b and an objective optical system 32b formed by a plurality of lens groups. Cover glass 32c, an image sensor 32d, which is provided on the base end side of the cover glass 32c, and is a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and the image sensor 32d are connected to perform various types of signal amplification, etc. And a circuit board 32e for processing. In the imaging unit 32, a signal cable 32f extending from the circuit board 32e is inserted through the insertion portion 3 and connected to the video processor 6, and is controlled and driven by the video processor 6. .

  The light guide unit 33 is inserted and arranged in a light guide unit arrangement hole 31 d as a second arrangement hole formed in the tip end body 31, and is fixed to the tip end body 31 by a fixing screw 34. . The light guide unit 33 protrudes from the distal end portion body 31 at the distal end side, and the illumination window (also referred to as an illumination lens) 23 is exposed to the outside through an exposure hole 31c formed in the distal end cover 31a. ing.

  The light guide unit 33 includes the illumination window 23 and an optical fiber bundle 33b that is a light guide. The tip of the optical fiber bundle 33b is fixed in the metal pipe 33c with an adhesive or the like. The tip of the optical fiber bundle 33b and the illumination window 23 are inserted and fixed in the light guide frame 33d.

A part of the metal pipe 33c and the optical fiber bundle 33b are covered with an outer tube 33e. The outer tube 33e is fixed to the metal pipe 33c by a thread winding 33f.
The base end side of the optical fiber bundle is inserted into the universal cord 3a from the insertion portion 3 and fixedly held by a light guide connector (not shown) of the connector portion 4 so that illumination light is supplied from the light source device 5. It has become. The light guide unit 33 illuminates the subject from the illumination window 23 by the illumination light supplied from the light source device 5 being transmitted through the optical fiber bundle 33b.

  Here, the metal pipe 33c is bent at a predetermined position P1 in the middle, and as a result, the optical fiber bundle 33b is also bent along the bent shape of the metal pipe 33c. That is, the light guide unit 33 is arranged to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tip end body 31.

  Therefore, the optical axis 33LA of the illumination window 23 that emits the illumination light is not parallel to the optical axis 32LA of the imaging unit 32. In particular, the optical axis 33LA is tilted with respect to the optical axis 32LA in a direction in which the tip direction of the optical axis 33LA is away from the previous point in the observation direction of the optical axis 32LA of the imaging unit 32. The optical axis of the light guide unit corresponding to the other illumination windows 23b and 23c is also aligned with the optical axis 32LA so that the tip direction of the optical axis is away from the previous point in the observation direction of the optical axis 32LA of the imaging unit 32. It is leaning against.

  An opening 25a of an air / water supply channel 25A is formed at the tip of the air / water supply nozzle 25. This opening 25 a is a direction in which water or gas ejected from the air / water feeding nozzle 25 passes in a direction substantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the imaging unit 32 and through the surface of the observation window 22 and the surface of the illumination window 23. It is formed to be ejected.

  The proximal end side of the air / water supply nozzle 25 has a pipe shape, and is connected to an air / water supply tube 25c constituting an air / water supply channel 25A via a connecting pipe 25b. Therefore, an air / water supply conduit is formed by the connecting pipe 25b and the air / water supply tube 25c. The air / water supply tube 25c is fixed to the connecting tube 25b by a thread winding 25d.

  A proximal end portion of the distal end portion main body 31 is fixed to a part of the curved distal end piece 35. The proximal end side of the distal end portion body 31 and the curved distal end piece 35 are covered with an outer tube 36. The outer tube 36 is fixed to the tip end body 31 by a spool 37. Although not shown, the front water supply channel opening 26 has substantially the same configuration except for the position of the opening of the front water supply channel 26A.

Here, as described above, the light guide unit 33 is disposed so as to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tip end body 31.
In the conventional endoscope, the boundary wall between the light guide unit and the imaging unit expands at the distal end side of the distal end portion main body, and accordingly, the distal end portion main body becomes thicker and the insertion portion distal end portion becomes thicker.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a light guide unit arrangement hole 31d into which the light guide unit 33 is inserted and arranged so that the tip end body 31 does not become thick, and an imaging unit arrangement into which the imaging unit 32 is inserted and arranged. The hole 31b is formed so as to communicate with at least the base end side. It is desirable that at least the length from the bent portion where the light guide is bent to the tip of the light guide to be communicated with each other as long as the light guide unit arrangement hole 31d and the imaging unit arrangement hole 31b communicate with each other.

  Further, for example, when one light guide arrangement hole and the imaging unit arrangement hole among the three light guide arrangement holes are communicated, 4 divided by an orthogonal axis passing through the center of the distal end of the insertion portion 3. Of the four quadrants, it is desirable that the base end portion of the light guide unit arrangement hole arranged in the quadrant where the objective center is arranged communicate with the imaging unit arrangement hole.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the light guide unit disposition hole 31d and the image pickup unit disposition hole 31b are the base end side of the three light guide unit disposition holes 31d and the image capture unit disposition hole 31b. It is formed to communicate with each other.

  The image pickup unit 32 is inserted and arranged in the image pickup unit arrangement hole 31b, and the three light guide unit arrangement holes 31d formed around the image pickup unit 32 are arranged in the three pieces. The light guide units 33 are arranged respectively.

Accordingly, since the distal end main body 31 has no boundary wall between the imaging unit 32 and the three light guide units 33 on the proximal end side, the distal end main body 31 does not become thick.
Thereby, the endoscope 1 has a small diameter without increasing the diameter of the distal end portion 10 of the insertion portion even in a wide viewing angle in order to improve the light distribution and the observation performance. Can be

  The tip cover 31a fitted to cover the tip side of the tip part main body 31 is inserted with the tip side of the light guide unit 33 protruding from the tip part main body 31, as described above. 23 forms an exposed hole 31c exposed to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 3, the exposure hole 31c of the tip cover 31a is formed to be inclined in a tapered shape so that the light guide unit 33, that is, the light guide frame 33d does not come out to the outside. Yes.
Here, the tip cover 31a needs to be detachable from the tip body 31 in order to improve repairability. However, if the light guide unit 33 is caught in the exposure hole 31c, the tip cover 31a is not easily removable.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the tip cover 31a is formed so as to be easily detachable from the tip body 31.
As shown in FIG. 5, the front end cover 31a covering the front end portion main body 31 has an exposed hole through which the front end side of the light guide unit 33 protruding from the front end portion main body 31 is inserted to expose the illumination window 23 to the outside. 31 c is formed larger than the projection surface of the insertion portion of the light guide unit 33 to be projected with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tip end body 31. In FIG. 5, only the components necessary for the description are shown for the sake of simplicity.

Therefore, the tip cover 31a can be configured to be detachable from the tip portion main body 31 without the light guide unit 33 being caught by the exposure hole 31c, and after being attached to the tip portion main body 31, the light guide unit The tip side of 33 does not fall out.
As a result, the repairability of the endoscope 1 is improved because the distal end cover 31a is detachable from the distal end main body 31.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Appendix]
(Additional item 1)
A light guide unit that is provided in the distal end body to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end body of the elongated insertion portion, and transmits the illumination light for the subject, and adjacent to the light guide unit, the light guide unit An imaging unit that is provided in the tip body and that captures and images the reflected light from the subject illuminated by the illumination light from the light guide unit;
The distal end main body is formed with a first arrangement hole in which the imaging unit is arranged and a second arrangement hole in which the light guide unit is arranged, and the first arrangement hole. An endoscope characterized in that the second arrangement hole communicates with the second arrangement hole at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion.

(Appendix 2)
A plurality of the second disposition holes are formed around the first disposition hole, and at least one second disposition hole and the first disposition hole are at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion. The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein the endoscope is communicated with each other.

(Additional Item 3)
The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the light guide unit is disposed so as to be inclined in an outer diameter direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tip body.

(Appendix 4)
The endoscope according to appendix 1 or 3, wherein a plurality of the light guide units are arranged around the imaging unit at a predetermined angular interval.

(Appendix 5)
The light guide unit is disposed to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tip body,
The distal end cover that covers the distal end portion body has an exposure hole into which the distal end side of the light guide unit protruding from the distal end portion body is inserted and the most advanced lens is exposed to the outside with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end portion body. The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein the endoscope is formed larger than a projection surface of an insertion portion of the light guide unit to be projected.

(Appendix 6)
A light guide unit that is provided in the distal end body to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end body of the elongated insertion portion, and transmits the illumination light for the subject, and adjacent to the light guide unit, the light guide unit An imaging unit that is provided in the tip body and that captures and images the reflected light from the subject illuminated by the illumination light from the light guide unit;
The distal end main body is formed with a first arrangement hole in which the imaging unit is arranged and a second arrangement hole in which the light guide unit is arranged, and the first arrangement hole. An endoscope characterized in that the second arrangement hole communicates with the second arrangement hole at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion.

(Appendix 7)
A tip cover that covers the tip body provided on the tip side of the elongated insertion portion;
A light guide unit that transmits the illumination light for the subject, and is provided in the tip body by being inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tip body;
Have
The distal end cover that covers the distal end portion body has an exposure hole into which the distal end side of the light guide unit protruding from the distal end portion body is inserted and the most advanced lens is exposed to the outside with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end portion body. An endoscope, wherein the endoscope is formed larger than a projection surface of an insertion portion of the light guide unit to be projected.

(Appendix 8)
Three light guide units are arranged on the tip body, and the tip lens of one of the three light guide units is connected to the other two lights on the tip surface of the tip body. The endoscope according to Additional Item 1 or 6 or 7, wherein the endoscope is arranged so as to be separated from the most advanced lens of the imaging unit from the most advanced lens of the guide unit.

  In the endoscope of the present invention, a first arrangement hole in which the imaging unit is arranged and a second arrangement hole in which the light guide unit is arranged are formed, and the first arrangement hole and the first arrangement hole are formed. By connecting at least the arrangement hole of 2 at the proximal end side of the insertion portion, the distal end portion of the insertion portion can be reduced in diameter, and a wider viewing angle is required not only in the industrial field but also in the medical field. Suitable for

It is explanatory drawing which showed schematically the endoscope apparatus provided with the endoscope of one Example of this invention. It is a front view of the insertion part front-end | tip part of the endoscope of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part along the PP line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the exposure hole of a front-end | tip cover, and the front end side of a light guide unit. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the insertion part front-end | tip part of the conventional endoscope using three light guide units.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope 3 Insertion part 10 Tip part 22 Observation window 23 Illumination window 31 Tip part main body 31a Tip cover 31b Imaging unit arrangement | positioning hole (1st arrangement | positioning hole)
31c Exposed hole 31d Light guide unit arrangement hole (second arrangement hole)
32 Imaging unit 33 Light guide unit Agent Patent attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (2)

A light guide unit that is provided in the distal end body to be inclined in the outer diameter direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the distal end body of the elongated insertion portion, and transmits the illumination light for the subject, and adjacent to the light guide unit, the light guide unit An imaging unit that is provided in the tip body and that captures and images the reflected light from the subject illuminated by the illumination light from the light guide unit;
The distal end main body is formed with a first arrangement hole in which the imaging unit is arranged and a second arrangement hole in which the light guide unit is arranged, and the first arrangement hole. An endoscope characterized in that the second arrangement hole communicates with the second arrangement hole at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion. A plurality of the second disposition holes are formed around the first disposition hole, and at least one second disposition hole and the first disposition hole are at least on the proximal end side of the insertion portion. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope communicates with each other.

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