JP2009297421A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope acquiring the image of the inner peripheral surface of a hole in a wide range without the need of skill in an operation. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope 1 includes: an outer shell which is provided with a cylindrical body part 2 and a transparent capsule part 3 and provided with a transparent window part 3c extending in an axial direction on the peripheral wall; a solid-state imaging element 27 which is provided inside the outer shell; an objective optical system which includes an objective lens 17 for converging object light through the window part 3c and forms an image on the solid-state imaging element 27; a rotating body 50 which is provided with an index part 53 for light-shielding a part of the object light; and a driving mechanism 21 which moves at least the objective lens 17 of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell. The object light advances along the axis of the outer shell in one section of the optical path of the objective optical system, and the rotating body 50 is arranged in one section of the optical path of the objective optical system and is rotated by gravity with an optical axis in the section as a rotary axis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope.

  Endoscopes are used in the medical field for examinations in the lumen of the digestive tract and cervix, or in the industrial field for examination of small diameter tubes and narrow cavities. As an endoscope for such applications, a side view is provided with a flexible tube inserted into a hole in a lumen, in a tube, a cavity, etc., and an objective lens is provided on the side surface of the distal end of the tube so that the field of view extends laterally. A type of endoscope is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  There is also known an endoscope in which an omnidirectional light receiving unit is provided at the distal end portion of the tube and the field of view extends laterally all around (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In recent years, capsule endoscopes have been used for medical examination of the digestive tract in the medical field. The capsule endoscope incorporates an imaging device and images the inside of the digestive tract while being transported through the digestive tract by peristaltic movement of the digestive tract (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-191944 JP 2003-279862 A JP 09-327447 A

  The field of view of the endoscope is relatively narrow, and it is necessary to move the field of view in order to observe the inner peripheral surface of the hole over a wide range. In an endoscope in which a tube is inserted into a hole, the field of view is moved by inserting and removing the tube and twisting, but the operation requires skill. For this reason, for example, it is not realistic for the examinee to operate himself / herself during the examination, and the operation is left to the doctor. However, for example, in the cervical examination, there is a resistance to seeing the body by the doctor, which has been a factor that hinders the spread of the examination.

  On the other hand, the capsule endoscope is conveyed inside the digestive tract by peristaltic movement of the digestive tract. Therefore, although an operation for moving the visual field is not required, it cannot be used for a subject that does not have a peristaltic movement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can image the inner peripheral surface of a hole over a wide range without requiring skill in operation.

  An endoscope according to the present invention is formed in a cylindrical shape, an outer shell provided with a transparent window portion extending in the axial direction on a peripheral wall thereof, a solid-state imaging device provided in the outer shell, and the outer shell An objective lens that collects the subject light through the window, an objective optical system that forms an image on the solid-state imaging device, a rotating body that has an indicator that blocks a part of the subject light, and at least the objective optical system A drive mechanism that moves the objective lens along the axis of the outer shell, and the subject light travels along the axis of the outer shell in one section of the optical path of the objective optical system, and the rotation A body is disposed in the one section of the optical path of the objective optical system, and rotates in the direction of gravity by gravity with the optical axis in the section as a rotation axis.

  The endoscope of the present invention is characterized in that the index portion is located on a line segment connecting the optical axis in the one section of the optical path of the objective optical system and the center of gravity of the rotating body.

  In the endoscope of the present invention, the window portion is provided on the peripheral wall of the outer shell over the entire circumference, and the drive mechanism moves at least the objective lens of the objective optical system around the axis of the outer shell. It is characterized by being moved along the axis of the outer shell while being rotated as a rotation axis.

  In the endoscope of the present invention, the objective lens is moved along the axis of the outer shell by the driving mechanism, and the visual field moves accordingly. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert / remove or twist the entire endoscope, and the inner peripheral surface of the hole can be imaged over a wide range without requiring skill.

  Therefore, for example, when used for cervical examination, the subject can receive an examination by wearing an endoscope. Thereby, it is possible to dispel the sense of resistance that the doctor sees the body, and to operate easily, which can contribute to the spread of medical examinations.

  Then, a part of the subject light is blocked by the indicator portion of the rotating body, and the indicator portion of the rotating body is stored in the captured image. The rotating body rotates about the optical axis along the axis of the outer shell so that the center of gravity is arranged below by gravity. Therefore, as long as the axis of the outer shell is inclined with respect to the vertical, the indicator of the rotating body always indicates a predetermined direction based on the positional relationship with the center of gravity. Therefore, reference orientation information is included in the image, and the correspondence between the image and the imaging region where the image is captured can be reliably obtained.

  Further, if the window portion is provided over the entire circumference of the peripheral wall of the outer shell, and the drive mechanism is configured to move in the axial direction while rotating at least the objective lens of the objective optical system about the axis of the outer shell, All directions can be imaged without rotating the endoscope. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface of the hole can be imaged over a wider range.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic endoscope of the present embodiment can be referred to as a side view type, and is a rigid type. The electronic endoscope 1 includes an outer shell composed of a main body portion 2 and a transparent capsule portion 3, a moving lens frame portion 4 housed in the outer shell, and an imaging drive unit portion 5 described later (see FIG. 2). ).

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic endoscope 1, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electronic endoscope 1.

  The main body 2 is formed of a resin material or the like in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a cylindrical battery storage portion 2b is provided on the bottom (lower side in FIG. 2) 2a. The storage portion 2b is hermetically closed by the battery lid 12.

  Further, in the illustrated example, two tubes 13 and 14 made of resin protrude from the bottom 2a and are fixed to the outside. By operating the tubes 13 and 14 with the tubes 13, the electronic endoscope 1 can be operated. The whole can be pulled out from the hole of the subject. In some cases, the electronic endoscope 1 may be used by inserting wiring into the tubes 13 and 14.

  A precise female screw 2c centering on the axis of the main body 2 is engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 2. A member (moving lens frame) 4 on which the male screw is formed is screwed and rotated. As a result, the member 4 advances and retracts in the axial direction.

  The transparent capsule portion (window portion) 3 is a cylindrical body formed of a hard transparent resin, and one end side (tip side) is formed in a hemispherical shape, and an open end portion 3b opposite to the hemispherical portion 3a, The opening end 2d of the main body 2 is aligned and fixed by bonding. In the illustrated example, the entire capsule part 3 is formed of a transparent resin, but the cylindrical part 3c only needs to be transparent, and the hemispherical part 3a may be opaque. Alternatively, the hemispherical portion 3a and the cylindrical portion 3c may be formed separately from each other instead of being integrally formed of the same material. In addition, the transparent resin should just be transparent with respect to the light of specific wavelengths, such as infrared light, for example, and does not necessarily need to be transparent with respect to visible light.

  The hemispherical portion 3a may be formed to have a smaller diameter than illustrated, and the tip of the cylindrical body 3c of the transparent capsule portion 3 may be smoothly connected to the hemispherical portion 3a after being narrowed to a tapered shape. If it does in this way, it will become easy to guide and insert the tip part of transparent capsule part 3 also in a smaller hole. In the case of this embodiment, since the cylindrical part 3c outer diameter of the transparent capsule part 3 and the outer diameter of the main-body part 2 are made into the same dimension, a level | step difference does not arise between both.

  The moving lens frame portion 4 includes an objective lens mounting portion 4a in which a resin material is formed in a disc shape, and a cylindrical member 4b having substantially the same diameter as the objective lens mounting portion 4a. The objective lens mounting portion 4a is bonded and fixed so as to be integrated with the opening end of the endoscope 1 at the opening end, and the opening end is closed. The outer diameter of the objective lens mounting portion 4a is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the transparent capsule portion 3, so that the objective lens mounting portion 4a can be moved smoothly in the transparent capsule portion 3 without rattling.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 4b, a precise male screw 4c that is screwed into the female screw 2c engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 2 is engraved over the entire axial length of the cylindrical member 4b. An internal gear 4d is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 4b. The internal gear 4d is formed by teeth that are parallel to the axis and that extend over the entire axial length of the cylindrical member 4b at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  A cylindrical hole 4e having a bottom in the upper end direction (the distal direction of the electronic endoscope 1) is drilled in the central axis portion of the objective lens mounting portion 4a, and the objective mirror 16 is accommodated in the cylindrical hole 4e. ing. The objective mirror 16 has a shape obtained by cutting a cylindrical glass body at an angle of 45 degrees, and a reflective film is formed on the cut surface at an angle of 45 degrees.

  The objective lens mounting portion 4a has an imaging hole 4f for imaging that extends straight in the radial direction of the disk-shaped member, and one end of the imaging hole 4f is opened on the outer peripheral side surface of the objective lens mounting portion 4a. An objective lens 17 made of a concave lens is provided. The other end of the imaging hole 4f is opened in the cylindrical hole 4e, and the subject light that has passed through the transparent capsule portion 3 and entered the hole 4f through the objective lens 17 travels as a parallel light flux, and the oblique 45 of the objective mirror 16 is inclined. The light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the degree, and proceeds on the central axis of the cylindrical member 4b with the parallel light flux.

  In FIG. 3, in order to clearly show the parallel light beam in the imaging hole 4f, the tooth of the internal gear 4d that is visible on the other side of the parallel light beam is not shown, and the parallel light beam is indicated by a white portion. ing.

  The imaging drive unit 5 is fixedly installed inside the main body 2 using a stay member (not shown) with a peripheral wall portion of the battery housing 2b provided on the bottom 2a of the main body 2 as a support. The imaging drive unit 5 includes three substrates 21, 22, and 23 in the illustrated example.

  A control unit 25 including a driver circuit of a stepping motor and the like is provided on the lowermost substrate (bottom 2a side) substrate 21, an image memory 26 for storing captured image data is provided on the intermediate substrate 22, and an upper substrate 23. Are provided with a solid-state imaging device 27 such as a CCD type image sensor or a CMOS type image sensor and a stepping motor 28.

  A lens holder 29 formed in a cylindrical shape is provided at the center of the substrate 23, and a solid-state image sensor 27 is accommodated therein. A condensing lens 30 is installed at the upper end opening of the lens holder 29, and the parallel light beam (subject light) that enters the object after traveling on the central axis enters the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 27. 30 is imaged. That is, the objective lens 17, the objective mirror 16, and the condenser lens 30 constitute an objective optical system.

  A rotating body 50 is provided at a portion immediately before the condenser lens 30 of the parallel light beam incident on the condenser lens 30. The rotating body 50 is formed in a substantially disc shape, and a substantially circular through hole 51 through which a parallel light beam passes is formed at the center. The rotator 50 is arranged with its central axis aligned with the optical axis of the parallel light beam, that is, the central axis of the cylindrical main body 2. For example, a thrust bearing or the like is interposed between the rotator 50 and the lens holder 29. It is supported so as to be rotatable around the optical axis of the parallel light beam, that is, around the central axis of the main body 2.

  A weight body 52 is attached to a predetermined portion of the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 50 so that the center of gravity of the rotating body 50 deviates from the central axis of the main body 2. Note that the center of gravity of the rotating body 50 deviates from the central axis of the main body 2 by making the thickness of the rotating body 50 non-uniform or notching a part of the rotating body 50, for example, without attaching the weight body 52. You may comprise as follows.

  When the central axis of the main body 2 is tilted with respect to the direction of gravity, the rotating body 50 is supported so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the main body 2 and its center of gravity deviates from the central axis of the main body 2. Therefore, the center of gravity rotates by gravity so that the center of gravity is arranged below the direction of gravity.

  The rotating body 50 is provided with an indicator portion 53 formed in a substantially spire shape. The index portion 53 protrudes into the through-hole 51 at the tip portion, and blocks a part of the outer edge portion of the parallel light flux that passes through the through-hole 51 (the index portion 53 is made translucent so that a part of the parallel light flux is Including the case of attenuation). Therefore, the shadow of the index unit 53 is projected onto the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 27, and the index unit 53 is stored in an image captured by the solid-state image sensor 27. The position of the index portion 53 is not particularly limited, but preferably, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a line segment connecting the central axis of the main body portion 2 and the weight body 52, in other words, the parallel light flux. It is on a line segment connecting the optical axis and the center of gravity of the rotating body 50. According to this, it is possible to directly indicate the downward direction of gravity suitable as the reference direction by the indicator unit 53.

  Further, the half mirror 31 placed at an angle of 45 degrees obliquely with respect to the optical axis of the parallel light beam (= the central axis of the cylindrical member 4b) in the portion immediately before the rotator 50 of the parallel light beam incident on the rotator 50. Is provided. And the illumination lens 32 which condenses illumination light so that it may become a parallel light beam with respect to the half mirror 31, and LED33 which light-emits illumination light is provided. The half mirror 31, the illumination lens 32, and the LED 33 are fixedly installed inside the main body 2 using a stay member (not shown).

  A stepping motor 28 is fixed to the periphery of the substrate 23, and a motor gear (spur gear) 36 is attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 28. The rotation axis of the stepping motor 28 is provided in parallel with the central axis of the cylindrical member 4b (= the optical axis of the parallel light beam), and a spur idle gear 37 is engaged with the motor gear 36.

  The rotation shaft of the idle gear 37 is pivotally supported perpendicularly to the substrate 23, and the number of teeth of the idle gear 37 is larger than the number of teeth of the motor gear 36. For this reason, the rotational speed of the stepping motor 28 is decelerated and transmitted to the idle gear 37. The idle gear 37 is meshed with an internal gear 4d provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 4b.

  When the stepping motor 28 rotates, the idle gear 37 rotates, and the cylindrical member 4b rotates accordingly. When the cylindrical member 4b rotates, the cylindrical member 4b of the movable lens frame portion 4 is screwed into or out of the main body portion 2 depending on the rotation direction, and advances and retreats in the axial direction.

  The electronic endoscope 1 is provided with a power switch (not shown). When the power switch is turned on, power from the power battery 11 is supplied to each component of the imaging drive unit 5 through a wiring (not shown). The imaging operation and driving operation are performed as described later.

  For example, the power switch may be provided on the bottom 2a of the main body 2 so that the manual operation switch is turned on and off. Alternatively, a switch terminal that responds to a magnetic force may be built in the main body unit 2, and the switch terminal may be turned on / off by moving the magnet closer to or away from the outside of the electronic endoscope 1.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the imaging drive unit 5. The CPU 41 that performs overall control of the entire system stores a control program and also operates as a work memory, the image memory 26 provided on the board 22 described in FIG. 3, and an LED drive circuit that drives the LED 33 43, an image sensor driver 44 for driving the image sensor 27, and a pulse generator 46 for supplying a drive pulse to a motor driver 45 for driving the stepping motor 28 are connected.

  When the power switch 47 is turned on, power is supplied from the power battery 11 to each part to start the operation, and the motor 28 is rotationally driven. Thereby, the moving lens frame part 4 rotates inside the electronic endoscope 1 and advances and retreats in the axial direction. Also, the emitted light from the LED 33 is condensed into parallel light by the illumination lens 32, the parallel light is reflected by the half mirror 32 toward the objective mirror 16, and the parallel light reflected by the objective mirror 16 passes through the objective lens 17 to the subject. Irradiated in the direction to become illumination light.

  The reflected light from the subject is taken into the electronic endoscope 1 through the objective lens 17, and the optical image of the subject reflected by the objective mirror 16 passes through the through hole 51 of the rotating body 50 as a parallel light flux and is a condensing lens. Then, the light is focused on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 27 by the condenser lens 30. Part of the subject light is blocked by the index unit 53, the shadow of the index unit 53 is projected on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 27, and the index unit 53 is contained in the image captured by the image sensor 27.

  An imaging signal of a subject imaged by the imaging element 27 is captured by the CPU 41 and subjected to image processing, and stored in the image memory 26 as, for example, JPEG image data.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the control program stored in the control memory 42. When the power switch 47 is turned on, this control program is started, and first, the stepping motor 28 is driven to the origin side (step S1). The origin side is, for example, the state shown in FIG. 3, that is, the direction in which the position of the objective lens 17 is the front end side of the electronic endoscope 1.

  In the present embodiment, in order to reduce the cost, a sensor for detecting whether or not the stepping motor 28 has reached the origin is not provided. Therefore, in the next step S2, whether or not the timer for counting a predetermined time has been counted up. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, step S1 is repeatedly executed. If a sensor for detecting that the origin has been reached is provided, step S1 may be repeated until the origin of this sensor is detected.

  The predetermined time may be the longest time required for the stepping motor 28 to reach the origin. For example, the state shown in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the moving lens frame unit 4 is rotated and moved to the lowest position. From this state, the moving lens frame unit 4 is rotated by the rotation of the stepping motor 28. The time required to reach the origin position shown in FIG. 3 (the position where the movable lens frame portion 4 abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the hemispherical portion 3a and cannot move further in that direction).

  Thereby, the movable lens frame 4 is in any intermediate position between the state of FIG. 3 and the state of FIG. 7 (the state where the lower end of the cylindrical member 4b is in contact with the bottom 2a of the main body 2a). Even in such a case, the objective lens 17 is always at the origin position if the stepping motor 28 is driven in the origin position direction for a predetermined time.

  When the timer counts the predetermined time, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S3, and the contents of the counter described later are cleared to zero. Then, the process proceeds to step S4, and imaging processing is performed. In the imaging process, the LED 33 is turned on to irradiate illumination light from the objective lens 17, the light reflected from the subject is taken into the electronic endoscope 1 from the objective lens 17, and incident on the light receiving surface of the imaging device 27 from the subject. Image light.

  Then, the CPU 41 drives the image sensor 27 via the image sensor driver 44, captures the imaging signal of the subject obtained from the image sensor 27 from the image sensor 27, processes the image, and stores it in the image memory 26.

  In the next step S5, the stepping motor 28 is driven by the specified number of pulses. In the next step S6, the specified number of pulses is added to the count value of the counter. In the next step S7, the total count value of the counter is set to the specified number. Compare.

  If the total count value of the counter has not reached the designated number, the process returns from step S7 to step S4 to perform the imaging process, and thereafter the processing loop of steps S4 to S7 is repeatedly executed. When the total count value of the counter reaches the designated number, the processing in FIG. 5 is terminated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating movement of the imaging field of the objective lens 17 when step S4 of FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed. In the first imaging process performed at the origin position, the subject image in the field of view indicated by “No. 001” in FIG.

  After the subject image of the field of view “No. 001” is captured, the stepping motor 28 with the specified number of pulses is driven in step S5, so that the cylindrical member 4b rotates by the specified number of pulses. As a result, the cylindrical member 4b is screwed into the main body 2 and retracted, and the next field of view is “No. 002” in FIG. 8. It is stored in the memory 26.

  Thereafter, the field of view is No. 003 → No. 004 → No. 005... To repeat the imaging process and storage of image data in the memory 26. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the movable lens frame portion 4 is half-turned inside the transparent capsule 3 as compared with the state of FIG. The imaging field of view when the moving lens frame part 4 has completed one round (one rotation) from the origin position in the transparent capsule part 3 is No. 1 in FIG. No. 011 and the imaging field of view when two rounds (two rotations) have been completed is No. 1 in FIG. 021.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the lower end of the cylindrical member 4b is in contact with the bottom 2a of the main body 2 and cannot move further in that direction. When the state shown in FIG. ) Is completed. That is, the “specified number” used in step S7 in FIG. 5 is the total number of pulses from the origin position to the state in FIG.

  In the example of movement of the individual imaging fields illustrated in FIG. 8, step S <b> 5 in FIG. 5 is performed so that the left and right ends of adjacent imaging fields contact or slightly overlap in the rotation direction of the moving lens frame unit 4. The specified number of pulses is set. Further, the pitch of the threads provided on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 4b is such that the upper and lower ends of the imaging fields adjacent to each other in the rotation axis direction are in contact with each other or slightly overlap. Designed to.

  As a result, the state of the entire field of view on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical subject to be observed can be captured without omission and acquired as image data. Of course, it goes without saying that the number of pulses of the stepping motor may be set or the pitch of the spirals 2c and 4c may be designed so that the individual imaging fields of view overlap each other.

  After the imaging by the electronic endoscope 1 is completed, the accumulated data in the image memory 26 in FIG. 4 is read out to the outside. This reading may be performed using radio, or may be performed using wiring inserted into the tubes 13 and 14 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the image memory 26 may be provided so as to be removable from the electronic endoscope 1, and the extracted image memory 26 may be read by a separate personal computer.

  When an abnormality such as a disease or a wound is recognized in an image generated from the read data, it is necessary to specify an imaging region from which the image data is acquired. Therefore, in the endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment, the image data and the image data are acquired so that the index portion 53 of the rotating body 50 that rotates so that the center of gravity is arranged below by gravity is included in the image. Correspondence with the imaged region that has been made is taken.

  An example of the image I by subject light imaged on the solid-state image sensor 27 and its light receiving surface is shown in FIG. In the drawing, reference numeral 53 ′ indicates a shadow of the index unit 53 projected on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 27. From this state, when the endoscope 1 is rotated by a predetermined angle around the axis of the outer shell of the endoscope 1 (assuming that the moving lens frame portion 4 is not rotated relative to the main body portion 2), Although both the objective lens 17 and the solid-state image sensor 27 are rotated, since the relative positional relationship between the objective lens 17 and the solid-state image sensor 27 is unchanged, as shown in FIG. There is no relative rotation between element 27 and image I. On the other hand, the rotary body 50 rotates independently so that the gravity center is arrange | positioned below the gravity direction by gravity. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9B, the shadow 53 ′ of the indicator portion 53 projected onto the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 27 moves relative to the light receiving surface and the image I, and is always below the gravitational direction. Instruct.

  Therefore, for example, in an image captured in the field of view “No. 001” (see FIG. 8) when the objective lens 17 is at the origin position shown in FIG. The posture angle of the endoscope 1 around the axis of the outer shell can be determined. Based on this posture angle, the imaging region from which each image data was acquired by taking into consideration the imaging order of the image data, the amount of visual field displacement in the axial and circumferential directions at a predetermined imaging interval, and the posture of the subject Is identified.

  Since the posture angle of the endoscope 1 is determined from the index unit 53 that indicates the downward direction of the gravity, it is not relative to the subject but in the absolute coordinate system. This is particularly useful when, for example, the patient himself / herself wears an endoscope during a medical examination, and if the subject's posture is determined, such as lying down or lying down, how to wear the endoscope Regardless, the correspondence between the image data and the imaging region from which the image data was acquired can be reliably obtained.

  FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram according to another embodiment of the imaging drive unit 5 of FIG. The only difference from the embodiment of FIG. 4 is that the captured image data is sent to an external monitor so that the captured image can be observed on-line on the external monitor and an operation instruction can be input from the outside.

  In the case of this embodiment, the CPU 41 may send the image signal acquired from the image sensor 27 to an external video processor as it is without performing image processing, and display the subject image image-processed by the video processor on an external monitor. good. Communication between the external video processor or external monitor and the CPU 41 may be wired or wireless. In the case of performing wired communication, an external power source can be used by inserting a power line in the wiring.

  In addition to the control program of FIG. 5, a control program for moving the visual field position of the objective lens 17 to an arbitrary imaging visual field position of FIG. 8 in accordance with an external operation instruction may be installed as the control program. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the rotational driving of the movable lens frame unit 4 is performed by the stepping motor 28. However, it is not necessary to use a stepping motor as long as the motor can accurately control the rotation angle and the rotation length. Needless to say.

Next, a preferred use example of the electronic endoscope 1 according to the above-described embodiment will be described.
(I) Example of use as a uterine endoscope:
In recent years, cervical cancer affecting women is becoming younger, but early detection is important because cervical cancer is not important by partial extraction if it is detected early. However, women tend to resist seeing their bodies and the screening population does not increase.

  The electronic endoscope 1 according to the above-described embodiment is effective for screening for cervical cancer if the size and shape are designed to an appropriate size. The electronic endoscope 1 shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into a woman's vaginal cavity, and the electronic endoscope 1 is inserted into the uterus from the distal end (hemisphere 3a) so that a series of imaging visual field positions shown in FIG. 8 reach the cervix. By inserting into the cervix, it is possible to image the state of the inner peripheral surface of the cervix without omission.

  For example, if the electronic endoscope 1 is inserted into the cervix by the patient's own hand in the examination room and the doctor instructs the insertion position or monitors the captured image online in a separate room, the examination is performed. It is possible to increase the population.

  Further, in the electronic endoscope 1 described above, when the power switch 47 is turned on, the position of the objective lens 17 automatically returns to the origin position and the imaging process is automatically performed as described with reference to FIG. The electronic endoscope 1 can be lent to a patient, and the patient himself / herself can take an image of his / her cervix at home. The doctor can make a diagnosis by collecting the electronic endoscope 1 and examining the captured image data in the image memory 26.

(Ii) Examples of use as colonos and rectal endoscopes:
Conventionally, when examining the large intestine or the rectum, there is a problem that the affected part can be observed only from an obliquely upward direction because it is observed with an endoscope having an image sensor mounted on the tip. However, if the electronic endoscope 1 of the above-described embodiment is inserted to the affected part position and imaging is performed, the affected part can be observed from the vertically upper position, and can be observed in more detail and can be diagnosed with high accuracy. It becomes.

(Iii) Example of use as an industrial endoscope:
For example, the electronic endoscope 1 of the above-described embodiment can be used as an industrial endoscope that observes fine scratches in a thin pipe. An endoscope 1 having a dimension and shape corresponding to the size of the hole to be observed and the opening of the gap and the insertion depth is prepared. As described above, since it is possible to observe scratches and the like from the vertically upper side with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the hole, more detailed observation is possible. In addition, once inserted, it is possible to observe a wide range (a whole range in the axially movable length of the moving lens frame portion 4), and the oversight rate of small scratches is also reduced.

  The electronic endoscope according to the present invention can capture a wide range of images in detail, and can also observe an affected area or a wound from vertically above. It is useful as a medical endoscope and an industrial endoscope.

1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of an electronic endoscope according to the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the control unit mounted in the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the control program which CPU shown in FIG. 4 performs. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the moving lens frame part made | formed half way from the state shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the movable lens frame part shown in FIG. 6 moved down to the imaging completion position. It is a figure which shows the mode of a movement of the imaging visual field of the objective lens shown in FIG. In the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. 1, it is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the image of the object light imaged on the light-receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor and the indicator part of the rotating body. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment instead of FIG. 4.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electronic endoscope 2 Body (outer shell)
2a Bottom part 2b Battery storage part 2c Female screw 3 provided on inner peripheral surface Transparent capsule part (outer shell)
3a Hemispherical portion 3c at the tip Cylindrical portion 4 Moving lens frame portion 4a Disc-shaped objective lens mounting portion 4b Cylindrical member 4c Male screw 4d provided on the outer peripheral surface 4f Internal gear 4f Imaging hole 5 Imaging drive unit 11 Power supply battery 12 Battery Lids 13 and 14 Tube (operation part)
16 Objective mirror 17 Objective lenses 21, 22, 23 Substrate 26 Image memory 27 Solid-state imaging device 28 Stepping motor 29 Lens holder 30 Condensing lens 31 Half mirror 32 Illumination lens 33 LED (light emitting body)
36 Motor gear 37 Idle gear 41 Control device (CPU)
47 Power switch 50 Rotating body 51 Through hole 52 Weight body 53 Index section

Claims (3)

An outer shell formed in a cylindrical shape and provided with a transparent window portion extending in the axial direction on the peripheral wall;
A solid-state imaging device provided inside the outer shell;
An objective optical system that focuses the subject light through the window of the outer shell, and forms an image on the solid-state imaging device;
A rotating body having an indicator portion that blocks a part of the subject light;
A drive mechanism for moving at least the objective lens of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell;
With
The object light travels along the axis of the outer shell in a section of the optical path of the objective optical system;
The endoscope, wherein the rotating body is disposed in the one section of the optical path of the objective optical system and rotates in the direction of gravity by gravity with the optical axis in the section as a rotation axis.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the index portion is located on a line segment connecting an optical axis in the one section of the optical path of the objective optical system and a center of gravity of the rotating body. The window is provided over the entire circumference of the peripheral wall of the outer shell,
3. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism moves at least the objective lens of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell while rotating the axis of the outer shell as a rotation axis. The endoscope described.

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