JP2010207598A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope excellent in gripping property and operability, which reduces burden to an arm of a user who grips the endoscope and in which the twisting operation of an insertion section and the bending operation of a bending section can freely be performed. <P>SOLUTION: This endoscope 2A includes: an insertion section 20 which is thin and long, has flexibility, and has the bending section on the distal end side; and an operating section 70 which is connected with the proximal end of the insertion section 20. The operating section 70 includes: an operating section body 71; and a gripping section 72 which is installed in such a manner that the axial direction may cross the insertion axis of the insertion section, and can be gripped with the little finer, the ring finger, and the middle finger. A bending operating lever 31 is installed projecting to the operating section body 71 at an area where the thumb is positioned when the gripping section 72 is gripped with the little finger, the ring finger, and the middle finger. Also, the bending operating lever top section is arranged on the inside of a surface which connects the outermost shape area of the operating section body on the surface where the bending operating lever is projected with the outermost shape area of the gripping section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope capable of bending a bending portion provided in an insertion portion by moving a pulling member by performing a tilting operation of changing a tilting direction and a tilting angle of the bending lever.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, endoscopes have been widely used as devices for observing and inspecting body cavities, structures, and gaps. This endoscope mainly includes an insertion portion that is inserted into a body cavity, a structure, or the like, and an operation portion that is provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion.

  Some of the endoscopes are provided with a bending portion that can be bent in the vertical and horizontal directions, for example, in the insertion portion. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-65132 discloses an endoscope in which an operation wire is moved forward and backward by a driving force of a motor to operate a tip bending mechanism to change the direction of an insertion portion. The distal end portion of the operation wire is fixed to the distal end side of the bending portion, and the proximal end portion of the operation wire is, for example, one bending operation lever 102 that is an operation instruction means provided in the operation portion 101 shown in FIG. Are fixed to an operation wire attaching mechanism (not shown).

  Therefore, the user can move the corresponding operation wire (not shown) forward and backward by tilting the bending operation lever 102 with the thumb while holding the operation unit 101 that also serves as the holding unit, thereby moving the bending unit to a desired shape. It can be bent in the direction.

  However, in the endoscope 100 shown in FIG. 22, it is difficult to freely operate the bending operation lever 102 with the thumb while the operation unit 101 is held. For this reason, when inserting the insertion portion 103 to the target location, it is particularly difficult to perform a twisting operation of twisting the insertion portion 103 while operating the bending operation lever 102 with a thumb, and the bending portion is bent when the twisting operation is performed. There is a possibility that the operation lever 102 cannot be held and the bending state is changed. Further, when handling the endoscope, the hand holding the operation unit is lifted, so that the arm supporting the endoscope is burdened, and the operability may be impaired with time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, reduces the burden on the arm of the user holding the endoscope, can freely perform the twisting operation of the insertion portion and the bending operation of the bending portion, And it aims at providing the endoscope excellent in operativity.

An endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention includes an insertion portion provided with an imaging element that captures a subject image at a distal end portion that is elongated and flexible, and an operation portion that is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion. The bending operation lever provided on the operation unit is tilted to change the tilting direction and the tilting angle to move the traction member so that the bending unit positioned on the distal end side of the insertion unit is in a desired direction. In an endoscope that can be bent,
The operation part is provided on the side opposite to the insertion part of the operation part body so that the axial direction intersects and tilts with respect to the insertion axis of the insertion part, and can be gripped by the little finger, ring finger and middle finger With a gripping part,
The bending operation lever is provided so as to protrude from the operation unit main body so that it can be operated with a thumb when the gripping portion is gripped with a little finger, a ring finger, and a middle finger, and a top portion of the bending operation lever is connected to the bending operation lever. Arranged on the inner side of the outermost part of the operation unit body that is the protruding surface side or the surface connecting the outermost part of the gripping part,
While grasping the gripping part with a little finger, ring finger and middle finger and operating the bending operation lever with a thumb to direct the distal end of the insertion part in a desired direction, an image of the subject is captured by the image sensor at the distal end. An image stationary switch is disposed for capturing an image of a subject image captured by the image sensor at a position where the image sensor can be operated with an index finger while gripping,
When the gripping part is gripped with a little finger, a ring finger, and a middle finger, a position that can be operated with a thumb is provided in the operation part body on the gripping part side from the bending operation lever that protrudes from the operation part body. The operation switch was placed on the axis.

  According to the present invention, the burden on the user's arm holding the endoscope is reduced, the insertion portion can be freely twisted and the bending portion can be bent freely, and the endoscope has excellent gripping and operability. An endoscope apparatus including a mirror can be realized.

The figure explaining an endoscope apparatus The figure explaining the structure of the operation part of an endoscope The figure explaining the structure of a bending apparatus The figure explaining the bending apparatus when it sees from the arrow A side of FIG. The figure explaining the holding state of an operation part The figure explaining the other example of composition of an operation part 7 and 8 illustrate a specific configuration example of the operation unit of the endoscope, and FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the operation unit of the endoscope. The figure when the operation part of FIG. 7 is seen from the arrow A direction The figure explaining other guard members The figure explaining the example of composition of a motor control part 11 to 13 are related to a configuration in which a display device is detachably provided in the operation unit of the endoscope, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a liquid crystal monitor is arranged in the vicinity of the operation unit. The figure explaining the mounting state to the operation part of a stay The figure explaining other structures of an insertion part fixing | fixed part The figure explaining the composition of a storage case FIG. 15 to FIG. 20 are diagrams for explaining a specific configuration example of an endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining endoscope apparatuses having different configurations of the endoscope and the apparatus main body. The figure explaining the structure of an operation part Sectional drawing explaining composition of operation part Diagram explaining the main body The figure explaining the state where the worker is using the endoscope apparatus The figure which shows the state which mounted the apparatus main body on the work desk in the state which attached the operation part to the apparatus main body. The figure explaining the other example of arrangement | positioning of the hinge which enables a monitor to rotate The figure explaining the example of composition of the conventional endoscope operation part

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 6 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates an endoscope apparatus, FIG. 2 illustrates an endoscope operation unit, and FIG. 3 illustrates a bending apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the bending device as viewed from the arrow A side in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the gripping state of the operation unit, and FIG. 6 is for explaining another configuration example of the operation unit. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a battery-driven industrial endoscope (hereinafter referred to as an endoscope) in which an imaging element (not shown) is built in a distal end portion 21 of an insertion portion 20. 2), a light source unit that supplies illumination light for illuminating the observation site to the endoscope 2, an image processing unit that drives the image sensor and generates a video signal from an image signal output from the image sensor The apparatus main body 4 includes a monitor 3 that is a display device that receives an image signal output from the image processing unit and displays an endoscopic image.

  The endoscope 2 is an elongated and flexible insertion portion 20, an operation portion 24 provided continuously with a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 20, and a flexible universal extending from the operation portion 24. And a code 26. In the universal cord 26, there are a light guide fiber (not shown) for supplying illumination light, a drive control signal for the image sensor, or a signal cable (not shown) for transferring image signals photoelectrically converted by the image sensor. It is inserted.

  The insertion portion 20 includes, in order from the distal end side, a distal end portion 21, a bending portion 22 configured to bend in a vertical / left / right direction by continuously connecting bending pieces described later, and a flexible tube portion 23 having flexibility. It consists of and. Although not shown in the drawing, the distal end surface of the distal end portion 21 is provided with an observation window, an illumination window, a forceps outlet, an injection nozzle for water supply and air supply, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation portion 24 is configured in a substantially h shape, and a grip portion 25 having an axis different from the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20 is provided. A bending operation instruction lever (hereinafter abbreviated as a bending lever) 31, which is an operation instruction means for causing the bending portion 22 to perform a bending operation, protrudes from the opening 32 on the distal end side of the grip portion 25. The universal cord 26 extends from the proximal end portion of the grip portion 25 and is electrically connected to the apparatus main body 4.

  The bending lever 31 is configured to bend a bending portion 22 in a desired direction by moving a pulling member described later by performing a tilting operation that changes a tilting direction and a tilting angle. . As shown in the figure, when the bending lever 31 is in an upright state, the bending portion 22 is configured to be in a linear state.

  The bending portion 22 is constituted by connecting a plurality of bending pieces 22a, ..., 22n, and the cutting end bending piece 22a of the bending portion 22 connected to the distal end hard member 21a constituting the distal end portion 21. The distal end portions of the four operation wires 33 which are pulling members corresponding to the up / down / left / right operation directions constituting the bending device 30 are fixed at predetermined positions, respectively.

  2 to 4, the bending device 30 of the present embodiment includes the operation wire 33, a pulley 34 having a circumferential groove 34a around which the middle portion of the wire 33 is wound, A motor 35 that is a driving means for rotating the pulley 34 with a predetermined torque in a predetermined direction during a bending operation, and a substantially cross-shaped arm member 36 provided on the bending lever 31 to which the proximal end portion of the wire 33 is fixed. It is mainly composed.

  The four operation wires 33 are inserted into the wire insertion conduit 33 </ b> A inserted in the insertion portion 20, extended into the operation portion 24, and wound around the pulley 34. The proximal end portion of the wound operation wire 33 is integrally fixed to a predetermined curved arm portion 36a of the arm member 36 by a wire stopper 33b.

  A midway portion of the operation wire 33 is wound around the circumferential groove 34a in a predetermined relaxed state. The pulley 34 is rotated by a first gear 37a and a second gear 37b that transmit the driving force of the motor 35. The bending lever 31 and the arm member 36 are coaxially attached and fixed to a predetermined position facing a rotating body 40 (described later) that is rotatably disposed on the frame 38. Reference numeral 39 denotes a bearing that rotatably supports the pulley 34.

  Since the endoscope 2 is configured as described above, the grip portion 25 can be gripped with the arm lowered as shown in FIG. 5 and curved with the thumb of the hand gripping the grip portion 25. The lever 31 can be freely operated. Thus, the twisting operation of the insertion portion 20 and the bending operation of the bending portion 22 can be freely performed without imposing a burden on the arm.

  The form of the operation unit 24 is not limited to the above-described substantially h-shape. In other words, the configuration position of the grip part 25 provided in the operation unit 24 is not limited to the position of the above-described embodiment. Instead, as shown in FIG. 6, the insertion shaft of the insertion portion 20 and the shaft of the grip portion 25A may be provided so as to cross each other. Thus, the gripping portion 25A can be gripped with the arm lowered, and the bending lever 31 can be freely operated with the thumb of the hand gripping the gripping portion 25A. The operation and the bending operation of the bending portion 22 can be performed freely without imposing a burden on the arm.

  In the above-described embodiment, the axes of the gripping portions 25, 25A, and 25B intersect the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20, but the axes of the gripping portions 25, 25A, and 25B are the insertion axes of the insertion portion 20. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which it is inclined in a state twisted at a predetermined angle so as to cross over a horizontal plane including

A specific configuration example of the operation unit of the endoscope will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining the operation portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 8 is a view when the operation portion of FIG. 7 is viewed from the arrow A direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the present embodiment, the operation unit 24A of the endoscope 2 is provided with an operation unit main body 24a, an operation unit distal end 24b protruding from the operation unit main body 24a toward the distal end, and the operation unit main body 24a. It is comprised with the operation part convex part 24c and the holding part 25B which protruded upwards. A protruding motor cover portion is provided on one side surface portion of the operation portion main body 24a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the motor 35 is disposed in the motor cover portion 24d, and the pulley 34 is disposed in the vicinity of the crossing position between the operation portion main body 24a and the operation portion convex portion 24c.

  The grip portion 25B has an axis different from the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20, and the axis of the grip portion 25 is inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal line so as to cross the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20. It is configured. Note that the grip portion 25B is formed as an R-shaped portion in consideration of grip and operability.

  When the curved lever 31 is being operated with the thumb on the side surface of the operation portion 24A facing the operation portion convex portion 24c, for example, the image still switch 41 and the image recording switch 42 that can be operated with the index finger are substantially symmetrical. It is provided with various positional relationships. Further, a brightness switch 43 that can be operated with an index finger when the bending lever 31 is being operated is provided on the lower surface side of the grip portion 25B in the same manner as the switches 41 and 42. Further, for example, side and a plurality of operation switches 44a, 44b, 44c are provided on the back surface of the operation unit main body 24a, and the opposing side surfaces are one of the LED 45, the LCD monitor, and an auxiliary tool as a pilot lap. A connector portion 46 that is an electrical connection portion with a PDA (registered trademark) or the like is provided in a substantially symmetrical positional relationship. Reference numeral 47 is a substantially U-shaped guard member for protecting the bending lever 31.

  The image still switch 41 is a switch for stopping the endoscope image displayed on the monitor 3. The image recording switch 42 is a switch for instructing recording of an endoscopic image displayed on the monitor 3. The brightness switch 43 is a switch for adjusting the brightness of an endoscopic image displayed on the screen of the monitor 3, and the brightness is adjusted by changing a target value of AUTO EXPOSURE control (hereinafter abbreviated as AE control). For example, can be switched in eight stages.

  Specifically, the brightness switch 43 is set so that the first step is the darkest and the eighth step is the brightest, and the first to fifth steps are set to slow shutter OFF to perform target value control. The 6th to 8th stages are AE control with slow shutter. Then, the maximum exposure time is extended in the order of the sixth stage, the seventh stage, and the eighth stage, and the AE target value after the fifth stage is set to the maximum value.

  That is, when the target value of AE is sufficiently increased by one stage before the stage where the slow shutter operation is possible, the slow shutter works by moving to the sixth stage when the brightness is insufficient at the fifth stage, and the endoscopic image Becomes brighter. When one brightness switch 43 is used, two switches can be arranged as a rotary change method (switching for each operation in the order of 1 → 2 →,..., 7 → 8 → 1 → 2,...). Sometimes the UP function and the DOWN function are assigned to each switch so that the brightness level can be switched appropriately in the vertical direction.

Note that the relationship between the arrangement and function of the switch is not limited to the above-described form. In the present embodiment, each switch 41, 42, 43, 44 is configured to protrude from each surface constituting the operation unit 24A to facilitate identification with a finger. Not limited to this, the LED 45 and the connector portion 46 may be configured to be in a state of being flush with each surface or indented.
The guard member may be a plate-like guard member 48 surrounding the periphery of the distal end side of the bending lever 31 as shown in FIGS.

  Here, motor control will be described with reference to a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the motor control unit in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, a motor current detection circuit 51 that detects the motor current of the motor 35 is provided in the apparatus body 4. The motor current detection circuit 51 utilizes the characteristic that the motor current increases when the load applied to the motor increases. The motor current detection circuit 51 detects the motor current, and based on the detection result, determines the operating force of the bending lever 31. Control. Specifically, when the motor current is increased, by increasing the operating force amount of the bending lever 31, the user is notified that the load applied to the motor 35 is large, and an excessive load is applied to the motor 35. To prevent this from happening.

  Therefore, the control unit 50 determines the load of the motor 35 based on the motor control circuit 52 that controls the motor 35, the motor current detection circuit 51, and the current data detected by the motor current detection circuit 51. And a microcontroller 53 for outputting a control signal based on the above to the lever force amount control circuit 54.

  In the lever force amount control circuit 54, since the load applied to the motor 35 from the microcontroller 53 is large, a control signal for increasing the operation force amount of the bending lever 31 is output, thereby increasing the operation force amount of the bending lever 31 and the user. The fact that the load applied to the motor 35 is large is notified.

  On the other hand, when the motor current detected by the motor current detection circuit 51 exceeds a certain level, the motor 35 is overloaded by, for example, blinking the LED 45 provided in the operation unit 24A from the motor current detection circuit 51. The user is visually notified of the load state, or the motor control circuit 52 outputs a motor stop instruction signal to stop the driving of the motor 35. This reliably prevents a problem that the user continues to operate in an overloaded state of the motor.

  When the motor 35 is in an overload state, the CPU circuit 55 darkens the illumination light of the light source unit 4a, or stops the generation of the video signal by the image processing unit 4b, so that the operation of the entire endoscope apparatus is performed. You may make it stop and perform control.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the monitor 3 that is a display device is provided in the device main body 4 has been described. The configuration will be described below.

  11 to 13 are related to a configuration in which a display device is detachably provided in the operation unit of the endoscope. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a liquid crystal monitor is arranged in the vicinity of the operation unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another configuration of the insertion portion fixing portion.

  11A is a diagram when the operation unit to which the liquid crystal monitor is attached is viewed from the side, and FIG. 11B is a diagram when the operation unit to which the liquid crystal monitor is attached is viewed from the front. .

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor 60 is detachably attached to a mount 62 provided on a stay 61 in the operation section 24A. The mount 62 includes, for example, a first mount 62a to which the liquid crystal monitor 60 is attached and detached, and a second mount 62b that is integrally fixed to the insertion portion fixing portion 61b.

  As shown in FIG. 11A to FIG. 12, the stay 61 includes a stay main body 61a, an insertion portion fixing portion 61b arranged on a bend preventing member 20a constituting the insertion portion 20, and insertion of the stay main body 61a. The locking ring portion 61c is attached to the motor cover portion 24d of the operation portion 24A so as to prevent the forward and backward movement in the axial direction. The insertion portion fixing portion 61b has a hook 63 formed of an elastic member for quickly and reliably attaching and detaching the stay 61, and a cam mechanism portion (not shown) that is rotatable at a predetermined position of the insertion portion fixing portion 61b. A lock lever 64 is provided.

  Therefore, first, the locking ring portion 61c is engaged and disposed in the motor cover portion 24d, and in this state, the insertion portion fixing portion 61b is attached to the anti-bending member 20a. At this time, the hook 63 is integrally attached with the elastic force, and the lock lever 64 is operated to hold the hook 63 by the cam mechanism portion. As a result, the stay 61 is reliably placed in the operation portion 24A. Next, the liquid crystal monitor 60 is attached to the first mount 62a. Then, the liquid crystal monitor 60 is disposed integrally with the operation unit 24A.

Note that a PDA (registered trademark) may be disposed in place of the liquid crystal monitor 60 on the first mount 62a.
Further, instead of configuring the insertion portion fixing portion 61b of the stay 61 by the hook 63 and the lock lever 64, for example, a pair of leaf springs 65 having a predetermined urging force as shown in FIG. The insertion portion fixing portion 61b may be configured to be detachable from the folding preventing member 20a using the urging force of the spring 65.

  Furthermore, in the endoscope apparatus of this configuration, a storage case 5 as shown in the drawing for explaining the configuration of the storage case of FIG. 14 is prepared, and the endoscope 2 and the apparatus main body 4 are provided in the storage case 5. Is stored. The storage case 5 is composed of a case main body 5a and a lid member 5b. The protective member 5c provided as an interior material on the case main body 5a side has a plurality of concave portions 5d for endoscopes and concave portions 5e for auxiliary tools. The endoscope 2 and the apparatus main body 4 are disposed in the endoscope recess 5d, and the liquid crystal monitor 60, the PDA (registered trademark) (not shown), and the stay 61 are disposed in the assist tool recess 5e.

  In the endoscope 2, the insertion portion 20 and the universal cord 26 are provided integrally with the operation portion 24 </ b> A (that is, not configured to be detachable), and the end portion of the universal cord 26 is also provided in the apparatus body 4. Are integrally provided. Thus, the endoscope 2 can be used immediately after being taken out from the storage case 5. Further, the best observation performance can be obtained by adjusting the image processing unit in accordance with the characteristics of the image sensor provided in the endoscope 2.

  A protective member 5c is also provided on the lid member 5b side. Reference numeral 5f is a caster, reference numeral 5g is a first handle, reference numeral 5h is a second handle, and reference numeral 5i is a third handle that can be expanded and contracted.

Next, a specific configuration example of the endoscope apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 20.
15 is a diagram for explaining an endoscope apparatus having different configurations of the endoscope and the apparatus main body, FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the operation unit, FIG. 17 is a sectional view for explaining the configuration of the operation unit, and FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an operator is using an endoscope device, and FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an operation unit is attached to the device body, and the device body is placed on a work desk. It is a figure which shows a state.

  16A is a side view showing the operation unit, FIG. 16B is a view when the upper surface of the operation unit is viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 16A, and FIG. 17A is the operation unit. FIG. 17B is a view when the base end surface side portion of the gripping portion is viewed from the direction of arrow C in FIG. 17A.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the endoscope apparatus 1A of the present embodiment, the guard member 11 and the hook member 12 are provided at predetermined positions of the operation portion main body 71 constituting the operation portion 70 of the endoscope 2A, and the universal cord 26 is provided. Is configured to extend from the side surface portion of the grip portion 72. On the other hand, a hook receiver 81 having a hole 81a into which the hook member 12 is inserted at a predetermined position on the side wall of the apparatus main body 4A, and a shoulder belt 82 and a waist belt 83 used when an operator wears the apparatus main body 4A. Is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 16A to 17B, the operation unit 70 of the endoscope 2A includes an operation unit main body 71 and a grip formed so that the width dimension is gradually narrower than the operation unit main body 71. Part 72. A bending device 30 including a motor 35, a pulley 34, and the like is disposed inside the operation unit main body 71.

  In the endoscope 2A of the present embodiment, the bottom surface 71a of the operation unit main body 71 and the bottom surface 72a of the gripping unit 72 are flush with each other so that the operation unit 70 can be operated while being placed on a work table. It is formed so as to be located above. A plurality of leg portions 73 made of rubber and having a predetermined shape are provided on the bottom surface 71a of the operation unit main body 71 and the bottom surface 72a of the grip portion 72 in consideration of slipperiness and stable installation. Further, a notch 74 in which the universal cord 26 is disposed is formed on the base end surface side portion 72 b of the grip portion 72. An escape portion 74 a is formed on the bottom surface side of the cutout portion 74, and a base 75 is disposed on the end surface portion, and an electric cable connected to the bending device 30 is inserted through the base 75. The universal cord 26 is extended.

In the present embodiment, the axis of the grip portion 72 intersects the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20 as described above. In addition, in consideration of mounting on the work desk 90, the insertion axis of the insertion portion 20 is inserted from the insertion portion base end by a predetermined angle θa (for example, θa is set to about 10 degrees) with respect to the horizontal line. The head is tilted downward as it goes to the tip of the part, and a predetermined amount of clearance h1 from the work table surface to the tip position of the folding stop 76 is secured. In addition, the bending lever 31 is tilted by a predetermined angle θb (for example, θb is set to about 40 degrees) with respect to the vertical direction, and the operation unit 70 is gripped and the operation unit 70 is moved to the work desk 90. Both operations can be performed satisfactorily in the state of being placed on the screen.
Thus, when the operation unit 70 is placed on the work desk 90, the universal cord 26 extending from the operation unit 70 and the insertion unit 20 are not obstructed by the operation unit 70. The leg portion 73 can be installed on the work desk 90 to easily obtain the placement state.

The operation unit 70 is provided with a plurality of operation switches 77 that can be operated by a hand holding the holding unit 72 in consideration of operability. For example, brightness switches 77a and 77b and a power switch 77c constituted by an up button and a down button are provided in the vicinity of the curved lever 31 on the upper surface 72c of the operation portion main body 71 projecting from the curved lever 31. The side surfaces 72d and 72e on both sides of the main body 71 are provided with an image still switch 77d and an image recording switch 77e that can be operated with fingers of the gripping hand even when the gripping portion 72 is gripped with either the left or right hand. In addition, a zoom switch 77f that can be operated in a state of gripping the grip portion 72 is provided on the front side surface portion 72f of the grip portion 72 facing the notch portion 74, for example.
This makes it easy to operate the various operation switches 77a,..., 77f provided on the operation unit 70 with the fingers of the gripping hand while the operator is holding the grip unit 72.

A guard member 11 made of, for example, hard rubber, which is an impact absorbing member that protrudes from the curved lever 31 by, for example, a dimension d, is provided on the front side surface 72g of the operation unit main body 71 over substantially the entire front side surface 72g. The guard member 11 is provided with a hole 11a on the side of the curved lever 31 for the purpose of facilitating deformation and improving shock absorption.
Accordingly, when the operation unit 70 is accidentally dropped or bumped, the guard member 11 softens the shock and protects the curved lever 31 and the entire operation unit 70 from the shock. .

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18, the monitor 4 on which the endoscopic image is displayed is fixed to the apparatus main body 4 </ b> A integrally by a fixing screw 84. The attachment member 85 is attached to the apparatus main body 4A via a hinge portion 86, whereby the monitor 4 can be adjusted to a predetermined tilt angle with respect to the apparatus main body 4A.

  The upper surface 87a of the apparatus main body 4A has the same function as the operation switches 77a,..., 77f provided in the operation unit 70, or a file in a PC card stored in a PC card storage unit described later. Various switches 88 having a function of displaying or deleting. A hook receiver 81 on which the hook 12 of the endoscope 2A is disposed is provided at a predetermined position on the side surface of the apparatus main body.

  As a result, when the operator is wearing the apparatus main body 4A as shown in FIG. 19, the operation unit 70 is attached to the apparatus main body 4A by disposing the hook 12 on the hook receiver 81. Work in a state. In addition, as shown in FIG. 20, the endoscope 2A can be handled with the hook 12 placed on the hook receiver 81 and the apparatus main body 4A placed on the work desk 90. At this time, a gap h2 is formed between the bottom surface 72a of the grip portion 72 and the surface of the work desk 90, and the universal cord 26 extends along the escape portion 74a.

  Reference numeral 89a is a fuse, reference numeral 89b is a battery, reference numeral 89c is a PC card housing section, reference numeral 89d is a DC conversion adapter connection section, reference numeral 89e is a power switch, reference numeral 89f is a main switch, and reference numeral 89g is a battery housing section. , 89h is a storage door. The endoscope apparatus 1A of the present embodiment can be driven by an AC power source and a battery 89b. Moreover, you may make it utilize when the hole 11a provided in the said guard member 11 is hooked on a mount frame. Furthermore, as shown in the drawing for explaining another arrangement example of the hinge that enables the monitor of FIG. 21 to rotate, the tilt angle with respect to the apparatus main body 4A can be adjusted to a predetermined angle by providing hinges 91 on both side portions of the monitor 3. You may do it.

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

[Appendix]
(1) The bending portion located on the distal end side of the insertion portion is bent in a desired direction by moving the traction member by the driving force of the driving portion driven based on an instruction from the operation instruction portion provided in the operation portion. In an endoscope,
An endoscope in which a grip portion having an axis different from an insertion axis of the insertion portion is provided in the operation portion.

(2) The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein the operation instruction unit is disposed on a distal end side of the grip portion.

(3) The endoscope according to appendix 2, wherein the operation instruction means is a bending operation instruction lever that can be tilted.

(4) The endoscope according to appendix 1 or appendix 2, wherein the axis of the grip portion is inclined at a predetermined angle and intersected with the insertion axis of the insertion portion.

(5) The endoscope according to appendix 1 or appendix 2, wherein the axis of the gripping portion is inclined at a predetermined angle and crossed with respect to a horizontal plane including the insertion axis of the insertion portion. The endoscope according to supplementary note 1, wherein the endoscope is configured by an operation unit main body and a gripping unit, and the bottom surface of the operation unit and the bottom surface of the gripping unit are set on the same plane.

(7) The endoscope according to appendix 6, wherein legs are provided on the bottom surface of the operation unit and the bottom surface of the gripping unit.

2A ... Endoscope 20 ... Insertion part 31 ... Bending lever 33 ... Operation wire 70 ... Operation part 71 ... Operation part main body 72 ... Holding part

JP 58-65132 A

Claims (5)

A bending portion provided in the operation portion, which is provided with an insertion portion provided with an imaging element that captures a subject image at the distal end portion and is elongated and flexible, and an operation portion connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion. In an endoscope capable of bending a bending portion positioned on the distal end side of the insertion portion in a desired direction by moving a pulling member by performing a tilting operation that changes a tilting direction and a tilting angle of an operation lever. ,
The operation part is provided on the side opposite to the insertion part of the operation part body so that the axial direction intersects and tilts with respect to the insertion axis of the insertion part, and can be gripped by the little finger, ring finger and middle finger With a gripping part,
The bending operation lever is provided so as to protrude from the operation unit main body so that it can be operated with a thumb when the gripping portion is gripped with a little finger, a ring finger, and a middle finger, and a top portion of the bending operation lever is connected to the bending operation lever. Arranged on the inner side of the outermost part of the operation unit body that is the protruding surface side or the surface connecting the outermost part of the gripping part,
While grasping the gripping part with a little finger, ring finger and middle finger and operating the bending operation lever with a thumb to direct the distal end of the insertion part in a desired direction, an image of the subject is captured by the image sensor at the distal end. An image stationary switch is disposed for capturing an image of a subject image captured by the image sensor at a position where the image sensor can be operated with an index finger while gripping,
When the gripping part is gripped with a little finger, a ring finger, and a middle finger, a position that can be operated with a thumb is provided in the operation part body on the gripping part side from the bending operation lever that protrudes from the operation part body. An endoscope characterized in that the operation switch is arranged on an axis.   The bending operation lever includes a shaft portion, a bearing projecting from the shaft portion and rotatably disposed on the operation portion main body, and four arm members provided on the bearing, By performing a tilting operation to change the tilting direction and tilting angle of the bending operation lever, the bearing rotates with respect to the operation unit main body and pulls / relaxes the pulling member having one end attached to the four arm members. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bending portion positioned on the distal end side of the insertion portion is bent in a desired direction.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bending operation lever is configured such that the bending portion is in a straight state when the bending operation lever is in an upright state.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation switch is an image recording switch for recording the subject image.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation switch is a brightness switch for adjusting brightness of the subject image.

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