JP2011239989A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope for preventing an endoscope body from upsizing even when a light source is placed at an end part of the endoscope body while reducing influences of heat by the light source on an electronic component.SOLUTION: The endoscope 2 has: an endoscope body 8 whose vertical direction is defined; an insertion part 9 whose base end part is connected to the endoscope body; an internal frame 44 arranged in the endoscope body and being long in the vertical direction having electronic substrates 37, 38, 39 which mount electronic components 30; a curve operation mechanism 15 which is provided in an upper part inside the endoscope body and performs curve operation of a curved part; and an illumination optical system provided with a light source unit 45 which is disposed inside the endoscope body and has a light source 45a. Then, the light source unit 45 is supported by the curve operation mechanism and disposes the curve operation mechanism 15 and the light source unit 45 in the state that direct thermal transmission to the internal frame 44 is prevented.

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope in which an insertion portion is disposed in an endoscope main body.

For example, in the endoscope of Patent Document 1, a light source is built in the endoscope main body (operation unit), but it is disclosed that heat generated from the light source is released to the outside through a metal frame. .
For example, in Patent Document 2, a light source is disposed inside the operation unit, and heat from the light source can be efficiently radiated to the internal space of the operation unit.
For example, in the endoscope of Patent Document 3, a light source and a battery for the light source are arranged at the end of the endoscope body farthest from the distal end of the endoscope body (operation unit). A universal cord (or a light guide cable) for connecting to the external light source device from the base end portion can be eliminated, and the operability in the case of performing an insertion operation can be improved.

JP 2009-34421 A JP 2008-11991 A JP 2003-10099 A

However, as in Patent Document 1-2, when heat is transferred to a metal frame inside the endoscope body or heat is radiated into the space, various electronic components that are vulnerable to heat near the light source When mounted, there is a concern about the influence of heat on electronic components.
Further, as in Patent Document 3, when the light source and the battery are arranged at the end portion distal to the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope body, the light source is adjacent to the grip portion gripped by the operator. Therefore, the heat from the light source is transmitted to a frame such as a light source unit that supports the light source and the battery, and the operator may feel a thermal discomfort.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and even when the light source is arranged in the endoscope body while reducing the influence of heat from the light source to the electronic component, the operator can An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that reduces the risk of feeling thermal discomfort.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an endoscope according to the present invention includes an endoscope body having a vertical direction defined therein, a bending portion, and an insertion in which a proximal end portion is connected to the endoscope body. Part, provided in the endoscope main body, and provided in an upper part inside the endoscope main body, an internal frame that has an electric board on which electronic components are mounted and that constitutes a board unit and that is long in the vertical direction, A bending operation mechanism for bending the bending portion, a light source unit having a light source disposed inside the endoscope body, and a distal end portion of the insertion portion optically connected to the light source of the light source unit An illumination optical system having a light guide (optical fiber) for guiding illumination light toward the light source, the light source unit is supported by the bending operation mechanism, and the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit are Direct to internal frame Preventing conduction of heat (to block heat conduction), characterized in that disposed on state.
In addition, it is preferable that the endoscope main body includes a grip portion that is gripped by an operator, and the bending operation mechanism is disposed above the grip portion of the endoscope main body. .
Further, it is preferable that the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit are connected via a heat sink made of a metal material that conducts heat.
The bending operation mechanism preferably includes a metal support that supports the light source unit.

A state in which the bending operation mechanism provided at the upper part inside the endoscope body supports the light source unit, and the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit prevent direct heat conduction to the internal frame (blocks heat conduction). As a result, heat from the light source unit can be flowed toward the bending operation mechanism, and heat is prevented from being transmitted to the internal frame having the electric board on which the electronic component is mounted and constituting the board unit. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to prevent various electronic components from being affected by heat from the light source unit. In addition, heat is transmitted not to the inner frame but to the bending operation mechanism disposed at the upper part of the inner frame, so that the possibility that the operator feels uncomfortable when the operator grips the endoscope body can be reduced. it can.
In addition, since the heat flows relatively upward, the influence of the heat from the light source unit when the endoscope operator grips the gripping part by lowering the gripping part below the bending operation mechanism. Can be reduced.
In addition, since the heat sink is disposed between the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit, the heat from the light source unit can be efficiently absorbed and released to the bending operation mechanism.
Further, since the bending operation mechanism includes a metal support that supports the light source unit, the metal support is used as a heat sink, and heat is efficiently absorbed while the heat from the light source unit is absorbed. be able to.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Schematic which shows the whole structure of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. The schematic left view which shows the external appearance of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. Schematic which shows the internal structure of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. (A) And (B) is the schematic which shows the external appearance of an endoscope in case the effective length of an insertion part differs among the endoscope systems which concern on one embodiment. Schematic which shows the external appearance of the endoscope which attached the attachment to the insertion part of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. Schematic which shows the external appearance of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. Schematic which shows the state with which the operator hold | maintained the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. (A) is the schematic which shows the state which inserted the front-end | tip part of the insertion part of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment in the patient's nostril, (B) is the insertion part of an endoscope Schematic which shows the state which inserted the front-end | tip part in the hole of a patient's ear. (A) is the schematic which shows the state which attached the exterior cover to the bending operation part of the bending part of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is bending operation of the state which removed the exterior cover Schematic which shows a part, (C) is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which looked at the flame | frame in FIG. 9 (B) from the back surface side. The schematic diagram which shows the conventional endoscope system and shows the fixed state of the exterior cover of an endoscope. The perspective view of the cylindrical body of the base part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system concerning one embodiment is shown, and (A) is the 2nd operation switch (function changeover switch) arranged at the front side FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing a third operation switch (power switch) disposed on the rear side. The schematic perspective view which shows the 1st operation switch provided in the base part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, a bending part, and the front boundary part of a head part. FIG. 12 shows the mounting state of the first operation switch shown in FIG. 12, (A) is a schematic view showing a state where the exterior is removed, and (B) shows the first operation switch surrounded by a broken line in FIG. FIG. (A) is the schematic which shows the board | substrate unit arrange | positioned at the base part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is the outline which shows the board | substrate unit removed from the base. FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the exterior of the boundary portion on the front side of the base portion, the bent portion, and the head portion of the endoscope body is removed. Schematic which shows the periphery site | part of the internal frame arrange | positioned at the base part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. Schematic which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the light source unit to the bending operation part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. (A) is the schematic which shows arrangement | positioning of electrical systems, such as a board | substrate unit, a battery, an antenna, a light source unit, with respect to the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is a 1st antenna. 17A is a schematic diagram showing a direction and a directing direction of the portion indicated by reference numeral 40a in FIG. 17A, and FIG. 17C is a second antenna placed in a portion indicated by reference numeral 40b in FIG. Schematic which shows the direction to be done and its directivity direction. (A) is the schematic which shows the bending operation part inside an endoscope main body, an internal frame, and a light source unit from the left side surface of the endoscope main body of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is one implementation. The schematic diagram which shows the bending operation part inside a endoscope main body from the back side (rear side) of an endoscope main body of an endoscope system which concerns on a form, an internal frame, and a light source unit. (A) is the outline of the part shown by the code | symbol 19A in FIG. 18 which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of a bending operation part, an internal frame, and a light source unit from the upper back side of the endoscope main body of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment. FIG. 19B is a schematic enlarged view of a portion indicated by a reference numeral 19 </ b> B in FIG. 18 of the light source unit. FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a portion indicated by reference numeral IIX in FIG. 18, showing the positional relationship of the lower end portion of the base portion, the bending operation portion, the internal frame, and the light source unit from the back side of the endoscope main body of the endoscope system according to the embodiment. Enlarged view. Schematic which shows the bracket arrange | positioned at the board | substrate unit arrange | positioned inside the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment. (A) is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which attaches a cylindrical body in the state which has arrange | positioned the board | substrate unit to the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is ( A schematic diagram of (A), (C) is a schematic diagram showing that the rigid substrate shown in (B) is tilted so that the cylindrical body can be mounted on the substrate unit. The front view which shows the display apparatus which displays the endoscopic image of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the state which can attach or detach a battery with respect to the battery accommodating part formed in the base part of the endoscope main body of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment. (A) is the schematic which shows the battery arrange | positioned at the battery accommodating part of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one Embodiment, (B) is the state which observed the battery shown to (A) from the other side. The schematic diagram which shows the state which a battery expand | swells with a broken line. Schematic which shows the state which connected the setting signal writing instrument arrange | positioned in the battery storage part of the endoscope of the endoscope system which concerns on one embodiment, and the writing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Here, the wireless communication circuit 39 includes an electronic substrate having electronic components such as a wireless communication circuit 39, an image processing circuit 38, and antennas 40a and 40b for wireless communication, which will be described later. An endoscope system (hereinafter referred to as a wireless endoscope) that converts an endoscope image into a wireless signal, transmits the signal to the external processing device 3 or the like wirelessly, and displays the endoscope image on the external video display device 4 or the like. System) 1 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope system 1 according to this embodiment includes an endoscope 2, a processing device 3 that receives a radio signal transmitted from the endoscope 2, and converts the radio signal into a video signal. The display device 4 displays the video signal generated by the processing device 3 as a video. The processing device 3 and the display device 4 may be connected via a cord or the like, or the processing device 3 and the display device 4 may be capable of wireless communication.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the endoscope 2 has an image processing circuit 38 (described later) that converts a captured video (endoscopic image) into a radio signal. When a radio signal is transmitted from the transmission antennas 40a and 40b through a radio circuit 39 (described later) built in the endoscope 2 and connected to the image processing circuit 38, the radio signal is received by the reception antenna 7 connected to the processing device 3. Is received. The processing device 3 converts the radio signal into a video signal, and further performs image processing on the video signal. The video signal output from the processing device 3 is displayed as a video on the screen of the display device 4.

  The endoscope system 1 may include a computer 5 and a printing device 6. In this case, the computer 5 and the printing device 6 are connected to the processing device 3. For example, the computer 5 appropriately sets circuits (electronic boards) 37, 38, and 39 and first to third operation switches 19a, 19b, and 19c on the board unit 30 of the endoscope 2 as described later, It has a function of accumulating and analyzing video signals generated by the processing device 3. The printing device 6 has a function of printing a still image extracted from the video signal generated by the processing device 3 and a document created by the computer 5.

Next, the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the endoscope 2 includes an endoscope operation unit (endoscope main body) 8 that is held and operated by a user, and front and back from the endoscope operation unit 8. And an insertion portion 9 that extends in the direction (long axis direction) and is inserted into the body cavity from the front side (front end side) toward the rear side (base end side). In other words, in the endoscope 2, the upper end portion of the endoscope operation portion 8 that is long in the vertical direction is connected to the rear end portion (base end portion) of the insertion portion 9 that extends in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the insertion portion 9 includes, in order from the front side to the rear side, a distal end rigid portion 10, a bending portion 11 that performs bending operation, and a long and flexible flexible tube portion 12. Have. That is, the bending portion 11 is connected to the rear end portion of the distal end rigid portion 10, and the flexible tube portion 12 is connected to the rear end portion of the bending portion 11. The rear end portion (rear end portion of the insertion portion 9) of the flexible tube portion 12 is connected to the distal end portion of a head portion 21c (to be described later) of the endoscope operation portion 8 via an oleome 17.

  The length of the insertion portion 9 of the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment can be set as appropriate. When the endoscope 2 is used particularly for otolaryngology, when the insertion portion 9 of the endoscope 2 is inserted into the affected area, the insertion portion 9 follows well even a sudden patient movement. However, when used for diagnosis of the front part of the nasal cavity, ears, etc., if the insertion part 9 is extremely soft and has a long effective length, the handling and procedure of the insertion part 9 become complicated. Therefore, the insertion portion 9 of the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment is not only flexible by adjusting the flexibility of the flexible tube portion 12, but as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the distal end hard portion 10 of the insertion portion 9 is flexible enough to be disposed at a position far from the mirror operation portion 8. Moreover, if the effective length of the insertion part 9 is shortened, an operator's camera shake can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment, the otolaryngology department can hold the endoscope 2 while maintaining an unreasonable posture by holding the endoscope 2 as shown in FIG. Can be examined.

When the endoscope 2 is an endoscope that is particularly suitable for otolaryngology, such an otolaryngology endoscope 2 inserts the insertion portion 9 nasally, for example. For this reason, the flexible tube portion 12 of the insertion portion 9 shown in FIG. 4 (A) is soft, and its effective length is often about 300 mm so that it is suitable for observation of the hypopharynx and larynx.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the effective length of the insertion portion 9 of the endoscope 2b when the insertion portion 9 is a short type is that the nasal cavity length of an adult male is usually about 60 mm. From 50 mm to 150 mm so as to cover the region to be observed in the otolaryngology, preferably from 50 mm to 100 mm in consideration of the length of the nasal cavity and the margin for improving the handling of the operator at the time of insertion (in this case, the insertion portion 9 The length occupied by the curved portion is approximately 30% to 50%).
Further, if the insertion portion 9 of the otolaryngology flexible endoscope 2 is shortened to, for example, about 50 mm or less, the operator operates the endoscope 2 with one hand and handles a treatment tool (not shown) with the other hand. Such use is also possible.

That is, as indicated by reference numeral 2b in FIG. 4B, the endoscope shortens the effective length of the insertion portion 9 and directs the insertion portion 9 substantially perpendicular to the endoscope operation portion 8. Alternatively, it may be a short type otolaryngology flexible mirror that is flexible enough to prevent the insertion portion 9 from drooping.
As shown in FIG. 5, for example, a nose or an ear is provided on the side of the insertion unit 9 close to the endoscope operation unit 8 so that the insertion unit 9 is not inserted too much into the affected part (inside the body cavity). A detachable attachment 16 having a diameter larger than that of the natural opening, such as, may be attached. If it does so, it can control that the part of the rear end side from the part which attached attachment 16 among insertion parts 9 is inserted in a body cavity.

The distal rigid portion 10 is provided with an image sensor (observation optical system) 14 such as a CCD or a CMOS in order to acquire an image of the subject S in the body cavity via the objective optical system (observation optical system) 13. Yes.
In addition, the bending portion 11 has a bending tube 11a in which a pair of operation wires 11b (see FIG. 14A) is disposed. In this embodiment, the bending portion 11 can be bent in two directions (U direction and D direction). is there. Of course, the bending portion 11 may be bent in four directions.

As shown in FIG. 6, the endoscope operation unit 8 includes a base portion 21 a having a grip portion 18 that extends in the vertical direction and is gripped by an operator, a bent portion 21 b, and a flexible tube portion 12 of the insertion portion 9. The head portion 21c is attached to the end portion via the oledome 17. The outer shell of the endoscope operation unit 8 is formed by mounting a casing 82 made of a hard plastic material or the like and a cylindrical body 52 disposed in the lower portion of the base portion 21a. As shown in FIGS. 18 (A), 18 (B) and 22 (A), the housing 82 includes a part of the base portion 21a having the grip portion 18 (the upper portion of the base portion 21a), a bent portion 21b, An outer shell is formed with the head portion 21c. The antenna accommodating portion 52a and the head portion 21c of the cylindrical body 52 of the base portion 21a are particularly made of a radio wave transmissive material. The central axis (longitudinal direction) Ch of the head portion 21c extends in a direction having a predetermined angle θ by the bent portion 21b with respect to the central axis (longitudinal direction) Cb of the base portion 21a. It is formed in a letter-shaped gun type (substantially pistol type) shape. That is, the bent portion 21b is disposed between the base portion 21a and the head portion 21c, and directs the head portion 21c in an appropriate direction in the front-rear direction with respect to the base portion 21a that is long in the vertical direction. The insertion portion 9 extends from the tip of the oledome 17 in a direction that coincides with the central axis Ch of the head portion 21c. Here, the predetermined angle θ is substantially perpendicular to the insertion portion 9. When the endoscope 2 is used for otolaryngology, for example, when the insertion portion 9 is inserted toward the body cavity of a patient sitting on a chair, the operator does not bend the flexible tube portion 12 of the insertion portion 9. It is preferable that the angle θ is set in the range of the base portion 21a from the substantially perpendicular direction (90 °) to 105 ° so that the base portion 21a can be easily gripped.
For this reason, when the surgeon holds the grasping portion 18 of the operation portion 8, the insertion portion 9 to which the rear end portion is connected can be extended in the front-rear direction, that is, force is applied to the wrist of the surgeon. The insertion part 9 can be extended toward the patient in the absence of this condition. Therefore, it is easy for the operator to use the endoscope 2 and the operation of the endoscope 2 is reduced for the patient, so that observation, treatment, and the like by the endoscope 2 can be easily performed.

  Here, the endoscope 2 is held by the operator with one hand as shown in FIG. 7, and the upper and lower directions in FIG. The upper side of the endoscope 2, the lower side of the endoscope operation unit 8 is the lower side of the endoscope 2, the left side in FIG. 7, which is the extending direction of the insertion unit 9, is the front side of the endoscope 2, The right side is the rear side of the endoscope 2, the near side in FIG. 7 is the left side of the endoscope 2, and the far side in FIG. 7 is the right side of the endoscope 2. Moreover, it is preferable that the endoscope 2 has a substantially left-right symmetric shape. When the endoscope 2 is held, the endoscope 2 is not limited to the right hand shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 19 (A), the bending operation lever 23 that is not symmetrical is composed of an outer cover 22 on the right side of the bending operation unit 15 of the endoscope 2 and a bending operation unit body made of metal (support for the drum 15a). It is attached to a fulcrum 23a that is rotatably supported by 50. The exterior cover 22 and the bending operation unit main body 50 are disposed in a bending operation unit mounting portion 21d opened on the right side of the operation unit 8.
The bending operation unit main body 50 is formed with a disk-shaped recess (space) 50a, and the drum 15a is rotatably supported therein. The exterior cover 22 and the bending operation unit main body 50 are fixed to the gripping unit 18, and the drum 15a supported by the bending operation unit main body 50 rotates by rotating the bending operation lever 23 and rotating the fulcrum 23a. Be made.
In this embodiment, the fulcrum 23a is provided on the right side, but the fulcrum 23a may be provided on the left side. That is, the bending operation lever 23 may be configured by inverting the left and right of the endoscope 2.

As shown in FIG. 12, a pair of first operation switches 19a are provided at the upper end portion of the base portion 21a of the endoscope operation portion 8, the bent portion 21b, and the front portion of the boundary portion of the base end portion of the head portion 21c. A finger hooking portion 20 that is disposed and contacts the upper surface of the middle finger F3 is formed. The finger-hanging portion 20 is formed immediately below the first operation switch 19a and closer to the gripping portion 18 described later than the oleome 17. As shown in FIG. 6, the finger-hanging portion 20 has a substantially semicircular root portion and extends in a direction that forms an angle of 90 ° or more with respect to the longitudinal direction of the gripping portion 18 (the central portion Cb of the base portion 21 a). In addition, the tip of the finger-hanging portion 20 is formed so as to protrude (project) to the front side from the frontmost portion of the first operation switch 19a. The finger hooking portion 20 improves the ease of gripping and the ease of pressing the first operation switch 19a, and at the same time, the endoscope 2 is unlikely to fall from the operator's hand when the operator releases his / her hand from the gripping portion 18. For example, the middle finger F3 can be hooked. Since the finger hooking portion 20 is formed in this way, the operator can stably hold the endoscope operation portion 8 of the gun-type endoscope 2, and the first operation switch 19a can be operated by the index finger F2. Will also be easier. Further, since the first operation switch 19a is partitioned from the grip portion 18 by the finger hanging portion 20, it is possible to prevent the first operation switch 19a from being touched when the grip portion 18 is gripped.
In addition, the finger-hanging part 20 may be annular like a part (trigger guard) where a real gun trigger is arranged. At this time, the first operation switch 19a corresponds to the gun trigger. In this case, even when the operator releases his / her hand from the grip portion 18, the annular member is hooked on the index finger F2, so that the endoscope 2 can be made difficult to fall from the operator's hand. .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, on the outer peripheral surface of the base 21 a, a grip 18 that a user (operator) of the endoscope 2 grips, and a cylinder that stores the substrate unit 30 and the battery 36 together with the grip 18. And a body 52. The grip portion 18 is preferably formed between the upper end portion and the base end portion of the base portion 21a, particularly on the upper end portion side. The grip portion 18 is appropriately formed so as to be easily gripped. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the thumb F1 is in the concave portion 23b of the bending operation lever 23, the index finger F2 is in the first operation switch 19a, and the middle finger F3 is in the finger hook portion. The ring finger F4 and the little finger F5 are held below 20 at the front side of the grip portion 18 of the base portion 21a. Here, the outer shape (outer peripheral length) of the gripping portion 18 is formed smaller than the cylindrical body 52 in accordance with the size of the hand. Moreover, it is preferable that the vertical region of the gripping portion 18 is formed as a region where the middle finger F3, the ring finger F4, and the little finger F5 can be accommodated when the gripping portion 18 is held as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 12, ribs (projections) 18 a that are long in the vertical direction and exhibit an anti-slip function with respect to the operator's hand are formed on the left front portion and the right front portion. ing. Although not shown, the rib 18a hits the vicinity of the base of the fingers F2, F3, F4, and F5, and as shown in FIG. 7, the middle finger F3, the ring finger F4, the little finger F5, and the first joint from the fingertips and the first joint. A finger pad or the like between the two joints is hung.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 17A, a substrate unit 30 is disposed inside the base portion 21a. In addition to the substrate unit 30, a battery 36, which will be described later, is housed inside the cylindrical body 52 of the base portion 21a. In addition, the cylindrical body 52 is provided with second and third operation switches 19b and 19c arranged on the substrate unit 30. In this embodiment, the second operation switch 19b is disposed on the front side portion of the cylindrical body 52, and the third operation switch 19c is disposed on the rear side portion of the cylindrical body 52. It is also preferable that 19b and 19c are disposed on the left side and the right side of the cylindrical body 52.

As shown in FIG. 6, a vent base 29 that communicates with the inside of the endoscope 2 protrudes near the lower end of the cylindrical body 52 of the base 21 a (near the lower left end in this embodiment). Has been. At the time of watertight inspection of the endoscope 2, an adapter (not shown) provided in an external air supply device is connected to the vent hole 29, and pressurized air is supplied into the endoscope 2 through the vent hole 29. The
The vent hole 29 also serves as a pressure regulating valve inside the endoscope 2 when the endoscope 2 is sterilized using high-pressure steam or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17A, an antenna housing portion 52a that houses the second antenna 40b protrudes forward from the lowermost front side of the cylindrical body 52. In this embodiment, the antenna accommodating portion 52a protrudes to the foremost side (the side close to the rear end portion of the insertion portion 9) of the base portion 21a. The antenna housing portion 52a is formed of a material that easily allows radio waves to pass through (for example, a plastic material). In addition, it is preferable that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 52 is formed of the same material as that of the antenna housing portion 52a, and a portion other than the antenna housing portion 52a is formed of a metal material or the like that is difficult to transmit radio waves. I do not care.

  A bending operation portion (bending operation mechanism) 15 operated to bend the bending portion 11 of the insertion portion 9 is disposed at the bending portion 21b disposed at the upper end portion of the base portion 21a. The bending operation unit 15 includes a bending operation lever 23 that can rotate within a predetermined range around a fulcrum 23a shown in FIGS. 14 (A) and 14 (C). In this embodiment, the bending operation lever 23 extends from the fulcrum 23a on the right side surface toward the upper rear side of the endoscope operation unit 8 and extends in the left-right direction on the upper rear side. In the bending operation lever 23, a distal end portion with respect to the fulcrum 23a is formed with a recess 23b for placing the finger pad of the thumb F1 at a predetermined position. Therefore, the bending operation lever 23 in the bending operation unit 15 is outside the endoscope operation unit 8 and can be operated with the thumb F1 of the hand.

  By having the gun type shape as described above, the endoscope operation unit 8 of the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment particularly faces the patient P as shown in FIGS. Thus, it is easy to use and effective when the insertion part 9 is inserted into the body cavity nasally or aurally for diagnosis and treatment.

  A drum 15a (see FIGS. 16 and 19A) connected to a fulcrum 23a of the bending operation lever 23 (see FIG. 16) is disposed inside the bending portion 21b of the endoscope operation unit 8. . For this reason, when the bending operation lever 23 is rotated, the drum 15a rotates according to the rotation. Since the operation wire 11b (see FIG. 14A) is wound around the drum 15a, when the bending operation lever 23 is rotated, the operation wire 11b can be advanced and retracted along its axial direction. For this reason, the bending tube 11a of the bending part 11 can be bent. In other words, the bending operation lever 23 is disposed as a rotating member for causing the bending portion 11 to bend by moving the operation wire 11b shown in FIG.

  The concave portion 23b of the bending operation lever 23 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is preferably set to a position where the bending portion 11 is straightened so that the position substantially symmetrical with respect to the first switch 19a with the fulcrum 23a interposed therebetween. In this case, by placing the thumb F1 in the concave portion 23b of the bending operation lever 23, it is possible to support a force in the pressing direction when the first operation switch 19a is pressed. For this reason, the operator can easily perform the operation of the first operation switch 19a and the turning operation of the bending operation lever 23 while stably holding the grip portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 9, an exterior cover 24 is disposed in an exterior portion in which the bending operation portion 15 inside the bent portion 21b is accommodated.
By the way, in the conventional endoscope 2c in which the vertical direction is defined as shown in FIG. 10, the cable 101 that connects the main body of the endoscope 2c and the processing device 107 extends from the exterior cover indicated by reference numeral 24c. The cable 101 is directly fixed to a metal fixing member 104 provided on the inner frame 103 by a metal base 102. In the connection portion between the metal part 102 of the cable and the fixing member 104, an oledome 105 for preventing the bending of the cable 101 is provided to keep insulation.
The endoscope 2 according to the present embodiment is an endoscope 2 of a wireless communication system, and the endoscope operation unit 8 and the processing device 3 are not connected by the cable 101 as in the conventional endoscope 2c. . Therefore, when the exterior cover 24 is fixed with the metal base 102, the fixing member 104, and the oledome 105 as described above, the parts for fixing the exterior cover 24 protrude greatly from the exterior cover 24, and the operator can use the endoscope 2 as a part. It will be a hindrance when operating.
Further, when the exterior cover 24 is directly fixed with metal parts such as the metal base 102 and the fixing member 104, it is impossible to realize insulation between various electronic circuits provided in the endoscope operation unit 8 and the exterior metal. Thus, if various electronic circuits inside the endoscope operation unit 8 and the exterior metal cannot be insulated, problems such as static electricity and noise will occur in terms of electrical safety.
Therefore, in the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, the exterior cover fixing member 25 that does not protrude leftward from the exterior cover 24 in this embodiment, and the endoscope 2 and the frame 26 which is a part of the skeleton provided inside the 2, the screw 28 of the outer cover 24 is screwed and fixed to the outer cover fixing member 25 with the outer cover 24 interposed therebetween via the insulating member 27. Thus, the insulation between the frame 26 electrically connected to the electronic component and the outside is maintained.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 19A, the light source unit 45 is disposed on the left side inside the casing 82 of the base portion 21a, the bent portion 21b, or the head portion 21c of the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment. Has been. As shown in FIG. 19B, the light source unit 45 includes an illumination light source 45a such as an LED (light emitting diode), and a light source substrate 45b provided with a light source 45a and attached to a light source attachment portion 49 described later. The illumination light source 45a is caused to emit light with electric power supplied from the battery 36 disposed below the base 21a so as to lower the center of gravity of the endoscope 2. The illumination light generated by causing the illumination light source 45a to emit light is guided from the proximal end of the light guide (optical fiber) 46 (see FIG. 3) inserted in the head portion 21c and the insertion portion 9 through the distal end, Light is emitted from the illumination lens 47 of the distal end rigid portion 10 to illuminate the subject S. The light guide 46 is provided with a light guide adapter 46a via a pin 46b to maintain the positional relationship between the light source 45a and the base end of the light guide 46.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, the light source unit 45 is attached to the bending operation unit 15 via one or more members. In this embodiment, a light source mounting portion 49 is disposed between the light source unit 45 and the bending operation portion 15. The light source mounting portion 49 is connected to a bending operation portion main body (support body of the drum 15 a) 50 of the bending operation portion 15. The light source mounting portion 49 and the bending operation portion main body 50 are formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and function as a heat sink that conducts heat H transmitted from the light source unit 45. Note that it is also preferable that the light source mounting portion 49 is provided with a heat-dissipating fin or the like (not shown) toward the upper inside of the endoscope operation portion 8. In addition, a space for radiating heat H is preferably formed between the light source mounting portion 49 and the upper surface of the housing 82.

The light source mounting portion 49 has a protruding portion 49a (see FIG. 16) protruding leftward. A light source substrate 45 b of the light source unit 45 is connected to the protruding portion 49 a on the left side of the light source mounting portion 49. That is, the light source unit 45 is disposed on the opposite side (left side) to the bending operation unit 15 disposed on the right side of the bent portion 21b or the head portion 21c. For this reason, the light source unit 45 disposed on the left side of the endoscope operation unit 8 includes a light source attachment (support) that extends in the left-right direction around the bent portion 21b or the head portion 21c of the endoscope operation unit 8. 49 is supported by the bending operation unit main body 50 disposed on the right side. The light source mounting portion 49 is disposed on the upper side with respect to the drum 15a and an inner frame 44 described later. Further, the light source mounting portion 49 and the bending operation portion main body 50 are separated from the internal frame 44 in which the substrate unit 30 having an electric substrate in which various electronic components that are vulnerable to temperature rise may be mounted. Various electronic components mounted on the board unit 30 of the internal frame 44 are also below the light source mounting portion 49.
As shown in FIG. 20, the inner frame 44 is fixed to the casing 82 of the base portion 21a with, for example, screws 44a.

  In general, since heat tends to be radiated to the upper side rather than the lower side, the heat H radiated from the light source unit 45 is efficiently transferred to the light source mounting portion 49 as a heat sink above the light source unit 45. A part of the heat H transmitted to the light source mounting portion 49 is radiated toward the upper side of the operation portion 8 of the endoscope 2 (see FIG. 17), and the heat H is directed toward the bending operation portion main body 50. Communicated. At this time, the inner frame 44 and the grip portion 18 are below the light source mounting portion 49 and are separated from the light source mounting portion 49. That is, the inner frame 44 and the grip portion 18 are in a state of being thermally blocked from the light source unit 45, the light source attachment portion 49, and the bending operation portion main body 50. For this reason, the heat H from the light source unit 45 is caused to flow toward the bending operation portion 15 separated from the grip portion 18 below the light source mounting portion 49, and thus the substrate unit 30 having the electronic components is provided. The internal frame 44 can be prevented from being affected by the heat H from the light source unit 45, and the operation of the endoscope 2 from the light source unit 45, such as the operator of the endoscope 2 learning the heat, can be prevented. The influence of heat H can be made difficult.

  Therefore, the light source unit 45 is on the upper side of the bent portion 21b or the head portion 21c of the endoscope operation unit 8, and is not an internal frame in which the light source unit 45 is thermally shut off, but the light source attachment unit 49 and the bending operation unit main body. The connection to 50 is preferable from the viewpoint of the influence of the heat H.

  As described in this embodiment, the light source mounting portion 49 may be separated from the internal frame 44 having the substrate unit 30, or the light source mounting portion 49 has a heat insulating property with respect to the internal frame 44. It may be connected via a member. That is, the light source attachment portion 49 of the light source unit 45 may be in a state where heat is not directly conducted to the inner frame 44 (a state where it is thermally blocked).

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19A, the light source unit 45 and the light source mounting portion 49 of the gun-type endoscope 2 are arranged on the upper side inside the operation portion 8 and mounted on the substrate unit 30. The electronic component is configured not to transmit heat from the light source 45a. Such a configuration can be similarly applied to a conventional endoscope 2c as shown in FIG.

Next, the first to third operation switches 19a, 19b, and 19c described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope operation section 8 is provided with first to third operation switches (push buttons and the like) 19a, 19b, 19c for performing various settings and remote operation of the processing device 3. Has been. As described above, the pair of first operation switches 19a are disposed at the front end portion of the boundary portion between the upper end portion of the base portion 21a of the endoscope operation portion 8, the bent portion 21b, and the base end portion of the head portion 21c. For example, the operation is performed with the index finger F2. As shown in FIG. 7, the second and third operation switches 19 b and 19 c are formed at positions where they are not caught (not touched) when the grasping portion 18 of the endoscope 2 is held.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first to third operation switches 19a, 19b, and 19c are connected to the board unit 30 inside the endoscope operation unit 8 through wiring cables, respectively. For example, by pressing the first to third operation switches 19a, 19b, and 19c, settings such as power on / off, brightness, white balance, enhancement, and channel switching can be performed.

  The first to third operation switches 19a, 19b, and 19c are set so as to exhibit various functions when pressed. The second operation switch 19b shown in FIG. 11A has a shape of the key top 31 that is a part for pressing the push button with a finger for each function or frequency of use (for example, a protrusion is provided on the key top 31 and the number thereof is set. Change), color (for example, black, gray, other colors) and arrangement (for example, the surface on which the finger is placed on the endoscope operation unit 8 and the surface on the back side thereof) to change the visibility and tactile sensation (for example, for each function and frequency of use) ) Can be identified.

  Further, the direction in which the first operation switch 19a is pressed is arranged to be as horizontal as possible with respect to the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the insertion portion 9. For this reason, when the first operation switch 19a is pressed while the endoscope 2 is in use, it is possible to prevent the endoscope operating unit 8 from being shaken up and down due to the momentum accompanying the pressing operation. As described above, when the first operation switch 19a is pressed, the first operation switch 19a can be pushed down with the index finger F2 while the thumb F1 is placed in the recess 23b of the bending operation lever 23. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform the pressing operation of the first operation switch 19a.

As shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable that the first operation switch 19a for function switching is provided with a plurality of key tops 31. In this embodiment, two key tops 31 are provided side by side. In this case, these key tops 31 do not face the front side (directly in front), but are oriented slightly inclined. One of the two key tops 31 (for example, the left key top 31) is pressed by, for example, the fingertip of the fingertip of the index finger F2, and the other (for example, the right key top 31) is between the first joint and the second joint. Press with the finger pad or the finger pad between the second joint and the base of the index finger F2. For this reason, the two key tops 31 are provided at different angles so as to be pressed in a substantially right angle direction for each joint of the index finger F2 with respect to the direction in which the operator's index finger F2 turns around. That is, in this embodiment, the two first operation switches 19a are provided side by side, and the pressing direction of the key top 31 faces the direction substantially orthogonal to the finger pad of the index finger F2. As described above, since the key tops 31 are directed in different directions, the first operation switch 19a can be easily pressed and the multiple first operation switches 19a can be prevented from being erroneously pressed.
In addition, when the 1st operation switch 19a has the two key tops 31, it is preferable that the two key tops 31 incline by equal angle with respect to the front side (front), respectively. Then, even if the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment is held with the left hand or the right hand, it can be used without a sense of incongruity.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, when the first operation switch 19a is formed of a push button, the first operation switch 19a includes a key top 31 pressed by the operator, and a key top. A switch portion 33 such as a tact switch that operates by pressing 31 and performs circuit switching, a key top fixing member 32 for fixing the key top 31, and a switch fixing member 34 for fixing the switch portion 33. Have
The key top 31 is fixed to the endoscope operation unit 8 by being clamped with a nut 32a via a key top fixing member 32. The switch part 33 is positioned with respect to the switch fixing member 34 and then fixed with screws or the like. The key top fixing member 32 and the switch fixing member 34 are attached to the endoscope operation unit 8 with screws or the like with reference to the same surface of the attachment guide 35 provided in the endoscope operation unit 8. For this reason, when assembling the endoscope operation unit 8, the switch unit 33 can be easily and accurately positioned with respect to the key top 31.

Next, the board unit 30 built in the endoscope operation unit 8 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the board unit 30 is a set of electronic circuit boards built in the base 21 a of the endoscope operation unit 8. The board unit 30 receives power from a battery 36 such as a lithium ion rechargeable battery that is housed in the lower end of the base 21a of the endoscope 2 and serves as a driving power source for the endoscope 2, from the first operation to the third operation. A switch circuit 37 that switches to each circuit in accordance with operation signals of the switches 19a, 19b, and 19c, an image processing circuit 38 that performs processing such as compression on a video signal in the body cavity imaged by the imaging device 14, and a video signal transmitted wirelessly A radio circuit 39 for converting the signal into a signal and first and second antennas 40a and 40b for transmitting the radio signal to the receiving antenna 7 provided in the external processing device 3 are provided.

  In the endoscope system 1, a plurality of wireless channels can be selected to prevent wireless crosstalk. For this reason, the board unit 30 has a wireless channel switching function capable of selecting and switching a wireless channel by the second operation switch 19b, for example. The substrate unit 30 includes a channel setting storage unit (not shown) so as to retain the selected channel setting even when the power of the endoscope 2 is turned off or the power supply from the battery 36 is cut off.

  Since radio signals can be transmitted / received only between the endoscope 2 and the processing device 3 having the same channel setting, the processing device 3 shown in FIG. 26 has the same channel setting as the endoscope 2. A wireless channel changeover switch 151 that can be used is provided. A channel combined between the endoscope 2 and the processing device 3 is a display lamp 41 such as an LED provided at a position adjacent to the second operation switch 19b (upper side in this embodiment) of the endoscope 2, They are respectively displayed on the channel display unit 152 of the processing device 3 shown in FIG.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 11A, the second operation switch 19b disposed on the base 21a of the endoscope 2 is arranged such that the three switches are positioned at the apexes of the triangle. For example, three switches may be arranged side by side. And a channel is switched by the frequency | count of a press of the 2nd operation switch 19b. Then, the remaining two switches of the second operation switch 19b can be used for setting other functions.
Further, when the second operation switch 19b is pressed, different channels may be selected.

  Further, the third operation switch 19c functions as a power switch, and when the third operation switch 19c is continuously pressed for several seconds, the electrical system of the endoscope 2 can be appropriately terminated. On the other hand, since the electrical system is not terminated by simply pressing the third operation switch 19c, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation or malfunction of the third operation switch 19c.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, the substrate unit 30 includes a switch circuit 37, an image processing circuit 38, and a wireless circuit that are various electronic circuits that perform electrical processing (video, wireless, antenna, power supply) of the endoscope 2. An electronic board on which the circuit 39 and various electronic components are mounted is electrically connected by an inter-board connector 42 or the like mounted on the board and assembled into an integral unit.

  Usually, when such an electronic circuit is inspected, each substrate is connected in accordance with a change in an operating state by an assembling process or inspected step by step using an inspection jig or the like. This board unit 30 has a configuration in which the electronic boards having the main functions are integrated as a unit with all the electronic boards connected. For this reason, in the assembly process of the endoscope 2, it is possible to shift to the inspection process in a state where the respective substrates are integrally connected. Moreover, since it can transfer to the following assembly process (process to assemble | attach the board | substrate unit 30 to the endoscope operation part 8) without adding a hand from the state which completed the test | inspection process, assembly efficiency can be improved.

  When the mounting displacement of the inter-board connector 42 is significant, there is a possibility that a load is applied to each fixed board. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14C, the inter-board connector 42 is connected without applying a load to each board or the inter-board connector 42 by fixing the spacer 43 between the boards with screws. is doing.

When stacking the substrates, as shown in FIG. 15, an internal frame 44 made of metal or the like that is long in the vertical direction is provided in parallel with the substrate surfaces of the substrate unit 30. Thereby, the components built in the endoscope operation unit 8 can be integrated as a structure in which the internal frame 44 and the substrate unit 30 are combined. For this reason, the number of parts can be reduced, and the assembly efficiency can be further improved. At the same time, the heat generated from the electronic components can be efficiently released to other parts through the internal frame 44 with high heat dissipation.
In order to efficiently conduct heat from the electronic component to the internal frame 44, a heat transfer means (not shown) such as an electric heating sheet or a gel sheet may be interposed between each substrate and the internal frame 44.

  The subject image of the subject S illuminated by the illumination light from the light source 45 a of the light source unit 45 described above is formed on the image sensor 14 by the objective optical system 13 built in the distal end rigid portion 10, and the image sensor 14 Imaged. The image sensor 14 is connected to an image processing circuit 38 in the substrate unit 30 provided in the base portion 21a via an imaging cable (observation optical system) 48. For this reason, the imaging signal obtained by the imaging element 14 passes through the imaging cable 48 and is output to the image processing circuit 38, where various image processing is performed. The video signal is output from the image processing circuit 38 to the wireless circuit 39 and is converted into a wireless signal by the wireless circuit 39. The radio signal is output from the radio circuit 39 to the first and second transmission antennas 40a and 40b, and is transmitted from the first and second transmission antennas 40a and 40b to the processing device 3.

  The imaging cable 48 is arranged along the internal frame 44 and connected to the internal frame 44. Here, the internal frame 44 is a general ground for each electronic component. Therefore, noise from the imaging cable 48 that affects EMC can be absorbed by the internal frame 44. That is, noise from the imaging cable 48 that transmits a signal from the imaging device 14 can be absorbed by the internal frame 44.

  Further, the board unit 30 improves the assemblability when assembling (attaching) to the endoscope operation unit 8 of the endoscope 2. As shown in FIG. 21, the substrate unit 30 is configured to be attached to the endoscope operation unit 8 in a state of being covered by the inner frame 44. However, the substrate unit 30 is surrounded by a case or the like in the assembly process. I ca n’t keep it. For this reason, a reinforcing bracket 51 for connecting between the internal frames 44 for fixing the substrates is provided, and it is possible to prevent the internal frames 44 fixing the opposed substrates from being deformed to cause deformation or short circuit of the substrates. . The bracket 51 also serves as a pedestal that supports the components constituting the second and third operation switches 19b and 19c, and at the same time, has an effect of improving the heat dissipation of the board unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 22A, when assembling the endoscope operation unit 8, the substrate unit 30 of the endoscope operation unit 8 is passed through the cylindrical body 52 which is a part of the base 21a. At that time, as shown in FIG. 22B, the width of the lowermost portion of the substrate unit 30 is larger than the inner dimension of the cylindrical body 52 and cannot be passed as it is. Therefore, a portion larger than the inner width of the cylindrical body 52 of the electronic substrate at the lower end of the substrate unit 30 can be rotated with the rigid substrate 53 and a predetermined portion as an axis 53a with respect to the rigid substrate 53. And a flexible substrate 54. For this reason, when the cylindrical body 52 is passed through the substrate unit 30, as shown in FIG. 22C, the rigid substrate 53 is rotated with respect to the flexible substrate 54 around the shaft 53a, thereby the cylindrical body. Interference does not occur between 52 and the rigid substrate 53. After passing through the cylindrical body 52, the rigid substrate 53 is rotated as it is with respect to the shaft 53 a to accommodate the second antenna 40 b in the antenna accommodating portion 52 a of the cylindrical body 52.

  Then, in order to prevent the wiring in which the end portion of the imaging cable 48 shown in FIG. 17A is soldered from being disconnected when the endoscope operation unit 8 is assembled, the end portion of the imaging cable 48 is soldered. The substrate 55 (see FIG. 22A) is disposed on the outermost surface of the substrate unit 30, and an exterior member such as the cylindrical body 52 is attached while being visually recognized. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the wiring in which the end portion of the imaging cable 48 is soldered is caught by the internal structure of the substrate unit 30 and is disconnected.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the base 21a of the endoscope operation unit 8 of the endoscope 2 includes a display lamp 41 on the front side thereof as a display means such as an LED for displaying the remaining amount of the battery 36 and the communication state. ing. In this embodiment, the display lamp 41 is disposed immediately above the second operation switch 19b. The display lamp 41 displays green during normal wireless communication with the processing device 3. Further, the battery 36 emits light or blinks in different patterns depending on the situation of the endoscope 2 such as green when the remaining amount of the battery 36 is sufficient and yellow when the battery 36 is low. For this reason, the operator can easily confirm the wireless communication status of the endoscope 2, the remaining battery level, and the like.

  When the remaining amount of the battery 36 is low, the endoscope 2 wirelessly transmits an electrical signal indicating that to the processing device 3, and the processing device 3 has a low remaining amount of the battery 36 inside the endoscope 2. For example, the effect is displayed in a portion indicated by reference numeral 4a in the upper left of the display device 4 (see FIG. 23). Note that the information regarding the remaining amount of the battery 36 displayed on the display device 4 is displayed more finely by displaying the endoscope operation unit 8 (changing the lighting color of the display lamp 41 or the like). As another example, the display device 4 displays, for example, a symbol divided into three parts indicating the remaining battery level. When the remaining amount of the battery 36 is sufficient, all the three divided symbols are turned on. The display of the three symbols may be sequentially erased as the remaining amount decreases.

  In order to prevent the light leaked from the illumination light source 45a in the endoscope operation section 8 from entering the portion where the display lamp 41 is attached and being erroneously recognized by the operator, the illumination light source 45a and the display lamp 41 are prevented. Are arranged in separate parts. A light shielding member (not shown) may be interposed between the illumination light source 45a and the display lamp 41.

Next, an antenna disposed in the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 17, the wireless communication antenna for performing wireless communication with an external device provided on the substrate unit 30 of the endoscope 2 is formed as a diversity antenna including a plurality of antennas, for example. . For this reason, since a plurality of antennas can be connected to the endoscope 2 and the processing device (external device) 3 and an antenna having a good reception condition can be switched as needed, transmission / reception of endoscopic images and the like can be performed more reliably. It can be performed.
The wireless communication antenna in the present embodiment includes an upper end portion of the grip portion 18 inside the endoscope operation portion 8, that is, a first antenna 40a disposed at a position closer to the insertion portion 9 than the grip portion 18, and a base portion 21a. And the second antenna 40b disposed at a position farther from the insertion portion 9 than the grip portion 18 is. As shown in FIG. 17A, the first antenna 40a shown in FIG. 17B is disposed on the head portion 21c above the first operation switch 19a on which the index finger F2 is disposed. That is, the first antenna 40a is on the front side of the endoscope 2 with respect to the position where the hand is arranged. In the head portion 21c, the position where the first antenna 40a is disposed does not have a metal body in the direction of the radio wave to be described later of the first antenna 40a, so that the radio wave can be stably passed. As shown in FIG. 17A, the second antenna 40b shown in FIG. 17C is arranged at the lowermost portion of the base portion 21a sufficiently away from the right hand, and is disposed in the antenna accommodating portion 52a on the front side of the base portion 21a. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 17 (A), the first and second antennas 40a and 40b arranged in the endoscope operation unit 8 are formed in an 8-character shape as shown in FIGS. 17 (B) and 17 (C), respectively. Has the directivity of drawing. As shown in FIG. 17A, the first antenna 40a and the second antenna 40b are attached in different directions (for example, orthogonal to each other). The first antenna 40a is covered with a head portion 21c that hardly interferes with radio waves in the direction of radio waves, and the second antenna 40b is similarly covered with an antenna storage portion 52a that does not easily obstruct radio waves in the direction of radio waves. It has been broken.

For this reason, the range in which the first and second antennas 40a and 40b can reliably transmit and receive radio waves in the examination room is almost evenly widened, and even if the endoscope operation unit 8 is moved when the endoscope 2 is used, Wireless communication between the first and second antennas 40a and 40b and the reception antenna 7 of the processing device 3 can be performed stably.
Here, inside the base 21 a of the endoscope operation unit 8, portions made of metal parts (metal bodies) such as an electric circuit and an internal frame 44 that is a skeleton of the endoscope operation unit 8 are concentrated. For example, the first antenna 40a is placed in a portion adjacent to the oleome 17 close to the rear end portion of the insertion portion 9 (the head portion 21c portion on the front side of the base portion 21a), and the second antenna 40b is placed near the battery 36 (insertion). (Position far from the rear end portion of the portion 9) and at both ends of the base portion 21a as much as possible so as not to overlap with the position (gripping portion 18) held by the operator in the base portion 21a. In addition, since the above-described board unit 30 affects the directivity of the antenna depending on the direction in which the cable is arranged, the cable connecting the antenna and the module board is arranged to be substantially straight with respect to the wireless module board.

  By arranging the first antenna 40a and the second antenna 40b apart from the upper end and the lower end of the base 21a, the radio communication antenna can be separated as much as possible from the operator's body (hand) that blocks radio waves. Then, it is possible to reduce the possibility that radio waves from the wireless communication antenna are blocked by a portion where metal parts including an electric circuit inside the endoscope operation unit 8 are concentrated and affect communication. Therefore, it is possible to improve the wireless communication performance in the endoscope system 1 when compared with the conventional wireless endoscope, and a smooth endoscope procedure can be performed.

  Further, the first antenna 40a is located at a position where at least part of the first antenna 40a is closer to the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 9 than the bending operation portion 15 when the holding portion 18 is held so that the insertion portion 9 is substantially parallel to the floor surface. Is arranged. As a result, the first antenna 40a can be separated from the portion of the operator's hand of the endoscope 2 or a portion that interferes with radio waves such as metal parts constituting the endoscope operation unit 8, and wireless communication performance is improved. Can do.

  In that case, the wireless communication antennas (first and second antennas 40a and 40b) are closer to the receiving antenna 7 side of the processing device 3 (the first antenna 40a is at least partly closer to the oledome 17 on the front side than the base 21a). In many cases, at least a part of the second antenna 40b faces the front side of the portion of the base portion 21a where the metal body is disposed. For this reason, the wireless communication antenna further contributes to the improvement of wireless communication performance. That is, during use of the endoscope 2, it is possible to prevent communication from being interrupted and a response from being deteriorated, to prevent deterioration in image quality displayed on the display device 4, and to stabilize the endoscope image on the display device 4. Can be displayed.

  The wireless communication antennas (first and second antennas 40 a and 40 b) are basically configured to transmit a radio signal to the reception antenna 7 of the processing device 3. A function of transmitting a signal may be provided so that a wireless signal including information for responding that “a wireless signal is correctly transmitted” is sent back to the wireless communication antenna of the endoscope 2 through the receiving antenna 7. That is, it is preferable that radio signals can be transmitted and received between the first and second antennas 40 a and 40 b of the endoscope 2 and the processing device 3.

  If the communication state is poor and sufficient wireless communication cannot be performed between the endoscope 2 and the processing device 3, for example, as shown in FIG. A setting may be made to display a warning color frame 56 such as an orange color on the outer frame of the endoscope image. Then, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the poor communication state without blocking the endoscopic image.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 24, a battery housing portion 57 is formed in a portion of the cylindrical body 52 of the base portion 21a adjacent to the substrate unit 30 inside the endoscope operation portion 8. As shown in FIG. 24, a battery 36 such as a lithium ion rechargeable battery serving as a driving power source for the endoscope 2 is detachably stored in the battery storage unit 57. As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the battery 36 is formed in, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
The electric power from the battery 36 is supplied to the substrate unit 30 and the light source unit 45 in the base 21a. As shown in FIG. 24, a power cable 62 is extended to an electrical contact 61 mounted in the battery housing portion 57 so that it can be connected to the light source unit 45 in the substrate unit 30 or the base portion 21a to supply power. Has been.

  The battery storage unit 57 includes a battery box 58 that forms a space in which the battery 36 is placed and stored, and a battery lid 60 that closes a battery storage port 59 described later of the battery box 58. The battery storage port 59 is formed at the lowermost portion of the base portion 21a, which is the end of the portion in which the board unit 30 is stored, in a direction parallel to the central axis Cb of the grip portion 18. The battery lid 60 has a structure that is opened by a hinge 63 while the operator grips the base portion 21a of the endoscope 2 vertically, and is closed by a buckle mechanism 64. In the buckle mechanism 64, the buckle lever 65 that is manually engaged and released by the operator is provided so as to form a smooth surface shape with the surface around the base portion 21a in the engaged state.

  The battery lid 60 is engaged with the cylindrical body 52 by the buckle mechanism 64 when the battery 36 is disposed in the battery housing portion 57 through the battery housing port 59 and the endoscope 2 is operated by closing the battery housing port 59. Let

  24 and 26B, ribs 66 are formed on the inner surface of the battery box 58 to receive the corners of the battery 36 and regulate the position of the battery 36 in the battery box 58. Yes. These ribs 66 reliably contact the electrical contact 61 and the contact 36a of the battery 36 even if the battery 36 expands from the state shown by the solid line to the state shown by the broken line by repeatedly using the battery 36. Thus, the position that is hardly affected by the expansion of the battery 36 is supported.

  A claw 67 that can be engaged with the substantially rectangular parallelepiped battery 36 is formed in the vicinity of the battery storage port 59. The claw 67 holds the casing of the battery 36 while the battery 36 is stored in the battery storage portion 57, and when the battery 36 is taken out, the claw 67 is pushed down with a finger to facilitate engagement with the battery 36. The battery 36 can be taken out from the battery storage portion 57.

  By providing a claw 67 in the battery storage portion 57 and further providing a battery lid 60, if the battery lid 60 is accidentally opened during use of the endoscope 2, the battery 36 stored in the endoscope operation portion 8 is used. Can be prevented from coming off and not being supplied with power. That is, it is possible to prevent a possibility that the current of the substrate unit 30 stops at the moment when the battery cover 60 is opened.

  Further, as described above, the battery 36 expands to the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 25B as it is used, but since the degree of expansion is unknown, the dimensions of the claws 67 provided in the battery housing portion 57 are unknown. In any case, it is difficult to appropriately determine so that the battery 36 is caught without any problem. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 24, the claw 67 is disposed at a position in the battery housing portion 57 that is hooked to the side 36 b (see FIG. 25B) that is least affected by the expansion of the battery 36.

  Here, reference numeral 67a in FIG. 24 is a position where a claw is conventionally provided. If the claw is provided at the position indicated by the reference numeral 67a, there is a possibility that when the battery 36 expands, the battery 36 cannot be locked properly, or the battery 36 is caught by the claw and difficult to take out from the battery box. However, by forming a claw at the position indicated by reference numeral 67, the battery 36 can be more securely locked, and even if the battery 36 expands, it becomes difficult to remove the battery 36 from the battery box. Disappears.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 24, a detection switch 68 for detecting opening / closing of the battery cover 60 is formed in the vicinity of the battery storage port 59 in the battery storage unit 57. The detection switch 68 is pressed by the projection 60a of the battery lid 60 during the operation of the endoscope 2, and when the battery lid 60 is opened and the pressing by the projection 60a is released, the battery lid 60 is opened on the display device 4. Is displayed (not closed properly), the display of the endoscopic image is stopped, or the operation of the endoscope 2 is immediately performed in a normal procedure by an electronic circuit provided in the board unit 30. It is set to perform shutdown processing. That is, when the detection switch 68 is not pressed against the protrusion 60a of the battery lid 60, the shutdown state is maintained, and even if the third operation switch (power switch) 19c is operated, the electric power of the endoscope 2 is maintained. The system does not move. Even when the battery cover 60 is opened, the battery 36 is prevented from being immediately removed from the battery housing portion 57 by the claws 67, so that the battery 36 can be normally taken out after being shut down by a normal procedure. .

  As shown in FIG. 17A, the bending operation lever 23, the bending operation unit body 50, and the gripping unit 18 are arranged in this order from the top in the vertical direction from the floor surface, and the first wireless device is positioned above the gripping unit 18. The antenna 40 a is disposed, and the second wireless antenna 40 b and the battery 36, which is the heaviest component in the endoscope operation unit 8, are disposed below the grip 18. That is, when the endoscope 2 is gripped so that the insertion portion 9 is substantially parallel to the floor surface, the battery 36 that is the heaviest component in the endoscope operation portion 8 is disposed below the gripping portion 18. It has become. Therefore, when the operator grips the grip portion 18 of the endoscope 2, the endoscope 2 having a high stability and a low center of gravity can be obtained without deteriorating the wireless communication performance.

  In addition, since the endoscope 2 according to this embodiment is a wireless communication type endoscope having no cable outside, it is easily and stable even when it is self-supporting or standing upright via a stand (not shown). Can keep.

  As shown in FIG. 26, various setting signals can be written and settings can be changed from an external writing device (computer) 171 to the circuit inside the substrate unit 30 of the endoscope 2. The setting signal may be written to a circuit inside the board unit 30 wirelessly. However, the volume of the endoscope 2 by providing the writing unit 171 and a circuit for transmitting / receiving a radio signal to the board unit 30 further. In order to further suppress the increase in size, the complexity of the circuit, and the price increase, it is preferable to provide a contact for writing the setting signal in the endoscope 2 and write the setting signal by wire.

  The embodiment has been specifically described so far with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and all the embodiments performed without departing from the scope of the invention are described. Including.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Endoscope, 8 ... Operation part (endoscope main body), 15 ... Bending operation part (bending operation mechanism), 15a ... Drum, 18 ... Gripping part, 21a ... Base part, 21b ... Bending part, 21c ... Head part , 22 ... exterior cover, 23 ... bending operation lever, 23a ... fulcrum, 23b ... recess, 24 ... exterior cover, 25 ... exterior cover fixing member, 26 ... frame, 27 ... insulating member, 28 ... screw, 29 ... vent base, 30 ... Substrate unit, 44 ... Internal frame, 44a ... Screw, 45 ... Light source unit, 45a ... Light source for illumination, 45b ... Substrate for light source, 46 ... Light guide, 46a ... Light guide adapter, 46b ... Pin, 49 ... Light source mounting , 49a ... projecting part, 50 ... bending operation unit main body, 50a ... concave part, 52 ... cylindrical body, 82 ... housing, H ... heat

Claims (4)

An endoscope body whose vertical direction is defined;
An insertion portion having a bending portion, the proximal end portion of which is connected to the endoscope body;
An inner frame provided in the endoscope main body and having an electronic substrate on which an electronic component is mounted and which is long in the vertical direction;
A bending operation mechanism provided at an upper part inside the endoscope main body for bending the bending portion;
A light source unit having a light source disposed inside the endoscope body; and a light guide optically connected to the light source of the light source unit and guiding illumination light toward a distal end portion of the insertion portion. An illumination optical system,
The light source unit is supported by the bending operation mechanism,
An endoscope, wherein the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit are arranged in a state that prevents direct heat conduction to the inner frame. The endoscope body includes a gripping part that is gripped by an operator,
The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bending operation mechanism is disposed above the grip portion in the endoscope main body.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bending operation mechanism and the light source unit are connected via a heat sink made of a metal material that conducts heat.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bending operation mechanism includes a bending operation unit body made of a metal material to which the light source unit is attached.

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