JP2013164627A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope device capable of driving an optical system to be driven forwardly and backwardly with high accuracy in a narrow space.SOLUTION: An endoscope device has a plate spring having a fixing part 101 to be fixed to an optical system 63 to be driven, an elastic part 102 having elasticity and extending from the fixing part, and a friction engagement part 103 for biasing to an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical driving member 61 by an elastic part of the elastic part 102. The elastic part 102 has a first elastic region 104 and a second elastic region 105 forming a free curve shape in a surface perpendicular to a central axial line O1, and a folding part 106 for connecting the regions in a curved shape. The second elastic region 105 is located more outside an insertion part in a radial direction than the first elastic region 104, is separated from an inner wall of the insertion part and extends curvedly along the inner wall.

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when inspecting the inside of a machine or the like, a method of inspecting endoscopically by inserting an endoscope apparatus into the inside of a machine or the like is known. An endoscope apparatus has a long insertion part having a distal end and a proximal end, for example, and an imaging mechanism for imaging an object is arranged at the distal end of the insertion part. It has been.

  In addition, as an imaging mechanism for imaging an object in this way, a plurality of optical systems are relatively moved along the optical axis to perform focus adjustment, or the zoom lens is moved forward and backward along the optical axis to move the object. There has been proposed one having a drive mechanism for enlarging an image.

  As an example of such a drive mechanism, Patent Document 1 discloses a lens drive mechanism. The lens driving mechanism described in Patent Document 1 includes a piezoelectric element, a driving shaft (driving member) fixed to the piezoelectric element and disposed in parallel with the optical axis of the lens, and a through hole through which the driving shaft passes. A lens holder having a protrusion and a leaf spring provided on the lens holder and pressing the drive shaft are provided.

  According to this lens drive mechanism, the lens holder moves on the drive shaft as the drive shaft is displaced in the optical axis direction by the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element. According to this lens driving mechanism, the lens driving mechanism can be reduced in size by using the piezoelectric element.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a driving device using a piezoelectric element. The driving device described in Patent Document 2 includes a piezoelectric element and a support member (driving member) that is fixed to the piezoelectric element and slidably supports the moving body. The moving body includes a moving body main body, A gripping member that is assembled to the movable body main body and grips the support member, and a biasing member that biases the gripping member toward the support member.

  According to this drive device, the contact state between the holding member and the support member and between the movable body main body and the support member can be made substantially constant between the plurality of drive devices.

JP 2002-131611 A JP 2006-31788 A

  However, in the lens driving mechanism described in Patent Document 1, the frictional force on the driving member may fluctuate greatly due to an error in the attachment state of the leaf spring. For this reason, there has been a problem in that the amount of movement of the lens holder (driven optical system) per reciprocation of the expansion / contraction operation of the piezoelectric element varies.

  Moreover, in the drive device described in Patent Document 2, a tension coil spring is disclosed as an urging member. However, in an apparatus having an insertion portion that is inserted into a hole, such as an endoscope device, an imaging device, illumination, or a channel for inserting a treatment instrument is disposed inside the insertion portion, and a coil spring is disposed. There is little space to do. For this reason, it has been difficult to secure a linear space that suitably expands and contracts the coil spring.

  Further, in the driving device described in Patent Document 2, when the plate-like holding member is pulled by the coil spring, the holding member is pulled at one place in the width direction of the holding member. The holding member swings. For this reason, when the piezoelectric element is driven, the contact state between the holding member and the support member and between the movable body main body and the support member may be unstable.

  Further, in both Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the member moving on the drive member can rotate in the circumferential direction of the drive member, misalignment with the bus bar of the drive member as the center of rotation may occur. There was a risk of having sex.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an endoscope apparatus that can accurately drive a driven optical system in a narrow space.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, an insertion portion extending from a proximal end toward a distal end, and the distal end of the insertion portion are disposed inside the insertion portion. An imaging mechanism for imaging an object, wherein the imaging mechanism has a solid-state imaging device and a generatrix line with a distal end directed in the distal end direction and a proximal end directed in the proximal end direction along the central axis O1. A cylindrical member having a driven optical system slidable along the cylindrical member, an actuator for driving the driven optical system along the cylindrical member, and the driven optical system. A fixing portion for fixing, an elastic portion having elasticity and extending from the fixing portion, and a friction engagement portion for urging the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member by the elasticity of the elastic portion. A leaf spring provided with the fixed portion on one end side and the friction engagement portion on the other end side; The elastic portion has a first elastic region and a second elastic region that form a free curve shape in a plane orthogonal to the central axis O1, and the first elastic region and the second elastic region in a curved line. The second elastic region is located radially outside the insertion portion with respect to the first elastic region, is spaced from the inner wall of the insertion portion, and is curved along the inner wall. It is characterized by extending.

  According to the endoscope apparatus according to this embodiment, the lengths of the first elastic region and the second elastic region of the leaf spring can be sufficiently secured even in a narrow space, so that the driven optical system can be advanced and retracted accurately. Can drive.

It is a perspective view showing an endoscope apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a part of structure of the endoscope apparatus. It is a front view which shows the structure of a part of the endoscope apparatus. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a part of structure of the endoscope apparatus. It is a front view which shows the structure of a part of the endoscope apparatus. (A) And (b) is a graph which shows the operation | movement at the time of use of the same endoscope apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the operation | movement at the time of use of the same endoscope apparatus. (A) is a front view showing a part of the configuration for explaining the action of the leaf spring in the endoscope apparatus, (b) is a graph showing the operation of the leaf spring, (c) is the action of the leaf spring. It is a front view which shows a part of structure in order to demonstrate. It is the figure which showed the direction and magnitude | size of the force which generate | occur | produces in the leaf | plate spring. It is a front view which shows the modification of the endoscope apparatus of the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an endoscope apparatus equipped with the drive mechanism of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 includes a sheath 2 that extends from a proximal end toward a distal end, an imaging mechanism 3 that is disposed at the distal end of the sheath 2 and images a target, and a sheath 2. A bending drive unit 3a that is disposed on the proximal end side of the imaging mechanism 3 to bend the sheath 2, and an operation unit 4 that is disposed on the proximal end of the sheath 2 to bend the bending drive unit 3a. And a main body 5 extending from the operation section 4 to the proximal end side and connected thereto.
The sheath 2, the imaging mechanism 3, and the bending drive unit 3a constitute an insertion unit that is inserted into an object to be inspected.

  Although not shown in detail, the sheath 2 is formed in a flexible cylindrical shape, and a wiring path extending from the operation unit 4 and the main body 5 to the imaging mechanism 3 and the bending drive unit 3a is inserted therein.

  The operation unit 4 is provided with a joystick 4a for a user to input a bending direction in order to bend the bending driving unit 3a. In the endoscope apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the direction in which the joystick 4a is tilted with respect to a predetermined neutral position is input to the main body 5 as the direction in which the bending drive unit 3a is bent. In the main body 5, the bending drive unit 3a is bent based on the input from the joystick 4a.

  The main body 5 includes a display 5 a for displaying an image acquired by the imaging mechanism 3. Further, a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the imaging mechanism 3 and the bending drive unit 3a is provided inside the main body 5.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the endoscope apparatus 1, and shows the configuration of the imaging mechanism 3 in an exploded manner. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging mechanism 3 includes a case 31 that can be attached to the distal end of the sheath 2 shown in FIG. 1, and a cap 32 that is fixed to the case 31 on the distal end side of the case 31. It has.

  The imaging mechanism 3 is arranged with a driving member 61 extending in the direction of the central axis O1, a piezoelectric actuator 62 connected to the driving member 61 and capable of extending and contracting in the direction of the central axis O1, and a positional relationship fixed with respect to the piezoelectric actuator 62. Between the fixed optical system 70, the driven optical system 63 frictionally engaged with the driving member 61 so as to be relatively movable along the central axis O1, and the driving member 61 and the driven optical system 63. And a provided leaf spring 100.

  In addition, a predetermined optical axis L is set in the imaging mechanism 3. Along the optical axis L, a cover glass 32a provided on the cap 32, a driven optical system 63 capable of moving back and forth along the optical axis L, and a positional relationship with respect to the cover glass 32a are fixed. The fixed optical system 70 is arranged in this order. In the present embodiment, the cover glass 32a is a glass plate formed in a disk shape.

  The drive member 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a generatrix along the central axis O1. The drive member 61 is inserted through a hole 31a formed in the case 31, and is supported with the distal end 61a of the drive member 61 directed toward the distal end and the proximal end 61b of the drive member 61 directed toward the proximal end. Yes. A driven optical system 63 is frictionally engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the driving member 61.

  The piezoelectric actuator 62 has a first end 62a and a second end 62b, and is fixed to the driving member 61 at the first end 62a. The piezoelectric actuator 62 is an actuator that operates using a piezoelectric element that is deformed by voltage application, such as a piezoelectric element. In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric actuator 62 expands in the direction of the central axis O1 when a drive pulse is applied, and contracts in the direction of the central axis O1 so as to return to a natural state when application of the drive pulse is stopped. To do.

  Although not shown in detail, the piezoelectric actuator 62 has a second end 62b as a fixed end, and a positional relationship between the second end 62b and the case 31 is fixed. Therefore, when the piezoelectric actuator 62 expands and contracts, the first end 62a of the piezoelectric actuator 62 vibrates in the direction of the central axis O1 with the second end 62b as a fixed end. Although not shown in detail, the piezoelectric actuator 62 is electrically connected to the main body 5 through the inside of the sheath 2 shown in FIG. 1 and is expanded and contracted by a driving pulse to be described later transmitted from the control unit 50.

  The fixed optical system 70 is provided with a solid-state imaging device 72 that captures light incident from the cover glass 32a side as an optical image, and an imaging lens group 71 for forming an optical image on the solid-state imaging device 72. ing.

  Although not shown in detail, a well-known CCD or CMOS area image sensor can be appropriately employed as the solid-state image sensor 72. Moreover, the solid-state image sensor 72 is electrically connected to the main body 5 shown in FIG. 1, and an image captured by the solid-state image sensor 72 is displayed on the display 5a.

  The driven optical system 63 includes a contact portion 63a that contacts the driving member 61, a lens holding frame 63b that has a through hole in the optical axis L direction, and a groove 31b that protrudes from the lens holding frame 63b and is formed in the case 31. A protrusion 64 that is slidably fitted is formed. A moving lens 81 having an optical axis on the optical axis L is fitted and fixed to the lens holding frame 63b.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing a partial configuration of the imaging mechanism 3 in the endoscope apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the imaging mechanism 3. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a partial configuration of the imaging mechanism 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 64 formed on the lens holding frame 63 b is formed on the first wall 31 d of the first wall 31 d and the second wall 31 e that are separated in the circumferential direction of the case 31 in the groove 31 b of the case 31. Contact. Thereby, the driven optical system 63 is positioned in the circumferential direction by two axes of the driving member 61 and the first wall 31d.
By this positioning, the optical axis (first optical axis O2) of the fixed optical system 70 and the optical axis (second optical axis O3) of the driven optical system 63 are aligned on the optical axis L.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the leaf spring 100 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the driving member 61, the fixing portion 101 fixed to the driven optical system 63, the elastic portion 102 having elasticity and extending from the fixing portion 101. And a friction engagement portion 103 that is frictionally engaged.

  The fixed portion 101 includes a contact surface 111 that comes into surface contact with the driven optical system 63 and a fitting portion 107 that fits into the driven optical system 63. The driven optical system 63 includes a contact surface 63c that contacts the contact surface 111, and fitted portions 63d and 63e that are formed corresponding to the shape of the fitting portion 107.

  The fitting portion 107 includes an arm 1072 that supports two surfaces facing each other in the direction of the central axis O1 so as to make surface contact with the fitted portion 63d, and a portion of the arm 1072 that is close to each other in the direction of the central axis O1. A mooring portion 1071 provided in a shifted manner is formed. The mooring portion 1071 is fitted into the fitted portion 63e, whereby the leaf spring 100 and the driven optical system 63 are positioned.

  The elastic portion 102 has a free-curved shape in a plane orthogonal to the central axis O <b> 1, and a first elastic region 104 positioned relatively inside the case 31 and a part thereof is parallel to the first elastic region 104. A second elastic region 105 that extends and is positioned relatively outside the first elastic region 104, and a bent portion 106 in which the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 are connected in a curved line.

  Further, the friction engagement portion 103 is provided with an attachment 108 that comes into contact with the drive member 61 such that a line extending in the direction of the central axis O1 on the outer peripheral surface of the drive member 61 becomes a tangent line. The attachment 108 is supported by a support portion 103 b set on the leaf spring 100.

  In the portion where the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 are arranged in parallel, the distance from each other is separated by a distance d1. In the bent portion 106, the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 are connected in a curved line, and the maximum outer diameter d2 of the bent portion 106 is formed wider than the distance d1.

  Further, the second elastic region 105 side of the bent portion 106 is along the inner wall 31 c of the case 31, and the first elastic region 104 side of the bent portion 106 is formed to protrude inward in the radial direction of the case 31. Yes. This eliminates the dead space between the second elastic region 105 and the case 31 and increases the maximum outer diameter of the bent portion 106 by using the space generated between the driven optical system 63 and the first elastic region 104. Is to do.

  The second elastic region 105 is provided so as to extend along the inner wall 31c of the case 31 over the entire region. The second elastic region 105 is preferably separated from the inner wall of the case 31, and preferably has a predetermined clearance based on the magnitude of elastic deformation of the leaf spring 100.

  The leaf spring 100 generates a biasing force against the drive member 61 via the attachment 108. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the leaf spring 100 is in contact with the drive member 61 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in a natural state, and is elastically deformed by attaching the attachment 108 to have a biasing force to the drive member 61. It can be.

  In the present embodiment, the leaf spring 100 has a fixed portion 101 as a fixed end and a friction engagement portion 103 as a free end. Accordingly, the leaf spring 100 has a direction component of elastic deformation such that the friction engagement portion 103 performs a turning operation with the fixed portion 101 as the center of turning.

The operation of the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are graphs showing drive pulses generated in the control unit 50. The graph shown in FIG. 6A shows the waveform of the first drive pulse for causing the piezoelectric actuator 62 to expand and contract. In FIG. 6A, the horizontal axis indicates the time during which the drive pulse is applied, and the vertical axis indicates the voltage of the drive pulse.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the first drive pulse has a waveform such that the speed of rising from the voltage V0 to the voltage V1 is relatively slow and the speed of falling from the voltage V1 to the voltage V0 is relatively fast. Is set. Therefore, the time T1 from the voltage V0 to the voltage V1 is longer than the time T2 from the voltage V1 to the voltage V0.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, unlike the first drive pulse, the second drive pulse has a relatively high rate of increase from the voltage V0 to the voltage V1, and a relatively low rate of decrease from the voltage V1 to the voltage V0. The waveform is set so as to be slower. Accordingly, the time T3 from the voltage V0 to the voltage V1 is shorter than the time T4 from the voltage V1 to the voltage V0.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the operation of the drive mechanism 60 when the above-described first drive pulse or second drive pulse is applied to the piezoelectric actuator 62. As shown in FIG. 7, when the piezoelectric actuator 62 is expanded and contracted, the drive member 61 vibrates in the AB direction in the figure. At this time, the driven optical system 63 and the leaf spring 100 that are frictionally engaged with the driving member 61 operate as described below due to friction generated between the driving optical system 63 and the leaf spring 100.

First, when the piezoelectric actuator 62 is driven by the first drive pulse, the piezoelectric actuator 62 is extended for time T1. Then, as the voltage of the first drive pulse increases, the drive member 61 is moved toward the distal end in the direction of the central axis O1.
At this time, the time T1 during which the piezoelectric actuator 62 is extended is later than the time T2 during which the piezoelectric actuator 62 described below is contracted. Therefore, the driven optical system 63 and the leaf spring 100 that are frictionally engaged with the driving member 61 are integrally moved to the distal end side (A direction in the drawing) while being frictionally engaged with the driving member 61. The

  After the elapse of time T1, the voltage of the drive pulse subsequently decreases from voltage V1 to voltage V0 during time T2. Then, the extended piezoelectric actuator 62 is contracted along the central axis O1 so as to be in a natural state. As a result, the drive member 61 is moved to the proximal end side (B direction in the figure).

  At this time, the moving speed at which the drive member 61 is moved toward the proximal end side is faster than the moving speed toward the distal end side described above. This is because the time T2 is shorter than the time T1, and the voltage applied to the piezoelectric actuator 62 drops within a relatively short time. In this case, the driven optical system 63 and the leaf spring 100 slide on the driving member 61. As a result, during the time T2 in the first drive pulse, the driven optical system 63 and the leaf spring 100 remain at the positions before the drive member 61 is moved to the proximal end side, and only the drive member 61 is at the proximal end. Moved to the side.

  Time T1 + time T2 in which time T1 and time T2 are performed once is a unit of the first drive pulse. By this unit, the relative position between the driving member 61 and the driven optical system 63 is shifted to the distal end side by a predetermined width. When the first drive pulse is continuously applied, the above unit is repeated, so that the driven optical system 63 moves on the drive member 61 toward the distal end.

  When the piezoelectric actuator 62 is moved by the second drive pulse, although not described in detail, the driven optical system 63 is moved in the proximal end direction on the drive member 61 by an operation opposite to that described above.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing the action of the leaf spring 100 when the driven optical system 63 moves on the driving member 61. FIG. 8A is a front view showing the leaf spring 100 of the present embodiment and the leaf springs 80 and 90 having a shape different from that of the leaf spring 100 in an overlapping manner. FIG. 8B is a graph showing a comparison of the action of the leaf spring 100 of this embodiment and the leaf springs 80 and 90 described above. Moreover, FIG.8 (c) is a figure for showing the effect | action of the leaf | plate spring 100 of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, in the present embodiment, the leaf spring 100 is provided with a first elastic region 104 and a second elastic region 105. Further, the leaf spring 80 shown as a comparison does not have portions extending in parallel to each other so as to correspond to the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105. Further, the leaf spring 90 shown as a comparison has portions extending in parallel so as to correspond to the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105. However, in the leaf spring 90, the portions corresponding to the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 are configured to be shorter than the leaf spring 100.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the driven optical system 63 is moved back and forth on the driving member 61, sliding occurs between the driving member 61 and the leaf spring 100. Here, in order for the driven optical system 63 to advance and retract accurately on the driving member 61, the frictional force between the driving member 61 and the attachment 108 and the frictional force between the driving member 61 and the contact portion 63a are generated. Each is preferably kept constant. Since the contact portion 63a is not a member that is elastically deformed, the function for adjusting the above-described frictional force to be constant is mainly performed by the pressing force of the leaf spring 100.

  FIG. 8B is a graph showing the relationship between the force generated by the leaf spring and the amount of bending of the leaf spring for each of the leaf springs 80, 90, 100. The vertical axis indicates the force that the leaf spring acts on the drive member 61, and the horizontal axis indicates the amount of deflection of the leaf spring. Note that Fmin and Fmax shown in FIG. 8B indicate the lower limit and the upper limit of the appropriate force with which the leaf spring is suitably elastically deformed, and these values are defined by the physical properties of the material used as the leaf spring. Is done.

  The leaf springs 80, 90, and 100 have different lengths (hereinafter referred to as “substantially long”) along the surface of the leaf spring from the fixed portion 101 to the friction engagement portion 103. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8B, the relationship between the force applied to the leaf spring and the amount of deflection is different between the leaf springs 80, 90, 100. The leaf springs 80, 90, 100 have the same substantial length and different thicknesses, and the relationship between the force applied to the leaf springs and the amount of deflection between the leaf springs 80, 90, 100 is different. Are different.

The leaf spring 80 having a short substantial length causes a deflection in the range indicated by the width W1 between the minimum value Fmin and the maximum value Fmax of the force applied to the leaf spring. Further, if the thickness of the leaf spring is increased as the substantial length is increased, the target value Ftg can be approached.
For example, in the leaf spring 100, the amount of deflection changes more greatly with respect to the change in force applied to the leaf spring so that the deflection when receiving the same force as the leaf spring 80 occurs in the range of the width W3 wider than the width W1. .

Thus, the leaf spring 100 has a wide range of deflection corresponding to the range of the appropriate force with respect to the leaf spring 80 that does not have the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105. Further, the longer the length of the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105, the wider the range of the amount of deflection corresponding to the range of the appropriate force amount.
That is, the leaf spring 100 urges the drive member 61 with an appropriate amount of force between Fmin and Fmax even when the amount of deflection varies greatly.

  FIG. 8C is a view showing an action when the urging force by the leaf spring 100 is transmitted to the drive member 61. As shown in FIG. 8C, the urging force generated by the leaf spring 100 is transmitted to the drive member 61 via the attachment 108. At this time, the attachment 108 and the drive member 61 are in contact with each other at tangents P1 and P2 extending in the direction of the central axis O1 and extending along the outer peripheral surface of the drive member 61.

The direction in which the leaf spring 100 generates an urging force on the drive member 61 is an arrow direction indicated by F in the drawing.
That is, component forces F1 and F2 of the urging force F are applied to the contact points P1 and P2, respectively. At the contact point P1, the component force F1 of the urging force F is balanced with the reaction force N1 and the static friction force Q1. Here, when vibration is applied by the actuator and the driven optical system 63 starts to move in the direction of the central axis O1, the static frictional forces Q1 and Q2 are changed to dynamic frictional forces. As a result, the balance between the component force F1 of the urging force F, the reaction force N1, and the static friction force Q1 is lost at the contact point P1, and the driven optical system 63 moves in the direction of the central axis O1 and FIG. Rotate counterclockwise in front view shown in c). Needless to say, the balance between the component force F2 of the urging force F, the reaction force N2, and the static friction force Q2 is lost at the contact point P2.

  In the present embodiment, the driven optical system 63 rotates relative to the driving member 61 so as to go counterclockwise in the front view shown in FIG. 8C, and the driven optical system 63 is as shown in FIG. The protrusion 64 is supported in contact with the first wall 31 d of the groove 31 b of the case 31.

  FIG. 9 is a static analysis simulation showing the direction and magnitude of elastic deformation of the leaf spring 100 due to the force generated in the friction engagement portion 103 in a state where the leaf spring 100 and the driven optical system 63 are fixed by the fixing surface 101. FIG. The pressing force in this case is to change from the state of the leaf spring 100 before the attachment 108 is provided to the shape of the leaf spring 100 after the attachment 108 is provided. Moreover, the pressing direction has an inclination with respect to the outline of the second elastic region 105, as shown in FIG. In the figure, the length of the arrow indicates the size by which the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 are deformed.

  As described above, according to the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment, the leaf spring 100 includes the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region in the elastic portion 102 between the fixed portion 101 and the friction engagement portion 103. 105. Since the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 have portions parallel to each other, the length of the elastic portion 102 between the fixed portion 101 and the friction engaging portion 103 is the fixed portion 101 and the friction engaging portion 103. Longer than the straight line distance. As a result, the followability of the leaf spring 100 with respect to the drive member 61 is improved, and fluctuations in the frictional force on the drive member 61 can be suppressed.

  Further, since the amount of deformation per unit length of the leaf spring 100 can be reduced, plastic deformation can be suppressed even if the leaf spring 100 is greatly deformed when attached.

  Further, since the elastic portion 102 of the leaf spring 100 from the fixed portion 101 to the friction engagement portion 103 is formed in a free curve shape, stress concentration in each portion of the leaf spring 100 can be reduced.

  Further, the maximum outer diameter d <b> 2 of the bent portion 106 is configured to be larger than the width d <b> 1 between the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105. For this reason, the space which the leaf | plate spring 100 occupies can be reduced because the width | variety of the part where the 1st elastic area | region 104 and the 2nd elastic area | region 105 are parallel is relatively narrow.

Furthermore, the curvature of the bent portion 106 is smaller (the radius of curvature is larger) than when the maximum outer diameter of the bent portion 106 is equal to the width d1. Therefore, stress concentration on a specific point in the bent portion 106 can be suppressed.
This has an effect that the metal fatigue in the bent portion 106 can be reduced even when the elastic deformation of the leaf spring 100 is repeated many times.

  Further, since the stress concentration in the bent portion 106 is suppressed, both the first elastic region 104 and the second elastic region 105 can be suitably elastically deformed, and effective in a narrow region inside the case 31. A biasing force can be generated.

  In the present embodiment, the second elastic region 105 of the leaf spring 100 is formed along the inner wall of the case 31. This is because the leaf spring 100 is a spring formed in a plate shape and can be suitably elastically deformed even if it is curved and has a higher degree of freedom in arrangement than, for example, a coil spring. Therefore, the length of the second elastic region can be ensured while reducing the space occupied by the leaf spring inside the case 31.

  Further, since the leaf spring 100 and the driven optical system 63 are fixed by the fitting portion 107 provided in the fixing portion 101, the leaf spring 100 and the driven optical system 63 can be easily positioned and the leaf spring 100 can be easily positioned. Shaking when the is elastically deformed can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the variation in the urging force acting on the driving member 61 from the leaf spring 100 and to increase the movement accuracy of the driven optical system 63 on the driving member 61.

The protrusion 64 formed on the lens holding frame 63b contacts the first wall 31d of the first wall 31d and the second wall 31e that are separated in the circumferential direction of the case 31 in the groove 31b of the case 31. As a result, the protrusion 64 moves while being positioned on the first wall 31d, and the eccentricity of the optical system that occurs between the first wall 31d and the second wall 31e can be suppressed.
Further, since a biasing force is generated in the friction engagement portion 103 in one circumferential direction of the drive member 61, the leaf spring 100 causes the circumferential relative movement direction of the drive member 61 and the driven optical system 63 to be one direction. It becomes easier to face. For this reason, the drive member 61 and the driven optical system 63 are restrained from swinging around the center axis O <b> 1, and positioning of the drive member 61 and the driven optical system 63 is facilitated.

(Modification)
Below, the modification of the endoscope apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a partial configuration of the endoscope apparatus 200 of the present modification.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the present modification further includes a driven optical system 163 in addition to the driven optical system 63. In this modification, for example, the driven optical system 63 is provided to adjust the focus of an optical image formed on the solid-state image sensor 72, and the driven optical system 163 performs zooming to obtain an enlarged image of the object. Therefore, the zoom lens 181 is provided with an optical system.

  In addition, the endoscope apparatus 200 includes a drive mechanism 160 for moving the driven optical system 163 forward and backward along the optical axis L.

  The drive mechanism 60 and the drive mechanism 160 are configured to be symmetrical with respect to a line indicated by the symbol O5 in the front view shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the driven optical system 163 is located on the optical axis L at the distal end relative to the driven optical system 63.

  The drive mechanism 160 includes a drive member 161 and a piezoelectric actuator (not shown) as in the drive mechanism 60, and is electrically connected to the control unit 50 as in the endoscope apparatus 1 described above. Be operated.

  The drive mechanism 160 is provided with a leaf spring 100a having the same shape and size as the leaf spring 100, and has a fixed portion 101a, an elastic portion 102a, and a friction engagement portion 103a, like the leaf spring 100.

In the present modification, the leaf spring 100 and the leaf spring 100a are in a positional relationship in which the directions are different so as to face each other in the radial direction inside the case 31 in a front view shown in FIG. As a result, the protrusion 164 formed on the lens holding frame 163 b of the driven optical system 163 is in contact with the second wall 31 e of the groove 31 b of the case 31. In the driven optical system 163, the optical axis (third optical axis O4) of the zoom lens 181 is aligned with the optical axis L in a state where the protrusion 164 is in contact with the second wall 31e.
Even if it is such a structure, there can exist an effect similar to the above-mentioned endoscope apparatus 1. FIG.

  Further, in the present modification, the driven optical system 63 and the driven optical system 163 are both disposed inside the case 31 so as to be capable of moving back and forth along the optical axis L. Here, the leaf spring 100 and the leaf spring 100a are arranged to face each other in the radial direction of the case 31. Accordingly, the interference between the operations is suppressed, and the operation accuracy of the driven optical system 63 and the driven optical system 163 can be kept high.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the fixing portion 101 has the fitting portion 107 and is fitted to the driven optical system 63 has been described. It may be fixed by adhesion. Further, fixing by fitting and fixing by adhesion may be used in combination as a fixing method between the leaf spring and the driven optical system.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the attachment 108 is interposed between the leaf spring 100 and the driving member 61 and the leaf spring 100 urges the driving member 61 via the attachment 108 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be employed in which the leaf spring directly contacts the drive member and biases the drive member without providing an attachment. Even in this case, the same effect as the present invention can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the leaf spring 100 and the attachment 108 are provided is shown. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the leaf spring and the attachment may be integrally formed as a single member.

1,200 Endoscopic device 2 Sheath (insertion part)
3 imaging mechanism 61, 161 driving member 62 piezoelectric actuator 63, 163 driven optical system 70 fixed optical system O1 central axis O2 first optical axis O3 second optical axis 100, 100a leaf spring 101, 101a fixing part 102, 102a elastic part 103, 103a Friction engaging portion 104, 104a First elastic region 105, 105a Second elastic region 106, 106a Bending portion

Claims (3)

An insert extending from the proximal end toward the distal end;
An imaging mechanism that images the object disposed inside the insertion portion at the distal end of the insertion portion;
With
The imaging mechanism is
A solid-state image sensor;
A cylindrical member having a generatrix along a central axis O1 with a distal end directed toward the distal end and a proximal end directed toward the proximal end;
A driven optical system slidable along the cylindrical member;
An actuator for driving the driven optical system along the cylindrical member;
A fixed portion for fixing to the driven optical system, an elastic portion having elasticity and extending from the fixed portion, and friction urging the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member by the elasticity of the elastic portion A leaf spring provided with an engagement portion, the fixed portion on one end side, and the friction engagement portion on the other end side,
Have
The elastic portion includes a first elastic region and a second elastic region that form a free curve shape in a plane orthogonal to the central axis O1, and a bent portion that connects the first elastic region and the second elastic region in a curved manner. And having
The second elastic region is located on the radially outer side of the insertion portion with respect to the first elastic region, and is spaced from the inner wall of the insertion portion and extends while being curved along the inner wall. Endoscope device.   2. The internal view according to claim 1, wherein the second elastic region is disposed so as to be spaced apart from the first elastic region by a predetermined distance on a radially outer side of the insertion portion. Mirror device.   The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a maximum outer diameter of the bent portion is formed larger than a separation distance between the first elastic region and the second elastic region.