JP2016139005A - Endoscope optical adapter and endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope optical adapter that can inspect an observation object portion as cleaning dirt and the like adhering to the observation object portion.SOLUTION: An endoscope optical adapter 10 is attachably/detachably exchangeable with respect to a tip 8a of an insertion section 8 extending from an operation unit 6 of an endoscope 3. The endoscope optical adapter 10 comprises: an adapter main body 11 that has a large diameter section 13, and a small diameter section 14 provided on a base end side of the large diameter part 13; and a first through-hole 17 that is provided in a protrusion part 13a of the large diameter section 13 protruding outwardly from an outer peripheral face 14f of the small diameter section 14, and serves as a fixing section for attaching/fixing a fluid supply tube 9 being a functional member extended from an operation unit 6 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope optical adapter to which a fluid tube can be externally attached, and an endoscope.

  Conventionally, endoscope apparatuses have been used in the industrial field and the medical field. An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope having an insertion portion that is inserted into an observation object, a main body device including a display unit that displays an endoscope image obtained by imaging the inside of the observation object, and the like. , Mainly.

  Endoscopes used in the industrial field are used when inserting and inserting elongated insertion parts into boilers, turbines, engines, etc. to observe and inspect for the presence or absence of scratches or the presence or absence of corrosion. . In this endoscope, a plurality of types of optical adapters that can be attached to and detached from the distal end of the insertion portion are prepared. The plurality of optical adapters include an optical adapter that changes the viewing angle and an optical adapter that changes the observation direction.

  For example, when the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the engine of an aircraft and the blade is inspected for damage, it is difficult to perform the inspection if oil or the like adheres to the blade.

  In addition, in a situation where oil or the like is adhered and dirty, it is difficult to determine whether it is a mere dirt or a defect such as a crack by observing the endoscope image displayed on the display unit. .

  For this reason, when inspecting a blade, at present, the engine is disassembled and the blade is cleaned, and then the inspection is performed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a distal end portion of an endoscope that can be cleaned by spraying cleaning water onto a dirty mucous membrane surface to be treated by a treatment tool with a sufficient force from a dirty mucous membrane cleaning nozzle.

JP 2002-325722 A

  However, the work of disassembling the engine and the work of reassembling the engine are very time-consuming work. For this reason, there is a demand to inspect the presence or absence of a blade defect by an inspection using an endoscope without disassembling the engine.

  In addition, when the technique of patent document 1 is diverted to an industrial endoscope in which the optical adapter can be attached to and detached from the distal end portion of the insertion portion, the structure of the endoscope may be complicated and the insertion portion may have a large diameter. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is for an endoscope that can be inspected while removing dirt and the like adhering to a site to be observed without complicating the structure of the endoscope. An object is to provide an optical adapter and an endoscope.

  An endoscope optical adapter according to an aspect of the present invention is an endoscope optical adapter that can be attached to and detached from a distal end portion of an insertion portion extending from an operation portion of the endoscope, and the endoscope optical adapter. The adapter is provided in an adapter main body having a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion provided on the proximal end side of the large-diameter portion, and a protruding portion of the large-diameter portion protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion. And a fixing part for mounting and fixing the functional member extended from the operation part side.

  In addition, the endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the distal end component member toward the distal end side of the distal end component member constituting the distal end portion of the endoscope insertion portion that is inserted into the tube. A protruding portion is provided, and a fixing portion having a through-hole for disposing at least one distal end portion of the fluid tube having openings on the distal end surface side and the rear surface side of the protruding portion is provided on the protruding portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an optical adapter for an endoscope and an endoscope that can be inspected while removing dirt and the like attached to an observation target portion without complicating the structure of the endoscope. .

The figure explaining the structure of an endoscope apparatus The perspective view explaining the optical adapter for endoscopes Front view of the endoscope optical adapter of FIG. Sectional view taken along line Y4-Y4 in FIG. The figure explaining the optical adapter for endoscopes which fixed the fluid supply tube to the large diameter part integrally The figure explaining blade inspection by an endoscope apparatus The figure explaining the structure and effect | action of the optical adapter for endoscopes which provided two 1st through-holes The figure explaining the structure and effect | action of the optical adapter for endoscopes which provided the straight hole part for fixing the front-end | tip part of a fluid tube to the 1st through-hole. The figure explaining the structure of the optical adapter for endoscopes which fixes a fluid tube to a 1st through-hole via a connection pipe. The figure explaining the structure and effect | action of the optical adapter for endoscopes which provided the 1st through-hole in the image pick-up surface short side of an image pick-up element. The figure explaining the endoscope which provided the 1st penetration hole in the tip constituent member

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In each drawing used in the following description, the scale of each component may be different in order to make each component large enough to be recognized on the drawing. Further, the present invention is not limited only to the number of components described in these drawings, the shape of the components, the ratio of the sizes of the components, and the relative positional relationship between the components.

The configuration and operation of the endoscope apparatus having the endoscope optical adapter will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 includes a main body 2 that is a main unit, a scope unit (endoscope) 3 that is connected to the main body 2, and a fluid supply device 4 that is an external device of the endoscope. And is mainly composed.

  The main body 2 includes a liquid crystal panel (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD) 5 as a display device on which an endoscopic image, an operation menu, and the like are displayed. The LCD 5 is a display unit on which an endoscopic image or the like is displayed.

The scope unit 3 includes an operation unit 6, an elongated universal cable 7, and an insertion unit 8 that is a flexible and elongated tube body.
The insertion portion 8 extends from one side of the operation portion 6, and a distal end portion 8a and a bending portion 8b are provided on the distal end side. The curved portion 8b is connected to the proximal end side of the distal end portion 8a.

An imaging unit (not shown) is built in the distal end portion 8a. The imaging unit includes an imaging device such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor, and an imaging optical system in which an optical member such as a lens is disposed on the imaging surface side of the imaging device.
An endoscope optical adapter (hereinafter abbreviated as “endoscope adapter”) 10 to be described later can be attached to and detached from the distal end portion 8a.

  The universal cable 7 is an electric cable that connects the operation unit 6 and the main body 2, extends from the other side different from one side of the operation unit 6, and is detachable from the main body 2.

  The operation unit 6 is provided with a bending operation unit 6a. When the user tilts the bending operation portion 6a, the bending portion 8b can be bent in a desired direction in the vertical and horizontal directions.

The operation unit 6 is also provided with various operation buttons such as a freeze button and a recording instruction button. The user can operate various operation buttons to perform imaging of a subject, moving image recording, still image recording, and the like.
When the touch panel is provided on the LCD 5, the user can also perform various operation instructions for the endoscope apparatus 1 by operating the touch panel.

  The fluid supply device 4 has a tube connection port 4a. A connection connector 9a provided at the end of the fluid supply tube 9 is detachable from the tube connection port 4a. A tank and a fluid pump (not shown) are built in the fluid supply device 4. For example, a cleaning liquid such as cleaning alcohol is stored in the tank. The pump is a pump for supplying fluid.

  In a state where the connection connector 9a is connected to the tube connection port 4a, when the user operates a remote control switch, a foot switch, etc. (not shown) to drive the pump, alcohol in the tank is supplied to the fluid supply tube 9. The tube 9 is ejected from the opening 9b on the distal end side.

The endoscope adapter 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope adapter 10 includes an adapter main body 11 and a fixing ring 12.

The adapter main body 11 has a large diameter portion 13 and a small diameter portion 14. The large diameter portion 13 constitutes the distal end side of the endoscope adapter 10. In the present embodiment, the center position of the large diameter portion 13 and the center position of the small diameter portion 14 are displaced. The small-diameter portion 14 is provided on the proximal end side of the large-diameter portion 13, and a fixing ring 12 serving as an attaching / detaching portion is rotatably disposed on the proximal end portion of the small-diameter portion 13.
The center position of the large diameter portion 13 and the center position of the small diameter portion 14 may be concentric.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the endoscope adapter 10 includes, on the distal end surface 11 f of the adapter main body 11, a distal end lens 15 a constituting the objective optical system 15, an illumination window 16 a constituting the illumination optical system 16, for example, End openings 17a and 18a of two through holes 17 and 18 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the adapter main body 11 is provided with an objective optical system through hole 11h1 and an illumination optical system hole 11h2. The central axis of the objective optical system through hole 11h1 and the central axis of the illumination optical system hole 11h2 are parallel to the longitudinal axis 11a of the adapter body 11.

  The objective optical system through hole 11h1 is, for example, a stepped hole. The objective optical system 15 includes an optical member including two optical lenses 15b and 15c, a diaphragm (not shown), and an interval ring (not shown) in addition to the tip lens 15a in the objective optical system through-hole 11h1. It is configured.

  The illumination optical system hole 11h2 is also a stepped hole, and the illumination optical system 16 is configured by arranging a light guide fiber bundle 16b in addition to the illumination window 16a in the illumination optical system hole 11h2.

  The number of optical lenses is not limited to two, and may be one or two or more. Moreover, the structure which arrange | positions a relay lens instead of the light guide fiber bundle 16b may be sufficient. Further, the objective optical system through hole 11h1 and the illumination optical system through hole 11h2 are not limited to the stepped holes shown in the figure, and may be stepped holes of other shapes or straight holes. .

A female screw portion 12 f is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the base end side of the fixing ring 12.
The female screw portion 12f of the fixing ring 12 is configured to be screwed into a male screw portion (not shown) provided at the distal end portion 8a. The endoscope adapter 10 is integrally fixed to the distal end portion 8a by rotating the fixing ring 12 and screwing it into the distal end portion 8a.
Then, the endoscope adapter 10 can be removed from the distal end portion 8a by rotating the fixing ring 12 in the reverse direction to release the screwed state with the distal end portion 8a.

  The first through hole 17 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 is provided in the protruding portion 13a of the large diameter portion 13 protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface 14f of the small diameter portion 14. The 1st through-hole 17 is a 1st fixing | fixed part, Comprising: For example, it is a straight hole.

A distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9, which is one of elongated functional members, is inserted into the first through hole 17.
The central axis of the first through hole 17 is formed parallel to the longitudinal axis 11 a of the adapter body 11 or inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis 11 a so as to intersect the optical axis of the objective optical system 15.

As shown in FIG. 5, the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is inserted into the first through hole 17 from the base end opening 17b side of the first through hole 17, and then the large diameter portion 13 is formed by, for example, an adhesive. It is integrally fixed to.
The proximal end opening 17b is formed on the back surface, which is the surface opposite to the distal end surface 11f of the protruding portion 13a.

The second through holes 18 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are also provided in the protruding portion 13 a in the same manner as the first through holes 17. The second through-hole 18 is a second fixing portion, and a distal end portion of a wire (not shown) which is one of functional members is inserted though not shown. After the wire is inserted through the second through-hole 18, the wire is integrally fixed to the large-diameter portion 13 by winding or soldering.
In addition, you may make it form a fixing | fixed part with the notch groove which has an outer peripheral surface side opening instead of the through-holes 17 and 18. FIG.

Here, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.
In performing an endoscopic inspection of a blade inside an engine of an aircraft, an operator screw-fixes the fixing ring 12 of the endoscope adapter 10 to the distal end portion 8a as described above, and moves the endoscope adapter 10 to the distal end. It is fixed to the part 8a.
The fluid supply tube 9 and the wire are integrally fixed to the large diameter portion 13 of the endoscope adapter 10 in advance.

  The fluid supply tube 9 and the wire are attached along the insertion portion 8 and extend from the operation portion 6 side. Alternatively, the fluid supply tube 9 and the wire may be fixed to the large diameter portion 13 after the endoscope adapter 10 is attached and fixed to the distal end portion 8a.

  Next, the operator inserts the insertion portion 8 to which the endoscope adapter 10 is attached and fixed into the engine via an access port provided in the engine exterior member, and observes the endoscope image displayed on the LCD 5. However, the insertion portion 8 is guided to the observation site, and blade inspection is performed.

  The operator performs inspection by displaying the blade 30 on the LCD 5 as shown in FIG. In a state in which the target portion 31 that is difficult to determine whether or not it is a crack is projected on the surface of the blade 30, the operator confirms whether the target portion 31 is dirt such as oil 32 or the crack 33. Move on to work.

  That is, the operator operates a remote control switch (not shown) to drive the pump of the fluid supply device 4 in order to eject alcohol from the opening 9 b on the distal end side of the tube 9 toward the target portion 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the alcohol 34 is ejected toward the target portion 31 of the blade 30.

When the target portion 31 is the oil 32, the oil 31 attached as shown in FIG. 6C is washed away by the ejected alcohol, the surface of the blade 30 appears, and the suspicion of the crack is eliminated. Is done.
On the other hand, when the target part 31 is the crack 33, it can confirm that it is the crack 33, after wash | cleaning dirt as shown to (D) of FIG.

  As described above, the large-diameter portion 13 is provided in the endoscope adapter 10 that can be attached and detached with respect to the distal end portion 8 a of the insertion portion 8, and the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 attached to the fluid supply device 4 is the large-diameter portion. The first through hole 17 formed in the protruding portion 13 a of the portion 13 is fixed.

  As a result, when the target part 31 that is difficult to determine whether or not it is a crack or a dirty part is found, the pump of the fluid supply device 4 is driven to eject alcohol toward the target part 31. After performing the cleaning, it can be confirmed from the endoscopic image whether or not the target portion 31 is a crack.

  In addition, by fixing the wire integrally to the large-diameter portion 13, even if the endoscope adapter 10 is dropped from the distal end portion 8a, the endoscope adapter 10 dropped by pulling the wire back is recovered. Can be done.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remote control switch or the like is operated to drive the pump of the fluid supply device 4 so that alcohol is ejected toward the target portion 31. However, it is possible to switch between a state in which a liquid such as alcohol is ejected from the opening 9b on the distal end side of the fluid supply tube 9 and a state in which a gas such as air is ejected by operating the remote control switch or the like to drive the pump. You may make it comprise.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, one first through hole 17 is provided in the protruding portion 13 a of the large diameter portion 13. However, two first through holes 17A and 17B may be provided in the protruding portion 13a of the large diameter portion 13 as shown in FIG.

  In this configuration, two fluid supply tubes 9 are prepared, and the tip portions of the fluid supply tubes 9 are respectively fixed to the first through hole 17A and the second through hole 17B. As a result, the alcohol 34 can be ejected over a wide range toward the blade 30 as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to remove dirt and the like by cleaning the blade 30 over a wide area at a time.

Of the two through holes 17A and 17B, for example, a fluid supply tube 9 for supplying liquid is fixed to one first through hole 17A, and a fluid supply tube for supplying gas to the other first through hole 17B. 9 may be fixed.
In this configuration, by providing the remote control switch with a liquid supply switch and a gas supply switch, the liquid can be supplied and the gas can be supplied by appropriately operating the two switches.

  In the above description, the two first through holes 17A and 17B are provided in the protruding portion 13a. However, three or more first through holes may be provided in the protruding portion 13a. Further, in a configuration in which a plurality of through holes are provided, a fluid supply tube 9 for supplying liquid is fixed to one through hole, and a treatment instrument tube (not shown) in which a brush insertion portion can be inserted into and removed from one through hole. May be fixed, and the fluid supply tube 9 for supplying liquid or gas may be fixed to the remaining through holes.

In the embodiment described above, the first through hole 17 is a straight hole. However, as shown in FIG. 8A, a first through hole 40 having a stepped hole shape may be used.
As shown to (A) of FIG. 8, the 1st through-hole 40 has the straight hole part 41, the nozzle part 42, and the communicating hole 43, and is a stepped hole shape.

The straight hole portion 41 is a fixed portion to which the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is fixed, and the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the hole axis 40a is circular.
The opening shape of the nozzle part 42 is a flat elongated hole shape as shown in FIG. 8B, a circular shape as shown in FIG.
The communication hole 43 is a fluid path that connects the space of the straight hole portion 41 and the space of the nozzle portion 42, and has a function as a flow velocity adjusting portion that changes the flow velocity.
The inner surface from the tip opening of the communication portion 43 to the tip opening of the nozzle portion 42 is substantially tapered.

  According to this configuration, by appropriately setting the size and shape of the hole of the communication hole 43 and the shape and size of the opening of the nozzle portion 42, alcohol can be ejected over a wide range of the blade 30, or a narrow range. The fluid is ejected vigorously. That is, the ejection range, the ejection amount, and the ejection speed can be set in correspondence with the observation target site.

  In the endoscope adapter 10 described above, the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is integrally fixed to the large diameter portion 13. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the distal end portion 51 of the connection pipe 50 is fixed to the first through hole 17 of the large diameter portion 13, and the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is fixed to the proximal end portion 52 of the connection pipe 50. You may make it install.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, a midway portion 53 of the connection pipe 50 is fixed to the first through hole 17 of the large diameter portion 13, and the tip portion 51 of the connection pipe 50 is connected to the first through hole 17. Alternatively, the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube (not shown) may be fixed to the proximal end portion (not shown) of the pipe 50.

  When the distal end portion 51 of the connection pipe 50 is projected from the distal end opening 17a of the first through hole 17, the first through hole 17 is built in the distal end portion of the endoscope as shown in FIG. It is provided on the short side 71 side of the imaging surface 70 indicated by the broken line of the image sensor.

  As a result, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10C, the tip 51 of the connecting pipe 50 projects from the left side of the screen, which is the short side of the LCD 5, and is displayed in the image. For this reason, the operator can grasp | ascertain the positional relationship of the object part 31 and the connection pipe 50 easily, and can perform a cleaning operation | work.

  When the first through-hole 17 is provided on the long side 72 side of the imaging surface 70, the front end portion 51 of the connecting pipe 50 protruding from the front end opening 17a is the long side of the LCD 5 as shown by the broken line, for example, the screen Projects from the upper side.

Further, by tilting the central axis of the first through hole 17 so as to intersect the optical axis of the objective optical system 15, alcohol is applied to the target portion 31 from the front end opening 17 a of the first through hole 17 or the front end portion of the connecting pipe 50. Can be spouted toward
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 13 may be cut out to reduce the size of the large diameter portion 13. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily insert the insertion portion 8 to which the endoscope adapter 10 is attached and fixed into the engine via the access port.

  Further, for example, the front end portion 51 of the connecting pipe 50 protruding from the front end opening 17a of the first through hole 17 may be pressed to process the pipe front end portion as a jet port. As a result, as described above, the ejection range, the ejection amount, and the ejection speed can be set in correspondence with the observation target site.

  In the above-described embodiment, the adapter body 11 of the optical adapter 10 that can be attached to and detached from the distal end portion 8a of the insertion portion 8 is provided with the protruding portion 13a that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 14, and the protruding portion. A first through-hole 17 serving as a fixing portion for arranging the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is provided in 13a.

  However, the optical adapter is not configured to be attached and detached, that is, a protruding portion on the distal end component member 82 that constitutes the distal end portion 81 of the insertion portion 80 of the general endoscope shown in FIGS. 83 may be provided, and the first through hole 84 may be provided in the protruding portion 83.

  In the first through hole 84, for example, the distal end portion 51 of the connecting member 50 is fixed, and the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 is fixed to the proximal end portion 52 of the connecting member 50.

  According to this configuration, a fluid conduit for ejecting the cleaning liquid can be provided outside the endoscope without newly providing a water supply channel in the insertion portion 80.

The base end of the connecting member 50 is disposed on the front end side with respect to the base end face of a tip bending piece (not shown) that constitutes the most distal end of the bending portion 85. Further, the distal end portion of the fluid supply tube 9 may be directly fixed to the first through hole 84. Further, in this embodiment, no drop prevention wire is required. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the second through hole for inserting the wire in the protruding portion 83. Further, when a plurality of first through holes 84 are provided in the projecting portion 83, a treatment instrument tube (not shown) in which the brush insertion portion can be inserted and removed in addition to the fluid supply tube 9 for supplying liquid to the through holes. Alternatively, a fluid supply tube 9 for supplying gas is fixed.
Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the endoscope adapter described above.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 3 ... Scope unit (endoscope) 6 ... Operation part 8 ... Insertion part 8a ... Tip part 9 ... Fluid supply tube 9a ... Connection connector 9b ... Opening 10 ... Optical adapter for endoscopes (endoscope) Mirror adapter) 11 ... Adapter body 13 ... Large diameter part 13a ... Projection part 14 ... Small diameter part 14f ... Outer peripheral surface
17 ... 1st through-hole (1st fixing | fixed part)

Claims (9)

In the endoscope optical adapter that can be attached to and detached from the distal end of the insertion portion extending from the operation portion of the endoscope,
The endoscope optical adapter is:
An adapter body having a large diameter part and a small diameter part provided on the proximal end side of the large diameter part;
A fixing portion for mounting and fixing the functional member provided on the protruding portion of the large-diameter portion protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion;
An optical adapter for an endoscope, comprising:   The endoscope optical adapter according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of fixing portions are provided on the protruding portion of the large-diameter portion. The fixing portion is a through-hole having openings on the front end surface side and the back surface side of the protruding portion of the large diameter portion,
The endoscope optical adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tip portion of the functional member is disposed in each of the through holes.   The endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of functional members are a fluid tube that ejects fluid and a wire that enables recovery when the fluid member drops from the distal end portion of the endoscope. Optical adapter for mirrors. The through hole is
The endoscope optical adapter according to claim 4, comprising: a fixing portion where a distal end portion of the fluid tube is disposed; and a nozzle portion having an opening on a distal end surface side of the through hole.   The endoscope optical adapter according to claim 4, wherein a connection pipe to which a distal end portion of the fluid tube is connected and fixed is disposed in the through hole. In the configuration in which the tip of the connecting pipe protrudes from the tip opening of the through hole,
The optical adapter for an endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the through hole is provided on a short side of an imaging surface of an imaging element built in a distal end portion of the endoscope.   Protruding portions projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface of the distal end constituting member are provided on the distal end side of the distal end constituting member constituting the distal end portion of the endoscope insertion portion to be inserted into the tube, and the projecting portion An endoscope comprising a fixing portion having a through hole for arranging a distal end portion of at least one fluid tube having openings on a distal surface side and a rear surface side.   The endoscope according to claim 8, comprising the configuration of the endoscope optical adapter according to claim 5.

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