JP2017093818A - Image system and fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging system capable of obtaining an easy-to-understand image without changing a relative positional relationship, even when directing a telescope in a desired direction, and a fixture for use in the same.SOLUTION: A fixture 60 includes a placement part 62 that is slide-engaged to be freely detached to/detached from a slide groove part 13 formed on an undersurface side 12 of a telescopic arm part 11 of an imaging system, and a holding part 64 that is integrally extended from the placement part 62 to unrotatably hold a camera head part 24 by sandwiching the camera head part 24 between both right and left sides.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging system and a fixture.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an endoscopic instrument used for medical use, an optical device that is inserted into a patient's body and that irradiates irradiated light to the observed portion in the body and guides an image of the observed portion by irradiation of the irradiated light. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an imaging apparatus including a visual tube and a camera head unit that receives an image guided by the optical visual tube and outputs an image signal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such a case, a scopist (endoscope operator) as an assistant at the time of surgery rotates an optical tube that is rotatably attached to the camera head unit. Thereby, the direction of the oblique lens provided at the distal end of the optical tube is changed in the patient's body so that the person who performs the operation can take an image of a desired region.

JP 2012-254193 A

In recent years, surgery using an imaging system using an endoscope holder robot that holds an optical viewing tube in a desired position is performed instead of assistance by a scopist.
One of the endoscope holder robots is provided with a rotation mechanism that rotates an optical tube. The rotation mechanism unit rotates the optical viewing tube to direct the oblique lens toward the observed portion.
A person who performs the operation is configured to view and observe a desired part on a monitor screen or the like through a camera head unit connected to the optical viewing tube.

In such an endoscope holder robot, by rotating the rotation mechanism unit, the oblique lens of the optical tube rotates, and an area different from that before the rotation can be displayed on the monitor screen.
However, when the optical visual tube is rotated, the camera head connected to the optical visual tube is rotated.

When the camera head rotates, the observed part inside the body rotates, and the top and bottom of the internal organs etc. of the observed part appear to rotate, which makes it difficult to understand the positional relationship of the areas projected before and after the rotation. is there.
Therefore, the present invention provides an imaging system capable of obtaining an easy-to-understand image without changing the relative positional relationship even when the optical visual tube is rotated and directed toward a desired region, and a fixing device used for the imaging system. Is an issue.

  An imaging system according to the present invention is inserted into a body and optically guides an image of a portion to be observed in the body from an oblique lens attached to the tip, and the optical endoscope is rotatably connected, A camera head unit provided with an image sensor that outputs an image signal by receiving a guided image; a rotation mechanism unit that rotates the optical viewing tube; and a fixing unit that fixes the camera head unit so as not to rotate. It features an imaging system equipped with

According to such a configuration, even if the rotation mechanism unit rotates the optical visual tube, the camera head unit does not rotate because it is fixed by the fixing unit so as not to rotate.
For this reason, when imaging the surrounding observed part using an oblique lens, it seems that the body part imaged by the camera head part is rotating even if the viewing area changes due to the rotation of the optical tube. can not see.

  According to the present invention, there are provided an imaging system and a fixture that can obtain an image in which the relative positional relationship of the observation region is easily understood before and after the rotation even when the optical visual tube is rotated and directed to different regions.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an imaging system according to an embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an enlarged perspective view of the principal part of the imaging system of embodiment, (a) is a perspective view which shows the state with which the camera head part was mounted | worn with a fixture, (b) is a perspective view which shows an example of a camera head part. is there. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement by the imaging system using the fixing tool of embodiment. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement with the imaging system of a comparative example. It is a 6-face view of the fixing tool of embodiment, (a) is a front view of a fixing tool. (B) is a top view of a fixture. (C) is a bottom view of the fixture. (D) is a right side view of the fixture. (E) is a left view of a fixture. (F) is a rear view of a fixture. It is a perspective view of the fixing tool of a modification.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the overall configuration of the imaging system according to the embodiment.
The imaging system 1 of this embodiment mainly includes an endoscope holder robot 10, a rigid endoscope 20, an image generation device 30, an illumination device 40 as a light source, and a monitor 50.

Among these, the endoscope holder robot 10 includes a telescopic arm unit 11 having a rotation mechanism unit 14 for mounting the optical tube 22 of the rigid endoscope 20 and a fixing unit 16 for fixing the camera head unit 24. A controller (not shown) is attached to the head or arm of the person performing the operation.
The rigid endoscope 20 attached to the telescopic arm unit 11 is rotated and moved by the rotation drive of the rotation mechanism unit 14 in accordance with a command signal output in accordance with the movement of the controller. The rigid endoscope 20 is configured to be zoomed in the front-rear direction along the optical axis center line L of the optical viewing tube 22 by driving the telescopic arm portion 11.

On the other hand, the rigid endoscope 20 has a distal end inserted into the body, and an optical tube 22 that guides an image of a portion to be observed in the body, and the optical tube 22 that is rotatably connected to be guided to the image. And a camera head unit 24 that outputs an image signal by receiving the light.
Among these, the camera head unit 24 is provided with a CCD image sensor as an imaging device having a light receiving plane. The CCD image sensor photoelectrically converts light and darkness of an image formed on a light receiving plane through a lens or the like into an amount of electric charge, and sequentially reads out and converts it into an electrical image signal.
When the image signal output from the CCD image sensor of the camera head unit 24 is input to the image generation device 30, it is generated as an output image signal and output to the monitor 50. The monitor 50 is configured to display an image on the screen in accordance with the input of the output image signal.

  The optical viewing tube 22 has a rigid long cylindrical bar shape. An oblique lens 26 is attached to the tip of the optical viewing tube 22, and the oblique lens 26 directs the irradiation light of the illumination device 40 by a light guide fiber (not shown) provided around the oblique lens 26. It is configured to illuminate in a given direction.

  The oblique lens 26 is provided at the tip of the optical viewing tube 22. The optical axis of the oblique lens 26 is inclined obliquely from the optical axis center line L of the optical viewing tube 22. The oblique lens 26 of this embodiment is inclined from the optical axis center line L toward a predetermined angle (for example, about 30 degrees here) and in a certain direction (here, downward).

Then, by rotating the optical viewing tube 22, the area around the oblique lens 26 can be imaged.
Thus, the optical visual tube 22 equipped with the oblique lens 26 can project an area different from that before the rotation. For this reason, for example, compared to a lens that projects only the front surface with the optical axis center line L of the optical viewing tube 22 as the center of the image, a wide range can be imaged.

  The optical viewing tube 22 is inserted into the inner hole 15 of the rotation mechanism unit 14, and the outer peripheral surface is fixed and held on the inner peripheral surface of the inner hole 15 provided in the rotation mechanism unit 14. The optical viewing tube 22 is configured to be driven to rotate about the optical axis center line L in the longitudinal direction by the rotation mechanism unit 14.

Further, the camera head unit 24 is connected to the optical viewing tube 22 via the rotation connecting unit 28 in a state where the optical axis is aligned with the optical axis center line L of the viewing tube 22.
The camera head unit 24 is attached to the telescopic arm unit 11 of the endoscope holder robot 10 by the fixing unit 16 and is fixed so as not to rotate.

The fixing portion 16 mainly includes a slide groove portion 13 formed on the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11 and a fixture 60 that is slidably engaged with the slide groove portion 13 so as to be detachable. .
The camera head portion 24 is detachably fixed to the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11 by the fixing tool 60.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part for explaining the fixture 60 of the imaging system 1 of the embodiment. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which the camera head unit 24 is mounted on the fixture 60. FIG. () Is a perspective view of the camera head unit 24. In addition, in FIG. 5 to be described later, a hexahedral view of the fixture 60 is described.

The fixture 60 is made of a resin material, and mainly includes a mounting portion 62 and a holding portion 64 that extends integrally from the mounting portion 62.
Among these, the mounting part 62 is formed in a substantially cross shape with a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, with the longitudinal direction extending along the stretching direction of the telescopic arm part 11. The mounting portion 62 is slidably engaged with the slide groove portion 13 formed on the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11 so as to be detachable along the longitudinal direction.

The holding portion 64 includes a base portion 68 and fork portions 66 and 66, and is formed so as to hold the camera head portion 24 in a non-rotatable manner by holding the camera head portion 24 from both the left and right sides. .
That is, the base portion 68 of the holding portion 64 is supported so as to be suspended by the mounting portion 62. Further, on both left and right side surfaces of the base portion 68, gripping hole portions 67, 67 having a circular hole shape in a side view are formed to be recessed. And from this base 68, a pair of left and right fork portions 66, 66 are coupled together. In this embodiment, the extending direction of the pair of left and right fork portions 66, 66 is configured to be inclined with respect to the optical axis center line L direction.

  The fork portions 66 and 66 project in parallel from the base portion 68 obliquely downward with a predetermined interval. Further, engaging projections 65 and 65 are formed to bulge on the inner facing surfaces of the forks 66 and 66, respectively.

The engaging projections 65, 65 correspond to dents 25, 25 formed in a recessed manner on both sides of the case of the camera head 24, along the ridge line in the vertical direction perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis center line L. The cross section is formed to have a substantially mountain shape.
When the fork portions 66 and 66 hold the camera head portion 24 from both the left and right sides, the engaging projection portions 65 and 65 are engaged with the respective recessed portions 25 and 25 from both outer sides. The camera head portion 24 is formed so as not to rotate in the circumferential direction.

An operation button unit 27 is provided on the upper surface side of the camera head unit 24. The operation button part 27 is formed to be exposed to the outside so that it can be operated from above between the fork parts 66 and 66.
When the operation button unit 27 is pushed down, the optical visual tube 22 can be manually operated. In the manual operation using the operation button unit 27, the optical visual tube 22 can be rotationally driven in the circumferential direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). Further, the zoom drive can be performed forward and backward along the optical axis center line L by a manual operation by the operation button unit 27.

Next, the effect of the imaging system 1 using the fixture 60 of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the imaging system 1 using the fixture 60 of the embodiment.
In the imaging system 1 of the embodiment configured as described above, the rotation mechanism unit 14 of the endoscope holder robot 10 rotates the optical tube 22 in the direction indicated by the arrow A around the optical axis center line L as the rotation center. .
At this time, even if the optical visual tube 22 rotates, the camera head 24 does not rotate because it is fixed to the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm 11 by the fixture 60 so as not to rotate.

For this reason, when imaging the periphery of the observed part in the body through the oblique lens 26 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image guided by the camera head unit 24 is rotated before the optical visual tube 22 is rotated. After the optical viewing tube 22 is rotated, even if the visible region moves, the top and bottom of the part in the body shown in the image changes and the image does not appear to rotate.
Therefore, in the region that is visible before and after the rotation of the oblique lens 26, the relative positional relationship of the observed portion in the body does not change.
Therefore, a person who performs surgery can easily observe the region inside the body around the oblique lens 26 by rotating the optical visual tube 22 and moving the oblique lens 26 provided at the distal end to a desired region. .

  Thus, even if the region to be viewed by rotation is moved, since the camera head part 24 is fixed, the part of the internal organ shown in the image does not appear to be rotated. Through the image displayed on the monitor 50, the state in the body of the observation region can be grasped.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the imaging system of the comparative example.
In this comparative example, the camera head unit 24 is not fixed by the fixture 60 as in the embodiment. For this reason, when the optical visual tube 22 is rotated about the optical axis center line L by the rotation of the rotation mechanism unit 14, the camera head unit 24 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B by this rotation. .
When the camera head rotates, it looks as if the observed part in the body is rotating. For this reason, in the area projected before and after the rotation, there is a problem that the relative positional relationship of the observed site changes and it becomes difficult to understand.

On the other hand, in the imaging system 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the rotation mechanism unit 14 rotates the optical visual tube 22, the camera arm unit 24 is not rotatable by the fixture 60 so that the telescopic arm unit 11 can be rotated. Is fixed to the lower surface side 12.
For this reason, the camera head part 24 does not rotate. Therefore, when imaging the surrounding observed part using the oblique lens 26, even if the region moves due to the rotation of the optical viewing tube 22, the part in the body imaged by the camera head part 24 seems to rotate. I can't see. In other words, the image of the area projected before and after the rotation remains fixed without tilting or rotating the observed site. For this reason, it is easy to grasp the relative positional relationship between the observed sites.
Therefore, the person who performs the operation can observe an easy-to-understand image with the relative positional relationship fixed through the monitor 50.

More specifically, the engaging projections 65 and 65 are provided at two points in the upper and lower portions from both outer sides when the fork portions 66 and 66 hold the camera head portion 24 from the left and right sides. Each of them is engaged with the ridgeline having a substantially mountain shape in contact with each other at a total of four points.
For this reason, the camera head unit 24 is prevented from rotating by the engaging projections 65 and 65 even if the camera head unit 24 is rotated about the optical axis center line L as the optical visual tube 22 is rotated by the rotation mechanism unit 14. Is done.

That is, by operating a controller (not shown) provided on the head of the person performing the operation or the operation button unit 27, the optical visual tube 22 is rotationally driven in the circumferential direction (arrow A direction in FIG. 3). Alternatively, it can be zoomed back and forth along the optical axis center line L.
However, since the camera head portion 24 is fixed by the fixture 60, it does not rotate in the circumferential direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4) as shown in FIG. For this reason, the camera head unit 24 is left as it is, and only the optical viewing tube 22 is rotated by the rotation drive by the rotation mechanism unit 14, thereby imaging a wide range in the body while changing the imaging region of the oblique lens 26. .

Furthermore, in the imaging system 1 of this embodiment, the camera head unit 24 can be easily mounted by sliding the mounting unit 62 of the fixture 60 with respect to the slide groove 13 provided on the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm unit 11. Detachable.
Then, it is possible to remove the camera head 24 from the fixture 60 with a single touch by grasping the grip holes 67 and 67 of the fixture 60. For this reason, it can be easily exchanged for a different type of camera head unit 24 depending on the application, such as during surgery.

Further, in the slide groove portion 13 of this embodiment, the direction in which the mounting portion 62 of the fixture 60 is slid and moved is made to coincide with the direction of the optical axis center line L of the optical visual tube 22.
The fixture 60 of this embodiment fixes the camera head part 24 to be attached to the holding part 64, and slides the attachment part 62 into the slide groove part 13 along the lower surface side 12 from the distal end side of the telescopic arm part 11. Can be engaged. Thus, the camera head unit 24 is connected to the optical visual tube 22 via the rotary connection unit 28 so as to be relatively rotatable.

In the connected state, the optical axis of the camera head unit 24 coincides with the optical axis center line L of the optical viewing tube 22. Therefore, immediately after the connection, the output image from the camera head unit 24 can be displayed on the monitor 50 and the state inside the body can be observed.
As described above, in the imaging system 1 of this embodiment, only the camera head unit 24 can be replaced while the optical visual tube 22 is fixed to the rotation mechanism unit 14.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the camera head unit 24 is fixed in a state where it is suspended from the telescopic arm unit 11 by a fixture 60.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2A, the operation button portion 27 provided on the upper surface portion of the camera head portion 24 can be operated through a space portion formed between the fork portions 66 and 66.

Therefore, even if the camera head unit 24 remains fixed to the telescopic arm unit 11 by the fixture 60, the operation button unit 27 of the camera head unit 24 is manually operated to zoom along the optical axis center line L. It is possible to drive.
The rigid endoscope 20 is zoomed in the front-rear direction along the optical axis center line L of the optical viewing tube 22 by the zoom driving of the telescopic arm unit 11.

  Then, at any location in the front-rear direction, the rotation mechanism unit 14 can rotate the optical viewing tube 22 and direct the oblique lens 26 provided at the tip to a desired region. For this reason, it is possible to perform observation using an easy-to-understand image without changing the relative positional relationship by rotating the area around the observed portion to an appropriate size.

  Further, the optical visual tube 22 guides the irradiation light of the illumination device 40 to the tip by a light guide fiber, and illuminates the periphery of the oblique lens 26 attached to the tip in the direction in which the oblique lens 26 is directed. it can. For this reason, an image with a certain brightness or higher can be obtained regardless of the region in which the oblique lens 26 is directed by the rotation of the optical viewing tube 22.

  FIG. 5A is a front view of the fixture 60 of the embodiment. (B) is a top view of the fixture 60. (C) is a bottom view of the fixture 60. (D) is a right side view of the fixture 60. (E) is a left side view of the fixture 60. (F) is a rear view of the fixture 60.

In the fixing device 60 of this embodiment, the fork is made to correspond to the outer surface shape of various camera head parts 24 such as the recessed parts 25 and 25 recessed on both sides of the case of the camera head part 24 shown in FIG. The shape of the engaging projections 65 and 65 formed to bulge on the inner facing surfaces of the portions 66 and 66 can be formed.
For this reason, it is possible to cope with a plurality of types of camera head portions having different outer shapes by preparing a fixture 60 having fork portions 66 and 66 having various shapes as required. Therefore, it is possible to increase the types of camera head portions 24 that can be mounted with one touch without changing the shape of the fixed portion such as the slide groove portion 13 on the endoscope holder robot 10 side.

Modified example

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fixture 160 used in the imaging system of the modification.
The fixture 160 of this modified example is made of a resin material, and mainly includes a mounting portion 162 and a holding portion 164.
Among these, the mounting portion 162 is a pair of slide arms 13 (see FIG. 1 and the like) provided on the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11 described in the embodiment so as to be slidable. It is formed by arranging pipe-shaped members side by side.

  The holding portion 164 is formed by bending a single pipe continuous with the mounting portion 162 so as to form a loop. The holding unit 164 is configured to hold the camera head unit 24 in a non-rotatable manner by sandwiching the camera head unit 24 from the left and right sides with two pipes.

Similarly to the fixture 60 of the embodiment, the mounting portion 162 of the fixture 160 is slidably engaged with the slide groove portion 13 to fix the camera head portion 24 to the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11. It is configured.
Other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Although the imaging system according to the present embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment and the modification, the fixtures 60 and 160 are mainly made of a resin material. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fixtures 60 and 160 are made of a metal material, a wooden material, or a combination thereof. May be. Also, the number of fork portions 66, 66 may be, for example, a plurality of three or more. Thus, the shape, quantity and material of the fixture are not particularly limited.

  In this embodiment, the mounting portion 62 of the fixture 60 is slidably engaged with the slide groove portion 13 formed on the lower surface side 12 of the telescopic arm portion 11 so as to be detachable. Absent. For example, it is detachably attached to a part of the endoscope holder robot 10 constituting the imaging system 1 such as being fixed so as to straddle the other surface side of the telescopic arm portion 11 or two or more side surfaces. As long as it is fixed to any part. Also, the fixing method of the fixing tool 60 is not particularly limited.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the oblique lens 26 of this embodiment is tilted from the optical axis center line L in a predetermined direction at a predetermined angle of 45 degrees, but is not limited to this, and the oblique lens 26 is, for example, 30 degrees. , 90 degrees, 120 degrees, etc., as long as the object can be imaged at a desired angle and can be tilted at any angle, such as the shape, quantity and material of the lens, or The angle of inclination is not limited.
In this embodiment, the camera head unit 24 is provided with a CCD image sensor as an image sensor having a light receiving plane. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the camera head may be a camera head using another image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor. The part may be configured.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging system 10 Endoscope holder robot 11 Telescopic arm part 13 Slide groove part 14 Rotation mechanism part 15 Inner hole 16 Fixed part 20 Rigid endoscope 22 Optical endoscope 24 Camera head part 25 Recessed part 26 Diagonal lens 27 Operation button part 28 Rotation connection 30 Image generation device 40 Illumination device (light source)
50 Monitor 60,160 Fixing tool (fixing part)
62, 162 Mounting portion 64, 164 Holding portion 65 Engaging projection portion 66 Fork portion 67 Holding hole portion 68 Base portion

Claims (7)

  An optical visual tube that guides an image of the observed portion from an oblique lens that is inserted into the body having the observed portion and is attached to the tip thereof, and the optical guided tube that rotatably connects the optical visual tube. A camera head unit provided with an image sensor that outputs an image signal by receiving light, a rotation mechanism unit that rotates the optical visual tube, and a fixing unit that fixes the camera head unit so as not to rotate. A characteristic imaging system.   The fixing part includes a fixing tool, and the fixing tool includes a mounting part that is detachably attached to a part of the imaging system, and a holding part that holds the camera head part so as not to rotate. The fixture used for the imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the fixture is provided.   The fixture according to claim 2, wherein the holding portion includes a pair of left and right forks that are spaced apart so as to sandwich the camera head portion.   The fixing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the fixing portion includes a slide groove portion in which a direction in which the mounting portion is slid and moved is attached to and detached from the optical axis center line of the optical visual tube. It further includes an illumination device that illuminates the irradiation light as a light source,
The optical viewing tube is provided with an oblique lens at the tip, and a light guide fiber is provided around the oblique lens to illuminate irradiation light from the illumination device in a direction in which the oblique lens is directed. The imaging system according to claim 1.   The imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising an extendable arm unit that zooms in the front-rear direction along the optical axis direction of the optical tube while the camera head unit is fixed by the fixing unit. .   The imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor that inputs an image signal output from the camera head unit, generates an output image signal, and displays the image on a screen.

Images