JP2019005446A - Dental endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a dental endoscope reliably forming an image guided from an image fiber of a head chip by an imaging lens when performing an observation operation, reliably holding the imaging lens and acquiring a stable image, in a simple operation mechanism having few number of components.SOLUTION: A dental endoscope 100 includes an image pick-up device 140 fixed to a handpiece body 160, and at least a lens holder 150 sliding in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece. The lens holder 150 includes: a ferrule 111 fitted thereto, the ferrule of an image fiber 110 provided in a head chip 120; and an imaging lens 130 fixedly held thereto.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a dental endoscope capable of observing in the oral cavity, in the root canal, and in the periodontal pocket in dental treatment.

Conventionally, as dental endoscopes, fractures of roots that occurred in the root canal during dental treatment, enlarged observation of the root canal wall before and after root canal enlargement, and adhesion to the tooth root in the periodontal pocket In order to magnify and observe plaque, tartar, root fracture and the like by video, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, a head chip 320 incorporating an image fiber 310 for transmitting an intraoral image and a guide from the image fiber 310 are introduced. In some cases, a handpiece main body 360 incorporating an image forming lens 330 for forming the image formed thereon and an image pickup device 340 for picking up an image guided through the image forming lens 330 is provided.
In such a dental endoscope 300, the operation switch 365 is manually operated in the direction of the arrow to move only the imaging lens 330 between the image fiber 310 and the image sensor 340 so as to freely advance and retract. The image captured from the image fiber 310 via the imaging lens 330 is acquired. (For example, patent document 1).

JP2013-383A

However, when the conventional dental endoscope 300 acquires an image by sliding and moving only the imaging lens 330 within a predetermined movement range C, as shown in FIG. Because it relies heavily on the experience and intuition of the operator who manually operates the medical lens 330, it is difficult to always obtain images in the same state, and also during observation in the oral cavity, in the root canal, etc. In addition, there is a problem that the observation operation must be interrupted because the focus of the imaging lens 330 is deviated.
In order to improve this, the image signal obtained from the image sensor 340 is processed and the position of the imaging lens 330 is automatically adjusted. However, the control mechanism is complicated and the apparatus cost is high. There was also a problem of becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and with a simple operation mechanism with a small number of parts, an image guided from the image fiber of the head chip during observation operation is reliably formed by the imaging lens. It is another object of the present invention to provide a dental endoscope that acquires a stable image while securely holding an imaging lens.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to an image fiber that transmits an intraoral image, a head chip incorporating the image fiber, and an image formed from the image fiber. An imaging lens, an imaging device that captures an image guided through the imaging lens, a lens holder that holds and fixes the imaging lens, and a handpiece body that slides the lens holder in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece And a dental endoscope comprising at least a connecting ring for detachably connecting the head chip to the handpiece body, wherein the imaging element is a rear region of the imaging lens, and Fixed to the rear part of the handpiece body, the lens holder is detachable via a ferrule that holds the rear end of the image fiber And is characterized in that it has a ferrule accommodating recess if the front region of the imaging lens.
Here, in this specification, the head chip side is described as the front, and the handpiece main body side is described as the rear.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to the first aspect, the handpiece body includes a coil spring that biases the lens holder toward the head chip. It is characterized by being.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to the first or second aspect, the front ring is configured such that the connection ring is rotatably engaged with the head chip. And a screw part that is concentrically screwed to the handpiece main body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to third aspects, the head chip is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the handpiece body. It has a detent pin to be inserted.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the lens holder forms an image with a rear end portion of the image fiber. And a ferrule stopper for positioning the lens for use at a predetermined interval.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the lens holder detaches the head chip from the handpiece body. In this case, a stepped portion for retaining is provided to prevent the handpiece body from coming off.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the imaging lens is a convex lens. Is.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, an interval between the imaging lens and the image sensor is the image. It is characterized by being set longer than a predetermined interval between the rear end of the fiber and the imaging lens.

  The dental endoscope of the present invention includes an image fiber that transmits an intraoral image, a head chip incorporating the image fiber, an imaging lens that forms an image derived from the image fiber, and this connection. An image pickup device for picking up an image guided through an image lens, a lens holder for holding and fixing an image forming lens, a handpiece main body for sliding the lens holder in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece, and a head chip for the handpiece main body By providing at least a coupling ring that is detachably coupled to the mouth, it is possible not only to obtain an intraoral image, but also to achieve the following specific effects.

  According to the dental endoscope of the first aspect of the invention, the imaging device is fixed to the rear region of the handpiece body in the rear region of the imaging lens, and the lens holder is the rear end portion of the image fiber. The rear end of the image fiber and the imaging lens are always positioned at a predetermined interval by having a ferrule receiving recess in the front region of the imaging lens that is detachably fitted via a ferrule that holds the lens. Since it is movable as a single unit, the image guided from the image fiber of the head chip is reliably formed by the imaging lens during observation operation with a simple operation mechanism with a small number of parts, and the imaging lens is reliably A stable and stable video can be acquired.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to claim 1, the handpiece body incorporates a coil spring that biases the lens holder toward the head chip. As a result, the ferrule that holds the rear end of the image fiber can be elastically and reliably positioned in the ferrule housing recess in the lens holder regardless of the operation or operation during the observation operation. An image guided from the image fiber of the chip can be more reliably formed by the imaging lens.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect achieved by the dental endoscope according to the first or second aspect, the front engagement portion in which the connection ring is rotatably engaged with the head chip. And a screw part that is concentrically screwed into the handpiece body, the positioning of the rear end of the image fiber and the imaging lens at a predetermined interval during the observation operation is performed. Since it is possible to adjust the distance between the imaging lens that can be moved forward and backward with respect to the piece body and the imaging element fixedly arranged on the handpiece body, a signal processing circuit for image signals is not required. The magnitude of the imaging state in the imaging device can be easily finely adjusted.

  In the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the head chip is inserted into the insertion hole provided in the handpiece body. By providing the anti-rotation pin, the head chip is locked against the handpiece body when the head chip is mounted on the handpiece body by screwing the connecting ring. The tip can be attached to the handpiece main body so as to freely advance and retract.

  In the invention according to claim 5, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the lens holder has an image fiber rear end portion and an image forming portion. By providing a ferrule stopper for positioning the lens at a predetermined interval, the ferrule holding the rear end of the image fiber can be securely attached to the ferrule stopper after fitting into the ferrule housing recess of the lens holder. Because it is positioned, the rear end of the image fiber and the imaging lens are always held at a predetermined distance, and the image guided from the image fiber of the head chip during the observation operation is reliably formed by the imaging lens. Can do.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the lens holder separates the head chip from the handpiece body. The lens holder does not fall out of the handpiece body when the head chip is detached from the handpiece body by screwing the connecting ring. Therefore, inadvertent damage to the image fiber, ferrule, and imaging lens can be prevented.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the imaging lens is a convex lens, so that the connection ring When the distance between the imaging lens that can be moved forward and backward with respect to the handpiece body and the image sensor fixed to the handpiece body is set long, the image is large and the distance is set short. In this case, since the image is small, the image for observing the inside of the oral cavity can be easily adjusted in size.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect exhibited by the dental endoscope according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the distance between the imaging lens and the image sensor is an image fiber. Since the distance between the rear end portion and the imaging lens is set to be longer than the predetermined distance, an image of the image fiber can be formed according to the distance between the imaging lens and the imaging element by a slight screwing operation of the connecting ring. Since it is physically enlarged, the inside of the oral cavity can be observed with a stable and high magnification image.

The sectional view which decomposed | disassembled the head chip and handpiece main body of the dental endoscope which is an Example of this invention. Sectional drawing of the state which made the image fiber of the head chip shown in FIG. 1 contact | abut to the lens holder of a handpiece main body. Sectional drawing of the state which pushed the lens holder shown in FIG. 2 in the handpiece main body. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between an imaging lens and an image sensor in the present embodiment. The perspective view which shows the conventional dental endoscope. The schematic diagram explaining the arrangement | positioning relationship between the imaging lens and image pick-up element in the conventional dental endoscope.

The dental endoscope of the present invention includes an image fiber that transmits an intraoral image, a head chip incorporating the image fiber, an imaging lens that forms an image derived from the image fiber, and this connection. An image pickup device for picking up an image guided through an image lens, a lens holder for holding and fixing the image forming lens, a handpiece body incorporating the image pickup device and sliding the lens holder in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece, and a head chip At least a connecting ring for detachably connecting to the handpiece body, the imaging element is fixed to the rear region of the handpiece body in the rear region of the imaging lens, and the lens holder is connected to the image fiber. A ferrule-receiving recess that fits detachably through a ferrule that holds the rear end is provided in the front area of the imaging lens, With a simple operation mechanism with a small number of points, the image derived from the image fiber of the head chip is reliably imaged by the imaging lens during observation operation and the imaging lens is securely held to acquire a stable image. As long as it is a thing, the concrete embodiment may be what kind of thing.
In this specification, the head chip side is described as the front, and the handpiece main body side is described as the rear.

For example, the dental endoscope of the present invention performs observation in the oral cavity and observation in the root canal during dental treatment, and includes an imaging lens, CCD, or C-MOS in the handpiece. In addition to the image sensor, a memory, a control board, and a light source including LEDs for guiding light to the tip of the head chip are provided.
Then, the image picked up by the image pickup device is guided to the control board, provided on the control board, temporarily recorded in the memory, and transmitted to the image signal processing apparatus through a communication cable such as a USB cable. The image signal processing apparatus Is processed and displayed on the display as a moving image or a still image.

  On the other hand, a light guide for receiving light from the light source and guiding it to the tip of the head chip is provided in the head chip, and an image of a portion illuminated by the light emitted from the light guide is displayed in the head chip. It is guided to the imaging lens in the handpiece through the provided image guide.

  An attachment that can be inserted into the periodontal pocket is detachably attached to the tip of the head chip. The attachment expands the periodontal pocket, making it easier to see the inside of the periodontal pocket at the tip of the attachment. The state in the periodontal pocket at the part may be observable.

  The light guide and the image guide described above are housed in a narrow guide tube, and the tip of the head chip is configured to be inserted into a narrow space such as a root canal. In order to avoid this, and to prevent trauma of the guide tube, the guide tube is, for example, the root canal of the oral cavity. You may comprise so that it may protect by a protection tube, leaving the length which is inserted in and can observe a root canal wall.

  Furthermore, a channel consisting of a hollow tube is provided in the guide tube, and through this channel, for example, an optical fiber for passing a therapeutic laser beam is inserted, washing water is passed, and drying air is passed. In addition, not only observation but also treatment can be performed.

Below, the dental endoscope 100 which is an Example of this invention is demonstrated based on FIG.
1 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the head chip 120 and the handpiece body 160 of the dental endoscope 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an image of the head chip 120 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the fiber 110 is in contact with the lens holder 150 of the handpiece body 160, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the lens holder 150 shown in FIG. 4 shows the positional relationship between the imaging lens 130 and the image sensor in the present embodiment. (A) shows a case where the interval is set long, and (B) shows a case where the interval is set short. It is a schematic diagram explaining each.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, a dental endoscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention acquires an intraoral image in order to perform intraoral observation and root canal observation during dental treatment. The basic structure is an image fiber 110 that transmits an intraoral image, a head chip 120 that incorporates the image fiber 110, and an image that forms an image derived from the image fiber 110. Lens 130, an image sensor 140 that captures an image guided through the imaging lens 130, a lens holder 150 that holds and fixes the imaging lens 130, and a hand incorporating the image sensor 140 and the lens holder 150. It includes at least a piece body 160 and a connection ring 170 that detachably connects the head chip 120 to the handpiece body 160.

Therefore, the image fiber 110, the imaging lens 130, and the image sensor 140 are arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the hand piece in the handpiece main body 160, and an image guided from the image fiber 110 is captured by the image sensor. Images are taken at 140.
In the dental endoscope 100 according to the present embodiment, an image captured by the image sensor 140 is transmitted to the image signal processing device via a control cable 141 (not shown) through a communication cable such as a USB cable. Image processing is performed by the image signal processing apparatus, and the image is displayed on the display as a moving image or a still image.

  The dental endoscope 100 emits light to illuminate an observation site in the oral cavity, a light guide 181 for guiding light to the light guide 180 in the head chip 120, and a power transmission to the light source 181. Power cord 182.

  The handpiece main body 160 forms a ferrule housing recess 151 that is detachably fitted via a ferrule 111 that holds the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 in the front area of the imaging lens 130, and for imaging. A lens holder 150 that slides in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece along the holder sliding hole 161 in a state where the lens 130 is held and fixed is incorporated.

The lens holder 150 includes a ferrule stopper 152 that contacts the ferrule 111 and positions the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 and the imaging lens 130 at a predetermined distance a.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the ferrule 111 that holds the rear end of the image fiber 110 has any ferrule length dimension, and is fitted into the ferrule housing recess 151 of the lens holder 150. The ferrule abutment portion 152 is securely positioned and integrally disposed.
For this reason, no matter what ferrule length dimension the ferrule 111 has, the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 and the imaging lens 130 are always held together at a predetermined interval a, and the head chip 120 is used during an observation operation. The image guided from the image fiber 110 is reliably imaged by the imaging lens 130.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lens holder 150 includes a retaining step 153 for retaining the head chip 120 from the holder sliding hole 161 of the handpiece body 160 when the head chip 120 is detached from the handpiece body 160. Further, a coil spring 190 that urges the lens holder 150 toward the head chip 120 is incorporated in the holder sliding hole 161 of the handpiece main body 160.
Accordingly, when the head chip 120 is detached from the handpiece body 160 by the screwing operation of the connecting ring 170, the lens holder 150 is not biased toward the head chip 120 by the coil spring 190. This prevents the image fiber 110, the ferrule 111, and the imaging lens 130 from being inadvertently damaged without falling out of the 160 holder sliding holes 161.
Reference numeral 162 shown in FIG. 1 is a spring receiver that fixes and holds the rear end portion of the coil spring 190 in the handpiece body 160.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the front engagement of the ring front end edge portion of the connecting ring 170 that is rotatably engaged with the fiber support 121 fixed to the rear opening edge portion of the head chip 120. A ring screw portion 172 that is concentrically screwed with a main body screw portion 163 formed on the front outer peripheral surface portion of the handpiece main body 160 is provided at the ring rear inner peripheral surface portion of the connection ring 170. .
On the other hand, the head chip 120 includes a detent pin 122 that is inserted into an insertion hole 164 provided in the handpiece body 160.
Accordingly, when the head chip 120 is mounted on the handpiece main body 160 by the screwing operation of the connecting ring 170, the rotation prevention pin 122 of the head chip 120 is prevented from rotating with respect to the insertion hole 164 of the handpiece main body 160. It becomes a state.

Therefore, by manually rotating the connecting ring 170 while the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 and the imaging lens 130 are positioned at a predetermined interval during the observation operation, the connecting ring 170 is moved to FIGS. As described above, the handpiece main body 160 is screwed so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the distances b1 and b2 between the imaging lens 130 of the lens holder 150 and the image sensor 140 of the handpiece main body 160 can be set.
Here, it goes without saying that the above-described imaging element 140 is fixed to the rear region of the handpiece body 160 in the rear region of the imaging lens 130.

Further, the distances b1 and b2 between the imaging lens 130 and the image sensor 140 are longer than a predetermined distance a between the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 and the imaging lens 130, as shown in FIGS. Is set.
As a result, the image of the image fiber 110 is physically enlarged according to the distances b1 and b2 between the imaging lens 130 and the imaging element 140 by a slight screwing operation of the connecting ring 170, and a stable high-magnification image can be obtained. It is possible to observe the oral cavity.

The imaging lens 130 employs a convex lens and is fixed at the center fixed position of the lens holder 150 that slides in the handpiece longitudinal direction in the handpiece body 160.
The imaging lens 130 made of a convex lens allows the coupling ring 170 to be screwed forward and backward with respect to the handpiece main body 160 to move, and the imaging element 140 fixedly disposed on the handpiece main body 160. When the interval b1 is set long, a large image is formed as shown in FIG. 4A, and when the interval b2 is set short, the image is small as shown in FIG. The size of the video for observing the inside can be easily adjusted.

  In the dental endoscope 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention thus obtained, the imaging element 140 is fixed to the rear part of the handpiece body 160 in the rear region of the imaging lens 130 and the lens. Since the holder 150 has a ferrule housing recess 151 that is detachably fitted via a ferrule 111 that holds the rear end of the image fiber 110 in the front area of the imaging lens 130, the number of parts is reduced. With a simple operation mechanism, the image guided from the image fiber 110 of the head chip 120 during the observation operation is reliably imaged by the imaging lens 130 and the imaging lens 130 is securely held to obtain a stable image. can do.

  The handpiece body 160 incorporates a coil spring 190 that urges the lens holder 150 toward the head chip 120 together with the lens holder 150, so that the ferrule 111 that holds the rear end portion of the image fiber 110 is provided. Any operation or operation during the observation operation is elastically and reliably positioned in the ferrule housing recess 151 in the lens holder 150, so that the image guided from the image fiber 110 of the head chip 120 during the observation operation. Can be more reliably imaged by the imaging lens 130.

  The connection ring 170 includes a front engagement portion 171 that engages with the head chip 120 in a concave and convex manner and a ring screw portion 172 that engages with the handpiece body 160 concentrically. The effect is enormous, such that the size of the image obtained from the image sensor 140 can be easily and finely adjusted without requiring a signal processing circuit for the image signal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Dental endoscope, 110 ... Image fiber, 111 ... Ferrule, 120 ... Head chip, 121 ... Fiber support, 122 ... Anti-rotation pin, 130 ... Imaging lens, 140 ... Imaging element, 141 ... Control board , 150... Lens holder, 151. Ferrule housing recess, 152. Ferrule stopper, 153. Detachment step, 160. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 164 ... Insertion hole, 170 ... Connection ring, 171 ... Front engaging part, 172 ... Ring screw part, 180 ... Light guide, 181 ... Light source (LED), 182 ... Power cord, 190 ... Coil spring, 300 ... Dental Endoscope, 310 ... image fiber, 320 ... head chip, 330 ... imaging lens 340 ... imaging element, 360 ... handpiece body, 365 ... operation switch, a ... a predetermined interval, b1 ... long set intervals, b2 ... interval set shorter, C ... predetermined moving range.

Claims (8)

An image fiber that transmits an intraoral image, a head chip incorporating the image fiber, an imaging lens that forms an image guided from the image fiber, and an image that is guided through the imaging lens. An imaging device for imaging, a lens holder for holding and fixing the imaging lens, a handpiece body for sliding the lens holder in the longitudinal direction of the handpiece, and the head chip are detachably connected to the handpiece body A dental endoscope comprising at least a connecting ring for
The imaging device is fixed to a rear region of the handpiece body in a rear region of the imaging lens;
The lens holder has a ferrule housing recess in a front area of the imaging lens, which is detachably fitted through a ferrule that holds a rear end portion of the image fiber. Endoscope.   The dental endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the handpiece body includes a coil spring that biases the lens holder toward the head chip.   2. The connection ring includes a front engagement portion that is rotatably engaged with the head chip, and a screw portion that is concentrically screwed with the handpiece body. Or the dental endoscope of Claim 2.   The dental endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the head chip includes a detent pin that is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the handpiece body. .   5. The lens holder according to claim 1, further comprising a ferrule stopper for positioning a rear end portion of the image fiber and the imaging lens at a predetermined interval. The dental endoscope as described.   6. The lens holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lens holder includes a retaining step portion for retaining the head chip from the handpiece body when the head chip is detached from the handpiece body. Dental endoscope according to one.   The dental endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the imaging lens is a convex lens.   The distance between the imaging lens and the image sensor is set longer than a predetermined distance between the rear end portion of the image fiber and the imaging lens. The dental endoscope according to any one of the above.

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