JP3207068B2 - Stereoscopic endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus in which an observation image of the same subject is transmitted by two image guide fiber bundles to enable stereoscopic observation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional stereoscopic endoscope apparatus, an observation image of the same subject is projected onto the incident end faces of two image guide fiber bundles by a pair of horizontally placed objective optical systems. The images of the exit end faces of the image guide fiber bundle are alternately displayed on a single TV monitor and displayed, and the images displayed on the TV monitor are displayed on the left and right eyes through a shutter switched in synchronization with the image displayed on the TV monitor. It is known that observations are made alternately by using a gastrointestinal endoscope Vol.5 No.81993
).

[0003]

When the observation image transmitted by the image guide fiber bundle is magnified and observed through an eyepiece, the image to be magnified and observed is the exit end face of the image guide fiber bundle itself. Thus, the optically opaque portions 50 of the optical fibers of the image guide fiber bundle are observed in a mesh pattern.

However, in practice, when the emission end face of the image guide fiber bundle is directly looked through the eyepiece, the observed image is strongly recognized visually by the action of the eyes of a person who wants to view only the observed image, and the mesh is Not so noticeable.

However, when an image of the exit end face of the image guide fiber bundle is imaged and projected on a television monitor as in a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus, the mesh of the exit end face is faithfully imaged and clearly projected on the television monitor. This makes the video very difficult to see.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus in which an observation image of the same subject is transmitted by two image guide fiber bundles so that stereoscopic observation is possible. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic endoscope apparatus capable of performing stereoscopic observation.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention provides an observation image of the same subject by a pair of juxtaposed objective optical systems. The image is projected onto the entrance end face, and the images of the exit end faces of the two image guide fiber bundles are alternately displayed on one television monitor while being switched, and are passed through a shutter that is switched in synchronization with the image displayed on the television monitor. In the stereoscopic endoscope apparatus configured to alternately observe an image displayed on the television monitor with left and right eyes, the television monitor screen includes an image guide fiber bundle of one of the two image guide fiber bundles. The light-impermeable portion between each optical fiber is located at the light-transmitting portion of the optical fiber of the other image guide fiber bundle. Characterized by being adapted to.

[0008]

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
1 shows an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which two flexible or rigid image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 are inserted into an insertion portion 1 inserted into a body cavity. Have been.

Both image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3
The incident end surfaces 2a and 3a are arranged on the image plane of the subject by the two objective optical systems 4 and 5 arranged side by side in the distal end portion of the insertion section 1.

[0010] The two objective optical systems 4 and 5 have exactly the same specifications, and the images of the same subject at a common distance are input to the entrance end faces 2 of the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3.
a, 3a.

As a result, an observation image of the same subject whose observation direction is slightly different by the amount of parallax is projected on each of the incident end faces 2a and 3a of the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3.

Each of the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 passes from the inside of the insertion section 1 to the inside of the operation section 7 connected to the base end thereof, and into the imaging section 8 protruding from the operation section 7. Has reached.

Both image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3
In the imaging section 8 in which the emission end faces 2b and 3b are arranged, two solid-state imaging elements 11 and 12 for color imaging and the emission end faces 2b and 3 of the image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 are provided.
Two projection lenses 13 and 14 of the same specifications for projecting the image b on the solid-state imaging devices 11 and 12 are arranged.

The output end faces 2b, 3b of the image guide fiber bundles 2, 3 are controlled by the solid-state imaging devices 11, 12.
Are taken one by one, the imaging signals are sent to the video signal processing circuits 16 and 17, respectively.
Exit end face 2 of image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3
The video signals of the images b and 3b are extracted and a video signal is output.

The video signals output from the two video signal processing circuits 16 and 17 are sent to a control circuit 20 for controlling the image display timing on the television monitor 24 and the switching of the shutter of the glasses 30 with shutter in synchronization. .

The glasses with shutters 30 include a plurality of polarizing plates 3.
1 and an electronic shutter 32 composed of a liquid crystal element or the like, and is configured such that by switching a control signal input to the electronic shutter 32, it is possible to switch which of the right and the left transmits light. Has become.

Therefore, the control circuit 20 alternately displays the endoscope observation images transmitted through the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 on the television monitor 24 at high speed, and synchronizes with the display so that the eyeglasses 30 with shutters are synchronized. Of the electronic shutter 32 at high speed.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, one of the image guide fiber bundles 2 is placed on the right eye of the observer.
Is observed, and the left eye guides the other image guide fiber bundle 3
Is observed, and the subject is recognized as a three-dimensional stereoscopic image.

The parts of the video processing circuits 16 and 17 and the control circuit 20 drive the two solid-state imaging devices 11 and 12 in synchronization with a television monitor system by a timing generator 22, as shown in FIG. In the video process circuit 23 controlled in synchronization with the
The image frames by the two solid-state imaging devices 11 and 12 may be alternately displayed on the same screen, and the electronic shutter 32 of the glasses with shutters 30 may be driven in synchronization therewith.

FIG. 3 shows images of the exit end faces 2b and 3b of the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 alternately displayed on the television monitor 24. The exit end face of one of the image guide fiber bundles 2 is shown. The image 2b is the exit end face 3 of the other image guide fiber bundle 3.
The display is shifted by the radius of one optical fiber as compared with b. In order to do so, one or both of the solid-state imaging devices 11 and 12 can be moved or rotated in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis and fixed at an arbitrary position.

As a result, the light-impermeable portion 50 between the optical fibers on the exit end face 2b (3b) of the one image guide fiber bundle 2 (or 3) is connected to the exit end face of the other image guide fiber bundle 3 (2). Since it is located at the light transmitting portion of each optical fiber of 3b (2b), human eyes feel that the light impermeable portion 50 between the optical fibers is not completely dark. Therefore, a person who observes the display screen of the television monitor 24 recognizes that the image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 have no mesh.

As described above, the exit end faces 2b and 3b of the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 are displayed on the television monitor 24 shifted by the radius of one optical fiber. The images formed by the two objective optical systems 4 and 5 also on the end surfaces 2a and 3a side,
Incident end faces 2 of both image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3
It is preferable to set them so as to be shifted by the radius of the optical fiber in a and 3a. Such a set may be adjusted by moving either the objective optics 4,5 or the image guide fiber bundles 2,3.

For example, when the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 are rotated with respect to each other, the best position where the light transmitting portion of each optical fiber overlaps with the light non-transmitting portion between the other optical fibers to supplement the images with each other. It is sufficient that the image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3 can be fixed.

The optical fiber diameter may be changed between the two image guide fiber bundles 2 and 3. FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention in which the optical fiber diameter of one image guide fiber bundle 2 is made larger by 20% than the optical fiber diameter of the other image guide fiber bundle 3. Also in this manner, it is possible the majority of opaque portions between each other of the optical fibers to be overlapped with the light transmitting portion of the other optical fiber.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the light-impermeable portion between the optical fibers of one image guide fiber bundle is superimposed and observed so as to be located on the light-transmitting portion of the other optical fiber. As a result, the observer's vision recognizes that the light-impermeable portion between the optical fibers does not become completely dark, so that the mesh of the image guide fiber disappears, and the endoscope observation image is clearly stereoscopically observed. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the principle of stereoscopic observation according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of exit end faces of two image guide fiber bundles in an observation image according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a circuit unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of exit end faces of two image guide fiber bundles in an observation image according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an exit end face of a conventional image guide fiber bundle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2, 3 Image guide fiber bundle 2a, 3a Incident end face 2b, 3b Exit end face 4, 5 Objective optical system 20 Control circuit 24 TV monitor 30 Glasses with shutter

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An observation image of the same subject is projected on the incident end faces of two image guide fiber bundles by a pair of side-by-side objective optical systems, and images of the respective exit end faces of the two image guide fiber bundles are projected. A stereoscopic display in which the images displayed on the television monitor are alternately observed with the left and right eyes through a shutter which is displayed while being alternately switched on one television monitor and synchronized with the image displayed on the television monitor. in the endoscope apparatus, the TV monitor screen Te smell above SL two image guide optically opaque portion between the optical fibers of one of the image guide fiber bundle of the fiber bundle of the optical fibers of the other image guide fiber bundle Position the two image guide fiber bars so that they are located in the light transmitting part.
The exit end face of the handle has no relative positional relationship between the optical fibers.
A stereoscopic endoscope device, wherein the endoscope device is fixed in a state in which the endoscope is mounted.