JP3242467B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in an endoscope having a plurality of objective optical systems for observing the inside of a subject by inserting the objective optical system into a subject, and a function of supplying air to and from the objective optical system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, it is possible to observe an organ in the body cavity, and if necessary,
2. Description of the Related Art An optical fiber endoscope capable of performing various treatments using a treatment tool inserted into a treatment tool channel is widely used.

[0003] Boilers, gas turbine engines,
2. Description of the Related Art Industrial endoscopes are widely used for observing and inspecting internal scratches and corrosion of pipes of chemical plants and the bodies of automobile engines and the like.

Further, various types of electronic endoscopes using a solid-state imaging device such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) as an imaging means have been used.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-69839 discloses a distal end structure of an endoscope having one air supply / water supply port for two objective optical systems. This endoscope is a so-called stereoscopic endoscope configured so that observation with perspective can be performed by a pair of objective optical systems. In the case of the endoscope having the above-described configuration, if the angle formed by the straight line connecting the center of each objective lens and the center of the air supply / water supply port becomes large, air or water must be diffused over a wide range. Therefore, a large nozzle must be used, and the outer diameter of the insertion portion of the endoscope becomes large.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-133901 discloses a distal end structure of an endoscope having an air supply / water supply port for each of two objective optical systems.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an insertion end portion 71 of an endoscope provided with two objective optical systems and two nozzles. As shown in FIG. 2, the insertion tip 71 has two observation windows 72a and 72b provided with two objective optical systems, two air / water nozzles 73a and 73b, and two illumination windows 74.
a, 74b.

The two air / water nozzles 73a, 73
b indicates that the center of the opening is the two observation windows 72a and 72b.
Are arranged so as to coincide with the respective centers. With this arrangement, the two observation windows 72a and 72b are provided.
In each case, air and water are supplied efficiently. Reference numeral 75 denotes a treatment instrument channel opening.

In the case of the above configuration, two air / water nozzles must be provided, and the outer diameter of the endoscope end portion becomes large, thereby increasing the pain of the patient during the endoscopic examination.

[0010]

As described above, in a conventional endoscope having two objective optical systems, one air supply /
In the case where the water supply port is disposed, air or water must be diffused in a wide range, and a large nozzle must be used. Therefore, it is necessary to make the air supply / water supply channel larger, and the outer diameter of the insertion portion of the endoscope becomes larger. Also, if the air supply / water supply channel has a small diameter,
Since a large nozzle is arranged, the distal end of the insertion section has a large diameter.

[0011] In addition, even if the conventional endoscope similar to the above is provided with two air / water supply nozzles, the outer diameter of the insertion portion becomes large, which increases the pain of the patient during the endoscopic examination. I will.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a plurality of objective optical systems. Air and water can be reliably and efficiently supplied to these objective optical systems, and the insertion portion is thick. It is intended to provide an endoscope that does not have a diameter.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope according to the present invention comprises a plurality of observation windows provided at the distal end of an insertion portion which can be inserted into a subject and each having a different opening area, and a plurality of observation windows. A plurality of objective optical systems , each of which is disposed behind a window and receives light from the subject and forms an image, respectively, and a pipeline for performing at least one of air supply or water supply to an observation window of the objective optical system. An endoscope having at least one of an air supply and a water supply in communication with the conduit, provided facing an observation window of the plurality of objective optical systems.
With that, inserted the opening and a plurality of the objective optical system of the observation window
Small opening surface arranged in a straight line at the tip of the entrance
The observation window and the objective optical system are located close to the aperture
It is.

[0014]

With this structure, at least one of the air supply or the water supply can be simultaneously and reliably and efficiently supplied to the observation windows of the plurality of objective optical systems. There is no need to provide a single opening, and a single opening can be used for cleaning a plurality of observation windows.

[0015]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 relate to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of an endoscope insertion portion tip, and FIG. 2 is a conventional endoscope insertion portion tip for comparison with the endoscope of FIG. Front view, FIG. 3
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a mechanism for switching between air supply and water supply, FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the entire endoscope apparatus, and FIG. FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory views showing a method of forming an endoscope bending portion, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a combination of a rotating shaft and a bending piece, and FIG. 9 is a comparison showing processing of a wire fixed to a distal bending piece. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing processing of a wire fixed to the distal end bending piece.

An endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 5 includes an endoscope 2 in which only the distal end configuration of an insertion portion and a main configuration connected to those configurations are shown, and supplies illumination light to the endoscope 2. Light source devices 3 and 4 are provided.

Further, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes the endoscope 2
At the same time as switching between video processors 7 and 8 for processing electric signals output from solid-state imaging devices 5 and 6 provided at the tip of
A changeover switch section 9 for switching one of standard video signals from the video processors 7 and 8 to be output;
There is provided a monitor 10 which receives the video signal via the changeover switch section 9 and displays an endoscope image.

Further, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes an air supply device 28 and a water supply device 29 which are connected to an air supply / water supply nozzle 27 provided at the end of the endoscope 2.

The air supply device 28 has a pump (not shown), which is an air supply source.
The water is supplied from the water supply nozzle 27 to two objective optical systems described below. Further, the water supply device 29 is for sending stored water in a water supply tank (not shown) as a water supply source from the air supply / water supply nozzle 27 to two objective optical systems described later.

The endoscope 2 adopting the present invention shown in FIG.
2 shows a side cross-sectional view of the distal end portion of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end portion 12 provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 11 of the endoscope 2 includes:
It has a tip component body 13. The distal end component main body 13 is provided with two observation windows 14 and 15, two illumination windows (not shown), an air / water channel opening 16, and a treatment instrument channel opening 41 shown in FIG. 1 on the distal end side. .

A first objective optical system 17 and a second objective optical system 18 having different angles of view are formed on the distal ends of the observation windows 14 and 15, respectively. Are located. The first objective optical system 1
7 has, for example, an angle of view of 140 °, and the second objective optical system 18 has, for example, an angle of view of 170 °. The first objective optical system 17,
Behind the second objective optical system 18, these objective optical systems 1
The solid-state imaging devices 5 and 6, such as CCDs, for example, are provided to capture images formed by the images 7 and 18 and convert the images into electric signals. Further, the solid-state imaging devices 5 and 6
On the rear side of the substrate, mounted are a substrate and an electrical component, respectively, and imaging units 19 and 20 each configured by covering the periphery thereof with an insulating member are arranged. That is, two sets of imaging systems are provided in the insertion section 11 of the endoscope 2.

The first and second objective optical systems 17 and 18
May have different optical performances such as a normal magnification and an enlargement magnification other than the narrow / wide angle of view. Further, a pair of optical systems having the same optical performance, such as for stereoscopic observation, may be used.

Through the imaging units 19 and 20, respectively,
The signal lines 21 and 22 connected to the solid-state imaging devices 5 and 6 are:
The insertion section 11 and the like are inserted and connected to the video processors 7 and 8 shown in FIG.

The electric signals output from the solid-state imaging devices 5 and 6 are converted into standard video signals by the video processors 7 and 8, respectively. Each of the video signals output from the video processors 7 and 8 is selected by the changeover switch unit 9, and one of the video signals is displayed on the monitor 10 as an endoscope image.

The two illumination windows are provided with illumination optical systems 23 and 24, as shown in FIG. Output ends of light guides 25 and 26 are arranged at the rear ends of these illumination optical systems 23 and 24, respectively. The light guides 25 and 26 are inserted through the inside of the insertion portion 11 and the like, and their incident ends are connected to the light source devices 3 and 4, respectively. That is, the endoscope 2 is provided with two sets of illumination systems in the insertion section 11.

The light guide 26 for an angle of view of 170 ° is formed to have a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the light guide 25 for an angle of view of 140 ° so that a large amount of light can be supplied. Therefore, the light source device 4 incorporates a light distribution lamp (not shown) having a larger light amount than the light source device 3. The illumination optical system 24 is formed so that illumination light can be supplied to a wider area than the illumination optical system 23. The illumination optical system 23,
Reference numeral 24 irradiates the illumination light supplied from the light source devices 3 and 4 to a subject (not shown).

An illumination system for an angle of view of 170 ° has an angle of view of 140 °.
It is brighter than the lighting system for lighting, and illuminates a wide area. Switching between the two sets of illumination systems is performed, for example, by a changeover switch unit 9 provided in an operation unit (not shown) of the endoscope.

The changeover switch section 9 is for arbitrarily selecting an image having an angle of view of 140 ° and an image having an angle of view of 170 °. It is designed to be switched and selected.

It should be noted that the illumination system may be configured so that both light source devices are always lit even when one of them is used.

In the above configuration, the changeover switch section 9 can arbitrarily select an image having an angle of view of 140 ° and an image having an angle of view of 170 °. At the same time, the illumination system is switched between an angle of view of 140 ° and an angle of view of 170 °. The illumination light suitable for the image of is supplied. Then, the monitor 10 selectively displays one of an image having an angle of view of 140 ° and an image having an angle of view of 170 ° that has been converted by the video processors 7 and 8 as an endoscope image.
That is, the monitor 10 displays a narrow-angle image (angle of view 140 °),
Alternatively, one of wide-angle images (angle of view 170 °) can be selectively displayed.

When the endoscope is inserted into the endoscope under observation of the lower gastrointestinal tract, for example, the angle of view is narrowed so that the insertion target can be easily seen and the insertion can be easily performed. On the other hand,
At the time of the technique, the device 1 has a wide angle to make it easier to see the surroundings.
Oversights such as the back of folds in the large intestine can be eliminated.

Although the 170 ° objective system has a wider angle of view than the 140 ° objective system, the brightness of the lens becomes darker and the illuminating range becomes wider. Since the illumination system is also switched, even when a 170 ° objective system is used, bright illumination light can be illuminated over a wide range.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air / water supply channel opening 16 is provided with the air / water supply nozzle 27 and is fixed with resin or the like. The air / water channel opening 16 is connected and connected to a connection pipe 30 and a gas / water supply tube 31 provided in the insertion portion 11. A branch pipe 32 is connected to one end of the air supply / water supply tube 31, and a first air supply pipe 33 and a first water supply pipe 34 are connected and connected to both ends of the branch pipe 32. ing.

The first air supply pipe 33 and the first water supply pipe 34 are connected to the output pipe of an air supply / water supply control valve 35 as shown in FIGS. The air supply / water supply control valve 35 has an input pipe connected to a second air supply pipe 36 connected to the air supply device 28 and a second water supply pipe 37 connected to the water supply device 29. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 4, the air / water supply control valve 35 controls opening and closing of an air supply line and a water supply line by moving its piston portion 35a up and down. For example, when the piston portion 35a is located on the upper side, the first and second air supply conduits 33 and 36 communicate with each other,
The water supply pipeline will be blocked. When the piston portion 35a is at the bottom, the air supply conduit is closed, while the first and second water supply conduits 34 and 37 are in communication. Further, when the piston portion 35a is located at the center, both the air supply and water supply lines are simultaneously communicated, but the flow rate is regulated. That is, the air / water control valve 35
Thereby, the flow rate of the air / water sent from the air / water nozzle 27 is controlled, and one of them can be selectively performed.

The air / water supply nozzle 27 is arranged so that its opening faces the first objective optical system 17 and the second objective optical system 18. In the air / water nozzle 27, the central axis of the opening coincides with the optical axis of the first objective optical system 17 and the optical axis of the second objective optical system 18, as shown in FIG. And so on. That is, the first objective optical system 17 and the second objective optical system 18 are arranged so as to be substantially straight with respect to the opening of the air / water supply nozzle 27.

When the first and second objective optical systems 17 and 18 have the same optical characteristics, such as a stereoscopic endoscope, the arrangement order of the objective optical systems 17 and 18 is taken into consideration. No need to do. On the other hand, as shown in the illustrated example, when one of the optical systems has a large opening area, an optical system having a small opening area is arranged at a position close to the air / water supply nozzle 27.

The treatment instrument channel opening 41 shown in FIG.
Is connected to an insertion port provided in an operation unit (not shown) via a treatment tool channel (not shown).

On the outer periphery of the rear part of the main body 13,
A plurality of bending pieces 4 constituting the bending portion 46 of the insertion portion 11
Among the 2, 42,..., The bending piece 42 on the forefront side is externally fitted. Each of the bending pieces 42 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape,
The foremost bending piece 42 is fixed to the distal end component main body 13 by screws (not shown) or the like. The outer periphery of each of the plurality of bending pieces 42, 42,... Is covered by a blade 44 braided with a thin wire such as a metal. The blade 44
Is further covered with a covering rubber 45.

As the internal structure related to the outer cover of the curved portion 46, the above-described one using the blade 44 and the outer cover rubber is generally used. On the other hand, for example, in an endoscope for a lower gastrointestinal tract, a curved portion having high resilience is required to improve insertability.

Therefore, the flex is covered with a blade,
Furthermore, the tube with a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the blade is spread while a curved tube covering the blade to achieve high resilience. In assembling this tube curved tube, it is difficult to cover the tube,
Production efficiency was low.

On the other hand, there is a tube bending tube having good production efficiency and high elasticity which is realized as follows. As shown in FIG. 6, a tube 47, a flex 48, a blade 44, and a resin outer cover 45 </ b> A are sequentially formed in layers from the inside as a curved portion having such a tube curved tube, thereby providing a high elasticity. Can be configured to have

The method of forming the tube curved tube is as follows.
This is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the flex 48, the blade 44, and the outer cover 4
A tube 47 having a diameter smaller than that of the flex 48 is inserted into the unit having the unit 5A. At this time, an adhesive is applied to the inside of the flex 48.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (2), high-pressure air is supplied from the opened other end of the tube 47, which is closed at one end. Inflate the tube 47 until it fully contacts the inner wall of the flex 48. Until the adhesive is cured, the tube 47 is kept in the expanded state.
In this way, a tube elastic tube having high elasticity can be easily formed.

A plurality of bending pieces 42 are rotatably connected to each other by a rotation shaft 43 to form a bending tube.

The configuration of the combination of the rotating shaft 43 and the joint piece 42 is as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the rotating shaft 43 is connected to a head 43a, a large-diameter first shaft 43b connected to the head 43a, and connected to the first shaft 43b. And a second shaft portion 43c having a small diameter. The length d of the first shaft portion 43b is
The joint piece 42 is formed, for example, at least 0.1 mm longer than the wall thickness.

The rotating shaft 43 is inserted into the holes of the two joint pieces 42 as shown in FIG. 8 (b), and the end of the second shaft portion 43c is connected as shown in FIG. 8 (c). Close. here,
The first shaft portion 43b inserted into the hole of one joint piece 42 is
The hole of the other joint piece 42 cannot be inserted. Further, the two joint pieces 42 are formed so that the rotating shaft 4
The third first shaft portions 43b are connected to each other in a state in which the backlash is formed by an amount slightly longer. Therefore, in this configuration, in the combination of the joint pieces 42, since there is no margin in connection, an operation of causing backlash is not required. That is, a curved tube having good assemblability can be obtained.

An operation wire 49 is fixed to the foremost bending piece 42 as shown in FIG. The end of the operation wire 49 is fixed to a wire fixing tube 50 fixed to the bending piece 42 by, for example, brazing.

In the electronic endoscope, as shown in FIG. 3, the image pickup unit including the solid-state image pickup device and the image pickup section 20 is the longest at the distal end portion 12, and reaches the joint piece 42 at the distal end. The rear end of the imaging unit is desirably located on the distal end side of the most advanced joint piece 42 from the viewpoint of durability. However, the rear end of the imaging unit should be formed short so as not to reach the most advanced joint piece 42. Is difficult.

Therefore, the wire fixing tube 50 and the imaging unit interfere with each other. This is the same for a single imaging unit. The distal end of the wire fixing tube 50 or the like may be cut so as not to cause interference. However, in the bending piece 42 as shown in FIG. 9, the drill motor 51 for processing interferes with the bending piece 42. That is, the drill motor 51 comes into contact with the bending piece 42, and the machining cannot be performed. Also, a drill motor 5 having a grindstone 52 at the tip is provided.
The first shaft 53 cannot be too long from the point of strength and has limitations, and does not reach the wire fixing tube 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the leading end bending piece 42 has a part cut off on the tip side, and a grinding stone 52 provided on a shaft 53 of a drill motor 51.
Reached the wire fixing tube 50. This allows
The wire fixing tube 50, the brazing portion, and the like can be processed, and the assemblability of the joint pieces and the like can be improved.

The operation wire 49 is inserted through a guide tube (not shown) provided in each bending tube. By pulling the operation wire 49, the bending portion 46 is bent.

In the above configuration, the first objective optical system 1
The air supply / water supply nozzle 27 is arranged so as to be substantially straight with respect to the seventh objective optical system 18 and the opening thereof is opposed to these optical systems. Therefore, the air / water jetted from the opening of the nozzle 27 is directed toward the objective optical systems 17 and 18 while expanding. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the ejection range of the air supply / water supply is substantially equal to the center axis of the opening of the air supply / water supply nozzle 27 on the left and right sides, and has a certain range as the distance from the opening increases. Become.

Since the central axis of the opening of the nozzle 27 is arranged so as to coincide with each optical axis of the first and second objective optical systems 17 and 18, the air / water supply is It is reliably and efficiently ejected over the entire surface of the two objective optical systems 17 and 18. For example, after water is first supplied to remove dirt from the objective optical system, air can be supplied to remove water droplets on the front surface of the optical system, thereby performing cleaning. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, air and water are not supplied to a useless range. in this way,
In the present embodiment, air and water can be efficiently and reliably supplied to a plurality of objective optical systems.

Further, in this embodiment, the second objective optical system 18 having a large opening area is moved to the nozzle 27 in accordance with the range of air supply / water supply that increases as the distance from the opening of the nozzle 27 increases.
Is located away from the
Water can be sent.

Further, in this embodiment, the air supply and water supply to the two objective optical systems can be performed by one nozzle, and the diameter of the endoscope insertion portion can be reduced. For example, in the case of an endoscope as shown in FIG. 2, two nozzles are arranged, and two pipes for the nozzles must also be inserted through the insertion portion, so that the insertion portion has a large diameter. . The outer diameter (diameter) of the endoscope insertion portion of the present embodiment is φA shown in FIG. 1, while the outer diameter (diameter) of the endoscope insertion portion of the conventional example is φB shown in FIG. . In other words, this embodiment can be formed with a smaller outer diameter than the conventional one, and has a sufficient cleaning ability as described above. For this reason, the endoscope of the present embodiment can reduce the pain of the patient at the time of the endoscopic examination.

The range of air supply / water supply and the jetting power can be realized by changing the shape of the nozzle opening, and the nozzle may be selected according to the size of the objective optical system. Further, in this embodiment, either one of air supply and water supply may be performed.

The endoscope is not limited to the above-mentioned electronic endoscope but may be an optical fiber endoscope or a rigid endoscope. Further, the present invention provides
The present invention can be applied not only to medical endoscopes but also to industrial endoscopes as long as they have a water sending function or the like.

In the illustrated example, the distal end of the endoscope has been described as a direct-view type, but the endoscope may be similarly configured as a side-view type or a perspective type.

Further, one objective optical system may be used, or an illumination optical system may be similarly arranged instead of the other objective optical system. That is, the nozzle, the objective optical system, and the illumination optical system are arranged on a straight line.

[0060]

According to the present invention, the air and water can be reliably and efficiently supplied to a plurality of objective optical systems, and the diameter of the insertion portion can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a distal end of an endoscope insertion section.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a distal end of a conventional endoscope insertion portion for comparison with the endoscope of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a distal end of an endoscope insertion portion.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a mechanism for switching between air supply and water supply.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the entire endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an endoscope bending portion.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a method of forming an endoscope bending portion.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a combination of a rotating shaft and a bending piece;

FIG. 9 is a comparative explanatory view showing the processing of the wire fixed to the tip bending piece.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing processing of a wire fixed to a bending piece at the distal end;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 2 ... Endoscope 11 ... Insertion part 12 ... Tip part 17, 18 ... First and second objective optical system 27 ... Air supply / water supply nozzle 3, 4 ... Light source device 5, 6 ... Solid Imaging device 7, 8 Video processor 28 Air supply device 29 Water supply device

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A its provided insertable insertion tip to the subject
A plurality of observation windows, each having a different opening area, and a plurality of objective optical systems respectively arranged behind the plurality of observation windows , each of which receives light from the subject and forms an image. In an endoscope having a conduit for performing at least one of air supply and water supply to an observation window, an opening in which at least one of air supply or water supply is made in communication with the conduit, the plurality of objective optical systems Facing observation window
And a view of the aperture and the plurality of objective optical systems.
Place the observation window in line with the tip of the insertion section
The observation window and objective optical system with a large opening area
An endoscope, wherein the endoscope is arranged in a position .