JP3495471B2 - Simple 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 simplified endoscope apparatus in which an illumination light supply unit for supplying illumination light to a light guide is attached to an operation section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 shows an operating section 91 of a conventional simple endoscope apparatus. An illumination light supply unit (not shown) is attached to and detached from a connection mouthpiece 92 projecting from a side surface of the operating section 91. It can be freely connected from the side.

The light guide fiber bundle 93 for transmitting the illumination light supplied from the illumination light supply unit to the tip of the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted and arranged in the operation portion 91 from the insertion portion.

The light guide fiber bundle 9
The light guide fiber bundle 93 is bent at a substantially right angle in the vicinity of the incident end so that the incident end face 93a of No. 3 faces the optical axis direction of the bundle of rays emitted from the illumination light supply unit.

[0005]

As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide fiber bundle 93 includes an operating portion 91.
It is necessary to arrange it so as not to interfere with the bending operation mechanism 94 and the like inside. Therefore, the space for passing the light guide fiber bundle 93 is very narrow, and the light guide fiber bundle 93 is bent with an extremely small radius of curvature in the vicinity of the incident end.

However, the light guide fiber bundle 9
If 3 is bent with a small radius of curvature, the incident angle of the light ray to be transmitted while repeating total reflection in the optical fiber becomes smaller than the critical angle, and the light ray jumps out from the optical fiber and is lost. As a result, the illumination light emitted to the subject becomes dark.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple endoscope apparatus capable of brightly illuminating a subject without the illumination light incident on the light guide fiber bundle being lost in the operation section.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the simplified endoscope apparatus of the present invention, an incident end portion of a light guide fiber bundle for illuminating a subject is arranged in an operating portion, In a simplified endoscope apparatus in which an illumination light supply unit for supplying illumination light to the light guide fiber bundle is attached to the operation section, an incident end of the light guide fiber bundle is arranged in a longitudinal direction of the operation section. The light guide is arranged substantially parallel to the light guide, and a reflecting means for changing the direction of the optical axis of the light bundle so that the light bundle emitted from the illumination light supply unit is incident on the light guide fiber bundle. It is characterized in that it is arranged so as to face the incident end surface of the fiber bundle.

It should be noted that the optical axis direction of the ray bundle emitted from the illumination light supply unit is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the operating portion, and the reflecting means is substantially orthogonal to the optical axis direction of the ray bundle. Alternatively, the light beam bundle may be reflected instead of the above.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an operation unit 1 of a simplified endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inside of the operation unit 1 is vertically divided into two regions by a metal frame 2, and in one region 1a thereof, a bending portion formed at the distal end portion of the endoscope insertion unit is remotely bent. A bending operation mechanism 3 for operating is arranged. The insertion part is connected to the operation part 1 in the lower part of the figure, but its illustration is omitted.

An incident end portion 5a of a light guide fiber bundle 5 for transmitting illumination light for illuminating an object is arranged in the other area 1b in the operation portion 1 so as to be pulled out from the insertion portion.

On the pedestal 6 fixed to the frame 2 in the region 1b, there is provided a connection mouthpiece 7 for detachably connecting the illumination light supply unit 30, which is made of metal or non-metal.
It is attached via the rings 8 and 9 of the heavy ring structure.

A large hole is formed in a lid 11 attached so as to close a window formed on the side wall of the operating portion 1, and a fixed base 12 inserted from the outside into the hole is provided in the operating portion 1. The connection base 7 is screwed inside and the connection base 7 is attracted and fixed. An O-ring for sealing is attached to the fitting portion of each component, and has a waterproof structure in which water does not enter the operation portion 1.

The incident end portion 5a of the light guide fiber bundle 5 is arranged in the operating portion 1 substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the operating portion 1 without being slightly bent in the operating portion 1, and is fixed to the pedestal 6. ing.

A right-angle prism 14 is fixed to the pedestal 6 so as to face the entrance end face of the light guide fiber bundle 5, and reflects the illumination light supplied from the illumination light supply unit 30 on the side to generate a light. It is adapted to be incident on the guide fiber bundle 5. Reference numeral 15 is a transparent cover glass.

The connection mouthpiece 7 is opened to the side of the operating portion 1, and the tip of the illumination light supply unit 30 shown by the two-dot chain line is screwed into the connection mouthpiece 7 to thereby illuminate the illumination light supply unit. 30 is connected to the operation unit 1.

When the illumination light supply unit 30 is connected to the operation portion 1 in this way, the light flux emitted from the light source lamp 31 arranged at the axial position in the tip end portion of the illumination light supply unit 30 is rotated into a spheroid. The light is reflected by the face mirror 32 and is incident on the right-angled prism 14, and the light is reflected by the bottom surface of the right-angled prism 14 so that the optical axis is bent at a right angle and reflected to be converged on the incident end surface of the light guide fiber bundle 5.

The light guide fiber bundle 5
The illumination light incident on is repeatedly reflected by each optical fiber of the light guide fiber bundle 5 arranged in the operation portion 1 without being bent with a small radius of curvature, and is transmitted to the distal end side of the insertion portion. Therefore, the loss of the illumination light transmission during that time is very small.

In place of the right-angle prism 14, a roof prism, a pentaprism, other prisms, a reflection mirror, or other various reflections that reflect the light beam entering from the light source lamp 31 toward the incident end face of the light guide fiber bundle 5 at substantially right angles. A member can be used.

Further, the incident surface of the right-angled prism 14 is formed into a curved surface, and the reflecting member is formed into a non-planar surface so that the incident angle of the bundle of rays incident on the light guide fiber bundle 5 is refracted to a preferable state. You may let me.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the incident end of the light guide fiber bundle is obtained by reflecting the direction of the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the illumination light supply unit by the reflecting means and making it enter the light guide fiber bundle. The light guide fiber bundle does not have to be bent with a small radius of curvature on the incident end side because the parts are arranged almost parallel to the longitudinal direction of the operating part, and therefore the illumination light incident on the light guide fiber bundle can be transmitted without loss. Then, the subject can be illuminated brightly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged partial sectional view of an operation unit of a simplified endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of an operation unit of a conventional simple endoscope device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Operation part 5 Light guide fiber bundle 5a entrance end 14 Right angle prism 30 Illumination light supply unit 31 light source lamp

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kunitoshi Ikeda 2-39 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kuniyoshi Kaneko 2-36- Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo No. 9 Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takisuke Adachi 2-36-9 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inside Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-7-5376 (JP, A) JP-A-6-335450 (JP, A) JP-A-63-257711 (JP, A) JP-A-8-146311 (JP, A) Actually open 61-171017 (JP, U) Actual-open Sho-56-59005 (JP, U) Actual development Sho 58-173101 (JP, U) Actual development Hei 5-50415 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 1/00 -1 / 32 G02B 23/24-23/26

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An incident light end of a light guide fiber bundle for illuminating an object is arranged in an operation part, and an illumination light supply unit for supplying illumination light to the light guide fiber bundle is attached to the operation part. In the simplified endoscope apparatus described above, the incident end of the light guide fiber bundle is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the operating portion, and the light flux emitted from the illumination light supply unit is used for the light. A simplified endoscope apparatus, characterized in that a reflecting means for changing the direction of the optical axis of the light bundle so as to be incident on the guide fiber bundle is arranged so as to face the incident end surface of the light guide fiber bundle. 2. An optical axis direction of a ray bundle emitted from the illumination light supply unit is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the operating portion, and the reflection means is substantially orthogonal to an optical axis direction of the ray bundle. The simplified endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light beam bundle is reflected so as to be changed to.