JP3803459B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an endoscope for locking a frame member of an illumination optical system to a distal end body of an insertion portion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A screw hole is provided at a position of twist so that the axis of the screw hole is substantially perpendicular to the crossing angle with respect to the axis of the mounting hole of the fixed member drilled in the distal end body of the endoscope. Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-79901 discloses an endoscope in which a conical portion of a pointed screw is brought into contact with and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of a fixed member.
[0003]
In what is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-79901, since a screw is used to fix the frame member of the illumination lens to the tip body, a screw hole must be formed in the tip body. This processing is very troublesome and expensive because it requires many man-hours.
[0004]
In order to obtain electrical insulation between the tip body and the living tissue in the body cavity, or for the purpose of making the tip body cheap, the tip body is made of resin. The screw thread of the female screw may be crushed. In such a case, when it is necessary to replace the members of the illumination optical system, the tip end body must also be replaced at the same time. If it does so, it will also exchange even the air supply pipe line, water supply pipe line, suction pipe line etc. which were connected and fixed to the tip part main part, and not only will exchange cost become expensive, but the exchange man-hour will also increase very much. .
[0005]
In addition, in the configuration in which the frame member of the illumination lens and the tip body are fixed by bonding, the tip body can be manufactured at a low cost, but it is very difficult to detach the illumination lens frame member from the tip body. It is. When such an illumination lens frame member and the tip body are fixed by bonding and the tip body is made of resin, the illumination lens frame member must be removed when replacing the illumination optical system member such as the illumination lens. As a result of the above work, the tip body is damaged, and thus the above-mentioned inconvenience is caused.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can solve the above-described problems and can easily attach / detach an illumination optical system member to / from a distal end body, and in particular, can easily remove the illumination optical system.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, an endoscope according to the present invention includes a distal end portion main body constituting a distal end portion, and holds an insertion portion that can be inserted into a body cavity and an optical member for illuminating the inside of the body cavity. A cylindrical optical frame member having an inner peripheral surface, a hole having a predetermined depth for receiving the optical frame member, the hole being opened on the surface of the tip body, and the hole A cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface disposed on the inner peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface for inserting the optical frame member, and having a deforming portion that is formed by an elastic body and deforms in accordance with the insertion of the optical frame member. A locking member formed on the optical frame member and engaged with the deformable portion of the tubular body to dispose the optical frame member at a predetermined position with respect to the distal end body. Part.
[0008]
Accordingly, in the present invention, the optical frame member that holds the optical member of the illumination optical system is locked to the tip end body by the locking member formed in a cylindrical shape having a deformable portion that can be deformed.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the embodiments of the present invention, the same components will be described with the same reference numerals. In the description of the embodiment of the present invention, an example applied to an electronic endoscope is illustrated, but the present invention is applied to a fiber endoscope that uses an image fiber bundle as a means for transmitting an optical image. Is also applicable.
[0010]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall configuration of the electronic endoscope system 1, FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the distal end portion of the electronic endoscope 2, and FIG. 3 shows the outer diameter of the illumination lens frame and the elastic body. The inner diameter is shown.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic endoscope system 1 includes an electronic endoscope 2, a light source device 3, a video processor 4, a monitor 5, a VTR deck 6, a video disk 7, and a video printer 8. The electronic endoscope 2 is provided with an insertion portion 9 to be inserted into a body cavity of a patient, and an operation portion 10 on the operator's hand side connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 9.
[0012]
One end portion of the universal cord 11 is connected to the operation portion 10, and the first connector portion 12 is connected to the other end portion of the universal cord 11. Furthermore, one end of a signal cable 13 is connected to the connector portion 12, and a second connector portion 14 is provided at the other end portion. The first connector portion 12 is detachably joined to the light source device 3 and the second connector portion 14 is detachably joined to the video processor 4.
[0013]
A monitor 5, a VTR deck, a video disc 7, and a video printer 8 are connected to the video processor 4, respectively. An endoscopic image captured by the electronic endoscope 2 is converted into an electrical signal by an imaging device including a CCD (not shown) and the like, and then input to the video processor 4 via a signal line (not shown) in the electronic endoscope 2. Then, it is displayed on the monitor 5 as image data subjected to signal processing, and is output and recorded on the VTR deck 6, the video disk 7, and the video printer 8 as necessary.
[0014]
Further, the insertion portion 9 of the electronic endoscope 2 is provided with an elongated flexible tube portion 18 having a proximal end portion connected to the operation portion 10. Further, a distal end portion 20 is connected to the distal end side of the flexible tube portion 18 via a bending portion 19. The bending portion 19 can be remotely bent by the operation of the operation unit 10.
[0015]
The illumination light emitted from the light source lamp 15 in the light source device 3 described above is incident on the incident end face of the light guide 17 extended from the connector portion 12 side via the condenser lens 16. The illumination light is guided to the distal end portion 20 by the universal cord 11, the operation portion 10 of the electronic endoscope 2, and the light guide 17 inserted through the insertion portion 9, and is irradiated to the outside.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 20 is provided with a distal end portion main body 21 formed by molding with synthetic resin such as polysulfone sun or epoxy resin. A connecting tube 22 for joining to the bending portion 19 is externally fitted on the proximal end side of the distal end body 21, and the connecting tube 22 is coupled and fixed to the distal end body 21 by a pin (not shown).
[0017]
A covering rubber member 23 that covers the curved portion 19 is extended so as to externally fit the outer periphery of the connecting pipe 22 and the proximal end portion of the distal end main body 21. An illumination lens frame hole 27 is formed in the axial direction of the tip body 21. The illumination lens frame hole 27 has an illumination lens frame 25 as an optical frame member that holds the illumination optical member 24 having one or a plurality of illumination lenses 24a, and a rubber tube that locks the illumination lens frame 25, for example. A tubular locking member 26 formed of such an elastic body is accommodated.
[0018]
Further, on the base end side of the illumination lens frame hole portion 27, a light guide base hole portion that houses a light guide base 28 that holds an end portion of the light guide 17 for guiding illumination light to the illumination optical member 24. Is provided.
[0019]
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter of the locking member 26 is smaller than the outer shape of the illumination lens frame 25, and the outer shape of the locking member 26 is the same as the inner diameter of the illumination lens frame hole 27. It has become.
[0020]
The locking member 26 is fixed to the illumination lens frame hole 27 with an adhesive, and the illumination lens frame 25 is press-fitted into the inner diameter of the locking member 26. At this time, since the inner diameter of the locking member 26 is smaller than the outer shape of the illumination lens frame 25 as described above, the illumination lens frame 25 is locked by the elastic force of the locking member 26.
[0021]
Next, a procedure for replacing the illumination lens frame 25 with respect to the distal end body 21 will be described with respect to the present embodiment. First, the illumination optical member 24a disposed at the tip of the illumination optical member 24 is broken with a drill or the like. Then, a rod or tube having the same outer shape as that of the illumination lens a is bonded and fixed to the inner diameter portion of the illumination lens frame 25 in which the illumination optical member 24a has been inserted. When the adhesive is sufficiently solidified, the rod or tube is pulled toward the tip side, and the illumination lens frame 25 is pulled out from the locking member 26. Since the illumination lens frame 25 is locked by the elastic force of the locking member 26, the illumination lens 25 can be easily pulled out.
[0022]
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, no screw is used to fix the illumination lens frame 25 to the distal end body 21, so that it is not necessary to process the screw hole of the distal end body 21. Since no screws are required, an inexpensive endoscope can be realized. The illumination optical member 24 is replaced by removing the illumination lens frame 25 from the distal end body 21 and inserting a new illumination lens frame 25 into the illumination lens frame hole 27 on the distal side of the illumination lens frame hole 27. Therefore, the light guide base 17, the covering rubber member 23, and the connecting pipe 22 can be performed without removing them from the tip body 21. Therefore, the number of man-hours for replacement accompanying repair or the like is small, and the repair cost is low.
[0023]
Furthermore, since no adhesive is used to fix the illumination lens frame 25 to the distal end portion body 21, the illumination lens frame 25 can be easily removed and the distal end portion body 21 can be destroyed by replacement work. It can be used repeatedly. When the tip main body 21 is damaged, the illumination lens frame 25 may be removed from the tip main body 21 and the tip main body 21 replaced. Therefore, the illumination lens frame 25 can be used repeatedly, which is economical. In other words, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an endoscope that can be repaired easily and repair cost is extremely low.
[0024]
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. A second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. The locking member 26a is made of an elastic body, and its outer portion is bonded and fixed to the illumination lens frame hole 27, and a convex portion 29 is formed on the inner diameter portion. On the other hand, a recess 30 is provided in the illumination lens frame 25a. In a state in which the illumination lens frame 25a is mounted, the convex portion 29 and the concave portion 30 are engaged, and the illumination lens frame 25a is locked in the locking member 26a.
[0025]
Further, in order to ensure the watertightness of the mounting of the illumination lens frame 25a and the locking member 26a, a mounting agent or a sealing agent such as liquid silicon is applied to both mounting surfaces. It is desirable that these coating agents can be easily removed when necessary. Configurations not described in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0026]
The locking member 26 a is bonded and fixed to the illumination lens frame hole 27. The illumination lens frame 25a is inserted into the inner diameter portion of the locking member 26a for mounting. At this time, since the locking member 26a is formed of an elastic body, a convex portion is formed with the insertion of the illumination lens frame 25a. 29 is elastically deformed. And both engage in the position where the convex part 29 and the recessed part 30 engage. The effect of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0027]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment shows a modification of the second embodiment. The locking member 26 b is made of an elastic body and is fixedly bonded to the illumination lens frame hole 27. A plurality of concave and convex portions 31 are formed on the inner diameter portion of the locking member 26b. On the other hand, the illumination lens frame 25b is provided with a plurality of uneven portions 32. With the illumination lens frame 25b mounted, the plurality of uneven portions 31 and the plurality of uneven portions 32 are engaged, and the illumination lens frame 25b is locked in the locking member 26b.
[0028]
According to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the second embodiment, since the plurality of uneven portions 31 and the plurality of uneven portions 32 are provided, the illumination lens frame 25b is locked in the axial direction. You can fine-tune the position.
[0029]
In addition, although the shape of the concavo-convex portion is exemplified as a quadrangle in the second embodiment and a triangle in the third embodiment, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.
[0030]
The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The tip portion 20 is provided with a tip portion main body 33 formed by, for example, stainless steel cutting, and a tip portion cap 34 formed by molding polysulfone resin. The tip cap 34 is provided with a recess 35. In addition, the illumination lens frame 25c is provided with a recess 36 that partially overlaps the tip of the recess 35. The illumination lens frame 25c is attached to the illumination lens frame hole 27 after the flexible sealing agent 37 is applied.
[0031]
When the illumination lens frame 25 c is mounted in the illumination lens frame hole 27, the sealing agent 37 is filled in the recess 35 and the recess 36. That is, the concave portion 35 and the concave portion 36 act as a reservoir for accumulating the sealing agent 37. The sealing agent 37 is preferably a soft filler that solidifies with sufficient elasticity in a state where the concave portion 35 and the concave portion 36 are filled after the illumination lens frame 25c is inserted.
[0032]
When the sealing agent 37 is solidified, the sealing agent 37 accumulated in the concave portion 35 and the concave portion 36 and the rear end portion 38 of the concave portion 36 are locked, and the illumination lens frame 25c does not shift to the front end side. That is, the illumination lens 25c is locked and fixed to the distal end portion body 33 and the distal end portion cap 34 via the sealing agent 37 as an elastic body. Since the sealing agent 37 is soft, when the illumination optical member is replaced, the illumination lens frame 25c can be easily removed from the illumination lens frame hole by the procedure described in the first embodiment.
[0033]
According to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, there is no need for the locking member 26, and an endoscope that is more economically advantageous can be provided.
[0034]
FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and shows a modification of the fourth embodiment. The distal end portion 20 of the electronic endoscope 2 is provided with a distal end portion main body 21a formed by molding with synthetic resin such as polysulfone or epoxy resin. The illumination lens frame hole 27 is provided with a plurality of recesses 35a as reservoirs for the sealant 37, and the illumination lens frame 25d is also provided with a plurality of recesses 36a similar to the fourth embodiment and filled with the sealant 37. Has been.
[0035]
According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the fourth embodiment, the illumination lens frame 25d is more firmly locked and fixed to the tip end body 21a by the plurality of recesses 35a and 36a.
[0036]
The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, the tip portion 20 is provided with a tip portion main body 21b formed by molding a synthetic resin such as polysulfone or epoxy resin. And as FIG. 9 shows, the illumination lens frame 25e is formed with metals, such as stainless steel, the cross section shape | molded by the elliptical cylinder shape. At one end of the illumination lens frame 25e, a locking portion 41 is provided so as to protrude in the outer diameter direction.
[0037]
A plurality of slits 44 are drilled from the end of the illumination lens frame 25e toward the other end from the end on the locking portion 41 side. A plurality of elastic support members 43 for supporting the illumination optical members 24a... Are provided in the inner diameter portion of the elliptical cylindrical illumination lens frame 25e. The illumination lens frame hole is an elliptical hole similar to the illumination lens frame 25e.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 10, when the illumination lens frame 25e is inserted into the illumination lens frame hole 27, the locking portion 41 enters the proximal end side while being deformed by being pressed by the illumination lens frame hole 27 in the inner diameter direction. To do. When the locking portion 41 reaches the groove portion 42 formed in the base end portion of the illumination lens frame hole portion 27, the locking portion 41 is elastically engaged with the groove portion 42. That is, the illumination lens frame 25e is locked to the illumination lens frame hole 27 by a so-called snap fit method.
[0039]
The illumination optical lenses 24a are fixed in the illumination lens frame 25e by a support member 43. Since the illumination lens frame 25e is formed in an elliptical shape, a gap is provided between the illumination optical lens 24 and the illumination lens frame 25e. Even when the illumination lens frame 25e is inserted into the illumination lens frame hole 27 and the locking portion 41 is deformed in the inner diameter direction, the support member 43 is also elastically deformed. Therefore, the illumination optical lens 24a. The influence of the deformation of the frame 25e is not exerted, and the locking portion 41 and the groove 42 are locked and fixed by snap fitting without any trouble. The effect of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0040]
[Appendix]
By describing the embodiment and the like described above, the invention described in the following supplementary items can be obtained.
(Additional Item 1) In an endoscope having an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity and a distal end portion main body provided at a distal end of the insertion portion and provided with a distal end arrangement member, observation in the body cavity from the distal end of the insertion portion An optical frame member that holds an optical member of an illumination optical system for illuminating a site and is provided on the tip body, and an optical frame member that is locked in a hole formed in the tip body. An endoscope comprising an elastic body.
[0041]
(Additional Item 2) A tubular body in which the elastic body has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the optical frame member and has an outer diameter that is the same as the inner diameter of the hole formed in the tip body. The endoscope according to item 1, wherein the endoscope is provided.
[0042]
(Additional Item 3) At least one of the optical frame member and the elastic body is provided with an engaging portion that engages the optical frame member and the elastic body in a state where the optical frame member is inserted into the hole. The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein the endoscope is characterized in that
[0043]
(Additional Item 4) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the elastic body is made of a soft filler.
[0044]
(Additional Item 5) The endoscope according to Additional Item 4, wherein a recess for storing the soft filler is provided in at least one of the distal end main body or the optical frame member.
[0045]
(Additional Item 6) An insertion portion that is inserted into a body cavity, a distal end portion body that is disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion and includes a distal end arranging member, and for illuminating an observation site in the body cavity from the distal end portion body In an endoscope having an optical frame member for holding an optical member of an illumination optical system, the optical frame member is formed in a substantially elliptic cylindrical shape and fixed to a hole formed in the distal end body by a snap-fit method. An endoscope characterized by that.
(Additional Item 7) A locking portion that is fixed by the snap-fit method at one end portion of the optical frame member, and a slit that is provided from the locking portion side end portion toward the other end side. The endoscope according to appendix 7, wherein the locking portion elastically engages with a groove provided in the hole.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in order to fix the optical member and the distal end portion main body, it is possible to fix without using a screw or an adhesive as in the prior art, so that an inexpensive endoscope can be provided. Moreover, the optical member can be easily disassembled for replacement or repair, and the optical member and the tip body can be used repeatedly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory view showing a schematic overall configuration of an electronic endoscope system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of the distal end portion of the electronic endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an outer diameter of an illumination lens frame and an inner diameter of an elastic body according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a distal end portion of an electronic endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a distal end portion of an electronic endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a distal end portion of an electronic endoscope according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a distal end portion of an electronic endoscope according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a distal end portion of an electronic endoscope according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing illumination lens frames and shapes of illumination lenses according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of inserting and fixing an illumination lens frame into an illumination lens frame hole at the tip of an electronic endoscope according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic endoscope system 2 Electronic endoscope 9 Insertion part 10 Operation part 17 Light guide 20 Tip part 21 Tip part main body 24 Illumination optical member 25 Illumination lens frame 26 Locking member 27 Illumination lens frame hole part 28 Light guide base 34 Tip cap 37 Sealing agent 41 Locking portion 42 Groove portion 43 Support member

Claims (1)

An insertion portion that includes a distal end portion main body that constitutes the distal end portion and can be inserted into a body cavity;
A cylindrical optical frame member having an inner peripheral surface for holding an optical member for illuminating the body cavity;
A hole having a predetermined depth for accommodating the optical frame member, and being opened on a surface of the tip body;
An outer peripheral surface disposed in the hole and an inner peripheral surface for inserting the optical frame member, and a deformation portion that is formed by an elastic body and deforms in accordance with the insertion of the optical frame member. A locking member formed in a cylindrical shape ,
An engaging portion provided on the optical frame member for engaging the deforming portion of the locking member to dispose the optical frame member at a predetermined position with respect to the tip body. Endoscope.

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