JP4598448B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus that winds an elongated insertion portion around a drum portion.

  As is well known, endoscopes are widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. Endoscopes used in the medical field include various types of treatment tools that are used to observe organs in a body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, or inserted into an insertion channel of a treatment tool as necessary. Can be treated.

  In addition, endoscopes used in the industrial field perform observations and various treatments of damaged and corroded sites by inserting a long and thin insertion part into a jet engine or piping of a power plant. Can do.

  Therefore, the insertion part of the industrial endoscope is formed to be very long compared to the medical use so that the inside of the long pipe can be sufficiently observed. The elongated insertion part of the industrial endoscope is wrapped around the outer periphery of the rotatable drum part arranged in the storage case of the endoscope device when not performing endoscopy, and is made as compact as possible. It is stored and stored in the endoscope apparatus.

  In the storage case of the endoscope apparatus, in addition to the drum unit described above, a power source unit, a light source unit that supplies illumination light to the insertion unit, and a camera control unit that performs signal processing on the imaging element at the distal end of the insertion unit An electric bending device having a drive mechanism for electrically bending the bending portion of the insertion portion, an electric bending control circuit portion for controlling the bending state of the bending portion by driving and controlling the electric bending device, and the like. ing.

  The endoscope apparatus is configured to supply power from the power supply unit to the light source unit, the CCU, the electric bending device, the electric bending control circuit unit, and the like. In addition, a technique for arranging electric parts such as a light source unit and a CCU in the drum unit in order to reduce the size of the storage case is also well known.

  By the way, for example, the light source unit, the CCU, and the like generate heat when power is supplied. At this time, if the heat is generated above a certain temperature, the light source part is cracked or the atmosphere in the drum is excessively heated, and heat is propagated to the parts arranged in the other drum parts. It may lead to.

  In addition, the heat generating part that heats the atmosphere in the drum part such as the light source part is not necessarily arranged at the rotation center of the drum part. Therefore, the position of the heat generating unit such as the light source unit moves each time the drum unit rotates due to the winding condition of the endoscope insertion unit with respect to the outer periphery of the drum unit. For this reason, the heat generating portion is not always located at the specific position after the drum portion rotation is stopped.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, in order to reliably cool the heat generating part whose position moves to the space in the storage case generated by arranging the light source part, CCU and the like in the drum part, the outside of the drum part is used. A large fan with a large air volume was installed to send air to every corner of the drum. In addition, an endoscope apparatus has been proposed in which a storage case is provided with an intake portion for intake of air for cooling and a discharge portion for discharging the cooled atmosphere from the storage case.

In this endoscope apparatus, air sucked from an air intake section is sent to every corner of the drum section using a large fan, and the atmosphere used for cooling from the inside of the drum section is supplied from the exhaust section to the outside of the storage case. By doing so, the heat of the heat generating portion and the atmosphere in the drum portion heated by the heat generating portion are reliably cooled.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-264643

  However, in the endoscope apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1, when a large fan is used, the storage case in which the fan is disposed is also increased in size, so that the endoscope apparatus itself is increased in size. .

  Further, when the fan is increased in size, noise such as wind noise of the fan in the case and motor noise for driving the fan increases, and it is necessary to take measures against noise.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and the above circumstances, and can efficiently and surely cool the heat generating portion disposed in the drum, thereby reducing the size and noise of the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a rotatable drum portion that is flexible and capable of winding an elongated endoscope insertion portion around an outer peripheral surface or feeding it from the outer peripheral surface. In the endoscope apparatus, the drum portion is configured to have a space inside by a plurality of outer wall portions, and the outer wall portion of the drum portion has at least one through hole that communicates the inside and the outside of the drum portion. The heat generating part is formed inside the drum part, and an air ventilation path that connects the heat generating part and the through hole part is provided inside the drum part. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the heat generating portion disposed in the drum can be efficiently and reliably cooled, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and noise.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a part of the endoscope apparatus showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the endoscope apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the drum portion in FIG. 2 viewed from the apparatus main body side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 is composed of an industrial endoscope (hereinafter referred to as an endoscope) 2 that is flexible and has an elongated insertion portion 21, and a storage case 8. Is configured. The storage case 8 is composed of a box 81 having a moving wheel 99 at the lower part and a lid 82 connected to the upper part of the box 81 so as to be openable and closable. Is stored. Note that the endoscope 2 may be a medical endoscope.

  The box 81 of the storage case 8 includes a buffer material (not shown) that absorbs an impact force applied to the endoscope 2 stored inside from the outside. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a drum handle for winding the insertion portion 21 of the endoscope 2 around an outer peripheral surface 3 a of a drum portion 3, which will be described later, disposed in the box 81 on the side surface of the box 81. A drum winding cover 40 to which 41 is attached is disposed.

  Furthermore, the atmosphere A ′ in the box 81 is placed at the position of the drum take-up cover 40 facing a drum exhaust hole 3kh (both see FIG. 1) formed in the lower surface plate 3k to be described later of the drum portion 3. A box exhaust hole 81 h is formed to be discharged to the outside of 81. The box exhaust hole 81h is airtightly connected to the drum exhaust hole 3kh. Further, a box body intake hole 81 e (see FIG. 4) for sucking air A is formed in the box body 81 on the bottom surface of the box body 81.

  In addition, a monitor 7 for displaying an image of a region to be examined imaged by the endoscope 2 is disposed on the upper surface of the box 81.

  When the endoscope 2 is housed inside the box 81, the insertion portion 21 of the endoscope 2 is wound around the outer peripheral surface 3a, or when the endoscope 2 is used, the insertion portion 21 is removed from the outer peripheral surface 3a. The drum section 3 to be fed out, the apparatus main body 4 and the like are accommodated.

  The drum portion 3 has a flange shape constituted by a tubular member having an upper surface plate 3j, a lower surface plate 3k, and an outer peripheral surface 3a which are outer wall portions. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an annular drum intake hole 3 jh, which is a through hole for sucking the air A sucked from the box intake hole 81 e of the box 81 into the inside 3 i of the drum portion 3, is formed on the upper surface plate 3 j. Is formed. The drum intake hole 3jh serves as an opening on the upper surface plate 3j side which is one end of an annular air pipe 60 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), which will be described later, disposed in the interior 3i of the drum portion 3. Yes.

  Further, the atmosphere in the interior 3i of the drum section 3 is placed at a position facing a light source section 32 (described later) disposed in the interior 3i of the drum section 3 of the lower surface plate 3k and a box exhaust hole 81h of the box body 81. A drum exhaust hole 3kh, which is a through hole that discharges to the outside of the portion 3, is formed. The drum exhaust hole 3kh is airtightly connected to the box exhaust hole 81h of the box 81.

  Inside the apparatus main body 4, a power supply unit, a power distribution board, an image recording unit board, a connection cable for connecting various boards and the unit, etc., not shown, are provided. Further, a cooling unit 100 having a tubular shape in which a small fan 101 such as a sirocco fan is provided is provided at the lower part of the apparatus body 4.

  The cooling unit 100 locally guides the air A to the heat generating part 32 disposed in the inside 3 i of the drum part 3, and the heat A is cooled by the air A. It should be noted that a temperature sensor may be provided in the inside 3i of the drum unit 3 so that the fan 101 may be rotated when it is detected that the atmosphere in the drum unit 3 has exceeded a specified temperature.

  The cooling unit 100 has openings at both ends, one end 100a (see FIG. 4) is airtightly connected to a box intake hole 81e formed in the box 81, and the other end 100b (see FIG. 4). 4) is airtightly attached to a part of an annular drum suction hole 3jh formed in the upper surface plate 3j of the drum portion 3.

  Next, the internal structure of the box 81 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a perspective view of the box body showing the configuration of the members disposed inside the box body in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a front view of the box body in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a perspective front view showing the internal configuration of the drum unit together with the apparatus main body, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of connection between the drum part and the apparatus main body in FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of connection between the drum portion and the apparatus main body.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a bearing (not shown) disposed at the rotation center 3 s of the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum portion 3 and one side surface of the apparatus body 4 are connected via a rotation shaft 31. The apparatus body 4 pivotally supports the drum portion 3 via a rotation shaft 31 so as to be rotatable.

  The rotating shaft 31 may be configured to use a bearing 70 via a rotating ring 71 as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a configuration using only the bearing 70 may be used.

  Further, the other end 100 b of the cooling unit 100 disposed in the apparatus main body 4 is airtightly attached to any part of an annular drum intake hole 3 jh formed in the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum portion 3. Note that the other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 and the drum intake hole 3jh are in a mounting state in which the drum intake hole 3jh has an annular shape and is always kept airtight even when the drum portion 3 rotates. ing. For this reason, the air A sent from the cooling unit 100 from the attachment part of the other end 100b and the drum intake hole 3jh does not leak.

  A sealing material 90 is disposed between the upper surface plate 3j of the drum portion 3 and one side surface of the apparatus main body 4 as shown in FIG. The seal member 90 is provided with the drum suction hole 3jh formed in the upper surface plate 3j and the other end of the cooling unit 100 disposed in the apparatus body 4 due to the rotation distortion of the drum unit 3 generated by the rotation of the drum unit 3. It is for preventing the air A sent from the cooling unit 100 from leaking from the mounting portion with 100b, and is formed using an elastic body such as rubber.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, a sealing material 90 is also disposed between the lower surface plate 3 k of the drum portion 3 and the drum winding cover 40 disposed in the box 81. The sealing material 90 leaks the atmosphere A ′ from between the drum exhaust hole 3kh and the box exhaust hole 81h formed in the lower surface plate 3k due to the rotational distortion of the drum part 3 generated by the rotation of the drum part 3. To prevent.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the heating part 32, the air pipe 60 that is a pipe part serving as a ventilation path of the air A, the connecting pipe 61 that is a connecting part, and the drum part 3 are rotated in the inside 3 i of the drum part 3. A motor, an electric board (not shown), and the like are provided.

  The heat generating part 32 is configured by a member that generates heat when power is supplied, for example. For example, the main part is connected to the base end of the insertion part 21 by a lamp part that supplies illumination light to a base end face of a light guide (not shown) inserted through the insertion part 21 and a lighting device (both not shown). Or a CCU that performs signal processing on a charge coupled device solid-state imaging device (not shown) disposed at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 21. Hereinafter, the heat generating part 32 will be described by taking the light source part as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the light source unit 32 is located near the outer peripheral surface 3a of the interior 3i of the drum unit 3 and in the vicinity of the drum exhaust hole 3kh facing the drum exhaust hole 3kh formed in the lower surface plate 3k. Are disposed together with a substrate for supplying the substrate, a substrate for rotating the drum portion 3, a motor, and the like. Therefore, the light source unit 32 rotates integrally with the drum unit 3.

  The air pipe 60 has, for example, an annular shape and is made of a heat insulating material. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the air pipe 60 opens a drum intake hole 3 jh that is one end with respect to the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum portion 3. It is fixed to the upper surface plate 3j. In addition, any part of the drum intake hole 3jh that is an opening of the air pipe 60 is always airtightly attached to the other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 as described above. A portion of the drum intake hole 3jh that is not attached to the other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 is in airtight contact with one side surface of the apparatus main body 4 through the seal member 90.

  An opening is formed on the lower surface plate 3 k side which is the other end of the air pipe 60, and the opening is airtightly attached to a connection opening 61 a which is one end of the connection pipe 61. Therefore, the air A sent from the cooling unit 100 does not leak in the connection opening 61a.

  The connecting tube 61 is disposed in the vicinity of the light source unit 32, and the other end 61 b of the connecting tube 61 is open in the vicinity of the light source unit 32 and facing the light source unit 32. In addition, a connecting pipe 61 that opens near the light source unit 32 and at a position facing the light source unit 32 and is hermetically connected to the drum exhaust hole 3kh may be provided in the drum unit 3.

  Hereinafter, an operation of the endoscope apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, for example, when a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed inside the drum unit 3 detects that the temperature of the atmosphere in the drum unit 3 has exceeded a specified temperature, the fan 101 rotates in one direction. Air A enters the box 81 from the box intake hole 81e (see FIG. 4) of the box 81, as shown in FIG.

  The air A that has entered the box 81 enters the cooling unit 100 from one end 100a of the cooling unit 100 that is disposed in the apparatus body 4 and is mounted in the box intake hole 81e. Thereafter, the air A enters the air pipe 60 from the other end 100b through the drum intake hole 3jh of the drum portion 3 attached to the other end 100b.

  The air A that has entered the air pipe 60 enters the connection pipe 61 through the connection opening 61 a, and is locally supplied to the light source unit 32 from the other end 61 b of the connection pipe 61. Thereby, the atmosphere in the light source unit 32 and the drum unit 3 heated by the light source unit 32 is cooled.

  At this time, since the other end 61b of the connecting tube 61 is open in the vicinity of the light source unit 32 and facing the light source unit 32, even if the drum unit 3 rotates, the drum unit 3 Thus, the air can be efficiently and reliably supplied to the light source unit 32 without being affected by the rotation.

  Thus, since the air A can be efficiently guided to the heat generating part such as the light source part 32, the fan 100 can be relatively downsized. Therefore, the box 81 of the storage case 8 can be downsized as much as the fan can be downsized. As a result, the entire endoscope apparatus 1 can be downsized.

  Furthermore, since the fan 101 can be reduced in size, the power for driving the fan can be made smaller than that of the large fan, and the power consumption of the endoscope apparatus 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the fan's wind noise is reduced, noise reduction can be realized.

  Finally, the cooled atmosphere A ′ is sent to the outside of the drum unit 3 by the fan 101 through the drum exhaust hole 3 kh formed in the lower surface plate 3 k of the drum unit 3. Further, the atmosphere A 'is exhausted to the outside of the box 81 from the box exhaust hole 81h (see FIG. 4) by the fan 101 as shown in FIG.

  In this manner, the heat of the light source unit 32 disposed in the drum unit 3 can be efficiently and reliably cooled locally by a small fan, thereby saving power and reducing the size and noise of the apparatus. The endoscope apparatus 1 can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the light source unit 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the drum exhaust hole 3kh of the drum unit 3 and is cooled by the air A being supplied by the fan 101 of the cooling unit 100. It has been shown that the atmosphere A ′ is exhausted from the drum exhaust hole 3kh to the outside of the drum portion 3.

  Not limited to this, as shown in FIG. 10, the fan 102 is disposed in the interior 3 i of the drum unit 3 between the light source unit 32 and the drum exhaust hole 3 khh, and the fan 101 and the fan of the cooling unit 100 are arranged. Needless to say, the light source unit 32 may be cooled more effectively and efficiently by rotating the lens 102 in the same direction at the same time.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the box body showing the configuration of the members disposed inside the box body of the endoscope apparatus showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view of the box body of FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective front view showing the internal configuration of the drum portion in FIG. 11 together with the apparatus main body.

  The configuration of the endoscope apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment is such that the light source unit 32 is arranged on the rotation center 3s of the drum unit 3 as compared with the endoscope apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. At the same time, only the point where the mounting portion between the other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 and the drum intake hole 3jh of the upper surface plate 3j and the air pipe 60 are disposed on the rotation center 3s of the drum portion 3 is provided. Different. Therefore, only this difference will be described, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. Also in the present embodiment, the heat generation part will be described by taking the light source part 32 as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, at the position on the rotation center 3 s of the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum unit 3 of the endoscope device 201, the air A sucked from the box intake hole 81 e of the box 81 is drum unit. A drum suction hole 30jh, which is a through hole for sucking into the interior 3i of 3, is formed inside the rotating shaft 31. The drum intake hole 30jh is an opening on the upper surface plate 3j side of one end of an air pipe 160 described later disposed in the interior 3i of the drum portion 3.

  Furthermore, the position is opposed to a light source portion 32 (described later) disposed in the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 of the lower surface plate 3k and the box exhaust hole 81h of the box 81, and on the rotation center 3s of the drum portion 3. A drum exhaust hole 30 kh that is a through hole for discharging the atmosphere 3 ′ in the inside 3 i of the drum part 3 to the outside of the drum part 3 is formed at this position. The drum exhaust hole 30kh is airtightly connected to the box exhaust hole 81h of the box 81 as shown in FIG.

  The other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 disposed in the apparatus main body 4 is airtightly attached to a drum intake hole 30jh formed on the rotation center 3s of the upper surface plate 3j of the drum portion 3. The other end 100b of the cooling unit 100 and the drum intake hole 30jh are always airtight even when the drum unit 3 rotates because the drum intake hole 30jh is disposed at the rotation center 3s of the drum unit 3. It is in a wearing state that keeps. For this reason, the air A sent from the cooling unit 100 does not leak from the mounting portion between the other end 100b and the drum intake hole 30jh.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a seal material 190 is disposed between the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum unit 3 and one side surface of the apparatus body 4 and on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 31. The sealing material 190 is provided with the drum suction hole 30jh formed in the upper surface plate 3j and the other end of the cooling unit 100 disposed in the apparatus main body 4 due to the rotation distortion of the drum section 3 generated by the rotation of the drum section 3. It is for preventing the air A sent from the cooling unit 100 from leaking from the mounting portion with 100b, and is formed using an elastic body such as rubber.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, between the lower surface plate 3k of the drum portion 3 and the drum take-up lid 40 disposed in the box 81, the sealing material 190 is also provided at the position of the rotation center 3s. It is arranged. The sealing material 190 leaks the atmosphere A ′ from between the drum exhaust hole 30kh and the box exhaust hole 81h formed in the lower surface plate 3k due to the rotational distortion of the drum part 3 generated by the rotation of the drum part 3. To prevent.

  Inside the drum section 3, a heat generating section 32, an air pipe 160 that is a pipe section serving as an air ventilation path, a motor for rotating the drum section 3, an electric board (not shown), and the like are disposed.

  The light source part 32 is located on the rotation center 3s of the drum part 3 in the interior 3i of the drum part 3 and in the vicinity of the drum exhaust hole 3kh facing the drum exhaust hole 3kh formed in the lower surface plate 3k. A substrate for supplying, a substrate for rotating the drum unit 3, a motor, and the like are provided.

  The air pipe 160 is made of, for example, a heat insulating material. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the drum intake hole 30jh that is an opening of the air pipe 160 is always at the rotation center 3s of the cooling unit 100. The other end 100b is airtightly attached.

  An opening 160 b that is the other end is formed on the lower surface plate 3 k side of the air pipe 160, and the opening 160 b is located in the vicinity of the light source unit 32 and facing the light source unit 32.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 201 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, for example, when a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed in the interior 3i of the drum unit 3 detects that the temperature of the atmosphere in the drum unit 3 has reached a predetermined temperature or more, the fan 101 rotates in one direction. Thus, air A enters the box 81 from the box intake hole 81e (see FIG. 11) of the box 81.

  The air A that has entered the box 81 enters the cooling unit 100 from one end 100a of the cooling unit 100 that is disposed in the apparatus body 4 and is mounted in the box intake hole 81e. Thereafter, the air A is disposed on the rotation center 3s of the drum part 3 from the other end 100b through the drum intake hole 30jh located at the rotation center 3s of the drum part 3 attached to the other end 100b. The air pipe 160 is entered.

  The air A that has entered the air pipe 160 is locally supplied to the light source unit 32 through the opening 160b. Thereby, the atmosphere in the light source unit 32 and the drum unit 3 heated by the light source unit 32 is cooled.

  At this time, since the light source unit 32 is disposed on the rotation center 3s of the drum unit 3, even if the drum unit 3 rotates, the light source unit 32 does not rotate. Therefore, air circulation does not occur in the drum portion 3. That is, heat is not dispersed in the drum portion.

  The air pipe 160 is disposed on the rotation center 3 s of the drum unit 3 and has an opening 160 b in the vicinity of the light source unit 32 and facing the light source unit 32. The air can be locally and efficiently supplied to the light source unit 32 disposed on the rotation center 3 s without being influenced by the rotation of the drum unit 3. Thereby, the heat of the light source part 32 and the atmosphere in the drum part 3 are cooled more reliably.

  Finally, the cooled atmosphere A ′ is sent to the outside of the drum unit 3 by the fan 101 through the drum exhaust hole 30 kh formed on the rotation center 3 s of the lower surface plate 3 k of the drum unit 3. Further, the atmosphere A ′ is exhausted from the box exhaust hole 81 h to the outside of the box 81 by the fan 101.

  In this way, the heat of the light source unit 32 disposed on the rotation center 3s in the drum unit 3 can be cooled locally and efficiently by a small fan, saving power and downsizing the apparatus. In addition, the endoscope apparatus 201 can be provided in which noise reduction is achieved. Other operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

  Hereinafter, a modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the light source unit 32 is disposed on the rotation center 3 s of the drum unit 3 and in the vicinity of the drum exhaust hole 30 khh, and air A is supplied by the fan 101 of the cooling unit 100. It was shown that the cooled atmosphere A ′ was exhausted from the drum exhaust hole 30 kh to the outside of the drum portion 3.

  Not limited to this, as shown in FIG. 14, the fan 102 is disposed in the interior 3 i of the drum unit 3 between the light source unit 32 and the drum exhaust hole 30 khh. Needless to say, the light source unit 32 may be cooled more effectively and efficiently by rotating the lens 102 in the same direction at the same time.

  Hereinafter, modifications of the above-described first embodiment and second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the box intake hole 81e and the drum intake holes 3jh, 30jh heat the light source 32 to the inside of the box 81 and the inside 3i of the drum part 3. The box exhaust hole 81h and the drum exhaust holes 3kh and 30kh are for exhausting the atmosphere A 'inside the box 81 and the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 for sucking air A for cooling. It was shown to be.

  Not limited to this, the fan 101 is rotated in another direction opposite to the above-described one direction, so that the inside of the box body 81 and the inside of the drum unit 3 from the box body exhaust hole 81h and the drum exhaust holes 3kh, 30kh. 3i, air A for cooling the heat of the light source section 32 is sucked, and the atmosphere A ′ inside the box body 81 and the inside 3i of the drum section 3 is discharged from the box suction hole 81e and the drum suction holes 3jh, 30jh. Even if it does, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment mentioned above can be acquired.

  Hereinafter, another modification will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 disposed in the box 81 on the bottom surface of the box 81. It is shown that a box intake hole 81e for sucking air A is formed.

  However, the box intake hole 81e may be formed on any surface of the box 81. In this case, the cooling unit 100 is disposed in the apparatus main body 4 according to the position of the box intake hole 81e. That's fine. A plurality of box intake holes 81e and cooling units 100 may be formed. Furthermore, as long as the cooling unit 100 is in the box 81, the cooling unit 100 may be disposed anywhere other than the apparatus main body 4.

  Next, as another modification example, the fan 101 is described as being disposed in the cooling unit 100 disposed in the apparatus main body 4. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fan 101 is formed on the upper surface plate 3 j of the drum portion 3. Even if the drum intake holes 3jh and 30jh are disposed, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments described above can be obtained.

  Another modification is shown in FIG. If the fan 101 is not rotated in the other direction opposite to the one direction described above, a plurality of fins 60f and 160f may be provided inside the air pipes 60 and 160 as shown in FIG. By providing the fins 60f and 160f, the backflow of the air A in the air pipes 60 and 160 can be prevented, and the air A can be locally supplied to the heat generating portion 32 efficiently.

  Furthermore, another modification will be described below. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the heat generating part cooled by the cooling means is shown by taking the light source part 32 as an example. However, the CCU 33 may be used, and the heat generating part is disposed in the drum part. Of course, any electrical component may be used as long as it generates heat when power is supplied.

  Hereinafter, another modification will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, an example in which one light source unit is cooled has been shown. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to all heat generating units disposed in the drum unit. . That is, you may make it cool locally the light source part 32, CCU33, and another electric component using the air piping 60 and the connection pipe 61 simultaneously.

  Next, another modification will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the box air intake hole 81e is used to cool the atmosphere of the light source section 32 and the interior 3i of the drum section 3 disposed in the interior 3i of the drum section 3. The air A is guided into the box from the inside, and the atmosphere A ′ in the box 81 is discharged from the box exhaust hole 81h.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the intake and exhaust of the air A and the atmosphere A ′ into the box 81 may be performed from one hole. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the box body showing the configuration of members disposed inside the box body of the endoscope apparatus showing a modification in which the atmosphere in the box body is sucked and exhausted by one intake / exhaust hole.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a balloon-like shape that is freely expandable / shrinkable between the lower surface plate 3k of the drum portion 3 and the drum take-up lid 40 disposed in the box 81 and on the rotation center 3s. An expansion / contraction part (hereinafter referred to as a balloon) 390 is provided. Since the other configuration is substantially the same as the configuration described in FIG. 11 in the second embodiment described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the endoscope apparatus configured as described above, when the air A is sucked into the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 from the outside of the box 81 through the box suction hole 81e, the fan 101 rotates in one direction. As a result, the balloon 390 is inflated.

  Due to the rotation of the fan 101 and the expansion of the balloon 390, air A that cools the atmosphere of the light source portion 32 and the inside 3 i of the drum portion 3 heated by the light source portion 32 is outside the box body 81. To the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 through the box intake hole 81e.

  On the other hand, from the inside 3i of the drum part 3, the light source part 32 cooled by the air A sent and the atmosphere A ′ inside the drum part 3 heated by the light source part 32 are passed through the box intake hole 81e. When exhausting to the outside of the box body 81, the fan 101 is rotated in another direction opposite to the one direction.

  This causes the balloon 390 to contract. Therefore, due to the rotation of the fan 101 and the contraction of the balloon 390, the atmosphere A ′ of the light source 32 and the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 from the inside 3i of the drum portion 3 to the outside of the box body 81 through the box body intake hole 81e. Exhausted.

  Therefore, by repeating forward and reverse rotations of the fan 101 and balloon expansion and contraction, the air A and the atmosphere A ′ are sucked and exhausted into the box 81 by only one box intake hole 81e. Can do. Thereby, since the through-hole formed in the drum part 3 becomes only one place, it can prevent more effectively that a wind and the like approach from the outside of the box 81 to the inside 3i of the drum part 3.

  The balloon 390 is shown to be disposed between the lower surface plate 3k of the drum portion 3 and the drum winding cover 40 disposed in the box 81, but is not limited thereto, and the upper surface plate 3j and the device are not limited thereto. You may arrange | position in the ventilation path of the air between the main bodies 4.

  In addition, the balloon 390 is described as being disposed on the rotation center 3s, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment described above, the balloon 390 is close to the outer peripheral surface 3a. You may arrange in. Further, the expansion / contraction part is not limited to the balloon, but may be, for example, a piston.

  Next, another modification will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the air passages in the air inside the drum portion 3 are illustrated by taking the air pipe 60 and the connecting pipe 61 as examples. Not limited to this, as shown in FIG. 17, a substrate for supplying a light source, a substrate for rotating the drum unit 3, and a built-in component such as a motor disposed in the inside 3 i of the drum unit 3. An air ventilation path from the drum intake hole 3jh to the light source unit 32 may be formed by arrangement. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the wall portion 400 for guiding the air A to the passage of the air A leading to the connection opening 61 a of the connection pipe 61 is provided in the interior 3 i of the drum portion 3, thereby improving efficiency. The air A can be guided to the connection opening 61 a of the connection pipe 61.

[Appendix]
As described in detail above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration can be obtained. That is,
(1) An endoscope apparatus in which a flexible and slender endoscope insertion portion is wound around an outer peripheral surface or a rotatable drum portion that can be fed out from the outer peripheral surface is disposed.
The drum portion is configured to have a space inside by a plurality of outer wall portions, and at least one through hole is formed in the outer wall portion of the drum portion to communicate the inside and the outside of the drum portion,
Inside the drum part, a heating part is arranged,
An endoscope apparatus, wherein an air ventilation path that communicates the heat generating part and the through hole is provided inside the drum part.

  (2) The endoscope apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the heat generating unit is at least one of a light source unit of the endoscope and a control unit of a camera disposed in the endoscope. .

  (3) The endoscope apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the heat generating part is disposed at a rotation center of the drum part.

  (4) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the air ventilation path is formed of a tubular member.

  (5) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the air ventilation path is configured by a pipe part that locally supplies air to the heat generating part.

  (6) The air ventilation path has an annular pipe part having one end opened in the through hole, one end attached to the other end of the annular pipe part, and the other end opened in the vicinity of the heat generating part. The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the endoscope apparatus includes a connecting portion that locally supplies air to the heat generating portion.

  (7) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the air ventilation path is formed by arrangement of a built-in object disposed inside the drum portion.

  (8) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 4 to 6, wherein fins for preventing backflow are formed in the air passage.

  (9) The through-hole exhausts air from the outside of the drum portion to the inside of the drum portion, heat of the heat generating portion, and atmosphere inside the drum portion to the outside of the drum portion. The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, wherein the endoscope apparatus is at least one of an exhaust hole.

  (10) The apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein a cooling unit mounted in the intake hole and provided with a fan for cooling the heat generating part is provided outside the drum part. The endoscope apparatus described.

  (11) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 10, wherein a fan for cooling the heat generating portion is disposed in the vicinity of the intake hole of the drum portion.

  (12) The fan according to any one of appendices 1 to 11, wherein a fan for discharging the heat of the heat generating portion and the atmosphere inside the drum portion to the outside of the drum portion is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust hole. An endoscope apparatus according to any one of the above.

  (13) The endoscope apparatus according to any one of appendices 9 to 11, wherein an expansion / contraction member is disposed in the drum portion.

The perspective view which fractured | ruptured and showed a part of endoscope apparatus which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the endoscope apparatus of FIG. The partial front view which looked at the drum part in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 from the apparatus main body side. The perspective view of the box which shows the structure of the member arrange | positioned inside the box in FIG. The front view of the box of FIG. FIG. 5 is a transparent front view showing an internal configuration of the drum portion in FIG. 4 together with the apparatus main body. Sectional drawing which showed the example of a connection of the drum part in FIG. 4, and an apparatus main body. FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 7. Sectional drawing which showed the other example of a connection of a drum part and an apparatus main body. FIG. 5 is a transparent front view showing a modification of the internal configuration of the drum portion in FIG. 4 together with the apparatus main body. The perspective view of the box which shows the structure of the member arrange | positioned inside the box of the endoscope apparatus which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The front view of the box in FIG. FIG. 12 is a transparent front view showing an internal configuration of the drum portion in FIG. 11 together with the apparatus main body. FIG. 14 is a transparent front view showing a modification of the internal configuration of the drum portion in FIG. 13 together with the apparatus main body. The partial front view which looked at the drum part which shows the modification which provided the fin inside the air piping of the drum part in FIG. 1, FIG. 11 from the apparatus main body side. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the box body showing a modification of the configuration of members disposed inside the box body of the endoscope apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 11. FIG. 12 is a transparent front view of the drum portion showing a modification in which the air ventilation path is configured by the built-in drum portion in FIGS.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 3 ... Drum part 3a ... Drum outer peripheral surface 3j ... Upper surface board 3jh ... Drum suction hole 3k ... Lower surface board 3kh ... Drum exhaust hole 3s ... Drum part rotation center 21 ... Endoscope insertion part 30jh ... Drum intake hole 30 kh ... Drum exhaust hole 32 ... Light source 60 ... Air pipe 61 ... Connecting pipe 61a ... Opening 61b ... Opening 100 ... Cooling unit 101 ... Fan 102 ... Fan 160 ... Air pipe 201 ... Endoscope device Agent Patent attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (7)

An endoscope apparatus provided with a rotatable drum portion that is flexible and can be wound around an outer peripheral surface of an endoscope insertion portion or can be extended from the outer peripheral surface,
The drum portion is configured to have a space inside by a plurality of outer wall portions, and at least one through hole is formed in the outer wall portion of the drum portion to communicate the inside and the outside of the drum portion,
Inside the drum part, a heating part is arranged,
An endoscope apparatus, wherein an air ventilation path that communicates the heat generating part and the through hole is provided inside the drum part. The heating part is
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the endoscope apparatus is disposed at a rotation center of the drum portion. The heating part is
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope apparatus is at least one of a light source unit of the endoscope and a control unit of a camera disposed in the endoscope. The air vent is
The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the endoscope apparatus is formed of a tubular member. The air vent is
The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the endoscope apparatus is formed by an arrangement of a built-in object disposed inside the drum portion.  The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a fan for cooling the heat generating portion is provided.  The endoscope according to claim 6, wherein a temperature sensor that detects a temperature inside the drum unit is disposed in the drum unit in order to drive the fan in accordance with the temperature in the drum unit. apparatus.

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