JP5186130B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus that removes condensation at a distal end portion of an endoscope scope.

  The endoscope apparatus mainly includes an endoscope scope and an endoscope processor, and is used, for example, for observing, examining, or treating a human body. An imaging element and illumination are provided at the distal end of the endoscope scope. When the tip is inserted into the human body, the image sensor images the inside of the body, and the obtained moving image is transmitted to the endoscope processor. The endoscope processor processes and records the transmitted moving image.

Since the inside of the human body is humid, dew condensation occurs on the surface of the distal end portion of the endoscope when the temperature is lower than the inside of the human body. Due to condensation, the illumination light is diffused and sufficient illumination cannot be provided, and the imaging device cannot obtain a clear image. In order to solve this problem, electric power is obtained by providing a Peltier element on the outer surface of the endoscope, and using the electric power, the heating element warms the distal end of the endoscope, and Rigid endoscopes that remove condensation are known.
JP 2002-291684 A

  However, since a flexible endoscope is required to be flexible, if a Peltier element is provided on the outer surface, the flexibility cannot be maintained. Further, by providing the heat generating element and the Peltier element, the diameter of the endoscope becomes thick and the load on the human body increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and it is possible to always remove condensation on the surface of the endoscope tip while maintaining flexibility and thinness of the diameter of the endoscope. An object of the present invention is to obtain a simple endoscope apparatus.

  An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention includes an electronic circuit provided at the distal end portion of the endoscope, a tip thermometer provided at the tip portion for measuring the temperature of the tip portion, and a temperature of an observation object provided at the tip portion. The temperature of the tip is raised by controlling the current flowing in the electronic circuit using the difference between the measured value of the ambient thermometer and the tip thermometer and the ambient thermometer, and the condensation on the lens provided at the tip is increased. And a current control circuit for removing the current.

  The tip portion further includes a plurality of illumination means for projecting the observation object and an image sensor attached to the electronic circuit for imaging the observation object, and the tip thermometer includes the image sensor and the plurality of illumination means. It is desirable to be arranged in the approximate center.

  It is preferable that the tip portion is provided with a water supply port for discharging water to the observation object, and the current control circuit controls the current when water is discharged from the water supply port.

  The current control circuit increases the current flowing to the electronic circuit when the measured value of the ambient thermometer is larger than the measured value of the tip thermometer, heats the electronic circuit by increasing the current, and heats the tip of the tip by the heat generated by the electronic circuit. It is even better if it raises the temperature and removes condensation on the lens provided at the tip.

  The current control circuit preferably includes first switching means for switching on or off of the current and second switching means for adjusting the magnitude of the current output from the first switching means.

  The first switching circuit includes a constant current circuit, and the second switching means includes a switching circuit, a resistor, and a processing device. The switching circuit connects the resistor to the constant current circuit in accordance with a signal from the processing device. It is desirable to adjust the magnitude of the current output from one switching means.

  The second switching means may include a plurality of switching circuits, and the plurality of switching circuits are connected in parallel, and a resistor is connected to the constant current circuit in accordance with a signal from the processing device.

  The endoscope apparatus may include a storage unit that stores an increase amount of current and an increase time for each type of endoscope scope.

  The endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope processor that processes an image signal sent from the endoscope scope, and the current control circuit flows to the electronic circuit when the endoscope scope is connected to the endoscope processor. It is preferable to increase the current.

  The endoscope apparatus further includes an endoscope processor that processes an image signal sent from the endoscope scope, and an illuminating unit that projects light onto the observation object. The current flowing in the electronic circuit may be increased when connected to the mirror processor and the lighting means is lit.

  The endoscope apparatus further includes detection means for detecting that the endoscope is inserted into the body, and the current control circuit detects a current flowing through the electronic circuit when the detection means detects that the endoscope scope has been inserted into the body. It is still more preferable if it is reduced.

  The endoscope apparatus may include a storage unit that stores an increase amount of current and an increase time for each type of endoscope processor.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the endoscope apparatus which can always remove the dew condensation in the surface of an endoscope front-end | tip part can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The configuration of the endoscope apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  The endoscope apparatus 100 includes an endoscope scope 200 and an endoscope processor 300 to which the endoscope scope 200 is connected. The endoscope scope 200 is inserted into a human body and transmits an image of an observation site in the body to the endoscope processor 300. The endoscope processor 300 includes an illumination light source 320, supplies illumination light to the endoscope scope 200, and performs image processing and recording of an image transmitted from the endoscope scope 200.

  An image display device 400 is connected to the endoscope processor 300. The image transmitted from the endoscope scope 200 and the image recorded in the endoscope processor 300 are displayed.

  The endoscope scope 200 includes an insertion section 210 inserted into the human body, an operation section 240 for operating the endoscope scope 200, and a connector 230 that connects the endoscope scope 200 to the endoscope processor 300. Become. The insertion unit 210 has a flexible cylindrical shape, and the user operates the endoscope scope 200 while holding the operation unit 240.

  The connector 230 includes an in-scope circuit 231 and is connected to the endoscope scope 300 through a connection unit 239. The in-scope circuit 231 includes a microcomputer 234, a constant current circuit 232 that is a first switching circuit, and a switching circuit 233. The microcomputer 234 controls the open / close circuit 233. The switching circuit 233 is connected to the constant current circuit 232 and changes the magnitude of the current output from the constant current circuit 232. The constant current circuit 232 applies a constant current to the electronic circuit 216 to compensate for a signal transmitted from the electronic circuit 216.

  The connection unit 239 is provided with a connection detection switch 235. The connection detection switch 235 detects the connection between the endoscope scope 200 and the endoscope processor 300 and notifies the microcomputer 234 of the connection.

  The operation unit 240 is provided with an operation switch 242 including switches for turning on / off illumination and recording an image.

  An imaging lens 211, an illumination lens 221, an ambient thermometer 254, and a tip thermometer 252 are provided at the distal end portion 220 that is the distal end of the insertion portion 210.

  An imaging element 212 is provided on the optical axis of the imaging lens 211. The image sensor 212 is attached to the substrate 213 together with the electronic circuit 216. A signal line 214 for transmitting a signal from the image sensor 212 extends from the electronic circuit 216 to the operation unit 240.

  The illumination lens 221 irradiates the observation site with illumination light supplied from the endoscope processor 300. The illumination light is sent from the endoscope processor 300 to the illumination lens 221 via a light guide fiber 223 extending from the operation unit 240 of the endoscope scope 200 to the distal end portion 220.

  A tip thermometer 252 is embedded in the tip 220 and measures the temperature of the tip 220. An ambient thermometer 254 protrudes from the tip 220 and measures the temperature around the tip 220. For example, a thermocouple is used for each thermometer. The thermocouple passes through the insertion unit 210 and is connected to a serial data conversion circuit 244 provided in the endoscope operation unit 240, and outputs a voltage according to the temperature. The serial data conversion circuit 244 converts the voltage output from the thermocouple into serial data. The serial data is transmitted to the microcomputer 234 and recorded as temperature data.

  The serial data conversion circuit 244 converts the voltage into serial data, so that the temperature data can be stably transmitted.

  The configuration of the endoscope distal end portion 220 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a view of the tip 220 viewed from the axial direction.

  Two illumination lenses 221, a forceps opening 260, a tip thermometer 252, and an imaging lens 211 are exposed at the tip 220. The forceps port 260, the tip thermometer 252, and the imaging lens 211 are provided such that their approximate centers are placed on a straight line passing through the center of the tip 220. The forceps opening 260 and the imaging lens 211 are provided in the vicinity of the circumference. The tip thermometer 252 is provided between the forceps opening 260 and the imaging lens 211 so that the center is placed near the center of the tip 220. The two illumination lenses 221 are provided at substantially point-symmetrical positions with the center of the distal end portion 220 as the center of the object.

  The user introduces a surgical instrument such as a forceps into the observation site through the forceps opening 260 to treat the observation site. It is also possible to inject water or a chemical solution through the forceps opening 260. A clear image can be obtained by washing the observation site covered with body fluid or the like with water or the like.

  The center of the tip thermometer 252 is provided at a substantially equal position from the centers of the imaging lens 211 and the two illumination lenses 221. Accordingly, the electronic circuit 216 that is a heating element provided at the distal end portion 220 and the two illumination lenses 221 are equally affected, and the accurate temperature of the distal end portion 220 can be measured.

  The operation of the in-scope circuit 231 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a part of an electronic circuit provided in the endoscope scope 200.

  A buffer circuit 215 provided in the electronic circuit 216 is connected to the image sensor 212. The video signal output from the image sensor 212 is amplified by the buffer circuit 215 and transmitted via the signal line 214 provided in the insertion unit 210.

  The signal line 214 is connected to a constant current circuit 232 that is a first switching circuit provided in the operation unit 230. The constant current circuit 232 is mainly composed of a first transistor Q4 and three resistors R1, R2, and R3. The current flowing through the first input terminal 237 is input to the base terminal B1 of the transistor Q4 via the resistor R1. Transistor Q4 determines the magnitude of the current flowing to electronic circuit 216 according to the magnitude of the current input to base terminal B1. Since the current input to the base terminal B1 is connected to the ground via the resistor R2, the magnitude of the current flowing to the electronic circuit 216 depends on the value of R2.

  The second switching circuit 236 is mainly composed of a microcomputer 234, a second transistor Q5, and a resistor R4.

  When the microcomputer 234 heats the tip 220, a current flows to the base terminal P1 of the second transistor Q5. As a result, the current input from the first input terminal 237 can pass through the second transistor Q5, and is connected to the ground via the resistor R4. At this time, since the voltage applied to the first input terminal 237 is constant, the magnitude of the current input to the base terminal B1 of the first transistor Q4 depends on the value of the combined resistance of the resistors R2 and R4. Will do. Since this combined resistance value is smaller than R2, the magnitude of the current flowing to the electronic circuit 216 increases.

  When the increased current is applied to the electronic circuit 216 via the signal line 214, the electronic circuit 216 generates heat. Heat is transmitted to the tip 220 to warm the imaging lens 211 and the illumination lens 221. The imaging lens 211 and the illumination lens 221 are warmed to a temperature higher than about 37 ° C., which is the body temperature of the human body, for example, about 42 ° C. As a result, the imaging lens 211 and the illumination lens 221 become higher in temperature than the surrounding temperature, and the condensation that occurs in the imaging lens 211 and the illumination lens 221 disappears. When a certain time has elapsed, the microcomputer 234 stops supplying current to the base terminal P1. Therefore, the current from the first input terminal 237 flows only through the resistor R2. As a result, the magnitude of the current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is reduced, the electronic circuit 216 does not generate heat, and the tip 220 is deprived of heat to the surroundings and lowered to the ambient temperature.

  The flow of the tip temperature increase process for increasing the temperature of the tip 220 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S41, a difference value between the temperature of the object measured by the ambient thermometer 254, that is, the temperature inside the body and the temperature of the endoscope distal end portion 220 is calculated.

  The difference value is input to the microcomputer in step S42, and the microcomputer determines whether or not to raise the temperature of the tip portion 220 from the difference value.

  If it is determined that the temperature of the tip 220 is to be increased, a voltage is applied to the second transistor in step S43, and the resistor R4 is connected to the base terminal P1 of the first transistor Q4. As a result, the current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 increases and the electronic circuit 216 generates heat.

  Next, after a predetermined time has passed in step S44, the temperature of the tip portion 220 is measured by the tip thermometer 252 in step S45. The temperature of the distal end portion 220 is input to step S41, and this temperature comparison process is repeatedly executed until the temperature between the body and the distal end portion 220 reaches a certain temperature difference.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to raise the temperature of the front-end | tip part 220 until the front-end | tip part 220 and a body become a fixed temperature difference.

  The flow of the condensation removal process for removing the condensation at the distal end portion 220 by the endoscope apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  This process starts when the endoscope processor is turned on in step S51.

  In step S52, it is determined whether or not the endoscope scope 200 is connected to the endoscope processor 300. When connected, the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S53, the insertion part 210 has not yet been inserted into the body, and the external temperature control process is started. The extracorporeal temperature control process is performed according to the above-described tip temperature increase process.

  In the extracorporeal temperature control process, for example, a current having an upper limit value of about 10 mA is supplied to the electronic circuit 216, and the electronic circuit 216 generates heat. The heat generated by the electronic circuit 216 is transferred to the image sensor 212. The extracorporeal temperature control process ends before being inserted into the body, and the electronic circuit 216 does not generate heat when observing the inside of the body, so the temperature of the image sensor 212 decreases before the observation is started. Therefore, the temperature of the image sensor 212 is not increased during observation, and noise due to heat is not mixed in the video signal.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to eliminate the condensation of the distal end portion 220 due to the insertion portion 210 being inserted into the body in a short time.

  Next, in step S54, it is determined whether the ambient thermometer 254 has exceeded 36 ° C. for a predetermined time or more. This determination is repeated until the temperature exceeds 36 ° C. for a certain time. If it exceeds, it is determined that the insertion section 210 has been inserted into the body, and the process moves to step S55.

  In step S55, the body temperature control process is started when the insertion section 210 is inserted into the body. The internal temperature control process is performed in accordance with the above-described tip temperature increase process, and the internal temperature obtained in the tip temperature increase process is displayed on the image display device. The user can diagnose the observation site using the displayed internal temperature.

  In the internal temperature control process, the upper limit value of the current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is lower than the external temperature control process. This is because the temperature of the distal end portion 220 is maintained at about 37 ° C., which is the body temperature, by the temperature control process for the outside of the body, and thus there is no possibility that the temperature of the distal end portion 220 becomes lower than the body temperature.

  By keeping the upper limit value of the current low, it is possible to prevent noise due to heat from being mixed into the video signal output from the image sensor 212.

  Next, in step S56, it is determined whether or not the water supply button 242 has been pressed. When the water supply button 242 is pressed, the process proceeds to a water supply temperature control process in step S57. If the water supply button 242 is not pressed, the process proceeds to the internal temperature control process in step S58.

  The temperature control process at the time of water supply is performed according to the above-described tip temperature process. In the water temperature control process, the upper limit value of the current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is, for example, about 10 mA. The current value is higher than the current value in the in-vivo temperature control process, and there is a possibility that noise due to heat is mixed in the video signal output from the image sensor 212. However, since it is necessary to stop the observation after water droplets are attached to the imaging lens 211 after water discharge, the observation is not hindered if the time is short until the condensation is removed.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the distal end portion 220 due to the rapid decrease in temperature due to the heat taken away from the distal end portion 220 by water supply.

  When the water temperature control process is completed, the in-body temperature control process is started in step S58. In step S59, this process ends when the observation ends.

  Next, an external temperature control process for increasing the temperature of the distal end portion 220 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The extracorporeal temperature control process is performed when the endoscope scope 200 is attached to the endoscope processor 300. When the endoscope scope 200 is inserted into the endoscope processor 300, electric power is applied from the endoscope processor 300 to the endoscope scope 200 via the contact point 238 provided at the connection portion 235, and Vcc increases. . When the connection detection switch 235 is turned on by the insertion, the microcomputer 234 detects the connection and passes a current to the base terminal P1. When a current flows to the base terminal P1, the resistor R4 is connected to the base terminal B1 of the first transistor Q4. As a result, the combined resistance decreases and the current I flowing through the electronic circuit 216 increases.

  When a certain time has elapsed after connection, the microcomputer 234 stops the current flowing to the base terminal P1. As a result, the resistor R4 is not connected to the base terminal B1 of the first transistor Q4, and the resistance increases. Then, the current value flowing through the electronic circuit 216 decreases.

  The heating time from the connection until the current is stopped is determined by experiments according to the thickness and number of the light guide fibers 223, the thickness of the insertion portion 210, and the type of the light source, and is stored in the microcomputer 234. The temperature inside the human body is about 37 ° C., but if it exceeds about 42 ° C., the human body is adversely affected. Therefore, the heating time is set so that the tip temperature is in the range of about 37 ° C. to about 42 ° C. When the insertion portion 210 is thick, the distal end portion 220 is not easily warmed up, so the time for flowing the current increases. When the light guide fiber 223 is large, the distal end portion 220 has heat due to the heat generated by the light guide fiber 223, so Less.

  The microcomputer 234 also changes the heating time depending on the type of the illumination light source 320. The type of the illumination light source 320 is determined from the information of the endoscope processor 300 detected through the connection unit 235, and the microcomputer 234 stores the heating time according to the type of the illumination light source 320.

  The time change of the endoscope scope 200 tip temperature will be described using FIG. 7 in comparison with the time change of the endoscope apparatus according to the comparative example.

  The horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time from when the amount of current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is increased, that is, when heating is started, and the vertical axis indicates the temperature of the tip 220. As indicated by the solid line 41, when the amount of current is increased from the start of heating, the temperature of the tip 220 increases as indicated by the solid line 42. When a predetermined time elapses, the current value is lowered, the electronic circuit 216 does not generate heat, and the heating ends. At this time, the temperature of the tip 220 is about 42 ° C. When the heating is finished, the heat of the tip 220 is taken away by the surroundings and decreases to about 37 ° C., which is the ambient temperature.

  Comparative Example 1 is a graph showing a temperature change of the distal end portion 220 in the endoscope apparatus in which the diameter of the insertion portion 210 is large. In this example, the amount of current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is constant as shown by the broken line 43, and the amount of heat generated by the electronic circuit 216 is small. Furthermore, since the heat capacity of the insertion portion 210 is large due to the large diameter of the insertion portion 210, it does not reach about 37 ° C. even when heated by illumination. Therefore, as shown by the broken line 44, the temperature of the tip 220 does not reach about 37 ° C., and the condensation of the tip 220 is not eliminated.

  Comparative Example 2 is a graph showing a temperature change of the distal end portion 220 in the endoscope apparatus in which the diameter of the insertion portion 210 is small. In this example, the amount of current flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is constant as shown by the broken line 43, and the amount of heat generated by the electronic circuit 216 is small. Moreover, since the diameter of the insertion part 210 is small, the heat capacity of the insertion part 210 is small. Therefore, the tip 220 reaches about 37 ° C. due to heat generated by the electronic circuit 216 and heat from the illumination. As a result, the condensation at the tip 220 is eliminated. However, since the amount of heat given to the tip 220 is small, it takes time to eliminate condensation.

  Here, the temperature rise property of the distal end portion 220 can be influenced not only by the thickness of the insertion portion 210 but also by the thickness and number of the light guide fibers 223. Therefore, an endoscope scope with a thin or few light guide fiber 223 can exhibit the same properties as those in Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

  The relationship between the time during which the dew condensation on the distal end portion 220 is eliminated and the diameter of the insertion portion 210 will be described with reference to FIG. The horizontal axis indicates the diameter of the insertion portion 210, and the vertical axis indicates the time until the condensation of the distal end portion 220 is eliminated.

  A solid line 51 indicates the endoscope apparatus according to the present embodiment, and a broken line 52 indicates a comparative example in which the electronic circuit 216 does not heat. Since the heat capacity of the insertion portion 210 increases as the diameter increases, the time until the condensation of the distal end portion 220 is eliminated increases. However, heating the tip 220 shortens the time until condensation is eliminated.

  According to the present embodiment, since the distal end portion 220 is heated when the endoscope scope is inserted into the endoscope processor, it is possible to remove condensation before observation.

  Next, the external temperature control process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  The extracorporeal temperature control process is performed when the endoscope scope 200 is attached to the endoscope processor 300 and the illumination switch 236 is turned on.

  When the endoscope scope 200 is inserted into the endoscope processor 300, electric power is supplied from the endoscope processor 300 to the endoscope scope 200 via a contact provided at the connection portion 235, and Vcc increases. Further, when the illumination switch 242 is turned on, the microcomputer 234 detects the illumination switch 242 being turned on and causes a current to flow through the base terminal P1. As a result, the combined resistance decreases and the current I flowing through the electronic circuit 216 increases.

  Since the illumination switch 242 is turned on when starting observation, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to detect the start of observation and remove condensation on the distal end portion 220.

  Note that the microcomputer 234 does not have to turn on the illumination switch 236, but may be any switch that is operated to start observation.

  Next, the external temperature control process according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the extracorporeal temperature control process is performed when the endoscope scope 200 is attached to the endoscope processor 300, and the temperature of the distal end portion 220 rises. When the insertion unit 210 is inserted into the body, the microcomputer 234 detects the insertion and cuts off the current flowing through the base terminal P1. The current I flowing through the electronic circuit 216 is lowered and the heating is finished.

  Insertion into the body is detected by the microcomputer 234 detecting a change in the image. The change in the image is detected by, for example, a change in the brightness of the image or an increase in the proportion of the pink color of many of the body tissues among the colors of the image.

  Even when the temperature of the tip 220 has not risen to the specified value, the current value decreases when the switch 236 capable of detecting the start of observation is pressed. This prevents the temperature from rising and adversely affecting the body tissue.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the distal end portion 220 can be warmed before the endoscope scope 200 is inserted into the body. As a result, condensation does not occur when the endoscope scope 200 is inserted into the body, and it is not necessary to wait for the condensation to be eliminated, thereby shortening the observation time.

  Note that it is not the microcomputer 234 that detects that the insertion unit 210 has been inserted into the body, but may be a processing device provided in the endoscope processor 300.

  Further, when the current flowing through the base terminal P1 is cut off, it may be not when the insertion into the body is detected but when the observation switch provided in the operation unit 230 is pressed.

  Note that the constant current circuit 232 and the second switching circuit 236 may be provided in the endoscope processor. The operation unit can be reduced in size.

  A plurality of open / close circuits 233 may be provided. At this time, the switching circuit 233 is connected in parallel to the base terminal B1. The value of the current flowing from the constant current circuit is determined by experiments according to the thickness and number of the light guide fibers 223, the thickness of the insertion portion 210, and the type of the light source, and is stored in the microcomputer 234. The temperature inside the human body is about 37 ° C., but if it exceeds about 42 ° C., the human body is adversely affected. Therefore, the current value is determined so that the tip temperature is in the range of about 37 ° C. to about 42 ° C. When the insertion portion 210 is thick, the distal end portion 220 is difficult to warm up and the current amount increases. When the light guide fiber 223 is large, the distal end portion 220 has heat due to heat generation of the light guide fiber 223, and the current amount decreases. As a result, the magnitude of the current flowing from the constant current circuit 232 can be finely controlled, and various endoscope scopes and endoscope processors can be supported.

1 is a block diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. It is the figure which showed typically the front-end | tip part of an endoscope. It is the figure which showed a part of circuit of the endoscope scope typically. It is the flowchart which showed temperature control processing. It is the flowchart which showed the process by an endoscope apparatus. It is a timing chart which showed the timing of the electric current sent through an electronic circuit. It is the graph which showed the temperature change of the front-end | tip part. It is the graph which showed time required for dew condensation of a tip part to be removed. It is a timing chart which showed the timing of the electric current sent through an electronic circuit by a 2nd embodiment. It is a timing chart which showed the timing of the current sent through an electronic circuit by a 3rd embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Endoscope apparatus 200 Endoscope scope 212 Image pick-up element 216 Electronic circuit 232 Constant current circuit 233 Open / close circuit 234 Microcomputer 236 2nd switching circuit 252 Tip thermometer 254 Ambient thermometer 300 Endoscope processor 320 Light source for illumination

Claims (13)

An imaging device provided at the distal end of the endoscope scope for imaging an observation object and outputting a video signal;
An electronic circuit that is provided at the distal end portion of the endoscope scope , is attached to the imaging device, and amplifies a video signal output by the imaging device ;
A lens member provided to be exposed from the distal end portion of the endoscope scope and protecting the imaging device from the outside;
A tip thermometer that is provided at the tip and measures the temperature of the tip;
An ambient thermometer that is provided at the tip and measures the temperature around the tip ;
A current control circuit that raises the temperature of the tip by controlling the current flowing in the electronic circuit using a difference value between the measured values of the tip thermometer and the ambient thermometer, and removes condensation of the lens member ; An endoscope apparatus comprising: It is provided so as to be exposed from the distal end portion of the endoscope scope, and further includes a plurality of illumination means for projecting illumination light onto the observation object ,
2. The endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the distal end thermometer is provided at a position where distances from the lens member and the plurality of illumination units are substantially equal when the distal end portion is viewed from the outside in the longitudinal direction of the endoscope scope. Mirror device. The tip is provided with a water outlet for discharging water to the observation object,
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current control circuit controls current when water is discharged from the water supply port.   The current control circuit increases a current flowing through the electronic circuit when a measurement value of the ambient thermometer is larger than a measurement value of the tip thermometer, and causes the electronic circuit to generate heat due to the increase in the current. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the tip portion is increased by heat generation of a circuit to remove dew condensation on a lens provided at the tip portion. The current control circuit includes first switching means for switching on or off the current;
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second switching unit that adjusts a magnitude of a current output from the first switching unit. The first switching means comprises a constant current circuit;
The second switching means includes a switching circuit, a resistor, and a processing device, and the switching circuit outputs from the first switching means by connecting the resistor to the constant current circuit in accordance with a signal from the processing device. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a magnitude of a current to be adjusted is adjusted.   7. The internal circuit according to claim 6, wherein the second switching unit includes a plurality of switching circuits, the plurality of switching circuits are connected in parallel, and the resistor is connected to the constant current circuit in accordance with a signal from the processing device. Endoscopic device. The endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope processor that can be connected to a plurality of endoscope scopes,
The current control circuit increases the temperature of the tip by increasing the current flowing through the electronic circuit,
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the endoscope processor includes a storage unit that stores an increase amount of the current and a time for maintaining the increase for each type of the endoscope scope. The endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope processor that processes an image signal sent from the endoscope scope,
2. The internal current according to claim 1, wherein the current control circuit increases a current flowing through the electronic circuit when the endoscope scope changes from a state where it is not connected to the endoscope processor to a state where it is connected. 3. Endoscopic device. The endoscope apparatus further includes an endoscope processor that processes an image signal sent from the endoscope scope, and an illuminating unit that projects light onto an observation object.
The current control circuit includes a current that flows through the electronic circuit when the endoscope scope changes from a state where it is not connected to the endoscope processor to a state where it is connected , and when the illumination means is turned on. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope is increased. The endoscopic device further comprises detection means for detecting insertion into the body,
When the front Symbol endoscope scope has detected said detecting means that it is inserted into the body, wherein the current control circuit reduces the current flowing through the electronic circuit to a predetermined value, stops the temperature increase of the tip The endoscope apparatus according to claim 9 or 10. The endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope processor that can be connected to a plurality of endoscope scopes,
The current control circuit increases the temperature of the tip by increasing the current flowing through the electronic circuit,
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the endoscope scope includes a storage unit that stores an increase amount of the current and a time for maintaining the increase for each type of the endoscope processor. The endoscope apparatus has been changed from an endoscope processor that can be connected to a plurality of endoscope scopes, and a state in which the endoscope scope is not connected to the endoscope processor. A connection detecting means for detecting the detection, and a detecting means for detecting that the endoscope scope is inserted in the body,
The current control circuit sets a first current value to a maximum value when the connection detecting means detects that the endoscope scope has changed from a state where it is not connected to the endoscope processor to a state where it is connected. wherein performs control of the current flowing through the electronic circuit, the electronic circuit as the maximum value the current value lower than the first current value to the came and said detection means to be in a state of being inserted into the body is detected as The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current flowing through the head is controlled.

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