JP5384041B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope including a fluid ejection nozzle that ejects fluid toward an observation window and an illumination window.

  The endoscope has an observation window for capturing image light of the subject at the distal end of the insertion portion to the subject, and a fluid injection (air supply / water supply) nozzle that injects fluid (water or air) toward the observation window. And. At the time of endoscopy, the liquid and dirt in the subject may adhere to the surface of the observation window, making observation difficult. For this reason, first, water is ejected from the ejection port of the fluid ejection nozzle to wash away the dirt on the observation window, and then air is ejected from the ejection port to blow off the water droplets remaining on the surface of the observation window.

  The endoscope further includes a light guide that guides the illumination light from the light source to the distal end of the insertion portion, an illumination window that emits the illumination light guided by the light guide toward the subject, and a treatment tool that faces the subject. A forceps outlet to project. In a conventional endoscope, one illumination window is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, and when illumination light is emitted from this illumination window, the shadow of the treatment tool protruding from the forceps outlet is reflected in the subject, Observation and treatment could be hindered.

In order to reduce the shadow of the treatment tool, there is an endoscope in which two illumination windows are provided at target positions with the observation window as the center. In this case, the shadow of the treatment tool due to the illumination light emitted from one illumination window is thinned by the illumination light from the other illumination window. Furthermore, the endoscope described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration including two illumination windows and a light guide made of a single fiber bundle in which optical fibers arranged behind these illumination windows are joined midway. Has been.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-8345

  The liquid and dirt in the subject may adhere not only to the surface of the observation window but also to the surface of the illumination window. When the surface of the illumination window becomes dirty, the amount of light that illuminates the inside of the subject decreases, making observation difficult. Further, in the case of a light source device equipped with a light amount adjustment mechanism, if the brightness in the subject decreases due to contamination of the illumination window, the light amount adjustment mechanism operates to increase the amount of illumination light. Problems such as deterioration of the material at the tip may occur.

  However, in the conventional endoscope, it is not considered to clean the illumination window, and the fluid ejected from the fluid ejection nozzle strikes the observation window and blows away dirt, but the illumination window is arranged so that the fluid does not strike. In addition, the endoscope described in Patent Document 1 does not consider cleaning the illumination window.

  Furthermore, in the endoscope of Patent Document 1, the fluid ejection nozzle is arranged at a position close to the illumination window, and the illumination light is reflected by the fluid ejection nozzle, so-called flare occurs, which may hinder observation of the subject. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and allows the illumination window to be cleaned together with the observation window, and prevents the attached liquid and dirt, or the treatment instrument and the fluid ejection nozzle from obstructing the observation of the subject. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can be used.

The present invention relates to an insertion portion that is inserted into a subject, an observation window provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, an illumination window that illuminates light toward the subject that is observed through the observation window, and a fluid jet And a forceps outlet for projecting a treatment tool for performing treatment on the subject, the observation window, the illumination window, and the forceps outlet along a direction in which the fluid ejection nozzle ejects fluid. The observation window, the illumination window, and the forceps outlet are arranged in order from a position close to the fluid ejection nozzle .

Incidentally, before Symbol illumination window it is preferably provided in the center of the leading end of the insertion portion.

According to the endoscope of the present invention, an observation window, an illumination window, and a forceps outlet are provided at the distal end of the insertion portion along the direction in which the fluid ejection nozzle ejects fluid, in order from the position close to the fluid ejection nozzle, Since the observation window, illumination window, and forceps outlet are arranged , the illumination window can be cleaned together with the observation window, and the attached liquid or dirt, or the treatment instrument or fluid ejection nozzle can be prevented from obstructing the observation of the subject. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope system 2 includes an electronic endoscope 10, a processor device 11, a light source device 12, an air / water supply device 13, and the like. The air / water supply device 13 is built in the light source device 12 and is a well-known air supply device (pump or the like) 13a for supplying air, and a wash water tank that is provided outside the light source device 12 and stores wash water. 13b. The electronic endoscope 10 is connected to a flexible insertion portion 14 that is inserted into a subject, an operation portion 15 that is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 14, a processor device 11, and a light source device 12. Universal cord 16.

  At the distal end of the insertion portion 14, a distal end portion 14a in which a CCD 28 (see FIG. 5) as an imaging element for in-subject imaging is incorporated is continuously provided. A bending portion 14b connecting a plurality of bending pieces is provided behind the tip portion 14a.

  A connector 17 is attached to the tip of the universal cord 16. The connector 17 is a composite type connector to which the processor device 11, the light source device 12, and the air / water supply device 13 are connected.

  The processor device 11 performs various image processing on the image pickup signal input from the CCD 28 via the universal cord 16 and the connector 17 to convert it into a video signal, and transmits a drive control signal for controlling the drive of the CCD 28. The video signal converted by the processor device 11 is displayed as an endoscopic image on a monitor 18 connected to the processor device 11 by a cable. Further, the processor device 11 is electrically connected to the light source device 12 and comprehensively controls the operation of the entire endoscope system 2.

  An air supply / water supply channel 19 (see FIG. 4) is arranged inside the insertion portion 14 and the operation portion 15, and the air supply / water supply channel 19 is provided with an air supply / water supply nozzle (provided at the tip portion 14a). Fluid ejection nozzle) 20. The air / water supply channel 19 is connected to the air / water supply device 13 through the universal cord 16.

  The operation unit 15 is provided with a forceps port 21 through which various treatment tools having an injection needle, a high-frequency knife and the like are inserted, an air / water supply button 22, an angle knob 23, and the like. When the air supply operation is performed by the air supply / water supply button 22, the air generated by the air supply device 13a is sent to the air supply / water supply nozzle 20, and when the water supply operation is performed, the air pressure generated by the transmitter device 13a is Wash water is sent from the wash water tank 13 b to the air / water feed nozzle 20. The air / water supply nozzle 20 selectively injects air and cleaning water supplied via the air / water supply channel 19.

  Further, when the angle knob 23 is operated, the bending portion 14b is bent in the vertical and horizontal directions by pushing and pulling the wire inserted in the insertion portion 14. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 14a is orient | assigned to the desired direction in a body cavity.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the distal end portion 14 a is provided with an observation window 24, an illumination window 25, a forceps outlet 26, and an air / water supply nozzle 20. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an optical system 27 for capturing image light in the subject is attached to the back of the observation window 24, and a CCD 28 is attached to the back of the optical system 27. . The CCD 28 is, for example, an interline transfer type CCD. Note that the imaging element is not limited to the CCD 28 and may be a CMOS.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an irradiation lens 29 is provided in the back of the illumination window 25. The emission end of the light guide 30 faces the irradiation lens 29. The light guide 30 is formed by bundling a large number of optical fibers (for example, made of quartz). The light guide 30 passes through the insertion portion 14, the operation portion 15, the universal cord 16, and the connector 17, and guides the illumination light from the light source device 12 to the observation window in the subject. The forceps outlet 26 is connected to a forceps channel 31 disposed in the insertion portion 14 and communicates with the forceps port 21 of the operation portion 15. The tips of various treatment tools inserted through the forceps port 21 are exposed from the forceps outlet 26.

  The air supply / water supply nozzle 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape that is smoothly bent approximately 90 ° from the air supply / water supply channel 19 to the injection port 32 at the tip, so that fluid is sprayed from obliquely above the tip portion 14a. Is formed. Further, the air / water supply nozzle 20 has a protrusion 33 for preventing it from coming out on the outer periphery, and this protrusion 33 is locked in a locking groove 34 formed in the tip portion 14a, so that an air / water supply channel is formed. 19 is fixed so as to be continuously provided.

  2 and 3, the air / water supply nozzle 20 is located in the vicinity of the outer periphery on the end face of the tip end portion 14 a, and the diameter direction of the tip end portion 14 a (direction passing through the line Aa in FIG. 3). The fluid is ejected along The observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in a line along the direction in which the air / water supply nozzle 20 ejects fluid. Therefore, the fluid ejected from the air / water feeding nozzle 20 is sprayed on the observation window 24 and also on the illumination window 25. That is, the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 can be cleaned by one air / water supply nozzle 20.

  In addition, since the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in a row, reflection of the shadow of the treatment tool protruding from the forceps outlet 26 into the subject is reduced. That is, if the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 are arranged in a line with the forceps outlet 26 as a reference, the shadow of the treatment tool caused by the illumination light emitted from the illumination window 25 is within the field of view from the observation window 24. There are many parts that overlap with the treatment tool itself. For this reason, the reflection of the shadow of the treatment instrument itself into the subject is reduced.

  Further, the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in this order from the position close to the air / water supply nozzle 20. Since the observation window 24 is disposed between the air / water supply nozzle 20 and the illumination window 25, the space between the air / water supply nozzle 20 and the illumination window 25 is increased. For this reason, the amount of reflected light generated by the illumination light emitted from the illumination window 25 being reflected by the air / water supply nozzle 20 is reduced, reflection of the reflected light on the observation image is reduced, and flare is reduced.

  Moreover, the illumination window 25 is provided in the approximate center in the end surface of the front-end | tip part 14a. For this reason, the light guide 30 that guides the light to the illumination window 25 can be disposed at the substantially center (coincidence with the tube axis) in the radial direction in the tube of the curved portion 14b connected to the distal end portion 14a. In this way, the curvature of the light guide 30 when the bending portion 14b bends substantially matches the curvature of the tube axis of the bending portion 14b regardless of the bending direction of the bending portion 14b. Therefore, the maximum value of the curvature of the light guide 30 is smaller than when the light guide 30 is disposed at the end in the radial direction.

  This is because a bending piece is arranged in the bending portion 14b, so that the pipe passage is particularly narrow among the insertion portions 14, and the built-in objects in the pipe passage including the light guide 30 are internal spaces that move radially in the pipe passage. Since there is no allowance, each position is almost fixed. When the light guide 30 is arranged at a position away from the tube axis, the position of the light guide 30 is located on the inner peripheral side or on the outer peripheral side of the tube axis depending on the bending direction of the bending portion 14b. Therefore, the curvature of the light guide 30 is smaller than the curvature of the tube shaft when positioned on the outer peripheral side, but is larger than the curvature of the tube shaft when positioned on the inner peripheral side. The curvature when the light guide 30 is positioned on the outer peripheral side is the maximum value, and the value is larger than the tube axis of the bending portion 14b. Therefore, if the light guide 30 is arranged at substantially the center in the radial direction, the maximum value of the curvature of the light guide 30 becomes smaller than that at the end.

  Further, when the light guide 30 is arranged at the radial center (coincided with the tube axis) of the bending portion 14b, the bending portion 14b is bent vertically and horizontally compared to the case where the light guide 30 is arranged at the radial end. The twist of the light guide 30 is also reduced.

  The greater the curvature of the light guide 30 and the greater the twist, the more optical fibers that make up the light guide 30 are disconnected. By reducing the curvature and twist, the disconnection of the optical fiber can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the air / water supply nozzle 20, the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in a straight line, they are orthogonal to the direction in which they are arranged (the direction passing through the line Aa). In the direction (direction passing through the line B-b), there is a margin in the internal space of the tip portion 14a. That is, other parts can be arranged on both sides of the air / water supply nozzle 20, the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26, and the degree of design freedom is improved. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CCD 28 is disposed in a space lateral to the observation window 24 as shown in FIG.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described. When using the endoscope system 2, the connector 17 of the electronic endoscope 10 is connected to the processor device 11 and the light source device 12, and the power of the processor device 11 and the light source device 12 is turned on. When the power of the processor device 11 is turned on, electric power and a drive signal are supplied to the electronic endoscope 10, the CCD 28 is activated, and imaging is started. When the light source device 12 is turned on, the light source is turned on, illumination light emitted from the light source is guided by the light guide, and illumination light is emitted from the illumination window 25. When the insertion unit 14 is inserted into the subject, the illumination light from the illumination window 25 is irradiated onto the subject, and an image captured by the CCD 28 is displayed on the monitor 18.

  During observation of the subject, liquid or dirt in the subject may adhere to the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25, making observation difficult, and reducing the amount of light that illuminates the subject. In such a case, the surgeon first performs a water supply operation with the air / water supply button 22. When the water supply operation is performed, cleaning water is supplied from the air / water supply channel 19 to the air / water supply nozzle 20, and the cleaning water is jetted from the air / water supply nozzle 20 toward the observation window 24.

  Since the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 are arranged in a line along the direction in which the air / water supply nozzle 20 ejects fluid, the wash water ejected from the air / water supply nozzle 20 together with the observation window 24 It strikes the illumination window 25 and blows away liquid and filth at once. The operator who recognizes that the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 have been cleaned by blowing off liquid or dirt by the observation image displayed on the monitor 18, then performs an air supply operation with the air / water supply button 22. . When the air supply operation is performed, air is supplied from the air / water supply channel 19 to the air / water supply nozzle 20. As in the case of water feeding, the cleaning water adhering to the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 is blown off simultaneously by jetting air. By injecting the cleaning water and air, the cleaning of the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 is completed, and a clear observation of the subject becomes possible.

  Further, during observation of the subject, the treatment tool inserted into the forceps channel 31 from the forceps port 21 may be protruded from the forceps outlet 26 to perform treatment on the subject. As described above, since the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in a row in order from the position close to the air / water supply nozzle 20, the treatment tool generated by the illumination light emitted from the illumination window 25. The shadow of the treatment tool almost overlaps with the treatment tool itself in the field of view from the observation window 24, and the shadow of the treatment tool reflected in the subject is reduced. Therefore, when performing treatment with the treatment tool, the shadow of the treatment tool does not hinder observation or treatment. Furthermore, since the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in this order from the position close to the air / water supply nozzle 20, the space between the air / water supply nozzle 20 and the illumination window 25 is increased. Therefore, the reflected light reflected from the air / water supply nozzle 20 by the illumination light emitted from the illumination window 25 is reduced, and the reflected light can be reduced from appearing in the observation image as flare.

  In the above embodiment, the direction in which the air / water supply nozzle 20 ejects the fluid is set to one direction (the direction passing through the line Aa in FIG. 3), but depending on the shape of the air / water supply nozzle 20 Ejects fluid in a predetermined direction rather than in one direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are arranged in the fan-shaped injection range 40 (the hatched portion) where the air / water supply nozzle 20 injects the fluid. do it. If the observation window 24 and the illumination window 25 are arranged in the ejection range 40, the fluid ejected from the air / water feeding nozzle 20 hits the illumination window 25 together with the observation window 24, and the observation window 24 and The illumination window 25 can be cleaned at the same time.

  In this case, the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 do not necessarily have to be arranged in a line, and the direction along the center line of the inner peripheral surface of the air / water supply nozzle 20 indicates the line Aa. Assuming that the observation window 24, the illumination window 25, and the forceps outlet 26 are located at a position where they cross the line Aa and are arranged in the ejection range 40, the emission window 25 emits the light. The shadow of the treatment tool caused by the illumination light substantially overlaps with the treatment tool itself in the field of view from the observation window 24, and the shadow of the treatment tool reflected in the subject is reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the air / water supply nozzle 20 is provided separately from the air / water supply channel 19, but the air / water supply nozzle 20 may be provided integrally with the air / water supply channel 19. . In the above-described embodiment, the electronic endoscope 10 is exemplified as the endoscope, but an ultrasonic endoscope may be used.

It is an external appearance perspective view of an endoscope system. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part of an electronic endoscope. It is the front view which looked at the front-end | tip part of the electronic endoscope along the axial direction of an insertion part. It is sectional drawing along the Aa line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the BB line of FIG. It is a front view of the front-end | tip part to which a 2nd Example is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electronic endoscope 14 Insertion part 19 Air supply / water supply channel 20 Air supply / water supply nozzle 24 Observation window 25 Illumination window 26 Forceps exit 29 Light guide 30 Forceps channel

Claims (2)

An insertion portion that is inserted into the subject, an observation window provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, an illumination window that illuminates light toward the subject that is observed through the observation window, and a fluid ejection nozzle that ejects fluid And a forceps outlet for projecting a treatment tool for performing treatment on the subject, the observation window, the illumination window, and the forceps outlet are provided along a direction in which the fluid ejection nozzle ejects fluid ,
The endoscope , wherein the observation window, the illumination window, and the forceps outlet are arranged in order from a position close to the fluid ejection nozzle . The illumination window, an endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the center of the leading end of the insertion portion.

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