JP7216034B2 - Endoscope and how to disassemble the endoscope - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an endoscope and a method for disassembling an endoscope.

2. Description of the Related Art In an endoscope, an endoscope camera head having a lens barrel for holding a lens, an imaging device, and the like is provided at the distal end portion of the endoscope that is inserted into a subject.

For example, in Patent Document 1, an endoscope provided with an objective lens and an imaging device positioned on the imaging plane of the objective lens at the distal end of an endoscope inserted into the body, detects light from the objective lens. An endoscope is described that is provided with a prism that bends toward an imaging device.

In an endoscope camera head having a lens barrel, an image pickup device, etc., the lens barrel holding the lens is adhesively fixed after adjusting the relative position in the axial direction so as to form an image of light on the light receiving surface of the image pickup device. be. Therefore, in the case of a configuration having a prism (optical member) between the lens barrel (lens) and the solid-state imaging device, an optical member holder that holds the lens barrel and the prism is used to maintain the relative position between the lens barrel and the prism. Fix position.

JP-A-9-187420

By the way, an endoscope camera head having an imaging element and the like is expensive. Therefore, it is desired to remove the endoscope camera head from the endoscope and reuse it.

However, the endoscope camera head is adhesively fixed to the endoscope distal end body, and when the endoscope camera head is removed from the endoscope distal end body, the surface of the lens held by the lens barrel is pushed. As a result, a load is applied to the lens surface, causing problems such as scratches and cracks on the lens. In addition, since a load is applied to the portion where the lens barrel and the optical member holder are adhesively fixed, the relative positions of the lens barrel and the prism deviate, causing a problem of defocusing. Therefore, there is a problem that the detached endoscope camera head cannot be reused, or the focus needs to be readjusted.

The present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides an endoscope and an endoscope that can prevent lens damage and focus deviation when the endoscope camera head is removed from the endoscope distal end main body. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for disassembling a scope.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configurations.

[1] Holding a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member arranged between the lens barrel and the image pickup device to guide the light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, and the lens barrel and the optical member an endoscopic camera head having an optical member holder;
an endoscope tip main body having a through-hole into which an endoscope camera head is inserted;
The lens barrel is fitted to the optical member holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the optical member holder are adhesively fixed by the first adhesive fixing portion,
The endoscope camera head and the endoscope tip main body are adhesively fixed by a second adhesive fixing part,
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the barrel, the endoscope distal end body is axially penetrated from the distal end surface of the endoscope distal end body at a position where at least a portion overlaps with the projecting portion of the optical member holder. having an opening for
An endoscope whose opening is large enough to inscribe a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more.
[2] The endoscope according to [1], wherein the opening is hermetically sealed with an airtight member.
[3] The endoscope according to [2], wherein the airtight member is a sealing material.
[4] The endoscope according to [2] or [3], which has a joint surface or a gap between the airtight member and the second adhesive fixing portion.
[5] The endoscope according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the second adhesive fixing portion is positioned closer to the proximal side than the first adhesive fixing portion.
[6] A lens, a lens barrel that holds the lens, an image sensor, an optical member that is arranged between the lens barrel and the image sensor and guides light that has passed through the lens to the image sensor, and an optical member that holds the lens barrel and the optical member an endoscope camera head having a holder and an outer cylinder member into which the optical member holder is inserted;
an endoscope tip main body having a through-hole into which an endoscope camera head is inserted;
The lens barrel is fitted to the optical member holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the optical member holder are adhesively fixed,
The outer peripheral surface of the optical member holder and the outer cylindrical member are adhesively fixed,
An endoscope in which the outer cylinder member and the body of the distal end of the endoscope are adhesively fixed.
[7] The endoscope according to [6], which has an airtight member that airtightly seals between the lens barrel and the outer cylinder member.
[8] The endoscope according to [7], wherein the airtight member is a sealing material.
[9] The endoscope according to any one of [6] to [8], wherein the outer diameter of the outer cylinder member is 0.2 mm or more larger than the outer diameter of the lens barrel.
[10] The endoscope according to any one of [6] to [9], wherein the optical member holder has an outer cylinder member positioning portion that contacts and positions the outer cylinder member.
[11] The endoscope according to any one of [6] to [10], wherein the outer cylinder member has an endoscope distal end body positioning portion that contacts and positions the endoscope distal end body.
[12] Holding a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member arranged between the lens barrel and the image pickup device to guide the light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, and the lens barrel and the optical member A method for removing an endoscope camera head for removing an endoscope camera head having an optical member holder from an endoscope distal end main body having a through portion into which the endoscope camera head is inserted, comprising:
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the barrel, the endoscope distal end main body is positioned so that at least a portion thereof overlaps with the projecting portion of the optical member holder, and the projecting portion extends from at least the distal end surface of the endoscope distal end main body. having an opening penetrating to a position,
An endoscope camera head that removes the endoscope camera head from the endoscope distal end body by inserting a pressing member from the opening of the endoscope distal end body and pressing the projecting portion of the optical member holder. Removal method.
[13] A lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member disposed between the lens barrel and the image pickup device and guiding light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, and an optical member holding the lens barrel and the optical member An endoscope camera in which an endoscope camera head having a holder and an outer cylindrical member into which an optical member holder is inserted is removed from an endoscope distal end body having a through portion into which the endoscope camera head is inserted A head removal method comprising:
A method for removing an endoscope camera head, wherein the endoscope camera head is removed from an endoscope distal end body by pressing an outer cylinder member from the distal end side using a pressing member.

According to the present invention, there is provided an endoscope and an endoscope disassembly method capable of preventing lens damage and defocusing when removing an endoscope camera head from an endoscope distal end main body. be able to.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of configuration of an endoscope system using an endoscope according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope camera head included in an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope distal end portion having the endoscope camera head shown in FIG. 2; 4 is an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an endoscope camera head; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an endoscope camera head; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 8 is an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. 7; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 10 is an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. 9; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope camera head included in the endoscope of the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 14 is an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. 13; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an endoscope camera head; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an endoscope camera head; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an endoscope camera head; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the distal end portion of the endoscope;

Embodiments of an endoscope and an endoscope disassembly method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The description of the constituent elements described below may be made based on representative embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In the drawings of this specification, the scale of each part is appropriately changed to facilitate visual recognition.

In this specification, a numerical range represented by "-" means a range including the numerical values before and after "-" as lower and upper limits.

[First embodiment]
The endoscope of the first embodiment of the present invention is
A lens, a lens barrel that holds the lens, an image sensor, an optical member that is arranged between the lens barrel and the image sensor and guides the light that has passed through the lens to the image sensor, and an optical member holder that holds the lens barrel and the optical member an endoscopic camera head having a tool;
an endoscope tip main body having a through-hole into which an endoscope camera head is inserted;
The lens barrel is fitted to the optical member holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the optical member holder are adhesively fixed by the first adhesive fixing portion,
The endoscope camera head and the endoscope tip main body are adhesively fixed by a second adhesive fixing part,
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the barrel, the endoscope distal end body is axially penetrated from the distal end surface of the endoscope distal end body at a position where at least a portion overlaps with the projecting portion of the optical member holder. having an opening for
The opening is an endoscope having a size that allows a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more to be inscribed.

Further, the method for disassembling the endoscope in the endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes:
A lens, a lens barrel that holds the lens, an image sensor, an optical member that is arranged between the lens barrel and the image sensor and guides the light that has passed through the lens to the image sensor, and an optical member holder that holds the lens barrel and the optical member A method for removing an endoscope camera head for removing an endoscope camera head having a tool from an endoscope distal end body having a through-hole into which the endoscope camera head is inserted, comprising:
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the barrel, the endoscope distal end main body is positioned so that at least a portion thereof overlaps with the projecting portion of the optical member holder, and the projecting portion extends from at least the distal end surface of the endoscope distal end main body. having an opening penetrating to a position,
An endoscope camera head that removes the endoscope camera head from the endoscope distal end body by inserting a pressing member from the opening of the endoscope distal end body and pressing the projecting portion of the optical member holder. This is the removal method.

FIG. 1 conceptually shows an example of an endoscope system having an endoscope of the present invention.

An endoscope system 1 includes an endoscope 2 , a light source unit 3 and a processor unit 4 . The endoscope 2 has a configuration similar to that of a general endoscope, except for an endoscope distal end portion (hereinafter also referred to as a distal end portion), which will be described later.

The endoscope 2 has an insertion portion to be inserted into the subject, an operation portion connected to the insertion portion, and a universal cord extending from the operation portion. and a flexible portion that connects the bending portion and the operating portion.

The distal end portion is provided with an illumination optical system that emits illumination light for illuminating the observation site, an imaging device and imaging optical system that captures an image of the observation site, and the like. The bending section is configured to be bendable in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the insertion section, and the bending operation of the bending section is operated by the operation section. Also, the flexible portion is configured to be relatively flexible so as to be deformable following the shape of the insertion path of the insertion portion.

The operation unit includes a button for operating the imaging operation of the imaging device at the distal end, a knob for operating the bending operation of the bending unit, and the like. In addition, the operating portion is provided with an introduction port into which a treatment tool such as an electric scalpel is introduced, and a treatment tool such as forceps is inserted into the insertion portion from the introduction port to the distal end. A fixture channel is provided.

A connector is provided at the end of the universal cord, and the endoscope 2 is acquired by a light source unit 3 that generates illumination light emitted from an illumination optical system at the distal end and an imaging device at the distal end via the connector. It is connected to a processor unit 4 for processing video signals.

The processor unit 4 processes the input image signal to generate image data of the observation site, displays the generated image data on the monitor, and records the generated image data. Note that the processor unit 4 may be configured by a processor such as a PC (personal computer).

The light source unit 3 emits red light (R), green light (G), blue light (B), and the like in order to acquire an image signal by capturing an image of an observation target site in the body cavity with the imaging device of the endoscope 2. Illumination light such as white light composed of three primary colors and light of a specific wavelength is generated, supplied to the endoscope 2, propagated through a light guide or the like in the endoscope 2, and illuminated at the insertion portion of the endoscope 2. The light is emitted from the illumination optical system at the distal end to illuminate the site to be observed within the body cavity.

A light guide and a group of electric wires (signal cables) are accommodated inside the insertion portion, the operation portion, and the universal cord. Illumination light generated by the light source unit 3 is guided to the illumination optical system at the tip through the light guide, and signals and/or power are transmitted between the imaging device at the tip and the processor unit 4 via the wire group. transmitted through

In addition, the endoscope system 1 may further include a water supply tank that stores wash water and the like, a suction pump that sucks aspirated substances (including the supplied wash water and the like) in the body cavity, and the like. Furthermore, a supply pump or the like may be provided for supplying cleaning water in the water supply tank or gas such as external air to a conduit (not shown) in the endoscope.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope camera head included in the endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope distal end portion having the endoscope camera head shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. Note that the axial cross-sectional view is a cross-sectional view in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens and perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the image sensor.

First, the configuration of the endoscope camera head will be described with reference to FIG.

An endoscope camera head (hereinafter also referred to as a camera head) 10a shown in FIG. 18 , an optical member holder 20 , a circuit board 22 , and a protective member 24 .

The lens 12 is an optical system that forms an image of incident light on the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 . A lens 12 is held by a lens barrel 14 . In the illustrated example, the camera head 10 a has three lenses 12 .

The lens barrel 14 is a cylindrical member and holds one or more lenses 12 . The lens barrel 14 holds the lens 12 so that the optical axis of the lens 12 is perpendicular to one surface of the prism 18 .

The configurations of the lens 12 and the lens barrel 14 are not particularly limited. For example, a configuration having one lens 12 may be used, or a configuration having two, or four or more lenses 12 may be used. Further, each lens 12 may be a convex lens or a concave lens.

The sensor 16 is an imaging device that takes an image by photoelectrically converting the light imaged by the lens 12 into an electric signal. The sensor 16 is a conventionally known imaging device such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary MOS), or the like.

The sensor 16 is arranged closer to the proximal side than the lens barrel 14 . Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the sensor 16 is mounted on the circuit board 22 so that the light receiving surface is parallel to the optical axis of the lens 12 .

Electronic components other than the sensor 16 may be mounted on the circuit board 22 . In addition, the circuit board 22 is provided with a plurality of connection terminals (not shown) for inputting/outputting signals or power to/from the sensor 16 and electronic components. A signal line of the cable 26 is electrically connected to the connection terminal.

The circuit board 22 may be a flexible board. Also, the circuit board 22 may be bent at two or more points. Also, there is no particular restriction on the arrangement of the sensor 16, electronic components, connection terminals, etc. on the circuit board 22. FIG.

A cover glass 17 is arranged on the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 to protect the light receiving surface. A prism 18 is arranged on the cover glass 17 .

A prism 18 is arranged between the lens barrel 14 and the sensor 16 . The prism 18 bends the light passing through the lens 12 held by the lens barrel 14 by 90°, changes the optical path, and guides the light to the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 . In the illustrated example, the prism 18 is a right-angle prism whose entrance surface and exit surface are perpendicular to each other. The prism 18 is arranged with its entrance surface facing the base end side surface of the lens barrel 14 and with its exit surface facing the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 .

The optical member holder 20 is a member that holds the lens barrel 14 and the prism 18 . The optical member holder 20 is a substantially tubular member, and holds the lens barrel 14 by fitting the lens barrel 14 inside the tubular portion. The inner surface of the optical member holder 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 14 are adhesively fixed by a first adhesive fixing portion (not shown).

As the adhesive for bonding the optical member holder 20 and the lens barrel 14, various known adhesives used in conventional endoscopes can be used. This point also applies to adhesives that bond other members together.

The optical member holder 20 has a polygonal flange portion on the proximal end surface of the cylindrical portion, and the incident surface of the prism 18 is brought into contact with the polygonal flange portion. This positions the prism 18 . By holding the lens barrel 14 and the prism 18 at predetermined positions, the optical member holder 20 can adjust the relative position of the lens barrel 14 and the prism 18, that is, the relative position of the lens barrel 14 and the sensor 16 (light receiving surface). fixed.

Here, the lens barrel 14 is adjusted relative to the optical member holder 20 in the direction of the optical axis of the lens 12 (hereinafter also referred to as the axial direction) so that the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 is in focus. It is adhesively fixed to the member holder 20 .

Here, the optical member holder 20 has a protrusion 20a that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 14 in the radial direction of the lens barrel 14 . In the endoscope of the present invention, the camera head 10a can be easily detached from the body of the distal end portion of the endoscope by pressing the projecting portion 20a. This point will be described in detail later.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the optical member holder 20 has a projecting portion 20a on the end face of the cylindrical portion on the distal end side. The protruding portion 20a is formed so as to protrude radially from a portion of the optical member holder 20 in the circumferential direction. Moreover, the projecting portion 20a has a substantially semicircular shape.

The protective member 24 holds the cable 26 with respect to the optical member holder 20 .
As shown in FIG. 2, the protection member 24 is a member formed by bending one plate material, and has a pair of arm portions on the tip side. The arm portion is engaged with the flange portion on the base end side of the optical member holder 20 . In addition, the protective member 24 is crimped so as to press the cable 26 on the proximal end side. The protection member 24 prevents disconnection between the connection terminal and the signal line due to the connection point between the connection terminal and the signal line on the circuit board 22 being pulled when the cable 26 is pulled.

A cable 26 is connected to the camera head 10a. Light is converted into an electrical signal by the sensor 16 and this electrical signal is transmitted via the cable 26 . The cable 26 is passed through the insertion portion, operation portion, universal cord, etc. of the endoscope and connected to the processor unit 4 .

As a result, an observation image captured by the camera head 10a is formed on the light receiving surface of the sensor 16 and converted into an electric signal, which is output to the processor unit 4 via the cable 26 and converted into a video signal. and an observation image is displayed on a monitor connected to the processor unit 4 .

Next, the endoscope distal end portion 40a having the camera head 10a shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

The endoscope distal end portion 40 a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a camera head 10 a and an endoscope distal end portion main body 30 .

The endoscope distal end portion main body 30 is a member formed of a hard member that constitutes the distal end portion of the endoscope. A penetrating portion 32 into which the camera head 10a is inserted is formed in the distal end face 31 of the endoscope distal end body 30 . Further, the endoscope distal end body 30 is provided with an illumination hole, a forceps port, an air/water nozzle hole, and the like. A tip cap (a resin member that protects and insulates the tip) or the like may be provided at the tip of the endoscope.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the camera head 10a is inserted into the penetrating portion 32 of the endoscope distal end main body 30 and is adhesively fixed by a second adhesive fixing portion (not shown).

Here, the endoscope distal end main body 30 has a distal end face 31 at a position where at least a part of the endoscope distal end main body 30 overlaps the projecting portion 20a of the optical member holder 20 when viewed from the axial direction. has an opening 33a extending axially through it.

In the illustrated example, the opening 33a has the same substantially semicircular shape as the protruding portion 20a and is formed so as to be connected (communicated) with a part of the edge portion of the penetrating portion 32 .

When the camera head 10a is inserted into the through portion 32 of the endoscope distal end body 30, the projecting portion 20a of the optical member holder 20 is inserted into the opening 33a. In other words, the opening 33a is formed at a position overlapping the projecting portion 20a when viewed in the axial direction.

The opening 33a has a size that allows a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more to be inscribed. Note that the size of the opening 33a referred to here is the size of the portion excluding the through portion 32 even when the opening 33a communicates with the through portion 32. As shown in FIG. In other words, the size of the opening 33 a is the size when the camera head 10 a is inserted into the through portion 32 .

In such an endoscope, a method of disassembling the endoscope to remove the camera head 10a from the endoscope distal end body 30 is to insert a pressing member such as a pin through the opening 33a as indicated by the arrow in FIG. Then, by pressing the projecting portion 20a toward the proximal end side, the second adhesive fixing portion for adhesively fixing the optical member holder 20 and the endoscope distal end portion main body 30 is peeled off. This allows the camera head 10a to be removed from the endoscope distal end body 30. As shown in FIG.

As described above, a camera head having a sensor or the like is expensive, so it is desired to remove it from the endoscope and reuse it. However, the camera head is adhesively fixed to the endoscope distal end body, and when the camera head is removed from the endoscope distal end body, if the surface of the lens held by the lens barrel is pushed, the lens surface will be loaded. This can cause problems such as scratches and cracks on the lens. In addition, since a load is applied to the portion where the lens barrel and the optical member holder are adhesively fixed, the relative positions of the lens barrel and the prism deviate, causing a problem of defocusing. As a result, there was a problem that the removed camera head could not be reused, or that the focus had to be readjusted.

On the other hand, in the endoscope of the present invention, the optical member holder 20 has a protruding portion 20a that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 14 in the radial direction of the lens barrel 14. A circle having a diameter of 0.1 mm or more axially penetrates from the distal surface 31 of the endoscope distal end main body 30 at a position where the distal end main body 30 of the endoscope overlaps the projecting portion 20a when viewed in the axial direction. It has an opening 33a of a size that can be inscribed. As a result, as indicated by arrows in FIG. 4, a pressing member such as a pin is inserted through the opening 33a to press the projecting portion 20a, thereby bonding the optical member holder 20 and the endoscope distal end main body 30 together. The camera head can be removed by peeling off the fixing second adhesive fixing part. At this time, since no pressing force is applied to the first adhesive fixing portion that adhesively fixes the lens barrel 14 and the optical member holder 20, the relative position of the lens barrel 14 and the optical member holder 20, that is, the lens barrel It is possible to prevent the relative positions of 14 and prism 18 from being deviated. Therefore, defocusing can be prevented. Moreover, since the surface of the lens 12 is not pressed, the lens can be prevented from being damaged. Therefore, the removed camera head can be reused, and the camera head can be easily reused without having to readjust the focus or the like.

The opening 33a has a size that allows a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more to be inscribed. Therefore, a pin with a diameter of at least 0.1 mm can be used as a pressing member for detaching the camera head. If the diameter of the pressing member is less than 0.1 mm, the strength of the pressing member may be insufficient and the pressing member may bend when pressed. On the other hand, since the opening 33 has such a size that a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more can be inscribed, a pin with a diameter of at least 0.1 mm can be used as the pressing member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconvenience such as bending due to insufficient strength of the pressing member when pressed.

Here, the second adhesive fixing portion for adhesively fixing the camera head 10a and the endoscope distal end body 30 is more basic than the first adhesive fixing portion for adhesively fixing the lens barrel 14 and the optical member holder 20. It is preferably located on the end side.
As a result, since the second adhesive fixing portion is closer to the base end side than the first adhesive fixing portion, the force when the projecting portion of the optical member holder is pushed is not applied to the first adhesive fixing portion. , and the second adhesive fixing portion only, which is preferable in that the first adhesive fixing portion is less likely to be destroyed.

Further, the second adhesive fixing portion is not limited to the configuration for bonding the optical member holder 20 of the camera head 10a and the endoscope distal end portion main body 30, and the other members of the camera head 10a and the distal end portion of the endoscope. It may be configured to adhere to the main body 30 . In particular, in the case where the second adhesive fixing portion is closer to the proximal end side than the first adhesive fixing portion, the second adhesive fixing portion may be attached to other than the endoscope distal end portion main body 30 and the optical member holder 20. Even in the configuration in which the .

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the projecting portion 20a of the optical member holder 20 is configured to be provided on a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the end face of the optical member holder 20 on the distal end side in the circumferential direction. If the camera head can be removed from the body of the distal end portion of the endoscope by pressing it, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, like the projecting portion 20b of the camera head 10b shown in FIG. Further, the projecting portion 20b may be configured to extend from the distal end side of the optical member holder 20 to the proximal end side. 5, members having the same configuration as in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. This point also applies to other drawings.

Alternatively, like the protrusion 20c of the camera head 10c shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 20c may have a polygonal shape when viewed from the axial direction.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the optical member holder 20 has a single projecting portion 20a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. may be provided at a plurality of locations.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the optical member holder 20 is configured to have a projecting portion on the distal end side, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the projecting portion may be formed at any position in the axial direction. . From the viewpoint of ensuring the pressing by the pressing member, it is preferable that the projection is provided on the tip side of the optical member holder 20 .

Further, in the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opening 33a of the endoscope distal end main body 30 is connected to the penetrating portion 32 at the distal end surface 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. As in the endoscope distal end portion 40b shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the opening portion 33b may be formed apart from the penetrating portion 32 on the distal end surface 31. FIG. Since it is necessary to insert the camera head 10a into the through portion 32 from the base end side, the opening portion 33b is connected to the through portion 32 at the base end side as shown in FIG.

If the opening 33b is formed apart from the penetrating portion 32 on the distal end surface 31, the shape of the opening 33b is not particularly limited. For example, when the shape of the opening surface of the opening 33b is circular, the diameter of the opening surface should be 0.1 mm or more.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opening 33a of the endoscope distal end main body 30 is configured to be formed in a part of the peripheral portion of the penetrating portion 32 on the distal end surface 31. Not limited. 9 and 10, the opening 33c may be configured to be formed along the entire circumference of the peripheral portion of the penetrating portion 32 on the distal end surface 31, as in the endoscope distal end portion 40c shown in FIGS. That is, the opening 33c may have an annular shape.

In the case of the configuration in which the camera head 10b shown in FIG. , a cylindrical member having substantially the same size as the opening 33c may be used.

Further, in the endoscope of the present invention, the opening of the endoscope distal end body may be airtightly sealed with an airtight member.

For example, in the distal end portion of the endoscope shown in FIG. 11, the opening 33a is airtightly sealed by an airtight member 44. As a result, chemicals or the like can be prevented from entering the interior through the opening 33a and adversely affecting the bonding and fixing portions that bond and fix the members together.

As the airtight member 44, a known sealing agent such as silicone rubber (KE45B, KE445B manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone Co., Ltd., etc.) can be used.

In addition, when the endoscope is configured to have an airtight member 44, the airtight member 44 and the second adhesive fixing portion 42 for adhesively fixing the camera head 10a and the endoscope distal end portion main body 30 are separated by a gap. It is preferable to have Alternatively, the airtight member 44 and the second adhesive fixing portion 42 preferably have joint surfaces. That is, it is preferable that the airtight member 44 and the second adhesive fixing portion 42 are integrated or not bonded.

Thereby, when removing the endoscope camera head, it is possible to remove the airtight member alone first. If an attempt is made to remove the airtight member while the airtight member is fixed to the second adhesive fixing portion, the resistance of the airtight member may act as a load on the first adhesive fixing portion.

[Second embodiment]
The endoscope of the second embodiment of the present invention is
a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member disposed between the lens barrel and the image pickup device and guiding light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, an optical member holder holding the lens barrel and the optical member, and an endoscope camera head having an outer cylindrical member into which the optical member holder is inserted;
an endoscope tip main body having a through-hole into which an endoscope camera head is inserted;
The lens barrel is fitted to the optical member holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the optical member holder are adhesively fixed,
The outer peripheral surface of the optical member holder and the outer cylindrical member are adhesively fixed,
The outer cylinder member and the body of the distal end portion of the endoscope are adhesively fixed to each other in the endoscope.

Further, the method for disassembling the endoscope in the endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes:
a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member disposed between the lens barrel and the image pickup device and guiding light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, an optical member holder holding the lens barrel and the optical member, and an endoscope disassembly method for removing an endoscope camera head having an outer cylindrical member into which an optical member holder is inserted from an endoscope distal end main body having a through portion into which the endoscope camera head is inserted There is
A method for disassembling an endoscope for removing an endoscope camera head and an outer cylinder member from an endoscope distal end body by pressing the outer cylinder member from the distal end side using a pressing member.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view schematically showing an example of an endoscope camera head that the endoscope of the second embodiment of the present invention has. FIG. 13 shows a perspective view schematically showing an example of the distal end portion of an endoscope having the endoscope camera head shown in FIG. FIG. 14 shows an axial cross-sectional view of FIG. Note that the endoscope of the second embodiment also has the same configuration as a general endoscope, like the first embodiment, except for the tip portion.

First, the configuration of the endoscope camera head will be described with reference to FIG.

A camera head 50a shown in FIG. Note that the camera head 50a has the same configuration as the camera head of the first embodiment except that the optical member holder 20 does not have a projecting portion and has the outer cylindrical member 52. are attached, and different parts are mainly explained.

The outer cylinder member 52 is a cylindrical member, and the optical member holder 20 is inserted therein. The outer peripheral surface of the optical member holder 20 and the inner surface of the outer cylindrical member 52 are fixed by adhesion. Also, the outer cylinder member 52 is not adhesively fixed to the lens barrel 14 .

In the example shown in FIG. 12 , the outer cylinder member 52 is arranged such that the end face on the tip end side is substantially at the same axial position as the end face on the tip end side of the lens barrel 14 .

Next, the endoscope distal end portion 60a having the camera head 50a shown in FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG.

An endoscope distal end portion 60a shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 has a camera head 50a and an endoscope distal end portion main body 30. As shown in FIGS. The endoscope distal end main body 30 has the same configuration as the endoscope distal end main body 30 shown in FIG. 3 except that it does not have an opening.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the camera head 50a is inserted into the penetrating portion 32 of the endoscope distal end body 30, and the outer peripheral portion of the outer cylindrical member 52 of the camera head 50a and the inner surface of the penetrating portion 32 are aligned. It is glued and fixed. That is, the through portion 32 is a through hole having substantially the same shape as the external shape of the outer cylindrical member 52 .

In such an endoscope, the method of disassembling the endoscope to remove the camera head 50a from the endoscope distal end main body 30 is as shown by the arrow in FIG. By pressing the outer cylinder member 52 and the endoscope distal end portion main body 30, the adhesively fixed portion is peeled off. This allows the camera head 50 a to be removed from the endoscope distal end body 30 .

At this time, no pressing force is applied to the portion where the lens barrel 14 and the optical member holder 20 are adhesively fixed. can be prevented from being displaced. Therefore, defocusing can be prevented. Moreover, since the surface of the lens 12 is not pressed, the lens can be prevented from being damaged. Therefore, the removed camera head can be reused, and the camera head can be easily reused without having to readjust the focus or the like.

Here, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the outer cylinder member 52 is larger than the outer diameter of the lens barrel 14 by 0.2 mm or more. As a result, when removing the camera head, the barrel 14 is not pressed, and the outer cylinder member 52 can be reliably pressed.

Moreover, it is preferable that the outer cylinder member has an endoscope distal end main body positioning portion that abuts and positions the endoscope distal end main body.

For example, in the endoscope distal end portion 60b shown in FIG. 15, the outer cylinder member 52 has an endoscope distal end portion main body positioning portion 53 protruding radially outward on the end surface on the proximal end side. The endoscope distal end body positioning portion 53 abuts on the proximal end face of the penetrating portion 32 of the endoscope distal end body 30 to position the camera head 50 b with respect to the endoscope distal end body 30 . be able to.

The shape of the endoscope distal end main body positioning portion 53 is not particularly limited as long as it can be brought into contact with the proximal end surface of the penetrating portion 32 of the endoscope distal end main body 30 for positioning.

For example, as in a camera head 50b shown in FIG. 16, the endoscope distal end body positioning portion 53a may be configured to be provided on the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 52 in the circumferential direction.

Alternatively, as in the camera head 50c shown in FIG. 17, the endoscope distal end body positioning portion 53b may not be formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 52 in the circumferential direction.

Alternatively, as in a camera head 50d shown in FIG. 18, the endoscope distal end body positioning portion 53c may be configured to be provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical member 52 in the circumferential direction.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 19, the optical member holder 20 preferably has an outer cylindrical member positioning portion 21 that contacts and positions the outer cylindrical member 52 . The outer cylinder member 52 and the optical member holder 20 can be positioned by bringing the outer cylinder member positioning portion 21 into contact with the end face of the outer cylinder member 52 on the base end side.

The outer cylinder member positioning portion 21 may be provided on the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the optical member holder 20 in the circumferential direction, or may be provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction. It is good also as a structure provided in multiple numbers in a part of circumferential direction of an outer peripheral surface.

Further, the space between the lens barrel and the outer cylinder member may be airtightly sealed with an airtight member.

For example, in the distal end portion of the endoscope shown in FIG. 20, the space between the lens barrel 14 and the outer cylinder member 52 is airtightly sealed by the airtight member 62 . As a result, it is possible to prevent chemicals and the like from entering the interior through the gap between the lens barrel 14 and the outer cylinder member 52 and adversely affecting the adhesion fixing portion that adheres and fixes the members together.

As the airtight member 62, the same sealing material as the airtight member 44 described above can be used.

Although the endoscope and the method for disassembling the endoscope according to the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to various embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above examples and does not depart from the gist of the present invention. Of course, various improvements and modifications may be made within the scope.

Reference Signs List 1 endoscope system 2 endoscope 3 light source unit 4 processor unit 10, 10a, 10b, 10c endoscope camera head 12 lens 14 lens barrel 16 image sensor (sensor)
17 cover glass 18 optical member (prism)
20 optical member holders 20a, 20b, 20c projecting portion 21 outer cylinder member positioning portion 22 circuit board 24 protective member 26 cable 30 endoscope distal end main body 31 end face of endoscope distal end main body 32 penetrating portions 33a, 33b, 33c opening 40a, 40b, 40c endoscope distal end 42 second adhesive fixing portion 44, 62 airtight member 52 outer cylinder member 53, 53a, 53b, 53c endoscope distal end body positioning portion 60a, 60b endoscope tip

Claims (6)

a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member arranged between the lens barrel and the image pickup device to guide light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, and the lens barrel and the optical member an endoscope camera head having an optical member holder that holds a
an endoscope tip main body having a through-hole into which the endoscope camera head is inserted;
the lens barrel is fitted in the optical member holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the optical member holder are adhesively fixed by a first adhesive fixing portion;
the endoscope camera head and the endoscope distal end main body are adhesively fixed by a second adhesive fixing portion;
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the lens barrel, the endoscope distal end main body has a distal end face of the endoscope distal end main body at a position that at least partially overlaps with the projecting portion of the optical member holder. having an opening extending axially through the
The endoscope, wherein the opening has a size such that a circle with a diameter of 0.1 mm or more can be inscribed. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the opening is airtightly sealed with an airtight member. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the airtight member is a sealing material. 4. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein a joint surface or a gap is provided between said airtight member and said second adhesive fixing portion. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second adhesive fixing portion is positioned closer to the proximal side than the first adhesive fixing portion. a lens, a lens barrel holding the lens, an image pickup device, an optical member arranged between the lens barrel and the image pickup device to guide light that has passed through the lens to the image pickup device, and the lens barrel and the optical member An endoscope camera head removing method for removing an endoscope camera head having an optical member holder for holding an endoscope camera head from an endoscope distal end main body having a through portion into which the endoscope camera head is inserted ,
The optical member holder has a protruding portion that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel in the radial direction of the lens barrel,
When viewed from the axial direction of the lens barrel, the endoscope distal end main body has at least a distal end of the endoscope distal end main body at a position where at least a part of the projecting portion of the optical member holder overlaps. Having an opening that penetrates from the surface to the position of the protrusion,
The endoscope camera head is removed from the endoscope distal end body by inserting a pressing member from the opening of the endoscope distal end body and pressing the projecting portion of the optical member holder. How to remove the endoscope camera head.

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