JPH01204014A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely and reliably transmit a signal to a drum by providing a rotary transformer coaxially with a drum shaft which takes up the insertion part of an endoscope and transmitting a control signal to a drum driving part through the transformer. CONSTITUTION:The insertion part 4 where a light guide 6 and a CCD TV camera 7 are incorporated is taken up to the drum 3 which is turnably supported on a drum unit 5, where a TV camera controller 14 is arranged. The rotary transformer 15 is provided ciaxially with the drum rotation shaft. The electrical signal of an external controller 16 is transmitted to the TV camera controller 14 through the rotary transformer 15 with such a constitution. Noncontact which occurs in a contact part in case of using a conventional brush does not occur and the signals can be surely and reliably transmitted to the drum side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an endoscope device in which an insertion portion is inserted into a long site such as an industrial conduit to observe the inside.

(Prior Art) An industrial endoscope has a long insertion section, and by inserting this into a long duct, etc., the interior can be observed.

In these endoscopic devices, since the insertion section is long,
In addition to making it possible to wind up using a drum, the drum is equipped with a brush that transmits power and signals to the drive unit that drives the insertion part provided inside the drum, allowing the insertion part to be wound from outside the drum. is driven.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in devices that use such brushes to transmit power and signals, the contact portions of the brushes wear out due to the rotation of the drum, resulting in the failure of signal transmission. If the contact point of the brush is displaced from the axis of the drum, a non-contact state of the brush may occur, and signals may not be transmitted, resulting in malfunction.

This invention was made with a focus on these issues.
An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope device that can improve the reliability of signal transmission to a drum.

(Means for Solving the Problem) In order to achieve the two-legged purpose, a rotary transformer is provided concentrically to the rotating shaft of the drum that winds up the inserted part, and via this rotary transformer, the driving part of the drum and the Connect to a control device outside the drum.

(Operation) Electrical signals from the control device are transmitted to the drum drive section through a rotary transformer that transmits signals without contact.

(Example) The present invention will be described below based on a first example shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the endoscope apparatus, and numeral 1 is a stand on which a U-shaped frame 2 is erected. A second
As shown in the figure, the vertical drum 3 has bearing parts 4a and 4.
It is rotatably supported via a (corresponding to a support part). The drum 3 has circular side plates 3 at both ends of the cylindrical portion 3a.
b.

3b is attached, and the side plate 3b.

The entire drum can be rotated from support at the center of the drum 3b. The proximal end of a long insertion section 4 having a diameter that allows insertion into the tube is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical section 3a of the drum 3, so that the insertion section 4 can be wound up. The drum unit 5 is made up of 1114.

Here, at the distal end of the insertion section 4, there are members necessary for the endoscope, such as an illumination means composed of a light guide fiber 6 and a light distribution lens (not shown), and a C0D-
TV camera 7 (solid-state imaging device, hereinafter referred to as COD)
An observation means consisting of a lens and an objective lens 7a is incorporated. The incident end of the light guide fiber 6 is inserted into the insertion section 4 and inserted into the cylindrical section 3a inside the drum 3.
It is connected to the emission part of the light source device 8 installed inside the. The light source device 8 includes a cooling fan 9 as shown in FIG.
It has a structure in which a light source lamp 11 is provided in a housing 10 in which a light source lamp 11 is installed together with a condenser lens 12 and a prism 13 that guide the illumination light of the light source lamp 11 to an output part, and the incident end of the light guide fiber 6 The light from the light source lamp 11 is collected and guided. However, 11a is a cooling fin provided on the light source lamp 11.

Further, a signal line from the CCD 7 passes through the insertion section 9 and is connected to a TV camera controller 14 that serves as a drive section for the CCD 7 installed inside the cylindrical section 3a. And this T
The V right camera controller 14 is connected to an external control device 16 via a rotary transformer 15 (described later) provided concentrically with the rotation axis of the drum 3, and is connected to a TV monitor 17 connected to the control device 16 with a C0D7. The captured optical image can be displayed. Note that the control device 16 will be described later.

On the other hand, a self-propelled portion 18 is fitted into the distal end portion of the insertion portion 4 . As shown in FIG. 4, the self-propelled section 18 includes, for example, balloons 20 and 21 made of an elastic membrane material such as rubber, at both ends of a tube 19 for driving forward and backward movement made of an elastic body loosely fitted into the insertion section 4. It has a structure with Inside each balloon 20° 21 and tube 19 are three air supply tubes 22, 2, which are inserted into the insertion section 4.
The tips of 3°24 are connected. Further, the base end of each air supply tube 22, 23, 24 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 3a of the drum 3 as shown in FIG.
It is connected to three pumps 25, 26, 27 installed together with the camera controller 14. A pump controller 28 (
The signal line (installed inside the cylindrical part 3a) connects to the previous TV.
Like the camera controller 14, it is connected to an external control device 16 through a rotary transformer 15, and is structured to control the pump controller 14.

The control circuit and control device 16 inside the drum 3
The control circuit of rotary transformer 1 connects these
5 along with 5.

Here, before explaining each circuit, the rotary transformer 15
Regarding the structure, this uses a core that also serves as a bearing part.

That is, the rotary transformer 15 has a rotating core 3 formed by protruding a shaft portion 29b from the center of a circular plate portion 29a at the center of the outer surface of one side plate of the drum 3, for example, the right side plate 3b.
0 concentrically, and an L-shaped fixed core 31 is provided at the tip of the right arm portion of the frame 2 facing the shaft end of the rotating core 30. The aforementioned bearing portion 4a is interposed between the opposing shaft end of the rotating core 30 and the standing portion of the fixed core 31, so that the drum 3 can rotate around the shaft portion 29b. Then, a cylindrical primary coil 32 and a secondary coil 33 are stacked concentrically on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion 29b, and the end of the inner primary coil 32 is attached to the standing portion of the fixed core 31, and the outer It has a structure in which the end of the secondary coil 33 is attached to the plate surface of the plate 29a, so that electrical signals (high and low frequency signals) can be transmitted between the primary coil 32 and the secondary coil in a non-contact state. I have to.

Note that the closed magnetic path formed by the rotating core 30 and the fixed core 31 is used to enhance power coupling between the negative side and the secondary side.

On the other hand, if we explain the circuit inside the drum 3, the drum 3
A power supply circuit 40 having rectification and smoothing functions is installed inside. The input section of this power supply circuit 40 is connected to the secondary coil 33 of the rotary transformer 15, and the output section is connected to the TV left camera controller 14 and the pump controller 28, respectively, and is connected to each device in the drum 3. It constitutes a power transmission system for supplying power. Although not shown, the cooling fan 9 and the light source device 8 are also connected to the power supply circuit 40. Furthermore, power supply circuit 4
0 and the secondary coil 33, the signal output section of the TV left camera controller 14 is connected in parallel via a transformer 43, and the signal input section of the pump controller 28 is similarly connected. 1 connected in parallel via the transformer 44 and connected to the rotary transformer 15
The system signal line 42 is used to supply power to the power supply circuit 40, to transmit a video signal from the TV left camera controller 14, and to transmit a pump control signal to the pump controller 28. . In addition, 41
is a choke coil inserted in the signal line for selecting a power supply signal.

On the other hand, regarding the control device 16, 45 is a switching power supply that outputs a low frequency power signal of about 20 kHz, 46 is a monitor controller for the TV monitor 17, and 47 is a high frequency signal generator of about several MHz, for example IMIIz. This is a pump control signal generator that outputs a pump control signal. Note that the power source may be a commercial frequency of about 50 Hz. These switching power supply 45, monitor controller 46, and pump control signal generator 47 are connected to the primary coil 32 of the rotary transformer 15 via a synthesizer 48, and synthesize each electric signal to generate a signal for the equipment on the drum 3 side. It is possible to transmit to.

That is, the combiner 48 connects a transformer 50 connected to the signal input section of the monitor controller 46 and a transformer 51 connected to the signal output section of the pump control signal generator 47 to the signal line 49 connecting the negative coil 32 and the switching power supply 45, respectively. are connected in parallel, and electrical signals of different frequencies can be synthesized on the signal line 49. Note that 52 is a choke coil interposed in the signal line section before the switching power supply 45. Then, the synthesized electric signal is transferred to the transformer 44 on the drum 3 side. The balloon 20. The balloon 21° tube 19 can be controlled to inflate and deflate, respectively. Of course, TV
The video signal from the left camera controller 14 is separated by a transformer 50 and transmitted to the monitor controller 14. Note that this video signal is sent to the TV controller 14.
The pump control signal is modulated to a signal high frequency of several MHz different from that of the pump control signal.

Therefore, when inspecting, for example, the inside of an industrial pipe using the endoscope apparatus configured in this way, after inserting the self-propelled section 18 into the pipe to be inspected, for example, the monitor controller 46 is inserted. to operate the self-propelled section 18 to the forward direction. Then, the power supply signal (20kHz) from the switching power supply 45 and the pump control signal (IMHz) from the pump control signal generator 47 are synthesized by the synthesizer 48.
is transmitted from the primary coil 32 to the secondary coil 33 of the rotary transformer 15. Then, from the composite signal transmitted to the drum 3 side, a drive signal is selected by a choke coil 41, rectified and smoothed by a power supply circuit 40, and the TV right camera controller 14 and pump controller 28 are respectively used as drive power supplies. It is sent to devices such as

Further, the pump control signal is extracted from the composite signal by the transformer 44 and sent to the pump controller 28 as a signal for controlling each pump 25, 26° 27. As a result, the self-propelled portion 18 moves forward, and the insertion portion 4 is gradually inserted deeper into the tube. That is, the self-propelled section 18
For the forward movement, first, only the front balloon 20 is inflated under the control of the pumps 25, 26, and 27, and that portion is held on the inner surface of the conduit. Subsequently, pressurized fluid is sent to the tube 19 to contract the tube 19 in the axial direction, and the portion of the insertion section 4 rearward from the balloon 20 is advanced, and the insertion section 3 is pulled out from the drum 3. Then, the rear balloon 21 is inflated to hold that portion on the inner surface of the conduit and maintain the advanced state. Thereafter, the front balloon 20 is deflated to release the holding, and at the same time, the pressurized fluid in one tube is exhausted, and the front balloon 20 is moved forward. This process is repeated. However, in FIG. 4, the portion indicated by the two-dot chain line shows the tube 19 in a contracted state. Note that retraction is performed by the reverse process.

On the other hand, the signal from the CCD 7 driven by the TV right camera controller 14 is transmitted to the TV right camera controller 14.
The pump control signal is modulated into a high-frequency video signal different from the pump control signal. This video signal is transmitted to the transformer 43
The signal is sent to the secondary coil 33 of the rotary transformer 15 through the secondary coil 32, and is transmitted to the external control device 16 through the secondary coil 32. The video signal mixed with other signals is then separated by a transformer 50 and input to the monitor controller 46. Then, the monitor controller 46 processes the signal into a video signal, and the image is displayed on the TV monitor 17. In other words, TV monitor 17
Observations of the ducts are made through the

Here, there is a concern that during such handling, signal transmission between the inside and outside of the drum 3 may become defective, and power and control signals may not be transmitted.

However, according to the present invention, power transmission and signal transmission to the rotatably supported drum 3 are performed using the rotary transformer 15, which requires no contact. There is no possibility that signals will not be transmitted due to wear of the contacts, or that signals will not be transmitted due to non-contact of the brushes, as is the case in the past.

However, no malfunctions occur, and the endoscope device is highly reliable. Moreover, by employing the rotary transformer 15, it is possible to reduce the number of signal lines between the drum 3 and the control device 16 into a single line. What is necessary is just to roll up the insertion part 9 which is rotated and led out from the conduit.

Also, 1st. In this embodiment, a concentric rotary transformer 15 was used, but as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. Separate coil type rotary transformers 63 may be used, which are opposed to each other via a separate coil type rotary transformer 63.

In addition, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a separate coil type rotary transformer 67 is used which is divided into a coil section 65 for transmitting power and a coil section 66 for transmitting signals. You can.

Specifically, the coil section 65 is composed of a power secondary coil 65a and a power secondary coil 65b that face each other, and the coil section 66 is composed of a signal secondary coil 66a and a signal secondary coil 66b. .

Such a structure in which power and signal use are separated reduces switching noise because the transmission lines are separate systems.

However, in FIGS. 6 and 7, 68 indicates the core of the rotary transformer 63, 67.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, transmission to the drum is performed via the rotary transformer, so non-contact does not occur at the contact portions unlike when a brush is used.

Therefore, the signal transmission to the drum is reliable and
High quality endoscopic equipment can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the endoscope device, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drum and its surroundings, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the pump system that drives the self-propelled part built into the drum, and Fig. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the self-propelled section installed at the distal end of the insertion section, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the control circuit, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the main parts of the second embodiment of the present invention. , and FIG. 7 are sectional views showing essential parts of a seventh embodiment of the present invention. 3... Drum, 4... Insertion section, 5... Drum unit, 6... Light guide fiber (illumination means),
7... CCD-TV left camera observation means), 14...
TV left camera controller (drive unit), 15... rotary transformer, 16... control device. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Jun Tsuboi Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A drum unit consisting of an insertion section having illumination means and observation means, a drum to which the proximal end of the insertion section is connected and for winding up the insertion section, and a support section that rotatably supports the drum. a drive section provided on the drum unit to drive at least the observation means; a control device that outputs an electric signal to the drive section; and a control device provided concentrically on the rotation axis of the drum to output the electric signal from the control device. An endoscope device comprising: a rotary transformer for transmitting data to the drive unit.