JPH01302216A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability by providing an at-hand operating part with a display part for an image monitor so that the part can freely turn, and arranging a control command means for adjusting an image. CONSTITUTION:The at-hand operating part 12 of an endoscope 11 is provided with a TV monitor 50 and its monitor main body 51 can rotate 180 deg.; a panel board 74 has the control command means 80 adjusting a display image and incorporates buttons 81-83, etc., for adjusting density, tone, and brightness. When the use of the endoscope 11 requires its turn, the image monitor 50 can be turned to the direction in which inspection is easily carried out; this eliminates the need of twisting operator's body, which results in the unsteady positioning of the operator; therefore, inspection can be easily carried out. Additionally, the tone, brightness, and density of an image signal can be controlled close at hand, so that the operability is greatly facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention particularly relates to an endoscope having an image monitor provided on the hand operation section.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-89845, a small TV monitor is attached to the hand control section of an endoscope.
A system has been proposed in which the image observed with an endoscope is projected on a monitor (liquid crystal display) for observation. In this method, the endoscope can be observed from the part at hand where the endoscope is operated, so it is easier to handle than the method in which the TV monitor is installed at a separate location.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, even with this method of attaching a TV monitor to the hand control unit of the endoscope, there are the following problems. In other words, especially for industrial endoscopes used for inspection objects that cannot be moved, such as plant piping, buildings, gas turbines, and power engines, it is difficult to twist the endoscope or turn it upside down. Operations such as Therefore, the operator must twist his or her body accordingly in order to accommodate this. therefore,
You are forced into an extremely unstable and tiring position.

Further, an index can be provided to confirm the upward direction of the tip of the endoscope, but when the endoscope is rotated, the upward direction on the TV monitor screen also rotates, making it difficult to observe.

Furthermore, the operation unit that adjusts the brightness of the TV monitor image to an appropriate state is located near the video processor, which is located in a separate location from the endoscope. The location is far away and it is not easy to make appropriate adjustments during the inspection.

The present invention was made with attention to the above-mentioned problem, and its purpose is to provide a state in which even if the endoscope is twisted, the operator does not have to change his or her posture to correct the twist, making it easier to observe. To provide an endoscope in which an image on a monitor can be observed with a hand, and the observed image can be easily adjusted at hand.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an endoscope in which an image monitor is provided on the hand operation section, in which at least the display section of the image monitor provided on the hand operation section is It is rotatably provided, and furthermore, control command means for adjusting the state of the image displayed on the image monitor is provided near the hand-held operation section.

Therefore, when using a twisted endoscope, the image monitor can be rotated to a direction that is easy to observe, and the twist can be eliminated, so the operator does not have to take the trouble to change his posture and can monitor the image in a position that is easy to observe. images can be observed. Furthermore, since commands to adjust the color tone, brightness, density, etc. of the image signal can be issued at the hand of the endoscope, the adjustments can be easily made immediately during observation.

[Example] Figures 1 to 14 show an example. The endoscope 11 of this embodiment consists of a hand operation section 12, an insertion section 13, and a cable 14. A tip forming portion 18 connected to the tip of the portion 17
It consists of The jet injection part 16 of the insertion part 13 has an up-side injection port 21 facing downward as shown in FIG.
A down-side injection port 22 facing upward is provided.

Each injection port 21, 22 has a separate air supply tube 23.
24 are connected, and high-pressure fluid is individually supplied to each injection port 21 and 22 through this air supply tube 23 and 24 for injection. Further, the distal end component 18 is provided with an imaging optical system 26 and an imaging element 27, and an imaging signal cord 28 is connected to the imaging element 27. Furthermore, an illumination optical system 31 is provided in the tip component 18, and a light guide 32 is optically connected to this illumination optical system 31. A flexible guide rod 33 is protruded from the top of the tip of the tip component 18 . A contact 35 having two claws 34 is attached to the tip of the guide rod 33.

In addition, the hand operation unit 12 of the endoscope 11 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in the figure, a TV monitor 50 as an image monitor, which will be described later, is provided at the proximal end. Further, on the top surface of the main body 40 of the hand operation unit 12, an up side injection button 41,
A jet injection operation section 46 is provided which includes a down side injection button 42, an air supply amount increase button 43, an air supply amount decrease button 44, and an intermittent injection button 45, and an image pickup device 27 is provided on the side closer to the jet injection operation section 46. A freeze frame button 47 commands an operation to store the video signal obtained and display it on the TV monitor 50 as a still image, and a freeze frame button 47 commands an operation to record the video signal to an external video file (not shown in the figure, such as a VCR, floppy disk, laser disk, etc.). A shirt button 48 is provided so that the endoscope 11 can be kept at hand while the endoscope 11 is in use and can be used immediately when necessary.

On the other hand, the TV monitor 50 is mounted such that its monitor main body 51 is rotatable about the axis ρ in the longitudinal direction of the endoscope 11 and can be held at any rotational position. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a bearing frame 52 is screwed and attached to the proximal end of the main body 40 of the hand control unit 12, and a shaft space 53 is formed between the bearing frame 52 and the proximal end of the main body 40. is forming. A shaft portion 54 provided at the end of the monitor main body 51 is housed within this bearing space 53 and is rotatably supported. Furthermore, the main body 4 facing the shaft space 53
As shown in Fig. 6, there is a rotating axis g on the hand end surface of 0.
Two guide grooves 55 and 56 are formed in the shape of semi-circular arcs, facing each other and having different diameters. Each of the guide grooves 55 and 56 has a shaft portion 54 of the monitor main body 51.
Guide pins 57 and 58 provided protrudingly are fitted,
It is guided through a rotation range of 180°. However, the monitor body 51i of the TV monitor 50;! The monitor body 51 can be rotated within a range of 180".
As shown in FIG. 7, click grooves 61 are formed opposite the shaft portion 54 in an annular arrangement centered on the axis p. Further, a locking ball 63 is provided on the shaft portion 54 of the monitor main body 51 facing the click groove 61 and is biased to protrude by a coil spring 62, and a click stop mechanism 64 is constituted by these locking balls 63. has been done. Due to the action of this click stop mechanism 64, the monitor body 51 of the TV monitor 50 is not only rotatable within a range of 180 degrees, but also held at any position within the rotation range.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the display section 65 of the TV monitor 50 is slightly inclined with respect to the rotating arm g of the monitor main body 51, and is oriented obliquely upward.

Furthermore, this display section 65 is rotatably held on an assembly support plate 66. This rotating shaft portion 67 is supported by a set screw 68 and a disc spring 69. Furthermore, a click groove 71 is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft body of the rotating shaft portion 67, as shown in FIG. is provided. Thus, the display section 65 is rotatable and can be held at any rotational position. Furthermore, a knob portion 73 is formed on the circumferential surface of the display portion 65 to be used for rotational operation. The front peripheral portion of the display section 65 is rotatably surrounded by a panel plate 74 and a frame 75, except for the portion where the knob section 73 is operated, and a mask plate 76 is attached to the front surface. This mask plate 76 is provided with an indicator 77 pointing upward, as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, a display section 6 is provided on the panel board 74 of the TV monitor 50.
A control command means 80 for adjusting the displayed image of No. 5 is provided. That is, this is the density adjustment button 81 for one image,
It incorporates a color tone adjustment button 82, a brightness adjustment button 83, etc.
The operator can adjust the display image on the display unit 65 from the endoscope 11 at hand. In addition, the panel board 74
is provided with a microphone 84 so that the operator who is operating the endoscope 11 can input audio as appropriate and record it in the video file along with the video. Note that this voice can also be used for searching as the address of recorded information.

The hand operation section 12 is provided with a bending operation means 88 consisting of knobs 85 and 86 for bending the bending section 17 of the insertion section 13 and lock knobs 87 thereof.

Next, a method of using the endoscope 11 will be explained. Figure 9 shows its usage. The insertion section 13 of the endoscope 11 is introduced into a tank 92 through piping 91 of a plant or the like. The welded portion 93 inside the tank 92
We are trying to inspect whether there is any damage due to corrosion or cracks.

That is, the up side injection button 41 in the hand operation section 12
to inject high-pressure gas from the up-side injection port 21,
The thrust generated by the reaction causes the insertion portion 13 to float higher than the liquid level of the liquid 94 stored in the tank 92. Furthermore, the bending portion 1 can be operated by the bending operation means 88 as necessary.
7, select the position and direction of the tip component 18, observe the inner hole of the next pipe 95, and then observe the state of the welded part 93 above it to check for damage due to corrosion, cracks, etc. Check to see if it is. The state of this inspection section is determined by illumination light supplied through the light guide 32 being irradiated through the illumination optical system 31 and imaged by the imaging optical system 26 on the imaging element 27 .

Then, the image sensor 27 captures this image, which is transmitted to an external video processor via a code 28 and converted into a video signal. This video signal is transmitted to the TV monitor 50 and displayed on the screen of its display section 65 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the operator can view the image while operating the endoscope 11. Therefore, since the operation of the endoscope 11 and the observation of its images can be performed at the same hand, handling of the TV monitor 50 is much easier than when the TV monitor 50 is installed at a separate location.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the display section 65 of the TV monitor 50 is slightly tilted with respect to the rotating axis g of the monitor main body 51 and is oriented obliquely upward. You can easily see the image even with a different grip. Also, if it is necessary to adjust the display image on the display unit 65, the internal view tf! By adjusting the image density adjustment button 81, color tone adjustment button 82, and brightness adjustment button 83 provided on the panel board 74 of the TV monitor 50 on the near side of the TV monitor 111, the image can be adjusted to a state that is easy to view. Since there is no need to make adjustments at a remote location, the operator can operate it very easily in the same way as above.

Furthermore, when the image being observed is to be filed or viewed as a still image, the freeze frame button 47 and the shutter button 48 are operated. Since these are also located in the hand-held operating section 12, they can be easily operated immediately during use.

Note that the operator can use the microphone 84 on the panel board 74 at hand to input audio as appropriate while operating the endoscope 11 and record it in the video file along with the video. Note that this voice has the effect of facilitating the search described later as an address of the recorded information.

By the way, in the case of such an object to be examined, it is not possible to move the object to be examined, so depending on the area to be observed, operations such as twisting the endoscope 11 itself or turning it upside down may be performed. The need arises. It is extremely unstable and tiring for the operator to twist his or her body to follow this motion.

Further, when the endoscopy ttt11 is rotated, the screen of the TV monitor 50 is also rotated upward, making it difficult to observe.

Therefore, in the above configuration, the monitor main body 51 of the TV monitor 50 is rotated, and the display section 65 thereof is rotated to select a position that is easy to observe and hold it at this position. In this way, the operator does not have to take an unreasonable posture such as twisting his body, and can observe the image on the TV monitor 50 in an easy-to-view state.

Furthermore, the function of the guide rod 33 provided at the tip of the insertion portion 13 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 9, when inspecting a ceiling wall surface, for example, this guide rod 33 is placed on the ceiling wall surface and is moved while being observed. In this way, continuous observation can be performed at an appropriate observation depth and magnification.

Furthermore, if the distance between the two claws 34 at the tip of the guide rod 33 is set to a certain distance, the length can be compared with, for example, a crack 97 within the observation field, as shown in FIG. can be measured.

In addition, using the guide rod 33 mentioned above,
Use as shown in Figure 3 is also possible. That is, the 11th
In the figure, when the piping 98 is inserted into the upstream branch pipe 99, the guide rod 33 is first guided to the upstream branch pipe 99, and the insertion part 13 is inserted using this as a guide.

Further, FIG. 12 shows a case where the tube 101 is inserted into a stepped tube 101, and the guide rod 33 is first guided into the tube 101, and the insertion portion 13 is inserted using this as a guide.

Further, FIG. 13 shows a case where the insertion part 13 is inserted into a tube 103 separated by a space 102, and the guide rod 33 is first guided into the tube 103, and the insertion part 13 is inserted using this as a guide.

The contact 35 of the guide rod 33 may be provided with three claws 34 as shown in FIG. 14. In this way, the three claws 34 can be brought into contact 5 at the same time, and the stability at the time of contact is improved. Also, the contact 3
If a roller or the like is provided at the tip of 5, it can be easily moved even if there are some irregularities on the ceiling surface or the like on which it slides. Furthermore, the tip of the contactor 35 may be semi-spherical.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the spacing of the contacts 35 may be different, or as shown in FIG. 17, the contacts 35 may be spread out in a triangular shape with a distance L'. 17th
What is shown in the figure is observed as shown in FIG.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, the injection port 21 and the guide rod 33
By aligning the positions of the guide rods 33 and bringing the tip of the guide bar 33 within the field of view, the jet propulsion direction can be determined by looking at the image of the tip of the guide rod 33, as shown in FIG.

21 to 23 show modified examples of the jet injection section 112 provided in the insertion section 111. The distal end component 113 and the injection port 114 are integrally constructed, and the assembly 115 is arranged so that the shaft part 11
7, and is rotatable in the vertical direction. Further, an operating rod 118 is connected to the injection port 114 of the assembly 115 via a pivot pin 119.
This operating rod 118 is guided through the inside of the insertion portion 111 toward the proximal side. By pushing and pulling the operating rod 118, the assembly 115 is rotated up and down to change the directions of the jet injection part 112 and the tip structure part 113 at the same time. The direction of the jet injection part 112 is reversed. Further, the tip component 113 is connected to the imaging optical system 12 as shown in FIG.
1 and a solid-state image sensor 122, and an illumination optical system 125 optically connected to the tip of a light guide 124. The signal cord 126 connected to the imaging unit 123 and the light guide 124 pass through each of the shaft portions 117 and the pillars 116, and further,
It is guided to the proximal side through the insertion section 111. Further, the other support column 116 and the shaft portion 117 communicate with a high-pressure fluid supply path 127 that communicates with the injection port portion 114 . This supply path 127 is connected to a high pressure supply source outside the endoscope through the insertion section.

However, in this example, the operation rod 11 is
If you push and pull 8 to change the direction of the tip component 113,
The direction of the injection port 114 also changes. Then, the direction of the injection port 114 is opposite to the direction of the tip component 113, and the high pressure fluid is injected in this direction, and thrust always acts in the direction that the tip component 113 faces. Therefore, if the target region is captured in the field of view, the distal end component 113 can be efficiently and reliably guided toward the target region.

24 and 25 also show a modification of the jet injection section 112 provided in the insertion section 111, but this is an assembly 115 consisting of a distal end component 113 and an injection port 114 that are integrally configured. is pivotally supported at the distal end of the insertion section 111 of the endoscope via a universal joint 131. That is, the universal joint 131 consists of two links 132 and 133, and has two orthogonal axes: an axis 134 in the left-right direction and an axis 135 in the front-rear direction. Further, the directions of the tip forming portion 113 and the injection port portion 114 are opposite to each other. Further, a flexible tube 137 is connected to the injection port 136 of the injection port section 114, and high pressure fluid is supplied through the flexible tube 137. The tip component 113 has a second
As shown in FIG. 5, an illumination window 138 and an observation window 139 are provided.

The viewing direction is always directed in a fixed direction, for example, upward, and the injection port 136 is directed downward.

Therefore, since the assembly 115 consisting of the tip component 113 and the injection port 114 is supported via the universal joint 131, no matter how the insertion section 111 is oriented,
The viewing direction always faces upward, and the injection port 136 faces downward. Therefore, if high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection port 136, a stable floating blade always works in the upward direction for observation.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention provides an endoscope in which an image monitor is provided on the hand operation section, in which at least the display portion of the image monitor provided on the hand operation section is rotatably provided, and Control command means for adjusting the image displayed on the image monitor is provided near the operating section.

Therefore, when using a twisted endoscope, by untwisting the endoscope and rotating the image monitor to a direction that is easy to observe, the operator does not have to take the trouble to change his or her posture and can easily view the image on the monitor in a state that is easy to observe. can be observed. moreover,
Since commands for adjusting image conditions such as the color tone, brightness, and sip angle of image signals can be issued at the hand of the endoscope, the adjustments can be made immediately and easily during observation.

In this way, the operability of the endoscope can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the operating section of one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operating section, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the insertion section, and FIG. 4 is a part of the TV monitor. 5 is a side sectional view of the rotating shaft of the display part in a part of the TV monitor, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a view taken along line B in FIG. 4. 8 and 9 are perspective views of the usage state of the embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the observation screen in the embodiment,
11 to 13 are explanatory views of other usage states, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a modified example of the guide rod, and FIGS. 15 to 17 are plan views of different modified examples of the guide rod, respectively. Figure 18 is an explanatory diagram of the state of the observation screen in this modification, Figure 19 is a side view of the vicinity of the tip of the insertion tube showing another modification, and Figure 20 is an illustration of the state of the observation screen in this modification. Explanatory drawings, FIG. 21 is a side view of the vicinity of the tip of the insertion portion showing still another modification, FIG. 22 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the tip of the insertion portion, and FIG. 23 is taken along line C-C in FIG. 21. Cross section, 2nd
Figure 4 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the tip of the insertion section in another modification;
FIG. 25 is a plan view thereof as well. 11... Endoscope, 12... Hand operation unit, 13...
Insertion portion, 50...TV monitor, 51...Monitor body, 52...Bearing frame, 54...Shaft portion, 67...
Rotating shaft section, control command means. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Jun Tsuboi Figure 4, Figure 6, Figure 7, Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13, Figure 14, Figure 15, Figure 16, Figure 17, Figure 18) Ekitsune-, N) 19 Figure 20Figure 21

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope in which an image monitor is provided on the hand operation section, at least the display section of the image monitor provided on the hand operation section is rotatably provided, and furthermore, the display section of the image monitor is provided near the hand operation section. An endoscope characterized by being provided with a control command means for adjusting the display state of a projected image.