JPH0196618A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure convert a visual field and perform focus adjustment by driving an observation optical system by an elastic actuator which increases and decreases in long-axis length when liquid is supplied and discharged. CONSTITUTION:An endoscope main body is provided with the elastic actuator 20 which increases and decreases in long-axis length by the supply and discharging of the liquid, and this elastic actuator is connected to the observation system 17 provided to a tip constitution part. Then the liquid is supplied to or discharged from the elastic actuator 20, which then extends and contract to drive the observation optical system 17 by the extending/contracting operation. Consequently, the visual field conversion, focus adjustment, etc., are accurately performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope equipped with an observation optical system at the distal end component of the insertion section.

[Conventional technology]

The insertion section to be inserted into a living body cavity includes a flexible tube section, a curved tube section, and a tip component, and the tip component is provided with an illumination optical system and an observation optical system. Then, the insertion section is inserted into the body cavity, and in order to observe the affected area in the body cavity using the observation optical system, the field of view is changed by external operation of the observation optical system, and a clear image of the affected area etc. is obtained. I am adjusting the focus for this purpose.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-67185 discloses a field-of-view converting endoscope in which a space is provided in the distal end component, a field-of-view converting member that is vertically rotatable is provided in this space, and the field-of-view is Fixing the illumination optical system and observation optical system to the conversion member,
The visual field converting member is connected to the operating section via an operating wire inserted through the flexible tube section and the curved tube section, and by moving the operating wire forward and backward, the visual field converting member is rotated to change the visual field in any direction. This allows it to be converted to .

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-91617 discloses an observation optical system,
In other words, it is an endoscope that can adjust the focus of the objective lens,
A lens frame holding an objective lens is housed in the tip component so that it can move forward and backward in the optical axis direction, and this lens frame is connected to the operating section via an operating wire inserted through the flexible tube section and the curved tube section. By moving the objective lens forward and backward, the objective lens can be moved in the optical axis direction and the focal point can be adjusted.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, as mentioned above, endoscopes that have a structure in which the operating wire inserted through the flexible tube section or the curved tube section of the insertion section is advanced or retreated to change the field of view or adjust the focus, A space is required for the insertion to move forward and backward, and the insertion portion has a large diameter. Furthermore, in an endoscope with a long insertion section, the operation wire is also long, and the forward and backward movement of the operation wire is not reliably transmitted to the driven side, resulting in poor responsiveness and
There is a drawback that accurate field of view conversion and focus adjustment cannot be performed due to the elongation of the operating wire.

This invention was made with attention to the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to be able to reliably drive the observation optical system without increasing the diameter of the insertion section, and to accurately perform field conversion, focus adjustment, etc. The goal is to provide an endoscope that can perform

[Means and effects for solving the problems] This invention has the following features:
An elastic actuator whose long axis length expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid is provided in the endoscope body, and this elastic actuator is connected to an observation optical system provided in the distal end component to supply fluid to the elastic actuator. , and expands and contracts by discharging the fluid, and this expansion and contraction action drives the observation optical system.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1 to 4 show a first embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope main body, which is connected to an operating section 2, an insertion section 3, and a universal cord 4 at 71. s has been completed.

The operating section 2 is provided with an eyepiece section 5, and the distal end of the insertion section 3 is provided with a distal end forming section 6. The tip main body 7 of the tip component 6 is made of metal or synthetic resin, and its outer surface is covered with an outer skin 8 made of an insulating material such as rubber or synthetic resin. Furthermore, a space 10 surrounded by a peripheral wall 9a, a front wall 9b, and a rear wall 9C is provided inside the tip main body 7, and a part of the peripheral wall 9a has a side-viewing observation window 11 and a front wall 9b. A direct viewing observation window 12 is provided. Furthermore, an optical fiber bundle 13, an objective lens 14, and a protective tube 15 covering these are provided on the rear wall 9C of the tip body 7, and the objective lens 14 faces the direct viewing observation window 12. An observation optical system 17 is constituted by this optical fiber bundle 13, an objective lens 14, and a reflecting mirror 16, which will be described later. That is, the reflective mirror 16 is provided inside the space 10 of the tip main body 7 with the thick reflective surface 16a facing upward, and one end is located between the side viewing observation window 11 and the direct viewing observation window 12. It is rotatably supported on a hinge pin 18 provided on the tip body 7. A wire 19 m- is connected to the other end, that is, a free end, of the reflecting mirror 16, and this other end passes through the rear wall 9c and is connected to an elastic actuator 20, which will be described later. Note that 19a is a guide roller that guides the wire 19.

Next, to explain the elastic actuator 20, there is a tube 21 made of synthetic rubber in the inner layer, a mesh tube 22 is covered on the outside of the tube 21, and bases 23 and 24 are connected to both ends. ing. An air supply conduit 25 consisting of an air supply tube communicating with the inside of the tube 21 is connected to one of the bases 23, and the other end of the wire 19 is connected to the other base 24. The elastic actuator 20 configured in this manner is provided inside the insertion section 3 and behind the rear wall 9c of the tip body 7, and is held by fixing one base 23 to the support member 26. There is. Furthermore, the other cap 24
A tension spring 27 is stretched between the rear wall 9c and the rear wall 9c. The elastic actuator 20 is configured to expand and contract in length along its long axis by the fluid pressure supplied thereinto. That is, when fluid is supplied to the elastic actuator 20, it expands in the radial direction and the major axis length is shortened, and when fluid is discharged from the elastic actuator 20, it contracts in the radial direction and the major axis length increases. It has become.

Further, the air supply pipe line 25 connected to the elastic actuator 20 is led to the optical power supply device 28 through the inside of the insertion section 3 and the universal cord 4, and is connected to the air supply pump 30 via a solenoid valve 29, which will be described later. It is connected. The solenoid valve 29 is electrically connected to a switch 32 provided on the operating section 2 via a signal line 31 built into the universal cord 4.

The electromagnetic valve 29 is constructed as shown in FIG.

That is, a valve chamber 34 is provided inside the valve body 33,
A first port 35 and a second port 36 are provided facing each other on side walls sandwiching the valve chamber 34 . The first port 35 is connected to the air pump 30 via the air pipe line 25.
In addition, the second ports 36 communicate with the elastic actuators 20 via the air supply lines 25, respectively. moreover,
A valve body 3 having a through port 37 is provided inside the valve chamber 34.
8 is inserted so as to be able to move up and down, and this valve body 38 is connected to the biasing spring 3
9 is biased upward.

Further, an electromagnet 40 is installed at the lower part of the valve body 3'3.
8, and a leak port 41 is provided to communicate with the valve chamber 34. Then, when the switch 32 is turned on and the electromagnet 40 is excited, the valve body 38 is drawn against the biasing force of the biasing spring 39, and the first and second Ports 35 and 36 are connected and switch 3
When the electromagnet 40 is demagnetized by turning off the first
The second ports 35 and 36 communicate with the leak boat 41. Therefore, when the switch 32 is turned on,
By turning off, the electromagnetic valve 29 can be operated to connect the air supply line 25 to the air supply pump 30 or to the atmosphere.

Next, the operation of the endoscope configured as described above will be explained.

Under normal conditions, the switch 32 is in an off state and the electromagnet 40 of the solenoid valve 29 is demagnetized.

Therefore, the valve body 38 is pushed up by the biasing force of the biasing spring 39, and the first and second ports 35, 36 communicate with the leak boat 41. Therefore, air pump 3
The fluid supplied from 0 is leaking to the atmosphere via the leak boat 41. Therefore, the elastic actuator 20
It also communicates with the atmosphere via the air supply pipe 25, and is expanded by the tensile force of the tension spring 27. By elongating one major axis length of the elastic actuator 20, the operation wire 19 is
is in the forward state, and the reflecting mirror 16 is set at an inclination angle of 45''. Therefore, the inside of the body cavity can be observed through the side-viewing observation window 11, and it can be used as a side-viewing endoscope. When the switch 32 is turned on, the electromagnet 40 of the solenoid valve 29 is excited, and the valve body 38 is drawn against the biasing force of the biasing spring 39. Ports 35 and 36 are in communication state,
Leak boat 41 is shut off. Therefore, the fluid supplied from the air pump 30 is supplied to the elastic actuator 20 via the air supply conduit 25.

. When fluid is supplied to the elastic actuator 20, the elastic actuator 20 expands in the radial direction, and the major axis length is accordingly shortened. Therefore, the operating wire 19 retreats against the biasing force of the tension spring 27, and the reflecting mirror 16 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow with the hinge pin 18 as a fulcrum.

Therefore, the reflection mirror f6 is retracted from the optical path connecting the direct viewing observation window 12 and the objective lens 14, and the inside of the body cavity can be observed through the direct viewing observation window 12, allowing use as a direct viewing endoscope.

Therefore, by supplying fluid to the elastic actuator 20 by turning on and off the switch 32, and by discharging the fluid to expand and contract the length of the long axis, the reflecting mirror 16
can be rotated to change the field of view.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment, in which focus adjustment is performed using an elastic actuator 20. That is, the tip main body 7 of the tip component 6 is provided with an observation window 42 and a guide tube 44 facing the tip 43 of the optical fiber bundle 13, and this guide tube 44 has a lens frame 45 holding an objective lens 14.14. is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward in the optical axis direction. This lens frame 45 is provided with a protruding piece 46, and the operating wire 19 connected to the elastic actuator 20 is connected to this protruding piece 46. According to such a configuration,
By operating the elastic actuator 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the lens frame 45 can be moved forward and backward in the optical axis direction via the operation wire 19 to adjust the focal point.

6(A) and 6(B) show a third embodiment, in which an elastic actuator 20 is provided in the operating section 2 of the endoscope to change the field of view or adjust the focus. That is, one base 23 of the elastic actuator 20 is fixed to the operation section main body 46, and the operation wire 47 is fixed to the other base 24.
is connected. The operating wire 47 is connected from the operating section main body 46 through the insertion section 3 to the driven section of the distal end component 6, and the driven section is driven by advancing and retreating the operating wire 47.

In addition, since the elastic actuator 20 of each of the above embodiments is formed of a rubber tube 21, it is highly elastic in the radial direction and the axial direction, and has the force to return to its original state by itself. Therefore, by communicating the tube 21 with the atmosphere, the internal fluid can be pushed out by the restoring force of the tube 21, and the tension spring 27 is not necessarily required.

Further, the fluid is not limited to gas, but may be a liquid such as water or oil.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, an elastic actuator whose major axis length expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid is provided in the endoscope body, and the observation optical system is driven by this elastic actuator. Therefore, there is an effect that conversion of the field of view, focus adjustment, etc. can be performed reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the entire endoscope, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the distal end component, and FIG. ) CB) is an explanatory diagram of the action of the elastic actuator, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the electromagnetic valve, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the tip component showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention in which an elastic actuator is installed. 1... Endoscope body, 6... Tip component, 17...
Observation optical system, 20... elastic actuator. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Atsushi Tsuboi Figure 1 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope equipped with an observation optical system in the distal end component of the insertion section, an elastic actuator whose long axis length expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid is provided in the endoscope body, and this elastic actuator is connected to the observation optical system. What is claimed is: 1. An endoscope that is connected to an optical system, and that an observation optical system is driven by the expansion and contraction motion of an elastic actuator.