JPH02282713A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stabilize a floating position and to obtain a stable observation image by detecting the displacement position of deflection of an insert part which is floating with the thrust of the jet injection of liquid and controlling the displacement position to zero. CONSTITUTION:A deflection detecting means which detects the deflection displacement position of the tip-side part of the insert part in the floating state is incorporated in an endoscope, and an image of a visual field A observed through an objective optical system 5 is photographed by an image pickup means 24 such as a TV camera mounted on the ocular part of the endoscope and observed on a TV monitor. The position of a reference point P in the image when the reference point P is set to a set point in the screen is denoted as (X0,Y0) and regarded as a target value (set point on the monitor image screen). The difference between a current position (X,Y) and the target value (X0,Y0) is calculated to find the deviation (DELTAX,DELTAY) as a movement quantity on the monitor screen and the manipulated variable of an injection direction control is so performed to control the displacement position to zero. Consequently, the floating position of the insert part can be stabilized. Thus, a stable observation image is obtained.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] [Prior art] In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 62-251639, an injection port is provided at the distal end portion of the insertion section, and a fluid is jetted from the injection port. 2. Description of the Related Art A floating endoscope is known in which an insertion portion is floated by thrust force.

This type of endoscope is often used for industrial purposes, for example,
It is used to inspect gas pipes, tanks, and cavities inside the wings of large airplanes. According to this, since the insertion section can be floated, every corner of a high cavity can be observed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] This type of endoscope allows observation to be carried out close to the region to be inspected while floating the insertion section in a delicate balance with the thrust generated by jet fluid injection. , the floating state is generally unstable. Therefore, during the observation, the tip of the insertion portion tends to be slightly shaken, and as a result, it is generally not possible to obtain a stable observation image and detailed inspection cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope device that can obtain stable observation images by suppressing the deflection of the floating insertion section using the thrust generated by the injection of jet fluid. Our goal is to provide the following.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to solve the above problems, the floating endoscope device of the present invention includes an operating means for changing the floating position of the distal end portion of the insertion section during floating, a deflection detection means for detecting the amount of deflection of the distal end portion of the insertion section; and the operating means for receiving a signal from the deflection detection means so that the amount of deflection displacement of the distal end portion of the floating insertion section becomes zero. and control means for adjusting the operation of the controller.

Since the amount of displacement of the deflection of the floating insertion portion is detected by the thrust generated by the fluid jet jet, and the operation is performed so that this amount of displacement becomes zero, the floating position can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is an insertion section of an endoscope, and this insertion section 1 can receive thrust and float by jetting fluid as described later. The insertion section 1 is formed by sequentially connecting a flexible tube section 2, a curved tube section 3, and a distal end section 4 from the proximal side. Further, the bending tube section 3 is remotely operated to bend by an operation section (not shown) on the hand side, similar to a general endoscope. As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 4 is provided with an objective optical system 5 and a channel opening 6, and is further provided with an illumination optical system (not shown). The objective optical system 5 is connected to an eyepiece optical system (not shown) in the operation section on the hand side through an image guide 7 disposed within the insertion section 1. The illumination optical system is also connected to a light guide (not shown) disposed within the insertion section 1. Further, the channel opening 6 is connected to a channel 8 similarly disposed within the insertion section 1.

A connecting tube 11 between the flexible tube section 2 and the curved tube section 3 in the insertion section 1 has an injection port 12 for jetting fluid.
is provided. This injection port 12 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
As shown in the figure, it opens downward in a fan shape. An air supply port 13 is formed in the center of the fan-shaped injection port 12, and an air supply tube 14 disposed inside the insertion portion 1 is connected to the air supply port 13. The air supply tube 14 is connected to an air supply source (not shown). Further, the flow rate of the pressurized fluid supplied from the air supply source to the air supply tube 14 can be appropriately adjusted by a flow rate adjustment section (not shown).

Furthermore, a rotatable injection direction changing fin 16 attached to a shaft 15 is attached within the injection port 12 .

Both ends of the shaft 15 of the fin 16 are supported by bearings 17 and 18, as shown in FIG. The fins 16 are selectively rotated to the left and right of each position indicated by dotted lines with the solid line shown in FIG. 5 as the center. That is, on the shaft 15 of the fin 16,
An operating wire 19 as shown in FIG. 4 is connected, and the fins 16 are rotated by rotational force transmitted through the operating wire 19.

The operating wire 19 is guided to the operating section through a wire guide 21 made of a tightly wound coil, and is rotated by a drive motor (not shown). Note that the operation wire 19 can also be operated manually.

With such a configuration, the rotating position of the fin 16 within the injection port 12 can be selected and the injection port 12
injection direction control means 2 for changing the direction of fluid ejected from the
2. Further, the injection direction control means 22 constitutes an operation means 23 that changes the position of the floating insertion section 1 by changing the direction of the fluid ejected from the injection port 12.

Further, this endoscope incorporates a shake detection means for detecting the amount of shake displacement of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during floating. Various methods can be used as this shake detection means, but in this embodiment, a method is adopted in which an image captured through the endoscope is processed and the amount of displacement of the shake is detected. That is, an image of the field of view A observed through the objective optical system 5 is photographed by an imaging means 24 such as a TV camera attached to the eyepiece of the endoscope, and the image is observed on a TV monitor. In addition, the image processing device 25 compares the position of the reference point in each captured frame image to detect the amount of movement of the reference point (deviation of the reference point), and from this, the displacement due to the shake of the insertion section 1 is detected. It constitutes a detection means 26 for detecting the amount.

Then, as shown in the control system in FIG. 6, the signal from the deflection detection means 26 is fed back to the comparison section 27, and the injection is performed so that the amount of displacement of the distal end portion of the floating insertion section 1 becomes zero. The control means is configured to perform feedback control to adjust the operation by the direction control means 22.

Next, the operation of the endoscope apparatus having the above configuration will be explained in more detail. First, after introducing the insertion section 1 of the endoscope into the interior 28 of the object to be inspected, pressurized air is supplied from the air supply source (not shown) to the injection port 12 through the air supply tube 14, and a jet is ejected from the injection port 12. is performed, and the insertion part 1
The distal end portion of the tube floats up as shown in FIG. and,
If necessary, the bending portion 3 is remotely bent to direct the distal end portion 4 toward the visual field A side where the tip portion 4 is to be observed.

Then, a colored marker material (paint, etc.) 29 is supplied through the channel 8 of the insertion section 1 and sprayed from the channel opening 6 onto a part of the visual field A to be observed. As a result, the marker material 29 is attached to a part of the field of view A, and the center of the attached marker material 29 is set as the reference point P. Note that instead of setting the reference point P by attaching the marker material 29 in this way, the center of the rivet head, for example, inside the interior 28 of the object to be inspected may be colored in advance and the reference point P may be set. Alternatively, the pattern of the shape of the object to be observed may be used as is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the setting point on the screen is set at the center of the screen (+ portion). Then, this set point is aligned with the reference point P.

After aligning the reference point P with the set point in this way, the position of this reference point P on the image is determined by (Xo).

Yo) and set this as the target value (set point on the monitor screen). Furthermore, in the continuously shot screens, the position (X, Y) of the reference point P for each frame is determined, and the difference between this current position (X, Y) and the above target value (Xo, Yo) is calculated. , the deviation as the amount of movement on the monitor screen (ΔX, ΔY
). Based on this deviation signal, the injection direction control means 22
The amount of operation is adjusted.

That is, the injection direction control means 22 rotates the injection direction changing fin 16 so that the amount of movement of the distal end portion of the floating insertion section 1 becomes zero, and changes the direction of the jet flow to be injected from the injection port 12. change.

However, the insertion section 1, which is floating due to the thrust of the jet jet,
will instantly return to its original position. In this way, since the amount of displacement of the deflection is sequentially detected and feedback control is performed so that this amount of displacement becomes zero, the floating position of the insertion portion 1 can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

Note that the difference between the position one frame before and the current position may be sequentially detected and feedback control may be performed based on this. In addition, in this first embodiment, a TV camera was attached to the eyepiece, but even so-called electronic endoscopes using solid-state image sensors such as CCDs can utilize the image signals described above. This can be controlled in the same way as in the embodiment.

7 to 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the insertion section 1b of the slave endoscope is inserted into the insertion channel of the insertion section 1a of the master endoscope and introduced into the object to be examined. The insertion section 1b of the child endoscope is configured similarly to the endoscope of the first embodiment, but the connecting tube 11 between the flexible tube section 2 and the curved tube section 3 is A mark 31 indicating a reference point P is pre-marked on the back (top) part of the .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, an illumination observation section 32 is provided on the upper surface of the distal end of the insertion section 1a of the master endoscope, through which the mark 31 indicating the reference point P can be observed and photographed. It has become. That is, the illumination observation section 32 includes an objective optical system 33 and an illumination optical system 34, an image guide 35 is connected to the objective optical system 33, and a light guide 36 is connected to the illumination optical system 34. There is. Then, using the illumination optical system 34 and the light guide 36, a mark 3 that displays the 2i&'fi point P in the insertion section 1b of the secondary endoscope
1 is illuminated, and the vicinity of the illuminated reference point P is observed and imaged through the objective optical system 33 and the image guide 35.

Then, the image captured through the illumination observation section 32 of this observation endoscope is subjected to image processing in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, feedback control is performed so that the reference point P comes to an arbitrary set point on the monitor screen imaged by the observation endoscope.

Therefore, also in the case of the second embodiment, the floating position of the insertion section 1b of the secondary endoscope can be stabilized.

Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this third embodiment, for example, a first
An acceleration sensor 41 is attached to the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion section 1 of the endoscope in the embodiment, detects acceleration due to vibration of the insertion section 1, and controls by feeding back this detection signal. Note that the amount of displacement due to vibration of the insertion section 1 may be calculated by integrating the detection signal of the acceleration sensor 41, and this may be used as feedback for control.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This is a modification of the operating means for changing the position of the distal end portion of the floating insertion section 1. That is, an injection port 5 for jetting fluid into a portion of the connecting tube 11 between the flexible tube section 2 and the curved tube section 3 in the insertion section 1.
A plurality of injection ports 1a and 51b are provided, and each injection port 51a and 51b is
The movement of the insertion section 1 is adjusted by controlling the relative flow rate injected from the insertion section 1.

In this embodiment, a pair of left and right injection ports 51a.

51b are equally provided, and each injection port 51a.

Separate air supply lines 52a and 52b are connected to 51b. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, each air supply pipe line 52
A and 52b are provided with a three-port electropneumatic regulator 53. Further, this electropneumatic regulator 53 is connected to a pressurized fluid source 54 via a regulator and a filter. The electropneumatic regulator 53 is adapted to control the distribution ratio of the flow rate from the pressurized fluid source 54 to each air supply pipe line 52a, 52b. The electropneumatic regulator 53 is operated by a control section 56 that is feedback-controlled by a feedback circuit 55 similar to that described above, for example.

In other words, if the floating insertion section 1 swings to the right, a larger amount of flow is supplied to the left injection port 51a, causing stronger injection.

Furthermore, if the floating insertion section 1 swings to the left, a larger amount of flow is supplied to the injection port 51b on the right side, causing stronger injection. Thereby, the position of the floating insertion section 1 can be returned to its original position and stabilized.

13 to 15 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This is a modification of the operating means for changing the position of the distal end portion of the floating insertion section 1, and is made of a bimorph element instead of the fin 16 provided in the injection port 12 in the first embodiment. A fin 60 is provided. This fin 60 fixes the inner end of the injection port 12,
The exit side end of the injection port 12 is the rotating end. A control cord 61 is connected to this fin 60, and this cord 61 is guided through the insertion section 1 to the operation section side of the endoscope and connected to a control means (not shown).

The fin 60 is selectively rotated to the left and right of each position indicated by the dotted lines according to the polarity of the fin 60, with the solid line shown in FIG. 14 as the central standby position. Ru. As a result, the rotational position of the fin 60 within the injection port 12 changes, and the direction of the fluid injected from the injection port 12 is changed. In other words, it constitutes an injection direction control means.

Further, the injection direction control means for applying voltage to the fins 60 to control the injection direction thereof is feedback-controlled by the deflection detection means as described above, and constitutes an operation means for changing the position of the insertion portion 1. .

However, the insertion section 1, which is floating due to the thrust of the jet jet,
will instantly return to its original position. In this way, since the amount of displacement of the runout is sequentially detected and feedback control is performed so that this amount of displacement becomes zero, the floating position of the insertion portion 1 can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

Note that when applying a voltage to the fins 60 to control the ejection direction, a changeover switch may be provided in the operation section of the endoscope so that the operation can be performed by manually switching the switch.

FIG. 16 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the sixth embodiment, an operating means is configured to finely adjust the position of the floating insertion section 1 by using a support device 71 that holds an operating section 70 of an endoscope. That is, the support device 71 has a fixing jig 73 attached to the top surface of the tripod 72, and a movable jig 74 for fitting and supporting the operating section 70 of the endoscope is rotatably provided on the fixing jig 73. . A gear portion 75 is formed on the outer periphery of the movable jig 74, and an adjustment gear 76 is provided on the fixed jig 73 side correspondingly. The adjustment gear 76 is engaged with a gear portion 75 of the movable jig 74, as shown in FIG. Further, the adjustment gear 76 is movable in its axial direction, and can be detachably engaged with a fixed tooth portion 77 provided on the fixing jig 73. Usually, as shown in FIG.
is detached from the fixed tooth portion 77, but it can also be engaged with the fixed tooth portion 77 by pulling the knob 78 of the adjustment gear 76 and moving it in the axial direction.

Furthermore, an operating motor 79 is provided on the fixing jig 73 side, and a small gear 80 is provided on the rotating shaft of this operating motor 79, and this small tooth 1i80 uses the adjusting gear 76 as an intermediate gear. It is connected to a gear portion 75 of a movable jig 74.

Therefore, the insertion section 1 of the endoscope supported by the support device 71
When twisting while floating, the operation motor 79 is driven to rotate the movable jig 74 via the small gear 80 and the adjustment gear 76. Therefore, the endoscope integrated with the movable jig 74 can be rotated.

The direction and amount of rotation can also be freely selected.

By operating in this way, the insertion section 1 can be twisted. If the insertion section 1 of the digital floating endoscope supported by the support device 71 is twisted while floating, the direction of the injection port is curved and the floating direction is changed. In other words, this constitutes an operating means for changing the floating position of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during floating.

Therefore, as described above, there is provided a deflection detection means for detecting the amount of deflection displacement of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during levitation, and a deflection detection means for detecting the amount of deflection displacement of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during levitation. If the operating motor 79 is controlled by a control means that performs feedback control so that the amount of displacement becomes zero,
The operation can be performed so that the insertion section 1 does not shake during levitation, and the floating position of the insertion section 1 can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

In addition, in the support device 71 of this embodiment, the insertion portion 1 of the endoscope can also be twisted manually.

That is, it can be turned using the knob 78 of the adjustment gear 76. Further, when it is desired to fix the rotation position at a predetermined rotational position, the knob 78 is pulled and moved in the axial direction, thereby locking the fixed tooth portion 77 as well. As a result, the movable jig 74 is fixed to the fixed jig 73.

17 and 18 show a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope of this embodiment has an insertion section 1 divided into a proximal part 81a and a floating part 81b on the distal side, and the floating part 81b on the distal side is =I flexible tube part 2, curved tube part 3
and a tip portion 4. Further, the connecting pipe 11 between the flexible tube section 2 and the curved tube section 3 is provided with an injection port 12 for jetting fluid. The injection direction of the injection port 12 may be fixed.

The operating section 82 of this endoscope is provided with a flow rate control switch 83, which can control the flow rate of pressurized air supplied to the injection port 12 from a pressurized fluid source 85 connected through a universal cord 84. ing. Further, this operation section 82 is provided with a bending operation knob 86 and an eyepiece section 87.

Note that an illumination light source 88 is connected to the universal cord 84.

Further, in the endoscope, a floating portion 81b on the distal side of the insertion portion 1 is rotatable about its central axis with respect to a portion 81a on the proximal side. As shown in FIG. 18, an ultrasonic motor 89 is incorporated in the connecting portion between the two. This ultrasonic motor 89 consists of a rotor 89a and a stator 89b, and is capable of rotating the floating portion 81b on the tip side.

If the floating portion 81b can be rotated in this manner, the direction of the jet nozzle 12 during floating changes, and the floating direction of the insertion portion 1 changes. In other words, this constitutes an operating means for changing the floating position of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during floating.

Therefore, as described above, there is provided a deflection detection means for detecting the amount of deflection displacement of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during levitation, and a deflection detection means for detecting the amount of deflection displacement of the distal end portion of the insertion section 1 during levitation. If the ultrasonic motor 89 is controlled by a control means that performs feedback control so that the amount of displacement becomes zero,
The operation can be performed so that the insertion section 1 does not shake during levitation, and the floating position of the insertion section 1 can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

In this embodiment, a focus adjustment knob 91 is provided near the eyepiece section 87. Further, a blade 92 is particularly fitted onto the outer periphery of the proximal side portion 81a of the insertion portion 1.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the amount of displacement of the deflection of the floating insertion portion is detected by the thrust generated by the jet jet of fluid, and the operation is performed so that this amount of displacement becomes zero. The floating position of the insertion portion can be stabilized. Therefore, a stable observation image can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the endoscope in a floating observation state, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the distal end of the insertion section, and FIG. The figure is an explanatory diagram of the monitor image, Figure 5 is a front sectional view of the injection port, Figure 4 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the injection port, and Figure 6 is an explanation of the configuration of the control system that controls the floating state of the insertion section. 7 to 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the endoscope in a floating observation state, and FIG. 8 is a side cross-section of the observation section of the observation endoscope. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the monitor image, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a control system that controls the floating state of the insertion portion showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 11 and 12. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the endoscope device, and FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the injection port vicinity of the insertion section taken along line A-A in FIG. 11. , FIGS. 13 to 15 show the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a side view of the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion section of the endoscope, FIG. 14 is a front sectional view of the vicinity of the injection port of the insertion section taken along line B-B in FIG. 13, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the injection port of the insertion section, FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of a device that supports an endoscope showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 18 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the endoscope device, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting portion between the proximal side portion of the insertion section and the distal floating portion. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Insertion part, 12... Injection port, 16... Fin, 22... Injection direction control means, 23... Operation means,
24... Imaging means, 25... Image processing device, 27.
... Comparison part, P... Reference point, 51a, 51b... Injection port, 60... Fin, 71... Support device, 89...
...Ultrasonic motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope device that levitates the insertion tube by receiving thrust from a jet jet, there is provided an operating means for changing the floating position of the distal end of the insertion tube during levitation, and an operation means for controlling the deflection of the distal end of the insertion tube during levitation. A deflection detection means for detecting the amount of displacement, and a control means for receiving a signal from the deflection detection means and adjusting the operation of the operating means so that the amount of deflection displacement of the tip side portion of the floating insertion portion becomes zero. An endoscope device comprising: