JPH03107809A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect a gravity direction without hindering observation by providing a ring-shaped sphere moving space on the front side of one part of the emitting end face of an illuminating light emitting means and installing a means for detecting a sphere moving in the gravity direction and the position of the sphere in the sphere moving space. CONSTITUTION:The ring-shaped sphere moving space 15 is formed between the emitting end face of a light guide 14 and a light distributing lens 13, and a spherical lens 16 which can freely move in the sphere moving space 15 and moves in the gravity direction is housed in the space 15. A part of illuminating light is condensed by the lens 16 so as to irradiate an object as spot light 17. The image of the object is observed from an ocular part 7 through an image guide 12 and the gravity direction on a tip part 10 can be known based on the position of the spot light 17 in an observation field. Since the space 15 is shaped in a ring, the lens 16 does not shield the center part of the illuminating light even when the tip part 10 turns in the gravity direction or in a direction opposite to the gravity direction. Thus, the gravity direction is detected without hindering the observation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope device that can determine the direction of gravity of an insertion section.

[Prior art] In recent years, there has been a trend toward inserting elongated insertion sections into body cavities.
2. Description of the Related Art Endoscopes are widely used to observe internal organs in body cavities and to perform various therapeutic treatments using treatment tools inserted into treatment tool channels as needed.

Also in the industrial field, boilers and turbines.

Industrial endoscopes that can observe and inspect the inside of chemical plants and the like are widely used.

Generally, in an endoscope, the direction of the distal end of the insertion section is not specified, so the vertical direction of the displayed image does not necessarily match the direction of gravity of the observed visual field image.

To deal with this, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-63910 discloses a small device that can be freely moved on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the insertion section in the observation optical system or illumination optical system at the distal end. Is it possible to set up a sphere and detect the direction of gravity based on the position of the shadow of the sphere? N iff is disclosed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention 1 However, when a small ball is provided in the observation optical system,
Since part of the subject image is hidden, there is a risk that observation will be hindered.

In addition, when a small sphere is provided in the illumination optical system, the emitted illumination light is missing due to the small ball blocking a part of the illumination light output end face, and the direction of gravity is detected by measuring the missing direction as ma'+. do. The exit end face of the light guide in the shape of JP-A-62-63 (endoscope shown in JP-A No. 310, circle 1) (
On the j side, a small ball is provided so that it can move freely on its end face -1-6. Therefore, the small ball blocks the illumination light.
Also, when the tip of the endoscope is facing toward the Φ center or toward the opposite IJ direction, the position of the small ball is fixed.
The shadow of a small ball located at the center of the end face of the guide can be seen in the center of the field of view, interfering with observation.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the -1 arrangement, and is designed to detect gravity and direction without disturbing observation. Hinata (
: t,, ”(there is.

1A mirror device is installed in front of at least part of the output of the illumination light emitting means! , a ring-shaped sphere moving space [(11, and a ring-shaped sphere moving space [(11), and IV
]',',) There is a ball C that moves in the 1j direction and 1 stage that detects the position of the ball.

[(Reuse 1 This invention') The sphere is located in the sphere movement space and moves in the direction of gravity, and this sphere blocks the ~ part of the illumination light emitting end surface. The position of the sphere 16 is optically detected.Since the body movement space is ring-shaped C, the sphere is 4xr different from Jl where the center of the illumination light is obscured.

lExample 1 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing the entire endoscope device, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of built-in items at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section.

As shown in Figure 1, endoscope 1 (1, 1, can be long and thin)
It is equipped with an insertion section 2 that has a true nature, and after this insertion section 2 (IX
: A large-diameter operating section 3 is installed in series. This operation 1'1
A single nod guide guide 4 of iiJ l 8 f1 is extended from part 3 to 1, side j), and a light source device (,) is removably connected to the end of this guide 4. An eyepiece 6 is provided at the rear end of the operation section 30 to S to be connected to the eyepiece 1h.

A circular observation window is provided at the center of the distal end surface of the distal end 10 of the insertion section 2, as shown in FIG.
A ring-shaped illumination window is provided on the outer peripheral side of this observation window. An objective lens system 1'1 is installed inside the vA observation window.
), and the distal end surface of the image guide 12 of the fiber bundle 3L is disposed at the imaging position of the objective lens thread 11. The image guide 121 is inserted through the insertion section 2, and the seventh surface of the shell 9 faces the eyepiece 8 in the eyepiece section 7, and inside the illumination window, Ring-shaped, A, +: A light lens 13 is provided.The rear end side of this light distribution lens 13 is provided with a predetermined interval. This light guide 14 is arranged so that its output end face is formed into a ring shape that is the same as the light distribution lens 1; 3. A ring-shaped body movement space 15 is formed between the output end surface of the light guide 14 and the light distribution lens 13.A ring-shaped body movement space 15 is formed between the light guide 14 and the light distribution lens 13. , a ball lens 16 that moves in the vertical direction is housed.This ball lens 16 has the function of condensing the illumination light emitted from the light guide 14.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

The illumination light emitted from the light source device 5 passes through the light guide 14
Light is emitted from the output end face of the light guide 14 in four ways. A ball lens 16 in a ball movement space 15 formed in front of the output end face moves in the direction of Φ force 1. A part of the illumination light emitted from the exit DJ end face of the light guide 14 is in front i:1. The light is focused through the u-ball lens 16)-C
Spot light 17 is irradiated onto object-1.

Furthermore, out of the illumination light emitted from the output units of the lights 1 to guides 14, the light that does not pass through the ball lens 16 (6
1. Light distribution lens 13 T” diffused and 1 m
k: Irradiated. The image of the object is captured by the objective lens system 1.
1 (an image is formed at the tip of the image guide 12, transmitted to the C eyepiece section 7 by this image guide 12, and transmitted from this eyepiece section 7 to the i'I1.! dormitory. Within the field of view, from the position of the spot light 17 on the 13th scale, the tip part 1
You can know the direction of gravity at 0.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the spot light 17 indicates the direction of gravity, it does not interfere with observation and does not impair light distribution. If a light-shielding sphere is provided in place of the ball lens 16 and the direction of gravity is detected by the shadow, the shadow spreads out considerably, which obstructs observation and also impairs the accuracy of detecting the direction of gravity. .

In addition, since the ball movement space 15 is ring-shaped, the tip portion 1
Even when the object 0 is facing toward the center of gravity or the opposite direction, the ball lens 16 blocks the central part of the illumination light, and the direction of gravity can be detected without hindrance to observation.

Further, since the light guide 14 has a ring-shaped output end face, the amount of illumination light blocked by the sphere can be reduced compared to a case where the light guide 14 has a circular output end face. This is because when the output end face is circular, it is necessary to diffuse the illumination light more than when the output end face is ring-shaped, so that the shadow of the sphere becomes larger.

Note that if the ball lens 16 is colored, the spot light 17 becomes easier to see.

3 and 4 relate to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire endoscope device, and FIG. It is an explanatory view showing arrangement.

This embodiment is an example of an electronic endoscope, and the electronic endoscope 21 is
It does not have an eyepiece 7, and a universal cord 24 is provided in place of the light guide cable 4. A video processor 3 is attached to the end of the universal cord 24.
A connector 26 is provided to be detachably connected to the insertion section 2. Also, a solid-state imaging device 22 is provided at the distal end 10 of the insertion section 2 at the imaging position of the objective lens system 11 instead of the image guide 12. A signal line 23 connected to the solid-state image sensor 22 is inserted through the insertion section 2, the operation section 3, and the universal cord 24, and connected to a connector 26. video processor 3
It is connected to the video signal processing circuit 31 in 0. The output signal of the solid-state image sensor 22 is
The signal processing circuit 31 processes the video signal, and the signal processing circuit 31 outputs a video signal of the subject image.

Further, the entrance end of the light guide 14 is connected to the connector 2.
6, and the illumination light emitted from the light source 34 in the video processor 30 is made incident on this input end. The output end face of the light guide 14 is arranged in a ring shape around the objective lens system 11, and a ring-shaped spherical movement space is provided in front of the output end face so as to cover a part of the inner peripheral side of the output end face. 25 are provided. A freely movable light-shielding small ball 27 is housed in the ball movement space 25. A ring-shaped optical sensor 28 divided into a plurality of light-receiving areas is disposed in front of the sphere movement space 25. As shown in FIG. 4, this optical sensor 28 has, for example, eight divided light receiving areas, and each light receiving area is arranged in eight directions, including the upper, lower, left, right, and diagonal directions therebetween.

A signal line 29 connected to this optical sensor 28 is connected to the insertion section 2
．． It is inserted through the operation part 3 and the universal cord 24 and connected to the connector 26, and via this connector 26,
It is connected to a signal processing circuit 32 for detecting gravity direction within the video processor 30. This signal processing circuit 32) detects the direction of gravity from the output signal of the optical sensor 28, and outputs an image indicating the direction of gravity.

The output signals of the signal processing circuits 31 and 32 are sent to the mixing circuit 3.
3 and is input to a monitor 35. Then, on this monitor 35, a subject image 36 and, for example, a gravity direction indicating image 37 around this subject image 36 are displayed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

The illumination light emitted from the light source 34 in the video processor 30 passes through the light guide 14.
The light is emitted from the emission end face. The small sphere 27 within the sphere movement space 25 formed in front of the output end face moves in the direction of gravity. The illumination light emitted from the output end face of the light guide 14 is irradiated onto the subject, and a portion of the light is received by the light sensor 9-28. At this time, the small ball 27
)(-Since some of the light is present, the position of the small sphere 27 is detected by the change in the light receiving area 7 of the optical sensor 28.) From the output signal of the light t-sensor 28, the gravitational direction is detected by the (a-no. processing circuit 32), and a gravitational direction indicating image 37 is displayed on the t-panel 35 together with the subject image 36.
The accuracy of detection in the direction of gravity is improved by increasing the number of divisions of the light receiving area of the nine sensors 28.

The functions and effects of the other configuration 9 are similar to those of the first embodiment.

It is also possible to miniaturize the small force detection means 1) in the second embodiment and configure the gravitational direction detection element 40 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This gravity sensing direction element 40 includes a ring-shaped ball storage section 41, this ball storage section 411. l': Stored freely movable small balls 42 and the ball storage section 41
There is an optical sensor 43 installed on the front side of the Φ force that detects the light receiving area divided into at least 4 parts.The optical sensor 43 is connected to the No. For example, as shown in FIG.
・The distal end surfaces of the parts are arranged perpendicularly to the axial direction of the insertion part, and the other parts on the distal end side of the guides 1 to 14 are arranged so that they are opposite to each other. , light distribution lens 4
5 and 1 are facing each other. In this case, the output end face of the light guide 14 and the light distributing lens 45 have a ring shape and no number of cores. The IJ illumination light that is branched and emitted from the output end face of the 15-ray 1 to the guide 1/1 is received by the small bulb 42 (--some of the light is Because of that,
The position of the small ball 42 and the direction of the chain t5φ force 1) can be detected by changes in the amount of light received by each light receiving area of the optical sensor 713. Increase the number Fi'1 by the light receiving area of the optical sensor 43 F
Therefore, it is possible to detect the direction of gravity. In addition, by putting a viscous fluid into the ball storage portion 41, it is possible to change the response speed.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 8, the distal end of the light guide 14 is branched into three trees (), with the distal end surface of one tree being arranged perpendicular to the axial direction of the insertion section, and the distal end surface of the other one being arranged at the insertion section. By providing two small force deflection detection elements 40, 40 that are arranged parallel to the axial direction and facing each of the distal end surfaces, the distal end 10 of the endoscope can be It is also possible to detect the angle of elevation of the tip 10 in the direction B and t.

Further, the gravity direction sensing element 40 may be
Combination of light sources for III is good.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and is not limited to direct view endoscopes, but also side-viewing and strabismus W! It can also be applied to endoscopes.

1 Effects of the Invention 1 As explained above, according to the present invention, J
The position of the sphere is detected by tracing a part of the illumination light emitting end face at 3 (by the overlapping sphere moving in the direction of gravity).
Since the sphere moves in a ring shape, the sphere does not block the central part of the illumination light, which has the effect of detecting the direction of gravity 'c' without interfering with observation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 (1) pertain to the first embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a small explanatory diagram of the entire endoscope device, and Figure 2 shows the arrangement of built-in components at the tip of the endoscope insertion section. According to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire endoscope device -i1, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of built-in items at the distal end of the endoscope insertion part, No.!l
) to FIG. 8 are examples of small-sized Ifi force j) direction detection, and FIG. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the sensor 9, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the 1F force direction detection element at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section, and Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing two gravity direction detection elements. There is an example in the small-J explanatory diagram in which the endoscope is placed at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section. 1... Endoscope 11... Objective lens system 1b... Ball moving space 17... Spot light 10 ... Tip part 14 ... Light guide 16 ... Ball lens

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope apparatus having an illumination light emitting means, a ring-shaped spherical moving space provided in front of at least a portion of an emitting end face of the illuminating light emitting means; An endoscope apparatus comprising a moving ball and means for detecting the position of the ball.