JPH0552930B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an endoscope imaging device, and particularly to an endoscope imaging device for imaging areas affected by heart beats, such as the inside of the heart and the lumen of blood vessels. The present invention relates to an endoscope imaging device.

[Prior Art] In general, with such endoscopic imaging devices, it is difficult to determine the timing to press the shutter during imaging because the blood vessel walls and inner walls of the heart move due to the beating of the heart. Obtaining clear photographs was extremely difficult.

Previously, while making observations, images were started by pressing the shutter at the moment during the heart's solid phase when there was little movement of the blood vessel walls or the heart's inner wall, but if the timing was even slightly delayed, , I could only get blurry photos. In angiography, a method has been devised in which X-ray imaging is performed in synchronization with the heartbeat to obtain images with less blur. A conventional example of a cardiovascular endoscope is, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 60-61002. This idea incorporates an optical fiber sensor into the endoscope to obtain information such as blood pressure. Alternatively, the endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-172621 detects the amount of red blood cells and adjusts the flushing amount of physiological saline in order to secure a visual field according to the detected value.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, these conventional examples do not control photographing, so even if a clear image can be observed, it is difficult to obtain a photograph without blur.

This invention was made with attention to these problems, and it is possible to obtain clear, blur-free photographs of areas that are subject to rapid movement, such as the inside of the heart and the lumens of blood vessels, which are affected by the beating of the heart. The purpose is to provide an endoscope imaging device that can

[Means for Solving the Problems] The endoscopic photographing device according to the present invention includes a sensor means for detecting the state of pulsation, a means for generating a release signal for instructing the start of photographing, and a means for generating the release signal from the sensor means. The apparatus includes a photographing control means that delays the time corresponding to the output and starts and ends the photographing during the full period of one pulsation.

[Operation] Since this device detects the state of the heartbeat, no matter when the release signal is generated, it is delayed until the start of the full period, so that imaging is always performed within the full period. You can get clear pictures without blur.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of an endoscope imaging device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment. The endoscope photographing device according to the first embodiment includes an endoscope main body 10, a photographing camera 12, and a light source unit 14. An eyepiece section 18 is provided at one end of an operating section 16 of the endoscope main body 10, and a flexible insertion section 20 and a universal cord 21 are connected to the operating section 16. The insertion section 20 is inserted into a body cavity to be observed, such as inside the heart or cardiovascular system. An objective lens 22 is provided at the distal end of the insertion section 20 , and an optical image of the subject formed by the objective lens 22 is incident on one end of the image guide fiber 24 . Further, as shown in a perspective view in FIG. 2, a blood pressure sensor 26, one end surface of a light guide fiber 28, and an opening of a channel 30 are also provided at the distal end of the insertion section 20.
The optical image of the subject incident on the image guide fiber 24 is transmitted through the insertion section 20 to the eyepiece lens 32 of the eyepiece section 18 . The light guide fiber 28 and the electric wire 34 coming out of the blood pressure sensor 26 pass through the universal cord 21 via the insertion section 20 and the operation section 16 and are connected to the connector section 36.
A photographing camera 12 can be detachably attached to the eyepiece section 18.

The photographing camera 12 is provided with a shutter mirror 40, a pentaprism 42, an eyepiece lens 44, and a viewfinder 46. When not shooting, an incident optical image is reflected by the shutter mirror 40 and guided to the pentaprism 42, and the object image is displayed by the viewfinder 46. It is now possible to observe. A film 48 is provided behind the shutter mirror 40. The photographic camera 12 is provided with a release button 50, and is also provided with a synchro switch 52 that is closed in conjunction with the release button 50 and generates a release signal. A lead wire 54 is connected to the synchro switch 52, so that when the photographing camera 12 is attached to the eyepiece 18, a release signal from the synchro switch 52 is transmitted to the endoscope body 10. The other end of the electric wire 56 inside the endoscope body 10 that is connected to this lead wire 54 is connected to the connector section 36, and when the connector section 36 is attached to the light source unit 14, a release signal is transmitted into the light source unit 14. It's becoming like that.

The light source unit 14 is provided with an illumination lamp 60 at a position facing the connector portion 36, and a light source shutter 6 is provided between the connector portion 36 and the illumination lamp 60.
2 is provided so that the light emitted from the illumination lamp 60 can be blocked by the shutter drive motor 64.

Although not shown, the other end of the channel 30 is open to the operating section 16, and physiological saline is sent into the body cavity through the channel 30 in order to secure the field of view of the objective lens 22, etc. I'm starting to be able to do things. A half prism 70 and a light receiving element 70 are provided between the image guide fiber 24 and the eyepiece 32, and the image guide fiber 2
A part of the optical image emitted from the light receiving element 72 is reflected toward the light receiving element 72 for photometry. A signal from the light receiving element 72 is transmitted to a control section 66 in the light source unit 14 via an electric wire 74. Control unit 6
6 controls an illumination lamp 60 and a shutter drive motor 64.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 66 includes a flash light amount adjustment circuit 80 into which signals from the blood pressure sensor 26, synchro switch 52, and light receiving element 72 are input.
and a delay circuit 8 that delays the release signal from the synchro switch 52 by a predetermined time according to the signal from the blood pressure sensor 2 and supplies the delayed release signal to the exposure control circuit 84.
Consists of 2. The signal from the light receiving element 72 is supplied to the exposure control circuit 84 without being delayed. The output of the exposure control circuit 84 is supplied to the illumination lamp 60 and shutter drive motor 64.

The operation of the first embodiment will be explained with reference to the timing charts shown in FIGS. 4a to 4f. The output waveform of the blood pressure sensor 26 is shown in FIG. 4a. As illustrated, the blood pressure sensor 26 detects three blood pressures: ventricular pressure, atrial pressure, and aortic pressure. First, the beating of the heart will be explained with reference to this. The pulsation is repeated periodically, and one period of the pulsation is indicated by T in the figure.
As shown in the figure, one beat (one cycle) is a tonic period,
It consists of four periods: avascular phase, relaxation phase, and solid phase.
When the atria contract and the ventricles begin to contract and the atrioventricular valves close, isometric contraction begins and the tonic phase begins. The tonic phase ends when ventricular pressure equals aortic pressure. At this time, the aortic valve opens and the avascular phase begins. The avascular phase ends with the end of ventricular contraction. The ventricular pressure then equalizes the aortic pressure again, the aortic valve closes, and the diastolic phase of isometric relaxation begins. When the diastole phase ends and the atrioventricular valves open, blood flows from the chambers into the chambers and the solid phase begins. At the end of the solid phase, the ventricles begin to contract, the atrioventricular valves close, and the tonic phase begins again, as described above. In this way, the state of the heart beat can be detected from the output waveform of the blood pressure sensor 26. Here, photographing is started during the full stage when the heart moves less, and if the photographing is completed within the full stage, a clear photograph with less blurring can be obtained. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pulse state of the heart is monitored from the output waveform of the blood pressure sensor 26, and if the release button is pressed outside this period, the timing of the shutter release is delayed, and the timing of the shutter release is delayed until the heartbeat reaches the full period. I am planning to accept shutter releases.

Specifically, the tip of the insertion section 20 is inserted to the target site, physiological saline is flushed through the channel 30 to clean the inside of the body cavity and the front surface of the objective lens 22, and the subject is placed in the viewfinder 46 of the photographing camera 12. Observe by. At this time, the light source unit 14
The light source shutter 62 inside is in an open state, and the light from the illumination lamp 60 enters the light guide fiber 28 of the connector section 36 and is transmitted to the distal end of the insertion section 20, illuminating the inside of the body cavity. At this time, the amount of illumination light from the illumination lamp 60 is an observation light amount suitable for observation with the naked eye. The shutter mirror 40 in the photographing camera 12 is in the down state (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1), and the optical image from the image guide fiber incident through the eyepiece lens 32 is reflected by the shutter mirror 40 and is reflected by the pentaprism 42. , can be observed by the viewfinder 46 through the eyepiece 44.

By pressing the release button 50 when shooting,
At the same time that the shutter mirror 40 is in the up state (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1), the synchro switch 5 is turned on.
2 is closed, a release signal is generated and inputted to the control section 66 via the lead wire 54 and the electric wire 56. Here, it is assumed that the release button 50 is pressed near the end of the full period and a release signal is generated, as shown in FIG. 4b. FIG. 4c shows the up/down state of the shutter mirror 40. When the release signal is generated, the control section 66 supplies a control signal to the shutter drive motor 64 to close the light source shutter 62 as shown in FIG. 4d. Therefore, since no illumination light is incident on the light guide fiber 28, the illumination inside the body cavity is temporarily interrupted. Therefore, even if the release button 50 is pressed, the film 48 is not exposed immediately. A delay circuit 82 in the control unit 66 monitors the heart beat from the output waveform of the blood pressure sensor 26, and delays this release signal until the start of the next solid phase, and the next release signal is output as shown in FIG. 4d. At the start of the full phase, the exposure control circuit 84 and the shutter drive motor 64 open the light source shutter 62 in the light source unit 14 to start illuminating the body cavity. The delay time of the delay circuit 82 is set to a time corresponding to the output of the blood pressure sensor when the release button is pressed. That is, no matter when the release button is pressed, the start of photography is delayed until the start of the enrichment period, so photography can always be performed within the enrichment period. In synchronization with this, the control unit 66 sets the amount of illumination light from the illumination lamp 60 to a large flash amount suitable for photographing, as shown in FIG. 4e. Photographing is thus started.

When exposure is started, the amount of light received (film exposure amount) is calculated by the light receiving element 72 and the exposure control circuit 84, and when the appropriate amount of exposure is reached, the illumination lamp 60 starts flashing light as shown in FIG. 4e. the light source shutter 62 as shown in FIG. 4d.
to the closed state. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4c, the shutter mirror 40 goes down and no light hits the film 48.
As shown in FIG. d, the light source shutter 62 is opened again to return to the state before the start of photography.

Here, if the pulsation period is short, the heart rate is high, and the full period is short, the next pulsation may start during the photographing period. The control unit 66 determines the duration of the full period from the cycle of the output signal of the blood pressure sensor 26, and if it is shorter than the predetermined time, the flash light amount adjustment circuit 80 increases the flash light amount to make one full pulsation possible. To ensure that shooting is completed within a period.

As explained above, according to the first embodiment, no matter when the release button is pressed, the photograph will always be taken during the solid period, when the heart beats are less active between the avascularization periods. An endoscope imaging device is provided.

Next, another embodiment of the invention will be described. In the second embodiment, a myocardial potential detection sensor is provided in place of the blood pressure sensor in the first embodiment, and the cycle of heart beats is detected from the output of this myocardial potential sensor, and photography is controlled in the same manner as in the first embodiment. It is something to do.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment. The third embodiment is different in that the myocardial potential sensor 90 is not provided at the tip of the insertion portion of the endoscope, but is provided separately from the endoscope and is brought into contact with the surface of the human body for detection. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

FIGS. 6a and 6b are diagrams showing the relationship between the output waveform of the myocardial potential sensor 90 and the blood pressure waveform.

According to this third embodiment, the myocardial potential sensor 90
Since the electrical signals from the endoscope are not passed through the endoscope, there is no risk of current leaking into the patient's body, making it electrically safe. Furthermore, since the heartbeat is detected from outside the body, it can also be used to image areas other than the cardiovascular system, such as the esophagus and bronchi.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the fourth embodiment. This is a configuration in which a controller for controlling the injection of physiological saline is added to the configuration of each of the embodiments described above. An automatic injector 94 for injecting physiological saline into the channel for securing a visual field is connected to a channel opening 96 provided in the endoscope insertion section 16. A controller 98 for controlling the automatic injector 94 is connected to a delay circuit of a control section within the light source unit 14.

According to the fourth embodiment, physiological saline is automatically injected into the body cavity from the automatic injector 94 through the channel immediately before the illumination lamp flashes. When the photographing is completed and the shutter mirror is in the down state, the injection of saline is stopped or the amount of injection is reduced.

As a result, a large amount of physiological saline can be injected into the body cavity only during the imaging period, the amount of injection can be kept to the minimum necessary, and the patient's pain can be alleviated.

Furthermore, as a fifth embodiment, a half prism 70 and a light receiving element 72 are provided in the photographing camera 12 in the first embodiment, and an electric wire 74 connecting the light receiving element 72 and the control section 66 and a synchro switch 52 and the control section 66 are provided. There is an embodiment in which an electric wire 56 for connecting the endoscope is provided separately outside the universal cord 21 of the endoscope.

This fifth embodiment also has the advantage of being safe because no electrical signal from the photographing camera flows inside the endoscope, so there is no risk of leakage current flowing into the patient's body.

Note that this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments,
Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since the state of the heartbeat is detected, no matter when the release signal is generated, it is delayed until the start of the enrichment period, so that the release signal is always To provide an endoscope photographing device capable of photographing within a period and obtaining clear photographs without blur.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of an endoscope imaging device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the distal end of the endoscope insertion section, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the inside of the light source unit. A circuit diagram of the control circuit, FIGS. 4a to 4f are timing charts explaining the operation of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the endoscopic photographing device according to the present invention. Figure 6a,
7b is a diagram showing the relationship between the output waveform of the myocardial potential sensor and the blood pressure waveform, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the endoscopic photographing apparatus according to the present invention. 12...Photographing camera, 14...Light source unit,
26... Blood pressure sensor, 52... Synchro switch, 60... Illumination lamp, 62... Light source shutter, 66... Control unit, 72... Light receiving element, 80...
...Flash light amount adjustment circuit, 82...Delay circuit,
84...Exposure control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An endoscopic photographing device for photographing a region affected by heart beats, comprising: a sensor means for detecting the state of the heart beat; and a means for generating a release signal for instructing the start of photographing. , from the output of the sensor means at the time when the release signal is generated, it is detected which time phase of one cycle of pulsation the release signal is generated, and if it is during the full period, the shutter is released immediately, and if it is not during the full period, the shutter is released. The apparatus includes a photographing start means that delays the timing of shutter release until the start of the next full period, and a light emission control means that starts emitting illumination light in synchronization with the start of photographing in order to finish the photographing within the full period. Endoscope imaging device. 2. Claims characterized in that a syringe for injecting saline to secure a photographic field of view is connected to the photographing start means, and the injection of physiological saline is controlled in synchronization with the start of photographing. The endoscope imaging device according to item 1. 3. The endoscope imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means is a blood pressure sensor. 4. The endoscope imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means is a myocardial potential sensor. 5. The endoscope imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light emission control means increases the amount of illumination light when the period of pulsation is short.