JPH08101351A - Three-dimensional endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To hardly cause halation and to easily grasp peripheral circumstances by turnably fitting and inserting both shafts to which both image pickup parts are respectively connected in a scope frame body and fitting and inserting an illuminating means so that its front edge may be positioned astern of both image pickup parts. CONSTITUTION: When this three-dimensional endoscope is inserted in and pulled out of the inside of a human body, an image pickup surface 2a and an image pickup surface 3a are set in a leg closed state so as to be inserted and pulled out. A center distance between both of them is the shortest. Next, in the case of diagnosing or performing an operation on the inside of the human body, image pickup parts 2 and 3 connected to the shafts 4 and 5 piercing the inside of the scope frame body 1 are set in a leg opened state through the shafts 4 and 5 by rotating handy levers 4a and 5a on the outside of the human body. Then, the center distance between the image pickup parts 2 and 3 becomes long and enough to stereoscopically view a diseased part. In such a case, the center distance between the image pickup parts 2 and 3 is selected at an optional position by the levers 4a and 5a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope used for diagnosing and treating lesions in the body by stereoscopic vision, and more specifically, a three-dimensional internal view capable of visually recognizing a diagnosis target in a three-dimensional manner. Regarding the endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an endoscope incorporating an optical fiber or a solid-state image pickup device has been often inserted into a human body for treatment in order to diagnose a lesion in a human body or perform an operation. As shown in FIG. 9, a conventional three-dimensional endoscope has an endoscope frame 10
Two image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) 11 and 12 are arranged at the front end portion 10a of the optical fiber, and illuminations 13 and 14 by optical fibers are also arranged on the same plane as these image pickup surfaces.

Generally, when viewing an object with two imaging surfaces (objective lenses) arranged, the angle (convergence angle) formed by the lines of sight of the two imaging surfaces with respect to the object changes in inverse proportion to the distance to the object. To do. Then, from such a change in the convergence angle, a change in the absolute distance between the two imaging surfaces and the object can be perceived. In this case, the distance (distance) between the two imaging planes
If is short, the sense of depth is poor, and if it is too wide, it becomes difficult to focus on an object in the vicinity.

[0004]

In the three-dimensional endoscope shown in FIG. 9, since the diameter of the endoscope itself is made as small as possible, the distance between the two image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) 11 and 12 is small. Has become. Therefore, the fact that the two image pickup surfaces 11 and 12 are extremely close to each other means that the convergence angle cannot be sufficiently obtained. When performing an operation using such an endoscope, even in the case of stereoscopic vision, there is a considerable lack of depth perception.
In the end, the surgery is the same as monocular surgery. Further, even in illumination, it is often the case that unevenness in the observation region is difficult to be expressed.

Further, as described above, the imaging surfaces 11 and 12
And the illuminations 13 and 14 are in the same plane, the central portion of the observation region tends to be bright and the peripheral portions to be slightly dark. In other words, a so-called halo appears on the monitor image, and the situation in the peripheral area (unauthorized bleeding, presence of affected area)
Becomes difficult to grasp. If the central portion is adjusted to be dark in order to suppress halation, the peripheral portion becomes even darker.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to further increase the convergence angle even if the diameter of the endoscope itself is small, and the illumination under the optical fiber has unevenness. It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional endoscope in which a part can be observed as it is, and halation is less likely to occur and the surrounding situation can be easily grasped.

[0007]

That is, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a means for constructing a three-dimensional endoscope, including a scoop frame, a scoop frame and two means. It is characterized in that two shafts, which respectively connect the image pickup portions, are rotatably fitted and the lighting means is fitted so that the front end portion thereof is located behind the two image pickup portions. Alternatively, two shafts, in which two image pickup units are connected to each other in the front and rear direction, are rotatably fitted and inserted into the scope frame,
It is characterized in that illumination by an optical fiber or the like is inserted so that its front end portion is located behind the two image pickup portions.

[0008]

The operation when the three-dimensional endoscope is used as the above means will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the reference numerals. If the three-dimensional endoscope is used as the above means, when the three-dimensional endoscope is taken in and out of the human body, the image pickup surface 2a and the image pickup surface 3a are put in and taken out in a "closed leg state" as shown in FIG. At this time, the center distance between them is L, which is the closest state. Next, when performing a medical examination or an operation inside the human body, the lever at the outside of the body
The image pickup section 2 and the image pickup section 3 connected to these shafts through the shaft 4 and the shaft 5 penetrating the inside of the scope frame 1 by turning 4a and 5a are set to the "open leg state". Then, the center distance between the imaging units 2 and 3 becomes L ', which is a sufficient distance for stereoscopically viewing the affected area. in this case,
The center distance between these image pickup units 2 and 3 can be selected at an arbitrary position between L and L ′ by levers 4a and 5a at hand. Further, regarding illumination, the glass rod 8a at the tip of the optical fiber 8 is located rearward of the image pickup units 2 and 3, and light is projected from here. Therefore, the luminous intensity distribution on the observation surface inside the human body becomes more uniform, and halation does not occur. In addition, since the light is illuminated from a slightly obliquely rearward direction, the shadow of the unevenness of the observation surface is further emphasized, which facilitates stereoscopic viewing.
That is, the object to be photographed is just illuminated from behind the TV camera and can be illuminated uniformly.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a front view seen from the arrow P of FIG.

Reference numeral 1 is a scoop frame, and a shaft 4 having a shaft 5 inserted therein is inserted into the upper part thereof. Lever-4a and lever-5a are provided at the rear of these shafts 4 and 5, respectively, and the shafts 4 and 5 are rotatably fitted in the scoping frame body 1 by these levers. The shaft 4 is provided with an image pickup unit 2 including an image pickup surface (objective lens) 2a and an image pickup device (CCD) 2b for converting an image into an electric signal, and the shaft 5 is similarly picked up with an image pickup surface (objective lens) 3a. Element (C
The image pickup section 3 including a CD) 3b and the like is connected by connecting tools 6 and 7, respectively.

The image pickup surface (objective lens) 2a shown in FIG.
And 3a are just in the closed state. And the shaft 4
By rotating levers 4a and 5a provided at the rear of 5 and 5, the distance L between the image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) 2a and 3a can be largely opened. FIG. 4 is a front view of a state in which these image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) 2a and 3a are set to the maximum distance L '. The shaft 5 is fitted in the shaft 4 and fitted in the scoping frame body 1 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. good.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the parallax angle and the stereoscopic effect. In this figure, A and B are image pickup surfaces (viewpoints) separated by a predetermined distance, P and Q are observation points, and the depth between P and Q is d. Also, one imaging point (B in this case)
Let B ′ be the point that has moved a certain distance in the lateral direction as shown in the figure. In this case, the parallax angles are represented as the angle QBP = θ and the angle QB′P = θ ′, respectively. And the depth d
On the other hand, as the parallax angle is larger, that is, as θ <θ ′, more detailed depth information (d / θ> d / θ ′) can be obtained. However, it should be noted that if it is taken too large, imbalance in visual function will occur and stereoscopic viewing will not be possible. The image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) 2a and 3a correspond to A and B, respectively.

As described above, the image pickup units 2 and 3 are arranged side by side in front of the end surface 1a of the scoop frame 1, and these image pickup units 2 and 3 are arranged in the image pickup device (CCD) 2.
b and 3b objective lenses 2a and 3 for imaging
a, an image pickup device (CCD) 2b and a 3b control circuit (not shown), and the like. Although not shown, the image signals from the image pickup devices (CCD) 2b and 3b are displayed on a three-dimensional display device (monitor device such as a liquid crystal display device) outside the body. In this case, as a method for stereoscopic viewing, there is a time division shutter type binocular parallax method or the like.

Further, an optical fiber 8 for illuminating the abdominal cavity is inserted inside the scope frame 1 in parallel with the shafts 4 and 5. The optical fiber 8 is connected to a light source device (not shown) to introduce light, and the glass rod (prism) 8a at the end thereof irradiates the light in a slightly oblique direction. The glass rod 8a is located at almost the same position as the end surface 1a of the scope frame 1. Therefore, this optical fiber 8
Will project light behind the imaging units 2 and 3 attached to the shafts 4 and 5.

Next, the operation of the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention constructed as above will be described. When the three-dimensional endoscope is put in and taken out of the human body, the image pickup surface 2a and the image pickup surface 3a are put in and out in a "closed leg state" as shown in FIG. At this time, the center distance between them is L, which is the closest state. Next, when examining or operating inside the human body, the levers 4a and 5a outside the body are rotated and connected to these shafts through the shaft 4 and the shaft 5 penetrating the inside of the scope frame 1. The image capturing unit 2 and the image capturing unit 3 are set to the “open leg state”. Then, the center distance between these imaging units 2 and 3 becomes L ', which is a sufficient distance for stereoscopically viewing the affected area (see FIG. 4). In this case, the center distance between the image pickup units 2 and 3 has an advantage that any position between L and L'can be selected by the levers 4a and 5a at hand. The shafts 4 and 5 may be driven manually or by using a driving device.

Further, regarding illumination, the glass rod 8a at the tip of the optical fiber 8 is located rearward of the image pickup units 2 and 3, and light is projected from there. Therefore, the luminous intensity distribution on the observation surface in the abdominal cavity becomes more uniform, and halation does not occur. In addition, since the light is illuminated from a slightly obliquely rearward direction, the shadow of the unevenness of the observation surface is further emphasized, which facilitates stereoscopic viewing. That is,
It is possible to illuminate the subject just behind the TV camera and illuminate it evenly.

FIG. 6 is a diagram comparing the light intensity distributions in the observation region between the conventional three-dimensional endoscope and the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention. The curve A is the light intensity distribution by the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention, and the curve B is the light intensity distribution by the conventional three-dimensional endoscope. As is clear from this figure, the three-dimensional endoscope used this time can evenly illuminate the surroundings.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a modified embodiment of the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a side view. Also in this embodiment, the shaft 4 is inserted into the upper portion of the scoop frame 1 by inserting the shaft 5 therein, and an optical fiber 8 for illuminating the inside of the human body is provided in parallel with the shafts 4 and 5. It is fitted. Then, one image pickup unit 3 is arranged in front of the one shaft 5, the other shaft 4 is displaced rearward of the image pickup unit 3, and the other image pickup unit 2 is connected to the coupling tool 6,
Fix with 7. Further, the glass rod 8a at the end of the optical fiber 8 is located at substantially the same position as the end 1a of the scoop frame 1 so as to be behind the image pickup units 2 and 3.

In this embodiment, it is necessary to increase the number of pixels of the image pickup devices (CCD) 2b and 3b incorporated in the image pickup units 2 and 3, for example.
This is convenient when the diameter b of the scoping frame body 1 does not need to be large even when b itself has become large.
In this case, even if there is a difference in front and back between the two imaging surfaces 2a and 3a, and as a result, a difference in image size occurs, if the difference is within several percent, there is no problem in stereoscopic viewing. The error in such a case can be well controlled by the parallax angle and magnification of the objective lens.

[0020]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
When grasping an object during surgery or diagnosis, the angle of convergence can be increased, and the illumination can be illuminated from the rear or slightly obliquely, so that the three-dimensional effect can be further clarified. Therefore,
The operation is very easy for the operator, and the operation time can be shortened, and the burden on the patient is further reduced. Furthermore, since the illumination position is behind the image pickup surface, the observation area can be illuminated more uniformly, and the peripheral area can always be observed. As a result, abnormalities in the surrounding area (unauthorized bleeding, undiscovered affected area, etc.) can be detected at an early stage, leading to safety in surgery.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view taken along the arrow P of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which two image pickup surfaces (objective lenses) incorporated in the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention are set to a maximum distance.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a parallax angle and a stereoscopic effect when viewing an observation point having a depth.

FIG. 6 is a diagram comparing the light intensity distributions in the observation region between the conventional three-dimensional endoscope and the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a modified example of the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial side view of a modified embodiment of the three-dimensional endoscope of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of a conventional three-dimensional endoscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Scope frame 2, 3 Imaging part 2a, 3a Imaging surface (objective lens) 2b, 3b Imaging element (CCD) 4, 5 Shaft 4a, 5a Lever 8 Optical fiber 8a Glass rod (prism)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A scoop frame is rotatably fitted with two shafts respectively connecting two image pickup units, and a front end portion of an illuminating unit is located behind the two image pickup units. A three-dimensional endoscope characterized by being inserted as described above.