JPS60182927A - Endoscope having solid image pick-up element mounted therein - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an endoscope with a built-in solid-state imaging device that can be used with less pain to the patient even when inserted into a body cavity for a long time.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Problems Therewith] In recent years, endoscopes have been developed that allow diagnosis of affected areas within the body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion section into the body cavity and using observation means or imaging means provided at the distal end of the insertion section. is now widely used.

The above-mentioned endoscope has a large diameter insertion section, which causes great pain to the patient when it is inserted and removed, and if it remains inserted for a long time.
It is desirable that the diameter be as small as possible.

On the other hand, if the insertion portion is made small in diameter and has sufficient flexibility, it will buckle when inserted into the body cavity, making it impossible to insert it deep into the body cavity as desired. For this reason, reducing flexibility and increasing hardness will make insertion easier, but
It becomes difficult to insert into a site with a large amount of bending, and forcing the insertion will cause great pain to the patient. Further, when the insertion portion is inserted for a long time to observe changes over time, etc., there is an inconvenience that the insertion portion presses against the curved inner wall of the body cavity, causing great pain to the patient.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and provides a solid-state imaging device that can be easily inserted into a body cavity and that can reduce pain caused to a patient even when inserted and used for a long time. The purpose is to provide a built-in endoscope.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides an insertion portion with a double structure consisting of an inner insertion portion and an outer insertion portion that is detachable from the inner insertion portion, and the inner insertion portion has sufficient flexibility. On the other hand, the outer insertion part has appropriate flexibility to make it easier to insert, and by pulling out the outer insertion part after insertion into the body cavity, pain to the patient can be reduced even when used for a long time. It looks like this.

[Embodiments of the invention] The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 3 relate to the M1 embodiment of the present invention;
The figure shows the entire first embodiment, FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the distal end of the insertion section, and FIG. 3 shows the distal end of the inner insertion section with the outer insertion section in FIG. 2 pulled out backwards. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment includes a flexible and elongated insertion section 2, and a large-diameter or large-diameter operation section 3 connected to the rear end side of the insertion section 2. and a light source device 7 which is connected by attaching a connector receiver 6 of a light guide cable 5 to a connector 4 at the rear end of the inner insertion portion 2A extending rearward of the operation portion 3.

On the distal end side of the insertion FA2, a hard distal end portion 8 and a curved portion 9 adjacent to the distal end portion 8 that can be bent to the rear side are successively connected, and a bending operation knob formed on the proximal operation portion 3 is provided. The bending portion 9 can be bent in the left-right direction or the up-down direction by rotating the bending portion 10 or the like.

The light source device 7 also includes a TV monitor 1 as a display device.
1 is integrally attached to the insertion section 2, and a video signal captured by an imaging means formed on the distal end side of the insertion section 2 can be displayed.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the insertion section 2 is removably fitted into the inner insertion section 2A with a small diameter (as shown in FIG. 3, it has a larger diameter than the inner insertion section 2A). It has a double structure with an outer insertion part 2B (shown in Figure 1).

The inner insertion portion 2A has an outer periphery formed of a flexible tube 13 having sufficient flexibility, and a front end thereof has a hard tip portion 8A1. : Fixed. At this tip portion 8A, an objective lens 15 and a solid-state image sensor 16 are disposed at an image forming position of the objective lens 15 to form an image pickup means.

A light guide 17 formed of a flexible optical fiber bundle and a hollow tube 18 forming a channel for forceps insertion are inserted into the inner insertion portion 2A, and the outer diameter thereof is made sufficiently small. .

The outer insertion part 2B, which can be externally fitted into the inner insertion part 2A, is formed of a flexible mantle tube 19 on the outside and a flexible hollow tube 20 on the inside, and the mantle tube 19 and the hollow tube The front end of 20 is fixed to a hard tip 8B.

The front end of the tip 8B has a tapered opening that fits into the rear end of the tip 8A, and as shown in FIG.
When the pin 23 is biased at 2 and is housed, it is in an engaged state where it is integrally connected to the tip 8A, and the pin 2
By passing a direct current through a coil 24 formed on the outer periphery of 3, the bottle 23 made of a magnet can be made to protrude from the recess 21 against the biasing force of the spring 22.
A removable engagement means is formed that can release the engagement state between the outer insertion portion 2B and the bin 23 and pull out the outer insertion portion 2B.

A C-shaped groove is formed on the outer periphery of the tip 8B outside the recessed portion housing the coil 24 to accommodate the C-ring 25 (or an O-ring) to prevent the spring 22 from protruding. There is.

Joint pieces 26, 26... are rotatably connected to the curved portion 9 adjacent to the tip 8I18B of the outer insertion portion 2B, and wires 27, 27 (not shown) are connected to the opposing inner walls of the rear end of the tip 8B. The ends of the wires 27 and 27 are fixed, and by rotating the bending operation knob 10 on the hand side, one of these wires 27 and 27 is pulled and the other is relaxed, thereby bending the bending part 9 in the vertical direction, etc. It is now possible to do so.

Note that the distal end side of the hollow tube 18 forming the forceps channel inserted into the inner insertion portion 2A is opened forward (from the upper or lower side perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2) adjacent to the imaging means in the distal end portion 8A. The distal end of the treatment instrument is communicated with a through hole (not shown) from which it can protrude, while the rear end of the hollow tube 18 is connected diagonally to the connector receiver 6 of the light guide cable 5, as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is adapted to communicate with an insertion 028 that opens at. This insertion 028
can be closed with a rubber stopper or the like when no treatment instrument is inserted.

By the way, illumination means such as an illumination lamp (not shown) is housed in the light source device 7, and this illumination light is transmitted to the light guide 17 in the inner insertion portion 2A via the light guide in the light guide cable 5. The light is irradiated from the output end at the tip of the light distribution lens 30 to the object side. Further, the object illuminated with this illumination light is imaged by the objective lens 15 on the light receiving section of the solid-state imaging probe 16, and in this light receiving section it is separated into each pixel, photoelectrically converted, and accumulated as electric charge, as shown in the figure. The accumulated signals are transferred and sequentially output from the output register using a clock signal applied through a drive circuit that does not operate. (In addition, a mosaic-like three primary color filter is arranged in front of the light receiving section, and the light is received by the light receiving section after being separated into signals corresponding to each pixel of the color image.) Read out using the above clock signal. The signal is amplified by a preamplifier, for example, and then sent to the connector 4 at the rear end of the inner insertion section 2A.
The light guide cable 5 to which the connector receiver 6 is attached
The bidet O (not shown) inside the light source device 7 is connected via the signal line inside.
The signal is input to the video processing section, and is AD converted and written into the frame memory within the video processing section. The input data is then read out and separated into 3W4 color signals on which a synchronization signal is superimposed.
The signals are applied to the RGB input terminals of the monitor 11 and displayed as a color image.

The outer insertion portion 2B has a lower flexibility than the inner insertion portion 2A to prevent buckling during insertion.

The operation of the first embodiment configured in this way will be described below.

First, when observing the affected area such as the inner region of a body cavity, first insert the inner insertion section 2A from the distal end side of the outer insertion section 2B (or insert the outer insertion section 2B from the rear of the inner insertion section 2A into the outer fM).
), the bottle 23 is housed in the recess 21 and both members are connected, as shown in FIG. Insert it into the body cavity near the affected area. In this case, the curved portion 9 is inserted while being curved as necessary. In this insertion, the insertion portion 2 has appropriate flexibility and appropriate hardness (that is, is not too soft), so it can be inserted without buckling during insertion.

When it is desired to perform a biopsy for diagnosis, the treatment instrument is inserted through the insertion port 28 of the connector receiver 6.
1 piece of fabric can be collected.

Furthermore, in cases where it is necessary to observe the same condition for a relatively long period of time, such as to examine changes in the symptoms of the affected area, or to check whether the symptoms are improving after treatment, etc. Operate the switch attached to the operating part 3, etc. to supply current to the coil 24 of the tip part 8B, and the bottle 23
By retracting from the recess 21, the binding is released.

Then, by pulling the operating section 3 connected to the outer insertion section 2B backward, the outer insertion section 2B side can be pulled out of the body cavity, leaving the inner insertion section 2A side inside the body cavity for continued observation. .

The inner insertion portion 2A side from which the outer insertion portion 2B is pulled out has a sufficiently small diameter and is highly flexible, so even when inserted into a curved body cavity path, the insertion portion 2
Since the restorative force that acts on the body cavity wall, etc., which is particularly bent by A, is sufficiently weakened, the patient feels little or no pressure, and even if inserted for a long time, the patient will not experience much pain. It can be alleviated.

Note that the power source for energizing the coil 24 is the operation unit 3.
It can be formed using a rechargeable battery. Alternatively, the operating section 3 can also be provided with a connector that can be connected to the light source device 7 side, so that power can be supplied to the light source device W7.

In addition, when pulling out the outer insertion part 3B side, if the light guide cable 5 is short, the connector 4 and connector receiver 6
Remove the and pull it out.

Further, the insertion port 28 for the treatment instrument can also be provided on the connector 4 side.

FIG. 4 shows the distal end side of the inner insertion portion in the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this second embodiment, the tip 8A' is (inside)
A tip body 31, an annular cover member 32 attached to the front end of the tip body 31 by screwing, for example, and a lens that fits into the inner periphery of the cover member 32 and is movable back and forth. It is composed of a frame 33.

A recess 34 is formed on the rear end surface of the lens frame 33 in which the objective lens 15 is housed and fixed, and on the front surface of the tip body 31 opposite to the rear end.
．． For example, springs 35 and 35 made of shape memory metal are housed in the springs 34 and 34 formed at two locations, for example, upper and lower. One end of each spring 35 is fixed to the lens frame 33 side, the other end is fixed to the tip body 31 side, and both ends of each spring 35 (
Alternatively, each spring 35 can be heated in a contracted state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 in the case of a low temperature before heating by passing a If flow through a heater or the like provided on the outer periphery of each spring 35. The formed shape memory metal undergoes a phase transition to the high temperature phase side, so that each spring 35 can be in an expanded state. Due to this extension, the lens frame 33 protrudes forward to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, and in this state, the light receiving part (light receiving surface) of the solid-state image sensor 16 is set at a position facing the imaging position of the objective lens 15. It has become.

The front end of the light guide 17 inserted into the insertion section 2A is fixed by the distal end main body 31, and the illumination light emitted from this front end passes through a lens to a short light guide 36 attached to the lens frame 33. The light is transmitted to the side and the light distribution lens 3
It is possible to illuminate the object after passing through 0. The rest is the same as the first embodiment.

According to this second embodiment, when inserting into a body cavity,
Keeping the shape memory metal forming each spring 35 on the low temperature phase side (
In other words, by not heating the lens frame 33, it is possible to prevent the lens frame 33 from protruding, so when inserting it from the oral cavity, etc.
It has the advantage that the length of the hard tip can be shortened, reducing pain to the patient.

Note that when each of the springs 35 is expanded, the heat generated when the solid-state image sensor 16 is operated can also be used without energizing each spring 35 or the heater.

In other words, each spring 35 may be expanded by applying current to operate the solid-state image element 16 for an appropriate period of time, and then the current may be stopped and each spring 35 may be automatically contracted for a short time thereafter. can.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

In the endoscope 141 of this embodiment, a channel 42 for the treatment instrument is not formed on the inner insertion section 2A- side, but is formed on the outer insertion section 2B-, and this channel 42 is formed on the side of the operating section 3. The distal end side of the treatment instrument inserted through the insertion opening 43 can be projected from the front end side of the channel 42 .

The distal end side of the outer insertion portion 2B' is schematically shown in FIG. 6. That is, an outlet communicating with the channel 42 is formed on the upper side of the tip, and an insertion hole 44 having a shape through which the inner insertion portion 2A- can be inserted is formed on the lower side.

The rest of the structure is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment.

By providing the channel 42 on the outer insertion portion 2B- side, the outer diameter of the inner insertion portion 2A- can be made smaller, and the pain caused to the patient during insertion and removal can be further reduced.

Incidentally, the distal end side of the outer insertion portion 2B' may be made hard,
It may be formed from a flexible member.

In the first embodiment, the coil 24 is a heater, and the spring 22 is also made of shape memory metal, and by applying electricity to the heater (or the spring), the spring can be contracted and the bottle 23 can be evacuated from the recess 21. It can also be a structure. Note that the illumination means is not limited to one that transmits illumination light through the light guide 17 and emits it from the distal end thereof, but may also be formed of a light emitting diode, a small lamp, etc. provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the insertion part has a double structure of an inner insertion part and an outer insertion part that can be fitted externally to the inner insertion part, so that the seat It can be inserted into a body cavity without bending, and the outer insertion part can be pulled out to observe only the inner insertion part, which can greatly reduce the pain caused to the patient even during long-term observation. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a side view showing the appearance of the first embodiment, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the distal end side of the insertion part in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is the inner insertion with the outer insertion part side in Figure 2 removed. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the distal end side of the inner insertion section in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sectional views showing the distal end side of the inner insertion section in the second embodiment of the present invention Accordingly, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the external appearance of the third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the distal end side of the outer insertion portion. 1.41...Endoscope 2...Insertion section 2A...Inner insertion section 2B, 2B'...Outer insertion section 3...Operation section 4...Connector 5...Light guide cable 7... Light source device 8... Tip part 8A, 8A=, 8B... Tip part 9... Curved part 10... Curving operation knob 11...T
V monitor 13... Soft tube 15... Objective lens 16... Solid-state image sensor 17... Light guide
18... Hollow tube 19... Mantle tube 21...
Concave portion 22... Spring 23... Bin 24... Coil 31... Tip body 32... Cover member 33... Lens frame 34... Concave portion 35.
...Spring 42...Channel X, -□・)' Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In an endoscope equipped with an imaging means using a solid-state image sensor on the distal end side of the insertion section, there is a double layer of an inner insertion section and an outer insertion section that can be removably fitted onto the inner insertion section. An endoscope with a built-in solid-state image sensor, characterized in that an insertion section is formed with a structure. (2) A curved portion that can be freely curved is formed near the tip of the outer insertion portion.
An endoscope with a built-in solid-state image sensor as described in . (3) The endoscope with a built-in solid-state imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the inner insertion portion is formed using a member that is sufficiently more flexible than the outer insertion portion. (4) The endoscope with a built-in solid-state imaging device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inner insertion portion and the outer insertion portion are detachable by engagement means on the distal end side of the insertion portion.