KR20080028736A - An endoscope and a method for operating it - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope and a method for operating the same are provided to improve performance of the capsule type endoscope by uniformly projecting light to a subject with limited power for a long time. An endoscope includes a ring-shaped light source. The ring-shaped light source is installed on a body of the endoscope and projects light having uniform space distribution to a subject. The endoscope further includes an image information obtaining unit, a data processing unit, and a reflection plate. The image information obtaining unit includes a camera and a lens. The reflection plate is installed between the ring-shaped light source and the body and reflects light emitted from the ring-shaped light source to a front surface of the body. The ring-shaped light source is an LED(Light Emitting Diode) light source. The LED light source includes at least one blue LED(24) on the front surface of the body. A yellow phosphor layer(26) is formed on at least one LED.

Description

Endoscopy and its operation {AN ENDOSCOPE AND A METHOD FOR OPERATING IT}

The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to a capsule endoscope.

達 )이라 하여 1개의 통(筒)으로 되어 있어서 장기를 직접 육안으로 볼 수 있는 형, 렌즈시스템을 이용한 형, 카메라를 직접 장기에 삽입하는 형(胃 카메라)과 유리섬유를 사용한 파이버스코프 등이 있다. 소화기관 특히 위(stomach)에 관한 내시경의 고도발달로 인해 보통 내시경이라고 하면 위카메라·위파이버스코프를 가리킨다.Endoscopy is an instrument originally designed to insert a machine into an organ that cannot be seen directly without surgery or autopsy. The endoscope has a

達), which has a single cylinder, which allows the human body to be seen with the naked eye, a lens system, a camera that directly inserts the camera into the organ, and a fiber scope using glass fiber. have. Due to the high development of the endoscope, especially on the gastrointestinal tract, the endoscope usually refers to a gastric camera or a stomach fiberscope.

However, the above-described endoscope is due to the pain and discomfort associated with the test, so many patients may try to avoid the endoscopy and receive medication instead. Therefore, a capsule endoscope has been developed for the purpose of supplementing the above-mentioned disadvantages and in particular for the diagnosis of diseases such as the longest small intestine among the digestive organs.

A capsule endoscope is a capsule endoscope that is made so that when a patient swallows like a pill, the inside of the digestive organs such as the stomach and the small intestine can be directly observed by the doctor using a video screen or a computer monitor.

However, the conventional capsule endoscope described above has the following problems.

Since the capsule endoscope needs to acquire image information from the inside of the human body, a light source is required and LEDs are currently used as a light source. Since LEDs have good light efficiency, they are suitable for products with relatively low power consumption, such as endoscopes. And because LEDs have a strong straightness, they can send more divergent light to the subject, and can emit more light at low voltages. However, since the straightness of the LED is strong, the light is not projected on the entire subject, but the light is concentrated only on a part of the subject, which may distort the image information acquired by the camera. In addition, a method of using a plurality of LEDs as an illumination source may be considered, but since the capsule endoscope operates wirelessly, there is a problem in that a plurality of LED light sources cannot be used for a long time with limited power.

Technical challenge

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of obtaining high-quality image information by projecting light evenly on a subject.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope having a light source capable of projecting light evenly on a subject for a long time with limited power.

Technical solution

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an endoscope comprising an annular light source provided in the body of the endoscope, and projecting light having a uniform spatial distribution on the subject.

Preferably, the endoscope further comprises a reflector provided between the annular light source and the body and reflecting light emitted from the annular light source to the front surface of the body.

Preferably the annular light source is characterized in that the LED light source, more preferably, the LED light source, at least one blue LED is provided on the front of the body, characterized in that the yellow phosphor layer is formed on the at least one LED. It is done.

Preferably, the LED light source is provided with a light source for emitting red, green and blue light, respectively, characterized in that the light emitted from each light source is synthesized and projected as white light on the subject.

Preferably, the annular light source is an organic EL, and more preferably white light is emitted from the organic EL light source.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises: emitting blue light from at least one LED light source and projecting the yellow phosphor; And the yellow phosphor is excited by the blue light, and emits white light to project the object onto the subject.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: selecting one or two LED light sources among LED light sources emitting red, green and yellow light; And emitting light from the selected LED light source and projecting the light onto a subject.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the method includes: projecting white light onto a subject in an annular organic EL light source; And obtaining image information of the subject by the image information obtaining unit.

Favorable effect

According to the endoscope according to the present invention, the light source provided in the endoscope can be evenly projected to the subject for a long time, the light is evenly irradiated on the subject to obtain high-quality image information, only a specific color to the subject By projecting, image information of a specific area can be obtained intensively. In addition, the use of the infrared LED light source can extend the driving time of the capsule endoscope.

1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an endoscope according to the present invention,

2 is a view showing a first embodiment of the light source of FIG.

3 is a view showing a second embodiment of the light source of FIG.

4 is a view showing a third embodiment of the light source of FIG. 1,

5 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the light source of FIG. 1;

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 5;

7 is a view showing an embodiment of an operating method of the endoscope according to the present invention.

Embodiment for Invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention that can specifically realize the above object will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same components as in the prior art are given the same names and the same reference numerals for convenience of description, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The endoscope according to the present invention comprises a light source for projecting uniform light onto a subject, characterized in that the light source is preferably annular. That is, the annular light source is provided on the front surface of the endoscope body, and an aperture is formed in the center of the annular light source. Conventionally, the LED light is formed as the point light source, and the distribution of the light projected on the subject is not uniform, and the problem may be partially improved by increasing the number of the point light sources, but power consumption may increase excessively.

Therefore, in the present invention, the light source is provided in an annular shape, and the light emitted from the annular light source proceeds to the subject and is distributed in all directions to have a uniform spatial distribution, so that the light is evenly projected onto the subject. Since the subject absorbs light and emits a predetermined amount, the emitted light is incident on a camera inside the endoscope body through the above-described aperture or the like and stored as image information.

1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of an endoscope according to the present invention. Hereinafter, an embodiment of an endoscope according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

Endoscope 100 according to this embodiment is preferably a wireless capsule endoscope. Specifically, the endoscope 100 preferably includes a body 10, an annular light source 20, a camera 30, a lens 40, an aperture 50, and an image processor 60.

The body 10 serves to hold the camera 30 and the like and maintain the unitary body. The body 10 may include components inside the endoscope even in a form other than the capsule type. In addition, the cross-section of the body may be made of a circle or polygon, etc., in consideration of ease or pain removal in the injection process into the human body, it is preferable that the cross-section is a capsule structure in the shape of a circle.

The camera 30 captures an image of a subject such as a digestive organ of a human body, and an image sensor such as a charged-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is preferably used, but other optical devices may be used. It may be. In addition, as a device for projecting the light emitted from the lens 40 and incident through the aperture 50 to the camera 30, a convex lens is illustrated in FIG. 1, but the focus of the image of the subject may be different. If you can adjust the back.

The aperture 50 is a space formed inside the annular light source 20. In the present embodiment, the aperture 50 is shown in a circular shape, but may be another shape such as a polygon. In addition, in order to prevent foreign matters or the like from being injected into the body of the endoscope, a transparent substrate or the like is formed in the inner space of the annular light source to form the aperture 50.

In addition, the image processing unit 60 transmits image information acquired from the camera 30 or receives and processes a user's command. That is, the image of the subject may be transmitted as it is or may be transmitted after a process such as compression or the like, and in consideration of the small size and light weight of the capsule endoscope, it is preferable to have only a transmission function. In addition to the above-described configuration, it is preferable that a driving unit such as the camera 30 is provided.

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, the endoscope preferably further includes a reflector. The reflecting plate is provided between the annular light source 20 and the body 10 and emits light emitted from the annular light source 20 and proceeds in the direction of the body 10 to reflect the front surface. The aforementioned 'front' refers to a direction in which light emitted from the annular light source 20 is mostly emitted, and a direction opposite to the direction of light traveling from the annular light source 20 toward the body 10. It is preferable that the above-mentioned reflector is an epoxy containing a material which is easy to reflect light such as glass.

However, in the present embodiment, the reflector is not an essential component, and performs a function of uniformizing the spatial distribution of light for adjusting the dispersion of the light emitted from the annular light source 20. That is, the reflection plate made of epoxy or the like is provided on the front surface of the body 10 made of PCB, etc., and reflects a small amount of light traveling in the direction of the body 10 from the annular light source 20 to adjust illumination and distribution of light. have. And, it is preferable that the reflection angle of the reflection plate can be adjusted to adjust the distribution of light.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the annular light source will be described.

Since the annular light source is for illuminating an internal digestive system such as a human body to capture an image, it is preferable to emit white light. However, as described below, visible light of a specific wavelength band is prepared in order to illuminate and photograph a specific part. It may be made to release the. Since the annular light source 20 is for illuminating the subject, it is preferable that the annular light source 20 is formed on the front surface of the body () 0. Of course, the light emitted from the endoscope may be reflected to the subject, or conversely, the light incident from the subject may be reflected to the camera or the like, but for simplicity, the same direction as the aperture in which the image image of the subject is incident in the endoscope for simplicity. It is preferable that the annular light source 20 is formed.

In addition, a space formed inside the annular light source 20 forms an aperture 50, which is a path through which an image of the subject is incident into the body of the endoscope. In addition, the annular light source 20 should preferably be a light emitting diode (LED). As described above, the LED is preferable as a light source because it has excellent light efficiency, strong straightness, and can relatively reduce power consumption.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the light source of FIG. 1. A first embodiment of an annular light source will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the annular light source 22 is preferably a single light source that emits white light, more preferably an LED. That is, the white light may be emitted from the annular light source 22 to be evenly projected onto the subject. Preferably, the above-described annular light source 22 is composed of one LED, but a plurality of LED elements are provided on a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) substrate, and phosphors are coated on the plurality of LEDs, resulting in a single LED. It is desirable to have a spatially uniform distribution, such as projected from a light source.

3 is a view showing a second embodiment of the light source of FIG. A second embodiment of the annular light source will be described with reference to FIG. 2 as follows.

In the present embodiment, at least one LED 24 emitting blue light is formed in the annular light source, and each blue LED 24 is preferably formed in an annular shape. That is, since it must be attached to the front of the body, if the cross-section of the body is a polygon or a circle will be formed accordingly, as a whole a number of blue LEDs 24 will form an annular. The yellow phosphor layer 26 is formed on the blue LED 24 described above.

That is, when voltage is applied to at least one blue LED 24, blue light is emitted, and when blue light is incident on the yellow phosphor layer 26, the yellow phosphor layer 26 is excited to emit white light. As a result, white light is emitted from the annular light source, which is equivalent to emitting light from a single white light source.

4 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the light source of FIG. 1. A third embodiment of the annular light source will be described with reference to FIG. 4 as follows.

In the present embodiment, the annular light source is composed of at least one white light source 27. Each of the white light sources 27 preferably includes a red light source 27a, a green light source 27b, and a blue light source 27c. More preferably, the above-described light sources are LEDs. That is, since each of the white light sources 27 includes light sources of R, G, and B, when voltage is applied to each light source, the R, G, and B light may be emitted and merged into white light to be projected onto the subject. . In addition, when a plurality of the above-described white light sources 27 are combined, the white light sources 27 may be evenly projected onto the subject with a uniform spatial distribution.

Preferably, the above-described red, green, and blue light sources are each independently driven. When each light source is driven independently, the following functions can be performed.

If only each light source emits light, only one of red, green and blue light can be projected onto the subject. Therefore, when only the red light is emitted, intestinal bleeding and atropy screening efficiency can be improved, and blood vessels can be easily distinguished. If only the green light is projected on the subject, the diagnosis of the normal mucosa in the stomach can be facilitated. In addition, when only blue light is projected on the subject, the digestive fluid can be easily distinguished from the digestive organs.

As described above, when the red, green, and blue light are independently emitted, image information such as lesions to be observed can be more accurately obtained by projecting only desired light onto a subject. In addition to the above-described examples, it is obvious that two or more of each light source may be driven simultaneously to combine the colors and project them on the subject. In addition, in order to emit only white light, in addition to the method of providing the red, green, and blue light sources, respectively, as described above, only the blue and yellow light sources may be provided.

In addition, the endoscope according to the above-described embodiment will be more effective when using the automatic diagnostic software (software) than the diagnosis of experts such as doctors. That is, when a specific color is emitted from a subject such as the digestive organ and the diagnostic part becomes prominent, a voltage may be applied to the light source of the specific color to intensively project visible light having a wavelength suitable for imaging of the diagnostic part. have.

5 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the light source of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the II ′ axis of FIG. 5. A fourth embodiment of the annular light source will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 as follows.

This embodiment is characterized by using an organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence) as the annular light source. Organic EL emits light by injecting electrons and holes in pairs when the charge is injected into the light emitting layer formed between the electron injection electrode (cathode) and the hole injection electrode (anode). It is a display element with little advantage.

In FIG. 5, the display surface of the organic EL 200 is formed in an annular shape to emit light. 6, the aperture 210 is formed in the center part, and the annular organic EL is shown outside. In the present exemplary embodiment, the organic EL is a transparent substrate 220, an anode 230, a hole injection layer 240, a hole transport layer 250, a light emitting layer 260, an electron transport layer 270, an electron injection layer 280 and the cathode 290 is preferably included. Each component of the above-described organic EL is the same as the conventional one, and the light emitting layer 260 is characterized by emitting white light while the holes emitted from the anode 230 and the electrons emitted from the cathode 290 disappear.

The operation of the endoscope provided with the fourth embodiment of the annular light source described above is as follows.

In the annular organic EL light source, white light is uniformly projected onto the subject with a uniform spatial distribution, thereby improving image information of the subject. Organic EL has the advantages of fast response time, high contrast ratio, wide viewing angle and low power consumption. Therefore, it will be possible to drive at a low time with low power and to project a uniform light source onto an internal subject such as a digestive organ.

Moreover, according to another embodiment of the endoscope which concerns on this invention, an infrared LED is provided as an annular light source of an endoscope.

Since the capsule endoscope has a limited power source, the output voltage input to the light source decreases with time. Therefore, the LED that emits visible light may have a problem in that the LED may not operate so that the subject cannot be photographed because the operating voltage is high. Infrared LEDs, however, have a low operating voltage and can extend the survival time of the capsule endoscope.

7 is a view showing an embodiment of an operating method of the endoscope according to the present invention. Referring to Figure 7 describes an embodiment of the operating method of the endoscope according to the present invention.

The illumination operation of the endoscope according to the present invention projects white light onto a subject, and after emitting blue light from a blue light source (S710) instead of a white light source (S710), and then projecting the yellow phosphor (S720), the yellow phosphor is excited by blue light. The white light is emitted (S730) and is projected onto the subject. Preferably, the blue light source is characterized in that the LED emitting blue light. Blue LEDs emit visible light in the wavelength range of 400 to 450 nm. The shorter wavelengths make it difficult to develop compound semiconductors that produce light. By using the above-described blue LED, a full natural color can be realized through the LED.

According to another embodiment of the method of operating the endoscope according to the present invention, selecting one or two light sources from among red, green and yellow light sources, and emitting light from the selected light sources and projecting the light onto a subject It is made to include.

And it is preferable that each light source mentioned above is LED. In the present exemplary embodiment, one or two light sources may be selected to illuminate the subject, and only light having a specific wavelength may be projected onto the subject. Therefore, as described above, image information such as a specific lesion can be obtained more accurately.

The method of operating the endoscope according to the present invention includes projecting white light onto a subject from an annular organic EL light source, and then obtaining image information of the subject by the image information acquisition unit. The image information acquisition unit includes a camera and a lens. When the image information of the subject is incident through the aperture of the center of the annular organic EL, the image information is transferred to a camera such as a CCM or CMOS after the focal length is adjusted through the lens. Stored.

Obviously, the above-described annular light source and its operating method may be used in a conventional general endoscope in addition to the capsule endoscope. In addition, it is obvious that the annular light source and its illumination method may be applied to devices in other fields, such as a video camera that acquires image information of the subject after the light is uniformly projected onto the subject, in addition to the endoscope. In addition, it is obvious that not only an endoscope for photographing the inside of the human body but also a digestive organ such as an animal can be photographed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention even if modifications are possible by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

According to the endoscope according to the present invention and its operation method, it is possible to project light evenly to the subject for a long time with limited power, thereby improving the performance of the capsule endoscope. Further, by using an organic EL or the like as a light source, light can be evenly projected onto a subject to obtain high quality information.

Claims (19)

In the endoscope, An endoscope provided in the body of the endoscope and including an annular light source for projecting light having a uniform spatial distribution on the subject. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope, An endoscope further comprising an image information acquisition unit and a data processing unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the endoscope, An endoscope provided between the annular light source and the body, the reflector further reflects the light emitted from the annular light source to the front of the body. The method of claim 2, wherein the image information acquisition unit, Endoscope including a camera and a lens. The method of claim 1, wherein the annular light source, Endoscope characterized in that the LED light source. The method of claim 5, wherein the LED light source, An endoscope which emits white light. The method of claim 6, wherein the LED light source, At least one blue LED is provided on the front of the body, the endoscope, characterized in that the yellow phosphor layer is formed on the at least one LED. The method of claim 6, wherein the LED light source, And a light source for emitting red, green, and blue light, respectively, wherein the light emitted from each light source is synthesized and projected as white light to the subject. The method of claim 8, Endoscopes, characterized in that the light sources for emitting red, green and blue light are independently driven. The method of claim 5, wherein the LED, Endoscope, characterized in that the infrared LED. The method of claim 1, wherein the annular light source, An endoscope characterized by being an organic EL light source. The method of claim 11, wherein the organic EL light source, An endoscope comprising a light emitting layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and emits light while the electrons and holes emitted from the first electrode and the second electrode disappear in the light emitting layer. The method of claim 12, wherein the light emitting layer, Endoscope characterized in that the emission of white light as the electrons and holes disappear. The method of claim 12, wherein the organic EL light source, An endoscope further comprising a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer for transferring the electrons emitted from the first electrode to the light emitting layer. The method of claim 12, wherein the organic EL light source, An endoscope further comprising an electron injection layer and an electron transport layer for transferring the holes emitted from the second electrode to the light emitting layer. Emitting blue light from at least one LED light source and projecting the yellow phosphor; And And the yellow phosphor is excited by the blue light to emit white light and project the white light onto a subject. Selecting one or two LED light sources, among the LED light sources emitting red, green and yellow light; And Emitting light from the selected LED light source and projecting the light onto a subject. Projecting white light onto a subject in an annular organic EL light source; And And obtaining image information of the subject by the image information obtaining unit. The method of claim 18, wherein obtaining the image information comprises: And the light emitted from the subject is projected to the camera through a lens.

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