TW201630562A - Endoscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope system includes a pipe and a control holder. The pipe includes an image sense module and a plurality of light sources. The image sense module is configured to capture image and produce an image data. The light sources are configured to provide light of different wavelength. The control holder is connected to the pipe. The control holder includes a light controller, a signal conversion module, and a connector. The light controller is connected to the light sources and configured to control the power of the light sources. The signal conversion module is connected to the image sense module. The signal conversion module is configured to receive and converse the image data. The connector is connected to an electronic device.

Description

Endoscope system

This invention relates to an endoscope system, and more particularly to an endoscope system that has a multi-wavelength source, is USB-connected, and is hot-swappable.

Endoscopes are a widely used technique in the industrial or medical field that allows users to view narrow and unobservable locations, especially in medicine. The physician can use the endoscope to extend into the human body, and observe the condition of the patient's body and organ through the camera lens on the endoscope, so that the doctor can further diagnose the state of the patient. The application of endoscopes has also enabled the development of "minimally invasive surgery" technology in recent years. Physicians can use internal mirrors and tiny surgical instruments to remove lesions or obtain tissue samples through small wounds. The pressure is reduced to a minimum.

However, conventional endoscopes still have drawbacks. In terms of illumination, the current technology is to place the light source outside the endoscope system and then introduce the light into the endoscope through the fiber optic system. At present, white light is mostly used, but some lesions cannot be effectively observed with white light. For example, changes in microvessels in early tumors must reveal red microvessels through blue light illumination; green light exposure reveals deeper blood vessels to observe. If there is only a single white light, the doctor cannot detect the lesion of the blood vessel in advance. Moreover, the light source device is disposed outside the endoscope system, and has the disadvantages of being bulky, inconvenient to carry, cumbersome, high in power consumption, requiring a large number of lines to be connected, and being expensive.

In addition, the conventional endoscope system uses a dedicated host, so the endoscope is less compatible with general computers, and the dedicated host also means higher cost and price. Under the framework of high cost and price, the endoscope system cannot reach the level of abandoned medical treatment. Therefore, the endoscope must undergo strict sanitary control and disinfection to prevent the endoscope from being contaminated by microbial contamination.

In summary, how to design an endoscope that can provide multi-color light source and cost less to disposable medical treatment is worthy of consideration.

In order to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope system having light sources of different wavelengths.

Based on the above and other objects, the present invention provides an endoscope system including a tube end and a control handle. The tube end includes an image sensing module and a plurality of light sources. The image sensing module is adapted to capture images and generate an image data. The light source is adapted to provide light of different wavelengths. The control handle is connected to the tube end, and the control handle comprises a light source controller, a signal conversion module and a connector. A light source controller is coupled to the light source, and the light source controller is adapted to control the power source of the light source. The signal conversion module is connected to the image sensing module and is adapted to receive and convert the image data. The connector is connected to an electronic device.

In the above endoscope system, wherein the connector is a universal serial bus connector.

In the above endoscope system, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

In the above endoscope system, the tube end further includes a flexible structure.

In the above endoscope system, wherein the control handle further includes a directional controller coupled to the flexible structure by a cable, the directional controller being adapted to control the direction of oscillation of the flexible structure.

In the above endoscope system, the image sensing module is a group consisting of a camera lens, an image sensor and a circuit board.

In the above endoscope system, the tube end further includes at least one passive component.

In the above endoscope system, the passive component is a resistor, a capacitor or an oscillator.

In the above endoscope system, the outer casing of the pipe end further includes a plurality of scales.

In the above endoscope system, the connector further includes a UVC conversion module.

100‧‧‧Endoscope system

110‧‧‧ tube end

111‧‧‧Image Sensing Module

1111‧‧‧ camera lens

1112‧‧‧Circuit board

112‧‧‧Flexible structure

113‧‧‧Light source

114‧‧‧ Passive components

120‧‧‧Control handle

121‧‧‧ Directional Controller

1211‧‧‧Steel cable

122‧‧‧Light source controller

123‧‧‧Signal Conversion Module

130‧‧‧Connector

140‧‧‧Wire

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of an endoscope system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of the endoscope system.

3A and 3B are schematic views of a flexible structure.

4A and 4B are schematic views showing the control of the flexible structure.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the endoscope system 100 , and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the endoscope system 100 . The endoscope system 100 of the present invention includes a tube end 110 and a control handle 120. One end of the tube end 110 is connected to the control handle 120, and the tube end 110 is a long strip structure for allowing the endoscope system 100. The main structure that can penetrate into the body to capture images. The tube end 110 is made of a biocompatible plastic material, and the tube end 110 can be drawn with a scale on the outer casing to allow the physician to directly understand the depth of the current endoscope system 100.

The tube end 110 includes an image sensing module 111, a plurality of light sources 113, and a flexible structure 112. The image sensing module 111 is located at the front end of the tube end 110 and is adapted to capture an image and generate an image data. The image sensing module 111 further includes an imaging lens 1111, an image sensor and a circuit board 1112. The image sensor is, for example, a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The image sensor is disposed on the circuit board 1112 and located under the imaging lens 1111. Since the image sensor is located below the imaging lens 1111 and covered by the imaging lens 1111, the image sensor is not shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the circuit board 1112 is a flexible circuit board. The image sensor can convert the light captured by the camera lens 1111 into digital image data, such as image data in MIPI format or YUV format, and then transmit the image data through a connection circuit on the circuit board 1112.

Further, a plurality of light sources 113 are provided around the imaging lens 1111. These light sources 113 are, for example, light emitting diodes (LEDs). These light sources 113 respectively provide light of different wavelengths (i.e., different colors) for different uses. For example: white light for basic illumination, blue light for microvessels, or green light for deep blood vessels. The color of the light can be controlled by the light source controller 112 on the control handle 120, the control method of which will be described later. The image sensing module 111 and the light source 113 are connected to the control handle 120 through a wire 140. Therefore, the flexible wire 140 is disposed along the tube end 110 and through the flexible structure 112. The wire 140 is adapted to transmit image sensing. The image data generated by the module 111 can be supplied to the image sensing module 111 and the light source 113. The tube end 110 further includes at least one passive component 114. The passive component 114 is a passive electronic component required by the endoscope system 100, such as an electronic component such as a resistor, a capacitor, or an oscillator. In some embodiments, The image sensor can have an internal oscillator, so the passive component 114 can choose not to set the oscillator. The image sensing module 111 and the light source 113 are mounted on the front end of the tube end 110 and are packaged on the front end of the tube end 110 using optical grade glue.

Please refer to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B . FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic diagrams showing the flexible structure 112 . The flexible structure 112 is disposed between the image capturing module 111 and the control handle 120. The flexible structure 112 is a freely bendable tubular structure and can be a snake bone structure (as shown in FIG. 3A). Alternatively, the flexible structure 112 can also be designed as a multi-directional steering mechanism (shown in FIG. 3B) as disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. M400299, in a multi-section design. Further, the flexible structure 112 is pulled through the wire rope 1211, so that the pipe end 110 can be freely rotated, so that the pipe end 110 can be moved in cooperation with the human body pipe, and the rotation mode will be described later. The outer portion of the flexible structure 112 also has a covering structure, such as silicone, soft plastic or metal woven mesh, and the like.

The control handle 120 is a structure for the physician to hold and operate the endoscope system 100. The control handle 120 includes a light source controller 122, a direction controller 121 and a connector 130. One end of the control handle 120 is connected to the tube end 110, and the other end of the control handle 120 is connected to an external electronic device such as a personal computer, a smart device or a medical special computer through the connector 130. The connector 130 is a connector using a universal serial bus (USB) specification. In addition, the connector 130 further includes a UVC (USB video class) conversion module. When the endoscope system 100 is connected to the electronic device through the UVC conversion module, it can be directly activated without installing any driver. The endoscope system 100 is provided with plug-and-play characteristics. For an electronic device, the electronic device can display the image captured by the endoscope system 100 in the manner of a PC camera.

Please refer to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B . FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic diagrams showing the control of the flexible structure 112 . The flexible structure 112 can be rotated by the direction controller 121 on the handle 120 to rotate the flexible structure 112. The direction controller 121 is a disk-type rotating mechanism that is coupled to the flexible structure 112 via a cable 1211 having one end connected to the edge of the direction controller 121 and the other end connected to the flexible structure 112. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the direction control 121 is rotated, the cable 1211 can pull the flexible structure 112 to rotate, and the rotation direction of the flexible structure 112 can be adjusted through the left and right rotation of the direction control 121 to further control the image sensing module. The direction of 111.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the light source controller 122 is coupled to the light source 113 of the tube end 110, and the light source controller 122 is adapted to control the power source of the light source 113. In other words, the light source controller 122 provides the light source required by the physician by turning the different light sources 113 on or off. For example, when illumination is required, the white light source 113 is turned on, and green light is required to turn on the green light source 113 and turn off the white light source 113. Thereby, the color of the light supplied from the light source 113 is adjusted.

The control handle 120 further includes a signal conversion module 123. The signal conversion module 123 is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The signal conversion module 123 is adapted to receive the image data generated by the image sensing module 111 from the pipe end 110 and convert the image data into a format that can be read by the electronic device. In this embodiment, the signal conversion module 123 can convert the MIPI format to the USB format, the MIPI format to the AV OUT format, or the YUV format to the USB format, and the signal conversion module 123 can also convert the LVDS, Sub LVDS, RAW, Image data in formats such as UVC or CVBS. The format converted image data can be transmitted through the connector 130, and the image data is played by an external electronic device. In addition, if the image data generated by the image sensing module 111 is not in the range supported by the signal conversion module 123, or the signal conversion module 123 cannot recognize the image data, the signal conversion module 123 will Signals such as "no signal" or "error" are sent to the electronic device to maintain the output of the image, so as to prevent the electronic device from generating an unexpected error due to interrupting the reception of the signal.

In addition, since the signal conversion module 123 needs to process the conversion of the image format, the calculation amount is large, and the heat is also high. If it is placed at the pipe end 110, the temperature of the pipe end 110 may be too high to meet the requirements of the regulatory standards (below 42 degrees Celsius). Therefore, the present invention sets the signal conversion module 123 in the control handle 120 to prevent the temperature of the tube end 110 from exceeding the specification of the regulation. The passive element 114 in the tube end 110 generates less heat and can therefore be disposed in the tube end 110.

The endoscope system 100 of the present invention has the following advantages over the endoscope system of the prior art:

1. USB interface connection, like the video lens on a personal computer, has the characteristics of plug-and-play and quick start image, and will not cause the host to crash.

2. The light source 113 is disposed in the pipe end 110, and can be directly powered by USB to provide illumination, and has different colors for different conditions, and does not need to use a conventional external light source, thereby saving cost and energy.

3. It can be used in general computer or medical special computer, eliminating the traditional bulky and redundant endoscope host, which can reduce the wiring required for the endoscope.

4. The structure is simple and the cost is low, which can reach the level of disposable medical equipment. It can be discarded directly after use, eliminating the need for cleaning and disinfection procedures, and reducing the risk of nosocomial infections.

The present invention has been described above, but it is not intended to limit the scope of patent rights claimed herein. The scope of patent protection is subject to the scope of the patent application and its equivalent fields. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of this patent are subject to the equivalent changes or designs made in the spirit of the present disclosure and should be included in the scope of the patent application below. Inside.

100‧‧‧Endoscope system

110‧‧‧ tube end

111‧‧‧Image Sensing Module

112‧‧‧Flexible structure

114‧‧‧ Passive components

120‧‧‧Control handle

121‧‧‧ Directional Controller

122‧‧‧Light source controller

Claims (10)

[Item 1] An endoscope system comprising:
One end of the pipe, including:
An image sensing module adapted to capture an image and generate an image data; and a plurality of light sources, each of the light sources being adapted to provide light of different wavelengths; and a control handle connected to the tube end, the control handle include:
a light source controller coupled to the light source, the light source controller being adapted to control a power source of the light source;
A signal conversion module is connected to the image sensing module and adapted to receive and convert the image data; and a connector connected to an electronic device. [Item 2] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the connector is a universal serial bus connector. [Item 3] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode. [Item 4] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the tube end further comprises a flexible structure. [Item 5] The endoscope system of claim 4, wherein the control handle further comprises a directional controller coupled to the flexible structure by a cable, the directional controller being adapted to control the swing of the flexible structure direction. [Item 6] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the image sensing module is a group consisting of a camera lens, an image sensor and a circuit board. [Item 7] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the tube end further comprises at least one passive component. [Item 8] The endoscope system of claim 7, wherein the passive component is a resistor, a capacitor or an oscillator. [Item 9] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the outer casing of the tube end further comprises a plurality of scales. [Item 10] The endoscope system of claim 1, wherein the connector further comprises a UVC conversion module.