CN100512744C - Endoscope with a detachable handle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an endoscope having an elongated insertion portion with an image pickup device built in a distal end portion thereof, and an operation portion to be grasped at a rear end of the insertion portion. The endoscope has a cable section extending from the operation section integrally or separately from a light guide cable for transmitting illumination light and a signal cable connected to the image pickup device, and a connector at an end of the cable section is detachably attached to each of the light source device and the signal processing device. A detachable section is provided between the front end of the operation section and the vicinity of the rear end thereof, the detachable section detachably connecting a 1 st unit serving as an insertion section side and a 2 nd unit serving as a cable section side.

Description

endoscope

technical field

The present invention relates to an endoscope used for endoscopic examination of the inside of a body cavity or the like.

Background technique

In recent years, endoscopes capable of inspecting the inside of inspection objects have been widely used in medical and industrial fields.

As a conventional example, there is a rigid endoscope equipped with a rigid insertion portion incorporating an imaging element. In this rigid endoscope, an optical cable and a scope cable are integrated with a rigid endoscope main body.

Therefore, when changing the visual field direction of the straight-view type and the squint-view type to different visual field directions during surgery, the optical connector at the end of the optical cable that usually becomes an unclean area and the signal processing device (processing device) The connector must also be detached again, but since the doctor in the cleaning area cannot directly perform this operation, the workability is reduced.

In contrast, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-190081 , which is a first conventional example, discloses a technology in which a rigid endoscope main body is separated into a rigid insertion portion having an imaging element embedded in a distal end portion thereof. , and a detachable cable portion in the operation portion of the rigid endoscope main body.

In this first conventional example, a structure is adopted in which a wireless signal transmitting and receiving unit is provided in the rigid endoscope main body, and the captured signal is wirelessly transmitted to an external signal processing device.

In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-369789 as a second conventional example, the following structure is adopted: the optical cable is detachably attached to the endoscope main body in which the imaging element is built, and is installed in the endoscope main body. The light-emitting element makes the signal captured by the imaging element emit light, transmits it through the light guide in the optical cable, is received by the light-receiving element arranged in the light source device, converts it into an electrical signal, and transmits it to the image signal processing circuit.

In addition, an endoscope 302 of a third conventional example constituting the endoscope device 301 shown in FIG. 24 is also provided. This endoscope device 301 has: an endoscope 302; a light source device 303 for providing illumination light to the endoscope 302; a processing device 304 for performing signal processing on an imaging element built in the endoscope 302; The video signal output from the processing device 304 is displayed on a monitor 305 which captures an image captured by the imaging element.

The endoscope 302 has: a flexible (soft) insertion portion 306; an operation portion 307 provided at the rear end of the insertion portion 306; and a universal cable 308 extending from the operation portion 307, the universal cable 308 The connector 309 at the end is connected to the light source device 303 .

Furthermore, a cable 311 connected to an electrical connector 310 provided on a side surface of the connector 309 is connected to a processing device 304 that performs signal processing. The video signal generated by the processing device 304 is output to the monitor 305 .

The insertion portion 306 of the endoscope 302 is composed of a hard distal end portion 313 provided at the distal end, a freely bendable bending portion 314, and a flexible flexible portion (soft portion) 315. The bending knob 316 in the operating portion 307 is operated to bend the bending portion 314 .

In addition, a light guide 317 for transmitting illumination light is inserted into the insertion part 306, and the light guide 317 passes through the universal cable 308 from the operation part 307, and its end is installed on the light source device 303 as a light guide cover protruding from the end surface of the connector 309. .

Then, the illuminating light of the lamp 319 lit by the lamp driving power from the lamp driving circuit 318 in the light source device 303 passes through the aperture 320 , and then the illuminating light collected by the collecting lens 321 is incident on the end surface of the light guide sleeve.

Illumination light incident on the end surface of the light guide cover is transmitted by the light guide 317, and exits from the front end surface of the light guide 317 fixed to the illumination window of the front end portion 313 to illuminate a subject such as an affected part.

The object to be illuminated is formed into an optical image of the object at its imaging position by the objective lens 323 mounted on the observation window adjacent to the illumination window. A charge-coupled device (abbreviated as CCD) 324 is arranged at the imaging position.

After the CCD 324 has been amplified by the buffer IC 325, it is connected to the electrical connector 310 by inserting a signal cable 326 in the insertion part 306, etc., and the electrical connector 310 is further connected to the processing device 304 through the cable 311. The CCD drive circuit 327 is connected to the CDS circuit 328 .

Then, the CCD driving signal from the CCD driving circuit 327 is applied to the CCD 324, thereby photoelectrically converting the optical image formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 324, and outputting it as a CCD output signal.

This CCD output signal is input to the CDS circuit 328, the signal component is extracted and converted into a baseband signal, and input to the video processing circuit 329, converted into a video signal and output to the monitor 305, and the display surface of the monitor 305 The subject image captured by the CCD 324 is displayed on the top as an endoscope image.

In addition, the image signal output from the image processing circuit 329 is input to the aperture control circuit 322 in the light source device 303, and the aperture control circuit 322 generates a dimming signal. Appropriate amount of light for lighting.

In the above-mentioned first conventional example, since the signal transmission between the imaging element and the signal processing device is performed wirelessly, for example, when the image signal captured by the imaging element is wirelessly transmitted to the signal processing device, surrounding noise is mixed into the signal processing device. Into the signal received by the signal processing device, etc., image quality degradation is likely to occur.

Furthermore, since the signal for driving the imaging element is also transmitted wirelessly, there is a possibility that the signal becomes a factor requiring noise countermeasures against surrounding electrical equipment.

In addition, in the second conventional example, since light transmission is performed by using a part of the light guide in the light guide cable, the structure of the connecting portion on the light receiving element side becomes very complicated, which has the disadvantage of increasing the manufacturing cost. .

Furthermore, the conventional example shown in FIG. 24 has the same disadvantages as the case of the rigid endoscope main body in which the above-mentioned optical cable and scope cable are integrated.

It would be convenient for a doctor to use the endoscope by simply replacing a part of the endoscope on the insertion portion side during endoscopic inspection.

In the above-mentioned first conventional example, in the electronic endoscope with an imaging element built in at the tip of the insertion portion, the light guide is detachable near the operation portion, but it is easily affected by noise because the signal is transmitted wirelessly.

Furthermore, in the second conventional example, an electronic endoscope having an imaging element built in at the distal end of the insertion portion adopts a configuration in which a signal from the imaging element is transmitted using an optical signal, and thus cannot utilize a conventional signal processing device.

Contents of the invention

The present invention was made in view of the above points, and its object is to provide a device that can maintain the compatibility of existing light source devices and signal processing devices, and can be easily replaced by other doctors even during endoscopic examinations. Endoscope's endoscope.

The present invention is an endoscope, which is characterized in that the endoscope has: an endoscope main body, which has an insertion part, and has a built-in imaging unit; The incident end of the light guide of the illumination light; the signal line connection part, which connects the end part of the signal line electrically connected with the above-mentioned imaging unit; the cable unit, which has the above-mentioned light guide connection part and The signal line connection portion is a connection portion that is detachably connected, and a signal line that transmits an electrical signal is inserted through it; Illumination light is provided at the incident end of the light guide in the insertion portion.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a medical endoscope system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a medical endoscope system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a structure near a cable unit in Embodiment 3. FIG.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a structure around a cable unit of a rigid endoscope in a modified example.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an endoscope system having Embodiment 4. FIG.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an endoscope system according to a first modified example.

Fig. 7A is a block diagram showing an endoscope system according to a second modified example.

7B is a diagram showing an internal structure of an integrated connector in a second modified example.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an endoscope system according to a third modification.

Fig. 9 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope system having Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an endoscope according to Example 5 provided with a detachable part.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the peripheral part of the detachable part viewed obliquely.

Fig. 12A is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part in a first modification example when viewed from a perspective.

Fig. 12B is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part having a structure slightly different from that of Fig. 12A.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a detachable portion in a second modified example.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part in a third modified example.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the coil peripheral part in the detachable part in the mounted state.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part in a fourth modified example.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a transmission and reception unit using light.

Fig. 18 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope system having Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing the structure of the peripheral part of the detachable part viewed obliquely.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part in a first modified example.

Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing a structure of a detachable part in a second modified example.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a main part of a structure of a detachable part in a second modified example.

Fig. 23 is a diagram showing the configuration of an endoscope in a third modification.

Fig. 24 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope system including a conventional endoscope.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a medical endoscope system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, this endoscope system 1 is made up of following parts: the rigid endoscope main body 2A of straight-looking type; The rigid endoscope main body 2B of squint type; A or B) detachable optical cable part 3 and signal cable part 4; detachably connected with the other end of the optical cable part 3, light source device 5 providing illumination light; detachable with the other end of the signal cable part 4 A processing device 6 is freely connected to perform signal processing; and a monitor 7 is detachably connected to the processing device 6 and displays a corresponding image by inputting a video signal.

Then, by connecting the optical cable part 3 and the signal cable part 4 constituting the detachable cable unit 8 to the rigid endoscope main body 2I, a detachable connection with the light source device 5 and the processing device 6 is formed, and the endoscopic Inspection medical rigid endoscope 9I.

The rigid endoscope 9I of this embodiment is composed of two units, that is, a rigid endoscope main body 2I as the front endoscope part (first unit), and an operation part 12 in the front endoscope part. The detachable rear endoscope unit (unit 2) among the detachable parts near the rear end of the unit. The direct view type rigid endoscope main body 2A and the oblique view type rigid endoscope main body 2B differ only in the optical system portion for illuminating and imaging at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 11 as described below.

The endoscope main body 2I has an elongated cylindrical hard insertion part 11 formed of stainless steel or the like, and an operation part (also referred to as a grip part) 12 provided at the rear end of the insertion part 11 and held by a doctor or the like. On the for example rear end face of this operation part 12, be provided with light guide connector 13 and signal connector 14, they are arranged on the connector holder 3a of one end of light guide cable part 3 and the signal connector that is arranged on one end of signal cable part 4 The seats 4a are detachably connected to each other. That is, a connecting portion that is detachably connected to the optical cable portion 3 and the signal cable portion 4 is formed in the endoscope main body 2I.

In addition, the optical connector 3b provided at the other end of the optical cable unit 3 and the signal connector 4b provided at the other end of the signal cable unit 4 are detachably connected to the light source device 5 and the processing device 6, respectively.

A light guide 15 for transmitting illumination light is inserted into the insertion portion 11 , and the rear end of the light guide 15 reaches a light guide connector 13 serving as an incident end of the illumination light. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 , by connecting the light guide cable part 3 to the light guide connector 13 , illumination light from the light source device 5 is supplied to the light guide 15 through the light guide 16 in the light guide cable part 3 . In addition, for example, the optical connector 13 is simply referred to as a connector 13 and the signal connector 14 is simply referred to as a connector 14 for use.

The light source device 5 is built with a light source lamp 18 that is turned on by power from the power supply circuit 17. The light of the light source lamp 18 is adjusted to an appropriate amount of light through the aperture 20 that controls the amount of light passing through the aperture control circuit 19. 21 collects the light and is supplied to the light guide 16 of the light guide cable part 3, and then is supplied to the light guide 15 of the endoscope main body 2I through the light guide 16.

The front end of the light guide 15, which becomes the exit end, is fixed in the front end of the insertion part 11, and the illumination light transmitted to the front end of the light guide 15 is emitted to the front side of the illumination lens 22 through the illumination lens 22 mounted on the illumination window. The insertion part 11 is illuminated for an object such as an affected part of an inspection or treatment target in an internal body such as the abdomen into which the insertion portion 11 is pierced by a trocar or the like.

At the front end of the insertion portion 11, an observation window (imaging window) is provided adjacent to the illumination window, an objective lens 23 is attached to the observation window, and a charge-coupled device as a solid-state imaging element, for example, is arranged at the imaging position of the objective lens 23. (abbreviated as CCD) 24, which performs photoelectric conversion on the optical image formed on the imaging surface.

As shown in FIG. 1 , in a direct-view rigid endoscope main body 2A, the optical axis O of the objective lens 23 is in a direction parallel to the axis of the insertion portion 11, and passes through the front of the objective lens 23 parallel to the axis of the insertion portion 11. is the direction of view. Further, the illumination light emitted from the front end surface of the light guide 15 through the illumination lens 22 illuminates the front side parallel to the axis of the insertion portion 11 so as to illuminate the viewing direction of the objective lens 23 .

On the other hand, in the oblique viewing type rigid endoscope main body 2B, the distal end surface of the insertion portion 11 is formed to face an oblique direction deviated from the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the insertion portion 11, and the distal end surface in the oblique direction adjoins The ground is provided with an illumination window and an observation window, and an illumination lens 22 and an objective lens 23 are respectively installed. Furthermore, the front end of the light guide 15 bent near the front end is fixed inside the illumination lens 22 . Also, a CCD 24 is arranged at the imaging position of the objective lens 23. The optical axis O' of the objective lens 23 has a direction of oblique viewing which forms, for example, an angle α with the axial direction of the insertion portion 11 as a viewing direction.

In any one of the rigid endoscope main bodies 21, the CCD 24 in the front end passes through, for example, a waveform shaping circuit 25 and a buffer circuit 26 built in the vicinity of the front end, and a signal line 27a inserted through the insertion part 11 and the operation part 12. The contacts of the signal connector 14 are connected.

Then, as shown in Figure 1, the signal cable part 4 connected with the signal connector 14 of the rigid endoscope main body 21 is connected to the processing device 6, thereby the CCD drive signal from the drive circuit 28 inside the processing device 6 is passed through the signal The signal line 29a in the cable part 4 and the signal line 27a in the rigid endoscope main body 21 are applied to the CCD 24.

The CCD 24 outputs signal charges photoelectrically converted by applying the CCD drive signal as a CCD output signal. The CDS circuit 31 disposed near the CCD 24 extracts the signal component of the CCD output signal, and then current amplification is performed by the buffer circuit 32.

The signal amplified by the buffer circuit 32 is input to the processing device 6 through the signal line 27 b inserted in the insertion unit 11 and the operation unit 12 and the signal line 29 b in the signal cable unit 4 . The signal input to the processing device 6 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D conversion circuit 33, and then the signal is processed by the video signal processing circuit 34 to generate a digital video signal.

The digital video signal is input to the D/A conversion circuit 35 , converted into an analog video signal, and output to the monitor 7 from its output terminal, and also output to the aperture control circuit 19 of the light source device 5 . The iris control circuit 19 passes the luminance level of the input image signal through an integration or low-pass filter at a predetermined cycle to generate a dimming signal (brightness control signal), and compares it with a reference luminance level, and based on the difference signal from the reference level By adjusting the opening amount of the diaphragm 20, the amount of illumination light can be adjusted so that the brightness of the image displayed on the monitor 7 becomes a brightness suitable for observation.

In the endoscope system 1 with such a structure, the direct-view rigid endoscope 9A is composed of the optical cable portion 3 and the signal cable portion 4, which are detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2A, and the oblique-view rigid endoscope The scope 9B is composed of an optical cable part 3 and a signal cable part 4 which are detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2B.

In this case, since the rigid endoscope main bodies 2A and 2B are used in the medical field, as shown in FIG. In the area 36, doctors who perform examination and treatment in the clean area 36 can operate freely. However, since the connector 3b, 4b side of the rear end portion in the optical cable part 3 and the signal cable part 4 is located in the unclean area 37 which is not set to a clean state, the doctor in the clean area 36 is checking And surgery is essentially impossible to operate.

This embodiment is characterized in that each rigid endoscope 9I can be separated into a rigid endoscope main body 2I, and a detachable optical cable part 3 and a signal cable part 4 in the operation part 12. The rigid endoscope body 2I can be easily replaced within the clean area 36 .

Therefore, the doctor holds the operation part 12 and uses it in the state of looking directly or obliquely at the observation field of view, and when it is desired to change the field of view during the operation, the doctor can simply remove the connection in the operation part 12 located in the clean area 36. The parts 13 and 14 are replaced with a rigid endoscope main body to be used while changing the field of view. That is, since a detachable connection mechanism that can be easily replaced in the cleaning area 36 is formed, it can be easily detached and replaced.

Also, as described above, in this embodiment, since each rigid endoscope 9I can be separated into a rigid endoscope main body 2I, and the optical cable part 3 and the signal cable are detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2I, The structure of the cable unit 8 constituted by the part 4 makes it easier to sterilize and sterilize each rigid endoscope 9I more simply.

That is, when each rigid endoscope 9I is to be sterilized or washed, if the rigid endoscope main body 2I and the cable unit 8 cannot be separated, the long cable unit 8 must also be sterilized or washed together. However, in this embodiment, since it is detachable, it is easy to carry out the work.

In addition, the rigid endoscope main body 2I and the cable unit 8 may differ in their resistance to sterilization and disinfection in relation to the materials used, and in this case, it is necessary to perform sterilization in consideration of the lower resistance. However, in this embodiment, since it can be formed independently, it is possible to perform sterilization or disinfection in consideration of each resistance. Also, in the case of performing maintenance or the like, it is economically feasible to be separately formed in this embodiment. Also, it can be realized with a simple structure.

Also, according to the rigid endoscope 9I of this embodiment, the existing light source device and signal processing device (processing device) that can be used when the rigid endoscope 2I and the cable unit 8 are integrated can be used as they are.

Therefore, the rigid endoscope 9I of this embodiment can be realized with a simple structure, has wide versatility, and is easy to use. Furthermore, it can also be manufactured at low cost.

In addition, in the above description, the rigid endoscope 9I has been described as being composed of the rigid endoscope main body 2I and the cable unit 8, but the rigid endoscope main body 2I can also be regarded as a rigid endoscope.

Also in this case, in the cleaning area 36 , the rigid endoscope itself can be easily replaced with a rigid endoscope having a different field of view. Furthermore, when the rigid endoscope main body 2I is regarded as a rigid endoscope, it can also be applied to a case where the connectors 3b and 4b sides of the cable unit 8 are integrally formed with the light source device 5 and the processing device 6 .

Therefore, in the following embodiments, as in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the rigid endoscope 9I and the like are described as being composed of the rigid endoscope main body 2I and the cable unit 8 detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2I. The 2I part of the endoscope main body can also be regarded as a rigid endoscope.

(Example 2)

Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 shows an endoscope system 1B having a second embodiment.

In this endoscope system 1B, in the endoscope system 1 of FIG. 1 , the rigid endoscope main body 2I can be connected to the optical cable unit 3 and the signal cable unit 4 through the connection adapter 41 .

That is, connectors 42 a and 43 a detachably connected to the connector housings 3 a and 4 a of the optical cable unit 3 and the signal cable unit 4 are provided on one end side of the connection adapter 41 . Further, connector holders 42b and 43b are provided on the other end side of the connection adapter 41 to be detachably connected to the connectors 13 and 14 of the rigid endoscope main body 2I by one-touch. Other structures are the same as in Embodiment 1.

This connection adapter 41 is provided with, for example, a mounting portion 44 that is approximately fitted externally on the rear end of the operation portion 12. By performing positioning in the circumferential direction with the rear end of the operation portion 12 and pressing the operation portion 12, the small protrusion can be passed over with a single touch. And it is detachably installed on the operation part 12 .

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the connector housings 3a and 4a of the optical cable portion 3 and the signal cable portion 4 are connected to the connectors 42a and 43a on one end side of the adapter 41 for connection, and the other end of the adapter 41 for connection is One end side is connected to the rigid endoscope main body 2A or 2B to perform endoscopic inspection or the like.

Then, in the case of changing the visual field for endoscopic inspection, by unfastening the connection between the connection adapter 41 and the rigid endoscope main body 2I, it is possible to easily replace it with a rigid endoscope for changing the visual field for endoscopic inspection. Main body 2J (J is part other than I) to use.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the rigid endoscope body 2I can be replaced and used more easily than in the first embodiment. In addition, it has the same effect as Example 1.

(Example 3)

Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 shows the structure near the cable unit in Embodiment 3. FIG. This embodiment adopts an integrated connector (or integrated adapter) 51 that integrates the connector seats 3a and 4a on the side of the optical cable portion 3 and the signal cable portion 4 connected to the endoscope main body 2A or 2B in the first embodiment. . In other words, in the present embodiment, in the second embodiment of FIG. 2 , the connecting adapter 41 has a structure in which the connector housings 3 a and 4 a side portions of the optical cable unit 3 and the signal cable unit 4 are integrated.

That is, the rigid endoscope 9A (9B is the same) of the third embodiment is composed of a rigid endoscope main body 2A and a cable unit 52 provided with an integral connector 51 detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2A.

The integrated connector 51 is provided with an optical connector seat 3a and a signal connector seat 4a respectively connected to the optical connector 13 and the signal connector 14 of the operation part 12, and a mounting part 44 is provided on its outer peripheral side. The mounting portion 44 is provided with an inner diameter concave portion that fits in the outer diameter of the rear end of the operation portion 12 .

The optical cable part 3 and the signal cable part 4 extend from the integral connector 51 and are detachably connected to the light source device 5 and the processing device 6 , respectively. Other structures are the same as shown in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2.

According to the present embodiment, the doctor can easily detach the cable unit 52 from the rigid endoscope main body 2A or 2B through the detachment operation of the integral connector 51 in the cleaning area 36 .

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the doctor uses, for example, the rigid endoscope 9A that connects the cable unit 52 to the rigid endoscope main body 2A, performs an endoscopic inspection or performs an operation under the endoscopic inspection, and during the operation , when it is desired to change the direction of view from direct view to oblique view, it can be used by simply changing as follows.

That is, the integrated connector 51 is removed by performing an operation of separating the integrated connector 51 from the operating portion 12, and the mounting portion 44 of the integrated connector 51 is connected to the operating portion 12 of the oblique-view type rigid endoscope main body 2B. The pressing operation is performed at the same position, and the rigid endoscope 9B in which the integral connector 51 is attached to the squint type rigid endoscope main body 2B is used instead.

FIG. 4 shows the structure near the cable unit of the rigid endoscope 9C in the modified example. A rigid endoscope 9C according to this modified example is composed of a rigid endoscope main body 2C and a cable unit 52 having an integral connector 51 detachable from the rigid endoscope main body 2C.

Furthermore, the endoscope system having this modified example includes a rigid endoscope 9C shown in FIG. 4 in addition to the rigid endoscope 9A shown in FIG. 3 and the like.

In this rigid endoscope main body 2C, for example, in the direct-view type rigid endoscope main body 2A, the optical connector 13 and the signal connector 14 provided on the rear end surface of the operation part 12 are arranged in the same shape on the operation part. The connecting portion 54 on the side of 12.

Then, the integral connector 51 of the cable unit 52 shown in FIG. 3 can be detachably attached (connected) to the connection portion 54 provided on the side surface of the operation portion 12 .

The doctor can choose from the rigid endoscope main body 2A with the optical connector 13 and the signal connector 14 on the rear end surface or the rigid endoscope main body 2C with the optical connector 13 and the signal connector 14 on the side. Use the party to use. In addition, the rigid endoscope main body 2A or the rigid endoscope main body 2C can be selectively used depending on the site to be operated on.

This modification has the same effect as the case of FIG. 3 . In addition, as the endoscope system, since the types of rigid endoscopes that can be actually used increase, operability can be further improved.

(Example 4)

Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 shows an endoscope system 1D having a fourth embodiment.

In this endoscope system 1D, in the endoscope system 1 of FIG. adapter) 61, and a switch unit 62 for instructing and controlling the processing device 6D is provided in the integrated connector 61. Therefore, the rigid endoscope 9A in this embodiment is composed of a rigid endoscope main body 2A and a cable unit 63 provided with an integral connector 61 detachably connected to the operation portion 12 of the rigid endoscope main body 2A. .

This one-piece connector 61 is further provided with a switch portion 62 in, for example, the one-piece connector 51 shown in FIG. 3 . The switch unit 62 has, for example, a freeze switch 64a and a release switch 64b. Although two are shown in FIG. 5 , there may be one or three or more.

The freeze switch 64a and the release switch 64b reach the contacts of the signal connector 4b through the signal lines 29c and 29d in the signal cable part 4 . Then, it is detachably connected to the signal connector socket of the processing device 6D.

This processing device 6D further extends signal lines 65 a and 65 b from the signal connector block to the video signal processing circuit 34 in the processing device 6 of FIG. 1 . Furthermore, the signal line 65 b connected to the release switch 64 b is also connected to the release instruction output terminal 66 . Then, a release signal can be sent to an image recording device such as an unillustrated image archive device whose control terminal is connected to the release instruction output terminal 66 .

Other structures are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 .

According to this embodiment, while having the effects of the third embodiment, operations such as release instructions can be performed, and operability can be further improved.

FIG. 6 shows an endoscope system 1E having a first modification. In this endoscope system 1E, in the endoscope system 1D of FIG. 5 , a concave portion 71 is provided in the middle of the light guide 16 in the integral connector 61, and a filter case 72 can be attached thereto. An optical filter 73 that limits a wavelength band to pass is accommodated in the filter case 72 .

The optical filter 73 is composed of an infrared transmission filter that transmits infrared light, an ultraviolet transmission filter that transmits ultraviolet light, etc. , can perform special light observation (special light imaging) under illumination such as infrared light or ultraviolet light.

In addition, in FIG. 6, the optical cable part 3 and the signal cable part 4 are inserted into the rear side of the integral connector 61 in one cable, and are branched into two at the rear end side.

Other structures are the same as in Fig. 5 .

According to this modified example, while having the effects of the third embodiment and the like, it is possible to acquire observation images of infrared light, ultraviolet light, etc. in addition to normal observation images in the normal visible region.

FIG. 7A shows main parts of an endoscope system 1F having a second modification. In this endoscope system 1F, in the endoscope system 1D of FIG. 5 , a connection detection unit 81 is provided in the integral connector 61 to detect whether the integral connector 61 is connected to the rigid endoscope main body 2A, and according to the connection The connection detection result of the detection unit 81 is controlled to reduce the illumination light supplied from the light source device 5 to the light guide 16 .

As shown in FIG. 7B, in the vicinity of the signal connector seat 4a in the integrated connector 61, the contact pin 82 of the connection detection part 81 that constitutes a connection detection of whether to connect to the end contact of the signal line 27a is held by a coil-shaped spring. 84 is slidably accommodated in the pinhole while being urged in the protruding direction. In this case, the spring 84 is biased so as to press the contact piece 83 connected to the rear end of the contact pin 82 .

A contact piece 85 to be turned on/off is arranged, for example, inside the spring 84 to face the contact piece 83 . The contact piece 85 is connected to the signal line 29a, and the contact piece 83 facing the contact piece 85 is also connected to the signal line 29e.

The signal lines 29a and 29e are connected to the ON/OFF detection circuit 86 inside the processing device 6E through the contacts of the signal connector 4b, and the ON/OFF detection circuit 86 sends a connection detection signal to the light source device 5 through the signal line 87. The aperture control circuit 19.

The diaphragm control circuit 19 performs normal operation when the connection detection signal that is turned on is input, and the diaphragm 20 is reduced to the maximum when the non-connection detection signal that is turned off is input, so as to sufficiently reduce the light supplied to the light guide 16. side lighting.

By adopting this structure, only when the integral connector 61 is actually connected to the rigid endoscope main body 2I, can the illumination light be emitted from the front end surface of the connector holder 3a serving as the light guide 16, and when not connected, Little illumination light may be emitted, or sufficiently reduced illumination light may be emitted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the illuminating light from being emitted uselessly when not in use, and to prevent the vicinity of the front end surface of the light guide 16 from becoming hot.

FIG. 8 shows an endoscope system 1G according to a third modification. This endoscope system 1G adopts a structure in which a light source unit 91 is provided in the integral connector 51 in an endoscope system having a rigid endoscope 9A equipped with an integral connector 51 shown in FIG. The cable unit 92 having the light guide cable portion 3 forms a rigid endoscope 9G.

This light source unit 91 has: a light source lamp 93; a collecting lens 94 that collects the illumination light of the light source lamp 93; The connector base 3 a is connected to the light guide connector 13 and can provide the light guide 15 with the illumination light emitted by the light source lamp 93 .

And, since the integral connector 51 has the light source portion 91 built in therein, only the signal cable portion 4 extends from the integral connector 51, and the signal connector 4b at the end of the signal cable portion 4 is detached from the processing device 6G. Connect with ease.

The processing device 6G includes, for example, the processing device 6 in FIG. 1 , and includes a power supply circuit 98 connected via a signal line 29f connected to the light source lamp 93 at one end and a signal line 97 connected to the signal line 29f. Furthermore, the output signal from the D/A conversion circuit 35 is input to the power supply circuit 98, and the light emission amount of the light source lamp 93 can also be controlled based on the output signal.

In addition, a guide hole 99 for inserting a treatment tool is provided in the integrated connector 51, so that the treatment tool can also be inserted for treatment.

In addition, when a channel through which a treatment tool is inserted is provided in the rigid endoscope main body 2A, a guide hole 99 is provided at a position facing the channel.

According to this modification, since the number of cables connected to the rigid endoscope main body 2A and extending to the rear side is reduced, operability can be improved.

In the above, as an example of a rigid scope in a surgical operation, it has been described based on the need to replace a direct-viewing endoscope and a strabismus-type endoscope during an operation (during endoscopic examination). There is a need to replace a rigid endoscope with a flexible endoscope, so the endoscope of this embodiment is not limited to a rigid endoscope, but can also be applied to a flexible endoscope (flexible endoscope) . Next, an example of a flexible endoscope in which the insertion portion is soft (flexible) will be described.

(Example 5)

Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 17 . The purpose of this embodiment is to provide an electronic endoscope and an endoscope system having the following structures, that is, an electronic endoscope having an imaging element at the front end (both a rigid type electronic endoscope and a flexible type electronic endoscope) Yes), by adopting a structure with a detachable detachable part near the operation part, even during endoscopic inspection, the doctor can use it with the same functions as replacing it with another electronic endoscope.

In this case, the so-called other electronic endoscope refers to a new electronic endoscope that is the same type as before replacement and sterilized, or an electronic endoscope of a different type (for example, direction of view, thickness, length, function, etc.).

Therefore, in this embodiment, the endoscope part (first unit) on the front side and the endoscope part (second unit) on the rear side are detachable by adopting the detachment part provided near the operation part. With a flexible structure, even during endoscopic examinations, doctors can replace only the front endoscope part as an electronic endoscope that has the same functions as replacing (the whole) with another electronic endoscope. to use. By adopting such a structure, labor and time at the time of replacement can be saved.

In addition, compatibility is ensured so that it can be used even for a light source device and a signal processing device in the case of an existing electronic endoscope that cannot be attached or detached by the detachable part. Hereinafter, the electronic endoscope is simply referred to as an endoscope.

FIG. 9 shows an endoscope system having a fifth embodiment, FIG. 10 shows the structure of the endoscope of this embodiment provided with a detachable part, and FIG. 11 shows the structure of the peripheral part of the detachable part. And, Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B show the structure of the detachable part in the 1st modification, Fig. 13 shows the structure of the detachable part in the 2nd modification, Fig. 14 shows the detachable part in the 3rd modification Fig. 15 shows the structure of the coil peripheral part in the detachable part in the installed state, Fig. 16 shows the structure of the detachable part in the fourth modification, and Fig. 17 shows the transmitting and receiving part using light (optical transmission part) structure.

The endoscope system 101 shown in FIG. 9 basically adopts a structure in which an endoscope provided with a detachable part that becomes a feature of this embodiment is used in the endoscope system 301 of the conventional example shown in FIG. 24 . , by replacing it, endoscopy can be easily performed as another endoscope.

The endoscope system 101 has: a first endoscope 102; a light source device 103 for providing illumination light to the first endoscope 102; a light source device 103 for providing illumination light to the first endoscope 102; A processing device 104 that performs signal processing on an imaging element in the endoscope 102 ; and a monitor 105 that displays an image captured by the imaging element by inputting a video signal output from the processing device 104 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , this first endoscope 102 adopts a structure in which a detachable part 107 near the rear end of a flexible (soft) insertion part 106 can be turned to the side of the insertion part by one touch. Two units of the front endoscope unit 108 and the rear endoscope unit 109 on the operation unit side (or cable side) are detachably connected (attached). Hereinafter, the front endoscope unit 108 is simply referred to as the front unit 108 (to be the first unit), and the rear endoscope unit 109 is simply referred to as the rear unit 109 (to be the second unit).

The front unit 108 has a flexible insertion portion 106 , and a connector 111 for connection is provided at a proximal end of the insertion portion 106 .

The rear side unit 109 has: an operation part 113 provided with a connector base 112 detachably connected to the connector 111 at its front end, and a general-purpose cable 114 extending from the operation part 113, the end of the general-purpose cable 114 is The connector 115 is connected to the light source device 103 .

Furthermore, the cable 117 connected to the electrical connector 116 provided on the side surface of the connector 115 is connected to the processing device 104 which performs signal processing. The video signal generated by the processing device 104 is output to the monitor 105 .

The insertion portion 106 of the front side unit 108 is composed of a hard front end portion 121 provided at the front end, a bendable bending portion 122, and a flexible flexible portion (soft portion) 123. The operation of turning the bending knob 124 in the operating portion 113 can cause the bending portion 122 to bend through the bending driving portion 120 .

In addition, a light guide 125 for transmitting illumination light is inserted into the insertion portion 106 , and the light guide 125 is optically connected to the light guide 126 in the rear unit 109 through the connector holder 112 connected to the connector 111 . The light guide 126 further passes through the universal cable 114 , and the end thereof is attached to the light source device 103 as a light guide sleeve protruding from the end face of the connector 115 .

Then, the illuminating light of the lamp 129 turned on by the lamp driving power from the lamp driving circuit 128 in the light source device 103 passes through the aperture 130 , and then the illuminating light collected by the collecting lens 131 enters the end surface of the light pipe cover.

Illumination light incident on the end surface of the light guide cover is transmitted by the light guides 126 and 125, exits from the front end surface of the light guide 125 fixed to the illumination window of the front end portion 121, and illuminates a subject such as an affected part.

The object to be illuminated is formed into an optical image of the object at its imaging position by the objective lens 133 attached to the observation window adjacent to the illumination window. A charge-coupled device (abbreviated as CCD) 134 is arranged at the imaging position.

The CCD 134 is connected to a signal cable 136 through a buffer IC 135 for current amplification, etc., and the signal cable 136 reaches the electrical connector 137 shown in FIGS. .

As shown in FIG. 11 , in the electrical connector 137 , a plurality of contact pins 138 protrude, and respective signal lines 136 a of the signal cable 136 are connected to base ends of the contact pins 138 .

Furthermore, an electric connector seat 139 is also provided in the connector seat 112 so as to face the electric connector 137 provided in the connector 111 . The signal lines inserted through the signal cable 141 on the side of the operation unit 113 are respectively connected to base ends of the contact headers 140 provided in the electrical connector housing 139 .

Then, by inserting each contact pin 138 of the electrical connector 137 into each contact pin seat 140 of the electrical connector base 139, the signal cables 136 and 141 can be electrically connected to transmit electrical signals to each other, and the connector can also be connected simultaneously. 111 and the mechanical connection (installation) of the connector base 112.

The signal cable 141 inserted in the operation part 113 is also inserted in the universal cable 114 , and the electrical connector 116 in the connector 115 is further connected to the CCD drive circuit 143 and the CDS circuit 144 in the processing device 104 through the cable 117 .

Then, the CCD driving signal from the CCD driving circuit 143 is applied to the CCD 134, and the optical image formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 134 is photoelectrically converted and output as a CCD output signal.

This CCD output signal is input to the CDS circuit 144, the signal component is extracted and converted into a baseband signal, and input to the video processing circuit 145, converted into a video signal, and output to the monitor 105, on the display surface of the monitor 105 The subject image captured by the CCD 134 is displayed on the top as an endoscope image.

In addition, the image signal output from the image processing circuit 145 is input to the aperture control circuit 132 in the light source device 103, and the aperture control circuit 132 generates a dimming signal. Appropriate amount of light for lighting.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10 , a potentiometer 146 is provided at the base end of the bending knob 124 , and the potentiometer 146 is also connected to the contact pin holder 140 of the electrical connector holder 139 through a signal line 146 a.

The contact pin holder 140 is connected to a drive control circuit 147 constituting the bending drive unit 120 via the contact pins 138 connected thereto and the signal lines 147 a connected to the contact pins 138 .

The drive control circuit 147 drives the bending portion 122 to bend electrically based on a detection signal of the potentiometer 146 that generates an electric signal corresponding to the amount of operation of the bending knob 124 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , the bending portion 122 is formed by rotatably connecting a plurality of bending pieces (bend pieces) 151 with rivets. Furthermore, in the insertion portion 106 , bent wires 152 are inserted vertically and horizontally, and the front end of each bent wire 152 is fixed to the front end portion 121 , and the rear end of each bent wire 152 is connected to the rack 153 . In addition, in FIGS. 9 and 10 , a set of bending mechanisms for up and down or left and right directions is shown. Actually, there are 2 sets of bending mechanisms for left and right and up and down directions.

Each rack 153 meshes with a pinion gear 155 mounted on the rotating shaft of a motor 154, and when the motor 154 is driven to rotate, the bent wire 152 is pulled or loosened, and the bending portion 122 is driven to bend in the pulled direction.

Each motor 154 is connected to the drive control circuit 147 which drives the bending part 122 in response to the operation of the bending knob 124 as described above.

And, in the endoscope system 101 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Endoscopy.

The front unit 108B has an insertion portion 106B having a thinner diameter than that of the insertion portion 106 in the front unit 108 , for example.

Also, the front unit 108B employs a CCD 134B having fewer pixels than the CCD 134 in the case of the front unit 108, for example.

And, this front side unit 108B has built-in storer 157 that ID information is stored in such as the peripheral part of connector 111, is used for generating the inherent ID information of this front side unit 108B, and this memory 157 is connected with electrical connector 137 by signal line. The contact pins 138 (not connected to the signal lines of the signal cable 136 ) are connected.

Then, in the case of using the front unit 108B as a second endoscope connected to the rear unit 109, the processing device 104 can perform a connection with the second endoscope by reading out the ID information of the memory 157. The drive and signal processing corresponding to the CCD 134B below.

In addition, it has the same structure as the case of the front side unit 108 . In addition, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 11 , a memory 157 for ID code generation may be built in the front unit 108 . That is, by storing the unique identification information of the front unit 108, it is possible to easily perform signal processing corresponding to the CCD 134 built in the front unit 108, and the like. Moreover, the processing device 104 has a built-in CPU 158 as a control unit, and controls the operations of the CCD drive circuit 143, the CDS circuit 144, and the image processing circuit 145 according to the ID information of the memory 157.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the front unit 108 and the rear unit 109 are formed with an electrical signal transmission unit based on an electrical contact and an opposing part based on two light guides 125 and 126 arranged to face each other in the detachable part 107. lighting light transfer unit.

According to this embodiment adopting such a structure, by forming the first endoscope 102 in which the front side unit 108 and the rear side unit 109 are connected (installed) in the detachable part 107, it can be compared with the endoscope shown in FIG. The situation of 302 is roughly the same.

That is, in the case of the first endoscope 102, it can be connected to the light source device 103 and the processing device 104 shown in FIG. use. Furthermore, the endoscope 302 in FIG. 24 can also be used by being connected to the light source device 103 and the processing device 104 in FIG. 9 . Therefore, the present endoscope 102 and endoscope system 101 ensure compatibility with existing endoscopes 302, light source devices, and the like.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in the endoscopic examination using the first endoscope 102, when the doctor desires to perform the endoscopic examination by switching to an endoscope having, for example, an insertion portion with a smaller diameter, What is necessary is just to remove the front side unit 108 from the detachable part 107, and to connect the front side unit 108B having the thinner insertion part 106B to the rear side unit 109.

In this way, since the detachable part 107 which is detachable by one touch is provided near the operation part 113, even in an endoscopic inspection, it is possible to simply replace the front side unit and easily make a difference in type. endoscope to use.

Moreover, even when the endoscopic examination of a certain patient is completed and the endoscopic examination of the next patient is to be performed, it can be set so that the next endoscopic examination can be performed by simply replacing the front unit. The status of mirror inspection can save a lot of effort and time.

More specifically, in the endoscopic examination of the upper digestive tract, for example, the endoscopic examination is completed and the examination of the next patient is performed. In the case of the conventional example in FIG. 24 , the following operations are required.

That is, it is necessary to replace the endoscope 302 used in the endoscopic inspection with a sterilized endoscope 302, and it is necessary to reconnect the connector 309 part with the light source device 303, and at the same time, make the connection with the connector The work of reconnecting the connector at one end of the cable 311 connected at 309 to the processing device 304 takes labor and time.

In contrast, in the structure of this embodiment, since it can be realized by replacing only the detachable part 107 to the front side unit 108 in the endoscope 102, labor and time can be saved.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the electric bending driving unit is provided in the front unit 108, the structures of the rear unit 109 and the detachable detachable part 107 can be simplified. More specifically, since the electric indicating unit of the bending direction and the amount of bending is provided in the rear side unit 109, in the detachable part 107, it is sufficient to use a transmission part for transmitting electric signals, which can be used in common with the transmission of other electric signals. can be simplified.

And, the bending knob 124 as the electrical indication unit produces the electric signal of bending direction and bending amount, compared with the situation of manually pulling the bending metal wire 152, it is enough to use very little operating force, according to this embodiment, can improve the bending performance. operability in case of operation.

Furthermore, since the rear unit 109 is commonly used, compared with the case where different endoscopes are prepared separately, the financial burden on the user can be reduced.

FIG. 12A shows the structure of a detachable portion 107B in the first modified example. In this detachable portion 107B, in the detachable portion 107 of FIG. 10 , hooks 161 and recesses 162 are respectively provided for positioning in the circumferential direction when connecting the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 .

In order to increase the positioning in the circumferential direction and the connection holding function during connection at one position in the circumferential direction of the connector 111, a hook 161 protruding in, for example, a substantially L-shape is provided on the connector 111 side, and a hook 161 protruding in a substantially L-shape is provided on the other connection. A concave portion 162 into which the hook 161 is engaged is provided on the side of the holder 112 .

An engaging protrusion 164 biased by a spring 163 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the hook 161 is inserted (upward in FIG. 12A ) is provided near the entrance of the recess 162 .

Then, at the time of installation, the user positions the hook 161 at the position of the concave portion 162 to operate, so that the connector 111 presses the connector seat 112 .

In this way, the protrusion 164 is moved downward by the tapered portion at the tip of the hook 161 to be engaged in the recess 162 . When installed in the concave portion 162 , the protrusion 164 is returned to the upper side by the elastic force of the spring 163 , and the hook 161 is prevented from falling out of the concave portion 162 by the predetermined elastic force of the spring 163 .

The connector 111 can be detached from the connector holder 112 by performing the disengagement operation with a force greater than or equal to the elastic force. Other structures are the same as those in FIG. 10 .

According to this modified example, the hook 161 and the concave portion 162 can be used for positioning in the case of connection in the detachable part 107, and the connection holding strength in the case of connection can be increased. In addition, it has the same effect as the case of the structure of FIG. 11.

In addition, in FIG. 12A, hooks 161 and recesses 162 are provided for positioning and connection retention in the circumferential direction when the connector 111 and the connector base 112 are connected, but they can be disassembled as shown in FIG. 12B. Hook-shaped parts 166 and 167 are respectively provided as in the part 107B', and the hook-shaped parts 166 and 167 are hung on each other for positioning in the case of connection.

That is, the following structure can be adopted: when the connector 111 and the connector base 112 are connected, if the positions of the hook shape parts 166 and 167 (in the circumferential direction) are not aligned, the connector 111 and the connector base 112 cannot be connected. connect.

In addition, the structure is the same as the case of Fig. 12A. In addition, the effect in the case of adopting the structure of FIG. 12B is almost the same as that of the case of FIG. 12A .

In addition, as positioning means in the case of connection, for example, as shown in FIG. 12B , marks 169a, 169b for position alignment, etc. may be provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 .

FIG. 13 shows the structure of a detachable portion 107C in a second modified example. In the detachable part 107C, a plurality of contact pins 173 and the end of the light guide 125 are fitted and fixed using a hard resin mold 172 that seals the opening end of the cylindrical body 171 serving as the exterior member of the connector 111. .

The signal line 136a and the signal line 147a connected to the drive control circuit 147 are respectively soldered to the base end of each contact pin 173 inside the connector 111 sealed by the resin mold 172 having not only a sealing function but also a function as an insulator. connect. Furthermore, an electrode 173 a integrally provided at the tip of each contact pin 173 is provided on the outer surface of the resin mold 172 , and the electrode 173 a is provided on the same surface as the outer surface of the resin mold 172 .

On the other hand, in the connector holder 112, the inner side of the opening end of the cylindrical body 174 which becomes the exterior member of the connector holder 112 is sealed by, for example, an insulating plate 175 made of elastic rubber, and a plurality of contact pins (seats) are sealed. 176 and the end of the light guide 126 are embedded and fixed.

The base ends of the contact pins 176 inside the connector housing 112 sealed by the insulating plate 175 are respectively connected by soldering to the signal lines 141a. Furthermore, electrodes 176 a integrally provided at the tips of the respective contact pins 176 are provided on the outer surface of the insulating plate 175 , and the electrodes 176 a are provided so as to protrude slightly from the end surface of the connector housing 112 .

Then, by connecting the respective end surfaces of the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 in a pressed state, the electrodes 173a and 176a can be brought into contact with each other to be electrically conductive.

Also, a fitting portion 174 a that fits with the outer diameter of the cylindrical body 171 of the connector 111 to maintain the mounted state is provided on the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 174 .

The other structures are the same as those of Embodiment 5 shown in FIG. 10 and the like. In this modification, since the end faces of the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 are nearly planar as shown in FIG. 13 , water or dirt can be easily removed from the end faces after washing or disinfection. In addition, it has substantially the same effect as that of Example 5.

FIG. 14 shows the structure of a detachable portion 107D in a third modified example. In the detachable part 107C of FIG. 13, contact pins 173 and 176 are used, but in the detachable part 107D, coils 180 and 181 for non-contact signal transmission by electromagnetic coupling are used.

Inside the connector 111 of the front unit 108 are provided a transceiver circuit 182 connected to the signal lines 136a and 147a, and a plurality of coils 180 connected to the transceiver circuit 182 for bidirectional signal transmission through electromagnetic coupling.

And, in the connector seat 112 in the rear side unit 109, be provided with: the transceiver circuit 183 connected with the signal lines 141a and 146a, and the transceiver circuit 183 connected with the transceiver circuit 183, which can carry out two-way signal transmission in a non-contact manner through electromagnetic coupling. A plurality of coils 181 .

The transceiver circuits 182 and 183 respectively amplify the signal to be transmitted and supply it to the coil 180 or 181 , and amplify the signal transmitted by the coil 180 or 181 through electromagnetic coupling with the opposing coil 181 or 180 . That is, the transmission and reception circuits 182 and 183 have a buffer function capable of efficiently transferring signals to be transmitted and received (transmitted or received) through the coils 180 and 181 .

Furthermore, coils 180 and 181 are embedded in, for example, resin molds 172a and 172b, and when connector 111 and connector holder 112 are mounted, coils 180 and 181 are arranged close to each other as shown in FIG.

The coils 180 , 181 are formed by winding lead wires around U-shaped magnets 180 a , 181 a with high magnetic permeability, respectively, and efficiently transmit signals between the opposing coils 180 , 181 through electromagnetic coupling.

Other structures are the same as those in the case of FIG. 13 . According to this modified example, since, as shown in FIG. 15 , in the state where both end faces of the connectors 111 and 112 are set as planes, electrical signals can be transmitted and received, and the end faces can be sealed by resin molds 172a and 172b. structure, so it can be washed or disinfected simply and in a short time.

In the case of the detachable part 107 of Embodiment 5, in the electrical connector 137 and the electrical connector base 138, due to the use of the structure of the concave and convex part of the common electrical contact with the contact pin 138 and the contact pin seat 139, it is in progress. In the case of washing, disinfection or sterilization, waterproof caps are used to prevent leakage of liquid medicine, steam, gas, etc. to electrical contacts.

In contrast, in this modified example, since the detachable part 107D of the non-contact structure without the electric contact of the uneven part is adopted, the waterproof design is easy, and it is possible to perform washing, disinfection or cleaning without the above-mentioned waterproof cap. Sterilize. That is, labor and time in washing and sterilizing work can also be saved.

In addition, there are substantially the same effects as in the case of Example 5.

FIG. 16 shows the structure of a detachable portion 107E in a fourth modification. In this modification, the signal transmission and reception in the detachable part 107E is carried out in a non-contact manner based on the optical signals of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element (optical fibers may be used as described later).

In detachable unit 107E of FIG. 16 , in detachable unit 107D of FIG. 14 , light emitting diodes (abbreviated as LED) 184 and 185 and phototransistors (abbreviated as PT) 186 and 187 are used instead of coils 180 and 181 . In addition, instead of the transmitting and receiving circuits 182 and 183, buffer circuits 188 and 189 for performing amplification are used.

FIG. 17 shows details of the transmission and reception unit using light in FIG. 16 . For example, the LED 184 converts the CCD output signal amplified by the buffer circuit 188 into an optical signal, and outputs it to the opposite PT 185 in a non-contact manner. The PT 185 converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal and outputs it to the buffer circuit 189, and the buffer circuit 189 amplifies the electrical signal.

In addition, a plurality of LEDs 187 convert the CCD driving signal into an optical signal, and output them to the opposite PT 186 respectively. Also, the signal from potentiometer 146 is passed through LED 187 and PT 186.

Also, the DC power required for the front unit 108 is generated by electromagnetic coupling of the coils 181 and 180 .

The coil 181 of the rear unit 109 is driven according to the AC signal, and is electromagnetically transmitted to the coil 180 of the front unit 108 opposite to the coil 181 in a non-contact manner, and the AC signal transmitted to the coil 180 is rectified by the power circuit 190 and smoothing to generate DC power. Then, the DC power is supplied to elements or circuits requiring DC power, such as the CCD 134 .

In addition, although FIG. 17 has shown the generating means of a direct-current power supply, it can apply to the case of the 3rd modification of FIG. 14 similarly. The effect of this modification is substantially the same as that of the third modification shown in FIG. 14 .

(Example 6)

Embodiment 6 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19 . FIG. 18 shows an endoscope system 201 having a sixth embodiment.

This endoscope system 201 is constituted by the endoscope 202 of the sixth embodiment, the same light source device 103 as in the fifth embodiment, a processing device 104 and a monitor 105 .

In the endoscope 102 of Embodiment 5, the bending driving part 120 as the electric bending driving means is provided on the front side unit 108 side, but in the present endoscope 202, in the operation part 113 of the rear side unit 109 For example, a motor 154 serving as a bending drive source is provided near the inner side of the connector holder 112 .

The rotating shaft of the motor 154 is provided with a protruding engagement recess 204 on the end surface of the connector base 112 , and engages with an engagement protrusion 205 protruding from the end surface of the connector 111 of the front unit 108 to transmit the rotational force of the motor 154 . In addition, O-rings 206 and 207 for watertightness and airtightness are provided around the rotation shafts of the concave portion 204 and the protruding portion 205, respectively.

A gear 209 is provided at the front end of the shaft body 208 provided with each protrusion 205 , and each gear 209 is connected to the rear end of the bent wire 152 and engages with a concave-convex portion 211 a provided in the movable rod 211 .

Then, the rod 211 is moved back and forth by the rotation of the motor 154, and the bending wire 152 is pulled or loosened, so that the bending portion 122 can be bent.

Furthermore, the signal cables 136 and 141 are respectively connected to the conversion circuits 213 and 214 and also connected to the optical fibers 215 and 216 .

Then, the conversion circuits 213 and 214 convert the electrical signals into optical signals and output them to the optical fibers 215 and 216 , and convert the optical signals into electrical signals and output them to the signal cables 136 and 141 .

For example, the CCD driving signal of the signal cable 141 is converted into an optical signal by the conversion circuit 214, and output to the base end surface of the optical fiber 216, and the light is output from the front end surface of the optical fiber 216 to the opposite optical fiber 215 side.

Then, the optical signal of the optical fiber 215 is converted into an electrical signal (CCD drive signal) by the conversion circuit 213, and is applied to the CCD 134 through the signal line of the signal cable 136. Conversely, the CCD output signal output from the CCD 134 side is converted into an optical signal by the conversion circuit 213 and input to the conversion circuit 214 through the optical fibers 215 and 216 . Then, it is converted into an electric signal (CCD output signal), and is input to the processing device 104 via the signal line of the signal cable 141 .

Furthermore, on the outer peripheral surface of the operation part 113, for example, a swash plate 217 for bending operation is provided. The swash plate 217 is provided with up, down, left, and right bending indication switches at four positions indicated by U, D, L, and R. 219 connections.

The control circuit 219 controls the rotational drive of the motor 154 according to the switch operation of the swash plate 217 .

Moreover, in this embodiment, magnets 221 and 222 are provided on the end faces of the connector 111 and the connector seat 112 in order to maintain the installation position and the installation state.

Furthermore, these magnets 221 and 222 have a magnet part and an electric contact part, and these two parts are connected respectively.

That is, through the magnet 222 connected to the power line of the signal cable 141 , power can be supplied to the power line connected to the opposite magnet 221 . The power line connected to the magnet 221 serves as a signal line for power transmission of the signal cable 136 .

Furthermore, a memory 157 for generating ID information is provided in the front unit 108 , and the ID information can be transmitted to the rear unit 109 via the conversion circuit 213 . Also, a memory 224 for generating ID information is provided in the rear unit 109, and the information can be transmitted to the processing device 104.

Based on the ID information, the processing device 104 generates a CCD drive signal corresponding to the number of pixels and characteristics of the CCD 134, and controls signal processing when generating a video signal. In addition, only one front side unit 108 is shown in FIG. 18 , but as shown in FIG. 9 , another front side unit different in type, characteristic, etc. can be connected to the rear side unit 109 and used.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the structure in the vicinity of the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 constituting the detachable portion 107F.

In this embodiment, the internal structure of the front unit 108 can be simplified compared with the case of the fifth embodiment because the electric bending driving unit is provided on the side of the rear unit 109 .

That is, since the electro-bending drive unit is provided in the commonly used rear unit 109, the structure of the front unit 108 to be replaced can be simplified and the cost can also be reduced. In addition, substantially the same effect as that of Example 5 is obtained.

FIG. 20 shows the structure of a detachable portion 107G in the first modified example. In this modified example, gears 231 and 232 are used instead of the engagement of the concavo-convex parts in the sixth embodiment. In addition, the structure is the same as that of Embodiment 6. The present embodiment has substantially the same effect as that of the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 21 shows the structure of a detachable portion 107H in the second modified example. In this modified example, magnets 241 and 242 are used instead of the engagement of the concavo-convex parts in the sixth embodiment.

That is, by rotating the magnet 242 together with the rotation of the motor 154 , the magnet 214 which is arranged to face and acts on magnetic attraction force can also be rotated.

Furthermore, FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the structure of FIG. 21 viewed from the lateral direction. In this case, magnets 241 and 242 are rotatably arranged inside sealing plates 243 and 244 that seal the respective end surfaces of connector 111 and connector housing 112 .

Therefore, the end faces of the connector 111 and the connector holder 112 can be set to be flat, and washing and disinfection can be performed easily and in a short time.

In addition, the structure is the same as that of Embodiment 6. This modified example has the effect that washing and disinfection can be easily performed as described above. In addition, it has substantially the same effect as that of Example 6.

FIG. 23 shows an endoscope 252 according to a third modified example. In this endoscope 252 , for example, in the endoscope shown in FIG. 18 , an operation unit cover 253 is provided in the front unit.

That is, the operation part cover 253 extends to the rear side on the outer peripheral surface of the connector 111, and at least the front part of the operation part 113 of the rear side unit 109 can be covered with this operation part cover 253.

In addition, a disk cover 254 covering the substantially disk-shaped bending operation disk 217B is provided inside the operation portion cover 253 . In the bending operation dial 217B, as in the case of the above-mentioned swash plate 217, switches for instructing bending in four directions are provided.

The operating part 113 and the like are sterilized in advance before the operation on parts of mechanical materials that are in contact with the doctor during the operation. However, as another method, there is also a method of covering with a bag-shaped cover such as a sterilized covering cloth instead of using it. A method of sterilizing mechanical material parts.

In this modified example, at the rear end of the frequently used front side unit 108, an operation unit cover 253 which is a soft covering cloth conforming to the shape that can cover and connect the operation unit 113 of the front side unit 108 is integrally provided. .

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to attach another front unit 108 to use without the need to replace the cover cloth on the operation portion 113 .

Moreover, the embodiment etc. which combined the said each embodiment etc. part etc. also belong to this invention.

Industrial availability

The endoscope can be separated into a front unit and a rear unit in the detachable part installed near the operation part. Even during endoscopic examination, the doctor can easily replace it with another front unit for endoscopy. Looking glass inspection.

Claims (7)

1. an endoscope is characterized in that, this endoscope has:

Endoscope main body, it has the insertion section, and is built-in with image unit;

The photoconduction connecting portion, it is arranged on the incident end of inserting the photoconduction that leads to the transmission illumination light in above-mentioned insertion section;

The holding wire connecting portion, it is connecting the end of the holding wire that is electrically connected with above-mentioned image unit;

Cable unit, its have respectively integratedly with above-mentioned endoscope main body in the above-mentioned photoconduction connecting portion connecting portion that dismounting is connected freely with the holding wire connecting portion, and insert and be connected with the holding wire that transmits the signal of telecommunication; And

Light source portion, it is set to mutually opposedly with above-mentioned photoconduction connecting portion in above-mentioned connecting portion, is used for providing illumination light to inserting the above-mentioned incident end lead to the above-mentioned photoconduction in above-mentioned insertion section.

2. endoscope according to claim 1 is characterized in that, above-mentioned cable unit has and above-mentioned photoconduction connecting portion and holding wire connecting portion the 1st and the 2nd connecting portion that is connected freely of dismounting respectively.

3. endoscope according to claim 1 is characterized in that, above-mentioned cable unit can be connected respectively with the holding wire connecting portion with above-mentioned photoconduction connecting portion by the connection adaptor portion that one connects.

4. endoscope according to claim 2 is characterized in that, above-mentioned cable unit has the switch element as indicating member that control signal is sent to signal processing apparatus.

5. endoscope according to claim 2 is characterized in that, above-mentioned cable unit has whether above-mentioned the 1st connecting portion is connected the connection detecting unit that detects with above-mentioned photoconduction connecting portion.

6. endoscope according to claim 1 is characterized in that, dismantled and assembled being equipped with freely inciding the optical light filter that the slotting wave band that leads to the illumination light of the photoconduction in above-mentioned insertion section limits on the above-mentioned connecting portion.

7. endoscope according to claim 1 is characterized in that above-mentioned light source portion comprises the light source of electroluminescence.

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