JPH0356729B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a light source device for an endoscope, which has an improved structure of a socket portion for connecting a connector of an endoscope.

Generally, a light source device for an endoscope has a connector attached to the end of the endoscope's cable attached to its socket so that the optical system, electrical system, and air/water supply system are connected to each other. It's summery.

A conventionally known endoscope connector includes a light guide tube, an air supply tube, and a plurality of contact pins, which are protruded from the bottom surface of a recess formed in the distal end surface of the connector body. In other words,
The base end portions of the light guide tube, the air supply tube, and the contact pin are surrounded by a fitting tube that forms at least the recessed portion.

In recent years, with advances in endoscope cleaning technology, the entire endoscope has been made waterproof and the entire endoscope has been cleaned and disinfected. However, as mentioned above, there is a concave part at the tip of the connector body, and the light guide tube, air supply tube, and multiple contact pins are protruded from this concave part. I can't do it,
The cleaning liquid accumulated in the small gaps between the tubes and the pins at the bottom of the recess, and could not be wiped off.

Therefore, we completely changed the structure of the connector, making the front end of the connector body flat and protruding the light guide tube and air supply tube from this flat surface, and making the multiple contacts slightly protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the connector body. It has been proposed that the This type of connector has no recesses on the outer surface of the connector body, and the cleaning liquid adhering to the outer surface drains naturally, and any remaining cleaning liquid can be easily wiped off.

However, when using an endoscope having a connector whose structure has been completely changed in this way, the structure of the socket of the light source device must also be changed to match the connector. However, since light source devices are expensive, it is extremely uneconomical for the user to prepare a plurality of light source devices with different sockets.

For this reason, by using two types of adapters between the endoscope connector and the light source device socket, it is possible to connect the light source to either type of socket, regardless of which type of endoscope has the connector. A connection method that can also be used in devices and provides compatibility between different types of connectors and light source devices has already been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 57-36004).
However, recently, endoscopes are beginning to use a multiplex transmission system that transmits a large number of signals using a small number of signal lines. Therefore, when it is attempted to use the same electric light source device for both an endoscope that employs the above-mentioned transmission method and an endoscope of a conventional type, compatibility becomes a problem. Therefore, even in the above application,
In order to ensure consistency, a light source side adapter and a connector side adapter are prepared, and an electrical system is incorporated into these to perform necessary electrical processing. In other words, two types of adapters are used to adapt to different types of endoscopes. When two adapters are used in this way, the structure becomes complicated and expensive, and the handling becomes troublesome.

Furthermore, in order to regenerate the superimposed signals into individual signals, each of the adapters described above has to be passed through the contact type contacts twice, which has the drawback of lowering reliability.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The purpose is to provide a light source device for endoscopes that allows several different types of endoscope connectors to be easily connected to one type of socket without using separate adapters. be.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In Figure 1, 1 is a conventionally widely used type of endoscope (hereinafter referred to as the first type of endoscope), and 2 is a new type of endoscope (hereinafter referred to as the second type of endoscope). ). These types of endoscopes 1,
2 has the same basic structure except for the connector and electrical system, which will be described later. That is, a flexible and elongated insertion section 5 and a light guide cable 6 are connected to an operation section 4 having an eyepiece section 3. A light guide 7 made of an optical fiber bundle is inserted into the light guide cable 6, and the light guide 7 is passed through the operating section 4 and the insertion section 5 into the illumination window of the distal end component 8 of the insertion section 5. 9 is connected. Further, an image guide (not shown) is inserted into the insertion section 5 and has one end connected to the eyepiece section 3 and the other end connected to the observation window 10 of the tip structure section 8.

Further, a connector 11 is attached to the distal end of the light guide cable 6 of the first type endoscope 1. The connector body 12 of this connector 11 is formed into a cylindrical shape, and a fitting tube 13 forming a recessed portion is provided at the tip end of the connector body 12. The light guide tube 14 housing the light guide 7 therein, the air supply tube 15, and a plurality of contact pins 16 are located at the inner bottom of the concave portion surrounded by the fitting tube 13 for insertion into a socket described later. It protrudes in the direction. Furthermore, the connector body 12
An air/water supply cap 17, a carbon dioxide gas supply cap 18, a suction cap 19, and a high-frequency ground cap 20 are protruded from the side outer peripheral surface of the connector body 1.
An elastic engagement ring 21 is fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the tip of 2.

On the other hand, a connector 22 attached to the tip of the light guide cable 6 of the second type endoscope 2
is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That is, 23 is a connector body formed in a cylindrical shape, and an opening 24 is provided at the tip thereof. An annular groove 25 is provided along the edge of the opening 24, and a protruding edge 27 of an end plate 26 that closes the opening 24 is fitted and fixed into the annular groove 25. Therefore, this end plate 26 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than the connector main body 23, and a stepped portion 28 is formed at the connecting portion thereof. Furthermore, an annular groove 29 having a U-shaped cross section is carved on the outer circumferential surface of the end plate 26, and an engagement ring 30 formed of an elastic engagement member, for example, NBR rubber is inserted into this annular groove 29. It is fitted.
Further, a light guide tube 31 and an air supply tube 32, which house the light guide 7 therein, are provided on the end plate 26 so as to protrude forward. Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 33 are bored at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the front end side of the connector main body 23, and insulating bushes 34 are formed in these through holes 33. Contact pins 35... are fixed via. The tip ends of these contact pins 35 slightly protrude from the side outer peripheral surface of the connector body 23, and the ends are electrically connected to the endoscope camera via a signal line (not shown) inserted into the endoscope 2. is connected to transmit and receive photographic drive signals and control signals. Furthermore, these contact pins 3
5... Connector body 2 located slightly behind
There is an annular projection 36 along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the side of No. 3.
are integrally drilled. The protrusion height of the annular protrusion 36 is slightly larger than the protrusion height of the contact pins 35, so that the contact pins 35 do not come into contact with the desk even when the connector 22 is placed horizontally on a desk or the like. It acts to protect the contact pins 35.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, on the outer peripheral surface of the side of the connector body 23, an air/water supply cap 37, a carbon dioxide gas supply cap 38, a suction cap 39, and a high frequency ground cap 4 are provided.
0 is provided protrudingly.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3, 41 is a light source device,
A front panel 42 of the light source device 41 is provided with a socket portion 43 into which the connectors 11 and 22 of the endoscopes 1 and 2 are respectively attached. This socket portion 43 has a socket member 44 that is attached and fixed to the front panel 42, and the front end surface of this socket member 44 projects further forward than the front panel 42. Furthermore, the socket member 44 has an insertion hole 45 for a light guide tube and an insertion hole 4 for an air supply tube.
6 and a plurality of contact pin insertion holes 47 are bored in parallel along the insertion direction. A light source lamp (not shown) is installed in the main body of the light source device 41, facing the light guide tube insertion hole 45. Further, an air pipe 48 is provided inside the air pipe insertion hole 45, and a first electrical connection terminal 49 is provided in the contact pin insertion hole 47.

Further, a cylindrical member 51 is installed in the socket portion 43 for positioning and fixing the connectors 11 and 22 of the endoscopes 1 and 2 connected to the socket member 44 at predetermined positions, respectively. 51 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the socket member 44 and fixed with screws. This cylindrical member 51 provides a gap around the outer periphery of the front end of the socket member 44 and protrudes forward from the front end surface of the socket member 44. Then, the socket member 44
An engagement groove 52 into which the elastic engagement ring 21 of the connector 11 of the first type endoscope 1 is fitted is formed in an annular shape on the inner circumference of the cylindrical member 51 facing the outer circumference of the front end thereof. This constitutes a first engaging and fixing portion 53 that positions and fixes the connector 11 at a predetermined location. Note that when the engagement ring 21 of the connector 11 is fitted into the first engagement fixing portion 53, the fitting cylinder 13 of the connector 11
The distal end of the socket member 44 is positioned in the gap between the socket member 44 and the cylindrical member 51.

Further, the inner circumferential surface of the protruding tip of the cylindrical member 51 is formed with an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the first engagement fixing part 53, so that the inner circumferential surface of the protruding tip part of the cylindrical member 51 is formed to have a larger inner diameter than the inner diameter of the first engagement fixing part 53. There seems to be no problem. Further, this inner circumferential surface portion is configured as a second engaging and fixing portion 54 that positions and fixes the connector 22 of the second type endoscope 2 at a predetermined location. That is, an annular engagement groove 55 into which the elastic engagement ring 30 of the connector 22 of the second type endoscope 2 is fitted is formed in the inner circumferential surface thereof.
Further, when the elastic engagement ring 30 is engaged with the engagement groove 55, the end plate 2 of the connector 22 is
A stopper 56 consisting of a stepped portion is formed against which the circumferential end of the stopper 6 rests. Further, the stepped portion 28 of the connector 22 also comes into contact with the front end of the cylindrical member 51. Further, when the connector 22 is attached, the contact pins 35 are exposed from the cylindrical member 51, and second electrical connection terminals 57, which will be described later, are exposed from the cylindrical member 51.
They are now in contact with each other.

Further, a case 58 is attached to the socket portion 43 for holding second electrical connection terminals 57 that come into contact with the contact pins 35 of the connector 22 of the second type endoscope 2. This case 58 is the third
As shown in the drawings and FIG. 4, it is formed into a double cylindrical shape and has an opening at the front so that the connectors 11 and 22 can be inserted through this opening 59. In addition, notch openings 60 and 61 are formed in both left and right walls of the front end of the case 58, and the connectors 11 and 2 are provided with cutout openings 60 and 61.
Each cap 17, 18, 19, 20 in No. 2 is prevented from hitting. A small arcuate portion 62 is formed at the upper front of the case 58, and a large arcuate portion 63 is formed at the lower front. The inner edges of the small arcuate portion 62 and the large arcuate portion 63 correspond to the contact pins 35 of the connector 22 of the second type endoscope 2, respectively, and guide notch grooves 64 for inserting these. is provided. Each of the guide notch grooves 64... has the contact pin 35...
The second electrical connection terminals 57 are provided to contact the.

In addition, a matching circuit section 65 is installed in the space within the large arc-shaped section 63, and this matching circuit section 65 receives and receives data from the second type endoscope 2 through the second electrical connection terminals 57. It processes the signals. In other words, by reproducing the superimposed signals into individual signals or performing superimposition processing on the individual signals, the electrical systems of the light source device 41 and the second type endoscope 2 are matched. .

Note that the light source device 41 includes a power supply circuit for photographing and an exposure control circuit (none of which are shown).
are provided, and these are first electrical connection terminals 49...
and is connected to the second electrical connection terminals 57 through the matching circuit section 65.

Next, the light source device 41 configured as described above
Explain how to use. First, this light source device 41
When attaching the connector 11 of the first type endoscope 1 to the socket portion 43 of the endoscope 1, insert the connector 11 through the opening 59 of the case 58, and insert the connector 11 through the light guide tube insertion hole 45 of the socket member 44 and the air supply tube insertion hole 45. When the light guide tube 14, the air supply tube 15, and the contact pin 16 are inserted into the hole 47 and the contact pin insertion hole 47, respectively, the connector 11 is inserted into the second engagement fixing portion 54.
The elastic engagement ring 21 is fitted into the engagement groove 52 of the first engagement fixing part 53 to position and fix the connector 11 at a predetermined position. That is, the light guide pipe 14, the air pipe 15, and the contact pins 16 are inserted into their respective predetermined positions, the contact pins 16 are connected to the first electrical connection terminal 49, and the air pipe 15 is connected to the air pipe 48. It is connected to. Therefore, the endoscope 1 and the light source device 41 are electrically, optically, and fluidly connected.

On the other hand, when attaching the connector 22 of the second type endoscope 2, the contact pin 3 of the connector 22 is attached.
5... into the corresponding guide notch grooves 64... in the same manner as above, but this connector 2
2 has a larger outer diameter than the connector 11 of the first type endoscope 1, so it does not penetrate deep into the cylindrical member 51 and stays in the second engagement fixing part 54, so that the elastic engagement ring 30 It fits into the engagement groove 55 of the second engagement fixing part 54 and engages with it. Further, at this time, the tip of the connector 22 hits the stopper 56, and the stepped portion 28 hits the front end of the cylindrical member 51, so that positioning in the insertion direction is reliably performed. Further, the light guide pipe 31 and the air supply pipe 32 are connected to the socket member 44 side as in the above case. The light guide tube 31 and the air supply tube 32 protrude longer than those of the first type, and this is due to the fact that each engagement fixing part 53,
54, so they can be connected in the same way. Further, in this attached state, the contact pins 35 are in contact with the second electrical connection terminals 57, respectively, and are connected to the electrical device in the light source device 41 through the matching circuit section 65 as described above.

In the above configuration, when the connectors 11 and 22 are connected, the contact pins 16...30... contact the electrical connection terminals 49...57... only once to be electrically connected to the light source device 41, so the contact pins 16...30... are electrically connected to the light source device 41 side multiple times. More reliable than previous forms of contact.

As explained above, the present invention allows connectors of different types of endoscopes to be easily connected to one type of socket portion without using an adapter made of a separate member, so that it is possible to easily connect connectors of endoscopes of different types to one type of socket portion. There is no hassle in using it, and anyone can easily and quickly select any connector and connect it. Furthermore, there is no need for an adapter as a separate member, so costs can be reduced accordingly, and the internal configuration of the socket can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing two endoscopes of different types, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing two endoscopes of different types.
The figure shows a side view of the connector of the second type of endoscope, and the third type of endoscope connector.
The figure is a side sectional view showing the socket part and the above connector,
FIG. 4 is a front view of the socket section. 1, 2... Endoscope, 11, 22... Connector,
14, 31... Light guide tube, 16, 35...
Contact pin, 41... Light source device, 43... Socket, 49... First electrical connection terminal, 51... Cylindrical member, 53... First engagement fixing part, 54... Second
engagement fixing portion, 57...second electrical connection terminal, 6
5... Matching circuit section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an endoscope light source device which has a socket part and connects an endoscope connector to the socket part, the socket part is provided with the connectors selected to be connected in correspondence with the different types of connectors. At least two engaging fixing parts for positioning and fixing one of the connectors at a predetermined location are provided, and an insertion hole through which the light guide tube of each connector is commonly inserted, and each of the engaging fixing parts is connected to the socket part. It is formed on the inner surface of a cylindrical member provided in the cylindrical member, and consists of stepped portions that fit and fix the circumference of each connector corresponding to each connector to be connected,
In addition, each of the stepped portions has an inner diameter larger on the outer side than the inner diameter, and is shifted in the axial direction according to the length of the light guide tube of the corresponding connector, and one of the stepped portions is engaged and fixed. A connector with contact pins protruding in the insertion direction from the distal end surface is fitted into the part, and a connector with contact pins protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the side is fitted into the other engagement fixing part. At the same time, the contact pins of each of the connectors are electrically connected to separate electrical connection terminals provided in the socket at each fitting position, and each of the connectors of different types can be used as desired. A light source device for endoscopes that can be selectively connected and used.