JPH0474015B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to an electronic endoscope that can observe an affected area on a monitor screen using a solid-state image sensor provided at the tip of an insertion section. It is.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of endoscopes have been developed in order to observe the inside of a living body by inserting an insertion section through a patient's mouth or the like, or to observe conditions in a narrow inner part such as the inside of an aircraft engine. As such an endoscope, for example, the 7th
A medical type endoscope as shown in the figure is known, and this endoscope sends light from a light source section 100 to the distal end side 102 via a fiber 101 to illuminate the affected area and monitor the state of the affected area. An eyepiece 104 on the proximal end side connected to this through a fiber 103 allows the operator to directly visually confirm the position.

By the way, with such endoscopes, you may be forced to take an awkward position, such as placing your eye directly on the eyepiece while looking through the endoscope, and it may be inconvenient for multiple people to be unable to see the subject at the same time. Ta.

Furthermore, an electronic endoscope as shown in FIG. 8 has been developed. That is, this electronic endoscope has the insertion section 10
A solid-state image sensor (not shown) such as a CCD is installed at the tip of 5, and the observed image of the subject such as the affected area is directly transmitted to the CRT of the monitor unit via the connecting part 106 that has an internal code.
It is now displayed on the 107 screen.
By the way, in the case of such an electronic endoscope, the gripping part 108 on the proximal end of the main body is displaced upwardly with respect to the axial direction of the insertion part 105 and its distal end, as shown in FIG. It is known that the grip part 10 is formed with an axis in the opposite direction.
The device is designed to be inserted with the 8th side lifted up near the face. For this reason, in the case of such an electronic endoscope, a large burden is placed on the arm, and long-term operation tends to cause fatigue, which poses a problem.

In addition, in the case of such an electronic endoscope, the tip of the insertion part can be rotated by finger operation, and the observation image of the subject can be observed from various directions. In order to make it easier to operate the operation knob 109 with your fingers while grasping the proximal end of the main body with your hand, there is a known grip section 111 that is bent downward at a certain angle with respect to the axial direction of the insertion section 110 side. ing.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in all electronic endoscopes with such a configuration, as explained earlier, the observed image of the subject can be observed on the screen of the monitor section installed separately from the main body. Although it is not necessary to bring the grip on the proximal end of the main body particularly close to the eyes, considering the shape of the grip, it is most natural and easy to operate if it is held and operated near the face. It's summery. However, if you keep your arm raised in this position for a long time, it puts a lot of stress on the muscles in your arm and makes you easily tired, so your arm will inevitably drop down naturally, and as a result, you will not be able to force the insertion site. It is easily damaged.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional art, the present invention has been developed to provide an optimal posture for operations with the arm extended, which is the most comfortable posture when the operator performs various operations with the hands and fingers. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscope in which a user can grasp a gripping part in a state in which the user holds the gripper while the user is holding the gripper, and the finger on the gripping hand side can operate a knob while maintaining the position at the time of the gripping operation. .

[Means to solve the problem]

That is, the present invention provides a solid-state imaging device at the tip of the insertion section, and displays a subject on a display screen of a monitor connected from the main body side via a connecting section based on a video signal obtained from the solid-state imaging device. In the electronic endoscope to be used for observation, the gripping part for gripping and operating the operator's hand and the insertion part etc. connected to the distal end side of this gripping part are aligned so that the axes of these gripping parts are in a straight line. and the insertion portion are formed in a straight line, and an operation knob is provided on the distal end side of the gripping portion to bend the distal end side of the endoscope body while holding the gripping portion with the fingers of the hand that grips the gripping portion. It was established.

[Effect]

In the electronic endoscope of this invention, the gripping part is formed in a straight line with respect to the insertion part, etc., so that it can be easily gripped and operated without having to take an unreasonable posture such as lifting the arm upward. .

Further, in the electronic endoscope of the present invention, the operating knob is attached to the tip side of the gripping part, and the operating knob can be easily operated with the thumb of the hand while holding the gripping part. .

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show an electronic endoscope according to the present invention, which has a distal end portion 2, a curved portion 3, an insertion portion 4, and a gripping portion on the main body 1 side. 5 and a connecting section 6, and an observation image of the subject can be observed on a monitor section (not shown) via a control section (not shown).

The tip part 2 is composed of the same parts as conventional ones, namely, an image guide part equipped with an objective lens and a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, a light guide part for illuminating the subject, an air/water supply port, It has a built-in forceps hole with a forceps stand, and is made of a hard material that does not swing.

The curved part 3 is inserted into the body and can be bent in various directions by operating the operation knob so that each part can be observed, and the tip part 2 can be rotated toward each part. It is designed to be freely bent via a wire stretched between a pulley or the like and an operating knob, which will be explained later.

The insertion section 4 is made of a flexible material that can be freely deformed to match the shape of the organ through which it passes when inserted into the body.

The gripping part 5 is a part that is held and manipulated by hand when inserting the insertion part 4 side and the distal end thereof into the body, and its axis is arranged and formed to be the same as the axis of the insertion part 4 to facilitate the insertion operation. That is, it is formed in a straight line with the insertion portion 4 side. and,
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this gripping portion 5 has an operation for bending the curved portion 3 to a position on the side of the distal end where the thumb will reach when the gripping portion 5 is gripped by hand. A knob 7 is attached, and buttons 8 and 9 for air supply and water supply are attached at a position near the operation knob 7 on the lower side of the grip part 5 where the index finger, middle finger, etc. are placed. In addition, this gripping part 5 has an upper part on the distal side of the operation knob 7 so that it is convenient to insert various forceps with the other hand while gripping the gripping part 5 with one hand. , the forceps insertion port 10 is opened in an upwardly inclined state at an angle θ of approximately 90° with respect to the axial direction of the grip portion 5. In addition, this grip part 5 also has:
A metal fitting 11 for attaching a hanger such as a string is also attached so that the endoscope can be hung from the shoulder with a hanger such as a string.

The connecting part 6 is used to send an image signal obtained from the solid-state image sensor provided in the distal end part 2 to the control part, and to electrically connect a connection cord that has passed through the insertion part 4 side etc. with the control part side. It belongs to
A connection cord is provided inside, and in this embodiment, it is attached to the lower side of the tip of the grip 5. The connecting portion 6 has a connector portion 12 attached to its distal end side to be connected to a connector portion on the control portion side. In addition to this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the connecting portion 13 may be rotated around a rotation shaft 14 provided at the base end of the grip portion 5 so as not to interfere with the insertion operation. It is also possible to mount it so that it can rotate freely.

Therefore, according to the electronic endoscope of this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 and insert the endoscope body into the body. Then, the operator connects the solid-state image sensor of the endoscope body to the control unit 1 using the connection unit 6.
Since the screen of the monitor unit 16 connected via 5 can be viewed in a comfortable posture, the operator does not need to raise his head or bend down, and can concentrate on the insertion operation using only his hands. I can do it.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, the gripping portion is formed so as to be continuous on the same axis, that is, in the same straight line, with respect to the insertion portion and its distal end side. Therefore, when inserting the endoscope body by grasping the gripping part with the hand, it is possible to operate the endoscope body without lifting the hand upward, that is, the insertion operation can be performed easily with the hand in the natural state of lowering it. I can do it.

Further, according to the electronic endoscope of the present invention, the operation knob is provided on the upper part of the distal end of the gripping part, and when the gripping part is gripped by hand, the operation knob can be operated using the thumb of that hand. Bending operations on the distal end side of the endoscope body can also be easily performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view when operating the electronic endoscope according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the operating state of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the operating state of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, and FIG. Side view showing a modification, No. 6
The figures are a perspective view explaining the operation of the electronic endoscope according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conventional endoscope, FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional electronic endoscope, and FIG. 10 is a side view showing the gripping section of a conventional electronic endoscope;
The figure is a side view showing a conventional electronic endoscope. 4...Insertion section, 16...Monitor section, 5...Gripping section, 7...Operation knob, 15...Control section, 6,1
3...Connection part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A solid-state imaging device is provided at the tip of the insertion section, and based on a video signal from the solid-state imaging device, the subject is displayed on a display screen of a monitor unit connected from the main body side via a connecting part for observation. In an electronic endoscope, the gripping part for gripping and operation by the operator's hand and the insertion part etc. connected to the distal side of this gripping part are inserted so that their axes are aligned in a straight line. The electronic device is characterized in that the gripping portion is formed in a straight line, and an operation knob is provided on the tip side of the gripping portion to be operated while holding the gripping portion with a finger on the hand side that grips the gripping portion. Endoscope.