JPH0511529Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] This invention relates to an endoscope light guide connector for optically connecting the incident end side of the light guide fiber of the endoscope to a light source device. .

[Conventional technology]

In general, the above-mentioned light guide connectors are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publications No. 59-82214, No. 61-119119, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-
It has the structure shown in Publication No. 256317. In other words, a guide tube is provided protruding from the end face of the connector body provided at the end of the light guide cable.
This guide tube has an open distal end surface, and a light guide fiber is inserted and held inside the guide tube. The opening surface of the distal end of the guide tube is watertightly closed by a window member which is a light-transmitting member via an O-ring which is an elastic member, and the structure is such that liquid does not enter the inside during cleaning and disinfection.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

In the conventional light guide connector mentioned above, the elastic member that maintains watertightness between the inside and outside of the guide tube is colored (black, etc.) so that it absorbs the illumination light from the light source.
Therefore, when connecting the connector to the light source device and letting the illumination light enter the light guide fiber, if some of the illumination light is irradiated onto the O-ring, the heat of this illumination light will cause the O-ring to become The ring is heated to a fairly high temperature. Therefore, there was a problem that the O-ring deteriorated and was damaged early.

The purpose of this invention is to extend the life of the elastic member by preventing the elastic member from being heated to a high temperature by illumination light.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this invention makes the color of the elastic member white or a bright color similar to white that reflects the illumination light from the light source, and the elastic member is heated to a high temperature by this light reflection action. It is designed to prevent this from happening.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 schematically shows the overall structure of an endoscope to which the present invention is applied. This endoscope 1 consists of an insertion section 2, an operating section 3, and a light guide cable 4. The cable 4 is connected to a light source device 5 for an endoscope as described later. An observation window 6 and an illumination window 7 are provided at the distal end of the insertion section 2, and an image guide fiber 9 is connected to the observation window 6 via an objective lens 8.
The tips of the two are optically connected. The rear end of this image guide fiber 9 is optically connected to an eyepiece lens 12 of an eyepiece section 11 . Further, one end of the light guide fiber 13 is opposed to the illumination window 7. This light guide fiber 13 is arranged inside each of the insertion section 2, the operating section 3, and the light guide cable 4, and the other end reaches a light guide connector 14 provided at the end of the light guide cable 4. This connector 14 is designed to be detachably attached to the socket 15 of the light source device 5. Note that the light source device 5
has a light source 16 and a condensing lens 17 that focuses the illumination light L output from the light source 16, and is adapted to send the illumination light L to the light guide fiber 13.

On the other hand, the connector 14 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, the connector body 18 is provided with a light guide tube 19 protruding from its end surface. This light guide tube 1
A light guide support tube 9 is connected to the tip of a main tube 20 fixed to the connector body 18 by screw connection, and a base 2 for holding the end of the light guide fiber 13 is connected to the light guide support tube 21.
2 is inserted, and this base 22 is fixed to the light guide support tube 21 with a set screw 23. Further, the light guide support tube 21 is covered with a tubular outer frame 24 made of, for example, stainless steel, and this outer frame 24 is screwed and connected to the outer periphery of the tip of the main tube 20. An O-ring 25 is inserted between the main pipe 20 and the outer frame 24 to provide a watertight seal between them.

Further, a light-transmitting member 26 made of a cover glass is airtightly attached to the opening at the tip of the outer frame 24. This light-transmitting member 26 is tightened and fixed from inside by a tightening nut 28 via an O-ring 27 which is an elastic member. The outer surface or the entire ring material of the O-ring 27 is formed in a white color or a light color close to this color with good light reflectivity. Further, the tightening nut 28 is fitted into a small diameter opening 29 formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the light guide support tube 21.
Then, by fitting the tightening nut 28 into the small diameter opening 29 and screwing the outer frame 24 into the main pipe 20, the tightening nut 28 is positioned on the rising end surface 30 of the small diameter opening 29, and the light guide support tube is tightened. 2
The position of the outer frame 24 with respect to 1 is determined. Furthermore, the gap distance l between the light-transmitting member 26 attached to the outer frame 24 and the incident end face 31 of the light guide fiber 13 facing parallel thereto is also determined. The gap distance l at this time is within 1 mm. Note that the tip surface of the light guide support tube 21 and the light guide fiber 1
The incident end faces 31 of No. 3 are aligned on the same plane.

When the connector 14 having such a structure is connected to the light source device 5 and the light source 16 is turned on, the illumination light L passes through the light-transmitting member 26 and enters the light guide fiber 13. At that time, a part of the illumination light L is transmitted to the O-ring 2.
However, since the color of this O-ring 27 is white or a light color close to white, the O-ring 27 reflects the illumination light L, and therefore the O-ring 27 is affected by the heat of the illumination light L. It is no longer heated to high temperatures and early deterioration is prevented.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, in the present invention, the color of the elastic member that maintains watertightness between the inside and outside of the light guide tube is white or a bright color close to this that reflects the illumination light from the light source. Even if the elastic member is irradiated with illumination light, the elastic member will not be heated to a high temperature by the heat of the illumination light, which has the effect of preventing early deterioration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the connector guide tube portion (the part indicated by the symbol A in Fig. 2) showing the main part of this invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the entire connector, and Fig. 3
The figure is a schematic diagram of the entire endoscope. 13... Light guide fiber, 18... Connector body, 19... Guide tube, 20... Main pipe, 2
1...Light guide support tube, 24...Outer frame, 26
...Transparent member, 27...O ring (elastic member),
28...Tightening nut.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An endoscope in which a guide tube with an open tip is provided protruding from the end face of a connector body, a light guide fiber is inserted into the guide tube, and watertightness between the inside and outside of the guide tube is maintained by an elastic member. A connector for a light guide of an endoscope, characterized in that the color of the elastic member is white to reflect illumination light from a light source or a light color close to this.