JPH085936A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the endoscope device which can accurately grasp the integral use times of endoscopes, one by one. CONSTITUTION:The endoscope device, provided with an endoscope 10 so that the endoscope can be connected to a light source unit 20 for supplying illumination light to the endoscope 10, is provided with a use time measuring means 30 which measures the time of a use state wherein the endoscope 10 is connected to the light source unit 20 whose light source 22 is ON and a use time storage means 19 which is provided to the endoscope 10 so as to store the use time of the endoscope 10; and the use time measured by the use time measuring means 30 is added to the use time which is already stored in the use time storage means 19 and the result is stored in the use time storage means 19.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope device in which an endoscope is connectable to a light source device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A light source device for an endoscope is expensive in itself and, at the same time, becomes large in size, so that one light source device can be used for many endoscopes. , The endoscope can be connected freely.

[0003]

Since the endoscope is a device with a relatively high degree of wear and is used by being inserted into the human body, it is completely inspected and maintained every time it is used. There is a need.

However, as described above, since a large number of endoscopes are used by being replaced with one light source device, the usage time of each endoscope is accumulated and recorded on the light source device side. It is not possible.

Therefore, it is impossible to know how many hours each endoscope has been used from the beginning or after the previous inspection / maintenance, and the endoscope continues to be used while the important parts are exhausted, causing a major failure or accident. Sometimes caused.

Further, even the endoscope manufacturer cannot accurately grasp the correlation between the failure point and the usage time, and therefore, it may not be possible to take accurate measures against the failure in the design and manufacturing.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus capable of accurately grasping the cumulative operating time of each endoscope.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the endoscope apparatus of the present invention is provided such that the endoscope can be connected to a light source device for supplying illumination light to the endoscope. In the endoscope device, in order to store the use time measuring means for measuring the time of the use state in which the endoscope is connected to the light source device in which the light source is turned on, and the use time of the endoscope. The use time storage means provided in the endoscope is provided, and the use time measured by the use time measuring means is added to the use time already stored in the use time storage means to obtain the use time storage means. It is characterized by being stored in.

The use time measuring means detects the start time of use when the endoscope is connected to the light source device and the light source of the light source device is turned on, and the time is temporarily set. After that, by detecting the use end time when the light source of the light source device is turned off or the connection between the light source device and the endoscope is released, by subtracting the use start time from that time. The usage time of the endoscope may be calculated.

The endoscope is an electronic endoscope with a built-in solid-state image sensor, and the light source device also serves as a video processor for processing a video signal output from the solid-state image sensor. Good.

Further, integrated use time display means for reading out and displaying the integrated use time stored in the use time storage means may be provided, and the integrated use time stored in the use time storage means is displayed. When the accumulated use time exceeds the predetermined value as compared with the predetermined value, use time expiration display means may be provided to display that fact.

Further, a sub-power source which is constantly charged by the main power source is provided in the power source section of the light source device so that when the main power source is turned off, the sub-power source acts as a power source of the usage time measuring means. Good.

[0013]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
1 schematically shows the overall configuration of the endoscope device, and the endoscope 10 is
An operation section 14 provided with various operation devices is connected to the proximal end side of a flexible insertion section 11 having an objective optical system 12 and a solid-state image sensor 13 built in at the tip 11a, and the flexible connection tube 1
A connector 16 provided at the tip of the device 5 is detachably connected to the video processor / light source device 20.

A light guide fiber bundle (not shown) for transmitting illumination light for illuminating a subject, a signal cable 17 for transmitting a video signal from the solid-state image pickup device 13, and the like are inserted into the connecting tube 15. It reaches the connector 16. In the connector 16, for example, EEPR
A storage element 19 composed of an OM (rewritable read-only memory) is built in.

In the video processor / light source device 20,
A light source unit 22 for supplying illumination light to the light guide fiber bundle, a video signal processing unit 21 for processing a video signal sent from the solid-state imaging device 13, and a microcomputer for performing various control processes are used. The control unit 30 (hereinafter referred to as "microcomputer control unit") and the like are provided.

Therefore, in order to use the endoscope 10, the connector 16 is always connected to the video processor / light source device 20.
The state where the connector 16 is connected to the video processor / light source device 20 and the power of the video processor / light source device 20 is turned on is the usage state of the endoscope.

A monitor 50 reproduces the image signal sent from the solid-state image pickup device 13 as a visible image. The endoscopic device is additionally provided with air supply, water supply, a suction device, etc., but they are not shown.

FIG. 2 is provided in the video processor / light source device 20 for controlling the brightness of the light source lamp 22a, adjusting the image projected on the monitor 50, and imprinting the date and time on the screen. The microcomputer control unit 30 and its surroundings are shown.

Central processing unit (CP) for performing arithmetic processing
U) 31, a system bus 32 connected to a read-only memory (ROM) 33 storing programs and the like,
A random access memory (RAM) 34, a real time clock (RTC) 35, etc. are connected.

A CR connected to the system bus 32
Through the T controller (CRTC) 37, the display character data stored in the video random access memory (video RAM) 36 and the image data output from the video signal processing unit 21 are combined and output to the monitor 50. .

A panel switch 23 with a light emitting diode for display of the video processor / light source device 20 and a light source lamp 2
The lamp control circuit 22b for controlling 2a and the external keyboard 24 are connected to the input / output ports 40, 38 and 3 respectively.
It is connected to the system bus 32 via 9.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a programmable interrupt controller (PIC), which includes a micro switch 45 for detecting whether the connector 16 is connected to the video processor / light source device 20 and a power source for the video processor / light source device 20. Voltage detection IC for detecting voltage
Reference numeral 61 is connected to the interrupt terminal of the interrupt controller 41. 42 is a programmable interval timer (PIT).

By connecting the connector 16 to the input / output port 43 to which the connector 16 of the endoscope 10 is connected, the storage element 19 in the endoscope 10 is connected, and data is transmitted / received serially. Reference numeral 46 is a warning buzzer.

The storage element 19 built in the connector 16 of the endoscope 10 stores in advance data indicating the type and manufacturing number of the endoscope.
Is stored in the video processor / light source device 20 and the light source lamp 22a is turned on, that is, the total use time of the endoscope 10 is stored. Then, it is displayed on the monitor 50, and when the accumulated use time reaches the reference time, the alarm buzzer 46 is sounded.

FIG. 3 shows a video processor / light source device 20.
Shows the connection of connector 16 to. When the connector 16 is connected to the video processor / light source device 20, the light guide fiber bundle 1 for illumination on the endoscope side is located at the convergence position of the illumination light emitted from the light source lamp 22a.
8 is guided, and the signal cable 17 for the video signal is connected to the circuit on the video processor / light source device 20 side.

A lever 51 attached to a support shaft 52 provided on the side of the video processor / light source device 20 is biased counterclockwise by a spring (not shown) to constantly push the contact of the microswitch 45. There is no state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the connector 1
When 6 is attached to the video processor / light source device 20, the lever 51 engages with the groove 53 formed on the connector 16 side and acts as a retainer for the connector 16.

When the connector 16 is removed from the video processor / light source device 20, the operation button 56 biased outward by the coil spring 55 is pushed in, and the screw rod 57 screwed with the operation button 56 is combined with the video processor. By pushing in the light source device 20 side, the lever 51 is moved into the groove 53.
Remove it from Only at that time, the contact of the micro switch 45 is pushed by the lever 51.

The micro switch 45 is, for example, a switch that is always off, and has a terminal connected to the interrupt controller 41 pulled up to a high level.
The low-level trigger signal is sent to the first interrupt terminal of the interrupt controller 41 by being turned on and grounded only when the contact is pushed by the lever 51.

FIG. 4 shows a video processor / light source device 20.
Shows the power supply circuit of the CPU3, which is supplied with power
1, interrupt controller 41, and input / output port 43
Are connected between the power line 60 and the ground. The power supply circuit of the light source unit 22 is provided separately from this.

The output terminal of the voltage detection IC 61 connected between the power supply line 60 and the ground is connected to the second interrupt terminal of the interrupt controller 41, and
It is connected to the base of the first switching transistor 62 via a resistor 63. The emitter of the first switching transistor 62 is grounded. 64 is a pull-down resistor.

A second switching transistor 65 having an emitter and a collector connected in series to the power line 60.
The collector of the first switching transistor 62 is connected to the base of the. Reference numeral 66 is a diode for increasing the amount of current when the power is turned on to accelerate the rise of voltage.

The large-capacity capacitor 67, which serves as a sub power source, is provided in the first and second switching transistors 6 and 6.
2 and 65 and the devices 31, 41 ... Receiving power are connected between the power supply line 60 and the ground.

With this configuration, when the main power supply whose voltage is Vcc is on, the input voltage of the power supply line 60 is Vin = Vcc.
And the output of the voltage detection IC 61 is high level,
The two switching transistors 62 and 65 are turned on, and the power of the output voltage Vout = Vcc is applied to the devices 31 and 4 respectively.
1, and the capacitor 67 is charged at the same time.

When the main power supply is turned off due to switch operation or power failure, the input voltage Vin of the power supply line 60 drops,
It is detected by the voltage detection IC 61, and the voltage detection I
The output of C61 goes low.

Then, the interrupt controller 41
And the two switching transistors 62 and 65 are turned off and the capacitor 6
Electric power is supplied to the devices 31, 41, ...

Therefore, even after the main power supply is turned off and the light source section 22 is stopped, the control processing by the CPU 31 can be performed until the accumulated charge of the capacitor 67 is discharged.

5 to 13 show a microcomputer control unit 30.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the contents of a software program stored in the ROM 33, and the flow chart will be explained together with the operation explanation of the above embodiment. S indicates a processing step.

The symbols in the flow chart have the following meanings. V1: Start time (including hours, minutes, seconds) when the lamp is lit (with the endoscope inserted), V2: Lamp status (extinguished: 00h, lit: 01h), V3: Insertion and removal of the endoscope ( Withdrawal: 00h, Insertion: 01h), VS1: Cumulative usage time while the endoscope lamp is on, VS ID: endoscope ID, R1 and R2 represent general-purpose registers of the CPU 31.

FIG. 5 shows the contents of the main program stored in the ROM 33. After the predetermined initial setting (S1), the endoscope information processing (S2) is first performed. The contents will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. After the endoscope information processing (S2), the lamp control circuit 22b-related processing (S3) is performed, and then the processing (S4) set by the panel switch 23 is performed.

When the panel switch process (S4) is completed,
After performing the input process from the keyboard 24 (S5), the process of displaying the date and time (S6), and the other processes (S7), the process is repeated from the endoscope information processing (S2).

FIG. 6 shows a video processor / light source device 20.
Shows a control process when the endoscope is connected when the main power source of the device is on, and the lever 51 pushes the micro switch 45 when connecting the connector 16 to the video processor / light source device 20. By this (S11), the micro switch 45 is turned on, and it is detected that the endoscope 10 is connected to the video processor / light source device 20 (S12).

Therefore, 01h which means insertion of the endoscope is written in the variable V3 of the RAM 34 (S13), and if the light source lamp 22a is not turned on, the operation is ended (S14). If the light source lamp 22a is turned on, the real-time clock is turned on. 35
Then, the time at that time is read out, the time is written in the variable V1 in the RAM 34 as the use start time of the endoscope, and the process ends (S15).

FIG. 7 shows a control process when the light source lamp 22a is turned on. If the endoscope 10 is not connected, that is, if V3 is not 01h, the process is terminated (S21).

If the endoscope 10 is connected, the time at that time is read from the real time clock 35, and the time is written in the variable V1 in the RAM 34 as the use start time of the endoscope (S22). After writing 01h into the variable V2 in the RAM 34 indicating the lighting of 22a, the process ends (S23).

FIG. 8 shows a control process when the light source lamp 22a is turned off. If the endoscope 10 is not connected, that is, if V3 is not 01h, the process ends (S3).
1). If the endoscope 10 is connected, the time at that time is read from the real-time clock 35, and the time is written in the register R1 of the CPU 31 as the use end time of the endoscope (S32).

Then, the variable V1 is subtracted from the value of the register R1, and the value (current endoscope use time) is added to the variable VS1 of the storage element 19 in the endoscope 10 and stored as the accumulated use time. The value is stored in the element 19 (S33), and 00h is stored in the variable V2 in the RAM 34 indicating that the light source lamp 22a is turned off.
And then ends (S34).

FIG. 9 shows a control process when the connector 16 is pulled out from the video processor / light source device 20 while the main power source of the video processor / light source device 20 is turned on. By pressing the micro switch 45, the interrupt controller 4
An interrupt signal is sent to the first interrupt terminal of S1 (S
41).

Then, if the light source lamp 22a is already turned off, that is, if V2 is not 01h, the process is ended as it is (S42), and if the light source lamp 22a is turned on, the first one shown in FIG. Performs interrupt processing and then ends.

FIG. 10 shows the interrupt processing,
When an interrupt is applied to the first interrupt terminal of the interrupt controller 41 (S431), the time at that time is read from the real-time clock 35, and the time is written in the register R1 of the CPU 31 as the use end time of the endoscope (S432). ).

Then, the variable V1 is subtracted from the value of the register R1 and the value (current usage time) is added to the variable VS1 of the storage element 19 in the endoscope 10 to be stored in the storage element 19 as the integrated usage time. After storing, the interruption is ended (S433).

FIG. 11 shows a video processor / light source device 2 as well.
0 shows the control processing when the main power source of the video processor / light source device 20 is turned off with the endoscope 10 connected to 0, and when the main power source is turned off by the voltage detection IC 61, an interrupt is generated. An interrupt signal is sent to the second interrupt terminal of the controller 41 (S51).

Then, if the light source lamp 22a is already turned off, that is, if V2 is not 01h, the process is ended as it is (S52), and if the light source lamp 22a is turned on, the second light source shown in FIG. Performs interrupt processing and then ends.

FIG. 12 shows the interrupt processing,
In this case, when power is supplied from the capacitor 67 to the CPU 31 and the like (S531) and the second interrupt terminal of the interrupt controller 41 is interrupted (S521), the time at that time is read from the real-time clock 35. Then, the time is written in the register R1 of the CPU 31 as the use end time of the endoscope (S53).
3).

Then, the variable V1 is subtracted from the value of the register R1 and the value (current usage time) is added to the variable VS1 of the storage element 19 in the endoscope 10 to be stored in the storage element 19 as the integrated usage time. After storing, the interruption is ended (S534).

FIG. 13 shows the endoscope information processing of S2, and if the light source lamp 22a is already turned off, that is, V
If 2 is not 01h, the process ends as it is (S61), and S
The process shifts to the lamp-related process of No. 3.

If the light source lamp 22a is turned on, the endoscope ID stored in the storage element 19 in the connector 16
The recommended use time of the endoscope 10 indicated by VS_ID is indexed from the lookup table and stored in the register R2 of the CPU 31 (S62).

Next, the current time is read from the real-time clock 35 and written in the register R1 of the CPU 31 (S63), and the total use time {VS1 + (R1-V1)} of the endoscope 10 is calculated to register R1. (S64).

Then, the total usage time of R1 is compared with the recommended usage time of R2, and if the total usage time does not exceed the recommended usage time, the process ends (S65), and the total usage time exceeds the recommended usage time. If so, the fact is displayed on the monitor 50 and the process is terminated (S66).

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and a rechargeable battery may be used instead of the capacitor 67 as the sub power source, for example. Further, the present invention may be applied to an optical endoscope using an image guide fiber instead of the solid-state image pickup device 13 for transmitting an observation image. In that case, the microcomputer control unit 30 is a video processor and a light source. It is provided in the light source device, not in the device 20.

[0061]

According to the present invention, the usage time of the endoscope is measured by the usage time measuring means and is added to the usage time already stored in the usage time storage means provided in the endoscope. Since it is stored, it is possible to accurately grasp the cumulative usage time of each endoscope, and to inspect and maintain the endoscope at a proper time to prevent breakdowns and accidents. You can Also, the manufacturer can accurately grasp the correlation between the usage time of the endoscope and the occurrence of a failure, which can contribute to the improvement of quality.

If the use time measuring means calculates the use time of the endoscope by subtracting the use start time from the use end time, there is little error and the input / output of data to / from the storage means. The storage means can have a long life due to the small number of times.

Further, if the integrated use time of the endoscope is displayed, or if the integrated use time exceeds a predetermined value, that fact is displayed, the use time of the endoscope can be managed very easily. be able to.

Further, when the main power supply is turned off, the sub power supply functions as the power supply for the usage time measuring means, so that the usage time can be accurately measured even during a power failure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial side cross-sectional schematic view of a connector connecting portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a power supply circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a control processing flow chart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a control processing flow chart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Endoscope 19 Storage Element 20 Video Processor and Light Source Device 22a Light Source Lamp 30 Microcomputer Control Section

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope apparatus in which an endoscope is connectable to a light source apparatus for supplying illumination light to the endoscope, wherein the endoscope is connected to the light source apparatus whose light source is on. The operating time measuring means for measuring the time of the operating state, and the operating time storing means provided in the endoscope for storing the operating time of the endoscope, and the operating time measuring means The use time measured by is added to the use time already stored in the use time storage means and stored in the use time storage means. 2. The use time measuring means detects a use start time when the endoscope is connected to the light source device and a light source of the light source device is turned on, and the use start time is temporarily detected. After that, by detecting the use end time when the light source of the light source device is turned off or the connection between the light source device and the endoscope is released, by subtracting the use start time from that time. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a usage time of the endoscope is calculated. 3. The endoscope is an electronic endoscope including a solid-state image sensor, and the light source device also serves as a video processor for processing a video signal output from the solid-state image sensor. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising integrated use time display means for reading out and displaying the integrated use time stored in the use time storage means. 5. A usage time expiration display means for comparing the cumulative usage time stored in the usage time storage means with a predetermined value and displaying a message when the cumulative usage time exceeds the predetermined value. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, which is provided. 6. The power source section of the light source device is provided with a sub power source which is constantly charged by the main power source, and when the main power source is turned off, the sub power source acts as a power source of the usage time measuring means. The endoscope apparatus according to Item 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.