JP5276907B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope for acquiring the image of the inner peripheral surface of a hole in a wide range without the need of skill in an operation. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope 1 includes: an outer shell provided with a cylindrical body part 11 and a translucent cover 13 and provided with a transparent window part 13c extending in an axial direction on the peripheral wall; a solid-state imaging element 23 provided inside the outer shell; an objective optical system which includes an objective lens 17 for converging object light through the window part 13c, and forms an image on the solid-state imaging element 23; and a driving mechanism 21 for moving at least the objective lens 17 of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope.

  Endoscopes are used for examination of the digestive tract and cervix in the medical field, or for examination of piping in the industrial field. As an endoscope for such applications, a side-view type endoscope that includes a flexible tube inserted into a hole to be examined and inspected, an objective lens is provided on the side surface of the distal end of the tube, and the field of view extends laterally. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  There is also known an endoscope in which an omnidirectional light receiving unit is provided at the distal end portion of the tube and the field of view extends laterally all around (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In recent years, capsule endoscopes have been used for medical examination of the digestive tract in the medical field. The capsule endoscope incorporates an imaging device and images the inside of the digestive tract while being transported through the digestive tract by peristaltic movement of the digestive tract (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-191944 JP 2003-279862 A JP 09-327447 A

  The field of view of an endoscope is relatively narrow, and it is necessary to move the field of view in order to perform examination and inspection over a wide area. In an endoscope in which a tube is inserted into a hole to be examined / inspected, the field of view is moved by inserting or removing the tube or torsion, but the operation requires skill. For this reason, for example, it is not realistic for the examinee to operate himself / herself during the examination, and the operation is left to the doctor. However, for example, in the examination of the cervix, there is a resistance to seeing the body by a doctor, which has been a factor that hinders the spread of the examination.

  On the other hand, the capsule endoscope is conveyed inside the digestive tract by peristaltic movement of the digestive tract. Therefore, an operation for moving the visual field is not required, but it cannot be used for a screening / examination object that does not have a peristaltic movement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an endoscope that can acquire an image of the inner peripheral surface of a hole over a wide range without requiring skill in operation.

The endoscope of the present invention is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an outer shell provided with a transparent window portion extending in the axial direction on a peripheral wall thereof,
A solid-state imaging device provided inside the outer shell;
An objective lens that focuses the subject light through the window, and forms an image on the solid-state imaging device; and
A drive mechanism for moving at least the objective lens of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell;
With
The drive mechanism includes a support that supports the objective lens, a feed screw that extends along the axis of the outer shell, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the feed screw;
The support is engaged with a thread groove of the feed screw and is restricted from rotating about the feed screw as a rotation axis.
In the endoscope of the present invention, the support has a cylindrical portion,
The objective lens is attached to the cylindrical portion so that the optical axis of the objective lens coincides with the central axis of the cylindrical portion, and has an observation field that enables lateral observation with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion. It is a wide-angle lens.
The endoscope according to the present invention is characterized in that the image pickup device picks up images in a lateral circumferential direction with respect to an optical axis direction of the wide-angle lens.
The endoscope according to the present invention is characterized in that the wide-angle lens is a fish-eye lens.
The endoscope according to the present invention includes an objective mirror that is housed in the support and reflects the focused subject light in parallel with a central axis of the outer shell.
The endoscope according to the present invention is characterized in that the objective mirror causes light incident through the objective lens to travel on a central axis of the outer shell.
The endoscope according to the present invention includes a light source that emits illumination light that irradiates a subject through the objective lens, a condenser lens that forms an image of the subject light on a light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device, and the objective mirror. A half mirror disposed on the optical path of the subject light,
The light source illuminates the subject through the objective lens by emitting the illumination light, reflecting the illumination light by the half mirror, and reflecting the illumination light by the objective mirror.
The endoscope of the present invention includes a light source that emits illumination light that irradiates a subject through the objective lens.
The endoscope according to the present invention is characterized in that the objective lens condenses the subject light into a parallel light beam.
In the endoscope of the present invention, the outer shell includes a main body portion formed by closing one end portion and opening the other end portion, and a translucency fixed to the other end portion of the main body portion. Consisting of a cover and
The translucent cover is characterized in that one open end is fixed to the main body and the other end is formed with a smaller diameter than the open end.
The endoscope according to the present invention further includes a control unit that reads out an imaging signal from the solid-state imaging device to generate image data, and a memory that stores the image data, in the outer shell.
In the endoscope of the present invention, the drive mechanism is operated by electric power,
The outer shell further includes a power supply battery that supplies power to the solid-state imaging device and the driving mechanism.

  In the endoscope of the present invention, after being mounted in the hole, the objective lens is moved in the axial direction by the driving mechanism, and accordingly, the visual field is moved in the axial direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert / remove or twist the entire endoscope, and an image of the inner peripheral surface of the hole can be acquired over a wide range without requiring skill.

  Therefore, for example, when used for cervical examination, the subject can perform examination by wearing an endoscope. Thereby, it is possible to dispel the sense of resistance that the doctor sees the body, and to operate easily, which can contribute to the spread of medical examinations.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1 is an external perspective view of the endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the endoscope shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope shown in FIG. is there.

  The endoscope 1 according to this embodiment includes an outer shell composed of a main body 11 and a translucent cover 13, and an objective lens 17 that collects subject light through the translucent cover 13 is held therein. A lens holder 19; a drive mechanism 21 that moves the lens holder 19 within the outer shell; and a solid-state imaging device 23 (see FIG. 2) that receives subject light captured from the objective lens 17 and converts it into an electrical signal. I have.

  The main body portion 11 constituting a part of the outer shell is formed of a light-shielding resin material or the like, one end portion 11a is closed, and the other end portion 11c is formed into an open cylindrical shape. . A cylindrical battery housing portion 11b is provided at the closed end (bottom portion) 11a. The battery housing portion 11b is closed by a battery lid 27 after the power supply battery 25 is mounted.

  That is, the electronic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment incorporates the power supply battery 25 and does not require external power supply. Therefore, the electronic endoscope 1 does not need to be connected with a power supply cable, and is excellent in handleability.

  In the illustrated example, two pipes 29 are provided on the bottom portion 11a so as to protrude outside the outer shell. These tubes 29 are provided, for example, when a transfer cable is inserted and protected when transferring image data or an image map stored in a memory 83 to be described later to an external device. In addition, the tube 29 may be soft, but as a hard tube, when the endoscope 1 is used, the endoscope 1 is inserted into the hole of the subject, pulled out from the hole, or It is good also as a holding part for rotating the endoscope 1.

  The translucent cover 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and one end 13b is open. The translucent cover 13 is fixed to the main body 11 by an appropriate means such as adhesion by aligning the open end 13b with the open end 11c of the main body 11. In the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, the main body portion 11 and the translucent cover 13 that are outer shells are not necessarily cylindrical, and may be other cylindrical shapes.

  The other end (tip portion) 13a of the translucent cover 13 is formed into a smooth hemispherical shape in order to facilitate insertion of the subject into the hole. And the front-end | tip part 13a and the opening edge part 13b are connected by the cylindrical part 13c shape | molded by the same diameter as the front-end | tip part 13a. In the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, the distal end portion 13a and the cylindrical portion 13c are formed with a smaller diameter than the open end portion 13b. As described above, by narrowing the tip portion 13a and the cylindrical portion 13c formed in a hemispherical shape, insertion of a narrow subject into a hole can be facilitated, and the use range of the endoscope 1 can be expanded. it can.

  The translucent cover 13 having the above-described configuration can be manufactured by, for example, integral molding using a transparent resin material or the like. Alternatively, the tip end portion 13a, the open end portion 13b, and the cylindrical portion 13c formed in a hemispherical shape may be formed as separate members and joined to each other by appropriate means such as adhesion. In that case, at least the cylindrical portion 13c facing the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the subject is formed to be transparent. In the present invention, the term “transparent” may be transparent to light having a specific wavelength that sensitizes the image sensor 23, and may not necessarily be transparent to visible light.

  The lens holder 19 is formed of a resin material or the like. The lens holder 19 is fitted into the main body 11 and has a disk-shaped flange 33. The lens holder 19 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the flange 33 and is inserted into the cylindrical portion 13c of the translucent cover 13. And a cylindrical portion 15 that can enter. The flange 33 is formed to have an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the main body 11, and smoothly moves within the main body 11 along the central axis of the main body 11, in other words, along the central axis of the outer shell. It can be done. Further, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 15 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 13c of the translucent cover 13, and can be smoothly moved in the cylindrical portion 13c along the central axis of the outer shell. It is like that.

  An engagement groove 35 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 33 of the lens holder 19. A rib 31 extending along the axis of the outer shell is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 11, and the lens holder 19 engages the engagement groove 35 of the flange 33 with the rib 31 of the main body 11. ing. Therefore, the lens holder 19 is guided to move along the central axis of the outer shell, and can stop rotating with a feed screw 67 (described later) as the rotation axis. In the illustrated example, the two engagement grooves 35 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, but the number thereof is not particularly limited.

  An objective mirror 16 is accommodated at the tip of the cylindrical portion 15. The objective mirror 16 has a shape obtained by cutting a cylinder by an inclined surface that intersects the central axis at an angle of 45 degrees, and the inclined surface is formed as a reflecting surface by, for example, forming a reflecting film. .

  An imaging hole is formed in a portion of the cylindrical portion 15 that faces the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 in the radial direction, and an objective lens 17 is installed in the imaging hole. The subject light is collected by the objective lens 17 through the cylindrical portion 13 c of the translucent cover 13 and travels toward the objective mirror 16 as a parallel light flux. The subject light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 and travels on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15 in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell as a parallel light flux.

  In the main body 11, an imaging unit 37 is disposed at a position corresponding to an extension line of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15 of the lens holder 19. The imaging unit 37 is fixed in the main body 11 using a fixing member (not shown). In the illustrated example, the imaging unit 37 includes three substrates 41, 42, and 43.

  FIG. 4 shows the image pickup unit 37 in an enlarged manner. A solid-state imaging device 23 is provided on the substrate 43 that is disposed closest to the lens holder 19. As the image sensor 23, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like can be used. A memory 83 is provided on the substrate 42 disposed below the substrate 43 (on the bottom 11a side of the main body 11). The memory 83 stores image data generated from an image pickup signal read from the image pickup device 23 and the like. A control unit 45 is provided on the substrate 41 disposed under the substrate 42. For example, the control unit 45 reads an image signal from the image sensor 23, generates image data from the read image signal, and the like.

  The image sensor 23 is provided on the substrate 43 at a position corresponding to an extension of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15 of the lens holder 19. A condensing lens 51 is disposed at a position above the image sensor 23 on the extension line of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15. The condenser lens 51 is held by a condenser lens holder 49 installed on the substrate 43 so as to surround the imaging device 23. The condensing lens 51 forms an image of subject light traveling as a parallel light beam on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15 on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 23. That is, the objective lens 17, the objective mirror 16, and the condenser lens 51 constitute an objective optical system.

  A half mirror 53 is disposed on the optical path of the subject light between the objective mirror 16 and the condenser lens 51 housed in the cylindrical portion 15 of the lens holder 19. The half mirror 53 transmits at least part of the subject light traveling from the objective mirror 16 toward the condenser lens 51. A light emitting diode (LED) 55 is provided as a light source for illuminating the subject at a position facing the half mirror 53 outside the optical path of the subject light between the objective mirror 16 and the condenser lens 51. The illumination light emitted from the LED 55 is converted into a parallel light beam by the illumination lens 57 disposed between the LED 55 and the half mirror 53 and is incident on the half mirror 53, and at least a part of the illumination light is reflected toward the objective mirror 16. The The illumination light incident on the objective mirror 16 is reflected toward the objective lens 17 and is irradiated onto the subject through the objective lens 17 and the translucent cover 13. The half mirror 53, the LED 55, and the illumination lens 57 are fixed in the main body 11 by appropriate fixing members.

  Here, the lens holder 19 is guided to move along the central axis of the outer shell by engaging the engaging groove 35 of the flange 33 with the rib 31 of the main body 11 as described above. The lens holder 19 guided to move along the central axis of the outer shell has a height of the objective lens 17 held by the cylindrical portion 15 from h1 shown in FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B. It can move until the height hn shown. Hereinafter, the drive mechanism 21 that moves the lens holder 19 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2, 6, and 7.

  In the main body 11, a feed screw 67 arranged in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell, and a stepping motor 61 as drive means for rotationally driving the feed screw 67 are provided. A motor gear 63 is integrally attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 61, and a gear 69 is integrally attached to one end portion of the feed screw 67. An idle gear 65 is provided between the motor gear 63 and the gear 69 and meshes with the gears 63 and 69, respectively. The stepping motor 61 and the idle gear 65 are fixed in the main body 11 by appropriate fixing members. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the feed screw 67 has one end inserted into a shaft hole 13 d formed in the flange surface of the opening end 13 b of the translucent cover 13, and the condenser lens holder 49 of the imaging unit 37. The other end portion is supported by a support arm 71 provided on the side of the shaft and can be rotated around its central axis.

  The rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted to the feed screw 67 through the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, and the gear 69. Note that the number of teeth of the idle gear 65 is larger than the number of teeth of the motor gear 63, and the rotation of the stepping motor 61 is decelerated and transmitted to the idle gear 65. Here, the driving means for driving the feed screw 67 is not limited to a pulsed stepping motor, and various motors such as a servo motor having an encoder, or other power sources may be used.

  On the other hand, a through hole 73 through which the stepping motor 61, the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, the feed screw 67, the gear 69, and the like can be inserted is formed in the flange portion 33 of the lens holder 19. A feed nut 75 that is screwed into the feed screw 67 is integrally attached to the lens holder 19 using a nut presser 77. As described above, the lens holder 19 is only allowed to move in the vertical direction in the drawing along the central axis of the outer shell, and is guided while being restricted from rotational movement about the feed screw 67 as a rotation axis. Therefore, by rotation of the feed screw 67, the feed nut 75 screwed into the feed screw 67 and the lens holder 19 that holds the nut move along the feed screw 67, that is, along the central axis of the outer shell. To do.

  For example, in a state where the lens holder 19 is in the raised position shown in FIG. 6A, the stepping motor 61 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction, and the feed screw 67 is rotated through the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, and the gear 69. . As the feed screw 67 rotates, the feed nut 75 moves along the feed screw 67. Thereby, the lens holder 19 integral with the feed nut 75 can be lowered to the lowered position shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the imaging unit 37. The imaging unit 37 includes an LED drive circuit 85 that drives the LED 55, an image sensor driver 87 that drives the image sensor 23, a motor driver 89 that drives the stepping motor 61, and pulse generation that supplies drive pulses to the motor driver 89. The control unit 45 includes a controller 91 and a control unit 81 that controls operations of the LED drive circuit 85, the image sensor driver 87, and the pulse generator 91. The memory 83 stores a control program for the control unit 45. The memory 83 stores a control program, stores image data, and also operates as a work memory. The control unit 81 appropriately performs image processing on the image pickup signal read from the image pickup device 23 to generate an image. Data is generated, and the generated image data is stored in the memory 83. According to such a configuration, the image of the subject can be acquired and stored by the electronic endoscope 1 alone, and the handleability is excellent.

  When the power switch 93 of the endoscope 1 is closed, power from the power supply battery 25 is supplied to each part of the imaging unit 37 through a wiring (not shown), and imaging is performed. For example, the power switch 93 may be provided on the bottom 11a of the main body 11 and may be manually opened and closed. Alternatively, a switch terminal that responds to a magnetic force may be built in the main body 11, and the switch terminal may be opened and closed by moving the magnet closer to or away from the outside of the endoscope 1.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 1 will be described.
The power switch 93 is turned on, and power is supplied from the power battery 25 to each unit. And the illumination light from LED55 is irradiated to the side through the objective lens 17 and the cylindrical part 13c of the translucent cover 13, and a to-be-photographed object is illuminated.

  Reflected light from the subject is taken into the endoscope 1 through the cylindrical portion 13 c of the translucent cover 13 and the objective lens 17, and is imaged on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 23 by the condenser lens 51. The charge accumulated in the image sensor 23 by the photoelectric conversion is read out as an image signal by the control unit (CPU) 81 of the control unit 45. The control unit 81 appropriately performs image processing on the read imaging signal to generate image data, and stores the generated image data in the memory 83.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the control program of the control unit 45. When the power switch 93 is turned on, first, the stepping motor 61 is driven to rotate, and the lens holder 19 advances along the central axis of the outer shell of the endoscope 1 and is set to the origin position (step S1). Note that the origin position is, for example, the position shown in FIG. 5A, and the objective lens 17 is a position on the distal end side of the endoscope 1. It may be a position on the end side (position shown in FIG. 5B).

  After the lens holder 19 is set at the origin position, an imaging process is performed (step S2). In the imaging process, the LED 55 is driven to irradiate illumination light, the subject light is taken into the endoscope 1 from the objective lens 17 to form an image on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 23, and read out from the imaging element 23. This includes processing for generating image data based on the imaging signal and storing it in the memory 83.

  Next, the stepping motor 61 is driven by the designated number of pulses (step S3), and the lens holder 19 is lowered by a predetermined distance. Until the lens holder 19 reaches the lowest lowered position (step S4), the imaging process (step S2) is performed at the moving destination. When the lens holder 19 reaches the lowest lowered position, the lowering of the lens holder 19 and the imaging process are finished (step S4). In the present embodiment, an image map as shown in FIG. 10 is created by combining a plurality of image data stored in the memory 83 (step S5).

  In the image map shown in FIG. 10, the image data IMG (1) is image data captured for the first time, and the image data of the visual field range W1 when the objective lens 17 is at the height h1 shown in FIG. 5 (a). It is. Further, the image data IMG (2) is image data imaged for the second time, and is image data of the visual field range W2 when the objective lens 17 is at a height h2 lowered with the lens holder 19 by a predetermined distance.

  The plurality of pieces of image data IMG (1) to (n) obtained by moving the lens holder 19 at each moving position in this way are sequentially combined in the moving direction of the lens holder 19 in the order of imaging, so that substantially one sheet is obtained. Image data (image map). Note that, for example, by adjusting the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor 61 in step S3 as appropriate, or by adjusting the screw pitch of the feed screw 67 as appropriate, a part of the visual field range of a certain imaging process is the previous imaging process. If it overlaps with the visual field range, it is possible to capture the subject in the axial direction without fail and to obtain an image map without a gap.

  After the above image map is created, this image map is read out from the memory 83 (see FIG. 8). This reading may be performed by radio. Alternatively, a transfer cable may be inserted into the tube 29 shown in FIG. 1 and connected to the imaging unit 37, and read using this cable. Alternatively, the memory 83 may be provided so as to be removable from the endoscope 1, and the extracted memory 83 may be read by a separate personal computer.

  In addition, the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment can be configured to send image data to an external monitor so that the image can be observed online on the external monitor, and further, an operation instruction can be input from the outside. In that case, the control unit 81 sends the image pickup signal acquired from the image pickup device 23 as it is to the external video processor without performing image processing, and displays the subject image image-processed by the video processor on the external monitor. Communication between the external video processor or external monitor and the control unit 81 may be wired or wireless. In the case of performing wired communication, an external power source can be used by inserting a power line in the wiring.

  As another example of the control program, in addition to the control procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, for example, a control program for moving the visual field range by the objective lens 17 to an arbitrary position in accordance with an external operation instruction may be used. . In this case, a desired part can be selectively imaged according to the purpose of imaging, and the part to be noticed can be observed in more detail.

  According to the endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, after being mounted in the hole, the objective lens 17 is moved in the axial direction by the driving mechanism, and accordingly, the visual field is moved in the axial direction. Therefore, an image of the inner peripheral surface of the hole can be acquired over a wide range without requiring skill in operation.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
11 is an external perspective view of an endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the endoscope shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope shown in FIG. is there. The same members as those in the endoscope according to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functionally common members are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  The endoscope 101 according to the present embodiment includes an outer shell composed of a main body 11 and a translucent cover 13, and holds an objective lens group 117 that collects subject light through the translucent cover 13. The lens holder 119, the drive mechanism 21 that moves the lens holder 119 within the outer shell, and the solid-state image sensor 23 that receives subject light captured from the objective lens group 117 and converts it into an electrical signal. .

  The lens holder 119 is formed of a resin material or the like. The lens holder 119 is formed into a disc-shaped flange portion 33 that fits inside the main body portion 11. And a cylindrical portion 115 that can enter. The flange 33 can move smoothly in the main body 11 along the central axis of the main body 11, in other words, along the central axis of the outer shell. Moreover, the cylindrical part 115 can move smoothly in the cylindrical part 13c along the central axis of the outer shell without rattling.

  In the endoscope 101 of the present embodiment, the objective lens group 117 held by the lens holder 119 includes a wide-angle lens, and includes a wide-angle lens 117A and a lens 117B. A fish-eye lens is preferably used as the wide-angle lens 117A. As the fisheye lens in this case, the circumferential fisheye lens can be suitably used for observation in the entire circumferential direction having a large inclination angle (angle from the lens optical axis). That is, the wide-angle lens of the present invention is a wide-angle lens having an observation field that allows observation in the entire lateral direction with respect to the optical axis direction of the objective lens group 117 (the central axis direction of the cylindrical portion 115). In addition, as the wide-angle lens 117A, a diagonal fish-eye lens, a general wide-angle lens, or the like can be used. The objective lens group 117 is attached to the opening on the distal end side of the cylindrical portion 115 with its lens optical axis aligned with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 115 of the lens holder 119.

  The subject light is collected by the objective lens group 117 through the cylindrical portion 13c of the translucent cover 13, and travels on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 115 as a parallel light beam in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell. . In the main body 11, an imaging unit 37 is disposed at a position corresponding to an extension of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 115 of the lens holder 119. Since the image pickup unit 37 and the drive mechanism 21 for moving the lens holder 119 are the same as those of the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment described above, description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 101 of this embodiment will be described.
Referring to FIG. 8, power switch 93 is turned on, and power is supplied from power battery 25 to each unit. And the illumination light from LED55 is irradiated to the side through the objective lens group 117 and the cylindrical part 13c of the translucent cover 13, and an object is illuminated. Reflected light from the subject is taken into the endoscope 1 through the cylindrical portion 13 c of the translucent cover 13 and the objective lens group 117, and is imaged on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 23 by the condenser lens 51.

  Here, FIG. 14 shows a state of the visual field range W by the objective lens group 117. The illumination light emitted from the wide-angle lens 117 </ b> A is applied to the range indicated by the visual field range W. As the reflected light from the subject by the illumination light, the light incident on the field-of-view range W is imaged and captured by the image sensor 23. A symbol M is a mask for limiting the visual field range to W.

  Then, the electric charge accumulated in the image sensor 23 by photoelectric conversion is read out as an image signal by the control unit (CPU) 81 of the control unit 45. The control unit 81 appropriately performs image processing on the read imaging signal to generate image data, and stores the generated image data in the memory 83.

  The control program for the endoscope 101 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the endoscope 1 according to the first embodiment described above. Referring to FIG. The motor 61 is driven to rotate, and the lens holder 119 advances along the central axis of the outer shell of the endoscope 1 and is set to the origin position (step S1). After the lens holder 119 is set to the origin position, an imaging process is performed (step S2).

  Next, the stepping motor 61 is driven by the designated number of pulses (step S3), and the lens holder 119 is lowered by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance by which the lens holder 119 is moved stepwise so that the visual field range W shown in FIG. 14 fills the movable range of the lens holder 119 in a stepwise manner. For example, the predetermined distance is a transparent distance corresponding to the visual field range W. The height La of the cylindrical portion 13c of the optical cover 13 can be set.

  Until the lens holder 119 reaches the lowest position (step S4), an imaging process (step S2) is performed at the movement destination. When the lens holder 119 reaches the lowest lowered position, the lowering of the lens holder 119 and the imaging process are finished (step S4). In this embodiment as well, an image map as shown in FIG. 15 is created by combining a plurality of image data stored in the memory 83 (step S5).

  In the image map shown in FIG. 15, the image data IMG (1) is image data captured for the first time, and is omnidirectional (circular angle 0 ° to 360 °) when the objective lens group 117 is at the height h1. Is the image data of the visual field range W1. The image data IMG (2) is image data captured for the second time, and is an image of the omnidirectional visual field range W2 when the objective lens group 117 is at a height h2 lowered by a predetermined distance together with the lens holder 119. It is data. The plurality of pieces of image data IMG (1) to (n) obtained by moving the lens holder 119 in this way at the respective moving positions are sequentially combined in the moving direction of the lens holder 119 in the order of imaging, so that substantially one sheet is obtained. Image data (image map).

  According to the endoscope 101 of the present embodiment, the wide-angle lens 117A is used for the objective lens group 117, and a wider range of images can be taken in the circumferential direction than the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment. In particular, if a fisheye lens is used, images can be taken in all directions.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, an endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
16 is an external perspective view of an endoscope according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the endoscope shown in FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope shown in FIG. is there. The same members as those in the endoscope according to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functionally common members are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  The endoscope 201 according to the present embodiment includes an outer shell composed of a main body 11 and a translucent cover 13, and an objective lens 17 that collects subject light through the translucent cover 13 is held therein. A lens holder 219, a drive mechanism 221 that moves the lens holder 219 in the axial direction within the outer shell, and a solid-state imaging device 23 that receives subject light captured from the objective lens 17 and converts it into an electrical signal. Yes.

  The lens holder 219 is formed of a resin material or the like. The lens holder 219 is formed into a disc-shaped flange portion 233 that fits inside the main body portion 11, and has a smaller diameter than the flange portion 233. And a tubular portion 215 that can enter. The flange 233 can move smoothly in the main body 11 along the central axis of the main body 11, in other words, along the central axis of the outer shell. Moreover, the cylindrical part 215 can move smoothly in the cylindrical part 13c along the central axis of the outer shell without rattling.

  The tubular portion 215 and the flange portion 233 are separate members, and the tubular portion 215 is assembled to the flange portion 233. A cylindrical shaft portion 236 protrudes from the center portion of the flange portion 233. The cylindrical portion 215 is assembled to the flange portion 233 with the base end portion fitted on the shaft portion 236, and is supported rotatably on the shaft portion 236 on the rotation shaft.

  An engagement groove 35 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 233 of the lens holder 219. A rib 31 extending along the axis of the outer shell is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 11. The lens holder 219 engages the engagement groove 235 of the flange 233 with the rib 31 of the main body 11. ing. Therefore, the lens holder 219 is guided to move along the central axis of the outer shell, and can stop rotating with a feed screw 67 described later as a rotation axis.

  The objective mirror 16 is accommodated on the distal end side of the cylindrical portion 215. An imaging hole is formed in a portion of the cylindrical portion 215 facing the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 in the radial direction, and the objective lens 17 is installed in the imaging hole. The subject light is collected by the objective lens 17 through the cylindrical portion 13 c of the translucent cover 13 and travels toward the objective mirror 16 as a parallel light flux. The subject light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 and travels on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 215 in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell as a parallel light flux.

  In the main body 11, an imaging unit 37 is disposed at a position corresponding to an extension line of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 15 of the lens holder 19. Since the imaging unit 37 is the same as the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment described above, description thereof is omitted.

  The lens holder 219 is guided to move along the central axis of the outer shell by engaging the engaging groove 35 of the flange 233 with the rib 31 of the main body 11 as described above. Hereinafter, the drive mechanism 221 that moves the lens holder 219 along the central axis of the outer shell will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19.

  In the main body 11, a feed screw 67 arranged in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell, and a stepping motor 61 as drive means for rotationally driving the feed screw 67 are provided. A motor gear 63 is attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 61, and a gear 69 is attached to one end of the feed screw 67. An idle gear 65 is provided between the motor gear 63 and the gear 69 and meshes with the gears 63 and 69, respectively. The rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted to the feed screw 67 through the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, and the gear 69.

  On the other hand, a through hole 73 through which the stepping motor 61, the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, the feed screw 67, the gear 69, and the like can be inserted is formed in the flange portion 233 of the lens holder 219. A feed nut 75 that is screwed into the feed screw 67 is attached to the peripheral edge portion of the through hole 73 of the flange portion 233 using a nut presser 77. The lens holder 219 is guided to move along the center axis of the outer shell as described above, and in other words, the lens holder 219 is stopped from rotating about the feed screw 67 as a rotation axis. Therefore, by rotation of the feed screw 67, the feed nut 75 screwed into the feed screw 67 and the lens holder 219 that holds the nut move along the feed screw 67, that is, along the central axis of the outer shell. To do.

  Further, the drive mechanism 221 is provided with a rotation shaft 268 disposed in parallel with the feed screw 67. The rotating shaft 268 has an external gear formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, meshes with a gear 69 fixed to the feed screw 67, and rotates around the central axis together with the feed screw 67. A gear 270 that meshes with the rotating shaft 268 is fixed to the base end portion of the cylindrical portion 215 by appropriate means such as press-fitting or adhesion. As the feed screw 67 rotates, the gear 270 of the cylindrical portion 215 moves in the axial direction together with the lens holder 219 while maintaining meshing with the rotary shaft 268, and the cylindrical portion 215 includes the rotary shaft 268 and the chia. It is rotationally driven via 270.

  For example, with the lens holder 219 in the raised position shown in FIG. 20, the stepping motor 61 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction, and the feed screw 67 is rotated through the motor gear 63, the idle gear 65, and the gear 69. As the feed screw 67 rotates, the feed nut 75 moves along the feed screw 67. Thereby, the lens holder 219 can be lowered.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 21, while the lens holder 219 is lowered by Δh, the cylindrical portion 215 is rotated by a predetermined angle via the rotation shaft 268 and the chia 270. As the cylindrical portion 215 rotates, the objective lens 17 is also rotated, and thereby the imaging field of view moves in the circumferential direction.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 201 will be described.
Referring to FIG. 8, power switch 93 is turned on, and power is supplied from power battery 25 to each unit. And the illumination light from LED55 is irradiated to the side through the objective lens 17 and the cylindrical part 13c of the translucent cover 13, and a to-be-photographed object is illuminated. Reflected light from the subject is taken into the endoscope 201 through the cylindrical portion 13 c of the translucent cover 13 and the objective lens 17, and is imaged on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 23 by the condenser lens 51. The charge accumulated in the image sensor 23 by the photoelectric conversion is read out as an image signal by the control unit (CPU) 81 of the control unit 45. The control unit 81 appropriately performs image processing on the read imaging signal to generate image data, and stores the generated image data in the memory 83.

  The control program of the endoscope 201 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the endoscope 1 according to the first embodiment described above, and referring to FIG. The motor 61 is driven to rotate, and the lens holder 219 advances along the central axis of the outer shell of the endoscope 201 and is set to the origin position (step S1). After the lens holder 219 is set to the origin position, an imaging process is performed (step S2). Next, the stepping motor 61 is driven by the designated number of pulses (step S3), and the lens holder 219 is lowered by a predetermined distance. Until the lens holder 219 reaches the lowest position (step S4), the imaging process (step S2) is performed at the movement destination. When the lens holder 219 reaches the lowest position, the lowering of the lens holder 219 and the imaging process are finished (step S4).

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating movement of the imaging field when the above steps S2 to S4 are repeatedly executed. In the first imaging process performed at the origin position, imaging is performed in the field of view of “No. 001”, and image data of the field of view of “No. 001” is generated from the imaging signal read from the image sensor 23.

  After the imaging process in the field of view “No. 001” is completed, the stepping motor 61 is driven with the specified number of pulses in step S3, the lens holder 219 is lowered and the cylindrical portion 215 is rotated, and the next step The field of view is “No. 002”. Then, imaging is performed in the field of view of “No. 002”, and image data of the field of view of “No. 002” is generated from the imaging signal read from the image sensor 23.

  Thereafter, the field of view is moved in the order of “No. 003” → “No. 004” → “No. 005”. The imaging field of view when the cylindrical portion 215 makes a round from the origin position is “No. 011” in FIG. 22, and the imaging field of view when the cylindrical part 215 makes a round is “No. 021” in FIG.

  For example, in step S3, the right and left ends of the imaging fields adjacent in the circumferential direction are in contact with each other by appropriately adjusting the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor 61 or by appropriately adjusting the screw pitch of the feed screw 67. Alternatively, the upper and lower ends of the imaging fields adjacent in the axial direction may be in contact with each other or may be slightly overlapped with each other. According to this, it is possible to capture the subject in the axial direction and the circumferential direction without fail, and an image map without a gap can be obtained.

  According to the endoscope 201 of the present embodiment, the objective lens 17 is moved in the axial direction and the circumferential direction by the driving mechanism, and accordingly, the visual field is moved in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to capture images in all directions without using a fisheye lens as in the endoscope 101 of the second embodiment.

[ Other forms ]
Next, an endoscope according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
23 is an external perspective view of an endoscope according to another embodiment , FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the endoscope shown in FIG. 23, and FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope shown in FIG. The same members as those in the endoscope according to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functionally common members are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  The endoscope 301 includes an outer shell composed of a main body 11 and a translucent cover 313, and a lens holder 319 that holds an objective lens 17 that collects subject light through the translucent cover 313. And a drive mechanism 321 that moves the lens holder 319 within the outer shell, and a solid-state imaging device 23 that receives subject light captured from the objective lens 17 and converts it into an electrical signal.

The translucent cover 313 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and one end 313b is open. The translucent cover 313 is fixed to the main body 11 with the opening end 313 b aligned with the opening end 11 c of the main body 11. The other end portion (tip portion) 313a of the translucent cover 313 is formed into a smooth hemispherical shape in order to facilitate insertion of the subject into the hole. And the front-end | tip part 313a and the opening edge part 313b are connected by the cylindrical part 313c formed in the same diameter as the front-end | tip part 313a. In the endoscope 301, the distal end portion 313a and the cylindrical portion 313c are formed to have the same diameter as the opening end portion 313b.

  The translucent cover 313 having the above-described configuration can be manufactured using, for example, integral molding using a transparent resin material. However, at least the cylindrical portion 313c facing the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the subject is formed transparently. That's fine.

  The lens holder 319 is formed of a resin material or the like, and includes an objective lens mounting portion 314 formed in a substantially disc shape, and a cylindrical portion 315 formed in a cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the objective lens mounting portion 314. ing. The cylindrical portion 315 is arranged so that the central axis thereof coincides with the central axis of the translucent cover 313, in other words, the central axis of the outer shell, and the objective lens mounting portion 314 includes the cylindrical portion 315 and the cylindrical portion 315. It is provided at the tip of the cylindrical portion 315 so as to be coaxial.

  The outer diameter of the objective lens mounting portion 314 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 313c of the translucent cover 313, and along the central axis of the translucent cover 313, in other words, along the central axis of the outer shell. The light-transmitting cover 313 can be moved smoothly without rattling.

  An external gear 315 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 315. The teeth of the external gear 315a extend in parallel with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 315 and are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 315, a female screw 315b that is screwed into a screw groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of a feed screw 367 described later is formed.

  The objective lens mounting portion 314 has a cylindrical hole 314a that extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 315 and is connected to the opening of the cylindrical portion 315. The objective mirror 16 is accommodated in the cylindrical hole 314a. Yes. Further, the objective lens mounting portion 314 has an imaging hole 314b extending in the radial direction, having one end opened on the outer peripheral surface thereof and the other end communicating with the cylindrical hole 314a so as to face the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 in the radial direction. The objective lens 17 is installed at the outer peripheral side opening of the imaging hole 314b.

  The subject light is collected by the objective lens 17 through the cylindrical portion 313c of the translucent cover 313 and travels toward the objective mirror 16 as a parallel light beam. Then, the subject light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 and travels on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 315, in other words, on the central axis of the outer shell as a parallel light flux.

  In the main body 11, an imaging unit 37 is disposed at a position corresponding to an extension of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 315 of the lens holder 319. Since the imaging unit 37 is the same as the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment described above, description thereof is omitted.

  A feed screw 367 is assembled on the substrate 43 of the imaging unit 37 coaxially with the cylindrical portion 315 of the lens holder 319. The feed screw 367 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and houses the condenser lens holder 49 inside thereof. The feed screw 367 has a screw groove formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and is inserted into the cylindrical portion 315 by screwing the screw groove with the female screw 315b on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 315. . The subject light traveling on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 315 enters the feed screw 367 and enters the condensing lens 51 held by the condensing lens holder 49, and the condensing lens 51 receives the light from the image sensor 23. The image is formed on the surface.

  The LED 55 serving as a light source for illuminating the subject is disposed outside the feed screw 367, and the half mirror 53 that reflects the illumination light of the LED 55 toward the objective mirror 16 is located inside the feed screw 367. It is arranged in the middle of the optical path of the subject light. An attachment hole is formed in the cylindrical wall of the feed screw 367 interposed between the LED 55 and the half mirror 53, and the illumination lens 32 is attached to this attachment hole. The illumination light of the LED 55 is converted into a parallel light flux by the illumination lens 32 and is incident on the half mirror 53, and at least a part of the illumination light is reflected toward the objective mirror 16. The illumination light incident on the objective mirror 16 is reflected toward the objective lens 17 and is irradiated onto the subject through the objective lens 17 and the translucent cover 313.

  Here, the lens holder 319 having the cylindrical portion 315 screwed to the feed screw 367 is guided to move along the feed screw 367, in other words, along the central axis of the outer shell. Hereinafter, the drive mechanism 321 for moving the lens holder 319 along the central axis of the outer shell will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  A stepping motor 61 is fixed in the main body 11, and is interposed between a motor gear 63 of the stepping motor 61 and an external gear 315a formed on the cylindrical portion 315 of the lens holder 319. An idle gear 65 that meshes with each other is provided. The rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted to the lens holder 319 via the motor gear 63 and the idle gear 65.

  The lens holder 319 has the cylindrical portion 315 fitted on the feed screw 367, and thus the lens holder 319 to which the rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted rotates around the feed screw 367 as a rotation axis. At the same time, the cylindrical portion 315 is screwed to the feed screw 367 by a female screw 315b formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Therefore, the lens holder 319 moves along the feed screw 367 as it rotates with the feed screw 367 as a rotation axis.

  For example, in a state where the lens holder 319 is in the raised position shown in FIG. 26, the stepping motor 61 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction, and the lens holder 319 is rotated via the motor gear 63 and the idle gear 65. As a result, as shown in FIG. 27, the lens holder 319 descends by Δh along the feed screw 367 while rotating around the feed screw 367 as a rotation axis. With the rotation of the lens holder 319, the objective lens 17 is also rotated, whereby the imaging field of view moves in the circumferential direction.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 301 will be described.
Referring to FIG. 8, power switch 93 is turned on, and power is supplied from power battery 25 to each unit. And the illumination light from LED55 is irradiated to the side through the objective lens 17 and the cylindrical part 313c of the translucent cover 313, and a to-be-photographed object is illuminated. Reflected light from the subject is taken into the endoscope 301 through the cylindrical portion 313 c of the translucent cover 313 and the objective lens 17, and is imaged on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 23 by the condenser lens 51. The charge accumulated in the image sensor 23 by the photoelectric conversion is read out as an image signal by the control unit (CPU) 81 of the control unit 45. The control unit 81 appropriately performs image processing on the read imaging signal to generate image data, and stores the generated image data in the memory 83.

The control program of the endoscope 301 is the same as that of the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment described above. When the power switch 93 is turned on with reference to FIG. The lens holder 319 is driven to rotate, advances along the central axis of the outer shell of the endoscope 301, and is set to the origin position (step S1). After the lens holder 319 is set at the origin position, an imaging process is performed (step S2). Next, the stepping motor 61 is driven by the designated number of pulses (step S3), and the lens holder 319 is lowered by a predetermined distance. Until the lens holder 319 reaches the lowest position (step S4), the imaging process (step S2) is performed at the movement destination. When the lens holder 319 reaches the lowest lowered position, the lowering of the lens holder 319 and the imaging process are finished (step S4).

  FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the imaging field when the above steps S2 to S4 are repeatedly executed. In the first imaging process performed at the origin position, imaging is performed in the field of view of “No. 001”, and image data of the field of view of “No. 001” is generated from the imaging signal read from the image sensor 23.

  After the imaging process in the field of view “No. 001” is completed, the stepping motor 61 is driven with the designated number of pulses in step S3, the lens holder 319 is lowered and rotated, and the next field of view is “No. 002 ". Then, imaging is performed in the field of view of “No. 002”, and image data of the field of view of “No. 002” is generated from the imaging signal read from the image sensor 23.

  Thereafter, the field of view is moved in the order of “No. 003” → “No. 004” → “No. 005”. The imaging field of view when the lens holder 319 makes one round from the origin position is “No. 011” in FIG. 28, and the imaging field of view when the lens holder 319 makes two rounds is “No. 021” in FIG.

  For example, in step S3, the left and right ends of the imaging fields adjacent in the circumferential direction are in contact with each other by appropriately adjusting the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor 61 or appropriately adjusting the screw pitch of the feed screw 367. Alternatively, the upper and lower ends of the imaging fields adjacent in the axial direction may be in contact with each other or may be slightly overlapped with each other. According to this, it is possible to capture the subject in the axial direction and the circumferential direction without fail, and an image map without a gap can be obtained.

According to the endoscope 301, the objective lens 17 is moved in the axial direction and the circumferential direction by the driving mechanism, and accordingly, the visual field is moved in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to capture images in all directions without using a fisheye lens as in the endoscope 101 of the second embodiment.

[ Other forms ]
Next, an endoscope according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
29 is an external perspective view of the endoscope according to this embodiment , FIG. 30 is a longitudinal sectional view of the endoscope shown in FIG. 29, and FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope shown in FIG. Note that the same members as those in the endoscopes of the other embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the members that are functionally common are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

The endoscope 401 includes an outer shell including a main body 11 and a translucent cover 313, and a lens holder 419 that holds an objective lens 17 that collects subject light through the translucent cover 313. And a drive mechanism 421 that moves the lens holder 419 within the outer shell, and a solid-state image sensor 23 that receives subject light captured from the objective lens 17 and converts it into an electrical signal.

  The lens holder 419 is formed of a resin material or the like, and includes an objective lens mounting portion 414 formed in a substantially disc shape, and a cylindrical portion 415 formed in a cylindrical shape having the same diameter as the objective lens mounting portion 414. ing. The cylindrical portion 415 is arranged so that the central axis thereof coincides with the central axis of the translucent cover 313, in other words, the central axis of the outer shell, and the objective lens mounting portion 414 includes the cylindrical portion 415 and the cylindrical portion 415. It is provided at the tip of the cylindrical portion 415 so as to be coaxial.

  The objective lens mounting portion 414 and the cylindrical portion 415 have outer diameters slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 313c of the translucent cover 313, and in other words, the central axis of the translucent cover 313, in other words, the outer shell. The inside of the translucent cover 313 can be smoothly moved along the central axis without rattling.

  An internal gear 415 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 415. The teeth of the internal gear 415a extend in parallel with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 415 and are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A male screw 415 b that is screwed into a screw groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 11 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 415.

  The objective lens mounting portion 414 has a cylindrical hole 414a that extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 415 and is connected to the opening of the cylindrical portion 415. The objective mirror 16 is housed in the cylindrical hole 414a. Yes. Further, the objective lens mounting portion 414 has an imaging hole 414b that extends in the radial direction, one end opens on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the other end communicates with the cylindrical hole 414a so as to face the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 in the radial direction. The objective lens 17 is installed in the outer peripheral side opening of the imaging hole 414b.

  The subject light is collected by the objective lens 17 through the cylindrical portion 313c of the translucent cover 313 and travels toward the objective mirror 16 as a parallel light beam. The subject light is reflected by the reflecting surface of the objective mirror 16 and travels on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 415 in parallel with the central axis of the outer shell as a parallel light flux.

  In the main body 11, an imaging unit 37 is disposed at a position corresponding to an extension of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 415 of the lens holder 419. Since the imaging unit 37 is the same as the endoscope 1 of the first embodiment described above, description thereof is omitted.

  Here, the lens holder 419 in which the cylindrical portion 415 is screwed into the thread groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 11 is along the central axis of the main body portion 11, in other words, on the central axis of the outer shell. You will be guided to move along. Hereinafter, the drive mechanism 421 for moving the lens holder 419 along the center axis of the outer shell will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  A stepping motor 61 is fixed in the main body 11, and is interposed between the motor gear 63 of the stepping motor 61 and an internal gear 415 a formed on the cylindrical portion 415 of the lens holder 419. An idle gear 65 that meshes with each other is provided. The rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted to the lens holder 419 via the motor gear 63 and the idle gear 65.

  The lens holder 419 has the tubular portion 415 fitted into the main body portion 11, and thus the lens holder 419 to which the rotation of the stepping motor 61 is transmitted rotates about the central axis of the main body portion 11. At the same time, the cylindrical portion 415 is screwed into a screw groove formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 11 by a male screw 415b formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Therefore, the lens holder 419 moves along the central axis of the main body 11 as it rotates with the central axis of the main body 11 as the rotation axis.

  For example, in a state where the lens holder 419 is in the raised position shown in FIG. 32, the stepping motor 61 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction, and the lens holder 419 is rotated via the motor gear 63 and the idle gear 65. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 33, the lens holder 419 descends by Δh along the central axis of the main body 11 while rotating around the central axis of the main body 11. With the rotation of the lens holder 419, the objective lens 17 is also rotated, whereby the imaging field of view moves in the circumferential direction.

The operation of the endoscope 401 is the same as that of the endoscope 301 described above, and images are taken in all directions while the lens holder 419 holding the objective lens 17 is sequentially moved in the axial direction and the circumferential direction by the driving mechanism.

According to the endoscope 401, when guiding the movement of the lens holder 419, the inner peripheral surface of the main body 11 is used instead of the feed screw 367 of the endoscope 301 described above, and the number of parts is reduced. In addition, the imaging drive unit 37 and the like can be accommodated inside the cylindrical portion 415 guided by the inner peripheral surface of the main body 11, and the endoscope can be downsized by effectively using the space. Can be planned.

  Next, a preferred use example of the endoscope of each embodiment described above will be described.

(I) Example of use as a uterine endoscope:
In recent years, cervical cancer affecting women is becoming younger, but early detection is important because cervical cancer is not important by partial extraction if it is detected early. However, women tend to resist seeing their bodies and the screening population does not increase.

  The endoscope of each embodiment described above is effective for screening for cervical cancer if the size and shape are designed to an appropriate size. By inserting the endoscope of each embodiment into the female vaginal cavity and inserting the endoscope from the tip to the cervix so that a series of imaging fields reach the cervix, It is possible to capture the entire inner peripheral surface.

  For example, if an endoscope is inserted into the cervix by the patient's own hand in the examination room and the doctor instructs the insertion position in another room or monitors the captured image online, the patient's psychology This reduces the burden on the patient and makes it possible to increase the screening population.

  In addition, when the above-described endoscope is closed, when the power switch 93 is closed, the lens holder that holds the objective lens is automatically returned to the origin position, and the imaging process is automatically performed. The patient himself / herself can take an image of his / her cervix at home. The doctor can make a diagnosis by collecting the endoscope and examining the captured image data in the memory 83.

(Ii) Examples of use as colonos and rectal endoscopes:
When examining the large intestine or the rectum, conventionally, since the observation is performed with an endoscope having an image sensor mounted on the distal end, the affected area is observed obliquely from above. However, if the endoscope of each embodiment described above is inserted to the affected part position and imaged, it becomes possible to observe the affected part from the vertically upper position, and it is possible to observe in more detail and to make a highly accurate diagnosis. Become.

(Iii) Example of use as an industrial endoscope:
For example, the endoscope of each embodiment described above can be used as an industrial endoscope that observes fine scratches in a thin pipe. An endoscope having a dimension and shape corresponding to the size of the hole to be observed and the opening of the gap and the depth of insertion is prepared. As described above, since it is possible to observe scratches and the like from the vertically upper side with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the hole, more detailed observation is possible. In addition, once inserted, it is possible to observe a wide range (a whole range in the axially movable length of the lens holder 19), and a missing rate of small scratches is also reduced.

  The endoscope according to the present invention can capture images in detail over a wide range even on an inner wall surface in a narrow hole. In addition, it is possible to observe the affected part, the wound, and the like from vertically above. Therefore, diagnosis with higher accuracy can be performed, and it is useful as a medical endoscope and an industrial endoscope.

1 is an external perspective view of an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the imaging unit containing a solid-state image sensor in the endoscope of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of the support body holding an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the drive mechanism which drives the support body holding an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of drive mechanism of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the endoscope of FIG. It is a control flowchart of the endoscope of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the image map produced with the endoscope of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the endoscope which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the endoscope of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the visual field range in the endoscope of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the image map produced with the endoscope of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the endoscope which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the drive mechanism which drives the support body holding an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support that holds an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support that holds an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 16. It is a schematic diagram explaining the visual field range in the endoscope of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the endoscope which concerns on another form . It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the endoscope of FIG. FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support that holds the objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 23. FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support that holds the objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 23. It is a schematic diagram explaining the visual field range in the endoscope of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the endoscope which concerns on another form . It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the endoscope of FIG. FIG. 30 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support body that holds an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 29. FIG. 30 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the operation of a support body that holds an objective lens in the endoscope of FIG. 29.

Explanation of symbols

1 Endoscope 11 Body (outer shell)
13 Translucent cover (outer shell)
13c Cylindrical part (window part)
16 Objective mirror (objective optical system)
17 Objective lens (objective optical system)
19 Lens holder (support)
21 Drive mechanism 23 Solid-state imaging device 25 Power supply battery 51 Condensing lens (objective optical system)
61 Stepping motor (drive means)
67 Feed screw 81 Control unit (control means)
83 memory

Claims (12)

An outer shell formed in a cylindrical shape and provided with a transparent window portion extending in the axial direction on the peripheral wall;
A solid-state imaging device provided inside the outer shell;
An objective lens that focuses the subject light through the window, and forms an image on the solid-state imaging device; and
A drive mechanism for moving at least the objective lens of the objective optical system along the axis of the outer shell;
With
The drive mechanism includes a support that supports the objective lens, a feed screw that extends along the axis of the outer shell, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the feed screw;
An endoscope characterized in that the support is engaged with a thread groove of the feed screw and is restricted from rotating about the feed screw as a rotation axis. The support has a cylindrical portion;
The objective lens is attached to the cylindrical portion so that the optical axis of the objective lens coincides with the central axis of the cylindrical portion, and has an observation field that enables lateral observation with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope is a wide-angle lens. The endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein the image pickup device picks up images in a lateral circumferential direction with respect to an optical axis direction of the wide-angle lens.   The electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the wide-angle lens is a fish-eye lens.   The endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising an objective mirror that reflects the focused subject light stored in the support body in parallel with a central axis of the outer shell.   The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the objective mirror causes light incident through the objective lens to travel on a central axis of the outer shell. A light source that emits illumination light that irradiates the subject through the objective lens;
A half mirror disposed on the optical path of the subject light between the condenser lens that forms an image of the subject light on the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device and the objective mirror;
The light source illuminates a subject through the objective lens by emitting the illumination light, reflecting the illumination light by the half mirror, and reflecting the reflected light by the objective mirror. Endoscope. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a light source for emitting illumination light for illuminating the subject through the objective lens. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the objective lens condenses the subject light into a parallel light flux. The outer shell is composed of a main body formed by closing one end and opening the other end, and a translucent cover fixed to the other end of the main body,
The translucent cover has one open end fixed to the main body, and the other end formed to have a smaller diameter than the open end. The endoscope according to any one of the above.   11. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that reads out an imaging signal from the solid-state imaging device to generate image data; and a memory that stores the image data. The endoscope according to claim 1. The drive mechanism is operated by electric power;
The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a power battery for supplying electric power to the solid-state imaging device and the driving mechanism in the outer shell.

Images