Endoscope system and adapter applied to this endoscope system

• US 20070213586A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugai, Toshiya, Yasunaga, Koji, Hirose, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US11/713,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213586A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/112
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00126 optical, e.g. for light supply cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00149 using articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0627 for variable illumination angles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0669 at proximal end of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/313 for introducing through surgical openings, e.g. laparoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/506 using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/571 for clamping a support arm to a bed or other supports

Abstract

This endoscope system comprises image pickup means having an image pickup device, illumination light ejecting means having an illumination light ejection portion, an endoscope having an insertion portion and having an illumination light incident portion and an optical image ejection portion for ejecting subject light, a first connection portion for attaching the endoscope to the image pickup means so that the subject light can be captured, a second connection portion for attaching the endoscope to the illumination light ejecting means so that the light from the illumination light ejection portion can enter the illumination light incident portion, an optical path having a first adapter connection portion attachable to the first connection portion and a second adapter connection portion attachable to the second connection portion for capturing the subject image, and an adapter having an illumination optical system for guiding the illumination light to the image pickup region.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

image pickup means having an image pickup device;

illumination light ejecting means having an illumination light ejection portion;

an endoscope having an insertion portion and having an illumination light incident portion for guiding illumination light to a base end of the insertion portion and an optical image ejection portion for ejecting light from a subject guided through the insertion portion;

a first connection portion provided at the image pickup means for attaching the endoscope to the image pickup means so that the light from the subject ejected by the optical image ejection portion can be captured by the image pickup device;

a second connection portion provided at the illumination light ejecting means for attaching the endoscope to the illumination light ejecting means so that the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion can enter the illumination light incident portion;

an adapter having a first adapter connection portion which can be attached to the first connection portion instead of the endoscope and a second adapter connection portion which can be attached to the second connection portion instead of the endoscope;

an optical path provided at the adapter for capturing an image of the subject by the image pickup device; and

an illumination optical system provided at the adapter for guiding the illumination light ejected from the illumination light ejection portion within an image pickup region for image pickup through the optical path.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1, further comprising a holder portion for holding the image pickup device and the illumination light ejection portion.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup means and the illumination light ejecting means are configured integrally.

4. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis of the illumination optical system overlaps the optical axis of the optical path coaxially.

5. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis of the illumination optical system is set so as to cross the optical axis of the optical path at a predetermined portion.

6. The endoscope system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined portion is an observation portion on the subject to be captured by the image pickup device.

7. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the illumination optical system has an illumination light reflecting means for guiding the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion into the image pickup region of the image pickup means.

8. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the adapter has an objective optical system, polarizing means for polarizing at least two different luminous fluxes from the objective optical system in a different direction, an optical system for guiding the at least two different luminous fluxes into the same optical path, and polarized luminous flux transmitting means for alternately transmitting at least two luminous fluxes with different polarized states.

9. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein identifying means is provided for identifying that the image pickup means and the adapter are in the connected state.

10. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein the illumination optical system has condensing means for narrowing an illumination range.

11. The endoscope system according to claim 7, wherein the illumination light reflecting means can change the optical path of the illumination light guided into the image pickup range of the image pickup means.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 10, wherein the condensing means can change the illumination range of the illumination light.

13. An endoscope system comprising:

an endoscope having an insertion portion and having an illumination light incident portion for guiding illumination light to a base end of the insertion portion and an optical image ejection portion for ejecting a light from a subject guided through the insertion portion; and

image pickup means having an image pickup device, an illumination light ejecting means having an illumination light ejection portion, a first connection portion for attaching the endoscope to the image pickup means so that the light from the subject ejected by the optical image ejection portion can be captured by the image pickup device, and a second connection portion provided at the illumination light ejecting means for attaching the endoscope to the illumination light ejecting means so that the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion can enter the illumination light incident portion; and

wherein the image pickup means has an illumination optical system for guiding the illumination light from the illumination light ejection portion to the illumination light incident portion when the endoscope is connected and for irradiating the illumination light from the illumination light ejection portion into an image pickup range captured by the image pickup device when the endoscope is separated.

14. The endoscope system according to claim 13, further comprising a holder portion for holding the image pickup device.

15. The endoscope system according to claim 13, wherein the optical axis of the illumination optical system is coaxial with the optical axis of the image pickup system for capturing the subject when the endoscope is separated.

16. The endoscope system according to claim 13, wherein the illumination optical system has illumination light reflecting means for guiding the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion into the image pickup range of the image pickup means.

17. The endoscope system according to claim 13, wherein the illumination optical system has condensing means for narrowing an illumination range.

18. The endoscope system according to claim 16, wherein the illumination light reflecting means can change the optical path of the illumination light guided to the image pickup range of the image pickup means when the endoscope is separated.

19. The endoscope system according to claim 17, wherein the condensing means can change the illumination range of the illumination light.

20. The endoscope system according to claim 13, wherein the image pickup means has an objective optical system, polarizing means for changing at least two different luminous fluxes from the objective optical system in a different direction, an optical system for guiding the at least two different luminous fluxes to the same optical path, and polarized luminous flux transmitting means for alternately transmitting at least two luminous fluxes in the different polarized state, respectively.

21. An adapter applied to an endoscope system which comprises an endoscope having an insertion portion and having an illumination light incident portion for guiding illumination light to a base end of the insertion portion and an optical image ejection portion for ejecting a light from a subject guided through the insertion portion;

image pickup means having an image pickup device and provided with a first connection portion for attaching the endoscope so that the light from the subject ejected by the optical image ejection portion can be captured by the image pickup device, and

illumination light ejecting means having an illumination light ejection portion and provided with a second connection portion for attaching the endoscope so that the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion can enter the illumination light incident portion; and

wherein the adapter includes a first adapter connection portion capable of being attached to the first connection portion instead of the endoscope;

a second connection portion capable of being attached to the second connection portion instead of the endoscope;

an optical path for capturing an image of the subject by the image pickup device; and

an illumination optical system for guiding the illumination light ejected by the illumination light ejection portion into the image pickup region captured though the optical path.