Electronic endoscope

• US 20070244366A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Murata, Masanao
• Application Number:
  US11/585,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244366A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/175
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports

Abstract

A white LED portion of an optical adapter is configured by a plurality of LED elements in an n-serial and m-parallel matrix configuration, and an identification resistance for identifying the type of the white LED portion. In an operation portion of an endoscope portion, an LED drive portion for driving the white LED portion is provided, and the LED drive portion is configured by an LED drive circuit and a VR unit. An electronic endoscope of the invention can be detachably attached with different optical adapters each having an LED illumination portion, and drives the LED illumination portion under the optimum driving condition.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope, comprising:

an insertion portion insertable into an inner space;

an optical adapter detachably attached to a distal end of the insertion portion, the optical adapter having an illumination portion formed of LED light emission elements;

an image-capturing portion for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by the illumination portion;

an illumination drive portion for driving the illumination portion; and

a drive adjustment portion for adjusting a condition for driving the illumination drive portion.

2. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the illumination portion is formed of a plurality of the LED light emission elements.

3. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the illumination drive portion is configured by a constant voltage circuit and a constant current circuit.

4. The electronic endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the drive adjustment portion adjusts, as the driving condition, an output value of at least one of the constant voltage circuit and the constant current circuit.

5. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the illumination drive portion is placed in the insertion portion.

6. The electronic endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the illumination drive portion is placed in an operation portion provided to the insertion portion.

7. The electronic endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the illumination drive portion is placed in a distal end portion of the insertion portion.

8. The electronic endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the illumination drive portion is placed in a connector portion which is connectable to a signal processing device for signal processing an image-capturing signal from the image-capturing portion, the connector portion being provided to a proximal end of the insertion portion.

9. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the illumination drive portion is placed in the optical adapter.

10. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising:

an identification portion for identifying a configuration type of the LED light emission elements of the illumination portion; and

a control portion for controlling the drive adjustment portion on the basis of an identification result of the identification portion.

11. An optical adapter attachable to and detachable from a distal end of an insertion portion insertable into an inner space, the optical adapter comprising:

an illumination portion formed of LED light emission elements;

an illumination drive portion for driving the illumination portion; and

a drive adjustment portion for adjusting a condition for driving the illumination drive portion.

12. An endoscope device, comprising:

an electronic endoscope, including;

an insertion portion insertable into an inner space

an optical adapter detachably attached to a distal end of the insertion portion, the optical adapter having an illumination portion formed of LED light emission elements;

an image-capturing portion for capturing an image of a subject illuminated by the illumination portion;

an illumination drive portion for driving the illumination portion; and

a drive adjustment portion for adjusting a condition for driving the illumination drive portion; and

a signal processing portion for signal processing an image-capturing signal from the image-capturing portion to generate an endoscope image.