ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS AND ENDOSCOPE

• US 20110282148A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: KURA, Yasuhito, SAKAMOTO, Yuji, KASE, Seigo
• Granted Patent: US 8,419,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/113
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00091 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00181 for multiple fixed viewing angles A61B1/00193 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0625 for multiple fixed illumination angles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/126 provided with means for cleaning in-use
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/243 Objectives for endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2469 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports

Abstract

An endoscope includes a side viewing observation section and a forward viewing observation section provided on a distal end side of an insertion portion which is inserted into an observation target for acquiring subject images of an observation target in a circumferential direction and an insertion direction of the insertion portion, respectively, a shielding section located within a viewing field of the side viewing observation section for shielding light from the subject entering the side viewing observation section and a protruding member protruding from the insertion portion arranged in a shielding region formed by the shielding section.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an insertion portion inserted into an observation target;

a side viewing observation section provided on a distal end side of the insertion portion for acquiring a subject image of an observation target in a circumferential direction of the insertion portion;

a forward viewing observation section provided closer to the distal end side than the side viewing observation section of the insertion portion for acquiring a subject image of an observation target in an insertion direction of the insertion portion;

a shielding section that forms a shielding region for electrically or mechanically shielding a display of part of the subject within a viewing field of the side viewing observation section;

an image processing apparatus that generates a side viewing observed image and a forward viewing observed image including the shielding region as observed images based on the subject image in the circumferential direction obtained from the side viewing observation section and the subject image in the insertion direction obtained from the forward viewing observation section; and

a protruding member arranged behind the shielding region and within the shielding region that protrudes from the insertion portion.

2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding section comprises a mask processing section provided in the image processing apparatus that forms, as the shielding region, a masked section electrically shielded through signal processing on an image portion in a range in which the protruding member is located on the side viewing field image generated by the image processing apparatus.

3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an endoscope having the insertion portion is detachably connected to the image processing apparatus, and

the mask processing section can change a region in which the masked section is formed according to identification information specific to the endoscope connected to the image processing apparatus.

4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image processing apparatus further comprises a switching section that switches between processing that forms the masked section and processing that does not form the masked section.

5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding section comprises a shielding member arranged in the side viewing observation section for mechanically shielding light entering a predetermined range of the side viewing observation section.

6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the side viewing observation section and the forward viewing observation section protrude from a distal end face of the insertion portion, and are provided in a cylindrical member having a smaller diameter than an outside diameter of the insertion portion,

the cylindrical member further comprises an objective optical system comprising:

a rotationally symmetric first lens arranged along a central axis of the cylindrical member for forming a subject image in the insertion direction; and

a second lens arranged behind the first lens and connected to a mirror lens having a mirror surface for refracting light passing through the first lens and forming a subject image in the insertion direction and forming a subject image in the circumferential direction, and

an image pickup surface of an image pickup device is arranged at an image forming position of the objective optical system.

7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the side viewing observation section and the forward viewing observation section protrude from a distal end face of the insertion portion, and are provided in a cylindrical member having a smaller diameter than an outside diameter of the insertion portion,

the cylindrical member further comprises an objective optical system comprising:

a rotationally symmetric first lens arranged along a central axis of the cylindrical member for forming a subject image in the insertion direction; and

a second lens arranged behind the first lens and connected to a mirror lens having a mirror surface for refracting light passing through the first lens and forming a subject image in the insertion direction and forming a subject image in the circumferential direction, and

an image pickup surface of an image pickup device is arranged at an image forming position of the objective optical system.

8. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the objective optical system forms a subject image in the insertion direction in a circular region in a center of the image pickup surface of the image pickup device and forms a subject image in the circumferential direction in a ring region of an outer circumference of the circular region, and

the image processing apparatus generates the forward viewing observed image and the side viewing observed image from image signals of the circular region and the ring region photoelectrically converted by the image pickup device.

9. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the objective optical system forms a subject image in the insertion direction in a circular region in a center of the image pickup surface of the image pickup device and forms a subject image in the circumferential direction in a ring region of an outer circumference of the circular region, and

the image processing apparatus generates the forward viewing observed image and the side viewing observed image from image signals of the circular region and the ring region photoelectrically converted by the image pickup device.

10. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mask processing section forms the masked section in response to an instruction input for mask processing corresponding to arrangement information of the protruding member from an input apparatus.

11. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an endoscope having the insertion portion is detachably connected to the image processing apparatus, and

the mask processing section forms the masked section corresponding to the protruding member provided in the insertion portion from identification information specific to the endoscope connected to the image processing apparatus.

12. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an endoscope having the insertion portion provided with a channel into which a treatment instrument can be inserted is detachably connected to the image processing apparatus, and

the mask processing section forms the masked section corresponding to the protruding member for a case where the treatment instrument protruding from a distal end opening portion of the channel constitutes the protruding member located in the side viewing field image.

13. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image processing apparatus generates a light adjustment signal for light adjustment of a light quantity of illuminating light of a light source apparatus supplied to a light guide member of an endoscope from a video signal subjected to mask processing forming the masked section by the mask processing section.

14. An endoscope comprising:

an insertion portion inserted into an observation target;

a side viewing observation section provided on a distal end side of the insertion portion for allowing light from the observation target in a circumferential direction of the insertion portion to enter and acquiring a subject image;

a forward viewing observation section provided closer to a distal end side than the side viewing observation section in the insertion portion for allowing light from the observation target in an insertion direction of the insertion portion to enter and acquiring a subject image;

a shielding section located within a viewing field of the side viewing observation section that shields light from the subject entering the side viewing observation section; and

a protruding member arranged within a shielding region formed by the shielding section that protrudes from the insertion portion.

15. The endoscope according to claim 14, wherein the shielding section is disposed at a predetermined position inside the side viewing observation section over an entire length at least from a proximal end to a distal end of the side viewing observation section.

16. The endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the shielding section comprises a conduit into which the protruding member is inserted and an opening portion that communicates with the conduit and opens at an end face closer to the distal end side than the side viewing observation section.

17. The endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the side viewing observation section comprises a ring-shaped observation window formed on an entire perimeter of a side of the insertion portion.

18. The endoscope according to claim 15, wherein the protruding member comprises a nozzle that injects a liquid for cleaning an observation window of the forward viewing observation section.

19. The endoscope according to claim 16, wherein the conduit of the shielding section is a channel into which a treatment instrument call be inserted, and

the protruding member is a treatment instrument that is inserted into the channel and protrudes up to within a viewing field of the forward viewing observation window.

20. The endoscope according to claim 17, wherein the shielding section is made of a light-shielding film-like member arranged on an outer surface of the ring-shaped observation window.