HUMIDITY DETECTING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ENDOSCOPE, AND ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS

• US 20130096375A1
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: IYAMA, Shozo, YAMANE, Kenji, OHTA, Yasunori, HOSONO, Yasuyuki, OZAKI, Takao
• Application Number:
  US13/653,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096375A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/103
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/121 for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity, of the fluid moisture content of the tested material G01N27/048

Abstract

A humidity state at a distal end portion of an endoscope internal space can be reliably estimated without enlarging the diameter of an endoscope insertion part.

In a humidity detecting device detecting humidity of an internal space of an endoscope, leakage currents of an imaging device and a peripheral circuit of an electric board disposed at a distal end portion of the internal space of the endoscope are detected and a humidity state of the internal space of the endoscope is determined based upon the detected leakage currents.

Claims

1. A humidity detecting method for detecting humidity in an internal space of an endoscope, comprising:

a leakage current detecting process for detecting a leakage current of an imaging device and/or a peripheral circuit of the imaging device arranged in the internal space of the endoscope; and

a determining process for determining a humidity state in the internal space of the endoscope based upon the leakage current detected.

2. A humidity detecting device for an endoscope, the humidity detecting device for detecting humidity in an internal space of an endoscope, comprising:

a detecting device for detecting a leakage current of an imaging device and/or a peripheral circuit of the imaging device arranged in the internal space of the endoscope; and

a determining device for determining a humidity state in the internal space of the endoscope based upon the leakage current detected by the detecting device.

3. An endoscope apparatus including an endoscope and a dehumidifying device which dehumidifies an internal space of the endoscope, wherein

the dehumidifying device comprises:

the humidity detecting device according to claim 2;

a dehumidifying unit for dehumidifying an internal space of the endoscope, the dehumidifying unit which is attachable and detachable to the endoscope; and

a control unit for controlling the dehumidifying unit based upon a humidity detection result in the internal space of the endoscope detected by the humidity detecting device.

4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the dehumidifying unit is a ventilation-type dehumidifying unit comprising:

a gas-feeding unit for feeding air to the internal space of the endoscope; and

a suction unit for suctioning the air fed.

5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a humidity sensor which measures a humidity of the air suctioned by the suction unit.

6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the dehumidifying unit is a heating-type dehumidifying device comprising:

a metal-made buckling-preventing wire which covers an outer periphery of a soft pipe conduit provided in the internal space of the endoscope; and

a current-supplying device for applying a current to the buckling-preventing wire to cause the buckling-preventing wire to generate heat.

7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the soft pipe conduit is at least a pipe conduit which is provided in the internal space of the endoscope on a side of an insertion part, among a treatment tool introduction pipe conduit, a gas-feeding/water-feeding pipe conduit and a suction pipe conduit which are provided in the internal space on the side of the insertion part, and a gas-feeding/water-feeding pipe conduit and a suction conduit which are provided in the internal space of the endoscope on a side of universal cable.