Endoscope, in particular video endoscope

• US 6,425,857 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1999
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Rudischhauser, Jürgen, Kehr, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P.
• Application Number:
  US09/411,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 600/112, 600/167, 600/168, 600/173, 600/174, 600/109, 600/133, 348/65, 348/73, 348/75
• US Class Current: 600/112
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00195 with eyepieces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera

Abstract

An endoscope, in particular a video endoscope, has an endoscope shaft at the distal end and a mount at the proximal end for attaching an optical imaging device, for example a video camera, and an endoscope housing between said endoscope shaft and said mount, said mount being rotatable relative to said endoscope shaft, via a rotary joint, about the longitudinal axis of said endoscope an optically imaging arrangement, which is at least partially positionally displaceable by way of an adjusting device for focusing the image transmission, moreover being received in said endoscope housing. Said endoscope housing is configured in continuously hermetically sealed fashion, and said rotary joint is arranged outside said endoscope housing.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising

an endoscope shaft,

a mount for attaching an optical imaging device,

and endoscope housing arranged between said endoscope shaft and said mount,

an optical imaging arrangement disposed inside said endoscope housing and being at least partially positionally displaceable,

an adjusting device for positionally displacing said optical imaging arrangement for focusing the image transmission,

said mount being rotatable relative to said endoscope shaft via a rotary joint about a longitudinal axis of said endoscope,

wherein said endoscope housing is configured in continuously hermetically sealed fashion and said rotary joint is arranged outside said endoscope housing and is configured at said mount.

2. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said rotary joint is arranged in the region of the proximal end of said endoscope housing.

3. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said mount has at its distal end a sleeve that is arranged circumferentially and mounted rotatably on said endoscope housing.

4. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said endoscope housing is joined nonrotatably to said endoscope shaft.

5. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device acts on said optical imaging arrangement from outside through said sealed endoscope housing.

6. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device acts of said optical imaging arrangement via a magnetic nonpositive engagement.

7. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device has an adjusting ring that is arranged around the outer side of said endoscope housing and is rotatable relative to said endoscope shaft for positional displacement of at least a portion of said optical imaging arrangement.

8. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device has an adjusting ring that is rotatable relative to said mount for positional displacement of at least a portion of said optical imaging arrangement.

9. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device has at least one outer ring element, arranged rotatably around the outer side of said endoscope housing, that carries at least one magnet, and at least one rotatable inner ring element, arranged inside said endoscope housing, that also carries at least one magnet, such that a rotation of said outer ring element moves said inner ring element, and the movement of said inner ring element serves to positionally displace at least a portion of said optical imaging arrangement.

10. The endoscope of claim 9, wherein said movement of said inner ring element is converted via a mechanical connection into an axial movement of at least a porton of said optical imaging arrangement.

11. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said adjusting device has two outer ring elements, arranged around said outer side of said endoscope housing, that each carry at least one magnet, and two inner ring elements, arranged inside said endoscope housing, that also each carry at least one magnet, such that a rotary movement of said outer ring elements moves the respective associated inner ring element, and such that a rotation of said one outer ring element relative to said other outer ring element effects a positonal displacement of at least a portion of said optical imaging arrangement.

12. The endoscope of claim 11, wherein said one outer ring element is joined nonrotatably to said mount, and said other outer ring element is rotatable relative to the latter.

13. The endoscope of claim 12, wherein said outer ring element that is not joined nonrotatably to said mount is joined in frictionally engaged fashion to said mount.

14. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said optical imaging arrangement comprises an axially shiftable eyepiece lens arrangement of said endoscope and an objective lens arrangement of said optical imaging device;

and for focusing said eyepiece lens arrangement is shifted by way of said adjusting device.

15. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said optical imaging arrangement is arranged nonrotatably in said endoscope housing.

16. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein an aperture that has a marking for determining the rotational position of said mount relative to said endoscope shaft is arranged in said endoscope housing nonrotatably relative thereto.

17. The endoscope of claim 16, wherein said optical imaging arrangement comprises an axially shiftable eyepiece lens arrangement, and wherein said aperture is arranged in an intermediate image plane and is shifted together with said eyepiece lens arrangement.

18. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said optical imaging device comprises a video camera.

19. An endoscope, comprising

an endoscope shaft,

a mount for attaching an optical imaging device,

and endoscope housing arranged between said endoscope shaft and said mount,

an optical imaging arrangement disposed inside said endoscope housing and being at least partially positionally displaceable,

an adjusting device for positionally displacing said optical imaging arrangement for focusing the image transmission,

wherein said adjusting device has two outer ring elements, arranged around said outer side of said endoscope housing, that each carry at least one magnet, and two inner ring elements, arranged inside said endoscope housing, that also each carry at least one magnet, such that a rotary movement of said outer ring elements moves the respective associated inner ring element, and such that a rotation of said one outer ring element relative to said other outer ring element effects a positonal displacement of at least a portion of said optical imaging arrangement, and

wherein said one outer ring element is joined nonrotatably to said mount, and said other outer ring element is rotatable relative to the latter, said mount being rotatable relative to said endoscope shaft via a rotary joint about a longitudinal axis of said endoscope,

wherein said endoscope housing is configured in continuously hermetically sealed fashion and said rotary joint is arranged outside said endoscope housing and is configured at said mount.

20. The endoscope of claim 19, wherein said outer ring element that is not joined nonrotatably to said mount is joined in frictionally engaged fashion to said mount.