Endoscopic optical adapter freely attachable to and detachable from endoscope

• US 6,554,767 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Evident Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yasundo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mulcahy, John
• Application Number:
  US10/116,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 600/111, 600/166, 600/170-173, 600/175, 600/176, 348/45, 348/75
• US Class Current: 600/175
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00101 the distal tip features being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00193 adapted for stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion

Abstract

An endoscopic optical adapter freely attachable to and detachable from an endoscope according to the present invention includes an adapter-side observational optical system facing an endoscope-side observational optical system provided with a solid-state image device placed in a tip constituent member of the endoscope, a unit body in which the adapter-side observational optical system is fixedly placed, an adapter body on which a first concave portion with the unit body placed therein while being free to rotate and a second concave portion with at least a part of the tip constituent member placed therein are formed, and a positioning portion which is provided in each of the adapter body and the tip constituent member and which adjusts the positional relationship between the tip constituent member and the adapter body to be a predetermined positional relationship.

Claims

1. An endoscopic optical adapter freely attachable to and detachable from an endoscope, comprising:

an adapter-side observational optical system facing an endoscope-side observational optical system provided with a solid-state image device placed in a tip constituent member of the endoscope;

a unit body in which the adapter-side observational optical system is fixedly placed;

an adapter body on which a first concave portion with the unit body placed therein while being free to rotate and a second concave portion with at least a part of the tip constituent member placed therein are formed; and

a positioning portion which is provided in each of the adapter body and the tip constituent member and which adjusts the positional relationship between the tip constituent member and the adapter body to be a predetermined positional relationship.

2. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 1 wherein:

a positioning pin is provided as the positioning portion in the unit body, and a positioning groove, into which the positioning pin is fitted, is provided as the positioning portion in the tip constituent member.

3. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 2 wherein:

the adapter-side observational optical unit is adjusted and placed with reference to the positioning pin by rotating the adapter-side observational optical unit relative to the adapter body, and the solid-state image device is placed with reference to the positioning groove of the tip constituent member.

4. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 1 wherein:

a binocular optical system and a relay optical system are placed in the unit body so as to configure an adapter-side observational optical unit, and the adapter-side observational optical unit is free to rotate relative to the adapter body.

5. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 4 wherein:

the adapter-side observational optical system is a binocular optical system provided with a mask having two openings or is an observational optical system having a change filter, which needs position adjustment relative to an image pickup surface of the solid-state image device.

6. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 5 wherein:

a prism is placed in the adapter-side observational optical system in order to respond side-view observation.

7. An endoscopic optical adapter freely attachable to and detachable from a endoscope, comprising:

an adapter-side observational optical system facing an endoscope-side observational optical system provided with a solid-state image device placed in a tip constituent member of the endoscope;

an adapter-side illuminational optical system facing endoscope-side illuminational optical system provided in the tip constituent member;

a unit body in which the adapter-side observational optical system is fixedly placed;

an adapter body on which a hole potion with the adapter-side illuminational optical system placed therein, a first concave portion with the unit body placed therein while being free to rotate, and a second concave portion with at least a part of the tip constituent member placed therein are formed;

a positioning portion which is provided in each of the adapter body and the tip constituent member and which adjusts the positional relationship between the tip constituent member and the adapter body to be a predetermined positional relationship; and

a cover member which is placed covering the unit body and the adapter body, which forms a space for placing the adapter-side illuminational optical system, and which is provided with a first optical member and a second optical member facing the adapter-side observational optical system and the adapter-side illuminational optical system.

8. The endoscopic optical adapter according to claim 7, wherein:

when the unit body is fitted to the tip constituent member, the observational optical system-side base end surface of the adapter body and the observational optical system-side tip surface of the tip constituent member are in intimate contact with each other while a gap having a predetermined dimension is formed between the illuminational optical system-side base end surface of the adapter body and the illuminational optical system-side tip surface of the tip constituent member.