Deviated distal viewing endoscope

• US 6,817,976 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOKENDO Company
• Original Assignee: TOKENDO Company
• Inventors: Rovegno, Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): FLANAGAN, BEVERLY MEINDL
• Application Number:
  US10/292,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 600/160, 600/127, 600/129, 600/137, 600/170, 600/171, 600/172, 600/173, 600/175, 600/176
• US Class Current: 600/173
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00183 for variable viewing angles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0615 for radial illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres

Abstract

A deviated distal viewing endoscope is disclosed, wherein the rotation of the probe rotation control ring controls the rotation of the endoscopic probe as well as the rotation of a rotating tube housed in the handle and in the distal end of which a deviator prism is housed; the rotation of a focusing control ring controls the translation of the ring that acts to house the ocular lens; and the rotation of the ring controls the translation of a first cylindrical mount housing an ocular lens; and the rotation of a viewing angle variation control ring controls the translation of a second cylindrical mount integral with a cylindrical maneuvering tube, a longitudinal displacement of which controlling the tilting of the deviator prism of the endoscope.

Claims

1. A deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope comprising:

a cylindrical tubular handle;

an endoscopic probe comprising an inside cylindrical tube and an external cylindrical tube affixed to said inside cylindrical tube and having a proximal end affixed to a probe rotation control ring controlling rotation of said endoscopic probe and surrounding a distal end of said handle in a turning manner, said probe rotation control ring being affixed to a cylindrical rotating tube housed in a turning manner in the handle, said inside tube having a proximal extension opening into the rotating tube; and

an optical device comprising a lateral view port integrated in a distal part of said external tube, a deviator prism, an objective housed in a distal end of said inside tube, an optical system for transporting images, housed in said inside tube, an eye-piece arranged in said rotating tube and a view port closing a proximal opening of said handle;

wherein said handle comprises several independent control devices, each comprising a control ring surrounding said handle in a turning manner, a cylindrical mount housed in a sliding maimer in said rotating tube, and a coupling system coupling said control ring to said mount, so that rotation of said control ring controls longitudinal displacement of said mount inside said rotating tube, rotational movements of said rotating tube and said control ring and translation movements of said mount of each control device being independent from one another.

2. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said mount of each control device comprises at least a first external radial pin housed in a sliding manner in a first longitudinal slot formed in said rotating tube, an end of said pin being housed in a running manner in an annular internal groove arranged in a sliding ring surrounding in a sliding manner said rotating tube and housed in a sliding manner in the handle, said sliding ring having a second external radial pin housed in a sliding manner in a second longitudinal slot arranged in the handle, an end of said second pin being housed in a sliding manner in an internal helicoidal groove arranged in the control ring.

3. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein one of said control devices is a focusing control device, the mount of said focusing control device housing fixedly said eye-piece.

4. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the mount of said focusing control device has a distal opening acting as a field diaphragm and positioned in a distal focal plane of said eye-piece.

5. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope, according to claim 3, wherein one of said control devices is a reticle rotation control device, the focusing control device mount having a tubular cylindrical proximal part and a tubular cylindrical distal part with an outer diameter smaller than that of said proximal part, said reticle rotation control device further comprising:

a cylindrical tube supporting a reticle and surrounding in a turning manner said distal part of the focusing control device mount, said reticle support tube having an outside diameter substantially identical to that of said internal tube and a distal opening acting as a field diaphragm, said reticle support tube being coupled to said focusing control device mount so that said reticle is maintained in a distal focal plane of said eye-piece;

a control ring surrounding in a turning manner said handle;

a tubular cylindrical reticle rotation control device mount housed in a sliding manner in the rotating tube 18 and driven in translation by a rotation movement of the control ring of said reticle rotation control device;

a cylindrical coupling tube coupling the mount of said reticle rotation control device to said reticle supporting tube and having a proximal part surrounding said reticle supporting tube and a distal part surrounding a proximal end of the inside tube, and being surrounded by the reticle rotation control device mount;

a first coupling system rotatably coupling said coupling tube to said reticle supporting tube, so that a rotation of said coupling tube causes said reticle supporting tube to turn; and

a second coupling system coupling said coupling tube to the reticle rotation control device mount, so that a translational movement of said reticle rotation control device mount causes said coupling tube to turn.

6. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope, according to claim 5, wherein said tubular distal part of said focusing control device mount has an outside annular groove housing in a running manner an end of an internal radial pin formed in a proximal part of said reticle supporting tube, said coupling tube having a proximal part comprising a longitudinal slot housing in a running manner an external radial pin formed on a distal part of said reticle supporting tube, a distal part of the coupling tube having a helicoidal slot housing an external radial pin formed on the reticle rotation control device mount.

7. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein one of said control devices is a viewing angle variation control device, the mount of said viewing angle variation control device surrounding in a sliding manner said proximal extension of said inside tube and being integral with a cylindrical maneuvering tube surrounding in a sliding manner said internal tube, a longitudinal displacement of said maneuvering tube causing the deviator prism to tilt around a transversal axis perpendicular to a viewing axis of the endoscope.

8. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 7, wherein:

a distal end of said endoscopic probe comprises an end cap having a transverse distal side affixed to said distal end of said external tube, and a longitudinal flat side affixed to a longitudinal notch arranged in a distal part of said external tube;

said distal end cap comprises an internal protuberance having a square shape and a longitudinal part affixed to a distal end of a support piece having two proximal longitudinal lugs facing each other;

said deviator prism is housed affixed in a prism support fixed in a pivoting manner between said two lugs, said prism support being coupled to a distal end of said maneuvering tube, so that a longitudinal displacement of said maneuvering tube causes said prism support to tilt around said transversal axis.

9. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said deviator prism is a partial reflection prism characterized by a unidirectional inversion of an image transmitted by said deviator prism; and

a partial reflection correcting prism characterized by a unidirectional inversion of an image transmitted by the correcting prism is housed affixed in a proximal end of said turning tube and radially positioned so that an image transmitted by said endoscope has no inversion relative to reality.

10. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said distal deviator prism is a partial reflection prism characterized by a unidirectional inversion of an image transmitted by said deviator prism; and

a partial reflection correcting prism characterized by a unidirectional inversion of an image transmitted by said correcting prism is housed affixed between two lenses in the inside tube of the endoscopic probe and radially positioned in such a manner that the image transmitted by said endoscope has no inversion relative to reality.

11. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said distal deviator prism is a total reflection prism characterized by a bidirectional inversion of the image transmitted by the prism; and

a series of lenses comprising said optical system is calculated so that an image transmitted by said endoscope has no inversion relative to reality.

12. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper device designed to limit the range of rotation of said endoscopic probe.

13. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 12, wherein said stopper device comprises a longitudinal pin integral with a proximal side of said probe rotation control ring, said pin coming out inside said handle so as to come into contact with an internal radial pin integral with the handle.

14. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 12, further comprising a lighting device comprised of a bundle of optical fibers housed in an annular volume between said internal and external tubes;

wherein a distal end of said bundle opens into at least one lighting windows arranged in a distal part of said external tube of the endoscopic probe so as to produce a lighting field covering an optical field of said endoscopic probe, a proximal end of said bundle of fibers opening inside said handle through a hole made in a distal part of said rotating tube, said proximal end of said bundle of fibers being housed in a lateral seat integral with said handle.

15. The deviated distal rotary viewing endoscope according to claim 14, wherein a proximal part of the bundle of fibers is coiled around the rotating tube in order to prevent a rotation of said endoscopic probe from causing stresses that are able to break the fibers of said bundle.