Endoscope device

• US 7,518,632 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evident Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Konomura, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, SHAWN S
• Application Number:
  US11/637,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20070132840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 348/65, 348/45, 348/47, 348/68, 348/46, 348/76, 348/69, 600/109, 600/118, 600/166, 600/178
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/954 Inspecting the inner surface of hollow bodies, e.g. bores
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An endoscope device including an insertion part including an observation optical system and a measuring optical system, wherein the endoscope device is provided with a characteristic value comparing circuit 85 which compares previous characteristic values and current characteristic value to identify previous characteristic values corresponding to the current characteristic values, corresponding to the previous characteristic values, identified by the corresponding to the previous characteristic values, identified by the characteristic value comparing circuit 85, are stored in a storage circuit C2 together with various information. According to the invention, for inspection turbine blades of jet engines, automation (labor-saving) of the inspection process by reducing the number of the inspection steps is realized and the difficulty in the inspection of analysis areas is eliminated.

Claims

1. An endoscope device comprising:

an insertion part which includes an observation optical system which captures a plurality of analysis areas for observation;

a measuring optical system which captures the analysis area for measurement;

a numbering part which numbers observation images of the respective analysis areas captured by the observation optical system;

a measuring part which extracts measuring information based on measuring images of the respective analysis areas captured by the measuring optical system;

a first storage part which stores first analysis area information which includes the observation images numbered by the numbering part and corresponding measuring information of the analysis areas associated with the observation images extracted by the measuring part;

a second storage part which stores second analysis area information which includes new observation images captured by the observation optical system and newly numbered by the numbering part and new corresponding measuring information of the analysis areas associated with the new observation images extracted by the measuring part; and

an identifying recognition part which identifies the first analysis area information corresponding to the second analysis area information by comparing the first analysis area information and the second analysis area information, wherein

when the second storage part newly stores the second analysis area information, the first storage part stores the second analysis area information corresponding to the first analysis area information identified by the identifying recognition part in addition to the first analysis area information.

2. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring optical system also serves as the observation optical system.

3. The endoscope device according to claims 1 or 2 further comprising:

a movement operating part which successively moves the analysis area so that the analysis areas are captured by the observation system and the measuring optical system, wherein

when the movement operating part moves one of the analysis areas and when the movement operating part moves the plurality of the analysis area so that the plurality of the analysis area make one revolution, the movement operating part informs the measuring part or the numbering parts of this.

4. The endoscope device according to claim 1 wherein

the measuring part further comprises a characteristic extraction part which extracts multiple kinds of characteristics from the measuring information, and

the first storage part and the second storage part store the multiple kinds of the characteristics as a part of the measuring information.

5. The endoscope device according to claim 4, wherein

the multiple kinds of the characteristics to be extracted by the characteristic extraction part are cracks, fractures, dents, and damages including other deformations of the analysis area.

6. The endoscope device according to claims 4, wherein

the measuring part is provided with a characteristic value converting part which converts the multiple kinds of characteristics into multiple kinds of characteristic values subjected standard quantification by a predetermined evaluating calculation operation, and

the first storage part and the second storage part the multiple kinds of characteristic values as a part of the measuring information.

7. The endoscope device according to claim 6, wherein

the measuring part is provided with a comprehensive characteristic value deriving part which derives comprehensive characteristic value of the analysis areas by weighting and summing the multiple kinds if the characteristic values, and

the first storage part and the second storage part store multiple kinds of the comprehensive characteristic values as a part of the measuring information.

8. The endoscope device according to claim 1 further comprising:

an evaluating part which evaluates the first analysis area information and the second analysis area information.

9. The endoscope device according to claim 8 further comprising:

a judging part which determines whether the analysis area is conforming or nonconforming based on the evaluation made by the evaluating part.

10. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring optical system comprises two or more of the imaging parts whose installation positions are shifted from each other and stereoscopically captures the analysis area.

11. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein

the measuring optical system comprises an imaging part which captures the analysis area according to a light-section method and stereoscopically captures the analysis area.

12. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein

the insertion part is provided with and illumination part which illuminates an analysis area.

13. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein,

the insertion part is provided with a elongated member which extends in parallel in an axial direction of the insertion part and approaches and moves away from the insertion part via a link member, and

the elongated member is provided with an illuminating part which illuminates the analysis area and is arranged in line in a longitudinal direction of the elongated member.

14. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein two or more sets of the measuring optical systems are provided in a longitudinal direction of the insertion part.

15. The endoscope device according to claim 14, wherein the sets of the measuring optical systems are shifted from each other in a circumferential direction of the insertion part.