Endoscope apparatus

• US 7,691,056 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Hirata, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker; John P
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, PHILIP ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US11/012,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 600/103, 600117-118, 600/127, 600/129, 600/152, 600/175, 600/172, 600/174, 600/176
• US Class Current: 600/129
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00101 the distal tip features being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/06 with illuminating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0607 for annular illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

An endoscope apparatus including: an elongated insertion section; an adaptor, which has an illuminating section including optical elements, and an observation optical system, that are attached to and removed from a tip of the insertion section; a sensor provided in the adaptor; and electrical contacts for the illumination section, and electrical contacts for the sensor, provided in the adaptor and the tip of the insertion section.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an elongated insertion section which has an imaging device at a tip thereof, and is capable of being connected to an endoscope body at a proximal end thereof;

an adaptor which has an observation optical system and an illuminating section, and is releasably attached to the tip of the insertion section; and

an exchange substrate which is exchangeably arranged between the adaptor and the tip of the insertion section, and is provided with at least one sensor,

wherein the exchange substrate is provided with one or more types of the sensor, and

an electrical contact which electrically connects with said one or more types of the sensor is provided at the tip of the insertion section.

2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each of the insertion section and the adaptor is provided with electrical contacts for the illuminating section.

3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the insertion section is provided with a fluid actuator for controlling a bending section thereof;

the sensor is a pressure sensor; and

the pressure sensor measures the pressure of a fluid which drives the fluid actuator.

4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exchange substrate is provided with a memory device for storing measured values which are measured by the sensor.

5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising

a sensor information measuring device for reading information of the measured values stored in the memory device.

6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a humidity sensor.

7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adaptor and the exchange substrate each have a respective corresponding ridge and notch of similar cross-sectional shapes.

8. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an elongated insertion section which has an imaging device at a tip thereof, and is capable of being connected to an endoscope body at a proximal end thereof;

an adaptor which has an observation optical system and an illuminating section, and is releasably attached to the tip of the insertion section; and

an exchange substrate which is exchangeably arranged between the adaptor and the tip of the insertion section, and is provided with an identification device which outputs a unique identification signal thereof.

9. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the identification device is an IC chip which outputs the unique identification signal thereof.

10. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the type of the adaptor is determined by reading the identification signal from the IC chip.

11. An endoscope apparatus comprising:

an elongated insertion section which has an imaging device at a tip thereof, and is capable of being connected to an endoscope body at a proximal end thereof;

an adaptor which has an observation optical system, and is releasably attached to the tip of the insertion section;

an exchange substrate which is exchangeably arranged between the adaptor and the tip of the insertion section, and is provided with at least one sensor of one or more types, and an electrical contact which electrically connects with said one or more types of the sensor is provided at the tip of the insertion section.