JP5144902B2 - Operation unit of electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation unit of an electronic endoscope.

  In general, an operation part of an electronic endoscope is formed with a grip part for an operator to hold and hold in the lower half part, and performs an operation of arbitrarily changing the direction of the distal end of the insertion part by remote control. Are provided on the side surface of the upper half.

  The bending operation knob is the most important operation member that needs to be continuously operated by the operator of the endoscope, and is disposed at a position where it can be most easily operated by the thumb of the hand holding the grip portion. The other operation members are arranged so that they can be operated as easily as possible by sliding the finger operating the bending operation knob slightly.

  Among such various operation members, an electronic zoom operation switch for performing an operation of continuously and arbitrarily changing the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image displayed on the monitor screen is simply switched on / off. Rather than other switches, there are both enlargement and reduction operations from the OFF state, and the display magnification continues to change during operation, and when the operation is stopped in an appropriate state, the change in display magnification stops there It has a slightly more complicated function.

Therefore, as a conventional electronic zoom operation switch, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a rotation switch 92 that is rotated coaxially with the bending operation knob 91 is provided at the base of the bending operation knob 91, or as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, two push-type switches 93 are arranged side by side on the back of the upper half of the operation unit 90, or, as shown in FIG. 13, a lever-like toggle switch 94 that swings around the root portion as a fulcrum. (For example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-201882 A

  However, if the rotation switch 92 is provided at the base portion of the bending operation knob 91 as shown in FIG. 11, the position of the bending operation knob 91 is moved away from the operation portion 90 by that amount. The operability of 91 is lowered.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, if the two push switches 93 are arranged side by side, the push switch 93 is erroneously pushed when the bending operation knob 91 or other operation members are operated. Is very likely to occur.

  However, when the toggle switch 94 as shown in FIG. 13 is used, the operation position of the toggle switch 94 is far from the fingertip of the operator and the operability is poor, and the toggle switch 94 is erected on the surface of the operation unit 90. Further, the toggle switch 94 has a drawback that the operation of other switches is hindered.

  Therefore, the present invention can easily and reliably perform an electronic zoom operation for continuously and arbitrarily changing the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image without interfering with the operation of the bending operation knob and other operation members. An object is to provide an operation unit of an electronic endoscope.

In order to achieve the above object, the operation part of the electronic endoscope of the present invention has a grip part for the operator to hold and hold in the lower half part, and the direction of the distal end of the insertion part. A bending operation knob for performing an operation to be arbitrarily changed by remote operation is rotatably arranged on the side surface of the upper half, and continuously changes the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image displayed on the monitor screen arbitrarily. An electronic endoscope operation unit in which an electronic zoom operation switch for performing an operation is disposed on the back surface of the upper half, wherein the electronic zoom operation switch is on the back side of the operation unit with a rotation center axis as a center. Is arranged so that it can be swung in the left and right direction along the rear wall of the operation unit, and the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is continuously increased by swinging the electronic zoom operation switch. Can be changed In those, the upper end region near the back wall of the operation unit, they become inclined slope on the side of the operation portion in which the bending operation knob is located, the electronic zoom operation switch, the Rotating around the rotation center axis provided on the slope inclined to the side surface of the operation part, the lower end side of the operation part swings along the slope in the left-right direction as seen from the back side of the operation part, The lower end portion of the electronic zoom operation switch that is swung in such a manner is above the rotation center position of the bending operation knob and below the upper end position of the bending operation knob when viewed from the back side of the operation portion. Are arranged.

  Note that the electronic zoom operation switch can be swung along the back wall of the operation unit in the left-right direction as viewed from the back side of the operation unit around the rotation center axis provided near the upper end. The display magnification of the endoscopic observation image may be continuously changed by swinging the lower end side of the electronic zoom operation switch.

  When the electronic zoom operation switch is at the neutral position in the middle of the swing range, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image does not change, and the electronic zoom operation switch is swung from the neutral position to the left or right side. In this case, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image may be gradually increased, and when the swing operation is performed on the other side, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image may be gradually decreased. The switch may be provided with a return spring that returns to the neutral position when no external force is applied.

  Further, the vicinity of the upper end of the back wall of the operation unit may be formed in a slope shape, and an electronic zoom operation switch may be disposed on the sloped portion, or the vicinity of the upper end of the back wall of the operation unit may be inclined. The electronic zoom operation switch may be arranged on the back wall of the operation unit adjacent to the lower side of the sloped portion.

  According to the present invention, the electronic zoom operation switch is disposed so as to be swingable along the back wall of the operation unit in the left-right direction as viewed from the back side of the operation unit around the rotation center axis. By swinging the zoom operation switch, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image can be continuously changed, so that the endoscopic observation image is not obstructed by the operation of the bending operation knob or other operation members. The electronic zoom operation for continuously and arbitrarily changing the display magnification can be easily and reliably performed.

  A grip part for an operator to hold and hold with the hand is formed in the lower half part, and a bending operation knob for performing an operation for arbitrarily changing the direction of the distal end of the insertion part by remote control is provided in the upper half part. An electronic endoscope in which an electronic zoom operation switch is disposed on the back side of the upper half part for performing an operation to continuously and arbitrarily change the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image displayed on the side and displayed on the monitor screen In this operation unit, the electronic zoom operation switch swings along the back wall of the operation unit in the left-right direction as viewed from the back side of the operation unit around the rotation center axis provided near the upper end of the operation unit. The display magnification of the endoscopic observation image can be continuously changed by swinging the lower end side of the electronic zoom operation switch.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the operator holds the operation unit 1 of the endoscope with the left hand. FIG. 1 is a rear view of the operation unit 1.

  Note that the endoscope of the present invention is a so-called electronic endoscope in which a solid-state imaging device is built in the distal end of an insertion portion connected to the operation unit 1, and an endoscope observation image output from the solid-state imaging device is captured. The endoscopic observation image is displayed on a monitor television (not shown) by a video signal sent to a video processor (not shown) for processing and a video signal output from the video processor.

  The lower half of the operation unit 1 is a grip unit 2 for the operator to hold and hold with the left hand. The side part of the upper half of the operation unit 1 has a distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope. Two bending operation knobs 3 and 4 for the up and down direction and the left and right direction for performing an operation of arbitrarily changing the direction by remote operation are disposed so as to be freely rotatable in a positional relationship of being coaxially overlapped. Reference numerals 5 and 6 denote bending lock levers for stopping the bending operation knobs 3 and 4 at arbitrary rotational positions.

  In addition, an air / water supply operation valve 7 and a suction operation valve 8 are arranged on the front side of the upper half of the operation unit 1, and connected to a video processor near the upper end of the rear wall 9 of the operation unit 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the base portion 10 of the connecting flexible tube is connected to the bending operation knobs 3 and 4 while being displaced in the opposite direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vicinity of the upper end of the operation unit 1 is formed in a substantially roof shape when viewed from the side. Therefore, the vicinity of the upper end portion of the front wall and the rear wall 9 has a sloped shape approaching each other at the upper end portion. 9a is a sloped portion on the back wall 9 side. For example, a control switch 13 such as a freeze switch or a recording switch is arranged on the front and rear slopes for controlling functions such as still image, recording, and single frame shooting that the video processor has.

  Reference numeral 20 denotes an electronic zoom operation switch for performing an operation of continuously and arbitrarily changing the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image displayed on the screen of the monitor TV. When the operation unit 1 is viewed from the back side, It arrange | positions in the state located in the right half part of the slope-shaped part 9a of the back wall 9. As shown in FIG.

  The electronic zoom operation switch 20 has a sloped portion 9a of the back wall 9 of the operation unit 1 in the left-right direction as viewed from the back side of the operation unit 1, with a rotation center axis 20x provided near the upper end thereof as a center. Can be swung as shown by arrow A in FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of such an electronic zoom operation switch 20, in which a rotating shaft portion 21 near the upper end of the lever-shaped electronic zoom operation switch 20 rotates around the rotation center axis 20 x. Are received by the bearing member 22. Reference numeral 23 denotes a fixing nut for fixing the bearing member 22 to the sloped portion 9 a of the back wall 9 of the operation unit 1.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes a return spring for elastically returning the rotary shaft portion 21 to the neutral position which is substantially the center position of the rotation range, as shown in FIG. 4 illustrating the neutral state of the IV-IV section. In the return spring 24, both end straight portions 24a are held in contact with the spring formed in the bearing member 22 in a state where the spring force is charged in the intermediate coil portion.

  The split formed on the rotating shaft portion 21 is in contact with the linear portions 24a at both ends of the return spring 24 from the outside. As a result, the rotating shaft portion 21 rotates around the rotation center shaft 20x and returns to the return spring 24. When the straight end portions 24a are bent, the urging force of the return spring 24 acts in a direction to return the rotating shaft portion 21 to the neutral state of FIG.

  Therefore, if the operator performs a rotation operation with the fingertip, the electronic zoom operation switch 20 can be rotated around the neutral position while the return spring 24 is bent by the rotation shaft portion 21, When the electronic zoom operation switch 20 is released and no external force is applied to the electronic zoom operation switch 20, the electronic zoom operation switch 20 returns to the neutral state by the urging force of the return spring 24.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the switch piece 25 is attached to the back side end portion of the rotary shaft portion 21 located inside the back wall 9 of the operation portion 1 so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft portion 21. A lever-type switch 26 that is turned on / off by the turning operation of the switch piece 25 is fixedly disposed in the operation unit 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, two lever-type switches 26 are provided. When the switch piece 25 is in the neutral position, both are off, and the switch piece 25 is rotated to one of the swing ranges. In this state, the lever 26a of the lever type switch 26 in that direction is pushed, and only the lever type switch 26 is turned on.

  The two lever-type switches 26 are wired so that when one is turned on, the zoom magnification is increased, and when the other is turned on, the zoom magnification is reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the electronic zoom operation switch 20 is at the neutral position in the middle of the swing range, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image does not change, and the electronic zoom operation switch 20 is moved from the neutral position. When the swing operation is performed on one side, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is gradually increased, and when the swing operation is performed on the other side, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is gradually decreased. If you remove your fingertip from, the display magnification at that time is maintained.

  In this way, by performing an operation of moving the lower end side of the electronic zoom operation switch 20 in the left-right direction along the inclined surface portion 9a of the back wall 9 of the operation unit 1 when viewed from the back side of the operation unit 1, The display magnification of the endoscopic observation image can be continuously changed, and the electronic zoom operation can be easily and reliably performed without interfering with the operation of the operation members such as the bending operation knobs 3 and 4 and other control switches 13. It can be carried out.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the operation unit of the electronic endoscope according to the reference example of the present invention. When the operation unit 1 is viewed from the rear side, the electronic zoom operation switch 20 is located on the left half of the inclined portion 9a of the rear wall 9. It is arranged in the part. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment .

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the operation unit of the electronic endoscope of another reference example of the present invention, and the rear surface in the substantially vertical direction in which the electronic zoom operation switch 20 is adjacent to the lower side of the sloped portion 9a of the rear wall 9. Arranged on the wall 9. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment .

  FIG. 8 shows a modification of the electronic zoom operation switch 20, in which the electrical switch portion is replaced with a rotary switch in place of the lever switch 26 of the first embodiment, and a mechanical switch for returning to neutral is shown. The configuration and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

  In this embodiment, an electrically insulating wiring board 31 having planar electrodes 32 to 34 formed on the surface as shown in FIG. 9 is fixedly provided, and as shown in FIG. The two contact portions 30 a of the conductive brush 30 attached so as to rotate integrally with the shaft portion 21 move along the surface of the wiring board 31.

  As a result, selective contact and separation between the common electrode 32 and one of the other two electrodes 33 and 34 are performed via the conductive brush 30, and the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is the same as in the first embodiment. The continuous change operation can be performed. As described above, the structure and the like of the electronic zoom operation switch 20 can take various forms.

It is a rear view of the operation part of the electronic endoscope of the 1st example of the present invention. It is a side view in the state where the operation part of the electronic endoscope of the 1st example of the present invention was held by the operator. It is side surface sectional drawing of the electronic zoom operation switch of 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the electronic zoom operation switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3. It is a top view of the lever type switch part of the electronic zoom operation switch of 1st Example of this invention. It is a rear view of the operation part of the electronic endoscope of the reference example of this invention. It is a rear view of the operation part of the electronic endoscope of the other reference example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing (VIII-VIII sectional drawing in FIG. 9) of the modification of the electronic zoom operation switch of the Example of this invention. It is a bottom view of the modification of the electronic zoom operation switch of the Example of this invention. It is a fragmentary front sectional view of the modification of the electronic zoom operation switch of the Example of the present invention. It is a rear view of the operation part of the conventional electronic endoscope. It is a rear view of the operation part of the 2nd conventional electronic endoscope. It is a rear view of the operation part of the conventional 3rd electronic endoscope.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation part 2 Grip part 3, 4 Bending operation knob 9 Back wall 9a Slope-shaped part 13 Control switch (other operation members)
20 Electronic zoom operation switch 20x Center axis 24 Return spring

Claims (3)

A grip part for an operator to hold and hold with the hand is formed in the lower half part, and a bending operation knob for performing an operation for arbitrarily changing the direction of the distal end of the insertion part by remote control is provided in the upper half part. An electronic zoom operation switch is arranged on the back of the upper half, which is arranged on the side so that it can rotate freely and performs an operation to continuously and arbitrarily change the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image displayed on the monitor screen. An operation unit of an endoscope,
The electronic zoom operation switch is disposed so as to be swingable along the back wall of the operation unit in the left-right direction when viewed from the back side of the operation unit around the rotation center axis. In such a configuration that the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image can be continuously changed by swinging the switch.
The region near the upper end of the back wall of the operation unit is a slope inclined toward the side surface of the operation unit on which the bending operation knob is disposed, and the electronic zoom operation switch is arranged on the side surface side of the operation unit. It pivots about the pivot center axis provided on the slope inclined to the bottom, and its lower end swings along the slope in the left-right direction when viewed from the back side of the operation section. A lower end portion of the operated electronic zoom operation switch is disposed above the rotation center position of the bending operation knob and below the upper end position of the bending operation knob as viewed from the back side of the operation portion. An operation part of an electronic endoscope characterized by the above.   When the electronic zoom operation switch is at the neutral position in the middle of the swing range, the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image does not change, and the electronic zoom operation switch swings to the left or right side from the neutral position. 2. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is gradually increased when the operation is performed and the display magnification of the endoscopic observation image is gradually decreased when the operation is swung to the other side. Operation part of the mirror.   The operation part of the electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the electronic zoom operation switch is provided with a return spring for returning to the neutral position when no external force is applied.

Images