A drying device, an endoscope and an endoscope system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drying device, an endoscope and an endoscope system. The drying device includes: a housing provided with a receiving cavity having an opening at one end; a drying member disposed in the receiving cavity; a dust-proof member disposed at the opening to block the powder shed by the drying member, and the dust-proof member is breathable so that the drying member can absorb the water vapor in the space to be dried communicated with the receiving cavity. The drying device arranges the drying member in the receiving cavity of the housing and uses the breathable dust-proof member to block the drying member, avoiding the direct exposure of the drying member to the space to be dried. While ensuring the long-term dryness of the space to be dried, it can prevent the powder shed by the drying member from entering the space to be dried, avoiding the pollution of the environment of the space to be dried. The endoscope includes the above drying device, which can ensure the long-term dryness and cleanliness of the inner cavity of the endoscope, avoiding affecting the imaging quality and causing phenomena such as surgical misjudgment. The endoscope system includes the above endoscope, and the endoscope is long-term effective and highly reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drying elements for lens-equipped devices, and more particularly, to a drying device, an endoscope, and an endoscope system. Background Art

[0002] As is well known, for devices with lenses such as endoscopes or cameras, the dryness of their inner cavities is crucial for their imaging performance. In the prior art, in order to ensure the dryness of the inner cavities of lens-equipped devices, the method of embedding a drying module is usually adopted to control the water vapor in the inner cavities of lens-equipped devices.

[0003] The inventive concepts in the prior art are all: while ensuring the fixation of the drying module (such as a drying ball or a drying block), making the drying module as directly exposed in the inner cavity as possible to achieve a better moisture absorption effect.

[0004] However, in practical applications, the inventors of the present application have found that: as the usage time increases, the drying module often has its own mechanical strength reduced due to water absorption, and moreover, restricted by mechanical structures such as grooves, subjected to external force extrusion, combined with reasons such as friction and life fatigue, the drying module will show peeling and pulverization.

[0005] Since the drying module is directly connected to the inner cavity space, the fallen powder will appear at each lens end, which will seriously affect the imaging quality. Even more seriously, for medical devices such as endoscopes, it may lead to misjudgment by doctors during surgery.

[0006] In summary, how to achieve long-term drying of the space to be dried (such as inside the lens barrel, the space of the endoscope imaging system, etc.), and at the same time, keep the space to be dried clean is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art at present. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a drying device that can ensure the long-term dryness of the space to be dried communicated therewith and at the same time ensure the cleanliness of the space to be dried.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope including the above drying device, which can ensure the long-term dryness and cleanliness of its inner cavity.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope system including the above endoscope, the endoscope of which is long-term effective and highly reliable.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0011] A drying device, comprising:

[0012] A housing having a receiving cavity with one end open;

[0013] A drying member, which is disposed in the receiving cavity;

[0014] A dust-proof member, which is disposed at the opening to block the powder shed by the drying member, and the dust-proof member is breathable so that the drying member can absorb the water vapor in the space to be dried communicated with the receiving cavity.

[0015] Preferably, the dust-proof member is elastic.

[0016] Preferably, the drying device further includes a fixing plate, which is pressed against the end of the opening and makes a part of the end of the opening exposed, so as to prevent the dust-proof member from detaching from the opening and ensure the communication between the receiving cavity and the space to be dried.

[0017] Preferably, the fixing plate is provided with ventilation holes to communicate the receiving cavity with the space to be dried.

[0018] Preferably, the fixing plate is detachably connected to the housing.

[0019] Preferably, a clamping groove is provided on the inner wall of the housing, the fixing plate is connected with fixing feet, and a buckle for cooperating with the clamping groove for clamping is provided at the end of the fixing feet.

[0020] Preferably, a first chamfer is provided at the side edge of the end face of the buckle facing the fixing plate, and a second chamfer is provided at the notch of the clamping groove facing the first chamfer.

[0021] Preferably, the fixing plate protrudes radially from the end of the opening to form a disassembly step surface with the end of the opening.

[0022] Preferably, the housing is a tubular member, the receiving cavity is an annular receiving cavity, and the opening faces one end of the tubular member; the outer side wall of the annular receiving cavity far from the inner wall of the tubular member extends axially to enclose a receiving space.

[0023] An endoscope, including an endoscope body and a drying device embedded in the endoscope body, and the drying device is any one of the above drying devices.

[0024] Preferably, an illumination system space and an imaging system space are formed inside the endoscope body, the illumination system space and the imaging system space are two independent closed spaces, and the receiving cavity of the drying device is communicated with the imaging system space.

[0025] Preferably, the endoscope body includes:

[0026] An inner tube, which is provided with an imaging rod lens group and a spacer located between the imaging rod lens groups, and the spacer is provided with a first ventilation hole penetrating its side wall;

[0027] An intermediate tube that wraps the inner tube and an objective lens group disposed at the front end of the inner tube;

[0028] An outer tube that forms the illumination system space between it and the intermediate tube;

[0029] An eyepiece barrel that houses an eyepiece group;

[0030] Wherein, the internal spaces of the inner tube, the intermediate tube, and the eyepiece barrel communicate with each other to form the imaging system space. The drying device covers the outer periphery of the eyepiece barrel, and the eyepiece barrel is provided with a second ventilation hole penetrating its side wall to communicate the internal space of the eyepiece barrel with the receiving cavity of the drying device.

[0031] Preferably, a ventilation groove for communicating the overall internal space of the inner tube is provided along the axial direction on the inner side wall of the inner tube.

[0032] Preferably, the drying device is detachably connected to the endoscope body.

[0033] Preferably, a sealing ring is provided at the connection between the drying device and the endoscope body.

[0034] An endoscope system includes: a light source host, a camera host, a camera, an endoscope, and a display. The light source host is connected to the endoscope through a light-transmitting optical fiber. One end of the camera is connected to the endoscope through a video interface lens, the other end of the camera is connected to the camera host, and the camera host is connected to the display through a video output line. The endoscope is any one of the above endoscopes.

[0035] For the drying device provided by the present invention, a drying member is arranged in the receiving cavity of the housing, and the drying member is blocked by a breathable dust-proof member, avoiding the direct exposure of the drying member to the space to be dried that communicates with the receiving cavity. Compared with the prior art where the drying module is directly exposed to the space to be dried, while ensuring the long-term dryness of the space to be dried, this drying device can prevent the powder shed by the drying member from entering the space to be dried. Therefore, it can avoid polluting the environment of the space to be dried. In particular, when the space to be dried includes optical imaging elements, the drying device provided by the present invention can remove the water vapor around the optical imaging elements and ensure the cleanliness of the optical imaging elements, thereby ensuring the imaging quality.

[0036] The endoscope provided by the present invention includes the above-mentioned drying device. While ensuring the long-term dryness of the inner cavity space of the endoscope to be dried, this drying device can prevent the powder shed by the drying member from entering the imaging system space of the endoscope. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the powder of the drying member from contaminating the environment of the imaging system space of the endoscope, affecting the imaging quality, causing surgical misjudgment and other phenomena, and ensuring the cleanliness of the optical imaging elements inside the endoscope.

[0037] The endoscope system provided by the present invention includes the above-mentioned endoscope. Since the drying device can maintain the dryness and cleanliness of the inner cavity of the endoscope for a long time, making the endoscope effective for a long time, the reliability of this endoscope system is high. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to the provided drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 It is a sectional view of the drying device provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 For Figure 1 a semi-sectional schematic view of the drying device shown;

[0041] Figure 3 For Figure 1 a schematic view of the connection structure of the fixing plate and the fixing feet of the drying device shown;

[0042] Figure 4 It is a sectional view of the endoscope provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention, where only a part of the structure inside the endoscope cavity is shown;

[0043] Figure 5 For Figure 4 a schematic view of the structure of the inner tube of the endoscope shown;

[0044] Figure 6 For Figure 4 an assembly schematic view of the imaging rod lens group, the spacer ring and the inner tube of the endoscope shown;

[0045] Figure 7 For Figure 4 a schematic view of the structure of the eyepiece tube of the endoscope shown;

[0046] Figure 8 For Figure 4 an exploded view of the endoscope shown;

[0047] Figure 9 ForFigure 4 Schematic diagram of the sealing connection structure between the drying device of the endoscope shown and the endoscope body

[0048] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the endoscope system provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention

[0049] Figures 1 to 10 The reference numerals in the figure are as follows:

[0050] 1 is the drying device, 11 is the housing, 111 is the receiving cavity, 112 is the first external thread, 113 is the second external thread, 12 is the drying member, 13 is the dust-proof member, 14 is the fixing plate, 141 is the ventilation hole, 142 is the disassembly step surface, 15 is the fixing foot, 151 is the buckle, 16 is the protective window lens, 2 is the endoscope body, 21 is the inner tube, 211 is the ventilation groove, 22 is the imaging rod lens group, 23 is the spacer, 231 is the first ventilation hole, 24 is the eyepiece tube, 241 is the second ventilation hole, 242 is the eyepiece group, 25 is the middle tube, 26 is the outer tube, 3 is the eyepiece cover, 4 is the illumination system space, 5 is the imaging system space, 6 is the sealing ring, 71 is the light source host, 72 is the camera host, 73 is the camera, 74 is the display, 75 is the light transmission optical fiber, 76 is the video interface lens, 77 is the video output line Specific embodiments

[0051] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention

[0052] The core of the present invention is to provide a drying device that can ensure the long-term dryness and cleanliness of the space to be dried. Another core of the present invention is to provide an endoscope including the above drying device, which can ensure the long-term dryness and cleanliness of its inner cavity. Yet another core of the present invention is to provide an endoscope system including the above endoscope, which has a long-term effective endoscope and high reliability

[0053] Please refer to Figures 1 - 3 , Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the drying device provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 For Figure 1 Semi-sectional schematic diagram of the drying device shown Figure 3 For Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the fixing plate and the fixing foot of the drying device shown

[0054] The present invention provides a drying device 1, which mainly includes a housing 11, a drying member 12, a dust-proof member 13, etc.

[0055] Specifically, the housing 11 is provided with a receiving cavity 111. One end of the receiving cavity 111 is open so that the drying member 12 can be placed through this opening. That is to say, the receiving cavity 111 serves to set and accommodate the drying member 12.

[0056] The drying member 12 is used to absorb the water vapor in the space to be dried, so as to dry the space to be dried and ensure the dryness of the space to be dried.

[0057] The dust-proof member 13 is arranged at the opening of the receiving cavity 111 to close the opening and cover the drying member 12, thereby blocking the powder shed by the drying member 12 and preventing the powder shed by the drying member 12 from falling into the space to be dried.

[0058] Obviously, it is necessary to ensure that the dust-proof member 13 is breathable so that the drying member 12 can absorb the water vapor in the space to be dried communicated with the receiving cavity 111.

[0059] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific structure and shape of the housing 11 and the receiving cavity 111. As a preferred solution, as Figure 2 shown, the housing 11 is a tubular member, and the receiving cavity 111 is an annular receiving cavity, which is arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the tubular member. The opening direction of the receiving cavity 111 faces one end of the tubular member. That is to say, this annular receiving cavity is an axially concave sink arranged at one end of the tubular member.

[0060] The outer wall of the annular receiving cavity far from the inner wall of the tubular member extends axially to enclose a receiving space, and this receiving space is preferably cylindrical (as Figure 2 shown), which can be used to accommodate other components in the space to be dried to improve the compactness of the overall structure.

[0061] In addition, the present invention does not limit the specific shape of the drying member 12. For example, the drying member 12 can be a drying ball or a drying block, etc., as long as it can absorb moisture.

[0062] At the same time, the present invention does not limit the specific sizes of the receiving cavity 111 and the drying member 12. For example, multiple layers of drying members 12 can be placed side by side in the receiving cavity 111.

[0063] As Figure 2 shown, the drying member 12 is a drying ball, and two layers of drying balls are arranged in the annular receiving cavity 111.

[0064] It should be noted that the drying ball can be an independent spherical body, or it can also be an integral annular structure.

[0065] Further, the present invention does not limit the specific structure and shape of the dust-proof member 13. It can be understood that the shape of the dust-proof member 13 needs to be adapted to the shape of the opening of the receiving cavity 111, so that the dust-proof member 13 can completely block the opening of the receiving cavity 111.

[0066] In addition, in order to enable the dust-proof member 13 to meet the high-temperature use environment, the dust-proof member 13 is preferably a high-temperature resistant dust-proof member.

[0067] For example, preferably, the dust-proof member 13 is a high-temperature resistant sponge.

[0068] In order to prevent the dust-proof member 13 from exerting a large extrusion force on the drying member 12, on the basis of the above embodiment, the dust-proof member 13 has elasticity.

[0069] It can be understood that since the dust-proof member 13 has elasticity, it will not exert a large extrusion force on the drying member 12, reducing the risk of the drying member 12 being damaged by extrusion.

[0070] In addition, the elastic dust-proof member 13 can achieve sealed connection with the opening through its interference fit with the opening, making the dust-proof member 13 relatively fixed to the housing 11, and then realizing the blocking of the drying member 12 to fix the drying member 12.

[0071] In order to further fix the dust-proof member 13 and prevent the dust-proof member 13 from detaching from the opening of the receiving cavity 111, on the basis of the above embodiment, the drying device 1 may further include a fixing plate 14.

[0072] Specifically, the fixing plate 14 is pressed against the end of the opening, and a part of the end of the opening is exposed, so as to prevent the dust-proof member 13 from detaching from the opening of the receiving cavity 111 and ensure the communication between the receiving cavity 111 and the space to be dried.

[0073] It should be noted that the present embodiment does not limit the specific shape of the fixing plate 14. For example, the fixing plate 14 can be an integral annular fixing plate or multiple fixing plates arranged at intervals.

[0074] When the fixing plate 14 is an integral annular fixing plate, the fixing plate 14 can be in contact and pressed only with one-third or one-half of the radial dimension of the dust-proof member 13, so as to fix the dust-proof member 13 while making a part of the dust-proof member 13 exposed, ensuring that the air permeability of the dust-proof member 13 can play a role and enabling the communication between the receiving cavity 111 and the space to be dried.

[0075] Considering the stability of the fixing plate 14 in fixing the dust-proof member 13 and in order to ensure the air permeability between the drying member 12 and the space to be dried, on the basis of the above embodiment, the fixing plate 14 is provided with air holes 141 for air permeability between the drying member 12 and the space to be dried.

[0076] Specifically, asFigure 3 As shown, the fixing plate 14 can be an annular plate adapted to the opening shape of the annular receiving cavity 111, and a plurality of ventilation holes 141 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the annular plate.

[0077] The fixing plate 14 can be fixed to the end of the opening of the receiving cavity 111 of the housing 11 by welding or gluing after the dust-proof member 13 is inserted into the opening of the receiving cavity 111.

[0078] Of course, considering that the drying member 12 is likely to fail as the usage time increases, in order to facilitate the replacement of the drying member 12 and / or the dust-proof member 13, on the basis of the above embodiments, the fixing plate 14 is detachably connected to the housing 11.

[0079] That is to say, the fixing plate 14 is fixed to the housing 11 in a detachable manner. When it is necessary to replace the drying member 12 and / or the dust-proof member 13, it is only necessary to detach the fixing plate 14 from the housing 11, replace the new drying member 12 and / or the dust-proof member 13, and then fix the fixing plate 14 to the housing 11.

[0080] Considering the convenience of detaching the fixing plate 14, on the basis of the above embodiments, a clamping groove is provided on the inner wall of the housing 11, the fixing plate 14 is connected with fixing feet 15, and a clamping buckle 151 for cooperating with the clamping groove is provided at the end of the fixing feet 15.

[0081] That is to say, in this embodiment, the connection between the fixing plate 14 and the housing 11 is realized through the cooperation connection between the clamping buckle 151 and the clamping groove. Furthermore, the clamping buckle 151 can be made to cooperate with the clamping groove or the two can be separated by plugging and unplugging, so as to realize the installation or removal of the fixing plate 14.

[0082] As Figure 2 shown, when the fixing plate 14 is installed, the fixing feet 15 are inserted into the housing 11 from one end of the housing 11 until the clamping buckle 151 at the end of the fixing feet 15 reaches the position of the clamping groove and cooperates with the clamping groove, so as to realize the fixing of the fixing plate 14; at this time, the fixing plate 14 just presses on the opening of the receiving cavity 111.

[0083] When the fixing plate 14 is removed, it is only necessary to use an external force to separate the clamping buckle 151 from the clamping groove and pull out the fixing plate 14.

[0084] It should be noted that the specific number of the fixing feet 15 in this embodiment is not limited. Considering the stability of the fixing plate 14, preferably, the number of the fixing feet 15 is at least two, and more than two fixing feet 15 are preferably evenly distributed or symmetrically distributed along the circumference of the fixing plate 14. As Figure 3 shown, the number of the fixing feet 15 is four.

[0085] To facilitate the extraction of the fixing plate 14, preferably, a first chamfer is provided at the side edge of the end face of the buckle 151 facing the fixing plate 14, and a second chamfer is provided at the notch of the card slot facing the first chamfer, so that when the fixing plate 14 is pulled out under an external force, the buckle 151 can be more easily separated from the card slot.

[0086] In addition, to facilitate the application of an external force to the fixing plate 14 when removing the fixing plate 14, on the basis of the above embodiment, the fixing plate 14 protrudes radially from the end of the opening to form a disassembly step surface 142 with the end of the opening.

[0087] As Figure 2 shown, the inner diameter of the fixing plate 14 is smaller than the minimum inner diameter at the opening of the receiving cavity 111, so that a disassembly step surface 142 protruding from the opening end is formed between the fixing plate 14 and the opening end, thereby facilitating the application of an external force to the fixing plate 14 to facilitate the removal of the fixing plate 14.

[0088] It can be seen from this that in the drying device provided by the present invention, the drying member 12 is arranged in the receiving cavity 111 of the housing 11, and the breathable dust-proof member 13 is used to block the drying member 12 to prevent the drying member 12 from being directly exposed to the space to be dried.

[0089] Compared with the prior art in which the drying module is directly exposed to the space to be dried (for example, the inner cavity of an endoscope), while ensuring the long-term dryness of the space to be dried, this drying device can prevent the powder falling off the drying member 12 from entering the space to be dried. Therefore, it can avoid the powder falling off the drying member from polluting the environment of the space to be dried, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the internal components of the space to be dried.

[0090] Please refer to Figures 4 to 9 , Figure 4 which is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention, in which only a part of the structure inside the endoscope cavity is shown; Figure 5 is Figure 4 a schematic structural diagram of the inner tube of the endoscope shown in Figure 6 is Figure 4 a schematic assembly diagram of the imaging rod lens group, spacer ring and inner tube of the endoscope shown in Figure 7 is Figure 4 a schematic structural diagram of the eyepiece barrel of the endoscope shown in Figure 8 is Figure 4 an exploded view of the endoscope shown in Figure 9 is Figure 4 a schematic diagram of the sealed connection structure between the drying device of the endoscope and the endoscope body shown in

[0091] In addition to the above drying device 1, the present invention also provides an endoscope including the drying device 1 disclosed in the above embodiment. The endoscope further includes an endoscope body, and the above drying device 1 is embedded in the endoscope body.

[0092] It should be noted that the endoscope body mainly refers to the main structure of the endoscope. For the structure of the endoscope body, please refer to the prior art and will not be elaborated herein.

[0093] The focus of this embodiment is to apply the drying device 1 disclosed in any of the above embodiments to the endoscope. At this time, the inner cavity of the endoscope is the space to be dried, so as to utilize the drying device 1 to ensure the long-term drying effect of the inner cavity of the endoscope and avoid the powder shed by the drying member 12 of the drying device 1 from entering the inner cavity, affecting the imaging quality or causing misjudgment by the doctor, etc., so as to ensure the cleanliness of the optical surface.

[0094] Among them, in the prior art, usually only the external interface of the conventional endoscope is sealed, while the docking part of the internal connection structure of the conventional endoscope is not required to be sealed, as long as the whole endoscope is sealed externally. The lighting system space inside the endoscope body is used to arrange optical fibers, etc. The optical fibers are usually fixed and sealed by means of glue adhesion. However, by using the external interface sealing method, when there are fine holes in the optical fiber glue, it is easy to form water vapor in the lighting system space, and then penetrate into the imaging system space communicated with the lighting system space, and it is very easy to cause water vapor at the lens, affecting the imaging quality.

[0095] In order to avoid the lighting system space affecting the imaging system space, ensure the dryness of the imaging system space, and at the same time, in order to reduce the area of the space to be dried and improve the durability and effectiveness of the drying device 1, on the basis of the above embodiments, as Figure 4 shown, a lighting system space 4 and an imaging system space 5 are formed inside the endoscope body. The lighting system space 4 and the imaging system space 5 are two independent sealed spaces, and the receiving cavity 111 of the drying device 1 is communicated with the imaging system space 5.

[0096] Preferably, the drying device 1 is embedded in the imaging system space 5.

[0097] That is to say, in this embodiment, by sealing the lighting system space 4 and the imaging system space 5 independently, the volume of the space inside the endoscope that needs to be dried is reduced, and the drying device 1 is embedded in the imaging system space 5 to specifically improve the dryness in the imaging system space 5.

[0098] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific method of forming the two independent sealed spaces of the lighting system space 4 and the imaging system space 5 in the endoscope body.

[0099] For example, the inner tube 21, the middle tube 25 and the outer tube 26 can be used to divide the internal space of the endoscope.

[0100] Specifically, the inner tube 21 is used to install the imaging rod lens group 22 in the imaging system and the spacer 23 located between the imaging rod lens groups 22; the middle tube 25 wraps the inner tube 21 and the objective lens group provided at the front end of the inner tube 21, and is hermetically connected to structures such as a conventional fixing seat in the endoscope body to ensure the tightness of the imaging system space 5; the inner tube 21, the middle tube 25 and the eyepiece tube 24 form the imaging system space 5.

[0101] A lighting system space 4 is formed between the middle tube 25 and the outer tube 26, which is mainly used to arrange optical fibers and the like.

[0102] That is to say, in this preferred embodiment, the inner space of the endoscope is divided into two spaces, namely the lighting system space 4 and the imaging system space 5 by the middle tube 25, and through the hermetic connection at the docking joints of the internal structures, the lighting system space 4 and the imaging system space 5 become independent enclosed spaces.

[0103] It can be understood that the docking joints of the internal structures of the endoscope can be hermetically connected by means such as welding, gluing or sealing rings.

[0104] It can be understood that the imaging system space 5 is used to arrange the imaging system. The imaging system includes an objective lens group, an imaging rod lens group 22, and an eyepiece group 242 provided in the eyepiece tube 24, etc. The imaging system is usually arranged along the axial direction of the endoscope. In order to ensure the overall dryness of the imaging system space 5, it is necessary to make the imaging system space 5 an interconnected series space as a whole. Therefore, on the basis of the above embodiment, the internal spaces of the inner tube 21, the middle tube 25 and the eyepiece tube 24 are interconnected to form the imaging system space 5. The spacer 23 between the imaging rod lens groups 22 is provided with a first ventilation hole 231 penetrating its side wall to make the internal space of the inner tube 21 communicate with the internal space of the spacer 23; the drying device 1 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the eyepiece tube 24, and the eyepiece tube 24 is provided with a second ventilation hole 241 penetrating its side wall to make the internal space of the eyepiece tube 24 communicate with the receiving cavity 111 of the drying device 1.

[0105] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific connection method of the internal spaces of the inner tube 21, the middle tube 25 and the eyepiece tube 24. As a preferred solution, on the basis of the above embodiment, ventilation holes or ventilation groove-like structures can also be provided at other connection parts, such as the docking joints of the eyepiece tube 24 and the inner tube 21 / middle tube 25, to further improve the connectivity between the imaging system space 5 and the receiving cavity 111 of the drying device 1.

[0106] Furthermore, in order to improve the connectivity of the internal space of the inner tube 21, a ventilation groove 211 for making the overall internal space of the inner tube 21 communicate is provided on the inner side wall of the inner tube 21 along its axial direction.

[0107] In this embodiment, the shape and specific number of the ventilation grooves 211 are not limited. Preferably, as Figure 6 shown, a plurality of ventilation grooves 211 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the inner wall of the inner tube 21. That is, the ventilation grooves 211 form an array of grooves to improve the connectivity of the entire inner tube 21 without affecting the stability of the rod lens group.

[0108] Of course, the internal spaces of the inner tube 21 can also be interconnected in other ways. For example, a slit penetrating the side wall of the inner tube 21 can also be provided along the axial direction. That is, the inner tube 21 is a non-circumferentially closed tube for air to flow through the inner tube 21 along the slit.

[0109] In addition, the present invention does not limit the shape, number, and distribution mode of the first ventilation holes 231. Preferably, as Figure 6 shown, the first ventilation holes 231 are preferably circular through holes. The spacer ring 23 is provided with a plurality of first ventilation holes 231, and the first ventilation holes 231 can ensure the dryness of the internal space of the spacer ring 23, thereby ensuring the dryness of the spaces at both ends of the lenses of the imaging rod lens group 22 and preventing water mist from forming on the surfaces of the lenses in the rod lens group 22.

[0110] Furthermore, the present invention does not limit the shape, number, and distribution mode of the second ventilation holes 241. Preferably, as Figure 7 shown, the second ventilation holes 241 are preferably circular through holes. The eyepiece barrel 24 is provided with a plurality of second ventilation holes 241, and the second ventilation holes 241 can ensure the dryness of the internal space of the eyepiece barrel 24, thereby ensuring the dryness at both ends of the eyepiece group 242.

[0111] It can be understood that after the endoscope is used for a long time, the drying member 12 may fail due to fatigue damage or excessive water absorption, and problems may also occur in the optical system inside the endoscope. Therefore, it is necessary to repair the drying device 1 or the inside of the endoscope. For the convenience of maintenance, on the basis of the above embodiment, the drying device 1 is detachably connected to the endoscope body.

[0112] That is, by disassembling, the drying device 1 and the endoscope body can be separated from each other to facilitate the repair, replacement, etc. of the drying device 1 and the optical system inside the endoscope.

[0113] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific detachable manner between the drying device 1 and the endoscope body. As one of the solutions, on the basis of the above embodiment, the drying device 1 is threadedly connected to the endoscope body.

[0114] Specifically, the endoscope body includes an endoscope body 2 and an eyepiece cover 3, as Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown in the figure, one end of the housing 11 of the drying device 1 is provided with a first external thread 112 for threaded connection with the endoscope body 2, and the endoscope body 2 is provided with a first internal thread.

[0115] That is to say, when it is necessary to repair the drying device 1 or the inside of the endoscope, it is only necessary to unscrew the housing 11 from the endoscope body 2. That is, in this embodiment, through the sealed connection method of pipe threads, the detachable drying device 1 is realized, so as to facilitate the repair and maintenance of the drying device 1 or the inside of the endoscope.

[0116] Furthermore, in order to further streamline the structure, the protective window lens 16 can be arranged at the other end of the housing 11.

[0117] In order to enable the drying device 1 to be taken out separately and separated from the overall structure of the endoscope, on the basis of the above embodiment, one end of the housing 11 close to the protective window lens 16 is provided with a second external thread 113 for threaded connection with the eyepiece cover 3.

[0118] That is to say, both ends of the drying device 1 are detachable, and the separation of the drying device 1 from the overall structure of the endoscope can be realized, so that the drying device 1 can be completely independent, so as to facilitate the replacement of the drying part 12 and / or the dust-proof part 13 of the drying device 1.

[0119] Considering the sealing performance at the connection between the drying device 1 and the endoscope body, on the basis of the above embodiment, a sealing ring 6 is arranged at the connection between the drying device 1 and the endoscope body.

[0120] As Figure 9 shown, the drying device 1 realizes the detachable sealed connection with the endoscope body 2 through the cooperation of pipe threads and the sealing ring 6.

[0121] Similarly, the drying device 1 and the eyepiece cover 3 can also realize the detachable sealed connection between them through the cooperation of pipe threads and the sealing ring 6.

[0122] Please refer to Figure 10 , which is a schematic structural diagram of the endoscope system provided by the specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0123] In addition to the above endoscope, the present invention also provides an endoscope system including the endoscope disclosed in the above embodiment. The endoscope system further includes a light source host 71, a camera host 72, a camera 73, a display 74, a light transmission optical fiber 75, a video interface lens 76, a video output line 77, etc.

[0124] Specifically, the light source host 71 is connected to the endoscope through a light - transmitting optical fiber 75. One end of the camera 73 is connected to the endoscope through a video - interface lens 76, and the other end of the camera 73 is connected to the camera host 72. The camera host 72 is connected to the display 74 through a video output line 77.

[0125] For the main structures and working principles of the various components of this endoscope system, please refer to the prior art, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0126] It should also be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. The "connection" described in this specification specifically means that air or water vapor can flow between two spaces.

[0127] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0128] The drying device, endoscope, and endoscope system provided by the present invention have been introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drying device, characterized in that, Applied to an endoscope, the drying device includes: A housing (11) provided with a receiving cavity (111) having an open end; A drying member (12) disposed within the receiving cavity (111); A dust-proof member (13) disposed at the opening to block the powder shed by the drying member (12), the dust-proof member (13) being breathable so that the drying member (12) can absorb the water vapor in the space to be dried communicated with the receiving cavity (111); The drying device further includes a fixing plate (14) which is pressed against the end of the opening and makes a part of the end of the opening exposed, so as to prevent the dust-proof member (13) from detaching from the opening and ensure the communication between the receiving cavity (111) and the space to be dried; The dust-proof member (13) has elasticity; The fixing plate (14) is detachably connected to the housing (11); The housing (11) is a tubular member, the receiving cavity (111) is an annular receiving cavity, and the opening faces one end of the tubular member; the outer side wall of the annular receiving cavity extending axially away from the inner wall of the tubular member encloses a receiving space; A clamping groove is provided on the inner wall of the housing (11), the fixing plate (14) is connected with a fixing leg (15), and a clamping buckle (151) for cooperating with the clamping groove is provided at the end of the fixing leg (15).

2. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein, The fixing plate (14) is provided with ventilation holes (141) to communicate the receiving cavity (111) with the space to be dried.

3. The drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first chamfer is provided at the side edge of the end face of the clamping buckle (151) facing the fixing plate (14), and a second chamfer is provided at the notch of the clamping groove facing the first chamfer.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein, The fixing plate (14) protrudes radially from the end of the opening to form a disassembly step surface (142) with the end of the opening.

5. An endoscope, comprising an endoscope body and a drying device (1) embedded in the endoscope body, characterized in that, The drying device (1) is the drying device (1) according to any one of claims 1-4.

6. The endoscope according to claim 5, characterized in that, The interior of the endoscope body forms an illumination system space (4) and an imaging system space (5), the illumination system space (4) and the imaging system space (5) are two independent closed spaces, and the receiving cavity (111) of the drying device (1) is communicated with the imaging system space (5).

7. The endoscope according to claim 6, wherein, The endoscope body includes: An inner tube (21) which is provided with an imaging rod lens group (22) and a spacer ring (23) located between the imaging rod lens groups (22), and the spacer ring (23) is provided with a first ventilation hole (231) penetrating through its side wall; A middle tube (25) which wraps the inner tube (21) and an objective lens group disposed at the front end of the inner tube (21); An outer tube (26) which forms the illumination system space (4) with the middle tube (25); An eyepiece barrel (24) which is provided with an eyepiece group; Among them, the internal spaces of the inner tube (21), the middle tube (25) and the eyepiece tube (24) communicate with each other to form the imaging system space (5). The drying device (1) covers the outer periphery of the eyepiece tube (24). The eyepiece tube (24) is provided with a second ventilation hole (241) penetrating its side wall, so that the internal space of the eyepiece tube (24) communicates with the receiving cavity (111) of the drying device (1).

8. The endoscope according to claim 7, characterized in that, The inner side wall of the inner tube (21) is provided with a ventilation groove (211) along its axial direction for communicating the entire internal space of the inner tube (21).

9. The endoscope according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, The drying device (1) is detachably connected to the endoscope body.

10. The endoscope according to claim 9, characterized in that, A sealing ring (6) is provided at the connection between the drying device (1) and the endoscope body.

11. An endoscope system, comprising: A light source host (71), a camera host (72), a camera (73), an endoscope and a display (74). The light source host (71) is connected to the endoscope through a light-transmitting optical fiber (75). One end of the camera (73) is connected to the endoscope through a video interface lens (76). The other end of the camera (73) is connected to the camera host (72). The camera host (72) is connected to the display (74) through a video output line (77). It is characterized in that the endoscope is the endoscope according to any one of claims 5 to 10.

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