Processor for electronic endoscope

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention is a processor for an electronic endoscope having a housing, an exhaust fan attached to the housing and discharging air in an internal space of the housing to the outside, and a light source unit disposed in the housing and emitting illumination light for illuminating living tissue, and a blower fan provided near the light source unit in the housing and delivering air around the light source unit to the exhaust fan. The basket body is provided with an air suction hole which is used for guiding external air into the vicinity of the light source part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processor for an electronic endoscope capable of acquiring and processing a camera image of living tissue. Background Art

[0002] An electronic endoscope system is used for observing and treating living tissue inside the human body. The electronic endoscope system includes an electronic endoscope and a processor (electronic endoscope processor), wherein the electronic endoscope uses an imaging element to photograph living tissue and transmits the photographed image to the processor, and the processor processes the signal of the photographed image to create an image for display.

[0003] In the processor for electronic endoscopes, a light source device for observing living tissue is sometimes built into the processor. In this case, measures need to be taken to reduce the influence of the temperature rise in the housing caused by the heat source inside the processor on the cooling performance of the light source device.

[0004] For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0188388 describes a solid state illumination system (see Figure 7 A to 7D), which divides the housing into two spaces, upper and lower, by a platform with a fan extending downward. In order to reduce the possibility of the optical system components being contaminated by airflow, the light source and the optical system are arranged in the upper space, and the cooling system including the fan is arranged in the lower space. The lower space is structured so that the fan introduces airflow from an aperture located on the opposite side of the fan and discharges it, thereby releasing heat. Summary of the invention

[0005] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] The light source device (the solid-state lighting system) described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0188388 adopts a structure in which a fan draws in airflow from an opening on the opposite side of the housing to the fan and discharges it. Therefore, when the light source system described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0188388 is mounted in the housing of the processor for an electronic endoscope, air inside the housing is sucked into the opening. However, since there is a heat source other than the light source device inside the housing, the temperature is higher than the room temperature, that is, the light source device is cooled at a temperature higher than the room temperature, and the cooling efficiency is poor.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to ensure efficient cooling of the light source device when the light source device is built into the processor for an electronic endoscope.

[0008] [Solution to solve the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a processor for an electronic endoscope having the following structure:

[0010] box,

[0011] an exhaust fan mounted on the housing and exhausting the air in the interior space of the housing to the outside,

[0012] a light source unit, which is disposed in the housing and emits illumination light for illuminating living tissue;

[0013] An air supply fan is provided in the housing near the light source unit and supplies air around the light source unit to the exhaust fan.

[0014] The housing is formed with an air intake hole for introducing external air into the area around the light source.

[0015] The electronic endoscope processor may also include a heat transfer structure connected to the light source unit in the housing to form an internal space for transferring heat generated by the light source unit. In this case, external air is directly introduced into the internal space of the heat transfer structure from the air intake hole.

[0016] The supply fan may also be installed in the heat transfer structure to supply air in the internal space of the heat transfer structure to the exhaust fan.

[0017] It is preferred that the heat transfer structure is disposed at the bottom of the housing, and the air intake hole is formed at the bottom of the housing.

[0018] The air intake hole is preferably airtight with other internal spaces in the housing other than the heat transfer structure.

[0019] In fact, the heat transfer structure may include a plurality of fans in a direction from the air intake hole to the air supply fan.

[0020] The electronic endoscope processor may further include a temperature sensor mounted on the light source unit or the heat transfer structure unit.

[0021] A control unit controls the rotation speed of the exhaust fan and / or the supply fan based on the detection value of the temperature sensor.

[0022] The electronic endoscope processor may include a housing portion that hermetically houses the light source unit. In this case, the heat dissipation structure and the housing portion are preferably integrated.

[0023] [Effects of the invention]

[0024] By using the above-mentioned processor for an electronic endoscope, when the light source device is built in the processor for an electronic endoscope, it is possible to efficiently cool the light source device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic endoscope system according to one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2 The diagram shows a top view and a side view of a processor for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a bottom view of a processor for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a diagram when the inside of a processor for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment is viewed from above.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a light source device mounted in a processor for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment.

[0030] Figure 6 It is from Figure 5 Perspective views showing a light source device mounted on a processor for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from different angles.

[0031] Figure 7 Yes Display Figure 4 AA corresponds to a cross section of a light source device mounted in a processor for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment.

[0032] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 A three-dimensional view of a heat exhaust portion included in a light source device.

[0033] Fig. 9 This is a diagram for explaining the cooling operation inside the processor for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment.

[0034] Fig.10 This is a diagram for explaining a processor for an electronic endoscope including a temperature sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] (System Configuration)

[0036] Hereinafter, an electronic endoscope system according to an embodiment will be described.

[0037] An electronic endoscope system according to one embodiment includes an electronic endoscope (electronic scope) equipped with an imaging element for acquiring a live tissue image, and an electronic endoscope processor detachably connected to the electronic endoscope. The electronic endoscope processor is an electronic device for performing signal processing on the live tissue image and generating an image for display.

[0038] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope system 100 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the electronic endoscope system 100 includes an electronic endoscope processor 1, an electronic scope 9, and a monitor 8. The electronic endoscope processor 1 and the electronic scope 9 are connected via a connector CON.

[0039] The electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a system controller 11. The system controller 11 executes various programs stored in a memory 12 and centrally controls the entire electronic endoscope system 100. In addition, the system controller 11 is connected to an operation panel 13. The system controller 11 changes various operations of the electronic endoscope system 100 and parameters corresponding to the various operations according to instructions input into the operation panel 13 by an operator.

[0040] The processor 1 for electronic endoscope includes a light source device 5. The light source device 5 emits illumination light L for illuminating a subject such as living tissue in a body cavity. The light source of the light source device 5 is, for example, a high-brightness lamp (such as a xenon lamp, a metal halide lamp, a mercury lamp, or a halogen lamp) that emits white illumination light, a plurality of light-emitting diodes that emit light of a predetermined color wavelength band, or a laser light source. The illumination light L emitted from the light source device 5 is focused on the incident end face of the LCB (Light Carrying Bundle) 91 by a focusing lens 15 and then injected into the LCB 91.

[0041] The illumination light L incident into the LCB 91 propagates in the LCB 91. The illumination light L propagating in the LCB 91 is emitted from the emission end face of the LCB 91 disposed at the front end of the electronic scope 9, and is irradiated on the subject via the light distribution lens 92. The subject is illuminated by the illumination light L from the light distribution lens 92, and the return light returning from the subject forms an optical image on the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging element 94 via the objective lens 93.

[0042] The solid-state imaging element 94 is a single-plate color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor with a Bayer-type pixel configuration. The solid-state imaging element 94 accumulates the optical image formed on each pixel on the light-receiving surface as an electric charge that varies with the amount of light, and generates R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) image signals and outputs them. In addition, the solid-state imaging element 94 is not limited to a CCD image sensor, and may also be a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.

[0043] A drive signal processing circuit 95 is provided in the connection portion of the electronic scope 9. The image signal of the subject from the solid-state imaging element 94 is input to the drive signal processing circuit 95 at a predetermined frame cycle. The frame cycle is, for example, 1 / 30 seconds. The drive signal processing circuit 95 performs predetermined processing including A / D conversion on the image signal input from the solid-state imaging element 94, and outputs it to the image processing unit 16 of the processor 1 for the electronic endoscope.

[0044] The image processing unit 16 performs predetermined image processing to generate a video format signal and outputs the signal to the monitor 8 .

[0045] The electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a light source control unit 17 that acquires brightness information of an image signal from the image processing unit 16 and controls the intensity of illumination light from the light source device 5 based on the brightness information.

[0046] The light source control unit 17 controls the light source device 5 to increase the intensity of the illumination light emitted by the light source device 5 when the brightness is low, and to reduce the intensity of the illumination light emitted by the light source device 5 when the brightness is high. Thus, the brightness of the image signal received from the drive signal processing circuit 95 can be controlled to be maintained at a constant state.

[0047] The system controller 11 performs various operations and generates control signals based on the unique information of the electronic scope 9. The system controller 11 uses the generated control signals to control the operation and timing of each circuit in the electronic endoscope processor 1 so as to perform processing suitable for the electronic scope 9 connected to the electronic endoscope processor 1.

[0048] (Structure of the Electronic Endoscope Processor 1)

[0049] Next, the structure of the electronic endoscope processor 1 will be described.

[0050] In the processor 1 for electronic endoscope, the system controller 11, the image processing unit 16, and the light source control unit 17 are respectively composed of a circuit substrate including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. Therefore, in the housing of the processor 1 for electronic endoscope, the air temperature around the light source device 5 is higher than the room temperature, and the light source device 5 cannot be effectively cooled by the air around the light source device 5. Therefore, in an embodiment of the processor 1 for electronic endoscope, as described later, a structure is adopted in which the external air at room temperature is directly introduced into the light source device 5 in the housing.

[0051] Figure 21 shows a top view and a side view of a processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment. Figure 3 2 shows a bottom view of a processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the processor 1 for an electronic endoscope has a front portion 21, a rear portion 22, a top plate 23, a bottom plate 24 (an example of a bottom plate), a left side plate 25L, and a right side plate 25R, and has a rectangular appearance. A plurality of legs 27 are mounted on the bottom plate 24. The operation panel 13 is arranged on the front portion 21. In the following description, when referring to matters common to the left side plate 25L and the right side plate 25R, they are marked as "side plate 25".

[0053] Two exhaust fans 71 and 72 are provided on the rear surface portion 22 of the housing 2. The exhaust fans 71 and 72 are provided to inhale and exhaust the air introduced into the housing 2.

[0054] In addition, the XYZ coordinate axes are marked in the figures referenced in the following description, which take the direction from the left plate 25L to the right plate 25R as the +X direction, the direction from the rear portion 22 to the front portion 21 as the +Y direction, and the direction from the bottom plate 24 to the top plate 23 as the +Z direction.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , an air intake hole 28 is formed on the bottom plate 24 of the electronic endoscope processor 1. As will be described later, the purpose of providing the air intake hole 28 is to directly introduce room temperature external air into the light source device 5. Figure 2 As shown, a leg portion 27 is attached to the bottom plate 24 , and a gap is formed between the bottom plate 24 and the stage surface of the electronic endoscope processor 1 , so that external air can be introduced through the air intake hole 28 .

[0056] In one embodiment, the air intake hole 28 is composed of a collection of multiple small holes. Figure 3 In the example shown, the shape of each hole is circular, but the shape is not limited to this, and can be set to a shape similar to a flat ellipse, a circle, a polygon, etc.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the interior of a housing 2 of an electronic endoscope processor 1 according to an embodiment as viewed from above.

[0058] like Figure 4 As shown, a light source device 5 and a plurality of heat generating components are arranged on the bottom plate 24. In the light source device 5, the light source is built into an independent housing, and three supply fans 61 to 63 are provided for sending the high-temperature airflow in the housing to the exhaust fan 71. In order to efficiently send the airflow discharged by the three supply fans 61 to 63 to the exhaust fan 71, it is preferred that no components are arranged between each supply fan and the exhaust fan 71.

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, an air intake hole 28 is formed on the bottom plate 24 of the housing 2 in which the light source device 5 is arranged (see also Figure 3 ) is used to introduce external air into the light source device 5.

[0060] Next, refer to Figures 5 to 8 The light source device 5 will be described.

[0061] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a light source device 5 mounted in a processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to an embodiment, viewed from an angle where the top surface can be seen. Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the light source device 5 as viewed from an angle where the bottom surface can be seen.

[0062] The light source device 5 includes an optical system including a light source group composed of a plurality of light sources and a plurality of lenses, which are built into a housing (casing). The light source device 5 is installed in the casing 2 so that the light emitting portion 51 faces forward (in the +Y direction).

[0063] Air blowing fans 61 to 63 are provided at the rear of the light source device 5 , that is, on the side opposite to the light emitting portion 51 .

[0064] like Figure 6 As shown, an opening 53 is formed on the bottom 52 of the light source device 5. When the light source device 5 is arranged on the bottom plate 24 of the housing 2, the opening 53 faces the air intake hole 28, and the external air introduced from the air intake hole 28 is introduced into the light source device 5.

[0065] Figure 7 It is shown in Figure 4 AA corresponds to a cross section of the light source device 5 mounted in the processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment.

[0066] In one embodiment, the internal space of the light source device 5 is divided into a lower space 50L and an upper space 50U by a partition 55. A light source unit 80 including a light source group 81 and an optical system 82 is arranged in the upper space 50U. The portion of the light source device 5 that forms the upper space 50U is a housing that seals and houses the light source unit 80. Therefore, the optical system 82 arranged in the upper space 50U can be prevented from being contaminated. The light generated by the light source unit 80 is emitted through the light emitting portion 51.

[0067] In one embodiment, the light source device 5 includes a heat transfer structure 57. The heat transfer structure 57 includes a partition 55 and is connected to the light source 80. In other words, a structure in which a housing for housing the light source 80 and the heat transfer structure 57 are integrated is formed.

[0068] The heat transfer structure 57 forms a lower space 50L and has a function of transferring heat generated by the light source 80. The heat transfer structure 57 is preferably formed of a metal with high thermal conductivity (eg, aluminum, iron, copper), for example.

[0069] The air intake hole 28 (see Figure 2 ) and the opening 53, and introduces room temperature outside air into the lower space 50L. Therefore, through the heat transfer structure 57, the heat generated by the light source unit 80 can be efficiently cooled by using the room temperature outside air.

[0070] The heat transfer structure 57 is provided with supply fans 61 to 63 disposed near the light source unit 80, which are used to supply the air in the lower space 50L (the air around the light source unit 80) to the exhaust fan 71. Through these supply fans, the air heated by the heat generated by the light source unit 80 is discharged from the lower space 50L of the light source device 5 and supplied to the exhaust fan 71. Therefore, the heat generated by the light source unit 80 can be efficiently discharged from the light source device 5, and can be discharged from the housing 2 through the exhaust fan 71.

[0071] In one embodiment, in order to further improve the heat transfer performance of the heat transfer structure 57 , a heat exhaust portion 56 is provided in the lower space 50L formed by the heat transfer structure 57 .

[0072] The heat dissipation unit 56 is configured as follows: Figure 8 shown. Figure 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary heat dissipation unit 56 included in the light source device 5. The heat dissipation unit 56 substantially includes a heat sink 561, which is composed of a plurality of heat dissipation fins extending in a direction from the air intake hole 28 and the opening 53 to the air supply fans 61 to 63. In one embodiment, the heat dissipation unit 56 may be as follows: Figure 8 The heat dissipation pipe 562 is shown. The heat dissipation fin 561 is connected to the partition plate 55 to improve the heat dissipation performance from the light source unit 80.

[0073] Figure 8 The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of air from the opening 53 to the air supply fans 61 to 63. The heat sink 561 is installed in a direction that does not hinder the air flow. In other words, the air flow to the air supply fans 61 to 63 is generally parallel to the surface of the plate-shaped heat sink fins.

[0074] By providing the heat exhaust portion 56 , the exhaust efficiency of the heat generated by the light source portion 80 can be further improved.

[0075] Figure 3 and Figure 7In the illustrated embodiment, the heat transfer structure 57 of the light source device 5 is disposed on the bottom plate 24 of the housing 2, and an air intake hole 28 is formed on the bottom plate 24 of the housing 2, thereby introducing external air into the heat transfer structure 57 from the bottom of the housing 2. The advantage of this structure is that it is convenient to introduce external air into the heat transfer structure 57 located at the lower part of the light source device 5, and it is convenient to install. However, it is not limited to this, and the air intake hole of the housing 2 can also be set on the side plate 25, and the opening of the light source device 5 can be set at the position corresponding to the air intake hole, so that the external air is introduced into the heat transfer structure 57 from the side of the housing 2.

[0076] In one embodiment, the air intake hole 28 and the opening 53 are airtightly isolated from other internal spaces other than the heat transfer structure 57 in the housing 2. By using a gasket or the like to airtightly treat the air intake hole 28 and the opening 53, it is possible to prevent the air in other internal spaces other than the heat transfer structure 57 in the housing 2 from being introduced into the heat transfer structure 57. Other internal spaces other than the heat transfer structure 57 in the housing 2 are provided with heat-generating components other than the light source device 5, so the air temperature in the internal space is higher than the room temperature. By airtightly treating the air intake hole 28 and the opening 53, it is possible to prevent the air having a temperature higher than the room temperature from entering the heat transfer structure 57, thereby avoiding a reduction in the cooling efficiency. In addition, if the air intake hole 28 and the opening 53 are not airtightly treated, the wind speed of the external air introduced from the air intake hole 28 may be reduced, thereby reducing the cooling efficiency.

[0077] Next, we will refer to Fig. 9 , the cooling operation of the electronic endoscope processor 1 will be described.

[0078] Fig. 9 This is a diagram for explaining the cooling operation inside the electronic endoscope processor 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 9 The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the flow of air introduced into the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 and then exhausted.

[0079] The light source unit 80 is disposed in the upper space 50U of the light source device 5. The light source device 5 includes a heat transfer structure 57 that forms the lower space 50L. Therefore, the heat generated by the operation of the light source unit 80 is conducted to the heat transfer structure 57 and discharged to the lower space 50L. Preferably, a heat dissipation unit 56 is disposed in the lower space 50L (see Figure 8 ) for more efficient heat removal.

[0080] The external air at room temperature is introduced into the lower space 50L through the air intake hole 28 of the housing 2 and the opening 53 of the light source device 5, and is sent to the exhaust fan 71 by the air supply fans 61 to 63. Therefore, the external air heated by the heat discharged by the heat transfer structure 57 is sent to the exhaust fan 71 by the air supply fans 61 to 63, and is discharged to the outside of the housing 2. If the air supply fans 61 to 63 and the exhaust fan 71 are arranged in series along the direction of the air flow, the suction force will be increased, and more external air can be sucked in from the air intake hole 28 of the housing 2. Therefore, the air volume and wind speed of the air flow from the air intake hole 28 to the exhaust fan 71 can be increased, and the cooling performance can be improved. By increasing the air volume and wind speed of the air flow, the accumulation and adhesion of dust inside the light source device 5 and inside the housing 2 outside the light source device 5 can also be reduced.

[0081] In addition, there is no restriction on the type of the supply fan and the exhaust fan, and both axial flow fans and blowers are acceptable.

[0082] In one embodiment, the processor 1 for an electronic endoscope may be provided with a temperature sensor 58 mounted on the light source unit 80 or the heat transfer structure 57 . Fig.10 2 shows a configuration example of the temperature sensor 58. In this example, the temperature sensor 58 is mounted on the light source section 80.

[0083] The system controller 11 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 (see Figure 1 : An example of a control unit) controls the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 71 and / or the supply fans 61 to 63 according to the detection value of the temperature sensor 58. When the detection value of the temperature sensor 58 is higher than a predetermined value, it can be considered that the cooling effect of the airflow passing through the heat transfer structure 57 is low. In this case, the system controller 11 can improve the cooling efficiency by increasing the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 71 and / or the supply fans 61 to 63.

[0084] The electronic endoscope processor of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the electronic endoscope processor provided by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0085] The present invention relates to a patent application of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-120378 filed with the Japan Patent Office on July 28, 2022, and the entire contents of the application are incorporated into this specification by reference.

Claims

1. A processor for an electronic endoscope, comprising: box, an exhaust fan mounted on the housing and discharging air in the interior space of the housing to the outside, a light source unit, which is arranged in the housing and emits illumination light for illuminating living tissue, and a blower fan, which is arranged near the light source unit in the housing and conveys air around the light source unit to the exhaust fan, The housing is formed with an air intake hole for introducing external air into the vicinity of the light source.

2. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein: The housing includes a heat transfer structure, which is connected to the light source to form an internal space and transfers heat generated by the light source. External air is introduced directly into the heat transfer structure from the air intake hole.

3. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein: The supply fan is installed at the heat transfer structure so as to supply air in the inner space of the heat transfer structure to the exhaust fan.

4. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The heat transfer structure is disposed at the bottom of the housing, and the air intake hole is formed at the bottom of the housing.

5. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 4, wherein: The air intake hole is airtightly isolated from other internal spaces in the housing except the heat transfer structure.

6. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The heat transfer structure substantially includes a plurality of heat dissipation fins extending in a direction from the air intake hole to the air blowing fan.

7. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: have: a temperature sensor installed in the light source part or the heat transfer structure part, A control unit controls the rotation speed of the exhaust fan and / or the supply fan according to the detection value of the temperature sensor.

8. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: A receiving portion is provided for sealingly receiving the light source portion. Furthermore, the heat dissipation structure and the housing portion are an integrated structure.

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