Processor for electronic endoscope

Abstract

To provide an electronic endoscope processor that can cool an internal space of a case in a balanced manner.SOLUTION: An electronic endoscope processor according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: a case; a partition plate for partitioning an internal space of the case into a lower first space and an upper second space, and in which a first opening that is an opening for establishing communication between the first space and the second space is formed; and an exhaust fan attached to the case, and for exhausting air in the first space to the outside. A first intake hole for taking outside air into the first space, and a second intake hole for taking outside air into the second space are formed in the case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processor for an electronic endoscope configured to acquire and process images of biological tissue. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic endoscope systems are used for observing and treating biological tissues inside the human body. Electronic endoscope systems include an electronic endoscope that captures images of biological tissues with an imaging element and transmits the captured images to a processor, and a processor (electronic endoscope processor) that processes the signals from the captured images to create images for display. Processors for electronic endoscopes use circuit boards that include integrated circuits such as a power supply circuit, a CPU, and an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) to ensure high-performance processing capabilities, and may also incorporate a light source device for observing biological tissue.Since these heat sources are housed within the processor housing, various measures have been proposed to reduce the temperature rise inside the processor due to long-term operation.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a processor that includes an insulating plate that vertically divides the space near the exhaust port inside the housing into a first internal space on the lower side and a second internal space on the upper side, and a single cooling fan that exhausts air that has flowed into the first internal space and the second internal space from the intake port to the outside. This processor is configured with an exhaust mechanism that exhausts heat from both the first internal space on the lower side and the second internal space on the upper side using a single cooling fan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-107291 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the exhaust mechanism described in Patent Document 1, because a single fan simultaneously exhausts air from both the lower first internal space and the upper second internal space to the outside, there is a problem in that the airflows drawn in by the fan from each of the first and second internal spaces are uneven. As a result, if there is a heat source in each of the first and second internal spaces, there is a risk of variations in cooling performance.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a processor for an electronic endoscope that can cool the internal space of the housing in a well-balanced manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a display device comprising: a housing; a partition plate that divides the internal space of the housing into a lower first space and an upper second space, the partition plate having a first opening that communicates the first space with the second space; The processor for an electronic endoscope includes an exhaust fan attached to the housing and configured to exhaust air from the first space to the outside. The housing is formed with a first intake hole for taking in outside air into the first space and a second intake hole for taking in outside air into the second space.

[0008] The electronic endoscope processor is provided with one or more heat-generating components that are disposed in the first space and generate heat when in operation. In this case, the electronic endoscope processor preferably has an airflow adjusting plate that is disposed in the first space between the first opening and each of the heat-generating components and adjusts the airflow entering the first space from the first opening so that it is directed toward each of the heat-generating components.

[0009] The airflow adjusting plate may be formed with second openings that adjust the speed and / or volume of airflow directed toward each heat-generating component.

[0010] The second air intake hole is preferably larger than the first air intake hole.

[0011] The size of the first air intake hole is preferably set so that the air currents in the first space and the second space are fastest.

[0012] The first opening may have a turbulence generating structure on a periphery thereof for generating turbulence in the airflow passing through the first opening, and the second opening may have a turbulence generating structure on a periphery thereof for generating turbulence in the airflow passing through the second opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the above-described electronic endoscope processor, the internal space of the housing can be cooled in a well-balanced manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a rear view of an embodiment of a processor for an electronic endoscope; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a processor for an electronic endoscope; [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing the inside of the electronic endoscope processor of the embodiment as seen from the side. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing a lower space of a housing of the electronic endoscope processor according to the embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a front view of the inside of an electronic endoscope processor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating airflow in an internal space of the electronic endoscope processor according to the embodiment; [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram illustrating an airflow when the inside of the electronic endoscope processor according to the embodiment is viewed from the side. FIG. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which a protrusion is provided in the processor for an electronic endoscope according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] (System Configuration) An electronic endoscope system according to one embodiment will be described below. An electronic endoscope system according to one embodiment includes an electronic endoscope (electronic scope) equipped with an imaging element for capturing images of biological tissue, and an electronic endoscope processor detachably connected to the electronic endoscope. The electronic endoscope processor is an electronic device that processes the captured images of biological tissue to create a display image. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope system 100 according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic endoscope system 100 includes an electronic endoscope processor 1, an electronic scope 6, and a monitor 8. The electronic endoscope processor 1 and the electronic scope 6 are connected by a connector CON.

[0016] The electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a system controller 11. The system controller 11 executes various programs stored in a memory 12 and comprehensively controls the entire electronic endoscope system 100. The system controller 11 is also connected to an operation panel 13. The system controller 11 changes each operation of the electronic endoscope system 100 and parameters for each operation in response to instructions input from the operator via the operation panel 13.

[0017] The electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a light source device 14. The light source device 14 emits illumination light L for illuminating a subject such as biological tissue within a body cavity. The light source of the light source device 14 is, for example, a high-intensity lamp (e.g., 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 in a wavelength band of a predetermined color, or a laser light source. The illumination light L emitted from the light source device 14 is condensed by a condenser lens 15 onto an incident end surface of an LCB (Light Carrying Bundle) 61 and enters the LCB 61.

[0018] Illumination light L incident on the LCB 61 propagates through the LCB 61. The illumination light L propagated through the LCB 61 is emitted from the exit end face of the LCB 61 located at the tip of the electronic scope 6 and is irradiated onto the subject via a light distribution lens 62. Return light from the subject illuminated by the illumination light L from the light distribution lens 62 forms an optical image on the light receiving surface of a solid-state image sensor 64 via an objective lens 63.

[0019] The solid-state imaging element 64 is a single-plate color CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor with a Bayer pixel arrangement. The solid-state imaging element 64 accumulates an optical image formed at each pixel on its light-receiving surface as an electric charge according to the amount of light, and generates and outputs R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) image signals. Note that the solid-state imaging element 64 is not limited to a CCD image sensor, and may also be a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.

[0020] A driver signal processing circuit 65 is provided within the connection section of the electronic endoscope 6. Image signals of the subject are input to the driver signal processing circuit 65 from the solid-state image sensor 64 at a predetermined frame period. The frame period is, for example, 1 / 30 seconds. The driver signal processing circuit 65 performs predetermined processing, including A / D conversion, on the image signals input from the solid-state image sensor 64 and outputs the processed signals to the image processing unit 16 of the electronic endoscope processor 1. The image processing unit 16 performs predetermined image processing to generate a video format signal, and outputs it to the monitor 8 .

[0021] The electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a light source control unit 17 that acquires luminance information of the image signal from the image processing unit 16 and controls the intensity of the illumination light from the light source device 14 based on the luminance information. The light source control unit 17 controls the light source device 14 so that the intensity of the illumination light emitted from the light source device 14 increases when the brightness is low, and decreases when the brightness is high, thereby controlling the brightness of the image signal received from the driver signal processing circuit 65 to be kept constant.

[0022] The system controller 11 performs various calculations and generates control signals based on the unique information of the electronic endoscope 6. Using the generated control signals, the system controller 11 controls the operation and timing of various circuits within the electronic endoscope processor 1 so that processing appropriate for the electronic endoscope 6 connected to the electronic endoscope processor 1 is performed.

[0023] (Structure of the electronic endoscope processor 1) Next, the structure of the electronic endoscope processor 1 will be described. In the electronic endoscope processor 1, the system controller 11, image processing unit 16, and light source control unit 17 are each composed of a circuit board including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc., and are heat-generating components that generate heat as the electronic endoscope processor 1 operates. The light source device 14 is a heat-generating component that generates heat as the light source emits light. In addition, the electronic endoscope processor 1 is equipped with other heat-generating components such as a power supply board and a heat sink. Since multiple heat-generating components must be contained within the housing that constitutes the electronic endoscope processor 1, the interior of the housing is designed so that the internal space of the housing can be cooled in a balanced manner.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view and a rear view of the electronic endoscope processor 1 according to the embodiment. 2, the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 has a front surface 21, a rear surface 22, a top plate 23, a bottom plate 24, a left side plate 25L, and a right side plate 25R, and has a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. A plurality of legs 27 are attached to the bottom plate 24. An operation panel 13 is disposed on the front surface 21. An intake hole 251 (an example of a first intake hole) and an intake hole 252 (an example of a second intake hole) for introducing outside air into the housing 2 are formed in the left side plate 25L. Although not visible in FIG. 2, intake holes 251, 252 may also be formed symmetrically in the right side plate 25R. In the following description, when matters common to the left side plate 25L and the right side plate 25R are mentioned, they will be referred to as "side plate 25."

[0025] Two exhaust fans 71 and 72 are installed on the rear surface 22 of the housing 2. The exhaust fans 71 and 72 are provided to suck in air introduced into the housing 2 through the intake holes 251 and 252 and exhaust it. In each figure referred to in the following explanation, the XYZ coordinate axes are drawn so that the direction from the left side plate 25L to the right side plate 25R is the +X direction, the direction from the rear portion 22 to the front portion 21 is the +Y direction, and the direction from the bottom plate 24 to the top plate 23 is the +Z direction. In one embodiment, each of the air intake holes 251 and 252 is made up of a collection of multiple small holes. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the shape of each hole is close to a flattened ellipse, but this is not limited thereto and the hole can be set to a circular, polygonal, or other shape.

[0026] Next, the internal structure of the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the electronic endoscope processor 1 according to one embodiment. 3, the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 includes a box-shaped frame 20 having a front surface 21, a rear surface 22, and a bottom plate 24. A left side plate 25L, a right side plate 25R, a top plate 23, and a partition plate 26 are attached to the frame 20. A partition plate 26 and a top plate 23 are fixed to the frame 20 in this order, dividing the internal space of the housing 2 into two spaces: an upper space and a lower space. In other words, the partition plate 26 gives the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 a two-story structure.

[0027] An opening 201 is formed in the frame 20 at a position corresponding to the intake hole 251. This allows outside air to be introduced into the internal space (lower space) of the housing 2 through the intake hole 251 and the opening 201 when the side plate 25 is attached to the frame 20. The partition plate 26 has a pair of side walls 261 facing the left side plate 25L and the right side plate 25R, respectively. 2 is It is formed. This allows outside air to be introduced into the internal space (upper space) of the housing 2 through the intake holes 252 and the openings 262 when the side plates 25 are attached to the frame 20.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the partition plate 26 has two openings 26 3 (an example of the first opening) The exhaust fans 71 and 72 are disposed at the rear of the lower space. The openings 263 are provided to move the air introduced from the intake holes 252 as an airflow from the upper space of the housing 2 toward the lower space. Note that, although the number of openings 263 is two in the example shown in FIG. 3, this is not limitative and the number of openings 263 can be set appropriately to generate a desired airflow. Heat-generating components such as the circuit board and light source device of the electronic endoscope processor 1 are mounted in each of the upper and lower spaces of the housing 2. Therefore, the electronic endoscope processor 1 in one embodiment is configured to cool these heat-generating components in a balanced manner.

[0029] The internal structure of the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 according to the embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 4 is a side view of the inside of the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the internal space of the housing 2 is divided into an upper space 20U (an example of a second space) and a lower space 20L (an example of a first space) by a partition plate 26. Heat-generating components 41 and 42 are arranged in the lower space 20L. Opening 263 of partition plate 26 is preferably disposed in the front. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, air intake hole 252 and opening 263 of partition plate 26 are spaced apart from each other in the front and rear, so that when room temperature air introduced through air intake hole 252 flows toward opening 263, heat-generating components mounted in upper space 20U are evenly cooled.

[0030] Fig. 5 is a diagram of the lower space 20L of the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 of one embodiment as viewed from above. Fig. 6 is a diagram of the inside of the electronic endoscope processor 1 of one embodiment as viewed from the front. In one embodiment, an airflow adjusting plate 31 is provided in the lower space 20L of the housing 2. The airflow adjusting plate 31 is a plate that stands upright from the bottom plate 24 of the housing 2, and is installed approximately parallel to the direction of the airflow heading toward the exhaust fans 71, 72. The airflow adjusting plate 31 is disposed in the lower space 20L between the opening 263 and the heat-generating components 42, and adjusts the airflow entering the lower space 20L from the opening 263 so that it is directed toward the heat-generating components 42. By providing the airflow adjusting plate 31, it is possible to separate the airflow in the lower space 20L in accordance with the arrangement of the heat-generating components 41, 42. In the example shown in FIG. 5, an airflow adjusting plate 31 is formed to separate the airflow into two directions toward the two exhaust fans 71 and 72, respectively.

[0031] Although not shown, an airflow adjusting plate for separating the airflow may be disposed in the upper space 20U as needed. A plurality of airflow adjustment plates may be provided. For example, if three exhaust fans are provided in the lower space 20L, two airflow adjustment plates may be arranged parallel to each other in the same direction as the airflow adjustment plate 31 in order to separate the airflow entering the lower space 20L from the upper space 20U and direct it toward each exhaust fan.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, for example, the airflow adjusting plate 32 may be provided so as to face the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust fan 72 . As shown in Fig. 6, the airflow adjusting plate 32 is formed with openings 321 (an example of second openings) that adjust the wind speed and / or wind volume of the airflow toward each heat-generating component 42. In the example shown in Fig. 6, two openings 321 are formed, but the number of openings 321 is not limited to this. The number of openings 321 and / or the size of the openings 321 can be set so as to obtain the wind volume and / or wind speed according to the heat-generating component. It is also preferable to set the number of openings 321 according to the position of each heat-generating component 42. In FIG. 6, the shape of the opening 321 is rectangular, but this is not limiting and the airflow can be adjusted by making the opening 321 have any desired shape (for example, a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon). Adjusting the size, shape, and position of opening 321 to increase the airflow speed is also preferable in terms of preventing dust from accumulating on or adhering to each heat-generating component 42.

[0033] Next, the cooling operation of the electronic endoscope processor 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating airflow in the internal space (upper space, lower space) of the housing 2 of the processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating airflow when the inside of the housing 2 of the processor 1 for an electronic endoscope according to one embodiment is viewed from the side.

[0034] The air flow within the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 is a flow of air that is introduced from the air intake vent 252 into the upper space and exhausted from the exhaust fans 71 and 72 in the lower space. 7, airflow F1 introduced into the upper space from intake hole 252 first becomes airflow F2 that flows toward opening 263 of partition plate 26 while cooling the heat-generating components arranged in the upper space, and then flows toward the lower space. Airflow F3 is introduced into the lower space from intake hole 251. Airflow F2, which has been warmed by the heat generated by the heat-generating components in the upper space, mixes with airflow F3 at room temperature introduced from intake hole 251, and its heat content is temporarily reduced.

[0035] Because airflow adjusting plates 31 and 32 are provided in the lower space, one of the airflows F2 heading toward the lower space from the openings 263 formed in two locations flows as airflow F4 toward the exhaust fan 71, and the other of the airflows F2 heading toward the lower space flows as airflow F4 toward the exhaust fan 72. Airflow adjusting plate 32 with openings 321 is provided in accordance with the heat-generating components 41 and 42 arranged in the lower space, and the air volume and / or air speed of airflow F4 is adjusted. The size, position, shape, etc. of opening 321 in airflow adjusting plate 32 is adjusted according to the position of heat-generating component 42, thereby locally cooling heat-generating component 42.

[0036] As described above, in the housing 2 of the electronic endoscope processor 1 of one embodiment, air flows from the intake hole 252 in the upper space toward the exhaust fans 71, 72 arranged only in the lower space, preventing uneven airflow between the upper and lower spaces and ensuring well-balanced cooling of the internal space of the housing. At this time, the cooling performance can be adjusted by adjusting the airflow volume and / or air speed using the airflow adjustment plate according to the arrangement of heat-generating components inside the housing 2.

[0037] In one embodiment, the size of the air intake hole 252 is set larger than the size of the air intake hole 251. By making the air intake hole 252 wider, a large amount of outside air can be introduced from the upper space 20U of the housing 2, and the amount and / or flow velocity of the airflow reaching the exhaust fans 71, 72 can be increased.

[0038] In one embodiment, the size of the air intake holes 251 is set so that the airflow in the lower space 20L and the upper space 20U is fastest. The inventors performed a simulation of the airflow velocity in the internal space of the housing 2 by changing the sizes of the intake holes 251 and 252. First, when the size of the intake hole 252 that introduces outside air into the upper space 20U was reduced to 1 / 2 and 1 / 3 of the standard size, the airflow velocity in the upper space 20U decreased in both cases, confirming that it is better to increase the size of the intake hole 252. Furthermore, when the size of the intake hole 251 that introduces outside air into the lower space 20L was reduced to 1 / 2 (smaller) and 3 / 2 (larger), the airflow velocity increased in both the upper space 20U and the lower space 20L when the size of the intake hole 251 was reduced, and the airflow velocity decreased in both the upper space 20U and the lower space 20L when the size of the intake hole 251 was increased. From the above simulation results, it was confirmed that by adjusting the size of the intake holes 251, the air currents in the lower space 20L and the upper space 20U can be set to be the fastest.

[0039] In one embodiment, a turbulence generating structure may be provided to generate turbulence in the airflow passing through opening 263 of partition plate 26 and / or opening 321 of airflow adjusting plate 32. For example, Fig. 9 shows an example in which protrusions 264 and protrusions 322 are provided on the periphery of opening 263 and opening 321, respectively, as the turbulence generating structure. Note that, in addition to protrusions, bends or flaps can also be used as the turbulence generating structure.

[0040] The above describes in detail the processor for an electronic endoscope of the present invention, but the processor for an electronic endoscope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1...Electron endoscope processor 11...System controller 12...Memory 13...Operation panel 14...Light source device 15...Condenser lens 16...Image processing unit 17...Light source control unit 2. Housing 20...frame 20U…Upper space 20L…Lower space 201…Aperture 21...Front part 22...Rear section 23...Tabletop 24…Bottom plate 25...Side panel 25L…Left side plate 25R…Right side plate 251, 252...Air intake holes 26...Partition board 261...Side wall 262,263…Aperture 264…protrusion 27...legs 31, 32...Airflow adjustment plate 321…Aperture 322…Protrusion 41, 42...heat generating components 43...Circuit board 71,72...Exhaust fan 6...Electron scope 61...LCB 62...Light distribution lens 63...Objective lens 64...Solid-state image sensor 65...Driver signal processing circuit 8...Monitor 100...Electronic endoscope system

Claims

1. a housing having a rear surface and a pair of side panels; a partition plate that divides the internal space of the housing into a lower first space and an upper second space, the partition plate having a first opening that communicates the first space with the second space; an exhaust fan attached to the rear surface portion and configured to exhaust air from the first space to the outside; Equipped with a first intake hole for taking in outside air into the first space and a second intake hole for taking in outside air into the second space are formed in each of the pair of side plates; the first opening is disposed in a front portion of the partition plate away from the rear surface portion, The airflow introduced into the second space from the second air intake hole passes through the first opening toward the first space and is mixed with the airflow introduced from the first air intake hole. Processor for electronic endoscopes.

2. one or more heat-generating components that are disposed in the first space and generate heat when in operation; an airflow adjusting plate disposed in the first space between the first opening and each heat-generating component, and adjusting the airflow entering the first space from the first opening so as to be directed toward each heat-generating component; 2. The processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 1.

3. The airflow adjusting plate is formed with a second opening which is an opening for adjusting the wind speed and / or the wind volume of the airflow directed toward each heat-generating component.

3. A processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 2.

4. The second intake hole is larger than the first intake hole.

4. A processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 1.

5. The size of the first air intake hole is set so that the airflow in the first space and the second space becomes the fastest.

4. A processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 1.

6. a turbulence generating structure that generates turbulence in the airflow passing through the first opening is provided on the periphery of the first opening; 4. A processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 1.

7. a turbulence generating structure that generates turbulence in the airflow passing through the second opening is provided on the periphery of the second opening; 4. A processor for an electronic endoscope according to claim 3.

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