Video endoscope with sideways viewing direction and method for mounting a video endoscope

Abstract

A video endoscope with sideways viewing direction including an endoscope shaft having a jacket tube, an entry window joined hermetically to the jacket tube at the distal end of the jacket tube, a sideways viewing optical subassembly and a sensor module having an optical sensor, wherein the sensor module is disposed on a distal side of a longitudinally extended sensor module carrier that is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube. In the video endoscope, the sideways viewing optical subassembly can be formed as an attachment which can be plugged distally onto the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier and which is rotatably mounted with respect to the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier, wherein the attachment has at least one lock which interacts with at least one corresponding lock on the jacket tube, such that the attachment is rotationally fixed with respect to the jacket tube.

Claims

1. A video endoscope with a sideways viewing direction, the video endoscope comprising: an endoscope shaft having a jacket tube; an entry window joined hermetically to the jacket tube at a distal end of the jacket tube; a sideways viewing optical subassembly including a sensor module, the sensor module having an optical sensor, the sensor module being disposed on a distal side of a longitudinally extended sensor module carrier that is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube; wherein the sideways viewing optical subassembly is configured as an attachment, which can be or is plugged distally onto the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier and which is rotatably mounted with respect to the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier; and the attachment includes at least one locking means which interacts with at least one corresponding locking means on the jacket tube such that the attachment is rotationally fixed with respect to the jacket tub, wherein the sensor module carrier is configured as one of a rigid signal line carrier or as an inner tube, and wherein at least one of the sensor module carrier and the sensor module is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube via two slide bearings, one of which is arranged proximally relative to the other, wherein the proximally arranged slide bearing has at least one of a fluid seal or is configured in a water-tight manner.

2. The video endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking means and at least one corresponding locking means are configured in cross-section essentially in one or more of a form-locking and/or force-locking manner.

3. The video endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the at least one locking means and at least one corresponding locking means are configured as a tongue and groove or a groove and spring-preloaded spring.

4. The video endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the locking means on the jacket tube extends over a part of a longitudinal extension of the jacket tube.

5. The video endoscope according to claim 1, wherein one of the two slide bearings is arranged between the sensor module and the attachment.

6. The video endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the attachment is configured to receive the sensor module and the one of the two slide bearings on its proximal side, further comprising a retention structure for one or more of a form-locking and force-locking coupling with a corresponding structure of the sensor module or of the sensor module carrier on a proximal edge for holding the sensor module in an axial direction.

7. The video endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the entry window is disposed obliquely with respect to a longitudinal axis of the jacket tube.

8. A method for mounting a video endoscope, the endoscope comprising: an endoscope shaft having a jacket tube; an entry window joined hermetically to the jacket tube at a distal end of the jacket tube; a sideways viewing optical subassembly including a sensor module, the sensor module having an optical sensor, the sensor module being disposed on a distal side of a longitudinally extended sensor module carrier that is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube; wherein the sideways viewing optical subassembly is configured as an attachment, which can be or is plugged distally onto the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier and which is rotatably mounted with respect to the sensor module and/or the sensor module carrier; and the attachment includes at least one locking means which interacts with at least one corresponding locking means on the jacket tube such that the attachment is rotationally fixed with respect to the jacket tube, wherein the sensor module carrier is configured as one of a rigid signal line carrier or as an inner tube, and wherein at least one of the sensor module carrier and the sensor module is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube via two slide bearings, one of which is arranged proximally relative to the other, wherein the proximally arranged slide bearing has at least one of a fluid seal or is configured in a water-tight manner, the method comprising: hermetically connecting an entry window with the jacket tube and furthermore establishing a slide-in group by connecting the sensor module in a rotationally fixed manner with the sensor module carrier and connecting the attachment rotatably with the sensor module, wherein the slide-in group is inserted into the jacket tube, wherein the at least one locking means on the attachment engages with the at least one locking means on the jacket tube during the pushing in.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the entry window and/or the jacket tube are freed of impurities from the hermetic connection of the entry window with the jacket tube before the slide-in group is pushed into the jacket tube.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that an optics of the attachment and/or an optics of the sensor module is focused before the slide-in group is pushed into the jacket tube and before and/or after attachment is connected with the sensor module.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The invention is described below, without restricting the general idea of the invention, based on an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing, whereby we expressly refer to the drawing with regard to the disclosure of all details according to the invention that are not explained in greater detail in the text.

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a video endoscope 1 schematically in cross-section with a longitudinally extended endoscope shaft 2. A proximally arranged handle is not shown for the sake of clarity.

(3) FIG. 2 is a magnified view of endoscope shaft 2 and the proximal area of the signal line carrier 31. In this embodiment, the slide bearing with fluid seal 32 includes fluid seal 33 between the slide bearing with fluid seal 32 and jacket tube 3.

(4) FIG. 3 is a magnified view of endoscope shaft 2 and the proximal area of the signal line carrier 31. In this embodiment, the slide bearing with fluid seal 32 includes a water-tight coating between the slide bearing with fluid seal 32 and jacket tube 3.

(5) FIG. 4 is a magnified view of the jacket tube 3 and the groove 5. In this embodiment, springs are included between the catch 15 and the prism holder 13.

(6) FIG. 5 is a magnified view of the jacket tube 3 and the groove 5. In this embodiment, a tongue 35 extends from the prism holder 13 into the groove 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) The endoscope shaft 2 comprises a jacket tube 3, which is closed on its distal tip by a planar entry window 4, which is soldered circumferentially with the jacket tube 3 so that a hermetic seal is achieved. Water and water vapor thus cannot get into the jacket tube 3 from the distal side during autoclaving and damage the optical components, which are arranged inside the jacket tube 3. The jacket tube 3 can in turn be surrounded by tubes or layers not shown in the FIGURE.

(8) These optical components are combined into a slide-in group. Distally, it comprises an attachment 10 with a prism 11, on which a meniscus lens 12 is arranged. The prism 11 deflects laterally incident beams of light in an axial direction. The prism 11 is held by a prism holder 13, which is mounted on a sensor module 20. The sensor module 20 includes an optical sensor 21 on a sensor carrier 22 as well as lenses 23, 23′ located in front of the sensor 21, which map or focus the light deflected by the prism 11 to the sensor 21.

(9) The connection between the prism holder 13 and the sensor module 20 is essentially a plug connection. This plug connection permits an axial rotation of the prism holder 13 with respect to the sensor module 20 and vice versa. This is achieved through a slide bearing 24 arranged between the two components. In order to prevent an axial decoupling, the prism holder 13 has an overhang 14 or projection on its perimeter on its proximal end, which has an inward pointing edge on its proximal end. The slide bearing 24, which is connected with the sensor module 20, is received in the annular hollow space formed in this manner during the sticking together of the sensor module 20 and the prism holder 13. Alternatively, the slide bearing 24 can also be connected with the prism holder 13 and a separate circumferential structure can be present on the sensor module 20, with which the edge or respectively the overhang 14 of the prism holder 13 can be actively connected.

(10) In order to be able to change the sideways viewing direction, the outer jacket tube 3 is rotated in the case of the endoscope according to the invention according to the FIGURE. For this purpose, the prism 11 is connected with the prism holder 13 of the attachment 10 via a catch 15 with the jacket tube 3. For this, the jacket tube 3 has a groove 5, into which the catch 15 engages. The catch 15 can be a so-called spring, i.e. an engagement body for the groove, which can also be spring-preloaded. When the catch 15 is inserted into the groove 5 of the jacket tube 3, any rotation around the longitudinal axis of the prism holder 13 and thus of the prism 11 is blocked with respect to the jacket tube 3 and the planar entry window 4 so that any rotation of the jacket tube 3 is also transferred to the prism 11.

(11) The sensor module 20 is rotatably mounted with respect to the jacket tube 3. For this, a slide bearing 25 is provided in the distal area of the endoscope shaft 2, which is arranged between the jacket tube 3 and the sensor module 20. Another slide bearing 32 is arranged in the proximal area of the endoscope shaft 2 and rotatably mounts a proximal part of the sensor module carrier 30 with respect to the jacket tube 3. A tipping of the slide-in group out of the attachment 10, sensor module 20 and sensor module carrier 30 with respect to the jacket tube 3 is thereby prevented.

(12) The sensor module carrier is designed in the exemplary embodiment according to the FIGURE as a longitudinally extended, rigid signal conductor carrier, the proximal area 31 of which is extended. Not shown are signal conductor paths on the surface or inside the rigid signal conductor carrier. The signal conductor carrier corresponds for example to a signal conductor carrier as is known from the patent applications DE 10 2010 044 786.2 or DE 10 2011 076 077.6 of the applicant.

(13) The slide bearing 32 comprises in particular a fluid seal, for example a magnetic ferrofluid seal, which hermetically seals the inside of the jacket tube 3 distally of the slide bearing 32 and prevents a penetration of water vapor during the autoclaving of the endoscope 1. The slide bearing 32 can also be designed in a water-tight manner such that additionally liquid water cannot penetrate either or respectively the fluid seal is protected from liquid water.

(14) Instead of a rigid signal conductor carrier 30, as is shown in the FIGURE, for example a rigid conductor plate or an inner tube can also be used, in which the sensor module 20 is distally arranged and that is also rotatably mounted by means of slide bearings 25, 32 with respect to the jacket tube 3. The attachment 10 can then also be mounted on the inner tube, which surrounds the sensor module 20.

(15) In contrast to the exemplary embodiment in the FIGURE, it is also possible to design the groove 5 in the jacket tube 3 over the entire length of the jacket tube 3 or over a large part of the length of the jacket tube 3 so that the catch 15 can be threaded into the groove 5 already during the pushing in of the slide-in group 10, 20, 30 and thus the orientation of the attachment 10 is already determined at the start of the slide-in. This facilitates the mounting of the endoscope 1 according to the invention.

(16) Instead of a fixed prism, a video endoscope according to the invention can also have a continuously variable viewing direction or a viewing direction that is adjustable in stages. Corresponding control means, e.g. actuators or mechanical transmitters of control movements, can communicate with the attachment or can themselves be arranged on the attachment.

(17) All named characteristics, including those taken from the drawing alone, and individual characteristics, which are disclosed in combination with other characteristics, are considered alone and in combination as important to the invention. Embodiments according to the invention can be fulfilled through individual characteristics or a combination of several characteristics.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(18) 1 Video endoscope

(19) 2 Endoscope shaft

(20) 3 Jacket tube

(21) 4 Planar entry window

(22) 5 Groove

(23) 10 Attachment

(24) 11 Prism

(25) 12 Meniscus lens

(26) 13 Prism holder

(27) 14 Overhang

(28) 15 Catch

(29) 20 Sensor module

(30) 21 Optical sensor

(31) 22 Sensor carrier

(32) 23, 23′ Lenses

(33) 24 Slide bearing

(34) 25 Slide bearing

(35) 30 Sensor module carrier

(36) 31 Proximal area of the signal line carrier

(37) 32 Slide bearing with fluid seal