Surgery – Endoscope – Having imaging and illumination means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-30
2003-11-04
Mulcahy, John (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
Having imaging and illumination means
C600S181000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641531
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for positioning at least one optical component within an endoscopic system, with a housing, through which runs an optical axis of the endoscopic system and in which the at least one component is arranged, which can be pivoted into the beam path of the endoscopic system about a pivot axis and which can be pivoted out of the beam path.
Such a device is e.g. known from DE-A-197 13 276.
Optical components are understood in the present invention as e.g. lens, filters, field stops and similar equipment, which are used in endoscope optics.
A special application of the present invention is the use of such a device in an endoscopic system for photodynamical diagnosis, photodynamical therapy or for fluorescence diagnosis.
In photodynamic diagnosis, light of a special spectral composition generated in a light source is coupled into the body and directed onto tissue to be examined. Before, a photo sensibilisator or marker material is instilled into the tissue to be examined. By irradiation of the tissue being enriched with the photo sensibilisator with stimulation light, a light-induced reaction is provoked, by which fluorescence radiation from the tissue region to be examined is emitted. There are, to this end, photo sensibilisators, which enrich in tumor tissue stronger than in healthy tissue. By means of the intensity differences of fluorescence radiation it is made possible, in that way, to differentiate tumor tissue from healthy tissue with high contrast. The fluorescence light and the stimulation light are in different spectral regions.
To allow a particularly good observation with high contrast of the tissue to be examined, which observation is free from a background radiation of the stimulation light, which superimposes the observation light, a color filter is brought into the observation beam path, i.e. into the beam path of the fluorescence light, the color filter having a high transmission in the spectral region of the fluorescence light, while its transmission is low in the region of the illuminating light or in the stimulation light. As light sources, also white light sources are often used, wherein a filter is also brought into the illuminating beam path, which has a pronounced transmission in the spectral region of the spectral region that is suitable for the stimulation of the photo sensibilisator.
A beam path is understood in the present invention, thus, as the beam path of illuminating light, which propagates from proximally to distally, and/or of observation light, which propagates from distally to proximally.
As, with the same endoscopic systems, not only an observation of fluorescence light shall be possible, but also a common observation of the tissue region with white light, such color filters need not only as simply as possible to be brought into the beam path, but also to be brought out again.
To this end, filters are known, which can be mounted onto the endoscope, i.e. on its distal end. Such filters are, however, cumbersome to handle. For mounting or detaching of such a filter it is, apart from that, necessary to remove the endoscope, during the diagnosis or therapy, out of the body, which extends the examination or treatment of the patient. Moreover, such mountable filters can easily get lost.
The device known from DE-A-197 13 276 mentioned at the outset for the positioning of components within endoscopic systems has, in an embodiment, a turret wheel, which is rotatable about a housing-centered axis. The turret wheel carries several optical components, which are distributed in a plane and which can be pivoted about the centered axis as the pivot axis into the beam path of the endoscopic system. The pivot axis is arranged eccentrically parallel to the optical axis. This arrangement requires, however, that the optical axis of the endoscopic system must be arranged eccentrically with respect to the housing center axis. In the case of an endoscope, this means that the housing of the device is not arranged concentrically with respect to the endoscope shaft axis, which is, however, desirable.
If the configuration mentioned before was modified in that direction that the housing of the device surrounds concentrically the optical axis of the endoscopic system, the diameter of the housing would have to be enlarged by the double, when the diameter of the turret wheel remains unchanged, the diameter not being able to be reduced in size due to the preset size of the optical components, so that there would be the disadvantage of a radially very bulky device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, thus, the object of the present invention to improve a device mentioned at the outset in such a way that pivoting in and pivoting out of the at least one optical component within the endoscopic system is possible, without the device being bulky.
The object of the invention is achieved by a device for positioning at least one optical component within an endoscopic system, comprising a housing, in which said at least one optical component is arranged, and through which runs an optical axis of said endoscopic system, a beam path of said endoscopic system extending along said optical axis, wherein said at least one component can be pivoted into said beam path of said endoscopic system about a pivot axis and can be pivoted out of said beam path, wherein said pivot axis is arranged obliquely with respect to said optical axis.
While in the prior art, in particular in the known device, always the concept was maintained to arrange the pivot axis, about which the at least one optical component can be pivoted into and out of the beam path, parallel to the optical axis, it is provided in the invention to arrange the pivot axis obliquely to the optical axis. Pivoting the at least one optical component about a pivot axis, which runs obliquely with respect to the optical axis, equals a folding of the component. Pivoting in and pivoting out the component about a pivot axis, which runs parallel with respect to the optical axis requires namely that the pivot axis runs eccentrically with respect to the optical axis, which always requires a radial minimum construction size of the device. When the one or several components are folded about a pivot axis, which runs obliquely with respect to the optical axis, however, a radially narrow construction can be reached, because the component has to perform no movement in circumferential direction of the housing. In the simplest embodiment, one or several components can be individually mounted pivotably in the housing, e.g. three components in a triangle arrangement seen in cross section at axially equal position, or four components may form e.g. a square arrangement at axially equal position, or individual components can be provided axially one behind the other pivotable about individual own pivot axes. The configuration of the device according to the invention allows in an advantageous manner to arrange the housing, no matter if in round or in square configuration, with reference to the optical axis in such a way that the optical axis transverses approximately centrally through the housing, without that it is necessary to have to configure the housing in large construction to this end. In this way, several components can be arranged in the housing, which in a space-saving way can be respectively individually or together pivoted into the beam path of the endoscopic system and pivoted out of the beam path. A pivot axis arranged obliquely can e.g. be arranged in an angle of 30°, 45°, 60° or 90° or in intermediate angles of these angles with respect to the optical axis, wherein a corresponding arrangement of the optical component with respect to the pivot axis can be chosen, if it is intended for reasons of minimization of the reflection losses and the beam mismatch to have the optical component with its light passage surfaces orthogonal with respect to the optical axis. The device of the invention can advantageously be integrated in an endoscope, wherein then the housing of the device is an integral part of
Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG
Mulcahy John
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
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