Endoscope capable of being autoclaved

Abstract

An endoscope capable of being autoclaved in accordance with the present invention includes an insertion unit, an internal endoscope space, and contents. The insertion unit has a soft member, which is made of a soft polymeric material, as at least part of a casing thereof. The internal endoscope space includes the internal space of the insertion unit that is formed at a first sealing level at which the internal space is sealed in a watertight manner relative to an outside. The contents include at least one hermetically sealed unit composed of a plurality of airtight partition members and formed at a second sealing level higher than the first sealing level by joining the meeting portions of the airtight partition members using an airtight joining material. All or part of the airtight partition members is stowed in the internal endoscope space. Even when high-pressure high-temperature steam permeates through the soft member of the insertion unit which is made of a polymeric material, and invades into the internal endoscope space formed at the first sealing level, the high-pressure high-temperature steam will be hindered from invading into the hermetically sealed unit included in the contents and formed at the second sealing level.

1. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved, comprising:
 an outer casing of the endoscope made at least partially of a polymeric material and having an interior; and 
 a component housed in the interior of the outer casing and constituted as a hermetically sealed unit composed of a plurality of airtight partition members, end parts of said plurality of airtight partition members being hermetically joined to one another such as to at least partially have said partition members overlap one another thereby to provide an airtight space; 
 wherein the outer casing is formed to provide a first sealing level to hinder liquid from invading into the interior thereof while permitting high-pressure, high-temperature steam given off during autoclaving to invade into the interior thereof; and 
 the component is formed to provide a second sealing level higher than the first sealing level of the outer casing, to hinder the high-pressure, high-temperature steam penetrating through the outer casing during autoclaving from invading into the interior, 
 wherein said hermetically sealed unit includes at least one of optical members and electronic parts or both said optical members and said electronic parts as airtight partition members, and 
 wherein said hermetically sealed unit is a lens unit having optical members as said airtight partition members, said lens unit having a first and second end portions which are hermetically locked as optical windows. 
 
     
     
       2. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein said airtight partition members are members made of a metal, ceramic, glass, or crystalline material. 
     
     
       3. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit is composed of a plurality of airtight partition members said airtight partition members are hermetically joined to one another at one or more joints, said joints are made of a metal, ceramic, glass, or crystalline material. 
     
     
       4. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 3 , wherein said airtight joining means is a joint formed by welding carried out by one of fusion welding, pressure welding, brazing, soldering or joining using molten glass. 
     
     
       5. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit formed at said second sealing level is pressure-resistant to resist a negative pressure or pressurization to be attained or performed during autoclaving so as not to be destroyed, and wherein said hermetically sealed unit is sealed to such an extent that high-pressure high-temperature steam given off during autoclaving will not invade into an interior of said hermetically sealed unit. 
     
     
       6. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit includes at least one of optical members and electronic parts or both said optical members and said electronic parts as airtight partition members. 
     
     
       7. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 6 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit is a lens unit having optical members as said airtight partition members, said lens unit having a first and second end portions which are hermetically locked as optical windows. 
     
     
       8. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 7 , wherein a metal coating having a lowermost layer formed as a low reflectance layer and an uppermost layer formed as a joining layer formed on the outer circumferences of said optical members included in said lens unit. 
     
     
       9. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 8 , wherein said low reflectance layer has a two-layer structure consisting of a lower layer made of chromium oxide and an upper layer made of chromium. 
     
     
       10. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 8 , wherein said outer circumferences of said optical members on which said low reflectance layer is formed are polished so that an average roughness (Ra) will fall within a range of 0.1 μm to 1 μm and the largest roughness (Pv) will fall within a range of 2 μm to 5 μm. 
     
     
       11. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 7 , comprising an observing means having an optical fiber bundle as a light introducing path, said optical fiber bundle has an input end and an output end, and said lens unit is located at one of said input end and output end of said optical fiber bundle. 
     
     
       12. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 11 , wherein one of said optical members included in said lens unit is coupled to one of said input end and output end of said optical fiber bundle. 
     
     
       13. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 11 , wherein said lens unit located at one of said input end and output end of said optical fiber bundle is detachable. 
     
     
       14. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 6 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit includes an observing means having an optical member as said airtight partition member, said optical member is hermetically locked as an optical window therein, and said optical window is bared on an outer surface forming part of said outer casing of said endoscope. 
     
     
       15. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 14 , wherein said observing means is an imaging unit having a solid-state imaging device as part of an image transmitting means, said solid-state imaging device having an image input end, and an objective unit having a first and second end portions which are hermetically locked as optical windows, said objective unit is located at said image input end of said solid-state imaging device. 
     
     
       16. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 15 , wherein one of said optical windows included in said objective unit is placed in contact with a image input end of said solid-state imaging device. 
     
     
       17. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 16 , wherein said optical window and said image input end of said solid-state imaging device are joined using a transparent adhesive. 
     
     
       18. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 15 , wherein said hermetically sealed unit is accommodated in said objective unit, said objective unit forms an object image, said object image is projected on said imaging surface of said solid-state imaging device, said objective unit is located in front of said imaging surface of said solid-state imaging device, and a member opposed to a proximal outer surface of said solid-state imaging device is sealed at said first sealing level. 
     
     
       19. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 14 , comprising an insertion unit having a bendable part and a distal rigid part, said bendable part being in gaseous communication with said distal rigid part of said insertion unit, said hermetically sealed unit is accommodated in said insertion unit and positioned within said distal rigid part distal to said bendable part. 
     
     
       20. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 6 , comprising an observing means having an optical fiber bundle as a light introducing path, said optical fiber bundle has an input end portion and an output end portion, said end portions of said optical fiber bundle are infiltrated with an airtightness retaining filler to make said optical fibers airtight, and wherein said end portions of said optical fiber bundle are hermetically fixed to said airtight partition members of said hermetically sealed unit. 
     
     
       21. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 6 , wherein one of the airtight partition members of the hermetically sealed unit is a first optical member, the first optical member engages with a frame member and has a distal surface, and wherein when a second optical member is fixed to only the distal surface of the first optical member, the second optical member is not engaged with the frame member. 
     
     
       22. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , comprising an insertion unit having a bendable part and a distal rigid part, and an operation unit, said bendable part of said insertion unit is coupled to said operation unit, said bendable part of said insertion unit is in gaseous communication with said distal rigid part of said insertion unit, a first hermetically sealed unit is included in said distal rigid part of said insertion unit distal to said bendable part of said insertion unit, a second hermetically sealed unit is located in said operation unit, and said first and second hermetically sealed units are electrically linked by a cable. 
     
     
       23. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein one of said first and second sections being an insertion unit whose outer casing is made at least partially of a polymeric material. 
     
     
       24. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein said first sealing level seals said internal spaces of said first and second sections in a watertight manner relative to said ambient space surrounding said outer casing. 
     
     
       25. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 1 , wherein even when a high-pressure steam permeates through said first sealing level and invades into said internal spaces of said sections, said high-pressure high-temperature steam will be hindered from invading into said hermetically sealing unit formed at said second sealing level. 
     
     
       26. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 23 , wherein the component is composed of a plurality of airtight partition members which are hermetically joined to one another by an airtight joining means. 
     
     
       27. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved according to  claim 26 , wherein said airtight joining means comprises:
 locking parts respectively provided on the plurality of airtight partition members at positions to hermetically join the plurality of airtight partition members to one another; 
 a coating part formed by having a metal or glass coating formed on at least one of the locking parts provided on the plurality of airtight partition members; and 
 airtight joining part formed by heating the joined part of the airtight partition members to fuse the coating part. 
 
     
     
       28. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved, comprising:
 an outer casing means made at least partially of a polymeric material that secures an internal space; 
 a component housed in the internal space of the outer casing means and constituted as a hermetically sealed unit composed of a plurality of airtight partition members, end parts of said plurality of airtight partition members being hermetically joined to one another such as to at least partially have said partition members overlap one another thereby to provide an airtight space; 
 a first sealing means, with which the outer casing means is provided, to provide the outer casing means with watertightness to hinder liquid from invading into the interior of the outer casing means and to provide a first sealing level to permit high-pressure, high-temperature steam given off during autoclaving to invade into the internal space of the outer casing means; and 
 a second sealing means with which the component is provided, to provide the component with a second sealing level higher than the first sealing level provided by the first sealing means, to hinder the high-pressure, high-temperature steam invading through the outer casing means during autoclaving from invading into the airtight partition members, 
 wherein said hermetically sealed unit includes at least one of optical members and electronic parts or both said optical members and said electronic parts as airtight partition members, and 
 wherein said hermetically sealed unit is a lens unit having optical members as said airtight partition members, said lens unit having a first and second end portions which are hermetically locked as optical windows. 
 
     
     
       29. An endoscope capable of being autoclaved, comprising:
 an outer casing made at least partially of a polymeric material and having an interior;   a component housed in the interior of the outer casing and constituted as a hermetically sealed unit composed of a plurality of airtight partition members which are hermetically joined to one another and at least partially overlapped;   a frame body which constitutes an end of the component;   a first optical member which is hermetically locked in the frame body and which forms an optical path; and   a second optical member which is positioned, bonded and fixed to a distal surface of the first optical member and which forms the optical path,   wherein   the outer casing is formed to provide a first sealing level to hinder liquid from invading into the interior thereof while permitting high-pressure, high-temperature steam given off during autoclaving to invade into the interior thereof; and   the component is formed to provide a second sealing level higher than the first sealing level of the outer casing, to hinder the high-pressure, high-temperature steam penetrating through the outer casing during autoclaving from invading into the interior.   
     
     
       30. An endoscope according to claim 29,
 wherein the second optical member has an outer configuration of a dimension that leaves a predetermined gap between an outer circumference of the second optical member and an inner circumference of the frame body.   
     
     
       31. An endoscope according to claim 29,
 wherein the second optical member is positioned, bonded and fixed to a distal surface of the first optical member.   
     
     
       32. An endoscope comprising:
 an outer casing made at least partially of a polymeric material and having an interior;   a component housed in the interior of the outer casing and constituted as a hermetically sealed unit composed of a plurality of airtight partition members which are hermetically joined to one another and at least partially overlapped;   a frame body defining an airtight inner space, the frame body being capable of expanding when subjected to autoclaving, while maintaining the airtightness of the inner space;   an optical window coupled to the frame body to guide light into the inner space;   a first optical member having a first diameter and mounted within the airtight inner space and disposed on an optical axis of incident light penetrating through the optical window;   a second optical member mounted within the inner space without contacting any portion of the frame body in a manner whereby expansion and contraction of the second optical member does not affect the ability of the frame body to maintain the airtightness of the inner space   wherein   the outer casing is formed to provide a first sealing level to hinder liquid from invading into the interior thereof while permitting high-pressure, high-temperature steam given off during autoclaving to invade into the interior thereof; and   the component is formed to provide a second sealing level higher than the first sealing level of the outer casing, to hinder the high-pressure, high-temperature steam penetrating through the outer casing during autoclaving from invading into the interior.   
     
     
       33. An endoscope according to claim 32, in which the frame body comprises a plurality of frame body sections that are arranged following one another along the optical axis, the frame body sections including a distal frame section, and a second frame section. 
     
     
       34. An endoscope according to claim 33, further comprising an isolating frame section disposed between and coupling the distal frame section and the second frame section. 
     
     
       35. An endoscope according to claim 34, in which the frame sections are made of the same material. 
     
     
       36. An endoscope according to claim 34, in which a material of the distal frame section and the second frame section is metal. 
     
     
       37. An endoscope according to claim 34, further comprising a lens arrangement and a lens frame surrounding the lens arrangement and disposed in the inner space. 
     
     
       38. An endoscope according to claim 37, in which the lens arrangement and its lens frame is disposed adjacent the distal frame section. 
     
     
       39. An endoscope according to claim 38, in which the lens frame contacts a portion of the isolating frame and comprises a section that is juxtaposed to a portion of the distal frame with an airspace therebetween. 
     
     
       40. An endoscope according to claim 32, further comprising adhesive material filling a portion of the inner space and disposed in a region which partially contacts the first optical member.