JP2009136387A - Imaging lens and capsule endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging lens for a capsule endoscope with improved distortion and improved chromatic aberration of magnification. <P>SOLUTION: The capsule endoscope has the imaging lens 45a to form the image of a substantially spherical subject 40 in a plane shape on an imaging surface. The imaging lens 45a is composed of five lenses consisting of first-fifth lenses L1-L5 and an aperture diaphragm S6, which are arranged in the order from the object side, starting from a first lens group G1 with negative refraction, the aperture diaphragm S6, and a second lens group G2 with positive refraction. The first lens L1 is a meniscus-shaped lens with the convex surface turning toward the object side, and the curvature of the image-side surface S5 is larger than the curvature of the object-side surface S4. The second lens L2 is a meniscus-shaped lens with the convex surface turning toward the image side, and the curvature of the image-side surface S8 is larger than the object-side surface S7. The third lens L3 and the fourth lens 4 are achromatic lenses LA with opposite surfaces pasted to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging lens used for an endoscope for examining the inside of a living body, and more particularly to an imaging lens used for a capsule endoscope used by swallowing.

  Conventionally, in the medical field, diagnosis using an endoscope has been actively performed. Diagnosis using this endoscope is performed by inserting a flexible insertion portion provided in a patient's body so that the bending direction can be freely operated. In addition, a small imaging unit including an illumination device, an imaging lens, an imaging element, and the like is provided at the distal end of the insertion unit. Therefore, the insertion type endoscope can change the direction of the imaging unit arbitrarily within a predetermined range within the patient's body by the operation of the doctor, and can accurately image a site suspected of being a lesion, so that accurate diagnosis is possible. It helps with accurate medical diagnosis such as early detection of cancer and lesions.

  Although insertion-type endoscopes are devised to reduce the burden on the patient during insertion, the insertion of a long insertion part into the body is a heavy burden for the patient. In some cases, anesthesia is required to use this.

  In recent years, in order to further reduce the burden on patients, a so-called capsule endoscope (hereinafter referred to as a capsule endoscope) in which a small imaging device is contained in a swallowable capsule has been developed and put into practical use. . Since this capsule endoscope is sized to be easily swallowed, the burden on the patient is greatly reduced compared to an insertion-type endoscope, but it is difficult to control the position and orientation in the body. Become.

  Therefore, it is desirable that the capsule endoscope is equipped with a wide-angle imaging lens so as to capture an image of as wide a range as possible in order to capture an image without losing the lesion site even when the posture in the body is not preferable.

For these reasons, a capsule endoscope in which a capsule size is reduced while ensuring a wide imaging range is known (Patent Document 1). In addition to downsizing and widening of the angle, for example, a capsule endoscope that achieves an optimum depth of field (Patent Document 2) and a capsule endoscope that illuminates a cylindrical structure well (Patent Document 3) Etc. are also known.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-80789 JP 2005-80790 A JP 2006-61438 A

  Capsule endoscopes focus on ease of swallowing, so in order to make them as small as possible, conventional capsule endoscopes are equipped with as few lenses as possible, for example, a wide-angle lens with two groups of two lenses as an imaging lens. is doing.

  As described above, it is desirable to mount a wide-angle imaging lens on the capsule endoscope. However, like other imaging lenses and the like, distortion is more noticeable with a wide-angle lens. For example, as is often seen with wide-angle lenses, when barrel distortion occurs, the image is distorted, and the image becomes small in the peripheral portion of the obtained image.

  An image taken with a capsule endoscope is an image of the inside of the human body, and an image for the purpose of diagnosing the presence or absence of a lesion is acquired, but the size of the lesion varies depending on the type and degree of progression, and it is extremely Often small. Therefore, when such a small lesion is shown in the peripheral portion of the image in which the barrel-shaped distortion has occurred as described above, there is a problem that the lesion site is further oversized and overlooked.

  On the other hand, capsule endoscopes are designed to be easy to swallow and are disposable. Therefore, in order to reduce the cost and size of the capsule endoscope, a lens with as few structures as possible, for example, a wide-angle lens with two elements in two groups is used as an imaging lens. It is installed. There is no imaging lens for such a conventional capsule endoscope with improved distortion, and there is a need for an imaging lens with improved distortion while keeping the capsule size small.

  Further, in a wide angle lens used in a capsule endoscope, lateral chromatic aberration is easily noticeable. If the lateral chromatic aberration is conspicuous, even if the distortion is improved, blurring and blurring are conspicuous, which hinders accurate diagnosis. For these reasons, an imaging lens used in a capsule endoscope is desired to improve distortion and lateral chromatic aberration.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a capsule that is easy to swallow but has a wide-angle lens with improved distortion and lateral chromatic aberration to prevent oversight of lesions in the entire imaging range. An object is to provide an endoscope.

  The imaging lens of the present invention is an imaging lens for a capsule endoscope disposed in a dome-shaped transparent cover. When a spherical subject is imaged, an image in the entire region from the center of the subject to the maximum angle of view is obtained. The imaging optical system is formed of five lenses, and images are formed on substantially the same plane.

  Further, in order from the subject side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a stop, and a second lens group having a positive refractive power are provided.

Further, when the maximum half angle of view is ω _MAX , 2ω _MAX > 135 (degrees) is satisfied.

  A capsule endoscope according to the present invention includes the above-described imaging lens.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wide-angle imaging lens with improved distortion while having a size that is easy to swallow, and a capsule endoscope that includes this, and prevents oversight of lesions throughout the imaging range. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the capsule endoscope diagnostic system 11 includes a capsule endoscope 15, a receiving device 16, and a workstation 17.

  The capsule endoscope 15 is used by swallowing into the body from the mouth of the patient 22 wearing the shield shirt 21, and images the inner wall surface when passing through the body duct. Image data captured by the capsule endoscope 15 is wirelessly transmitted to the receiving device 16 by radio waves. Such communication of image data is performed via a transmission antenna provided in the capsule endoscope 15 and a reception antenna 23 provided in the shield shirt 21.

  The receiving device 16 includes an LCD 24 for displaying various setting screens and an operation unit 26 for performing various setting operations. The receiving device 16 receives and stores the image data carried by the patient 22 and wirelessly transmitted from the capsule endoscope 15 as described above when the capsule endoscope 15 is in the body of the patient 22. On the other hand, when a diagnosis is performed based on the obtained image data, the stored image data is read out by connecting to the diagnosis workstation 17.

  The workstation 17 includes a processor 27, an operation unit 28 including a keyboard and a mouse, a display 31, and the like. The processor 27 is connected to the receiving device 16 by, for example, the USB cable 32 and acquires image data stored in the receiving device 16. Further, the image data thus acquired by the processor 27 is stored and managed for each patient. When making a diagnosis based on the image data obtained by the capsule endoscope 15, the workstation 17 generates a television image from the accumulated image data based on the operation by the operation unit 28 and displays it on the display 31. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer shape of the capsule endoscope 15 is formed by a front cover 41 and a rear cover 42. The front cover 41 is formed in a dome shape on the front surface, and is fitted with the rear cover 42 to form a cylindrical watertight space whose end surface is formed in a dome shape. At least the front surface of the front cover 41 is made of a transparent material, and transmits light from the body of the patient 22 as a subject (hereinafter simply referred to as a subject).

  In a space formed by the front cover 41 and the rear cover 42, an imaging lens 45, an imaging element 46, an illumination device 47, a transmission antenna 48, a button battery 49, and the like are accommodated. That is, each part such as the imaging lens 45 is covered with the front cover 41 and the rear cover 42 in a watertight manner.

  The illumination device 47 is an optical system that uniformly illuminates the subject with, for example, white LEDs, and a plurality of illumination devices 47 are provided around the imaging lens 45. The imaging lens 45 focuses light from the subject on the imaging element 46. The imaging lens 45 is a wide-angle lens composed of 4 to 5 lenses, an aperture stop, and the like. The image sensor 46 is, for example, a CCD type image sensor, and photoelectrically converts an image of a subject formed on the imaging surface by the image pickup lens 45 to generate image data.

  The transmission antenna 48 transmits the image data generated by the image sensor 46 to the receiving device 16 as needed. The button battery 49 supplies power to the illuminating device 47, the image sensor 46, the transmission antenna 48, and the like during the examination in which the capsule endoscope 15 is inside the patient 22. Such power supply is performed by a power supply circuit.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the imaging lens 45 is configured to form an image of light from the spherical subject 40 on the imaging surface of the imaging element 46 that is a plane. That is, the imaging lens 45 is configured such that when a spherical subject is imaged, an image in the entire region from the center to the periphery of the subject is formed in substantially the same plane. This imaging lens 45 has a wide angle with an angle of the photographing range from the optical axis Z1, that is, a half field angle ω of about 85 degrees at the maximum and a full field angle 2ω of about 170 degrees at the maximum. Light from substantially the entire area of the cover 41 is imaged on the image sensor 46.

When the capsule endoscope 15 is in the body of the patient 22, it is not easy to control the posture thereof, and therefore an imaging lens with a wide field angle is mounted as much as possible in order to reliably image the lesion site. It is preferable. Therefore, it is preferable that the imaging lens 45 is configured to satisfy 2ω _MAX > 135 (degrees) when the maximum half angle of view is ω _MAX . If 2ω _MAX is less than 135 degrees, it is not suitable as an imaging lens for a capsule endoscope where it is difficult to control the posture in the body of the patient 22, and there is a possibility that leakage will occur at the imaging location.

  The imaging lens 45 includes a first lens group G1 having a negative refractive power, an aperture stop S, and a second lens group G2 having a positive refractive power, and the first lens group G1 and the aperture stop S from the object side (subject side). , And the second lens group G2. The imaging lens 45 is composed of a total of five lenses, including the lenses that make up the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2. The first lens group G1 is composed of one or two lenses, and is a lens group having a negative refractive power as a whole. The first lens group G1 is disposed on the forefront (object side) of the imaging lens 45. The second lens group G2 is composed of 2 to 4 lenses, and is a lens group having a positive refractive power as a whole. The second lens group G2 is disposed behind (on the image side) the first lens group G1 with the aperture stop S interposed therebetween.

  The first lens L1 disposed closest to the object side of the imaging lens 45 is one of the lenses constituting the first lens group G1, and has a meniscus shape with a convex surface facing the object side. The curvature of each surface of the first lens L1 is made so that the curvature of the image side surface is larger than the curvature of the object side surface. The second lens L2 arranged second from the object side constitutes the first lens group G1 or the second lens group G2, and has a meniscus shape with a convex surface facing the image side. The curvature of each surface of the second lens L2 is made so that the curvature of the image side surface is larger than the curvature of the object side surface.

  Further, the second lens group G2 is provided with an achromatic lens LA in which two adjacent lenses are bonded together. The achromatic lens LA is formed by bonding lenses made of materials having different refractive indexes, such as crown glass and flint glass, and reduces chromatic aberration of the imaging lens 45.

  Further, the imaging lens 45 has an arbitrary angle of view ω when the image height at a certain angle of view ω is Y (ω) and the minute change amount of the angle of view from this angle of view ω is Δω. And is configured to satisfy the condition of the following formula 1.

  This conditional expression determines the degree of distortion generated by the imaging lens 45 that forms an image of a spherical subject on a plane. When the lower limit is exceeded, the distortion increases, and the image height decreases in the periphery of the captured image. The lesion shown here may be overlooked at the time of diagnosis.

  When a spherical subject having an annular pattern at equal intervals is imaged using the imaging lens 45, as shown in FIG. 4A, (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) When = 1.0, concentric patterns 51a to 51e are projected at equal intervals. At this time, assuming that the radius of the smallest circular pattern 51a is r, the radii of the circular patterns 51b to 51b are 2r, 3r, 4r, and 5r, respectively, and the interval between adjacent circular patterns is r. That is, in the case of (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) = 1.0, distortion does not occur, and the lesion image projected on the peripheral portion of the photographed image is The image is projected in the same size and shape as when taken from the front.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) = 0.7, a circular pattern with the largest diameter is obtained because the shooting angle of view is constant. 51e is projected in the same size and shape as the case without distortion. However, each of the circular patterns 51a to 51d having a smaller diameter is projected larger than the image without distortion. At this time, the radius of the circular pattern 51a having the smallest diameter is larger than r, and the interval between the circular pattern 51a and the circular pattern 51b is larger than r. The interval between the circular pattern 51b and the circular pattern 51c is equal to r. On the other hand, the interval between the circular pattern 51c and the circular pattern 51d is smaller than r, and the interval between the circular pattern 51d and the circular pattern 51e is further reduced.

  However, if the distortion is about (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) = 0.7, this lesion may be overlooked even when the lesion is shown in the peripheral portion of the image. The image is not reduced and distorted as much.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, when (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) = 0.5, the reduction in the circular pattern interval in the peripheral portion of the image becomes more remarkable. Therefore, there is a possibility that the lesion may be overlooked when it is projected on the peripheral portion of the image.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4D, when (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) = 0.3, the reduction in the circle pattern interval in the peripheral portion of the image becomes extremely significant. Even if the lesion is inherently relatively large and can be easily detected by observing from the front, it may be extremely reduced, distorted, or overlooked when projected on the peripheral portion of the image.

  Thus, as the value of (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) is smaller than 1.0, the influence of distortion in the peripheral portion of the image becomes more significant. Therefore, it is preferable that the imaging lens 45 that forms an image of a spherical subject on a plane satisfies the above-described conditional expression (Equation 1). That is, the value of (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) is preferably larger than 0.7 for an arbitrary half angle of view ω. For any half angle of view ω, the value of (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) is preferably larger than 0.7 and smaller than 1.3, from 0.8 More preferably, it is larger than 1.2. Further, it is particularly preferable that the absolute value of (Y (ω + Δω) −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) is as close as possible to 1.0 with respect to an arbitrary half angle of view ω.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the imaging lens 45 that satisfies the above-described conditional expression will be described as an example.

[Example]
As shown in FIG. 5, the imaging lens 45a includes, in order from the object side, a first meniscus lens L1 having a convex surface facing the object side, an aperture stop, a second biconvex lens L2, and a third biconcave third lens. The lens L3 includes a biconvex fourth lens L4 and a biconvex fifth lens L5. The first lens group G1 of the imaging lens 45a is composed of a first lens L1 disposed on the object side of the aperture stop, and is a lens group having a negative refractive power. On the other hand, the second lens group G2 of the imaging lens 45a includes a second lens L2, a third lens L3, a fourth lens L4, and a fifth lens L5 arranged on the image side of the aperture stop, and is positively refracted as a whole. It is a power lens group. Furthermore, the third lens L3 and the fourth lens L4 are achromatic lenses LA in which opposing surfaces are bonded together. Further, the surface shapes and arrangements of these lenses L1 to L5 take into account the front cover 41 and the cover glass 56 of the image sensor 46.

  The surface of the spherical subject is S1, the object-side surface of the front cover 41 is S2, the image-side surface of the front cover 41 is S3, the object-side surface of the first lens L1 is S4, and the first lens L1. The image side surface is S5, the aperture stop is S6, the object side surface of the second lens L2 is S7, the image side surface of the second lens L2 is S8, the object side surface of the third lens L3 is S9, and the third side. The bonding surface of the lens L3 and the fourth lens L4 is S10, the image side surface of the fourth lens L4 is S11, the object side surface of the fifth lens L5 is S12, and the image side surface of the fifth lens L5 is S13. The object side surface of the glass 56 is denoted by S14, the image side surface of the cover glass 56 is denoted by S15, and is represented by a surface Si (surface number i = 1 to 15). In addition, the imaging surface of the imaging element 46 coincides with the surface S15. Further, Di (i = 1 to 14) represents an interval (surface interval) on the optical axis Z1 between the surface Si and the image-side surface Si + 1 adjacent thereto.

  As the lens data of the imaging lens 45a, the curvature radius Ri of each surface Si, each surface interval Di, the front cover 41 with respect to d-line (wavelength 587.6 nm), the refractive index Nd and the Abbe number of each lens L1 to L5, the cover glass 56. νd is shown in Table 1. The lower part of Table 1 also shows the F value, focal length f, and angle of view 2ω (degrees) of the imaging lens 45c. The lens data (Table 5) of the imaging lens 45c is lens data when normalized so that the value of the focal length f is 1.0. An aspherical surface Si is indicated by *.

The specific shape of the aspherical surface Si is as follows: curvature (reciprocal of paraxial radius of curvature R) c, conic constant K, distance ρ (ρ ² = x ² + y ² ) from the optical axis, i-th order Using the aspheric coefficient Ai, it is expressed by the following formula 2. Table 2 shows the conic constant K and each aspheric coefficient Ai for the aspheric surface Si.

  As shown in FIG. 5 and Tables 1 and 2, the first lens L1 has a meniscus shape with a convex surface facing the object side, and the absolute value of the radius of curvature R4 of the object-side surface S4 is the image-side surface. It is larger than the absolute value of the curvature radius R5 of S5. That is, the first lens L1 has a larger curvature on the image side surface S5 than on the object side surface S4. The second lens L2 has a meniscus shape with a convex surface facing the image side, and the absolute value of the curvature radius S7 of the object side surface S7 is larger than the absolute value of the curvature radius R8 of the image side surface S8. large. That is, the second lens L2 has a larger curvature on the image side surface S8 than on the object side surface S7.

  Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows spherical aberration, astigmatism, and lateral chromatic aberration of the imaging lens 45a. In each aberration diagram, the front cover 41 and the cover glass 56 shown in Table 5 are arranged. The spherical aberration is indicated by a solid line for the d-line (wavelength 587.6 nm), a broken line for the F-line (wavelength 486.13 nm), and a dashed-dotted line for the C-line (wavelength 656.27 nm). It shows with. Astigmatism is indicated by a solid line in the sagittal direction and by a broken line in the tangential direction. The lateral chromatic aberration is indicated by a broken line for the F line and by a one-dot chain line for the C line.

As shown in FIG. 7, the imaging lens 45a satisfies the above-described conditional expression (Equation 1) for an arbitrary angle of view ω, and (Y (ω + Δω) in the entire range of half angle of view ω = 0 to 84.1 degrees. The value of −Y (ω)) / Y (Δω) is larger than 0.7, and is a value close to 1.0 in the substantially entire field angle range. Therefore, an image obtained by photographing a spherical subject using the imaging lens 45c is small in image reduction and distortion even in the peripheral portion. That is, although the imaging lens 45a is a wide-angle lens having a maximum field angle 2ω _{MAX of up} to 168.2 degrees, an image captured using the imaging lens 45a is overlooked in the entire range including the peripheral portion. There is no distortion to the point of concern.

In this way, the imaging lens 45a is composed of five lenses, and in particular has the two-group five-lens configuration as described above, so that the size of the capsule endoscope is not increased. The distortion is corrected well over the entire range of the angle of view of the angle 2ω _MAX . Further, the imaging lens 45a is configured such that lateral chromatic aberration is well corrected not only in distortion but also in the entire field angle range of the field angle 2ω _MAX . Therefore, by installing this imaging lens 45a, the capsule endoscope maintains a size that is easy to swallow, and has a wide angle of view, and both distortion and lateral chromatic aberration are well improved in the peripheral portion of the image. It can be.

  As described above, the capsule endoscope of the present invention is equipped with an imaging lens that satisfies the above-described conditional expression (Equation 1), so that a sufficient imaging range is maintained while the size can be easily swallowed. In addition, an image with extremely little influence of distortion and lateral chromatic aberration can be obtained even in the peripheral portion of the photographed image. Therefore, although it is a capsule endoscope whose posture is difficult to control in the patient's body, not only is there no omission of imaging, but there is very little possibility of overlooking the lesion imaged in the peripheral part of the image taken at the time of diagnosis An image can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, a capsule endoscope that does not control the posture and position in the patient's body will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the capsule endoscope that performs posture and position control in the patient's body. The present invention can also be suitably applied to a mirror. Moreover, the aspect of the diagnosis using the capsule endoscope shown in the above embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the diagnostic system by a capsule endoscope. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a capsule endoscope. It is explanatory drawing which shows the imaging | photography range of a capsule endoscope. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the distortion produced when a spherical to-be-photographed object is imaged on a plane. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an imaging lens of Example 3. FIG. 6 is an aberration diagram of the imaging lens of Example 3. FIG. 10 is a graph showing distortion of the imaging lens of Example 3.

Explanation of symbols

15 Capsule Endoscope 40 Subject 41 Front Cover 42 Rear Cover 45 Imaging Lens 46 Image Sensor 47 Illumination Device

Claims (4)

In an imaging lens for a capsule endoscope arranged in a dome-shaped transparent cover,
When a spherical subject is imaged, an image in the entire region from the center of the subject to the maximum angle of view is formed in substantially the same plane, and the imaging optical system is composed of five lenses. An imaging lens.   The imaging lens according to claim 1, further comprising a first lens group having a negative refractive power, an aperture, and a second lens group having a positive refractive power in order from the subject side. When the maximum half angle of view is ω _MAX ,
2ω _MAX > 135 (degrees)
The imaging lens according to claim 1, wherein:   A capsule endoscope comprising the imaging lens according to claim 1.

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