VISUAL FIELD DIRECTION VARYING TYPE ENDOSCOPE

摘要

PURPOSE:To enable an operator to freely change over visual field directions even during use by making part of incident rays entering from a transparent window arranged at the end of an insertion part incident selectively on an objective optical system to obtain a specified visual field range and providing the above endoscope with a driving means for controlling driving of a visual field changing means. CONSTITUTION:This endoscope is provided with an image pickup part 19 having objective optical system 16, a prism 17 as an optical path changing optical member and a solid-state image pickup element 18 on the inner side of an observation/illumination window 26. This observation/illumination window 26 is composed of a nearly semicircular direct viewing window 26a arranged nearly orthogonally with the axial direction of the insertion part and a nearly semicircular diagonal viewing window 26b arranged adjacently to this direct viewing window 26a in a direction diagonal with the axial direction of the insertion part. The image pickup part 19 is provided with a turning shaft 20 in a direction nearly orthogonal with the axial direction near the operator side end and is fixed with one-end parts of driving wires 21, 22 for changing over the visual field as transmission means at the top and bottom ends. These wires 21, 22 are inserted into the insertion section and are connected at the other end to a visual field direction operating knob as the driving means of the operation section.