PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope device which suppresses a decrease in oscillating efficiency of an oscillator, early deterioration of the oscillator, a thermal effect of the oscillator on other built-in objects, and an increase in power consumption, by properly driving and controlling a contamination-removing function of an observation window under an in-vivo observation.SOLUTION: The endoscope device 1 includes: the observation window 32 provided facing an imaging module 34 at the apical end of the insertion part 11 of an endoscope 2 an ultrasonic oscillator 37 stuck on an inner surface of the observation window 32 and a deflection grating 40 converting ultrasonic oscillations f generated in the ultrasonic oscillator 37 into a surface elastic wave Φ propagated on an outer surface of the observation window 32 a detection means 38 detecting a relative distance between the observation window 32 and an object to be observed an operation means 13 operating the stop of the ultrasonic oscillator 37 and a control means 52 driving and controlling the ultrasonic oscillator 37 corresponding to the relative distance between the observation window 32 and the object to be observed when an instruction signal for driving the ultrasonic oscillator 37 is received.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】 生体内の観察下において、観察窓の汚れ落とし機能を適切な状態に駆動制御して、振動子の振動効率の低下、振動子の早期劣化、振動子による他の内蔵物への熱的影響および消費電力の増加を抑制する内視鏡装置の提供。【解決手段】 内視鏡装置1は、内視鏡2の挿入部11の先端に撮像モジュール34に対向して設けられた観察窓32と、観察窓32の内表面に貼着された超音波振動子37と、超音波振動子37で発生した超音波振動fを観察窓32の外表面に伝播する表面弾性波Φに変換する回折格子40と、観察窓32と観察対象物との相対距離を検知する検出手段38と、超音波振動子37の駆動停止を操作する操作手段13と、超音波振動子37を駆動させる指示信号が入力されているときに、観察窓32と観察対象物との相対距離に応じて超音波振動子37を駆動制御する制御手段52と、を有する。【選択図】図2
