JPS6373929A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope having a built-in electronic component such as a solid-state image sensor and an attached circuit board in its distal end.

[Conventional technology] In recent years, endoscopes have become more multifunctional and more electronic.

For example, an endoscope that uses a solid-state image sensor as an observation means has been provided (see US Pat. No. 4,491,865). By the way, this kind of solid-state image sensor 4
The number of external leads in the 1-eye drive type interline COD is 14 to 20, and the number of electric wires is 11 to 1.
About 5 pieces are required. And, the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 4゜49
As shown in the specification of No. 1.865, a circuit board attached to this solid-state image sensor is installed parallel to the solid-state image sensor.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional endoscope described above, the solid-state image sensor and the circuit board are installed in parallel, so it is difficult to connect electronic components, external leads, and electric wires to the circuit board. Only one side of the circuit board can be used.

Therefore, if the dimensions of electronic components mounted on a circuit board are large or the number of electronic components is large, the area of the circuit board must be extremely large. Therefore, there has been a drawback that the distal end of the endoscope into which this is incorporated becomes thick.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a structure in which electronic components, external leads, electric wires, etc. to be mounted on a circuit board can be distributed and arranged on both sides of the circuit board. The purpose of this invention is to make the tip of an endoscope more compact.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention disposes a solid-state imaging device on the distal end side of the insertion section, approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the insertion section, and performs solid-state imaging. A circuit board on which associated electronic components are mounted is provided adjacent to the element, and this circuit board is arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the insertion portion of the endoscope.

[Function] In the present invention, since the circuit board is arranged in the space on the proximal side of the solid-state image sensor (on the operation section side) almost parallel to the axial direction of the insertion section, the length of the circuit board in the axial direction can be increased. A sufficient area for the circuit board can be secured without increasing the width and making the endoscope thicker.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the circuit board portion can be configured from the leading end side, for example, as a solid-state image sensor connection section, an electronic component mounting section, and an electric wire mounting section, so that the external leads and electric wires of the solid-state image sensor overlap with the electronic components. This allows the width of the circuit board to be minimized.

In other words, it can be arranged and incorporated in a compact manner.

Furthermore, since the external leads of the solid-state image sensor, electronic components, and electric wires having different shapes and properties can be mounted separately in individual areas, it is easy to mount them.

In addition, if you mount various items on each side of the circuit board, you can effectively use the space in the height direction.
Since the length of the circuit board can be shortened, the length can be shortened without increasing the thickness of the hard end portion.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the entire endoscope apparatus, where 1 is an endoscope and 2 is an endoscope control device. A video processing circuit 3 is built into the endoscope control device 2 . Further, a monitor 4 connected to a video processing circuit 3 is provided outside the endoscope control device 2.

The distal end portion of the insertion section 5 in the endoscope 1 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, this distal end portion is provided with a distal end component member 7 connected to the distal end of a curved tube 6 that is connected to the distal end of a flexible tube (not shown) of the insertion section 5,
Various members are incorporated into this tip constituent member 7, as will be described later. Note that the tip component 7 may be made of metal, but may also be made of synthetic resin, ceramic, or the like.

Further, the bending tube 6 is formed by covering the outer periphery of a core member formed by rotatably connecting a plurality of bending pieces 8 to each other with an outer skin 9 made of an electrically insulating synthetic resin.

A tip cover 11 made of an electrically insulating material is densely corrugated on the outer peripheral surface of the tip component 7. Further, an objective observation unit 12, which will be described later, is freely attached to the tip component 7. The objective observation unit 12 includes an objective lens system 33, a solid-state image sensor 34, a circuit board 73 attached thereto, and an electric wire 3 connected to the circuit board 73.
6. The circuit board 73 is disposed at right angles, or substantially at right angles, to the solid-state image sensor 34, that is, almost at right angles. In other words, the plate surface is arranged along the axial direction of the insertion portion 5. Furthermore, electronic components 31 such as transistors, capacitors, and resistors are attached to the circuit board 73. Further, the objective lens system 33 is formed by fixing a plurality of lenses 37 in a metal lens frame 38 in an airtight manner,
Three observation cover lenses are fixedly attached to the tip of the lens frame 38. Note that a diaphragm 40 is provided between the lenses 37 of one summer. Further, an electrically insulating lens frame cover 41 is supported by the cylindrical cable frame 51 of the lens frame 38 and is airtightly adhered to the outer periphery of the element frame 5.
is attached to him.

Further, an electrically insulating potting material 43 is provided between the periphery of the observation cover lens 39 and the tip of the lens frame cover 41.
It is stopped 1.1 by filling it. In other words, the lens frame 38 is not exposed to the outside.

Further, the outer periphery of the lens frame cover 41 is tightly fitted into a through hole 45 formed in the tip component 7, so that it can be detachably attached.

A circumferential groove 47 into which an O-ring 46 is fitted is formed on the outer peripheral surface a:≦ of the lens frame cover 41. That is, the lens frame cover 41 is hermetically fitted into the through hole 45 by the O ring 46. Further, the lens frame cover 41 is fixed in a fixed position by a retaining screw 48 screwed into the side wall of the tip component 7. Note that the mounting position of the retaining screw 48 is hermetically sealed from the outside by filling the position with an electrically insulating potting material 49.

On the other hand, the solid-state image sensor 34 has a cylindrical device frame 5 made of metal.
It is installed inside 1. The outer diameter of the portion of the element frame 51 where the solid-state image sensor is mounted is larger than the outer diameter of the lens frame cover 41. The tip end of the element frame 51 is joined to the outer periphery of the lens frame 38 and is adhesively fixed with a conductive adhesive. The lens frame cover 41 is also fitted around the outer periphery of the tip end of the element frame 51.

Further, the circuit board 73 connected to the fixed imaging cable 34 is surrounded by a sea/l/d pipe 52 which is threadedly connected to the rear end of the element frame 51. The shield vibe 52 is made of metal and is electrically connected to the element frame 51. The shield vibe 52 extends rearward to include the connecting end portion of the electric wire 36. A metal wire fixing member 53 is connected to the rear end of the shield vibe 52 and is electrically connected to the shield vibe 52 . In other words, the lens frame 38
, the element frame 51, the seed vibrator 52, and the wire fixing member 53 are electrically connected to each other, thereby forming a long cylindrical shield member 54.

The objective observation unit 12 is configured so that it can be pulled out in front of the tip component 7 made of an electrically insulating material. That is, the outer diameter of the shield pipe insulation tube 159 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the lens frame cover 41. Further, the lens frame 38 is 3
It is supported by a book tilt adjustment screw 70, three centering screws, and a book 1. That is, the inclination of the lens l+38 is adjusted by the three inclination adjustment screws 70, and the centering is adjusted by the three centering screws 71. The lens frames 3 and 8 and the element frame 51 are electrically connected to each other by three centering screws 71. Further, the lens frame 38 and the three inclination adjusting screws 70 and the three centering screws 71 are electrically connected to each other using a conductive adhesive. Further, the fixed imaging cord 34 is fixed by a fixing screw 72. Fixed image sensor 3
The legs of 4 are bent and connected to the circuit board 73. Note that the GND of the solid-state image sensor 34 and the lens frame 38 are connected by a lead wire 77. Further, the insulating tube 59 is screwed into the shield vibe 52 and the lens frame cover 41, respectively. Furthermore, the rear end portions of the shield members 54 are sealed with potting agents 43 and 76, respectively, to airtightly seal the inside of the shield members 54. This sealed space is filled with, for example, an inert gas that does not contain hydrogen or oxygen. Note that dry air may be filled instead of this. Further, the element frame 51, the shield vibe 52, and the wire fixing member 53 are each bonded with a conductive adhesive and are electrically connected to each other.

Furthermore, this embodiment has a lamp unit 80 as an illumination system.
The lamp unit 8o has a unit main body 81 made of an electrically insulating material and a through hole 8 formed in the tip component 7.
3, and the unit body 81 is fixed with a set screw 84. A circumferential groove 85 is formed on the outer periphery of the unit main body 81, and an O-ring 86 is fitted into the circumferential groove 85 to maintain airtightness between the unit main body 81 and the through hole 83. A cover lens 1B that covers the illumination lamp 87 is airtightly attached to the front portion of the unit body 81.

The back of the lighting lamp 87 is covered with an electrically insulating potting agent 8.
The storage chamber 90 for the illumination lamp 87 is sealed by
is sealed. Further, the connecting end of the electric wire 77 and the illumination lamp 87 is embedded in the eight potting agents. Note that 78 is a wire protection tube.

Since the lamp unit 80 is attached to the lamp unit 80 in this way, the illumination lamp, for example, the xenon lamp, has a limited lifespan, and when it needs to be replaced, it can be easily replaced. As described later, the objective observation unit 12 can be pulled out from the front in the same way as the objective observation unit 12, so the operation is easy.

Note that the tip component 7 is provided with an air/water supply nozzle (not shown) that protrudes outward toward the surfaces of the three observation cover lenses, and this air/water supply nozzle has a Inserted air and water supply tube (not shown)
is connected.

This air/water supply nozzle is made of an electrically insulating material.

Furthermore, the tip component 7 is provided with a cylindrical channel tip member (not shown). This channel tip member has a channel hole (
Not shown. ). Furthermore, the channel tip member is connected to a channel tube (not shown) inserted into the insertion section 5. The opening, the channel hole, and the channel tube form an insertion channel through which various treatment tools and the like can be inserted.

On the other hand, a wire protection tube 55 is connected to the outer periphery of the rear end of the wire fixing member 53. The electric wire 36 is connected to the video process circuit 3 through the wire protection tube 55 as shown in FIG. The tip portion of the electric wire 36 is inserted into the electric wire fixing member 53 and is fastened and fixed to the electric wire fixing member 53. In addition, the electric wire 5
6 is constituted by a shielded wire, and the wire 57 responsible for the shielding is electrically connected to the circuit board 73 and the wire fixing part +4' 5 B.

Note that the shield pipe 52 and the wire fixing member 53
The inside of each may be densely filled with an electrically insulating potting agent. In this case, the circuit board 73, the electric wires 36, their connecting ends, etc. inside the shield pipe 52 and the electric wire fixing member 53 are embedded in the electrically insulating potting agent.

Incidentally, as each of the above-mentioned potting agents, for example, an epoxy-based or silicon-based electrically insulating material is used.

Therefore, in the above configuration, the electric circuit portion of the electronic components including the solid-state image sensor 34 and the accompanying circuit board 73 and other electronic components 31 is connected to the lens frame 38 and the cable frame 5.
1. It is surrounded and shielded by a shield member 54 consisting of a shield pipe 52 and a wire fixing member 53. Therefore, even if an electric scalpel is inserted through the insertion channel and used, the electric circuit is not affected by high frequency noise.

Further, the outer periphery of the shield member 54 includes an electrically insulating lens frame cover 41, a potting agent 43, 76, a tube 59, an insulating coating for the electric wire 36 itself, and an electric wire protection tube 5.
5 and the like, the patient will not receive an electric shock even if a large amount of leakage current flows from the video process circuit 3.

Moreover, since the group image pickup device 34, the circuit board 73 and other electronic components 31 associated therewith, the connection portion of the electric wire 36, and each terminal portion are sealed, they are completely hermetically insulated. Therefore, even if the inside of the insertion section 5 becomes humid due to long-term immersion in the disinfectant solution as described above, water vapor will not condense on the electrical circuit section.

By the way, endoscopes are generally exposed to an ethylene excite gas atmosphere for sterilization, but at this time electronic components also deteriorate and are eventually destroyed. However, in this embodiment, since the inside of the objective observation unit 12 is hermetically sealed as described above, the ethylene oxide gas does not reach the electronic components. In particular, since it does not reach the expensive solid-state image sensor 34, its destruction can be prevented.

Furthermore, components such as an objective lens system 33, a solid-state image sensor 34, a circuit board 73, other electronic components 31, and electric wires 36 are unitized as an objective observation unit 12, and in the unit 12, a shield,
Electrical insulation and sealing have been completed. Therefore, the reliability of functional operation etc. is high. Furthermore, since the objective observation unit 12 is detachable from the tip component 7,
In the event that a failure occurs in the objective observation unit 12, the entire objective observation unit 12 can be replaced, so that the repair period can be shortened. Therefore, the period during which the doctor cannot use the endoscope 1 can be shortened. Moreover, since the objective observation unit 12 is replaced every time, reliability does not deteriorate due to repair. Furthermore, in the event of a failure in any part other than that unit, the objective observation unit 12 can be reused as is.

Further, in this embodiment, since the lens frame 38 is used as a shield member, a sufficient length of the shield member 54 in front of the solid-state image pickup device 34 can be taken.
The diameter of the aperture 40 is very small compared to the above length. Therefore, the ability to block noise entering from the lens 37 side is very good. Note that when the lens frame 38 is used as a shield member, the GND circuit may be exposed to the outside in the industrial endoscope, so electrical insulation of the objective observation unit 12 is not necessary.

In the above configuration, the lens frame 38 is tilted and centered using three tilt adjustment screws 70 and centering screws 71, so that the lens performance can be maximized.

On the other hand, the objective observation unit 12 is made to be removable to the right with respect to the tip component 7, and the outer diameter of the part that fits into the tip component 7 is the largest among the objective observation units 12, and the other parts Since the outer diameter of the holder is smaller than that, it can be pulled out forward. Therefore, if the objective observation unit 12 breaks down, it can be easily repaired without any modification to the bending tube 6 side. In other words, the potting agent 49 at the set screw 48 is scraped off, and the set screw 48 is pulled out. Next, the objective observation unit 12 is pulled out using the suction cup. Then, the five tubes are rolled together and cut between the shield pipe 52 and the wire fixing member 53. Next, the circuit board 73
The electric wire 36 is removed from the electric wire fixing member 53, and the shield pipe 52 is removed from the electric wire fixing member 53. All that is left to do is to connect a new objective observation unit 12. This means that other parts can be reused. For this purpose, it is better not to attach the lens frame cover 41 or the shield pipe 52. However, you can also use jujuku. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a side-viewing endoscope.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, the circuit board is arranged almost at right angles to the solid-state image sensor, so the area of the circuit board can be secured without making the endoscope thicker.

Therefore, it is easy to mount components on the circuit board. Furthermore, the circuit board can be constructed by sequentially arranging, for example, a connecting portion for a solid-state image sensor, an electronic component mounting portion, and a wire mounting portion from the front end side of the circuit board. In this way, the external leads, 7u wires, etc. do not overlap with electronic components, and the width of the circuit board can be minimized. In other words, the external leads of the solid-state image sensor, electronic components, and electric wires, which have different shapes and properties, can be mounted in individual areas, making it possible to mount them efficiently and easily.

Furthermore, if it is mounted on one or both sides of the circuit board, the space in the height direction as shown in Figure 2 can be used effectively, and the length of the circuit board can be shortened, so the rigid tip part can be made thicker. You can shorten its length without any problems.

In addition, by placing the circuit board in line with the center of the solid-state image sensor, you can maximize the effective use of the space near the solid-state image sensor. Since the mounted components can be distributed evenly, the length of the board can be made shorter.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the distal end of the endoscope. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoscope, 7... Tip component, 31... Electronic component, 33... Objective lens, 34... Solid-state image sensor, 36... Electric wire, 73... circuit board.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A solid-state imaging device is provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion and is arranged substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the insertion portion, and accompanying electronic components are mounted adjacent to the solid-state imaging device. An endoscope comprising: a circuit board; the circuit board is arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the insertion section.