JP2003180627A - Electronic scope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic scope miniaturized in the connection part with a processor and capable of stably driven by eliminating various adverse effects such as noise, a voltage drop or the like generated on the basis of the structure of a circuit related to drive control. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic scope has an image pickup element, which picks up the image of a region illuminated by the light emitted from the processor, provided to the leading end thereof. This electronic scope has a first substrate plate loaded with a first circuit for applying predetermined processing to the predetermined output signal from the image pickup element to form an analogue image signal to output the same to the processor and a second substrate plate loaded with a first circuit for digitally controlling the image pickup element and the first circuit and the first and second substrate plates are mutually overlapped so as to leave a predetermined width. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope device used for observing the inside of a body cavity, and more particularly to an electronic scope constituting the electronic endoscope device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a medical electronic endoscope apparatus used for observing the inside of a body is equipped with a processor having a light source section and an image processing section, and is inserted into the body of a subject to illuminate the inside of the body. At the same time, the CCD (Charge Coupl
ed Device) and an electronic scope that captures an image with an image sensor.

Conventionally, a single substrate provided inside the electronic scope for driving and controlling the scope has been constructed. Therefore, the connecting portion of the electronic scope with the processor has to be increased in size by the area of the one substrate. However, if the electronic scope becomes large, it will impose an unnecessary burden on the person who handles the electronic scope in each operation such as operation, transportation and storage.

When a circuit necessary for driving the electronic scope is formed on a single substrate, a predetermined output signal from the CCD is determined according to the brightness of the optical image formed on the CCD light receiving surface. The components that make up the circuit for generating the analog video signal by performing the process (hereinafter referred to as the analog circuit) and the components that configure the circuit related to the overall electronic scope control (hereinafter referred to as the digital circuit) are mixed. It will be. When components that compose an analog circuit and components that compose a digital circuit coexist in this way, various noises are generated, which adversely affects various signals transmitted in the board and is supplied from the outside. There is a problem that the power supply voltage is lowered. If the problem is neglected, it may hinder the normal operation of the electronic scope.

[0005]

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention is a miniaturized electronic scope that is easy for an operator to grasp, and noise and noise generated due to the structure of a circuit relating to drive control. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic scope capable of stable operation by eliminating various adverse effects such as voltage drop.

[0006]

Therefore, an electronic scope according to a first aspect of the present invention relates to an electronic scope having an image pickup element for picking up an image of a region illuminated by light emitted from a processor. The electronic scope includes a first substrate on which a first circuit for performing a predetermined process on a predetermined output signal from the image pickup element to generate an analog video signal and outputting the analog video signal to the processor, the image pickup element and the first board. And a second board on which a second circuit for digitally controlling the circuit is mounted, and the first board and the second board have a predetermined width,
It is characterized by overlapping each other.

According to the above structure, the vicinity of the grip portion of the scope corresponding to the position where the board for driving the electronic scope is mounted can be downsized, and the scope can be reduced in each operation, transportation and storage. It can contribute to the convenience of the person who handles the scope. Further, by dividing the digital circuit and the analog circuit and mounting them on different substrates, it is possible to reduce the adverse effects of noise generated from the components forming each circuit on the components forming other circuits.

Preferably, the first circuit is directly supplied with the power supply voltage from the processor, and the second circuit is supplied with the power supply voltage via the first substrate on which the first circuit is mounted. By arranging the analog circuit and the power supply unit close to each other, which are likely to cause a malfunction in operation due to a change in voltage, a more stable operation is guaranteed.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive unit 10 provided inside an electronic scope of an embodiment of the present invention for electrically driving the entire scope. 1 (1) is a plan view of the drive unit 10, FIG. 1 (2) is a front view of the drive unit 10, and FIG. 1 (3) is a side view of the drive unit 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electronic endoscope apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope device 100 includes an electronic scope 100a, a processor 100b, and a monitor 10.
0c. As shown in each figure, the drive unit 10
Is mainly composed of a substrate S1 on which a digital circuit that controls the entire electronic scope 100a is mounted, and a substrate S2 on which an analog circuit that mainly generates an analog video signal from a signal transmitted from the CCD 20 is mounted. It Substrate S
1 has a connector CN1 for electrically connecting to the processor 100b and an inter-board connector CN3, and a board S2.
Has a connector CN2 for electrically connecting to the processor 100b and an inter-board connector CN3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (1) to 1 (3), the drive unit 10 is in a state in which the substrate S1 and the substrate S2 are overlapped with a predetermined width therebetween. By overlapping the two substrates S1 and S2 constituting the drive unit 10 in this manner, the occupied area of the drive unit 10 can be made smaller than that of one substrate having a large area used in the conventional electronic scope. Will be possible. That is, the electronic scope can be downsized. Note that in FIG. 2, for convenience of description, the substrates S1 and S2 are drawn in a parallel state.

Here, the board S1 on which the digital circuit having a smaller number of components than the analog circuit is mounted is smaller than the board S2. That is, the substrates S1 and S2
Means that a part of the substrate S2 in the vicinity of the end is exposed without being covered by the substrate S1. Therefore, for example, in FIG.
(1) If relatively high-height components such as the middle connector CN2 and a radiator plate (not shown) are arranged near the end of the substrate S2,
It is possible to set the above-mentioned predetermined width of superposition to the necessary minimum, and it is possible to sufficiently maintain the efficiency of the connection work with other members even if the respective boards are superposed. In the present embodiment, the substrate S1 is fixed so as to be superposed on the substantially central portion of the substrate S2, and the exposed surface of the substrate S2 is provided at two positions with the substrate S1 interposed therebetween.

Further, in order to secure the arrangement space f of the components projecting from the board S2 as wide as possible, the board S1 is not a perfect rectangular shape, but a connector CN as shown in FIG. 1 (1).
1 has a deformed rectangular shape having a convex surface p extending as the arrangement surface. Both the connector CN1 and the connector CN2 are components for connecting to the processor as described above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 (1), by providing the positions close to each other, it is possible to consolidate the introduction spaces of the cables connected to the connectors CN1 and CN2 in one place and save space.

The predetermined width between the substrates S1 and S2 is equal to that of the substrates S and S2.
It is set according to the height of the most protruding member in the region where 1 and S2 overlap. In this embodiment, the height is set to be substantially equal to the height of the inter-board connector CN3. The predetermined width is such that the spacers 7A to 7 that are inserted between the substrates S1 and S2.
Determined by the height of D. Spacers 7A-7D are
It has a threaded through hole in the center. Then, screws 8A to
8D, 9A to 9D by screwing, the substrate S1, S
2 is fixed. That is, the spacers 7A to 7D are
As described above, it is provided to adjust the width between the substrates S1 and S2, and at the same time, it functions as a member for fixing the two substrates to each other. The spacers 7A to 7D of the present embodiment are assumed to have a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 2, but are not limited to this shape.

Further, the driving unit 10 has an auxiliary spacer 7E between the substrates S1 and S2. The spacer 7E has substantially the same shape as the other spacers 7A to 7D, and is provided at a predetermined position such that at least a part of the convex surface p on the substrate S1 is in contact. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 (2) and 2 (3), the surface in contact with the substrate S2 is screwed by the screw 9E, but as shown in FIG. 2 (1), the surface in contact with the substrate S1 is partially It is not screwed because it is exposed.

By providing the auxiliary spacer 7E, it is possible to prevent the substrate S1 from being distorted by the urging force when connecting the cable to the connector CN1. Further, there is an effect that the fixation of each substrate becomes more rigid.

Hereinafter, the electronic endoscope apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The operation of the drive unit 10 will be mainly described for the overall operation of 00. The drive unit 10 is provided inside the electronic scope 100a.
The place where is arranged corresponds to the vicinity of the area connecting the electronic scope 100a to the processor 100b. That is, by mounting the miniaturized drive unit 10 as described above, it is possible to miniaturize the periphery of the connection portion of the electronic scope 100a. As a result, it is possible to contribute to the convenience that a person who handles the scope does not have an unnecessary burden. In addition, the electronic scope 100a includes the drive unit 10 described above.
In addition to the CCD 20. The CCD 20 is arranged at the tip of the electronic scope 100a. And CCD 20
Is a charge corresponding to the optical image formed on the light receiving surface by receiving the light reflected by the observation site when the observation site is illuminated by the light emitted from the light source unit and emitted from the tip. Is accumulated and an image is taken.

Although not shown, the processor 100b transmits power from a power supply section for applying a power supply voltage to the electronic scope 100a electrically connected thereto, a light source section for supplying light for illuminating an observation site, and the electronic scope 100a. An image processing unit that performs image processing on the generated video signal and outputs it to the monitor 100c is provided.

The substrate S1 carries a digital circuit. The digital circuit has a CPU 1, an EEPROM 2, a mask information section 3, and a DIP switch 4. Also the substrate S
2 has an analog circuit. The analog circuit is DS
It has a P (Digital Signal Processor) and a regulator 6. The regulator 6 constitutes a main part of the power supply circuit of the electronic scope 100a.

The CPU 1 constitutes a main part of a digital circuit which controls electric driving of the entire electronic scope 100a. The CPU 1 drives the electronic scope 100a according to the settings from the DIP switch 4 and an external device (not shown). The CPU 1 transmits / receives signals to / from the analog circuit mounted on the substrate S2 via the connector CN3. Further, the CPU 1 sends a timing signal for synchronizing with the processor 100b to the processor 100b via the connector CN1. Information required for drive control performed by the CPU 1 is stored in the EEPROM 4.

The DSP 5 is one of the main parts constituting an analog circuit. DSP5 is CC under the control of CPU1.
A signal (vertical synchronization signal or horizontal synchronization signal) relating to the timing of sweeping the accumulated charge is transmitted to D20. And D
SP5 is a CCD corresponding to the signal related to the timing.
A predetermined signal (change in voltage value corresponding to the accumulated charge) transmitted from 20 is subjected to predetermined processing to generate two types of analog video signals (color difference signal C and luminance signal Y). The generated color difference signal C and luminance signal Y are each amplified by a predetermined amount by an amplifier and then output to the processor 100b via the connector CN2.

In this embodiment, the CPU in the substrate S1
1 also transmits a mask processing signal to the DSP 5 of the substrate S2 based on the mask processing information transmitted from the mask information unit 3. That is, mask processing is also performed when the color difference signal C and the luminance signal Y are generated in the electronic scope 100a.

The power supply voltage supplied from the processor 100b is supplied to the regulator 6 via the connector CN2. The regulator 6 converts the supplied power supply voltage into an optimum voltage value for application to each component in the electronic scope 100a, and then applies it to each component. As described above, the power supply unit including the regulator 6 is provided in the substrate S2 on which the analog circuit is mounted. Here, the analog circuit is characterized in that its operation tends to be unstable due to the influence of noise and the absence of application of a predetermined voltage. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, by disposing the power supply unit in the analog circuit, a substantially predetermined voltage is applied to each component of the analog circuit before a voltage change or the like occurs due to noise. .

By the way, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2, each component of the digital circuit, for example, the CPU 1, is applied via the substrate S2 and the connector CN3, but each component of the digital circuit is up to a certain extent. Voltage changes and noise are acceptable. That is, even if the voltage supply line to the substrate S2 is configured to be long, there is no problem in controlling the drive of the scope.

As described above, by providing a digital circuit and an analog circuit separately on each of the two substrates S1 and S2, when a defect occurs, it is easy to determine which substrate is the cause. It will be possible. Further, since only the defective substrate needs to be replaced, the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. In particular, in recent years, the performance of parts constituting a digital circuit has been remarkably improved, and therefore, the number of times of exchanging a board is increasing with the upgrade of the digital circuit. On the other hand, in the analog circuit that generates the analog video signal, various settings such as the frequency of the DSP 5 are set in accordance with the individual difference of the electronic scope 100a, specifically, the CCD 20. Therefore, if the drive unit is composed of a single board as in the related art, it is necessary to set again each time the digital board is replaced, which is a problem that it cannot be endured. In this respect, according to the present embodiment, the digital circuit, which is relatively frequently replaced, and the analog circuit, which is adjusted according to the individual difference of the electronic scope 100a, are mounted on different boards, so that the above problem does not occur. .

The above is the embodiment of the present invention. The invention is not limited to these embodiments.

In the above embodiment, in order to obtain a wider exposed surface of the substrate S2, the substrate S1 is formed in a deformed rectangular shape having the convex surface p, but if importance is attached to the ease of manufacture, It may be a simple rectangular shape.

In the above embodiment, the DSP 5 is used in the analog circuit in order to reduce the size of the board. The DSP 5 is merely an example, and a plurality of components may be provided instead of the DSP 5 as long as the DSP 5 can perform the same signal processing as the DSP 5.

In the above embodiment, the processor 10
Although the endoscope system having the light source at 0b has been described, the light source for illuminating the observation site does not necessarily need to be provided in the processor 100b. For example, it is possible to dispose a light emitting element such as an LED as a light source near the tip of the electronic scope 100a, that is, near the CCD.

In the above embodiment, the medical endoscope system is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to an industrial endoscope system.

[0030]

As described above, in the electronic scope of the present invention, the electric drive section is divided into a digital circuit and an analog circuit,
Each substrate was mounted on another substrate, and each substrate was stacked with a predetermined width. Thereby, the connecting portion of the electronic scope can be downsized. Further, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effects such as noise generation and voltage drop caused by the coexistence of the analog circuit and the digital circuit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a three-view drawing of a drive unit of an electronic scope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic endoscope apparatus of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 CPU 5 DSP 6 regulator 7 Spacer 10 Drive CN1, CN2 connector CN3 board-to-board connector 100 electronic endoscope system 100a electronic scope 100b processor

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Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An electronic scope having an image pickup device for picking up an image of a region illuminated by a predetermined illumination light at a tip portion thereof, wherein a predetermined output signal from the image pickup device is subjected to predetermined processing to generate an analog video signal. A first substrate on which a first circuit for generating and outputting to the processor is mounted; and a second substrate on which a second circuit for digitally controlling the image sensor and the first circuit is mounted. An electronic scope, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are overlapped with each other with a predetermined width. 2. The electronic scope according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit is directly supplied with a power supply voltage from the processor, and the second circuit is the first circuit on which the first circuit is mounted. An electronic scope, wherein the power supply voltage is supplied via one substrate. 3. The electronic scope according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined width is the height of an inter-board connector that electrically connects the first board and the second board. An electronic scope characterized by being approximately equal to. 4. The electronic scope according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit has a DSP. 5. The electronic scope according to claim 1, wherein the second circuit has a CPU. 6. The electronic scope power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the second circuit includes a circuit related to mask processing. 7. The electronic scope according to claim 1, wherein the substrates are overlapped with each other with a predetermined width by a plurality of spacers, and the spacers mutually overlap the substrates. An electronic scope which is also a holding member for fixing to an electronic scope.