JP2005152043A - Capsule type endoscope and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a capsule type endoscope of a watertight structure whose outer shape can be miniaturized. <P>SOLUTION: On an LED substrate 34, the front surface of a solid-state imaging device 38 tightly adhered to the rear surface of an objective optical system 31 attached by being fitted to the through-hole 35 is flip-chip mounted. Further, the back surface of the solid-state imaging device 38 is soldered with a rigid substrate 39 where a signal processing and control circuit 41 or the like is mounted. By pouring a transparent resin 33a for integral molding around the built-in objects positioned and arranged inside a mold and hardening it, the small-sized capsule type endoscope with sufficient strength is provided without the need of a fitting part for fitting the case of a separate body or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a capsule endoscope that obtains image information by imaging a body cavity.

In recent years, various capsule-type medical devices have been proposed that can capture the inside of a body cavity by swallowing from the mouth in a capsule shape.
For example, in the conventional example of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-224552, power is supplied to an exterior case composed of a transparent cover and a cylindrical cover by receiving illumination means, imaging means, transmission means, and infrared light from outside the body. A capsule endoscope having a structure in which a photovoltaic element is housed is disclosed.
JP 2001-224552 A

  In the above conventional example, since a separate case is fitted and fixed around the built-in object, the thickness of the outer case itself and a space for fitting are required, the outer shape becomes larger, and the size is further reduced. That would be a drawback. Although the outer shape can be reduced by reducing the thickness of the outer case itself, the strength is reduced in this case.

(Object of invention)
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and an object thereof is to provide a capsule endoscope having a watertight structure capable of reducing the outer shape.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a capsule endoscope that can be miniaturized by making the optical center axis of the objective optical system substantially coincide with the optical center axis of a transparent member that covers the periphery, and a method for manufacturing the capsule endoscope. .

The present invention is a capsule endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, and an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means,
A transparent member covering at least the front of the objective optical system;
A capsule-type exterior integrally formed with the built-in material by the resin poured around the built-in material,
It is characterized by comprising.
With the above configuration, the resin poured into the periphery of the built-in object forms a capsule-type exterior integrally with the built-in object, so that a space for fitting separate cases can be eliminated and the size can be reduced. I have to.

  According to the present invention, since the capsule-type exterior is integrally formed with the built-in object by the resin poured around the built-in object, a space for fitting separate cases is not required and the size is reduced. Can be

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a capsule endoscope system and the like including the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of an extracorporeal unit. 3 shows the structure of a capsule endoscope, and FIG. 4 shows the structure of an illumination module in a modification.
As shown in FIG. 1 (A), a capsule endoscope system 1 that includes Example 1 of the present invention and performs endoscopy passes through an intraluminal passage by being swallowed from the mouth of a patient 2. A capsule medical device that optically captures the inside of a body cavity duct and wirelessly transmits an image signal acquired by the imaging, more specifically, a capsule endoscope 3 and a patient 2 provided outside the body. And an antenna unit 4 that receives a signal transmitted from the capsule endoscope 3 and an extracorporeal unit 5 having a function of storing an image (arranged outside the body of the patient 2).
The extracorporeal unit 5 has a built-in compact flash (R) hard disk having a capacity of, for example, 1 GB in order to store image data.

The image data stored in the extracorporeal unit 5 can be connected to the display system 6 shown in FIG. 1B during or after the examination to display, save, edit, and the like.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1B, the extracorporeal unit 5 is detachably connected to a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) 7 constituting the display system 6 by a communication cable for communication such as a USB cable 8. Is done.
Then, the personal computer 7 captures an image stored in the external unit 5 and performs processing such as storing or displaying the image on the internal hard disk so that the display unit 9 can display the stored image. For example, a keyboard 10 is connected to the personal computer 7 as an operation panel for performing a data input operation.
As shown in FIG. 1A, when swallowing the capsule endoscope 3 and performing an endoscopic examination, the patient 2 wears a shield shirt 11 having a shield function.

An antenna unit 4 to which a plurality of antennas 12 are attached is attached inside the shield shirt 11, and the antenna unit 4 is connected to the extracorporeal unit 5. The extracorporeal unit 5 is picked up by the antenna unit 4 and picked up by the capsule endoscope 3, receives a signal transmitted from the antenna incorporated therein, and picks up an image of the extracorporeal unit 5 connected to the antenna unit 4. Save the image. The extracorporeal unit 5 is attached to the belt of the patient 2 by a detachable hook, for example.
Further, in this embodiment, the shield shirt 11 has an alternating magnetic field generated inside the shield portion on the outer surface, and power transmission coils 13a and 13b for feeding or transmitting power from the shoulder to the side (in the height direction of the patient 2). In contrast, the central portion is formed with a power transmission coil 13c wound in, for example, a rectangular shape so as to face the front side and the back side.

These power transmission coils 13 a, 13 b and 13 c are also connected to the extracorporeal unit 5.
The extracorporeal unit 5 has, for example, a box shape, and is provided with, for example, a liquid crystal monitor 14 as a display device for displaying an image and an operation unit 15 for performing control operation input on the front surface.
As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the liquid crystal monitor 14 and the operation unit 15, a communication circuit (wireless communication circuit) 16 connected to the antenna 12 and a signal processing circuit 17 that performs signal processing are provided inside the extracorporeal unit 5. A hard disk 18 for storing the signal-processed image data, an AC output circuit 19 (consisting of an oscillation circuit and a power amplifier circuit) for generating AC power to be output to the power transmission coils 13a, 13b, and 13c, a communication circuit 16, and the like And a battery 21 as a power source.

The power transmission coils 13 a, 13 b, and 13 c generate an alternating magnetic field by the alternating current power supplied from the alternating current output circuit 19. The AC magnetic field is several hundred kHz or less, which is less attenuated in the human body, so that the AC magnetic field can be applied to the capsule endoscope 3 in the body.
Further, the user can control the AC power supplied from the AC output circuit 19 to the power transmission coils 13 a to 13 c via the control circuit 20 by operating the operation unit 15. For example, the power transmission coils 13a to 13c that supply AC power can be selected and set, or can be sequentially switched and cyclically supplied, or the cycle that can be sequentially switched and supplied can be selected and set.

Next, the configuration of the capsule endoscope 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3A shows the internal structure of the capsule endoscope 3 in a longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 3B shows a horizontal sectional view.
As shown in FIG. 3, the capsule endoscope 3 according to the present embodiment is made by pouring a transparent integral molding resin 33a around a built-in object such as an optical module 32 to which the objective optical system 31 is integrally attached. The capsule-shaped exterior body 33 is formed by curing the integral molding resin 33a. In the present embodiment, the transparent member 33b having a function as a transparent cover that covers the front of the objective optical system 31 and the illumination means is also integrally formed by pouring the transparent integral molding resin 33a into a watertight structure. The capsule endoscope 3 can be realized. Each material is selected so that the relationship between the refractive index na of the integral molding resin 33a and the refractive index nb of the frontmost lens of the objective optical system 31 is na <nb.

A through-hole 35 is provided at the center of the disk-shaped LED substrate 34, and the objective optical system 31 is fitted and fixed in the through-hole 35. In addition, LED chips (light emitting diode chips) 36 that form illumination means are mounted on, for example, the substrate surfaces of the recesses provided at four locations around the through hole 35 in the LED substrate 34. The periphery of each LED chip 36 is covered with a phosphor 37 and is housed and fixed in a recess. These objective optical system 31, LED substrate 34, LED chip 36 and phosphor 37 form an optical module 32.
The objective optical system 31 is formed of, for example, two lenses, and is disposed so that the front surface of a solid-state imaging device 38 such as a CCD or CMOS sensor is in close contact with the rear surface (rear surface) of the rear lens. The LED substrate 34 is as follows. And electrically connected.
In this case, the distance between the two lenses is such that an optical image of the object is formed on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 38 that performs photoelectric conversion with the front surface of the solid-state image sensor 38 in close contact with the rear surface of the rear lens. It is positioned.

Specifically, a ring-shaped spacer portion extending toward the front surface is integrally provided on the periphery of the rear lens, and the front lens is brought into close contact with the spacer portion, so that the rear lens is slightly more than the rear surface. The rear position is set to be the imaging position. In this manner, the optical image of the object can be formed on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 38 with the front surface of the solid-state image sensor 38 in close contact with the rear surface of the lens.
The visual field range θ that can be observed by the objective optical system 31 is set to about 90 ° to 140 °.
A solid-state imaging device 38 is flip-chip mounted on the electrode pad on the back surface of the LED substrate 34 by the electrode pad provided on the front surface. An optical & imaging module is formed by flip-chip mounting a solid-state imaging device 38 on the back surface of the LED substrate 34 constituting the optical module 32.

Further, on the back surface of the solid-state image sensor 38, for example, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped rigid substrate 39 whose horizontal direction is the substrate surface is disposed, and electrodes formed in two rows in the horizontal direction on the back surface of the solid-state image sensor 38. The pads and the electrode pads provided on the upper and lower end portions of the substrate 39 are electrically connected by soldering, and the solid-state imaging device 38 of the optical and imaging module and the substrate 39 are mechanically connected by soldering. Positioning is fixed.
In this case, the central axis of the substrate 39 is positioned so as to coincide with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 31 of the optical module 32, and the solid-state imaging device 38 and the substrate 39 are connected by soldering.

On this substrate 39, a solid-state image sensor 38 is driven, signal processing is performed on an image signal output by photoelectric conversion from the solid-state image sensor 38, and compressed image data is generated, and other circuits are also controlled. A signal processing & control circuit 41 (constituted by an integrated circuit (abbreviated as IC)) and an IC that performs modulation processing at a high frequency to transmit image data generated by the signal processing & control circuit 41 wirelessly. The wireless circuit 42 thus formed, a charging circuit 43 formed of an IC that performs charging processing, and an electronic component 44 such as a resistor or a capacitor for constructing these circuits are mounted.
Further, the other end of the substrate 39 is formed by, for example, an electric double layer capacitor or the like charged by the charging circuit 43, and a capacitor 45 having a substantially disk shape and a large capacitance is disposed. Are electrically connected to the substrate 39. For example, one electrode of the capacitor 45 is connected to an electrode pad at the rear end of the lower surface of the substrate 39 by soldering, and is firmly fixed to the rear end of the substrate 39.

  In addition, a large number of small semicircular cutouts are formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction on the side surface of the substrate 39, and by winding a conductive wire in a spiral shape so as to fill these cutouts, A power receiving & transmitting coil 46 that also functions as a transmitting antenna is formed. One terminal 47 a and the other terminal 47 b in the power reception & transmission coil 46 are soldered to the electrode pads of the substrate 39. Further, an intermediate terminal 47c having a small number of turns from one terminal 47a is also soldered to the board 39, and both the terminals 47a and 47c are connected to the radio circuit 42 through a printed pattern on the board 39. The coil having a small number of turns formed between the terminal 47a and the intermediate terminal 47c is used as a transmission coil (transmission antenna) for transmitting from the radio circuit 42.

  On the other hand, the intermediate terminal 47c and the other terminal 47b are connected to the charging circuit 43 through a printed pattern on the board 39. A coil having a large number of turns formed between the terminal 47b and the intermediate terminal 47c is used as a power receiving coil (power receiving antenna).

The AC magnetic field generated in the power transmission coils 13a to 13c is applied to the power reception coil (in the power reception & transmission coil 46), and AC power is generated by passing the AC magnetic field through the power reception coil. The generated AC power is sent to the charging circuit 43, and is rectified and smoothed by the charging circuit 43. By supplying the DC power obtained in this way to the capacitor 45, the DC power can be stored in the capacitor 45.
Thus, the built-in objects constituting the capsule endoscope 3 are fixed to the substrate 39, and in this state, are arranged in a capsule-shaped mold.
After the built-in object is placed in the mold, the integral molding resin 33a is poured into the mold. In this case, the integral molding resin 33a is filled around the built-in object and then cured, whereby the integral molding resin 33a as shown in FIG. The capsule endoscope 3 covered with watertight 33 can be manufactured.

In this case, in the transparent member 33b having a function of a transparent cover that covers the front of the objective optical system 31 in the capsule-shaped exterior body 33, at least the outer surface of the portion that covers the visual field range θ of the objective optical system 31 has a substantially planar shape. And is rounded on the peripheral side.
According to the present embodiment, the integral molding resin 33a is poured around the built-in object and cured, so that the built-in object is embedded and integrated, and a watertight structure can be easily obtained. A structure for fitting the body outer case is not required, and the thickness of the portion to be fitted can be eliminated.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, a small capsule endoscope 3 having a small outer diameter can be realized. Further, since the surroundings of the built-in material are filled (filled) with the integral molding resin 33a, the strength can be sufficiently increased.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to a case where a part of the built-in object is exposed on the surface, and in such a case, a watertight function can be secured. Moreover, in such a case, it can also be reduced in size compared with the case of the structure covered with a case like the conventional example.
In the case of the capsule endoscope 3 shown in FIG. 3, the outer diameter of the LED board 34 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the exterior body 33, but the LED board in the optical module 32B as shown in FIG. You may make it a structure like 34B. That is, this LED board 34B is provided with a notch groove 49 at one or more places (here, two places on the upper and lower sides) in a disk shape having the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the exterior body 33. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the LED substrate 34B is fitted and positioned on the inner peripheral surface of the mold, and the integral molding resin 33a is poured into the mold so that the LED substrate 34B is integrally molded before and after the LED substrate 34B through the notch groove 49. The resin 33a can be poured.
In this modification, the outer peripheral surface of the LED substrate 34B can be used for positioning by a mold.

Even in the case of the configuration of FIG. 3, a pin-shaped positioning member is projected on the inner peripheral surface of the mold, the outer peripheral surface of the LED substrate 34 is positioned, and the integral molding resin 33 a is poured and cured. What is necessary is just to block a pin hole.
In FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the molding die has a rotationally symmetric inner peripheral surface and is positioned so that its rotationally symmetric central axis almost coincides with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 31. In this state, the exterior body 33 including the transparent member 33b is integrally molded by pouring the integral molding resin 33a. For this reason, the transparent member 33b also has a rotationally symmetric shape having a central axis almost coinciding with the optical axis O, and an optical image with little distortion is formed on the solid-state imaging device 38. Therefore, an image with little distortion can be obtained.
In addition, since the refractive index of the integral molding resin 33a is lower than the refractive index of the objective optical system 31, reflection at the boundary between both members hardly occurs, so that a higher quality image can be obtained.

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows the internal structure of the capsule endoscope 3B according to the second embodiment in a sectional view in the vertical direction, and FIG. 5B shows it in a sectional view in the horizontal direction.
As shown in FIG. 5, the capsule endoscope 3B of the present embodiment is formed of a transparent resin or the like formed into a hemispherical shape on the LED substrate 34 constituting the optical module 32 in the capsule endoscope 3 shown in FIG. 3. The tip cover 51 is attached in a watertight manner.
In this case, the distal end cover 51 has a cylindrical shape on the proximal end side of the hemispherical portion at the distal end, and has a rotationally symmetric shape around the central axis of the cylinder.

In addition, since the outer peripheral surface of the LED substrate 34 is formed concentrically with the through hole 35 provided in the center thereof, the distal end of the tip cover 51 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the LED substrate 34, thereby The center axis of the cover 51 is fixed so as to almost coincide with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 31 attached to the through hole 35. In FIG. 5A, the deviation between the optical axis O and the central axis of the tip cover 51 is shown as t, and the deviation t is almost zero.
For this reason, the imaging optical system including the objective optical system 31 and the solid-state imaging element 38 can be manufactured with high accuracy, and manufacturing variations can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a high-quality image with uniform characteristics.

In this embodiment, the substrate 39 is also mounted so that the center of the width of the substrate and the center in the thickness direction coincide with the optical axis O.
Further, in this embodiment, a cylindrical sheath 52 provided with a notch portion in which a side portion of the substrate 39 is notched in a stepped shape and having a power receiving and transmitting coil 46 that also functions as a power receiving coil and a transmitting antenna is provided on the substrate 39. It is fitted on the notch. Similarly to the case of the first embodiment, the terminals 47 a to 47 c of the power reception & transmission coil 46 are connected and fixed to the substrate 39 by soldering.
The configuration of other built-in items is the same as that of the first embodiment. Then, after fixing the resin in this state, that is, the one before pouring the integral molding resin (in the capsule endoscope 3B) (referred to as a capsule-embedded product) into the mold, the integral molding resin The capsule endoscope 3B in which a capsule-shaped exterior body 53 filled with, for example, an opaque integral-molding resin 53a is formed around the capsule built-in object by being poured and cured or solidified.

In this embodiment, a transparent tip cover 51 is attached to the optical module 32 to form a part of the exterior. Therefore, when positioning in the mold, the tip cover 51 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the mold. The capsule endoscope 3B can be manufactured by pouring an opaque integral molding resin 53a around the built-in capsule, for example, by using them for positioning.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to manufacture the capsule endoscope 3B that can be miniaturized and can obtain a highly accurate image with little individual difference and uniform characteristics.

Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 (A) shows the capsule-incorporated material 56 before forming the exterior body 60 in the capsule endoscope 3C (see FIG. 6 (C)) of the third embodiment of the present invention. In addition to providing a capsule endoscope that can be miniaturized, the present embodiment also aims to provide a manufacturing method thereof.
In this capsule-incorporated material 56, for example, a lens cylinder 62a having an objective optical system 62 is fitted and fixed in a through-hole provided in the center of a disk-shaped LED substrate 61. Has been implemented. In addition, LEDs 64 are mounted at a plurality of locations around the lens cylinder 62a. Further, a signal processing board 65 that performs signal processing and a control board 66 that performs control are stacked on the back surface of the image sensor 63 by bump connection or the like.

For example, two batteries 68 are fixed to the back surface of the control board 66 via a connection board 67 to be connected and fixed. A disc-like convex member 69 having the same outer diameter as the LED substrate 61 and used as a molding reference is fixed to the back surface of the battery 68, and an antenna 70 is attached to the back surface of the disc-like convex member 69. The antenna 70 is covered with a cover 71. Further, a convex member 72 used as a molding reference position is provided on the rear side from the center position of the disk-shaped convex member 69. In this case, the center of each disk of the LED substrate 61 and the disk-shaped convex member 69 is positioned and fixed so as to almost coincide with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 62, and the central axis of the convex member 72 is also the optical axis. It is fixed so that it almost coincides with O.
The capsule built-in object 56 before forming the exterior body 60 having such a configuration is accommodated in the molding dies 74A and 74B as shown in FIG. The member 69 and the convex member 72 are used for reference positioning and fixed.

The molds 74A and 74B are shaped to be fitted to each other. By fitting and contacting the end faces, the LED substrate 61 and the disc-like convex in the exterior body 60 of the capsule endoscope 3C are placed inside thereof. The molding inner peripheral surfaces 75a and 75b having the outer diameter of the member 69 can be formed.
In this case, a molding inner peripheral surface 75a on the front side from the vicinity of the LED substrate 61 is formed inside the mold 74A, and a molding inner peripheral surface 75b on the rear side from the vicinity of the LED substrate 61 is formed inside the mold 74B. Is formed. Further, the convex member 72 is brought into contact with the spherical inner surface of the mold 74B, whereby the central axis of the convex member 72 can be made to coincide with the central axis of the mold 74B with higher accuracy. . Further, by setting the central axis of the convex member 72 and the like so as to coincide with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 62, the central axis of the mold 74B and the optical axis O of the objective optical system 62 can be made with high accuracy. Can be matched.
The outer body 60 is formed by injecting the resins 76a and 76b that are set as described above and do not alter the encapsulated material 56 as follows.

An injection path 77a for injecting a transparent resin 76a such as polycarbonate, polysulfone, acrylic, urethane or the like into the molding inner peripheral surface 75a is provided inside the mold 74A, and a nozzle 78a at the end thereof is used for molding. It opens to the surface of the inner peripheral surface 75a.
Further, an injection passage 77b for injecting, for example, opaque resin 76b such as polysulfone, urethane, epoxy resin or the like into the molding inner peripheral surface 75b is provided in the mold 74B, and a nozzle 78b at the end thereof is molded. It opens to the surface of the inner peripheral surface 75b.
As shown in FIG. 6B, a transparent resin 76a and an opaque resin 76b are injected into the molding inner peripheral surfaces 75a and 75b, respectively.
In this embodiment, polycarbonate, urethane, polysulfone, epoxy, or the like is a type that cures at a low temperature of, for example, 100 ° C. or less, and is molded from a resin that does not alter the encapsulated material 56.

Then, after the resins 76a and 76b are cured, the molds 74A and 74B are removed, and the resin remaining on the nozzles 78a and 78b is scraped off, for example, as shown in FIG. 6C. Such a capsule endoscope 3C can be manufactured. In this case, the disk-shaped LED substrate 61 and the convex member 69 form a part of the outer surface of the capsule endoscope 3C.
According to this embodiment, the disk-shaped LED board 61, the disk-shaped convex member 69 spaced apart in the direction of the central axis of the LED board 61, and the rear along the central axis of the disk-shaped convex member 69 And a projecting member 72 projecting from the inner surface of the metal mold 74A, 74B, thereby aligning the center of the exterior body 60 with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 62 with high accuracy. be able to. Moreover, the capsule endoscope 3C having a small outer diameter can be manufactured.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a capsule endoscope manufacturing method according to a modification. The capsule built-in object 56B shown in FIG. 7 has a configuration similar to the capsule built-in object in the capsule endoscope 3B of FIG.
That is, in FIG. 5, only the transmission coil (transmission antenna) 46B is formed instead of the power reception & transmission coil 46 in the sheath 52, and no power reception coil is provided. For this reason, the charging circuit 43 in FIG. 5 is not provided, the battery 68 is attached to the board 39 at the position where the charging circuit 43 is provided, and the capacitor 45 is omitted.
As described with reference to FIG. 5, the center axis of the tip cover 51 is attached so as to coincide with the optical axis O. Further, the substrate 39 is attached so that the central axis of the width of the substrate 39 and the central axis in the thickness direction also coincide with the optical axis O. Further, in the capsule-embedded product 56B of this modification, the width of the substrate 39 is set to coincide with the outer diameter of the tip cover 51, and this width can be used as a molding reference. Others are the same as the structure of FIG.

And this capsule built-in thing 56B is accommodated in metal mold | die 74C and 74D similar to FIG. In this case, the injection path 77d and the nozzle 78d are provided only on the mold 74D side, and the capsule endoscope of the modified example can be manufactured by pouring the opaque resin 76b.
It should be noted that a mark is placed at the tip position on the optical axis O in the capsule-embedded object 56B, that is, the tip position of the outer peripheral surface of the tip cover 51 and the rear end position (that is, the rear end position of the substrate 39) on the optical axis O M1 and M2 are attached, and the molds 74C and 74D are formed of a transparent member, and a mark is also attached to a position on the central axis on the molds 74C and 74D side so that they coincide. After confirming from the outside, the outer body may be formed by pouring the resin 76b.
In this modified example, the member used for positioning when forming the exterior body in the case of FIG. 6 can be formed by the capsule built-in object 56B itself, and there is no need to newly provide a member for positioning. Products with uniform characteristics can be manufactured. Moreover, it can reduce in size.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic process of the manufacturing method of the capsule endoscope of the modification shown in FIG. As shown in step S1 of FIG. 8, a solid-state image sensor 38 with the front surface closely attached to the back surface of the objective optical system 31 is bonded to the LED substrate 34 on which the LED chip 36 is mounted, and the solid-state image sensor 38 is flip-chip mounted. The optical module 32 is manufactured.
Next, as shown in step S <b> 2, the tip cover 51 is fixed to the optical module 32 by positioning so that the central axis of the tip cover 51 coincides with the optical axis O of the objective optical system 31 in the optical module 32. This positioning can be performed using fitting.
As shown in step S3, the front end of the substrate 39 is brought into contact with the rear surface of the solid-state image sensor 38 so that the central axis of the substrate 39 on which the signal processing & control circuit 41 and the like are mounted coincides with the optical axis O. 38 and the substrate 39 are soldered to assemble the capsule-incorporated product 56B.

Then, as shown in step S4, after the capsule-embedded material 56B is stored and aligned in the molds 74C and 74D, the resin 76b is poured, and after the resin 76b is cured, it is taken out from the molds 74C and 74D. Thus, a capsule endoscope can be manufactured.
When the capsule embedded material 56B is stored and aligned in the molds 74C and 74D, the outer peripheral surface of the front end cover 51 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the mold 74C, and the center of the rear end of the substrate 39 is the mold. Adjustment is made to coincide with the rear end of the inner peripheral surface of 74D. This adjustment can be performed relatively easily by visual recognition using the transparent molds 74C and 74D.

  In the manufacturing method of FIG. 8, an opaque resin 76b is poured into the optical module 32 attached with the transparent tip cover 51 using a mold to form an exterior body behind the tip cover 51. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, a transparent member having the function of the tip cover 51 is also formed at the same time.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The object of the present embodiment is to provide a capsule endoscope that can be miniaturized and to provide a method for manufacturing the capsule endoscope. In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, manufacturing is performed using a photocurable resin that is cured by light irradiation, and in this case, the exterior body can be formed at room temperature in a short time.
FIG. 9A shows a manufacturing apparatus 81 in this embodiment, and FIG. 9B shows a capsule endoscope 82 manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 81.
For example, a transparent tip cover 51 as shown in FIG. 5 is attached to the tip of the capsule endoscope 82. In addition, the capsule endoscope 82 has a structure including a disk-shaped magnet 84 near the center, for example, as the capsule-containing object 82A before forming the exterior body 83 on the rear side of the distal end cover 51. . The magnet 84 is magnetized in the longitudinal direction of the capsule endoscope 82, for example, in the direction orthogonal to the central axis of the distal end cover 51.

FIG. 9A shows a schematic configuration of the capsule built-in object 82A in this case.
In this way, the capsule built-in product 82A before forming the outer package 83 is positioned by being inserted into the molds 85A and 85B formed of a transparent resin such as Teflon (R). For example, the magnet 84 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface formed by the molds 85A and 85B and can be used for positioning. Then, an ultraviolet curable resin 87 such as a radical curable resin containing an acrylic resin or the like is poured into the periphery of the capsule built-in product 82A through an injection path 86 provided in the mold 85B or the like.
Thereafter, the ultraviolet curable resin 87 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the outside of the molds 85A and 85B through the transparent molds 85A and 85B by an ultraviolet lamp 88 that radiates ultraviolet rays to be cured. After the ultraviolet curable resin 87 is cured, the manufacturer can obtain the capsule endoscope 82 shown in FIG. 9B by taking out the molding dies 85A and 85B.

In this embodiment, spiral grooves 89a are formed on the inner peripheral surfaces of the molds 85A and 85B. Therefore, the capsule endoscope 82 after the ultraviolet curable resin 87 is cured has an outer peripheral surface. A spiral projection 89b is formed on the surface. That is, when the ultraviolet curable resin 87 is poured and the exterior body 83 is integrally formed, the spiral projections 89b are integrally formed at the same time.
In the capsule endoscope 82 provided with the spiral protrusion 89b as described above, the capsule endoscope 82 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, thereby being equivalent to the pitch of the spiral per one rotation. Can be promoted. In this embodiment, since the magnet 84 is also built in, the propulsion speed can be controlled from the outside by applying a rotating magnetic field that rotates the magnet 84.

For example, by applying a rotating magnetic field from the outside of a patient who swallows the capsule endoscope 82, a rotational force is applied to the magnet 84, and the capsule endoscope 82 provided with the magnet 84 is rotated. it can. At this time, since the capsule endoscope 82 rotates while the spiral projection 89b contacts the inner wall of the body lumen, it advances forward by the pitch of the spiral per rotation as in the case where the spiral screw is rotated. Can be made.
According to the present embodiment, the capsule endoscope 82 can be easily manufactured even at a low temperature (for example, normal temperature) by using a photo-curing resin. As the ultraviolet curable resin 87, an ultraviolet curable resin other than the radical curable resin may be employed as shown in FIG. For example, a chaotic curable resin containing an epoxy resin having an adhesive function may be employed. In addition to this, the liquid form using a resin that is soluble in a solvent is poured around the capsule-type built-in material that is filled in the molding resin, and the solvent is vaporized or diffused by heat, etc. You may make it solidify.

Next, Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The object of the present embodiment is to provide a capsule endoscope that can be miniaturized and to provide a method for manufacturing the capsule endoscope.
11 (A) to 11 (E) are explanatory views of the manufacturing process of the capsule endoscope 92 shown in FIG. 11 (E). Hereinafter, this manufacturing process will be described. In this embodiment, an exterior body is formed by curing in a thermostatic layer using a two-component mixed thermosetting adhesive.
First, in order to form an exterior body as shown in FIG. 11A, a prepolymer 91a and a monomer 91b constituting a two-component mixed thermosetting adhesive are prepared on a sheet 90, and FIG. As shown to (B), it is set as the mixture 91c which mixed the prepolymer 91a and the monomer 91b.

Next, this mixture 91c is applied to the periphery of the capsule-embedded object 92A before forming the exterior body 93 in the capsule endoscope 92, and the capsule-embedded object 92A is covered with the mixture 91c as shown in FIG. Like that.
Next, as shown in FIG. 11D, a non-adhesive mold 95A such as Teflon (R) or Delrin is placed on a pedestal 94a in the thermostat 94, and the mixture 91c is placed inside the mold 95A. The capsule built-in product 92A coated with is stored.
The constant temperature bath 94 has a function capable of maintaining the inside thereof at a temperature within 60 ° C ± 10 ° C, for example.

After the capsule built-in product 92A coated with the mixture 91c is accommodated in the molding die 95A, the molding die 95B fitted to the molding die 95A is arranged so as to be fitted. In this case, the projections 96a and 96b in the capsule-containing product 92A disposed inside are used for positioning by fitting the projections 96a and 96b to the inner peripheral surface of the molding die 95A or bringing them into contact with a predetermined position.
For example, the molding die 95B is provided with a discard hole 97 for discharging excess resin. When the capsule built-in product 92A coated with the mixture 91c is accommodated in the mold 95A, a large amount of the mixture 91c is applied around the capsule built-in product 92A and the mold 95B is disposed. Excess resin (mixture 91c) is discharged. Then, a weight 98 is placed on the mold 95B.

In this state, for example, after waiting for about 1 hour, the mixture 91c is almost completely cured. Therefore, when the capsule built-in product 92A coated with the mixture 91c is taken out from the molds 95A and 95B, FIG. A capsule endoscope 93 shown in (E) can be obtained. In this case, the projections 96a, 96b, etc. of the capsule built-in object 92A are exposed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the capsule endoscope 92, and a part of the outer surface is formed.
According to the present embodiment, the exterior body 93 can be formed even at a low temperature. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the capsule endoscope can be downsized.
It should be noted that embodiments configured by partially combining the above-described embodiments and the like also belong to the present invention.

  Orally, transanally, or transendoscopically, a capsule endoscope is inserted into a body cavity, and when moving inside the body cavity, the part inside the body cavity is imaged, and the captured image data is wirelessly transferred to an external device. Since it transmits, the image for endoscopy in a body cavity can be obtained easily outside the body.

[Appendix]
1. A capsule endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, and an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means,
A capsule endoscope comprising: a transparent cover (transparent member) covering at least the front of the objective optical system; and a capsule-type exterior integrally formed with the built-in object by a resin poured around the built-in object.
2. In Supplementary Note 1, the transparent cover has a hemispherical dome shape substantially coincident with the optical center axis of the objective optical system.
3. In Supplementary Note 1, the transparent cover has a substantially planar outer surface at a portion covering the visual field range of the objective optical system.
4). The supplementary note 1 is characterized in that the transparent cover and the capsule-type exterior are the same transparent resin.
5. Appendix 1 is characterized in that the transparent cover is a resin different from that of the capsule-type exterior.

6). Capsule type endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means, and a transparent cover covering at least the front of the objective optical system A method of manufacturing a mirror,
A capsule endoscope having a capsule-type exterior formed by pouring resin around a built-in object after positioning so that a central axis of the transparent cover substantially coincides with a central axis of the objective optical system Production method.
7). Appendix 6 is characterized in that a convex portion that substantially matches the outer shape of the capsule shape is formed on at least a part of the periphery of the built-in object, and this convex portion is used as a reference when forming the exterior.
8). In Supplementary Note 7, the convex portion is configured to form a part of the outer surface.

9. Appendix 6 is characterized in that the transparent cover and the surrounding resin are the same transparent material and are formed simultaneously.

10. In Additional Description 6, after the transparent cover is disposed in front of the objective optical system, resin is poured around the built-in object behind the transparent cover and integrally molded. 11. Appendix 6 is characterized in that a spiral protrusion is integrally formed around the capsule-type sheath when the sheath is formed.
12 In Additional Notes 1 and 6, the capsule-type exterior resin is a photocurable resin. 13. In Additional Statement 12, the resin of the capsule-type exterior is an ultraviolet curable resin.
14 In Supplementary Note 12, the capsule-type exterior resin is a radical curable resin. 15. In Additional Statement 12, the resin for the capsule-type exterior is an acrylic resin.
16. In Supplementary Note 12, the resin for the capsule-type exterior is a type of resin that is cured by mixing a prepolymer and a monomer.

17. In Supplementary Note 12, the resin for the capsule-type exterior is a chaotic curable resin.

18. In Supplementary Note 12, the resin for the capsule-type exterior is an epoxy resin.
19. In Additional Notes 1 and 6, the capsule-type exterior resin is polysulfone. 20. In Supplementary Notes 1 and 6, the capsule-type exterior resin is an adhesive.
21. In Additional Notes 1 and 6, the capsule-type exterior resin is a resin that can be cured at a low temperature without altering the built-in material.
22. In Appendix 20, the resin is cured at a temperature of 100 ° C. or lower.
23. In Additional Statement 21, the resin is cured at a temperature of 60 ° C. ± 10 ° C.

24. In Additional Statement 21, it is a resin that cures at room temperature.

25. In Additional Notes 1 and 6, the refractive index of the resin of the capsule-type exterior is lower than the refractive index of the optical member of the objective optical system.

26. Capsule type endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means, and a transparent member covering at least the front of the objective optical system A method of manufacturing a mirror,
After positioning so that the central axis of the objective optical system substantially coincides with the central axis of the mold, the resin is poured around the built-in object, and the central axis of the objective optical system and the central axis of the transparent member substantially coincide with each other. A capsule-type endoscope manufacturing method characterized in that a capsule-type exterior body is formed.
27. In Supplementary Note 26, in order to position the central axis of the objective optical system so as to be substantially coincident with the central axis of the mold, the objective optical system has an outer peripheral surface in which the central axis almost coincides with the central axis, A disk-shaped member that fits to the inner peripheral surface of the mold is used.
28. In Supplementary Note 26, in order to position the central axis of the objective optical system so as to be substantially coincident with the central axis of the mold, the objective optical system has an outer peripheral surface in which the central axis almost coincides with the central axis, The transparent member fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the mold is used.

The figure which shows the structure of the capsule type medical system etc. provided with Example 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the internal structure of an external unit. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a capsule endoscope according to a first embodiment. The front view which shows the optical module in a modification. The figure which shows the structure of the capsule type endoscope of Example 2 of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing process of the capsule endoscope of Example 3 of this invention. Explanatory drawing of manufacture of the capsule type endoscope of a modification. The flowchart figure of the manufacture procedure of the capsule type endoscope of a modification. Explanatory drawing of manufacture of the capsule type endoscope of Example 4 of this invention. The figure which shows the rough classification example of the ultraviolet curable resin which can be used in a present Example. Explanatory drawing of manufacture of the capsule type endoscope of Example 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Capsule type | mold endoscope system 2 ... Patient 3 ... Capsule type | mold endoscope 4 ... Antenna unit 5 ... Extracorporeal unit 6 ... Display system 12 ... Antenna 13a-13c ... Antenna coil (power transmission coil)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Liquid crystal monitor 16 ... Communication circuit 19 ... AC output circuit 31 ... Objective optical system 32 ... Optical module 33 ... Exterior body 33a ... Resin for integral molding 33b ... Transparent member 34 ... LED board 36 ... LED chip 38 ... Solid-state image sensor 39 ... Board 41 ... Signal processing & control circuit 42 ... Radio circuit 43 ... Charging circuit 45 ... Capacitor 46 ... Receiving & sending coil Agent Patent attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (3)

A capsule endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, and an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means,
A transparent member that covers at least the front of the objective optical system, and a capsule-type exterior integrally formed with the built-in material by a resin poured around the built-in material;
A capsule endoscope characterized by comprising:   The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member has a hemispherical dome shape having a central axis substantially coincident with an optical central axis of the objective optical system. Capsule type endoscope having an illuminating means, an imaging means for imaging a part illuminated by the illuminating means, an objective optical system arranged in front of the imaging means, and a transparent cover covering at least the front of the objective optical system A method of manufacturing a mirror,
A capsule endoscope is characterized in that a capsule-type exterior is formed by pouring resin around a built-in object after positioning so that a central axis of the transparent cover substantially coincides with a central axis of the objective optical system. Manufacturing method.

Images