JP2016137232A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope capable of increasing coupling strength of a cable coupler with respect to a tensile force of a transmission cable.SOLUTION: An endoscope includes: a photography lens unit 11 having a photography lens and a housing 13; a prism holder 40 attached to one end of the housing 13; an image area sensor 42 fitted to an emitting surface of a prism 41; a circuit board 43 driving the image area sensor 42; a transmission cable 44 electrically connected to the circuit board 43; a cable coupler 45 one end of which is fixed to the transmission cable 44 and the other end of which is fitted to a body part composed of the prism holder 40 and the housing 13. At the other end of the cable coupler 45, an engaging part 47 engaged with the body part is formed. The engaging part 47 limits movements in two different directions with respect to the body part of the cable coupler 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope.

  An endoscope has an insertion part inserted in the body cavity of a subject, for example. The insertion portion is a tip hard portion, a bending portion, and a soft portion in order from the tip. An observation window, an illumination window, a forceps outlet, and an air / water supply nozzle are provided on the distal end surface of the distal rigid portion. Further, a camera module is attached to the inner surface of the hard tip portion at a position corresponding to the observation window, and a light guide is attached at a position corresponding to the illumination window. The bending portion is configured by connecting a plurality of node ring units, and the distal end hard portion can be directed in a desired direction by a wire operation. The soft part has a length of about 1 m to 2 m in order to allow the distal end hard part to reach a desired observation site of the subject.

  The camera module includes a photographic lens unit and an imaging unit. The taking lens unit is configured by housing a plurality of lenses in a housing. The imaging unit includes an image area sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) that photoelectrically converts an optical image formed by the photographing lens unit into an imaging signal. The image area sensor is connected to a transmission cable via a circuit board such as a flexible board or a sub board. In addition, electronic components are mounted on the flexible substrate and the sub-substrate to drive the image area sensor. A signal from the imaging unit is sent to the image processing apparatus via a flexible substrate, a sub substrate, and a transmission cable. The image processing apparatus performs image processing on the signal and displays an image such as a lesion on the monitor.

  A transmission cable for sending a signal from the imaging unit to the image processing apparatus is composed of a composite multi-core cable. Since this transmission cable is inserted through the entire length of the insertion portion, the transmission cable is strongly pushed and pulled each time the insertion portion is looped or curved. When the transmission cable is drawn, the joint between the transmission cable and the circuit board may be peeled off or the transmission cable may be disconnected.

  In order to avoid such peeling and cutting, in the endoscope described in Patent Document 1, a cable connector is arranged in an empty space between the inner peripheral surface of the distal end hard portion and the image area sensor. The cable connector is disposed in the vicinity of the image area sensor and substantially parallel to the image area sensor, one end is fixed to the outer sheath of the transmission cable, and the other end is attached to the mounting cylinder portion of the prism holder constituting the hard end portion of the transmission cable. Is attached. Furthermore, the other end of the cable connector is formed with a locking claw that locks to the distal end surface of the mounting cylinder. For this reason, even when the insertion portion of the endoscope is repeatedly bent and the transmission cable is pulled, the pull force is transmitted to the prism holder by the cable connector, so that the pull force does not act on the circuit board or the like. No separation of the joint between the transmission cable and the circuit board or disconnection of the transmission cable occurs.

JP 2013-75026 A

  In the endoscope described in Patent Document 1, in a state in which a locking claw provided at the other end of the cable connector is locked to the distal end surface of the mounting tube portion of the prism holder, However, the cable connector is formed of a thin metal plate, and the locking claw formed by bending the end of the metal plate at 90 ° is locked to the front end surface of the mounting cylinder. For this reason, when a force is applied in a direction in which the bending strength of the cable connector is weak, there is a possibility that the locking claw is detached from the attachment tube portion and the cable connector is detached from the attachment tube portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can improve the connection strength of a cable connector against the tensile force of a transmission cable.

  An endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention includes a photographic lens unit having a photographic lens and a housing that holds the photographic lens, a prism on which photographic light from the photographic lens is incident, and the prism. A prism holder attached to one end of the housing; an image area sensor attached to an exit surface of the prism; a circuit board for driving the image area sensor; a transmission cable electrically connected to the circuit board; A cable connector that has one end fixed to the transmission cable and the other end that is attached to a main body configured from the prism holder and the housing, and the other end of the cable connector includes the main body portion. The locking portion is formed in two different directions with respect to the main body portion of the cable connector. To limit the movement of.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the endoscope which can improve the connection strength of the cable connector with respect to the pulling force of a transmission cable can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an electronic endoscope system. It is sectional drawing of the endoscope front-end | tip hard part of one Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the front-end | tip hard part of an electronic endoscope. It is a perspective view which shows the whole external appearance of the camera module of one Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the whole external appearance of the camera module of one Embodiment. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a photographic lens unit. It is sectional drawing which decomposes | disassembles and shows a photographic lens unit. It is the perspective view which looked at the housing from front diagonally. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows electrical components, such as a housing, a prism holder, and an image area sensor. It is a perspective view which shows a cable connector. It is a perspective view which shows the whole external appearance of the camera module except the housing etc. of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the whole external appearance of the camera module except the housing etc. of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the whole external appearance of the camera module except the housing etc. of other embodiment.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic endoscope system. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic endoscope system 59 includes an electronic endoscope (hereinafter simply referred to as “endoscope”) 60, a light source device 62, a processor device 61, and a monitor 81.

(Endoscope)
The endoscope 60 includes, for example, a flexible insertion portion 66 that is inserted into a body cavity of a subject, a hand operation portion 67 that is connected to the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 66, a processor device 61, and a light source device 62. And a universal cord 69 that connects the hand operating section 67 and the connector 69a.

  The insertion portion 66 includes a distal end hard portion 66a, a bending portion 66b, and a soft portion 66c in order from the distal end. As shown in FIG. 2 which shows the cross-sectional shape of the distal end hard portion 66a, the distal end hard portion 66a covers the distal end portion main body 63 and a curved portion following the distal end portion main body 63 made of hard resin by covering the distal end portion main body 63 with a soft resin. A metal tip tube 86 of the portion 66b is covered with a tube. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera module 10 is mounted in the distal end hard portion 66a.

  In addition to the camera module 10, light guides 82 a and 82 b, a forceps channel 83, an air supply tube 84, and a water supply tube 85 are attached in the distal end portion main body 63. The camera module 10 is fixed to the tip end body 63 by inserting the housing 13 into a mounting hole formed in the tip end body 63 and screwing it. The image area sensor 42 of the camera module 10 is disposed so as to be close to the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion main body 63, more precisely, the inner peripheral surface of the distal end tube 86 of the bending portion 66b.

  Since the image area sensor 42 is arranged near the outside in the cylinder of the tip tube 86, a gap is formed between the image area sensor 42 and the inner peripheral surface 86a of the tip tube 86, and this gap portion is dead. Space 87 becomes. In the present embodiment, the cable connector 45 is disposed in the dead space 87.

  The curved portion 66b has a unit in which each node ring is pin-coupled, and the whole is curved. The bending portion 66b is bent at an arbitrary angle in the vertical and horizontal directions by the rotation operation of the angle knob 70 of the hand operation portion 67. Thereby, the observation site | part in a body cavity can be imaged with the camera module 10 with the front-end | tip hard part 66a facing the desired direction in a body cavity.

  The soft portion 66c is a portion that connects the hand operating portion 67 and the bending portion 66b in a narrow shape with a long diameter, and has flexibility.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the forceps outlet 72, an observation window 73, illumination windows 74a and 74b, and an air / water supply nozzle 75 are provided on the distal end surface of the distal end hard portion 66a. The lens of the camera module 10 is disposed in the observation window 73, the light guides 82a and 82b are connected to the illumination windows 74a and 74b, and the air supply tube 84 and the water supply tube 85 are connected to the air / water supply nozzle 75. Yes.

  The hand operation unit 67 includes various operation members such as an angle knob 70, an air / water supply button 76, a suction button 77, a release button 78, and a seesaw switch 79 for zoom operation. The angle knob 70 bends the distal end hard portion 66a of the insertion portion 66 in the vertical and horizontal directions by a rotation operation. The air / water supply button 76 ejects air or water from the air / water supply nozzle 75 by a pressing operation. The suction button 77 sucks a suction target such as a liquid or tissue in the body from the forceps outlet 72 by a pressing operation. The release button 78 records an observation image as a still image by the camera module 10 by a pressing operation. The seesaw switch 79 rotates the motor 80 forward or backward and transmits this rotation to the camshaft via the wire 18 to switch the photographing lens between standard and magnified photographing.

(Light source device)
The light source device 62 supplies illumination light for irradiating an observation site in the body cavity to the endoscope 60 through illumination windows 74a and 74b provided on the distal end surface of the distal rigid portion 66a. The illumination light supplied from the light source device 62 is hard at the distal end via light guides 82a and 82b configured by bundling a large number of optical fibers inserted into the universal cord 69 and the insertion portion 66 of the endoscope 60. It is transmitted to the tip surface of the portion 66a.

(Processor unit)
The processor device 61 is electrically connected to the light source device 62 and comprehensively controls the operation of the electronic endoscope system 59. The processor device 61 supplies power to the endoscope 60 via the universal cord 69 and the transmission cable 44 inserted into the insertion portion 66, and controls the driving of the camera module 10 of the distal end hard portion 66a. Further, the processor device 61 receives a signal from the camera module 10 via the transmission cable 44 and performs various processes to generate image data.

(monitor)
The monitor 81 is connected to the processor device 61. The monitor 81 displays an observation image based on the image data from the processor device 61.

  Next, the camera module 10 provided in the distal end hard portion 66a of the insertion portion 66 of the endoscope 60 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the camera module 10 includes a photographing lens unit 11 and an imaging unit 12. Hereinafter, each of the photographing lens unit 11 and the imaging unit 12 will be described in detail.

(Shooting lens unit)
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the photographic lens unit 11 includes a housing 13, a photographic lens 14 and a lens moving unit 15 housed in the housing 13.

  The taking lens 14 is configured by sequentially arranging a first fixed lens 21, a first movable lens 22, a second movable lens 23, and a second fixed lens 24 in the optical axis direction. These lenses 21 to 24 are constituted by lens frames 21a to 24a and one or a plurality of lens bodies 21b to 24b held by the lens frames 21a to 24a.

  The lens moving unit 15 includes a cam shaft 25, and a first lens moving frame 26 and a second lens moving frame 27 that slide and move on the cam shaft 25. The lens moving unit 15 moves the first movable lens 22 and the second movable lens 23 in the optical axis direction, and changes the focal length of the photographing lens 14 to enable variable magnification photographing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the housing 13 is configured by arranging the first cylinder part 30 and the second cylinder part 31 in a direction orthogonal to the cylinder center direction and connecting them with a connecting part 32. The outer diameter of the second cylinder portion 31 is formed to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the first cylinder portion 30, and the housing 13 has an 8-shape when viewed from the front. A photographing lens housing hole 33 is formed in the first tube portion 30, and the photographing lens 14 is housed in the photographing lens housing hole 33. A lens moving part storage hole 34 is formed in the second cylinder part 31 to store the lens moving part 15. As shown in FIG. 7, a locking ring 34 a projects from the lens moving part storage hole 34. Further, a sliding hole 35 for connecting the taking lens storage hole 33 and the lens moving part storage hole 34 is formed in the connection part 32. The hole 48 formed in the first cylinder portion 30 is for injecting adhesive and inserting screws when the antireflection cylinders 36 and 37 and the second fixed lens 24 are fixed in the photographing lens storage hole 33. And provided as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cam shaft 25 has two cam grooves of a first cam groove 25a and a second cam groove 25b on the outer peripheral surface, and a wire connecting hole 25c along the axis at the rear end. The rear end portion has an engaging flange 25d on the outer peripheral surface. The tip of the wire 18 for rotational driving is fixed to the wire connecting hole 25c. The wire 18 is placed in the protective tube 19 and connected to a motor 80 (see FIG. 1) in the hand operating section 67. The motor 80 is driven and controlled by a controller (not shown) so as to rotate forward or reverse by operation of the seesaw switch 79 of the hand operation unit 67.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a fixing ring 29 is attached to the tip of the cam shaft 25. Due to the fixing ring 29, the cam shaft 25 rotates smoothly without tilting in the lens moving part accommodation hole 34. Further, since the locking flange 25d on the rear end side of the cam shaft 25 is locked to the locking ring 34a, the cam shaft 25 does not come out of the lens moving part storage hole 34.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first lens moving frame 26 includes a guide tube 26a, a lens frame 22a, and an arm 26b that connects them, and these are integrally formed. Similarly, the second lens moving frame 27 includes a guide tube 27a, a lens frame 23a, and an arm 27b that connects them, and these are integrally formed. A first engagement pin 28a is attached to the guide tube 26a of the first lens moving frame 26, and the tip of the first engagement pin 28a enters the first cam groove 25a. A second engagement pin 28b is attached to the guide cylinder 27a of the second lens moving frame 27, and the second engagement pin 28b enters the second cam groove 25b.

  When the cam shaft 25 is rotated forward or reverse by the motor 80 (see FIG. 1), the cam shaft 25 is rotationally displaced according to the amount of rotation, and the first engagement pin 28a and the second engagement pin 28b are moved by this rotational displacement. Accordingly, the first lens moving frame 26 and the second lens moving frame 27 move in the optical axis direction within the housing 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the rear half 30a of the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 30 of the housing 13 is formed to have a slightly smaller outer diameter than the front half 30b of the outer peripheral surface. A step surface 30c is formed between the rear half 30a. The prism holder 40 of the imaging unit 12 is attached to the rear half 30a of the outer peripheral surface.

(Imaging unit)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the imaging unit 12 includes a prism holder 40, a prism 41, an image area sensor 42, a circuit board 43, a transmission cable 44, a cable connector 45, and a heat radiating plate 49. And a sealing agent (not shown) for sealing the wirings.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the prism holder 40 includes an attachment tube portion 40 a attached to the rear end side of the first tube portion 30 of the housing 13 and a prism attachment frame 40 b to which the prism 41 is attached. A notch 40c into which a part of a locking portion 47 of a cable connector 45 (to be described later) is fitted is provided at the distal end portion of the mounting cylinder portion 40a. The notch 40c is notched in the direction of the prism mounting frame 40b from the tip of the mounting cylinder portion 40a.

  The prism 41 is a right-angle prism having five surfaces, that is, an incident surface 41a and an output surface 41b that intersect at right angles, a reflective surface 41c formed of an inclined surface, and both side surfaces 41d.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 9, an image area sensor 42 is attached to the emission surface 41 b of the prism 41, and a circuit board 43 for driving the image area sensor 42 is attached to the reflection surface 41 c of the prism 41. Attached with adhesive. The circuit board 43 is connected to the image area sensor 42 via a flexible printed circuit board 52, connection (not shown), and the like. An element wire (signal line) 44 a of a transmission cable 44 is electrically connected to the circuit board 43. As shown in FIG. 9, the transmission cable 44 includes a plurality of strands 44a, a shield wire 44b that bundles and shields them, and an outer skin 44c that covers the shield wire 44b. The circuit board 43 may include a plurality of sub-boards in addition to the main board.

  A heat radiating plate 49 is fixed to the outside of the image area sensor 42. A cable receiving portion 49 a is formed at the rear end of the heat radiating plate 49, and the cable receiving portion 49 a is soldered to the shield wire 44 b of the transmission cable 44. The heat radiating plate 49 releases heat from the image area sensor 42 to the transmission cable 44.

  One end of a cable connector 45 made of a substantially T-shaped metal plate is fixed to the outer cover 44c of the transmission cable 44 by an adhesive on the same side as the cable receiving portion 49a of the heat radiating plate 49. As shown in FIG. 10, the cable connector 45 includes an attachment frame portion 45 a formed by bending both side portions on one end side of the cable connector 45 formed in a substantially T shape, and the other end of the cable connector 45. It is comprised from the connection board part 45b formed in the side.

  A mounting frame portion 45a constituting one end portion of the cable connector 45 has a U-shaped cross section. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the attachment frame portion 45a is disposed so as to surround the transmission cable 44, and the gap between the attachment frame portion 45a and the transmission cable 44 is filled with an adhesive, thereby connecting the cables. One end of the tool 45 is fixed to the outer cover 44 c of the transmission cable 44.

  The connecting plate portion 45 b has a locking portion 47 that constitutes the other end of the cable connector 45 and an offset portion 46 that constitutes the center portion of the cable connector 45. The other end portion of the cable connector 45 is formed in a substantially U shape, and the locking portion 47 includes a first locking portion formed by bending the other end portion of the cable connector 45 at 90 °, The two engaging portions 50 formed on the other end side of the cable connector 45 of the first engaging portion are constituted by a second engaging portion formed by being bent at 90 ° toward the offset portion 46 side. Note that the front end edge sandwiched between the two protruding portions 50 of the locking portion 47 is formed in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 30 of the housing 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the cable connector 45, the locking portion 47 abuts on the front end surface of the mounting tube portion 40 a of the prism holder 40, and the two protruding portions 50 of the locking portion 47 are formed. By engaging with a notch 40c provided at the distal end portion of the mounting tube portion 40a, the mounting tube portion 40a is engaged with the distal end portion. Between the locking part 47 and the offset part 46 is an adhesive surface with the mounting cylinder part 40a. By filling this part with an adhesive, the other end of the cable connector 45 is connected to the prism holder 40. Is fixed to the mounting cylinder portion 40a.

  The offset portion 46 has an outer peripheral surface of the mounting plate portion 40a of the heat sink 49 and the prism holder 40 so that the cable connector 45 does not contact the heat sink 49 that covers the image area sensor 42 in a state where the cable connector 45 is fixed to the prism holder 40. Are offset in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 40a. However, when the heat radiating plate 49 does not protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 40a, the offset portion 46 is unnecessary. In this case, the part from the attachment frame part 45a of the cable connector 45 to the locking part 47 is formed in a flat plate shape.

  A sealant (not shown) is injected into these gaps as necessary in order to protect the connection parts and the wires covered by the cable connector 45, the image area sensor 42, and the circuit board 43. Solidified.

  The offset portion 46 of the cable connector 45 is formed in a plate shape so as not to cover both sides of the image area sensor 42. Therefore, even if the size of the image area sensor 42 is changed, even if the image area sensor 42 becomes larger due to the size change, the size of the image area sensor 42 can be changed without contacting the cable connector 45. It becomes. Further, since the heat radiating plate 49 that protects the image area sensor 42 is not a frame shape but a plate shape, even if the size of the image area sensor 42 is changed, the size can be changed with the current structure.

  As described above, in the present embodiment described above, one end of the imaging unit 12 constituting the camera module 10 provided in the distal end hard portion 66a of the insertion portion 66 of the endoscope 60 is fixed to the outer sheath 44c of the transmission cable 44. The cable connector 45 has the other end fixed to the mounting tube portion 40a of the prism holder 40. Further, a locking portion 47 is formed on the other end side of the cable connector 45, the locking portion 47 abuts on the distal end surface of the mounting tube portion 40 a, and the two protruding portions 50 of the locking portion 47. Fits into a notch 40c provided at the tip of the mounting cylinder 40a. For this reason, even when the insertion portion 66 of the endoscope 60 is repeatedly bent and the transmission cable 44 is pulled in two different directions, the tensile force is transmitted to the prism holder 40 by the cable connector 45. As described above, since the connection strength of the cable connector 45 is high, the tensile force does not act on the circuit board 43 and the like, and the joint between the transmission cable 44 and the circuit board 43 is peeled off or the transmission cable 44 is disconnected. Does not occur.

  Further, the two protruding portions 50 of the locking portion 47 are bent toward the offset portion 46 from the contact surface of the cable connector 45 with the attachment tube portion 40a. The extending direction of the protrusion 50 is the thickness direction of the cable connector 45 where the other end of the cable connector 45 is most easily displaced by the force received by one end of the cable connector 45 constituted by the plate-like member. Is a perpendicular direction. For this reason, the connection strength with respect to the stress in the direction in which the cable connector 45 is bent and receives the most force can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the lens moving unit of the photographic lens unit 11 includes two movable lenses, the first movable lens 22 and the second movable lens 23, but it is sufficient that the number of movable lenses is one or more. Further, a fixed-focus photographic lens unit may be used instead of a movable lens that performs zooming or focusing. Further, although the prism holder 40 and the housing 13 are formed separately, they may be integrally formed as a main body portion of the photographing lens unit 11. Moreover, although the endoscope of the above embodiment has been described with respect to an example applied to medical use, the endoscope may be applied to industrial use.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the cable connector 45 is disposed in the dead space 87 formed between the inner peripheral surface 86 a in the tip tube 86 and the image area sensor 42. 11 and 12 may be arranged so as to cover the side of the circuit board 43 attached to the reflecting surface 41c of the prism 41. 11 and 12 are perspective views showing the overall appearance of the camera module excluding the housing 13 and the like according to another embodiment.

  The cable connector 55 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is made of a metal plate, and is a mounting frame having a U-shaped cross section formed by bending both side portions on one end side formed in a substantially T shape. It is comprised from the part 55a and the connection board part 55b formed in the other end side.

  The attachment frame portion 55a is disposed so as to surround the transmission cable 44, and the gap between the attachment frame portion 55a and the transmission cable 44 is filled with an adhesive, so that one end of the cable connector 55 is the outer sheath of the transmission cable 44. 44c is fixed.

  The connecting plate portion 55b includes an offset portion 56 that constitutes a central portion of the cable connector 55, a pair of arm portions 57 that extend from the offset portion 56 to the other end of the cable connector 55, and a pair of arm portions 57. And a connecting portion 58 to be connected. A claw portion 53 that is engaged with the prism mounting frame 40b of the prism holder 40 is formed on the other end side of the cable connector 55 of each arm portion 57. The claw portion 53 has a notch 54, and the claw portion 53 and the prism mounting frame 40b are bonded to each other by filling the notch 54 with a hard adhesive. Further, the connecting portion 58 that connects the pair of arm portions 57 is configured to straddle the prism 41. For this reason, the connecting portion 58 is in contact with or close to the reflecting surface 41 c of the prism 41, and a part of the prism 41 is sandwiched between the connecting portion 58 and the claw portion 53. When there is a gap between the connecting portion 58 and the reflecting surface 41c of the prism 41 in a state where the cable connector 55 is disposed, the gap is filled with an adhesive. Also, when there is a gap between the claw portion 53 and the prism mounting frame 40b, the gap is filled with an adhesive. Thus, the prism holder 40 can reliably hold the prism 41 by sandwiching the prism 41 between the connecting portion 58 and the claw portion 53 without any gap.

  As described above, in the other embodiments described above, the cable connector 55 provided so that the tensile force does not act on the circuit board 43 and the like even when the insertion portion 66 of the endoscope 60 is repeatedly bent and the transmission cable 44 is pulled. However, it has the connection part 58 which connects a pair of arm part 57 latched with the prism attachment frame 40b of the prism holder 40. FIG. When the transmission cable 44 is pulled, a force in a direction different from the pulling force is applied to the claw portions 53 of the arm portions 57 formed on the other end side of the cable connector 55. 58 can counter this force. Therefore, the connection strength between the cable connector 55 and the prism holder 40 against the pulling force of the transmission cable 44 can be improved.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the connecting portion 58 is provided at a position straddling the prism 41. However, as shown in FIG. 13, the connecting portion 68 connects the claw portions 53 of the pair of arm portions 57. It connects and may be provided in the position which straddles the attachment cylinder part 40a of the prism holder 40. FIG. In this case, it is possible to reliably counter the forces that are generated in the claw portions 53 according to the pulling force of the transmission cable 44 and are about to be separated from each other.

  As described above, the endoscope disclosed in this specification includes a photographing lens, a photographing lens unit having a housing that holds the photographing lens, and a prism on which photographing light from the photographing lens is incident, A prism holder attached to one end of the housing for holding the prism, an image area sensor attached to an exit surface of the prism, a circuit board for driving the image area sensor, and the circuit board electrically A transmission cable to be connected; and a cable connector having one end fixed to the transmission cable and the other end attached to a main body configured from the prism holder and the housing, and the other end of the cable connector Is formed with a locking portion for locking to the main body, and the locking portion is the book of the cable connector. Limiting the movement in the two different directions with respect to parts.

  One of the two different directions is the direction in which the other end of the cable connector is most easily displaced by the force received by the one end of the cable connector.

  Moreover, the said cable connector is comprised by the plate-shaped member and the direction where the said other end of the said cable connector is most easy to displace is the thickness direction of the said cable connector.

  The locking portion includes a first locking portion that extends in the thickness direction of the cable connector, and a second locking portion that extends from the first locking portion at a right angle to the thickness direction. The main body portion is formed with a notch for locking the second locking portion.

  Moreover, the said latching | locking part has a some arm part latched to the said main-body part in multiple places, and a connection part which connects the said several arm part.

  In addition, a part of the prism is sandwiched between the connecting portion and the claw portions that are engaged with the main body portions of the plurality of arm portions.

  Moreover, the claw part latched to the main-body part of the plurality of arm parts has a notch, and the notch is filled with an adhesive.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Camera module 11 Shooting lens unit 12 Imaging unit 13 Housing 14 Shooting lens 40 Prism holder 40c Notch 41 Prism 42 Image area sensor 43 Circuit board 44 Transmission cable 44a Wire 44b Shield wire 44c Outer skin 45, 55 Cable connector 47 Stop part 53 Claw part 54 Notch 57 Arm part 58, 68 Connection part 59 Electronic endoscope system 60 Endoscope

Claims (7)

A photographic lens unit having a photographic lens and a housing for holding the photographic lens;
A prism on which photographing light from the photographing lens is incident;
A prism holder attached to one end of the housing for holding the prism;
An image area sensor attached to the exit surface of the prism;
A circuit board for driving the image area sensor;
A transmission cable electrically connected to the circuit board;
A cable connector having one end fixed to the transmission cable and the other end attached to a main body configured from the prism holder and the housing;
The other end of the cable connector is formed with a locking portion that locks to the main body portion,
The said latching | locking part is an endoscope which restrict | limits the movement to two different directions with respect to the said main-body part of the said cable coupling tool. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein
An endoscope in which one of the two different directions is a direction in which the other end of the cable connector is most easily displaced by a force received by the one end of the cable connector. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein
The cable connector is constituted by a plate-shaped member,
The endoscope in which the direction in which the other end of the cable connector is most easily displaced is the thickness direction of the cable connector. The endoscope according to claim 3, wherein
The locking portion includes a first locking portion that extends in the thickness direction of the cable connector, and a second locking portion that extends from the first locking portion at a right angle to the thickness direction. ,
An endoscope in which the body portion is formed with a notch to be locked by the second locking portion. The endoscope according to claim 1 or 2,
The said latching | locking part is an endoscope which has the some arm part latched to the said main-body part in multiple places, and the connection part which connects these arm parts. The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein
An endoscope in which a part of the prism is sandwiched between the connecting portion and a claw portion that engages with the main body portion of the plurality of arm portions. The endoscope according to claim 5 or 6, wherein
The nail | claw part latched to the said main-body part of the said several arm part has a notch, The endoscope with which the notch is filled with the adhesive agent.

Images