JP3662048B2 - Electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope in which a solid-state image sensor is disposed at a distal end portion, and particularly relates to resistance at a curved portion of an imaging cable extending from an imaging unit incorporating a solid-state image sensor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an endoscope is capable of observing an affected part in a body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion part into the body cavity, or inserting a treatment tool into the forceps channel of the endoscope as necessary to perform a therapeutic treatment. Widely used.
[0003]
As the endoscope, for example, a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD is built in the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and a signal photoelectrically converted by the solid-state imaging device is transmitted to a signal processing means via an imaging cable. There is an electronic endoscope apparatus in which the video signal converted in step 1 is displayed in color on a monitor device.
[0004]
A signal cable for transmitting and receiving an electrical signal is connected to the solid-state imaging device disposed at the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the electronic endoscope. When connecting the signal line of the signal cable to the solid-state image sensor or the substrate on which the solid-state image sensor is mounted, the signal line is set to a predetermined position after peeling off the end of the overall sheath covering the outermost casing of the signal cable. Was connected to the position.
[0005]
However, in this way, in the signal cable from which the overall sheath covering the outermost sheath has been peeled off, the flexibility of the signal cable in the portion where the overall sheath has been peeled off greatly changes. Further, since this portion is located at the bending portion of the endoscope, there is a problem that when the bending portion is bent, a signal line that passes through the signal cable is easily broken due to a large force. Therefore, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-88601 discloses a structure in which the end of the total sheath is covered with an adhesive so that the change in flexibility of the signal cable is moderated and the signal line inserted through the signal cable is prevented from being disconnected. A method is disclosed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the method disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-88601, the overall sheath covering the outermost sheath contracts or retracts in the process of assembling the imaging unit. For this reason, there is a possibility that the position of the end portion from which the coating has been stripped is retracted and contracted away from the solid-state imaging device, so that the outermost coated end portion is exposed and the signal line inserted through the signal cable is disconnected. The part covered with the adhesive was set to be long so that there was no. Therefore, the inconvenience that the insertion unit hard length of the imaging unit provided with the solid-state imaging device of the electronic endoscope becomes long has occurred.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an electronic endoscope in which a signal line inserted through a curved portion is reliably covered with an outer sheath of a general sheath, has a short hard length, and is hardly broken. It is intended to provide.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An electronic endoscope according to the present invention includes a distal end portion, a bending portion capable of bending the distal end portion in a predetermined direction, and a flexible tube portion made of a flexible hollow body in order from the distal end, and can be inserted into a body cavity. An insertion unit, a solid-state imaging device, an imaging unit attached to the distal end , connected to the imaging unit, extended into the flexible tube, and bundled by a first synthetic sheath A first signal cable composed of a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of signal lines extending to the proximal side in the flexible tube portion and bundled by a second synthetic sheath, and on the proximal end side of the bending portion And a second signal cable that can be attached to and detached from the first signal cable .
[0009]
According to this configuration, the signal line in the bending portion is reliably protected by the total sheath by moving the total sheath on the front end side covering the outermost exterior of the signal cable to the front end side.
Further, by making the signal cable detachable from the curved portion on the rear end side, the imaging unit can be easily attached and detached.
[0010]
【Example】
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 2 shows a signal cable arranged in the vicinity of a bending portion of an electronic endoscope. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining, and FIG. 3 is a view showing the imaging unit and the signal cable in a state of being removed from the distal end support frame constituting the electronic endoscope.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 includes an electronic endoscope 2 having a solid-state imaging device to be described later, a driving of the solid-state imaging device in the electronic endoscope, and a signal output from the solid-state imaging device. The video processor 3 etc. which perform these processes are comprised.
[0012]
The electronic endoscope 2 is an elongated and flexible insertion portion 4, an operation portion 5 provided continuously with the rear end of the insertion portion 4, and a flexible extension extending from the side of the operation portion 5. And a universal cable 6 having an imaging cable, a light guide, and the like.
[0013]
The insertion portion 4 connects a distal end portion 7 having a built-in solid-state image pickup element, a plurality of bending pieces, and, for example, a bending portion 8 that can be bent vertically and horizontally, and a flexible flexible tube portion 9. ing. In addition, a scope connector portion 10 serving as a connection portion detachably attached to the video processor 3 is provided at the distal end portion of the universal cable 6. Further, the operation unit 5 includes a switch unit 12 for controlling the video processor 3 such as freeze of an endoscopic image displayed on the screen of the monitor 11 and a bending knob 13 for bending the bending unit 8. Is provided. The video processor 3 and the monitor 11 are connected via a connection cable 14 so that the subject image captured by the electronic endoscope 2 is displayed on the monitor screen via the video processor 3. ing.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 7 of the insertion portion 4 is provided with a rigid distal end support frame 15, and a plurality of bending pieces 16, 16. . . The first bending piece 16a constituting the bending portion 8 that can be bent is connected. The bending portion 8 is formed by connecting the bending pieces 16 and 16 so as to be rotatable with respect to each other. The bending portion 8 is bent in the up / down / left / right directions corresponding to the turning operation of the bending knob 13 provided in the operation portion 5. It is supposed to be. The outer periphery of the bending piece 16 is covered with a bending tube 17 formed of flexible rubber or the like.
[0015]
An imaging unit through-hole and an illumination through-hole are formed in the longitudinal direction of the tip support frame 15. The imaging unit through-hole has a solid-state imaging for photoelectrically converting the objective lens group 18 and the formed optical image. An imaging unit 20 including an element 19 and the like is disposed, and an illumination lens 21 and a light guide fiber 22 are disposed in the illumination through hole.
[0016]
The imaging unit 20 is a unit in which a lens frame 23 to which the objective lens group 18 and the solid-state imaging device 19 are fixed and a shield frame 24 fitted to the lens frame 23 are covered with a shield frame cover 25 and integrated. The lens frame 23 and the shield frame 24 are both formed of a conductive material such as metal, and a conductive adhesive is applied to the outer surfaces of the lens frame 23 and the shield frame 24 in order to ensure electrical conduction. 36 is applied.
[0017]
An external lead 26 protrudes from the solid-state imaging device 19 in the imaging unit, and one end of a circuit board 27 on which electronic components are mounted and a signal line 29 of a signal cable 28 are connected to the external lead 26. A signal line 29 of a signal cable 28 is connected to the other end of the circuit board 27. That is, an electrical signal transmitted / received between the solid-state image sensor 19 and the video processor 3 is transmitted through a signal line 29 inserted through the signal cable 28 connected to the solid-state image sensor 19 and the circuit board 27. Is being transmitted through.
[0018]
As shown in the figure, the signal line 29 of the signal cable 28, the solid-state imaging device 19, and the circuit board 27 are connected to the distal end side of the bending portion 8 of the electronic endoscope 2. In addition, a cutting portion 31 is formed on the rear side of the proximal end side of the bending portion 8 to separate the general sheath 30 covering the outermost exterior of the signal cable 28 into a first general sheath 30a and a second general sheath 30b. A gap 31a is provided. The gap 31 is formed by moving the first general sheath 30a toward the distal end side of the electronic endoscope 2. The gap 31a is made of a heat shrinkable tube, elastic rubber, resin material, or metal member. A protective cover 32 such as a cylindrical tube or a C-ring is formed.
[0019]
On the other hand, the distal end side of the first general sheath 30a is covered with a protective tube 33 formed of a resin member such as Teflon or silicon having a cut 33a formed at the distal end portion or a rubber member such as silicon rubber. The protective tube 33 is integrally fixed to the first general sheath 30a by using a protective tube fixing member 34 made of Teggs or the like at the rear portion of the cut 33a.
[0020]
The distal end portion of the first general sheath 30 a covered with the protective tube 33 is filled with an adhesive 35. The adhesive 35 is sufficiently filled and securely fixed between the first general sheath 30a and the protective tube 33 because the cut 33a is formed in the protective tube 33.
[0021]
The tip support frame 15 that houses the imaging unit 20 has a structure that increases in diameter toward the tip. The imaging unit 20 is configured to be detachable from the tip support frame 15, and when the imaging unit 20 is detached from the tip support frame 15, it is as shown in FIG.
[0022]
The operation of the electronic endoscope 2 configured as described above will be described.
When performing inspection / treatment with the electronic endoscope 2, when the bending portion 8 is bent, the load is applied most to the bending portion 8 and the signal cable 28 inserted through the vicinity of the bending portion. However, in the electronic endoscope 2 of the present embodiment, a cutting part 31 for separating the general sheath 30 covering the outermost sheath is provided behind the base end side of the bending part 8 so that the first general sheath 30a is on the distal end side. The signal line 29 is covered with the first synthetic sheath 30a and the gap 31a formed when the first synthetic sheath 30a is moved is covered with the protective cover 32. The signal cable 28 is connected and fixed to the imaging unit 20 with a structure in which the distal end of the signal cable 28 is securely wrapped with an adhesive 35. For this reason, since there is no portion in which the flexibility greatly changes in the signal cable 28 inserted through the vicinity of the bending portion, when the bending portion 8 is bent, the signal cable 28 is evenly stressed.
[0023]
Further, since the total sheath 30 is not separated into the first total sheath 30a and the second total sheath 30b, the position to be moved to the distal end side of the first total sheath 30a can be adjusted during the assembly operation. . Therefore, the first general sheath 30a is moved to a desired position on the distal end side, the adhesive 35 is sufficiently filled in the cut line 33a of the protective tube 33, and the range in which the adhesive is filled is shortened, so that the first general sheath is shortened. 30 a is securely fixed with an adhesive 35.
[0024]
In this way, the overall sheath covering the outermost sheath of the signal cable is cut off at the rear of the proximal end side of the curved portion, the first overall sheath located on the distal end side is moved to the distal end side, and the signal line is covered with the overall sheath. Then, by bonding and fixing the tip, there is no portion where the flexibility of the signal cable changes suddenly, so when bending the bending portion, the bending portion with the most load and the vicinity of the bending portion are Stress does not concentrate on the signal cable that is inserted. As a result, stress concentration on the signal line is eliminated, and disconnection of the signal line can be prevented.
[0025]
In addition, by providing a cut at the tip of the protective tube covering the first general sheath, the adhesive can be reliably filled into the tip of the first general sheath through the cut, so that the hard tube is hard. It is possible to provide an electronic endoscope including a signal cable having a short length and strong resistance to bending stress during bending.
[0026]
4 and 5 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of another configuration of the imaging unit and the signal cable in a state of being removed from the distal end support frame constituting the electronic endoscope. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connecting portion between the first general sheath and the second general sheath.
[0027]
In the first embodiment, only the general sheath 30 covering the outermost exterior of the signal cable 28 is cut by the cutting portion 31, whereas in the present embodiment, the signal cable 28 is cut by the cutting portion 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the signal lines of the signal cable are connected to each end of the first signal cable 28a positioned on the distal end side of the signal cable 28 and the second signal cable 28b positioned on the proximal side. A first signal cable connector 41 and a second signal cable connector 42 are provided to electrically connect the two. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0028]
As described above, the image pickup unit can be easily attached and detached by connecting the signal cable between the first signal cable connector and the second signal cable connector.
[0029]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the connection part of the said 1st signal cable connector 41 and the 2nd signal cable connector 42 is a connection part which is a cylindrical tube which consists of a heat contraction tube, elastic rubber, a resin material, and a metal material. Covering with the protective cover 43 can provide a shielding effect. When the connection portion protection cover 43 is formed of a material other than a metal material, the same effect can be obtained by mixing a conductive material such as metal powder.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the signal cable 28 extending from the imaging unit 20 includes one output signal line 51, one power supply line 52, and seven drive signal lines 29. Has been. The output signal line 51 is insulated from the primary shield 55 and the secondary shield 56 via the inner sheath 58. At this time, the primary shield 55 and the secondary shield 56 are wound in opposite directions. There is no inclusion between the primary shield 55 and the secondary shield 56, and the primary shield 55 and the secondary shield 56 are electrically connected. As a result, the winding direction of the primary shield and the secondary shield is reversed in the output signal line, and there are no inclusions between the primary shield and the secondary shield. Regardless, the flexibility is improved. Reference numeral 53 denotes a shield wire, reference numeral 54 denotes an overall shield, and reference numeral 57 denotes an outer sheath.
[0031]
[Appendix]
1. An electronic device having a solid-state imaging device provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion, a plurality of signal lines electrically connected to the solid-state imaging device, a signal cable in which these signal lines are bundled, and a bendable bending portion An electronic endoscope in which an overall sheath covering at least an outermost sheath of the signal cable is cut off at a rear side on a proximal end side of the bending portion in the endoscope.
[0032]
2. The electronic endoscope according to supplementary note 1, wherein a portion of the synthetic sheath separated is covered with a protective cover.
[0033]
3. The electronic endoscope according to appendix 2, wherein the protective cover is a cylindrical tube or a C ring made of a heat shrinkable tube, an elastic rubber, a resin material, and a metal member.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic endoscope in which a signal line inserted through a curved portion is reliably covered with an outer sheath of a general sheath and has a short hard length and is not easily broken. Can do.
In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic endoscope in which an imaging unit can be easily attached and detached.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope apparatus. FIG. 2 is arranged in the vicinity of a bending portion of an electronic endoscope. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a signal cable. FIG. 3 is a view showing an image pickup unit and a signal cable removed from a distal end support frame constituting an electronic endoscope. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another configuration of the imaging unit and the signal cable in a state where it is detached from the distal end support frame constituting the electronic endoscope according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion with a general sheath. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating electrical wiring of an imaging unit. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a signal cable.
2 ... Electronic endoscope 4 ... Insertion portion 8 ... Bending portion 19 ... Solid-state imaging device 28 ... Signal cable

Claims (1)

A distal end portion, a bending portion capable of bending the distal end portion in a predetermined direction, and a flexible tube portion made of a flexible hollow body in order from the distal end, and an insertion portion that can be inserted into a body cavity ;
An imaging unit comprising a solid-state imaging device and attached to the tip ;
A first signal cable comprising a plurality of signal lines connected to the imaging unit and extending into the flexible tube portion and bundled by a first synthetic sheath ;
The second flexible tube portion extends to the proximal side and includes a plurality of signal lines bundled by a second synthetic sheath, and is detachable from the first signal cable on the proximal end side of the bending portion. A signal cable ;
An electronic endoscope characterized by comprising:

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