JP3730731B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to an endoscope characterized by a structural part of an imaging device provided at a distal end hard portion of an insertion portion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a diagnosis method in which an endoscope is inserted into a lumen in the body and observation or treatment for early detection of a disease has become common.
[0003]
The insertion of the endoscope into the body is a painful thing for the subject, and in order to alleviate the pain, it is necessary to improve the insertion property of the endoscope. The insertion length of the endoscope is related to the rigid length of the distal end portion of the endoscope. In order to improve the insertion performance, it is necessary to shorten the rigid length.
[0004]
On the other hand, in recent years, an imaging device for imaging an observation site is built in the tip, and the observation site can be observed with a monitor or the like, and desired image processing or processing can be performed by digitally processing the captured image of the observation site. Electronic endoscopes that can store information are widely used. Even in this case, it is necessary to shorten the rigid length of the endoscope distal end portion, and since the imaging device is built in the endoscope distal end portion, it is necessary to reduce the size of the imaging device.
[0005]
Therefore, as an example of downsizing the imaging apparatus, conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-49602, a technique for downsizing the imaging apparatus by bending a flexible substrate has been proposed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the example shown in FIG. 1 in the above Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-49602, there is a problem that the cable connection land is behind the imaging device, and the cable itself is arranged behind and it is difficult to shorten the overall length of the imaging device. There is.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an endoscope capable of shortening the entire length of the imaging device, shortening the distal end hard length, and improving the insertability of the insertion portion. It is aimed.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The endoscope of the present invention is connected to the solid-state imaging device for imaging an image of the observation site, an objective optical system for forming an image of the observation site on the imaging surface of the solid-state imaging device, and the solid-state imaging device. In an endoscope in which an imaging device including a bent circuit board and a cable connected to the circuit board is provided in a distal end portion of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, the imaging device includes the objective optical system. A cable connecting portion for connecting the cable is provided between the bent surface of the circuit board adjacent to the rear of the solid-state imaging device and perpendicular to the long axis direction.
[0009]
In the endoscope of the present invention, the cable is provided between the solid-state image pickup device and the surface of the bent circuit board that is perpendicular to the long axis direction of the objective optical system and adjacent to the rear of the solid-state image pickup device. By providing the cable connecting portion for connecting the image pickup device, it is possible to shorten the entire length of the imaging device, shorten the distal end hard length, and improve the insertability of the insertion portion.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
1 to 9 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an external view showing the configuration of the endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 2 shows a connection portion with the scope connector of the image processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an imaging device built in the distal end hard portion of the insertion portion in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a modification of the imaging device in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a first explanatory diagram illustrating assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a first explanatory diagram illustrating assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. FIG. 8 is a third explanatory diagram for explaining the assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3, and FIG. 9 is a fourth explanatory diagram for explaining the assembly of the imaging unit in FIG.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an endoscope 2 that is inserted into a body cavity or the like and picks up an image of an observation site, and an endoscope 2 that is connected to the endoscope 2. The image processing device 3 is provided with a function as a light source device for supplying illumination light to the tip of the image processing device 3 and performs signal processing on the imaging signal from the endoscope 2. By outputting to a monitor (not shown), an image of the observation site is displayed.
[0013]
The endoscope 2 includes a flexible elongated insertion portion 11 that is inserted into a body lumen, an operation portion 12 provided on the proximal end side of the insertion portion 11, and an extension from the operation portion 12. The scope connector 14 provided at the tip of the universal cord 13 is connected to the image processing apparatus 3.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 3 is attached with a water supply tank 15 for storing water for supplying water to the distal end portion of the endoscope by the operation of the operation unit 12 together with the scope connector 14. It is done. At the time of attachment, the water supply tank 15 is attached to the side surface of the scope connector 14 and both are attached to the image processing apparatus 3 at the same time. Further, an absorber (not shown) for absorbing gas or the like in the body lumen from the distal end portion of the endoscope is attached inside the image processing apparatus 3.
[0015]
Returning to FIG. 1, the insertion portion 11 of the endoscope 2 includes a distal end hard portion 16, a bending portion 17 that can be bent in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a flexible flexible tube 18.
[0016]
The operation unit 12 of the endoscope 2 has a switch 19 for performing image freeze operation and air / water supply to the distal end portion of the endoscope 2 and a bending operation of the bending unit 17. An angle knob 20 is provided, and the bending portion 17 can be bent in the vertical and horizontal directions by rotating the angle knob 20.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 3, an imaging device 23 including an objective optical system 21 and an imaging unit 22 is incorporated in the distal end hard portion 16 of the insertion unit 11, and the objective optical system 21 forms an optical image of an object. A plurality of lens groups having a function of imaging, a first lens frame 25 for fixing the first lens 24 of the plurality of lens groups, and a second lens 26 for fixing the second lens 26 of the plurality of lens groups; The second lens frame 27 includes an insulating frame 28 for electrically insulating the first lens frame 25 and the second lens frame 27.
[0018]
Here, the first lens frame 25 and the insulating frame 28 and the insulating frame 28 and the second lens frame 27 are bonded and fixed, respectively, but the adhesive is surely distributed to the respective fitting portions. A reservoir groove 29 is provided.
[0019]
The imaging unit 22 is installed behind the objective optical system 21 and captures an image formed by the objective optical system 21, and is connected to the solid-state image sensor 30 to drive the solid-state image sensor 30. The circuit board 31 amplifies the video signal and the solid-state imaging device fixing frame 32 for fixing the solid-state imaging device 30. The solid-state image sensor 30 and the circuit board 31 connected thereto are connected to the objective optical system 21 by a solid-state image sensor fixing frame 32, and a video signal transmission cable 33 is connected. The solid-state image sensor 30 has a function of converting an optical image incident through the objective optical system 21 into an electric signal, and a cover glass 34 is attached to the image receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 30.
[0020]
Note that the solid-state imaging element 30 may be arranged in the horizontal direction with respect to the longitudinal axis direction of the endoscope 2 as shown in FIG. In this case, the optical image incident from the objective optical system 21 (not shown in FIG. 4) is configured to change its direction to the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device 30 by the prism 35.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 5, the video signal converted into the electrical signal by the solid-state imaging device 30 is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 3 through the video signal transmission cable 33 and the scope connector 14.
[0022]
For example, when the solid-state image sensor 30 fails, the imaging device 23 is taken out from the distal end portion of the endoscope for repair. Since the video signal transmission cable 33 is cut and shortened during the repair, the video signal transmission cable 33 is separated into a second cable 36 for complementing the cable length in the scope connector 14. In addition, the video signal is electrically processed by the video processing circuit 37 in the image processing apparatus 3, and further, output processing to a monitor (not shown) is performed by the video display circuit 38.
[0023]
The video signal transmission cable 33 is provided with a disconnection detection cable 39 having a slightly lower durability than the video signal transmission cable 33 in parallel. The disconnection detection cable 39 passes through the endoscope 2 and is connected to the disconnection detection circuit 40 in the image processing apparatus 3 via the scope connector 14.
[0024]
The disconnection detection cable 39 is included in the video signal transmission cable 33, attached to the imaging device 23, and connected to the image processing device 3 through the endoscope 2 for noise removal. You may share the noise cancellation line which is not illustrated.
[0025]
Next, the assembly of the imaging unit 22 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0026]
The circuit board 31 is a flexible board having a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 6 (A) with wiring on both sides and made of a material such as polyimide and having a thickness of about 0.1 m. In use, an electronic component 41 such as a capacitor is mounted on the circuit board 31, and the solid-state imaging device 30 is mounted on one end of the circuit board 31 by bump bonding in a state where the cover glass 34 is parallel to the circuit board 31. Then, it is molded into the state of FIG. 6B showing the side surface of FIG.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 6A, the electronic component 41 is mounted on the circuit board 31 in a state before the circuit board 31 is bent. After mounting the electronic component 41, along the broken line in FIG. 6A, the circuit board 31 is bent twice by 90 ° in the direction of the mounting surface of the electronic component 41 to form the shape shown in FIG.
[0028]
Then, after molding into the state shown in FIG. 7A, the electronic component 41 is mounted on the cable connection portion 31a of the circuit board 31 as shown in FIG. 7B which is a top view of FIG. A video signal transmission cable 33 for transmitting a video signal converted into an electrical signal by the solid-state imaging device 30 is connected to a cable connection land 42 installed on the surface opposite to the side to be connected. Here, as the video signal transmission cable 33, a cable in which a plurality of cables 44 are covered with a shield 45 and a cable sheath 46 is used.
[0029]
After connecting the video signal transmission cable 33, as shown in FIG. 8A, the circuit board 31 is bent 90 ° in a direction adjacent to the solid-state image pickup device 30, and the cover glass 34 of the solid-state image pickup device 31 is attached to the cable connection portion. It is molded so as to be sandwiched between the rear surface of the formed surface and the circuit board 31.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 8B, which is a top view of FIG. 8A, a plurality of cables 44 are connected to the circuit board 31 in parallel. After the circuit board 31 is bent, the adhesive 47 is poured into the gap between the solid-state imaging device 30 and the bent circuit board 31 to fix them together.
[0031]
FIG. 9A shows a rear perspective view of the state in which the solid-state imaging device 30 is mounted on the circuit board 31 and the video signal transmission cable 33 and the cable fixture 48 are connected. As shown in FIG. 9A, the video signal transmission cable 33 is fixed to the circuit board 22 by a cable fixture 48. In the cable fixture 48, a metal pipe is shaped as shown in FIG. 9B, and one end thereof is cut to provide an opening 49 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the cable fixture 48. By connecting one end of the fixing device 48 having the cut surface to the circuit board 31, the video signal transmission cable 33 is passed through the opening 49 and the opening 50 at the other end of the cable fixing device 48, so The direction of the attached video signal transmission cable 33 is changed. At this time, although not shown, the strip portion of the cable sheath 46 of the video signal transmission cable 33 is made to fit within the cable fixture 48.
[0032]
Further, the ground fixing land 51 provided on the circuit board 31 is fixed with a conductive adhesive, and the shield 45 of the video signal transmission cable 33 is connected to the cable fixing tool 48. As a result, the wiring of the ground line to the circuit board 31 becomes unnecessary.
[0033]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the video signal transmission cable 33 can be arranged at a position closest to the solid-state imaging device 30, and the connection portion of the video signal transmission cable 33 is further in the axial direction of the endoscope 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to take the length of the cable connection portion 31a as the entire length of the imaging device 23 in the axial direction. As a result, the overall length of the imaging device 23 can be shortened, thereby shortening the length of the distal end hard portion 16 of the endoscope.
[0034]
Further, regarding the bonding of the solid-state imaging device 30 and the circuit board 31, since a plurality of cables 44 are arranged in parallel on the bonding surface, a groove is formed between the cable 44 and the cable 44, and bonding to the gap is performed. The permeability of the agent 47 is improved, and the adhesion state between the solid-state imaging device 30 and the circuit board 31 is improved.
[0035]
Furthermore, since the scope connector 14 is connected to the image processing apparatus 3 with the water supply tank 15 attached, the water supply tank 15 is not detached from the image processing apparatus 3 when the scope connector 14 is taken out, and water does not spill. Further, by incorporating the suction machine in the image processing apparatus 3, the endoscope system can be downsized.
[0036]
In addition, since the adhesive material retaining groove 29 is provided in the fitting portion between the first lens frame 25, the second lens frame 27, and the insulating frame 28, the permeability of the adhesive is improved, and the adhesion between the lens frame and the insulating frame is improved. Sexuality is improved.
[0037]
Furthermore, by adding an elastic detection cable 39 that is slightly less resistant than the video signal transmission cable 33, the disconnection of the cable can be detected in advance. it can.
[0038]
Further, by separating the video signal transmission cable 33 from the second cable 36 in the scope connector 14, the repairability is improved.
[0039]
Furthermore, the video signal transmission cable 33 can be easily fixed to the circuit board 31 by the cable fixing tool 48, and further, it is not necessary to wire a ground line, so that the imaging device 23 can be easily manufactured.
[0040]
10 to 15 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the distal end hard portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 11 is an imaging device taken out from the imaging device extraction hole of FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the imaging device take-out jig of FIG. 11, FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the wire of FIG. 10, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a second explanatory diagram illustrating the assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 10.
[0041]
Since the second embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, only different points will be described, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.
[0042]
The endoscope of the present embodiment is a side-view type endoscope, and its distal end hard portion 100 has a shape in which a distal end cover 102 is attached to a distal end portion main body 101 as shown in FIG. An observation window 103 for observing an object and a light irradiation window 105 for sending light into the lumen of the body facing the emission end face of the light guide 104 that transmits illumination light are provided on the side surface of the tip body 101. Are formed in the hard tip portion 100 through the prism 106 for changing the direction of the optical image incident from the observation window 103, and the formed optical image is converted into a video signal. An imaging device 107 for conversion is provided.
[0043]
The imaging device 107 includes the objective optical system 21 and an imaging unit 120 described later. The functions and materials of the objective optical system 21 and the imaging unit 120 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Further, the bending portion 17 described in the first embodiment is connected to the rear of the tip portion main body 101.
[0044]
In FIG. 10, the tip body 101 is provided with an imaging device extraction hole 108 for extracting the imaging device 107. When the imaging device 107 fails due to, for example, an abnormality in the solid-state imaging device 30, the light guide 104 is pulled out to the state indicated by the broken line, the tip cover 102 is removed, and the tip shape shown in FIG. The imaging device take-out jig 109 is pushed into the imaging device take-out hole 108 as shown in FIG. 12A, and the prism 106 and the imaging device 107 are taken out.
[0045]
The tip shape of the image pickup device take-out jig 109 is changed to the shape shown in FIG. 11B, and when the image pickup device take-out jig 109 is pushed into the image pickup device take-out hole 108, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to take out the imaging device 107 while leaving the prism 106 by pushing the objective optical system 21 through the protrusion at the tip of the imaging device take-out jig 108 into the gap.
[0046]
Returning to FIG. 10, the first bending piece 110 located at the tip of the bending portion 17 is attached to the rear end side outer peripheral surface of the leading end portion body 101, and the first bending piece 110 is not shown behind the first bending piece 110. The second bending piece is pivotally connected. An angle rubber 111 is placed on the outer periphery of the bending piece of the bending portion 17. The first bending piece 110 is connected to a wire 112 that is interlocked with the turning operation of the angle knob 20 provided in the operation unit 12.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 13, the wire 112 has a structure in which a plurality of side strands 114 formed by twisting strands 113 clockwise are twisted counterclockwise. Or conversely, a plurality of side strands 114 twisted counterclockwise may be twisted clockwise.
[0048]
By twisting in this way, the direction of the strand 113 can be made the same direction as the advance / retreat direction (axial direction) of the wire 112. For example, even if the first bending piece 110 is made of a material such as plastic that easily wears, the wire 112 The degree of wear of the first bending piece 110 is reduced.
[0049]
Next, assembly of the imaging unit 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 14A, first, the solid-state imaging device 30 and the electronic component 41 are mounted on the circuit board 121 in the imaging unit 120 of the imaging device 107. As in the first embodiment, the circuit board 121 is a flexible board made of a material such as polyimide and having a thickness of about 0.1 m that can be bent.
[0051]
Then, the circuit board 121 is folded into a mountain fold along the broken line in FIG. 14A to obtain the state shown in FIG. FIG. 15A shows a cable connection land 42 (not shown) installed on the surface opposite to the electronic component mounting surface side of the cable connection portion 121a of the circuit board 121 in the state shown in FIG. The cable 44 of the video signal transmission cable 33 is connected as shown in FIG.
[0052]
Then, after the video signal transmission cable 33 is connected, the circuit board 121 is bent along the broken line shown in FIG. 15A, and is bent and completed as shown in FIG. Then, as in the first embodiment, an adhesive 47 is poured between the solid-state imaging device 30 and the circuit board 121 to fix them. At this time, although not shown, the strip portion of the video signal transmission cable 33 is accommodated in the circuit board 121.
[0053]
As described above, in the present embodiment, since the image signal transmission cable 33 is surrounded by the circuit board 121, the image signal transmission cable 33 is fixed by pouring the adhesive 47 into the portion surrounded by the circuit board 121. In addition, by matching the direction of the strand 113 of the wire 112 with the direction of travel of the wire 112, the degree of wear of the first bending piece 110 can be reduced, and the life of the endoscope can be extended. .
[0054]
[Appendix]
(Additional Item 1) A solid-state imaging device that captures an image of an observation site;
An objective optical system that forms an image of the observation site on the imaging surface of the solid-state imaging device;
A circuit board that is connected to the solid-state imaging device and is bent; and
An imaging device comprising a cable connected to the circuit board,
In the endoscope provided in the distal end portion of the insertion portion to be inserted into the body cavity,
The image pickup apparatus is provided with a cable connecting portion that connects the cable between the solid-state image pickup device and the surface of the bent circuit board that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the objective optical system and is adjacent to the rear of the solid-state image pickup device. An endoscope characterized by having
[0055]
(Additional Item 2) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the solid-state imaging device is arranged perpendicular to the objective optical system.
[0056]
(Additional Item 3) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the solid-state imaging device is disposed horizontally with respect to the objective optical system.
[0057]
(Additional Item 4) A solid-state imaging device that captures an image of an observation site;
An objective optical system that forms an image of the observation site on the imaging surface of the solid-state imaging device;
A circuit board that is connected to the solid-state imaging device and is bent; and
In an imaging device comprising a cable connected to the circuit board,
A cable connecting portion for connecting the cable is provided between the solid-state imaging device and the bent surface of the circuit board that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the objective optical system and is adjacent to the rear of the solid-state imaging device. An imaging device.
[0058]
(Additional Item 5) The imaging apparatus according to Additional Item 4, wherein the solid-state imaging device is arranged perpendicular to the objective optical system.
[0059]
(Additional Item 6) The imaging apparatus according to Additional Item 4, wherein the solid-state imaging element is disposed horizontally with respect to the objective optical system.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the endoscope of the present invention, the imaging device is disposed between the surface of the folded circuit board adjacent to the rear of the solid-state imaging device and perpendicular to the long axis direction of the objective optical system, and the solid-state imaging device. Since the cable connecting portion for connecting the cable is provided, there is an effect that the entire length of the imaging device can be shortened to shorten the distal end hard length, and the insertability of the insertion portion can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a connection portion with a scope connector of the image processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging device incorporated in the distal end hard portion of the insertion portion in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a modification of the imaging device in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a first explanatory diagram illustrating assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3; FIG. 7 is a second explanatory diagram illustrating assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3; 8 is a third explanatory diagram illustrating the assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is a fourth explanatory diagram illustrating the assembly of the imaging unit in FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the distal end hard portion of the endoscope. FIG. 11 is an external view of an imaging device extraction jig for extracting the imaging device from the imaging device extraction hole of FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of the image pickup apparatus take-out jig shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the structure of the wire shown in FIG. 10. FIG. First explanatory diagram [FIG. 15] Second explanatory diagram for explaining assembly of the image pickup unit in FIG. 10 [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 2 ... Endoscope 3 ... Image processing apparatus 11 ... Insertion part 12 ... Operation part 13 ... Universal cord 14 ... Scope connector 15 ... Water supply tank 16 ... Hard tip part 17 ... Bending part 18 ... Flexible pipe 19 ... switches 20 ... angle knob 21 ... objective optical system 22 ... imaging unit 23 ... imaging device 24 ... first lens 25 ... first lens frame 26 ... second lens 27 ... second lens frame 28 ... insulating frame 29 ... Groove 30 ... Solid-state imaging device 31 ... Circuit board 31a ... Cable connecting portion 32 ... Solid-state imaging device fixing frame 33 ... Video signal transmission cable 34 ... Cover glass

Claims (1)

A solid-state imaging device for imaging an image of an observation site;
An objective optical system that forms an image of the observation site on the imaging surface of the solid-state imaging device;
A circuit board that is connected to the solid-state imaging device and is bent; and
An imaging device comprising a cable connected to the circuit board,
In the endoscope provided in the distal end portion of the insertion portion to be inserted into the body cavity,
The image pickup apparatus is provided with a cable connecting portion that connects the cable between the bent surface of the circuit board that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the objective optical system and adjacent to the rear of the solid-state image pickup element and the solid-state image pickup element. An endoscope characterized by having

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