JP3981359B2 - Capsule endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a capsule endoscope that is introduced into a subject and observes a region to be examined.

  In recent years, in the endoscopic field, for example, a capsule-type interior that is introduced into the body cavity of a subject through the mouth and can capture image information in the body cavity by imaging the inside of a digestive organ such as the small intestine and large intestine with an imaging device. An endoscope has been proposed. This capsule endoscope has a main block provided with an illumination support plate portion and an electric element holding cylinder in the front, and an exterior case that houses the main block. The illuminating body support plate portion is provided with illuminating means (light emitting diode), and a circuit board is accommodated in the rear electric element holding cylinder. An image sensor, an image sensor control electronic component, a transmission electronic component, a power switch, and the like are fixed to the circuit board, and an antenna board is further connected. A battery is incorporated in the circuit board. The exterior case includes a hemispherical transparent cover that covers the front of the main block, and a cylindrical cover that has a hemispherical rear end that covers the rear of the main block. And the main block which accommodated the circuit board is accommodated in an exterior case, a transparent cover and a cylindrical cover are adhere | attached watertight, and the capsule type endoscope is assembled (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP 2001-91860 A

  By the way, in the capsule endoscope, the illumination means (light emitting diode) disposed on the illuminating body support plate and the circuit board housed in the electric holding cylinder penetrate the front wall surface of the electric element holding cylinder. Connected.

  However, since the illumination means (light emitting diode) and the circuit board are connected by housing and fixing the circuit board in the electric element holding cylinder, careful attention should be paid when the circuit board is stored in the electric element holding cylinder. As a result, it is difficult to assemble the capsule endoscope.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a capsule endoscope that can be easily assembled as compared with the conventional one.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a capsule endoscope according to claim 1 of the present invention is an illumination in which illumination means for emitting illumination light to irradiate a test site of a subject is disposed. A flexible substrate formed integrally with the illumination board and the imaging board, connected to the illumination board and the imaging board; A flexible substrate made of a material, a lens supporting member that forms an image of reflected light from the test site of the illumination light, and a lens support member made of a cylindrical member with one end positioned with respect to the image sensor; A hole formed through the illumination substrate with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the lens support member so that the lens support member can be fitted, and the other end side of the lens support member is formed into the hole by bending the flexible substrate. Insertion When the, characterized in that the illuminating board and a said lens supporting means provided on the support member for supporting and positioning relative to the lens support member.

  A capsule endoscope according to a second aspect of the present invention is the capsule endoscope according to the first aspect, wherein the lens support member has an outer diameter of a predetermined size formed on the one end side positioned with respect to the image sensor. A large-diameter portion having a small-diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than the one-end side formed on the other end side inserted through the hole, and a step portion formed at a boundary between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion. And the support means positions and supports the illumination substrate with respect to the lens support member by abutting the illumination substrate when the other end side of the lens support member is inserted into the hole. Features.

  A capsule endoscope according to a third aspect of the present invention is the capsule endoscope according to the second aspect, wherein the imaging substrate is provided with an electronic component having a predetermined height for driving the image sensor. Of the assembly length of the image sensor and the lens support member, the length in the height direction from the imaging substrate to the step formed on the lens support member is larger than the length in the height direction of the electronic component. Characterized by its long length.

  A capsule endoscope according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the capsule endoscope according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the flexible substrate is longer than an assembly length of the image sensor and the lens support member. It is characterized by.

  The capsule endoscope according to the present invention includes an illumination board provided with an illumination unit that emits illumination light to irradiate a test site of the subject, and an image sensor that images the test site of the test subject. An imaging substrate, a flexible substrate made of a flexible material connected to the illumination substrate and the imaging substrate, and formed integrally with the illumination substrate and the imaging substrate, and reflection of the illumination light from the test site A lens support member made of a cylindrical member that supports a lens that forms an image and has one end positioned with respect to the image sensor, and an outer diameter of the lens support member that can be fitted into the lens support member. A hole formed through the illumination board with an inner diameter, and the illumination board is positioned with respect to the lens support member when the flexible board is bent and the other end of the lens support member is inserted into the hole. Therefore, there is no need to separately connect the imaging board and the illumination board by a lead wire or the like, and the imaging board and the illumination board are compared with the conventional one. And produces the effect that it can be assembled easily.

  Exemplary embodiments of a capsule endoscope according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a capsule endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of the developed rigid-flexible substrate shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a rigid shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the front surface of the imaging substrate, FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the imaging substrate with a lens mounting member attached, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the rear surface of the imaging substrate, and FIG. Is a diagram showing the front surface of the illumination substrate, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the rear surface of the illumination substrate, FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the illumination substrate, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a stacked state of the imaging substrate and the illumination substrate. 11 is a diagram showing the front surface of the switch board, FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the switch board, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the rear surface of the power board, FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of the power board, and FIG. FIG. 16 is a view showing the rear surface of the transmission unit.

  In the present embodiment, for example, a capsule endoscope that takes an image of a body cavity by introducing it into the body cavity of a subject from the mouth of a person or animal will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the capsule endoscope 1 includes a folded rigid-flex board 2 and a capsule 70 that covers the folded rigid-flex board 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rigid flexible substrate 2 is formed by integrally forming rigid rigid substrates 10, 30, 40, 50 and flexible substrates 11, 12, 41, 54 having bendable flexibility. The rigid substrates 10, 30, 40, 50 can be stacked by bending the flexible substrates 11, 12, 41 alternately in opposite directions.

  The rigid board includes an imaging board 10 for executing a function of imaging a test site in the subject, an illumination board 30 for executing a function of illuminating the test site, and power for executing each function. A switch board 40 for controlling the supply of power and a power supply board 50 for supplying power for executing each function. The illumination board 30 and the imaging board 10, the imaging board 10 and the switch board 40, and the switch board 40 and the power supply board 50 are connected in a straight line by flexible boards 11, 12, and 41 made of a flexible material, respectively. Is formed. A flexible board 54 extends from the right edge 50A of the power supply board 50, and a transmission board 61 constituting the transmission unit 60 is electrically connected to the flexible board 54 through through-hole lands.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the imaging substrate 10 has a substantially disk shape, and the right edge portion 10 </ b> A and the left edge portion 10 </ b> B of the imaging substrate 10 are notched by straight lines that are parallel to each other to form two sides. It is. Flexible substrates 11 and 12 extend from the right edge 10A and the left edge 10B, respectively. For this reason, when the flexible substrates 11 and 12 are bent, unreasonable deformation of the flexible substrates 11 and 12 can be suppressed by the linear right edge portion 10A and the left edge portion 10B, respectively.

  This right edge portion 10A or left edge portion 10B, that is, the extending direction of the flexible substrates 11 and 12 (two sides by the notches) is a reference for disposing electronic components disposed on the imaging substrate 10, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the image sensor 13 is disposed in advance on the front surface of the imaging substrate 10 so that the extending direction of the flexible substrates 11 and 12 and the pixel arrangement direction coincide with each other. More specifically, the image sensor 13 for imaging the test site of the subject is mounted on the imaging substrate 10 by a ball grid array. The image sensor 13 has a solid-state imaging device 13A having a polygonal outer shape, for example, a rectangular outer peripheral shape having two sets of two sides that are parallel to each other such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Diode), and an upper surface thereof. And a rectangular cover glass 13B laminated in a rectangular shape. Here, the cover glass 13B covers the upper surface of the solid-state imaging device 13A. Here, the arrangement direction of the pixels is in a parallel relationship with the side forming the outer peripheral shape of the image sensor 13, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a lens support member 14 is attached to the upper surface of the cover glass 13 </ b> B as the upper surface of the image sensor 13. The lens support member 14 is a lens that is disposed in close contact with the cover glass 13B, and forms an optical image on the image sensor 13 as reflected light formed by reflecting the illumination light emitted from the illumination means to be described later on the test site. A small-diameter lens 15 and a large-diameter lens 16 are supported, and a holder 17 and a lens frame 18 are provided.

  The holder 17 has a base portion 17A that is fixed to the upper surface (light receiving surface) of the image sensor 13 on one end side thereof, and a cylindrical portion 17B that extends from the base portion 17A to the other end side, that is, above the paper surface. It is comprised with the cylindrical member which has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole. The hole portion 17C formed in the cylindrical portion 17B penetrates the base portion 17A and can guide the light incident from above the holder 17 to the image sensor 13. The outer shape of the lower surface of the base portion 17A, that is, the surface that comes into contact with the upper surface of the image sensor 13, has a substantially square shape with one side substantially the same length as the short side of the cover glass 13B. A contact portion 17D that contacts the side surface of the cover glass 13B extends downward from each side.

  In the holder 17, the lower surface of the base portion 17A is in contact with the upper surface of the cover glass 13B, while the contact portion 17D and the side surfaces forming two adjacent sides of the upper surface of the cover glass 13B are in contact with each other. Are fixed and fixed with high accuracy in advance.

  Further, a reinforcing portion 17E having substantially the same shape as the contact portion 17D is formed extending from the lower edge portion of the holder 17, and the cover glass 13B and the holder 17 are fixed by the black adhesive 19 after positioning. It is. A black adhesive 19 is applied to the exposed surface of the cover glass 13B that is not covered by the holder 17, so that light can be prevented from entering from the exposed surface, and a clear image can be projected onto the image sensor 13. It is. The solid-state imaging element 13A is not limited to a CCD, and for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) can be used.

  A lens frame 18 is attached to the holder 17. The lens frame 18 supports the small-diameter lens 15 and the large-diameter lens 16 inside, and has an outer diameter equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 17B of the holder 17 and has a cylindrical shape. A front end portion 18A, a small diameter portion 18B, and a large diameter portion 18C are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lens frame 18, and step portions 18D and 18E are formed at each boundary portion.

  The distal end portion 18A is a portion that takes in incident light that connects an image to the image sensor 13, and the distal end side is formed in a funnel shape. The small-diameter portion 18B is fitted with a small-diameter lens 15 that has a flat front surface and a convex rear surface and a large refractive index of light. The flat portion of the small-diameter lens 15 is in contact with the step portion 18D of the tip portion 18A. The peripheral surface portion is fitted to the small diameter portion 18B. The large-diameter portion 18C is fitted with a cylindrical spacer 20 and a large-diameter lens 16 having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface and a small refractive index of light. The spacer 20 includes the small-diameter lens 15 and the large-diameter lens 16. Are separated by a predetermined interval.

  Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the lens frame 18, a small diameter portion 18F is formed on one end side in the axial direction, and a large diameter portion 18G is formed on the other end side, that is, on the image sensor 13 side. A step portion 18H is formed. The large diameter portion 18 </ b> G is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 17 </ b> B of the holder 17, and the lens frame 18 can move forward and backward with respect to the holder 17. For this reason, it is possible to adjust the imaging position for projecting the image on the image sensor 13 by moving the lens frame 18 back and forth, and after adjusting the imaging position, the holder 17 and the lens frame 18 are fixed by an adhesive 21 or the like. . Thus, the lens frame 18 is positioned and fixed in the direction of the optical axis L with respect to the image sensor 13 via the holder 17 together with the lens supported therein.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a large capacitor 22 is disposed on the front surface of the imaging substrate 10 as an electronic component for a power supply voltage circuit for driving the image sensor 13 on both sides of the image sensor 13 as a reference. is there. The large capacitor 22 has a substantially rectangular outer peripheral shape having two sets of two sides that are in parallel with each other. That is, the two sides of the image sensor 13 and the two sides of the large capacitor 22 are arranged in parallel. Then, avoiding the image sensor 13 and the large capacitor 22, other electronic components 23 each having a predetermined height, such as a capacitor and a resistor necessary for driving the image sensor 13 having a predetermined height as electronic components, are provided. It is arranged in an orderly manner.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, in the approximate center of the rear surface of the imaging substrate 10, the microprocessor 24 with the extending direction of the right edge portion 10 </ b> A or the left edge portion 10 </ b> B, that is, the flexible substrates 11, 12 as an arrangement reference. (Digital Signal Processor) is mounted by flip chip bonding, and electronic components 25 such as capacitors are arranged in an orderly manner with reference to this microprocessor. For this reason, the electronic components 25 can be integrated, which can contribute to downsizing of the capsule endoscope 1. The microprocessor 24 performs drive control of the capsule endoscope 1, signal processing of the image sensor 13, and drive control of the illumination board 30.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the illumination board 30 has a substantially disk shape, and the right edge 30A of the illumination board 30 is cut out in a straight line and formed on one side. The flexible substrate 12 extending from the left edge of the imaging substrate 10 is connected to the right edge 30A. For this reason, when the flexible substrate 12 is bent, unreasonable deformation of the flexible substrate 12 can be suppressed.

  A through hole 30B as a hole penetrating the illumination board 30 is formed in the central part of the illumination board 30. The through hole 30B and the right edge 30A are arranged on the illumination board 30 with electronic components arranged therein. It becomes a setting standard. As will be described later, the through hole 30 </ b> B is fitted to the small diameter portion 18 </ b> F of the lens frame 18 when the illumination substrate 30 is stacked on the imaging substrate 10 with a predetermined interval. It has substantially the same shape as the portion 18F.

  A light emitting diode (Light Emitting Diode) or the like that irradiates light on a subject in front of the illumination board 30 is used as an illumination unit for emitting illumination light that illuminates a test site in the subject on the front surface of the illumination board 30. An illumination component 31 made of a light emitting element is provided. A total of four illumination components 31 are arranged, one on each of the top, bottom, left, and right so as to surround the through hole 30B. The illumination component 31 is not limited to a light emitting diode, and for example, EL (electroluminescence) can be used. Also, the number is not limited to four.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, on the rear surface of the illumination board 30, an electronic component 32 for driving the illumination component 31, an electronic component 33 for supplying a stable voltage to the illumination component 31, and a small size are provided. An electronic component 34 such as a capacitor is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, tall electronic components such as the driving electronic component 32 and the electronic component 33 for supplying a stable voltage bend the flexible substrate 12 that connects the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30. When the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 are stacked with a predetermined interval, a short capacitor or resistor disposed on the surface of the imaging substrate 10 facing the illumination substrate 30 (the front surface of the imaging substrate 10). It faces the electronic component 23 such as.

  Here, when the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 are stacked, the small-diameter portion 18F of the lens frame 18 is formed in the through hole 30B formed in the illumination substrate 30 and the step portion 18H formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lens frame 18. The illumination board 30 is positioned with respect to the lens frame 17 and supported by the lens frame 17 by inserting the lens board 18 until the rear surface of the illumination board 30 abuts and fitting the lens frame 18 into the through hole 30b. It has come to be. At the same time, by defining the height to the stepped portion 18H after the large-diameter portion 18G of the lens frame 18 and the holder 17 are assembled, the interval between the imaging substrate and the illumination substrate 30 is predetermined. It is prescribed to be an interval of Here, in the above description, the “height to the step portion 18H” refers to the length in the direction parallel to the optical axis L from the imaging substrate 10 to the step portion 18H after the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14 are assembled. Represents height.

  In the present embodiment, the small-diameter portion 18F of the lens frame 18 is inserted into the through-hole 30B formed in the illumination substrate 30 until the rear surface of the illumination substrate 30 abuts on the step portion 18H formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lens frame 18. Although it was made to fit, it is not necessarily restricted to this, The internal diameter of the through-hole 30B formed in the illumination board | substrate 30 is formed in the magnitude | size equivalent to the outer diameter of the large diameter part 18G of the lens frame 18, A step portion (not shown) is formed at a boundary portion between the large diameter portion 18G of the lens frame and the cylindrical portion 17B of the holder 17, and the small diameter portion 18F and the large diameter of the lens frame 18 are formed until the rear surface of the illumination board 30 abuts on the step portion. The portion 18G may be fitted into a through hole 30B formed in the illumination board 30, that is, the illumination board 30 only needs to be supported by the lens support member 14.

  On the other hand, a short electronic component 34 such as a small capacitor is formed by bending the flexible substrate 12 that connects the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 and arranging the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 to face each other. It faces the tall large capacitor 22 disposed on the surface of the imaging substrate 10 facing the illumination substrate 30 (front surface of the imaging substrate 10).

  That is, in the rigid flexible substrate 2 in which the flexible substrate 12 connecting the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 is bent and the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 are disposed, the tall substrate disposed in front of the imaging substrate 10 is tall. The electronic component 25 for a high drive, the electronic component 33 for supplying a stable voltage, and the small small component for supplying a stable voltage in a manner in which the large capacitor 22, the small small capacitor, and the electronic component 25 such as a resistor are alternately combined. An electronic component 34 such as a capacitor is disposed on the rear surface of the illumination board 30.

  For this reason, the distance between the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 is higher than the sum of the tall electronic components disposed on the front surface of the imaging substrate 10 and the tall electronic components disposed on the rear surface of the illumination substrate 30. Can be narrowed. The flexible substrate 12 is formed longer than the assembly length of the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14. Further, the step length 18H after the assembly of the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14 is set as the assembly length of the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14 rather than the height of the various electronic components 22 and 25 disposed on the front surface of the imaging substrate 10. The height is defined in advance so as to be longer than the height of the electronic components 22 and 25. Here, in the above description, the “height to the step portion 18H” is the length or height in the direction parallel to the optical axis L from the imaging substrate 10 to the step portion 18H after the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14 are assembled. The “height of the electronic components 22 and 25” is the length or height of the electronic components 22 and 25 in the direction parallel to the optical axis L from the imaging substrate 10 in the direction parallel to the optical axis L. It represents that.

  And by making the length of the flexible substrate 12 as described above, the electrical connection between the substrates, the mounting of necessary electronic components on each substrate shape, and further the connection between the image sensor 13 and the lens support member 14 After finishing the work process such as assembly, the flexible substrate 12 is bent, and the small-diameter portion 18F of the lens frame 18 is fitted into the through hole 30B formed in the illumination substrate 30, so that the direction in the direction parallel to the optical axis L is obtained. An assembly process of the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 including the positioning of the illumination substrate 30 with respect to the imaging substrate 10 can be performed.

  The illuminating board 30 configured in this manner is disposed in opposition to the imaging board 10 with a predetermined interval, and is then electrically insulated and fixed by an adhesive 35 having an insulating property.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the switch board 40 has a substantially disk shape like the imaging board 10, and the right edge 40 </ b> A and the left edge 40 </ b> B of the switch board 40 are formed by two parallel sides. Notched. The flexible substrate 11 extending from the right edge of the imaging substrate 10 is connected to the left edge 40B, and the flexible substrate 41 extends from the right edge 40A. For this reason, when the flexible substrate 41 is bent, the deformation of the flexible substrate 41 can be suppressed.

  The right edge portion 40A and the left edge portion 40B, that is, the extending direction of the flexible boards 11 and 41, is an arrangement reference for electronic components arranged on the switch board 40. An oval insertion hole 42 is formed in parallel with the hole.

  A reed switch 43 is disposed on the front surface of the switch substrate 40 so as to sink into the insertion hole portion 42, and the height of the image pickup substrate 10 projecting to the front surface side is suppressed. The reed switch 43 is a latch-type switch, and is turned off in an initial state, and is turned from an off state to an on state by moving away a magnet (not shown) close to the reed switch 43. In addition, electronic components such as a memory 44, a vibrator 45, and a MIX 46 are arranged in an orderly manner so as to surround the reed switch 43.

  The memory 44 stores an initial value of the microprocessor 24, color variation and white balance of the solid-state imaging device 13A, a unique number of the capsule endoscope 1, and the like. The vibrator 45 is stored in the microprocessor 24. Give the basic clock. The MIX 46 is mounted by flip chip bonding, and has a function of mixing two signals of the video signal and the clock signal output from the microprocessor 24 into one signal. A contact 47 that contacts the positive electrode of the battery is provided on the rear surface of the switch substrate 40. The contact 47 is formed of a leaf spring.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the power supply board 50 has a substantially disk shape, and the right edge 50 </ b> A and the left edge 50 </ b> B of the power supply board 50 are cut out by two parallel sides. The flexible board 41 extending from the right edge 40A of the switch board 40 is connected to the left edge 50B. For this reason, it is possible to suppress excessive deformation of the flexible substrate when the flexible substrate is bent. Although not shown in the drawing, a contact point that contacts the negative electrode of the battery is provided on the front surface of the power supply substrate 50, and a DCDC converter 51 is provided on the rear surface of the power supply substrate 50. The DCDC converter 51 controls the voltage obtained by the battery 52 in order to obtain a certain voltage necessary for the capsule endoscope 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) batteries 52 are sandwiched between the power supply board 50 and the switch board 40, and the heat shrinkable tube 53 formed in a ring shape is shrunk. Thus, the battery 52 is integrated between the switch substrate 40 and the power supply substrate 50 in a state of being gripped. An elliptical slit 41 </ b> A is formed in the central portion of the flexible substrate 41, and the flexible substrate 41 adheres along the outer periphery of the battery 52. The battery 52 is a button-type silver oxide battery or the like whose outer shape is a disk shape, and a plurality of the batteries 52 are arranged in series with the negative electrode side facing the power supply substrate 50. The battery 52 is not limited to a silver oxide battery, and for example, a rechargeable battery or a power generation battery may be used.

  A flexible board 54 extends to the right edge 50 </ b> A of the power supply board 50, and a transmission unit 60 is connected to the flexible board 54. The transmission unit 60 is formed independently of the rigid flexible substrate 2 and then connected to the flexible substrate 54 through a through-hole land.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the transmission unit 60 includes a transmission board 61 and an antenna board 62, and the transmission board 61 has a substantially disk shape. The right edge portion 61A of the transmission board 61 is cut out by one straight line to form one side, and this one side serves as an arrangement reference for electronic components arranged on the transmission board 61. Electronic components are arranged with this one side as a reference. The antenna substrate 62 is attached to a terminal 63 erected from the rear surface of the transmission substrate 61, and a substantially spiral antenna pattern 64 is formed on the rear surface of the antenna substrate 62. The transmission unit 60 can extract a signal having a certain frequency, amplitude, and waveform from the signal mixed by the switch board 40 and transmit the signal from the antenna board 62 to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the switch board 40, the imaging board 10, the power supply board 50, and the transmission unit 60 configured as described above are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval and then have an insulating adhesive 65. Therefore, it is electrically insulated and fixed.

  The laminated rigid flexible substrate 2 constitutes the internal configuration of the capsule endoscope 1, and the laminated rigid flexible substrate 2 is covered with a capsule 70. The capsule 70 has a tip cover 71 and a case 72.

  The front end cover 71 covers the front side of the illumination board 30, has a substantially hemispherical dome shape, and has an open rear side. The tip cover 71 is transparent or translucent, and transmits the illumination light of the illumination component 31 to the outside of the capsule 70 and transmits an image illuminated with the illumination light to the inside of the capsule 70.

  In addition, the opening portion of the tip cover 71 is formed with a connection end portion 71A extending in the opening direction (rearward) over the entire circumference of the opening. The connecting end 71A has a cylindrical shape formed in an inner and outer shape without a draft at the time of molding, and the outer peripheral surface of the connecting end 71A forms a joint surface with the case 72. An endless projection 71B is provided on the joint surface over the entire circumference. The protrusion 71B is provided at an arbitrary position within the overlapping width of the joint surface, for example, at the central position in the overlapping width direction, separated from the end of the connection end 71A of the tip cover 71.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the distal end cover 71, the base end portion extending from the connection end portion 71A is substantially hemispherical dome-shaped portion covering the front side of the illumination board 30 or the connection end portion 71A. A thick portion 71C having a thick cross section is provided. The thick portion 71C ensures the strength of the connecting end portion 71A of the tip cover 71 and prevents the tip cover 71 from cracking, for example, when dropped.

  Further, in the distal end cover 71, an abutting portion 71D is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base end portion extending from the connecting end portion 71A. By bringing the illumination substrate 30 into contact with the contact portion 71D, the tip cover 71 and the folded rigid flexible substrate 2 can be positioned in a predetermined positional relationship in the axial direction.

  Further, in the distal end cover 71, the inner diameter of the base end portion extending from the connection end 71 </ b> A has substantially the same diameter as the outer diameters of the illumination board 30 and the imaging board 10. For this reason, the tip cover 71 and the folded rigid flexible substrate 2 can be positioned in the radially outward direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the connection end portion 71A of the tip cover 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the illumination substrate 30 are in contact with each other. The connection end 71A restricts the capsule 70 from being deformed inward.

  When the rigid cover 2 that is folded inside the capsule 70 is accommodated by connecting the tip cover 71 and the case 72, the rigid flexible substrate 2 folded with the inner peripheral surface of the connection end 71 </ b> A of the tip cover 71. Adhesive is injected between and fixed. As described above, when the rigid flexible substrate 2 folded to the front end cover 71 is fixed, the illumination substrate 30 of the rigid flexible substrate 2 is positioned in the front end cover 71.

  The case 72 is a part that covers the rigid flexible substrate 2 folded on the rear side of the tip cover 71. In the case 72, a cylindrical barrel portion 72A and a rear end portion 72B having a substantially hemispherical dome shape are integrally formed, and the front side of the barrel portion 72A is opened. The opening 72C of the case 72 is formed with a connection end 72D extending in the opening direction (front) over the entire circumference of the opening. The connection end portion 72D has a cylindrical shape formed in an inner shape without a draft at the time of molding, and the inner peripheral surface of the connection end portion 72D forms a joint surface with the tip cover 71. The joint surface is provided with an endless groove 72E over the entire circumference. Further, the groove 72E is provided in accordance with the position of the protrusion 71B provided on the tip cover 71. The polymerization width is preferably 3 mm within a range of approximately 1 to 5 mm, and the position where the groove 72E is provided is preferably the center of the polymerization width.

  The protrusion 71B and the groove 72E thus provided engage with each other when the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are overlapped on the joint surface. Thus, the protrusion 71B and the groove 72E hold the state where the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are connected by engagement with each other. Since the projection 71B is provided over the entire circumference of the joining surface and the groove 72E is provided over the entire circumference of the joining surface, the projection 71B and the groove 72E are engaged, and the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are connected. In a state, relative sliding rotation of each joint surface is possible.

  And after apply | coating the resin material 80 to the outer peripheral surface of the folded rigid flexible board | substrate 2 and apply | coating an adhesive agent to the joint surface of the connection end part of the front end cover 71, the joint surface of the joint end part of the front end cover 71, and a case The front end cover 71 and the case 72 are connected by superimposing the joint surfaces of the joint ends of 72. For this reason, the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the folded rigid flexible substrate 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the capsule is filled with a resin material, and the connection surface of the connection end of the tip cover 71 and the connection surface of the connection end of the case 72 The adhesive enters between the two. Thereafter, in a state where the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are connected, the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are relatively slid and rotated, and an adhesive is connected to the joint surface of the connection end of the tip cover 71 and the case 72. Spread between the joints at the ends. As a result, watertightness between the tip cover 71 and the case 72 is ensured, and the entire capsule 70 can be sealed watertight.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the connecting portions appearing on the outer surface side of the capsule in a state where the tip cover 71 and the case 72 are connected are chamfered. This chamfering reduces the step that can occur on the outer surface of the capsule between the tip cover 71 and the case 72, and prevents the step from being caught and generating an external force that separates the tip cover 71 and the case 72. be able to.

  The tip cover 71 is made of cycloolefin polymer, polycarbonate, acrylic, polysulfone or urethane, and particularly preferred for ensuring the optical performance and strength of the cycloolefin polymer or polycarbonate. The case 72 is made of cycloolefin polymer, It is formed of polycarbonate, acrylic, polysulfone or urethane, and polysulfone is particularly preferable for ensuring strength.

  Next, a medical system using the capsule endoscope described above will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a medical system using a capsule endoscope.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a medical system using a capsule endoscope includes a capsule endoscope 1 housed in a package 100, a jacket 102 to be worn by a patient, that is, an examinee, and a removable jacket 102. A receiver 103 and a computer 104 are included.

  The jacket 102 is provided with antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d that capture radio waves transmitted from the antenna substrate 62 of the capsule endoscope 1. The capsule 102 is encapsulated via the antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d. Communication between the mold endoscope 1 and the receiver 103 is possible. Note that the number of antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d is not limited to four as shown in FIG. A plurality of antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d can satisfactorily receive radio waves according to the position accompanying the movement of the capsule endoscope 1. Further, the position of the capsule endoscope 1 in the body cavity can be detected by the reception intensity of each antenna 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d.

  The receiver 103 performs white balance processing on captured image data that is sequentially received, and stores the image data that has undergone white balance processing, for example, in a compact flash (R) memory card (CF memory card) 105. Reception by the receiver 103 is not synchronized with the start of imaging of the capsule endoscope 1, and the start and end of reception are controlled by the operation of the input unit of the receiver 103.

  The computer 104 performs reading / writing of the CF memory card 105 and the like. The computer 104 has a processing function for a doctor or nurse (examiner) to perform a diagnosis based on an image of an internal organ of a patient, which is a subject imaged by the capsule endoscope 1. .

  The general operation of the system will be described. First, before starting the inspection, the capsule endoscope is taken out from the package 100. Thereby, the reed switch 43 of the capsule endoscope 1 shifts from the off state to the on state, and the main power supply is turned on. Next, the examinee swallows the capsule endoscope 1 from the mouth. Thereby, the capsule endoscope 1 passes through the esophagus, advances in the body cavity by the peristaltic movement of the digestive tract cavity, and sequentially captures images in the body cavity. The capsule endoscope 1 outputs radio waves of the captured image as the imaging result as necessary or as needed. This radio wave is captured by the antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d of the jacket 102. The captured radio waves are relayed from the antennas 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d to the receiver 103 as signals. Next, when the observation (examination) of the subject by the capsule endoscope is completed, the CF memory card 105 storing the captured image data is taken out from the receiver 103 and inserted into the memory card insertion hole of the computer 104. The computer 104 reads the captured image data stored in the CF memory card 105 and stores the captured image data corresponding to each patient.

  In the capsule endoscope 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the illumination board 30, the imaging board 10, the switch board 40, and the power board 50 are connected in a straight line by the flexible boards 11, 12, and 41. When the substrates 11, 12, and 41 are bent, the illumination substrate 30, the imaging substrate 10, the switch substrate 40, and the power supply substrate 50 may be positioned in this order. For example, if they are on the same plane, they are necessarily connected on a straight line. It doesn't have to be a thing.

  The capsule endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment includes an illumination board 30 provided with an illumination component 31 that emits illumination light that irradiates a test site of a subject, and an image of imaging the test site of the test subject. The imaging substrate 10 provided with the sensor 13, the flexible substrate 12 made of a flexible material connected to the illumination substrate 30 and the imaging substrate 10 and integrally formed with the illumination substrate 30 and the imaging substrate 10, and the illumination light A lens support member 14 made of a cylindrical member that supports the lenses 15 and 16 that forms an image of reflected light from the inspection site and that is positioned with respect to the image sensor 13 on one end side, and the lens support member 14 can be fitted. When the hole 30B formed through the illumination substrate 30 with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the support member 14 and the flexible substrate 12 is bent and the other end side of the lens support member 14 is inserted into the hole 30B, the illumination base 30 is provided with a step portion 18H provided on the lens support member 14 that positions and supports the lens support member 14 with respect to the lens support member 14, and therefore the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 need to be separately connected by a lead wire or the like. Therefore, the imaging substrate 10 and the illumination substrate 30 can be easily assembled as compared with the conventional one.

It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the capsule type endoscope which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a developed top view of the rigid flexible substrate shown in FIG. 1. It is the bottom view which developed the rigid flexible substrate shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the front surface of the imaging substrate. It is side sectional drawing which attached the lens attachment member to the imaging substrate. It is the figure which showed the rear surface of the imaging substrate. It is the figure which showed the front surface of the illumination board | substrate. It is the figure which showed the rear surface of the illumination board | substrate. It is a sectional side view of an imaging board. It is the sectional side view which showed the lamination | stacking state of the imaging substrate and the illumination board | substrate. It is the figure which showed the front surface of the switch board. It is a sectional side view of a switch board. It is the figure which showed the rear surface of the power supply board. It is a sectional side view of a power supply board. It is a sectional side view of a transmission unit. It is the figure which showed the rear surface of the transmission unit. It is a schematic diagram of a medical system using a capsule endoscope.

Explanation of symbols

1 Capsule Endoscope 2 Rigid Flexible Substrate 10 Imaging Substrate (Rigid Substrate)
10A Right edge 10B Left edge 11 Flexible substrate 12 Flexible substrate 13 Image sensor 13A Solid-state imaging device 13B Cover glass 14 Lens support member 15 Small diameter lens 16 Large diameter lens 17 Holder 17A Base portion 17B Cylindrical portion 17C Hole portion 17D Contact portion 17E Reinforcement part 18 Lens frame 18A Tip part 18B Small diameter part 18C Large diameter part 18D Step part 18E Step part 18F Small diameter part 18G Large diameter part 18H Step part 19 Adhesive 20 Spacer 21 Adhesive 30 Lighting board (rigid board)
30A Right side edge 30B Through-hole 31 Lighting component

Claims (4)

An illumination board provided with illumination means for emitting illumination light to irradiate the test site of the subject;
An imaging board provided with an image sensor for imaging the test site of the subject;
A flexible substrate made of a flexible material connected to the illumination substrate and the imaging substrate and formed integrally with the illumination substrate and the imaging substrate;
A lens support member made of a cylindrical member that supports a lens that forms an image of reflected light from the test site of the illumination light, and has one end positioned with respect to the image sensor;
A hole formed through the illumination board with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the lens support member so that the lens support member can be fitted;
A support means provided on the lens support member for positioning and supporting the illumination substrate with respect to the lens support member when the flexible substrate is bent and the other end side of the lens support member is inserted into the hole; A capsule endoscope characterized by comprising: The lens support member is
A large diameter portion having an outer diameter of a predetermined size formed on the one end side positioned with respect to the image sensor;
A small diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than the one end side formed on the other end side inserted through the hole;
A step portion formed at the boundary between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion,
The support means positions and supports the illumination substrate with respect to the lens support member by abutting the illumination substrate when the other end side of the lens support member is inserted into the hole. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1.   The imaging board is provided with electronic parts having a predetermined height for driving the image sensor, and the lens support member is moved from the imaging board to the lens support member within an assembly length of the image sensor and the lens support member. 3. The capsule endoscope according to claim 2, wherein a length in a height direction to the stepped portion formed in is longer than a length in a height direction of the electronic component.   The capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flexible substrate is longer than an assembly length of the image sensor and the lens support member.

Images