JPS6265010A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To insulate a solid-state image pickup element by providing the solid-state image pickup element which has been fixed to a shield member, and a lens frame for supporting a lens, insulating and fixing the shield member and the lens frame by interposing a joint member consisting of an insulating material, and fixing the lens frame to a tip part body of a metal for constituting the tip part of an endoscope. CONSTITUTION:An observation lighting system is constituted of an observation system 10 which has been contained near the tip side from the center of a tip hardware 3, and a lighting system 11 which has been contained near the rear end side. A unit part 12 of the observation system 10 is provided with a metallic SID frame 13 which serves as a shield frame, as well, which has been formed in a recessed part, an SID frame 14 which has been attached by an insulating adhesive agent 15 by turning the image pickup surface in the rear, to an installing hole which has been formed eccentrically a little on the bottom part wall of its frame 13, a printed board 16 which has been soldered to a leg of its SID 14 and has been loaded with tip electric parts 17..., a joint member 18 of an insulating material, which has been fixed to the outer surface of the bottom part wall of the SID frame 13, and a lens frame 19 which has installed internally six pieces of lenses 20... in the inside. In this way, the SID 14 is insulated without covering the periphery with an insulating material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope that performs observation using a solid-state image sensor.

[Conventional technology]

In endoscopes, solid-state imaging devices (CCDs) are used.

In addition to incorporating a SID (SID, etc.) into the end of the endoscope, a lens frame equipped with a lens is placed on the entrance side of the solid-state imaging probe, and the solid-state imaging probe captures the optical image that enters through the lens, allowing the camera control unit to be installed. There is one that can be output to and monitored.

By the way, in endoscopes using such solid-state image sensors,
Firstly, it is necessary to shield external electromagnetic noise from having a negative effect on the solid-state image sensor and the leading-edge electrical components connected to it, and secondly, the lens frame must be made of metal due to processing dimensions and processing accuracy. is required. Thirdly, the imaging electrical circuit composed of a solid-state imaging device, advanced electrical components, etc. is part of the exterior of the endoscope tip.
It is required to be insulated from the tip hardware (the tip body).

Therefore, the conventional technology that satisfies these points is
A method as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-90544 has been proposed. This involves focusing and fixing the solid-state imaging probe and lens within a metal shield member that also serves as a lens frame, and then placing an insulating material such as plastic on the tip. I'm trying to fix it.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the conventional structure, in order to cover the insulating material around the shield member, the diameter was made small and the
There is a drawback that the outer diameter of the distal end becomes thicker due to the provision of the insulating material, and the endoscope itself becomes thicker.

This invention was made with attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to reduce the diameter.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] This endoscope is provided with a solid-state image sensor 14 fixed to a shield member 13, and a lens frame 19 made of metal that supports a lens 20. The member 13 and the lens frame 19 are insulated and fixed via a joint member 18 made of an insulating material, and the lens frame 19 is a metal tip body that constitutes the tip of an endoscope [Example] Hereinafter, this invention will be described. will be explained based on the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 3 shows a plane view of the distal end portion of a side-viewing endoscope having a lifting mechanism, where 1 is the distal end portion and 2 is a curved portion connected to the distal end portion 1. FIG. The tip 1 is provided with an insulating cover 4 from the periphery to the tip of the metal tip 3 (corresponding to the tip main body of the present invention), and is also observed from one side of the axis of the tip 3. Most of the illumination system 5 is built in, and an elevating system 6 is built in on the other side. Of these, the observation illumination system 5 is shown in FIG. 1, and the raising system 6 is shown in FIG.

Before explaining each prefecture, let's talk about the curved section 2. As shown in Figs. It is composed of a curved cylinder which is covered with an outer skin 7a. The curved piece 7 is connected to a flexible tube (not shown).

In addition, wire guides 8 are provided on the inner surface of each curved portion 7 on four sides.
In addition to each wire guide row, a wire 9 disposed inside a flexible tube is inserted through each line of wire guides. The tip of each wire 9... is connected to the rear part of the tip metal fitting 3, and the rear end is connected to a bending operation knob of an operation section (not shown) connected to the flexible tube, and by operation with the bending operation knob. The curved portion 2 can be curved in up, down, right and left directions.

Next, the observation illumination system 5 will be explained. This is an observation system 10 built in from the center of the tip hardware 3 toward the tip side.
And, on the contrary, the lighting system 11 is built in near the rear end.
It is composed of. Regarding observation system 10, 1
2 is a unit part. Here, to explain the unit part 12, 13 is a metal SID frame formed in a concave shape and also serves as a shield frame, and 14 is the SIDID frame 3.
A 5ID (solid-state image sensor) is attached using insulating adhesive 15 to a mounting hole formed at a slightly eccentric position on the wall soil, with the imaging surface facing backward. 16 is soldered to the leg of the 5ID 14. 18 is a PC board (printed circuit board) on which advanced electrical components 17 are mounted; member, 19 is 6 inside
This is a lens frame with a number of lenses 20 inside. By fixing the 5ID 14 with the insulating adhesive 15, the 5ID 14 can be displaced in the thrust direction during bonding. Also, between 5ID14 and PCCl2O,
An insulating spacer 22 with holes 21 for inserting the legs of the 5ID14 is interposed, and the soldering is done at the time.
This prevents solder from flowing from PCCl2O to 5ID14 and causing a short circuit. A shield plate 23 is provided at the opening of the SIDID frame 3 to cover the opening.
4 and PCCl2O are covered with a shield member consisting of a SIDID frame 3 and a shield plate 23. Then, on the joint member 18 that has been set in the SIDID frame 3 in advance,
The lens frame 19 is fixed with adhesive, and the 5ID 14 and its surroundings are made into one unit.

Specifically, the joint member 18 has a cross section as shown in FIG. A cylindrical shape having a fitting hole 27 along the axis is used at a position eccentric from the axis.

Then, the joint member 18 is fixed in series by gluing the flange portion 26 to the SID frame 13 while focusing, and then the lens frame 19 is fitted into the fitting hole 27 and fixed with adhesive.

Note that measures are taken to fix the lens frame 19 and the joint member 18 so that no stress remains during adhesion. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a temporary fixing screw 28 is screwed in so as to penetrate through the thick part of the oval part 25 and reach the lens frame 19, and when the adhesive is started, the temporary fixing screw 28 is used to secure the lens frame 19. When the adhesive is semi-dry, the temporary fixing screws 28 are loosened to prevent residual stress from remaining in the joint member 18. This prevents cracks that may occur during EOG sterilization (gas sterilization) due to residual stress. It is prevented.

Of course, the strength of the joint member 18 is ensured by the thick portion. Note that the distance between the 5ID 14 and the lens 20 closest to the 5ID 14 is adjusted so that the best lens performance can be obtained when the 5ID 14 is fixed.

The lens frame 19 of the unit part 12 is fitted into a support hole 30 formed on the distal end side of the tip metal fitting 3, and a fixing screw 31 is screwed into the lens frame 19 from the peripheral wall of the tip metal fitting 3. Fixed to tip hardware 3, 5ID
14 is arranged inside the insulating cover 4, and the unit part 12
The entire structure is installed along the axial direction of the tip metal fitting 3. Specifically, on the protruding end of the lens frame 19, the fixing screw 31
A sloped surface 32 that is inclined toward the 5ID14 side is formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion corresponding to the 5ID14 side, and a fixing screw 31 that is screwed toward the sloped surface 32 is used to move the lens frame 19 to the rear of the support hole 30. It is pressed against and fixed to the formed stopper portion 33. As a result, the observation window 34 provided on the peripheral wall on the rear side of the tip metal fitting 3 and the lens 20... are optically coupled via the prism 35 provided on the back side of the observation window 34, and the lens 20... . . , an optical image on the side of the distal end 1 through the optical path formed by the insertion hole 27, etc.
It is made so that it can be caught with D14.

Further, the thickness between the stopper part 33 and the slope part 32 facing it is, for example, 0.02u+ and 0.03++.
+m two types of spacers 36 and 37 are interposed, and by appropriately selecting the type and number of these spacers 36 and 37, the distance between the prism 35 and the final lens 20 facing it can be adjusted to achieve the best lens performance. We are adjusting accordingly. Of course, during repair, when replacing the prism 35 which has variations in optical path length due to processing, the spacing is adjusted by changing the thickness of each of the spacers 36 and 37. Furthermore, 39
is a flare diaphragm located in front of the imaging surface of the 5ID 14 and provided integrally with the SID frame 13, which also serves to cut electromagnetic noise from the optical axis direction. However, from the viewpoint of performance, it is preferable for this flare diaphragm 39 to have a small inner diameter and to be separated from the 5ID 14.

On the other hand, 40 is a cable insertion hole formed along the axial direction of the metal tip 3 adjacent to the unit part 12, and 41 is a cable protection tube to which the cable insertion hole 40 is connected. The cable protection tube 41 has a curved portion 2. It is inserted into a flexible tube connected to it, an operating section, a universal cord, and a connector at the tip of the universal cord (none of which are shown). A shielded wire 42 connected to the connector is inserted into the cable protection tube 41, and an external conductor (shield) 43 exposed from the tip of the shielded wire 42 is connected to the SID frame 13. For this connection, the external conductor 43 is soldered to the shielded wire fixing vibrator 44, and the shielded wire fixing vibe 44 is inserted into a through hole previously formed in the bottom wall of the SID frame 13 facing the cable insertion hole 40. A structure bonded using a conductive adhesive 46 is used. This is because if the shield wire fixing vibrator 44 and the outer conductor 43 are bonded together, the adhesive layer that serves as the bonding margin is soft and therefore weak in strength, and the shield wire fixing vibe 44 and the SID frame 1
This is because if 5 ID 14 is soldered, the insulating adhesive 15 that fixes 5 ID 14 will be adversely affected by the heat of soldering. With this fixing, the internal core wire 4
7...The external conductor 43 is electrically connected to the SID frame 13 while being in the pulled out state. When the SID frame 13 is assembled, the PC board 16 and the shield plate 231 are connected in advance using lead wires 49, and due to the surrounding shielding effect, the 5ID 13 and the tip electric component 17 are connected to each other using lead wires 49.
The PC board 16 including the PC board 16 is protected from external noise. In addition, the internal core wire 47 of the shield wire 42 is connected to the PC board 1.
5ID14 through the internal core wire 47...
It is possible to drive the 5ID14 and output the signal from the 5ID14. Note that FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. 1.

Next, the illumination system 11 will be explained. Reference numeral 50 denotes an illumination lens arranged on the curved portion 2 side adjacent to the observation window 34.

To fix the illumination lens 50, a lens receiver 52 is glued to the seat surface of a lens receiver 51 formed on three sides of the lower edge of the lens mounting hole, and then the illumination lens 50 is attached to the seat surface of the lens receiver 52. fl"S J is used for gluing the lens. Due to this structure, when gluing the jj7j light lens 50, the lens receiver 52 is used as a shield to prevent the glue from flowing into the tip part 1. On the other hand, 53 is a light guide fiber whose periphery is protected by a Lie I guide fiber protection tube 54.The light guide fiber 53 is connected to a universal coat that extends from the distal end 1 through a flexible tube and an operating section. The input end (not shown) is connected to the connector at the tip of the universal cord.In other words, it can receive illumination light from a light source device (not shown) connected to the connector. The output end of the light guide fiber 53 is formed into an arc shape with a hard barb, and the fiber hard bent part 55 is placed on the tip metal fitting 3, inside the illumination lens 50 in the l-axis direction. It is accommodated and fixed in a cylindrical accommodation space 56a formed along the length.Here, to explain this fixing structure, 56
A first cap is disposed in the housing space 56a so as to be movable in the axial and rotational directions, and a second cap 57 is attached to the root side of the hard fiber bending section 55. Then, the second cap 57 is mounted at a position eccentric from the central axis of the first cap 56 toward the center of the distal end portion 1, and the first cap 56 is attached to a fixing screw 58 screwed into the peripheral wall of the distal end fitting 3. It is fixed at However, the output side of the light guide fiber 53 is fixed. With this eccentric fixed structure, the radius of curvature of the fiber hard bending part 55 can be increased by the increase in the distance from the illumination lens 50 to the light guide fiber 53, and the tip of the fiber hard bending part 55 can be straightened. 59, which stabilizes the direction in which the illumination light is emitted. In addition, these (-cardiac fixation structures are
In addition, it is also possible to freely change the illumination direction by 2'J ffi. That is, the light guide fiber 53
By displacing once in the axial direction, the central axis of the straight portion 59 of the light guide fiber 53 and the central axis of the illumination lens 50 can be decentered and deviated, and the illumination direction can be changed (deflection). It looks like this.

Then, from this change (section X'1), the best light distribution is calculated as 11
The illumination optical axis 60 is set at a distance 1i from the end surface of the observation window 34 so that
It is set to intersect the observation optical axis 61 at a point 1L (distance at which the best light distribution can be obtained) away. This distance #L
It is around 10III11 mm for a close observation endoscope, around 15 mm for a duodenal endoscope, and around 15 mm for a gastrointestinal endoscope. Note that 62.62 is an O-ring interposed between the first cap 56 and the tip metal fitting 3 in contact with it, and the tip of the light guide fiber protection tube 54 is the first O-ring.
It is connected to the cap 56 of.

Next, the elevating system 6 built in along the axial direction adjacent to the observation illumination system 5 will be explained based on FIG. 2. 6
5 is the observation window 34. A forceps opening 66 is formed in the peripheral wall of the metal tip 3 adjacent to the illumination lens 50, and 66 indicates the forceps 65 thereof.
A forceps insertion hole 68 is bored along the axial direction in the elevator operating space 67 formed inside the elevator, corresponding to the elevator operating space 66. Further, a forceps channel tube 69 is connected to the forceps insertion hole 68. The end portion (not shown) of the forceps channel tube 69 is connected to the curved portion 2.
The device is connected to a forceps insertion mouthpiece (not shown) provided in the operating section through the flexible tube that follows it, and guides treatment tools such as forceps and cannulation tubes to the forceps raising table 67 using the forceps insertion ring. I'm trying to do that. In addition, the forceps channel tube 69 uses a relatively soft tube such as a Boretex tube for the portion inserted into the curved portion 2, and a relatively hard tube such as a Teflon tube for the portion inserted into the flexible tube. In order to prevent the tube from breaking due to bending in the tube part in the curved part 2 where a strong bend is made, and in the tube part in the flexible tube where a strong bend does not occur such as in the bend part 2, the cannulation tube is When the tube moves forward and backward within the tube, the movement is absorbed (restricted) to prevent it from becoming worse.

That is, by making the forceps channel tube 69 different in material, it is made easier to perform ERCP (transendoscopic reverse homologous pancreatic and cholangiography method). On the other hand, 70
is the forceps opening 65 on the tip metal fitting 3, adjacent to the forceps insertion hole 68.
A forceps lifting wire insertion hole is formed on the side, and a forceps lifting wire guide tube connecting vibe 72 is connected to the rear part of the forceps lifting wire insertion hole 70 via a bushing 71. The forceps lifting wire guide tube connection vibe 71 and the forceps lifting wire 1-type through hole 70
The distal end side of the lifting wire '73 is inserted through, and the distal end is connected to the free end side of the forceps lifting stand 67. The other end of the hoisting wire 72 is connected to a hoisting operation section (not shown) provided in the operation section through the curved portion 2 and a flexible tube, and the hoisting operation section operates the hoisting wire 73 to move forward or backward. By doing so, the forceps raising table 67 can be raised. In other words, the treatment instrument guided by the forceps raising table 67 can be raised to cause the tip to protrude from the forceps opening 65 to the side of the tip part 1. In addition, 45
a is a guide wall provided on the side of the raising operation space 67; 45b;
is on the inside of the forceps opening 65, 1iUl window 35. lighting lens 5
The guide wall 45C provided on the side opposite to the 0 side is a chamfered portion provided at the corner of the guide wall 45b. In addition, the inner diameter of the forceps lifting wire guide tube connecting vibe 72 is large enough for the lifting wire 73 to pass through, and the forceps insertion hole 70 has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the forceps lifting wire guide tube connecting vibe 72. It is determined,
This allows for smooth lifting operations. Note that 74 is a wire guide tube 75 that is provided around the lifting wire 73 and has its tip connected to the forceps lifting wire guide tube connecting vibe 72.
is a forceps elevator stopper screw #0 fixed by screw insertion on the circumferential portion constituting the elevator operating space 66, at a portion that comes into contact when the forceps elevator 67 is raised.

Further, in addition to the observation illumination system 5 and the raising system 6, the distal end portion 1 is provided with an air and water supply system 76. As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to providing an air and water nozzle 77 in the rear part adjacent to the illumination lens 50, air and water are also supplied to the inlet of the air and water nozzle 77. tube 7
It is constructed by connecting 8. And air and water supply tube 7
The other end of 8 is a curved portion 2. It is connected to the connector at the end of the universal cord via the air and water supply operation unit (not shown) provided in the operation unit through each part of the flexible tube, and air is supplied by operating the air and water supply operation unit.

It is now possible to supply water. and,
The arrangement of each internal component within the curved portion 2 is shown in FIG. In addition, inside the curved part 2 and the flexible tube, a second
As shown in the figure, a tube 79 for preventing disturbance in the arrangement of built-in objects is inserted.

However, the tip of the built-in object arrangement disorder prevention tube 79 is connected via a connecting member 81 to a threaded portion 80 into which the forceps stopper screw 75 is screwed.

Therefore, 5ID14 is connected to the shield member and lens frame 1.
There is a concern that the diameter of the distal end of the endoscope will become thicker in the conventional technique when the endoscope is insulated with the distal metal fitting 3 together with the endoscope 9, but this can be improved according to the present invention.

That is, in this invention, as mentioned earlier, 5ID1
4 is fixed to the SID frame 13 (shield part SID frame 13 and the lens frame 19 are insulated from the tip metal fitting 3 and the lens frame 19 by the joint member 18 interposed between the SID frame 13 and the lens frame 19. Furthermore, the tip electrical component 17 can be insulated without having to cover the surrounding area with an insulating material as shown in FIG. be able to.

In addition, a structure in which the lens frame 19 is pressed and fixed in the axial direction with the fixing screw 31 using the sloped portion 32 is a structure in which the screw is attached to the lens frame 19.
Compared to the case where the lens frame 19 is fixed by screwing into the lens frame, there is no need to take the trouble of positioning the tapped hole, and even if the lens frame 19 is deformed, the lens frame 19 can be fixed easily. Furthermore, when screwed in, a large force acts in the radial direction of the lens frame 19, displacing the lens frame 19 and making it difficult to focus, but by pressing and fixing the lens frame 19 in the axial direction, this displacement is improved. This has the advantage of making it easy to focus. In addition, the easily breakable joint member 18 is bonded to the SID frame 13. The structure fixed to the lens frame 19 not only allows the joint member 18 to be fixed without cracking, but also has an advantage in terms of space compared to a structure fixed with screws, and the diameter of the tip of the endoscope can be reduced to account for the space involved in the fixation. It has the advantage of being able to

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This invention is applied to a direct-viewing endoscope, and its structure is the first.
This is similar to the embodiment. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is the way in which the joint member 18 is fixed. That is, in the first embodiment, the joint member 18 is attached to the SID frame 1 in advance.
3 (shield member), and when focusing, joint member 1
8 is glued to the lens frame 19, but in the second embodiment, the joint member 18 is glued to the lens frame 19 in advance, and is glued to the SID frame 13 (shield member) when focusing. Further, in the second embodiment, an unlinked sheet 85 is provided between the periphery of the 5ID 14 and the inner surface of the SID frame 13 facing thereto.
In addition, a sealing material (not shown) is filled in a contact portion 86 between the outer periphery of the distal end of the lens frame 19 and the distal end metal fitting 3 abutting thereon, thereby making the inside of the unit portion 12 airtight. With this airtight structure, even if the humidity inside the endoscope increases to an extreme level due to long-term immersion disinfection with a chemical solution, the lens remains intact.
This prevents clouding from occurring at 0...

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the solid-state image sensor can be insulated from both the tip body and the lens frame without covering the periphery with an insulating material.

As a result, the diameter of the distal end of the endoscope can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of the observation illumination system at the tip of the endoscope, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the elevating system.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the distal end of the endoscope that incorporates the observation illumination system and lifting system, Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is Figure 1B. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -B, showing a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention. 3... Tip hardware (tip body), 13... SID frame (shield member), 14... 5 ID (solid-state image sensor) 1
8... Joint member, 19... Lens frame, 2o... Lens. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Jun Tsuboi Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] A solid-state image sensor fixed to a shield member and a lens frame made of metal supporting a lens are provided, and the shield member and the lens frame are insulated and fixed via a joint member made of an insulating material, and the lens frame What is claimed is: 1. An endoscope, characterized in that: is fixed to a distal end body constituting a distal end portion of the endoscope.