JPWO2016203535A1 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

The endoscope 2 has a cylindrical body 20 at the distal end portion 3A of the insertion portion 3. The imaging element 50, a flexible wiring board 30, and the distal end portion 3A are inserted into the cylindrical body 20 inside. And the wiring board 30 includes extending portions 32 and 33 extending from the side of the intermediate portion 31, and the extending member in which the heat generating component is disposed. The parts 32 and 33 are in contact with the tubular member.

Description

  The present invention has an endoscope in which a cylindrical body is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, and an imaging element, a wiring board provided with a heat generating component, and a tubular member are provided inside the cylindrical body. About.

  Endoscopes are widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. The subject is picked up by an image sensor disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope, and the subject image is displayed on the monitor of the apparatus main body.

  An active component such as an integrated circuit component that supplies a drive signal to the image sensor is also disposed at the tip. The active component is a heat generating component that generates heat when a predetermined operation is performed by the received power. When the heat generated by the heat generating component is transferred to the image sensor and the temperature of the image sensor rises, the image sensor may be deteriorated, or image quality may be deteriorated due to thermal noise.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-233343 discloses an endoscope in which the back surface of an image sensor is closely fixed to the outer surface of a forceps pipe with an adhesive in order to dissipate heat generated by the image sensor as a heating element. .

  However, in the endoscope configured as described above, if a heating element other than the imaging element is disposed at the distal end, the imaging element becomes a heat dissipation path for the heat generated by the heating element, and the temperature may increase. there were.

JP 2013-233343 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope in which heat generated by a heat generating component does not adversely affect an image sensor.

  An endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention has a cylindrical body at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, and an imaging element, a flexible wiring board, and the distal end portion are inserted into the cylindrical body. A tubular member, and including an intermediate portion in which the wiring board is connected to the imaging element and an extending portion that extends from a side of the intermediate portion, The extending portion where the heat generating component is disposed is in contact with the tubular member.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an endoscope in which the heat generated by the heat-generating component does not adversely affect the image sensor.

1 is an external view of an endoscope according to a first embodiment. FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a rear view of the imaging device for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the imaging device for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the wiring board for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of the modification 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 2nd Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
First, the endoscope 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  Note that the drawings are schematic, and it should be noted that the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the thickness of each part, and the like are different from the actual ones. In some cases, there are portions where the dimensional relationships and ratios are different. Moreover, illustration of some components may be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope system 1 includes an endoscope 2, a processor 5A, a light source device 5B, and a monitor 5C. The endoscope 2 captures an in-vivo image of the subject and outputs an imaging signal by inserting the elongated insertion portion 3 into the body cavity of the subject.

  On the proximal end side of the insertion section 3 of the endoscope 2, an operation section 4 provided with various buttons for operating the endoscope 2 is disposed. The operation unit 4 includes a treatment instrument insertion port 4A of a forceps tube (channel) 22 (see FIG. 2) for inserting treatment instruments such as a biological forceps, an electric knife and an inspection probe into a body cavity of a subject.

  The insertion portion 3 includes a distal end portion 3A on which the image sensor 50 is disposed, a bendable bending portion 3B continuously provided on the proximal end side of the distal end portion 3A, and a proximal end side of the bending portion 3B. And the flexible tube portion 3C. The bending portion 3 </ b> B is bent by the operation of the operation unit 4. The endoscope 2 is a so-called soft endoscope, but may be a so-called rigid endoscope in which the insertion portion 3 is hard.

  A signal cable 61 connected to the imaging device 50 of the distal end portion 3A is inserted through the universal cord 4B disposed on the proximal end side of the operation unit 4.

  The universal cord 4B is connected to the processor 5A and the light source device 5B via the connector 4C. The processor 5A controls the entire endoscope system 1, performs signal processing on the image signal output from the image sensor 50, and outputs the image signal as an image signal. The monitor 5C displays the image signal output from the processor 5A.

  The light source device 5B has, for example, a white LED. The light emitted from the light source device 5B is guided to the distal end portion 3A via the universal cord 4B and the light guides 24 and 25 (see FIG. 3) that pass through the insertion portion 3, and illuminates the subject.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the endoscope 2 has a cylindrical body 20 at the distal end portion 3 </ b> A of the insertion portion 3, and an imaging element 50 and a flexible wiring board 30 are provided inside the cylindrical body 20. A suction tube 21 and a forceps tube 22 which are tubular members inserted through the distal end portion 3A are disposed. In FIG. 2, only the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22 among the components arranged inside the cylinder 20 are shown.

  The outer surface of the cylinder 20 is covered with an outer resin layer (not shown). On the other hand, the inside of the cylindrical body 20 is sealed with a sealing resin 26. The sealing resin 26 is selected from a resin excellent in moisture resistance such as an epoxy resin or a silicone resin.

  On the distal end surface of the insertion portion 3, an opening 21H of the suction tube 21, an opening 22H of the forceps tube 22, an opening 23T of the water / air supply tube 23, and an illumination optical system 24T that emits illumination light guided by the light guides 24 and 25. , A front end surface of 25T and a front end surface of the objective optical system 52 that forms a subject image on the image sensor 50. The suction tube 21 and the water / air supply tube 23 are inserted through the insertion portion 3 and the universal cord 4B and are connected to a suction pump and a water / air supply pump (not shown). That is, the suction tube 21, the forceps tube 22, and the water / air supply tube 23 are inserted through the distal end portion 3A and have an opening on the distal end surface.

  The wiring board 30 includes an intermediate portion 31 including the tip region 31A, and extending portions 32 and 33 extending from both sides of the intermediate portion 31, respectively. A chip capacitor 49 is disposed in the intermediate portion 31, the imaging element 30 is disposed in the distal end region 31 </ b> A, a driving IC 41 is disposed in the extending portion 32, and a driving IC 42 is disposed in the extending portion 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the main surface of the intermediate portion 31 of the wiring board 30 and the main surfaces of the extending portions 32 and 33 that are in the process of being manufactured before being inserted into the cylindrical body 20 of the tip portion 3A are flush with each other. It is above. However, the tip region 31A of the intermediate portion 31 of the wiring board 30 is bent and the cover glass 53 is bonded to the back surface of the image sensor 50 provided on the light receiving surface.

  The imaging element 50 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped chip on which a light receiving portion 51 such as a CCD or CMOS sensor is formed. Note that the imaging element 50 may be a backside illumination type. An objective optical system 52 including a plurality of lenses is disposed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 50 via a cover glass 53.

  The wiring board 30 has a substantially cross shape including an intermediate portion 31 and extending portions 32 and 33 extending from the side of the intermediate portion 31. The wiring board 30 may be a single-sided wiring board, a multilayer wiring board, or an electronic component built-in wiring board.

  The flexible wiring board 30 has, for example, polyimide as a base, and wiring patterns made of, for example, copper are disposed on both sides. The wiring board 30 has a front end region 31A bonded to the back surface of the image sensor 50, and a cable 61 is connected to the rear end region.

  The main surface of the tip region 31 </ b> A of the intermediate portion 31 of the wiring board 30 is bent 90 degrees with respect to the main surface of the intermediate portion 31. And although not shown in figure, the external electrode arrange | positioned at the back surface of the image pick-up element 50 and the front-end | tip electrode of the wiring board 30 are joined. The electrical connection between the image sensor 50 and the wiring board 30 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, a flying lead protruding from the front end surface of the wiring board 30 is joined to an external electrode on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 50. May be. If the flying lead is bent 90 degrees, the tip region 31 </ b> A of the wiring board 30 may not be bent with respect to the intermediate portion 31.

  On the other hand, the main surface of the extending portion 32 is bent with respect to the main surfaces (first main surface 30SA and second main surface 30SB) of the intermediate portion 31, and the bending angle θ1 (see FIG. 5) is the suction pipe. Stipulated by contacting 21. The main surface of the extending portion 33 is also bent with respect to the main surface of the intermediate portion 31, and the bending angle θ <b> 2 (see FIG. 5) is defined by contacting the forceps tube 22.

  A plurality of electronic components are disposed on the wiring board 30. An electronic component 49 with a small amount of heat generation, for example, a chip capacitor which is a passive component, is disposed on the first main surface 30SA of the intermediate portion 31 of the wiring board 30, whereas the driving ICs 41 and 42 which are active components. Is disposed on the second main surface 30SB of the extending portions 32, 33. Note that the driving IC is an integrated circuit (Integrated Circuit) component sometimes called a peripheral IC.

  Although the disposition positions of the drive ICs 41 and 42 are far away from the disposition position of the imaging element 50, the extending portions 32 and 33 are bent, so that the diameter and length of the distal end portion 3A are small.

  The drive IC 41 is a high heat-generating component that generates the largest amount of heat during driving among the plurality of electronic components disposed on the wiring board 30. The drive IC 42 is a heat generating component having the same heat generation amount as the drive IC 41 or the second heat generation amount next to the drive IC 41. The drive ICs 41 and 42 that are heat-generating components are disposed in the extending portions 32 and 33 so as to be separated from the distal end region 31A where the imaging element 50 is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first main surface 30SA of the extending portion 32 is in contact with the outer surface of the suction tube 21, and the first main surface 30SA of the extending portion 32 is connected to the outer surface of the forceps tube 22. It is in contact.

  The suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22 are preferably made of a material having high thermal conductivity, such as a metal. However, since the suction tube 21 or the like is inserted through the distal end portion 3A and has an opening at the distal end surface, due to the air cooling effect, the heat radiation efficiency is good even if it is made of a material having a relatively low thermal conductivity, for example, a resin material such as PTFE. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, the wiring board 30 is inserted into the cylindrical body 20 through which the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22 have already been inserted while bending the extending portions 32 and 33. Note that the signal cable 61 and the like are not shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the extending portions 32 and 33 are urged by the repulsive force of the bent portion of the wiring board 30 and abut against the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22. In other words, the bending angles θ1 and θ2 of the main surfaces of the extending portions 32 and 33 with respect to the main surface of the intermediate portion 31 are defined by contacting the tubular members (the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22).

  In addition, since the flexible extension parts 32 and 33 are urged | biased, when it contact | abuts with a tubular member, it is not a line contact but a surface contact. Since the extended portions 32 and 33 that are in surface contact with the tubular member have a large heat transfer area, the heat dissipation efficiency is good.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the endoscope 2, the heat generated by the drive ICs 41 and 42 that are heat-generating components is radiated through the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22. That is, the image sensor 50 is not located in the heat transfer path of the heat generated by the heat generating component.

  For this reason, the heat generated by the drive ICs 41 and 42 is transferred through the contact portion between the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22. Since the heat generated by the drive ICs 41 and 42 is hardly transferred to the image sensor 50, there is no possibility of adversely affecting the image sensor 50.

  That is, the endoscope 2 does not have a possibility that the image pickup device 50 is deteriorated due to excessive temperature rise or image quality is deteriorated due to thermal noise.

  In addition, the extension part 32 and the extension part 33 extended from the side surface of the intermediate part 31 of the wiring board 30 may differ in at least any one of length, a shape, or a bending angle. Further, since the wiring board 30 is a single flexible wiring board, the boundary between the intermediate portion 31 and the extending portions 32 and 33 is not clearly defined.

  Further, when only the driving IC 41 has a high heat generation component that may affect the image sensor 50, the extending portion 33 is unnecessary. That is, it is not necessary that the extended portions are extended from both side surfaces of the intermediate portion 31. In other words, the wiring board only needs to include at least one extending portion.

  On the other hand, when there are three or more heat generating components, three or more extending portions may be extended, or a plurality of heat generating components may be arranged in one extending portion. . Moreover, each extending part should just contact | abut with either of the tubular members which have penetrated 3 A of front-end | tip parts. Further, a plurality of extending portions may be in contact with one tubular member.

  The wiring board 30 preferably has a heat transfer pattern along the heat transfer path of the heat generating component in addition to the wiring pattern for electrical connection. That is, it is preferable that the wiring board 30 does not contribute to electrical connection, for example, a heat transfer pattern of ground potential is disposed around the wiring pattern. The heat transfer pattern is made of a high thermal conductivity material such as copper or gold, which is the same as the wiring pattern.

  For example, in the subtract method in which an unnecessary portion of the copper film on the surface of the substrate is removed to leave a necessary portion to form a wiring pattern, the copper film is removed only in a frame shape along the outer periphery of the wiring pattern and the periphery is left. Thus, a heat transfer pattern can be formed.

  An endoscope having a heat transfer pattern, that is, a wiring board having a heat transfer pattern from the portion where the heat generating component is disposed to the portion in contact with the tubular member, is more efficient for the heat generated by the heat generating component. Heat can be transferred to the tubular member.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, in the endoscope 2, the distal end side of the contact portions of the extending portions 32 and 33 of the wiring board 30 with the tubular members (the suction tube 21 and the forceps tube 22) is provided. Drive ICs 41 and 42 which are heat-generating components are disposed. In other words, the drive ICs 41 and 42 are not disposed between the end side of the intermediate portion 31 of the extending portions 32 and 33 and the contact portion.

  For this reason, in the endoscope 2, there is no possibility that the heat generated by the heat generating component particularly adversely affects the image sensor 50.

  In addition, a heat transfer pattern is formed between the end portions of the intermediate portions 31 of the extending portions 32 and 33 and the contact portions in order to prevent heat generated by the heat generating component from being transferred to the intermediate portion side. Preferably not.

<Modification of First Embodiment>
Next, an endoscope 2A according to a modification of the first embodiment will be described. Since the endoscope 2A is similar to the endoscope 2, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the endoscope 2 </ b> A has a light emitting element 41 </ b> A that is a heat generating component at the distal end portion 3 </ b> A of the insertion portion.

  The endoscope 2A includes an image pickup device 50A having a high pixel count with a large amount of signal transmitted to the processor 5A. For this reason, in the electric signal transmission via the signal cable 61, the thickness of the cable is increased, and it is not easy to reduce the diameter of the insertion portion.

  In the endoscope 2A, not the electrical signal transmission but the optical signal transmission through the thin optical fiber by the optical signal is used for the transmission of the image signal output from the image sensor 50A.

  Therefore, a light emitting element 41A that converts an electrical signal into an optical signal is disposed at the distal end portion 3A of the insertion portion. In the endoscope 2A, the clock signal supplied to the image sensor 50A is also transmitted to the distal end portion 3A via the same optical fiber as that for image signal transmission. For this reason, a light receiving element 42A for converting an optical signal into an electric signal is disposed at the distal end portion 3A.

  The light emitting element 41A such as an LED is a heat generating component. For this reason, although not shown, the light emitting element 41 </ b> A is disposed in the extending portion 32, and the extending portion 32 is in contact with the suction tube 21.

  Since the heat generated by the light emitting element 41A is transferred to the suction tube 21, there is no possibility of adversely affecting the imaging element 50A.

  The light receiving element 42A such as a photodiode is not an element that generates a large amount of heat. For this reason, the light receiving element 42 </ b> A does not need to be disposed in the extended portion in contact with the forceps tube 22 or the like, but may be disposed. Needless to say, when the endoscope 2A further includes a drive IC that generates a large amount of heat, the drive IC is preferably disposed in an extending portion that is in contact with the tubular member.

  The endoscope 2A has an imaging element 50A with a high pixel count, but has a small diameter for transmitting a signal via an optical fiber. In addition, the light emitting element 41 </ b> A that is a heat generating element is included, but the imaging element 50 </ b> A is not located in the heat dissipation path of the heat generated by the light emitting element 41 </ b> A. For this reason, there is no possibility that the image pickup element 50A is deteriorated by heat generated by the light emitting element 41A, or the image quality is deteriorated by thermal noise.

  In the case where a plurality of heat generating components are disposed at the tip portion 3A, the above effect can be obtained as long as at least one heat generating component having the largest amount of heat generation is disposed in the extending portion in contact with the tubular member. Is obtained. Further, the heat generating component is not limited to the driving IC or the light emitting element.

Second Embodiment
Next, the endoscope 2B of the second embodiment will be described. Since the endoscope 2B is similar to the endoscope 2, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the wiring board 30B of the endoscope 2B has a cylindrical body whose tip side is further made of metal than the portion where the driving ICs 41 and 42 as the heat generating parts of the extending portions 32B and 33B are disposed. 20 is in surface contact with the inner surface.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the heat generated by the drive ICs 41 and 42 is transferred not only through the abutting tubular members (suction tube 21 and forceps tube 22) but also through the tubular body 20.

  In addition, it is preferable that a conductor film having a ground potential made of, for example, copper is disposed on the distal end side of the extending portions 32B and 33B. Heat is more efficiently transferred through the copper film having high thermal conductivity.

  The endoscope 2B has the effect of the endoscope 2 and the like, and there is no possibility that the image pickup device 50 is deteriorated by heat generated by the drive ICs 41 and 42, and image quality is not deteriorated by thermal noise.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment or modification, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscopy system 2, 2A, 2B ... Endoscope 3 ... Insertion part 3A ... Tip part 20 ... Tube 21 ... Suction tube 22 ... Forceps tube 23 ... Air supply tube 24 ... Light guide 26 ... Sealing resin 30 ... Wiring board 31 ... intermediate part 31A ... tip region 32, 33 ... extension part 41, 42 ... drive IC
50. Image sensor

Claims (7)

An endoscope having a cylindrical body at a distal end portion of the insertion portion, and an imaging element, a flexible wiring board, and a tubular member passing through the distal end portion disposed in the cylindrical body A mirror,
The wiring board includes an intermediate part connected to the imaging element, and an extending part extending from a side of the intermediate part,
The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the extending portion in which the heat generating component is disposed is in contact with the tubular member.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating component is disposed on a distal end side of a contact portion of the extending portion with the tubular member.   The main surface of the extended portion is bent with respect to the main surface of the intermediate portion, and the bending angle is defined by contacting the tubular member. The endoscope according to 1.   4. The device according to claim 1, wherein a distal end side of the extending portion is further in surface contact with an inner surface of the cylindrical body than a portion where the heat generating component is disposed. 5. The endoscope described.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat-generating component is an integrated circuit component that supplies a drive signal to the imaging device.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat-generating component is a light-emitting element that converts an electrical signal from the imaging element into an optical signal. The wiring board includes the extended portion extended from each side of the intermediate portion,
The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat generating component is disposed in each of the extending portions.

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