JPH03280923A - Electron endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain the necessary strength of an image pickup unit provided in the tip section of an insertion section and reduce the diameter of the image pickup unit by filling in or coating on signal wires with a sealing, agent and a circuit board from a solid-state image pickup element back section to a signal cable side end section including at least part of an element fitting frame. CONSTITUTION:A solid-state image pickup element 43 is held on an element fitting frame 42 fixed to a lens frame fitted with an objective lens, a circuit board 44 is connected and arranged behind the solid-state image pickup element 43, and signal wires 45 on a signal cable 46 side are connected to the solid-state image pickup element 43 and the circuit board 44 and extended backward to constitute an image pickup unit 41. A sealing agent 47 is filled in or coated on the signal wires 45 and the circuit board 44 from the back section of the solid-state image pickup element 43 and the side end section of the signal cable 46 including at least part of the element fitting frame 42, and the outer periph ery of the portion where the sealing agent 47 is filled or coated is shrunk in diameter by a heat contraction tube 48.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for disposing a solid-state imaging unit within the distal end of an insertion section, and reducing the diameter of the imaging unit to reduce the diameter of the distal end of the insertion section. Regarding the electronic endoscope.

[Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and inventions] Today, within the country? The 52 mirror is equipped with a solid-state image pickup device within the tip of the insertion section, and an optical image of the subject is focused on the image area of the solid-state image pickup device using an objective lens, photoelectrically converted into an image signal, and used for rear operations. There are electronic endoscopes that transmit to an internal or external video processor.

This electronic endoscope has a lens frame with an objective lens attached.
While the device mounting frame on which the solid-state image sensor is attached is connected and fixed, a circuit board on which electrical components are assembled is connected to this solid-state image sensor, and a signal line is connected to this circuit board and the solid-state image sensor to extend backward. The signal line is connected to the signal cable via a cable holding member provided at the rear. As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-2016, in order to maintain the strength of the circuit board and the signal line end connection portion, a substantially vibrator-like structure surrounding the element mounting frame, the circuit board, and the cable holding member is provided. A protective frame has been set up. Therefore, the outer diameter of this part, that is, the imaging unit, becomes thicker, and the distal end of the insertion section where the imaging unit is installed also requires extra space for the distribution stage, which is a bottleneck in reducing the diameter. Ta.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and it is possible to reduce the diameter of the distal end of the insertion tube by forming the unit into a small diameter while maintaining the necessary strength of the imaging unit installed inside the distal end of the insertion tube. The aim is to provide an electronic endoscope that achieves the following.

[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects] In order to achieve the above object, the electronic endoscope according to the present invention has a solid-state imaging device held in an element mounting frame that is connected and fixed to a lens frame to which an objective lens is attached. A circuit board is connected and arranged behind the solid-state image sensor, and a signal line on the signal cable side is connected to the solid-state image sensor and the circuit board and extended to the rear to constitute an image pickup unit, and at least the element is connected to the circuit board. Fill or apply a sealant to the signal wire and circuit board from the back of the solid-state image sensor to the end of the signal cable, including a part of the mounting frame, and heat shrink the outer periphery of the area where the sealant is filled or applied. A tube is used to shrink and shape the tube in the radial direction.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a cross-sectional view without showing the tip of the insertion tube, and Figure 2 is the same as Figure 1.
〜■ line sectional view, Figure 3 is the ■-m line sectional view of Figure 2, Figure 4
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electronic endoscope apparatus equipped with the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, an example electronic endoscope device 1 includes:
An electronic endoscope 2 according to the first embodiment including an imaging means, a light source device 3 that supplies illumination light to this electronic endoscope 2, and a video processor 4 that performs signal processing corresponding to this electronic endoscope 2.
, a monitor 5 that displays the video signal output from the video processor 4, a TVR deck 6 and a video disc 7 that are connected to the video processor 4 and record the video signal, etc., and print out the video signal as a video. It consists of a video printer 8.

The electronic endoscope 2 has an elongated insertion section 11, and a wide operation section 12 is formed at the rear end of the insertion section 11, and a universal cord 13 extends from the operation section 12. . Connector 14 at the tip of this universal cord 13
By connecting the light source device 3 to the light source device 3, the white light from the lamp 15 is focused by the condenser lens 16, and the light guide 1
7 is supplied to the incident end face. One connector of a signal cable 18 can be connected to this connector 14, and by connecting the connector 19 at the other end to the video processor 4, the signal captured by the electronic endoscope 2 can be processed into a predetermined signal. It is converted into a video signal and output to a monitor 5 or the like.

The insertion section 11 includes a flexible section 20 that is elongated and flexible, a curved section 21 connected to the tip of the flexible section 20, and a hard tip connected to the tip side of the curved section 21. It is composed of a section 22.

Further, an insertion port 23 into which a treatment instrument is inserted is provided in a portion near the front end of the operating section 12, and the insertion port 23 communicates with a treatment instrument channel provided within the insertion section 11. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the curved portion 21 is constructed by connecting a plurality of curved portions 23 to each other rotatably by a shaft 24, and covering the outer periphery of the curved portions 23 with an electrically insulating synthetic resin outer skin 25. has been done. The tip constituent part 26, which is the main body of the tip part 22, has its rear end connected to the tip of the curved part 21, while the curved part (I121 and the tip constituent part 26 are connected to the first
As shown in the figure and FIG. 2, it is eccentric by a sign e.

The tip structure portion 26 has a mounting hole 28 in which the objective unit 27 is corrugated and a mounting hole 30 in which the light guide 29 is disposed.
and a channel mounting hole 31 are arranged in parallel in the axial direction. The light guide mounting hole 30 has an illumination lens 32 attached to its tip, and this lens 3
2. Arrange the light guide cap 33 at the rear, insert the light guide inserted from the proximal side, and roughly fit and connect the tip of the light guide tube 35 to the rear end of the light guide cap 33. ing. Further, the light guide cap 33 has a protruding piece 33a protruding from the outer periphery of the light guide cap 33 on the channel mounting hole 31 side. On the other hand, a vibe-shaped channel tip member 36 is fixed to the channel attachment hole 31, and the tip member 36 has a male thread 36a on its rear outer periphery, and the channel mouthpiece 36 at the tip of the chitunnel arch cove 37 has a male thread 36a.
The channel tube 37 is connected to the channel tip member 36 by screwing a female thread 38a formed on the inner periphery of the channel tube 37 into the male thread 36a. The tongue piece 33a of the light guide fitting 33 described above is located on the outer periphery of the channel tube 37, and when the channel fitting 38 is screwed and fixed, the tongue piece 33a of the light guide fitting 33 is placed on the outer periphery of the channel tube 37.
Press 3a toward the tip component 26 side and attach the light guide cap 3.
3 is fixed. Conventionally, the light guide cap was fixed by screwing a screw from the tip component to the outer periphery of the light guide cap, but this fixing method eliminates the need for a thick wall on the outer circumference of the light guide cap to screw the screw. Its diameter can be reduced.

The objective unit 27 has a plurality of objective lenses 40 built into a lens frame 39.
9 is disposed in the mounting hole 28 of the tip component 26. An imaging unit 41 is connected on the optical axis behind the objective unit 27.

This imaging unit 41 has a solid-state imaging device 43 fixed to an element mounting frame 42 that fits and is connected to the lens frame 39, and a circuit board 44 arranged behind the solid-state imaging device 43. On the other hand, the signal line 45 of the solid-state image sensor 43 and the signal line 45 connected to the circuit board 44 are extended to the rear signal cable side.

The solid-state image sensor 43 is formed in a rectangular shape with chamfers at four corners, that is, a hexagonal shape, and is mounted in a state in which it contacts a protrusion 42a provided on the inner diameter of the device mounting frame 42 in the axial direction forward. It is adhesively fixed to the frame 42. Element mounting frame 4
2, the extending portions 42b and 42C having different lengths as shown in FIG. 1 are shown in FIG.
It extends rearward beyond the back surface of the element 43 with the two sides in between.

Due to the presence of these extensions 42b and 42c, the circuit board 44
The strength of the surrounding area has improved. Further, the extending portions 42b, 4
2c is provided at a position where the diameter of the distal end portion 22 does not increase as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the solid-state image sensor 43 has five pin-grit type input terminals 43a to 43e on its back surface, three of which are lined up in a direction perpendicular to the directions of 43a and 43b. I'm here. In other words, these three input terminals 43c to 43e are
It is located on the opening side of the element mounting frame 42 where the extensions 42b and 42c are not present, so that the input terminals 43c and 43 can be connected without being interfered with by the extensions.
d, 43e and the circuit board 44 can be connected by soldering.The two input terminals 43a, 43b are located at a position where the electrical component 44a of the circuit board 44 is not present, and the signal cable 46 The signal wires (core wires) 45 of the signal cables 46 are directly connected to each other by soldering.The signal wires (core wires) 45 of the signal cable 46 are directly connected to the circuit board 44 by soldering.

Then, the signal cable 3 is connected to the back of the solid-state image sensor 43.
A sealant 47 is filled or applied to the signal wire 45, the circuit board 44, and the electrical component 44a extending to the tip of the image pickup unit 41 from the rear of the element mounting frame 42 to the tip of the signal cable 46. 48, the weld dupe 48 is radially contracted, and then the pre-sealant 47 is cured.

By doing this, it is possible to reduce the outer diameter of the imaging unit 41 from the element mounting frame 42 and the rear of the solid-state imaging device 43 to the signal cable 46 to the necessary minimum diameter while maintaining the required strength. Become.

In addition, the following methods are involved in applying, filling, and curing the sealant 47 and covering the heat-shrinkable tube 48. First, apply the sealant 47→enclose with the heat-shrinkable tube 48→
Shrinking the tube 48 → Curing the sealant 47 Part 2: Surrounding with the heat shrink tube 48 → Filling the sealant 47 → Shrinking the tube 48 → Curing the sealant 47 Part 3: Applying the sealant 47 → Surrounded by heat-shrinkable tube 48 → Filled with sealant 47 → Shrinkage of tube 48 → Sealant 4
7, curing part 4, apply the sealant 47 → harden the sealant 47 (-next fixation) → surround with heat shrink tube 48 → fill sealant 47 → shrink tube 48 → sealant 47 Curing FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the heat shrink tube was removed after the sealant 47 had hardened in the previous embodiment.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, while maintaining the necessary strength of the imaging unit disposed inside the distal end of the insertion section, the unit is formed to have a small diameter, thereby reducing the diameter of the distal end of the insertion section. It is possible to aim for

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a sectional view showing the distal end of the insertion tube, and Figure 2 is I of Figure 1.
I-II line sectional view, Figure 3 is the ■-■ line sectional view of Figure 2,
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electronic endoscope apparatus equipped with the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an imaging unit showing the second embodiment. 11... Insertion part 22... Tip part 26...
・Tip component 27...Objective unit 41...
Imaging unit 43...Solid image sensor 45...Signal line 49...Sealant 42...Element mounting frame 44...Circuit board 46...Signal cable 38...Heat shrink tube 1st Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] A solid-state image sensor is held in an element mounting frame that is connected and fixed to a lens frame to which an objective lens is attached, and a circuit board is connected and arranged behind this solid-state image sensor. A signal line is connected and extended to the rear to form an imaging unit, and a sealant is applied to the signal line and circuit board from the back of the solid-state image sensor to the end of the signal cable, including at least a part of the element mounting frame. An electronic endoscope characterized in that the sealant is filled or applied, and the outer periphery of the area filled with or applied with the sealant is radially shrink-shaped using a heat-shrinkable tube.