JP4448338B2 - Connector unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector unit that connects an observation unit for observing a living tissue in a body cavity to an external device.

  Conventionally, when inspecting the inside of a body tissue in a body cavity by a precision diagnostic test, a treatment tool such as a forceps for cutting is used, and a part of the body tissue to be inspected is cut out and discharged out of the body cavity. I was going. For this reason, the diagnosis time becomes longer and the patient cannot be treated promptly.

In recent years, a confocal probe that can observe a tomographic image of a living tissue has been proposed. This confocal probe irradiates a living tissue in a body cavity with a laser beam and extracts only reflected light on the object-side focal plane of the objective optical system from the reflected light at that time. A tomographic image is generated (for example, Patent Document 1).
US Pat. No. 5,120,953

  The confocal probe as described above uses a pinhole arranged at a position conjugate with the object-side focal position of the objective optical system, so that the reflected light from the living tissue is converted into only one point focused on the living tissue. Squeezed. A light receiving element provided in a processor or the like that performs image processing receives this one point of light focused by the pinhole and performs photoelectric conversion processing. For this reason, in order to obtain a two-dimensional or three-dimensional observation image of a living tissue with a confocal probe, it is necessary to scan a laser beam in the living tissue that is the observation target. Therefore, a confocal probe is usually provided with a piezoelectric element and a scanning mirror for scanning laser light in a planar direction or a planar direction and a depth direction in a living tissue.

  The confocal probe is connected to a light source device that oscillates laser light or a power supply device (or a processor including a signal processing circuit) that supplies driving power for driving the piezoelectric element and the scanning mirror as described above at the end thereof. Connector unit. In such a connector unit, in addition to a connector which is a connection means with the above-described device, a drive circuit for driving a piezoelectric element and a scanning mirror and a part of an optical fiber for guiding laser light are provided therein. Etc. are arranged.

  However, in the confocal probe described in Patent Document 1 (for example, FIG. 6 of the document), there is no specific disclosure in the connection portion between the confocal probe and various devices. Therefore, it is unclear whether the probe and various devices are connected without any problem.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that the drive circuit and the optical fiber are simply housed in the connector unit and the unit is configured. Specifically, the drive circuit is arranged in the connector unit, and then the optical fiber is pushed into a vacant space and stored.

  However, when the drive circuit and the optical fiber are housed in the connector unit as described above, they are arranged so as to interfere with each other. Therefore, for example, when soldering a board on which the circuit is mounted, replacing an electrical component, or replacing the fiber, one of the parts needs to be taken out of the connector unit. This is a burden on the operator.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector unit having a structure that reduces the burden on an operator during assembly and repair.

  A connector unit according to an aspect of the present invention that solves the above problem includes a fiber that guides a light beam emitted from a light source device to a living tissue in a body cavity, and a scanning unit that scans the light beam on the living tissue. A first connecting means for connecting the one end of the fiber and the light source device supported by the housing, and a driving means for driving the scanning means; A single-sided mounting board on which the driving unit is mounted on one side; a power supply device for driving the driving unit; and a second connecting unit for connecting the driving unit. A first space defined by the mounting surface of the mounting substrate and the inner wall portion of the housing, and a space different from the first space, the non-mounting surface being the back side of the mounting surface and the inner wall portion; Prescribed Forming a second space, the space of the second, connected to the first connecting means is obtained by arranging the end portion of the fiber.

  Moreover, the said connector unit may interpose the protective member which protects this fiber between a non-mounting surface and a fiber.

  In addition, the connector unit may further include suppression means for suppressing the fiber so that the fiber does not jump out of the second space when the fiber is placed on the non-mounting surface. Further, the suppression means may be a storage means for storing the fiber therein.

  In the connector unit, the first connecting means may be supported by the housing so as to be relatively movable.

  In addition, the connector unit may be one in which an objective optical system is disposed at the tip of the fiber. In this case, the fiber from the focal position of the objective optical system out of the light beam from the living tissue is connected to the fiber. Only the light beam is incident.

  In the connector unit of the present invention, the electrical component and the fiber are intentionally stored in separate spaces using the mounting board. Accordingly, since the positional interference between the parts is eliminated, the ease of work such as assembly and repair is improved, and the burden on the operator is reduced.

  The connector unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is a component in an electronic endoscope system for observing or treating a living tissue in a body cavity, for example. Hereinafter, an electronic endoscope system of the present embodiment and a connector unit provided in the system will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic endoscope system 500 including a connector unit according to the present embodiment. The electronic endoscope system 500 includes an electronic endoscope 100 that is inserted into a body cavity and captures an image in the body cavity, an electronic endoscope processor 200 that is connected to the electronic endoscope 100, and a confocal unit. The processor 300, the monitor 210 connected to the electronic endoscope processor 200, and the monitor 310 connected to the confocal unit processor 300.

  The electronic endoscope 100 has a function of imaging a living tissue in a body cavity using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, and a function of acquiring image information inside the living tissue using an optical system such as a confocal microscope. ing. The electronic endoscope 100 includes a distal end body 10 provided at the distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, an insertion portion flexible tube 11 that is also an insertion portion and has flexibility, forceps, and the like. The treatment instrument insertion port 12 in which the various treatment instruments are set, the grip 13 that the operator grips when operating the electronic endoscope 100, and various buttons and levers for the operator to operate the electronic endoscope 100 are provided. An electronic endoscope side connector unit that is a connecting portion between the arranged operation unit 14, the flexible electronic endoscope side cable 15 and the confocal unit side cable 16, and the electronic endoscope processor 200. 20 and a confocal unit side connector unit 30 which is a characteristic portion of the present invention and is a connecting portion to the confocal unit processor 300.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of the distal end main body 10 of the electronic endoscope 100. The distal end body 10 includes a ride guide 1 disposed so as to extend from the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20, an objective lens 2 disposed in front of the distal end body 10, and an image side focal plane of the objective lens 2. The solid-state imaging device 3 is arranged so that the light receiving surface is positioned on the top, and an electric cable 4 is provided that electrically connects the device 3 and the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20. The electronic endoscope 100 performs a function of imaging a living tissue in a body cavity using these components. The configuration and operation of the electronic endoscope system 500 related to this function will be described below.

  In order to perform the above-described function, it is necessary to connect the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20 and the electronic endoscope processor 200. The electronic endoscope side connector unit 20 includes a housing 21 that holds various electrical components including a drive circuit of the solid-state imaging device 3, a cable jack 22 that performs electrical connection, and a fiber jack 23 that performs optical connection. Have. The electronic endoscope processor 200 includes a cable jack 201 that performs electrical connection and a fiber jack 202 that performs optical connection.

  By connecting the cable jacks 22 and 201, the electronic endoscope 100 and the electronic endoscope processor 200 are electrically connected. Further, by connecting the fiber jacks 23 and 202, the electronic endoscope 100 and the electronic endoscope processor 200 are optically connected.

  The electronic endoscope processor 200 has a function as a light source device, a function as a power supply device that supplies a drive voltage for driving the solid-state imaging device 3 to the drive circuit, and a signal that converts an image signal into a video signal. And a function as a processing device.

  When the light source in the electronic endoscope processor 200 emits light, white light is emitted toward the fiber jacks 202 and 23. Since the end of the ride guide 1 is connected to the fiber jack 23, the white light enters the ride guide 1 and is guided to the distal end main body 10 to irradiate the living tissue in the body cavity.

  The reflected light reflected on the living tissue enters the objective lens 2, forms an image on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 3, and is received by the solid-state image sensor 3. The reflected light received here is photoelectrically converted by the solid-state imaging device 3 to become an image signal, transmitted by the electric cable 4 and input to the electronic endoscope processor 200 via the cable jacks 22 and 201.

  The electronic endoscope processor 200 performs predetermined processing on the input image signal to convert it into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the monitor 210. The monitor 210 displays an image corresponding to the video signal input here. Thereby, the operator can observe the living tissue in the body cavity. The image that can be observed here is the surface of the living tissue and a relatively wide range (low magnification).

  In addition to the above-described components, the distal end body 10 further includes an optical fiber 5 disposed so as to extend from the confocal unit side connector unit 30 and an objective lens 6 disposed in front of the distal end body 10. And an electric cable 8 in which the actuator 7 and the confocal unit side connector unit 30 are electrically connected to each other. The electronic endoscope 100 functions to acquire image information inside the living tissue using these components. The configuration and operation of the electronic endoscope system 500 related to this function will be described below.

  In order to perform the above-described function, it is necessary to connect the confocal unit side connector unit 30 and the confocal unit processor 300. The confocal unit-side connector unit 30 is electrically connected to a housing 31 that holds various electrical components including a drive circuit of the actuator 7, and a cooling jack 32 that sends cooling air into the housing 31. A cable jack 33 is provided, a fiber cable 34 having flexibility, and a fiber jack 35 installed at an end of the fiber cable 34 and performing an optical connection. Further, the confocal unit processor 300 includes a cooling jack 301 for sending cooling air to the confocal unit side connector unit 30, a cable jack 302 for electrical connection, and a fiber jack 303 for optical connection. have.

  By connecting the cooling jacks 32 and 301, a passage through which cooling air is sent from the confocal unit processor 300 to the confocal unit side connector unit 30 is connected. In addition, by connecting the cable jacks 33 and 302, the electronic endoscope 100 and the confocal unit processor 300 are electrically connected. Further, by connecting the fiber jacks 35 and 303, the electronic endoscope 100 and the confocal unit processor 300 are optically connected.

  The confocal unit processor 300 functions as a light source device, functions as a power supply device that supplies a drive voltage for driving the actuator 7 to the drive circuit, and performs predetermined processing on the image signal so that it can be displayed on the monitor 310. And a function as a cooling device that cools the confocal unit side connector unit 30 by air cooling.

  When the light source in the confocal unit processor 300 emits light, laser light is emitted toward the fiber jacks 303 and 35. Since the end of an optical fiber 5a (described later) is connected to the fiber jack 35, the laser light is incident on the optical fiber 5a, and further incident on the optical fiber 5 connected to the optical fiber 5a. The light is guided to the main body 10 to irradiate the living tissue inside the body cavity.

  The reflected light reflected inside the living tissue enters the objective lens 6. Here, the tip of the optical fiber 5 is located on the image side focal plane of the objective lens 6. Therefore, only one point of reflected light focused on the living tissue out of the reflected light imaged by the objective lens 6 is incident on the optical fiber 5.

  When the driving voltage is supplied from the confocal unit processor 300, the driving circuit disposed in the housing 7 transmits the driving control signal using the electric cable 8 to drive the actuator 7. The actuator 7 is formed by stacking piezoelectric elements, for example, and vibrates at high speed in the direction of arrow A. Due to this vibration, the end of the optical fiber 5 is vibrated at high speed. As a result, the laser light emitted from the fiber 5 is scanned in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional direction inside the living tissue. Along with this scanning, the position of the object side focal point of the objective lens 6 also changes. For this reason, the image formed by the reflected light incident on the optical fiber 5 also changes continuously.

  The reflected light incident on the optical fiber 5 again is transmitted through the optical fiber 5 and is incident on a fiber branched from the fiber 5 by a photocoupler (not shown). Then, the light is received by a light receiving element (not shown) disposed at the end of the fiber, is photoelectrically converted into an image signal, and is input to the confocal unit processor 300 via the cable jacks 33 and 302.

  The confocal unit processor 300 generates two-dimensional or three-dimensional image information by collecting point images acquired in time series by scanning with laser light, and outputs the information to the monitor 310. To do. The monitor 310 displays the image input here. Thereby, the operator can observe the living tissue in the body cavity. The image that can be observed here is a surface image or a tomographic image of a living tissue, and is in a relatively narrow range (high magnification).

  In addition, high precision is not required for the connection between each jack of the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20 and each jack of the electronic endoscope processor 200. Therefore, in the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20, both the cable jack 22 and the fiber jack 23 are supported while being relatively fixed to the housing 21, and are roughly connected to the corresponding jacks. .

  On the other hand, in the confocal unit, the center portion of the laser beam and the core portion of the optical fiber 5 are aligned with high accuracy, and the portion having the highest intensity in the laser beam is reliably incident on the core portion. There is a need. Therefore, high accuracy is required for connection between the fiber jack 35 of the confocal unit side connector unit 30 and the fiber jack 303 of the processor 300 for the confocal unit. For this reason, the fiber jack 35 is supported in a state of being relatively movable with respect to the cooling jack 32 and the cable jack 33 (in other words, the housing 31) that do not require high accuracy for such connection. . Thereby, the cooling jack 32 and the cable jack 33 can be roughly connected to the corresponding jacks, and the fiber jack 35 can be connected to the corresponding jack (that is, the fiber jack 303) with high accuracy.

  Next, the confocal unit side connector unit 30 which is a characteristic part of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the confocal unit side connector unit 30. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the unit 30 observed from the top surface, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the unit 30 observed from the side surface. The confocal unit side connector unit 30 of the present embodiment has a structure that reduces the burden on the operator when the unit is assembled or repaired. Specifically, the electrical components mounted on the substrate and the optical fibers are arranged in independent spaces so that these assembly / repair operations can be performed independently. Below, with reference to FIG. 3, the structure and effect | action of the confocal unit side connector unit 30 are demonstrated.

  The confocal unit-side connector unit 30 stores various electrical components such as a drive circuit 36 for driving the actuator 7 and an optical fiber in the housing 31. In the present embodiment, the various electrical components and the optical fiber are arranged in separate spaces by using the mounting substrate 37 on which the various electrical components are mounted.

  The optical fibers arranged in different spaces from the various electrical components are two optical fibers connected to each other, the optical fiber 5 arranged so as to extend from the tip body 10, and the end portion of which is a sleeve The optical fiber 5 a is connected to the end of the optical fiber 5 by 38. The optical fiber 5 a has one end at the connection portion with the optical fiber 5 and the other end at the tip of the fiber jack 35, and is arranged to extend in the fiber cable 34. Hereinafter, of the optical fiber 5 and the optical fiber 5a, the optical fiber portion housed in the housing 31 is referred to as a housing fiber 50.

  Here, the housing 31 includes a cable connection portion 16 a that is a connection portion with the confocal unit side cable 16 and a cable connection portion 34 a that is a connection portion with the fiber cable 34. In this embodiment, in order to further improve the assembly workability when the optical fiber is stored in the housing 31, the optical fibers are connected to each other inside the housing 31 after passing the individual optical fibers through the cable connection portions. I am letting. At this time, the sleeve 38 used for the connection of the optical fiber is a metal member and is not flexible. However, since the sleeve 38 is disposed inside the housing 31, it does not affect the flexible portion of the electronic endoscope 100 (for example, the insertion portion flexible tube 11 or the confocal unit side cable 16). Absent.

  The mounting substrate 37 is a single-sided mounting substrate, and is mounted on a mounting substrate support portion 39 formed so as to extend from four corners inside the housing 31 so that the upper surface side of the housing 31 is a non-mounting surface and the bottom surface side is a mounting surface. The housing 31 is supported inside the housing 31 by being screwed to the mounting board support 39 by means of mounting screws 40 and nuts 41. Note that the mounting board support portion 39 is formed in the vicinity of an intermediate position between the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing 31. Therefore, the mounting substrate 37 is supported in the vicinity of an intermediate position between the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing 31. For this reason, the space inside the housing 31 is divided into two spaces with the mounting substrate 37 as a boundary. Specifically, the first space 42 surrounded by the bottom and side surfaces of the housing 31 and the mounting surface of the mounting substrate 37, and the first space 42 surrounded by the top surface and side surfaces of the housing 31 and the non-mounting surface of the mounting substrate 37. It is divided into two spaces 43.

  Since the first space 42 includes the mounting surface of the mounting substrate 37, various electric components including the drive circuit 36 are naturally arranged in the space 42. In addition, the storage fiber 50 is disposed in the second space 43 so as to intentionally avoid positional interference with various electrical components.

  The parts arranged in the second space 43 will be described in detail. An optical fiber storage chamber 44 is disposed in the second space 43 to protect the storage fiber 50 and prevent the storage fiber 50 from jumping out of the second space 43 when the confocal unit side connector unit 30 is assembled. Has been.

  The optical fiber storage chamber 44 stores the storage fiber 50 therein, and is formed of an optical fiber storage base 44a and an optical fiber storage lid 44b. The optical fiber storage base 44a covers a plate-like portion having the same size as the mounting substrate 37 and the entire outer periphery of the plate-like portion provided orthogonal to the plate-like portion. It is formed from a side wall portion. That is, the optical fiber storage base 44a is a box-shaped member having a bottom surface and a side surface and an opening on the top surface. The optical fiber storage base 44 a mainly functions to protect the storage fiber 50 and to prevent the above-described protrusion of the storage fiber 50 in the direction parallel to the mounting substrate 37.

  A boss 46 with a mounting screw hole is formed on the optical fiber storage base 44a. The optical fiber storage base 44a is placed on the non-mounting surface of the mounting board 37, and the mounting board connecting screw 46 is screwed into the boss 46 with a mounting screw hole and the through hole (not shown) of the mounting board 37, and The optical fiber storage base 44 a is supported on the non-mounting surface of the mounting substrate 37 by screwing the nut 47 into the mounting substrate connecting screw 46 extending on the mounting surface of the mounting substrate 37.

  Also, a hole (not shown) for inserting the storage fiber 50 out of the optical fiber storage chamber 44 is formed in the side wall portion of the optical fiber storage base 44a located in the vicinity of the cable connection portions 16a and 34a. Is formed. The storage fiber 50 is disposed in the optical fiber storage base 44a by inserting the optical fiber 5 and the optical fiber 5a into the hole and connecting the ends of the optical fiber 5 and the optical fiber 5a with the sleeve 38. At this time, the above-described jump-out of the storage fiber 50 in the direction parallel to the mounting substrate 37 is prevented by the side wall portion of the optical fiber storage base 44a. In addition, since terminals such as IC chips protrude from the back surface of the mounting surface (that is, the non-mounting surface) of the single-side mounting substrate, there is a risk of damaging the optical fiber. In the present embodiment, the storage fiber 50 is protected from sharp objects such as the terminals by the plate-like portion of the optical fiber storage base 44 a interposed between the non-mounting surface and the storage fiber 50.

  The optical fiber storage lid 44b is a lid-shaped molded product having a size substantially the same as the plate-like portion of the optical fiber storage base 44a. The optical fiber storage base 44a is opened by an engagement mechanism (not shown). It engages with the optical fiber storage base 44a so as to cover the part. The optical fiber storage lid 44b mainly functions to prevent the above-described protrusion in the direction orthogonal to the mounting substrate 37.

  The storage fiber 50 is stored in the optical fiber storage chamber 44 by disposing the storage fiber 50 in the optical fiber storage base 44a and covering the opening of the optical fiber storage base 44a with the optical fiber storage lid 44b. .

  As described above, by providing the optical fiber storage chamber 44 in addition to the mounting substrate 37, various electrical components including the drive circuit 36 and the storage fiber 50 are arranged in a spatially separated state. Therefore, since these assembly / repair operations can be performed independently, the ease of operation is improved and the burden on the operator is reduced.

  Next, the cooling system provided in the electronic endoscope system 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The cooling system of the present embodiment is a system that cools the interior of a connector unit that has been highly integrated and has increased the amount of heat generated with the recent improvement in performance of electronic endoscopes without increasing the size of the connector unit.

  FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the cooling system according to the embodiment of the present invention, which cools the confocal unit side connector unit 30 (more specifically, inside the housing 31) by air cooling. 4, only the confocal unit side connector unit 30 is extracted from the electronic endoscope 100, and only the cooling mechanism 304 is extracted from the confocal unit processor 300. Hereinafter, the confocal unit side connector unit 30 and the cooling mechanism 304 shown here are referred to as a cooling system 400 for convenience. Below, with reference to FIG. 4, the structure and effect | action of the cooling system 400 of this embodiment are demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first space 42 inside the housing 31 of the confocal unit side connector unit 30 has one end inside the cooling jack 32, and this cooling jack 32 is arranged. A cylindrical cooling passage 48 having another end is disposed in the vicinity of the inner wall facing the inner wall of the housing 31. Of the end portions of the cooling passage 48, an end portion located inside the cooling jack 32 is formed with an inflow port 48a through which the air jetted from the cooling mechanism 304 flows, and the other end portion. Is formed with a jet port 48 b for jetting the air into the housing 31.

  In addition, a circular opening 32 a is formed at a connection portion between the housing 31 and the cooling jack 32 so that air can freely pass between the housing 31 and the cooling jack 32. The cooling passage 48 is disposed across the cooling jack 32 from the housing 31 by being inserted into the opening 32 a. Note that the diameter of the opening 32 a is larger than the diameter of the cooling passage 4. The cooling passage 48 is arranged such that the central axis thereof coincides with the center of the opening 32a. Accordingly, at the connection portion between the housing 31 and the cooling jack 32, the outer circumference of the cooling passage 48, which is finally defined by an inner circle by the cooling passage 48 and an outer circle by the opening 32a, is formed. A ring-shaped opening that covers the surface is formed.

  Further, the cooling jack 32 is provided with an air flow passage 32b for discharging the air flowing in from the opening 32a to the outside (or discharging the air flowing from the outside through the opening 32a). The air inside the housing 31 is discharged to the outside by the air flow passage 32b and the opening 32a.

  Next, the cooling mechanism 304 will be described. The cooling mechanism 304 is a device that cools the inside of the housing 31 by air cooling, and includes a fan 305 for jetting cooling air, a motor 306 that rotationally drives the fan 305, a cooling fan that stores the fan 305 and the motor 306. It is formed so that air can freely come and go between the storage chamber 307, the cylindrical air flow passage 308 extending from the cooling fan storage chamber 307 into the cooling jack 301, and the inside and outside of the cooling mechanism 304. And a plurality of openings 309.

  The cooling jack 301 has a ring-shaped opening that covers the outer periphery of the air flow passage 308 so that air can freely travel between the cooling jack 301 and the cooling mechanism 304. And an air flow passage 301b for discharging air flowing in from the outside (or the opening 301a) from the opening 301a (or discharging it to the outside).

  Next, the cooling process for the cooling jack 32 by the cooling system 400 will be described.

  When the motor 306 is rotationally driven by a drive circuit (not shown) provided in the confocal unit processor 300, the fan 305 also rotates as the motor 306 rotates. When the fan 305 rotates, external air flows into the cooling fan storage chamber 307 and flows in the cooling fan storage chamber 307 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The air flows into the air flow passage 308, flows in the air flow passage 308 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, and is jetted from a jet port 308 a that is an end of the air flow passage 308. That is, this air is jetted from the cooling jack 301 to the outside.

  Note that it is assumed that the cooling jack 32 is inserted into the cooling jack 301 when this cooling process is performed. When these jacks are connected, the inlet 48 a at the end of the cooling passage 48 is located in front of the jet port 308 a at the end of the air passage 308. Therefore, the air jetted from the jet port 308a flows into the cooling passage 48 through the inlet port 48a, flows in the cooling passage 48 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, and is jetted from the jet port 48b. The

  The air jetted from the jet port 48b flows into the housing 31 and is blown to various electrical components mounted on the mounting board 37 to cool them. The housing 31 is formed airtight except for the opening 32a so that the cleaning liquid does not enter the interior of the housing 31 during cleaning. Therefore, all the air that has flowed into the housing 31 is discharged from the opening 32a.

  The air discharged from the opening 32 a flows through the air flow passage 32 b of the cooling jack 32, is discharged from the opening 301 a through the air flow passage 301 b of the cooling jack 301, and flows into the cooling mechanism 304. To do. And this air is discharged | emitted from the some opening part 309 outside.

  By the above cooling process, the housing 31 whose temperature rise is remarkable due to the heat generation of various electrical components is cooled. The components added to the confocal unit side connector unit 30 in order to realize the cooling process by the cooling system 400 of this embodiment are only the cooling jack 32 and the cooling passage 48. Therefore, when the cooling system 400 as in the present embodiment is employed, the unit 30 can be cooled without increasing the size of the confocal unit side connector unit 30.

  The cooling jack 32 is arranged in parallel with the cable jack 33 and can serve as a rough guide when the cable jack 33 is inserted into the cable jack 302. Thus, the operator can easily connect the confocal unit side connector unit 30 and the confocal unit processor 300.

  The above is the embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified in various ranges.

  In the present embodiment, the electrical component and the optical fiber are intentionally arranged in different spaces in the confocal unit side connector unit 30, but in another embodiment, in the electronic endoscope side connector unit 20. An electrical component (for example, a drive circuit for driving the solid-state imaging device 3) and the light guide 1 may be arranged in separate spaces.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the electronic endoscope system containing the connector unit of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic block diagram which showed the structure inside the front-end | tip part main body of the electronic endoscope used for embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the internal structure of the confocal unit side connector unit of embodiment of this invention. It is a cooling system of an embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional view showing the composition of the cooling system which cools the confocal unit side connector unit by air cooling.

Explanation of symbols

5 Optical Fiber 6 Objective Lens 7 Actuator 8 Electric Cable 10 Tip Body 30 Confocal Unit Side Connector Unit 31 Housing 33 Cable Jack 35 Fiber Jack 36 Drive Circuit 37 Mounting Board 42 First Space 43 Second Space 44 Optical Fiber Storage Chamber 50 Storage fiber

Claims (6)

In a connector unit for connecting an observation unit comprising a fiber for guiding a light beam emitted from a light source device to a living tissue in a body cavity and a scanning unit for scanning the light beam on the living tissue, to an external device,
Supported by the housing,
First connection means for connecting one end of the fiber and the light source device;
Driving means for driving the scanning means;
A single-sided mounting board on which the driving means is mounted on one side;
A power supply device for driving the driving means and a second connecting means for connecting the driving means;
A first space defined by the mounting surface of the single-sided mounting board and the inner wall portion of the housing in the housing, and a space different from the first space, which is a surface on the back side of the mounting surface. Forming a second space defined by the mounting surface and the inner wall,
A connector unit, characterized in that the vicinity of the end of the fiber connected to the first connecting means is disposed in the second space.   The connector unit according to claim 1, wherein a protective member that protects the fiber is interposed between the non-mounting surface and the fiber.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising suppression means for suppressing the fiber so that the fiber does not jump out of the second space when the fiber is placed on the non-mounting surface. Connector unit as described in Crab.   The connector unit according to claim 3, wherein the suppression unit is a storage unit that stores the fiber therein.   The connector unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first connection means is supported by the housing so as to be relatively movable. An objective optical system is disposed at the tip of the fiber,
The connector unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein only the light beam from the focal position of the objective optical system is incident on the fiber.

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