JPH0629909B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an endoscope having a solid-state image sensor, and more particularly to an endoscope having an improved mounting structure for the solid-state image sensor.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Problems Thereof] In an endoscope, as shown in JP-A-58-69528, a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD or SID is provided in the distal end configuration portion to display an image. There are some that I took out with a signal.

By the way, for mounting the solid-state image sensor in such an endoscope, a housing section having a circular cross section is formed at the tip of the endoscope, and the solid-state image sensor is arranged in the housing section using a mounting member. It is being appreciated. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the solid-state image pickup device a having a circular cross section, the mounting member b is formed into a cylindrical frame corresponding to the outer shape of the solid-state image pickup device a, and this is accommodated in the accommodating portion ( (Not shown) is considered.

By the way, such a structure in which the frame-shaped mounting member b is arranged on the entire outer peripheral surface of the solid-state imaging device a has a problem that the diameter of the distal end portion of the endoscope, which is required to be thin, is carelessly increased. is there.
Therefore, it is conceivable that the solid-state image pickup device a is formed in a rectangular shape, and the solid-state image pickup device a is arranged in the accommodating portion by using a mounting member b having a positioning portion having a shape adjacent to the rectangular portion. As shown in FIG. 7, since the corner portion of the portion e to which the feet d of the chip c are attached projects, the diagonal dimension of the solid-state image pickup device a is correspondingly large and the tip portion diameter is similarly increased. I have a problem.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to accurately position a solid-state imaging device without increasing the diameter of the distal end portion of an endoscope. To provide an endoscope.

[Summary of the Invention] That is, a long and narrow solid-state image pickup device accommodating portion formed in a predetermined cross-sectional shape is provided at the distal end portion of an endoscope, and the cross-sectional shape is a cross-section in which the solid-state image pickup device is located. A solid-state imaging device having a defect portion in which the outer peripheral portion of the solid-state imaging device has a shape substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the solid-state image sensor and can be inserted into the solid-state imaging device accommodating portion, and at least a part of the defect portion is complemented. A solid-state image sensor mounting member that is formed longer than the solid-state image sensor in the longitudinal direction of the element housing is provided, and the solid-state image sensor having the above-described defect is mounted on the solid-state image sensor mounting member, and at the same time, the solid-state image sensor is mounted. A solid-state imaging device mounting member and a solid-state imaging device having a defective portion so that at least a part of the member and at least a part of the solid-state imaging device housing part are fitted over a longer distance than the solid-state imaging device. By inserting and fixing the image element in the solid-state image sensor housing portion, it is attempted to achieve both the reduction in diameter of the distal end portion of the endoscope and the accurate positioning with respect to the solid-state image sensor.

[Embodiment of the Invention] The present invention will be described below based on a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows the structure of the tip portion of an endoscope, where 1 is a tip forming portion, 2 is an outer skin connected to the rear portion of the tip forming portion 1, 3 is an illumination system, and 4 is an objective system.

The illumination system 3 includes an illumination optical lens system 5 facing the tip surface in the tip configuration portion 1, and the tip portion (end portion on the emission side) of the light guide fiber 6 inserted into the outer cover 2 is used for illumination optical. It is arranged in the latter stage of the lens system 5. The tip surface (emission end surface) of the light guide fiber 6 faces the illumination optical lens system 5 so that the illumination light supplied from the light source device (not shown) can be irradiated to the front of the tip forming portion 1. ing.

Further, in the objective system 4, the objective lens system 7, the solid-state image pickup device 8, and further the connection portion of the solid-state image pickup device 8 are unitized in the tip forming portion 1 adjacent to the above-mentioned illumination optical lens system 5. The objective assembly 9 is provided and configured.

Here, the objective assembly 9 will be described. Reference numeral 11 is an elongated insulating tube 11 (solid-state imaging device accommodating portion) having a predetermined cross-sectional shape made of a heat-shrinkable tube having a shield 10 on the inner surface, that is, a circular cross-sectional shape. ). An objective portion composed of the objective lens system 7 and the solid-state image pickup device 8 is provided in the tip portion of the insulating tube 11, and the signal wire 12 is wound in multiple lines at the rear portion and the shield wire 13 is provided at the outer peripheral portion. The shielded wire 14 is connected. The shield wire 14 is connected to the solid-state image sensor 8 in the center of the insulating tube 11 by using two similar adjusting plates 15a and 15b having a plurality of through holes 15c ... Formed on the plate surface.

Specifically, as the objective part, the observation window 16 is arranged at the tip,
It has a lens frame 18 in which a lens group 17 is arranged. A solid frame 19 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lens frame 18 on the front end side.
The solid-state imaging device 8 is provided on the outer peripheral portion on the rear end side via a mounting member 20 (solid-state imaging device mounting member). The terminal 8a of the solid-state image sensor 8 is led out to the rear of the solid-state image sensor 8.

The following structure is used as the structure on the shield wire 14 side.

That is, the base 21 having a partially cut peripheral wall is inserted at the tip of the shield wire 14. The signal lines 12 ... Derived from the shield wire 14 are fixed to the base 21 by being tied with a thread 22 through a notch 21 a of the base 21.
A shield 13 is provided outside the base 21.

A pipe 23 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the tip of the base 21 in a double pipe structure. The shield 13 led out to the outside is inserted between the pipe 23 and the base 21. A shield 23 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the pipe 23 so as to cover the pipe 23.

An outer frame 24 is fitted and inserted around the outer peripheral portion of the pipe 23 on which the shield 13 is arranged to fix the shield 13.

Reference numeral 25 is a protective tube for the shielded wire 14 whose tip side is connected to the rear portion of the mouthpiece 21 by using a thread 26.

The terminals 8a ... Derived from the solid-state image sensor 8 and the signal lines 12 ...
Is connected using.

For this connection, the signal lines 12 are arranged in the through hole 15c of the front adjusting plate 15a through the through hole 15c of the rear adjusting plate 15b, and the solid-state image sensor 8 is placed in the through hole 15c of the adjusting plate 15a. The terminals 8a are inserted and the through holes 15c are filled with solder 27 to connect them, or the signal line 12 protruding from the adjusting plate 15a or the adjusting plate 15b and the terminals 8a are connected by the solder 27. . In this way, the solid-state image sensor 8 is connected to the shield wire 14.

The objective assembly 9 is the mounting member 2 for the objective constructed as described above.
0, covering the base of the protective tube 25 at the connecting portion with a heat-shrinkable tube having the shield 10 on the inner surface, and applying heat that does not damage the solid-state imaging device 8 to the heat-shrinkable tube, so that the insulating tube The object portion 11 and the shield wire 14 are connected in series by using 11 as a connecting member.

The objective assembly 9 is adjacent to the ends of the illumination optical lens system 5 and the light guide fiber 6 in the housing space 28 formed in the tip forming part 1, and the observation window 16 is the tip of the tip forming part 1. It is fixed so as to face the surface so that an image from the front of the tip forming portion 1 can be captured. In addition, 29 is an O-ring for sealing between the fixed frame 19 and the tip forming portion 1.

The present invention is applied to the endoscope thus configured.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the solid-state image sensor 8 is a solid-state image sensor having a shape that is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the cross-section where the solid-state image sensor 8 is located in the insulating tube and that can be inserted into the insulating tube 11. On the other hand, it is configured to have a circular cross section in which the upper and lower portions of the outer peripheral portion are missing.

The mounting member 20 is formed into a tubular shape whose front end side can be fitted into the lens frame 18, and is formed longer than the solid-state imaging device 8 in the longitudinal direction of the insulating tube 11. At the rear of the mounting member 20, as shown in FIG.
The substantially half-moon shaped positioning portions 31, 31 are formed so as to complement the missing portions 30, 30, and the positioning portion 31,
A space that can accommodate the solid-state image sensor 8 is formed between 31.

The solid-state image pickup device 8 includes the positioning portion 3 of the mounting member 20.
Paid between 1 and 31. Then, the solid-state image sensor 8 is
In order that a part of the mounting member 20 and a part of the insulating tube 11 are fitted over a distance longer than that of the solid-state imaging device 8,
The mounting member 20 and the solid-state image sensor 8 are inserted into the insulating tube 11 and fixed.

When mounting the solid-state image pickup device 8, the solid-state image pickup device 8 is housed between the positioning portions 31 and 31 and inserted into the insulating tube 11 from this state.
The vertical movements of the solid-state image sensor 8 are restricted by 1 and 31, and the left-right movement of the solid-state image sensor 8 is restricted by the peripheral wall of the insulating tube 11, thereby positioning the solid-state image sensor 8. Become.

This means that by only disposing the solid-state imaging device 8 on the mounting member 20 and inserting it into the insulating tube 11, the positioning portion 31,
From the combination of 31 and the insulating tube 11, the solid-state image sensor 8 can be positioned easily and without damaging the solid-state image sensor 8.

Moreover, since the solid-state image pickup element 8 has a circular shape with a part thereof missing, the diameter of the distal end portion of the endoscope will not be carelessly increased.

That is, the attachment of the solid-state image pickup element 8 to the distal end portion of the endoscope is not performed by attaching the attachment member to the outer peripheral portion of the solid-state image pickup element as in the related art, but based on the shape of the solid-state image pickup element 8. The mounting member 2 is attached to the defective portion 30 of the solid-state imaging device 8 in which a part of the outer peripheral portion of the solid-state imaging device 8 is cut out.
0 is attached.

This is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the cross section of the solid-state image sensor 8 that does not have the defect portion 30, even if the mounting member 20 is attached to the solid-state image sensor 8 that has the defect portion 30.

As a result, the attachment member 20 is attached to the defective portion 30 of the “solid-state image pickup device 8 having the defective portion 30” more in cross section than when the mounting member is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the solid-state imaging element having no defective portion. The shape can be small.

Therefore, the tip of the endoscope becomes thin accordingly.

Further, at least a part of the mounting member 20 and the insulating tube 1
Since at least a part of 1 is fitted over a distance longer than the solid-state image sensor 8, even when the solid-state image sensor 8 is attached to the insulating tube 8, the light-receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor 8 is perpendicular to the light receiving surface. Accurate positioning of the solid-state imaging device 8 can be achieved without the risk of tilting the axis.

In addition, when the mounting member 20 having the positioning portions 31 and 31 that complements the upper and lower defective portions 30 is used,
When the solid-state image sensor 8 is handled alone, there is an advantage that the solid-state image sensor 8 does not need to be touched directly.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the solid-state image pickup device is arranged in the tip forming portion via the insulating tube, but in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. As described above, the solid-state imaging device 8 may be positioned and fixed by using the positioning portions 31 and 31 in the accommodating space 28 having a circular cross section formed in the tip forming portion 1. That is, in the second embodiment, with respect to the circular opening shape of the accommodation space 28,
The solid-state image sensor 8 is formed in a circular cross section with two upper and lower parts missing, while the positioning parts 31, 3 of the mounting member 20 are arranged.
1 has a substantially half-moon shape that complements the defective portions 30 and 30, and like the first embodiment, the solid-state image sensor 8 is housed between the positioning portions 31 and 31 to receive the accommodation space 28.
When the solid-state imaging is performed, the positioning portions 31 and 31 regulate the vertical movement of the solid-state imaging device 8 and the inner wall of the housing space 28 regulate the horizontal movement of the solid-state imaging device 8. The element 8 is positioned accurately. In addition, 35 is a pin for fixing the attachment member 20, which is screwed from the outside of the tip forming portion 1 toward the attachment member 20.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, the solid-state image pickup device having the substantially half-moon shaped defect portion at two places is used, but the solid-state image pickup device 8 having the defect portion 30 at one place on the upper side as shown in FIG. Besides, the positioning portion 31 having a shape that complements the defective portion 30 may be used.

Although both the first and second embodiments described above are designed to complement all the defective portions, when there are a plurality of defective portions, at least one of them should be complemented. Alternatively, the positioning portion may not have a shape that complements the entire defective portion, but may have a shape that enables positioning of the solid-state imaging device, such as a convex portion.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both the reduction in diameter of the distal end portion of the endoscope and the accurate positioning with respect to the solid-state imaging device.

Therefore, without increasing the diameter of the tip of the endoscope,
The solid-state image sensor can be accurately positioned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the solid-state image pickup device and the vicinity of the positioning portion, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows the structure of the tip portion of the endoscope. Fig. 4 is a side sectional view showing the same, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the fixed image pickup device and the vicinity of the positioning portion, Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing different solid-state image pickup devices and the positioning portion, and Fig. 6 is a conventional endoscope. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the solid-state image sensor and the positioning section, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing the different solid-state image sensor. 8 ... Solid-state image sensor, 11, 28 ... Insulating tube, accommodation space (accommodation part), 20 ... Mounting member, 30 ... Missing part, 31 ...
Positioning part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope in which a solid-state image pickup device can be arranged at the tip of an endoscope, wherein an elongated solid-state image pickup device accommodating portion having a predetermined cross-sectional shape is provided at the tip and the cross-sectional shape is In the solid-state image sensor housing, the solid-state image sensor has a defective portion in which the outer peripheral portion of the solid-state image sensor has a shape substantially equal to the cross-sectional shape of the cross-section in which the solid-state image sensor is located and which can be inserted into the solid-state image sensor housing. A solid-state image sensor is provided, and a solid-state image sensor mounting member is provided that complements at least a part of the defective portion and is longer than the solid-state image sensor in the longitudinal direction of the solid-state image sensor housing portion. While mounting the solid-state image sensor having the defective portion on the mounting member, at least part of the solid-state image sensor mounting member and at least part of the solid-state image sensor housing are longer than the solid-state image sensor. An endoscope characterized in that the solid-state image pickup device mounting member and the solid-state image pickup device having the defective portion are inserted and fixed in the solid-state image pickup device housing portion so as to be fitted over a large distance.