JP2006204569A - Endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope apparatus facilitating the assembling of an endoscope. <P>SOLUTION: This endoscope apparatus is provided with a lens optical system focusing lights from a subject, an imaging element 61 converting subject's lights focused by the lens optical system into imaging signals, and a light emitting body 50 illuminating the subject. This apparatus is further provided with an light emitting body retaining body 44 retaining the light emitting body 50 and a terminal part retaining body 55 having an electrode terminal part 54a for supplying a power to the light emitting body 50; the light emitting body retaining body 44 and the terminal part retaining body 55 are detachably attached; and when the light emitting body retaining body 44 is mounted on the terminal part retaining body 55, the electrode terminal part 54a is connected to a power supply terminal part 50a of the light emitting body 50 to supply the power to the light emitting body 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus for photographing a state in a narrow space such as an esophagus or a trachea of a human body.

  Conventionally, an endoscope is generally used by being inserted into a narrow space such as the esophagus or trachea of a human body, so that it is required to reduce the size of the distal end portion of the endoscope. Further, in the conventional endoscope, in order to observe the image captured by the image sensor with a display unit such as a monitor, the image signal captured by the image sensor is transmitted to the display unit via a cable or the like. . As an endoscope that employs such imaging signal transmission means, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

  The endoscope described in Patent Document 1 is a cable in which a light emitter is fixed to a light emitter substrate attached to an end of a lens holder by soldering, and the lens holder is passed through the inside of a second outer case. The image pickup device head connected via the image pickup device substrate is fixed, and a cylindrical first outer case is put on the outside of the lens holder to which the image pickup device head and the image pickup device substrate are attached. The case is assembled by engaging the second outer case.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-311879 (FIGS. 4 to 12)

  By the way, in the endoscope described in Patent Document 1 described above, the number of parts constituting the endoscope and the number of assembling steps are large, and the space for arranging the parts and the size of the parts is also narrow. Therefore, a large number of assembly operations must be performed, and the assembly operation of the endoscope is complicated.

  The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus capable of easily assembling an endoscope.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention includes a lens optical system that forms an image of light from a subject, an imaging element that converts subject light imaged by the lens optical system into an imaging signal, and In an endoscope apparatus having a light emitter that illuminates a subject,
A light emitter holder that holds the light emitter, and a terminal part holder that is provided with an electrode terminal portion that supplies power to the light emitter, the light emitter holder and the terminal part holder are detachable, When the light emitter holder is attached to the terminal holder, the electrode terminal portion is connected to the power supply terminal portion of the light emitter, and power can be supplied to the light emitter via both terminal portions.

  With this configuration, when the light emitter holder is mounted on the terminal holder, the power supply terminal portion of the light emitter and the electrode terminal portion disposed on the terminal holder are connected, and power is supplied to the light emitter. Will be supplied. For this reason, power can be supplied to the light emitter from the power source side without extending the lead wire from the light emitter and connecting it to the substrate or the like by soldering. Therefore, the operation of connecting the lead wire to the substrate or the like is not necessary, and the assembly operation of the endoscope apparatus is easy.

  Further, in addition to the above-described invention, in another invention, the light emitter holder includes a lens cover portion that covers the incident end side of the lens optical system, and the outer periphery of the lens cover portion from the vicinity of the outer periphery of the lens optical system. A light emitter holding portion that holds the light emitter, and a light emitter is provided on the far side in the optical axis direction opposite to the subject light incident end side of the light emitter holder, In the illuminant holder, at least the incident end side portion where the light from the illuminant is incident is a light guide part formed of a transparent member that allows irradiation light radiated from the illuminant to pass to the subject side. .

  When configured in this manner, the lens cover portion has two functions as a light emitter holding portion that holds the light emitter and a light guide portion that allows light emitted from the light emitter to pass therethrough. Therefore, since the member which has these functions can be comprised by one member, it becomes possible to ensure the space of each of both members larger than the case where both members are handled as another member. For this reason, the number of parts constituting the endoscope apparatus can be reduced, the structure becomes simple, and the assembling work becomes easy.

  Furthermore, in another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the center of the outer diameter of the light emitter holder is decentered with respect to the optical axis of the lens optical system. It has a substantially crescent-like shape that becomes thinner as it moves away from the thick portion in the circumferential direction.

  In the case of such a configuration, the lens optical system is arranged so as to be biased to one side with respect to the light emitter holder. For this reason, the remaining portion of the space in which the lens optical system is arranged can be ensured without increasing the outer diameter of the light emitter holder. Therefore, it becomes possible to arrange a large light emitter in the remaining space, and it is possible to increase the efficiency of the assembly work and increase the amount of light of the light emitter.

  In addition to the above-mentioned inventions, in another invention, the lens optical system is held by a lens barrel fixed to the terminal holder, and the light emitter holder is located behind the lens cover in the optical axis direction. The inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holding part is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel without any gap. As described above, since the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holding portion and the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel are in contact with each other without any gap, light is emitted along the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel. The body holder can be attached to the terminal part holder. As a result, it is possible to form the two terminal portions so that they are automatically connected when both holding bodies are engaged, and positioning work when connecting the power supply terminal portion and the electrode terminal portion. Is easy.

  Furthermore, in another invention, in addition to the above-described inventions, the light emitter holder and the terminal part holder are each provided with positioning means for positioning between them. In such a configuration, the positioning work when the light emitter holder is mounted on the terminal holder is facilitated, and the number of work steps can be reduced.

  Further, according to another invention, in addition to the above-described inventions, the positioning means further includes a protruding boss provided on one of the two holding bodies and a boss provided on the other of the two holding bodies and engaged with the boss. It is constituted by a receiving hole. When configured in this manner, positioning can be performed by easy means such as fitting the boss into the boss receiving hole. Therefore, the positioning work when mounting the light emitter holder to the terminal holder is extremely easy, and the number of work steps can be greatly reduced.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned inventions, in another invention, the light emitter holder includes a plurality of light emitters and a power receiving terminal portion between the adjacent light emitters among the plurality of light emitters. In addition to the connection, a conductor for sandwiching and fixing the light emitter with the light emitter holder is disposed. When configured in this way, it is possible to simultaneously connect the power receiving terminal portions between the adjacent light emitters and fix the light emitters to the light emitter holder with the conductor, so the number of parts can be reduced. Reduction and assembly man-hours can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, facilitation of assembling an endoscope apparatus is achieved.

  Hereinafter, an endoscope apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In the following description, in FIGS. 1 to 9, one end side indicates the right side of each figure, and the other end side indicates the left side of each figure. Further, the vertical and horizontal directions are defined with the direction in which the optical axis is decentered with respect to the central axis of the luminous body holder as viewed from the incident end side being upward.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 10 includes an external unit 20, a flexible cable portion 30 that becomes a cable portion, and an endoscope 40. Note that a video deck or other members may be added to the endoscope apparatus 10, but the endoscope apparatus 10 is also included in such a case.

  The external unit 20 is mainly configured by a control unit 21 that performs signal processing on an imaging signal obtained by the endoscope 40 and a monitor unit 22 that displays a video signal that has been signal-processed by the control unit 21. The control unit 21 is also a part that is held by the operator, and the operator can view the monitor unit 22 and perform various operations while holding the control unit 21.

  The control unit 21 is provided with operation means (not shown) such as operation buttons for the operator to perform various operations. When the operator operates this operation means, for example, the image pickup device 61 is operated by driving and controlling a drive circuit 67 described later, illumination light is irradiated from the light emitter 50, the irradiation intensity can be changed, and the like. The flexible cable part 30 can be deformed.

  The control unit 21 has a built-in battery 23. The battery 23 is a power source for operating the monitor unit 22 and the members in the endoscope 40 described above.

  The external unit 20 is provided with a cable connection portion 24. The cable connecting portion 24 is a portion to which a flexible cable portion 30 described later is connected. The cable connection portion 24 includes, for example, a connection interface, and can connect a connection terminal (not shown) existing on one end side of the flexible cable portion 30. However, a fixed configuration in which the flexible cable portion 30 cannot be attached to and detached from the cable connection portion 24 may be adopted.

  The external unit 20 is provided with an operation button (not shown) corresponding to the operation of the operator. The external unit 20 is provided with a connector portion (not shown), and an external connection device can be connected to the connector portion. Examples of externally connected devices include a data storage device for recording image data captured by the endoscope device 10 and a printing device for printing an image displayed on the monitor unit 22. .

  Moreover, the flexible cable part 30 (in FIG. 1, only the flexible cable part 30 is drawn with sectional drawing) is a part corresponding to a cable member, and can be deform | transformed flexibly. The flexible cable portion 30 has a large number of bending pieces (not shown). The bending pieces are provided so as to be continuous with each other, and are attached to the adjacent bending pieces so as to be rotatable. In addition, after the bending piece is rotated, the inclined angle in the rotated state is maintained by friction generated between adjacent bending pieces. In FIG. 2, the bending piece and the flexible tube 33 described later are omitted, and the flexible cable portion 30 is shown in a substantially tubular shape.

  In addition, the flexible cable part 30 is not restricted to the structure which uses a bending piece as mentioned above. Examples of the configuration other than using the bending piece include a configuration using a polymer resin that has flexibility and can maintain the shape. Further, there is a configuration using a spiral tubular member formed by spirally winding a thin strip-shaped metal elastic thin plate.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an insertion hole 31 is provided in the flexible cable portion 30 in which a plurality of the above-mentioned bending pieces are continuous so as to penetrate the center thereof. That is, a hole (not shown) is also provided at the center of the radial direction in the bending piece constituting the flexible cable portion 30. Various wirings 32 for supplying power to the endoscope 40 and transmitting image data photographed by the photographing optical system of the endoscope 40 to the external unit 20 to the insertion hole 31. (See FIG. 2) is inserted. A flexible tube 33 (see FIG. 1) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the flexible cable portion 30 so as to cover the wiring 32 and a bending piece (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope 40 includes an imaging device unit 41 and a cylindrical tubular member 42 that serves as a casing of the imaging device unit 41.

  The imaging device unit 41 includes a light emitter 50, a light emitter holder 44 that holds the light emitter 50, a lens barrel 54 that holds a lens optical system, and a terminal portion that holds the lens barrel 54 and the image sensor 61. A holding body 55, an image sensor 61, a flexible board 65 for transmitting electric power to the image sensor 61, a drive circuit 67 for controlling operations of the light emitter 50 and the image sensor 61, and a support for supporting the flexible board 65. It is mainly composed of the member 70.

  After the imaging device unit 41 is assembled, the imaging device unit 41 is disposed inside a cylindrical member 42 that serves as a housing thereof. Thus, the endoscope 40 is completed by disposing the imaging device unit 41 inside the cylindrical member 42. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylindrical member 42 is a cylindrical member having both ends opened, and the outer diameter thereof is the same from one end 42a to the other end 42b. The flexible cable portion 30 is connected to one end portion 42 a of the cylindrical member 42. The connection between the tubular member 42 and the flexible cable portion 30 is such that the outer peripheral surface (the outer peripheral surface before the flexible tube 33 is disposed) 30a of the flexible cable portion 30 is spaced from the inner peripheral surface of the tubular member 42 by silicon or the like. It is done by making it adhere without.

  3 to 7 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the imaging device unit 41. Here, the light emitter holder 44 serving as a member that transmits incident light from the subject includes a lens cover 46 and a light emitter holder 48, which are integrally formed. The outer diameter of the lens cover portion 46 is the same as the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 42 (see FIG. 2). The entire material of the lens cover portion 46 is made of an acrylic resin that is a transparent member so that illumination light can pass through, and a portion on which incident light is incident is a lens portion 47a made of the same member. The lens portion 47a is a circular portion centering on an optical axis M (see FIG. 2) of a lens optical system, which will be described later, and is drawn as a solid line in FIG. 3 and the like for easy understanding on the drawing.

  In addition, a light emitter holder 48 for fitting the light emitter holder 44 to the cylindrical member 42 is provided on one end side of the lens cover 46. In the luminous body holding portion 48, the vicinity of the lens portion 47a becomes a cylindrical holding portion 48a that fits over the entire inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 42 and has a cylindrical cross section, and is on one end side as shown in FIG. The lower side is a crescent moon holding portion 48b having a substantially crescent cross section. The cross-sectional shape of the crescent moon holding portion 48b is as the distance from the position where the length in the vertical direction is the thickest as shown in FIG. 6 as seen from the cross-sectional portion 48c which is the end face on one end side of the crescent moon holding portion 48b. The crescent shape is becoming thinner. Moreover, the upper part of the crescent moon holding part 48b is opened.

  Similarly to the lens cover 46, the light emitter holder 48 is made of an acrylic resin, which is a transparent member, so that light emitted from the light emitters 50 and 50 can be transmitted to the subject side. The inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holder 48 is painted black to prevent the illumination light from the light emitters 50 and 50 from leaking into the light emitter holder 48. That is, the illumination light from the light emitters 50, 50 is prevented from leaking into the light emitter holder 48. That is, when the illumination light from the light emitters 50 and 50 leaks into the light emitter holding part 48, the leaked light is reflected, for example, on the inner side (one end side) of the lens part 47a, and this reflected light is reflected. There is a possibility that the image that is incident on the image sensor 61 and is displayed on the monitor unit 22 may have adverse effects such as a ghost or a decrease in contrast. Such an adverse effect can be prevented by painting the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holder 48 in black.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a boss 49a constituting positioning means 49 for positioning with respect to a terminal holder 55 described later is provided at the thickest portion of the cross section 48c in the light emitter holder 48. ing. The boss 49a is a cylindrical protrusion that protrudes from the cross section 48c toward one end. Further, two light emitters 50, 50 are attached on the surface of the cross section 48c with the boss 49a interposed therebetween. The light emitters 50 and 50 are fixed to the light emitter holder 44 by being fitted into two attachment recesses provided on the surface of the cross section 48c.

  Further, the two light emitters 50 and 50 are electrically connected by a conductor 52 made of a substantially rectangular member having conductivity, in which a circular hole 52a is provided at the center. The conductor 52 also serves to hold the light emitters 50, 50 so that they do not fall out of the mounting recess. The light emitters 50 and 50 are held on the light emitter holder 44 by placing the light emitters 50 and 50 on the cross-sectional portion 48 c so that the boss 49 a is fitted into the hole 52 a formed in the conductor 52. Is performed by being sandwiched between the conductor 52 and the light emitter holder 48 (see FIG. 6). In addition, since the inner diameter of the hole 52a is formed slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the boss 49a, the conductor 52 is not easily detached from the boss 49a, and the light emitters 50 and 50 are securely fixed by the conductor 52. Become. In addition, since one end of the conductor 52 is in contact with each of the light emitters 50 and 50, by providing an electrical terminal portion at the contact portion between the two light emitters 50 and 50, both Are electrically connected.

  The light emitters 50 and 50 include LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and when a current is supplied from the power source to the LEDs, the LEDs of the light emitters 50 and 50 emit light or the amount of light changes. Further, in this embodiment, the light emitters 50, 50 are substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and when fitted into the mounting recesses, electrode terminals 54a, 54a, which will be described later, are provided on the surface located on the cross section 48c side. Power supply terminal portions 50a and 50a connectable to each other.

  The other end side of the lens barrel 54 is fitted inside the light emitter holder 48 in the light emitter holder 44, and the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holder 48 has no gap with the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 54. In contact. Further, one end side of the lens barrel 54 is held by a terminal portion holding body 55.

  The terminal portion holder 55 has the same cross-sectional shape as the light emitter holder 48 described above. That is, the length of the cross section on the lower side of the terminal portion holding body 55 shown in FIG. 2 is the thickest, and it becomes a crescent shape in which the thickness of the cross section becomes thinner with increasing distance from the circumferential direction. ing. A boss receiving hole 49b serving as a columnar hole into which the boss 49a provided in the light emitter holding portion 48 is fitted is provided in the thickest portion of the end face on the other end side of the terminal portion holding body 55. (See FIGS. 4 and 5). The boss receiving hole 49b constitutes positioning means 49 together with the boss 49a. The positioning means 49 positions the light emitter holding body 44 and the terminal portion holding body 55, and the terminal portion of the light emitting body holding body 44. The holder 55 can be attached and detached.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surface on the other end side of the terminal portion holding body 55 is formed with two flat portions 55a and 55a cut out in a C shape toward the boss receiving hole 49b. Yes. The flat portions 55a and 55a are formed so as to be symmetric with respect to the boss receiving hole 49b and have a substantially rectangular shape. Further, two bosses 55b and 55b are provided side by side in the circumferential direction of the optical axis M on each of the flat portions 55a and 55a. The bosses 55b and 55b are formed so as to protrude outward in the vertical direction with respect to the planes of the plane portions 55a and 55a. Furthermore, an engagement groove portion 55c made of three planar grooves having a semi-hexagonal cross section is formed on one end side of the planar portions 55a and 55a. A parallel groove 55d is formed from the end of the engaging groove 55c located on the counterclockwise side when viewed from the incident end side with respect to the boss receiving hole 49b toward the one end side in the optical axis M direction. The parallel groove part 55d is a groove part cut out shallower than the engaging groove part 55c.

  Further, the upper portion on the other end side of the terminal portion holding body 55 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, and the opening portion has a cutout portion 55m in which a part of the terminal portion holding body 55 is cut out along the longitudinal direction. It has become. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal holder 55 has a lens barrel holder 55e for holding the lens barrel 54 in order from the other end to the one end, and light that has passed through the lens optical system. Is formed with a locking wall 55g having a passage hole 55f for reaching a light receiving part 62 of the image sensor 61 described later and an image sensor holding part 55h for holding the image sensor. The locking wall 55g positions the lens barrel 54 and the image sensor 61 in the front-rear direction of the optical axis M. The passage hole 55f includes a passage hole 55j having a circular cross section for allowing light to pass therethrough, and a passage hole 55k surrounded by the image sensor holding portion 55h and having a rectangular cross section.

  In the present embodiment, the lens barrel 54 includes three lenses constituting a lens optical system that is an imaging optical system, that is, a first lens 56 and a second lens that are circular when viewed from the front. 57 and a third lens 58 are arranged. The central axis of the lens barrel 54 coincides with the optical axis M of the lens optical system.

  The lens barrel 54 has a hole 56a for holding the first lens 56, a stop hole 59 for narrowing the reflected light, and a second lens 57 from the other end side toward the one end side. Holes 57a and holes 58a for holding the third lens 58 are provided to hold the respective lenses. The lenses 56, 57, and 58 are incorporated into the lens barrel 54 before the lens barrel 54 is incorporated into the terminal portion holding body 55.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, two plate-like electrode terminal portions 54 a and 54 a that can conduct electricity are disposed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 54. Furthermore, from the end portions of the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a, connection terminal portions 54b and 54b extend toward one end so as to be parallel to the optical axis M, and the tips of the connection terminal portions 54b and 54b are provided. Are substantially rectangular flat plate portions 54c and 54c. The flat plate portions 54 c and 54 c are arranged so as to overlap with the flat portions 55 a and 55 a formed on the terminal portion holding body 55. In addition, two circular holes 54d and 54d for fitting into the bosses 55b and 55b are provided side by side in the circumferential direction at substantially the center of the flat plate portions 54c and 54c. The connection terminal portions 54b and 54b and the flat plate portions 54c and 54c are also formed of a conductive material.

  As described above, the image pickup device 61 is held by being fitted to the image pickup device holding portion 55 h formed on one end side of the terminal portion holding body 55. The imaging element 61 has a light receiving portion 62 made of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) on its surface. The light that has passed through the third lens 58 is imaged by the light receiving unit 62, and the image sensor 61 converts this imaged (light) into an electrical signal. The light receiving unit 62 is provided on the surface of the planar rectangular imaging element 61, and the imaging element 61 is larger than the light receiving unit 62. The light receiving unit 62 is attached such that the central axis of the light receiving unit 62 is displaced upward in FIG. 2 with respect to the central axis of the entire image sensor 61. The central axis of the light receiving unit 62 is arranged so as to coincide with the central axis of the lens barrel 54, that is, coincident with the optical axis M of the lens optical system. Further, a terminal portion (not shown) for connecting to a connection terminal (not shown) provided on the flexible substrate 65 described later is provided on the side surface on one end side of the image sensor 61.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible substrate 65 has a U-shape formed of a bottom plate portion 65a and side plate portions 65b and 65c extending from both ends of the bottom plate portion 65a in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate portion 65a. A shaped portion 65d is provided. From the end portion of the side plate portion 65c, a flat plate portion 65e extends perpendicular to the side plate portion 65c and toward one end side. Further, in FIG. 8, a lower plate portion 65f extends from the lower end portion of the flat plate portion 65e near the U-shaped portion 65d to the front side in the vertical direction with respect to the flat plate portion 65e, and further from the tip to the other end side. A hanging plate portion 65g extends toward the surface. Further, a flat upper plate portion 65h extends from above the flat plate portion 65e so as to face the lower plate portion 65f, and an arch-shaped curved surface portion 65j extends from the tip toward the hanging plate portion 65g. I'm out. Further, a horizontal plate portion 65k having a rectangular shape extending in the longitudinal direction on the other end side extends from the tip. And the engaging part 65m which becomes a semi-hexagon shape toward the perpendicular | vertical back side is formed in the front-end | tip with respect to the horizontal board part 65k in FIG.

  A driving circuit 67 for controlling the operation of the image sensor 61 is provided on the flat plate portion 65 e of the flexible substrate 65. Further, a wiring 32 for transmitting signals to and from the external unit 20 is connected to one end side of the flat plate portion 65e. Further, a connection terminal (not shown) is provided on the side plate portion 65b constituting the flexible substrate 65, and the connection terminal is connected to a terminal part (not shown) provided on the image sensor 61 by soldering or the like. ing. The wiring 32 described above is connected to the drive circuit 67 by passing through the insertion hole 31 of the flexible cable portion 30 and being connected to one end side of the flat plate portion 65e. Further, the image sensor 61 is also connected to the drive circuit 67 via the flexible substrate 65. For this reason, the imaging signal controlled by the drive circuit 67 is transmitted to the control unit 21 constituting the external unit 20 via the drive circuit 67. The drive circuit 67 serves to amplify the image pickup signal obtained by the image pickup device 61, and can reliably transfer the image pickup signal to the control unit 21 provided away from the image pickup device 61.

  The flexible board 65 has the above-described connection terminal (not shown) connected to a terminal part (not shown) provided on the image sensor 61 by solder or the like, and an engaging part 65m provided on the flexible board 65. Is engaged with the engaging groove 55c formed in the terminal portion holding body 55, so that the terminal portion holding body 55 is positioned in the direction along the optical axis M. Of the semi-hexagonal engagement portion 65m, the surface 65n connected to the horizontal plate portion 65k and the surface 65p facing the surface 65n are respectively connected to the flat plate portions 54c and 54c of the connection terminal portions 54b and 54b. It arrange | positions in the position which adjoins or contacts one end side, and the said surface 65n, 65p is electrically connected with the flat plate parts 54c and 54c by conducting wire (not shown), respectively. Since the flat plate portions 54c and 54c are formed integrally with the connection terminal portions 54b and 54b and the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a so as to be conductive, when the light emitter holder 44 is attached to the terminal portion holder 55, The electrode terminal portions 54a, 54a provided at positions facing the power supply terminal portions 50a, 50a are connected to the power supply terminal portions 50a provided in the light emitters 50, 50, so that the flat plate portion 54c, 54c and the light emitters 50, 50 are electrically connected. For this reason, the electric power provided from the wiring 32 is supplied to the light emitters 50 and 50 through the flexible substrate 65 and the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a.

  The flexible substrate 65 is supported by a support member 70 for supporting the shape of the flexible substrate 65 in a stable state. As shown in FIG. 9, the rigid support member 70 has a flat bottom plate portion 70a and flat side plate portions 70b and 70c extending from both ends of the bottom plate portion 70a in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate portion 70a. The vertical plate portion 70e extends from the end surface of the side plate portion 70b perpendicularly to the side plate portion 70b and toward the side plate portion 70c. . Further, a flat plate portion 70f extending from the front end of the vertical plate portion 70e is perpendicular to the vertical plate portion 70e and at one end in the longitudinal direction. In addition, in FIG. 9, a disc portion 70g having a circular arc shape in cross section is formed over about 120 ° from an end surface on the near side of one end of the flat plate portion 70f. Further, an arch-shaped curved plate portion 70h extends from the front end surface at the approximate center of the side plate portion 70b toward the side plate portion 70c, and from the tip, the side plate portion 70c extends toward the back side in FIG. The support plate portion 70j extends so as to be horizontally overlapped with the inner surface.

  The support by the support member 70 of the flexible substrate 65 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the bottom plate portion 65a of the flexible board 65, the side plate portion 65b, the side plate portion 65c, and the flat plate portion 65e are disposed inside the side plate portion 65b. In addition, the bottom plate portion 65a, the side plate portion 65c, and the flat plate portion 65e are arranged on the inner side of the U-shaped portion 70d and are supported by the support member 70. That is, the outer side surface of the bottom plate portion 70a abuts on the inner side surface of the side plate portion 65b to support the side plate portion 65b, thereby suppressing deformation of the side plate portion 65b toward one end side. Further, the bottom plate portion 65a, the side plate portion 65c, and the flat plate portion 65e disposed on the inner side of the U-shaped portion 70d are disposed between the side plate portion 70b and the side plate portion 70c, thereby suppressing vertical deformation.

  Further, the lower plate portion 65f is supported by the support member 70 such that the side plate portion 70c is disposed on the upper surface side. That is, the lower plate portion 65f is suppressed from being deformed upward by the side plate portion 70c. Further, with respect to the upper plate portion 65h and the curved surface portion 65j, the side plate portion 70b and the curved plate portion 70h are arranged on the inner side, and the upper plate portion 65h and the curved surface portion 65j are supported by the support member 70. ing. That is, the upper plate portion 65h and the curved surface portion 65j are prevented from being deformed inward by the side plate portion 70b and the curved plate portion 70h. In this way, the support member 70 supports the flexible substrate 65, so that the shape of the flexible substrate 65 is stabilized.

  A method for assembling the endoscope apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described below.

  First, the image pickup device 61 is fitted into the image pickup device holding portion 55 h of the terminal portion holding body 55. Next, the lens barrel 54 in which the lens optical system is incorporated is placed on the barrel holder 55 e of the terminal holder 55. Next, the circular holes 54d and 54d formed in the flat plate portions 54c and 54c are formed in the terminal portion holding body 55 while the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a are arranged on the end face on the other end side of the terminal portion holding body 55. The bosses 55b and 55b provided in As a result, the electrode terminal portions 54 a and 54 a are fixed to the terminal portion holding body 55. Then, the flexible substrate 65 is disposed on one end side of the terminal portion holding body 55. At this time, a connection terminal (not shown) provided on the side plate portion 65b of the flexible substrate 65 is connected to a terminal portion provided on the image sensor 61 with solder or the like, and the engagement portion 65m of the flexible substrate 65 is connected to the terminal. It is made to engage with the engaging groove part 55c formed in the part holding body 55. FIG. Thereby, the flexible substrate 65 is positioned with respect to the direction along the optical axis M on the terminal holder 55. In addition, the conducting wire 32 is previously connected to one end side of the flat plate portion 65e by solder or the like. Furthermore, by supporting the flexible substrate 65 with the support member 70, the shape of the flexible substrate 65 is stabilized. Note that the support member 70 may be engaged with the flexible substrate 65 in advance, and the integrated member may be engaged with the terminal portion holding body 55.

  Separately from the work described above, the light emitters 50 and 50 are arranged on the light emitter holder 44, and the conductor 52 is placed on the cross section 48c so that the boss 49a is fitted into the hole 52a formed in the conductor 52. Place. In this way, a part of the light emitters 50, 50 is sandwiched between the conductor 52 and the light emitter holder 44 and is held by the light emitter holder 44.

  Then, the light emitter holder 44 on which the light emitters 50 and 50 are arranged is attached to the terminal portion holder 55 such that the boss 49a is fitted into the boss receiving hole 49b. By thus fitting the boss 49a into the boss receiving hole 49b and attaching it, the power supply terminal portions 50a, 50a provided on the light emitters 50, 50 and the electrode terminal portions 54a, 54a are automatically connected. . For this reason, electric power can be supplied to the light emitters 50 and 50. As described above, the imaging device section 41 is assembled.

  And the endoscope 40 is completed by covering the outer side of the imaging device part 41 with the cylindrical member 42. Thereafter, the endoscope device 10 is completed by connecting the outer peripheral surface of the other end side of the flexible cable portion 30 connected to the external unit 20 to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 42 by silicon or the like. Become.

  In the endoscope apparatus 10 configured as described above, conductive terminal terminals 54a and 54a are arranged on the terminal holder 55, and the light emitter holder 44 and the terminal holder 55 are detachable. By attaching the light emitter holder 44 to the terminal holder 55, the power supply terminal portions 50a and 50a provided on the light emitters 50 and 50 are connected to the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a. . For this reason, when the light emitter holder 44 is attached to the terminal portion holder 55, power from the power source side is supplied to the light emitters 50 and 50. Therefore, it is possible to supply power from the power source side to the light emitters 50 and 50 without extending the lead wires from the light emitters 50 and 50 and soldering them to a substrate or the like. For this reason, the operation | work which connects a lead wire to a board | substrate etc. becomes unnecessary, and the assembly operation | work of the endoscope apparatus 10 becomes easy.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the portion of the crescent moon holding portion 48 b and the lens cover portion 46 that is continuous with the crescent moon holding portion 48 b is a light guide portion that guides the light emitted from the light emitters 50 and 50 to the emission portion. It has become. Therefore, the lens cover portion 46 has two functions as a light emitter holding portion 48 that holds the light emitters 50 and 50 and a light guide portion that allows light emitted from the light emitters 50 and 50 to pass therethrough. . Therefore, since a member having two functions can be constituted by one member, each of the members can be secured larger than when each member is handled as a separate member, and the components constituting the endoscope apparatus 10 The number of points is reduced, the structure is simple, and the assembly work is easy.

  In the endoscope apparatus 10, the central axis of the outer shape of the light emitter holder 48 is eccentric with respect to the optical axis M of the lens optical system, and the cross section of the light emitter holder 44 is the thickest. It has a substantially crescent shape that becomes thinner as it goes away from the portion in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to secure a large light emitter holding portion 48 that is a portion for holding the light emitters 50 and 50 without increasing the outer diameter of the light emitter holder 44. For this reason, it becomes possible to attach a large light-emitting body, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the assembly work, and it is easy to increase the amount of light.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holder 48 of the light emitter holder 44 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 54 without a gap. Accordingly, the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holder 48 can be attached to the terminal holder 55 along the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 54. For this reason, when both the holding bodies 44 and 55 are engaged, both terminal portions 50a, 50a, 54a and 54a can be formed so as to be automatically connected, and the power supply terminal portions 50a, Positioning work when connecting 50a and the electrode terminal portions 54a and 54a becomes easy.

  In the endoscope apparatus 10, the light emitter holder 44 and the terminal part holder 55 are each provided with positioning means 49 for positioning between them. For this reason, the positioning work when mounting the light emitter holder 44 to the terminal part holder 55 is facilitated, and the number of work steps can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the positioning means 49 is configured by a boss 49a and a boss receiving hole 49b. Therefore, positioning can be performed by easy means of fitting the boss 49a into the boss receiving hole 49b. For this reason, the positioning work when mounting the light emitter holder 44 on the terminal part holder 55 becomes extremely easy, and the number of work steps can be greatly reduced.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the two light emitters 50 and 50 are connected so as to be conductive through the conductor 52 and are fixed so as to be sandwiched between the conductor 52 and the light emitter holder 44. Has been. Accordingly, the connection of the power receiving terminal portions 50a, 50a of the adjacent light emitters 50, 50 and the fixing of the light emitters 50, 50 to the light emitter holder 44 can be performed simultaneously by the conductor 52, so the number of parts is reduced. Reduction and assembly man-hours can be reduced.

  In the endoscope apparatus 10, the flexible substrate 65 can be connected to the image sensor 61 as a separate member, and the back surface of the image sensor 61 and the side plate portion 65 b of the flexible substrate 65 are brought into plane contact and soldered. Since it can connect by such as, connection work becomes easy compared with the case where the conventional conducting wire is connected.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the flexible substrate 65 can be maintained in a stable state by engaging the rigid support member 70 with the flexible substrate 65, so that the entire imaging device unit 41 is stable. It becomes possible to improve the property.

  Further, in the endoscope apparatus 10, the assembly of the endoscope 40 can be completed by arranging the imaging apparatus unit 41 inside the cylindrical member 42 after assembling the imaging apparatus unit 41. For this reason, as compared with the conventional case where assembly work is performed by sequentially inserting various components into the cylindrical member, the assembly work becomes easier and the positioning accuracy is also improved.

  In addition, since the endoscope apparatus 10 includes the monitor unit 22 and the flexible cable unit 30, the operator operates the operation unit while viewing the video of the subject displayed on the monitor unit 22. Thus, by deforming the flexible cable portion 30, the orientation of the endoscope 40 can be changed, and the surroundings where the endoscope 40 is provided, for example, examination of the body such as the stomach and intestine can be performed. it can. Moreover, since the flexible cable part 30 becomes the structure which can maintain a shape, when performing endotracheal intubation, the flexible cable part 30 can be utilized as a stylet which guides an endotracheal tube to a trachea. That is, the endoscope 40 is inserted from one end of the endotracheal tube, the endoscope 40 that has passed through the inside is exposed to the other end of the endotracheal tube, and the flexible cable portion 30 is inserted into the endotracheal tube. State. The endotracheal tube into which the flexible cable portion 30 is inserted is guided to the trachea while causing the flexible cable portion 30 to function as a stylet. At this time, the traveling direction and insertion position of the endotracheal tube can be confirmed by the monitor unit 22. Therefore, endotracheal intubation, which has conventionally relied on experience and intuition, can be performed quickly and safely.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be variously modified in addition to this. This will be described below.

  In the above-described embodiment, two light emitters 50 are arranged on the light emitter holder 44. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one or three or more may be arranged. When three or more light emitters 50 are disposed, the conductor 52 is disposed between the adjacent light emitters 50 and 50.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image sensor 61 and the flexible substrate 65 are connected by soldering. However, each of the image sensor 61 and the flexible substrate 65 is provided with a connecting portion that can be connected by fitting a socket or the like. Thus, both members may be connected by fitting.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the flat plate portions 54c and 54c of the connection terminal portions 54b and 54b and the two surfaces 65n and 65p constituting the engaging portion 65m are connected to each other by conducting wires (not shown) so as to be conductive. However, by forming a terminal on each of the flat plate portions 54c and 54c and the surfaces 65n and 65p, the respective terminals are connected by solder or the like, or the fitting portions are formed so as to be fitted and connected. Anyway.

  In the above-described embodiment, the engaging portion 65m is only engaged with the engaging groove portion 55c, and is not fixed by adhesion or fitting, but the engaging portion 65m is replaced with the engaging groove portion 55c. You may make it adhere | attach with an adhesive agent or make it fit.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shapes of the flexible substrate 65 and the support member 70 are as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, but are not limited to these shapes. For example, the U-shaped portion 65. It is also possible to support the flexible substrate 65 by inserting a support member 70 from the opening portion into a box shape with one end opened.

  In the above-described embodiment, the number of lenses forming the lens optical system is three, but the number is not limited to this. Further, the lens portion 47a of the lens cover portion 46 may be convex and may be a convex lens, or may be concave and a concave lens. Further, the lens constituting the lens optical system may be a resin lens instead of a glass lens. Further, if necessary, an aspheric lens may be used. In addition, the lens optical system is configured by a fixed lens that does not perform zooming, but may perform a zooming operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where an LED is used as the light emitter 50 is described. However, the light emitter 50 is not limited to such an LED. For example, a fluorescent light emitting element using zinc oxide may be used. Similarly, a high-definition zinc oxide nanopit light emitting array using zinc oxide, an organic EL light emitting element (particularly a white light emitting organic EL element), and a carbon nanotube are used. A solid light emitting element may be used. These are all suitable for downsizing and thinning, and can be employed in the endoscope apparatus 10. In addition, as the light emitter 50, a member coated with a luminous paint such as a fluorescent paint and a phosphorescent paint may be used.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the monitor unit 22 provided in the external unit 20 is used as the display unit. However, the display means is not limited to the monitor unit 22 provided in the external unit 20. For example, a display device such as a monitor and a projector may be provided at a location independent of the external unit 20 and used as display means.

  The endoscope apparatus of the present invention is suitable for use when photographing or confirming the inside of a human body or the inside of equipment. In addition, the endoscope apparatus of the present invention can be applied to general optical equipment and can also be used in medical equipment having an optical system.

It is a side view showing the composition of the endoscope apparatus concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a side sectional view showing the composition of the endoscope concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a side view which shows the structure of the state which removed the cylindrical member of the side surface side. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a side view which shows the structure at the time of seeing the imaging device part of the state which removed the light-emitting body holder from the terminal part holding body from the downward direction is there. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view at the time of seeing the structure of the imaging device part in the state which removed the light-emitting body holder from the terminal part holding body from the other end side. It is. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view at the time of seeing the structure of the imaging device part in the state which removed the light-emitting body holder from the terminal part holding body from the one end side. is there. It is a figure which shows the structure of the endoscope which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view at the time of seeing the imaging device part of the state which removed the cylindrical member from the other end side. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the flexible substrate used for the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the supporting member used for the imaging device part which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Endoscope apparatus 21 ... Control part 22 ... Monitor part 30 ... Flexible cable part (cable part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 ... Endoscope 41 ... Imaging device part 42 ... Cylindrical member (housing | casing)
44 ... Luminescent body holding body 46 ... Lens cover section 48 ... Luminous body holding section 49 ... Positioning means 49a ... Boss 49b ... Boss receiving hole 50 ... Luminescent body 50a ... Power receiving terminal section 54 ... Lens barrel 54a ... Electrode terminal section 55... Terminal part holding body 56... First lens (a part of the lens optical system)
57. Second lens (a part of the lens optical system)
58 ... Third lens (a part of the lens optical system)
61 ... Image sensor M ... Optical axis of lens optical system

Claims (7)

A lens optical system that forms an image of light from the subject;
An image sensor for converting subject light imaged by the lens optical system into an image signal;
A light emitter that illuminates the subject;
In an endoscope apparatus having
A light emitter holding body that holds the light emitter and a terminal portion holder that includes an electrode terminal portion that supplies power to the light emitter are provided, and the light emitter holder and the terminal portion holder are attached and detached. The electrode terminal part is connected to the power supply terminal part of the light emitter when the light emitter holder is attached to the terminal part holder, and power is supplied to the light emitter via the both terminal parts. An endoscope apparatus characterized by being able to be supplied.   The light emitter holding body is provided over a lens cover portion that covers the incident end side of the lens optical system, and from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the lens cover portion to the outer periphery of the lens optical system, and emits light that holds the light emitter. The light emitter is provided on the back side in the optical axis direction opposite to the light incident end side of the subject light of the light emitter holder, and at least in the light emitter holder The incident end side portion on which light from the light emitter is incident is a light guide portion formed of a transparent member that allows irradiation light emitted from the light emitter to pass to the subject side. 1. The endoscope apparatus according to 1.   The center of the outer diameter of the light emitter holder is decentered with respect to the optical axis of the lens optical system, and the cross section of the light emitter holder becomes thinner as it moves away from the thickest portion in the circumferential direction. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the endoscope apparatus has a substantially crescent shape.   The lens optical system is held by a lens barrel fixed to the terminal portion holding body, and the light emitter holding portion extends from the lens cover portion along the back side in the optical axis direction, and 4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the light emitter holding portion is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel without a gap.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light emitter holder and the terminal holder are provided with positioning means for positioning between them. apparatus.   The positioning means includes a protruding boss provided on one of the holding bodies and a boss receiving hole provided on the other of the holding bodies and engaging with the boss. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 5.   The light emitter holding body is connected to the plurality of light emitters and the power receiving terminal portions of the adjacent light emitters among the plurality of light emitters, and the light emitter is connected to the light emitter holder. An endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a conductor for sandwiching and fixing between the first and second conductors is disposed.

Images