JP2016030027A - Endoscope and endoscope manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-diameter endoscope 10 with high reliability.SOLUTION: The endoscope 10 has a frame body 20, an imaging unit 30, and illumination units 40 included in the distal end part 11A of an insertion part 11. The frame body 20 includes an imaging unit fitting hole 30H, illumination unit fitting holes 40H, and through-holes 70H, the illumination unit fitting holes 40H and the through-holes 70H being in communication with the imaging unit fitting hole 30H. A communication part 20X between the imaging unit fitting hole 30H and the illumination unit fitting holes 40H has an adhesive agent 79 filled through the through-holes 70H.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to an endoscope including a frame main body, an imaging unit, and an illumination unit at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, and a method for manufacturing the endoscope.

  Endoscopes that perform observation and various treatments by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a subject are widely used. A columnar frame body made of metal is disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope. The frame main body has a plurality of through holes penetrating in the longitudinal direction, and an imaging unit, an illumination unit, an air / water feeding tube, a forceps tube, and the like are inserted and fixed in each through hole.

  By reducing the diameter of the insertion portion, it is not easy to arrange a plurality of through holes in the frame body. For this reason, the frame main body which the through-hole of a different function is connected, ie, the opening of the wall surface of a through-hole becomes the opening of the wall surface of an adjacent through-hole, has begun to be used.

  However, it is not easy to fix each unit to a plurality of communicating through holes with an adhesive. For example, when an adhesive is attached to the outer periphery of the unit and inserted into a through hole, another unit that has already been inserted into another through hole may interfere with the adhesive. Then, there is a possibility that the unit is not sufficiently fixed to the frame body. If the unit is not sufficiently fixed to the frame body, the unit may be damaged or dropped out due to an external impact, and the reliability of the endoscope is lowered.

  Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-192642 discloses an endoscope in which a through hole for attaching an imaging unit is filled with a heat radiating filler from an outer peripheral hole of a frame body. However, in this endoscope, the imaging unit through-hole is not in communication with the through-hole of another unit, so that there is no problem that the adhesive is scraped off due to the interference of the inserted unit. In addition, it is not easy to fill the resin from the through hole over the entire circumference of the narrow gap between the imaging unit and the wall surface of the through hole.

JP-A-2005-192642

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable small-diameter endoscope and a method for manufacturing the endoscope.

  An endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention includes a frame main body, an imaging unit, and an illumination unit at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, and the columnar frame main body includes an imaging unit attachment hole, an illumination unit attachment hole, and a transparent member. The imaging unit mounting hole and the illumination unit mounting hole penetrate the longitudinal direction of the frame body, and the imaging unit mounting hole has a circular cross section on the distal end side and a rectangular cross section on the proximal end side The lighting unit mounting hole has a circular cross section, and the imaging unit mounting hole and the lighting unit mounting hole are connected and integrated on the base end side, and the through hole is a side surface of the frame body. The imaging unit is inserted from the opening to the communication part of the imaging unit mounting hole and the illumination unit mounting hole, and the cylindrical objective lens unit and the rectangular parallelepiped imaging unit are connected. A knit is bonded to the imaging unit mounting hole, the cylindrical illumination unit is bonded to the lighting unit mounting hole, and a communication portion between the imaging unit mounting hole and the lighting unit mounting hole It has the adhesive agent filled through the said through-hole.

  An endoscope manufacturing method according to another aspect is an endoscope manufacturing method in which an imaging unit and an illumination unit are bonded to a frame body at a distal end portion of an insertion portion, the illumination unit mounting hole in the frame body In addition, the step of inserting the illumination unit coated with the first adhesive and the imaging unit coated with the second adhesive in the imaging unit mounting hole communicating with the lighting unit mounting hole of the frame body And injecting a third adhesive into the communication portion through a through-hole inserted from the opening on the side surface of the frame body to the communication portion between the imaging unit attachment hole and the illumination unit attachment hole. And a step of performing.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly reliable small-diameter endoscope and a method for manufacturing the endoscope.

It is a lineblock diagram of an endoscope apparatus containing the endoscope of a 1st embodiment. It is a top view of the tip part of the endoscope of a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view of the frame main body of the endoscope of a 1st embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the IV-IV line of FIG. 3 of the frame main body of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. 3 of the frame main body of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the imaging unit of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the illumination unit of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the tip part of the endoscope of the modification of a 1st embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
Initially, the whole structure of the endoscope apparatus 1 including the endoscope 10 of 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. In the following description, the drawings based on the embodiments are schematic, and the relationship between the length and width of components (dimensional relationship), the ratio of the lengths of the respective parts, and the like are actual. It should be noted that there are cases where portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings. In addition, illustration of some components may be omitted.

  The endoscope apparatus 1 includes an endoscope 10, a light source device 2 that outputs illumination light, an air supply / intake water supply device 3 that performs air supply, intake, and water supply, a processor 4 that performs an imaging process, and the like. And a monitor 5 for displaying a mirror image. The light source device 2 and the air supply / intake water supply device 3 may be housed in one housing, or the air supply / intake device and the water supply device may be separate housings.

  The light source device 2 includes an illumination lamp, a control unit that adjusts the amount of light of the illumination lamp, and an illumination lens system that collects illumination light. The air supply / intake water supply device 3 includes an air supply pump, a water supply tank, a suction pump that sucks dirt and fluid, a control unit that controls the air supply pump, and the like. The processor 4 controls the imaging unit and performs predetermined signal processing on the imaging signal to generate an endoscope video signal displayed on the monitor 5.

  The endoscope 10 includes an elongated insertion portion 11, an operation portion 12, a universal cord 13, and a scope connector 14.

  The insertion portion 11 inserted into the subject includes a distal end portion 11A, a bending portion 11B, and an elongated flexible portion 11C. A frame body 20 is disposed at the distal end portion 11A. The bending portion 11B made up of a plurality of bending pieces is bent from the operation portion 12 by a bending wire to change the direction of the distal end portion 11A. The flexible part 11C is formed of a flexible member. The proximal end of the insertion part 11 is connected to the operation part 12.

  The operation unit 12 constitutes a grasping unit that the operator grasps, and is provided with a bending operation knob 12A and the like for operating the bending unit 11B. The forceps hole 12 </ b> B of the operation unit 12 is an opening for inserting various forceps for treatment into the forceps channel tube 50 of the insertion unit 11.

  A universal cord 13 is connected to the operation unit 12. The universal cord 13 includes a signal cable 36, a light guide bundle 42, a forceps channel tube 50, an air / water supply tube, and the like, and a scope connector 14 is connected to the proximal end side of the operation unit 12. Yes.

  The scope connector 14 is connected to the electrical connector 14 </ b> A connected to the processor 4 via the signal cable 36, the light receiving rod 14 </ b> B connected to the light source device 2 via the light guide bundle 42, and the air supply / intake / water supply device 3. A suction base 14C, an air supply base 14D, and a water supply base 14E are provided.

  Next, the configuration of the distal end portion 11A of the insertion portion 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 A of front-end | tip parts are arrange | positioned from the front end surface of a frame main body 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the frame main body 20, and the front-end | tip cover 21 formed with the electrical insulation member which performs the electrical insulation with a test object and the frame main body 20. FIG. The frame body 20 is made of a corrosion-resistant metal such as SUS. The tip cover 21 is made of an electrically insulating resin such as polysulfone.

  The imaging unit 30 and the illumination units 40A to 40C are bonded to the frame body 20 with an adhesive. In the following, when each of a plurality of components having the same function is shown, one alphabetic character at the end of the symbol is omitted. For example, each of the lighting units 40A to 40C is referred to as a lighting unit 40.

  As will be described later, the imaging unit 30 is fixed to the imaging unit mounting hole 30H with a first adhesive made of a first resin such as a silicone resin or a urethane resin, and the illumination unit 40 is made of a silicone resin or a urethane resin. It is fixed to the lighting unit mounting hole 40H by a second adhesive made of two resins.

  On the front end surface of the frame main body 20, there are a nozzle opening 69 that supplies air and water from the air supply / intake water supply device 3 in the direction of the imaging unit 30 and an opening 59 of the forceps channel tube 50. The forceps inserted from the forceps hole 12B of the operation unit 12 are inserted through the forceps channel tube 50 and led out from the opening 59 of the distal end portion 11A toward the observation site. Further, dirt and fluid in the subject are sucked through the forceps channel tube 50.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the substantially cylindrical frame body 20 has an imaging unit attachment hole 30H, illumination unit attachment holes 40HA to 40HC, a forceps channel attachment hole 50H, and an air / water supply hole 60H in the longitudinal direction. Has penetrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the imaging unit mounting hole 30 </ b> H has a circular cross section on the distal end side and a substantially rectangular shape in which the cross section on the proximal end side is larger than the distal end side. This corresponds to the shape of the imaging unit 30 shown in FIG. That is, in the imaging unit 30, the objective lens unit 31 on the distal end side has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the imaging unit 32 on the proximal end side has a larger diameter than the objective lens unit 31 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The objective lens unit 31 has a plurality of lenses 33 for forming a subject image. The imaging unit 32 includes an imaging element 34 such as a CCD, a wiring board 35, and a signal cable 36 connected to the wiring board 35.

  On the other hand, the illumination unit mounting holes 40HA to 40HC have a circular cross section. As shown in FIG. 7, the columnar illumination unit 40 includes an illumination lens unit 41 and a light guide bundle 42. Illumination light guided from the light source device 2 via the light guide bundle 42 irradiates the subject via the illumination lens unit 41.

  In the endoscope 10, the illumination unit attachment holes 40HA and 40HB communicate and are integrated with the imaging unit attachment hole 30H on the base end side (rear side). In other words, the imaging unit 32 housing portion of the imaging unit mounting hole 30H communicates with the illumination unit mounting holes 40HA and 40HB. The elongated opening along the major axis direction of the imaging unit mounting hole 30H is also an elongated opening along the major axis direction of the illumination unit mounting holes 40HA and 40HB.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, among the three illumination unit attachment holes 40HA to 40HC, the illumination unit attachment holes 40HA and 40HB in the vicinity of the imaging unit attachment hole 30H are independent through holes on the front end side (front). However, on the base end side, there are communication portions 70XA and 70XB in which the imaging unit mounting hole 30H and a part of the side surface communicate with the imaging unit mounting hole 30H.

  The endoscope 10 having the frame main body 20 having the communication portions 70XA and 70XB, that is, the frame main body 20 having a plurality of through holes arranged at a high density has a plurality of through holes arranged with a space, and the plurality of through holes are independent. Since the distal end portion 11A has a smaller diameter than an endoscope having a frame main body, it is less invasive.

  The frame body 20 of the endoscope 10 has through holes 70HA and 70HB that are inserted from the side openings to the communication portions 70XA and 70XB between the imaging unit mounting holes 30H and the illumination unit mounting holes 40HA and 40HB. The imaging unit mounting hole 30H and the illumination unit mounting holes 40HA and 40HB communicate with the outside of the frame body 20 through the through holes 70HA and 70HB.

  The endoscope 10 has a small diameter because the illumination unit mounting hole 40H and the imaging unit mounting hole 30H communicate with each other. Then, as will be described later, a third adhesive 79 (see FIG. 11) such as a silicone resin or a polyimide resin is injected from the opening of the through hole 70H and filled in the communication portion 70X. Since the imaging unit 30 is securely fixed to the imaging unit mounting hole 30H, there is no possibility of the unit being damaged or falling off due to an external impact, and the endoscope 10 has high reliability.

  Next, a manufacturing method of the distal end portion 11A of the endoscope 10 will be described along the flowchart of FIG. In addition, in FIGS. 9-11, the adhesive agent used by each process is painted in black.

<Steps S11 and S12> Lighting Unit Bonding and Curing As shown in FIG. 9, the lighting unit 40 coated with the first adhesive 49 on the outer periphery is inserted into the lighting unit mounting hole 40H of the frame body 20, and the curing process is performed. .

  Since the illumination unit 40 irradiates light, the temperature is higher than that of other components. Therefore, it is desirable to use a relatively high heat-resistant silicone as the first adhesive 49.

<Step S13> Adhesion of Imaging Unit As shown in FIG. 10, the imaging unit 30 in which the second adhesive 39 is applied to the outer periphery is inserted into the imaging unit mounting hole 30H of the frame body 20.

  Since the imaging unit 30 is easily damaged by heat, as the second adhesive 39, a urethane resin having a relatively low curing temperature, for example, a curing temperature of less than 120 ° C., or a silicone resin is used. Further, since the imaging unit 30 is structurally more likely to be shaken and damaged by an external impact than the lighting unit 40, the second adhesive 39 has a higher Young's modulus after curing than the first adhesive 49 and A resin having as high a shock absorption as possible is preferable.

  Here, the gap between the inner wall of the imaging unit mounting hole 30H and the imaging unit 30 is, for example, an interval of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm and a length of 6 mm to 10 mm.

  And the base end part of the imaging unit attachment hole 30H is connected and integrated with the illumination unit attachment hole 40H to which the illumination unit 40 is already fixed. For this reason, when the imaging unit 30 is inserted into the imaging unit mounting hole 30H, the second adhesive 39 in the vicinity of the communication portion 70X may be scraped off by the illumination unit 40. Then, the imaging unit 30 may not be fixed to the frame body 20 sufficiently.

<Step S14> Resin Injection As shown in FIG. 11, a communicating portion having a hollow portion formed by injecting the third adhesive 79 from the through hole 70H and scraping off the second adhesive 39 by the lighting unit 40. Filled to 70X. The outer diameter of the through hole 70 is preferably 0.3 mm or greater and 0.7 mm or less. If it is less than the above range, it is not easy to inject the third adhesive 79, and if it exceeds the above range, it may interfere with other members.

The third adhesive 79 may be the same as the second adhesive 39. However, since the third adhesive 79 is injected from the small-diameter through hole 70H, the viscosity of the third adhesive 79 is preferably low. The viscosity of the third adhesive 79 is preferably, for example, 50 Pa · s or more and 200 Pa · s or less. The viscosity is a value obtained using a B-type viscometer with an angular frequency ω of 100 rad / sec and a measurement temperature of 23 ° C. On the other hand, the viscosity of the second adhesive 39 is preferably more than 200 Pa · s from the viewpoint of workability.

  Further, it is preferable that the third adhesive 79 is lower in moisture permeability than the second adhesive 39 and excellent in chemical resistance. The combination of the second and third adhesives is not particularly limited, and any combination may be used as long as the gap can be sufficiently filled.

<Step S15> Curing The imaging unit 30 is fixed to the frame body 20 by curing the second adhesive 39 and the third adhesive 79. Alternatively, the third adhesive 79 may be injected after the second adhesive 39 is cured, and the third adhesive 79 may be cured.

  In the endoscope 10 manufactured by the above manufacturing method, since the imaging unit 30 is securely fixed to the imaging unit mounting hole 30H, there is no possibility of the unit being damaged or falling off due to an external impact, and thus reliable. High nature.

  Although not described, the attachment of the objective lens unit 31 of the imaging unit 30 to the frame main body 20 may be fixed with a screw in order to make the accuracy of attachment of the imaging unit 32 of the imaging unit 30 higher. .

<Modification>
Since the endoscope 10A according to the modification is similar to the endoscope 10, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in the partial sectional view of FIG. 12, the frame body 20A of the endoscope 10A has two through holes 70HA1 and 70HA2 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the frame body 20A has four through holes.

  As already described, since the third adhesive is injected from the small-diameter through hole 70H, the third adhesive preferably has a low viscosity. However, the adhesive having a low viscosity is likely to be unevenly distributed by gravity after injection.

  In the endoscope 10A of the present embodiment, the third adhesive 79A is a thixotropy fluid and is in a paste form. That is, the viscosity of the third adhesive 79 </ b> A decreases when it continues to receive shear stress, and gradually increases when it stops. For example, when the angular frequency ω at the time of viscosity measurement is 100 rad / sec, the viscosity η is 50 Pa · s, but when the angular frequency ω is 0.1 rad / sec, the viscosity η is 15000 Pa · s and the angular frequency. When ω becomes 1/100, the viscosity η becomes 300 times.

  For this reason, the third adhesive 79A has a low viscosity immediately after being injected into the narrow through hole 70H and easily enters a narrow gap, but does not flow out due to gravity because the viscosity increases after the injection is completed.

  However, with a thixotropic adhesive, it may not be easy to fill a gap of 6 mm or more in length between the inner wall of the imaging unit mounting hole 30H and the imaging unit 30.

  In the endoscope 10A having the frame main body 20A having two through holes 70HA1 and 70HA2 in the longitudinal direction of the frame main body 20A, even if a thixotropic third adhesive is used, a gap of 6 mm or more is easily filled. it can.

  The number of through holes in the frame main body 20 may be plural, and is selected according to the shape of the imaging unit 30, the type of adhesive, and the like. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the objective lens unit 31 is fixed to the frame body 20 with screws 22.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 2 ... Light source apparatus 3 ... Air supply intake water supply apparatus 4 ... Processor 5 ... Monitor 10, 10A ... Endoscope 11 ... Insertion part 20, 20A ... Frame body 20X ... Communication part 30 ... Imaging unit 30H ... Imaging unit mounting hole 39 ... Second adhesive 40 ... Lighting unit 40H ... Lighting unit mounting hole 49 ... First adhesive 70 ... Through hole 79 ... Third adhesive

Claims (4)

An endoscope comprising a frame body, an imaging unit, and an illumination unit at the distal end of the insertion portion,
The cylindrical frame body has an imaging unit mounting hole, an illumination unit mounting hole, and a through hole.
The imaging unit attachment hole and the illumination unit attachment hole penetrate the longitudinal direction of the frame body,
The imaging unit mounting hole has a larger cross section on the proximal side than on the distal side,
The lighting unit mounting hole has a circular cross section,
The imaging unit mounting hole and the illumination unit mounting hole are integrated in communication on the base end side,
The through hole is inserted from the opening on the side surface of the frame body to the communication portion between the imaging unit mounting hole and the illumination unit mounting hole,
The imaging unit having a larger cross section on the proximal side than the distal side is bonded to the imaging unit mounting hole,
The cylindrical lighting unit is bonded to the lighting unit mounting hole,
An endoscope having an adhesive filled in the communicating portion between the imaging unit mounting hole and the illumination unit mounting hole through the through hole.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the frame body has a plurality of through holes.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the first resin that adheres the illumination unit is different from the second resin that adheres the imaging unit. An endoscope manufacturing method in which an imaging unit and an illumination unit are bonded to a frame body at a distal end portion of an insertion portion,
Inserting the lighting unit coated with the first adhesive into the lighting unit mounting hole of the frame body;
Inserting the imaging unit coated with a second adhesive into the imaging unit mounting hole communicating with the illumination unit mounting hole of the frame body;
The second adhesive is scraped off by the inserted illumination unit through a through-hole that is inserted from the opening on the side surface of the frame body to the communication portion between the imaging unit attachment hole and the illumination unit attachment hole. And a step of injecting a third adhesive having a viscosity lower than that of the second resin into the communication portion having the hollow portion formed as a result.

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