JP5030391B2 - Electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to an electronic endoscope in which an imaging unit is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion unit.

  In general, electronic endoscopes are widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. For example, an electronic endoscope used for observing the inside of a body cavity in the medical field includes an operation unit having an electric switch operated by an operator, an insertion unit extending from the operation unit and having an imaging unit at a distal end, and an operation It is mainly composed of a universal cord part extending from the part. Further, an endoscope connector portion for connecting the electronic endoscope to an external device is provided at the base end portion of the universal cord portion. The endoscope connector portion has an electrical contact portion for electrically connecting the electronic endoscope to an external device. The electrical contact part is connected to an imaging part provided at the distal end part of the insertion part and an electrical switch provided in the operation part via a signal line.

  In the above configuration, for example, when it is desired to remove the imaging unit from the electronic endoscope main body due to a failure of the imaging unit, the imaging unit and the signal line connected to the imaging unit must be integrally removed from the electronic endoscope main body. In addition, when it is desired to remove and replace the electrical switch from the electronic endoscope body due to a contact failure of the electrical switch, it is necessary to integrally remove the electrical switch and the signal line connected to the electrical switch from the electronic endoscope body. .

  To remove the signal line connected to the electrical contact part, it is necessary to take the solder between the signal line and the electrical contact part after disassembling the endoscope connector part. However, there is a problem that a tool is required.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-005175 discloses a signal line connecting an imaging unit and an electrical contact unit, a first signal line extending from the imaging unit in the proximal direction, and an electrical contact unit extending in the distal direction. A technique for dividing the signal line into a second signal line is disclosed. In the technology of this disclosure, the first and second signal lines are configured to be detachable by a signal line connecting member provided at each signal line end in the vicinity of the operation unit.

According to this configuration, since the signal line connecting the imaging unit and the electrical contact unit can be separated at the signal line connecting member, the internal part is removed when the imaging unit and the signal line are removed from the main body of the electronic endoscope. There is no need to disassemble the endoscope connector.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-005175

  According to the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, as an example of a connection member for connecting signal lines, a flexible flexible substrate is provided at the first signal line end extending in the proximal direction from the imaging unit. Is provided. As another connection member, a connector having an opening into which the flexible substrate is inserted is provided at the second signal line end extending from the electrical contact portion in the distal direction. The first and second signal lines are connected by inserting and fixing the flexible substrate into the opening of the connector.

  In general, a connector to which a flexible board is connected is provided with an attaching / detaching mechanism for holding and fixing the flexible board. After the flexible substrate is inserted into the opening of the connector, the flexible substrate is sandwiched between the connectors by operating the attaching / detaching mechanism, and the flexible substrate and the connector are electrically connected.

  On the other hand, connectors used for connecting signal lines inside an electronic endoscope main body tend to be smaller and lighter, and for example, a micro connector is often used. When a small and lightweight connector is repeatedly attached and detached, the force for holding and fixing the flexible substrate by the attachment and detachment mechanism tends to be weak. For this reason, in order to maintain the reliability of the connection of the signal line using the connector, it is necessary to replace the connector whose fixing strength of the attaching / detaching mechanism is weakened with a new connector.

  In the configuration according to the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the replacement work of the connector provided at the signal line end must be performed by removing the signal line to which the connector is connected from the electronic endoscope main body. To remove the signal line from the electronic endoscope body, for example, pull out the built-in object including the signal line in the universal cord part, and then remove the solder between the signal line and the electrical contact part provided in the endoscope connector part Is required. For this reason, it takes time to replace the connector, and there is a problem that a tool for removing the solder is required.

  In addition, when replacing the connector provided at the signal line end, it is necessary to attach a new connector after cutting and arranging the signal line end portion every time. For this reason, when the replacement of the connector is repeated, the length of the signal line becomes shorter than the length necessary for connection. For this reason, if the replacement of the connector is repeated, the entire signal line that originally does not need to be replaced has to be replaced, and there is a problem that an extra part cost is required.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscope that can easily replace a signal line connector used inside the electronic endoscope. And

In order to solve the above problems, an electronic endoscope according to the present invention includes an insertion portion, an operation portion provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion, and an electric connector portion connected to the operation portion. An electronic endoscope having a cord portion having a first signal line that has one end connected to the electrical connector portion and extends into the operation portion, and an imaging portion or the operation portion provided in the insertion portion. One end of which is connected to the electrical switch provided in the control unit, the second signal line extending into the operation section, and the other end of each of the first signal line and the second signal line are electrically and A connection member that is detachably connected ; and a housing that is fixed in the operation portion and is made of a conductive material and that houses the connection member. The connection member includes the first signal line. And a connecting portion with the other end of each of the second signal lines, Wherein it is obtained a configuration which is disposed in the housing so as to contact the.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the electronic endoscope which can perform easily replacement | exchange of the connector for signal wire | line connection used inside an electronic endoscope.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic endoscope apparatus. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the connection between the image pickup unit and the electrical contact unit and the signal line. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a configuration of a connection member that connects the imaging unit and the electrical contact unit. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the electrical switch fixed to the operation unit. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a configuration of a connection member that connects the electrical switch and the electrical contact portion. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the connection between the electric switch and the connecting member. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a metal housing for housing the connection member. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the connection member is housed in a metal casing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic endoscope 1 includes an insertion unit 2 that has an imaging unit 11 at a distal end and is inserted into a body cavity, an operation unit 6, and a cord unit that extends from the operation unit 6. A universal cord portion 7 and an endoscope connector portion 8 provided at the base end portion of the universal cord portion 7 and connected to the external device 41 are configured. The operation unit 6 is provided with an operation knob 3 for performing an operation for bending the bending portion at the distal end of the insertion unit 2 and electric switches 4 and 5 for operating the external device 41. Further, the endoscope connector portion 8 is provided with an electrical contact portion 42 for electrically connecting the electronic endoscope 1 and the external device 41.

  Inside the electronic endoscope 1, one end is connected to the electrical contact portion 42 and the other end is electrically connected to the imaging portion 11 (hereinafter referred to as an insertion portion signal line), and an electrical contact portion 42 is provided with a signal line (hereinafter referred to as an operation unit signal line) having one end connected to 42 and the other end electrically connected to the electrical switches 4 and 5. In the embodiment of the present invention, the insertion portion signal line and the operation portion signal line are each divided within the operation portion. These two signal lines are electrically connected to each other through a connection member independent of the signal lines.

First, the insertion part signal line that electrically connects the imaging unit 11 and the electrical contact part 42 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 11 disposed at the distal end portion 9 of the insertion unit 2 includes an objective optical system 12 and a solid-state imaging device 13 disposed at an imaging position behind the objective optical system 12. And a signal processing circuit 14 connected to the solid-state imaging device 13. A signal line 15 having one end connected to the imaging unit 11 is inserted into the insertion unit 2. The signal line 15 extends into the operation unit 6 with a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) 16 connected to the other end. The FPC is configured by providing a conductor circuit on a film made of a heat resistant material such as polyimide. The FPC 16 is provided with a line-shaped conductor portion (not shown) extending in the insertion direction of the connecting member 23 described later to the connector 17, and this conductor portion is electrically connected to the plurality of conductors of the signal line 15. It is connected.

A signal line 20 having one end connected to the electrical contact portion 42 is inserted into the universal cord portion 7. The signal line 20 extends into the operation unit 6 with the FPC 18 connected to the other end. The FPC 18 is provided with a line-shaped conductor portion (not shown) extending in the insertion direction of the connecting member 23 described later into the connector 22, and this conductor portion is electrically connected to the plurality of conductors of the signal line 20. It is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a connector 17 for connecting the FPC 16 provided on the proximal end side of the signal line 15 and an FPC 18 provided on the distal end side of the signal line 20 are connected inside the operation unit 6. A connecting member 23 on which a connector 22 is mounted is disposed. The connecting member 23 is composed of an FPC provided with a circuit for electrically connecting the connectors 17 and 22. The connectors 17 and 22 have attachment / detachment mechanisms 17a and 22a, respectively.

  The FPCs 16 and 18 are sandwiched by inserting the FPCs 16 and 18 into the openings of the connectors 17 and 22, respectively, and setting the attachment / detachment mechanisms 17a and 22a to fixed positions. By this operation, the signal line 15 connected to the imaging unit 11 and the signal line 20 connected to the electrical contact unit 42 are electrically connected via the connection member 23. The insertion portion signal line includes a signal line 15, a signal line 20, and a connection member 23.

  In order to prevent erroneous connection between the FPC and the connector, the fitting width between the connector 17 and the FPC 16 inserted into the connector 17 and the fitting width between the connector 22 and the FPC 18 inserted into the connector 22 are different from each other. Yes.

Next, the operation part signal line for electrically connecting the electrical switches 4 and 5 and the electrical contact part 42 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.
In the endoscope 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the proximal end of the insertion portion 2 is connected to the lower surface of the operation portion 6 as shown in FIG. In addition, the universal cord portion 7 is connected to one side surface that is in contact with and orthogonal to the surface to which the insertion portion 2 of the operation portion 6 is connected. The electric switch 4 is disposed on the surface opposite to the surface to which the universal cord portion 7 of the operation portion 6 is connected. The electrical switch 5 is disposed on the surface opposite to the surface to which the insertion portion 2 of the operation portion 6 is connected. The operation knob 3 is formed on the side surface on the right side of the operation unit 6 when the surface provided with the electric switch 4 is viewed from the surface connected to the universal cord unit 7 with the surface connected to the insertion unit 2 as the lower surface. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, two signal lines 21 having one ends connected to the electrical contact portion 42 are inserted into the universal cord portion 7. The other ends of the two signal lines 21 are both connected to the FPC 19 and extend into the operation unit 6. The FPC 19 is provided with a contact portion 19 a for connecting to a connector 25 of a connecting member 32 described later. The contact portion 19 a is electrically connected to a plurality of conductors of the signal line 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of electric switches 5 for operating an external device 41 such as a video processor protrude and are fixed to the exterior member of the operation unit 6. Further, an FPC 28 having a plane portion substantially parallel to the surface on which the electrical switch 5 is provided is disposed in the vicinity of the electrical switch 5. A signal cable 27 extending from the electrical switch 5 to the inside of the operation unit 6 is soldered to the FPC 28. The FPC 28 has an elongated portion extending in a strip shape at one end, and a contact portion 28a for connecting to a connector 29 of a connecting member 32 described later is provided at the distal end of the extended portion. The contact portion 28a is provided on the surface of the FPC 28 opposite to the electric switch 5. The extending portion of the FPC 28 is bent 90 ° so that the surface on which the contact portion 28a is provided is turned substantially parallel to the surface on which the electrical switch 4 is provided. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the extending portion of the FPC 28 faces in the direction in which the insertion portion 2 is connected to the inside of the operation portion 6. Further, the FPC 28 is provided with a circuit for electrically connecting the signal cable 27 and the contact portion 28a.

  In addition, an electric switch 4 for operating an external device 41 such as a video processor protrudes and is fixed to the exterior member of the operation unit 6. The electrical switch 4 is directly mounted on the FPC 30 disposed substantially parallel to the surface on which the electrical switch 4 is provided, inside the operation unit 6. The electric switch 4 and the FPC 30 are integrally fixed to the exterior member of the operation unit 6. The FPC 30 has an extending portion that is elongated in a strip shape at one end, and a contact portion 30a for connecting to a connector 31 of a connecting member 32 described later is provided on the extending portion. The contact part 30a is provided on the surface on which the electric switch 4 of the FPC 30 is mounted. The extending portion of the FPC 30 is 90 ° so that the surface on which the contact portion 30a is provided is orthogonal to the surface on which the electric switch 4 is provided and faces away from the surface on which the electric switch 5 is provided. It is bent. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the extending portion of the FPC 30 faces in the direction in which the universal cord portion 7 is connected to the inside of the operation portion 6. The FPC 30 is provided with a circuit for electrically connecting the electrical switch 4 and the contact portion 30a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a connector 25 for connecting the contact portion 19 a of the FPC 19, a connector 29 for connecting the contact portion 28 a of the FPC 28, and a contact portion 30 a of the FPC 30 are provided inside the operation unit 6. A connection member 32 composed of an FPC on which a connector 31 for connection is mounted is disposed. The connectors 25, 29, and 31 have attachment / detachment mechanisms 25a, 29a, and 31a, respectively. The connecting member 32 has a hard portion 32a formed by sticking a hard plate-like member to the back surface of the place where the connectors 25, 29 and 31 are mounted. Further, the portion other than the hard portion 32a of the connection member 32 is a soft portion 32b having flexibility, and the connection member 32 can be bent at the portion of the soft portion 32b. By bending the connection member 32 at the position of the soft portion 32b, it is easy to dispose the connection member 32 inside the operation portion 6 in a state of being folded into a predetermined shape.

  The connection member 32 is provided with a circuit for electrically connecting the connectors 25, 29 and 31. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the connection member 32 is provided with three substantially rectangular hard portions 32a, and the hard portions 32a are connected in series via a soft portion 32b. Further, connectors 25, 29 and 31 are mounted on the three hard portions 32a, respectively. Connectors 25, 29, and 31 are connected so that the surface of each contact portion of FPC 19, 28, and 30 and the surface of connecting member 32 are parallel when FPC 19, 28, and 30 are connected to each opening. Mounted on the member 32. The connectors 25, 29 and 31 are mounted such that the opening directions of the respective openings are orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the hard portions 32a and all face the same direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, FPCs 19, 28, and 30 are inserted into the openings of connectors 25, 29, and 31 in the operation unit 6, and the FPCs 19, 28, and 31 a are operated by operating the detachable mechanisms 25 a, 29 a, and 31 a. 30 is clamped. By this operation, the electrical switches 4 and 5 and the signal line 21 connected to the electrical contact portion 42 are electrically connected via the connection member 32. The operation unit signal line includes the signal line 21, the FPC 28, the FPC 30, and the connection member 32.

  Here, a method of handling each FPC in the operation unit 6 when the FPCs 19, 28, and 30 are connected to the connection member 32 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the surface of the connecting member 32 on which each connector is mounted faces away from the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided, and the opening of each mounted connector faces the surface to which the universal cord 7 is connected. In addition, the connection member 32 is temporarily arranged inside the operation unit 6.

  The FPC 19 is inserted into the connector 25 with the surface having the contact portion 19a facing the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided.

  Further, the extension part of the FPC 28 in which the tip of the contact part 28a extends in the direction in which the insertion part 2 is connected is bent 90 ° with the surface opposite to the contact part 28a as the inside, and the extension part tip Is directed in the direction in which the universal cord portion 7 is connected. Further, the extending portion of the FPC 28 is twisted by 90 ° so that the surface on which the contact portion 28a is provided faces the opposite side to the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided. Thereafter, the contact portion 28a and the vicinity of the extending portion of the FPC 28 are folded back 180 ° so that the surface provided with the contact portion 28a is on the inside. Thus, the surface of the FPC 28 on which the contact portion 28a is provided faces the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided. Further, the connecting member 32 is disposed inside the portion where the extended portion of the FPC 28 is folded back 180 °. The contact portion 28 a is inserted into the connector 29 such that the extending portion of the FPC 28 wraps around from the surface where the connector 29 of the connecting member 32 is not mounted to the surface where the connector 29 is mounted.

  By the above operation, the FPC 28 is inserted into the connector 29 with the surface having the contact portion 28a facing the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided.

  In addition, the front end of the contact portion 30a extends in the direction in which the universal cord portion 7 is connected. The extended portion of the FPC 30 is the surface on which the contact portion 30a is provided and the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided. Twist 90 ° to face the other side. Thereafter, the contact portion 30a and the vicinity of the extending portion of the FPC 30 are folded back 180 ° so that the surface on which the contact portion 30a is provided is on the inside. Thus, the surface of the FPC 30 on which the contact portion 30a is provided faces the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided. Further, the connecting member 32 is disposed inside the portion where the extended portion of the FPC 30 is folded back 180 °. The contact portion 30 a is inserted into the connector 31 such that the extending portion of the FPC 30 wraps around the surface on which the connector 31 is mounted from the surface on which the connector 31 of the connecting member 32 is not mounted.

  By the above operation, the FPC 30 is inserted into the connector 31 with the surface having the contact portion 30a facing the surface on which the operation knob 3 is provided.

  By inserting the respective contact portions 19a, 28a, and 30a into the connectors by the above-described method, the FPCs 19, 28, and 30 are not twisted when the connection member 32 is housed in a metal housing 34 described later. It becomes possible to do.

  In the present embodiment, the contact portions 19a, 28a and 30a are connected so as to face the surface on which the connector of the connecting member is mounted, but the surface on which each contact portion is provided on each FPC is a connector. The front and back may be reversed according to the request.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, characters or symbols (indicating combinations to be connected to each other) in the vicinity of the connectors 25, 29, and 31 of the connection member 32 and the vicinity of the contact portions of the FPCs 19, 28, and 31 Display units TD1 and TD2 for displaying the numbers 1, 2, 3) in FIG. 5 are provided. By this display, since the connection state can be easily confirmed visually, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection between each connector and each FPC.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a member 33 electrically connected to the ground terminal of the external device is disposed inside the operation unit 6, and a conductive screw 35 is attached to the member 33. The metal casing 34 is fixed by using. The housing 34 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and is formed by bending a metal plate. The housing 34 is provided with an opening for inserting and storing the connection member 32 on the side facing the surface on which the electric switch 4 is provided. The connection member 32 in a state where the FPCs 19, 28, and 30 are connected to the opening is inserted and stored in a state of being folded in a bellows shape in the soft portion 32b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the connection member 32 is folded so that the connectors 29 and 31 are on the inner side of the folding and the connector 25 faces the outer side.

  Thus, by accommodating the connection member in a metal casing that is electrically grounded, the connection portion of the signal line can be shielded. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the noise emission to the outside and the noise intrusion from the outside in the signal line connection portion that has not been conscious of EMC countermeasures conventionally.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the connection member 32 has the opening direction of the connectors 25, 29, and 31 facing the direction opposite to the opening direction of the opening provided in the metal housing 34. Stored. For this reason, the openings of the connectors 25, 29, and 31 face the inner wall surface of the metal housing 34. Therefore, the FPCs 19, 28, and 30 are folded back in the direction opposite to the opening of the connector near the portion inserted into the connector, and extend into the operation unit 6 from the opening of the metal housing 34. The connecting member 32 is inserted until the folded portions of the FPCs 19, 28, and 30 abut against the inner wall surface of the metal housing 34. Accordingly, each FPC is biased in the direction of insertion into each connector opening. Thereby, the signal line connection by a highly reliable connector is realizable.

  Conventionally, according to the present embodiment, the application of the adhesive is eliminated at a location where the reliability of the signal line connection is obtained by fixing the connector attaching / detaching mechanism with an adhesive such as an epoxy adhesive. It is possible to reduce the working time of assembly work and disassembly work and the tools required for the work.

  In the configuration of the signal line connection inside the electronic endoscope according to the prior art, work time is required to replace the signal line connector. However, according to the present embodiment, the connector is provided on the independent connection members 23 and 32, and the signal lines are connected to each other via the connection member, so that the connector can be easily replaced in a short time. Can be done.

  More specifically, according to the present embodiment, when the fixing strength of the connector attaching / detaching mechanism for connecting and fixing the signal line is weakened and the connector needs to be replaced, the connector to be replaced is mounted. The connector replacement operation is completed by removing the existing connection member and replacing it with a new connection member. Since this connecting member is connected to the signal line through the connector, it can be removed by operating the connector attaching / detaching mechanism with a finger. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the connector replacement operation, which requires disassembling the endoscope connector portion and further removing the solder in the prior art, can be performed with a finger without using a tool. it can. Therefore, the connector replacement operation can be completed with a shorter work time and fewer tools than in the past.

  In this embodiment, since the connector is provided only on the independent connection member, the signal line is not affected even if the connector replacement operation, that is, the connection member replacement is repeated. In the prior art, it was necessary to cut the tip of the signal line when exchanging the connector. However, according to the present embodiment, the signal line is not shortened in the replacement operation of the connector, and is not an original replacement target. There is no need to replace the entire signal line.

  The electronic endoscope described above is an embodiment of the electronic endoscope of the present invention, and the specific contents thereof can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, it is possible to adopt the following modes.

  In this embodiment, in order to connect the signal lines 15 and 20 and the connectors 17 and 22, respectively, FPCs 16 and 18 are provided at one ends of the signal lines 15 and 20, respectively. Any configuration that can be connected to the connector is acceptable. For example, a hard substrate may be provided at the end of the signal line, or a cable in which conductive wires are bundled in a band shape may be used.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the proximal ends of the signal connectors 20 and 21 on the endoscope connector portion 8 side are directly soldered to the electrical contact portion 42, but the endoscope connector portion 8 side proximal end is the same as the distal end side. The signal lines 20 and 21 and the electrical contact portion 42 can be configured to be detachable by providing the FPC in the connector and providing the connector in the electrical contact portion 42. According to this configuration, the signal lines 20 and 21 can be exchanged more easily and in a shorter time than conventional.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the connection members 23 and 32 are configured to mount connectors on an FPC that is a flexible substrate. However, as long as the corresponding signal lines can be electrically connected to each other. The connector may be mounted on a hard substrate, or the connector may be provided at both ends of a cable having a signal line.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent erroneous connection between the FPC and the connector, the fitting width is different depending on the combination. However, the thickness of the fitting portion of the FPC and the connector may be different. It is possible to prevent wrong assembly.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, erroneous connection is prevented by clearly indicating each combination with characters or symbols in the vicinity of the connector of the connection member and in the vicinity of the contact portion of the FPC. Applying can also prevent mistakes.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electronic endoscope apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the connection of the imaging part of an embodiment of this invention, an electrical contact part, and a signal wire | line. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the structure of the connection member which connects the imaging part and electrical contact part of embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the electric switch fixed to the operation part of embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the structure of the connection member which connects the electrical switch and electrical contact part of embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view for demonstrating the connection of the electrical switch and connection member of embodiment of this invention. It is the partial expanded sectional view which showed the cross section of the metal housing | casing for accommodating the connection member of embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing the state where the connection member of an embodiment of the invention was stored in the metal case.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic endoscope, 2 Insertion part, 6 Operation part, 7 Universal cord part, 8 Endoscope connector part, 9 Tip part, 11 Imaging part, 12 Objective optical system, 13 Solid-state image sensor, 14 Signal processing circuit, 15 Signal line, 16 Flexible printed circuit board, 18 Flexible printed circuit board, 19 Flexible printed circuit board, 20 Signal line, 21 Signal line, 42 Electrical contact part

Claims (5)

In an electronic endoscope having an insertion portion, an operation portion provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion, and a universal cord portion connected to the operation portion and having an electric connector portion at the proximal end portion,
A first signal line having one end connected to the electrical connector portion and extending into the operation portion;
A second signal line having one end connected to an imaging switch provided in the insertion portion or an electric switch provided in the operation portion, and extending into the operation portion;
A connecting member to which the other end of each of the first signal line and the second signal line is electrically and detachably connected ;
A housing that is fixed in the operation portion and made of a conductive material, and that houses the connection member;
Have
The connection member is disposed in the housing such that a connection portion between each of the first signal line and the second signal line is in contact with an inner wall of the housing. An electronic endoscope characterized by that.   The connection member is a flexible printed circuit board, and a connector to which the other end of each of the first signal line and the second signal line is connected is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1.   The electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the flexible printed circuit board includes a hard part on which the connector is mounted and a soft part having flexibility provided between the hard parts.   A display unit for displaying characters or symbols is provided in the vicinity of the connector of the connecting member and in the vicinity of the other ends of the first signal line and the second signal line. The electronic endoscope according to claim 2.   The connector of the connection member and the other ends of the first signal line and the second signal line connected to the connector of the connection member have different fitting widths or different colors depending on the combination. The electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the electronic endoscope is provided.

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