ELECTRONIC ENDOSCOPE

• US 20090253955A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Akiba, Kazuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,821,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/053 being detachable

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic endoscope which enables the image pickup apparatus of the electronic endoscope to be easily replaced with image pickup apparatuses of different specifications. The electronic endoscope according to the present invention is configured by including a distal end member which is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the electronic endoscope, and which includes an image pickup apparatus mounting hole as a housing portion for housing an image pickup apparatus; and an outer shape adjusting member as an adjusting member which is provided between the image pickup apparatus and the image pickup apparatus mounting hole, and which fixes the image pickup apparatus in the image pickup apparatus mounting hole.

Claims

1. An electronic endoscope comprising:

a distal end member which is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion of the electronic endoscope, and in which a housing portion for housing an image pickup apparatus is formed; and

an adjusting member which is provided between the housing portion of the distal end member and the image pickup apparatus, and which holds the image pickup apparatus and is fixed in the housing portion.

2. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein

the image pickup apparatus has an objective lens unit for forming an image of light from an object;

and an image pickup device unit having a solid-state image pickup device arranged at the image forming position of the objective lens unit, and

the adjusting member holds at least one of the objective lens unit and the image pickup device unit in the housing portion.

3. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein

the image pickup apparatus has a signal line electrically connected to a circuit board of the image pickup device;

and

a signal line positioning member adapted to position the signal line with respect to the housing portion.

4. The electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting member is configured by a plurality of members.

6. The electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein

the image pickup apparatus has a signal line electrically connected to a circuit board of the image pickup device;

and

a signal line positioning member adapted to position the signal line with respect to the housing portion.

7. The electronic endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting member is configured by a plurality of members.

8. The electronic endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the adjusting member is configured by a plurality of members.

9. The electronic endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the adjusting member is configured by a plurality of members.

5. An endoscope comprising:

an image pickup apparatus housing member which is provided in the endoscope, and in which a housing portion for housing an image pickup apparatus adapted to acquire an image of an object is formed; and

an adjusting member which is provided between the housing portion of the image pickup apparatus housing member and the image pickup apparatus, and which holds the image pickup apparatus and is fixed in the housing portion.