ENDOSCOPE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF ENDOSCOPE

• US 20150238069A1
• Filed: 02/18/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sanada, Takafumi, Hanada, Yasuyuki, Osada, Akinori, Haraguchi, Naoyuki, Suzuki, Takahisa, Tanaka, Tooru, Nagayasu, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,826,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2423 of the distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/025 using glue

Abstract

An endoscope which promotes downsizing and cost reduction, and a manufacturing method of an endoscope are provided. For this reason, in an endoscope, a lens unit containing a lens in a lens tube, an image capturing element of which an image capturing surface is covered with element cover glass, and an adhesive resin fixing the lens unit of which an optical axis of the lens is coincident with the center of the image capturing surface to the element cover glass with a separation portion are disposed.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising:

a lens unit containing a lens in a lens tube;

an image capturing element including an image capturing surface which is covered with element cover glass; and

an adhesive resin fixing the lens unit in which an optical axis of the lens is coincident with the center of the image capturing surface to the element cover glass with a separation portion.

2. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein the entire image capturing element and at least a part of the lens unit are covered with a mold resin.

3. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein the separation portion is filled with the adhesive resin.

4. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein an air layer transmitting light from the lens is disposed in the separation portion.

5. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein a final surface of a final lens on the image capturing element side in the lens unit includes a concave surface or a convex surface.

6. The endoscope of claim 5,

wherein the separation portion between the final surface and the element cover glass is filled with the adhesive resin, and

a refractive index of the final lens and a refractive index of the adhesive resin have a refractive index difference greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

7. The endoscope of claim 5,

wherein the lens unit is adhered and fixed to the image capturing element with a distance of a predetermined range in an optical axis direction in the separation portion.

8. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein an outermost surface of a final surface of a final lens on the image capturing element side in the lens unit is other than magnesium fluoride.

9. The endoscope of claim 8,

wherein the outermost surface of the final surface of the final lens on the image capturing element side in the lens unit is any one of a metal oxide, metal, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, and silicon.

10. The endoscope of claim 1,

wherein an outermost surface of a final surface of a final lens on the image capturing element side in the lens unit is a silane coupling agent.

11. A manufacturing method of an endoscope, comprising:

applying a UV thermosetting resin to at least one of a lens unit and an image capturing element;

supporting the lens unit;

positioning an optical axis of the lens unit and the center of an image capturing surface of the image capturing element by referring to an image captured by the image capturing element while moving the image capturing element supported on an XYZ stage, and positioning a direction along the optical axis of the lens unit and the image capturing element;

temporarily fixing the lens unit to the image capturing element with the UV thermosetting resin by ultraviolet irradiation; and

then permanently fixing the lens unit to the image capturing element with the UV thermosetting resin by heat treatment.

12. A manufacturing method of an endoscope, comprising:

applying a UV thermosetting resin to at least one of a lens unit and an image capturing element;

arranging a right and left camera including a first camera and a second camera of which optical axes are coincident with each other between the image capturing element and the lens unit;

moving the center of an image capturing surface of the image capturing element onto the center of a screen by referring to a projected image captured by the first camera;

moving the center of the lens unit onto the center of the screen by referring to a projected image captured by the second camera;

adjusting a distance in a direction along the optical axis of the lens unit and the image capturing element by referring to a projected image captured by the image capturing element after retracting the right and left camera;

temporarily fixing the lens unit to the image capturing element with the UV thermosetting resin by ultraviolet irradiation; and

then permanently fixing the lens unit to the image capturing element with the UV thermosetting resin by heat treatment.