Image capturing unit for endoscope

• US 7,940,296 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Akihiro, Yamamoto, Kazuyuki, Yamashita, Tomokazu, Okamura, Seiichiro, Ogino, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao; Andy S
• Application Number:
  US11/427,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20070004965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 348 65- 76
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00101 the distal tip features being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/053 being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, including a solid-state image capturing element, a metallic housing member, which hermetically encloses a circumference of an insulated base and is arranged to cover a front-end portion of the insulated base, at least one connection land, which is connected to at least one signal conductor at a position in vicinity to a rear-end portion of the insulated base outside the housing member, and a conductive cylindrical shield, which surrounds the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor and is spaced from the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor in a radial direction, is provided. An outer periphery of the rear-end portion of the insulated base is formed to be smaller than the circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing member.

Claims

1. An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, comprising:

a solid-state image capturing element, which is adapted to capture an image of an object;

a metallic housing member, which is adapted to hermetically enclose a circumference of an insulated base holding the image capturing element and is arranged to cover a front-end portion of the insulated base, the insulated base being in a shape of a block with a recessed portion at a front thereof;

at least one connection land, which is connected to at least one signal conductor at a position in a vicinity to a rear-end portion of the insulated base outside the housing member; and

a conductive cylindrical shield, which is arranged to surround the position where the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor are connected and is spaced from the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor in a radial direction,

wherein an outer periphery of the rear-end portion of the insulated base is formed to be smaller than a circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing member, so that an outer periphery of the cylindrical shield is smaller than an outer periphery of the housing member.

2. The image capturing unit according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical

shield and the housing member are electrically connected with each other.

3. The image capturing unit according to claim 1,

wherein the insulated base is formed to include a shield receiving portion, to which a front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted, and

wherein the cylindrical shield is correctly positioned when the front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted to shield receiving portion.

4. The image capturing unit according to claim 1,

wherein a shield receiving member, to which the front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted, is fixed to a rear-end portion of the housing member, so that the cylindrical shield is correctly positioned when the front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted to the shield receiving member.

5. The image capturing unit according to claim 4,

wherein a portion of the housing member is bent toward an axis thereof to form the rear-end portion, and the shield receiving member is fixed to a rear surface of the rear-end portion.

6. The image capturing unit according to claim 4, wherein the shield receiving member is adhesively fixed to the housing member.

7. The image capturing unit according to claim 4, wherein the shield receiving member is brazed to the housing member.

8. The image capturing unit according to claim 4, wherein the shield receiving member has a form of a frame, of which a cross-sectional shape is an approximate rectangle.

9. The image capturing unit according to claim 4, wherein the cylindrical shield and the housing member are electrically connected with each other.

10. The image capturing unit according to claim 4, wherein the shield receiving member is made of an electrically insulated material.

11. The image capturing unit according to claim 10, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the shield receiving member is metalized.

12. An image capturing device for an electronic endoscope, comprising:

an image capturer that captures an image of an object;

a housing that hermetically encloses a circumference of an insulated base holding the image capturer, the insulated base being in a shape of a block with a recessed portion at a front thereof;

a connection land connected to a signal conductor at a position in a vicinity to a rear-end portion of the insulated base outside the housing member; and

a conductive cylindrical shield, that surrounds the position where the connection land and the signal conductor are connected and is spaced from the connection land and the signal conductor in a radial direction, an outer periphery of the rear-end portion of the insulated base being smaller than a circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing, so that an outer periphery of the cylindrical shield is smaller than an outer periphery of the housing.

13. The image capturer of claim 12, wherein the insulated base includes a shield receiver to which a front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted, the cylindrical shield being correctly positioned when the front-end portion of the cylindrical shield is fitted to the shield receiver.

14. An image capturing device for an electronic endoscope, comprising:

an image capturer that captures an image of an object;

a housing that hermetically encloses a circumference of an insulated base holding the image capturer, the insulated base being block shaped with a recessed portion at a front thereof; and

a cylindrical shield arranged around a signal conductor outside the housing, wherein an outer periphery of a rear-end portion of the insulated base is smaller than a circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing, so that an outer periphery of the cylindrical shield is smaller than an outer periphery of the housing.