Image pick-up module

• US 8,072,537 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Storz Endoskop Produktions GmbH (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Original Assignee: Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Schwarz, Peter, Graf, Christian, Irion, Klaus M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson, Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US12/175,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20090021618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 348/45, 348 65- 75, 348/374
• US Class Current: 348/374
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00114 Electrical cables in or with an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• 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 pick-up module, in particular for an endoscope or a miniature camera, has an electronic image sensor, which has a plurality of contact fingers that are arranged in at least one row, and a rigid circuit board to which the contact fingers are electrically contact-connected, the image sensor and the circuit board being arranged approximately parallel to one another, and the contact fingers extending along at least one longitudinal side of the circuit board, which extends approximately transversely to the image sensor, and also a flexible multi-core cable which leads from the circuit board in the direction away from the image sensor and whose cores are likewise electrically contact-connected to the circuit board. The cores are contact-connected at contact-connection points on the circuit board which are closer to the image sensor than that side of the circuit board which is remote from the image sensor.

Claims

1. An image pick-up module, comprising an electronic image sensor,

a rigid circuit board to which said image sensor is electrically contact-connected, said image sensor and said circuit board being arranged approximately parallel to one another, and

a flexible multi-core cable leading from said circuit board in direction away from said image sensor, wherein cores of said multi-core cable are electronically contact-connected to said circuit board at contact-connection points on said circuit board which are closer to said image sensor than a side of said circuit board which is facing away from said image sensor, said contact-connection points of said cores are situated on a side of said circuit board which faces said image sensor, and said cores together with their sheaths are guided through said circuit board from said side which is facing away from said image sensor to said side which faces said image sensor.

2. The image pick-up module of claim 1, wherein said circuit board is at a distance from said image sensor so that there is a space between said image sensor and said circuit board.

3. The image pick-up module of claim 2, wherein at least one electronic component is arranged in said space between said image sensor and said circuit board.

4. The image pick-up module of claim 2, wherein said space between said circuit board and said image sensor is filled with a curable electrically insulating filling material.

5. The image pick-up module of claim 1, wherein said image sensor has a plurality of contact fingers that are arranged in at least one row, and said contact fingers of said image sensor are contact-connected on at least one longitudinal side of said circuit board on which elongate contacts which are arranged so as to be recessed are provided.