Capsule endoscope with illumination board section and method of assembling

• US 8,152,713 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimori, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker, John P
• Application Number:
  US11/872,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 600/160, 600/179, 600/130, 600/109, 600/129, 600/176, 348/340
• US Class Current: 600/109
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00032 internally powered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/051 Details of CCD assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/148 Arrangements of two or more hingeably connected rigid printed circuit boards, i.e. connected by flexible means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/042 Stacked spaced PCBs; Planar parts of folded flexible circuits having mounted components in between or spaced from each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10037 Printed or non-printed battery
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4691 Rigid-flexible multilayer circuits comprising rigid and flexible layers, e.g. having in the bending regions only flexible layers

Abstract

A capsule endoscope including: an illumination board section on which an illumination portion is arranged; a lens support member that supports a lens; a hole that pierces through the illumination board section, the lens support member being fitted in the hole; and a supporting portion that positions and supports the illumination board section with respect to the lens support member when the lens support member is inserted into the hole, the supporting portion being provided in the lens support member. A method for assembling a capsule endoscope that includes an imaging board section on which an image sensor is arranged is also provided.

Claims

1. A capsule endoscope comprising:

an illumination board section on which an illumination portion is arranged;

a lens support member that supports a lens;

a hole that pierces through the illumination board section, the lens support member being fitted in the hole;

a supporting portion that positions and supports the illumination board section with respect to the lens support member when the lens support member is inserted into the hole, the supporting portion being provided in the lens support member; and

an imaging board section on which an imaging sensor is arranged,

wherein a flexible wiring board section made of a flexible material connects the illumination board section and the imaging board section so that the illumination board section and the imaging board section are integrally formed;

wherein the lens support member is positioned with respect to the imaging sensor and includes;

a large diameter portion that is positioned with respect to the image sensor, is formed on one end side of the lens support member, and has an outer diameter of a predetermined size;

a small diameter portion that is inserted into the hole, is formed on other end side of the lens support member, and has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the one end side; and

a step portion that is formed at a boundary between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion;

wherein the supporting portion positions and supports the illumination board section with respect to the lens support member by abutting the illumination board section against the step portion when the other end side of the lens support member is inserted into the hole;

wherein an electronic component having a predetermined height is arranged on the imaging board section, the electric component driving the image sensor, and

wherein a length in a height direction from the imaging board section to the step portion formed in the lens support member is longer than a length in the height direction of the electronic component.

2. The capsule endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the flexible wiring board section is longer than an assembly length of the image sensor and the lens support member.

3. A method for assembling a capsule endoscope that includes:

an illumination board section on which an illumination portion is arranged;

a lens support member that supports a lens;

a hole that pierces through the illumination board section, the lens support member being configured to fit in the hole;

a supporting portion that positions and supports the illumination board section with respect to the lens support member when the lens support member is inserted into the hole, the supporting portion being provided in the lens support member;

an imaging board section on which an imaging sensor is arranged, and

a flexible wiring board section made of a flexible material, the flexible wiring board connecting the illumination board section and the imaging board section so that the illumination board section and the imaging board section are integrally formed,

wherein the lens support member includes;

a large diameter portion formed on one end side of the lens support member, the large diameter portion having an outer diameter of a predetermined size;

a small diameter portion that is configured to be inserted into the hole, the small diameter portion being formed on an other end side of the lens support member, and having an outer diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion; and

a step portion that is formed at a boundary between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion,

the method comprising;

positioning the one end side of the lens support member with respect to the image sensor;

bending the flexible wiring board section;

inserting the other end side of the lens support member into the hole that pierces through the illumination board section;

abutting the illumination board section against the step portion;

arranging an electronic component for driving the image sensor on the imaging board section, wherein the electronic component has a predetermined height; and

arranging the imaging board section relative to the step portion such that a length in a height direction from the imaging board section to the step portion is longer than a length in the height direction of the electronic component.