Electronic endoscope lighting system, assembly method and aluminum substrate for the system

Abstract

The present invention provides an aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system, comprising a positive electrode pad, a negative electrode pad, positive and negative electrode pads for an LED lamp, silk screen printing for the positive and negative electrode pads for the LED lamp, a No. 1 copper clad, a No. 2 copper clad, a positive copper clad, and a negative copper clad. The No. 1 copper clad and the No. 2 copper clad are independently arranged on the surface of the aluminum substrate, the positive electrode pad and the negative electrode pad are independently connected to the No. 1 copper clad and the No. 2 copper clad respectively through the positive copper clad and the negative copper clad. The positive electrode pad is connected to the positive lead of the LED lamp, and the negative electrode pad is connected to the negative lead of the LED lamp. The positive and negative electrode pads for the LED lamp are installed in the middle of the aluminum substrate for mounting the LED lamp, and silk screen printing for the positive and negative electrode pads for the LED lamp is arranged around the positive and negative electrode pads for the LED lamp. A lighting system and assembly method are also provided, wherein a heat sink and a spacer are combined to fix the distance between the end face of the optical fiber light guide and the light-emitting surface of the LED lamp, thereby reducing assembly difficulty and ensuring production consistency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular relates to an electronic endoscope lighting system, an assembly method and an aluminum substrate for the system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electronic endoscopes have been widely used in human body cavities and organ cavities for direct observation, diagnosis, and treatment. They use a built-in lighting system for front-end illumination. A 1.1 x 1.1 mm CMOS image sensor captures intracavitary tissue image signals and sends them to an image processing system. The processed images are then output on a monitor for doctors to observe and diagnose.

[0003] Commonly used electronic endoscope lighting systems on the market face numerous problems during production and use, including: 1. The assembly of the optical fiber light guide and LED light during production is difficult, making it difficult to ensure consistent light source brightness. 2. During soldering, the LED light experiences significant fluctuations, resulting in a low yield rate. 3. With front-mounted LED lighting systems, the LED light is located at the front end, and prolonged operation can cause excessive body temperature, potentially leading to mucosal burns during surgery. 4. Long-term operation of the lighting system can cause the catheter handle to heat up, hindering physician use. 5. During bending, the optical fiber light guide can break, leading to light energy loss. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical problem: In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention designs a combination of a heat sink and a spacer to fix the distance between the end face of the optical fiber light guide and the light-emitting surface of the LED lamp, reduce the difficulty of assembly, and ensure production consistency; designs a spacer to ensure the optimal light energy conversion efficiency by changing its thickness; designs a heat sink to accelerate the heat dissipation of the LED lamp and ensure that the temperature of the handle grip is lower than 37°C; adopts a constant temperature heating welding process in conjunction with an aluminum substrate PCB to achieve automatic and precise welding and improve the yield rate.

[0005] Technical solution:

[0006] The present invention provides an aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system, wherein the aluminum substrate:

[0007] Including positive electrode pad, negative electrode pad, LED lamp positive and negative electrode pad, LED lamp positive and negative electrode pad silk screen, No. 1 copper covering, No. 2 copper covering, positive electrode copper covering and negative electrode copper covering;

[0008] The No. 1 copper clad and the No. 2 copper clad are independently arranged on the surface of the aluminum substrate, and the positive electrode pad and the negative electrode pad are independently connected to the No. 1 copper clad and the No. 2 copper clad through the positive electrode pad and the negative electrode pad, respectively. The positive electrode pad is connected to the positive electrode wire of the LED lamp, and the negative electrode pad is connected to the negative electrode wire of the LED lamp; the positive and negative electrode pads of the LED lamp are installed in the middle position of the aluminum substrate for installing the LED lamp, and the positive and negative electrode pads of the LED lamp are set with a silk screen around the positive and negative electrode pads of the LED lamp;

[0009] The aluminum substrate includes two sets of U-shaped through holes that are adjustable on both sides for center calibration.

[0010] As an improvement, the aluminum substrate is made of aluminum; further, the positive copper clad connection is bent and hollowed out, and the positive and negative electrode pads of the LED lamp and the No. 1 copper clad connection are hollowed out; further, there is a gap between the positive electrode pad, the negative electrode pad and the positive and negative electrode pads of the LED lamp.

[0011] As an improvement, the distance between the positive and negative pads and the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp is 0.9±0.1mm, the size of the positive and negative pads is 0.54*0.17±0.05mm, the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp are 1.2*0.5±0.05mm, and the inner diameter of the arc of the U-shaped through hole is 3±0.1mm.

[0012] As an improvement, an LED lamp is included, and the LED lamp is welded on the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. The solder paste used inside the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp is a solder paste containing 0.3 wt% silver ions. Furthermore, the solder paste composition is Sn99Ag0.3Cu0.7.

[0013] As an improvement, the LED lamp is connected to the aluminum substrate by soldering. The specific steps are as follows:

[0014] Step 1: Turn on the constant temperature heating table and preheat it to 200~250℃;

[0015] Step 2: Apply solder paste to the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. Apply a small amount evenly. Then, use tweezers to gently place the LED lamp on the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. Note that the LED lamp should be within the silk screen and cannot be skewed or extend beyond the silk screen.

[0016] Step 3: When the constant temperature heating table is preheated to 200-250℃, use tweezers to place the aluminum substrate on the heating table. Within 7-10 seconds, the solder paste will be heated to a boiling state, and the LED light will appear to float and shrink slightly, indicating that the soldering is successful. Use tweezers to remove the soldered aluminum substrate, then place a new aluminum substrate and repeat step 3.

[0017] Step 4: Cool the welded aluminum substrate to room temperature, adjust the multimeter to the diode position, touch the red test lead to the positive pad and the black test lead to the negative pad. If the LED light is on, it means the LED light is welded successfully. If the LED light is off, it means the welding is unsuccessful. At this time, put the aluminum substrate back on the constant temperature heating table, remove the LED light that failed to weld, and repeat step 2.

[0018] Step 5: According to the positive pad and negative pad confirmed in step 4, pass the positive and negative wires through the positive and negative wire through-holes on the back of the aluminum substrate and weld them to the positive pad and negative pad. When welding the wires, it must be completed within 1-2 seconds. Avoid welding for too long, which will cause the LED lamp to be heated again after welding, causing floating and the position of the LED lamp to shift.

[0019] Step 6: After the voltage regulator is adjusted to the working voltage and working current, connect the soldered LED lamp's positive and negative poles to the positive and negative poles of the voltage regulator. At this time, the LED lamp lights up normally, and it is judged that the welding is complete.

[0020] As an improvement, the solder paste contains 0.3 wt % silver ions.

[0021] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention also provides an electronic endoscope lighting system, including a front end part, an optical fiber light guide, a heat sink, a spacer, an aluminum base plate, a head stainless steel tube, a tail stainless steel tube, and an LED lamp; wherein one end of the optical fiber light guide passes through a head stainless steel tube and then extends to be inserted into the head optical fiber through hole inside the front end part, and the other end passes through an inlet end of a tail stainless steel tube, and the outlet end of the tail stainless steel tube is connected to the heat sink by an adhesive; the heat sink, the spacer, and the aluminum base plate are detachably connected in sequence by mechanical connectors; the surface of the aluminum base plate is connected to the LED lamp by soldering.

[0022] As an improvement, the outer surface of the optical fiber guide light is covered with a TPU hose with an elastic material structure. The optical fiber guide light is provided with two strands, of which the two strands at one end are separately inserted into two separate head stainless steel tubes so that the end of the optical fiber guide light is flush with the head stainless steel tube; the two strands at the other end are first merged into one strand at a distance of 1-3mm from the tail, and then inserted into the tail stainless steel tube.

[0023] As an improvement, the specific method for inserting the optical fiber guide light beam into the head stainless steel tube is as follows: first, pass the optical fiber guide light beam through the head stainless steel tube 1~2.0mm, then evenly apply a small amount of A and B glue in a ratio of 1:0.8, with AB glue being epoxy resin 6‎200A / curing agent 62‎00B, on the surface of the 1~2.0mm optical fiber guide light beam that has been passed through, then move the head stainless steel tube forward 1~2.0mm to be flush with the optical fiber guide light beam, then apply silicone oil to the 3~7mm long optical fiber guide light beam at the tail end of the head stainless steel tube, then move the TPU hose forward until it contacts the tail end of the head stainless steel tube, and place the whole in a 100~140℃ curing oven for 7~15 minutes.

[0024] As an improvement, the outer diameter of the head stainless steel tube covering the optical fiber light guide is smaller than the inner diameter of the optical fiber light guide hole of the front end part. The head stainless steel tube is fixed to the front end part by optical UV glue, and one end face of the optical fiber light guide is flush with the front end part; the outer diameter of the tail stainless steel tube is smaller than the inner diameter of the radiator, and the tail stainless steel tube is inserted into the radiator, flush with the cross-section of the radiator, and fixed to the tail stainless steel tube and the radiator by optical UV glue.

[0025] As an improvement, the optical fiber light guide is a two-strand optical fiber structure with 80±5 fibers in each strand; the size of the head stainless steel tube is (0.3~0.45) mm×(0.45~0.65) mm×(2.1~3.1) mm, and the size of the tail stainless steel tube is (0.4~0.55) mm×(1.1~1.35) mm×(20-28) mm. Preferably, the size of the head stainless steel tube is 0.4*0.5*2.5 mm, and the size of the tail stainless steel tube is 0.5*1.2*25 mm.

[0026] As an improvement, the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum substrate are all made of hard aluminum structural material and are connected by a tight screw-nut structure; the shape of the heat sink can be cylindrical, barbell-shaped, I-shaped, or circular; preferably, the connection between the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum substrate is circular; further, the through holes of the spacer and the through holes of the heat sink are both larger than the diameter of the optical fiber beam.

[0027] As an improvement, the radiator and spacer are both provided with two sets of through holes for alignment and correction during the installation of mechanical connectors; the two sets of through holes of the spacer have a size of 2.2±0.1mm, the distance between the two through holes is 10-11mm, and the thickness of the spacer is 0.8±0.1mm; the two through holes of the radiator have a size of 1.2±0.05mm, a cross-sectional diameter of 12~17mm, and a distance between the two through holes is 10-11mm.

[0028] As an improvement, the aluminum substrate is any one of the aluminum substrates described above.

[0029] As an improvement, the LED lamp is welded to the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp, and a solder paste containing 0.3 wt % of the Ag element is used inside the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. Furthermore, the composition of the solder paste is Sn99Ag0.3Cu0.7.

[0030] As an improvement, the welding method of the LED lamp and the aluminum substrate is the welding method of soldering in the above-mentioned aluminum substrate for the electronic endoscope lighting system.

[0031] As another specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention also provides an assembly method of an electronic endoscope lighting system, wherein the electronic endoscope lighting system is any of the above-mentioned lighting systems, and the specific assembly steps are:

[0032] Step 1: Insert the tail stainless steel tube into a through hole of the radiator. Make sure the optical fiber light guide inside the tail stainless steel tube is flush with the cross section of the radiator. Then use optical UV glue to fix the tail stainless steel tube and the through hole of the radiator.

[0033] Step 2: Align the radiator, spacer, and aluminum base plate, align the edges, align the through holes of the radiator, the through holes of the spacer, and the through holes of the aluminum base plate, and tighten them with two M2 screws;

[0034] Step 3: The stainless steel tube on the head is inserted into the optical fiber through-hole on the head of the front-end component. The surface of the optical fiber guide light beam is recessed at 0.05~0.15mm from the optical fiber through-hole on the head. A small amount of UV glue is applied to the head of the optical fiber guide light beam to fix it to the optical fiber through-hole. The tail of the optical fiber through-hole on the head is filled with 3A glue for sealing. After curing at room temperature for 20~24 hours, the entire electronic endoscope lighting system has been completed.

[0035] As an improvement, the assembly steps of the optical fiber guide light beam and the head stainless steel tube are as follows: first, insert the optical fiber guide light beam into the TPU hose, and then insert the optical fiber guide light beam into the head stainless steel tube. The optical fiber guide light beam protrudes 1~2.0mm from the head stainless steel tube. Then, the A and B glue ratios of 1:0.5~1.5, preferably 1:0.8, are applied evenly in a small amount on the surface of the 1~2.0mm optical fiber guide light beam that has protruded. Then, the head stainless steel tube is moved forward 1~2.0mm to be flush with the optical fiber guide light beam. Then, the 3~7mm long optical fiber guide light beam at the tail end of the head stainless steel tube is coated with silicone oil. Then, the TPU hose is moved forward until it contacts the tail end of the head stainless steel tube. The whole is placed in a 100~140℃ curing oven for curing for 7~15 minutes.

[0036] Beneficial effects: The present invention ensures the positioning consistency of the optical fiber light guide by designing a heat sink and spacer ring combination structure, increases the heat dissipation efficiency, and improves the light energy conversion efficiency of the optical fiber light guide.

[0037] A constant-temperature heating process and a specific aluminum-based PCB design ensure automatic and precise soldering of LED lights, improving the yield rate of light sources. Furthermore, a specific fiber optic light guide coating and glue encapsulation process is used to reduce the breakage rate of the fiber optic light guide.

[0038] Furthermore, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0039] 1. The assembly process of optical fiber light guides and LED lights is simple, and the light source production is consistent. The fixed structure of the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum base plate reduces the difficulty of fixing the position of the optical fiber light guide, improves assembly efficiency, reduces production costs, and ensures the consistency of light source brightness production.

[0040] 2. Small loss of light energy transmission and strong brightness. After using this lighting system, the loss of LED light energy during transmission is reduced, and strong brightness is provided at the front end of the insertion part, ensuring illumination in the human cavity and providing doctors with a good field of view.

[0041] 3. No heat or burning sensation at the insertion part. Because the front end of the insertion part of this lighting system is equipped with a fiber optic light guide, there is no heat transmission, so it will not cause burns to the human mucous membrane, reducing the patient's surgical pain.

[0042] 4. Simple welding and reduced costs. The lighting system adopts a constant temperature heating method, which reduces the difficulty of welding LED lamps, improves the welding yield rate, and reduces production costs.

[0043] 5. Low temperature and comfortable grip. The lighting system uses aluminum radiator and aluminum base plate to accelerate the heat dissipation of LED lights, reduce the temperature of the handle grip, and ensure the doctor's grip comfort.

[0044] 6. It can be bent many times without loss of illumination. The lighting system uses silicone oil to coat the connection between the stainless steel tube and the optical fiber guide light, and AB glue is applied to the surface of the optical fiber guide light to ensure uniform force at the connection, increase the number of bends, and ensure illumination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Figure 1 Exploded diagram of the lighting system of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 2 Assembly drawing of the lighting system of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the aluminum substrate design of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the radiator structure of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the spacer structure of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the front end structure of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of wire breaking and threading of the stainless steel tube head of the present invention.

[0052] In the figure: aluminum substrate 1, positive electrode pad 10, negative electrode pad 11, positive and negative electrode pads of LED lamp 12, silk screen of positive and negative electrode pads of LED lamp 13, No. 1 copper clad 14, positive electrode copper clad 15, LED lamp copper clad 16, positive and negative electrode wire through-holes 17, aluminum substrate screw holes 18, radiator 2, radiator through-holes 21, radiator screw holes 22, radiator bottom surface 23, tail stainless steel tube 24, spacer 3, spacer screw hole 31, front end part 4, head optical fiber through-hole 41, camera through-hole 42, 5-light path, 51-connection, head stainless steel tube 52, TPU hose 53, optical fiber light guide 54. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0054] The electronic endoscope lighting system design of this invention utilizes a fiber optic light guide to transmit light from an LED lamp to the electronic endoscope head. A heat sink and spacer are used to secure and position the light guide, while also accelerating heat dissipation. The lighting system consists of an LED lamp, an aluminum base plate, a heat sink, a spacer, a fiber optic light guide, and a front-end component. Key features include the aluminum base plate design and LED lamp welding process; the tight screw-nut structure between the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum base plate; the structural design for securing the heat sink and fiber optic light guide; and the assembly and fixation design of the front-end component and the fiber optic light guide.

[0055] The aluminum substrate design is made of aluminum, which offers better thermal conductivity than traditional fiberglass. This reduces heating and welding time when soldering LED lamps, preventing damage to the aluminum substrate and LED lamps caused by prolonged heating and welding. The LED soldering pad dimensions, positive and negative soldering pad dimensions, and internal copper cladding on the aluminum substrate reduce floating during soldering.

[0056] The LED lamp soldering process described above primarily involves a constant-temperature heating station and solder paste. The constant-temperature heating station ensures a stable soldering temperature, with a control accuracy of up to 0.2°C and consistent performance. The solder paste, composed of Sn99Ag0.3Cu0.7, has a melting point of 217°C and is rich in silver ions, resulting in excellent solderability, good conductivity, and high mechanical strength. During the actual soldering process, when the solder paste is heated, smaller solder balls form. The solder paste shrinks rapidly when boiling, forming a metallic chemical bond between the solder paste and the metal. The solder molecules penetrate the molecular structure of the substrate's surface metal, forming a solid, fully metallic structure. This reduces fluctuations during LED lamp soldering and ensures the strength of the weld between the LED lamp and the aluminum substrate.

[0057] The tight screw-nut structure of the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum baseplate primarily involves centering the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum baseplate. By adjusting the aluminum baseplate's U-shaped screw hole left and right, the fiber optic light guide inserted into the heat sink is aligned with the center of the LED light on the aluminum baseplate. Once the centers are aligned, the heat sink, spacer, and aluminum baseplate are screwed together to ensure a tight fit. Adjusting the spacer's thickness changes the distance between the fiber optic light guide and the LED light surface, thereby varying the illumination. The heat sink and spacer fit tightly together, and the spacer and aluminum baseplate fit tightly together. These three elements, all made of aluminum, are locked together with two screws, accelerating heat dissipation from the LED light and ensuring the temperature of the handle grip is maintained.

[0058] The assembly and fixation design of the radiator and the optical fiber light guide mainly involves that the outer diameter of the tail stainless steel tube covering the optical fiber light guide is smaller than the inner diameter of the radiator, the tail stainless steel tube is inserted into the radiator and is flush with the cross-section of the radiator, and the tail stainless steel tube is fixed by optical UV glue, thereby ensuring the fixation of the assembly position of the optical fiber light guide and the consistency of light source production.

[0059] The assembly and fixation design of the front-end component and the optical fiber light guide primarily involves ensuring that the outer diameter of the stainless steel tube housing the optical fiber light guide is smaller than the inner diameter of the optical fiber light guide hole in the front-end component. The stainless steel tube is secured to the front-end component with optical UV adhesive, and the end face of the optical fiber light guide is flush with the front-end component. The light source is an LED within the handle, with the optical fiber light guide serving as the light guide medium. This ensures that the front-end component's light source is heat-free, preventing burns to mucous membranes when inserted into a human cavity.

[0060] The fiber optic light guide beam covering design mainly involves the selection of the fiber optic light guide beam covering material, the connection between the fiber optic light guide beam head and the front end component, and the connection between the fiber optic light guide beam tail and the radiator. The light guide beam covering material is a TPU hose with a relatively soft hardness and good resilience to ensure that when the fiber optic light guide beam is bent, it will not be squeezed by the surface covering material, resulting in broken wires. The process of connecting the fiber optic light guide beam head and the front end component is to first pass the fiber optic light guide beam through the TPU hose, and then pass the fiber optic light guide beam through the head stainless steel tube, fix the fiber optic light guide beam and the head stainless steel tube by AB glue, and then center the fixed whole into the fiber optic wire through-hole at the head of the front end component, and pour 3A glue into the through-hole for sealing and fixing. The process of connecting the fiber optic light guide beam tail and the radiator is to first pass the fiber optic light guide beam through the TPU hose, and then pass the fiber optic light guide beam through the tail stainless steel tube, fix the tail of the fiber optic light guide beam and the tail stainless steel tube by AB glue, and then place the fixed whole into the radiator through-hole. This design ensures that when bending, the connection between the optical fiber light guide head end and the front end component, and the connection between the optical fiber light guide tail end and the heat sink will not be unevenly stressed, resulting in the optical fiber light guide breaking at the connection and affecting the illumination.

[0061] The structure and assembly process of the electronic endoscope lighting system of the present invention are described below with a specific example:

[0062] Figure 3 This is an aluminum substrate PCB design drawing. The oblique shaded areas in the figure are copper clad No. 14 and copper clad No. 2 14-1. Copper clad No. 14 and copper clad No. 2 14-1 are independently set as large-area copper clads, which can quickly conduct heat during the welding process, avoiding damage to the LED lamp during long-term heating and welding, and improving the welding yield rate.

[0063] The positive and negative electrode pads 10 and 11 are independently connected to the first and second copper pads 14 and 14-1 via the positive and negative copper pads 15 and 15-1, respectively. Both the positive and negative copper pads 15 and 15-1 are curved and hollowed out. The connection between the positive and negative electrode pads 12 of the LED lamp and the first and second copper pads 14 and 14-1 is also hollowed out. Both designs are designed to prevent the positive and negative electrode pads 10 and 11 from reheating the soldered LED lamp due to excessive heat conduction when soldering the positive and negative wires of the LED lamp, causing the LED lamp to shift. The distance between the positive and negative electrode pads 10 and 11 is 0.9±0.1mm. This reduces the possibility of heat conduction during soldering, which could cause the soldered LED lamp to shift due to heat transfer.

[0064] The lighting system uses 0501 LED lamps, whose positive and negative pad sizes are 0.54*0.17±0.05mm. The PCB design of the positive and negative pads 12 of the LED lamp is 1.2*0.5±0.05mm, which can ensure that the center offset of the LED lamp is within 0.4mm during welding.

[0065] The inner diameter of the U-shaped arc of the aluminum baseplate screw hole 18 is 3±0.1mm, allowing the aluminum baseplate to move left and right along the U-shaped arc. Two M2 screws secure the U-shaped arc of the aluminum baseplate to the screw holes of the spacer and the inner screw holes of the heat sink. This creates a tight fit, transferring heat generated by the LED lamp through the aluminum baseplate and spacer to the heat sink, ensuring the temperature of the handle housing remains below 40°C. The positive and negative wires of the LED lamp are soldered to the positive and negative pads 10 and 11 on the back of the aluminum baseplate through the positive and negative wire through-holes 17, simplifying soldering.

[0066] A circle of silk screen is designed around the positive and negative pads 12 of the LED lamp. Its size is 1.15*1.15±0.1mm. The size of the 0501 LED lamp is 1.1*1.1±0.1mm. The size difference between the two is 0.05mm. When the LED lamp is manually placed on the aluminum substrate, it plays a limiting role to ensure that the center of the welded finished LED lamp is aligned with the center of the radiator, thereby improving the light energy conversion efficiency.

[0067] The LED lamp welding process uses a constant temperature heating table and high temperature solder paste.

[0068] The solder paste used should contain 0.3 wt% silver ions, preferably Sn99Ag0.3Cu0.7, with a melting point of 217°C. This silver-rich paste offers excellent solderability, conductivity, and mechanical strength. During the actual soldering process, upon entering the heating zone, the solvent and gases in the solder paste evaporate, while the flux in the paste wets the solder pads and the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. The solder paste softens, collapses, and covers the pads, isolating them from oxygen. Upon entering the holding zone, the aluminum substrate and LED lamp are fully preheated to prevent damage to the aluminum substrate and LED lamp from sudden exposure to the high-temperature soldering zone. Once the aluminum substrate enters the soldering zone, the temperature rises rapidly, causing the solder paste to melt. The liquid solder then wets the aluminum substrate pads and LED pins, spreading, overflowing, or reflowing and mixing to form solder joints.

[0069] When solder paste is heated, smaller balls appear, and it shrinks rapidly as it boils. Within 2-3 seconds, the solder paste completes its contraction, forming a metallic chemical bond between the solder paste and the metal. The solder molecules penetrate the molecular structure of the surface metal of the substrate, forming a solid, fully metallic structure. This reduces floating during soldering of the LED lamp and ensures the strength of the weld between the LED lamp and the aluminum substrate.

[0070] The specific steps are as follows:

[0071] Step 1: Turn on the constant temperature heating table and preheat to 220℃.

[0072] Step 2: Apply solder paste to the positive and negative pads 12 of the LED lamp, applying a small amount evenly. Then, use tweezers to gently place the 0501 LED lamp within the silk screen 13 of the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. Note that the LED lamp should be within the silk screen and not skewed or extending outside the silk screen.

[0073] Step 3: When the constant temperature heating table is preheated to 220°C, use tweezers to place aluminum substrate 1 on the table. Within 7-10 seconds, the solder paste will be heated to a boiling state, and the LED will begin to float and shrink slightly, indicating that the soldering is successful. Use tweezers to remove the soldered aluminum substrate 1, replace it with a new one, and repeat Step 3.

[0074] Step 4: Cool the welded aluminum substrate 1 to room temperature, adjust the multimeter to the diode position, touch the red test lead to the positive pad 10, and the black test lead to the negative pad 11. If the LED light is on at this time, it means that the LED light is welded successfully; if the LED light is off, it means that the welding is unsuccessful. At this time, put the aluminum substrate back on the constant temperature heating table, remove the LED light that failed to weld, and repeat step 2.

[0075] Step 5: Based on the positive and negative pads 10 and 11 identified in step 4, pass the positive and negative wires through the positive and negative wire through-holes 17 on the back of the aluminum substrate 1 and solder them to the positive and negative pads 10 and 11. Soldering should be completed within 1-2 seconds. Avoid prolonged soldering, as this can cause the soldered LED lamp to reheat, float, and shift position.

[0076] Step 6: Adjust the voltage regulator to 3.3V, 200mA, and connect the soldered LED lamp's positive and negative poles to the positive and negative poles of the voltage regulator. At this time, the LED lamp lights up normally, and it is judged that the welding is complete.

[0077] Figure 4 The heat sink 2 is made of hard aluminum, the inner diameter of the heat sink through hole 21 opened in the center is 1.2+0.05mm, and the heat sink screw hole 22 is an internal thread structure.

[0078] The outer diameter of the tail stainless steel tube 24 is 1.15±0.05mm, the inner diameter is 0.5±0.05mm, and the length is 25±1mm; the outer diameter of the tail stainless steel tube 24 is 0.05mm smaller than the inner diameter opening of the radiator through hole 21, which avoids the tail stainless steel tube 24 shaking in the radiator through hole 21, resulting in the center of the optical fiber light guide 54 being inconsistent with the center of the radiator through hole 21.

[0079] During the actual assembly process, the optical fiber light guide 54 is first inserted into the tail stainless steel tube 24, and then the tail stainless steel tube 24 is inserted into the radiator through hole 21. The optical fiber light guide 54 is flush with the bottom surface 23 of the radiator, and then the tail stainless steel tube 24 and the radiator through hole 21 are fixed with optical UV glue.

[0080] Figure 5 The inner diameter of the spacer ring screw hole 31 is 2.2±0.1mm, which can be inserted with an M2 screw; the distance between the spacer ring screw holes 31 is consistent with the distance between the two radiator screw holes 22, which is 10.5mm, thereby ensuring that the centers of the radiator 2 and the spacer ring 3 are aligned during assembly.

[0081] By changing the thickness of spacer 3, the distance from the optical fiber light guide to the LED lamp surface can be changed, thereby changing the illumination of the lighting system. Taking into account the illumination required during the actual operation, the impact of the thickness of spacer 3 on the difficulty of processing, and the optimal light energy conversion efficiency, the thickness of spacer 3 was finally designed to be 0.8±0.1mm. The distance from the welded LED lamp surface to the aluminum substrate 1 was measured to be 0.35±0.1mm. When the optical fiber light guide was flush with the bottom surface of the heat sink 23, the distance from the optical fiber light guide to the light-emitting surface of the LED lamp was 0.45±0.1mm. The measured illumination was 10000lux±10%, ensuring the consistency of illumination production. Compared with the front LED, the illumination was increased by 300%-500%.

[0082] The aluminum base plate 1, heat sink 2, and spacer 3 all have a diameter of 15mm. During assembly, first align the spacer screw hole 31 with the heat sink screw hole 22. Since the aluminum base plate screw hole 18 is designed as a U-shaped arc, the aluminum base plate 1 can be moved left and right until the aluminum base plate screw hole 18 aligns with the already adjusted spacer screw hole 31 and heat sink screw hole 22. At this point, an M2 screw is then inserted through the aluminum base plate screw hole 18, the spacer screw hole 31, and the heat sink screw hole 22, tightening them in sequence to ensure a tight fit and aligning the centers of all three. This structural design simplifies the assembly of the fiber optic light guide, ensuring that the center of the fiber optic light guide is aligned with the center of the LED lamp.

[0083] The aluminum base plate 1, heat sink 2, and spacer 3 are fastened together using M2 screws. All three components are made of aluminum, offering excellent thermal conductivity and ensuring long-lasting operation of the LED light. Compared to a controller without a heat sink, the handle grip is 5-10°C cooler, maintaining a temperature below 40°C.

[0084] Figure 6 It is a front-end component, the diameter of the optical fiber through hole 41 on its head is 0.6mm, the distance between the two optical fiber through holes 41 on the head is 1.95±0.1mm, and they are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the camera through hole 42; the optical fiber guide light in the two through holes emits light, ensuring that the divergence angle range is ≥110°.

[0085] During the actual assembly process, two polished fiber optic light guides (80 fibers per strand) are inserted into the head stainless steel tube 52 (0.5mm outer diameter, 0.4mm inner diameter). The stainless steel tube 52 is then inserted into the head fiber optic through-hole 41. The end of the fiber optic light guide 54 is recessed 0.1mm from the head fiber optic through-hole 41. The end of the fiber optic light guide 54 is coated with optical UV glue to secure it to the inner wall of the front end of the head fiber optic through-hole 41. The end of the head fiber optic through-hole 41 is filled with 3A glue to secure the fiber optic light guide 54 and seal the head fiber optic through-hole 41 to prevent liquid from entering the fiber optic light guide 54.

[0086] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of wire breakage and the threading process in the stainless steel tube head. During fatigue bending tests of the lighting system, severe wire breakage occurred, resulting in a decrease in illumination. After 1,000 cycles of fatigue bending, the fiber optic light guide wire breakage rate ranged from 40% to 60%. To address this severe wire breakage issue, we implemented the following two solutions. Solution 1: A softer, more resilient TPU tubing was used to coat the fiber optic light guide. This prevented the fiber optic light guide wire from being squeezed by the surface coating during bending, which could cause wire breakage. Solution 2: First, thread the optical fiber guide 54 through the TPU hose 53, then through the stainless steel tube 52. Extend the optical fiber guide 54 1.5mm beyond the tube. Apply a small amount of glue (A:B) in a 1:0.8 ratio to the surface of the optical fiber guide 54. Then, move the stainless steel tube 52 forward 1.5mm to align it flush with the optical fiber guide 54. Apply silicone oil to the 5mm-long section of the optical fiber guide at the end of the stainless steel tube 52. Then, move the TPU hose 53 forward until it contacts the end of the stainless steel tube 52. Curing the entire assembly in a 120°C curing oven for 10 minutes. This method solves the problem of capillary action at the glue attachment point between the optical fiber guide and the stainless steel tube when the optical fiber guide is bent. This can cause glue to overflow through the optical fiber guide and into the end of the stainless steel tube 52, causing the optical fibers at the connection between the stainless steel tube 52 and the TPU sheath of the optical fiber guide to harden and break.

[0087] After optimizing the assembly process through the two solutions, the fatigue bending test was conducted again for 1,000 times. At this time, the breakage rate of the optical fiber light guide was controlled within 3%, and the corresponding illumination could still reach more than 9,000 lx, greatly extending the service life of the optical fiber light guide.

[0088] The electronic endoscope lighting system is divided into the following steps in the actual assembly process:

[0089] Step 1: Insert the tail stainless steel tube 24 into the radiator through hole 21. The optical fiber light guide in the tail stainless steel tube 24 is flush with the bottom surface 23 of the radiator. Then fix the tail stainless steel tube 24 and the radiator through hole 21 with optical UV glue.

[0090] Step 2: Align the heat sink 2, spacer 3, and aluminum base plate 1, aligning their edges. Align the heat sink screw hole 22, the spacer screw hole 31, and the aluminum base plate screw hole 18. Secure them with two M2 screws.

[0091] Step 3: If Figure 4 The stainless steel tube 52 in the head is inserted into the optical fiber through-hole 41 in the head. The surface of the optical fiber guide is recessed 0.1 mm from the optical fiber through-hole 41 in the head. A small amount of UV glue is applied to the head of the optical fiber guide to secure it to the optical fiber through-hole 41 in the head. The end of the optical fiber through-hole 41 in the head is filled with 3A glue to seal it. After curing at room temperature for 24 hours, the entire electronic endoscope lighting system is complete.

[0092] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present invention. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system, characterized in that: The aluminum substrate (1) includes a positive electrode pad (10), a negative electrode pad (11), LED lamp positive and negative electrode pads (12), LED lamp positive and negative electrode pad silk screens (13), a No. 1 copper clad (14), a No. 2 copper clad (14-1), a positive electrode copper clad (15) and a negative electrode copper clad (15-1); The No. 1 copper clad (14) and the No. 2 copper clad (14-1) are independently arranged on the surface of the aluminum substrate (1), and the positive electrode pad (10) and the negative electrode pad (11) are independently connected to the No. 1 copper clad (14) and the No. 2 copper clad (14-1) through the positive electrode pad (15) and the negative electrode pad (15-1), respectively. The positive electrode pad (10) is connected to the positive electrode wire of the LED lamp, and the negative electrode pad (11) is connected to the negative electrode wire of the LED lamp. The positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp are installed in the middle position of the aluminum substrate (1) for installing the LED lamp, and the positive and negative electrode pads silk screen (13) of the LED lamp are arranged around the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp. The aluminum substrate (1) comprises two sets of U-shaped through holes, both sides of which are adjustable, for calibrating the center; The connection of the positive copper clad (15) is processed by bending and hollowing, and the connection between the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp and the No. 1 copper clad (14) is processed by hollowing; there is a gap between the positive electrode pad (10), the negative electrode pad (11) and the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp.

2. The aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the positive electrode pad (10) and the negative electrode pad (11) and the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp is 0.9±0.1mm, the size of the positive and negative electrode pads is 0.54*0.17±0.05mm, the size of the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp is 1.2*0.5±0.05mm, and the inner diameter of the arc of the U-shaped through hole is 3±0.1mm.

3. The aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The LED lamp is welded to the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp, and the solder paste used inside the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp is a solder paste containing 0.3 wt % silver ions.

4. The aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 3, characterized in that: Connect the LED lamp to the aluminum substrate by soldering. The specific steps are as follows: Step 1: Turn on the constant temperature heating table and preheat it to 200~250℃; Step 2: Apply solder paste to the positive and negative pads (12) of the LED lamp. Apply a small amount evenly. Then, use tweezers to gently place the LED lamp inside the silk screen (13) of the positive and negative pads of the LED lamp. Note that the LED lamp should be inside the silk screen and cannot be skewed or extend beyond the silk screen. Step 3: When the constant temperature heating table is preheated to 200~250℃, use tweezers to place the aluminum substrate (1) on the heating table. Within 7-10 seconds, the solder paste will be heated to a boiling state, and the LED light will appear to float and shrink slightly, indicating that the soldering is successful. Use tweezers to remove the soldered aluminum substrate (1), then place a new aluminum substrate (1) and repeat step 3. Step 4: Cool the welded aluminum substrate (1) to room temperature, adjust the multimeter to the diode position, touch the red test lead to the positive pad (10), and the black test lead to the negative pad (11). If the LED light is on, it means the LED light is welded successfully; if the LED light is off, it means the welding is unsuccessful. At this time, put the aluminum substrate back on the constant temperature heating table, remove the LED light that failed to weld, and repeat step 2. Step 5: According to the positive electrode pad (10) and the negative electrode pad (11) confirmed in step 4, pass the positive and negative electrode wires through the positive and negative electrode wire through holes on the back of the aluminum substrate (1) and weld them to the positive electrode pad (10) and the negative electrode pad (11); the welding of the wires should be completed within 1-2 seconds; avoid too long welding time, which will cause the LED lamp to be heated again after welding, resulting in floating phenomenon and displacement of the LED lamp position; Step 6: After the voltage regulator is adjusted to the working voltage and working current, connect the soldered LED lamp's positive and negative poles to the positive and negative poles of the voltage regulator. At this time, the LED lamp lights up normally, and it is judged that the welding is complete.

5. The aluminum substrate for an electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The solder paste contains 0.3 wt % silver ions.

6. An electronic endoscope lighting system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a front end part (4), an optical fiber light guide (54), a heat sink (2), a spacer (3), an aluminum substrate (1), a head stainless steel tube (52), a tail stainless steel tube (24), and an LED lamp; wherein one end of the optical fiber light guide (54) passes through a head stainless steel tube (52) and then extends to be inserted into a head optical fiber through hole (41) inside the front end part (4), and the other end passes through an inlet end of a tail stainless steel tube (24), and the outlet end of the tail stainless steel tube (24) is connected to the heat sink (2) through an adhesive; the heat sink (2), the spacer (3), and the aluminum substrate (1) are detachably connected in sequence through mechanical connectors, the heat sink (2) is bonded to the spacer (3), and the spacer (3) is bonded to the aluminum substrate (1); the surface of the aluminum substrate (1) is connected to the LED lamp through soldering; The distance between the spacer screw holes (31) is consistent with the distance between the radiator screw holes (22), and the aluminum substrate (1) includes two groups of U-shaped through holes that are adjustable on both sides; The tail stainless steel tube (24) is inserted into the radiator (2) and is flush with the cross section of the radiator (2). The optical fiber light guide in the tail stainless steel tube (24) is flush with the cross section of the radiator (2).

7. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer surface of the optical fiber light guide is covered with a TPU hose with an elastic material structure. The optical fiber light guide is provided with two strands, of which the two strands at one end are separately inserted into two separate head stainless steel tubes (52) so that the end of the optical fiber light guide is flush with the head stainless steel tube (52); the two strands at the other end are first merged into one strand at a position 1-3 mm away from the tail, and then inserted into the tail stainless steel tube (24).

8. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific method of inserting the optical fiber guide light into the head stainless steel tube (52) is as follows: first, the optical fiber guide light is passed through the head stainless steel tube (52) by 1~2.0mm, and then a small amount of A and B glue with a ratio of 1:0.8, AB glue is epoxy resin 6‎200A / curing agent 62‎00B, is evenly applied on the surface of the passed 1~2.0mm optical fiber guide light, and then the head stainless steel tube (52) is moved forward by 1~2.0mm to be flush with the optical fiber guide light, and then silicone oil is applied to the 3~7mm long optical fiber guide light at the tail end of the head stainless steel tube (52), and then the TPU hose (53) is moved forward until it contacts the tail end of the head stainless steel tube (52), and the whole is placed in a 100~140℃ curing oven for curing for 7~15 minutes.

9. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer diameter of the head stainless steel tube covering the optical fiber light guide is smaller than the inner diameter of the optical fiber light guide hole of the front end part, and the head stainless steel tube is fixed to the front end part (4) by optical UV glue, and one end face of the optical fiber light guide is flush with the front end part; the outer diameter of the tail stainless steel tube (24) is smaller than the inner diameter of the radiator, and the tail stainless steel tube (24) is inserted into the radiator (2) and is flush with the cross section of the radiator (2), and the tail stainless steel tube (24) and the radiator (2) are fixed by optical UV glue.

10. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The optical fiber light guide (54) is a two-strand optical fiber structure with 80±5 fibers per strand; the size of the head stainless steel tube (52) is (0.3~0.45) mm×(0.45~0.65) mm×(2.1~3.1) mm, and the size of the tail stainless steel tube (24) is (0.4~0.55) mm×(1.1~1.35) mm×(20-28) mm.

11. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The radiator (2), the spacer (3), and the aluminum base plate (1) are all made of hard aluminum structural material and are connected by a tight screw-nut structure; the shape of the radiator (2) is cylindrical, barbell-shaped, I-shaped, or circular.

12. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The heat sink (2) and the spacer (3) are both provided with two sets of through holes for alignment correction when the mechanical connector is installed; wherein the two sets of through holes of the spacer (3) have a size of 2.2±0.1mm, a distance between the two through holes is 10-11mm, and the thickness of the spacer (3) is 0.8±0.1mm; the two through holes of the heat sink (2) have a size of 1.2±0.05mm, a cross-sectional diameter of 12~17mm, and a distance between the two through holes is 10-11mm.

13. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The aluminum substrate (1) is the aluminum substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

14. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The LED lamp is soldered to the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp, and solder paste containing 0.3 wt % of the Ag element is used inside the positive and negative electrode pads (12) of the LED lamp.

15. The electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The welding method of the LED lamp and the aluminum substrate is the step of welding by soldering in the aluminum substrate for the electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 5.

16. A method for assembling an electronic endoscope lighting system, characterized in that: The electronic endoscope lighting system is the lighting system according to any one of claims 6 to 15, and the specific assembly steps are as follows: Step 1: Insert the tail stainless steel tube (24) into a through hole of the radiator (2), and align the optical fiber light guide in the tail stainless steel tube (24) with the cross section of the radiator (2), and then fix the tail stainless steel tube (24) and the through hole of the radiator (2) with optical UV glue; Step 2: Align the heat sink (2), the spacer (3), and the aluminum substrate (1), align the edges, align the through holes of the heat sink (2), the through holes of the spacer (3), and the through holes of the aluminum substrate (1), and tighten them with two M2 screws; Step 3: The stainless steel tube (52) of the head is inserted into the optical fiber through hole of the front end part (4). The surface of the optical fiber guide light beam is sunken at 0.05~0.15mm of the optical fiber through hole of the head. A small amount of UV glue is applied to the head of the optical fiber guide light beam to fix it to the optical fiber through hole. The tail of the optical fiber through hole of the head is filled with 3A glue for sealing. After curing at room temperature for 20~24 hours, the entire electronic endoscope lighting system has been completed.

17. The method for assembling an electronic endoscope lighting system according to claim 16, characterized in that: The assembly steps of the optical fiber guide light beam and the head stainless steel tube (52) are as follows: first, insert the optical fiber guide light beam into the TPU hose (53), then insert the optical fiber guide light beam into the head stainless steel tube (52), and the optical fiber guide light beam passes through the head stainless steel tube (52) by 1~2.0mm. Then, a small amount of A and B glue with a ratio of 1:0.8 (AB glue is epoxy resin 6‎200A / curing agent 62‎00B) is evenly applied on the surface of the 1~2.0mm optical fiber guide light beam that passes through. Then, the head stainless steel tube (52) is moved forward by 1~2.0mm to be flush with the optical fiber guide light beam. Then, silicone oil is applied to the 3~7mm long optical fiber guide light beam at the tail end of the head stainless steel tube (52), and then the TPU hose (53) is moved forward until it contacts the tail end of the head stainless steel tube (52). The whole is placed in a 100~140℃ curing oven for curing for 7~15 minutes.

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