Disposable integrated endoscope

Abstract

A disposable integrated endoscope integrates two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and two complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors at the endoscope's tip. This not only avoids the use of expensive light guide prisms, making it a relatively low-cost, disposable integrated endoscope, but also provides clearer three-dimensional (3D) images of internal tissues or organs through the LEDs' light source. Furthermore, by incorporating a unique heat-conducting pipe cooling structure at the endoscope's tip, the high heat generated by the image sensors at the tip is rapidly conducted to the endoscope's rear end, achieving excellent heat dissipation and preventing the endoscope's tip temperature from exceeding 48°C and burning human tissue.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a disposable integrated endoscope, and more particularly to a disposable integrated endoscope that integrates an image sensor and related circuitry into the endoscope and is designed to be disposable after use. Background Technology

[0002] Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery has become a trend in modern surgery due to its advantages such as less trauma, less bleeding, less damage to healthy tissue, and faster recovery. Generally, the removal of diseased tissue can be performed endoscopically, requiring only a few small incisions of about one centimeter in length on the body. Therefore, the patient's wound area is minimized, significantly reducing the length of hospital stay and recovery time.

[0003] Generally speaking, a typical endoscopic surgical system usually includes an endoscope, a display device for displaying images captured by the endoscope, a processor for processing image signals, and one or more surgical tools or instruments for performing the surgery. However, traditional endoscopic surgical systems often have the following drawbacks that require further improvement: (1) Existing endoscopes have a special light guide prism structure to transmit the light image from the front end of the endoscope to an image sensor located at the rear end of the endoscope, and this special light guide prism structure is not only complex in structure but also very expensive; (2) Existing endoscopes use a charge-coupled device (CCD) as an image sensor, so an additional analog-to-digital converter (A / D converter) is required. (3) Due to the high cost, existing endoscopes cannot be designed to be disposable. Therefore, even if they are disinfected after each use, it is difficult to completely avoid cross-infection. (4) For three-dimensional (3D) images of human internal tissues or organs, existing endoscopes can only take pictures and display them on the display device in a two-dimensional (2D) manner, making it difficult for medical personnel to accurately locate the surgical position through 2D images during surgery. (5) Although some manufacturers have tried to develop products that install image sensors at the front end of endoscopes, there are still major deficiencies such as how to squeeze the light source and image sensor into the narrow front end of the endoscope at the same time, the high heat generated by the image sensor during operation will cause the temperature of the front end of the endoscope to rise to more than 48 degrees Celsius in a short time, which will burn human tissue, and does not comply with the safety regulations for electrical medical devices. Therefore, no such products have been used in the industry so far.

[0004] Therefore, this invention discloses a disposable integrated endoscope that can solve the various shortcomings of the aforementioned existing endoscopes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a disposable integrated endoscope that integrates the image sensor at the endoscope's front end, avoiding the use of expensive special light guide prisms, thus becoming a relatively low-cost and disposable disposable integrated endoscope. Furthermore, by incorporating an innovative heat pipe cooling structure at the endoscope's front end, the high heat generated by the image sensor at the front end is rapidly conducted to the rear end of the endoscope, achieving excellent heat dissipation and preventing the endoscope's front end temperature from reaching above 48°C.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide a disposable integrated endoscope that, by simultaneously arranging two light-emitting diodes and two image sensors at the front end of the endoscope, can not only acquire three-dimensional (3D) images of internal human tissues or organs, but also obtain clearer images of internal human tissues or organs through the light emitted by the light-emitting diodes.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses a disposable integrated endoscope, comprising: an image acquisition module, a handle, an image transmission circuit board, and a cable module. The image acquisition module is used to acquire images and includes a hollow outer tube, at least one image sensing element, at least one light supply element (e.g., a light-emitting diode, LED), a flexible circuit board, and a heat-conducting pipe. The hollow outer tube extends for a first length along a first direction and has a front opening and a rear opening. The at least one image sensing element is located inside the outer tube and adjacent to the front opening, for acquiring an image of an object outside the front opening and generating an image signal accordingly. The at least one LED is located inside the outer tube and adjacent to the front opening, for emitting light to illuminate the object located outside the front opening. The flexible circuit board is a thin, elongated strip and is housed within the outer tube. One front end of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the at least one image sensing element and the at least one light-emitting diode (LED). The rear end of the flexible circuit board extends along the first direction and protrudes from the rear end opening of the outer tube. A heat pipe is housed within the outer tube and extends a second length along the first direction. One front end of the heat pipe is adjacent to the at least one image sensing element and the at least one LED, while the rear end of the heat pipe is located near the rear end opening. The heat pipe conducts heat generated by the at least one image sensing element and the at least one LED to the vicinity of the rear end opening of the outer tube, providing heat dissipation. The handle is connected to the rear end opening of the outer tube of the image acquisition module and has an internal space. The image transmission circuit board is located within the internal space of the handle. A control unit containing at least one integrated circuit element capable of processing image signals is disposed on the image transmission circuit board. The rear end of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the image transmission circuit board, allowing the image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element to be transmitted via the flexible circuit board to the image transmission circuit board. The at least one integrated circuit element included in the control unit converts the image signal into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer. The cable module is connected to the handle and includes a quick-connect connector and a circuit board connector electrically connected to the quick-connect connector. The quick-connect connector can be connected to a rear-end device. The circuit board connector is electrically connected to the image transmission circuit board, allowing the digital signal converted by the control unit to be transmitted to the rear-end device via the quick-connect connector of the cable module. Furthermore, the rear-end device can also supply power to the image transmission circuit board via the cable module.

[0008] In one embodiment, the image acquisition module further includes: a chip carrier, a front cover, a protective glass, a heat pipe bracket, and a first connector. The chip carrier is located inside the outer tube and adjacent to the front end of the tube, and has a bearing surface perpendicular to the first direction and a rear side surface opposite to the bearing surface. A circuit layout is provided on the chip carrier; at least one image sensing element is disposed on the bearing surface and electrically connected to the circuit layout; at least one light-emitting diode is disposed on the bearing surface and electrically connected to the circuit layout. The front cover covers the bearing surface, and the front cover has an opening at a position corresponding to the at least one image sensing element and the at least two light-emitting diodes, such that a photosensitive surface of each image sensing element and a light-emitting surface of each light-emitting diode can be respectively inserted into the corresponding opening and exposed to a front end surface of the front cover. Furthermore, the front cover is inserted and fixed to the front end of the outer tube; one end of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the chip carrier and electrically connected to the circuit layout. The protective glass covers the front end surface of the front cover and corresponds to the photosensitive surface of the at least one image sensing element. The heat pipe bracket is sleeved on the front end of the heat pipe. The outer diameter of the heat pipe bracket is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube, providing the function of positioning and supporting the front end of the heat pipe adjacent to the front port of the outer tube. The heat pipe bracket has a front end surface on which a heat-conducting plate is provided. The heat-conducting plate is attached to and sandwiched between the front end surface of the heat pipe bracket and the rear side surface of the chip carrier, so that the heat generated by the at least one image sensing element and the at least one light-emitting diode can be quickly and effectively conducted to the heat pipe bracket and the heat pipe via the chip carrier and the heat-conducting plate. The first connector is located at the end of the flexible circuit board that is farther away from the chip carrier; the first connector is used to connect the image transmission circuit board.

[0009] In one embodiment, the image acquisition module further includes a heat shrink tubing, which covers at least the heat pipe, the heat pipe support, and part of the flexible circuit board. Heating the heat shrink tubing can shrink the heat shrink tubing and cause the flexible circuit board to adhere to the outer surface of the heat pipe.

[0010] In one embodiment, the number of the at least one light-emitting diode is two, and they are located on the upper and lower sides of the at least one image sensing element, respectively.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of the at least one image sensing element is two, and the two image sensing elements are arranged left and right and are both located between the two light-emitting diodes.

[0012] In one embodiment, an indicator line is provided on the outer surface of the handle, which indicates the position where the rotation angle of the image sensing element is 0 degrees.

[0013] In one embodiment, the at least one image sensing element is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensing element; the circuit layout on the chip carrier is such that the digital image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element is directly transmitted to the flexible circuit board and then further transmitted to the image transmission circuit board; the control unit on the image transmission circuit board includes functions conforming to a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) standard, for converting the digital image signal from the at least one image sensing element into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer.

[0014] In one embodiment, the digital signal generated after conversion by the image transmission circuit board conforms to a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard, a DisplayPort (DP) standard, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) standard, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) standard, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard.

[0015] In one embodiment, the at least one optical supply element includes a plurality of optical fibers; the plurality of optical fibers are disposed in the disposable integrated endoscope and extend between an optical fiber connector disposed on the handle and the chip carrier; the front ends of the plurality of optical fibers are disposed on the bearing surface of the chip carrier in a manner that surrounds and disperses around the outer periphery of the at least one image sensing element. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of an embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4A and Figure 4B These are a three-dimensional schematic diagram and a three-dimensional exploded view of an embodiment of the image acquisition module of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5A and Figure 5B These are schematic diagrams (3D and 2D) of two different embodiments of the front end face of the outer tube 111 of the image acquisition module 11 of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6A and Figure 6B These are, respectively, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view (AA) of an embodiment of the handle of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the image transmission circuit board for a disposable integrated endoscope according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the cable module for a disposable integrated endoscope according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional combined schematic diagram of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the front end of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 13 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention.

[0029] List of reference numerals: 10-Disposable integrated endoscope; 11-Image acquisition module; 110-Fiber optic cable; 1101-Fiber optic cable front end; 111, 111a-Outer tube; 112-Chip carrier board; 113, 113a-Image sensing element; 114, 114a-Optical supply element; 115-Flexible circuit board; 1152-Connector; 116-Heat pipe; 1161-Heat pipe bracket; 1162-Heat conductive sheet; 117-Front cover; 1171, 1172-Opening; 118, 118a-Protective glass; 119-Heat shrink tubing; 12-Handle; 121-Front end; 122-Rear end; 123-Indicator line; 124-Indicator; 125-Anti-slip structure; 126-Fiber optic connector; 127 - Rear cover; 1271- Quick-connect connector; 1272- Plug head; 1273- Sealing ring; 1274- Circuit board connector; 13- Cable module; 131- Front end; 1311- Quick-connect connector; 132- Quick-connect connector; 133- Circuit board connector; 14- Image transmission circuit board; 141, 142- Integrated circuit components; 143, 144- Connector sockets; 21- Rear end device; 211- Quick-connect connector; 212- Connecting cable; 213- USB connector; 22- Industrial control computer (IPC); 221- USB interface; 23, 24- Display device; 25- Light source equipment; 251- Output connector; 26- Fiber optic cable; 261, 262- Fiber optic connectors. Detailed Implementation

[0030] This invention relates to a disposable integrated endoscope that integrates two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and two complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors at the endoscope's tip. This not only avoids the use of expensive light guide prisms, resulting in a relatively low-cost, disposable integrated endoscope, but also allows for clearer three-dimensional (3D) images of internal tissues or organs through the LEDs' light source. Furthermore, a unique heat-conducting pipe cooling structure at the endoscope's tip rapidly conducts the high heat generated by the image sensors to the endoscope's rear, achieving excellent heat dissipation and preventing the endoscope's tip temperature from exceeding 48°C and potentially burning human tissue.

[0031] To more clearly describe the disposable integrated endoscope proposed in this invention, it will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

[0032] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3The figures shown are a three-dimensional assembly view, a three-dimensional exploded view, and a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. In this invention, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 is suitable for performing minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, especially for orthopedic, joint, spinal, and skull / brain minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries. The endoscope 10 is inserted into the patient's body through a small incision by a medical professional and approaches the surgical target (e.g., human tissue or organ). The image of the surgical target acquired by the endoscope is transmitted via a rear-end device 21 connected to the rear end of the endoscope 10 to an external device (e.g., a medical industrial control computer 22 (IPC)) (or control host). The industrial control computer 22 then processes, stores, and transmits the surgical target image to one or more display devices 23, 24. These display devices 23 and 24 are connected to the industrial control computer 22 via wired or wireless communication and transmit signals. These display devices 23 and 24 receive image output signals from the industrial control computer 22 and display images in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) format. In this embodiment, the display devices 23 and 24 can be glasses-free 3D displays 23 or smart glasses 24. When the display device 23 is smart glasses, medical personnel can wear the smart glasses and view the 3D images captured by the endoscope 10 using 3D virtual reality, such as virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). When the display device 23 is a glasses-free 3D display, it can be fixed to a wall or other location so that other medical personnel can view the 3D images displayed on the glasses-free 3D display without wearing smart glasses. In another embodiment, the display device 23 can also be a general 2D display screen that displays the visualization output signal in 2D format. By viewing 3D images of the surgical target displayed on the smart glasses or a glasses-free 3D display, medical personnel can easily, stably, and precisely operate medical tools and / or instruments to perform the minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. In this embodiment, the industrial control computer (IPC) 22 can also be further connected to other commonly used medical instruments, such as, but not limited to, surgical lights, electrocardiographs, bipolar radio frequency generators, cold light source generators, power supply generators, power system generators, etc.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, in this embodiment, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention includes: an image acquisition module 11, a handle 12 connected to the rear end of the image acquisition module 11, a cable module 13 connected to the rear end of the handle 12, and an image transmission circuit board 14 disposed inside the handle 12. The disposable integrated endoscope 10 is connected to the external device via a quick-connect connector 132 located at the tail end of the cable module 13. In one embodiment, the quick-connect connector 132 can be connected to another quick-connect connector 222 on the industrial control computer 22 (IPC); that is, in this embodiment, the external device is the industrial control computer 22. Thus, the signal generated by the disposable integrated endoscope 10 can be transmitted to the industrial control computer 22 via the two interconnected quick-connect connectors 132 and 222 for subsequent processing, distribution, and storage. In another embodiment, the quick-connect connector 132 can also be matched and connected with another quick-connect connector 211 of the back-end device 21. In this case, the external device is the back-end device 21, so that the digital image signal generated by the endoscope 10 can be transmitted to the back-end device 21 through the two corresponding quick-connect connectors 132 and 211 connected to each other. The control unit located in the back-end device 21 converts the signal into a digital signal conforming to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication protocol, and then transmits it to the industrial control computer (IPC) 22 for further signal processing, distribution and storage by connecting the back-end device 211 to the USB interface 221 of the industrial control computer (IPC) 22 via the connection line 212 and the USB connector 213. Since the Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication protocol is a universal and commonly used communication protocol, the back-end device 21 can transmit the signal generated by the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention to any industrial control computer with a USB connection interface. The disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention is designed as an integrated and disposable (single-use) product. Once the minimally invasive endoscopic surgery is completed, the two quick-connect connectors 132 and 211 can be separated to discard the used endoscope 10 and replace it with a brand new endoscope 10, thus avoiding cross-infection.

[0034] Please see Figure 4A and Figure 4B These are, respectively, a three-dimensional schematic diagram and an exploded three-dimensional view of an embodiment of the image acquisition module of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. Figure 3 The lower half, marked with a dashed line (B), is Figure 3 A magnified view of the upper half, specifically the area marked with the dashed line B. (See attached image.) Figure 3 Matching Figure 4A and Figure 4BAs shown, in one embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention, the image acquisition module 11 provides the function of acquiring images and includes: a hollow outer tube 111, a chip carrier 112, at least one image sensing element 113, at least one light-emitting diode (LED) 114, a flexible circuit board 115, a heat pipe 116, a heat pipe support 1161, a front cover 117, a protective glass 118, and a heat-shrink tubing 119. In this embodiment, the light supply element is a light-emitting diode (LED) 114. The hollow outer tube 111 is made of a rigid and inflexible material, such as, but not limited to, stainless steel or titanium alloy, and its material meets the ISO 10993 biocompatibility requirements. The outer tube 111 is elongated and tubular, extending a first length along a first direction, and has a front end and a rear end. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the length of the outer tube 111 is between 8cm and 20cm, the outer diameter is between 2mm and 10mm, and the wall thickness is between 0.01mm and 0.04mm. This is because an excessively long outer tube 111 (over 20cm) can cause noise or distortion in the signal of the CMOS image sensor 113 due to excessive transmission distance, while an excessively thick outer tube (outer diameter exceeding 12mm) can enlarge the patient's wound. The at least one image sensor 113 is located inside the outer tube 111 and near the front opening, used to acquire an image of an object outside the front opening and generate an image signal accordingly. The at least one light-emitting diode (LED) 114 is located inside the outer tube 111 and near the front opening, used to emit light to illuminate the object located outside the front opening. The chip carrier 112 is located inside the outer tube 111 and adjacent to the front end of the tube, and has a bearing surface (also referred to as the front side) perpendicular to the first direction and a rear side opposite to the bearing surface. A circuit layout is provided on the chip carrier 112; at least one image sensing element 113 is disposed on the bearing surface and electrically connected to the circuit layout; at least one light-emitting diode 114 is disposed on the bearing surface and electrically connected to the circuit layout. There are two light-emitting diodes 114, located above and below the at least one image sensing element 113, respectively. Furthermore, there are two image sensing elements 113, arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right, both located between the two light-emitting diodes 114.In this embodiment, the two image sensing elements 113 are arranged adjacent to each other on the front bearing surface of the chip carrier 112 at the front end of the endoscope 11, and both are complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors with a resolution of at least 1280x720 pixels; in other words, the combined resolution of the two adjacent image sensing elements 113 is at least 2560x720 pixels. Through the two adjacent image sensing elements 113, clear and visible stereoscopic 3D images of external objects (such as internal human tissues or organs) can be acquired within a parallax range of 0.5mm to 100mm and 0.8 degrees to 8 degrees, and the images can be converted into digital image signals. Therefore, there is no need to separately install an analog-to-digital converter (A / D converter) on the chip carrier 112 at the front end of the endoscope 11, thus significantly reducing the outer diameter of the front end of the endoscope 11. Furthermore, the two light-emitting diodes 114 are disposed on the front bearing surface of the chip carrier 112 and are located on the upper and lower sides of the two image sensing elements 113 respectively. They can emit light toward external objects, which can not only help the two image sensing elements 113 obtain clearer images of internal tissues or organs of the human body, but also avoid the generation of shadows.

[0035] The flexible circuit board 115 is a thin, elongated strip housed within the outer tube 111. One front end of the flexible circuit board 115 is electrically connected to the chip carrier 112 and to the circuit layout, thereby being electrically connected to the at least one image sensing element 113 and the at least one light-emitting diode 114 via the circuit layout. One rear end of the flexible circuit board 115 extends along the first direction and protrudes from the outer tube 111 by an appropriate length from the rear end opening. The first connector 1152 is located at the rear end of the flexible circuit board 115, relatively far from the chip carrier 112; the first connector 1152 is a connector socket 143 for connecting to the image transmission circuit board 14.

[0036] The heat pipe 116 is housed within the outer tube 111 and extends a second length along the first direction. The second length of the heat pipe 116 is approximately equal to the first length of the outer tube 111. A front end of the heat pipe 116 is adjacent to the at least one image sensing element 113 and the at least one light-emitting diode 114, and a rear end of the heat pipe 116 is located near the rear end port of the outer tube 111. The heat pipe 116 can conduct heat generated by the at least one image sensing element 113 and the at least one light-emitting diode 114 to the vicinity of the rear end port of the outer tube 111, providing a heat dissipation function. The disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention further includes an original heat pipe support 1161, which is sleeved on the front end of the heat pipe 116. The outer diameter of the heat pipe support 1161 is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube 111, providing the function of positioning and supporting the front end of the heat pipe 116 near the front port of the outer tube 111. Furthermore, the heat pipe support 1161 has a front end face, on which a heat-conducting plate 1162 is provided. The heat-conducting plate 1162 is attached to and sandwiched between the front end face of the heat pipe support 1161 and the rear side face of the chip carrier 112, so that the heat generated by the at least one image sensing element 113 and the at least one light-emitting diode 114 can be quickly and effectively conducted to the heat pipe support 1161 and the heat pipe 116 through the chip carrier 112 and the heat-conducting plate 1162; this not only greatly improves the heat dissipation effect of the heat pipe 116, but also serves the purpose of combining the heat pipe 116 together with the chip carrier 112 and the image sensing element 113 and light-emitting diode 114 on it and positioning them at the front end of the outer tube 111. Through the unique structural design of the heat-conducting pipe 116 and the heat-conducting pipe support 1161 of this invention, even if as many as two image sensing elements 113 and two light-emitting diodes 114 are set at the front end of the outer tube 111, the temperature at the front end of the outer tube 111 can be kept below 48°C during long-term operation, so there is no risk of burning human tissue.

[0037] The front cover 117 covers the carrier surface of the chip substrate 112, and the front cover 117 has openings 1171 and 1172 at positions corresponding to the at least one image sensing element 113 and the at least two light-emitting diodes 114, respectively. This allows a photosensitive surface of each image sensing element 113 and a light-emitting surface of each light-emitting diode 114 to be respectively inserted into the corresponding openings 1171 and 1172 and exposed to a front end face of the front cover 117. Furthermore, the front cover 117 is inserted into and fixed to the front end opening of the outer tube 111, so that the chip substrate 112, along with the image sensing elements 113 and light-emitting diodes 114 thereon, can be fixed together by the front cover 117 to the front end opening of the outer tube 111. The protective glass 118 covers the front end face of the front cover 117 and corresponds to the photosensitive surface of the at least one image sensing element 113. In this invention, the materials of the outer tube 111, protective glass 118, and front cover 117 of the image acquisition module 11 all meet the ISO10993 biocompatibility requirements.

[0038] Please see Figure 5A and Figure 5B These are schematic diagrams of two different embodiments of the front end face of the outer tube 111 of the image acquisition module 11 of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. Figure 5A As shown, when the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention includes two image sensing elements 113 arranged side by side and capable of acquiring 3D images, because two image sensing elements 113 and two light-emitting diodes 114 need to be set at the front end of the outer tube 111, the outer diameter of the outer tube 111 is approximately between 5mm and 10mm. Figure 5B As shown, when the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention contains only a single image sensing element 113a (covered by protective glass 118a) and two light-emitting diodes 114a and can acquire 2D images, the outer diameter of the outer tube 111a is approximately between 3mm and 6mm because fewer components are set.

[0039] Please see Figure 6A and Figure 6BThe figures shown are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view (AA) of an embodiment of the handle of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the handle 12 is connected to the rear end of the outer tube 111 of the image acquisition module 11, serving as a position for the user to hold or clamp the instrument. The handle 12 is made of medical plastic that meets the ISO 10993 biocompatibility requirements. The handle 12 has an internal space, a front end 121 for connecting the outer tube 111 of the image acquisition module 11, and a rear end 122 for connecting the cable module 13. Multiple annular protrusions with anti-slip structures 125 are provided on the outer surface of the handle 12. Furthermore, the present invention uniquely provides an indicator line 123 or (and) an indicator 124 extending along a first direction on the outer surface of the handle 12. The indicator line 123 or (and) the indicator 124 indicates the position where the rotation angle of the image sensing element 113 is 0 degrees, in other words, the position facing the surgeon at the six o'clock position. Therefore, when a user operates the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of this invention, they only need to observe the position of the indicator line 123 or / and indicator 124 on the outer surface of the handle 12 to know whether the shooting angle of the captured image has rotated. Alternatively, the user can operate and rotate the handle 12 so that the indicator line 123 or / and indicator 124 is directly in front of the user's vision (that is, the position with a rotation angle of 0 degrees), thereby ensuring that the rotation angle of the object image captured by the image sensing element 113 is also 0 degrees without rotation, thereby greatly improving the accuracy and safety of endoscopic minimally invasive surgery.

[0040] Please see Figure 7This is a perspective view of an embodiment of the image transmission circuit board of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. The image transmission circuit board 14, located within the internal space of the handle 12, provides image signal relay processing functionality. The image transmission circuit board 14 includes a control unit (containing at least one integrated circuit element 141, 142 and several active or passive elements) capable of processing image signals, and two connector sockets 143, 144. In a preferred embodiment, the integrated circuit elements 141, 142 may include a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) element, a type of semiconductor integrated circuit whose electronic functions can be customized to accelerate critical work performance, such as image signal processing. In this case, the industrial control computer 22 may include an image signal processing (ISP) integrated circuit element to receive and further process these image signals already processed by the FPGA. This innovative design combines the advantages of high performance and low cost. However, in another embodiment, the integrated circuit elements 141 and 142 disposed on the image transmission circuit board 14 may only include ISP integrated circuit elements, or may include both FPGA elements and ISP integrated circuit elements. The rear end of the flexible circuit board 151 is plugged into the connector socket 143 located at the front end of the image transmission circuit board 14 via the first connector 152, thereby electrically connecting to the image transmission circuit board 14. Thus, the image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element 113 can be transmitted to the image transmission circuit board 14 via the flexible circuit board 115, and the at least one integrated circuit element 141 and 142 included in the control unit converts the image signal into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer. In this invention, the circuit layout on the chip carrier 112 is such that the digital image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element 113 (CMOS image sensor) is directly transmitted to the flexible circuit board 115 and then further transmitted to the image transmission circuit board 14. The control unit on the image transmission circuit board 14 includes functions compliant with the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) standard for converting the digital image signal from the at least one image sensing element 113 into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer.Furthermore, the digital signal generated after conversion by the image transmission circuit board 14 conforms to a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard, a digital video interface (DisplayPort, DP) standard, a video graphics array (VGA) standard, a digital visual interface (DVI) standard, or a universal serial bus (USB) standard.

[0041] Please see Figure 8 This is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cable module for a disposable integrated endoscope according to the present invention. The cable module 13 connects the handle 12 and the image transmission circuit board 14, serving to transmit image signals to the back-end device 21 and receive power and control signals from the back-end device 21. The cable module 13 is made of medical-grade plastic conforming to ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards and includes: a quick-connect connector 132 at the rear end of the cable module and a circuit board connector 133 at the front end 131 of the cable module, electrically connected to the quick-connect connector 132 via a long and flexible cable. The quick-connect connector 132 can be detachably mated with another quick-connect connector 211 of the back-end device 21. The circuit board connector 133 is plugged into a connector socket 144 at the rear end of the image transmission circuit board 14, and thus electrically connected to the image transmission circuit board 14, so that the digital signal converted by the control unit can be transmitted to the back-end device 21 via the quick-connect connector 133 of the cable module 13. Furthermore, the back-end device 21 can also supply power to the image transmission circuit board 14 via the cable module 13.

[0042] Please see Figure 3 Matching Figure 4B As shown. In this embodiment, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention further includes the heat-shrink tubing 119, which covers at least the heat-conducting pipe 116, the heat-conducting pipe support 1161, and a portion of the flexible circuit board 15. By heating the heat-shrink tubing 119, the heat-shrink tubing 119 can be contracted, causing the flexible circuit board 115 to adhere to the outer surface of the heat-conducting pipe 116. Thus, in addition to tightly binding the heat-conducting pipe 116, the heat-conducting pipe support 1161, and the flexible circuit board 115 together for convenient assembly, the flexible circuit board 115 can also adhere to the outer surface of the heat-conducting pipe 116, enabling the heat-conducting pipe 116 to provide good heat dissipation for the flexible circuit board 115, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the heat-conducting pipe 116 on the image acquisition module 11.

[0043] Since most of the elements and functions in the embodiments described below are the same as or similar to those in the foregoing embodiments, the same or similar elements will be given the same element names and numbers, and their details will not be repeated.

[0044] Please see Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 These are, respectively, a three-dimensional assembly diagram, a cross-sectional view, and a front-end view of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention also includes: an image acquisition module 11, a handle 12 connected to the rear end of the image acquisition module 11, a cable module 13 connected to the rear end of the handle 12, and an image transmission circuit board 14 disposed inside the handle 12. Figures 9 to 11 The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that the disposable integrated endoscope 10 in this embodiment uses multiple optical fibers to transmit light emitted by an external light source device to the front end of the disposable integrated endoscope 10 to illuminate an object located outside the front opening of the outer tube 111. In other words, the at least one light supply element described in this invention includes multiple optical fibers 110. In this embodiment, an optical fiber connector 126 is provided on the handle 12, which can be interconnected with another optical fiber connector 262 located at the end of an optical fiber cable 26. An optical fiber connector 261 is also provided at the other end of the optical fiber cable 26, which is connected to an output connector 251 of an external light source device 25. The light source device 25 complies with relevant safety standards for medical devices and can supply light for medical purposes via the output connector 251. The multiple optical fibers 110 are disposed in the disposable integrated endoscope 10 and extend between the optical fiber connector 126 disposed on the handle 12 and the chip carrier 112 adjacent to the front opening of the outer tube 111. Light generated by the light source device 25 can enter the handle 12 of the disposable integrated endoscope 10 via the fiber optic cable 26 and the fiber optic connector 261, and then be transmitted to the front surface (i.e., the bearing surface) of the chip carrier 112 via the multiple optical fibers 110. Figure 11 As shown, the front ends 1101 of the plurality of optical fibers 110 are arranged on the carrier surface of the chip carrier 112 in a manner that surrounds and disperses around the at least one image sensing element 113. Thus, the light emitted from the front ends of these optical fibers 110 can provide uniform and clear illumination to objects (such as human tissues or organs) located outside the front end of the outer tube.

[0045] Please see Figure 12 and Figure 13These are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the disposable integrated endoscope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention also includes: an image acquisition module 11, a handle 12 connected to the rear end of the image acquisition module 11, a cable module 13 connected to the rear end of the handle 12, and an image transmission circuit board 14 disposed inside the handle 12. Figure 12 and Figure 13 The embodiment shown is the same as the one described above. Figures 1 to 3 The difference in the illustrated embodiment is that, in the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of this embodiment, the front end 131 of its cable module 13 is detachably connected via a quick-connect connector 1311 to another corresponding quick-connect connector 1271 on a rear cover 127 located at the rear end 122 of the handle 12. Therefore, after each use, the disposable integrated endoscope 10 of the present invention only requires the image acquisition module 11 and the handle 12 located at the front to be disassembled and discarded; the cable module 13 can be sterilized according to medical standards, and then connected to another new and sterilized image acquisition module 11 and handle 12 for the next minimally invasive surgery.

[0046] Specifically, in this embodiment, a quick-connect connector 1271 is provided at the tail end of the rear cover 127 located at the rear end of the handle 12. This connector allows for quick connection and locking or disassembly with another corresponding quick-connect connector 1311 located at the front end 131 of the cable module 13. The front end of the rear cover 127 is provided with a plug head 1272, a waterproof sealing ring (O-Ring) 1273 surrounding the plug head 1272, and a circuit board connector 1274 electrically connected to the quick-connect connector 1271. By inserting the plug head 1272 into the opening of the rear end 122 of the handle 12 and pressing the sealing ring 1273 against the inner wall surface of the rear end 122 of the handle 12, a sealing and waterproofing effect is achieved. The circuit board connector 1274 is plugged into the connector socket 144 at the rear end of the image transmission circuit board 14, thereby electrically connecting to the image transmission circuit board 14. Therefore, the digital signal converted by the control unit can be transmitted to the cable module 13 via the circuit board connector 1274 and the two mating quick-connect connectors 1271 and 1311, and then connected to and transmitted to the industrial control computer 22 via another quick-connect connector 132 at the end of the cable module 13. In this embodiment, the two mating quick-connect connectors 1271 and 1311 can be quick-connect connectors 1271 and 1311 that conform to coaxial radio frequency cable specifications of 50 ohms, 75 ohms or other resistance values.

[0047] However, the embodiments described above should not be used to limit the scope of application of this invention. The scope of protection of this invention should be based on the technical spirit and equivalent variations defined in the claims of this invention. That is, all equivalent variations and modifications made in accordance with the claims of this invention will not lose the essence of this invention, nor will they depart from the spirit and scope of this invention. Therefore, they should all be considered as further implementations of this invention.

Claims

1. A disposable integrated endoscope, characterized in that, Including: An image acquisition module, which can be used to acquire images; the image acquisition module includes: A hollow outer tube extends for a first length along a first direction and has a front end and a rear end. At least one image sensing element is located inside the outer tube and near the front end of the tube, for acquiring an image of an object outside the front end of the tube and generating an image signal accordingly. At least one light supply element is located inside the outer tube and adjacent to the front end of the tube, for emitting light to illuminate the object located outside the front end of the tube. A flexible circuit board, in the form of a thin, elongated strip, is housed within an outer tube; one front end of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to at least one image sensing element, and one rear end of the flexible circuit board extends along the first direction and protrudes from the rear end opening of the outer tube; and A heat pipe is housed within the outer tube and extends a second length along the first direction; a front end of the heat pipe is adjacent to the at least one image sensing element and the at least one light supply element, and a rear end of the heat pipe is located near the rear end opening; the heat pipe can conduct the heat generated by the at least one image sensing element to the vicinity of the rear end opening of the outer tube, thereby providing heat dissipation. A handle is connected to the rear end of the outer tube of the image acquisition module; the handle has an internal space. An image transmission circuit board is located within the internal space of the handle; a control unit including at least one integrated circuit element capable of processing image signals is disposed on the image transmission circuit board; the rear end of a flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the image transmission circuit board, so that the image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element can be transmitted to the image transmission circuit board via the flexible circuit board, and the at least one integrated circuit element included in the control unit converts the image signal into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer; and A cable module is available for connection to the handle and includes a quick-connect connector; one end of the cable module is available for electrical connection to the image transmission circuit board; the quick-connect connector is available for connection to an external device, such that the digital signal converted by the control unit can be transmitted to the external device via the quick-connect connector of the cable module, and the external device can also provide power to the image transmission circuit board via the cable module. The image acquisition module further includes: A chip carrier is located inside the outer tube and adjacent to the front end of the tube, and has a bearing surface perpendicular to the first direction and a rear side surface opposite to the bearing surface; a circuit layout is provided on the chip carrier; at least one image sensing element is disposed on the bearing surface and is electrically connected to the circuit layout. A front cover is provided on the support surface, and the front cover has an opening at the position corresponding to the at least one image sensing element and the at least one light supply element, so that a photosensitive surface of each image sensing element and a light emitting surface of each light supply element can be respectively inserted into the corresponding opening and exposed to a front end face of the front cover; and the front cover is inserted and fixed to the front end opening of the outer tube; one end of the flexible circuit board is electrically connected to the chip carrier and electrically connected to the circuit layout; A protective glass cover is placed over the front end face of the front cover and corresponds to the light-sensing surface of the at least one image sensing element. A heat pipe bracket is fitted onto the front end of the heat pipe; the outer diameter of the heat pipe bracket is approximately equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube, providing the function of positioning and supporting the front end of the heat pipe adjacent to the front port of the outer tube; the heat pipe bracket has a front end face, on which a heat-conducting plate is provided; the heat-conducting plate is attached to and sandwiched between the front end face of the heat pipe bracket and the rear side face of the chip carrier, so that the heat generated by the at least one image sensing element can be quickly and effectively conducted to the heat pipe bracket and the heat pipe via the chip carrier and the heat-conducting plate; and A first connector is disposed at the end of the flexible circuit board that is farther away from the chip carrier; the first connector is used to connect the image transmission circuit board. The image acquisition module further includes a heat shrink tubing, which covers at least the heat pipe, the heat pipe support, and part of the flexible circuit board. Heating the heat shrink tubing can shrink the heat shrink tubing and cause the flexible circuit board to adhere to the outer surface of the heat pipe. Wherein, the at least one light supply element is at least one light-emitting diode; the at least one light-emitting diode is disposed on the carrier surface and electrically connected to the chip carrier in the circuit layout; the heat generated by the at least one light-emitting diode can be quickly and effectively conducted to the heat pipe support and the heat pipe through the chip carrier and the heat-conducting sheet; the number of the at least one light-emitting diode is two, and they are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the at least one image sensing element.

2. The disposable integrated endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of at least one image sensing element is two, and the two image sensing elements are arranged left and right and are both located between two light-emitting diodes.

3. The disposable integrated endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, An indicator line is provided on the outer surface of the handle, which indicates the position where the rotation angle of the image sensing element is 0 degrees.

4. The disposable integrated endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one image sensing element is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensing element; the circuit layout on the chip carrier is such that the digital image signal generated by the at least one image sensing element is directly transmitted to the flexible circuit board and then further transmitted to the image transmission circuit board; the control unit on the image transmission circuit board includes functions that conform to a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) standard, for converting the digital image signal from the at least one image sensing element into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer.

5. The disposable integrated endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that, The digital signal generated after conversion by the image transmission circuit board conforms to a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard, a Digital Video Interface (DisplayPort, DP) standard, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) standard, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) standard, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard.

6. The disposable integrated endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The external device is one of the following: a back-end device or an industrial control computer; wherein, when the external device is the back-end device, the back-end device is connected to another industrial control computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector; wherein, the cable module is detachably attached to the back end of the handle.

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