Endoscope and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

An endoscope comprises a tip shell and a snake bone pipe which are arranged front and back and connected end to end, the rear side of the tip shell is open, a lens hole, light source holes and an instrument channel opening are formed in the front portion of the tip shell, a first PCB which is vertically arranged is arranged on the rear portion in the tip shell, the normal direction of the first PCB is in the front-back direction, and a lens assembly and a plurality of light source assemblies are attached to the front side of the first PCB through SMT. The lens assembly and the light source assembly are respectively opposite to the lens hole and the light source hole, the rear side of the first PCB is provided with an FPC flexible board which is horizontally arranged and has the length direction in the front-back direction, the FPC flexible board is located in the snake bone pipe, the front side of the FPC flexible board is bent by 90 degrees and is connected with the first PCB in an uncovering mode, a second PCB matched with the FPC flexible board is attached to the position, close to the rear side, of the FPC flexible board, and the second PCB is connected with the FPC flexible board in an uncovering mode. The second PCB is connected with a signal adapter plate through a connector male and female socket. The device is reasonable in structural design, high in reliability, convenient for processing and automatic production, and strong in anti-interference capability in use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Endoscope, as a fusion of cutting-edge technology, combines advanced technologies such as optics, mechanics, electronics and software. Its core components include image sensors, high-precision optical lenses, stable light sources, efficient signal transmission lines and precision mechanical devices. It has excellent invasive detection capabilities and can easily pass through various cavities or openings to observe deep into the body, so it is widely used in both medicine and industry. In the medical field, endoscopes are important auxiliary tools for doctors to diagnose and treat diseases. Through it, doctors can intuitively observe the situation inside the patient's body and make more accurate diagnoses. The design of the endoscope fully considers the need to enter a small space. Its small head size and slender insertion part make it easy to invade small areas for observation, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment.

[0003] The design and processing technologies commonly used in the current endoscope industry are:

[0004] Industry Solution 1:

[0005] See also Figure 1 Structurally, it includes an end shell 1 and a snake tube 3 which are arranged front to back and connected end to end. The rear side of the end shell 1 is open, and the front part of the end shell 1 is provided with a lens hole, a light source hole and an instrument channel opening. A lens assembly 21 and a plurality of light source assemblies 22 are arranged in the end shell 1. The lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 are respectively opposite to the lens hole and the light source hole (the light source hole is generally a blind hole, and the light source light passes through the thin wall of the end shell to illuminate the photographed target). The lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 are directly connected to the signal line 3a by welding, and the signal line 3a passes through the snake tube 3 and is welded to the contacts on the rear signal adapter board 4.

[0006] The disadvantages of this structure are:

[0007] 1. It is difficult to directly weld wires on tiny devices such as lens components and light source components, and the reliability is poor;

[0008] 2. When installing into the front shell, the steps are complicated;

[0009] 3. The device needs to be fixed in the front shell with a surface glue dispensing process, which can easily cause color cast of the light source, and poor anti-static and voltage resistance effects;

[0010] 4. It is difficult to thread the signal line in the snake tube;

[0011] 5. The welding of the signal line and the contacts on the signal adapter board is difficult, has poor reliability, and has low efficiency in overall processing and assembly.

[0012] Industry Solution 2:

[0013] See also Figure 2 Based on the above-mentioned industry solution 1, an improved solution is introduced. The structures of the tip shell 1, the serpentine tube 3, the lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 remain unchanged. The adapter board 211 is welded on the back of the image sensor in the lens assembly 21. Although the difficulty of directly welding the signal line 3a to the tiny pad of the chip is reduced, the process of welding the adapter board 211 is added, and manual welding is still used, the process is cumbersome, and there is no substantial improvement on "industry solution 1".

[0014] Industry Solution 3:

[0015] See also Figure 3 On the basis of the above-mentioned industry solution 2, the structures of the front shell 1, the snake tube 3, the lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 remain unchanged. Each tiny device is matched with the PCB board separately, and the signal line is replaced by the FPC soft board 3b. The front side of the FPC soft board 3b has a branch 3c as needed. Each branch 3c is bent separately and welded to the corresponding PCB board. After the FPC soft board 3b is bent, it protrudes from the hard PCB board, and no space can be left. It is impossible to avoid that the FPC soft board 3b is not squeezed at the bend, and the internal conductive layer is easily broken. The bending structure at the light source assembly of the FPC soft board 3b is difficult to install when assembled with the front shell 1, which makes the light source position inaccurate, resulting in inconsistent lighting uniformity.

[0016] Industry Solution 4:

[0017] See also Figure 4 On the basis of the above-mentioned industry solution 3, there is no change in the structure of the tip shell 1, the serpentine tube 3, the lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22. The FPC soft board is replaced by a soft and hard FPC board 3d, that is, a hard board is used at the head and tail and a soft board is used in the middle. In addition, the lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 share a PCB board. The problem is that the board-to-board welding between the back of the PCB and the soft and hard FPC board 3d is difficult to position manually and difficult to weld, and it is difficult to achieve automated processing.

[0018] In summary, the following situations are faced when integrating multiple optoelectronic micro-devices inside existing micro-endoscopes:

[0019] 1. Challenges of manual welding:

[0020] 1.1. Technical bottleneck: When integrating multiple optoelectronic micro-devices inside a tiny endoscope, manual welding is difficult due to extremely limited space. This is not only inefficient, but also difficult to ensure welding quality, which seriously restricts the performance and reliability of the endoscope.

[0021] 1.2. Reliability issues: The accuracy and consistency of manual welding are difficult to control, which can easily lead to problems such as loose welding points and poor contact, which in turn affects the stability and service life of the endoscope.

[0022] 2. Limitations of electrical clearance and creepage distance:

[0023] 2.1. Design limitations: Due to the small size of the endoscope insertion part, the electrical clearance and creepage distance are difficult to meet strict safety standards, increasing the risk of equipment failure in complex electromagnetic environments.

[0024] 2.2. Electromagnetic interference and damage: The electrostatic field and external electromagnetic environment have an aggravated impact on optical and electronic devices, which can easily cause interference, distortion, and even damage, seriously affecting the imaging quality and diagnostic accuracy of the endoscope.

[0025] 3. The dilemma of small size extreme integration:

[0026] 3.1. Space limitation: When integrating multiple optical and electronic devices inside a tiny endoscope, the space is extremely limited. How to achieve efficient and stable integration within a small size has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0027] 3.2. Performance balance: How to maximize the performance of optical electronic devices within a limited space while maintaining their stability and reliability is an important challenge facing current technology. Summary of the invention

[0028] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an endoscope with reasonable structural design, high reliability, easy processing and automated production, and strong anti-interference ability during use.

[0029] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned endoscope, which has simple steps and is easy to process, thereby being beneficial to improving production efficiency and yield rate.

[0030] To solve the first technical problem mentioned above, the present invention provides an endoscope, comprising a tip shell and a snake tube arranged front to back and connected end to end, the tip shell having an open rear side, a lens hole, a light source hole and an instrument channel opening provided at the front of the tip shell, a first PCB board arranged vertically and having a normal direction running front to back provided at the rear inside the tip shell, a lens assembly and a plurality of light source assemblies being mounted on the front side of the first PCB board by SMT, the lens assembly and the light source assembly being respectively opposite to the lens hole and the light source hole, a horizontally arranged FPC soft board having a length direction running front to back provided on the rear side of the first PCB board, the FPC soft board being located in the snake tube, the front side of the FPC soft board being bent 70°-110° and connected to the first PCB board cover, a second PCB board matching the FPC soft board being mounted near the rear side of the FPC soft board, and the second PCB board being connected to a signal adapter board via male and female connector sockets.

[0031] Advantages of the present invention: The present invention adopts the SMT surface mounting process, and the lens assembly and the light source assembly are mounted on the PCB board to achieve high-density and high-precision integration, replacing the manual welding method, reducing the human operation error, and thus greatly improving the overall reliability of the endoscope. The connection method of the FPC soft board and the first PCB board adopts a cover-lifting design, that is, the FPC soft board is bent in the cover-lifting area, and after bending, the FPC is hidden inside the hard PCB board, leaving space for the pipeline, and also avoiding the FPC from being squeezed at the bend and breaking the internal conductive layer. The signal adapter board is connected to the second PCB board using a male and female connector socket, so that the front assembly can be performed first, and then the signal adapter board can be connected, which is convenient for the production and assembly of the endoscope.

[0032] In order to achieve better use effect of the present invention, the preferred scheme is as follows:

[0033] Preferably, a filling strip running left and right is provided at the rear side of the first PCB board corresponding to the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board, the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board is in close contact with the filling strip, the left and right ends of the filling strip are flush with the left and right edges of the FPC soft board, and the circumferential side of the filling strip is provided with an arc chamfer corresponding to the contact with the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board.

[0034] Preferably, the entire cross-section of the filling strip is circular.

[0035] The filling strip is placed at the inner corner of the FPC soft board. The arc-shaped structure can ensure that the inner corner of the FPC soft board remains arc-shaped to avoid sharp corners breaking the internal conductive layer of the FPC soft board. The filling strip material can be a polymer resin molding material (such as PC, ABS, acrylic glue, epoxy glue, organic silicone, etc.) or a hard metal molding material (such as stainless steel, etc.). In addition, the shape of the filling strip can also be an overall cylindrical shape, so that the contact surface with the FPC soft board must be an arc shape.

[0036] Preferably, a sealing strip is provided at the gap between the rear side of the first PCB board and the bent outer corner of the FPC board.

[0037] The sealing strip can prevent the FPC soft board from being elastically reset. At the same time, the bent part of the FPC soft board is sandwiched between the sealing strip and the filling strip, which also protects the structure of the bent part of the FPC soft board.

[0038] Preferably, a protective tube is provided on the outer circumferential side of the FPC soft board.

[0039] The protective tube has the functions of static electricity, pressure resistance, sealing and wear resistance, which can reduce the wear of the FPC soft board during use, ensuring clinical safety and stability of image transmission.

[0040] Preferably, the first PCB board is composed of several signal layers and ground layers stacked together, the conductive area of ​​the ground layer covers the entire surface of the first PCB board, and the circumferential side edges of the first PCB board corresponding to the position of the ground layer are covered by the conductive area, the circumferential edge of the first PCB board is in contact with the inner wall of the tip shell, and a ground lead is provided on the FPC soft board, one end of the ground lead is electrically connected to the ground layer, and the other end of the ground lead extends to a side of the FPC soft board away from the first PCB board.

[0041] The ground wire layer extends to the circumferential edge of the first PCB board. Since the circumferential edge of the first PCB board contacts the inner wall of the front end shell, that is, the ground wire of the first PCB board is connected to the front end shell, external static electricity that breaks through the thin wall can be directly conducted away through the ground wire to protect the internal optoelectronic devices.

[0042] Preferably, a recess is provided at a position of the first PCB board corresponding to the opening of the instrument passage of the front shell, and the depth of the recess matches the cover-lifting area.

[0043] The recess of the first PCB board plays a role of giving way, leaving enough space for the instrument channel to facilitate clinical operation. In addition, the depth of the recess will not affect the cover-opening area, that is, the normal use of the instrument channel will not affect the mechanical strength of the connection between the FPC soft board and the first PCB board.

[0044] Preferably, the front side of the FPC soft board is bent by 90°.

[0045] To solve the above second technical problem, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an endoscope, comprising the following steps:

[0046] Connect the first PCB board and the front end of the FPC soft board;

[0047] Connect the second PCB board to the rear end of the FPC soft board;

[0048] SMT the lens assembly and several light source assemblies onto the first PCB board;

[0049] And bend the front side of the FPC soft board.

[0050] Preferably, a filling strip is also included in the inner corner of the FPC bend.

[0051] The method has simple steps and is easy to process, which is beneficial to improving production efficiency and yield rate. The addition of the filling strip can protect the internal conductive layer of the FPC. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of solution 1 in the prior art.

[0053] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of solution 2 in the industry in the prior art.

[0054] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of solution 3 in the industry in the prior art.

[0055] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of solution 4 in the industry in the prior art.

[0056] Figure 5 It is a structural explosion diagram of the endoscope in the present invention.

[0057] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the endoscope of the present invention (the tip shell, snake tube, protective tube and signal adapter board are not shown).

[0058] Figure 7 It is a structural cross-sectional view of the bending portion of the endoscope FPC soft board in the present invention.

[0059] Figure 8 It is another schematic diagram of the internal structure of the endoscope of the present invention (the tip shell, the snake tube and the signal adapter board are not shown).

[0060] Fig. 9 It is a structural principle diagram (cross-sectional view) of the ground wire of the first PCB board in the present invention.

[0061] Fig.10 It is a structural principle diagram (stereoscopic) of the ground wire of the first PCB board in the present invention.

[0062] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the working state of the ground layer in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] See also Figure 5-Figure 11An endoscope comprises a front end shell 1 and a snake tube 3 which are arranged front to back and connected end to end. The rear side of the front end shell 1 is open, and the front part of the front end shell 1 is provided with a lens hole, a light source hole and an instrument channel opening. The rear part inside the front end shell 1 is provided with a first PCB board 2 which is arranged vertically and has a normal direction running front to back. The front side of the first PCB board 2 is provided with a lens assembly 21 and two light source assemblies 22 by SMT mounting. (The lens assembly 21 generally comprises a lens and an image sensor, which are an integrated structure or a split structure, and have various shapes such as round and square. They belong to mature technologies in this field. For the sake of simple explanation, the lens assembly 21 is used for description in this embodiment.) The lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 are respectively opposite to the lens hole and the light source hole (the light source hole is generally a blind hole, and the light source light passes through The thin wall of the tip shell illuminates the subject), a horizontally arranged FPC soft board 4 with a front-to-back length direction is provided on the rear side of the first PCB board 2, the FPC soft board 4 is located in the snake bone tube 3, the front side of the FPC soft board 4 is bent 90° and connected to the first PCB board 2 with a cover, and a second PCB board 42 matching the FPC soft board 4 is attached near the rear side of the FPC soft board 4, and the second PCB board 42 is connected to the signal adapter board 5 through the male and female sockets of the connector. Part 421 in the accompanying drawing is a connector plug, that is, a male head, and part 51 is a connector socket, that is, a female head (it should be noted that the snake bone tube and the FPC soft board can be bent. In this embodiment, they are described horizontally and in a front-to-back direction in order to conveniently reflect the positional relationship of each component, which can only represent one state).

[0064] A filling strip 24 running left and right is provided at the rear side of the first PCB board 2 corresponding to the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board 4. The inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board 4 is in close contact with the filling strip 24. The left and right ends of the filling strip 24 are flush with the left and right edges of the FPC soft board 4. The circumferential side of the filling strip 24 is provided with an arc chamfer corresponding to the contact with the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board 4.

[0065] A sealing strip 25 is provided at the gap between the rear side of the first PCB board 2 and the bent outer corner of the FPC board.

[0066] A protective tube 41 is sheathed on the outer side of the FPC soft board 4 .

[0067] The first PCB board 2 is composed of a plurality of signal layers 261 and a ground layer 26 stacked together. The conductive area of ​​the ground layer 26 covers the entire surface of the first PCB board 2, and the circumferential side edges of the ground layer 26 corresponding to the first PCB board 2 are all covered by the conductive area. The circumferential edge of the first PCB board 2 is in contact with the inner wall of the front end shell 1. A ground lead 43 is provided on the FPC soft board 4. One end of the ground lead 43 is electrically connected to the ground layer 26, and the other end of the ground lead 43 extends to a side of the FPC soft board 4 away from the first PCB board 2.

[0068] The first PCB board 2 is composed of a plurality of signal layers and a ground layer 26 stacked together. The conductive area of ​​the ground layer 26 covers the entire surface of the first PCB board 2, and the circumferential side edges of the ground layer 26 corresponding to the first PCB board are all covered by the conductive area. The circumferential edge of the first PCB board contacts the inner wall of the tip shell. A ground lead is provided on the FPC soft board. One end of the ground lead is electrically connected to the ground layer, and the other end of the ground lead extends to a side of the FPC soft board away from the first PCB board.

[0069] A recess 23 is provided at the position of the first PCB board 2 corresponding to the instrument passage opening of the front end shell 1, and the depth of the recess 23 matches the cover-opening area.

[0070] Advantages of the present invention: The present invention adopts the SMT surface mounting process, and the lens assembly 21 and the light source assembly 22 are mounted on the PCB board to achieve high-density and high-precision integration, replacing the manual welding method, reducing the human operation error, and thus greatly improving the overall reliability of the endoscope. The connection method of the FPC soft board 4 and the first PCB board 2 adopts a cover-lifting design, that is, the FPC soft board 4 is bent in the cover-lifting area, and after bending, the FPC is hidden inside the hard PCB board, leaving space for the pipeline, and also avoiding the FPC from being squeezed at the bend and breaking the internal conductive layer. The signal adapter board 5 is connected to the second PCB board 42 using a male and female connector socket, so that the front assembly can be performed first, and then the signal adapter board 5 is connected, which is convenient for the production and assembly of the endoscope.

[0071] The filling strip 24 is placed at the inner corner of the FPC soft board 4. The arc-shaped structure can ensure that the inner corner of the FPC soft board 4 remains an arc, avoiding the sharp corner from breaking the internal conductive layer of the FPC soft board 4. The filling strip 24 can be made of polymer resin molding material (such as PC, ABS, acrylic glue, epoxy glue, organic silicone, etc.) or hard metal molding material (such as stainless steel, etc.). In addition, the shape of the filling strip 24 can also be an overall cylindrical shape, so that the contact surface with the FPC soft board 4 must be an arc shape.

[0072] The sealing strip 25 can prevent the FPC soft board 4 from being elastically reset. At the same time, the bent part of the FPC soft board 4 is clamped between the sealing strip 25 and the filling strip 24, which also protects the structure of the bent part of the FPC soft board 4. The sealing strip 25 can be made of acrylic, such as UV glue, or low-temperature epoxy glue, or silicone moisture-curing glue.

[0073] The protective tube 41 has the functions of static electricity, pressure resistance, sealing and wear resistance, which can reduce the wear of the FPC soft board 4 during use, ensuring clinical safety and stability of image transmission.

[0074] The ground wire layer 26 extends to the circumferential edge of the first PCB board 2. Since the circumferential edge of the first PCB board 2 is in contact with the inner wall of the front end shell 1, that is, the ground wire of the first PCB board 2 is connected to the front end shell 1, external static electricity that breaks through the thin wall can be directly conducted away through the ground wire, thereby protecting the internal optoelectronic devices.

[0075] The recess 23 of the first PCB board 2 serves to make way, leaving enough space for the instrument channel to facilitate clinical operation. In addition, the depth of the recess 23 will not affect the cover-opening area, that is, the normal use of the instrument channel will not affect the mechanical strength of the connection between the FPC soft board 4 and the first PCB board 2.

[0076] A method for manufacturing an endoscope comprises the following steps:

[0077] Connect the first PCB board 2 and the front end of the FPC soft board 4;

[0078] Connect the second PCB board 42 and the rear end of the FPC soft board 4;

[0079] SMT the lens assembly 21 and the plurality of light source assemblies 22 onto the first PCB board 2;

[0080] And bend the front side of the FPC soft board 4.

[0081] It also includes filling a filling strip 24 into the inner corner of the FPC soft board 4.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the snake tube and the FPC soft board can be bent. In this embodiment, they are horizontally directed backwards just to facilitate the structural description.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising a front end shell and a snake tube arranged front and back and connected end to end, the rear side of the front end shell is open, and the front part of the front end shell is provided with a lens hole, a light source hole and an instrument channel opening, characterized in that: A first PCB board which is arranged vertically and has a normal direction running forward and backward is provided at the rear of the front end shell. A lens assembly and a plurality of light source assemblies are mounted on the front side of the first PCB board by SMT. The lens assembly and the light source assembly are respectively opposite to the lens hole and the light source hole. A FPC soft board which is arranged horizontally and has a length direction running forward and backward is provided on the rear side of the first PCB board. The FPC soft board is located in the snake bone tube. The front side of the FPC soft board is bent 70°-110° and connected with the first PCB board cover. A second PCB board which matches the FPC soft board is mounted near the rear side of the FPC soft board. The second PCB board is connected to a signal adapter board through male and female connector sockets.

2. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: A filling strip running left and right is provided at the rear side of the first PCB board corresponding to the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board. The inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board is in close contact with the filling strip. The left and right ends of the filling strip are flush with the left and right edges of the FPC board. The circumferential side of the filling strip is provided with an arc chamfer corresponding to the contact with the inner corner of the bending of the FPC soft board.

3. An endoscope according to claim 2, characterized in that: The entire cross section of the filling strip is circular.

4. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing strip is provided at the gap between the rear side of the first PCB board and the bent outer corner of the FPC board.

5. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: A protective tube is sleeved on the outer circumferential side of the FPC soft board.

6. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first PCB board is composed of a plurality of signal layers and ground layers stacked together, the conductive area of ​​the ground layer covers the entire surface of the first PCB board, and the circumferential side edges of the first PCB board corresponding to the position of the ground layer are all covered by the conductive area, the circumferential edge of the first PCB board is in contact with the inner wall of the front end shell, a ground lead is provided on the FPC soft board, one end of the ground lead is electrically connected to the ground layer, and the other end of the ground lead extends to a side of the FPC soft board away from the first PCB board.

7. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: A recess is provided at the position of the first PCB board corresponding to the opening of the instrument passage of the front end shell, and the depth of the recess matches the cover-lifting area.

8. An endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front side of the FPC soft board is bent 90°.

9. A method for manufacturing an endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the following steps: Connect the first PCB board and the front end of the FPC soft board; Connect the second PCB board to the rear end of the FPC soft board; SMT the lens assembly and several light source assemblies onto the first PCB board; And bend the front side of the FPC soft board.

10. The method for manufacturing an endoscope according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes filling strips into the inner corners of the FPC bends.

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