Imaging unit

Abstract

To provide an imaging unit that can be miniaturized.SOLUTION: An imaging unit 1 includes: an imaging device 3 including a plurality of electrodes 32 arrayed in a matrix state along a transverse direction D1 and a longitudinal direction D2; and a plurality of electrical wires 21 respectively electrically connected to the electrodes 32. The electrical wires 21 have a plurality of linear parts 213 including a part disposed while being arrayed in a parallel direction Y and electrically connected to the electrodes 32. Each of the transverse direction D1 and the longitudinal direction D2 is a direction inclined to the parallel direction Y.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging unit in which an imaging element and a plurality of electric wires are connected. In the imaging unit described in Patent Document 1, the imaging element and the plurality of electric wires are connected via conductive circuits formed on a first electric board and a second electric board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2023 / 017598 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the imaging unit described in Patent Document 1, the imaging element and a plurality of electric wires are connected via conductive circuits formed on the first electric board and the second electric board, which tends to lead to an increase in size.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an imaging unit that can be made smaller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an imaging unit comprising: an imaging element having a plurality of electrodes arranged in a matrix along horizontal and vertical directions; and a plurality of electric wires electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes, each of the plurality of electric wires being arranged in a parallel direction and having a plurality of straight portions including portions electrically connected to the electrodes, each of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction being inclined with respect to the parallel direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging unit that can be made compact. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the imaging unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the imaging unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded bottom view of the cable and the electric wires in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a first diagram showing a state in which a plurality of electric wires are aligned by a jig in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a second diagram showing a state in which a plurality of electric wires are aligned by the jig in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded bottom view of a cable and electric wires in the first modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an exploded bottom view of a cable and electric wires in a second modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the imaging unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a cable according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Note that the embodiment described below is shown as a preferred specific example for carrying out the present invention, and while there are some parts that specifically exemplify various technical matters that are technically preferable, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a bottom view of the imaging unit 1 in this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the imaging unit 1. Fig. 3 is an exploded bottom view of the cable 2 and the electric wire 21.

[0011] In this embodiment, the imaging unit 1 constitutes an endoscope. The imaging unit 1 is provided at the tip of a long insertion part of the endoscope that is inserted into the body. In this embodiment, the endoscope in which the imaging unit 1 is used is assumed to be a side-viewing endoscope that is provided so as to be able to image the side (i.e., the radially outer side of the insertion part).

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the imaging unit 1 includes a cable 2, an imaging element 3, and a sealing portion 4. The imaging element 3 has a plurality of electrodes 32. The cable 2 has a plurality of electric wires 21 electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes 32 of the imaging element 3. The sealing portion 4 covers and reinforces the connection points between the plurality of electrodes 32 and the plurality of electric wires 21. Note that, for the sake of convenience, only the outer periphery of the sealing portion 4 is shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Each component of the imaging unit 1 will be described in detail below.

[0013] The cable 2 is a multi-core cable including four electric wires 21, a shield conductor (not shown) that collectively covers the four electric wires 21, and an outer jacket 22 that covers the shield conductor. Each electric wire 21 includes a core wire 211 and a coating 212. The core wire 211 is configured with a conductor made of a single wire or a twisted wire. The conductor is made of, for example, copper or a copper alloy. The diameter of the core wire 211 can be, for example, 40 AWG (American Wire Gauge) or more and 50 AWG or less. The size of the core wire 211 is selected in consideration of the size of the imaging unit 1 and the electrical characteristics required of the core wire 211. It is 0.05 mm or more and 0.10 mm or less. The coating 212 is made of an electrically insulating resin or the like. For convenience, FIG. 1 and other figures show an example in which the diameters of the core wires 211 and the thicknesses of the coatings 212 of the four electric wires 21 are equal to each other, but this is not limited thereto.

[0014] Each of the four electric wires 21 may have a coaxial wire structure. That is, the portion of each of the four electric wires 21 disposed inside the outer cover 22 may be covered with a grounded outer conductor. Furthermore, among the four electric wires 21, the electric wire 21 connected to a ground electrode of the imaging element 3 (described later) may be a bare wire without the coating 212 and the outer conductor, and may be short-circuited with the shield conductor and the outer conductors of the other electric wires 21.

[0015] The outer cover 22 is made of electrically insulating resin or the like formed into a cylindrical shape. The outer cover 22 covers the four electric wires 21 while leaving the tip ends of the four electric wires 21 (i.e., the ends connected to the imaging element 3) exposed.

[0016] The tip portions of the four electric wires 21 have portions where the core wire 211 is exposed from the coating 212 and the outer jacket 22 (hereinafter, also referred to as "exposed portions"). The tip portions of the four electric wires 21 have straight portions 213 arranged in the parallel direction Y. In other words, the straight portions 213 of the four electric wires 21 are parallel to each other. The state in which the four straight portions 213 are arranged in parallel to each other includes a state in which the four straight portions 213 are arranged strictly parallel to each other, as well as a state in which the four straight portions 213 are arranged approximately parallel to each other. The straight portions 213 are formed in a substantially straight line along one direction. In this embodiment, the straight portions 213 are formed by exposed portions of the core wires 211 of the four electric wires 21. Hereinafter, the direction in which the four straight portions 213 are arranged is referred to as the parallel direction Y, the longitudinal direction of each straight portion 213 is referred to as the axial direction X, and the direction perpendicular to both the parallel direction Y and the axial direction X is referred to as the height direction Z. The straight portions 213 include a portion connected to the connecting member 5. The four straight portions 213 are connected to one side in the height direction Z of the four connecting members 5. That is, the connecting members 5 are connected to the outer peripheral surfaces of the straight portions 213, not to their tip surfaces. From the viewpoint of making it easy to form the straight portions 213, it is preferable to use, for the core wire 211, a solid wire that is easy to maintain its straightness, or a stranded wire in which the portions that become the straight portions 213 are solidified with pre-soldering.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the four straight portions 213 are arranged so that the pitch P1 in the parallel direction Y is constant. The constant pitch includes the case where the distances in the parallel direction Y between the centers of the adjacent straight portions 213 are strictly the same, as well as the case where the distances are approximately the same. For example, even if the four straight portions 213 are designed to be arranged at the same pitch, but the pitches of the four straight portions 213 are partially shifted due to manufacturing tolerances, the pitch can be said to be constant. For example, if the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the pitch P1 of the four straight portions 213 is 10% or less of the diameter of the core wire 211, the pitch P1 may be constant. The four electrodes 32 of the image sensor 3 are electrically connected to the four straight portions 213, respectively.

[0018] The imaging element 3 includes a main body 31 and four electrodes 32 formed on an electrode forming surface 311 of the main body 31. The main body 31 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The rectangular parallelepiped shape includes a shape in which the entire or main part is generally rectangular parallelepiped in addition to a strict rectangular parallelepiped shape. The imaging element 3 can image the side opposite to the side on which the electrode forming surface 311 is formed, and can image the outside in the radial direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cable 2. As a result, the imaging unit 1 is configured for a side-viewing endoscope. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the side surface 312 of the main body 31 is formed along a horizontal direction D1 and a vertical direction D2 that are inclined both in the parallel direction Y and the axial direction X. The horizontal direction D1, the vertical direction D2, and the height direction Z are perpendicular to each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 31 has a length L1 of, for example, 0.6 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less when viewed from the side on which the electrode formation surface 311 faces.

[0019] The main body 31 includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor, etc. The imaging element 3 converts information of a formed optical image into an electrical signal and outputs it via the cable 2 to an image processing device or the like.

[0020] Each electrode 32 is formed in a disk shape having a thickness in a height direction Z perpendicular to the electrode formation surface 311. When viewed from the side facing the electrode formation surface 311, the diameter of the electrode 32 can be, for example, 0.10 mm or more and 0.20 mm or less.

[0021] 3, the four electrodes 32 are arranged in a matrix along the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2. In this embodiment, the four electrodes 32 are arranged at four positions that are the vertices of a square. The pitch P2 of the electrodes 32 in the horizontal direction D1 and the pitch P3 of the electrodes 32 in the vertical direction D2 can be, for example, 0.20 mm or more and 0.50 mm or less.

[0022] In this embodiment, the pitch P2 of the electrodes 32 in the horizontal direction D1 is the same as the pitch P3 of the electrodes 32 in the vertical direction D2. The rotation angles of the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2, which are the directions in which the electrodes 32 are arranged, with respect to the parallel direction Y, are designed to be angles such that the pitch P4 of the four electrodes 32 in the parallel direction Y is constant. When the pitch P2 of the electrodes 32 adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction D1 is the same as the pitch P3 of the electrodes 32 in the vertical direction D2 as in this embodiment, if the angle θ between the parallel direction Y and the vertical direction D2 is 26.6°, the pitch P4 of the four electrodes 32 in the parallel direction Y is constant. FIG. 3 shows a structure in which the image sensor 3 is rotated 26.6° clockwise from an initial position (not shown) in which the side surface 312 of the main body 31 is aligned along the axial direction X and the parallel direction Y, but a structure in which the image sensor 3 is rotated 26.6° counterclockwise (for example, a structure in which only the image sensor 3 in FIG. 3 is reversed left and right) may be adopted.

[0023] Note that the four electrodes 32 need not necessarily be arranged at a constant pitch in the parallel direction Y as long as the central positions of the four electrodes 32 are arranged at different positions in the parallel direction Y. The pitch of the four electrodes 32 in the parallel direction Y is set to a pitch that allows the four straight portions 213 to be arranged in parallel, taking into consideration the sizes of the four straight portions 213 electrically connected to the four electrodes 32. An example in which the pitch of the four electrodes 32 in the parallel direction Y is not constant will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0024] For example, Fig. 6 shows an example in which the angle θ is made smaller than 26.6° with respect to the configuration shown in Fig. 3. In the case of the example shown in Fig. 6, each of the pitch P41 between the two electrodes 32 located at one end in the parallel direction Y and the pitch P42 between the two electrodes 32 located at the other end in the parallel direction Y is smaller than the pitch P43 between the two electrodes 32 at the center in the parallel direction Y. That is, the pitches P41, P42, and P43 satisfy the relationship of P41 = P42 < P43. In this case, the pitch in the parallel direction Y of the four straight portions 213 is aligned with the pitch in the parallel direction Y of the four electrodes 32. That is, the pitch P11 between the two straight portions 213 located at one end in the parallel direction Y and the pitch P12 between the two straight portions 213 located at the other end in the parallel direction Y are made equal to the pitches P41 and P42, and the pitch P13 between the two straight portions 213 at the center in the parallel direction Y is made equal to the pitch P43. Also, although not shown, it may be changed so that the angle θ becomes larger than 26.6°.

[0025] Fig. 7 shows an example in which the pitch P3 is made larger than the pitch P2 with respect to the configuration shown in Fig. 3. In the case of the example shown in Fig. 7, each of the pitch P41 between the two electrodes 32 located at one end in the parallel direction Y and the pitch P42 between the two electrodes 32 located at the other end in the parallel direction Y is smaller than the pitch P43 between the two electrodes 32 at the center in the parallel direction Y. That is, the pitches P41, P42, and P43 satisfy the relationship of P41 = P42 < P43. In this case, the pitch in the parallel direction Y of the four straight portions 213 is aligned with the pitch in the parallel direction Y of the four electrodes 32. That is, the pitch P11 between the two straight portions 213 located at one end in the parallel direction Y and the pitch P12 between the two straight portions 213 located at the other end in the parallel direction Y are made equal to the pitches P41 and P42, and the pitch P13 between the two straight portions 213 at the center in the parallel direction Y is made equal to the pitch P43. Also, although not shown, it may be changed so that the pitch P2 becomes larger than the pitch P3.

[0026] In this embodiment, the four electrodes 32 are composed of a power supply electrode for the power supply of the imaging device 3, an information output electrode for outputting an imaging signal converted from the information of the optical image coupled to the imaging device 3, a command reception electrode for receiving a command signal for causing a predetermined operation (such as an imaging operation) in the imaging device 3, and a ground electrode electrically connected to the ground potential.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the four electrodes 32 and the four electric wires 21 are electrically connected to each other via four connection members 5. The connection member 5 is made of a material that has conductivity and changes from a cured state to a molten state by heating or the like. In this embodiment, the connection member 5 is made of solder, but may be composed of a conductive adhesive or the like. The connection member 5 is disposed on the main surface of the electrode 32 and is in contact with the straight portion 213 of the electric wire 21. A sealing portion 4 is provided to reinforce the connection portion between the electrode 32 and the electric wire 21 by the connection member 5.

[0028] The sealing portion 4 is made of, for example, an adhesive having electrical insulation properties. The sealing portion 4 is made of, for example, an adhesive such as acrylate, a resin such as epoxy resin, or the like. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealing portion 4 covers the electrode formation surface 311, the four electrodes 32, the four connection members 5, the portion exposed from the outer skin 22 in the cable 2, and the tip portion of the outer skin 22. The sealing portion 4 covers the four straight portions 213 and also has a role of maintaining the interval between the four straight portions 213 to prevent short circuit.

[0029] Next, a manufacturing method of the imaging unit 1 in this embodiment will be described.

[0030] First, the imaging device 3 and the four electric wires 21 are prepared. The imaging device 3 to be prepared has hemispherical solder bumps as connection members 5 formed on the main surfaces of the four electrodes 32. Further, the four electric wires 21 to be prepared are those whose core wires 211, coatings 212, and outer skins 22 are sequentially exposed from the tip by step peeling.

[0031] Next, the four core wires 211 exposed in the cable 2 are arranged in parallel to form the straight portion 213. FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing a state in which a plurality of electric wires 21 are aligned in the jig 6. As shown in FIG. 4, when forming the straight portion 213, for example, a jig 6 having four parallel arrangement grooves 61 is used, and the core wires 211 of the four electric wires 21 are arranged in these four arrangement grooves 61, thereby forming the four straight portions 213. The arrangement grooves 61 are configured to have a size corresponding to the core wires 211. FIG. 5 is a second diagram showing a state in which a plurality of electric wires 21 are aligned in the jig 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the four arrangement grooves 62 may be made to have a size corresponding to the coating 212, and the coatings 212 of the four electric wires 21 may be arranged in the four arrangement grooves 62, respectively, to form the straight portion 213 in the core wires 211 of the four electric wires 21.

[0032] 4 or 5, the imaging element 3 is placed on the side of the four straight portions 213 opposite to the jig 6. At this time, the horizontal direction D1 and vertical direction D2 in which the four electrodes 32 of the imaging element 3 are arranged are set to directions inclined with respect to both the axial direction X and the parallel direction Y, and the pitch P4 of the four electrodes 32 in the parallel direction Y is aligned with the pitch P1 of the four straight portions 213, as described above. Then, the four electrodes 32 of the imaging element 3 are placed on the four straight portions 213, respectively.

[0033] Next, the four connection members 5 are heated to melt and then cooled to harden, so that the four connection members 5 connect the four electrodes 32 and the four electric wires 21, respectively.

[0034] Next, the uncured sealing portion 4 is placed at a predetermined location using a syringe with a sharp tip or the like, and is cured to form the sealing portion 4 as shown in FIGS. In this manner, the imaging unit 1 can be manufactured.

[0035] (Functions and Effects of the First Embodiment) The imaging unit 1 of this embodiment includes an imaging element 3 having a plurality of electrodes 32 arranged in a matrix along a horizontal direction D1 and a vertical direction D2, and a plurality of electric wires 21 electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes 32. The vertical direction D2 and the horizontal direction D1 in which the plurality of electrodes 32 of the imaging element 3 are arranged are each inclined with respect to the parallel direction Y in which the straight line portions 213 are arranged. This makes it possible to connect the plurality of straight line portions 213 arranged in parallel to the plurality of electrodes 32 arranged in a matrix in the imaging element 3. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the imaging unit 1.

[0036] The imaging element 3 also includes a main body 31 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape along the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2, and a plurality of electrodes 32 formed on an electrode formation surface 311 of the main body 31. That is, the entire imaging element 3 is tilted with respect to the parallel direction Y to realize electrical connection between the plurality of electrodes 32 and the plurality of straight portions 213. As a result, for example, although the plurality of electrodes 32 are formed in a matrix shape along the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2 tilted with respect to the parallel direction Y, the main body 31 can connect the plurality of electrodes 32 to the plurality of straight portions 213 without using a special imaging element along the axial direction X and the parallel direction Y.

[0037] In addition, the electrode assembly further includes a sealing portion 4 that seals the electrodes 32 and the electric wires 21. This makes it possible to reinforce the connection points between the electrodes 32 and the electric wires 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the tip positions of the straight portions 213 are aligned, and the protruding lengths of the straight portions 213 from the connection member 5 to the tip side are different. In such a case, if no special measures are taken, the straight portions 213 that protrude longer from the connection member 5 may deform and may short-circuit with other straight portions 213. Therefore, by providing the sealing portion 4, the straightness of the straight portions 213 is maintained, and short-circuiting between the straight portions 213 is suppressed.

[0038] Furthermore, the pitch P1 of the multiple straight portions 213 in the parallel direction Y is constant. This makes it easier to line up the multiple straight portions 213, which in turn makes it easier to manufacture the imaging unit 1.

[0039] The imaging unit 1 of this embodiment is used in an endoscope. As described above, the imaging unit 1 of this embodiment can be made compact, and since miniaturization is particularly required for endoscopes inserted into the body, the imaging unit 1 of this embodiment is preferably used.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an imaging unit that can be made compact.

[0041] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the imaging unit 1 in this embodiment. For convenience, in Fig. 8, only the outer periphery of the sealing portion 4 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0042] In this embodiment, the configuration of the four electric wires 21 is changed from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, the straight portions 213 of the four electric wires 21 have, at the tip side of the exposed portion of the core wire 211, a tip covering portion 212a in which the core wire 211 is covered with a covering 212. The exposed portion of the core wire 211 of the electric wire 21 is, for example, partially covered with a covering 212 made of CO 2 It can be formed by removing it using a laser or the like.

[0043] The other configurations of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment. In addition, among the symbols used in the second and subsequent embodiments, the same symbols as those used in the previously described embodiments represent the same components, etc. as those in the previously described embodiments, unless otherwise specified.

[0044] (Functions and Effects of the Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, each electric wire 21 has a tip covering portion 212a at a tip portion. Therefore, for example, when the straight portions 213 are about to bend, the tip covering portions 212a interfere with each other, thereby preventing the straight portions 213 from bending, and thus preventing a short circuit between the straight portions 213. In addition, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0045] [Embodiment 3] The third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the cable 2 in this embodiment. In FIG. 9, the outer contour positions of the imaging element 3 and the electrode 32 are represented by two-dot chain lines.

[0046] This embodiment is a form in which the configuration of the four electric wires 21 is changed with respect to the first embodiment. Specifically, an opening 212b is formed in the covering 212 of each straight portion 213 of the four electric wires 21. The opening 212b opens toward the electrode 32 to which the electric wire 21 is connected. That is, the openings 212b of the four electric wires 21 are formed at positions that overlap the four electrodes 32 in the height direction Z, respectively. The opening 212b of the covering 212 can be formed, for example, by removing a part of the covering 212 using a CO 2 laser or the like. And, except for the part where the opening 212b is formed at the tip of the four electric wires 21, the outer peripheral surface of the core wire 211 is covered with the covering 212. Other configurations of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0047] (Actions and Effects of the Third Embodiment) In this embodiment, an opening 212b that opens toward the electrode 32 to which each electric wire 21 is electrically connected is formed at the tip of each electric wire 21, and the outer peripheral surface of the core wire 211 is covered with the covering 212 at other portions. Therefore, it is easier to further suppress a short circuit between adjacent electric wires 21. In addition, the same actions and effects as those of the first embodiment are exhibited.

[0048] (Summary of Embodiments) Next, the technical idea grasped from the embodiments described above will be described by referring to the reference numerals and the like in the embodiments. However, each reference numeral and the like in the following description are not limited to the members and the like that specifically show the components in the claims in the embodiments.

[0049] [1] An imaging unit 1 comprising: an imaging element 3 having a plurality of electrodes 32 arranged in a matrix along a horizontal direction D1 and a vertical direction D2; and a plurality of electric wires 21 electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes 32, each of the plurality of electric wires 21 being arranged in a parallel direction Y and having a plurality of straight portions 213 including portions electrically connected to the electrodes 32, each of the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2 being inclined with respect to the parallel direction Y.

[0050] [2] The imaging unit 1 described in [1], wherein the imaging element 3 comprises a main body 31 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape aligned with the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2, and the plurality of electrodes 32 formed on an electrode forming surface 311 of the main body 31.

[0051] [3] The imaging unit 1 according to [1] or [2], further comprising a sealing portion 4 that seals the plurality of electrodes 32 and the plurality of electric wires 21.

[0052] [4] The imaging unit 1 described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein the pitch P1 of the multiple straight portions 214 in the parallel direction Y is constant.

[0053] [5] The imaging unit 1 according to any one of [1] to [4], which is used in an endoscope.

[0054] (Additional Note) Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the above embodiment. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiment are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. The present invention can be modified appropriately without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1...Imaging unit 21...Electric wire 213…Straight section 3. Image sensor 31…Main body 311...Electrode formation surface 32...Electrode 4…Sealing part D1...horizontal direction D2: Vertical direction P4…Pitch Y…Parallel direction

Claims

1. an imaging element having a plurality of electrodes arranged in a matrix along the horizontal and vertical directions; a plurality of electric wires electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electric wires are arranged in a parallel direction and have a plurality of straight portions including portions electrically connected to the electrodes; Each of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction is inclined with respect to the parallel direction. Imaging unit.

2. The imaging element includes a main body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape aligned in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the plurality of electrodes formed on an electrode formation surface of the main body. The imaging unit according to claim 1 .

3. Further comprising a sealing portion that seals the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of electric wires. The imaging unit according to claim 1 .

4. The pitch of the plurality of straight line portions in the parallel direction is constant. The imaging unit according to claim 1 .

5. Used in endoscopes, The imaging unit according to claim 1 .

Images