Endoscope Imaging Unit Case Member Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing endoscope designs face challenges in housing an image sensor and circuit board within a case member when errors occur in the attachment position, leading to potential size increases and reduced durability due to the need for larger case members to accommodate such errors.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope incorporates a circuit board with a wide and narrow portion, and a case member with specific cuts to correspond to the wide portion, allowing for error tolerance in attachment position without increasing the case member size, thereby enabling housing of the image sensor and circuit board while maintaining miniaturization and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the case member is made larger to accommodate attachment position errors of the circuit board, then the image sensor and circuit board can be housed even with positioning errors, but the insertion unit size increases and durability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is segmented into a wide portion and a narrow portion. The case member is correspondingly segmented with first cuts that align with the wide portion, creating modular compartments that can independently accommodate positioning variations without requiring an overall increase in case size.
Solution Approach 2:
The case member has different structural characteristics at different locations: the first cuts are positioned to correspond with the wide portion of the circuit board, creating localized accommodation spaces that provide tolerance for attachment errors only where needed, rather than uniformly increasing the entire case size.
2Reliability
If the case member is made larger to ensure full coverage of the circuit board, then connection portions are better protected, but the imaging unit size increases and insertion difficulty arises
Solution Approach 1:
The case member is divided into distinct regions by the first cuts, with each region providing targeted protection for specific components. This segmentation allows the case to provide adequate protection for connection portions without requiring uniform enlargement across the entire case structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure of the case member is optimized locally: the first cuts are positioned to provide enhanced protection for the wide portion of the circuit board where connection portions are located, while other areas maintain minimal necessary dimensions.
3Length of moving object
If the case member size is reduced for miniaturization, then insertion unit size decreases, but attachment position errors cause the circuit board to fail to fit properly
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting both the circuit board (wide and narrow portions) and the case member (with corresponding first cuts), the design creates modular sections that can independently absorb positioning variations. This allows the overall case size to remain small while each segment provides localized tolerance for manufacturing errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The case member incorporates localized structural features (first cuts) that provide attachment position tolerance only in the regions where the wide portion of the circuit board is located, rather than requiring uniform size increases throughout the entire case.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for accurate miniaturization of the endoscope's imaging unit, enhances durability by preventing size increases due to attachment errors, and maintains strong connections between the circuit board and electric wires.
Implementation Method 1
a solid-state imaging device which performs photoelectric conversion on an optical image formed on a photodetecting surface of the solid-state imaging device
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope has an imaging unit at a tip portion of an insertion unit to be inserted into a body cavity, the imaging unit includes: a solid-state imaging device which performs photoelectric conversion on an optical image formed on a photodetecting surface thereof; a circuit board having a connection surface which is opposed to a surface, opposite to the photodetecting surface and formed with terminals, of the imaging device and which serves for electrical connection to the terminals; and a case member which covers part of the imaging device and part of the circuit board, the circuit board has a wide portion and a narrow portion that are different in length in a width direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the insertion unit, and the case member is formed with first cuts in such a range as to correspond to the wide portion in the longitudinal direction.