Endoscope Image Pickup Unit Recess Geometry for Resin Sealing Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image pickup units in endoscopes face challenges in achieving a small diameter while ensuring adequate resin protection for the stacked device, leading to reliability issues due to insufficient or excessive resin volume, which affects performance.

Innovation Solution

A three-dimensional wiring board with a recess having varying inclination angles for the wall surfaces, combined with controlled resin injection based on observed area changes, ensures appropriate resin volume is injected, enhancing reliability and performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the volume of resin is increased to improve protection of the stacked device, then reliability is improved, but the light receiving surface is covered by resin, degrading performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of stacked deviceVSAvoidperformance of image pickup unit

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The recess wall surface is designed with non-uniform inclination angles, creating different gap widths at different heights. The upper region has a smaller inclination angle (larger gap) and the lower region has a larger inclination angle (smaller gap), allowing resin to be distributed non-uniformly to protect the stacked device without covering the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The resin injection process uses real-time monitoring of resin area expansion through transparent or semi-transparent observation. When the resin area reaches a predetermined threshold indicating sufficient protection, injection is automatically stopped, preventing resin overflow onto the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If the volume of resin is decreased to prevent covering the light receiving surface, then performance is maintained, but protection of the stacked device is insufficient, reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance of image pickup unitVSAvoidprotection of stacked device

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The recess wall surface is designed with non-uniform inclination angles, creating different gap widths at different heights. The upper region has a smaller inclination angle (larger gap) and the lower region has a larger inclination angle (smaller gap), allowing resin to be distributed non-uniformly to protect the stacked device without covering the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The resin injection process uses real-time monitoring of resin area expansion through transparent or semi-transparent observation. When the resin area reaches a predetermined threshold indicating sufficient protection, injection is automatically stopped, preventing resin overflow onto the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If a conventional recess with uniform wall surface is used, then manufacturing is simple, but it is difficult to control resin volume precisely

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing of recessVSAvoidcontrol of resin volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The recess wall surface is designed with non-uniform inclination angles, creating different gap widths at different heights. The upper region has a smaller inclination angle (larger gap) and the lower region has a larger inclination angle (smaller gap), allowing resin to be distributed non-uniformly to protect the stacked device without covering the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The resin injection process uses real-time monitoring of resin area expansion through transparent or semi-transparent observation. When the resin area reaches a predetermined threshold indicating sufficient protection, injection is automatically stopped, preventing resin overflow onto the light receiving surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20260025564A1Image pickup unit, endoscope, and method of manufacturing image pickup unit

Publication Date: 2026.01.22 OLYMPUS MEDICAL SYST CORP

AI summary

An image pickup unit includes: a three-dimensional wiring board including a recess on a first principal surface, in which a wall surface of the recess has an inclination angle of an upper region that is smaller than an inclination angle of a lower region; a stacked device disposed in the recess, the stacked device including an optical system and an image pickup device; and resin disposed in a gap between the recess and the stacked device.