Video Endoscope Sensor Assembly with Folded Circuit Board
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video endoscopes face challenges in minimizing cross-sectional dimensions while maintaining a short overall length, particularly in flexible endoscopes, where the rigid assembly area restricts flexibility, and existing solutions do not efficiently accommodate both rigid and flexible designs cost-effectively.
Innovation Solution
A compact assembly featuring an image-recording sensor on a flexible circuit board with conductive connections to cables, using thin-film technology, where the circuit board is bent to create a layered structure with integrated wiring and contacts on one side, allowing for a slim and cost-effective design suitable for both rigid and flexible endoscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the image sensor is arranged on a flexible circuit board bent multiple times, then the cross-sectional dimensions are reduced, but the overall length in the distal end area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transitioning from a planar circuit board layout to a three-dimensional folded structure. The flexible circuit board is bent into multiple layers, stacking electronic components vertically rather than spreading them horizontally. This layered arrangement reduces the cross-sectional footprint while maintaining component connectivity through vertical vias and conductive paths, effectively trading horizontal space for vertical arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing electronic components within the folded layers of the flexible circuit board. The circuit board is bent such that certain components are positioned on different layers, with upper layers nested over lower layers. This nested configuration allows multiple components to occupy a compact vertical space, reducing the overall cross-sectional dimensions of the distal end assembly.
2Area of stationary object
If the diameter of the endoscope is reduced, then the cross-sectional dimensions are minimized, but the overall length in the distal end area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit board is configured to fold into multiple vertical layers, transforming a horizontal layout into a vertical stack. This dimensional transformation allows the assembly to fit within a smaller cross-sectional diameter while accommodating the necessary circuit trace lengths and component placements through the vertical z-axis, thereby reducing the radial footprint without proportionally increasing the axial length.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a flexible thin-film circuit board that can be bent and folded into compact configurations. This flexible substrate allows the circuit board to conform to the reduced diameter constraints of the endoscope, enabling tight folding and layering that minimizes the cross-sectional dimensions while maintaining electrical connectivity through the folded structure.
3Reliability
If contacts are arranged on both sides of the circuit board, then connectivity is improved, but the assembly complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of both-sided contacts into a single-sided contact architecture. The flexible circuit board is folded such that contact pads on one side of the board establish electrical connections for signals that would traditionally require contacts on both sides. This merging of contact functions into a single side simplifies the assembly process, reduces production complexity, and lowers costs while maintaining full electrical connectivity through the folded board geometry.
Data Source
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Figure 5~7
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly for a video endoscope comprising an image-capturing sensor (9) which is electrically conductively arranged on a flexible circuit board (8) which is bent at least on one side next to the sensor (9) and is conductively connected to at least one electrical cable on the proximal side of the sensor (9). (Fig. 7)