Folded Flexible Substrate for Endoscope Image Pickup Miniaturization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image pickup apparatuses with solid-state image pickup devices and electronic components mounted on substrates face challenges in minimizing the outer diameter of the distal end portion of endoscopes to alleviate patient discomfort while maintaining high-density and downsized design.
Innovation Solution
The use of a flexible substrate with segmented functional regions, including an image pickup device mounting region, electronic component mounting regions, and wiring regions, which are folded to fit within the projected area of the image pickup device mounting region, allowing for a truncated square pyramid shape configuration that reduces the length and increases the density of components, thereby minimizing the outer diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If electronic components are mounted on a flat substrate, then the mounting area is simple and easy to manufacture, but the outer diameter of the distal end portion increases causing patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is folded such that electronic component mounting regions are nested within the projected area of the image pickup device mounting region. Multiple functional regions are stacked in layers, with each layer containing mounting regions that fit within the projection of layers above or below, creating a compact three-dimensional structure that reduces the outer diameter while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional flat substrate layout to a three-dimensional folded structure. By introducing vertical stacking through folding, the substrate utilizes the third dimension (height/depth) to accommodate electronic components, thereby reducing the horizontal footprint and outer diameter of the distal end portion
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the substrate size is reduced to decrease outer diameter, then patient comfort improves, but the mounting area for high-density components becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional regions including image pickup device mounting regions and electronic component mounting regions are arranged in stacked layers. Each mounting region is positioned such that its projection falls within the area of regions in adjacent layers, effectively multiplying the usable mounting area within a compact horizontal footprint, thus providing sufficient mounting area while maintaining a small outer diameter
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate utilizes vertical stacking to increase the effective mounting area. By folding the substrate to create multiple layers, the invention transforms limited two-dimensional space into expanded three-dimensional space, allowing more components to be mounted without increasing the horizontal outer diameter
3Object-affected harmful factors
If components are folded and stacked to reduce outer diameter, then the distal end portion size decreases, but the wiring complexity between stacked regions increases
Solution Approach 1:
Wiring regions are merged with functional regions in the folded substrate structure. Conductors are integrated into the substrate layers themselves, with wiring regions positioned adjacent to the functional regions they serve. This integration reduces the need for separate complex inter-layer connections and simplifies the overall wiring architecture while maintaining compact folded dimensions
Data Source
AI summary
An image pickup apparatus includes a flexible substrate, the flexible substrate includes a plurality of functional regions segmented by bending portions, one of the functional regions is an image pickup device mounting region, one of the functional regions is at least two electronic component mounting regions folded at the bending portions, and one of the functional regions is at least one wiring region provided between the adjacent mounting regions of the flexible substrate, the image pickup device mounting region has a largest surface shape among the plurality of functional regions, and the plurality of functional regions decrease in length of each of at least paired opposing sides of each surface shape, in a stepwise manner as a distance from the image pickup device mounting region increases.