IP Library Granted Patent US 10,401,612
Granted Patent B2
US 10,401,612 · App. 14/953,941 · Granted Sep 3, 2019

Endoscope

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,401,612
App. No.
14/953,941
Granted
Sep 3, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An endoscope includes a mounting and detaching section, terminals that, when an adapter is mounted on an outer circumference, come into contact with an identification resistor provided in the adapter and having different resistance values for each of adapters, a lead wire that energizes the identification resistor via the terminals, and a flexible board electrically connected to the terminals in the mounting and detaching section and electrically connected to a distal end of the lead wire in a position behind the mounting and detaching section.

Claims (28)

1. An endoscope in which two or more kinds of adapters are individually detachably attachable to a distal end portion located at a distal end in an inserting direction of an insertion section, the endoscope comprising:

a mounting and detaching section located on the distal end side in the inserting direction in the distal end portion, a connecting section of the adapter being detachably mountable on an outer circumference of the mounting and detaching section and a diameter of the mounting and detaching section being smaller than a diameter of another part of the distal end portion;

a terminal provided to be exposed on a distal end face of the distal end in the inserting direction in the distal end portion in the mounting and detaching section, when the adapter is mounted on the outer circumference of the mounting and detaching section, the terminal coming into contact with an identification resistor provided in the adapter and having different resistance values for each of the adapters;

a lead wire inserted through the insertion section, the lead wire energizing the identification resistor via the terminal;

a flexible board inserted through at least the mounting and detaching section, the flexible board being electrically connected to the terminal in the mounting and detaching section and electrically connected to a distal end in the inserting direction of the lead wire in a position behind the mounting and detaching section in the inserting direction;

an objective lens exposed on the distal end face;

a light guide exposed on the distal end face, the light guide configured to supply illumination light to the adapters,

wherein the terminal comprises an anode terminal and a cathode terminal, and when a straight line connecting the anode terminal and the cathode terminal is considered as a border in a plan view of the distal end face, the objective lens is provided so that a center of the objective lens is arranged on a first side of the distal end face with respect to the straight line and the light guide is provided so that a center of the light guide is arranged on a second side, the second side opposite of the straight line as compared to the first side.

2. The endoscope according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first frame provided in the distal end portion, the first frame holding a first objective optical system; and

a second frame provided in the distal end portion, the second frame holding a second objective optical system located behind the first objective optical system in the inserting direction and a part of an outer circumference of the second frame being fixed to an inner circumference of the first frame, wherein

in the mounting and detaching section, the terminal and a distal end in the inserting direction of the flexible board are electrically connected and the flexible board is inserted through a gap between the outer circumference of the second frame and the inner circumference of the first frame.

3. The endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein the gap comprises at least one of a cutout formed on the outer circumferential face of the second frame inwardly toward an inner circumference of the second frame and a cutout formed on the inner circumferential face of the first frame outwardly toward an outer circumference of the first frame.

4. The endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein the gap comprises at least one of a cutout formed on an outer circumferential face of the second frame inwardly toward an inner circumference of the second frame with respect to a position where the first frame and the second frame are fitted and fixed to each other, and a cutout formed on an inner circumferential face of the first frame outwardly toward an outer circumference of the first frame with respect to the position where the first frame and the second frame are fitted and fixed to each other.

5. The endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein the flexible board comprises a gap passing section that passes the gap, and a terminal connecting section connected to a distal end side of the gap passing section in the inserting direction and electrically connected to the terminal.

6. The endoscope according to claim 5 , wherein the terminal connecting section is bent from a distal end of the gap passing section toward the inner circumference of the first frame, and formed in a semicircular shape.

7. The endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein a cutout through which the flexible board passes is formed on an outer circumferential face of the second frame on a proximal side with respect to a position where the first frame and the second frame and fitted and fixed to each other.

8. The endoscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a first frame provided in the distal end portion, the first frame holding a first objective optical system and holding a light guide for supplying illumination light to the adapter, wherein

in the mounting and detaching section, the flexible board is inserted through a light guide holding hole formed in the first frame and through which the light guide is inserted along the inserting direction.

9. The endoscope according to claim 8 , wherein

a distal end side in the inserting direction of the flexible board is fixed to the distal end face of the distal end portion by being bent in front of the light guide holding hole in the inserting direction, and

the terminal is electrically connected to a part of the flexible board fixed to the distal end face.

10. The endoscope according to claim 8 , wherein

the terminal is provided in the light guide holding hole in the mounting and detaching section, and

in the light guide holding hole, the terminal and a distal end in the inserting direction of the flexible board are electrically connected.

11. The endoscope according to according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured from an anode terminal electrically connected to an anode side of the identification resistor and a cathode terminal electrically connected to a cathode side of the identification resistor.

12. The endoscope according to according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible board is an arc shape that is configured to extend about a portion of an outer circumferential edge of the objective lens on the first side.

13. The endoscope according to according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the straight line overlaps a portion of the objective lens in the plan view of the distal end face.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 25, 2023
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: EVIDENT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062492/0267 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jul 3, 2017
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043077/0165 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2015
From: INADA, AYUMU
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 037166/0927 →