Endoscope

{
  "publication_number": "US9829698B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Endoscope",
  "abstract": "An endoscope includes a single lens that has a square exterior shape in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis, an image sensor that has an square exterior shape which is same as the exterior shape of the single lens, in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis, a sensor cover that has an exterior shape which is same as the exterior shape of the single lens, in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis; and a bonding resin portion that fixes the sensor cover to the single lens, The single lens is a lens which is formed in a prismatic shape. The single lens has first surface on an imaging subject side that has a plane, and has second surface on an imaging side that has a convex surface.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An endoscope, comprising: a single lens that has a square exterior shape in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis; an image sensor that has an square exterior shape which is same as the exterior shape of the single lens, in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis; a sensor cover that covers an imaging area of the image sensor, and has an exterior shape which is same as the exterior shape of the single lens, in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis; and a bonding resin portion that fixes the sensor cover to the single lens, the optical axis of the single lens coinciding with a center of the imaging area, wherein the single lens is a lens which is formed in a prismatic shape, and whose first surface on an imaging subject side has a plane and whose second surface on an imaging side has a convex surface; wherein a central portion of the single lens has a convex curved surface which protrudes in a substantially spherical shape configuring a lens surface of the convex surface on the imaging side; and wherein a peripheral edge portion of the single lens has a planar end surface, and has a bonding plane with the sensor cover over an entire area of the planar end surface.",
    "2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bonding plane has an exterior peripheral portion which has a square shape and an inner peripheral portion which has a substantially square shape whose corners are rounded.",
    "3. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the bonding plane has an inclined portion which is tapered so as to be inclined in a direction from the inner peripheral portion to the exterior peripheral portion of the peripheral edge portion.",
    "4. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bonding plane has an exterior peripheral portion which has a square shape and an inner peripheral portion which has a circular shape concentric with the convex curved surface having a circular dome shape.",
    "5. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein an exterior peripheral portion of the convex curved surface having a circular dome shape has a barrel shape in which four circumferential portions corresponding to four sides of the square exterior shape of the single lens are partially notched.",
    "6. The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein from the exterior peripheral portion of the convex curved surface to the inner peripheral portion of the bonding plane, the single lens has an inclined plane extending from a center of the single lens toward an exterior periphery of the single lens; and wherein an angle of the inclined plane is 60°≦θA≦90°, in case that the angle of the inclined plane is defined as an angle of an opening being set to θA when viewed from the center of the single lens.",
    "7. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the bonding plane has a bonding width of 50 μm.",
    "8. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the image sensor has one side whose length is 0.5 mm.",
    "9. An endoscope, comprising: an image sensor that is disposed in a distal portion of an insertion portion, and whose imaging area is covered with a sensor cover; a single lens that has a square exterior shape in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis; and a bonding resin portion that fixes the single lens and the sensor cover, wherein the single lens is a lens which is formed in a prismatic shape, and whose first surface on an imaging subject side has a plane and whose second surface on an imaging side has a convex surface; wherein a central portion of the single lens has a convex curved surface which protrudes in a substantially spherical shape configuring a lens surface of the convex surface on the imaging side; wherein a peripheral edge portion of the single lens has a planar end surface, and has a bonding plane with the sensor cover over an entire area of the planar end surface; and wherein the peripheral edge portion of the single lens has an inclined portion which is tapered so as to be inclined from the planar end surface to the lens surface of the convex surface."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Technical Field\n\nThe present invention relates to an endoscope.\n\n2. Description of the Related Art\n\nIn the related art, an endoscope for imaging an internal state of a patient's body, and an interior of a device or a structure has been widely used in a medical field or an industrial field. In the endoscope of this type, in an insertion part inserted into an observation target, light from an imaging site is received by an objective lens system so as to form an image on a light-receiving surface of an image sensor. The endoscope converts imaging forming light into an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal as a video signal to an external image processing apparatus via a signal cable.\n\nFor example, as for the endoscope used in the medical field, in order to reduce the burden of a surgical target person, it is important to further reduce an exterior diameter of the insertion part on a distal side inserted into a body of the surgical target person. In the related art, an oral endoscope with a normal diameter has the maximum exterior diameter of approximately 8 to 9 mm. Therefore, in some cases, the oral endoscope is likely to touch a tongue's root when being inserted, thereby causing the surgical target person to suffer nausea or a feeling of dyspnea. Therefore, in recent years, a small-diameter nasal endoscope has been rapidly and widely used. The small-diameter nasal endoscope has the maximum exterior diameter of approximately 5 to 6 mm, which is approximately half the maximum exterior diameter of the oral endoscope in the related art.",
  "cpc": [
    "G02B 23/243",
    "A61B 1/00018",
    "A61B 1/00071",
    "A61B 1/00096",
    "A61B 1/0011",
    "A61B 1/00112",
    "A61B 1/00163",
    "A61B 1/05",
    "A61B 1/051",
    "A61B 1/0607",
    "A61B 1/0676",
    "A61B 1/0684",
    "A61B 1/07",
    "A61B 1/307",
    "G02B 23/2469",
    "G02B 23/2476",
    "G02B 23/2484",
    "H04N 2005/2255",
    "H04N 23/54",
    "H04N 23/555",
    "H04N 5/2253"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61B 1/06",
    "H04N 5/225",
    "A61B 1/00",
    "A61B 1/05",
    "A61B 1/07",
    "G02B 23/24"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Panasonic Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Naoyuki Haraguchi",
    "Takafumi SANADA",
    "Yasuyuki Hanada",
    "Yuichi HATASE"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-08-18",
  "publication_date": "2017-11-28",
  "grant_date": "2017-11-28",
  "priority_date": "2015-08-31",
  "application_number": "US-201615240706-A",
  "family_id": "58011510",
  "cited_by_count": 1019,
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}