Patent Application
20240349983
The disclosure relates to a medical diagnostic device, and more particularly to an endoscope imaging system, an endoscope apparatus, and an endoscope data transmission cable.
With improvement of technology, a requirement for image definition of endoscope imaging system becomes higher and higher, and data volume processed by an imaging head of the endoscope imaging system is larger and larger. As data inside the imaging head need to be reliably transmitted to an image processing device for processing, and then outputted to a display for displaying, a higher requirement is provided for long-distance transmission of high-speed data.
At present, a cable for the imaging head is generally 3˜6 m in clinical practice. Video acquisition of 4K definition is currently employed, while video acquisition of 8K definition or even higher will be employed in the future. Meanwhile, more than one image sensor may be provided inside the imaging head. In such high-speed case, most common cables cannot satisfy this high-speed transmission requirement, even for some cables which are capable of transmitting these high-speed signals, signal attenuation is also exceptionally large, and an interface chip is needed for processing these high-speed signals, but the reliability of these high-speed signals is still difficult to satisfy the requirement. Since a power supply, low-speed communication signals and high-speed communication signals, are included between the imaging head and the image processing device, an active cable solution can effectively solve various problems of high-speed communication between the endoscope imaging head and an imaging head host by the current cable, in combination with the cost and the manufacturability angle. The active cable refers to a communication cable for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal or converting an optical signal into an electrical signal during communication.
In a general solution, a pure cable is used between the endoscope imaging head and the image processing device for data transmission, a universal high-speed electrical connector is used to connect a cable plug and a socket of the image processing device, and the image processing device processes attenuated high-speed signals through an interface chip. The disadvantage of this solution is that high-speed signals attenuate greatly after long-distance cable transmission, making them susceptible to interference. Moreover, it is difficult to ensure a reliability of transmitting high-speed video data to the host end even through the interface chip processing. In addition, pure cables are relatively thick, heavy overall, and have poor flexibility. As the cable is connected with a handle of the imaging head, which handle is operated by the user, it seriously affects the operation experience of the user.
In some other solutions, a photo-electric composite cable is used between the endoscope imaging head and the image processing device for data transmission, a high-speed video signal is transmitted by using lenses and mirrors between the cable plug and the socket of the image processing device. The cable plug and the socket of the image processing device belong to an optical connector (optical connector solution). Then, the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal in the image processing device. Since the cable plug and the socket of the image processing device can be repeatedly plugged into and pulled out of by the user, a tolerance requirement for assembling optical components, such as lenses and mirrors, is relatively high, so that the cost of the mechanical structure is increased. In addition, the optical assembly has a dirty risk, so that the reliability of data transmission is reduced, and signal transmission errors are easily caused.
According to a first aspect of this disclosure, an embodiment of this disclosure provides an endoscope apparatus, including:
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes a power line, wherein one end of the power line is connected with a power supply of the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the power line is connected with the image processing component and the first optical module, so as to supply power to the image processing component and the first optical module.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes at least one control signal line, wherein one end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing component, so as to transmit a control electrical signal unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the image processing component and the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a plurality of electrical signal terminals; when the electrical connector is plugged to the image processing device, the plurality of electrical signal terminals are electrically connected with the image processing device, so as to transmit the second electrical signal to the image processing device, transmit the control electrical signal between the image processing component and the image processing device, and connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first-type terminal and a second-type terminal, wherein a creepage distance between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 2.5 mm, and an air gap between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 1.5 mm.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first group of terminals and a second group of terminals, the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals are arranged inside two different areas of a plugged surface of the electrical connector, and a distance between adjacent boundaries of the two different areas is greater than a minimum distance between any two adjacent terminals of the first group of terminals or of the second group of terminals; wherein the second electrical signal, which is generated by the second optical module, is transmitted to the image processing device, through at least some terminals in the first group of terminals; the power line and the control signal line are electrically connected with the image processing device through at least some terminals in the second group of terminals.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first power supply terminal which is connected with the power supply of the image processing device, so as to supply power to the second optical module; the second group of terminals include a second power supply terminal which is connected with the power line, so as to connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the second electrical signal, to a ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection; the second group of terminals include a second ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the control electrical signal, to the ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the electrical signal terminal is a wire spring pin, which is capable of being plugged to and matched with a wire spring jack of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the image processing component includes a first board-to-board connector, the data transmission cable further includes a second board-to-board connector which corresponds to the first board-to-board connector, wherein the first optical module and the image processing component are electrically connected with each other after the first board-to-board connector and the second board-to-board connector are plugged with each other.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first board-to-board connector is electrically connected with other element(s) of the image processing component through a flexible circuit board, and the first board-to-board connector is used as a free end, so as to allow the first board-to-board connector to be plugged to or unplugged from the second board-to-board connector.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first electrical signal further includes a control signal, wherein the second electrical signal further includes the control signal.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the control signal includes signal(s) from physical key(s) of the operation portion.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first optical module is further configured to respectively convert the image signal and the control signal in the first electrical signal into an optical signal, and transmit the optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the second optical module is further configured to obtain a third electrical signal from the image processing device through the electrical connector, and convert the third electrical signal into a second optical signal; the optical fibre is further configured to transmit the second optical signal to the distal end of the optical fibre; and the first optical module is further configured to obtain the second optical signal, and convert the second optical signal into a fourth electrical signal, so as to transmit the fourth electrical signal to the image processing component.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first optical module and the second optical module are further configured to respectively transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes an outer protective sleeve and a spiral tube, wherein the spiral tube is arranged between the optical fibre and the outer protective sleeve, and the spiral tube wraps around the optical fibre; the outer protective sleeve is arranged at an outermost layer, and wraps around the spiral tube and the optical fibre.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the second interface is threaded into the first interface.
According to a second aspect of this disclosure, an embodiment of this disclosure provides another endoscope apparatus, including:
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes a power line, wherein one end of the power line is connected with a power supply of the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the power line is connected with the image processing component and the first optical module, so as to supply power to the image processing component and the first optical module.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes at least one control signal line, wherein one end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing component, so as to transmit a control electrical signal unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the image processing component and the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a plurality of electrical signal terminals; when the electrical connector is plugged to the image processing device, the plurality of electrical signal terminals are electrically connected with the image processing device, so as to transmit the second electrical signal to the image processing device, transmit the control electrical signal between the image processing component and the image processing device, and connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first-type terminal and a second-type terminal, wherein a creepage distance between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 2.5 mm, and an air gap between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 1.5 mm.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first group of terminals and a second group of terminals, the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals are arranged inside two different areas of a plugged surface of the electrical connector, and a distance between adjacent boundaries of the two different areas is greater than a minimum distance between any two adjacent terminals of the first group of terminals or of the second group of terminals; wherein the second electrical signal, which is generated by the second optical module, is transmitted to the image processing device, through at least some terminals in the first group of terminals; the power line and the control signal line are electrically connected with the image processing device through at least some terminals in the second group of terminals.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first power supply terminal which is connected with the power supply of the image processing device, so as to supply power to the second optical module; the second group of terminals include a second power supply terminal which is connected with the power line, so as to connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the second electrical signal, to a ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection; the second group of terminals include a second ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the control electrical signal, to the ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the electrical signal terminal is a wire spring pin, which is capable of being plugged to and matched with a wire spring jack of the image processing device.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first electrical signal further includes a control signal, wherein the second electrical signal further includes the control signal.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the control signal includes signal(s) from physical key(s) of the operation portion.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first optical module is further configured to respectively convert the image signal and the control signal in the first electrical signal into an optical signal, and transmit the optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the second optical module is further configured to obtain a third electrical signal from the image processing device through the electrical connector, and convert the third electrical signal into a second optical signal; the optical fibre is further configured to transmit the second optical signal to the distal end of the optical fibre; and the first optical module is further configured to obtain the second optical signal, and convert the second optical signal into a fourth electrical signal, so as to transmit the fourth electrical signal to the image processing component.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the first optical module and the second optical module are further configured to respectively transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the data transmission cable further includes an outer protective sleeve and a spiral tube, wherein the spiral tube is arranged between the optical fibre and the outer protective sleeve, and the spiral tube wraps around the optical fibre; the outer protective sleeve is arranged at an outermost layer, and wraps around the spiral tube and the optical fibre.
In an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment, the second interface is threaded into the first interface.
According to a third aspect of this disclosure, an embodiment of this disclosure provides an endoscope data transmission cable, including a second interface and a first optical module which are arranged at a distal end of the endoscope data transmission cable; wherein the second interface is connected with a first interface of an operation portion of an endoscope apparatus, the first optical module is electrically connected with an image processing component of the operation portion, so as to obtain a first electrical signal from the image processing component, and convert the first electrical signal into a first optical signal; wherein the first electrical signal at least includes an image signal of a region of a patient to be observed, which signal is outputted by the image processing component;
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the endoscope data transmission cable further includes a power line, wherein one end of the power line is connected with a power supply of the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the power line is connected with the image processing component and the first optical module, so as to supply power to the image processing component and the first optical module.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the endoscope data transmission cable further includes at least one control signal line, wherein one end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing device through the electrical connector, and the other end of the control signal line is connected with the image processing component, so as to transmit a control electrical signal unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the image processing component and the image processing device.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a plurality of electrical signal terminals; when the electrical connector is plugged to the image processing device, the plurality of electrical signal terminals are electrically connected with the image processing device, so as to transmit the second electrical signal to the image processing device, transmit the control electrical signal between the image processing component and the image processing device, and connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first-type terminal and a second-type terminal, wherein a creepage distance between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 2.5 mm, and an air gap between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 1.5 mm.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals include a first group of terminals and a second group of terminals, the first group of terminals and the second group of terminals are arranged inside two different areas of a plugged surface of the electrical connector, and a distance between adjacent boundaries of the two different areas is greater than a minimum distance between any two adjacent terminals of the first group of terminals or of the second group of terminals; wherein the second electrical signal, which is generated by the second optical module, is transmitted to the image processing device, through at least some terminals in the first group of terminals; the power line and the control signal line are electrically connected with the image processing device through at least some terminals in the second group of terminals.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first power supply terminal which is connected with the power supply of the image processing device, so as to supply power to the second optical module; the second group of terminals include a second power supply terminal which is connected with the power line, so as to connect the one end of the power line to the power supply of the image processing device.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the first group of terminals include a first ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the second electrical signal, to a ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection; the second group of terminals include a second ground terminal which is configured to connect a designated part of a device, which device transmits the control electrical signal, to the ground potential at the image processing device, so as to realize ground protection.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the electrical signal terminal is a wire spring pin, which is capable of being plugged to and matched with a wire spring jack of the image processing device.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the image processing component includes a first board-to-board connector, the endoscope data transmission cable further includes a second board-to-board connector which corresponds to the first board-to-board connector, wherein the first optical module and the image processing component are electrically connected with each other after the first board-to-board connector and the second board-to-board connector are plugged with each other.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the second board-to-board connector is electrically connected with the first optical module through a flexible circuit board, and the second board-to-board connector is used as a free end, so as to allow the second board-to-board connect to be plugged to or unplugged from the first board-to-board connector.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the first electrical signal further includes a control signal, wherein the second electrical signal further includes the control signal.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the control signal includes signal(s) from physical key(s) of the operation portion.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the first optical module is further configured to respectively convert the image signal and the control signal in the first electrical signal into an optical signal, and transmit the optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the second optical module is further configured to obtain a third electrical signal from the image processing device through the electrical connector, and convert the third electrical signal into a second optical signal; the optical fibre is further configured to transmit the second optical signal to the distal end of the optical fibre; and the first optical module is further configured to obtain the second optical signal, and convert the second optical signal into a fourth electrical signal, so as to transmit the fourth electrical signal to the image processing component.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the first optical module and the second optical module are further configured to respectively transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal through the optical fibre in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the endoscope data transmission cable further includes an outer protective sleeve and a spiral tube, wherein the spiral tube is arranged between the optical fibre and the outer protective sleeve, and the spiral tube wraps around the optical fibre; the outer protective sleeve is arranged at an outermost layer, and wraps around the spiral tube and the optical fibre.
In an endoscope data transmission cable according to an embodiment, the second interface is threaded into the first interface.
According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, an embodiment of this disclosure provides an endoscope imaging system, including a light source, a light guide beam, an image processing device, and any one of the above endoscope apparatuses, wherein the light source is connected with the endoscope apparatus through the light guide beam.
In order to make technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by this disclosure clearer, this disclosure is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure.
In the following description, when referring “some embodiments,” it describe a subset of all possible embodiments, but it is understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments, and may be combined with each other without conflict.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The technical terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this disclosure only and is not intended to limit this disclosure.
The terms “first”, “second”, etc., in this disclosure are operable to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms “connection”, and “linkage” mentioned in this disclosure include direct and indirect connection (linkage), unless otherwise specified.
When requiring implementing optical transmission of an image signal, it is necessary to convert the image signal into an optical signal at an imaging head end through an electro-optic conversion module, and after the optical signal is transmitted through the optical fibre, the optical signal is converted into the electrical signal through a photo-electric conversion module for processing by the image processing device. The electro-optic conversion module and the photo-electric conversion module both have a certain volume, and the electro-optic conversion module is arranged at one end of a cable connected with the imaging head, which usually can properly share a space inside the imaging head body, or even the electro-optic conversion module is as a part of the imaging head, and is directly arranged inside the imaging head. Therefore, the design of the electro-optic conversion module on the volume of the cable head end is not greatly affected. However, the photo-electric conversion module is located at one end of the cable connected with the image processing device, and the design herein needs to take into account a size of a head end of the cable and a spatial layout of the photo-electric conversion module, which has a certain design difficulty for a person skilled in the art. This is also one of the factors why the aforementioned optical connector solution is employed. In the optical connector solution, the cable is connected with the image processing device through the optical connector, and the photo-electric conversion module is arranged inside the image processing device and has enough space for layout, so that the problem does not exist. Certainly, the optical connector solution also brings a new problem of high cost and low reliability mentioned above.
This disclosure proposes to realize “electro-optic-electric” conversion at both ends of an endoscope data transmission cable for the first time. A high-speed video signal in the cable is transmitted by using an optical fibre to ensure quality and reliability of signal transmission. Meanwhile, the electro-optic conversion module and the photo-electric conversion module are integrated at both ends of the cable, an electrical signal at the imaging head end is transmitted to the cable through the electrical connector, and is converted into an optical signal through the electro-optic conversion module, the converted optical signal is transmitted in the cable through the optical fibre, and the converted optical signal is further converted into the electrical signal through the photo-electric conversion module at an end of the cable, which end is connected with the image processing device, and then transmitted to an interior of the image processing device through the electrical connector.
In the embodiments of this disclosure, the image signal, as a high-speed signal, employs optical fibre transmission, and electro-optic-electric conversion is realized on the data transmission cable, in such a way, long-distance communication is supported, and meanwhile, a signal quality transmitted to the image processing device is ensured, and the optical fibre can also reduce its diameter and weight, thus improving a hand feeling of the user.
The photo-electric conversion module and the electro-optic conversion module are respectively integrated at two ends of the data transmission cable, so that special requirements, such as part tolerance and lens cleanliness when the photo-electric conversion module is integrated at the end of the image processing device, are avoided, the cost is reduced, while the signal quality is ensured and the reliability is improved.
As shown in
The image processing device 50 is connected with the endoscope imaging head 40 through the data transmission cable 71, and an image signal generated by the endoscope imaging head 40 is transmitted to the image processing device 50 through the data transmission cable 71 for processing.
In an embodiment, the endoscope imaging head 40 converts an image signal (electrical signal) into an optical signal and transmits the converted optical signal to the image processing device 50 by the data transmission cable 71, and the image processing device 50 converts the converted optical signal into the electrical signal (the image signal). In another embodiment, one end of the data transmission cable 71, which end is connected with the imaging head 40, is provided with an electro-optic conversion module for converting the image signal into an optical signal; and one end of the signal transmission cable 71, which end is connected with the image processing device 50 is provided with a photo-electric conversion module for converting the transmitted optical signal back into the electrical signal and transmitting same to the image processing device 50
The image processing device 50 is connected with a display 60 through the video connection line 72 for transmitting the image signal to the display 60 for displaying. In some embodiments, the data transmission cable 71 may be an optical communication cable, such as an optical fibre; in another embodiment, the data transmission cable 71 may also be a photo-electric composite communication cable.
In an embodiment, the endoscope 30 may be an optical hard endoscope, and the imaging head 40 is provided with one or more image sensors for converting an image light transmitted by the optical hard endoscope into an image signal. The optical hard endoscope is in connection with the imaging head 40 through a snap-fit structure, which connection is capable of being disconnected.
In another embodiment, the endoscope 30 is also a hard endoscope, but the image sensor is arranged at a head end of the endoscope 30, which end is inserted into the patient 100, the image sensor converts the image light acquired by the head end of the endoscope 30 into an image signal and then transmits the image signal to the imaging head 40, and the imaging head 40 is internally provided with an image processing component for processing the image signal. The endoscope 30 is integrated with the imaging head 40, and the endoscope 30 and the imaging head 40 are not detachable during operation. Typical 3D hard endoscope is of this configuration.
In another embodiment, the endoscope 30 may be a flexible structure, the image sensor is arranged at a head end of the endoscope 30, which end is inserted into the patient 100, the image sensor converts the image light acquired by the head end of the endoscope 30 into an image signal and then transmits the image signal to the imaging head 40, and the imaging head 40 is internally provided with an image processing component for processing the image signal. The endoscope 30 is integrated with the imaging head 40, and the endoscope 30 and the imaging head 40 are not detachable during operation. Typical electron soft endoscope is of this configuration.
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that,
Referring to
The operation portion 40 is also referred to as an imaging head (i.e., 40 in
The data transmission cable 71 includes a second interface 202 and a first optical module 203 which are arranged at a distal end of the data transmission cable 71; wherein the second interface 202 is connected with the first interface 201; the first optical module 203 is electrically connected with the image processing component 80, and is configured to obtain a first electrical signal from the image processing component 80, and convert the first electrical signal into a first optical signal; wherein the first electrical signal includes at least an image signal.
In this embodiment of this disclosure, “a proximal end” and “a distal end” referred in the endoscope imaging system, means what, an end of a component, which end is away from the image processing device 50, is a distal end of said component, and an end of said component, which end is close to the image processing device 50, is a proximal end of said component.
The data transmission cable 71 further includes at least one optical fibre 204, wherein a distal end of the optical fibre 204 is connected with the first optical module 203, wherein the optical fibre 204 is configured to transmit the first optical signal generated by the first optical module 203 to a proximal end of the optical fibre 204.
The data transmission cable 71 further includes an electrical connector 205 and a second optical module 206 which are arranged at a proximal end of the data transmission cable 71, the second optical module 206 is connected with the proximal end of the optical fibre 204 for obtaining a first optical signal transmitted by the optical fibre 204 and converting the first optical signal into a second electrical signal; wherein the second electrical signal includes at least an image signal. The electrical connector 205 is configured to be pluggable to the image processing device 50, so as to transmit the second electrical signal to the image processing device 50. In this embodiment, the electrical connector 205 is pluggable to the outside of the image processing device 50.
In this embodiment, the first optical module 203 may include an electro-optic conversion module, which is configured to convert an electrical signal into an optical signal, so as to perform optical transmission of a signal through the optical fibre 204; the second optical module 206 may include a photo-electric conversion module, which is configured to convert an optical signal transmitted by the optical fibre 204 into an electrical signal, so as to transmit the electrical signal to the image processing device 50 through the electrical connector 205.
In this embodiment of this disclosure, the first optical module 203 and the second optical module 206 are respectively arranged at both ends of the data transmission cable 71, so that optical transmission of the endoscope image signal may be implemented, and a specific solution is provided for high-speed transmission of a large data volume. The electrical connector 205 is pluggable to the image processing device 50, such that the operation portion and the data transmission cable are ensured to be cleaned and disinfected together after being unplugged. In addition, the data transmission cable 71 is connected with the image processing device 50 through the electrical connector 205, which avoids the problems of complex manufacturing process and low data transmission reliability, when an optical connector is used for connection.
In an embodiment, the data transmission cable 71 further includes a power line 210, one end of the power line 210 is connected with a power supply of the image processing device 50 through the electrical connector 205, and the other end of the power line 210 is connected with the image processing component 80 and the first optical module 203, so as to supply electric power to the image processing component 80 and the first optical module 203.
In an embodiment, the data transmission cable 71 further includes at least one control signal line 210 (in
In this embodiment, the control signal includes signal(s) from physical key(s) of the operation portion 40, for example, control signal(s) of key(s) for such as brightness adjustment and focusing adjustment of the endoscope image. In some embodiments, the control signal line 210 needs to implement bidirectional transmission of the control electrical signal, for example, to transmit some control signals in the image processing device 50 to the operation portion 40, wherein these control signals may include, for example, a driving signal for focusing, which adjusts optical lens in the operation portion 40 to focus the endoscope image.
With reference to
In an embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
An electrical signal terminal is in contact connection with a terminal in the image processing device by using an elastic metal member (including but not limited to a hyperboloid wire spring, a through spring and other structures), which is higher in reliability, lower in processing difficulty and controllable in cost.
The applicant of this disclosure filed on Dec. 31, 2021, an International Patent Application with an application No. PCT/CN2021/143064, describing an electrical connector for an endoscope imaging system, which adopts a solution of a wire spring pin and a wire spring jack, so as to improve the reliability of the electrical connector, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, through claiming priority.
In an embodiment, a hole of the jack is further provided with a prismatic structure shown in
In an embodiment, the plurality of electrical signal terminals 208 include a first-type terminal and a second-type terminal, a creepage distance between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 2.5 mm, and an air gap between the first-type terminal and the second-type terminal is not less than 1.5 mm. In this embodiment, the first-type terminal includes a connection terminal of a signal (for example, an image signal), which signal is in optical transmission inside the data transmission cable 71, and the second-type terminal includes a connection terminal of a signal (for example, a control signal), which signal is in electrical transmission inside the data transmission cable 71. Since the signal in optical transmission is usually a high-speed signal with a large data volume, and the signal in electrical transmission is usually a low-speed signal, the electrical signal terminals corresponding to the two types of signals are distinguished, and the creepage distance and the air gap between the two types of terminals are limited, so as to realize electrical isolation of the two types of signals and avoid interference.
As shown in
In an embodiment, in addition to the terminal for transmitting the image signal, the first group of terminals 213 further includes a first power supply terminal 2131 for connecting the power supply of the image processing device 50, so as to supply power to the second optical module 206; the second group of terminals 214 further includes a second power supply terminal 2141 for connecting the power line 210, so as to connect one end of the power line 210 to the power supply of the image processing device 50.
In an embodiment, the first group of terminals 213 further includes a first grounding terminal 2132 for connecting a designated part of a device, which device transmits the second electrical signal, to a ground potential at the image processing device 50, so as to realize protective grounding. For example, the device, which transmits the second electrical signal, includes an associated circuit board, and the first grounding terminal 2132 is configured to connect GND on said circuit board to the ground potential at the image processing device 50. The second group of terminals 214 further includes a second ground terminal 2142 for connecting a designated part of a device, which device transmits the control electrical signal, to the ground potential at the image processing device 50, so as to realize protective grounding. For example, the device, which transmits the control electrical signal includes an associated circuit board, and the second ground terminal 2142 is configured to connect GND on said circuit board to the ground potential at the image processing device 50.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the first board-to-board connector 215 is electrically connected with other component(s) of the image processing component 80 through a flexible circuit board 217, and the first board-to-board connector 215 is used as a free end, so as to enable the first board-to-board connector 215 to be plugged to or unplugged from the second board-to-board connector 216. Generally, the operation portion 40 and the data transmission cable 71 are two separate components during production and assembly, and the two components need to be assembled through the first interface 201 and the second interface 202, and the first board-to-board connector 215 is connected with the image processing component 80 through the flexible circuit board 217, and serves as a free end, which may be more convenient to assemble.
In another embodiment, the second board-to-board connector 216 is electrically connected with the first optical module 203 through a flexible circuit board, and the second board-to-board connector 216 serves as a free end, so as to allow the second board-to-board connector 216 to be plugged to or unplugged from the first board-to-board connector 215.
It can be seen that one or both of the first board-to-board connector 215 and the second board-to-board connector 216 is (are) used as free end(s), and this may be selected according to actual requirements. As long as one of them is guaranteed as a free end, the purpose of convenient assembly can be achieved.
In an embodiment, the first electrical signal further includes a control signal, and the second electrical signal further includes a control signal. In this embodiment, the control signal may also include signal(s) from physical key(s) of the operation portion 40, and these control signals are transmitted to the image processing device 50 in an optical transmission manner through the optical fibre 204. In some embodiments, the control signal may all be in an optical transmission manner, or may all be in an electrical transmission manner, or may be partially in an optical transmission manner and partially in an electrical transmission manner.
In an embodiment, the first optical module 203 is further configured to respectively convert the image signal and the control signal in the first electrical signal into an optical signal, and transmit the optical signal through the optical fibre 204 in a time-division or frequency-division manner. Because the image signal and the control signal belong to two different types of signals, in order to distinguish the two types of signals in the optical transmission process and avoid mutual interference, the two types of signals may be transmitted in a time-division or frequency-division manner. Of course, in another embodiment, the two types of signals can be fused and transmitted together without separate transmission in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
In an embodiment, the second optical module 206 is further configured to obtain a third electrical signal from the image processing device 50 through the electrical connector 205, and convert the third electrical signal into a second optical signal; the optical fibre 204 is further configured to transmit the second optical signal to a distal end of the optical fibre 204; the first optical module 203 is further configured to obtain a second optical signal, and convert the second optical signal into a fourth electrical signal, and transmit the fourth electrical signal to the image processing component 80. In this embodiment, the first optical module 203 further includes a photo-electric conversion module, and the second optical module 206 further includes an electro-optic conversion module. In this embodiment, the data transmission cable 71 may implement bidirectional optical transmission of signals between the image processing component 80 and the image processing device 50.
In an embodiment, in order to distinguish bidirectional optical signals in the optical transmission process and avoid mutual interference, the first optical module 203 and the second optical module 206 are configured to respectively transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal through the optical fibre 204 in a time-division or frequency-division manner.
As shown in
In an embodiment, the power line and the control signal line 210 may be arranged outside the spiral tube 219.
The applicant of this disclosure filed on Dec. 31, 2021, a Chinese patent application with an application No. 202111672585.8, describing a data transmission cable for an endoscope imaging system, which adopts a protection structure of a spiral tube to provide a high-reliability cable, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, through claiming priority.
In an embodiment, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some other embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
Referring also to
The endoscope data transmission cable 71 further includes at least one optical fibre 204, and a distal end of the optical fibre 204 is connected with the first optical module 203, wherein the optical fibre 204 is configured to transmit the first optical signal which is generated by the first optical module 203 to a proximal end of the optical fibre 204.
The endoscope data transmission cable 71 further includes an electrical connector 205 and a second optical module 206, which are arranged at a proximal end of the endoscope data transmission cable 71; wherein the second optical module 206 is connected with the proximal end of the optical fibre 204, and is configured to obtain the first optical signal transmitted by the optical fibre 204 and convert the first optical signal into a second electrical signal; the second electrical signal includes at least the image signal; the electrical connector 205 is configured to be pluggable to an image processing device 50, so as to transmit the second electrical signal to the image processing device 50.
In these embodiments, the structure and working principle of the data transmission cable 71 are the same as those of
The above are only preferred embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure, and any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principle of this disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2021/143064 | Dec 2021 | WO | international |
| 202111672585.8 | Dec 2021 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2022/128815, filed on Oct. 31, 2022, which is based on and claims priority to and benefits of Chinese Patent Application No. 202111672585.8, filed on Dec. 31, 2021, and International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2021/143064, filed on Dec. 30, 2021. The entire content of all of the above-referenced applications is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2022/128815 | Oct 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18759382 | US |
