Patent Publication Number: US-2023161148-A1

Title: Easy-to-assemble endoscope lens unit

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present invention is related to the technology of assembling endoscope lens components in an endoscope device, and more particularly to a convenient arrangement of endoscope lens components in an endoscope lens unit. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     U.S. Pat. No. 15,252,685 discloses a three-dimensional endoscope used for a human body. The interior of the endoscope includes a plate body for fixing an image lens and projection lens. In particular, an optical axis of the projection lens is required to be set in parallel, and fixing the two lenses within the plate body can lead to a problem in that the optical axes of the two lenses are not aligned in parallel during the assembly. Also, a jig is generally required to assist with the installation. However, since the endoscope is a structure having a very small internal space regardless of whether the jig is used during the assembly, the installation for the three-dimensional endoscope can be difficult. In addition, such disclosed structure not only encounters the one problem of parallelism in optical axis, but also has another problem of determining whether the imaging or projection focal lengths of the two lenses are consistent. During assembly, the optical axis parallelism and focal lengths of the two lenses must be the same, and therefore the patented structure is very difficult to install. 
     The issue described above typifies the problem encountered in a conventional technology in that there is no effective or convenient way of assembling the lens and base components within the endoscope. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a convenient structure for endoscopic lens components to allow for an easy assembly, which has the effect of simple installation as well as solving the aforementioned problems encountered in the conventional technology. 
     Another object of the present disclosure is to conveniently place the projection lens and the optical axis of the pickup lens in substantially parallel with one another without having to use any jig, and to easily adjust the focal length, which again has the effect of simple installation. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present disclosure uses an easy-to-assemble endoscope lens unit installed in a head tube of an endoscope device, the endoscopic lens unit comprising a base having two extended holes running through front and rear ends of the base, each of the two extended holes having an axis, the axes of the two extended holes being substantially parallel with each other, and each of the extended holes having an axis length that is greater than a radius length of each extended hole; a camera lens accommodated in one of the extended holes, and a front portion of the camera lens is exposed to the base; a projection lens, accommodated in the other extended hole, with a front portion of the projection lens exposed to the base, the projection lens being used to project a projectile and display a predetermined pattern on the projectile; and an adhesive affixed to the base and at least one of the camera lens and the projection lens. 
     With the above technical features, the disclosure can solve the aforementioned problem, which has the effect of easy adjustment of focus and easy installation by the use of extended holes and adhesives that are substantially parallel to each other in the base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to illustrate the technical features of the present disclosure in detail, exemplary embodiments are illustrated with drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view illustrating an endoscopic lens unit assembled in a head tube according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the endoscopic lens unit according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the endoscopic lens unit according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view of a section along the  4 - 4  line of  FIG.  2    according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is an illustrated cross-sectional view according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is another illustrated cross-sectional view according to the first preferred embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of a section along the  7 - 7  line of  FIG.  1    according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view showing the endoscopic lens unit in operation according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of the endoscopic lens unit according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  10    is an exploded view of the endoscopic lens unit according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view of a section along the  11 - 11  line of  FIG.  9    according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  12    is an illustrated cross-sectional view according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     In order to illustrate the technical features of the present disclosure in detail, the following exemplary embodiments are cited and illustrated with accompanying drawings, among others. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  to  7   , the first preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is a conveniently assembled endoscopic lens unit  10  installed in a head tube  61  of an endoscope device. The endoscopic lens unit includes a base  11 , a camera lens  21 , a projection lens  31 , and an adhesive  41 . 
     Other parts of the endoscope device are generally known and can be directly understood by those skilled in the art. As such, these other parts of the endoscope device connected to the head tube  61  of the insertion tube are not discussed or shown. 
     The base  11  has two extended holes  111  as shown, e.g., in  FIG.  5   . Each of the two extended holes  111  has an extended axis, which has an axis length that is greater than the extended hole&#39;s radius length, and the two extended holes  111  are substantially parallel to each other. The concept of each extended hole  111  having the extended axis is understood by those skilled in the art, and therefore not further discussed or illustrated. 
     On one hand, the camera lens  21  is accommodated in one extended hole  111  at the front end of the base  11 , and the front part of the camera lens  21  is exposed at the base  11 . On the other hand, the projection lens  31  is accommodated in the other extended hole  111 , and used to project a projectile  71  and display a predetermined pattern  81  on the projectile  71 . The adhesive  41  is applied to the base  11  and affixed to the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31 . Specifically, the adhesive  41  is used to bind both the camera lens  21  and the projection lens  31  to the base  11 . 
     In the first exemplary embodiment, the base  11  has a pair of optical fiber fixing slots  112  on opposing sides for securing a pair of optical fibers  51 , respectively. The adhesive  41  in the first exemplary embodiment is a transparent curing gel, such as a transparent resin, applied to the base  11 , camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  within the head tube  61 . The application of the adhesive  41  at the front of the base  11  allows the adhesive  41  to serve as a protective layer and achieve a protective effect for the base  11  and the two optical fibers  51 . Since the adhesive  41  is transparent, light emitted from the two optical fibers  51  can pass through to provide illumination. 
     The above described the structure of the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Next, the achievable effect from the structure of the first exemplary embodiment is illustrated. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , both the camera lens  21  and the projection lens  31  are respectively installed in the two extended holes  111  of the base  11 , and the axis length of each extended hole  111  is larger than its radius length. After the installation of the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  into the two extended holes  111 , they are constrained by the walls of the two extended holes  111  so that the camera lens  21  and the projection lens are substantially in parallel to one another. In this way, a photo axis parallel effect can be practically achieved after the installation. In addition, one of the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  is first affixed using the adhesive  41 , followed by adjusting the depth of the other one of the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  in the extended hole  111  to attain the same focal length, and then affixing the adjusted camera lens or projection lens  31  using the adhesive  41  to complete the assembly. In this way, the optical axes of the camera lens  21  and the projection lens  31  are parallel to each other, while the focal length for each is the same. The structure of the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  is not of a technical focus in the present disclosure, and therefore not particularly discussed or illustrated. 
     The present disclosure as discussed above allows for a more convenient and easy assembly as compared to the conventional technology, and at the same time resolves the issues encountered in the conventional technology. In addition, the present disclosure allows the camera lens  21  and projection lens  31  to be substantially in parallel without the use of any jig, provides an easy adjustment of the focal length, and achieves the effect of convenient installation. 
     It should be added that, in the first exemplary embodiment (as shown in  FIGS.  7  and  8   ), the bottom end of the camera lens  21  is provided with a circuit board  73 , and the bottom end of the projection lens  31  is provided with a pattern board  72  and a projection light source  82 . The light projected by the projection light source  82  can be a monochromatic light or white light source. In the first exemplary embodiment, a green light source is exemplarily utilized and projected by the projection light source  82  in order to pass the pattern board  72  and projection lens  31  so that a predetermined pattern  81  can be illustrated on the surface of the projectile  71 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  9  to  12   , a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure for a conveniently assembled endoscopic lens arrangement  10 ′ is presented. The differences between the conveniently assembled endoscopic lens arrangement  10 ′ of the second exemplary embodiment and the conveniently assembled endoscopic lens arrangement  10  of the first exemplary embodiment are described below. 
     In the second exemplary embodiment, one of the two extended holes  111 ′ is provided with a female thread  113 ′ in the wall of the extended hole  111 ′ for accommodating the projection lens  31 ′. The camera lens  21 ′ and projection lens  31 ′ are both substantially cylindrical, with the projection lens  31 ′ having a portion that includes a male thread  311 ′ on the cylindrical surface. When the projection lens  31 ′ is accommodated in the extended hole  111 ′ with the female thread  113 ′, the projection lens  31 ′ can be fastened onto the female thread  113 ′, whereby the depth of the projection lens  31 ′ in the extended hole  111  with the female thread  113 ′ can be adjusted by rotating the projection lens  31 ′. Additionally, the focal length of the projection lens  31 ′ can be adjusted by rotating the projection lens  31 ′, thereby achieving the same focal length between the camera lens  21 ′ and the projection lens  31 ′. After the completion of the adjustment, the adhesive  41 ′ is applied to the base  11 ′. In the second exemplary embodiment, only the projection lens  31 ′ is shown as having the male thread  311 ′. However, the male thread  311 ′ is not limited to the projection lens  31 ′ since the thread  311 ′ can also be added to the camera lens  21 ′, and the female thread  113 ′ can be added to the other extended hole  111 ′ as needed. 
     In addition, the second exemplary embodiment further includes a positioning plate  91 ′, which is disposed in a head tube  61 ′ at the front of a base  11 ′. The positioning plate  91 ′ has two lens openings  911 ′ and two optical fiber fixing slots  912 ′. The two lens openings  911 ′, camera lens  21 ′ and projection lens  31 ′ are partially exposed at the front end of the positioning plate  91 ′. The two optical fiber fixing slots  912 ′ are used to accommodate two optical fibers  51 ′. As such, the positioning plate  91 ′ in the second exemplary embodiment is utilized to affix the two optical fibers  51 ′, and when the positioning plate  91 ′ is used, the affixing of the two optical fibers  51 ′ to the optical fiber fixing slots in the base  11 ′ through a manner as discussed in the first exemplary embodiment is not needed. The positioning plate  91 ′ can also be used to facilitate the replacement of one or more optical fibers during a maintenance operation. It is noted that the number of fiber fixing slots  912 ′ is not necessarily limited to a pair since such number can be adjusted depending on the number of fibers to be installed. 
     In addition, in the second exemplary embodiment, the adhesive  41 ′ is placed between the positioning plate  91 ′ and the base  11 ′, and applied to the camera lens  21 ′ and projection lens  31 ′. After the optical fiber  51 ′ is affixed by the positioning plate  91 ′, the adhesive  41 ′ is inserted into the gap between the positioning plate  91 ′ and the base  11 ′, and then the adhesive  41 ′ is cured, which allows the camera lens  21 ′ and projection lens  31 ′ to be secured to the base  11 ′. 
     As shown in  FIG.  12   , instead of using the adhesive  41 ′ as the protection layer in a manner as described in the first exemplary embodiment, a protective layer  12 ′ is used as the protection layer in the second exemplary embodiment. More specifically, the protective layer  12 ′ is arranged in the form of a transparent sheet on the head tube  61 ′ at the front of a base  11 ′. The shape of the protective layer  12 ′ is not limited to the above-described transparent sheet, but can be of any shape design according to a particular use situation and serving the purpose of protecting the lenses from being damaged by environmental pollution and/or foreign objects. 
     The effect that the second exemplary embodiment can achieve is that, through the arrangement of the female thread  113 ′ and male thread  311 ′, an assembler can adjust the focal point by just rotating the projection lens  31 ′, which is extremely simple and easy to operate, and more convenient than the conventional technology. In addition, with the arrangement of the positioning plate  91 ′, the assembly and replacement of the two optical fibers  51 ′ can be better facilitated when conducting, e.g., a maintenance procedure. 
     The rest of the technical features and the effects achieved by the second exemplary embodiment are generally the same as those achieved by the first exemplary embodiment as disclosed above, and thus they will not be repeated. 
     The present disclosure has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, and such description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but is limited by the accompanying claims. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the present disclosure. Without departing from the object and spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications to the embodiments are possible, but they remain within the scope of the present disclosure, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.