Patent ID: 7410462

Claim:
A housing portion for an endoscope for housing a component for the endoscope, the housing portion comprising at least two dissimilar metallic sections joined by a solid-state welding process to form a hermetic seal; wherein the housing comprises a first section comprising a first metal, and a second section adjacent the first section, and the second section comprising a second metal weldably dissimilar to the first metal, the first section and second sections joined by a solid-state welding technique to form a hermetic seal, and wherein the housing portion includes at least one of an electronic component of an imaging system and an illumination system, wherein the component for the imaging system comprises an image sensor and the component for the illumination system comprises an LED light source; further comprising a third section comprising the first metal or a third metal weldably dissimilar to the metal of the second section, the second section disposed between the first and third sections and joined to each by a solid-state welding technique to form a hermetic seal; wherein the first section is at the distal end of the housing and the third section is at the proximal end of the housing; further comprising a metal shaft portion joined to the distal section, and distally away therefrom, via a hermetic metal seal; wherein the proximal section includes an electrical connector; and wherein the distal section comprises stainless steel, the second section comprises aluminum, and the third section comprises titanium.