Reusable miniature camera head

Abstract

The invention is a reusable miniature camera head (10) that can be attached to and detached from an object. The camera head comprises: a housing (18), a lens system (12), a solid-state sensor (14), components of an electronic driver (16), and an internal electrical connector (20) located at the proximal end of the housing and having a plurality of sockets (22) or pins (110) on its external face. The object has an external connector (24) for receiving the camera head. The internal and external electrical connectors comprise a plurality of pins or sockets arranged in matching patterns on opposing faces thereby allowing the camera head to be attached to or disconnected by engaging the two connectors. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the object to which the camera head is attached is an endoscopic or laparoscopic device, the solid-state sensor is a Charge Coupled Device (CCD), and the housing does not contain a printed circuit board.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.