Focusable Camera Module For Endoscopes
AssigneeKarl Storz Endovision, Inc.
InventorsDashiell A. Birnkrant, Robert Shieh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A focusable camera module for an endoscope, including a housing including a lens assembly in a distal end of the housing, a carrier disposed within the housing, the carrier having a distal end with an aperture, an image sensor attached inside the carrier adjacent to the aperture, a flexible circuit attached to an edge of the image sensor, and a motor slideably displacing the carrier between a retracted position and an extended position, the aperture adjacent to the lens assembly in the extended position, and an endoscope including the focusable camera module.
Claims23
A focusable camera module for an endoscope, comprising:
- a housing including a lens assembly in a distal end of said housing;
- a carrier disposed within said housing, said carrier having a distal end with an aperture;
- an image sensor attached inside said carrier adjacent to the aperture;
- a flexible circuit attached to an edge of said image sensor;
- and
- a motor slideably displacing the carrier between a retracted position and an extended position, the aperture adjacent to the lens assembly in the extended position.
A method of focusing an endoscope, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a signal to focus an image sensor of the endoscope;
- actuating a motor to translate a carrier in one of two directions;
- wherein the carrier surrounds the motor and includes the image sensor mounted therein, translation of said carrier moving the image sensor towards or away from a lens assembly at a distal end of the endoscope.
A focusable camera module for an endoscope, comprising:
- a housing including a lens assembly in a distal end of said housing;
- a carrier element disposed within said housing;
- an image sensor attached to said carrier element;
- a motor slideably displacing the carrier element in a direction towards an extended position, said image sensor adjacent to the lens assembly in the extended position;
- a flexible circuit attached to an edge of said image sensor and extending over said carrier element and said motor;
- and
- a spring disposed between said image sensor and the lens assembly, said spring displacing the carrier element in a direction towards a retracted position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.