JP2003190085A - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low cost electrical connector having a constitution in which an electrical connection of an electric contact to a receptacle side constituting unit can be detachably conducted by preventing corrosion of the contact connected with a signal line due to adhesion of a liquid to the contact and replacement of the connector can be rapidly conducted as needed. <P>SOLUTION: The electrical connector 10 comprises a plug side constituting unit 20 in which a plug side electric contact 23 connected with the signal line 11a is disposed, an electrical connection unit 30 disposed at the unit 20 for watertightly holding the contact 23 and having a card edge 31 electrically connected to the contact 23, and the receptacle side constituting unit 50 having a receptacle side electric contact 53 electrically connected with the edge 31. The edge 31 is watertightly disposed at a unit body 33, and the body 33 is brought into close contact with a sealing protrusion 25a of the unit 20 to hold the contact 23 in a watertight state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connector used for electrical connection between devices such as an electronic endoscope apparatus which is a medical electric device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a medical electric device is provided with a portion called a "patient mounting portion" which is in direct contact with the surface of a patient's body or internal tissues. In most cases, a part or all of the patient mounting portion can be attached to and detached from the medical electric device body. This is because it is necessary to sterilize and disinfect the patient mounting part after use, or to replace the electric medical device during use.

As an example of such medical electric equipment,
There is an electronic endoscope device including an electronic endoscope, a light source device, a processor device, a display device, and the like. In this electronic endoscope apparatus, the electronic endoscope having an image pickup device in the insertion portion that directly contacts the patient's body cavity is the patient mounting portion. This electronic endoscope is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the light source device and the processor device, which are the main body of medical electrical equipment.

Therefore, after use, the electronic endoscope can be sterilized with a sterilizer, a disinfectant, or the like, or can be washed. On the other hand, during use, it is possible to replace with various electronic endoscopes having different viewing angles, magnifications, and viewing directions.

In this configuration, when the medical electric equipment is used, it is necessary to mutually transmit the power supply current and the electric signal between the medical electric equipment main body and the patient mounting portion, so that the connection is made. An electrical connector is provided to achieve various electrical connections at any given time.

That is, in the electronic endoscope apparatus,
Since it is necessary to mutually transmit a drive signal and a drive power source of the image pickup device, or an image pickup signal between the electronic endoscope and the processor device, between the electronic endoscope and the processor device, An electrical connector is provided to make it detachable.

By the way, in the medical electric equipment such as the electronic endoscope apparatus 1, in the use environment or the storage environment,
There is considerable water and liquid. Specifically, there are a patient body fluid in a use environment, a patient cleaning solution such as physiological saline, and various chemical solutions. On the other hand, in the storage environment, there are sterilizing liquids and disinfecting liquids for sterilizing, and washing water.

When a part of such liquid or water enters the electric connector, there is a possibility that the electric contacts forming the electric connector may be damaged. In order to prevent this problem, JP-A-10-2254
As shown in the endoscope imaging apparatus of Japanese Patent No. 39,
It is generally known that by attaching a waterproof cap when the electrical connector is not connected, it is possible to prevent water or liquid from entering and adhering to the electrical contact portion of the electrical connector.

Further, when the electrical connector 6 is connected,
If you are concerned about malfunctions due to ingress of water or liquid,
As shown in the connector for connecting a waterproof camera and a speedlight disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-64159, it is common that the electrical contact portion at the time of connector connection is configured to be watertight with respect to the external environment of the connector. Known to be.

Further, as shown in the connector of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 109063/1998, it is known that the corrosion resistance is improved by forming an electrical contact forming an electrical connector with a Pt-Ir alloy.

However, in the endoscope image pickup device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-225439, the user forgets to mistakenly attach the waterproof cap to the electrical connector and sterilizes it when not connected. If it does, it will allow water or liquid to penetrate into the electrical contacts. This also applies to the case of the above-mentioned JP-A-7-64159. Then, if the user does not notice this and uses the electrical connector in the state where the liquid is still attached, the potential difference generated between the electrical contacts forming the electrical connector and the electrolyte mixed in the invading liquid By the action of
Electrolysis occurs at the electrical contacts. If this is done for a long period of time or a plurality of times, the electrical contacts will corrode, the contact resistance will increase, and the function and performance of the medical electrical device itself will be impaired.

Further, by adopting the Pt-Ir alloy disclosed in the connector of JP-A-10-109063 as the electrode contact, it is possible to avoid the problem due to corrosion to some extent, but in this case, Since the amount of electrode contact material is expensive, the electrical connector itself is expensive. Therefore, if the electrical contacts of this electrical connector are corroded, the electrical connector must be replaced for repair.

[0013]

However, when repairing an electrical connector, one or one of the electrical signal lines soldered or crimped to each electrical contact forming the connector is removed, and then the electrical signal line is removed. , The signal wires must be reconnected by soldering or crimping one by one to the replaced electrical contacts and the non-corroded electrical contacts. This repair work becomes complicated as the number of signal lines forming the electrical connector increases.

Further, if the configuration of the plug or the electrical connection portion of the receptacle constituting the electrical connector is changed for some reason, it is necessary to replace the electrical connector, and at that time, the complicated work described above is required. Occurs.

That is, the conventional electrical connector has a problem that the repair / replacement work is complicated and requires much labor and time. Further, when the electrical connector is configured to have an extremely large number of contacts, it is difficult to replace the electrical connector, and therefore the medical electrical device body itself must be discarded and replaced. There was a possibility that an uneconomical problem of not becoming possible would occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and prevents corrosion caused by the liquid adhering to the electrical contact to which the signal line is connected, and electrically connects the electrical contact and the receptacle-side component. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive electrical connector that is detachably mountable and that allows electrical connections to be replaced promptly if necessary.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An electrical connector according to the present invention comprises a plug-side component having a plug-side electrical contact to which at least one of a signal line and a power line of a patient mounting part is connected, and this plug-side component. And an electrical connection unit having an electrical connection portion that is electrically connected to the plug-side electrical contact while holding the plug-side electrical contact in a watertight manner, and an electrical connection of the electrical connection unit. The receptacle side electrical contact to which the connecting portion is electrically connected is provided,
And a receptacle-side constituent part in which at least one of a signal line and a power line of the medical electric device body is connected to the receptacle-side electrical contact.

Then, while the electrical connection portion is arranged in a watertight manner in the electrical connection unit, the plug-side configuration portion and the electrical connection unit are provided in the plug-side configuration portion in which the electrical connection unit is disposed. The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a watertight holding portion that holds watertightness between the two.

On the other hand, an electric circuit having a predetermined function is provided in the electric connecting portion which constitutes the electric connecting unit.

According to these configurations, it is possible to electrically connect the electrical contacts of the plug-side component and the receptacle-side component via the electrical connection unit arranged in the plug-side component. Then, when the electrical connection unit is arranged, corrosion of the plug-side electrical contact is prevented. Further, when a problem such as corrosion occurs in the electrical connection portion located on the side of the receptacle exposed to the outside, the electrical connection unit is replaced to complete the repair.

On the other hand, when it is necessary to electrically determine the model of the patient mounting portion or change the function, it can be performed by appropriately providing a desired electric circuit.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrical connector, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electrical connector, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the electrical connector. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a fixing structure of the plug-side component and the electrical connection unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, an electronic endoscope apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with an insertion portion 2a to be inserted into a patient's body cavity and an image of the inside of the patient's body cavity provided at the tip of this insertion portion 2a. An electronic endoscope 2 which is a patient mounting part having an image pickup device 2b for picking up an image, and a light source device 3 which is a main body of medical electric equipment for supplying the electronic endoscope 2 with illumination light for observing the inside of a body cavity of a patient , A power source and a drive signal for driving the image pickup device 2b are supplied to the electronic endoscope 2, and the image pickup signal output from the image pickup device 2b is processed to process the NTSC or PSC.
A processor device 4 which is a medical electric air main body for outputting as a video signal such as AL or Y / C separation or RGB, and a patient body cavity image based on the video signal output from the processor device 4 and connected to the processor device 4. Is mainly configured by the display device 5 for displaying on the screen. In this electronic endoscope device 1, the electronic endoscope 2 is configured to be detachable from the light source device 3 and the processor device 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic endoscope 2 and the processor device 4 are detachably connected by an electrical connector 10. This electrical connector 10
Is an electric signal cable 1 extending from the electronic endoscope 2.
1, the plug-side component 20, the electrical connection unit 30 integrally fixed to the plug-side component 20, and the plug-side component 20 and the electrical connection unit 30 And a receptacle-side component portion 50 which is a female connector portion provided in the processor device 4 into which the male connector portion 40 having the above structure is inserted and connected.

A card edge 31, which is one of the circuit boards and serves as a male type electrical insertion portion forming an electrical connection portion, projects from the tip end surface of the electrical connection unit 30. The card edge 31 is formed in a plate shape with an insulating member such as a glass epoxy substrate or a thermoplastic resin, and at least one or more electrode patterns 3 are formed on the surface of the plate.
Two are provided.

The receptacle-side component 50 has a recess 51 into which the distal end of the exterior of the male connector 40 is inserted.
And the card edge 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the recess 51.
Is provided with a slot portion 52 into which is inserted.

The reference numeral 12 designates the plug-side constituent portion 20.
It is a waterproof cap formed of an elastic member such as silicon rubber provided in the above. The waterproof cap 12 is connected to the plug side constituent portion 20 by, for example, a string-shaped portion 13. The front end surface of the waterproof cap 12 has a recess 12a (see FIGS. 3 and 4) having a predetermined shape that covers the card edge 31.
(See) is formed. Reference numeral 12b is a sealing protrusion, which is in close contact with a predetermined position on the surface of the card edge 31,
The inside of the recess 12 is kept watertight.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrode pattern 32 is provided on the front end plate surface of the card edge 31 constituting the electrical connection unit 30, and the electrode pattern 32 is provided on the base end plate surface. 34 are provided. The electrode pattern 34 and the electrode pattern 32 are electrically connected to each other by an electrode pattern or a wiring member provided on the card edge surface or inside the card edge. In this embodiment, the electrode pattern 34 and the electrode pattern 32 are electrically connected by a wiring member provided inside the card edge.

The card edge 31 has a substantially concave cross section, that is, a concave portion 33a is formed, and the unit main body 3 is made of, for example, a hard resin member having an insulating property.
3 is provided integrally. Specifically, card edge 3
1 is disposed in a slit hole 35 formed by penetrating the bottom surface of the recess 33a, and is integrally fixed by an adhesive 36 applied between the electrode pattern 32 and the electrode pattern 34 provided on the card edge 31. is doing.

In this adhesively fixed state, one end of the card edge 31 protrudes from the tip surface of the unit body 33 by a predetermined amount, while the other end of the card edge 31 is recessed in the unit body 33.
It is in a state of protruding a predetermined amount from the bottom surface of 3a.

Further, the adhesive 36 is applied over the entire circumference of the card edge 31, and the gap between the slit hole 35 and the card edge 31 is closed by the adhesive 36, so that the slit hole 35 and the card edge 31. It has a watertight structure that prevents liquid from entering through the gap between and.

The card edge 31 and the unit main body 33 may be integrally formed of the same thermoplastic resin by injection molding or the like. At this time, the electrode patterns 32 and 34 and the electrical wiring structure may be integrally provided by insert molding, or may be attached to the molded integral part later. As a result, the watertight structure of the electrical connection unit 30 can be reliably obtained.

The plug-side component portion 20 is mainly composed of a resin-made exterior portion 21 which integrally forms an exterior body, and the electric signal cable 11 and the electric circuit board 22 which are disposed on the exterior portion 21 by insert molding. It is configured.

A signal line 11a, which is inserted through the electric signal cable 11, is sealed at the base end portion of the electric circuit board 22 in a potting-like manner and electrically connected thereto. On the other hand, a plug-side electrode contact, which is a plurality of plug-side electric contacts, serving as a female-type electric receiving portion configured to electrically contact the electrode pattern 34 of the card edge 31 at the tip of the electric circuit board 22. A housing 24 formed of an insulator provided with 23 is mounted. This housing 24
The card edge 31 to the plug-side electrode contact 23
Is formed with a slot portion 24a. Then, the slot portion 24a is exposed as an opening on the tip side of the plug-side component portion 20.

The plug-side electrode contact 23 and the signal line 1
1a are electrically connected to each other by an electrode pattern provided on the surface of the electric circuit board 22. Therefore, by inserting the card edge 31 of the electrical connection unit 30 into the slot portion 24a,
The electrode pattern 32 of the card edge 31 is electrically connected to the plug-side electrode contact 23, and the electrode pattern 32 and the signal line 11a are electrically connected.

The exterior portion 21 is made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber. An electric connection unit connecting portion 25, in which the recess 33a of the electric connecting unit 30 is externally fitted and arranged, is formed on the tip end side of the exterior portion 21, and the outer peripheral surface of the electric connecting unit connecting portion 25 is formed. A sealing projection 25a, which serves as a watertight holding portion, is provided at a predetermined position over the entire circumference. The cross-sectional shape of the sealing projection 25a is a substantially semicircular shape, and the electrical connection unit 3
By externally arranging the recessed portion 33a of 0 into the electrical connection unit coupling portion 25, the inner peripheral side surface of the recessed portion 33a comes into close contact with the sealing projection portion 25a, and the watertightness between the unit body 33 and the exterior portion 21 is ensured. It is designed to hold the state.

The electric signal cable 11 is provided with a metal clamp member 26 by caulking or the like on the outer periphery of the end portion of the electric signal cable 11.
It is possible to increase the pullout withstand strength of the outer casing 21. Further, for the purpose of processing an electric signal transmitted through the signal line 11a on the electric circuit board 22, or reducing the influence of static electricity or other electric noise expected to be applied to the signal line 11a. The electrical circuit component 22a described above may be mounted, and the plug-side electrode contact 23 and the signal line 11a may be electrically connected via the electrical circuit component 22a.

The recess 51 and the slot 52 which form the receptacle-side component 50 are formed in the housing 4b which is attached to the casing 4a of the processor device 4. A plurality of receptacle-side electrical contacts, which are female type electrical receivers configured to make electrical contact with the electrode pattern 32 of the card edge 31, are provided in the inner portion of the slot portion 52 into which the card edge 31 is inserted and arranged. A certain receptacle-side electrode contact 53 is arranged.

The receptacle-side electrode contacts 53 are provided on a housing 54 made of an insulating material, and the base end portion of the receptacle-side electrode contacts 53 provided on the housing 54 is fixed to the electric circuit board 55. It is mounted and fixed in place by soldering. The receptacle-side electrode contacts 53 are electrically connected to an electric circuit such as a video signal processing circuit provided in the processor device 4 via the electric circuit board 55 and the like. Therefore, by inserting the card edge 31 into the slot through the slot portion 52, the electrode pattern 32 provided on the card edge 31 comes into contact with the corresponding receptacle-side electrode contact 53, and the card edge 3
1 and an electric circuit such as a video signal processing circuit provided in the processor device 4 are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plug side constituent portion 20.
The electrical connection unit 30 and the electrical connection unit 30 are integrally fixed by screws 61 to form a male connector portion 40. For this reason,
A counterbore hole 37 through which the screw 61 is inserted is formed at a predetermined position in a unit main body 33 which constitutes the electrical connection unit 30.

On the other hand, the exterior part 2 of the plug-side constituent part 20.
1 has the screw 6 at a position facing the counterbore 37.
A through hole (not shown) through which 1 is inserted is formed. At the base end of this through hole, a nut 62 screwed into the screw 61.
Is provided with a hole 63.

Further, the fixing portion 14 constituting the base end portion of the cord portion 13 is interposed between the exterior portion 21 and the electrical connection unit 30. This fixed part 14
A through hole 14a is formed in which the screw 61 is inserted and communicates with the through hole.

The electrical connector 10 constructed as described above.
The action of will be explained. In using the endoscope 2, first, the electrical connection unit 30 is arranged in the electrical connection unit connection portion 25 of the plug-side component portion 20. Next, in this state, the screw 61 is inserted into the spot facing hole 37, the through hole, and the through hole, and screwed into the nut 62. As a result, the electrical connection unit 30 is integrally fixed to the plug-side component portion 20 to form the connector male portion 40.

Next, the male connector portion 40 is inserted into the recess 51 of the receptacle-side component portion 50 of the processor device 4. As a result, the electrode pattern 32 of the card edge 31 protruding from the male connector 40 and the receptacle-side electrode contact 53 of the processor device 4 come into contact with each other, and the endoscope 2 and the processor device 4 are electrically connected. Then, the endoscopic image is displayed on the screen of the display device 5.

After the inspection is completed, for example, the endoscope 2 is washed.
At this time, the waterproof cap 12 is put on the card edge 31 of the electrical connection unit 30. As a result, the seal projection 12b provided in the recess 12a of the waterproof cap 12 is brought into close contact with the card edge 31, and the electrode pattern 32 is held watertight. Further, the electric signal cable 11 and the electric circuit board 2 in the plug-side component 20.
2 is kept watertight by the exterior part 21. Furthermore, only the slot portion 24 exposed from this exterior portion 21
The plug-side electrode contact 23 located on the inner side of a is formed by the sealing projection 25 a of the plug-side component 20 and the unit body 33.
Has a watertight structure in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the card, and the gap between the card edge 31 and the slit hole 35 is adhesive 36.
It is watertight to the outside because it is kept watertight.

That is, by attaching the waterproof cap 12 to the connector male portion 40 which is constructed by integrally mounting the electrical connection unit 30 to the plug-side component portion 20 in a watertight manner,
When the endoscope 2 is dipped in a sterilizing liquid or a disinfecting liquid for sterilization, the liquid component is prevented from invading and adhering to the electrode pattern 32, the plug-side electrode contact 23, the electric circuit board 22, and the like. .

If, for example, the user accidentally forgets to attach the waterproof cap 12 to the card edge 31 and cleans the endoscope 2, the endoscope is thoroughly dried after the cleaning. Even intentionally, liquid may remain between the electrode patterns 32 on the surface of the card edge 31.

Then, in this state, the card edge 3
When 1 is placed in the slot portion 52 of the receptacle-side component 50 and an endoscope is observed, the electrode pattern 32 itself is electrolyzed and corroded due to the potential difference generated between the electrode patterns 32.

In this phenomenon, even if the electrode pattern is protected by gold plating or the like, corrosion progresses through minute pinholes existing in the gold plated film. In particular, a general printed circuit board (PC board: Printe is provided on the card edge 31.
When d Circuit Board is used, since the electrode pattern 32 is formed of a plated copper foil, corrosion progresses faster than gold. Then, when the electrode pattern 32 is corroded, a problem occurs in the electrical connection between the endoscope 2 and the processor device 4. In addition, careless handling of the card edge 31 may cause damage to the electrode pattern 32, resulting in a failure in electrical connection between the endoscope 2 and the processor device 4.

If a defect is confirmed in the electrode pattern 32 on the card edge 31, the repair is promptly performed.
In the present embodiment, first, the screw 61 and the nut 6
Release the screwed state with 2. Next, the electrical connection unit 30 is removed from the exterior part 21 of the plug-side component part 20.
Next, a new electrical connection unit 30 is prepared, the electrical connection unit 30 is reattached to the exterior portion 21, and then the screw 61 and the nut 62 are screwed together. As a result, the male connector portion 40 in which the new electrical connection unit 30 is provided in the plug-side component portion 20 is configured.

As described above, the male connector portion provided on the side used in an environment exposed to a liquid such as cleaning and disinfecting is
By water-tightly integrally fixing the water-tight electrical connection unit to the plug-side component, it is possible to prevent the electrode contacts connected to the signal lines from being corroded.

Further, when a problem occurs in the electrode pattern of the card edge provided in the electrical connection unit which is the electrical connection section with the receptacle-side constituent section, the soldering portion for the electrode pattern is removed and a new soldering operation is performed. It is possible to promptly repair the defect by exchanging only the electrical connection unit without causing attachment work.

Further, since the electrical connection unit is composed of two parts, the card edge which is the circuit board and the relay section main body to which the card edge is adhesively fixed, parts to be replaced for repair are inexpensive. Can be configured to.

When the electric connector is constructed to have a shielding property, a shield unit 70 is provided in the plug side constituent portion 20A as shown in FIG. 5 for explaining another structure of the electric connector. . Also, the unit body 3
An electrical connection unit 30A is formed by forming 3A with a conductor. Further, the housing 4c arranged in the receptacle-side component 50A is made of a conductive material.

The shield unit 70 is surrounded by a conductive member 71, and an electrical contact portion 71a is exposed at the electrical connection unit connecting portion 25. Therefore, the electrical connection unit 30A is integrally connected to the plug-side component 20A to form the connector male portion 40, so that the unit main body formed of the conductive member 71 and the conductor via the electrical contact portion 71a. 33A is electrically connected.

Further, by disposing the male connector portion 40 in the receptacle-side component portion 50, the unit body 33A and the housing 4c are electrically connected. As a result, the endoscope 2 is inserted through the electrical connector 10A.
When electrically connected to the processor device 4, a strong shielding property against electromagnetic waves can be provided.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the electrical connection portion provided in the electrical connection unit 30 is described as the card edge 31, but the electrical connection portion is the card edge 3.
The number is not limited to one, and may be, for example, a round connector structure shown in FIG. 6 or a combination of a single-head plug and a jack shown in FIG.

First, an electrical connector having a circular connector structure as an electrical connecting portion will be described with reference to a diagram for explaining another configuration of the electrical connector in FIG. The constituent elements having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the plug-side component 20
Instead of arranging the housing 24 having the plug-side electrode contact 23 in B, an insulator 80 having a female-side electrode contact 81 is arranged. The signal line 11 a of the electric signal cable 11 is directly connected to the female electrode contact 81 without the electric circuit board 22. On the other hand, an insulator fixing housing 82 in which the insulator 80 is disposed in the receptacle-side component 50B.
Are arranged in the housing 4d.

The electrical connection unit 30B is a circular connector composed of a substantially pipe-shaped pipe body 83 and a contact pin group 85 in which contact pins 84 arranged in the pipe body 83 are arranged. A contact portion 84a, which is inserted into the female electrode contact 81 of the insulator 80 and placed in an electrically connected state, projects from the contact pin group 85. The contact pin set 85 is watertightly fixed to a predetermined position of the pipe body 83 by an adhesive 86.

As described above, the insulators having the female-side electrode contacts are arranged in the plug-side constituent portion and the receptacle-side constituent portion, and the electrical connection unit is configured as the circular connector, so that the above-described embodiment is realized. Similar actions and effects can be obtained.

Next, the electrical connector of the combination of the single-head plug and the jack will be described with reference to FIG. 7 which illustrates another configuration of the electrical connector. The constituent elements having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a single-headed jack 90 is provided on the plug-side component 20C.
The single-headed jack 90 is provided with an electrode contact 91 and an O-ring 92 which serves as a watertight holding portion for holding watertightness between the plug and the jack. The signal line 11a of the electric signal cable 11 is connected to the electrode contact 91. Note that reference numeral 90a is a female screw portion into which a male screw described later is screwed. Although not shown, the receptacle-side component is also provided with a single-headed jack 90.

On the other hand, the electrical connection unit 30C is composed of a unit body 33C and single-headed plugs 93, 93 protruding on both sides of the unit body 33C. A male screw 94 that is screwed into the female screw portion 90a is formed at the base end portion of the single-headed plug 93. By screwing the male screw 94 into the female screw portion 90a, the connection fixing strength between the single-headed jack 90 and the single-headed plug 93 becomes stronger. As a result, the same operation and effect can be obtained in an electrical connector that is formed by a general single-head plug and a single-head jack.

As shown in the diagram for explaining another configuration of the electrical connector of FIG. 8, a card edge terminal 95 is provided instead of providing the plug-side electrode contact 23 on the exterior portion 21 constituting the plug-side component 20D. Instead of providing and fixing the card edge 31 to the electrical connection unit 30D by adhesion, a card edge terminal portion 96 similar to the card edge terminal is provided on the receptacle side, and the card edge terminal 95 is inserted and arranged on the plug side. The electrical connection portion 98 including the female card edge terminal receiving portion 97 similar to the receptacle side configuration portion may be provided.

As described above, by providing the card edge terminal on the plug side constituent portion and the electric connection portion corresponding to the electrode contact of the card edge terminal and the receptacle side constituent portion on the electrical connection unit, the plug side The component can be electrically connected to the receptacle-side component via the electrical connection unit, and the plug-side component can be directly electrically connected to the receptacle-side component.

As a result, even if the card edge terminal is damaged or malfunctions due to some factor during use, even if there is no electrical connection unit for repair and replacement at hand, the plug side component can be The electrical connection unit can be removed, and the card edge terminal of the plug-side component can be connected to the card edge terminal receiver of the receptacle-side component in an emergency to continue observation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, an electric circuit 9 in which a resistor or the like for discriminating the type of the electronic endoscope is arranged on the card edge 31 constituting the electric connection unit 30.
9 may be provided. As a result, when the connector male portion 40 integrally configured with the electrical connection unit 30E provided with the predetermined electric circuit 99 is connected to the receptacle-side constituent portion 50, the resistance value of the electric circuit 99 within the processor device 4 is reduced. Multiple types of endoscopes can be discriminated from the difference.

Therefore, for example, when the discrimination circuit is mistakenly incorporated, or for some reason, the discrimination circuit is updated (the lineup of new electronic endoscopes is increased, and the electronic endoscope 2 of the existing product is sold). Even if the discrimination needs to be changed), only the electrical connection unit provided with a predetermined electric conduit can be newly manufactured to easily replace the discrimination circuit.

In this embodiment, the electric circuit is 9
Although 9 is the discriminating circuit, the electric circuit is not limited to the discriminating circuit and may be a part of the internal electric circuit in the electronic endoscope. In this case, a part or parts having low reliability are configured as the electric circuit 99. This simplifies repairing when the electric circuit portion fails. Further, in the internal electric circuit of the electronic endoscope 2, if the change is expected to occur at a later date (version upgrade or the like), the circuit of the part expected to be changed is configured as the electric circuit 99. This makes it possible to easily change the circuit.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Additional Notes] According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention described in detail above, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) A plug-side component having a plug-side electrical contact to which at least one of a signal line and a power source line of a patient-mounting part is connected, and a plug-side electrical contact provided at the plug-side component. An electrical connection unit that is held watertight and has an electrical connection portion that is electrically connected to the plug-side electrical contact, and a receptacle side to which the electrical connection portion of the electrical connection unit is electrically connected An electrical connector, comprising: an electrical contact; and a receptacle-side constituent part in which at least one of a signal line and a power supply line of a medical electrical device body is connected to the receptacle-side electrical contact.

(2) The electrical contacts of the plug-side constituent portion and the receptacle-side constituent portion are configured as female-type electrical receiving portions, and the electrical connection portion of the electrical connection unit is configured as a male-type electrical insertion portion. The electrical connector according to Appendix 1.

(3) The electrical connector according to appendix 2, wherein the electrical plug-in portion of the electrical connection unit can be plugged into either the plug-side component or the receptacle-side component of the receptacle-side component.

(4) The electrical contact of the plug-side constituent portion is configured as a male type electrical insertion portion, and the plug side of the electrical connection portion of the electrical connection unit is configured as an electrical receiving portion corresponding to the electrical insertion portion. The electrical connector according to appendix 1, wherein the electrical connector is configured as a male type electrical plug portion on the receptacle side.

(5) An electrical connector as set forth in appendix 4, wherein the electrical plug-in portion of the plug-side component is electrically connectable to the electrical receptacle of the receptacle-side component.

(6) The electrical connection portion is arranged in a watertight manner in the electrical connection unit, while the plug-side configuration portion and the electrical connection unit are provided in the plug-side configuration portion in which the electrical connection unit is disposed. The electrical connector according to appendix 1, further comprising a watertight holding portion that holds watertightness between the electric connector and the connector.

(7) The electrical connector as set forth in appendix 1, wherein an electrical circuit having a predetermined function is provided in an electrical connection portion which constitutes the electrical connection unit.

(8) The electrical connector according to appendix 8, wherein the electrical circuit is a model discrimination circuit that announces the model of the device to which the electrical connection unit is connected.

(9) The electrical connector according to appendix 8, wherein the electrical circuit is an electrical circuit that can change the function of the device to which the electrical connection unit is connected.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the corrosion caused by the liquid adhering to the electrical contact to which the signal line is connected, and to connect and disconnect the electrical connection between the electrical contact and the receptacle-side component. It is possible to provide an inexpensive electrical connector that is freely configured and that can promptly replace the electrical connection portion if necessary.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 4 relate to an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 1 shows an electrical connector

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electrical connector.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical connector.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a fixing structure of a plug-side component and an electrical connection unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the electrical connector.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the electrical connector.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating still another configuration of the electrical connector.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the electrical connector.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an electrical connector in which an electrical circuit is provided in an electrical connection unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Electrical connector 20 ... Plug side component 25a ... Protrusion for sealing 30 ... Electrical connection unit 31 ... Card Edge 40 ... Male connector 50 ... Receptacle side component

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plug-side component having a plug-side electrical contact to which at least one of a signal line and a power source line of a patient mounting part is connected, and a watertight plug that is disposed at the plug-side component. And an electrical connection unit having an electrical connection portion electrically connected to the plug-side electrical contact, and a receptacle-side electrical connection to which the electrical connection portion of the electrical connection unit is electrically connected. An electrical connector comprising: a contact-side electrical contact; and a receptacle-side component having at least one of a signal line and a power line of a medical electrical device body connected to the receptacle-side electrical contact. 2. The electrical connection unit is arranged in a watertight manner in the electrical connection unit, while the plug-side configuration unit and the electrical connection unit are provided in a plug-side configuration unit in which the electrical connection unit is disposed. The electrical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a watertight holding portion that holds watertightness between the two. 3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein an electrical circuit having a predetermined function is provided in an electrical connection portion that constitutes the electrical connection unit.