Method for manufacturing a can-shaped tip housing

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a canister tip housing (5) for a distal tip of a vision device, such as an endoscope. The method comprises providing a molding tool, introducing a first housing material into the molding tool, introducing at least one further housing material different from the first housing material into the mold, allowing the at least one further housing material to shape and form a combined housing component together with the first molding material, removing the combined housing component from the molding tool.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to insertable medical vision devices, particularly disposable insertable endoscopes, and more specifically to a housing for the tip of such disposable insertable endoscopes and the manufacture thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Visual devices such as endotracheal tubes and insertable endoscopes are well-known instruments for visually examining body cavities, such as those of the human body. Typically, an insertable endoscope comprises an elongated tube with a handle at its proximal end as viewed from the operator and a visual examination device (e.g., a built-in camera) at its distal end. Wires for the camera and other electronics (e.g., an LED illumination device housed in the tip at the distal end) extend along the interior of the elongated tube from the handle to the tip. Instead of using a camera, the endoscope may also be fiber optic, in which case the fiber extends along the interior of the elongated tube to the tip.

[0003] To enable manipulation of the endoscope within a body cavity, the distal end of the endoscope may include a flexible, bent section, such as multiple articulated sections, with the tip forming the distal end of this bent section. This is typically accomplished by tightening or loosening a tether that extends along the interior of the elongated insertion tube from the tip through the remaining articulated sections to the control mechanism of the handle. Furthermore, a working channel may extend along the interior of the insertion tube from the handle to the tip, for example, to allow for the removal of fluid from the body cavity or the insertion of surgical instruments into the body cavity.

[0004] As the name suggests, an endoscope is used to observe the inside of things, such as a patient's lungs or other body cavities. Therefore, modern endoscopes are typically equipped with at least one camera or similar image-capturing device at the distal tip of the endoscope. Sufficient light allows the operator to see the position for manipulating the endoscope and to set the target of interest once the tip is advanced. This typically requires illuminating the area in front of the distal tip of the endoscope, specifically the camera's field of view. One known way to achieve this illumination is by using one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at the tip of the endoscope to provide the aforementioned LED illumination, as mentioned, for example, in WO 2014 / 106511, which discloses a disposable endoscope.

[0005] As in this invention, when the endoscope's insertion cannula is intended for insertion into a body cavity, it needs to be sealed in a waterproof manner. This is especially true for the distal tip, as it houses the camera, LEDs, and other delicate electronic components, which are susceptible to malfunction or damage if exposed to moisture.

[0006] WO 2010 / 066790 discloses a known method for sealing the tip of an endoscope. In this document, a transparent, monolithic housing is formed around the electronics and the tube forming the working channel by placing them in a mold of a transparent material (e.g., silicone). A transparent, UV-curable resin is then inserted from the bottom of the mold to avoid air bubbles forming within it. Because the resin rises slowly from the bottom, air is slowly expelled from the top of the mold, eliminating any risk of air bubbles remaining in the mold. The resin is then cured using UV radiation through the transparent mold to form the monolithic housing. However, forming a monolithic housing in this manner has several disadvantages. One disadvantage is the relatively slow process. Another disadvantage is the potential difficulty in precisely positioning and holding the components in place during resin insertion. Therefore, in rare cases, the camera or LED may shift laterally, or a thin transparent layer may unintentionally form in front of the camera and / or LED, reducing the imaging quality of the tip. This can lead to product rejection during quality control, thereby increasing the overall manufacturing cost.

[0007] Another issue is the overall transparency of the housing, which deviates from the fact that the resin itself is transparent and needs to be transparent to allow UV radiation to penetrate and cure the resin. This can result in unwanted stray light from the LEDs that passes through the transparent housing itself and hits the camera's sensor, potentially interfering with the captured image.

[0008] This reflection problem is addressed in JP 3-764512B. This document discloses a disposable external cannula for inserting an endoscope. The external cannula has a tip with a front window for inserting the camera of the endoscope. The front window of the tip has multiple light-shielding members, which are manufactured by two-component injection molding of a transparent window material and an opaque light-shielding material. This is to minimize glare from the cannula's built-in light source to the camera of the inserted endoscope. The front window is typically just a pane of glass of uniform thickness spaced apart from the light-shielding members and does not fit well into a one-piece housing for directly housing the endoscope.

[0009] Furthermore, materials with good optical properties in terms of refractive index and transparency may not have good adhesion to, for example, sealant materials, adhesives used to attach outer sheaths, or similar substances involving adhesion. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Based on the prior art, the first objective of the present invention is to provide a housing for the tip of an endoscope that does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages, and an endoscope having such a housing for the tip.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, this object is achieved by a can-shaped tip housing for the distal tip of a disposable insertable endoscope, the can-shaped tip housing having a front end and a circumferential wall, and comprising a first polymer material and a second polymer material, wherein the second polymer material is transparent, the can-shaped housing being adapted to accommodate an electronic vision device and at least one light source, the can-shaped housing comprising a first window portion disposed in front of the electronic vision device and in its field of view, and a second window portion disposed in front of the at least one light source, wherein the first window portion and the second window portion are formed as a single part of the second polymer material, the can-shaped housing further comprising an inner protrusion, wherein the inner protrusion is integrally formed as a single part of the first polymer material with the circumferential wall, and / or integrally formed as a single part of the second polymer material with the first window portion and the second window portion.

[0012] According to a first preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the inner protrusion is adapted to guide and position the electronic vision device relative to the first window. This is an effective way to ensure that the electronic vision device is well positioned and aligned relative to the first window, thereby ensuring a low scrap rate in the manufacture of the disposable insertable endoscope and thus keeping costs low.

[0013] According to a second preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the at least one inner protrusion integrally formed as a single part of the second polymer material with the first and second window portions includes a light guide. By integrating the light guide into a single-piece object that also includes the first and second window portions, the angular light distribution from the LED light source can be easily adapted to the field of view of the electronic vision device.

[0014] According to another preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the first housing material is opaque. This allows for the introduction of a light-shielding element that will, in particular, reduce stray light and glare entering the camera.

[0015] According to a further preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the shaped first material has better adhesion to the adhesive than the shaped second material. This allows the circumferential wall of the housing to adhere effectively to the sealant to seal the inner compartment, and allows the outer sheath of the endoscope's insertion tube to adhere securely to the outside or inside of the circumferential wall of the canister housing.

[0016] According to yet another preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, at the front end of the housing, the single component of the first polymer material partially covers the second polymer, such that when viewed from the distal end, the front window and the light guide appear as separate areas separated from each other by the first polymer. This has been found to significantly reduce stray light and glare from the one or more light sources entering the camera.

[0017] According to another preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the second shell material is a thermoplastic material. This allows for the efficient production of the can-shaped shell, for example, by injection molding.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the invention, this object is achieved by a method for manufacturing a can-shaped tip housing for inserting a distal tip of an endoscope according to a first aspect of the invention, the method comprising: providing a molding tool, introducing a first housing material into the molding tool, introducing at least one second housing material different from the first housing material into the mold, allowing the at least one second housing material to be shaped and to form a combined housing component together with the first molding material, and removing the combined housing component from the molding tool.

[0019] This allows for the provision of integrated units with different regions of the tip housing that have different desired characteristics.

[0020] According to a first preferred embodiment, the molding tool includes a first cavity, a second cavity, and a core. This is particularly advantageous in injection molding because the molded object typically shrinks during cooling and therefore tends to stick to the core.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the first housing material is allowed to take shape before the introduction of the at least one second housing material. This provides a clear boundary between the two materials in the final integrated unit. Furthermore, it allows the first mold to be adhered to the core for introduction into the second cavity of the molding tool.

[0022] According to another preferred embodiment, the volume of the at least one second shell material introduced into the mold is smaller than the volume of the first shell material introduced into the mold. This is particularly advantageous when the second material is more brittle than the first material, because its smaller volume due to shrinkage makes it less likely to adhere to the mold, thus making it easier to remove from the mold. Therefore, the second material can also be injected at a higher pressure than the first material, since using high pressure on the first material will make it more likely to adhere to the mold and / or core, which in turn makes removal more difficult.

[0023] According to a further preferred embodiment, the at least one second shell material is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic materials, thermosetting materials, and elastomers. These materials are themselves capable of injection molding at least the second shell material. Injection molding is efficient in rapidly replicating identical objects.

[0024] Accordingly, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the introduction of the first and / or the second housing material forms part of the injection molding process.

[0025] According to another preferred embodiment, the at least one second shell material comprises a transparent shell material. In many cases, injecting a transparent material as the second shell material is advantageous because the transparent material, preferred due to its optical properties, can then be introduced under higher pressure than the first material. This, in turn, reduces shrinkage and thus provides better control over the optical properties of the final product. Furthermore, since the more brittle material constitutes only a small portion of the total shell material, it is easier to remove from the mold. Accordingly, it is also preferred when the first shell material is opaque.

[0026] However, the first housing material can also be selected for other properties, such as good adhesion to sealant materials and adhesives. Therefore, according to a further preferred embodiment, the shaped first material has better adhesion to adhesives than the second material.

[0027] According to another preferred embodiment, the first and second cavities have a generally cylindrical shape. This results in a generally cylindrical tip housing, which is then suitable for being manufactured into an endoscope having a tip housing according to the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The invention will now be described in more detail based on non-limiting exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 An isometric view of the distal tip portion of an endoscope according to the invention, having a housing portion, is shown.

[0030] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 The cross-section taken along line II-II at the distal tip.

[0031] Figure 3 It shows the corresponding Figure 3 The cross-section only shows the shell portion at the distal tip.

[0032] Figure 4 It shows Figure 1 First exploded view of the shell portion.

[0033] Figure 5 It shows Figure 1 A second exploded view of the housing portion.

[0034] Figure 6 It shows the manufacturing process. Figures 1 to 5 An isometric view of the first mold cavity used in the shell portion.

[0035] Figure 7 It shows the manufacturing process. Figures 1 to 5 The isometric view of the core used when describing the shell portion.

[0036] Figure 8 It shows along Figure 6 The cross section of line VIII-VIII, in which the core is inserted.

[0037] Figure 9 It shows along Figure 7 The cross section of line IX-IX, in which the core is inserted.

[0038] Figure 10 It shows the manufacturing process. Figures 1 to 5 An isometric view of the second mold cavity of the shell portion.

[0039] Figure 11 It shows Figure 7 The core, to which the first housing portion is attached.

[0040] Figure 12 It shows along Figure 10 The cross-section of line XII-XII, in which the core is inserted.

[0041] Figure 13 It shows along Figure 10 The cross-section of line XIII-XIII, in which the core is inserted.

[0042] Figure 14 An isometric view of a second embodiment of the housing portion according to the present invention is shown.

[0043] Figure 15 It shows Figure 14 Front view of the housing

[0044] Figure 16 It shows Figure 14 The shell along Figure 15 A cross-sectional view of line XVI-XVI.

[0045] Figure 17 It shows Figure 14 The shell along Figure 15 A cross-sectional view of line XVII-XVII.

[0046] Figure 18 It shows Figure 14 The shell also runs along Figure 15 An isometric view of the section view taken by line XVII-XVII, and

[0047] Figure 19 An endoscope with a distal tip according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0048] First turn Figure 19The illustration shows an endoscope 1 illustrating a visual device according to the invention. Endoscope 1 includes a handle 2 at its proximal end and an insertion tube 3 extending distally, wherein the insertion tube includes a hinged bend section 4 having a distal tip 5 according to the invention as its distal end. Although omitted for illustrative purposes, the hinged bend section 4 is typically covered by a suitable cannula, which is attached to the distal tip 5, at least distally, for example, by adhesive. This is conventional and is known, for example, from the aforementioned WO 2014 / 106511. Endoscope 1 of the present invention is intended to be used as a disposable endoscope. That is, it is discarded after use on a single patient, rather than being cleaned and reused; therefore, low manufacturing cost is an important consideration.

[0049] exist Figure 2 The distal tip 5 can be seen in more detail. Two tubular members 6 and 7 extend from the proximal handle 2 to the tip. The first tubular member 6 provides a working channel 8 for the endoscope 1. The second tubular member 7 serves as a conduit for cables, and / or optical fibers, and / or illumination fibers, depending on which illumination and imaging the endoscope 1 relies on. In the illustrated embodiment, imaging and illumination rely on an electronic component segment 9 with LEDs and a camera housed in a compartment within the distal tip 5, but the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the invention relates to the tip housing 10, and not to the details of its contents.

[0050] exist Figure 3 The tip housing 10 is shown separately. The housing 10 is generally canister-shaped, but may provide passageways through it to serve as an extension of the tube 6 forming part of the working channel 8. (From different shading lines and...) Figure 4 and Figure 5As can be seen in the exploded view, the tip housing comprises two different materials 11 and 12. To keep costs low, both materials are preferably polymeric, especially thermoplastics suitable for injection molding, but thermosetting materials and / or elastomers may also be used. The second material 12 is a transparent material that allows light from a light source, such as an LED, to pass through and illuminate an object outside the distal end of the endoscope 1. Accordingly, the second material 12 should have good optical properties, such as transparency and high refractive index. However, not all materials are economically feasible to manufacture and use in the environments in which the endoscope is intended. Therefore, the second material 12 is preferably an injection-moldable polymeric material, such as polycarbonate, but other thermoplastics, such as COP, COC, and PMMA, and thermosetting materials, such as LSR (liquid silicone rubber), are also contemplated. One advantage of such softer and / or more flexible materials is their impact resistance. A softer and / or more flexible material also allows for an increase in the lateral dimension of the core 16, because the softer and / or more flexible material will yield during removal from the mold cavity 17 in the molding process described below.

[0051] On the other hand, the first material 11 does not need to have good optical properties and can therefore be selected based on completely different criteria.

[0052] Specifically, the first material can be an opaque material. This allows stray light from sources such as light sources to be absorbed and not interfere with the image captured by the visual receiver (whether it's a camera, imaging chip, or fiber optic cable). If opacity is the only desired feature, the first material 11 can be substantially the same as the second material 12, i.e., the same plastic material with fillers or dyes to make it opaque. This ensures that the first and second materials are highly compatible, allowing them to bond well together and ensuring that the housing portion 5 is leak-proof to water and air.

[0053] Furthermore, the first material 11 can be selected for its good adhesion to other materials (e.g., other parts of the endoscope 1). Such good adhesion can be achieved through good bonding with a sealant material used to seal the proximal end of the housing, for example around the cable inlet 13, relative to the electronics segment 9, to prevent the ingress of water and other contaminants that may potentially damage the electronics segment 9. Good bonding with an adhesive used to attach the outer sleeve around the bend is also advantageous.

[0054] Furthermore, the first material can be flexible, at least compared to the second material. Specifically, the first material can be flexible enough that, instead of attaching the sleeve to it, it can itself form the sleeve for the bend section 4 of the hinge, which is the most distal segment to which it is attached. Furthermore, this will facilitate or enable demolding of the undercut features within the housing, as the material can deform elastically.

[0055] Clearly, many other design options exist for selecting the most suitable material for the first material 11, provided, of course, that no other materials are used. However, the latter is far from being excluded by the present invention. Therefore, if a plurality of spring-like protrusions 14 are provided to hold the end of the tubular member 6 for attachment, the material should be elastic enough to provide sufficient holding force, but of course, it should have suitable adhesive properties, and the tubular member can also be glued to the inside of these protrusions 14 or similar receiving seats.

[0056] To achieve good compactness between the first material 11 and the second material 12, they are molded together according to the present invention to form an integral unit. The following references... Figures 6 to 13 The molding process for this is described.

[0057] First turn Figure 6 An isometric view of a generally cylindrical first mold cavity 15 forming part of a molding tool for use in a molding process is shown, but is only schematic, as the inlet and the like are omitted. The molding tool further includes a core 16 adapted to be inserted into the first mold cavity to form a first configuration of the molding tool, such as... Figure 8 and Figure 9 The cross-section is shown. Assuming the first material is a thermoplastic, in this first configuration, hot, liquefied first material 11 is injected into the mold cavity 15 under appropriate pressure. As the liquefied first material 11 cools and solidifies, it shrinks as most materials do upon cooling. Therefore, when the core 16 is removed from the first mold cavity 15 after cooling, the solidified first material 11 adheres to the core 16 and is subsequently removed. This is especially true if additional first material 11 is injected during the cooling phase without sustained pressure. Figure 11 The image shows a first material 11 adhered to a core 16. If the first material is a thermosetting material, it is instead injected in a cold state and then heated to shape or cure the material.

[0058] Next, the core 16, to which the first material is adhered, is effectively used as a novel core in the second generally cylindrical mold cavity 17, thereby forming a second configuration of the molding tool, as in Figure 12 and Figure 13This can be seen in the cross-section. It should also be noted that, in this preferred embodiment, the volume of the resulting cavity 17 is smaller than the volume of the cavity 15. Accordingly, the volume of the second material introduced in the second molding stage is smaller than the volume of the first material introduced in the first stage. Using a smaller volume produces a smaller portion, thus keeping its surface area that might adhere to the mold small. Therefore, it is possible to fill the resulting cavity 15 at a higher pressure and inject additional second material as the second material cools without unnecessarily sticking the resulting shell to the mold. A larger volume of first material can be introduced at a lower pressure to ensure that the shrinking material adheres to the core 16 rather than the mold, thereby allowing for easy removal and reinsertion.

[0059] The remaining cavity can now be filled with a hot, liquefied second material 12, which fuses with the first material 11 upon solidification and forms an integral unit as the housing portion 5. As described above in conjunction with the first material, if the second material is thermoplastic, this can be hot liquefaction injection followed by cooling, or if the second material is thermosetting, cold injection followed by heating. Since this portion formed by the second material 12 is located in front of the light source and vision receiver (whether a camera, imaging chip, or fiber optic), it is also important to ensure good optical properties of the finished portion. Therefore, it is preferable to inject the second material 12 under high pressure to ensure good filling of the cavity 17 without internal air bubbles, and to maintain high pressure during the solidification stage to avoid shrinkage, which could degrade the smoothness of the front surface and cause internal cavities. Furthermore, in addition to the optical advantages gained by injecting the transparent second material 12 last, it is advantageous to inject a second material that typically has a smaller volume. This allows for the injection at higher pressures as mentioned above, because the smaller volume reduces the risk of shrinking material sticking to the core and / or mold, even if additional material is injected to compensate for shrinkage.

[0060] After the second material 12 has solidified, the shell portion 5, comprising the first material 11 and the second material 12 joined together, remains adhered to the core 16 and can be removed from the second mold cavity 17 along with the core when the molding tool is opened by retracting the core 16. The finished shell portion 5 can then be separated from the core 16 in a conventional manner by an ejector in the core 16, or in any other suitable manner, such as by using a robot.

[0061] The molding tool can preferably include two identical cores for a set of first and second cavities. Through a suitable alternating arrangement, such as a rotator, one core 16 can be used in the first cavity while another core 16 with solidified first material 11 on it is used in the second cavity, and then the process is reversed in an alternating manner. Of course, this arrangement can be doubled sequentially for more sets of first and second cavities, and a corresponding number of cores can be used one after another in these cavities.

[0062] The layout of the first mold cavity 15, the second mold cavity 17, and the core 16 can differ from the illustrated embodiment, resulting in different housing portions 10 for the tip 5. Therefore, either or both of the first and second materials 12 can extend further along the length direction, i.e., from the distal end to the proximal end. The layout of the opaque material can be specifically shaped to suit the light source output. Similarly, the layout of the transparent material can be specifically shaped to suit the light source. As in... Figure 5 As best seen, this may involve a transparent second material 12 including an integrated light guide 18 behind the emitting surface 20 to allow angular light distribution from the LED light source to be adapted to the field of view of a camera used as an image receiver. It can be seen that the light guide in this example is a frustum with an generally rectangular cross-section, which has been found to be advantageous for the rectangular image capture chip of the camera. Furthermore, the protective window 19 in front of the image receiver may include a curved surface to act as a lens.

[0063] Combination Figure 1 from Figure 4 As can be seen, the front protective window 19 is almost entirely surrounded by a C-shaped wall 21, which protrudes further inward from the distal end into the inner compartment of the canister-shaped tip housing 1. This C-shaped wall can serve multiple functions. Its primary function is as a guiding and alignment device, i.e., forming the receiver 22 for the electronic vision device. An optional auxiliary function is as a light-shielding device to prevent stray light from, for example, the emitting surface 20 or the front surface of the second window 20 from normally entering the electronic vision device. In this case, the material used to make the C-shaped wall 21 is colored and / or opaque, preferably dark-colored.

[0064] More specifically, the layout of the first mold cavity 15, the second mold cavity 17, and the core 16 can be arranged to provide, for example... Figures 14 to 18 The housing portion 10 is shown. For ease of identification, Figures 14 to 18 China and already combined Figures 1 to 5 The features described in the embodiments of housing 10 have the same reference numerals corresponding to the features in the drawings.

[0065] Accordingly, in Figure 14The housing portion 10 is shown in the diagram. As in the previously described embodiments, the housing portion 10 is generally canister-shaped to provide an inner compartment for accommodating electronic component segments 9, such as LEDs and cameras. Alternatively, the distal end of an optical fiber providing light from a distant light source can be housed in this compartment. The housing 10 is provided using two different materials (preferably a first transparent material 11 and a second material 12 having opaque material properties, specifically opacity in this embodiment). This opacity can be used to reduce stray light from the light guide 18 in the emitting surface 20 to the front protective window 19 in front of the camera, and thus reduce the risk of glare interfering with the image captured by the camera.

[0066] More precisely, this is in Figures 14 to 18 In one embodiment, this is achieved by creating recesses in the second transparent material 12 relative to the front surface and filling these recesses with the first opaque material 11. Thus, when viewed from the front, the single component of the first polymer material 11 forming the circumferential wall covers the second polymer material 12, such that when viewed from a distance, the front window portion 19 and the light guide portion 18, or at least the emitting region 20 in front of these light guide portions, appear as separate areas separated from each other by the light-shielding portion 21 made of the first polymer. That is, the transparent areas appear as three isolated islands separated by the opaque material, whereas in the first embodiment, they appear as three peninsulas only partially separated by the opaque material. In either of these embodiments, the light-shielding portion 21 is therefore provided as a single piece with the circumferential wall.

[0067] Furthermore, although the above description pertains to sequential molding, it does not preclude the possibility that the shell portion can be molded in a co-injection process, wherein the first and second shell materials are introduced into a single mold cavity simultaneously, for example, through different inlets. This would allow for maintaining control over the position of the different materials without having to open, modify, and reclose the mold, i.e., move the core 16 relative to the mold cavities 15, 17.

[0068] Since the housing portion is provided as a single unit comprising two different materials, it can be optimized for more than one parameter, such as transparency and opacity, transparency and adhesion, brittleness and toughness. This single unit can be provided by methods other than the preferred method described above. Specifically, if injection molding is used, a reverse arrangement can be used, i.e., a single cavity in which two different cores are sequentially inserted, and then the first molded portion remains in the cavity when the second core is inserted. Similarly, multiple identical cavities can be used.

Claims

1. A canister-shaped tip housing for the distal tip of a disposable insertable endoscope, The can-shaped tip shell has a front end and a circumferential wall, and includes a first shell portion made of a first polymer material and a second shell portion made of a second polymer material, wherein, The first polymer material is opaque, while the second polymer material is transparent. The canister-shaped pointed housing is adapted to accommodate an electronic vision device and at least one light source. The canister-shaped tip housing includes a first window portion disposed in front of the electronic vision device and within its field of view, and a second window portion disposed in front of the at least one light source. The first window portion and the second window portion, together with the second housing portion, are formed as a single part of the second polymer material. The can-shaped tip housing further includes at least one inner protrusion, wherein the at least one inner protrusion includes a C-shaped wall adapted to guide and position the electronic vision device relative to the first window, the C-shaped wall adapted to guide and position the electronic vision device relative to the first window being integrally formed with the circumferential wall and the first housing portion as a single part of the first polymer material, and When the first housing portion and the second housing portion are integrally formed together to form the tip housing, the C-shaped wall is located between the first window portion and the second window portion and surrounds the first window portion, thereby preventing stray light from the front surface of the second window portion from entering the electronic vision device.

2. The can-shaped pointed housing according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one inner protrusion, which is integrally formed with the first and second window portions as a single part of the second polymer material, includes a light guide.

3. The can-shaped pointed housing according to claim 1, wherein, The first shell material is opaque.

4. The can-shaped pointed housing according to claim 1, wherein, The first material has better adhesion to glue than the second material.

5. The can-shaped pointed housing according to claim 1, wherein, At the front end, the single component of the first polymer material partially covers the second polymer, such that when viewed from a distance, the first window and the light guide appear as separate areas separated from each other by the first polymer.

6. The can-shaped pointed housing according to claim 1, wherein, The second shell material is a thermoplastic material.

7. A disposable insertable endoscope comprising a canister-shaped tip housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for manufacturing a can-shaped tip housing for inserting a distal tip of an endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising: A molding tool is provided, which includes a first mold cavity and a core. Insert the core into the first mold cavity. After the core is inserted, a first shell material, which is opaque, is introduced into the molding tool. Allow the first shell material to solidify and adhere to the core. Remove the core with the first shell material adhering to it from the first mold cavity. Insert the core with the first shell material adhered to it into the second mold cavity. A second shell material, different from the first shell material, is introduced into the second mold cavity. This second shell material is transparent. The second shell material is allowed to solidify together with the first shell material to form a pointed shell. Remove the tip housing from the molding tool.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The molding tool includes a first mold cavity, a second mold cavity, and a core.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first shell material is allowed to take shape before the second shell material is introduced.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The volume of the second shell material introduced into the molding tool is smaller than the volume of the first shell material introduced into the molding tool.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The material of the second housing is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic materials, thermosetting materials, and elastomers.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The second housing material includes a transparent housing material.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first mold cavity and the second mold cavity have an overall cylindrical shape.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The introduction of the first shell material and / or the second shell material forms part of the injection molding process.

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