Cooling system for camera handle of endoscope

Abstract

The invention discloses a heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle, and belongs to the technical field of medical instruments. Comprising an endoscope camera shooting handle, a camera shooting handle heat dissipation assembly and a camera shooting cable, the heat dissipation system is divided into a holding area and a non-holding area, the endoscope camera shooting handle is located in the holding area, the camera shooting handle heat dissipation assembly and a part of the camera shooting cable are located in the non-holding area, and the endoscope camera shooting handle is fixedly connected with the camera shooting handle heat dissipation assembly. A heat source circuit board is arranged in the endoscope camera shooting handle, the camera shooting handle heat dissipation assembly comprises a shell with a heat dissipation function and a heat pipe, and a working medium is packaged in the heat pipe and circularly reciprocates in the heat pipe. The invention aims to solve the problem that a user is uncomfortable or hurt due to the fact that the temperature rise is too high when the camera shooting handle of the endoscope works. Besides, the improved assembling mode of the camera shooting handle of the endoscope and the camera shooting cable can effectively prevent connection failure caused by external invasion force, and the using stability and safety of the camera shooting handle of the endoscope are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle, belonging to the technical field of minimally invasive medical devices. Background Art

[0002] In minimally invasive surgery, the endoscope camera handle provides functions such as image reception, image processing, and human-computer interaction button operation of the internal anatomical structure of the human body. As the medical field has higher and higher requirements for image details, ordinary high-definition images can no longer meet the needs of the market. Ultra-high-definition 4K and other multifunctional endoscope camera systems have gradually become the mainstream in the market. With the increase in the demand for image details and functions, the circuit design inside the endoscope camera handle has become more complicated, and the power consumption of the circuit board has further increased. At the same time, the size of the endoscope camera handle should be as small as possible, which will cause the temperature of the endoscope camera handle shell to continue to rise. Excessive temperature will affect the handheld operation of medical staff and may even burn medical staff, and it will also affect the life and operational reliability of the endoscope camera handle. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a camera handle heat dissipation component with separated heat dissipation and heat insulation functions. Since the heat dissipation area of ​​the endoscope camera handle is mainly located in the hand-held area, it is not conducive to heat dissipation when held by medical staff, and the excessively high temperature of the heat dissipation hand-held area will affect the use of medical staff. Therefore, the present invention aims to separate the heat dissipation and heat insulation functions, so that the endoscope camera handle can not only efficiently dissipate heat, but also ensure a comfortable temperature in the hand-held area, thereby improving system stability and the comfort of medical staff and improving the treatment effect.

[0004] The main area for the present invention to achieve the heat dissipation function is the non-grip area. The heat generated by the circuit board is directly transported to the non-grip area using the efficient phase change heat dissipation principle, and then transferred to the outside of the endoscope camera handle. At the same time, the camera handle also uses micro-porosity materials to directly and efficiently dissipate the heat generated by the circuit board through thermal convection, which plays a role in auxiliary heat dissipation and further improves the heat dissipation efficiency. In this way, it is ensured that the temperature of the system itself can be much lower than the internal environment operating temperature after operation, so that the temperature of the handheld area is within a comfortable temperature range.

[0005] By rationally designing and utilizing the porosity of the microporous resin, it can be ensured that the material not only has waterproof sealing properties, but also has a certain heat convection heat dissipation effect, which can further enhance the heat dissipation effect of the entire system, reduce the hardware operating temperature, and improve system stability and comfort. The present invention aims to solve the problem that the heat dissipation of the endoscope camera handle is inconvenient, and the heat dissipation and hand-held area are designed in the same area, resulting in the temperature of the hand-held area of ​​the endoscope camera handle being too high.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle, comprising an endoscope camera handle, a camera handle heat dissipation assembly, and a camera cable, characterized in that: the heat dissipation system is divided into a gripping area and a non-gripping area, the endoscope camera handle is located in the gripping area, the camera handle heat dissipation assembly and a part of the camera cable are located in the non-gripping area, the endoscope camera handle is fastened to the camera handle heat dissipation assembly, a heat source circuit board is arranged inside the endoscope camera handle, the camera handle heat dissipation assembly includes a shell with heat dissipation function and a heat pipe, the heat pipe is arranged through the gripping area and the non-gripping area, a working medium is encapsulated in the heat pipe, the working medium can realize reciprocating motion in the heat pipe, the heat pipe is located at one end of the gripping area for absorbing heat emitted by the circuit board, and is located at the other end of the non-gripping area for releasing heat.

[0007] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the camera handle heat dissipation assembly also includes a radiator, one side of the radiator is overlapped with the circuit board for heat conduction, and the other side of the radiator is overlapped with the heat pipe to output the heat introduced by heat conduction from the circuit board to the heat pipe.

[0008] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the working medium is heated in the heat pipe at one end of the radiator, undergoes phase change, evaporates and absorbs heat to become a vapor working medium, and the vapor working medium flows into the heat pipe at one end of the shell due to the pressure difference, releases heat, condenses and refluxes.

[0009] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the inner wall of the heat pipe is configured as at least one capillary structure, so that the liquid working medium condensed at the non-holding area end flows back into the heat pipe located in the holding area through capillary force, thereby performing a cycle of phase change evaporation heat absorption and phase change condensation heat dissipation.

[0010] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the camera cable includes a transmission cable, and the transmission cable passes through the camera handle heat dissipation component to reach the inside of the endoscope camera handle, and the heat pipe and the transmission cable exist independently in the camera handle heat dissipation component and are in different cavities.

[0011] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope camera handle adopts non-metallic material to play a role of heat insulation in the holding area, and the shell adopts metal material to play a role of heat conduction in the non-holding area.

[0012] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope camera handle is made of a microporous material with a specific porosity.

[0013] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the shell is made of metal with excellent thermal conductivity and the surface is coated with a highly efficient thermally conductive graphene film.

[0014] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the working medium is not limited to at least one of pure water or hydrocarbon compounds.

[0015] According to the heat dissipation system of the endoscope camera handle of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the camera handle heat dissipation assembly also includes a tightening ring, which is tightly connected to the endoscope camera handle, and the tightening ring is provided with an external thread, which cooperates with the internal thread provided on the camera handle heat dissipation assembly and is used to tightly connect the endoscope camera handle and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly. A sealing ring is also provided at the connection between the endoscope camera handle and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] First, the main heat dissipation principle used in the present invention is phase change reaction, and its thermal conductivity is between tens and hundreds of times that of copper metal, with excellent heat dissipation performance. The present invention also has a heat convection heat dissipation function, which directly performs heat convection heat dissipation on the environment inside the system. The two efficient and direct heat dissipation methods can effectively solve the problem of excessive temperature caused by excessive power consumption of the circuit board due to the increasing image details and functional requirements, and also greatly improve the stability and safety of the system operation, and improve the use effect of medical personnel.

[0018] Secondly, in addition to the heat dissipation function, the present invention also adopts a heat insulation design in the hand-held area to ensure that the operator will not be affected by the high temperature of the hand-held area due to the high operating temperature inside the system, thereby improving the treatment effect.

[0019] Third, in addition to the heat dissipation and heat insulation functions, the present invention has a lower overall density because the shell of the endoscope camera handle adopts a non-metallic material with a certain porosity, thereby reducing its overall weight. At the same time, the overall heat dissipation solution will not increase the volume of the endoscope camera handle, thereby improving portability and improving the treatment effect.

[0020] Fourthly, the present invention has a sealed connection function and cannot be disassembled by external intrusion force, thereby further improving the stability and safety of the system. Moreover, this function will not cause a significant increase in the volume and weight of the endoscope camera handle, thereby improving the user experience.

[0021] In addition, the phase change reaction and thermal convection involved in the present invention are basically silent heat dissipation methods, which also achieve the effect of further improving the medical environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of the whole endoscope camera system of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a heat dissipation system device for an endoscope camera handle of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the endoscope camera handle and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the assembly of the endoscope camera handle and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a cross section of a heat pipe of the present invention.

[0027] Description of labels:

[0028] 1Endoscope camera handle

[0029] 11 Circuit Board

[0030] 12 Sealing ring

[0031] 2 Camera handle heat dissipation assembly

[0032] 21 Shell

[0033] 22 heat pipes

[0034] 221 Working medium

[0035] 23 Radiator

[0036] 24 tightening ring

[0037] 3 Camera Cable

[0038] 31 Transmission Cable

[0039] 4Endoscope camera system host DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present invention should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0042] In order to keep the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, the present invention omits detailed descriptions of some known functions and known components.

[0043] Embodiment 1 of the present invention is:

[0044] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the endoscope camera system of the present invention. Figure 1 The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle involved in this embodiment mainly comprises an endoscope camera handle (1), a circuit board (12) mounted thereon provides front-end image acquisition and image preprocessing functions, a camera handle heat dissipation component (2) provides heat dissipation function, a camera cable (3) provides image and current transmission function, a tightening ring (24) and a sealing ring (12) provide connection and sealing functions between the endoscope camera handle (1) and the camera handle heat dissipation component (2), and an endoscope camera system host (4) provides control commands and terminal image processing functions.

[0045] The operation mode is that after the endoscope camera system host (4) is connected to the current, the endoscope camera system host (4) transmits the control command and the current to the circuit board (11) inside the endoscope camera handle (1) through the transmission cable (31) in the camera cable (3); after the circuit board (11) performs image collection and image data preprocessing, the preprocessed image data is transmitted to the endoscope camera system host (4) through the transmission cable (31) for terminal image processing; the processed image data is exported to the external display screen through the signal line to output the image.

[0046] The circuit board (11) generates a large amount of heat during the entire image collection and image preprocessing process.

[0047] Therefore, the present invention provides a heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle to help the circuit board (11) dissipate heat, such as Figure 1-5 The system includes but is not limited to the following four components: an endoscope camera handle (1), a camera handle heat dissipation component (2), a camera cable (3), and an endoscope camera system host (4). The heat dissipation system of the present invention is arranged in two areas, namely a holding area and a non-holding area. The endoscope camera handle (1) is arranged in the holding area, and the camera handle heat dissipation component (2) and a part of the camera cable (3) are arranged in the non-holding area.

[0048] Usually, the circuit board (11) arranged in the endoscope camera handle (1) is the main source of heat. The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) of the heat dissipation system of the present invention comprises a shell (21) with heat dissipation function, a heat pipe (22) arranged inside the heat dissipation shell, and a radiator (23) overlapped with the heat pipe (2).

[0049] The shell (21) can be made of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity, preferably copper, and its outer surface can be coated with graphene or other surface treatment methods to further enhance the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0050] The heat pipe (22) contains a working medium (221), which may be in the form of, but not limited to, pure water or hydrocarbon compounds, and may be replaced by other liquids according to usage scenarios and requirements.

[0051] The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) further comprises a heat sink (23), one side of the heat sink (23) being overlapped with the circuit board (11) for heat conduction, and the other side of the heat sink (23) being overlapped with the heat pipe (22) for dissipating heat introduced by heat conduction from the circuit board (11) into the heat pipe (22).

[0052] When the working medium (221) flows through the heat pipe (22) located at one end of the radiator (23), it is heated and undergoes a phase change, absorbing heat and evaporating from the original liquid phase to become a gaseous working medium (221), which transfers heat to the condensation heat release end under the extremely small pressure difference generated by vaporization.

[0053] The camera cable (3) comprises a transmission cable (31), which passes through the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) to reach the interior of the endoscope camera handle (1), and the transmission cable (31) and the circuit board (11) are connected only for signal transmission, and the heat pipe (22) and the transmission cable (31) exist independently in the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) by injection molding and are located in different cavities.

[0054] The main cooling channel involved in the present invention is located in a heat pipe (22) between the interior of an endoscope camera handle (1) and a camera handle heat dissipation component (2).

[0055] The main heat dissipation method of the heat pipe (22) is phase change heat dissipation. The heat pipe (22) is divided into two parts, an evaporation end and a condensation end, which are used to distinguish the working states of different positions of the working medium (221). It should be noted that these two parts are connected to each other and constitute a complete component. It can be understood that the heat pipe (22) is set as a component that can be used cyclically. The evaporation end is set on the side of the heat pipe located in the gripping area, and the condensation end is set on the side of the heat pipe located in the non-gripping area. The heat absorption, heat conduction and heat dissipation process is carried out by absorbing heat at the evaporation end, transmitting heat with steam and releasing heat at the condensation end.

[0056] like Figure 2 and 5 As shown, when working, the radiator (23) continuously absorbs the heat generated by the heat source circuit board (11). When the working medium (221) flows through the evaporation end, the heat pipe (22) absorbs a large amount of heat from the radiator (23), so that the temperature of the working medium (221) inside reaches or exceeds its own boiling point, and the working medium (221) undergoes a phase change reaction of evaporation and heat absorption. The steam generated after the temperature is higher than the boiling point carries a large amount of vaporization heat. Under the extremely small pressure difference generated by vaporization, the heat is transmitted to the condensation heat release end. When the steam transmission reaches the condensation end, the heat is lost because the condensation end is far from the heat source, and the working medium (221) vaporized in the heat pipe (22) flows through the copper shell (21) with a graphene coating on the surface, and the temperature inside it will be lower than the boiling point of the working medium (221). The working medium (221) undergoes a phase change reaction of condensation and heat release. The large amount of heat released by the phase change reaction is transmitted to the surrounding environment through the shell (21), thereby completing the efficient transmission of heat from the system to the external environment.

[0057] In addition, the internal structure of a heat pipe (22) of the present invention can be as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the extremely small pressure difference generated by vaporization at the evaporation end drives the vapor working medium (221) to move along the capillary structure of the inner wall of the heat pipe. The preferred inner wall structure of the heat pipe is honeycomb or tube network, and its interior is set as a hollow cavity. The vapor working medium moves to the condensation end and gradually condenses into droplets. Under the action of capillary force, it will be sucked back and move to the evaporation end, so that the working medium (221) in the heat pipe (22) can achieve cyclic evaporation and heat absorption and condensation and heat dissipation, thereby providing high heat dissipation efficiency.

[0058] It is worth noting that the temperature of the working medium (221) at the evaporation end of this heat dissipation method must be higher than the boiling point to achieve the phase change reaction of endothermic vaporization, and the temperature at the condensation end must be lower than the boiling point to achieve the phase change reaction of condensation and liquefaction, so it is particularly important to select a suitable heat dissipation medium according to the working temperature of the circuit board (11). In this embodiment, the working temperature of the circuit board (11) is 68 degrees, and methanol (boiling point 64.7) with rapid vaporization characteristics is preferably used as the working medium (221).

[0059] In addition to the phase change heat dissipation method, the heat dissipation system of the present invention also has a certain heat convection heat dissipation method. The endoscope camera handle (1) is made of microporous non-metallic material, preferably polyetheretherketone (PEEK) microporous resin, whose thermal resistance and thermal conductivity are almost one thousandth of that of metal. Polyetheretherketone with a porosity of 15% has a certain heat convection heat dissipation function. Part of the heat flow generated by the circuit board (11) can be directly dissipated to the outside of the system by heat convection, achieving direct heat dissipation of the internal environment of the system, and further improving the heat dissipation efficiency. In addition, the porosity of the microporous resin of the endoscope camera handle (1) made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) can be controlled within a relatively low range, so that it can have waterproof sealing and maintain system stability and safety.

[0060] like Figure 3-4 As shown, the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) has a sealing connection function in addition to the heat dissipation function. A tightening ring (24) is provided at one end of the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) close to the endoscope camera handle (1). The tightening ring (24) is fastened to the endoscope camera handle (1) through assembly process holes evenly arranged thereon. An external thread is provided at one end of the tightening ring (24) away from the endoscope camera handle, which is fastened with an internal thread provided on the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2), thereby fastening the endoscope camera handle (1) and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2). In addition, a sealing ring (12) is further provided at the connection between the endoscope camera handle (1) and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) to further achieve a sealing effect.

[0061] To sum up, the heat dissipation method provided by the present invention directly acts on the heat source circuit board, and simultaneously performs heat convection, heat conduction and phase change heat dissipation. Compared with other indirect heat dissipation methods that rely on the outer surface or internal air radiation of the endoscope camera handle shell and only act on the medium around the heat source, the efficiency is greatly improved. In addition, compared with air-cooled heat dissipation methods or other methods, the heat dissipation method of the present invention operates silently, which not only does not significantly increase the overall volume of the endoscope camera handle, but also because the endoscope camera handle is made of non-metallic material with a lower density, the overall weight is reduced, which is beneficial to the operator's long-term and stable use and improves the medical effect.

[0062] The present invention aims to solve the problem that the temperature rise of the endoscope camera handle is too high during operation, causing discomfort or harm to the user. In addition, the improved assembly method of the endoscope camera handle and the camera cable is located inside the endoscope camera handle, which can effectively prevent connection failure caused by external intrusion force and improve the stability and safety of the endoscope camera handle.

[0063] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle, comprising an endoscope camera handle (1), a camera handle heat dissipation component (2), and a camera cable (3), characterized in that: The heat dissipation system is divided into a gripping area and a non-gripping area. The endoscope camera handle (1) is located in the gripping area. The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) and a portion of the camera cable (3) are located in the non-gripping area. The endoscope camera handle (1) is tightly connected to the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2). A heat source circuit board (11) is arranged inside the endoscope camera handle (1). The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) comprises a shell (21) with a heat dissipation function and a heat pipe (22). The heat pipe (22) is arranged to pass through the gripping area and the non-gripping area. A working medium (221) is encapsulated in the heat pipe (22). The working medium (221) can realize a reciprocating motion in the heat pipe (22). The heat pipe (22) is located at one end of the gripping area for absorbing heat emitted by the circuit board (11), and is located at one end of the non-gripping area for releasing heat.

2. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) further comprises a radiator (23), one side of the radiator (23) being overlapped with the circuit board (11) for heat conduction, and the other side of the radiator being overlapped with the heat pipe (22) for dissipating heat introduced by heat conduction from the circuit board (11) into the heat pipe (22).

3. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working medium (221) is heated in the heat pipe (22) at one end of the radiator (23), undergoes phase change, evaporates and absorbs heat to become a vapor working medium (221); the vapor working medium (221) flows into the heat pipe (22) at one end of the shell (21) due to the pressure difference, releases heat, condenses and flows back.

4. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner wall of the heat pipe (22) is provided with at least one capillary structure, so that the liquid working medium (221) at the non-holding area end after condensation flows back into the heat pipe (22) located in the holding area through the action of capillary force, thereby performing a cycle of phase change evaporation heat absorption and phase change condensation heat dissipation.

5. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera cable (3) comprises a transmission cable (31), wherein the transmission cable (31) passes through the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) to reach the interior of the endoscope camera handle (1), and the heat pipe (22) and the transmission cable (31) exist independently in the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) and are located in different cavities.

6. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The endoscope camera handle (1) is made of non-metallic material to provide heat insulation for the gripping area, and the shell (21) is made of metallic material to provide heat conduction for the non-gripping area.

7. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The endoscope camera handle (1) is made of a microporous material with a specific porosity.

8. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The shell (21) is made of metal with excellent thermal conductivity and its surface is coated with a highly efficient thermally conductive graphene film.

9. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working medium (221) is not limited to at least one of pure water or hydrocarbon compounds.

10. The heat dissipation system for an endoscope camera handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) further comprises a tightening ring (24), the tightening ring (24) being tightly connected to the endoscope camera handle (1), the tightening ring (24) being provided with an external thread which cooperates with an internal thread provided on the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2) and is used for tightly connecting the endoscope camera handle (1) and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2), and a sealing ring (12) is further provided at the connection between the endoscope camera handle (1) and the camera handle heat dissipation assembly (2).

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