Articulating Medical Device Distal Tip Bends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices, such as endoscopes, face limitations in the arrangement and size of components at the distal tip, which restricts the accommodation of additional or larger elements like lighting, imaging devices, and sensors without increasing the device's outer diameter.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a medical device design where the articulation members are configured with bends to occupy a smaller space within the distal tip, allowing for additional components and a larger working channel while maintaining a reduced overall size of the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If articulation members are arranged in a conventional straight configuration, then the structural simplicity is maintained, but the space available for additional components and working channel is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation members are configured with bends (first bend and second bend) that change the spatial arrangement from a linear path to a three-dimensional configuration. This dimensional change allows the articulation members to occupy less linear space along the longitudinal axis while still providing the necessary articulation function, thereby increasing the volume available for other components within the distal tip.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulation members incorporate curved bends instead of straight segments. These curvatures allow the members to follow a more compact path through the distal tip, reducing the linear distance they occupy and freeing up space for additional components and a larger working channel opening.
2Quantity of substance
If the outer diameter of the medical device is increased to accommodate more components, then the capacity for additional components is improved, but the ease of navigation through body lumens deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By configuring articulation members with bends in three-dimensional space, the design maximizes the use of available volume within the existing outer diameter. This allows more components to be packed into the distal tip without increasing the overall device diameter, maintaining ease of navigation while increasing component capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bent articulation members are nested within the distal tip structure, with their curved paths allowing them to occupy interstitial spaces more efficiently. This nesting arrangement enables multiple components to coexist within the constrained volume of the distal tip without requiring a larger outer diameter.
3Adaptability or versatility
If articulation members extend fully to the distal end of the core, then the articulation range is maximized, but the space for additional components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation members achieve their full articulation range through bent configurations that utilize three-dimensional space rather than extending linearly to the distal end. The bends allow the members to reach their functional endpoints while occupying less linear distance, freeing up space for additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration parameters of the articulation members are changed from straight to bent, with specific bend angles and radii optimized to provide the necessary articulation range while minimizing the space occupied. This parameter optimization allows full articulation functionality with reduced spatial requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Medical devices and uses thereof are described, including a medical device with a handle, an insertion portion, and a distal tip. The distal tip may include a light source, an imaging device, and a core. First and second articulation members may extend longitudinally from the handle through the insertion portion and the distal tip, e.g., in respective first and second channels of the core. The insertion portion may define a first lumen. The core may include a second lumen between the first channel and the second channel, the second lumen being in communication with the first lumen of the insertion portion. Each of the first articulation member and the second articulation member may terminate proximal to a distalmost end of the core.