Coated Endoscope Tip Housing for Clear Imaging and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope tip housings face challenges in maintaining watertight sealing and optical performance due to slow manufacturing processes and difficulty in precise component positioning, leading to reduced imaging quality and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A tip housing for endoscopes featuring an integrally formed wall with a transparent window portion and a coating, such as hydrophobic, oleophobic, hydrophilic, or optical coatings, applied via vapor deposition processes, to enhance optical performance and resistance to bodily secretions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transparent monolithic housing is formed by inserting resin from the bottom of the mould, then air bubbles are avoided and sealing is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes slow and component positioning precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Components are pre-positioned in the mould before resin insertion, and the mould design pre-establishes the resin flow path from the bottom. This preliminary preparation enables the slow resin rise process to proceed efficiently without compromising speed, while maintaining bubble-free sealing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould structure acts as an intermediary that controls resin flow and component positioning. By designing the mould with specific features (such as reservoirs, flow channels, and positioning mechanisms), the system mediates between the need for slow resin rise (for sealing quality) and manufacturing speed requirements.
2Reliability
If resin is inserted slowly from the bottom to avoid air bubbles, then sealing quality improves, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is pre-configured with resin reservoirs and flow control features that enable optimized resin injection. This preliminary setup allows the resin to be inserted at a controlled slow speed from the bottom, ensuring bubble-free sealing while the overall process time is managed through efficient mould design and rapid cycle preparation.
3Ease of manufacture
If components are positioned during resin insertion, then assembly is simplified, but positioning precision and component alignment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Components are pre-positioned in precise locations within the mould before resin insertion. The mould design includes built-in positioning features such as locating pins, recesses, and guides that ensure accurate component placement. This preliminary positioning maintains manufacturing precision while simplifying the overall assembly process, as components are already in their correct positions when resin is inserted.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould structure serves as an intermediary that provides precise positioning for components during assembly. By incorporating positioning mechanisms into the mould design, the system mediates between the simplicity of one-step assembly and the requirement for high positioning accuracy, allowing components to be accurately placed without complex external positioning equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coating improves optical performance by reducing surface attraction to liquids and oils, maintaining camera clarity, and enhances durability, while allowing for precise manufacturing and reduced production costs.
Implementation Method 1
a hydrophobic coating
Implementation Method 2
an oleophobic coating
Implementation Method 3
applied via vapor deposition processes
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an endoscope having a tip housing may comprise the steps of moulding at least one tip housing for an endoscope by injection moulding or by multi shot injection moulding. Each tip housing may comprise an integrally formed wall defining an interior cavity and a proximal opening providing access to the interior cavity. The wall may comprise a longitudinally extending side wall portion, a distal end wall portion, and a window portion. The window portion may consist essentially of a transparent first material and form part of the side wall portion and/or the distal end wall portion. The wall may further comprise a wall surface facing the exterior of the tip housing and having a window surface of the window portion and a distally facing end surface of the distal end wall portion. The method may further comprise positioning the at least one tip housing in a treatment chamber; and applying, in the treatment chamber, a treatment formulation to provide a coating on at least the wall surface.