Detachable Flexible Endoscope Head for Sterilization-Safe Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes integrated with motors and electronic components are prone to damage during sterilization processes, incurring high costs and risks of cross-contamination due to multi-use requirements.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope system with a detachable design, where key electronic components are housed in a control handle, allowing the disposable head part to be sterilized separately, reducing damage and cross-contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If endoscope is designed as multi-use with integrated electronic components, then device functionality is improved, but sterilization damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is divided into two separable parts: a reusable control handle containing electronic components and a disposable head part requiring sterilization. This segmentation allows the electronic components to be protected from sterilization processes while the head part can be sterilized or replaced, resolving the contradiction between multi-use capability and sterilization resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The head part of the endoscope is designed as a disposable component that can be sterilized or replaced after use, while the expensive electronic components remain in the reusable handle. This approach eliminates the need for repeated sterilization of electronic components, reducing damage risk while maintaining multi-use functionality of the overall system.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If endoscope undergoes repeated sterilization, then cross-contamination risk is reduced, but device damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the endoscope into a reusable handle and disposable head part, the system allows the head part to be sterilized or replaced without exposing electronic components to sterilization processes, thus eliminating cross-contamination risk while preserving device integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable head part can be sterilized or discarded after single use, eliminating cross-contamination risk without subjecting expensive electronic components to repeated sterilization that would cause damage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If electronic components are integrated into endoscope, then functionality is improved, but sterilization cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is segmented into a reusable handle with electronic components and a disposable head part. This allows the head part to be sterilized or replaced independently, reducing sterilization costs by avoiding repeated sterilization of expensive electronic components while maintaining full endoscope functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
By making the head part disposable or single-use sterilizable, the system eliminates expensive repeated sterilization of electronic components, reducing overall sterilization costs while preserving complete endoscope functionality through the reusable handle.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible endoscope system is provided for use in surgical operation which includes a head part and a control handle detachably connected using first and second docking keys. The head part comprises a shaft, a flexible tip located at a distal end of the shaft, an image sensor module, and drive tendons extending in the shaft for controlling the movement of the flexible tip in multiple degrees of freedom. The control handle includes multiple motors for tensioning or relaxing the drive tendons via a capstan assembly. Control element is provided on the control handle to allow a user to trigger a complex movement of the flexible tip to form an S shape so that a bird-eye view of the surgical site can be obtained by the endoscope system. The detachable connection eliminates the need to sterilize the control handle in which the main electronic components are located.