Detachable Endoscope Shaft With Asymmetric Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid and semi-rigid endoscopes face challenges in maintaining sterility and reducing manufacturing costs, as existing designs require frequent sterilization of the entire device and do not provide a consistent panoramic view during medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A detachable elongated shaft with a sterile sleeve is designed for rigid and semi-rigid endoscopes, allowing the shaft to be disposable while the handle remains reusable, and featuring a preferred mounting orientation for cameras to provide a consistent 270-degree field-of-view, with the sleeve preventing fluid and debris from reaching the handle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the entire endoscope is designed to be reusable, then the device can be sterilized and reused to reduce costs, but the manufacturing cost increases due to the need for autoclave-resistant materials and the sterilization process itself becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is divided into two distinct segments: a disposable shaft and a reusable handle. The shaft contains all components that come into contact with the anatomical site (cameras, illumination, sensors), while the handle contains the control electronics and processing units. This segmentation allows the shaft to be discarded after single use, eliminating the need for sterilization, while the expensive handle can be reused multiple times.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use. By making the shaft inexpensive and single-use, the system eliminates the need for autoclave sterilization and associated costs. The disposable nature ensures sterility without requiring the shaft to withstand repeated sterilization cycles, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
2Ease of manufacture
If the shaft is made disposable to eliminate sterilization, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to the need for detachable coupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The detachable coupling mechanism between the shaft and handle is designed to be intuitively obvious and easy to operate. The mechanical and electrical connectors are configured so that the shaft can be easily attached to and detached from the handle by the user without requiring complex tools or procedures. This self-service design minimizes the operational complexity despite the detachable nature.
3Manufacturing precision
If cameras are positioned at the distal section of the shaft, then panoramic imaging is achieved, but the mounting orientation must be precisely controlled to ensure consistent field-of-view
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling interface between the shaft and handle incorporates asymmetric mechanical features (such as keyed connectors or positioned protrusions) that physically constrain the shaft to a specific rotational orientation when attached to the handle. This asymmetric design ensures that the cameras on the shaft are always positioned at the correct angles relative to the handle, providing a consistent panoramic field-of-view without requiring the user to manually adjust the orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an elongated shaft detachably mountable on a reusable handle of a multi-camera endoscope, The elongated shaft includes a shaft body. The shaft body includes, at a shaft body distal section, at least two cameras and at least one illumination component, and, at a shaft body proximal section, an adaptor. The adaptor is configured to mechanically and electronically detachably couple to a coupling interface on a distal section of the handle, such as to mount the elongated shaft on the handle. The adaptor is further configured to dictate a preferred mounting orientation such that the at least two cameras provide a combined and predetermined at least about 270 degrees horizontal field-of-view (FOV) of a target area within an anatomical cavity when the elongated shaft is mounted on the handle.