Endoscope Bending Wire Friction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopes require significant operator effort to bend the bending portion, leading to fatigue and increased operation force, especially at larger bending angles, due to the lack of efficient assistive mechanisms for bending wire manipulation.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope incorporates a pulley system with elastically deformable rotating bodies and a manipulator that generates frictional resistance to assist in bending wire movement, reducing the operator's tilting force by adjusting the friction state and motor rotation speed based on the bending angle and tilting operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motor-driven pulley system is used to assist bending wire movement, then operator effort is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A motor-driven pulley system is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the operator's manipulator operation and the bending wire. The pulley rotates in response to manipulator tilting, converting the operator's tilting force into rotational motion that winds or unwinds the bending wire, thereby assisting the bending operation and reducing direct pulling effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional direct mechanical pulling system is replaced with a motor-driven pulley system. Instead of the operator directly pulling the bending wire through a simple pulley, a motor rotates the pulley in response to manipulator tilting, substituting part of the mechanical effort with motor assistance while maintaining mechanical coupling through the pulley mechanism.
2Force
If frictional resistance is increased between the rotating body and pulley, then bending assistance is improved, but control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frictional resistance between the rotating body and pulley is adjusted as a controllable parameter. By changing the friction coefficient or contact pressure, the system can optimize the balance between bending assistance (higher friction) and control precision (lower friction), allowing adaptive adjustment based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The frictional resistance is made dynamic rather than fixed. The rotating body can change its frictional contact with the pulley during operation, allowing the system to provide higher bending assistance when needed while maintaining sufficient control precision through dynamic adjustment of the friction state.
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
This configuration reduces the operator's effort required to bend the endoscope, allowing for smoother and more efficient bending operations even at larger angles by increasing the assist force amount, thereby decreasing operator fatigue and improving operational ease.
Implementation Method 1
a manipulator that is provided so as to project from a surface of the operation portion and includes a shaft portion capable of being subjected to a tilting operation, the suspension frame being provided at the shaft portion of the manipulator, the attachment portions of the suspension frame being provided at positions facing each other across the manipulator, the manipulator being capable of applying an amount of force of pulling a part of a pulling member on the insertion portion side relative to the pulley in the pulling direction using a frictional resistance generated as a result of, upon an operation to tilt the manipulator being performed, a part of the pulling member on the manipulator side relative to the pulley being pulled to reduce a diameter of the corresponding rotating body and an inner surface of the rotating body being thereby brought into contact with an outer circumferential face of the pulley rotated by the motor
Implementation Method 2
rotating bodies that are elastically deformable, each including an outer circumferential face with the respective pulling members wound and arranged thereon, the rotating bodies being arranged in a loose-fit state on an outer circumferential face side of the pulley
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope includes: an operation portion provided on a proximal end side of an insertion portion; one pair of pulling members extending from a bending portion; a pulley rotated by a motor; rotating bodies that are elastically deformable and arranged on the pulley; a suspension frame to which the pulling members are fixed; a manipulator provided to project from the operation portion, the manipulator being capable of applying an amount of force of pulling a part of a pulling member on the insertion portion side using a frictional resistance generated as a result of, upon a tilting operation being performed, the pulling member being pulled to reduce a diameter of the corresponding rotating body and the rotating body being thereby brought into contact with the pulley; and a force amount adjustment section capable of changing the amount of force of pulling by making an adjustment of a friction generation state.