Endoscope Cap Fixing Protrusions Prevent Cover Dismounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscope caps with a three-body structure are prone to coming off during transportation and storage, causing inconvenience and requiring users to search and disinfect scattered components, which poses a burden due to the risk of body fluid contamination.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope cap design featuring a cover with a cylindrical shape and a pedestal that includes a base, support wall, and fixing protrusions, ensuring secure attachment and preventing the cover and pedestal from dismounting during use, with the cover and pedestal being detachably attached to the endoscope's distal tip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a three-body structure (cover, elevator, pedestal) is used for the endoscope cap, then the elevator can be rotatably supported and the structure can be dismounted for cleaning, but the cover and pedestal may come off during transportation and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope cap is divided into separate components (cover, pedestal, elevator) that can be disassembled for cleaning but are designed with fixing protrusions and holes to prevent unintended separation during use and transportation
Solution Approach 2:
The pedestal is inserted into the cover with the elevator nested on the pedestal, creating a hierarchical structure where each component fits within the previous one, secured by fixing protrusions that prevent separation while allowing intentional disassembly
2Reliability
If the cover and pedestal are securely fixed to prevent coming off, then component scattering is prevented, but the complexity of the fixing structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing function is extracted as separate features (fixing protrusions and fixing holes) from the main components, allowing the cover and pedestal to be securely connected while maintaining simplicity in the overall design
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing protrusions are strategically positioned at specific locations on the pedestal that correspond to fixing holes in the cover, providing localized attachment points that secure the assembly without requiring complex fastening mechanisms throughout the entire structure
3Ease of manufacture
If a single-use endoscope cap is designed with detachable cover and pedestal, then cleaning is facilitated, but the burden on users increases due to potential scattering of small components
Solution Approach 1:
The cover and pedestal are pre-assembled with fixing protrusions and holes already in place, so that when the endoscope cap is disassembled for cleaning or disposal, the components remain connected and do not scatter, reducing the user burden of searching for lost parts
Data Source
AI summary
To provide an endoscope cap includes: a cover having a cylindrical shape with a bottom; a pedestal; and an elevator rotatably supported by the pedestal. The pedestal includes: a base; a support wall, rising from an edge of the base, and extending in an axial direction of the cover to support the elevator; a distal tip wall extending from a distal tip of the support wall in the same direction as the base; a bottom fixing protrusion protruding from the distal tip wall in a direction opposite to the support wall; and a lateral face fixing protrusion protruding from the base in a direction opposite to the support wall. The cover includes: a first fixing hole into which the bottom fixing protrusion is inserted, being disposed in the bottom; and a second fixing hole into which the lateral face fixing protrusion is inserted, being disposed in a lateral face.