Endoscope Cleaning Device with Pivotable Wiper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical instruments, such as endoscopes, face challenges in maintaining clear visualization during procedures due to debris and condensation buildup on their lenses, which requires frequent cleaning without disrupting the surgical process.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope cleaning device with a sleeve and frame design that includes a pivotable wiper mechanism, allowing for debris removal from the lens without removing the endoscope from the patient, featuring a flexible or resilient material for secure attachment and a tapered edge for effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the endoscope is removed from the patient for lens cleaning, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but the surgical procedure is interrupted and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A cleaning device is introduced as an intermediary component that attaches to the distal end of the endoscope. This cleaning device includes a wiper mechanism that can be actuated to clean the lens while the endoscope remains in position, serving as a mediator between the need for cleaning and the need to maintain continuous surgical visualization without removal or interruption
2Ease of operation
If a cleaning device is attached to the distal end of the endoscope, then lens cleaning can be performed without removal, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device is segmented into distinct functional components: a cleaning head with wiper elements, a actuation mechanism, and an attachment interface for the endoscope. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall design by breaking down the complex cleaning function into manageable, modular parts that can be manufactured and assembled separately
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning device incorporates dynamic elements including a pivotable wiper arm that can move between cleaning positions, and an actuation mechanism that enables the wiper to contact and clean the lens surface. These dynamic components allow the cleaning function to be performed on-demand without permanent obstruction of the lens, balancing cleaning effectiveness with minimal impact on the endoscope's primary function
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device enables cleaning of a lens of an endoscope during a surgical procedure to maintain a clear image without having to remove the endoscope from the patient's body. The cleaning device is mountable to an endoscope such that a wiper of the cleaning device is selectively displaced across the lens of the endoscope to remove debris from the lens.