Endoscope Coil Sheath Switching Mechanism for Bending Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes face difficulties in navigating through curved body cavities due to the stick phenomenon, where the bending portion pushes against the intestinal wall, leading to reduced insertability and variability in bending direction, especially when the bending portion is short to minimize the risk of striking the intestinal wall.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope design incorporates a first and second bending portion with a switching mechanism for the coil sheaths, allowing the first bending portion to be bent independently of the second, and using guides with specific inner surface shapes to prevent pitch shifts and maintain consistent bending shape, enabling smoother navigation through curved tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the bending portion is formed to be short to reduce the bending radius, then the turning circle is improved and ease of passage through crooked parts is enhanced, but the stick phenomenon occurs where the distal end portion pushes against the intestinal wall making it difficult to pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The coil sheath's proximal end can be switched between fixed and movable states, allowing the bending portion to dynamically adjust its behavior. When movable, the coil sheath allows the bending portion to pass through crooked parts smoothly without pushing against the intestinal wall, resolving the stick phenomenon while maintaining a short bending radius for good turning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameter of the coil sheath from a fixed state to a switchable state between fixed and movable. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to different operational conditions: movable state for passing through crooked parts and fixed state for maintaining bending shape, thereby resolving the contradiction between short bending radius and insertability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the bending portion is made short to minimize striking the intestinal wall, then the safety is improved, but the bending direction becomes variable and difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
By making the coil sheath's proximal end switchable between fixed and movable states, the invention dynamically controls the bending portion's behavior. When the proximal end is fixed, the bending direction is well-controlled for observation. When movable, the bending portion can pass through crooked parts smoothly without variable direction issues, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and controllability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention prepares the coil sheath in advance to be movable before approaching crooked parts, allowing the bending portion to pass through smoothly. After passing through, the proximal end is fixed to establish controlled bending direction for observation, thus preliminarily preparing the system state to avoid both intestinal wall striking and direction variability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the proximal end of the first coil sheath is fixed to maintain bending shape, then the bending direction control is improved, but the ability to pass through crooked parts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the proximal end of the first coil sheath switchable between fixed and movable states. When movable, the bending portion can pass through crooked parts smoothly. When fixed, the bending shape is maintained for controlled observation. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction between bending shape consistency and passage ability through crooked parts.
4Ease of operation
If the proximal end of the first coil sheath is made movable to pass through crooked parts, then the insertability is improved, but the bending shape consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The switchable proximal end of the first coil sheath allows the system to be movable during insertion to maintain good insertability, then fixed during observation to maintain bending shape consistency. This dynamic state change resolves the contradiction between insertability and bending shape consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope includes an insertion portion, a first bending portion, a second bending portion, a bending operation wire, a first coil sheath, a switching mechanism, a guide, a first region of the guide, a second region of the guide, and a central part formed between the first region and the second region on an inner surface of the guide, protruding inside more than the first region and the second region and formed to be longer than a coil elemental wire making up the first coil sheath.