Endoscope Elevator Housing Cleaning via Inclined Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopes, particularly those with ultrasonic vibrators, face challenges in cleaning the elevating mechanism due to the liquid-tight structure, which prevents the use of detachable distal end caps, and chemical liquids often leak when trying to clean the elevator area, compromising cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
The design includes an elevator housing portion with a treatment tool outlet that allows cleaning liquids to flow to the elevator's opening side and rotation shaft, featuring inclined surfaces and a cleaning communication hole for effective cleaning, and a counterbore for a syringe to ensure the liquid reaches the elevating mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a detachable distal end cap is used to improve cleaning accessibility, then cleanliness of the elevator area is improved, but this cannot be used when an ultrasonic vibrator is provided requiring a liquid-tight structure
Solution Approach 1:
The distal end cap is divided into a cap body and a separate cleaning port assembly. The cleaning port can be detached from the cap body, allowing cleaning tools to access the elevator housing portion through the treatment tool outlet while maintaining the liquid-tight structure required for ultrasonic vibrators.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment tool outlet serves as an intermediary access point for cleaning. By directing cleaning liquid through the treatment tool outlet into the elevator housing portion, the invention enables cleaning of the elevator area without compromising the liquid-tight seal of the ultrasonic vibrator structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cleaning liquid is discharged from treatment tool outlet to clean the elevator, then cleaning of the elevator housing portion is improved, but the chemical liquid leaks to the outside from the opening portion
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator is designed with inclined surfaces (first and second surfaces) that create different local flow characteristics. The first surface inclines toward the opening side to direct cleaning liquid away from the opening portion, while the second surface inclines toward the opposite side to guide liquid toward the rotation shaft area for effective cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined surfaces of the elevator utilize curved geometry to redirect the flow of cleaning liquid. The specific angular orientation of these surfaces ensures that liquid flows along predetermined paths that clean the rotation shaft while preventing leakage from the opening portion.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope that can improve the cleanliness of a peripheral portion of an elevator is provided. The endoscope includes an insertion part that is provided with a treatment tool insertion channel, a distal end portion main body, an elevator housing portion that is provided in the distal end portion main body and is open in a first direction, a treatment tool outlet that is open to an inside of the elevator housing portion and communicates with the treatment tool insertion channel, an elevator that is disposed inside the elevator housing portion, an ultrasonic transducer that has a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators, and a signal cable that is connected to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The elevator housing portion and a cable insertion hole through which the signal cable is inserted are disposed in different regions.