Endoscope Cooling Device with External Heat Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopes and medical instruments face challenges in efficiently dissipating heat generated by components like LEDs and electronic sensors without contaminating the patient or requiring complex cooling fluid channels, which can lead to tissue damage and sterilization issues.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a detachable cooling attachment that uses a heat exchanger to transfer heat from heat-generating components to a heat exchange surface on the endoscope or medical instrument's headpiece, where it is dissipated by a cooling fluid flowing through the attachment, avoiding the need for internal channels and minimizing contamination risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling fluid channels are integrated inside the endoscope shaft to dissipate heat from heat-generating components, then heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and sterilization difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fluid channels are extracted from the endoscope shaft and relocated to an external cooling device. The endoscope shaft maintains only its functional components (light sources, image sensors), while heat dissipation is handled by a separate cooling system with its own fluid circulation pathways, thereby reducing the complexity of the endoscope shaft structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a cooling device with fluid channels separate from the endoscope shaft, a heat exchange surface on the headpiece for thermal coupling, and a fluid circulation system. This modular segmentation allows independent optimization of each component and simplifies sterilization procedures.
2Temperature
If cooling fluid channels are integrated inside the endoscope shaft, then heat dissipation is improved, but sterilization capability deteriorates due to inability to completely clean internal channels
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fluid channels are extracted from the endoscope shaft and placed in an external cooling device. This extraction allows the endoscope shaft to be fully sterilizable by autoclaving without concern for internal cooling channels, while the external cooling device can be cleaned and sterilized separately using appropriate methods.
Solution Approach 2:
A heat exchange surface acts as an intermediary thermal coupling between the endoscope headpiece and the external cooling device. This intermediary interface enables efficient heat transfer while maintaining a clear boundary between the sterilizable endoscope components and the external cooling system with fluid channels.
3Temperature
If cooling fluid is passed through internal channels of the endoscope, then heat dissipation is improved, but contamination risk increases due to potential leakage into patient's body
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fluid circulation system is extracted from the endoscope shaft and placed in an external cooling device. This physical separation eliminates the risk of cooling fluid leakage into the patient's body, as the fluid only circulates in the external device and cannot penetrate through the endoscope shaft or headpiece into the treatment area.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchange surface serves as a thermal intermediary that transfers heat from the endoscope headpiece to the external cooling device without requiring fluid channels within the endoscope. This intermediary mechanism achieves heat dissipation while maintaining the integrity and sterility of the endoscope shaft and headpiece.
4Illumination intensity
If heat-generating components are arranged in the distal end area of the shaft, then illumination effectiveness is improved, but tissue damage risk increases due to localized heating
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchange surface acts as a thermal intermediary between the heat-generating components in the distal end area and the external cooling device. It conducts heat away from the light sources and image sensors at the distal end, preventing localized heating of body tissue while allowing these components to remain in their optimal positions for illumination and image capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The passive thermal conduction approach is replaced with an active cooling system using external fluid circulation. Instead of relying on passive heat dissipation through the shaft or housing, the system uses a controlled fluid flow in an external cooling device to actively remove heat from the distal end components, providing more effective temperature control.
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 solution effectively prevents excessive temperature increases in the endoscope or medical instrument, ensuring safe operation and sterilization while avoiding contamination risks, and allows for efficient heat dissipation without the need for internal cooling fluid channels.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger to transfer heat from heat-generating components to a heat exchange surface
Implementation Method 2
where it is dissipated by a cooling fluid flowing through the attachment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An endoscopic and/or medical device comprises an endoscope (2') and/or a medical instrument, wherein the endoscope (2') or the medical instrument has a headpiece (11, 40, 72), wherein at least one heat-generating component (49) is arranged in the endoscope (2') or in the medical instrument, and wherein the headpiece (11, 40, 72) has a heat exchange surface (41) for dissipating the heat generated by the at least one heat-generating component to the outside of the endoscope (2') or the medical instrument, and a cooling element (20, 60, 70) connectable to the endoscope (2') or to the medical instrument, which is designed to absorb heat from the heat exchange surface of the headpiece (11, 40, 72) and to dissipate heat by means of a cooling fluid flowing through the cooling element (20, 60, 70). The invention also relates to a cooling device for an endoscope (2') or a medical instrument.