Endoscope Actuator Center of Gravity Balancing
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes with tiltable operation levers, like joysticks, increase in size and weight due to the inclusion of motors and operators, making them cumbersome and tiring to operate, especially due to an unfavorable center of gravity distribution that enhances moment forces during use.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope design incorporates an actuator within a grasping portion that adjusts the center of gravity to align with the hand's fingers, reducing the moment of force by positioning it within the range of the fourth or fifth finger, thereby alleviating the burden on the operator's hand and wrist.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If an electrical bending endoscope with a motor and operator is used, then the bending operation can be automated and finely-tuned, but the size and weight of the endoscope increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is extracted from the endoscope body and placed outside, connected via a flexible cable. Only the essential operator (joystick) remains inside the endoscope, minimizing its impact on weight and size while maintaining automated bending capability
Solution Approach 2:
The operator is nested within the operation portion of the endoscope, and the actuator is nested within the grasping portion, optimizing space utilization without increasing overall dimensions significantly
2Device complexity
If the center of gravity is positioned away from the hand's grip point, then the structural design is simplified, but the moment of force increases making operation tiring
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator serves as a counterweight component, positioned strategically within the grasping portion to balance the endoscope's center of gravity. This placement creates a counterbalancing moment that offsets the weight of the insertion portion, reducing the net moment of force on the operator's hand
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope includes an insertion portion including a bending portion, an operation portion including an operation lever, a grasping portion including an actuator, and a tube body, in a continuous manner. When the operation lever is tilted, the actuator pulls a wire, whereby the bending portion is bent in a vertical direction and a lateral direction. The actuator is arranged such that a center of gravity of a portion including the insertion portion, the operation portion, the grasping portion, and the tube body is within a range in which at least one of the fourth finger or the fifth finger of the hand grasping the grasping portion is positioned, in a longitudinal direction of the grasping portion.