Endoscope Grip Curvature for Finger Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes often have grip portions that do not accommodate the natural finger positions of operators due to variations in hand size and finger length, leading to poor grip contact and potential unnecessary force application.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope design features a grip portion with a first curved surface convex outward and a second curved surface concave inward, symmetrically arranged with respect to orthogonal center lines, allowing for better finger alignment and reduced force concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protrusion is provided on the grip portion to prevent slip, then grip stability is improved, but the protrusion may not correspond to finger positions due to hand size variations, causing poor close contact feeling and potential unnecessary force application
Solution Approach 1:
The grip portion is designed with a curved outer wall surface that follows the natural curvature of finger joints. This curved surface accommodates variations in hand size and finger length, allowing operators of different sizes to achieve good close contact feeling without concentrating pressure on the ball of the finger, thereby resolving the contradiction between grip stability and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a protrusion is provided on the grip portion, then slip prevention is improved, but pressure concentration on the finger ball occurs, leading to potential unnecessary force application
Solution Approach 1:
The curved outer wall surface of the grip portion distributes pressure along the natural contour of the finger joint rather than concentrating it at a single protrusion point. This curvature design maintains slip prevention through increased surface contact area while avoiding excessive force concentration on the finger ball.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip portion features a curved surface with specific radius of curvature that matches the local geometry of finger joints. This localized geometric adaptation ensures that the surface properties (curvature radius) are optimized for the specific region where finger contact occurs, distributing pressure appropriately while maintaining grip stability.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an endoscope from which excellent close contact feeling is obtained and which is easy to grip in a case in which an operator is to grip a grip portion.A grip portion of an endoscope has a cross-sectional shape symmetric with respect to a second center line. The grip portion includes a first curved surface, second curved surfaces, and ridges. The first curved surface is a curved surface that is convex outward from a plane, which includes an intersection point between the second center line and the first curved surface and the ridge, and a plane, which includes an intersection point between the second center line and the first curved surface and the ridge. The second curved surfaces are concave inward from planes parallel to the second center line.