Endoscope Lens Cleaning Iris Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
During endoscopic surgical procedures, the lens of the endoscope often becomes smudged or obstructed, requiring manual cleaning outside the body cavity, which leads to temporary loss of visualization, increased procedure time, and potential loss of insufflation.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope and lens cleaning device assembly featuring an iris mechanism with movable vanes that can be actuated to clean the lens without removing the endoscope from the body cavity, utilizing an actuator tube and support plate to rotate the vanes between open and closed positions for effective lens cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the endoscope is removed from the body cavity to clean the lens manually, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but visualization is lost temporarily and procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope performs self-cleaning through an integrated lens cleaning device with vanes that rotate to wipe the lens surface, eliminating the need for external manual cleaning and allowing the device to maintain visualization continuously
Solution Approach 2:
The lens cleaning device is nested within the endoscope structure, with the cleaning mechanism integrated into the distal portion of the tubular body, allowing the cleaning function to be contained within the existing endoscope without requiring separate external equipment
2Ease of manufacture
If the endoscope is removed from the body cavity to clean the lens manually, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but loss of insufflation may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope performs self-cleaning through an integrated lens cleaning device with vanes that rotate to wipe the lens surface, eliminating the need for external manual cleaning and allowing the device to maintain visualization continuously
Solution Approach 2:
The lens cleaning device is activated before the lens becomes severely obstructed, allowing cleaning to occur while the endoscope remains in place and insufflation is maintained, preventing the need for removal that would compromise the sealed cavity
3Ease of manufacture
If the vanes are positioned radially outwardly to clean the lens, then cleaning contact is achieved, but the lens may be obstructed during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The vanes are designed to rotate dynamically between open and closed positions, allowing them to move from a cleaning contact position radially outwardly to a retracted position, providing both effective cleaning contact and obstruction prevention through controlled motion
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning mechanism is divided into multiple vanes that can rotate independently, allowing each vane to contact the lens surface for cleaning while the overall structure can retract to prevent obstruction, with each segment performing a specific function in the cleaning process
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope and lens cleaning device assembly includes a tubular body, a visualization device including a lens, and a lens cleaning device. The visualization device is supported on a distal portion of the tubular body. The lens cleaning device is supported on the distal portion of the tubular body and includes an iris mechanism having a plurality of vanes. The vanes are movable between a first position in which the vanes are positioned radially outwardly of the lens of the visualization device and a second position in which the vanes cover the lens of the visualization device. Each of the vanes has a cleaning surface that is positioned to contact the lens of the visualization device as the vanes move between the first and second positions to clean the lens of the visualization device.