Endoscope Mesh Tube Rigidity Control Watertightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopes with rigidity changing mechanisms face challenges in maintaining watertightness and preventing damage to the outer cover when the rigidity changing components are damaged, as the elements can protrude and contact the outer cover, compromising the integrity and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The endoscope incorporates a mesh tube formed by braiding thin wires with a rigidity changing mechanism that includes a coil pipe and intertwining wires, where the gap between the wires is smaller than the wire diameters, preventing protrusion and maintaining watertightness by using wires with lower rigidity than the outer cover, even if damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigidity changing mechanism with coil and wire is inserted in the insertion portion, then the bending rigidity can be adjusted, but the element wires may protrude and damage the outer cover, compromising watertightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the mesh tube is placed inside the outer cover, and the rigidity changing mechanism (coil and wire) is inserted through the mesh tube. This nested arrangement ensures that even if the wire or coil damages the mesh tube, the outer cover remains protected, maintaining watertightness while enabling rigidity adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh tube serves as a protective barrier (cushioning layer) between the rigidity changing mechanism and the outer cover. By designing the gap between mesh tube wires to be smaller than the element wire diameter, the patent prevents direct contact and potential damage to the outer cover, ensuring watertightness is maintained even if the inner components are damaged.
2Ease of manufacture
If the gap between mesh tube wires is made larger to facilitate assembly, then assembly is easier, but element wires may protrude and contact the outer cover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the gap dimension between mesh tube wires by setting it to be larger than the thin wire diameter for assembly ease, but smaller than the element wire diameter to prevent protrusion. This parameter control ensures that assembly is facilitated while harmful wire protrusion is prevented.
3Ease of operation
If wires with high rigidity are used in the rigidity changing mechanism, then bending control is improved, but damage to the outer cover increases if the wires are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh tube acts as a cushioning barrier between the high-rigidity wires and the outer cover. This allows the use of high-rigidity wires for effective bending control while the mesh tube prevents direct contact and potential damage to the outer cover, maintaining durability.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope includes: an insertion portion formed in an elongated shape; a mesh tube formed by braiding thin wires in a tubular shape and provided in a shape of a cylinder inside the insertion portion; and a rigidity changing mechanism including a coil inserted in the insertion portion and formed by winding an element wire, and a wire inserted in the coil and formed by intertwining element wires, the rigidity changing mechanism being configured to apply a compression force to the coil by pulling the wire, to adjust a bending rigidity of the insertion portion, wherein a dimension of a gap created between the thin wires in the mesh tube is set to be smaller than a diameter of the wire and larger than a diameter of each of the element wires of the wire.