Endoscope Seal Member Positioning for Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The miniaturized and complex shape of the distal end portion of endoscopes, including the treatment tool elevating mechanism, makes cleaning difficult and time-consuming, especially at the coupling portion between the elevator and the rotating shaft, which is prone to gaps that allow liquids to enter and require extensive cleaning.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a first and second rotating shaft with coupling portions positioned on the elevator erecting lever side relative to the seal member, allowing the coupling to be isolated from liquid entry, and a positioning mechanism to secure the seal member, preventing it from moving beyond the coupling position, thus eliminating the need for cleaning the coupling portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the distal end portion is miniaturized and designed with a complex shape to accommodate the treatment tool elevating mechanism, then the functionality and integration of the endoscope is improved, but the cleaning performance and ease of cleaning work deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The distal end portion body is divided into separate housing chambers (elevator housing chamber and erecting lever housing chamber) separated by a partition wall. This segmentation allows each chamber to be cleaned independently, with the seal member creating an airtight barrier that prevents cleaning solutions from mixing and ensures thorough cleaning of each compartment despite the compact integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member acts as an intermediary element between the elevator and erecting lever housing chambers. It creates an airtight surface that allows the two chambers to be separated for cleaning purposes while maintaining the compact integrated structure, enabling cleaning solutions to flow through each chamber independently without contamination from the other side.
2Reliability
If the coupling portion between the elevator and rotating shaft is positioned to allow liquid entry for functional operation, then the operational functionality is improved, but the cleaning time and labor required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is positioned in advance to create an airtight barrier before liquid can enter the coupling portion. This preliminary sealing action prevents liquid from reaching the coupling area during normal operation, so that when cleaning is required, the coupling portion remains clean and does not require additional cleaning attention, reducing overall cleaning time and labor.
3Ease of operation
If the seal member is positioned to prevent liquid entry into the coupling portion, then the cleaning requirement is reduced, but the positioning precision and structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member positioning structure is merged with the existing partition wall and housing chamber design. The seal member is disposed within the partition wall structure, combining the sealing function with the structural division of the housing chambers. This integration achieves the required positioning precision without adding separate complex positioning mechanisms, as the partition wall itself provides the reference structure for accurate seal member placement.
Data Source
AI summary
The endoscope includes: a rotating shaft in a distal end portion body of an insertion portion; an elevator which is coupled with one end of the rotating shaft; an elevator erecting lever which is coupled with the other end; an operating wire which rotates the rotating shaft through the elevator erecting lever to erect the elevator; a partition wall including a holding hole to support the rotating shaft; and a seal member disposed between the holding hole and the rotating shaft. The configuration of the rotating shaft and a positional relation between the rotating shaft and the seal member are improved so as to reduce time and labor taken for cleaning processing of the endoscope.