Handheld Endoscope Segmented Disposable Tip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes require stringent decontamination and disinfection due to reusable lens or fiber optic systems, increasing costs and risking cross-contamination, while disposable options are not widely adopted in urology and endoscopic surgery.
Innovation Solution
A handheld endoscope with a single-use portion and a reusable portion, featuring a fluid hub and connector assembly, a video camera, light source, and a rotatable handle with a video screen, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly to minimize contamination risks and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reusable lens or fiber optic system is used in conventional endoscopes, then image transmission capability is improved, but decontamination complexity and cross-contamination risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is divided into two distinct segments: a reusable handle containing the image processor and display, and a disposable single-use portion containing the optical system (lens or fiber optic bundle). This segmentation allows the complex optical components to be discarded after one use, eliminating decontamination requirements while preserving image transmission capability in the reusable portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical system (lens or fiber optic bundle) is implemented as a low-cost, single-use component that is discarded after one patient procedure. This disposable approach eliminates the need for expensive, complex decontamination procedures while maintaining high image quality during use, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and decontamination complexity.
2Reliability
If a disposable endoscope is used, then cross-contamination risk is reduced, but manufacturing cost must be sufficiently low
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the endoscope into reusable and disposable portions, the patent enables cross-contamination prevention through single-use optics while keeping manufacturing costs manageable. The disposable portion contains only the essential optical components (lens or fiber optic bundle with basic housing), which can be manufactured at low cost using standard techniques, rather than making the entire endoscope disposable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a disposable optical system that is deliberately designed to be low-cost through simplified construction. The single-use portion uses basic materials and straightforward manufacturing processes, enabling cross-contamination prevention without requiring prohibitively expensive disposable components.
3Ease of operation
If electrical connectors are positioned close to mechanical connectors, then assembly is simplified, but fluid contamination of electrical components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connector is extracted from the proximal region near the mechanical connector and repositioned to the distal end of the disposable portion. This spatial separation ensures that electrical components are isolated from fluid pathways and contamination risks while maintaining simple assembly through the self-aligning connector design.
Solution Approach 2:
A fluid seal or barrier is introduced as an intermediary element between the mechanical connector and the electrical connector. This seal prevents fluid from reaching electrical components while allowing the connectors to remain in close proximity for simplified assembly, resolving the contradiction between assembly ease and contamination prevention.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A
Figure 3B
AI summary
A handheld endoscope has a disposable, single-use portion that includes a fluid hub, cannula and distal tip and a re-usable portion that includes a handle and display module. The electrical connection between the single-use and reusable portions is distally spaced from their mechanical connection and from the fluid hub. The distal tip includes LED illumination and an imaging module that feeds live video to the display module that is rotatable to allow viewing by the operator and others. The cannula and fluid hub are rotatable relative to the handle and includes separate lumens for fluid flow and an electrical cable. The fit resists rotation to maintain the relative positions of the cannula and handle until the application of a torque threshold. The single-use and re-usable portions mate and un-mate with each other via the physically separated mechanical and electrical connectors. Extruded cannula and molded distal tip parts can be separately formed which aids in manufacturing and assembly.