Endoscope Shaft Stop Locking Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscopic systems face challenges in easily and safely inserting a flexible shaft through curved access routes, requiring significant operator skill and potentially causing discomfort and risk to patients due to the need for frequent angle adjustments and rotations.
Innovation Solution
An endoscopic system with a flexible shaft and a regulator part that includes a shaft stop with a locking mechanism, allowing the shaft to be secured on a patient support, enabling easier manipulation and reducing the need for the operator to actively hold the shaft, while an operating part with control elements facilitates one-handed operation and rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the operator actively holds and manually maneuvers the flexible shaft through curved access routes, then the shaft can be inserted into the cavity, but the operation requires considerable practice and causes patient discomfort and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft stop enables the shaft to self-lock at the patient support without requiring continuous active holding by the operator. The locking mechanism automatically secures the shaft in position, allowing the operator to perform other tasks while maintaining shaft stability, thereby reducing operational difficulty and improving patient safety.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the shaft is freely movable during insertion, then the operator can adjust the angle and position, but the operator must continuously hold the shaft which increases operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a continuously manual control mode to a dynamic state where the shaft can be freely adjusted during insertion, then automatically locked when positioned. The locking mechanism provides conditional constraint - free movement when needed, fixed position when positioned - reducing the complexity of continuous operator intervention.
3Ease of operation
If the shaft is locked in position, then the operator can perform other tasks without continuously holding it, but the shaft cannot be repositioned or rotated
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism operates periodically rather than continuously - the shaft is locked at specific intervals when positioning is complete, allowing the operator to perform other tasks. The shaft can be repositioned by periodically releasing and re-locking, providing a rhythm of constraint and freedom that balances operational efficiency with repositioning capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscopic system according to the invention, in particular for colonoscopy, includes a flexible endoscope with an elongate, flexible shaft, a regulator part, and also an operating part which can be placed on or pushed onto the shaft and which has at least one control element, wherein the endoscopic system furthermore includes a shaft stop, which can be secured on a patient support and which has a locking mechanism, controllable by the at least one control element, for locking the shaft against movement in a longitudinal direction of the shaft.