Endoscope Signal Cable Bundle Arrangement via Heat-Shrinkable Tube Notching
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Solution Overview
Problem
In rigid endoscopes, the arrangement of internal components such as treatment tool channels and signal cables often interferes, making it difficult to change the internal configuration, and existing techniques for managing cable interference are limited in flexibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dividing signal lines into bundles, using heat-shrinkable tubes with notched sections to create aligned cylindrical portions, and inserting these bundles into corresponding tubes to form a secure and insulated signal cable configuration that avoids interference with the treatment tool channel, allowing for flexible arrangement without increasing the tubular portion's diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If signal lines are bundled together in a single cable, then the cable structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the cable interferes with the treatment tool channel making it difficult to change internal arrangement
Solution Approach 1:
The signal cable is divided into multiple bundles, with each bundle containing a subset of signal lines. This segmentation allows the bundles to be arranged flexibly around the treatment tool channel while maintaining organized signal groupings, thus resolving the conflict between manufacturing simplicity and arrangement flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single linear cable arrangement to a multi-dimensional bundled structure that can be spatially distributed around the treatment tool channel. This dimensional change enables the signal lines to wrap around or follow the channel in three-dimensional space, avoiding interference while maintaining cable organization.
2Reliability
If heat-shrinkable tubes are used to insulate signal lines, then insulation effectiveness is improved, but the tubular portion diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large heat-shrinkable tube around all signal lines, the patent applies multiple smaller heat-shrinkable tubes to individual bundles of signal lines. This segmentation reduces the diameter of the overall tubular portion while maintaining insulation effectiveness through distributed coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where heat-shrinkable tubes are placed around signal line bundles, which are themselves nested within the larger cable assembly. This nested arrangement allows insulation to be applied at multiple hierarchical levels, achieving comprehensive insulation without requiring a single large-diameter tube.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables accurate and efficient arrangement of signal cables and treatment tool channels, preventing interference while maintaining a compact and insulated structure, thereby facilitating easier reconfiguration of internal components within the endoscope.
Implementation Method 1
heating at least an overlapping portion in a state where the first and second heat-shrinkable tubes partially overlap each other to cause heat shrinkage
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing an endoscope includes: dividing some of signal lines into bundle portions; notching a part of a tube to form one or a plurality of notch portions; cutting at least one end portion of the tube in a state where the tube is folded with each notch portion to produce a first heat-shrinkable tube having cylindrical portions with aligned end portions in longitudinal directions of the cylindrical portions; inserting the divided bundle portions into the cylindrical portions of the first heat-shrinkable tube, respectively; inserting the signal lines into a second heat-shrinkable tube; heating at least an overlapping portion in a state where the first and second heat-shrinkable tubes partially overlap each other to cause heat shrinkage; inserting the signal cable and the channel into a tubular portion; and connecting the tubular portion to a distal end constituting portion to form the insertion portion.