Endoscope Standing Lever Design for Compact Distal Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope designs face challenges in reducing the size of the distal-end-portion body while maintaining good operability of the standing base, as increasing the rotatable angle of the standing lever to improve operability often results in an increase in the size of the endoscope due to unnecessary spaces around the observation and illumination windows.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a standing lever with a first and second arm portion that allows the lever to be oriented to match the shape of the endoscope's outer periphery, reducing unnecessary spaces and maintaining appropriate operating force by adjusting the distance between the lever's connection points and the center of rotation, thereby reducing the endoscope's size without compromising operability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rotatable angle of the standing lever is increased to improve operability, then the operability of the standing base is improved, but the size of the distal-end-portion body increases due to unnecessary spaces around the observation and illumination windows
Solution Approach 1:
The standing lever is configured with a bent profile including a first arm portion and a second arm portion that extend in different directions perpendicular to the rotation axis. This spatial reconfiguration allows the lever to utilize three-dimensional space more efficiently, accommodating a larger rotatable angle without increasing the overall footprint of the distal-end-portion body in any single dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The standing lever employs an asymmetric bent structure where the first arm portion and second arm portion have different orientations and lengths. This asymmetric design optimizes the distribution of mechanical components and allows the lever to rotate through a larger angle while maintaining compact dimensions, as the mass and structural elements are distributed more efficiently in space rather than symmetrically.
2Force
If the distance between the lever's connection points and the center of rotation is adjusted to maintain appropriate operating force, then the operating force is optimized, but the lever arm length is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The design optimizes the operating force by carefully selecting the distances from the center of rotation to the connection points of the first and second arm portions. By adjusting these dimensional parameters within the constrained space of the bent lever structure, the lever achieves appropriate mechanical advantage and operating force without requiring excessive lever arm length, thus resolving the contradiction between force optimization and length constraints.
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 configuration effectively reduces the size of the distal-end-portion body while ensuring good operability of the standing base, as the standing lever's arm portions are strategically positioned to minimize unnecessary space usage and maintain appropriate operating forces.
Implementation Method 1
a standing lever that is provided in the distal-end-portion body, includes a second rotating shaft, and allows the treatment tool-standing base to stand and fall
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an endoscope and a treatment tool-standing mechanism that allows a distal-end-portion body to be reduced in size while ensuring good operability of a standing base. In a distal-end-portion body of an endoscope, a standing lever is connected to a standing base through a rotating shaft, and the standing base is rotated by the rotation of the standing lever about the rotating shaft that is caused by the push and pull of an operation wire. The standing lever includes a first arm portion that extends from the rotating shaft and a second arm portion that extends in a direction different from the direction of the first arm portion, and a useless space formed on the proximal end side of the distal-end-portion body is reduced depending on the shape of the standing lever.