Endoscope Switch Button Assembly for Sealing and Fast Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope designs with external switches are prone to fluid ingress and require complex assembly, increasing manufacturing time and costs, especially for disposable endoscopes.
Innovation Solution
A switch button with elastically deformable legs and a plunger mechanism that penetrates the handle housing, providing a simple assembly method and effective sealing, using injection molding for manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If switches are placed on the exterior surface of the handle, then accessibility for the operator is improved, but the risk of fluid ingress into the handle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The switch button is nested within a recess in the handle housing, with the operating part extending through the housing wall. The legs pass through both the housing wall and the carrier board, creating a nested structure where the switch assembly is integrated into the handle rather than attached externally. This nesting approach maintains exterior accessibility while protecting internal components from fluid ingress.
2Reliability
If a complex series of assembling elements is used to seal and fixate the switch, then protection of electronics during cleaning is improved, but assembly time and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The switch button integrates multiple functions into a single component: the operating part provides the sealing surface, the legs provide both mechanical attachment and sealing, and the integrated structure eliminates the need for separate sealing elements and fixing mechanisms. This merging of functions into a single switch button component reduces the number of assembly steps while maintaining protection of electronics during cleaning procedures.
3Ease of manufacture
If the switch button structure is simplified for single-use endoscopes, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but adequate sealing and attachment may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The legs are designed with specific geometric parameters including a barb section with protrusions that engage with corresponding features in the housing, and an auxiliary section with reduced cross-section for easy insertion. The operating part is made of elastomeric material with specific hardness properties that enable both sealing and elastic deformation under finger pressure. These parameter optimizations achieve reliable sealing and attachment through the simplified single-component structure.
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
Facilitates quick assembly, reduces manufacturing costs, and ensures reliable sealing against fluid ingress while maintaining operational functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an operating part elastically deformable under the pressure from a finger of an operator
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope including a handle housing having apertures for legs of an operating part, an electrical switch positioned in the handle housing and having a carrier board having apertures for the legs. The operating part includes a finger pad having a finger surface, a ring connected to and extending from the finger pad, the ring having a plunger aperture, legs connected to and extending from the ring, the legs each having a spacer section and an electrical switch retention protrusion. The legs traverse the apertures of the handle housing and the carrier board to secure the electrical switch to the housing handle. The finger pad comprises elastically deformable material configured to extend toward and cause actuation of the electrical switch, when pressure is applied and to return to a rest position when pressure is released.