Endoscope Tip Part Adhesive Enclosure for Liquid Tightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscope tip part manufacturing methods using ultraviolet-curing polymers are slow, expensive, and require high operator skill, leading to issues with liquid tightness and color distortion, while materials like polyolefin for flexibility are difficult to adhere, complicating assembly and increasing material costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a camera assembly with an image sensor and circuit board, where a distal end segment and exterior housing are used to enclose the assembly with an adhesive, allowing it to harden, forming a sealed tip part without a separate mould, reducing operator skill requirements and enabling thinner wall thickness for a smaller circumference, thus improving liquid tightness and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultraviolet-curing polymers are used to enclose the camera assembly, then liquid tightness is improved, but manufacturing speed decreases and operator skill requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the enclosing function from the ultraviolet-curing polymer material and assigns it to a separate housing structure. The housing is molded to enclose the camera assembly without requiring UV-curing adhesive, thereby eliminating the slow curing process while maintaining liquid tightness through the housing's integral design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tip part into multiple components: a housing that encloses the camera assembly and a separate polymer material portion. This segmentation allows the housing to provide structural enclosure and liquid tightness, while the polymer material is applied only where needed for sealing, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and time.
2Reliability
If ultraviolet-curing polymers are used to enclose the camera assembly, then liquid tightness is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the reliance on expensive ultraviolet-curing polymer materials for the primary enclosing function, replacing it with a standard molded housing structure. This substitution eliminates the need for specialized UV-curing adhesives and equipment, thereby reducing material and equipment costs while maintaining liquid tightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable tip part design where the housing and camera assembly are integrated as a single-use unit. This approach eliminates the need for complex, expensive sealing mechanisms and allows for cost-effective manufacturing through simple molding processes, making the overall system more economical despite the improved liquid tightness.
3Reliability
If ultraviolet-curing polymers are used to enclose the camera assembly, then sealing is improved, but operator skill requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the complex UV-curing polymer application process and integrates it into the housing's molded structure. The housing is designed with built-in sealing features that automatically provide liquid tightness when assembled, eliminating the need for operators to skillfully apply and cure UV adhesives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates sealing features directly into the molded housing structure during manufacturing, before assembly. The housing includes integrated seals and gaskets that are pre-positioned to ensure liquid tightness upon assembly, removing the need for operators to perform complex sealing operations during assembly.
4Strength
If thicker wall thickness is used in the tip part, then structural strength is improved, but circumference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a rigid molded housing with localized polymer material applications. The housing provides the primary structural strength with optimized wall thickness, while the polymer material is applied only in specific areas requiring enhanced sealing or flexibility, thereby maintaining strength without increasing overall circumference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the polymer material locally rather than uniformly throughout the housing. The housing structure has varying wall thicknesses optimized for different functional requirements, with thicker walls only where structural strength is critical and thinner walls where flexibility or space is needed, achieving optimal strength-to-circumference ratio.
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 method reduces manufacturing complexity, operator skill needs, and material costs, ensures liquid tightness, and prevents color distortion by using a separate exterior housing with thinner walls and a hardened adhesive, enhancing the flexibility and reliability of the endoscope tip part.
Implementation Method 1
injecting an adhesive into the spacing of the distal end segment so that at least parts of the circuit board are embedded in the adhesive; allowing or causing the adhesive to harden
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacture of a tip part for an endoscope including providing a camera assembly with an image sensor and a circuit board; providing a distal end segment having a distal end and a circumferential wall enclosing a spacing; providing an exterior housing having a circumferential wall enclosing a spacing; inserting the distal end of the camera assembly in the spacing of the exterior housing; positioning the proximal end of the exterior housing adjacent to the distal end of the distal end segment; injecting an adhesive into the spacing of the distal end segment so that at least parts of the circuit board are embedded in the adhesive; and allowing or causing the adhesive to harden; whereby the distal end segment, camera assembly and exterior housing form an assembled tip part of an endoscope attached to each other by means of the adhesive.