Endoscopic Clip Assembly with Bendable Portion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopic clipping instruments suffer from clip deformation and damage when bent at large angles, making repeated clipping operations cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a flexible sheath with multiple clip assemblies, each featuring a bendable portion and rotatable arms, allowing for arbitrary bending without damaging the clips, and a resilient sleeve with slits to facilitate clip deployment and retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible sheath is bent at a large angle with a small curvature radius, then the endoscope can navigate complex anatomical paths, but the clipping instrument is strained and the clips are deformed to an excessive extent and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The clipping instrument is divided into multiple segments: a flexible sheath, a bendable portion, and a clip assembly. The bendable portion acts as a separate segment that can rotate independently, allowing the flexible sheath to navigate complex paths while isolating the clip assembly from excessive bending strains.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the clipping instrument have different flexibility characteristics. The flexible sheath is designed to be flexible for navigation, while the clip assembly is designed to be rigid for stable clipping. The bendable portion with rotating capability provides localized flexibility only where needed, preserving clip integrity.
2Productivity
If multiple clips are aligned in line inside the flexible sheath, then successive clipping operations can be conducted without retracting the instrument, but the clips are vulnerable to deformation when the sheath is bent
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument separates the multiple clips into individual clip assemblies that are connected in series. Each clip assembly is isolated by the bendable portion with rotating capability, allowing successive clipping operations while protecting each clip from deformation during sheath manipulation.
3Reliability
If the clipping instrument is made rigid to prevent clip deformation, then clip durability is improved, but the instrument cannot navigate curved anatomical paths
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is segmented into a flexible sheath for navigation and a rigid clip assembly for stable clipping. The bendable portion with rotating capability connects these segments, allowing the sheath to navigate curved paths while the clip assembly remains protected from excessive bending.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts have different rigidity characteristics tailored to their functions. The flexible sheath provides adaptability for navigation, while the rigid clip assembly ensures clip durability. The rotating bendable portion provides localized flexibility only where needed for navigation.
Data Source
AI summary
A clipping instrument for an endoscope is provided. The clipping instrument includes a flexible sheath and at least one clip assembly with a pair of openable and closable clipping arms. The clip assembly is arranged in vicinity to a distal end portion of the flexible sheath with the clipping arms closed. The clipping arms are configured to be protruded forward to open outside the flexible sheath and to be closed to clip onto a treatment object outside the flexible sheath. The clipping instrument further includes an operating wire, which is configured to be forwarded and retracted to operate the pair of arms to be opened and closed. The clip assembly includes a bendable portion, which corresponds to a position of a shaft to support the clipping arms. The clip assembly can be arbitrarily bended at the bendable portion.