Endoscopic Fluid Passage Changeover Valve Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic fluid passage changeover valve units lack efficient mechanisms to prevent the outflow of gases like carbon dioxide to the outside environment while allowing selective supply of gases and water to the distal portion of an endoscope, leading to operational complexities and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An endoscopic fluid passage changeover valve unit with a cylinder portion, a shaft, and seal members that allow for rotational and axial movement to block or allow communication between fluid passages, ensuring that gases do not flow out and water is supplied correctly, utilizing a communication passage and seal members to manage fluid flow based on input modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional endoscopic fluid passage changeover valve unit is used, then gases can be supplied to the distal portion, but gases may flow out to the outside environment through the communication passage
Solution Approach 1:
A valve member is introduced as an intermediary component between the gas supply passage and communication passage. This valve member selectively opens or closes the communication passage based on the operational mode (first mode or second mode), preventing harmful gas outflow while maintaining necessary fluid supply functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member is designed to dynamically change its position between open and closed states based on operational requirements. By moving the valve member between different positions, the system can switch between supplying gases to the distal portion and preventing gas outflow to the environment, adapting to different operational modes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the communication passage is opened to allow gas flow, then gas supply to distal portion is enabled, but gas may escape to the outside environment
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member serves as a controlled intermediary that mediates between the need for gas supply and the need to prevent gas escape. It provides selective communication between the gas supply passage and communication passage, enabling versatile fluid passage switching while preventing uncontrolled gas outflow to the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member creates a localized control point within the communication passage. By controlling the flow state at this specific location, the system can selectively enable gas supply to the distal portion while preventing gas escape to the environment, achieving local quality control over fluid flow paths.
3Device complexity
If the valve structure is simplified, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to selectively control gas and water supply is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is designed with multi-functionality to perform multiple control tasks. A single valve member structure can selectively control both gas supply passage and water supply passage based on its position, enabling input mode switching without requiring separate complex valve mechanisms for each fluid type, thus maintaining simplicity while achieving versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control functions for gas and water supply are merged into a single valve member mechanism. By combining the control of multiple fluid passages into one unified valve structure, the device complexity is reduced while maintaining the ability to selectively control gas and water supply to the distal portion based on operational mode.
Data Source
AI summary
In an endoscopic fluid passage changeover valve unit, a communication passage is formed in a shaft, the communication passage being opened to a hollow portion of a cylinder portion in an inside opening located on an outer peripheral surface of the shaft, and a seal member is provided at an angular position apart from the inside opening in circumferential directions of the cylinder portion. The shaft and the seal member are rotatable relative to the cylinder portion around a movement axis toward a position where a first upstream-side fluid passage is blocked by the seal member and toward a position where the inside opening of the communication passage faces the first upstream-side fluid passage.