Pressure-Propelled Endoscope With Piston Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for imaging body lumens like the gastrointestinal tract are often painful and inefficient, with manual insertion of endoscopes causing discomfort and risk of bleeding or perforation, and existing robotic systems require anchoring and inflation to navigate the low-friction environment.
Innovation Solution
A pressure-propelled imaging system using a guide member with a piston head and carrier that utilizes fluid pressure to advance through the body lumen without anchoring, employing inflatable piston heads and a vent tube to facilitate movement and imaging, with optional auxiliary piston heads and pressure sensors for control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual insertion of endoscope is used, then the procedure can be performed with simple equipment, but patient experiences abdominal pain and distention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical insertion with an automated pressure-propelled system. A pressure source (balloon, piston, or fluid pressure) automatically propels the endoscope through the colon, eliminating manual manipulation and the associated pain and distention caused by mechanical expansion of the colon during manual insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope system performs self-propulsion through the colon using internal pressure mechanisms. The pressure source (whether inflatable balloon, piston, or fluid-pressure driven) enables the endoscope to move through the colon autonomously without requiring manual insertion forces, thereby reducing patient discomfort while maintaining procedural effectiveness.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual insertion of endoscope is used, then the procedure can be performed with simple equipment, but the colon may bleed or be perforated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical insertion with an automated pressure-propelled system. A pressure source (balloon, piston, or fluid pressure) automatically propels the endoscope through the colon, eliminating manual manipulation and the associated pain and distention caused by mechanical expansion of the colon during manual insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope system performs self-propulsion through the colon using internal pressure mechanisms. The pressure source (whether inflatable balloon, piston, or fluid-pressure driven) enables the endoscope to move through the colon autonomously without requiring manual insertion forces, thereby reducing patient discomfort while maintaining procedural effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If robotic system with anchoring is used, then the system can navigate body lumen, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the anchoring mechanism from the robotic system. Instead of using anchoring devices to secure the endoscope in place during navigation, the system uses a pressure-propelled approach where the endoscope is pushed through the colon by internal pressure (balloon inflation, piston movement, or fluid pressure), thereby simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining navigation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical insertion with an automated pressure-propelled system. A pressure source (balloon, piston, or fluid pressure) automatically propels the endoscope through the colon, eliminating manual manipulation and the associated pain and distention caused by mechanical expansion of the colon during manual insertion.
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
The system enables efficient and minimally invasive imaging by leveraging the low-friction environment of the GI tract, reducing patient discomfort and the risk of complications, while allowing for effective navigation and imaging without the need for anchoring or excessive inflation.
Implementation Method 1
a greater fluid pressure acting on a proximal side of the piston head than on a distal side of the piston head propels the piston head and the carrier in a distal direction in the body lumen
Implementation Method 2
The piston head is shaped to define a proximal lobe and a distal lobe, the lobes being in fluid communication with each other
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus (10) is provided for use with a biologically-compatible-fluid pressure source (16), the apparatus (10) including an elongate carrier (26), adapted to be inserted through a proximal opening (18) of a body lumen (20), and a piston head (30) coupled to a distal portion of the carrier (26). The piston head (30) is adapted to form a pressure seal with a wall of the lumen (20) after the carrier (26) has been inserted into the lumen (20), and to be advanced distally through the body lumen (20) in response to pressure from the fluid pressure source (16). The apparatus (10) is configured to facilitate distal advancement of the piston head (30) by facilitating passage of fluid out of the lumen (20) from a site within the lumen (20) distal to the piston head (30). The apparatus (10) additionally includes an optical system (32), coupled to the carrier (26) in a vicinity of the distal portion, the optical system (32) having distal and proximal ends. The optical system (32) includes an image sensor (232), positioned at the proximal end of the optical system (32); an optical member (234) having distal and proximal ends, and shaped so as to define a lateral surface, at least a distal portion of which is curved, configured to provide omnidirectional lateral viewing; and a convex mirror (240), coupled to the distal end of the optical member (234), wherein the optical member (234) and the mirror (240) have respective rotational shapes about a common rotation axis.