Protruding Electronic Component Blocks Light Leakage in Endoscope Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing operating state display systems for endoscope light source apparatuses suffer from misjudgment of remaining battery life due to light leakage between adjacent light emitter/guider pairs, leading to inefficient observation and potential damage from vibration and reduced mechanical strength.
Innovation Solution
An improved operating state display system with a housing, first and second light emitters, and light guiders, where an electronic component protrudes between the emitters to block light emission from one emitter to the adjacent guider, ensuring proper light intensity and preventing misjudgment, and optionally using coated or covered transmission surfaces to further block external light.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a light shielding wall is used to block light from one emitter to adjacent guider, then light leakage is prevented, but vibration is transmitted to substrate and cabinet causing vibration sound and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the protruding electronic component) that serves as a mediator between the light emitter and the substrate. This component blocks light paths while being positioned to absorb or isolate vibration, preventing direct transmission to the substrate and cabinet. The intermediary structure thus simultaneously addresses both light leakage prevention and vibration isolation requirements.
2Reliability
If a slit is provided in the substrate to block light, then light leakage is prevented, but mechanical strength of substrate is reduced and product life is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the light blocking function from the substrate itself (by not creating slits in it) and relocates this function to a separate electronic component that protrudes from the substrate. This separation allows the substrate to maintain its full mechanical strength while the protruding component performs the light blocking function, thus avoiding the trade-off between light leakage prevention and structural integrity.
3Reliability
If additional components or processes are added to the substrate to block light, then light leakage is prevented, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the electronic component multi-functional by giving it both its original electronic function and an additional light blocking function. The protruding electronic component serves dual purposes: performing its electronic role and simultaneously blocking light paths to prevent leakage. This eliminates the need for separate light blocking components or processes, thereby preventing manufacturing cost increases while maintaining light leakage prevention.
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
Prevents light leakage between adjacent pairs, allowing accurate monitoring of the endoscope's operating state without vibration-induced damage or mechanical strength reduction, while maintaining efficient observation and prolonging product life.
Implementation Method 1
The light emitted by the light emitter is incident onto a specific surface of the light guider, and emitted from a surface disposed out of an outer surface of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
An operating state display system includes a housing, a board provided inside the housing, a first light emitter attached on the board, a second light emitter arranged adjacent to the first light emitter on the board, a first light guider attached to the housing to face the first light emitter, a second light guider attached to the housing to face the second light emitter, and an electronic component attached between the first and second light emitters on the board. The electronic component protrudes by a predetermined length in the same direction as the first and second light emitters from a surface of the board. The predetermined length is longer than a distance between the first light emitter and the board and a distance between the second light emitter and the board.