Rotatable Camera Endoscope for Variable Field of View
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscopic instruments face limitations in providing a variable field of view without actively flexible distal segments, leading to reduced operator efficiency, increased surgery time, and risk of iatrogenic injury, while also being prone to degradation and high costs due to repeated cleaning and sterilization.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope design featuring a two-part handle with a rotatable distal housing and a processor-controlled camera system that maintains a fixed angular orientation of the optical axis, combined with a molded optical housing for leak-free sealing and fluid flowpaths, and a processor for image stabilization and enhancement, allowing for improved image correction and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If an actively flexible distal segment is used to improve field of view, then the field of view increases, but the device complexity and risk of iatrogenic injury increase
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is divided into a rigid shaft portion and a separable distal end portion containing the camera. This segmentation allows the camera to be positioned at the distal end for improved field of view while keeping the main shaft rigid and simple, avoiding the complexity of actively flexible segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the distal segment flexible to change direction, the invention makes the camera rotatable within the distal end portion. This inverts the approach by keeping the shaft rigid while allowing the imaging component to change orientation, achieving field of view improvement without flexible segment complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid insertion shaft is used to improve optics and durability, then optical quality and durability improve, but the field of view is limited and operator efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is made rotatable within the distal end portion, allowing dynamic adjustment of the field of view while maintaining a rigid shaft. This enables the operator to access different anatomical areas without compromising optical quality or requiring frequent instrument removal, thereby improving efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable camera mechanism allows a single rigid endoscope to perform multiple viewing functions by rotating the camera to different angles, eliminating the need for multiple specialized instruments and improving operator efficiency while maintaining optical quality.
3Productivity
If the endoscope is designed for repeated use with cleaning and sterilization, then cost efficiency improves, but functional degradation and reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is designed as a single-use disposable instrument. The entire device including the rigid shaft and distal end portion with camera is discarded after one use, eliminating costs and risks associated with repeated cleaning and sterilization while ensuring consistent functional performance without degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable design allows the endoscope to be discarded after single use, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming sterilization processes. The consistent manufacturing quality of new devices ensures reliable function without the functional degradation that occurs with repeated use and sterilization cycles.
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
Enhances operator efficiency by providing a variable field of view, reduces the risk of injury, and decreases costs through a disposable design that eliminates the need for repeated sterilization and cleaning, while maintaining image quality and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetic position sensor, such as a tri-axis absolute position sensor
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope comprises a handle and a shaft with an optical housing at the distal end of the shaft enclosing a camera sensor positioned so that its optical axis is at an angle with respect to a rotational axis of the shaft. The camera sensor is rotatable with the shaft relative to a proximal housing of the handle. A rotation sensor in the handle detects the rotational angle of the camera sensor with respect to the proximal housing. A processor can correct the angular orientation of an image from the image sensor, converting of a rotating variable field of view to a translating variable field of view. A processor can apply variable smoothing of the rotation of the displayed image so that smoothing during rotational deceleration is greater than smoothing during rotational acceleration. The shaft may be enclosed in a trocar that allows for a space between the shaft and trocar that can be used to carry irrigation fluid to or from a space at the end of the shaft.