Tapered Sensor Head Housing for Smooth Endoscope Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor devices for inspection cameras, such as endoscopes, face challenges in accessing difficult or inaccessible examination objects without causing damage, and there is a risk of getting stuck or caught during insertion and removal.
Innovation Solution
The sensor device is designed with a housing unit that tapers along a longitudinal axis, featuring a front and rear housing portion, a cable pass-through, and slanted surfaces to facilitate easy movement and minimize the risk of getting caught, while incorporating features like protective windows, light guides, and orientation sensors for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sensor device is designed with a standard cylindrical housing, then the structural simplicity is maintained, but the device may get stuck or caught during insertion and removal from examination objects
Solution Approach 1:
The housing unit is designed with a tapering geometry featuring slanted surfaces that form acute angles with the longitudinal axis, creating a conical or frustoconical shape. This curved tapering profile allows the device to navigate through tortuous pathways and be easily inserted and removed from examination objects without getting stuck, while maintaining structural integrity
2Ease of operation
If the housing unit is designed to taper with slanted surfaces, then the ease of navigation within examination objects is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing unit employs tapering with slanted surfaces forming acute angles with the longitudinal axis, creating a conical or frustoconical geometry that facilitates easy navigation through tortuous pathways within examination objects while maintaining manufacturability through standard forming processes
3Ease of operation
If the cable pass-through is positioned to align the cable unit parallel to the longitudinal axis, then the risk of getting caught during insertion is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable pass-through is positioned asymmetrically on the housing unit at a location where the tapering geometry naturally guides the cable unit to align parallel to the longitudinal axis during insertion. This asymmetric positioning ensures the cable follows a smooth path without getting caught, while avoiding complex alignment mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor device, in particular a sensor head, for an inspection camera, in particular an endoscope, has at least one illumination unit for illuminating an examination object. The sensor device further has at least one camera unit for detecting the examination object. In addition, the sensor device has at least one housing unit in which the camera unit and the illumination unit are arranged. The housing unit is designed to taper along a longitudinal axis of the housing unit.