Telescopic Medical Imaging Device with Sliding Optical Gear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging devices, such as laparoscopes and endoscopes, often require multiple cameras to capture comprehensive views of internal body regions, but they lack the flexibility to adjust their field of view without changing the orientation or position of the device, which can limit the precision and effectiveness of medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A medical imaging device with a handle, an elongated rigid shaft, and an extendible sleeve that allows the optical gear to change its field of view by sliding along the shaft, enabling adjustable positioning of cameras within the body without altering the device's orientation, using a control unit to manage the extension and collapse of the sleeve and provide power and data to multiple optical gears.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cameras are used to capture comprehensive views of internal body regions, then the field of view coverage is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of maneuvering increase
Solution Approach 1:
The extendible sleeve is nested within the elongated rigid shaft, creating a telescopic structure that allows the optical gear to extend and retract along the shaft's longitudinal axis. This nesting arrangement enables multiple cameras to be housed within a compact configuration while maintaining the capability to extend the field of view when needed, thus improving coverage without permanently increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical gear is designed with dynamic extendibility, allowing it to change its position along the longitudinal axis of the shaft. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the system to adapt the field of view coverage based on procedural needs, while the optical gear itself remains a single integrated unit that can be maneuvered as one piece, reducing the complexity associated with multiple separate camera systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera position is fixed on the rigid shaft, then the device structure is simple, but the ability to adjust field of view without changing device orientation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The optical gear is designed to slide along the longitudinal axis of the rigid shaft, enabling dynamic adjustment of the field of view. This sliding mechanism allows the camera position to be changed without requiring the entire device to be repositioned or reoriented, thereby improving field of view adaptability while maintaining ease of operation through a simple linear movement along the shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into the rigid shaft and the extendible optical gear, allowing independent movement of the optical component along the shaft. This segmentation enables the field of view to be adjusted by moving only the optical gear rather than the entire device, improving adaptability while keeping the maneuvering process straightforward and controlled.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the extendible sleeve is used to slide the optical gear along the shaft, then the field of view flexibility is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The extendible sleeve is nested within the rigid shaft, creating a telescopic structure that adds field of view flexibility through a relatively simple geometric arrangement. This nested configuration allows the optical gear to extend and retract along the shaft without requiring complex external mechanisms, thus improving adaptability while minimizing the increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendible sleeve serves multiple functions: it houses the optical gear, provides a sliding mechanism for field of view adjustment, and maintains structural integrity during extension and retraction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby improving field of view flexibility without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The subject matter discloses a medical imaging device, comprising a handle adapted to operate and maneuver the medical imaging device, an elongated rigid shaft connected to the handle, and an extendible sleeve configured to cover at least a portion of the elongated rigid shaft. The extendible sleeve comprises a rigid section comprising at least one optical gear and an extendible section, wherein extending the extendible section pushes the rigid section along a longitudinal axis of the elongated rigid shaft, and wherein sliding the rigid section over the elongated shaft changes the at least one optical gear field of view to provide a different linear field of view in an object space.