Articulated tip part for an endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11622674-B2
Application number	US-201916599488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2019
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

An articulated tip part for an endoscope, and an endoscope, including segments including a distal end segment having an outer wall defining an inner spacing adapted to accommodate a camera assembly therein and a proximal wall having a proximal surface, the distal end segment having an outer surface, wherein adjacent of the segments are interconnected by at least one hinge member to enable bending of the articulated tip part; and an insertion guide adapted to guide a steering wire and including an entry provided in the outer surface of the distal end segment, the insertion guide also including an exit fluidly coupled with and leading to the inner spacing of the distal end segment, whereby an end of a steering wire can be guided into the inner spacing of the distal end segment via the entry of the insertion guide.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An articulated tip part for an endoscope, the articulated tip part comprising:
a steering wire including a first portion, a second portion, and an intermediate portion between the first portion and the second portion; and
segments including a distal end segment and a second segment immediately proximal of the distal end segment, the distal end segment having an outer wall defining an inner spacing adapted to accommodate a camera assembly therein and a proximal wall connected to the outer wall, the proximal wall having a proximal surface, a distal surface, and a peripheral surface, the distal end segment having an outer surface including an outer surface of the outer wall and the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and enclosing the proximal wall, wherein the distal end segment and the second segment are interconnected by two hinge members to enable bending of the articulated tip part along a plane traversing the two hinge members,
wherein the distal end segment includes an insertion guide and a first steering wire passage through-hole, the insertion guide adapted to guide the steering wire and including an entry provided in the outer surface of the distal end segment, the insertion guide also including an exit in the distal surface of the proximal wall,
wherein the insertion guide comprises a slot in the proximal wall, the slot extending radially inwardly from the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and having a depth equal to or greater than a thickness of the outer wall and a diameter of the steering wire, and
wherein the first portion of the steering wire extends through the first steering wire passage through-hole and the insertion guide with the intermediate portion adjacent the proximal surface of the proximal wall and traversing the plane traversing the two hinge members.

2. The articulated tip part of claim 1 , wherein the two hinge members are film hinges and/or integral hinges and/or living hinges.

3. The articulated tip part of claim 1 , wherein the segments are integrally formed in one piece.

4. The articulated tip part of claim 1 , wherein each of the segments has an outer surface, which includes the outer surface of the distal end segment, and wherein the outer surface of each segment is substantially cylindrically shaped, so that the articulated tip part has a uniform outer contour.

5. The articulated tip part of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate section of the steering wire is secured at the tip part by friction engagement with the proximal wall of the distal end segment.

6. An endoscope comprising:
an articulated tip part according to claim 1 ; and
the camera assembly,
wherein the camera assembly is housed within the distal end segment of the articulated tip part, the articulated tip part being positioned at a distal end of the endoscope.

7. A system for visually inspecting a human body, the system comprising:
an endoscope according to claim 6 and a monitor, wherein the endoscope is connectable to the monitor, and the monitor is configured to present an image captured by the camera assembly of the endoscope.

8. The articulated tip part of claim 1 , further comprising a second insertion guide including an entry provided in the outer surface of the distal end segment, wherein the first portion of the steering wire passes through the insertion guide into the inner spacing and out of the inner spacing through the first steering wire passage through-hole, and wherein the second portion of the steering wire passes through the second insertion guide into the inner spacing and out of the inner spacing through a second steering wire passage through-hole, thereby placing the intermediate portion of the steering wire outside of the inner spacing.

9. The articulated tip part of claim 8 , wherein the second insertion guide comprises a second slot extending radially inwardly from the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and having a depth equal to or greater than the thickness of the outer wall and the diameter of the steering wire, and wherein the first slot and the second slot are parallel to each other.

10. The articulated tip part of claim 9 , wherein the first slot and the second slot extend from the distal surface to the proximal surface.

11. The articulated tip part of claim 9 , wherein the first slot has a proximal surface cross-section equal to a distal surface cross-section.

12. The articulated tip part of claim 9 , wherein one of the two hinge members interferes with a straight path between the slot and the second slot.

13. The articulated tip part of claim 12 , wherein the intermediate section is bent between the slot and the second slot toward a longitudinal axis of the articulated tip part.

14. A method for making an endoscope, the method comprising:
providing segments and a steering wire, the segments including a distal end segment and a second segment immediately proximal of the distal end segment, the distal end segment having an outer wall defining an inner spacing adapted to accommodate a camera assembly therein and a proximal wall connected to the outer wall, the proximal wall having a proximal surface, a distal surface, and a peripheral surface, the distal end segment having an outer surface including an outer surface of the outer wall and the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and enclosing the proximal wall, the distal end segment and the second segment being interconnected by two hinge members to enable bending of the articulated tip part along a plane traversing the two hinge members, the distal end segment including an insertion guide and a first steering wire passage through-hole, the insertion guide adapted to guide the steering wire and including an entry provided in the outer surface of the distal end segment, the insertion guide also including an exit in the distal surface of the proximal wall, the insertion guide comprising a slot in the proximal wall, the slot extending radially inwardly from the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and having a depth equal to or greater than a thickness of the outer wall and a diameter of the steering wire;
guiding a first end of the steering wire into the spacing of the distal end segment via the entry of the insertion guide;
guiding the first end of the steering wire out of the spacing via the first steering wire passage through-hole; and
guiding an intermediate portion of the steering wire through the plane traversing the two hinge members, the intermediate portion thus positioned adjacent the proximal surface of the proximal wall and traversing the plane traversing the two hinge members.

15. The method of claim 14 , the method comprising:
guiding a second end of the steering wire into the spacing of the distal end segment via a second insertion guide; and
guiding the second end of the steering wire out of the spacing via a second steering wire passage through-hole.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second insertion guide comprises a second slot in the proximal wall, the second slot extending radially inwardly from the peripheral surface of the proximal wall and having a depth equal to or greater than the thickness of the outer wall and the diameter of the steering wire, and wherein the slot and the second slot are parallel to each other.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein one of the two hinge members interferes with a straight path between the slot and the second slot.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the intermediate section is bent between the slot and the second slot toward a longitudinal axis of the articulated

Assignees

• Ambu As

Inventors

• Jensen Thomas Bachgaard

Classifications

• A61B1/0011

  Manufacturing of endoscope parts · CPC title

• A61B1/0008 Primary

  characterised by distal tip features · CPC title

• A61B1/0057

  Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires · CPC title

• A61B1/00114

  Electrical cables in or with an endoscope · CPC title

• A61B1/0055 Primary

  Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements · CPC title