Articulated tip part for an endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11992181-B2
Application number	US-201916718335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	May 28, 2024
Grant date	May 28, 2024

Abstract

A medical device operable to obtain images of an internal cavity of a patient, including a handle; a flexible tube; a front end cap housing a camera assembly; a bending section extending from the flexible tube and including a proximal end segment and a distal end segment; a peripheral wall having an inner surface defining an internal space and including a cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface; a member having an outer surface and positioned at least partly in the internal space with the cavity overlapping the outer surface; and a protrusion of a hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the member and extending into the cavity of the peripheral wall, wherein the member is one of, and the peripheral wall is comprised by another of, the flexible tube, the proximal end segment, the distal end segment, or the front end cap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medical device operable to obtain images of an internal cavity of a patient, the medical device comprising:
a handle;
a flexible tube having a proximal end adjacent the handle and a distal end, the distal end of the flexible tube having an outer surface;
a camera assembly;
a front end cap housing the camera assembly, the front end cap having an outer surface;
a bending section integrally formed in one piece and extending from the flexible tube, the bending section including a proximal end segment, a distal end segment, and intermediate segments between the proximal end segment and the distal end segment, the intermediate segments hingedly connected to each other,
wherein the proximal end segment includes a proximal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the proximal end segment peripheral wall comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, and a cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface toward the outer surface, the distal end of the flexible tube positioned at least partly in the internal space of the proximal end segment peripheral wall with the cavity overlapping the outer surface of the flexible tube, and
wherein the distal end segment includes a distal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the distal end segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface, inner surface protrusions extending from the inner surface toward the internal space and distributed circumferentially, and through-holes extending radially outwardly from the inner surface to the outer surface, the front end cap positioned at least partly in the internal space of the distal end segment peripheral wall with the through-holes overlapping the outer surface of the front end cap;
a first protrusion of a first hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the flexible tube, the first protrusion extending into the cavity of the proximal end segment peripheral wall; and
a second protrusion of a second hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the front end cap, the inner surface protrusions not comprising the second protrusion, and the second protrusion extending into the through-holes of the distal end segment peripheral wall.

2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface protrusions comprise centering ribs extending longitudinally and abutting the outer surface of the front end cap.

3. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the bending section consists essentially of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or polyoxymethylene (POM), and a solid surface free energy at 20° C. (SFE) of the bending section at the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall is smaller than an SFE of the front end cap at the outer surface.

4. The medical device of claim 3 , wherein the SFE of the bending section at the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall is at least 5 mN/m less than the SFE of front end cap at the outer surface.

5. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the through-holes of the distal end segment comprises a major axis aligned with a longitudinal axis of the bending section and a minor, smaller, axis perpendicular to the major axis.

6. The medical device of claim 5 , wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall has a solid surface free energy at 20° C. (SFE) smaller than an SFE of the front end cap at the outer surface.

7. The medical device of claim 6 , wherein the through-holes comprise a first through-hole and a second through-hole, the second through-hole having a periphery that is different than a periphery of the first through-hole.

8. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface protrusions comprise centering ribs that extend longitudinally between the through-holes and are configured to align the front end cap in the distal end segment.

9. The medical device of claim 8 , wherein the centering ribs are evenly distributed along the inner surface.

10. The medical device of claim 9 , wherein the centering ribs are distributed evenly between the through-holes.

11. The medical device of claim 8 , wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment has an inner perimeter, wherein each of the centering ribs has a width measured perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction and a depth measured radially from the inner surface, and wherein the width of each centering rib is less than or equal to 10 percent of the inner perimeter.

12. The medical device of claim 11 , wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than the width.

13. The medical device of claim 8 , wherein a cross-section of the internal space of the distal end segment peripheral wall taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction has a maximum cross-sectional extent, and wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than or equal to 5 percent of the maximum cross-sectional extent.

14. The medical device of claim 8 , wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall has a substantially tubular shape having a diameter, and wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than or equal to 5 percent of the diameter.

15. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the distal end segment peripheral wall further comprises an elongate circumferential recess extending circumferentially from one of the through-holes to another of the through-holes, the elongate circumferential recess extending from the outer surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall toward the inner surface.

16. The medical device of claim 15 , wherein the elongate circumferential recess does not connect with the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall.

17. A system to inspect an internal cavity of a patient, the system comprising:
the medical device of claim 1 ; and
a monitor connectable to the medical device to receive and present the image generated by the camera assembly.

18. A method to assemble a medical device, the method comprising:
providing a handle;
providing a flexible tube having a proximal end adjacent the handle when assembled and a distal end;
providing a front end cap, the front end cap having a peripheral wall and an outer surface;
inserting a camera assembly into a spacing defined by the peripheral wall of the front end cap;
providing a bending section integrally formed in one piece and including a proximal end segment, a distal end segment, and intermediate segments between the proximal end segment and the distal end segment, the intermediate segments hingedly connected to each other, the proximal end segment including a segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface defining an internal space, a cavity toward the outer surface, and a longitudinal axis, the inner surface being around the longitudinal axis and the cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface toward the outer surface, the distal end segment including a distal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the distal end segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface, inner surface protrusions extending from the inner surface toward the internal space and distributed circumferentially, and through-holes extending radially outwardly from the inner surface to the outer surface;
inserting the front end cap into the internal space at least until the through-holes of the distal end segment peripheral wall overlap the front end cap;
injecting an adhesive into the through-holes and into contact with the outer surface of the front end cap; and
allowing o

Assignees

• Ambu As

Inventors

• Qvist Troels Nicolaj
• Hansen Michael Kappler
• Jensen Thomas Bachgaard

Classifications

• A61B1/0011 Primary

  Manufacturing of endoscope parts · CPC title

• A61B1/00137

  End pieces at either end of the endoscope, e.g. caps, seals or forceps plugs · CPC title

• A61B1/0052

  Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles · CPC title

• A61B1/0055

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

• A61B1/009

  with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part · CPC title