Steering assembly for an endoscope, in particular for a single use endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023172429-A1
Application number	US-202117922060-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 29, 2021
Priority date	Apr 30, 2020
Publication date	Jun 8, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A steering assembly for an endoscope, the steering assembly including a first steering member rotatable around a rotation axis for bending a tip of the endoscope in a first directional plane, a second steering member rotatable around the rotation axis for bending the tip of the endoscope in a second directional plane, a first shaft mechanically engaged by a first form locking key connection with the first steering member for transmitting a torque induced by the first steering member to a first wire drum, a second shaft mechanically engaged by a second form locking key connection with the second steering member for transmitting a torque induced by the second steering member to a second wire drum, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are arranged coaxially to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 12 . (canceled)

13 . A steering assembly for an endoscope, the steering assembly comprising:
a first steering member rotatable around a rotation axis for bending a tip of the endoscope in a first directional plane; a first wire drum; a second steering member rotatable around the rotation axis for bending the tip of the endoscope in a second directional plane; a second wire drum; a first shaft mechanically engaged with the first steering member by a first form locking key connection for transmitting a torque induced by the first steering member to the first wire drum; and a second shaft mechanically engaged with the second steering member by a second form locking key connection for transmitting a torque induced by the second steering member to the second wire drum, the first shaft and the second shaft being coaxial to each other.

14 . The steering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the form locking elements are conical in a direction radial to the rotation axis and/or in the direction of the rotation axis.

15 . The steering assembly of claim 14 , wherein the form locking elements comprise deformation areas to reduce or eliminate play between the first steering member and the first shaft ( 9 ) and/or between the second steering member and the second shaft.

16 . The steering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the form locking elements comprise deformation areas to reduce or eliminate play between the first steering member and the first shaft ( 9 ) and/or between the second steering member and the second shaft.

17 . The steering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second form locking key connection is arranged at least in part axially inside the first form locking key connection.

18 . The steering assembly of claim 17 , wherein the second form locking key connection is arranged completely axially inside the first form locking key connection.

19 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first steering member and the first shaft and/or the second steering member and the second shaft each are made from plastic/resin.

20 . The steering assembly of claim 19 , wherein the first steering member and the first shaft and/or the second steering member and the second shaft each are injection molded.

21 . The steering assembly of claim 20 , wherein the first shaft and the first wire drum are molded in one piece, and wherein the second shaft and the second wire drum are molded in one piece.

22 . The steering assembly of claim 21 , wherein first steering member is positioned between the second steering member and the second wire drum.

23 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first form locking key connection and/or the second form locking key connection is/are made from plastic material.

24 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the form locking elements of the first form locking key connection and/or the second form locking key connection comprise/comprises a plurality of grooves/recesses and a plurality of teeth/blocks, respectively, which grooves/recesses and teeth/blocks are arranged parallel to the rotation axis and parallel to each other, the teeth/blocks and the grooves/recesses on opposing sides of the rotation axis being arranged diametrically and secantically with regard to each other.

25 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first form locking key connection and the second from locking key connection overlap each other in the direction of the rotation axis.

26 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second steering member comprises a hollow cylindrical socket part provided with the form locking elements of the second form locking key connection, and wherein the socket part engages into a clearance between the first shaft and the second shaft.

27 . The steering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the form locking elements of the first shaft engage into a central opening of the first steering member.

28 . The steering assembly of claim 27 , wherein the second shaft is arranged within the first shaft.

Assignees

• Ambu As

Inventors

• Schütz Jakob
• Schütz Günter Wilhelm
• Roppenecker Daniel Bernd
• Nielsen Martin Refslund
• Hansen Jan Guldberg

Classifications

• A61B1/00066

  Proximal part of endoscope body, e.g. handles (A61B1/0052 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B1/0052 Primary

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

• A61B1/00064 Primary

  Constructional details of the endoscope body · CPC title