ENDOSCOPE WITH BENDABLE CAMERA SHAFT
An endoscope with a handle and an insertion shaft. The insertion shaft has solid state illumination and imaging circuitry at or near a tip designed to provide illumination and imaging of a body cavity for a surgeon during surgery. At least a portion of the insertion shaft is flexible or articulated. Controls on the handle permit control of flex or articulation of the insertion shaft to permit direction of illumination and field of view of the imaging circuitry. Control force transfer elements permit a surgeon to direct a direction of the imaging circuitry by transfer of mechanical force directed by a surgeon to the bendable distal portion to cause the bendable portion to bend under the surgeon's control.
1 . A replaceable endoscope tip for an endoscope, comprising:
an insertion shaft having a rigid proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion being bendable to direct a field of view of imaging circuitry in a desired direction;
an illuminator and solid state imaging circuitry at or near a distal tip of the bendable distal portion, the illuminator being designed to illuminate, and the imaging circuitry being designed to capture imaging of, an interior of a body cavity for a surgeon during surgery;
a coupling designed to separably connect the replaceable endoscope tip at a joint to a handle portion, and to disconnect the joint, the coupling having:
mechanical connectors designed:
to permit removal of the replaceable endoscope tip from the handle for disposal and replacement; and
to connect to form a joint designed to provide surgical mechanical force transfer between a surgeon's hand to the insertion shaft;
electrical connectors designed to connect the replaceable endoscope tip to electronics in the handle, the handle electronics designed for drive of the illuminator and to receive imaging signal from the imaging circuitry, the handle being designed to permit sterilization between uses;
control force transfer elements designed to permit a surgeon to direct a direction of the imaging circuitry by transfer of mechanical force directed by a surgeon to the bendable distal portion to cause the bendable portion to bend under the surgeon's control.