IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,510,733
Granted Patent B2
US 9,510,733 · App. 14/084,811 · Granted Dec 6, 2016

Endoscope and a method for chemical modification of the members thereof

Inventors: Men-Luh Yen (Taipei, TW); Tai-Horng Young (Taipei, TW); Hsu-Hsien Chang (Taipei, TW); Yu-Shin Wang (Taipei, TW)
Assignee: NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY
A61B1/00142A61B1/126A61B1/127G02B23/2476G02B27/0006A61B1/0011
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,510,733
App. No.
14/084,811
Granted
Dec 6, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

An endoscope and a method for chemical modification of the members thereof are provided, on one hand, a transparent isolation film is utilized such that the tissue fluid inside a subject cannot stick to a lens of the endoscope to maintain the optimal image capturing status of the lens of the endoscope without the need to extract the endoscope frequently from the body of the subject, such that not only the time consumed in the examination process may be reduced, but also the uncomfortable feeling of the subject in the examination process may be decreased; on the other hand, a chemical modification method for members of the endoscope is provided to reduce the negative impact on the lens of the endoscope resulted from liquid pollutant or mist, moisture.

Claims (16)

1. An endoscope, including:

an endoscope body, having a lens, an image transmission module and a lighting module, said lens with lens surface being used to capture image, said image transmission module being used to transmit image information acquired by said lens, and said lighting module being used to provide illumination for image capturing of said lens;

a transparent isolation film accessory, being provided in said endoscope body in a detachable manner, said transparent isolation film accessory having a film offering wheel and a film collection wheel, said film offering wheel may provide a clean transparent isolation film for the lens surface of said lens for said clean transparent isolation film to cover the lens surface of said lens, and further keep pollutants from contact with the lens surface of said lens;

a hollow outer tube, having a head opening and a tail opening, said tail opening being for said endoscope body to go through to enter an interior space of said hollow outer tube; said head opening being externally exposed the transparent isolation film, covering the lens surface of said lens, for said lens to capture images by said transparent isolation film; and

a handle, being arranged at the tail end of said endoscope body, being joined with said hollow outer tube on the tail opening side of said hollow outer tube, an outer wall of said handle being protruded with an actuator coaxially attached to the film offering wheel, the actuator being able to apply a force to drive said film offering wheel to rotate to provide the aforementioned clean transparent isolation film for the lens surface of said lens, while a polluted transparent isolation film on the lens surface of said lens being moved forward to said film collection wheel by a follower coaxially attached to the film collection wheel and engaging with the actuator in order to collect said polluted transparent isolation film by said film collection wheel,

wherein the actuator and the follower are gears, and the follower is directly engaged and driven by the actuator;

wherein a soft waterproof film further covers the outer wall of said handle and the actuator;

wherein, said hollow outer tube is formed with a cantilever with a hook at a joint of said handle and the hollow outer tube, a position of said handle corresponding to said hook is formed with a joining hole, said joining hole is provided for accommodating said hook for maintaining the joining of said handle and said hollow outer tube by a hole wall of said joining hole, and

wherein, the cantilever of said hollow outer tube further has a pressing portion protruded at one end opposite to said hook; when the pressing portion is pushed down, the hook of the cantilever disengages from the joining hole.

2. The endoscope as claim 1 , wherein, said lighting module has a lighting portion, and said transparent isolation film also covers said lighting portion and exposes outside said head opening for said lighting module to provide illumination for image capturing by said lens through said transparent isolation film.

3. The endoscope as claim 1 , wherein, said transparent isolation film is polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane resin, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, or polylactic acid.

4. The endoscope as claim 1 , wherein, said transparent isolation film accessory is formed with a guiding portion to provide guidance for the transparent isolation film of said film offering wheel to move toward the lens surface of said lens, or for the polluted transparent isolation film on the lens surface of said lens to move forward said film collection wheel.

5. The endoscope as claim 4 , wherein, the tube wall of said hollow outer tube is further provided with a scraping portion to scrape partial pollutants on said transparent isolation film.

6. The endoscope as claim 1 , further including a washer set circumferentially at the joint of said handle and said hollow outer tube.

7. The endoscope as claim 1 , wherein, said film offering wheel and said film collection wheel are arranged to be separated with a space formed for going through said endoscope body.

8. The endoscope as claim 1 , wherein, said image transmission module is composed at least of an image information transmission optical fiber and an optical lens set; said lighting module is composed at least of a light transmission optical fiber and a light source.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2013
From: YEN, MEN-LUH; YOUNG, TAI-HOMG; CHANG, HSU-HSIEN; WANG, YU-SHIN
To: NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 031652/0586 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 102121438 A · Jun 17, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140371528A1 · Dec 18, 2014