Endoscope comprising a bending section having a varying length of hinges
An endoscope including a handle; and an insertion cord including a bending section made from one or two pieces of polymer material; the bending section including: bending segments and bendable hinges keeping together the bending segments, the hinges each having a specific hinge length; the bending section having a portion in which the hinge length predominantly increases from a proximal end segment of said portion to a distal end segment of said portion; and the portion including at least one trigger point formed by an abrupt increase in the hinge length.
1 . An endoscope comprising:
a handle; and
an insertion cord including a bending section made from one or two pieces of polymer material, the bending section comprising
hinges and rings formed integrally with and interconnected by the hinges, the hinges comprising strips of polymer material longitudinally separating the rings, each of the hinges having two proximal fillets, two distal fillets, and a length extending along a longitudinal direction of the bending section, the length of a hinge being a longitudinal distance between, and including, the proximal fillets and the distal fillets,
a bending section portion, the lengths of at least some of the hinges increasing in a direction from a proximal ring of said bending section portion to a distal segment of said bending section portion,
the hinges including a first trigger hinge having an abrupt increase in length relative to the length of a hinge immediately proximal of the first trigger hinge, the first trigger hinge being located between the proximal ring of said bending section portion and the distal ring of said bending section portion or immediately adjacent, distally, the distal ring of said bending section portion, the abrupt increase in the length being greater than any increase between longitudinally adjacent hinges in the bending section portion.
2 . The endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising a steering control and a steering wire extending from the steering control and through the bending section, wherein upon actuation of the steering control the first trigger hinge bends before hinges, of the hinges, proximal of the first trigger hinge, the steering control comprising a lever or at least one steering wheel.
3 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the bending section portion comprises
a first bending section portion; and
a second bending section portion, the second bending section portion being distal of the first bending section portion, wherein the first trigger hinge is located between the first bending section portion and the second bending section portion, wherein the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion are constant, wherein the hinges in the bending section portion have constant widths, and wherein the rings in the bending section portion have lengths, at least some of the lengths of the rings in the bending section portion decreasing from the proximal ring of said bending section portion to the distal ring of said bending section portion.
4 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein:
the bending section comprises a first bending section portion, a second bending section portion distal of the first bending section portion, and a third bending section portion distal of the second bending section portion,
the first trigger hinge is located between the first bending section portion and the second bending section portion,
the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion are equal to the length of the first trigger hinge,
the length of the hinge immediately distal of the second bending section portion has an abrupt increase in length forming a second trigger hinge and being longer than the first trigger hinge, and
the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion are equal to the length of the second trigger hinge.
5 . The endoscope of claim 4 , wherein the hinges in the bending section portion have constant widths, and wherein the rings in the bending section portion have lengths, at least some of the lengths of the rings in the bending section portion decreasing from the proximal ring of said bending section portion to the distal ring of said bending section portion.
6 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the bending section portion comprises
a first bending section portion,
a second bending section portion, and
a third bending section portion,
wherein the first trigger hinge is located between the first bending section portion and the second bending section portion or between the second bending section portion and the third bending section portion, and wherein the first bending section portion is different from the second bending section portion.
7 . The endoscope of claim 6 , wherein the bending section portion comprises a second trigger hinge between the second bending section portion and the third bending section portion.
8 . The endoscope of claim 6 , wherein the first bending section portion is proximal of the second bending section portion, the second bending section portion is proximal of the third bending section portion, and the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion are constant.
9 . The endoscope of claim 8 , wherein the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion are constant and longer than the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion.
10 . The endoscope of claim 6 , wherein the lengths of the hinges in the first bending section portion are devoid of the abrupt increase.
11 . The endoscope of claim 6 , the hinges further comprising a second trigger hinge having an abrupt increase in length, the second trigger hinge being located between the proximal ring of said bending section portion and the distal ring of said bending section portion, and wherein the second trigger hinge is longer than the first trigger hinge.
12 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the lengths of the hinges vary from 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm, wherein the lengths of the hinges increase by at least 0.03 mm and at most 0.15 mm without forming the abrupt increase, and wherein the lengths of the hinges increase by at most 0.25 mm when forming the abrupt increase.
13 . A visualization system comprising:
the endoscope of claim 1 ; and
a monitor.
14 . The endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the bending section portion comprises
a first bending section portion; and
a second bending section portion distal of the first bending section portion,
wherein pairs of the rings are connected by at least two of the hinges, the two of the hinges being on opposite sides of a longitudinally extending center axis of the bending section,
wherein the first trigger hinge is located distally of the first bending section portion, and
wherein the lengths of the at least some of the hinges increasing in the direction from the proximal ring of said bending section portion to the distal ring of said bending section portion are located in the first bending section portion.
15 . The endoscope of claim 14 , the hinges further comprising a second trigger hinge having an abrupt increase in length relative to the length of the hinge immediately proximal of the second trigger hinge, wherein the second trigger hinge is located distally of the first trigger hinge.
16 . The endoscope of claim 15 , wherein the second trigger hinge is longer than the first trigger hinge.
17 . The endoscope of claim 15 , wherein the lengths of the hinges between the first trigger hinge and the second trigger hinge are constant.
18 . The endoscope of claim 17 , wherein the lengths of the hinges distal of the second trigger hinge are constant.
19 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion are constant.
20 . The endoscope of claim 19 , wherein the rings in the bending section portion have lengths, at least some of the lengths of the rings in the bending section portion decreasing from the proximal ring of said bending section portion to the distal ring of said bending section portion.
21 . The endoscope of claim 19 , wherein the hinges in the bending section portion have constant widths.
22 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the bending section portion comprises a third bending section portion distal of the second bending section portion, wherein the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion are constant, and wherein the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion are constant.
23 . The endoscope of claim 22 , wherein the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion are constant and longer than the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion.
24 . The endoscope of claim 23 , the hinges further comprising a second trigger hinge having an abrupt increase in length relative to the length of the hinge immediately proximal of the second trigger hinge, and wherein the second trigger hinge is located between the second bending section portion and the third bending section portion.
25 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the lengths of the hinges in the second bending section portion equal 0.45 mm and the lengths of the hinges in the third bending section portion equal 0.50 mm.
26 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the first trigger hinge is located between the first bending section portion and the second bending section portion, wherein the rings in the first bending section portion have lengths, and wherein some of the lengths of the rings decrease in a distal direction.
27 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the abrupt increase in length of the first trigger hinge is greater than any increase between longitudinally adjacent hinges in said first bending section portion.
28 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the abrupt increase in length of the first trigger hinge at least 30% of the length of the hinge immediately preceding, proximally, the hinge of the first trigger hinge.
29 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the abrupt increase is at least double of an average increase in the lengths of the hinges in the first bending section portion.
30 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein a stiffness of each of the hinges in the first bending section portion decreases in a proximal-to-distal direction, and wherein the bending section is configured to achieve an approximately circular shape when bent at a 270 degree angle.
31 . The endoscope of claim 14 , wherein the first trigger hinge is configured to bend before the hinges in the first bending section portion upon application of a longitudinal force at a distal end of the bending section.