Video endoscope

• US 20050197536A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Saperstein, Eric, MacNamara, Francis T., Smith, David, Turturro, Vincent, Boulais, Dennis R., Fantone, Stephen D., Couvillon, Lucien Alfred Jr., Banik, Michael S., Orband, Daniel G., Coppola, Patsy Anthony, Stewart, William Charles, Kirouac, Andrew Peter, Clark, Richard Joseph, Weissburg, David L., Wiesman, Richard M., Braunstein, Daniel J., Saber, Michael P., Chin, Albert C.C., Greaves, Amna Elona Rathore, Mehta, Neil Rasik, Anderson, Frank J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,578,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/179
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00011 characterised by signal transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0008 characterised by distal tip features
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00112 Connection or coupling means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00147 Holding or positioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0016 using motor drive units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00186 with imaging filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0052 Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0653 with wavelength conversion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/12 with cooling or rinsing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 : for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes

Abstract

A video endoscope system includes a reusable control cabinet and an endoscope that is connectable thereto. The endoscope may be used with a single patient and then disposed. The endoscope includes an illumination mechanism, an image sensor, and an elongate shaft having one or more lumens located therein. An articulation joint at the distal end of the endoscope allows the distal end to be oriented by the actuators in the control cabinet or actuators in a control handle of the endoscope. Fluidics, electrical, navigation, image, display and data entry controls are integrated into the system along with other accessories.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and one or more lumens therein;

one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) at or adjacent the distal end of the shaft for illuminating tissue;

an imaging assembly at the distal end of the shaft that includes an image sensor to produce image signals representative of the tissue;

a number of control cables that are selectively tensioned to bend the shaft in a desired direction; and

an articulation joint that includes a number of links that are joined together with spring segments and are bendable under tension of one or more of the control cables.

2. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the control cables pass through the spring segments that join adjacent links together.

3. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein each link includes a front edge and a rear edge each of which has a pair of sloped surfaces thereon such that the sloped surfaces from adjacent links allow increased bending of the links.

4. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the spring segments that join the links together have a uniform pitch.

5. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the spring segments that join the links together have alternating tightly wound and loosely wound sections.

6. The endoscope of claim 5, wherein the shaft includes a breakout box having an entrance to a working channel of the endoscope therein, the shaft having a greater torque fidelity distal to the breakout box than proximal to the breakout box.

7. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a connector at the proximal end for connecting the endoscope to a control cabinet, the connector including:

a manifold that routes one or more liquids to different of the one or more lumens in the endoscope; and

an electrical connector for passing signals to and from the image sensor.

8. The endoscope of claim 7, wherein the manifold comprises two sheets of thermoplastic material that are bonded together to form passages for routing the one or more liquids.

9. The endoscope of claim 7, wherein the proximal connector includes one or more spools on which the control cables are wound.

10. The endoscope of claim 9, wherein the connector includes two spools therein, each of which has two control cables wound thereon.

11. The endoscope of claim 9, wherein the connector has three spools therein, each of which has a control cable wound thereon.

12. The endoscope of claim 9, wherein the connector has four spools therein, each of which has a control cable wound thereon.

13. An endoscopic system, comprising:

a control cabinet that includes;

a number of actuators that operate to control the orientation of an endoscope;

an image processor for creating images from image signals produced by an image sensor in the endoscope;

a display for displaying the images; and

one or more valves to control the delivery of an irrigation fluid and insufflation air/gas to one or more lumens in the endoscope;

a handheld controller including a number of controls that can be activated by a user to supply commands to the control cabinet; and

the endoscope being removably connectable to the control cabinet.

14. The endoscopic system of claim 13, wherein the endoscope includes:

a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end and one or more tubes/lumens therein;

one or more light emitting diodes to provide illumination light;

an image sensor at the distal end of the endoscope for producing image signals representative of a scene illuminated with the illumination light;

an articulation joint including a number of stacked segments that are joined together with spring segments to allow adjacent segments to bend relative to each other; and

a number of control cables having distal ends secured to the articulation joint and proximal ends that are selectively tensioned by the actuators to orient the distal tip of the endoscope.

15. The endoscopic imaging system of claim 14, wherein the control cables have an outer sheath having ends that remain fixed as the control cables are tensioned.

16. The endoscopic imaging system of claim 13, wherein the endoscope is removably connected to the control cabinet with a connector that includes a number of spools to which the control cables are connected and a manifold for selectively directing air, water or vacuum to one or more tubes or lumens in the endoscope.

17. The endoscopic imaging system of claim 16, wherein the spools are grooved for receiving the control cables.

18. The endoscopic system of claim 13, wherein the handheld controller is connected to the control cabinet through a wired link.

19. The endoscopic system of claim 13, wherein the handheld controller is connected to the control cabinet through a wireless link.

20. The endoscopic system of claim 13, wherein the handheld controller provides tactile feedback to the user that is proportional to a force required to move a distal end of the endoscope.

21. The endoscope system of claim 18, wherein the control cabinet includes a processor that separates a force required to move the proximal end of the endoscope from a force required to move the distal end.

22. The endoscopic system of claim 13, wherein the control cabinet includes a processor that determines a force on the endoscope and compares it to a variable braking threshold, the processor causing the actuators to move the distal tip of the endoscope such that the force is less than the braking threshold.

23. The imaging endoscope system of claim 14, wherein the control cables are made of metal.

24. The imaging endoscope system of claim 14, wherein the control cables are made of PET.

25. The endoscope of claim 13, wherein the shaft is coated with a hydrophilic coating and the shaft further includes a gripper that can be wetted to activate the hydrophilic coating.

26. An endoscope that is removably connectable to a reusable control cabinet to form a system for examining an internal body cavity of a patient, comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and one or more lumens therein;

an articulation joint adjacent the distal end of the shaft for allowing the distal end of the shaft to be selectively oriented;

a number of control cables that are tensioned to pull the articulation joint in a desired direction; and

a connector at the proximal end of the shaft for removably connecting the endoscope to the control cabinet, the connector including a manifold that directs a fluid to be delivered to one or more lumens in the shaft.

27. The endoscope of claim 26, wherein the manifold is flexible and comprises a number of passages therein through which the fluid can flow.

28. The endoscope of claim 27, wherein the passages are opened and closed with one or more valves that pinch or release the passages.

29. An endoscope for use in imaging an internal body cavity of a patient, comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and one or more lumens therein;

means disposed at or adjacent the distal end for allowing the distal end of the shaft to be directed in a desired direction;

an imaging means disposed at the distal end of the endoscope for illuminating a body cavity and producing image signals representative of the body cavity;

means for selectively coupling the proximal end of the shaft to a control cabinet; and

means for selectively directing an irrigation liquid into at least one of the one or more lumens of the endoscope.

30. The endoscope of claim 29, wherein the means for selectively directing the liquid into one or more lumens of the endoscope comprises a manifold having passages therein that connect the liquid to the one or more lumens of the endoscope and wherein the passages are selectively opened and closed by valves on the control cabinet.

31. The endoscope of claim 29, wherein the imaging means comprises:

a cap having at least one illumination port and imaging port therein; and

a heat exchanger having;

one or more light emitting diodes mounted thereon;

a channel through which a cooling media can be passed to cool the one or more light emitting diodes;

an imaging sensor to produce image signals;

a lens assembly; and

a channel within heat exchanger that aligns the lens assembly with the imaging sensor.

32. The endoscope of claim 29, wherein the means for allowing the distal end of the shaft to be directed in a desired direction comprises a number of stacked links that are joined together with spring segments.

33. The endoscope of claim 32, wherein the spring segments have a uniform winding pitch.

34. The endoscope of claim 32, wherein the spring segments have alternating sections of tightly wound and loosely wound sections.

35. The endoscope of claim 29, wherein the means for selectively coupling the proximal end of the shaft to the control cabinet includes at least two spools on which the control cables are wound, the spools engaging a motor in the control cabinet when the shaft is coupled to the control cabinet.

36. The endoscope of claim 29, further comprising means for grasping the shaft to move the shaft within the patient.

37. A valveless endoscope for use with a control cabinet to produce images of a patient'"'"'s body cavity, comprising:

an endoscope having a distal end that is inserted into a patient and a proximal end that is connectable to a control cabinet with a proximal connector, the connector including a manifold having a number of passages therein that selectively direct liquid into one or more lumens of the endoscope with external valves that open and close the passages in the manifold.

38. The valveless endoscope of claim 37, wherein the endoscope includes a handle having a number of switches therein that when operated cause a remote processor to activate the external valves to open and close the passages in the manifold.