Polymer endoscopic shaft

• US 20050203341A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paradigm Optics, Inc. (Incom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Paradigm Optics, Inc. (Incom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Welker, David J., Breckon, Christopher D., Richter, Christopher A., Holt, Todd E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,708,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00165 with light-conductive means, e.g. fibre optics A61B1/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0017 Details of single optical fibres, e.g. material or cladding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/012 characterised by internal passages or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 600/92 Method of making endoscopes

Abstract

An endoscopic shaft having multiple endoscopic elements set in a polymer common housing. The endoscopic elements may be drawn with the common housing to manufacture a component, called an EndoFiber, which forms the length of the endoscopic shaft. A second structure, called an Endocap, may be provided that includes optical elements and which is attached to the end of the EndoFiber to form the shaft.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising:

an endoscopic shaft, comprising;

a polymer common housing extending the length of the endoscopic shaft; and

at least one endoscopic element set within the polymer common housing and extending along at least a portion of the shaft; and

an endoscopic cap attached to the endoscopic shaft, the endoscopic cap comprising;

a polymer common housing; and

at least one optical element set within the polymer common housing of the endoscopic cap.

2. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the attachment of the endoscopic cap to the endoscopic shaft comprises a subset of direct bonding, a sheath, a guide pin, and articulation wires.

3. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the endoscopic shaft comprises a plurality of endoscopic elements.

4. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the endoscopic elements are a subset of source light channels, laser light channels, length-wise lumens, imaging guides, and active and sensing fibers.

5. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the endoscopic cap comprises a plurality of optical elements.

6. An endoscopic shaft, comprising:

a polymer common housing extending the length of the endoscopic shaft, the polymer common housing comprising;

a plurality of light guides; and

a matrix material separating the light guides, the matrix material having a lower refractive index than the light guides; and

at least one endoscopic element set within the polymer common housing and extending along at least a portion of the shaft.

7. The endoscopic shaft of claim 6, wherein the common housing is divided into a plurality of sections, with each section comprising one of the plurality of light guides and each section being optically isolated from the other sections by the matrix material.

8. The endoscopic shaft of claim 6, wherein the diameter of the endoscopic shaft is smaller than 0.6 millimeters.

9. An endoscopic shaft, comprising:

a polymer common housing extending the length of the endoscopic shaft; and

at least one endoscopic element set within the polymer common housing and extending along at least a portion of the shaft;

the endoscopic shaft having a flexible end having a flexibility that is greater than an adjacent portion of the endoscopic shaft.

10. The endoscopic shaft of claim 9, wherein the flexibility comprises, after fabrication of the endoscopic shaft, placing a sheath over the adjacent portion but not the flexible end.

11. The endoscopic shaft of claim 9, wherein the flexibility comprises, during fabrication of the endoscopic shaft, placing a stiffening layer over the endoscopic shaft, and after fabrication, removing the stiffening layer from the flexible end.

12. The endoscopic shaft of claim 9, wherein the flexibility comprises inserting a stiffening member into a lengthwise lumen of the endoscopic shaft and through at least a portion of the adjacent portion, but not through the flexible end.

13. The endoscopic shaft of claim 9, wherein the endoscopic shaft is formed by drawing, and wherein the flexibility comprises, during fabrication of the endoscopic shaft, drawing a stiffening member within the endoscopic shaft, and, after fabrication of the endoscopic shaft, removing the stiffening member from at least part of the flexible end.

14. An endoscopic shaft, comprising:

a polymer common housing extending the length of the endoscopic shaft; and

at least two polymer endoscopic elements, a first endoscopic element comprising an imaging guide and a second endoscopic element comprising a scintillating imaging guide.

15. An endoscopic shaft, comprising:

a polymer common housing extending the length of the endoscopic shaft; and

at least one polymer endoscopic element set within the polymer common housing and extending along at least a portion of the shaft;

wherein a dye is incorporated into at least one of said at least one polymer endoscopic element and the polymer common housing.

16. A method of forming an endoscopic shaft, comprising:

combining a polymer common housing and at least one polymer endoscopic element to form a preform; and

drawing the preform.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein non-drawable material is pulled into the polymer common housing during the drawing of the preform.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

prior to pulling the non-drawable material into the common housing, coating the non-drawable material with a coating material; and

removing the coating material after drawing of the preform.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one endoscopic element is a subset of source light channels, laser light channels, length-wise lumens, imaging guides, and active and sensing fibers.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein non-drawable material is pulled into the polymer common housing during the drawing of the preform.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

prior to pulling the non-drawable material into the common housing, coating the non-drawable material with a coating material; and

removing the coating material after drawing of the preform.