Insertion tube storage carousel

• US 7,819,798 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waygate Technologies USA LP (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies LP (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Lawson, legal representative, Lawson, Ronald H., Fish, Charles W. III, Felten, Kenneth Von, Lia, Raymond A., Karpen, Thomas W., Krauter, Allan I.
• Primary Examiner(s): KASZTEJNA, MATTHEW JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/474,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 600/102, 600/101, 206/570, 206/702, 206/389, 206/363, 206/408, 206/409, 248/75, 248/78, 248/89, 248/312, 248/146, 242/588, 242/588.3, 242/588.6, 242/360, 242/361.1, 242/361.2, 242/361.4, 242/613.1, 242/311.2, 242/597.8, 242/613, 220/631, 220/635, 220/628, 220/623, 220/610, 220/601, 220/604, 220/620
• US Class Current: 600/102
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00142 with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4298 coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers

Abstract

An apparatus for storing at least one elongated and flexible object, such as an insertion tube that functions as a portion of an endoscope or a borescope device. The apparatus includes a rotating storage carousel having a base and a peripheral barrier. An elongated and flexible object, such as an insertion tube, is stored along the inner side of the peripheral barrier and the base. The storage cavity of the carousel rotates while accepting the transfer of the elongated and flexible object for storage.

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and endoscope device, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a rotatable cavity bounded by at least one inner surface that includes an inner surface of a base and an inner surface of a peripheral barrier, where said rotatable cavity is configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and configured to accommodate storage of an insertion tube having a proximal end and distal end, where said storage is performed without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel, and where said storage carousel is configured to allow said proximal end to be located outside of said rotatable cavity while a remaining portion of said insertion tube is stored inside of said rotatable cavity; and

a frame providing mechanical support to a pivot shaft and including an insertion port, where said insertion port extends through said frame and is configured to guide a transfer of said insertion tube either towards or away from said rotatable cavity;

where said at least one inner surface is configured to make physical contact and to generate a frictional force between said insertion tube and said at least one inner surface so that said transfer of said insertion tube towards or away from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate; and

where said storage carousel is located within a case, said case storing components of a borescope or endoscope device.

2. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and endoscope device, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a rotatable cavity bounded by at least one inner surface that includes an inner surface of a base and an inner surface of a peripheral barrier, where said rotatable cavity is configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and configured to accommodate storage of an insertion tube having a proximal end and distal end, where said storage is performed without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel, and where said storage carousel is configured to allow said proximal end to be located outside of said rotatable cavity while a remaining portion of said insertion tube is stored inside of said rotatable cavity; and

a frame providing mechanical support to a pivot shaft and including an insertion port, where said insertion port extends through said frame and is configured to guide a transfer of said insertion tube either towards or away from said rotatable cavity;

where said at least one inner surface is configured to make physical contact and to generate a frictional force between said insertion tube and said at least one inner surface so that said transfer of said insertion tube towards or away from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate; and

where said storage carousel is attached to an outer surface of a case, said case storing components of a borescope or endoscope device.

3. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and endoscope device, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a rotatable cavity bounded by at least one inner surface that includes an inner surface of a base and an inner surface of a peripheral barrier, where said rotatable cavity is configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and configured to accommodate storage of an insertion tube having a proximal end and distal end, where said storage is performed without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel, and where said storage carousel is configured to allow said proximal end to be located outside of said cavity while a remaining portion of said insertion tube is stored inside of said cavity; and

a frame providing mechanical support to a pivot shaft and including an insertion port, where said insertion port extends through said frame and is configured to guide a transfer of said insertion tube either towards or away from said rotatable cavity;

where said at least one inner surface is configured to make physical contact and to generate a frictional force between said insertion tube and said at least one inner surface so that said transfer of said insertion tube towards or away from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate; and

where said storage carousel is located separate from a case, said case storing components of a borescope or endoscope device.

4. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and an endoscope, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a base, a peripheral barrier and a rotatable cavity, said rotatable cavity comprising an inner surface of said base and an inner surface of said peripheral barrier, where said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier are configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and are configured to accommodate the storage of said insertion tube, and where at least one of said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier is configured to make physical contact with said insertion tube so that transfer of said insertion tube to or from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel;

where said insertion tube has both a proximal end and a distal end;

where said rotatable cavity is of a conical shape and where said rotatable cavity of said conical shape has a larger diameter located more proximate to said base and a smaller diameter located less proximate to said base; and

where said storage carousel is located within a case, said case storing components at least one of a borescope and endoscope device.

5. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and an endoscope, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a base, a peripheral barrier and a rotatable cavity, said rotatable cavity comprising an inner surface of said base and an inner surface of said peripheral barrier, where said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier are configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and are configured to accommodate the storage of said insertion tube, and where at least one of said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier is configured to make physical contact with said insertion tube so that transfer of said insertion tube to or from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel;

where said insertion tube has both a proximal end and a distal end;

where said rotatable cavity is of a conical shape and where said rotatable cavity of said conical shape has a larger diameter located more proximate to said base and a smaller diameter located less proximate to said base; and

where said storage carousel is attached to an outer surface of a case, said case storing components at least one of a borescope and endoscope device.

6. An apparatus for storing an insertion tube of a borescope and an endoscope, said apparatus comprising:

a storage carousel including a base, a peripheral barrier and a rotatable cavity, said rotatable cavity comprising an inner surface of said base and an inner surface of said peripheral barrier, where said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier are configured to rotate around an axis of rotation and are configured to accommodate the storage of said insertion tube, and where at least one of said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier is configured to make physical contact with said insertion tube so that transfer of said insertion tube to or from said rotatable cavity causes said rotatable cavity to rotate without said insertion tube being fixably attached to said storage carousel;

where said insertion tube has both a proximal end and a distal end;

where said rotatable cavity is of a conical shape and where said rotatable cavity of said conical shape has a larger diameter located more proximate to said base and a smaller diameter located less proximate to said base; and

where said storage carousel is located separate from a case, said case storing components at least one of a borescope and endoscope device.

7. An apparatus for storing an elongated flexible object, said apparatus including:

a storage carousel having a base, a peripheral barrier, and an axis of rotation, said base substantially defining at least one inner surface that intersects said axis of rotation, said peripheral barrier having a conical shaped inner surface that surrounds said axis of rotation; and

a rotatable cavity comprising said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier, said storage carousel configured to rotate around said axis of rotation and said rotatable cavity configured to accommodate the storage of an elongated flexible object disposed along at least one of said inner surface of said peripheral barrier and said inner surface of said base, said elongated flexible object having both a proximal end and a distal end;

where at least one of said inner surface of said base and said inner surface of said peripheral barrier is configured to make physical contact with and generate a frictional force with said elongated flexible object to cause said rotatable cavity to rotate;

where said storage carousel includes a conical shaped peripheral barrier, said conical shaped peripheral barrier including an inner surface having a larger inner diameter located proximate to said base and a smaller inner diameter located farther away from said base; and

where said elongated flexible object is an insertion tube for at least one of a borescope and an endoscope device.