CN115153386A - Minimally invasive endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an endoscope in which the reusable part is almost entirely inserted into the hollow pistol handle of the disposable part, the protruding part of the reusable part and the adjacent part of the handle being covered by a flexible and elastic cover. The same cover covers the open end of the handle when the disposable part is shipped from the production site. At the user, the medical professional tears open the bag, removes the lid from the handle, inserts the reusable part, and covers the rear end of the reusable part and the adjacent portion of the handle with the same lid. Typically, the remote display is connected to the endoscope wirelessly or by a cable, and the connector passes through a hole in the cover configured to prevent liquid from entering around the connector. The wireless transmission preferably uses a proprietary protocol to maintain the confidentiality of the medical data.

Description

Minimally invasive endoscope

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a partial continuation of U.S. patent application No. 17/521,397, filed on 8/11/2021, based on priority from: U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/176,307, filed on 18/4/2021; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/285,061, filed on 12/1/2021; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/295,913, filed on 2/1/2022; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/299,829, filed on 14/1/2022; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/302,563, filed on 25/1/2022; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/303,690, filed on day 27 of 2022, month 1; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/310,336, filed on 2/15/2022; U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/299,960, filed on 25/1/2022. The parent application is in turn based on the priority of each of the following U.S. provisional patent applications, which are incorporated by reference: no. 63/112,739, filed on 12/11/2020; no. 63/113,960, filed on 11/15/2020; 63/118,617, filed on 25/11/2020; 63/128,105, filed on 12/20 of 2020; no. 63/138,528, filed on 18/1/2021. The above-mentioned patent applications are incorporated by reference and claim priority.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to endoscopes. And more particularly to endoscopes for medical procedures that are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and can be fully or partially disposable, avoiding or greatly reducing the risk of contamination.

Background

In conventional endoscopy, or in cases where an organ or the interior of a human body is to be examined visually, a complicated lens system is generally used to transmit an image from the front end of the endoscope to the observer. Rigid endoscopes typically use relay lens systems; flexible endoscopes typically use fiber optic bundles or objective lens systems. Conventional rigid and flexible endoscopes, lenses or fiber optic systems are relatively expensive and are reused multiple times. Therefore, each time after use, it must be rigorously sterilized and disinfected.

Disposable endoscopes are an emerging class of endoscopic instruments. In some cases, the manufacturing costs of an endoscope may become sufficiently inexpensive to allow it to be used with only a single patient. Disposable or single use endoscopes reduce the risk of cross-contamination and nosocomial disease, enable procedures to be performed in doctor's offices, as well as clinics and hospitals, and reduce the overall cost of performing procedures, as they reduce the costs associated with sterilizing and maintaining conventional endoscopes and the personnel required for such maintenance.

Embodiments of endoscopes, including partially or fully disposable endoscopes, are discussed in the following patents and patent applications, each of which is incorporated by reference herein: PCT/US 2016/18670, filed on months 2 and 19 years 2016; PCT/US2017/053171, filed on 25.9.2017; U.S. patent application No. 16/363,209, filed on 25.9.2017, published on 18.7.2019 as 20190216325; PCT/US2019/036060, filed on 7.6.2019; U.S. patent application No. 16/972,989, filed 6/7/2019, published at 20210251789 at 8/19/2021; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/362,043, filed on 29/6/2021; PCT/US21/50095 filed on 9/13/2021; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/473,587, filed on 13.9.2021; U.S. patent nos. 8,702,594; PCT/US16/65396, filed on 2016, 12, 7; U.S. patent nos. 9,649,014; PCT/US2018/014880, filed on 23.1.2018; U.S. patent nos. 10,874,287; U.S. patent nos. 9,895,048; U.S. patent nos. 10,524,636; U.S. patent nos. 10,426,320; U.S. patent nos. 10,278,563; U.S. patent nos. 10,292,571; U.S. patent application No. 16/407,028 filed on 8.5.2019, published on 29.8.2019 as 20190261836; PCT/US2020/038349, filed on 18.6.2020; PCT/US2020/046018, filed on 8/12/2020; U.S. patent nos. 10,869,592; U.S. patent nos. 11,013,396; U.S. patent nos. 11,071,442; U.S. patent application No. 17,122,282, filed on 12/15/2020, published on 4/1/2021 as 202110093169; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/145,466, filed 11/1/2021, published at 20210137352, 5/13/2021; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/349,674, filed on 16.6.2020, published on 7.10.2021 as 20210307591; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/370,575, 7/8/2021.

The subject matter described or claimed in this patent specification is not limited to what has been described in terms of addressing any particular disadvantages or to only what has been described in particular embodiments operating in environments such as those described above. Rather, the above background is provided merely to illustrate the feasibility of some embodiments described herein in an exemplary technology area.

Disclosure of Invention

In some embodiments, an endoscope includes a single use portion comprising: an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis; a fluid hub extending from the housing along the cannula axis toward the forward end; a cannula extending from the fluid hub along a cannula axis to a forward end and having an imaging module at the forward end; a hollow, funnel-shaped, pistol-style handle extending from the housing along a handle axis transverse to the cannula axis, having a rear end integral with the housing and an open front end; an electrical contact coupled to the imaging module within the handle and at the rear end; a rear port at the rear end of the housing, a middle port at the fluid hub, and a front port at the front end of the cannula; an inner chamber is provided from the rear port to the front port in fluid flow communication with the rear, intermediate and front ports. The fluid hub and cannula are mounted together for rotation relative to the housing about a cannula axis. A manual rotation control at the rear end of the housing is coupled to the fluid hub to rotate the fluid hub and the cannula relative to the housing about the cannula axis. The endoscope in this example further includes an elongated reusable portion having a rear end portion configured for insertion into the handle along the handle axis and having an electrical contact at the rear end configured to mate with the electrical contact in the handle when the rear end portion of the reusable portion is inserted into the handle; and a cover of flexible and resilient material configured to cover the open front end of the handle prior to insertion of the reusable part into the handle, to be manually removed from the handle prior to insertion of the reusable part into the handle, and to cover a front end portion of the reusable part projecting along the axis of the handle and an adjacent portion of the handle after insertion of the reusable part into the handle, thereby covering said projecting portion of the reusable part and its interface with the handle.

In some embodiments, the endoscope may further include one or more of the following features: (a) Wrapping the disposable portion with a sterile bag and a lid covering and covering the open front end of the handle prior to assembly of the disposable portion and the reusable portion to the endoscope; (b) The reusable part may comprise a battery and control and processing electronics configured to control the imaging module to capture images in the field of view and receive image data from the imaging module, and further comprising means for conveying image data from the endoscope to an external processing/display unit; (c) The facility is configured to communicate image data over wireless transmission using a proprietary protocol different from traditional WiFi; the facility of the reusable part is configured to convert received image data into a display image and to communicate the display image to an external device for display; (d) The apparatus comprising a wireless transmitter/receiver located in the reusable part and further comprising an external processing/display device having a wireless transmitter/receiver configured to wirelessly communicate with the transmitter/receiver of the reusable part and wirelessly receive and process image data received from the reusable part into a display image, and a display configured to display the display image; (e) The external processing/display unit is configured to automatically search for and wirelessly connect with a reusable part when the reusable part is in an on state and range; (f) The appliance includes an electrical contact at the front end of the reusable part configured to mate with a connector of a cable leading to an external processing/display unit, and the cover includes an opening for the connector configured to prevent environmental liquids from reaching the reusable part around the connector; (g) A clip mounted on said cover and configured to selectively engage said connector to maintain contact between the connector and said electrical contacts on the front end of the reusable part; (h) In the assembled endoscope, more than four fifths of the length of the reusable portion along the axis of the handle is received into the handle and less than one fifth protrudes from the handle; (i) In the assembled endoscope, more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion along the axis of the handle is received into the handle and less than one quarter of the length protrudes from the handle; (j) Said inner cavity having a constant internal dimension from said rear port to said front port; (k) There is a manual switch at the front end of the reusable part, wherein at least the part of the cover above the switch has sufficient flexibility to be manually operated by the cover.

In some embodiments, an endoscope comprises: a disposable portion comprising an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis, a fluid hub extending from a forward end of the housing along the cannula axis, and a cannula extending from a forward end of the fluid hub along the cannula axis and having an imaging module at the forward end, and a handle extending from the housing along a handle axis transverse to the cannula axis, the handle being hollow and having an open forward end: wherein the single-use portion further comprises: a rear port at a rear end thereof, a middle port at the fluid hub, and a front port at a front end of the cannula; a lumen in fluid connection with the port; an electrical contact coupled to the imaging module within the hollow handle at a rear end thereof; a cover made of a flexible and elastic material and configured to detachably close the open front end of the handle; a sterile pouch closing the disposable portion, the lid closing the open end of the hollow handle; wherein the handle is configured such that the reusable part is inserted therein after the lid is removed from the open end of the handle; and the cap is configured to cover the open end of the handle and an adjacent portion of the reusable part after insertion of the reusable part into the handle to assemble the endoscope.

In some embodiments, the endoscope may further include one or more of the following features: (a) A reusable portion configured to be received into the hollow handle after the cover is manually removed from the handle, the reusable portion having a front end portion protruding from the handle along the handle axis such that more than half of the length of the reusable portion is in the hollow handle; (b) The hollow handle is configured to receive more than two-thirds of the length of the reusable portion, so that less than one-third of the length of the reusable portion extends from the front end of the handle; (c) The hollow handle is configured to receive more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion so that less than one quarter of the length of the reusable portion extends from the front end of the handle; (d) An external processing/display unit having an image display and connected wirelessly or by cable to the reusable portion for receiving and displaying image data from the imaging module.

In some embodiments, the endoscope comprises: a disposable portion including an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis, a cannula extending from a forward end of the housing along the cannula axis and having an imaging module at the forward end, and a hollow funnel-shaped handle integral with the housing, the handle extending from the housing across the cannula axis and having an open forward end; wherein the single-use portion further comprises: the cannula has a rear port at a rear end thereof, a front port at a front end thereof, an intermediate port between the rear and front ports, and an inner lumen in fluid communication with the ports. The endoscope further comprises: a reusable part configured to be manually inserted into the hollow handle through an open front end thereof so that a protruding front end portion of the reusable part protrudes from a front end of the handle; wherein the proximal portion of the reusable portion is more than half as long along the handle axis; a cover made of a flexible and resilient material configured to fit over the open end of the hollow handle before insertion of the reusable portion into the handle and to cover the protruding portion of the reusable portion and the adjacent portion of the handle after insertion of the reusable portion into the handle.

In some embodiments, the aforementioned endoscope may further comprise one or more of the following features; (a) The handle is configured to accept more than two-thirds of the length of the reusable portion such that less than one-third of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the front end of the handle; (b) The handle is configured to accept more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion so that less than one quarter of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the front end of the handle.

Drawings

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the subject matter of this patent specification, a specific embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings should be understood to depict only exemplary embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to limit the scope of the patent specification or the appended claims. The subject matter of the invention will be described and explained with specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled endoscope including a disposable portion, a reusable portion and a cover in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention; the disposable part comprises a hollow funnel-shaped handle which is open at the bottom end; a majority of the reusable portion is received in the hollow handle; the cover covers the open end of the handle before assembly of the endoscope, but after assembly of the endoscope, the cover covers the portion of the reusable part that extends from the handle and the adjacent portion of the handle;

FIGS. 2, 3a and 3b are exploded perspective views of the endoscope from different perspectives in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the single use portion of the endoscope with the open end of the handle covered by a removable cap contained within a sterile bag in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are side, rear, top and front views, respectively, of an endoscope in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an endoscope in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are exploded perspective views of the endoscope portion from different perspectives in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a forward end portion of an insertion tube of an endoscope in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of an endoscope assembly in some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a front end console suitable for operation with an endoscope in some embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

A detailed description of the preferred embodiments is provided below. While several embodiments have been described, it should be understood that the novel subject matter described in this patent specification is not limited to any one embodiment or combination of embodiments described herein, but includes many alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. In addition, while numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding, some embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, certain technical material that is known in the prior art has not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the new subject matter described herein. It is to be understood that each feature of one or more specific embodiments described herein may be used in combination with features of other described embodiments, or with other features. Further, like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

As described in detail below, the endoscope in a preferred embodiment is substantially self-contained, communicating wirelessly with an external display unit, such as through a WiFi or near field connection, but may also have a port for a cable connection to the external display unit in case no wireless connection is available or desired at the medical facility. The endoscope may contain a power source and sufficient electronics to control the imaging module at the forward end of the insertion tube and process image data from the imaging module into an image for display so that the image may be displayed with minimal control and/or processing on the external display. In other preferred embodiments, the external display unit may contain facilities to control some or all of the functions of the imaging module and to partially or fully process image data from the imaging module for display.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled endoscope 100 in some embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 2, 3a and 3b are exploded views of endoscope 100 in some embodiments of the present invention. Endoscope 100 includes a disposable portion 102 and a reusable portion 104 that are assembled to form an endoscope. The disposable portion 102 includes an elongated housing 106 extending along a cannula axis 108, a fluid hub 110 extending from the housing 106 along a forward end of the cannula axis 108, and a cannula 112 extending from the fluid hub 110 along the forward end of the cannula axis 108 and having an imaging module 114 at its forward end. Disposable portion 102 also includes a hollow, funnel-shaped, pistol-style handle 116 extending from housing 106 along a handle axis 118 that intersects cannula axis 108, and is integral with housing 106 at a rearward end and an open end 120 at a forward end (fig. 2). The disposable portion 102 further includes electrical contacts 302 (fig. 3 a) inside and at the rear end of the handle 116, an internal cavity 902 (fig. 9), a rear port 122 at the rear end of the housing 106, an intermediate port 124 at the fluid hub 110, and a rear port 126 at the rear end of the cannula 112. Each of the ports 122, 124 and 126 communicates with a lumen 904 extending along the cannula shaft 108 from the port 122 through to the port 126, preferably having a substantially constant cross-section. The cover 128 is made of a flexible and resilient material, such as silicone, and covers the front end of the handle 116.

In some preferred embodiments, the endoscope 100 communicates wirelessly with an external processing/display unit 1402 (FIG. 14). In other preferred embodiments, the endoscope 100 communicates with the external processing/display unit 1400 (FIG. 14) through a cable connection. In some preferred embodiments, the endoscope 100 provides both an internal battery for controlling the imaging module 114 and processing the image date therein into images, and a port for cable connection to an external processing/display unit 1400. Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a port with electrical contacts 134 for cable connection to the processing/display unit 1400, but it should be understood that this port may be omitted in the case of an endoscope 100 that communicates wirelessly only with an external unit such as 1402.

Preferably, the endoscope 100 has the facility for wireless and cable communication with an external processing/display device. For cable communications, a connector 130 of a cable 132 is inserted through an opening 136 in the cover 128 into an electrical contact 134 (fig. 2) at the front end of the reusable part 104. Another opening 138 receives an electronic switch 140 extending from the front end of the reusable part 104 and a smaller cover 142 covers and seals the opening 138. Note that fig. 2 illustrates a variation of the configuration of fig. 1-in fig. 1, the electrical contacts 134 and the switch 140 are spaced from each other in the direction of the cannula axis 108, while in fig. 2, they and the respective openings 138 and 166 are spaced from each other in the direction perpendicular to the axis 108 and are closer to each other. In addition, the disposable portion 102 includes a thumb wheel 144 that is coupled to the cannula 112 via the fluid hub 110 such that manual rotation of the thumb wheel 144 about the cannula shaft 108 rotates the cannula 112 (and preferably the fluid hub 110) about the cannula shaft 108. Preferably, a clip 148 is secured to the cover 128 and swings to maintain the position of the connector 130. In embodiments where only wireless communication is desired, the connector 130 and cable 132 and its plug 1404, as well as the clip 148, may be omitted and the front end wall of the cover 128 need not have openings such as 136.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reusable part 104 is elongated along an axis 118 and is configured to be inserted into the handle 116. At the rear end, the reusable part 104 has an electrical contact 146 (FIG. 3 b) that mates with an electrical contact 302 (FIG. 3 a) in the handle 116 when the reusable part 104 is fully inserted into the handle 116. An internal cable (not shown) connects imaging module 114 to cable 132 through electrical contacts 302, 146 and 134 and connector 130 for transmission of power and image data. As previously described, electrical contacts 134 may be omitted in examples where cable communication with an external processing/display unit is not required.

Notably, to ensure ease of assembly of the endoscope 100 and proper loading of the reusable part 104 into the handle 116, the handle and reusable part are shaped such that the reusable part can only be inserted into the handle in one orientation. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the left side of the open end 120 of the handle 116 has a smaller arc than the right side, and the rear end of the reusable part 104 is similarly shaped to ensure that the insertion direction is correct to mate the electrical contacts 302 and 146. Note that the front end portion of the reusable part 104 is large, so the reusable part 104 cannot be inserted backward into the handle 116.

Fig. 3a and 3b are cross-sectional views of the endoscope 100 from different angles. As described above, the orientation and spacing of the elements, such as openings 136 (and switches 140) and 138 (and contacts 134), is a variation of that of FIG. 1. In fig. 1-3 b, like numbered components are the same or similar and have the same or similar functionality as all of the other figures.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of disposable portion 102 with cap 128 removably secured to the open end of handle 116 within sterile bag 400 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Preferably, disposable portion 102 and cap 128 are packaged in this manner at the manufacturing site and stored in this form until needed during a medical procedure. During a medical procedure, sterile bag 400 is torn and discarded, cap 128 is manually removed from handle 116, reusable portion 104 is inserted into handle 116, and cap 128 removed from handle 116 is then placed over the front end of reusable portion 104 and the adjacent portion of handle 116. In embodiments that provide a cable connection to an external processing/display unit, the connector 130 is inserted into mating engagement with the contacts 134 to connect the endoscope 100 so assembled to an external display and/or image processing unit as further described below. Details regarding how lid 128 remains in place and how it seals the interior of reusable portion 104 and handle 116 are described further below.

Fig. 5-8 are side, rear, top and front views, respectively, of endoscope 100 in some embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 5 shows a switch 502 positioned to be operated by the user's index finger that may be used for a function such as taking a picture or video shot with the imaging module 114 or some other function. The switch 142 under the cover 128 may be used for the same or different functions, such as powering the imaging module 114. In other respects, fig. 5-8 show the same endoscope 100, illustrating the above-described variations in orientation and spacing of the reusable part 104 and the front part of the cap 128.

FIG. 9 illustrates an important feature of endoscope 100-in some embodiments, almost the entire length of reusable portion 104 is within handle 116. For example, the reusable portion is received into the handle 116 along 9/10, or 4/5, or 3/4, or 1/2 or more of the length of the axis 118. A small portion of the length of the reusable part 104 protruding from the distal end of the handle 116 is covered by the cover 128 and the cover also covers an adjacent portion of the handle 116. In this configuration, cap 128 and hollow handle 116 protect the entire reusable part 104 from contamination during a medical procedure. After the medical procedure is completed, cap 128 is removed by hand, reusable portion 104 is pulled out of handle 116, disposable portion 102 is discarded as medical waste, and reusable portion 104 requires only moderate cleaning or sterilization before it can be assembled with another new disposable portion 102 into a new endoscope 100.

Further, as shown in figure 9, the rear portion of the lumen 902 may have a duckbill valve 904 at its front end that is normally closed to prevent backflow of fluid out of the rear port 122. However, the valve 904 is opened by the forward end of a surgical instrument (not shown) introduced through the rear port 122 toward the forward end so that the surgical instrument can pass through the valve 904 at the forward end, then through the remainder of the lumen 904, all the way through the housing 106, the fluid hub 110, and the cannula 112, and exit through the front port 126. Preferably, the intermediate port 124 communicates with the same lumen 902 so that fluid injected into the port 124 can be expelled through the front port 126, or suction applied to the intermediate port 124 can draw fluid that enters through the front port 126. If fluid flow through the intermediate port 124 is not desired, the port may be closed with a cover (not shown).

The reusable part 104 may include a rechargeable battery 906 operatively coupled to the power source of the imaging module 114 via one of the switches 140 and/or 502 and internal cables (not shown) in the reusable part 104 and the disposable part 102. In addition, the reusable portion 104 can include electronics 908 coupled to the imaging module 114 to control the imaging module and process image data from the imaging module. In some embodiments, electronics 908 may include WiFi or near field facilities for interfacing with external processing/display units such as 1502, as well as facilities for fully or nearly fully controlling the operation of imaging module 114 through appropriate switches, and for fully or nearly fully processing image data from module 114 into an image for display, such that external processing/display units such as 1400 or 1502 need only minimal processing of the image data or display image. In some embodiments, some or all of the control of the imaging module 114 and some or all of the processing of image data from the module 114 may be done externally to a processing/display unit such as 1400 or 1502.

Fig. 10 and 11 are exploded perspective views in some embodiments of the invention showing details of lid 128 and the front portion of reusable part 104 from two perspectives. As shown in fig. 10, the front end of the reusable part 104 is larger than the rest of the reusable part 104 and ends in a boss 104a, so that when the part 104 is fully inserted into the housing 116, the boss 104a is flush with the opening 120 (fig. 2) of the hollow handle 116. The front end portion of the reusable portion 104 may have a threaded portion 104b to assist the user in gripping the reusable portion 104 when inserting or withdrawing the handle 116. The cover 128 preferably has a protrusion 128a on its inner surface configured to locate around and radially outwardly extending from the front end of the threads 116a (FIG. 2) of the handle 116 when the endoscope 100 is assembled as seen in FIG. 1, thereby helping to hold the cover 128 in place.

Importantly, when the endoscope 100 is assembled, the cap 128 covers not only the portion of the reusable part 104 that protrudes from the forward end of the handle 116, but also the adjacent portion of the handle 116, thereby sealing the interface between the open end of the handle 116 and the reusable part 104. Additional nubs may be provided on the inside of the cover 128 to engage the channels 104c of the front projection of the reusable part 104 to help maintain the position of the cover 128 in the assembled endoscope 100.

Fig. 10 also shows a sheet 128c of flexible and resilient material, which is located on the inside of the front end wall 128d (fig. 11) of the cover 128, and which helps seal the front end of the reusable part 104, and in particular the switch 140 and the interface between the contact points 134 and the connector 130, from the environment. Sheet 128c has an opening 136 for connector 130. Cover 128 has two indentations 128b, only one of which is visible, for holding clip 148 so that it can be rotated about these indentations to lock or release connector 130 in place so that connector 130 can be pulled out of endoscope 100, which can be removed by pulling cover 128 out and then reusable portion 104 out of disposable portion 102. Fig. 11 shows the same components as fig. 10, but from a different perspective. In FIG. 11, switch 140 is visible, and sheet 128c in this case shows a smaller cover 128 that covers opening 138 (FIG. 3) through which switch 140 may protrude when endoscope 100 is assembled. The arrow in fig. 11 shows the position of the front end wall 128d in the cover 128.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the forward end portion of the cannula 112 in some embodiments of the invention. The video camera 14a and the LED lamp 114b are fitted in respective openings 14a 'and 14b' of the housing 1202 fixed to the front end of the insertion tube 112 so that the camera and the LED lamp face in the front direction. The camera 14a and LED light 14b may be configured to have a field of view and an illumination direction with a central axis 1204 at an angle, such as 30 degrees, to the cannula axis 108.

Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the disposable part 102 and the reusable part 104 in some embodiments of the present invention. Many of the components are designated by reference numerals discussed above. The components of the disposable portion 102 seen only in FIG. 13 include a cover 1306 for the thumb wheel 144, an O-ring 1308 that seals the thumb wheel 144 to the housing 106, a bridge tube 1310 that connects the rear port 122 and the thumb wheel 144 to the fluid hub 110, and a seal 1312 that seals the tube 1310 to the housing 106. The only components of the reusable part 104 seen in fig. 13 are the two half shells 1302 and 1304 which, when attached to each other, form the handle. As previously described, in the example where only a wireless connection is required, components related to the cable connection of the external device may be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the endoscope 100 and an external processing/display unit or workstation 1400, which in embodiments using cable connections, is connected to the endoscope 100 via a wireless link 1402 and/or via cable 132 and connector 130. The external processing/display unit 1400 is powered through a plug 1404 from a power outlet. The device or workstation 1400 includes a display 1406 configured to display images and/or other data and images from the insertion tube 112 front end camera 114, a bank of switches 1408 configured to control the functions of the endoscope 100 and workstation 1400, and a switch 14108. In addition, the table 1400 has a cradle 1412 for the reusable part 104 that may include provisions (not shown) for charging the battery 906 in the reusable part 104. Additionally, the workstation 1400 may include a cable and an HDMI 1412 or another high speed connector for data connection to an external display 1414, which may be a large and/or high definition display or workstation. The wireless link 1402 may also be used to connect the endoscope 100 and/or the table 1400 to another device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer or workstation. The wireless link may be a WiFi link, or may use near field communication protocol (NFC) or other protocols.

In some embodiments, the wireless connection 1402 is configured to cause transmissions between the endoscope 100 and the external processing/display unit 1400 to be automatically established. The external processing/display unit 1400 is configured such that, after being turned on, it searches for and finds a wireless endoscope 100 that is within range and has been turned on, e.g., by the switch 140, and the external processing/display unit 1400 is then automatically connected to the endoscope 100 to receive and transmit wireless data. Such transmissions may include transmissions of images and/or other data from the endoscope 100 and/or commands and/or other information from the external processing/display unit 1400.

Preferably, in some embodiments, wireless transmission between the endoscope 100 and the external processing/display unit 1400 uses proprietary protocols and/or codes, which are intended to maintain the privacy of the transmitted information and thus the confidentiality of the medical information. This may limit or prevent access to confidential information by public wireless receivers or transmitters and possible corruption of the transmitted information by other actors.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the subject matter described herein is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims (21)

1. An endoscope, comprising:

a disposable portion comprising:

an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis;

a fluid hub extending from the housing along the cannula axis toward the forward end;

a cannula extending along a cannula axis from the fluid hub to a forward end having an imaging module at the forward end;

a hollow, funnel-shaped pistol-type handle extending from the housing along a handle axis that intersects the cannula axis, being integral with the housing at a rear end and being open at a front end;

said handle interior and rear end having an electrical contact operatively coupled to said imaging module;

a rear port at the rear end of the housing, an intermediate port at the fluid hub, and a front port at the front end of the cannula;

a lumen from said rear port to said front port in fluid flow communication with said rear port, said intermediate port and said front port;

wherein the fluid hub and cannula are mounted together for rotation relative to the housing about a cannula axis; and

a manual rotation control at the rear end of the housing coupled to the fluid hub for rotating the fluid hub and cannula relative to the housing about the cannula axis;

an elongated reusable portion having a rear end portion configured to be inserted into the handle along the handle axis and having an electrical contact at the rear end configured to mate with the electrical contact in the handle when the rear end portion of the reusable portion is inserted into the handle; and

a cover made of a flexible and resilient material configured to cover the open front end of the handle prior to insertion of the reusable portion into the handle, to be manually removed from the handle prior to insertion of the reusable portion into the handle, and to cover the front end portion of the reusable portion projecting from the handle along the axis of the handle and the adjacent portion of the handle after insertion of the reusable portion into the handle, thereby covering said projecting portion of the reusable portion and its interface with the handle.

2. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising wrapping the disposable portion with a sterile bag prior to assembling the disposable portion and the reusable portion to the endoscope, the cap thereover overlying the open front end of the handle.

3. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein: the reusable part comprises a battery and control and processing electronics configured to control the imaging module to capture images in the field of view and receive image data from the imaging module, and further comprises facilities to transmit image data from the endoscope to an external processing/display unit.

4. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein: the facility is configured to transmit image data by wireless transmission using a proprietary protocol different from traditional WiFi.

5. The endoscope of claim 3, wherein: the facility in the reusable part is configured to convert the received image data into a display image and transmit the display image to an external device for display.

6. The endoscope of claim 3, wherein: the facility includes a wireless transmitter/receiver located in the reusable part and further includes an external processing/display device having a wireless transmitter/receiver configured to wirelessly communicate with the transmitter/receiver of the reusable part and to wirelessly receive image data received from the reusable part and to process into a display image, and a display configured to display the display image.

7. The endoscope of claim 6, wherein: the external processing/display unit is configured to automatically search for and wirelessly connect with the reusable part when the reusable part is opened and within range.

8. The endoscope of claim 3, wherein: the appliance includes an electrical contact at the front end of the reusable part configured to mate with a connector of a cable leading to an external processing/display unit, and the cover includes an opening for the contact configured to prevent liquid in the environment from reaching the reusable part around the connector.

9. The endoscope of claim 8, further comprising a clip mounted on said cap and configured to selectively engage said connector to maintain contact with said connector at the forward end of the reusable portion.

10. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein: in the assembled endoscope, more than four fifths of the length of the reusable part along the axis of the handle is received in the handle, while less than one fifth protrudes from the handle.

11. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein: more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion along the axis of the handle is received in the handle in the assembled endoscope, while less than one quarter protrudes from the handle.

12. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein: the lumen has a constant internal dimension from the rear port to the front port.

13. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a manual switch at the forward end of the reusable portion, wherein at least a portion of the cover over the switch has sufficient flexibility to allow manual operation of the switch through the cover.

14. An endoscope, comprising:

a disposable portion comprising an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis, a fluid hub extending from the housing along the cannula axis to a forward end, and a cannula extending from the fluid hub along the cannula axis to the forward end and having an imaging module at the forward end, and a handle extending from the housing along a handle axis transverse to the cannula axis, the handle being hollow and having an open forward end;

wherein the single-use portion further comprises:

a rear port at a rear end thereof, a middle port at said fluid hub, and a front port at a front end of the cannula;

an inner lumen in fluid flow connection with the port;

within said hollow handle, at a rear end thereof, an electrical contact operatively coupled to said imaging module;

a cover made of a flexible and resilient material configured to removably close the open front end of the handle; and

a sterile bag surrounding the disposable portion, a lid closing an open end of the hollow handle;

wherein the handle is configured to insert the reusable part therein after the lid is removed from the open end of the handle; and

the cap is configured to cover the open end of the handle and an adjacent portion of the reusable part after insertion of the reusable part into the handle to assemble the endoscope.

15. The endoscope of claim 14, further comprising a reusable portion configured to be received into the hollow handle after the cover is manually removed from the handle, the reusable portion having a forward end portion protruding from the handle along the handle axis such that more than half of the length of the reusable portion is within the hollow handle.

16. The endoscope of claim 15, wherein: the hollow handle is configured to receive more than two-thirds of the length of the reusable portion such that less than one-third of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the front end of the handle.

17. The endoscope of claim 15, wherein: the hollow handle is configured to accept more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion so that less than one quarter of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the front end of the handle.

18. The endoscope of claim 14, further comprising an external processing/display unit having an image display and connected to the reusable portion wirelessly or by a cable to receive and display image data from the imaging module.

19. An endoscope, comprising:

a disposable portion including an elongated housing extending along a cannula axis, a cannula extending from a forward end of the housing along the cannula axis and having an imaging module at the forward end, and a hollow funnel-shaped handle integral with the housing, the handle extending from the housing transversely to the cannula axis and having an open forward end;

wherein the single-use portion further comprises:

a rear port at a rear end thereof, a front port at a front end of the cannula, and an intermediate port between said rear and front ports, and;

a lumen in fluid flow connection with the port;

a reusable part configured to be manually inserted into the hollow handle at a rear end portion thereof through the open front end of the handle so that a protruding front end portion of the reusable part protrudes from the front end of the handle;

wherein the rear end portion of the reusable portion is more than half as long along the handle axis;

a cover made of a flexible and resilient material is configured to fit over the open end of the hollow handle prior to insertion of the reusable portion into the handle and to cover the protruding portion of the reusable portion and the adjacent portion of the handle after insertion of the reusable portion into the handle.

20. The endoscope of claim 19, wherein: the handle is configured to accept more than two-thirds of the length of the reusable portion so that less than one-third of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the rear end of the handle.

21. The endoscope of claim 19, wherein: the handle is configured to accept more than three quarters of the length of the reusable portion so that less than one quarter of the length of the reusable portion protrudes from the rear end of the handle.

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