CN219629572U - Small robot endoscope and small robot endoscope set - Google Patents

Abstract

The present utility model relates to a miniature robotic endoscope that includes a reusable portion, either of which can be snapped into by hand to form two different assembled endoscopes. When one of the disposable portions is assembled with the reusable portion, the motor in the reusable portion robotically rotates the cannula about the rear end of the disposable portion. When the other disposable part is assembled with the reusable part, the motor robotically rotates the forward end of the cannula. Another medical endoscope is generally disposable and has a motorized cannula forward end angle. The other has a manually controlled angle.

Description

Small robot endoscope and small robot endoscope set

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present utility model is a continuation of the sections of U.S. patent nos. 17/941,884,17/843,217 and 17/349,674 and claims priority to provisional patent application No. 63/417,340 filed on 10/19 of 2022.

17/941,884 is 17/745,526,17/720,143,17/521,397,17/473,587 (now patent 11,330,973), and priority is given to 4 provisional applications by continuing with portions of each of 17/362,043 and 16/363,209.

17/745,526 is a partial continuation of 17/473,587, giving priority to the 5 provisional applications.

17/720,143 is a continuation of the portion of the content of 17/521,397.

17/521,397 claims priority to the 5 provisional applications.

17/473,587 is a continuation of part of each of 17/362,043 (now patent 11,350,816), PCT/US19/36060 and 16/363,209, giving priority to 17 provisional applications.

17/362,043 (now patent 11,350,816) claims priority to 13 provisional applications.

PCT/US19/36060 is a continuation of the section 16/363,209, giving priority to the 7 provisional applications.

16/363,209 is a continuation of PCT/US17/53171, which claims priority to the 4 provisional applications.

PCT/US17/53171 claims priority to the 15 provisional applications.

17/843,217 is a division of 16/363,209.

17/349,674 is a continuation of the portion of the content of 16/664,082.

16/664,082 (now patent 11,071,442) claims priority to 26 provisional applications.

The present application incorporates by reference the entirety of the above-referenced patent applications and presents the filing date of each of the above-referenced patent applications and their directly or indirectly incorporated by reference applications and their filed ownership, including U.S. provisional application, U.S. non-provisional application, and international application.

The present patent application incorporates by reference the following U.S. patents and U.S. and international (PCT) patent applications:

16/972,989 submitted on 12/7/2020;

PCT/US21/50095 submitted at 13/9/2021;

no. 17/835,624 submitted on 8/6/2022;

PCT/US16/18670 filed in 2016, 2 and 19;

14/913,867, now patent 10,874,287, filed 2/23/2016;

PCT/US16/65396 submitted at 12/7/2016;

15/371,858, now patent No. 9,895,048, filed 2/20/2018;

15/462,331, now patent 10,524,636, filed on 3 months and 17 days 2017;

15/651,526 filed on 7.7.17 days 2017, now patent No. 10,278,563;

15/855,532 filed on 12 months 27 2017, now patent No. 10,292,571;

PCT/US18/14880 submitted at 1/23 in 2018;

16/407,028 filed on 5.8.2019, now patent 11,253,141;

16/413,160, now patent 10,869,592, filed 5/15/2019;

16/407,251, now patent 11,013,141, filed 6/20/2019;

PCT/US20/38349 submitted at 18/6/2020;

PCT/US20/46018, 8/12/2020;

17/122,282 submitted on 12/15/2020;

17/145,466, patent 11,395,579, filed on 1/11/2021;

no. 17/370,575, filed on 7.8.2021.

No. 17/349,674 submitted on day 16 of 6 of 2021; and

no. 17/573,095 submitted on 24 th month 1 of 2022.

Technical Field

This patent specification relates to endoscopic instruments and methods. More particularly, some embodiments relate to portable instruments that include a reusable portion and a releasably attachable disposable portion.

Background

Endoscopes have long been used to view and treat internal tissue. In the case of both rigid and flexible conventional endoscopes, the optical system and associated components are expensive and are reused many times. Thus, a strict decontamination and disinfection procedure is required after each use, which adds significant expense in terms of equipment and labor. In recent years, disposable endoscopes have been developed and improved, typically comprising a disposable portion including a cannula with a camera at the forward end. The cannula is releasably connected to a reusable portion comprising image processing electronics and a display. Disposable or single use endoscopes greatly reduce the risk of cross-contamination and hospital-set disease and eliminate the expense and time required for decontamination and sterilization of non-disposable endoscopes. Disposable endoscopes may find application in medical procedures, such as imaging and treating the male and female urinary systems and female reproductive systems and other internal organs. Embodiments of disposable or single use endoscopes are discussed in the patents and applications incorporated by reference.

The subject matter described or claimed in this patent specification is not limited to what has been described in the particular embodiments in order to solve any particular disadvantages or to operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, the foregoing background is provided only for the purpose of illustrating the feasibility of some embodiments described herein in the exemplary technical field.

Disclosure of Invention

As described in the initially filed claims, which may be modified at the time of filing the present patent application, in some embodiments, a small robotic endoscope includes: a reusable portion configured to be grasped by hand and having an elongated slot with an open side extending along the cannula axis; a disposable portion comprising a cannula extending along a cannula axis; wherein the disposable portion has a front end and a back end and comprises: the imaging module is positioned at the front end and comprises one or more cameras and one or more light sources; a rear port at the rear end, a front port at the front end, and an internal passage extending from the rear port to the front port; a drive element at the trailing end configured to selectively change a physical parameter of the cannula upon actuation; single-use electrical contacts at the back end; wherein the reusable portion comprises: an internal power source; an internal motor; a gear shaft extending into the slot and coupled to the motor for selective rotation; a reusable electrical contact within the slot; one or more manually operated motor control buttons associated with the power source and the motor to cause the motor to drive the gear shaft in a selected angular direction; one or more manually operated image control buttons configured to control the imaging module; wherein the rear end of the disposable portion is configured to mate with the slot of the reusable portion in a direction transverse to the cannula axis, thereby mating the electrical contacts with one another and the gear shaft with the drive element in one movement, thereby forming an assembled endoscope; and wherein, in the assembled endoscope: the one or more image control buttons are configured to selectively control transmission of image data from the imaging module to display an image; and the one or more motor control buttons are configured to selectively control at least one of (a) robotic rotation of the cannula about the cannula shaft in and through a selected angular direction and (b) robotic angulation of the front end portion of the cannula in and through a selected angular direction relative to the cannula shaft.

In some embodiments, the small robotic endoscope may additionally include one or more of the following: (a) The one or more motor control buttons may be configured to selectively control robotic rotation of the cannula about the cannula axis in and through a selected angular direction; (b) The one or more motor control buttons may be configured to selectively control the robotic angle of the cannula front end portion in a selected direction relative to the cannula axis and through a selected angle relative to the cannula axis; (c) A display mounted on the reusable portion, coupled to the imaging module, and configured to display an image obtained therewith; (d) A display mounted on the reusable portion, having a back-facing side configured to display the image data and a front-facing side, and comprising: a forward facing camera module (FFC) configured to image objects located far from it, and including an auto-focus facility whose lens is configured to automatically maintain a focus of the objects during relative movement between the FFC and the DFC; a forward lighting module (FFL) configured to illuminate the object: (e) The FFC module may include at least two cameras spaced apart in a direction transverse to the cannula axis and configured to provide at least one of: (i) A stereoscopic image, (ii) images in the wavelength range of light, which images differ between at least two of said cameras; (f) The reusable portion may further comprise a catch configured to move between an open position in which the catch clears the slot to assemble the disposable portion and the reusable portion only in a direction transverse to the cannula axis by relative movement therebetween, and a closed position in which the catch retains the disposable portion and the reusable portion as an assembled endoscope; (g) A needle permanently mounted within the cannula and configured to move between an extended position in which the needle protrudes from a forward end of the disposable portion and a retracted position in which all of the needle is within the disposable portion, and a needle controller mounted on the disposable portion and configured to move the needle between the extended and retracted positions; (h) The cannula may be configured to rotate relative to the front end of the disposable portion and the drive element at the rear end of the disposable portion includes a first gear mounted on a gear shaft in the assembled endoscope to rotate about an axis transverse to the cannula shaft, a second gear meshed with the first gear to rotate about an axis parallel to the cannula shaft, a third gear connected to the second gear to rotate therewith, and a fourth gear mated with the third gear to rotate about the cannula axis to rotate the front end of the cannula relative to the rear end of the disposable portion about the cannula axis; (i) The forward end of the cannula may be configured to be angled through the selected angle, and the drive element of the rearward end of the single use portion includes a rotating disk mounted on a gear shaft in the assembled endoscope for rotation about an axis transverse to the cannula shaft, and the single use portion includes a guidewire connecting the rotating disk to the distal end of the cannula such that rotation of the rotating disk results in angulation of the forward end of the cannula relative to the cannula shaft.

In some embodiments, a miniature robotic endoscope includes a set of reusable portions and two different disposable portions, wherein a first portion has a motor-driven cannula rotation and a second portion has a motor-driven cannula front end angle, wherein the reusable portion is configured to be hand-holdable and has an elongated slot having an open face extending along a cannula axis, an internal motor and a gear shaft extending into the slot, and is configured to be selectively rotated about the axis by the motor, and an electrical contact in the slot. The first disposable portion is configured to snap into the slot only in a direction transverse to the cannula axis to couple with the reusable portion to form a first assembled endoscope and includes a front end having an imaging module, a rear end having a socket configured to fit over the gear shaft to rotate about the axis in the first assembled endoscope, and a gear set connecting the socket to the front end of the first disposable portion to rotate about the cannula axis at a selected angular orientation and a selected degree relative to the rear end. The second disposable portion is also configured to couple with the reusable portion by snapping into the slot only in a direction transverse to the quill, thereby forming a second assembled endoscope, and includes a front end having an imaging module, a rear end having a socket configured to fit over the gear shaft, thereby rotating about the quill axis in the second assembled endoscope, a guide wire connecting the socket with the front end of the second disposable portion such that the front end of the second disposable portion is angled in a selected direction relative to the rear end thereof and a selected degree relative to the quill shaft, thereby forming the same reusable portion into a first endoscope, wherein the front end of the first disposable portion is robotically rotated, or a second endoscope, wherein the front end of the disposable portion is robotically tilted.

In some embodiments, the set of devices includes one reusable portion and two different disposable portions, wherein the rear end of the first disposable portion further includes a manual control associated with the front end of the first disposable portion to teach its angle in a selected direction relative to the rear end of the first disposable portion and a selected degree relative to the cannula shaft; (b) The rear end of the second disposable portion may further comprise a manual control means coupled to said front end of the second disposable portion to rotate it in a selected direction and to a selected extent about the cannula axis relative to the rear end of the second disposable portion; (c) The reusable portion may include at most a display mounted thereon, the rear face of which is configured to display images obtained with the imaging module, the front face having a light source and one or more Forward Facing Cameras (FFCs) configured to image an object at the front end thereof and to provide autofocus to the object as the endoscope moves relative to the object.

In some embodiments, a robotic endoscope that is disposable as a whole, comprising: a handle having a front end and a rear end and configured to be grasped by a user and further having a working channel port at its rear end, an internal motor having a motor shaft that rotates when the motor is energized, and a button configured to selectively energize the motor to rotate the motor shaft in and through a selected angular direction; a hub having a rear end permanently mounted to the front end of the handle for relative rotation about the cannula axis; a cannula permanently secured at a rear end thereof to the front end of the hub, extending along the cannula axis, and having an imaging module and a working channel port at the front end thereof; a working channel having a constant interior area extending from a working channel port at the rear end of the handle to a working channel port at the front end of the cannula; a coupling element connecting the motor shaft and the cannula front end and configured to translate rotation of the motor shaft in a selected angular direction through a selected angle to an angle of the cannula front end and to a selected degree relative to the cannula shaft; and a transmission facility coupled to the imaging module for transmitting the image obtained thereby to a display outside the single-use endoscope.

In some embodiments, the robotic endoscope of the immediately preceding paragraph may further comprise one or more of the following: (a) A remote display and control facility coupled to the transmission facility and configured to control the imaging module and display the images acquired by the imaging module; the transmission means of (b) may be wireless.

In some embodiments, an endoscope that is entirely disposable comprises: a handle having a front end and a rear end configured to be grasped by a user's hand and further having a working channel opening at its rear end, and a lever configured to be manually moved between first and second positions relative to the handle; a cannula permanently secured at a rear end thereof to the front end of the hub, extending along the cannula axis, and having an imaging module and a working channel port at the front end thereof; a working channel having a constant internal area extending from a working channel port at the rear end of the handle to a working channel port at the front end of the cannula; a motion translating mechanism within the handle, the mechanism coupled to the lever and the cannula front end and configured to translate motion of the lever in a selected direction and to a selected degree to an angle of the cannula front end in the selected direction and to a selected degree relative to the cannula axis; and a transmission facility connected with the imaging module for transmitting the obtained image to a display outside the disposable endoscope.

In some embodiments, the robotic endoscope of the immediately preceding paragraph may further comprise one or more of the following: (a) The lever may be configured to pivot about an axis transverse to the cannula axis, and the motion translating mechanism includes an element coupled to the lever to rotate with the pivoting of the lever and a guidewire connecting the element to the distal end of the cannula; (b) Remote display and control means coupled to the transmission means and configured to control the imaging module and display the images acquired with the imaging module.

Drawings

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present patent specification, a more particular embodiment is illustrated in the drawings. These drawings should be understood as depicting only exemplary embodiments and thus should not be taken as limiting the scope of protection of the present patent specification or appended claims. The subject matter of the utility model is described and explained with specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an assembled endoscope with a cannula mechanically rotatable;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the right side of an unassembled endoscope embodiment showing the reusable portion and the disposable portion thereof;

FIG. 1C is a partially exploded perspective view of the left side of the disposable portion thereof, an

FIG. 1D is a perspective exploded view of the left side of an unassembled endoscopic example in some embodiments;

FIG. 2A is a right side view of a second embodiment of an assembled endoscope in which the cannula is mechanically angularly adjustable;

FIG. 2B is a perspective exploded view of a second endoscope embodiment with the right side unassembled;

FIG. 2C is an exploded perspective view of the left side of the second endoscope embodiment when not assembled;

FIG. 2D is a bottom view of the left side of the disposable portion of the second endoscope embodiment;

FIG. 2E is a perspective exploded view of some embodiments of a mechanism involving the angle of the cannula's forward end of a second endoscope embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the right side of a third example endoscope, which may otherwise be identical to the endoscope embodiment of FIG. 1A or the endoscope embodiment of FIG. 2A, but in some embodiments, with the addition of an illumination source at the front face of the display, providing light beams having respective selected wavelength ranges, and further adding a Forward Facing Camera (FFC) that may include an autofocus facility;

FIG. 4A is a right side perspective view of a fourth endoscope embodiment, the endoscope being disposable as a whole, with a cannula that is both angulated and rotatable under manual control, and designed for use with a remote display;

Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the left side thereof;

FIG. 4C is an exploded perspective view of components thereof in some embodiments;

FIG. 5A is a right side perspective view of a fifth endoscope embodiment, which is disposable as a whole, has a cannula, is angularly adjustable by robotic control, rotates under manual control, and is designed for use with a remote display;

fig. 5B is a perspective view of the left side thereof;

fig. 5C is an exploded perspective view of components thereof in some embodiments.

Detailed Description

A detailed description of the preferred embodiments is provided below. While several embodiments are 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. Furthermore, although 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 details. Moreover, for the sake of clarity, certain technical material that is known in the prior art has not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the novel subject matter described herein. It should be clear that each feature of one or several of the specific embodiments described herein may be used in combination with features of other described embodiments or other features. Further, like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Like numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. In addition, the numbers of structurally and functionally similar elements have the same second and third digits. For the sake of brevity, the parts having the last two digits of the same number will be described only in connection with the figures in which they are first mentioned, and will not be repeated in connection with the figures discussed later.

Fig. 1A-1D illustrate a first embodiment of an endoscope. In some embodiments, this embodiment robotically controls motorized rotation of the cannula about its long axis relative to the rear end portion of the disposable portion and the reusable portion, the disposable portion being releasably connected to the portion to form an assembled endoscope.

Fig. 1A is a right side perspective view of an assembled endoscope 100 in some embodiments, fig. 1B is a perspective exploded view of the right side of endoscope 100 in some embodiments, showing reusable portion 102 and disposable portion 104 thereof, fig. 1C is an exploded partial perspective view of the left side of reusable portion 102 thereof, and fig. 1D is a perspective exploded view of the left side of endoscope 100 in some embodiments, when not assembled.

As shown in fig. 1A-1D, reusable portion 102 includes a handle 106 extending along handle axis B and configured to be hand-held. The reusable portion 102 has an elongated slot 108 seen in fig. 1B with an open side facing to the right and extending along a cannula axis a that is transverse to the handle axis B. The disposable portion 104 includes a cannula 110 extending along a cannula axis a and having a rear end 112 releasably connected to the reusable portion 102 at a slot 108 and a front end 114 having an imaging module 116 including one or more cameras and one or more light sources. One or more rear ports 118,120 are located at a rear end 122 of the cannula 110, one or more front ports 124 are located at a front end 114 of the cannula 110, and one or more internal passages 126 (shown in phantom) extend from the rear ports 118,120 to the front ports 124 to allow fluid to flow between the rear and front ports through the passages 126 and/or surgical tools to be inserted into one or more of the rear ports 118,120, through the passages 126, and out from one or more of the front ports 124.

As shown in fig. 1B, the reusable portion 102 includes an internal power source 109, such as a battery, and an internal motor 111, which are all schematically illustrated. The gear shaft 113 extends into the slot 108 along an axis C perpendicular to the cannula axis a and the handle axis B and is coupled to the motor 111 for selective rotation about the axis C clockwise and counterclockwise at a selected rotation angle as desired. The motor 111 may be a stepper motor, which may be directly behind the gear shaft 113, to rotate the motor shaft about an axis parallel to axis C. The gear shaft 113 has a polygonal outer surface configured to engage and drive a cylinder 130 (fig. 1C) in the disposable portion 104 when the endoscope 100 is assembled, as described further below. The handle 106 has buttons 115 and 117 on its front face to selectively couple the power source 109 to the motor 111 to robotically rotate the gear shaft 113 in a selected angular direction. The buttons 115, 117 are preferably positioned to be operated with the index and/or middle finger of the user gripping the handle 106.

The reusable portion 102 preferably includes a display 142 mounted thereon and coupled to the imaging module 116. Both are preferably powered by a power supply 109. In addition, reusable portion 102 has a button 144 at its rear end positioned to operate with the thumb of the user's grip on handle 106. The button 144 is operatively coupled to the imaging module 116 of the forward end 114 of the cannula 110 to control operation of the imaging module, such as imaging functions, and may be coupled to the display 142 to control display functions. The buttons 144 may include two or more buttons or another suitable interface to control the respective functions of the imaging module 116 and/or the display 142. The reusable portion 102 also includes a pivot catch 146, shown in the closed position in FIG. 1A, to secure the reusable portion 102 and the disposable portion 104 together, and in the open position in FIG. 1B, to allow the disposable portion 104 to be snapped into the slot 108 of the reusable portion 102.

The reusable portion 102 preferably further includes electronics 119, shown schematically in FIG. 1A, coupled to the imaging module 116 and/or the display 142, and to buttons 115, 117, and 144, if desired, to facilitate one or more of processing and controlling the image data from the imaging module 116, controlling the motor 111, and controlling the display 142. As described below, electrical contacts 121 (fig. 1B) in slots 108 of reusable portion 102 are configured to mate with electrical contacts 123 (fig. 1C) of disposable portion 104.

The disposable portion 104 includes a drive member 128 located within the rear end 112 of the disposable portion 104 that mates with the gear shaft 113 when the disposable portion 104 and the reusable portion 102 are assembled in the configuration of fig. 1A. Details of the driven element 128 are seen in fig. 1C. As shown, the driven member 128 includes a cylindrical body 130 having a polygonal inner surface defining a socket with helical threads on the exterior. When the endoscope 100 is assembled as shown in fig. 1A, the cylinder 130 is adapted to the gear shaft 113 (fig. 1B). The polygonal inner surface 131 of the cylinder 130 mates with the extreme polygonal surface of the gear shaft 113 (fig. 1B) to be rotated by the gear shaft 113 in the assembled endoscope. The drive mechanism 128 is operatively coupled with the cannula 110 to selectively rotate the cannula about the cannula axis a relative to the rear end 112 of the disposable portion 104 to selectively change a physical parameter of the cannula, i.e., the angular position of the cannula relative to the rear end 112 and the reusable portion 112, upon actuation. The driving element 128 comprises, in addition to the cylinder 130, a gear 132 which meshes with the external helical thread of the cylinder 130, so as to rotate about an axis parallel to the cannula axis a, a shaft 134 which is attached at its rear end to the gear 132, and a gear 136 which is attached at the distal end of the shaft 134. A gear 138 engaged with gear 136 to rotate about cannula axis a, and a shaft 140 coupled to gear 138 and extending distally therefrom to selectively rotate cannula about cannula axis a relative to proximal end 112 of disposable portion 104 if coupled to the rearward end of cannula 110. Disposable portion 104 also includes an electrical contact 123 (fig. 1C) configured to mate with electrical contact 121 (fig. 1B) of reusable portion 102 to transfer power, control, and image data between the reusable portion and the disposable portion when endoscope 100 is in the assembled configuration of fig. 1A.

Fig. 1D is a left side view of unassembled endoscope 100 showing the left side of rear end 112 of reusable portion 102 enclosed within a housing having an opening into inner surface 131 of barrel 130.

In some embodiments, endoscope 100 permanently includes an injection needle 150, which needle 150 moves between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein the forward end of needle 150 extends from forward end 114 of cannula 110, and the forward end of needle 150 is substantially or entirely within cannula 110. The needle 150 is manually movable between its positions by a knob 152 attached to the rearward end of the needle 150 and configured to slide relative to the rearward end 112 of the disposable portion 104. When ports 118, 120 are configured in fluid flow communication with needle 150, fluid may be injected into needle 150 through one of the ports. For details on how to add an injection needle to a disposable portion of an endoscope, see for example patents 10,524,636 and 10,874,287.

In operation, the single-use portion 104 is sealed in a sterile package for presentation to a user. The user tears the package to assemble the disposable portion 104 and the reusable portion 102 into the configuration of the endoscope 100 seen in fig. 1A by snapping the rear end portion 104 into the slot 108, engaging the gear shaft 113 with the polygonal opening (socket) of the barrel 130, and engaging the electrical contacts 121 and 123 to establish an electrical connection. No tools are required to assemble the endoscope 100. The user then locks the reusable portion 102 and the disposable portion 104 to one another by rotating the latch 146 from the open position seen in fig. 1B to the closed position seen in fig. 1A. The user may grasp and hold handle 106 and insert cannula 110 into the patient, for example, toward or into the urinary or reproductive organ. Cannula 110 can be robotically rotated relative to handle 106, the angular direction and extent of rotation being controlled by manually operated buttons 115, 117. Because the forward end 114 is angled with respect to the axis a as shown in fig. 1A and 1B, rotation of the cannula may view the internal organ from different directions. For example, by such rotation of the cannula 110, all or substantially all of the inner wall of the bladder may be inspected with the imaging module 116. In some embodiments, the degree of rotation of the cannula 110 may be limited, for example to a semicircle or less in each direction, by suitable mechanical stops preventing the cylinder 130 from rotating beyond a selected angle in each direction (and the angle may be different in different angular directions), or by electronic control of the motor 111 via the electronics 119. After the endoscope 100 is used during a medical procedure, the user moves the catch 146 to its open position, pulls the reusable portion 102 away from the reusable portion 104 by hand, without tools, and discards the used disposable portion following a procedure for disposing of medical waste. For other examples of rotating cannulas, see patents 9,895,048, 11,350,816 and 11,330,973 and U.S. patent applications 17/745,526 and 17/835,624, which are incorporated by reference.

Fig. 2A-2E illustrate an endoscope 200 that robotically controls the motorized angle of the forward end of a cannula that is part of a disposable endoscope portion and a reusable portion that is releasably attached to the cannula to form an assembled endoscope in some embodiments.

Fig. 2A is a right side view of a second assembled endoscope 200, fig. 2B is a perspective exploded view of the right side of endoscope 200 when not assembled, fig. 2C is an exploded perspective view of the left side of endoscope 200 when not assembled, fig. 2D is a rear left side view of a disposable portion of endoscope 200, and fig. 2E is a perspective exploded view of a mechanism involving the angle of the cannula front end of endoscope 200 in some embodiments.

Fig. 2A shows an assembled endoscope 200 in which reusable portion 202 may be the same as reusable portion 202 in endoscope 100, except that: (a) buttons 215, 217 control the angle of the front end 214 of the cannula 214, (b) electronics 219 control parameters related to the angle of the front end 214 and in this regard replace electronics 119 for controlling the rotation of the cannula, and (c) the mechanical nature of the electronic barrier may limit the extension of the angle. Reusable portion 202 is otherwise similar to reusable portion 102 of endoscope 100, except that: (a) the gear shaft 113 engages and rotates a disc 203 (fig. 2C) having a polygonal central opening (socket) 201, which replaces the drive element 128 in the endoscope 100, (b) a wire or cable transmits an angle adjustment force to the front end 214, (C) a control device 250 may be provided for the angle adjustment direction, (d) rotation of the cannula 210 relative to the rear end 212 of the reusable portion 202 is manually controlled, and (e) an internal injection needle is not included in the illustrated example.

Referring to fig. 2A, buttons 215, 217 control the angular orientation and extent of forward end 214 of cannula 210. For example, when button 215 is pressed, it causes front end 214 to curl upward to an angle as shown in FIG. 1A, or depending on how long button 215 is pressed by the user's finger, while button 217 causes front end 214 to curl downward to an angle in the opposite angular direction, as shown by the dashed line, or to a lesser or greater degree depending on how long button 217 is pressed. Fig. 2A shows latch 146 in an open position, but in practice, when endoscope 200 is assembled and ready for use in a medical procedure, the latch will be in a closed position.

Fig. 2B shows the right side of reusable portion 202 and disposable portion 204, which may be assembled into endoscope 200, as was discussed above for disposable portion 104 and reusable portion 102. The single use portion 204 may include a 3-position manually operated switch 250 that the user can rotate to the U position to limit the angular direction to curl upward from the cannula axis a, the D position to limit the angular direction to curl downward from the cannula axis a, and an intermediate portion in which the front end 214 may curl upward or downward, depending on which button 215, 217 the user presses.

Fig. 2C shows the left disposable portion 204 and the reusable portion 202 of the unassembled endoscope 200. In external appearance, in this view, except for the distinction between front ends 114 and 214, they are identical to disposable portion 104 and reusable portion 102 seen in FIG. 1D. As shown in FIG. 2C, the rear end 212 of the disposable portion 204 includes a rear end portion 252 that is non-rotatable relative to the reusable portion 202 of the assembled endoscope 200, and a portion 254 rotatably mounted to the portion 252 for rotation relative to the portion 252 about the insertion tube axis A. In an embodiment of endoscope 200, rotation of cannula 210 is manual-e.g., a user grasps portion 254 or ports 118, 120 and rotates cannula 210 in a desired angular direction and degree. The maximum degree of rotation may be limited by a mechanical stop of the non-rotating portion 252, e.g., a semicircle or less in each angular direction.

Fig. 2D is a partial plan view of reusable portion 202 of endoscope 200, cut away from the left. Wires or cables 256 and 258 are secured in fixed positions 260 and 262 on disposable portion 204, looped over disk 203, and secured in position (not shown) at forward end 214 of cannula 210 such that rotation of disk 203 in one angular direction pulls one of cables 256 and 258 and slacks the other, thereby angulating forward end 214 in one angular direction. Rotating the disk 203 in the opposite angular direction has an opposite effect on the front end 214. As previously described, mechanical stops may be installed to engage the disk 203 as needed to prevent rotation in one angular direction beyond a selected angle. The mechanical stops may limit the rotation of the disk 203 in each direction to the same angle, or may limit the rotation of the disk 203 to different angles in different angular directions.

Fig. 2E is a cross-sectional view of the components of reusable portion 202 as may be found in endoscopes 100 and 200, and the components of disc 203 of disposable portion 204 differ from reusable portion 102. The motor 111 is fixedly mounted in the reusable parts 102 and 202 to the left of the gear shaft 113 and drives the gear shaft 113 in an angular direction and to a selected extent by engaging the gears 260, 262 and the buttons 115, 117 and electronics 119 in the endoscope 100 or the buttons 215, 217 and electronics 219 in the endoscope 200. As shown in fig. 2E, the gear shaft 113 is fitted in an opening (socket) 201 of the disk 203, so that the disk 203 rotates together with the gear shaft 113 in the assembled endoscope 200. The polygonal inner shape of the opening (socket) 201 is closely fitted with the polygonal circumference of the gear shaft 113 to ensure co-rotation, facilitate mounting and dismounting of the disk 203 on the shaft 113, and is sufficiently closely fitted to prevent unwanted sliding or vibration at the start, stop and reverse of rotation. The cylinder 130 of the reusable part 102 is also fitted on the gear shaft 113 as well. For another embodiment of an endoscope in which the cannula is rotated and has an angled forward end, reference is made to patent 10,292,571 incorporated by reference.

In each of the endoscopes 100 and 200, the motor 111 may be a stepper motor. In the endoscope 100, the motor 111 may be coupled to the electronics 119 so as to be controlled, and cause the electronics 119 to maintain a count of the number of steps of the motor 111, which is a measure of the angle by which the motor 11 rotates the cannula 110 about the axis a in the respective angular direction, which is also controlled by the electronics 119. Thus, the count stored in the electronic device 119 may be an indicator and the electronic device 119 may be used to control parameters such as how the image from the imaging module 116 is displayed on the display 142. In endoscope 200, electronics 219 can also calculate the number of motor steps as a measure of how much the front end 214 is rotated in what direction.

In one embodiment of endoscope 100, as cannula 110 is rotated, imaging module 116 thus provides images at different angles from the fixed vertical and horizontal planes, e.g., different angles relative to the room in which endoscope 100 is used in a medical procedure, the images on display 142 are rotated in the same manner relative to display 142. This mode of displaying images may be referred to as a "rotated image" mode. However, some professionals, such as gynecologists, may have become accustomed to the images they see with older rigid endoscopes that work like traditional telescopes in that the view does not rotate as the rigid endoscope rotates about its long axis. In endoscope 100, a similar rotation of the image on display 142 may be provided by rotating the image on display 142 using a metric of the number of steps of motor 111. To this end, the electronics 119 are configured to rotate the image on the display 142 in the same direction and to the same extent relative to the display 142, as the cannula 110 rotates relative to the back end 112 of the reusable portion 102, using motor steps and known image processing techniques developed for rotating images on computer screens. Thus, endoscope 100 may provide a "stand-still" mode to maintain the angular orientation of the image on display 142 relative to display 142 the same as the angular orientation of the endoscope with respect to the organ currently being viewed in the room. In some embodiments, the "stand still" mode may be the only way to display images with endoscope 100. In other embodiments, the endoscope 100 may provide both a "rotated image" mode and a "stand-still" mode, and the endoscope may provide a switch that enables a user to select one of the modes for a patient's procedure.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the right side of an endoscope 300 that may otherwise be identical to endoscope 100 or endoscope 200, but in some embodiments has a light source 304 at the front face of display 302 that provides light beams having respective selected wavelength ranges, and further has a Front Facing Camera (FFC) 306 that may include an autofocus facility, and has electronics 308 configured to operate with the illumination source and the Front Facing Camera (FFC). The light source 304 may include a set of LEDs that emit light in respective selected wavelength ranges, such as white light, blue light, green light, and the like. The catalyst 306 may include two or more cameras configured to image light in the same or respectively different wavelength ranges. For other examples of Front Facing Cameras (FFCs) for the reusable portion of an endoscope, reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 17/473,587 and 17/835,624, which are incorporated by reference.

The catalyst 306 may be equipped with an auto-focus facility, which may be of the type used in contemporary smartphones, and with lenses that can be electronically focused to accommodate different object heights and working distances. The lenses of the Front Facing Cameras (FFCs) 306 may be liquid lenses, which are small mechanical electronic control units containing optical grade liquids. When a current or voltage is applied to the liquid lens cell, the shape of the cell changes. This change occurs in milliseconds and results in a change in optical power, and thus focal length and working distance from the imaged object. In the embodiment of fig. 3, the lenses of the Front Facing Cameras (FFCs) 306 may be controlled by an auto focus facility of the Front Facing Cameras (FFCs). In addition, front Facing Cameras (FFCs) 306 may provide lenses configured to move relative to the image plane of the camera using the principles of operation of a voice coil motor, which involves a permanent magnetic field, and controlling springs by varying the direct current of the coils to drive the lenses toward or away from the image plane. Voice Coil Motors (VCMs) are widely used in contemporary camera modules. Another option is The TLens technology, which is believed to surpass the functionality of many conventional Voice Coil Motors (VCMs). It is expected to be in smart phone, wearable equipmentMigration from Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technology to new +.>Techniques.The basic structure of (a) is very different from the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technology. Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technology generates focus by moving the barrel, while +.>The lens barrel need not be moved, but rather the optical characteristics of the combined lens group can be adjusted by being optomechanically coupled to the lens barrel and then creating a focusing lens effect.

Fig. 4A is a right side view of an endoscope 400 that is disposable as a whole, having a cannula 410 that is both angularly adjustable and rotatable under manual control and is designed for use with a remote display 442, fig. 4B is a left side view thereof, and fig. 4C is an exploded perspective view of its components in some embodiments.

Endoscope 400 includes a hub 454 with ports 418, 420 that connect with one or more internal channels 426 in cannula 410 that extend to one or more ports 424 in cannula forward end 414. An imaging module 416 is located at the front end 414. The front end 414 is configured to be angled at a selected angular orientation and a selected degree under the control of a lever 470 that rotates about the axis D of the pin 471 (fig. 4C). The working channel port 472 at the rear end of the handle 406 is connected to a working channel that extends from the front end of the port 472, through the straight handle 406, through the hub 454, through the cannula 410 (which may also be one of the channels 426) and ends at one of the ports 424. Preferably, the cannula curve of the working channel from port 472 to front end 414 is straight and straight up to front end port 424 and of the same diameter when front end 414 is not angled. The cable 474 may connect the endoscope 400 to the external display 442, or the connection may be wireless, such as through WiFi, as represented by WiFi symbols. The control device 478 may be integrated with the display 442 or may be a separate device coupled to the imaging module 416 by a cable 474 and wires in the endoscope 400 and coupled to the display 442 to control imaging and display functions. The endoscope 400 can be manufactured relatively inexpensively because it need not include a power supply or image processing electronics. The power may be provided by an external source, such as the display 442 and/or the control 478 or a separate source, and the image processing may be accomplished by the control 478 and/or the display 442.

Cannula 410 is attached to hub 454 which is rotatably mounted to handle 406 for rotation relative to handle 406 about cannula axis A. As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, lever 470 may be manually rotated about pin 471, typically by grasping handle 406 with the thumb of the user.

Fig. 4C is an exploded perspective view of the endoscope 400 assembly showing a unit including a cannula 410 and a hub 454 rotatably mounted at the forward end of handle 406 by a connector 480 for rotation with cannula 410 about axis a relative to handle 46. The handle 406 includes a half wheel 482 mounted on the needle 471 for rotation about the axis D, and the lever 470 is mounted on the needle 471 for rotation about the axis D. The half wheel 482 functions as the disk 203.

The entire endoscope 400 is provided to the user in a sealed sterile package. During a medical procedure, a user tears the package and connects cable 474 to remote display 442 and/or control 478, or establishes a wireless connection. The user controls imaging module 416 via display 442 and/or control 478, which are configured to perform the desired image processing, such as endoscopes 100, 200, and 300 described above. After the medical procedure is completed, the entire endoscope 400 is disposed of as medical waste.

Fig. 5A is a right side view of an endoscope 500 that is otherwise similar to endoscope 400, but the angle of the forward end 514 of the cannula 510 is robotically controlled by a motor 511 (fig. 5C) and buttons 515, 517, and the mechanism for transmitting motion from the motor to the guide wire and cable is different. Fig. 5B is a left side view thereof and fig. 5C is an exploded perspective view of components thereof in some embodiments.

The components distal from the front end of handle 506 may be the same as the components distal from the front end of handle 406. Corresponding components differ only in the first digit of their number. Handle 506 differs from handle 406 only in that handle 506 includes a motor 511 (fig. 5C) that rotates plate 584 under control of buttons 515, 517 instead of manual control of the angle of endoscope 400.

Referring to fig. 5C, handle 506 is formed of half shells 506a and 506b and includes a motor 511 that rotates gear shaft 560 about axis D, half wheel 582 is fitted over gear shaft 560 to rotate therewith, and flat plate 584 is secured to half wheel 582 to rotate therewith about axis D.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of illustration, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced without departing from the principles of the utility model. 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 body of work 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 (14)

1. A miniature robotic endoscope, characterized by: comprising the following steps:

a reusable portion configured to be hand-held and having an elongated slot with an open face extending along the cannula axis;

a disposable portion comprising a cannula extending along a cannula axis;

wherein the disposable portion has a front end and a rear end, comprising:

the imaging module is positioned at the front end and comprises one or more cameras and one or more light sources;

a rear port at the rear end, a front port at the front end, and an internal passage extending from the rear port to the front port;

a drive element at the trailing end configured to selectively alter a physical parameter of the cannula upon actuation; and

a single-use electrical contact at the rear end;

wherein the reusable portion comprises:

an internal power source;

an internal motor;

a gear shaft extending into the slot and coupled to the motor so as to be selectively rotatable;

a reusable electrical contact within the slot;

one or more manually operated motor control buttons coupled to the power source and the motor for driving the motor to the gear shaft in a selected angular direction;

One or more manually operated image control buttons configured to control the imaging module;

wherein the rear end of the disposable portion is configured to fit into the slot of the reusable portion in a direction transverse to the cannula axis, thereby engaging the electrical contacts with one another and the gear shaft with the drive element in a single motion, thereby forming an assembled endoscope; and

wherein, in the assembled endoscope:

the one or more image control buttons are configured to selectively control transmission of image data from the imaging module for display; and

the one or more motor control buttons are configured to selectively control at least one of: (a) The cannula is rotated about the cannula axis in a selected angular direction and by a selected angular robot, (b) the front end portion of the cannula is rotated in a selected direction relative to the cannula axis and by a selected angular robot angle relative to the cannula axis.

2. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the one or more motor control buttons are configured to selectively control the robotic rotation of the cannula about the cannula axis in and through a selected angular direction.

3. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the one or more motor control buttons are configured to selectively control the robotic angle of the cannula front end portion in a selected direction relative to the cannula axis and through a selected angle relative to the cannula axis.

4. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: comprising a display mounted on the reusable portion and coupled to the imaging module and configured to display images acquired therewith.

5. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: comprising a display mounted on the reusable portion and having a back-end facing side and a front-end facing side configured to display the image data, comprising:

a front facing camera module configured to image objects farther therefrom and including an auto-focus facility whose lens is configured to automatically maintain a focus of the objects during relative movement between the camera modules; and

a forward lighting module configured to illuminate the object.

6. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 5 wherein: the camera module includes at least two cameras spaced apart in a direction transverse to the cannula axis and is configured to provide at least one of: (a) A stereoscopic image, (b) an image of a range of light wavelengths that differs between at least two of said cameras.

7. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the reusable portion further includes a catch configured to move between an open position in which the catch clears the slot, allowing the disposable portion and the reusable portion to be assembled only in a direction transverse to the cannula axis by relative movement therebetween, and a closed position in which the catch retains the disposable portion and the reusable portion as an assembled endoscope.

8. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: comprises a needle permanently mounted within the cannula and configured to move between an extended position in which the needle protrudes from the forward end of the disposable portion and a retracted position in which all of the needle is within the disposable portion, and a needle controller mounted to the disposable portion and configured to move the needle between the extended and retracted positions.

9. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the cannula is configured to rotate relative to the front end of the disposable portion and the drive element at the rear end of the disposable portion includes a first gear mounted on a gear shaft in the assembled endoscope for rotation about an axis transverse to the cannula axis, a second gear meshed with the first gear for rotation about an axis parallel to the cannula axis, a third gear connected to the second gear for rotation therewith, and a fourth gear mated with the third gear for rotation about the cannula axis for rotation of the front end of the cannula relative to the rear end of the disposable portion about the cannula axis.

10. The small robotic endoscope as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the forward end of the cannula is configured to be angled through the selected angle, and the drive element at the rearward end of the disposable portion includes a rotating disk mounted on a gear shaft in the assembled endoscope for rotation about an axis transverse to the cannula shaft, and the disposable portion includes a guide wire connecting the rotating disk to the forward end of the cannula such that rotation of the rotating disk results in angulation of the forward end of the cannula relative to the cannula shaft.

11. A miniature robotic endoscope assembly comprising a reusable portion and two different disposable portions, wherein a first portion has a motorized rotation of a cannula and a second portion has a motorized angle of a cannula front end, wherein:

the reusable part is configured to be hand-held and has an elongated slot with an open face extending along the cannula axis, an internal motor and a gear shaft extending into the slot and configured to be selectively rotated about the axis by the motor, and an electrical contact in the slot,

The first disposable portion is configured to snap into the slot only in a direction transverse to the cannula axis to couple with the reusable portion to form a first assembled endoscope and includes a front end having an imaging module; the rear end having a socket configured to mate with the gear shaft for rotation about an axis in the first assembled endoscope, and a gear set connecting the socket to the front end of the first disposable portion for rotation about the cannula axis at a selected angular orientation and to a selected degree relative to the rear end;

the second disposable portion is also configured to couple with the reusable portion by snapping into the slot only in the direction of the transverse quill, thereby forming a second assembled endoscope and including a front end with an imaging module; the rear end having a socket configured to fit over the gear shaft for rotation about the shaft axis in a second assembled endoscope, the guide wire connecting the socket with the front end of the second disposable portion such that the front end of the second disposable portion is angled relative to the rear end thereof in a selected direction and to a selected degree relative to the shaft axis;

Such that the same reusable portion forms a first endoscope in which the front end of the first disposable portion is robotically rotated, or a second endoscope in which the front end of the disposable portion is robotically tilted.

12. The miniature robotic endoscope set according to claim 11, wherein: the rear end of the first disposable portion further includes a manual control associated with the front end of the first disposable portion to angle it in a selected direction and to a selected degree relative to the rear end of the first disposable portion.

13. The miniature robotic endoscope set according to claim 11, wherein: the rear end of the second disposable portion further includes a manual control associated with the front end of the second disposable portion to rotate it about the cannula axis in a selected direction and to a selected degree relative to the rear end of the second disposable portion.

14. The miniature robotic endoscope set according to claim 11, wherein: the forward most end of the reusable portion includes a display mounted thereon and having a rear face configured to display images acquired with the imaging module, and a front face having a light source and one or more forward facing cameras configured to image an object at the front end thereof and to provide autofocus to the object as the endoscope moves relative to the object.