Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00142—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor with means for preventing contamination, e.g. by using a sanitary sheath

Definitions

• the invention relates to a covering sheath for single use and designed to be used with an optical measuring device for determining at least one bodily parameter, for example, a vascular parameter of a person or animal, comprising a window and, adjacent thereto, a substantially cylindrical sheath wall that fits around a lens tube of the optical measuring device, wherein the window is located in the lens tube's field of vision, and wherein further a fastening member is provided for fixing the sheath to the lens tube.
• an optical measuring device for determining at least one bodily parameter, for example, a vascular parameter of a person or animal, comprising a window and, adjacent thereto, a substantially cylindrical sheath wall that fits around a lens tube of the optical measuring device, wherein the window is located in the lens tube's field of vision, and wherein further a fastening member is provided for fixing the sheath to the lens tube.
• the invention is further embodied in an optical measuring device for determining a bodily parameter of a person or animal, comprising a lens tube for emitting and receiving optical signals, which lens tube is designed for cooperating with a covering sheath that is provided with a win- dow and, adjacent to this window, a sheath wall.
• An optical measuring device for determining a bodily parameter of a person or animal is known from the international patent application WO 2005/032361.
• Such an optical measuring device is also known from the international patent application WO 97/15229 from which the use of polarising filters to be placed in the field of vision is known.
• said covering sheath serves to prevent the transmission of harmful substances or viruses, and to avoid other contamination between persons or animals during subsequent use of the device.
• the covering sheath to be used has to meet certain preconditions. For example, the influence on the formation by the optical measuring device of the image must be minimal. It is therefore, among other things, of importance that the po- sition of the window of the covering sheath in relation to the lens tube is crucial with regard to the precision of image formation the optical measuring device is able to provide. Owing to the dimensioning of the known optical measur- ing device the phenomenon occurs that an approximately 1 mm deviation of the window' s position in relation to the lens tube causes a distortion in the lens tube's focal plane of approximately 1 cm. It goes without saying that with such extreme sensitivity, the effect of the covering sheath's expan- sion when being used at the normal body temperature of a person or animal, can also not be ignored without detrimental effects on the precision of the image formation by the optical measuring device.
• the object of the invention is to guarantee the pre- cision of the image formation by the optical measuring device, to provide for " the same a suitable covering sheath, which even at different ambient temperatures does not cause any noticeable deterioration of the quality of the image formation of the optical measuring device and in general, to provide an alternative for the existing covering sheath that will be better able to fulfil the above mentioned objectives.
• the covering sheath and the optical measuring device according to the invention are characterised by one or several of the appended claims .
• the covering sheath is characterised in that near the window and inside the substantially cylindrical sheath wall the fastening member comprises at least one protuberance designed to cooperate with a groove or rim of the lens tube adapted to said protu- berance.
• the optical measuring device is characterised in that the lens tube is provided with at least one groove or rim that serves for cooperating with an internal protuberance provided on the sheath wall of the covering sheath.
• the covering sheath's window By means of the above-mentioned measures it is possible to position the covering sheath's window very precisely in the lens tube's field of vision, so as to guarantee a pre- cise and reliable image formation with the optical measuring device.
• the consequence of providing the protuberance near the window and correspondingly providing the groove or rim on the lens tube is that expansion of the material of the cover- ing sheath (for example owing to body heat and/or the temperature in the operating room) has virtually no effect on the positioning of the covering sheath's window in relation to the lens tube.
• Another advantage coming within reach through this measure is that the lens tube may be embodied longer, which enhances the image forming qualities of the optical measuring device and which is also useful for the manoeuvrability in various clinically relevant positions.
• the covering sheath such that there are several evenly distributed protuberances provided at the side of the sheath wall that, during use, is directed towards the lens tube.
• the optical measuring device then needs to be provided with a number of grooves or rims that match the number of protuberances of the covering sheath.
• Another aspect of the invention relates to the measure that the protuberance, or each of the protuberances, is positioned at an end of a basal thickening extending from the protuberance or protuberances in the direction of the window.
• the covering sheath which is usually manufactured by injection moulding, can easily be removed from the injection mould without damaging the protuberances .
• this measure avoids the problem that in the absence of a basal thickening, the act of placing the covering sheath on the lens tube may damage the protuberance or protuberances. At the worst, the protuberance or protuberances may even be scraped off in the absence of said basal thickening.
• the favourable effect of the basal thickening just referred to is further enhanced by embodying the covering sheath such that at the side of the window, the basal thick- ening finishes as a thickening provided as an endless band on the wall of the cylindrical sheath.
• Still another aspect of the invention relates to the measure that the window is made of a plastic material that is transparent for visible light, and that is resistant to sterilisation without perceptible impairment to its optical qualities.
• the covering sheath's window according to the invention can be suitably embodied by selecting the plastic material for the window from the group comprising PMMA, Cyrolite, Terlux, Eastar, Durastar, Altuglas.
• a further advantageous aspect of the invention re- lates to the measure that the covering sheath is characterised in that the window and the sheath wall are made of the same material and are integrally formed.
• the covering sheath according to the invention is in a further aspect characterised in that the window is part of a window wall adjacent to the sheath wall, and in that the window in the window wall is staggered such that the window is moved in a direction away from an open side of the sheath wall.
• a further favourable aspect of the invention relates to the embodiment of the covering sheath being such that at the transition to the sheath wall, the outer corner of the window wall is rounded off. This effectively avoids damage to tissue of the person or animal to be examined.
• the covering sheath according to the invention is further preferably characterised in that the sheath wall is conical, having an inside diameter that increases in the di- rection of the open side of the sheath wall.
• the invention is also embodied in an optical measuring device for determining at least one bodily parameter of a person or animal, which device comprises a lens tube designed to co-operate with the above discussed covering sheath.
• the optical measuring device is preferably characterised in that the protuberance of the protected sheath homes in on a predetermined fixed position of the covering sheath on the lens tube.
• a further advantageous aspect of the optical measuring device is that the same is provided with a detection organ for the covering sheath, and in that the operationality of the device depends on this detection organ.
• optical measuring device is that the same is preferably equipped with a release member for removing the covering sheath from the lens tube.
• the simplicity of operating the optical measuring device according to the invention is served by the detection organ and the release member being combined.
• FIG. 1 a longitudinal cross-section of the covering sheath according to the invention
• FIG. 2 a detail of the covering sheath shown in
• FIG. 1 a longitudinal cross-section is shown of the covering sheath 1 according to the invention.
• this covering sheath 1 is suitable to be used with an optical measuring device for determining one or several vascular parameters of a person or ani- mal.
• an optical measuring device for determining one or several vascular parameters of a person or ani- mal.
• the embodiment of such an optical measuring device is well known to the person skilled in the art and requires no further elucidation.
• the covering sheath 1 serves for being placed on a lens tube of the above referred to optical measuring device and comprises to this end a window 2 and, adjacent to this window 2, a substantially cylindrical sheath wall 3 that with respect to its size, fits around the above-mentioned lens tube of the optical measuring device. It should be understood thus that when the optical covering sheath 1 is placed on the lens tube, the window 2 is located in the lens tube's field of view.
• Figure 2 shows that near the window 2 and at the inside of the substantially cylindrical sheath wall 3, a protuberance 4 is provided.
• the inside of the sheath wall 3 is preferably provided with a number of such evenly distributed protuberances 4.
• This protuberance 4 or protuberances 4 are designed to cooperate with a matching groove or grooves or a rim or rims provided at the outer periphery of the lens tube. How this should be realised will be obvious to the person skilled in the art, so that further elucidation may be dispensed with. Nevertheless, it may be mentioned that the groove preferably has a slanting lead surface causing the protuberance 4 of the covering sheath 1 to home in on a predetermined fixed position of the covering sheath 1 on the lens tube, as soon as the protuberance 4 reaches the slanting lead surface.
• Figure 2 further shows that the protuberance 4 or the protuberances 4 are each positioned at an end of a basal thickening 5 that extends from the protuberance 4 or protuberances 4 in the direction of the window 2.
• the just referred to basal thickening 5 preferably finishes as a thickening provided as an endless band 6 on the cylindrical sheath wall 3.
• the window 2 is preferably made of a plastic material that is transparent for visible light and resistant to repeated sterilisation without perceptible impairment to the optical qualities of this window 2. It is also advantageous for the plastic material of the window 2 to be injectable. Suitable materials that can be used for one thing and another may be selected from the group comprising PMMA, Cyrolite, Terlux, Eastar, Durastar, Altuglas.
• window 2 and the sheath wall 3 are made of the same material and to be formed integrally ⁇
• Figure 2 clearly shows that the window 2 is part of a window wall 7 adjacent to the sheath wall 3 and that the window 2 in the window wall 7 is staggered, such that the window 2 is moved in a direction away from the open side of the sheath wall 3 indicated with arrow B.
• Figure 2 further clearly shows that at the transition 8 from the sheath wall 3 to the window wall 7, the covering sheath 1 is embodied with a rounded corner.
• said sheath wall is provided with one or several ribs 9 directed inward.
• Figure 1 actually only shows one such rim 9.
• Figure 1 also clearly shows that the sheath wall 3 is conical, having an inside diameter that increases in the direction of the open side B of the sheath wall 3. This promotes the ease and the simplicity both of placing the covering sheath on and removing it from the lens tube.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Surgery (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Endoscopes (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
• Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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ID=36951537

Family Applications (1)

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Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2005
  • 2005-11-28 NL NL1030539A patent/NL1030539C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2006
  • 2006-11-28 WO PCT/NL2006/050299 patent/WO2007061309A2/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (2)

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