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US 11,141,042 B2Granted
Method for producing an endoscope and such an endoscope
AssigneeKarl Storz GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsMarkus Salvermoser, Ewald Stihl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for producing an endoscope that includes an endoscope head and an optic tube, including the steps of providing the endoscope head, providing the optic tube, and pushing a proximal end area of the optic tube into a distal end area of the endoscope head. The distal end area of the endoscope head is press-fitted with the proximal end area of the optic tube.
Claims20
A method for producing an endoscope, comprising:
- providing an endoscope head having a distal end area with a circumferential groove and a circumferentially limited cavity extending only over a part of a circumference of the distal end area of the endoscope head, the circumference defined about a longitudinal axis of the endoscope;
- providing an optic tube;
- inserting a proximal end area of the optic tube into the distal end area of the endoscope head, wherein an external diameter of the optic tube is slightly smaller than an internal diameter of the distal end area of the endoscope head;
- and
- axially compressing the proximal end area of the optic tube in a manner that widens the proximal end area of the optic tube and thereby causes an interference fit between the proximal end area of the optic tube and the distal end area of the endoscope head, wherein, during the axially compressing step, an axial force is exerted on the proximal end area of the optic tube in a direction toward a distal end area of the optic tube;
- wherein, during the axially compressing step, material of the optic tube flows into the circumferential groove of the endoscope head to define a form fit therewith, and material of the optic tube engages in the circumferentially limited cavity such that the optic tube is not able to turn relative to the endoscope head about the longitudinal axis of the endoscope head.
3 more elements
A method for producing an endoscope, comprising:
- providing an optic tube;
- providing an endoscope head having a distal end area with a circumferential groove and a circumferentially limited cavity extending only over a part of a circumference of the distal end area of the endoscope head, the circumference defined about a longitudinal axis of the endoscope;
- inserting a proximal end area of the optic tube into a distal end area of the endoscope head, wherein an external diameter of the optic tube is slightly smaller than an internal diameter of the distal end area of the endoscope head;
- and
- axially compressing the proximal end area of the optic tube in a manner that widens the proximal end area of the optic tube and thereby causes an interference fit between the proximal end area of the optic tube and the distal end area of the endoscope head;
- wherein, during the axially compressing step, material of the optic tube flows into the circumferential groove of the endoscope head to define a form fit therewith, and material of the optic tube engages in the circumferentially limited cavity such that the optic tube is not able to turn relative to the endoscope head about the longitudinal axis of the endoscope head.
3 more elements
A method for producing an endoscope, comprising:
- providing an endoscope head having a distal end area with a bore that extends along a bore axis, the bore including:
- a proximal bore portion defined by a proximal bore surface, and a distal bore portion defined by a distal bore surface, wherein a first radial distance between the bore axis and the distal bore surface has a same magnitude as a second radial distance between the bore axis and the proximal bore surface;
- a groove between the proximal bore portion and the distal bore portion, the groove extending over an entirety of a circumference defined about a longitudinal axis of the endoscope;
- and
- a cavity between the proximal bore portion and the distal bore portion, the cavity extending over only a portion of the circumference;
- providing an optic tube with an external diameter that is slightly smaller than an internal diameter of the bore;
- inserting a proximal end area of the optic tube into the bore;
- and
- axially compressing the proximal end area of the optic tube in a manner that widens the proximal end area of the optic tube and thereby causes an interference fit between the proximal end area of the optic tube and the bore, wherein, during the axially compressing step, an axial force is exerted on the proximal end area of the optic tube in a direction toward a distal end area of the optic tube;
- wherein, during the axially compressing step, material of the proximal end area of the optic tube flows into the groove of the endoscope head to define a form fit therewith, and material of the proximal end area of the optic tube engages in the cavity such that the optic tube is not able to turn relative to the endoscope head about the longitudinal axis of the endoscope head.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.