# US 11,992,181 B2 · Articulated tip part for an endoscope

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- Number: US 11,992,181 B2
- Document ID: US11992181B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/718,335
- Filed: 2019-12-18
- Published: 2020-06-25
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-21
- Assignees: Ambu A/S
- Applicants: Ambu A/S
- Inventors: Troels Nicolaj Qvist; Michael Kappler Hansen; Thomas Bachgaard Jensen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11992181B2

## CPC

- A61B 1/0011: {Manufacturing of endoscope parts}
- A61B 1/00137: {End pieces at either end of the endoscope, e.g. caps, seals or forceps plugs}
- A61B 1/0052: {Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles}
- A61B 1/0055: {Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements}
- A61B 1/009: {with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part}
- A61B 1/05: characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
- A61M 25/0138: {having flexible regions as a result of weakened outer material, e.g. slots, slits, cuts, joints or coils}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}

## Abstract

A medical device operable to obtain images of an internal cavity of a patient, including a handle; a flexible tube; a front end cap housing a camera assembly; a bending section extending from the flexible tube and including a proximal end segment and a distal end segment; a peripheral wall having an inner surface defining an internal space and including a cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface; a member having an outer surface and positioned at least partly in the internal space with the cavity overlapping the outer surface; and a protrusion of a hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the member and extending into the cavity of the peripheral wall, wherein the member is one of, and the peripheral wall is comprised by another of, the flexible tube, the proximal end segment, the distal end segment, or the front end cap.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A medical device operable to obtain images of an internal cavity of a patient, the medical device comprising:
a handle;
a flexible tube having a proximal end adjacent the handle and a distal end, the distal end of the flexible tube having an outer surface;
a camera assembly;
a front end cap housing the camera assembly, the front end cap having an outer surface;
a bending section integrally formed in one piece and extending from the flexible tube, the bending section including a proximal end segment, a distal end segment, and intermediate segments between the proximal end segment and the distal end segment, the intermediate segments hingedly connected to each other,
wherein the proximal end segment includes a proximal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the proximal end segment peripheral wall comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, and a cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface toward the outer surface, the distal end of the flexible tube positioned at least partly in the internal space of the proximal end segment peripheral wall with the cavity overlapping the outer surface of the flexible tube, and
wherein the distal end segment includes a distal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the distal end segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface, inner surface protrusions extending from the inner surface toward the internal space and distributed circumferentially, and through-holes extending radially outwardly from the inner surface to the outer surface, the front end cap positioned at least partly in the internal space of the distal end segment peripheral wall with the through-holes overlapping the outer surface of the front end cap;
a first protrusion of a first hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the flexible tube, the first protrusion extending into the cavity of the proximal end segment peripheral wall; and
a second protrusion of a second hardened adhesive bonded to the outer surface of the front end cap, the inner surface protrusions not comprising the second protrusion, and the second protrusion extending into the through-holes of the distal end segment peripheral wall.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the inner surface protrusions comprise centering ribs extending longitudinally and abutting the outer surface of the front end cap.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the bending section consists essentially of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or polyoxymethylene (POM), and a solid surface free energy at 20° C. (SFE) of the bending section at the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall is smaller than an SFE of the front end cap at the outer surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The medical device of claim 3, wherein the SFE of the bending section at the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall is at least 5 mN/m less than the SFE of front end cap at the outer surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the through-holes of the distal end segment comprises a major axis aligned with a longitudinal axis of the bending section and a minor, smaller, axis perpendicular to the major axis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The medical device of claim 5, wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall has a solid surface free energy at 20° C. (SFE) smaller than an SFE of the front end cap at the outer surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The medical device of claim 6, wherein the through-holes comprise a first through-hole and a second through-hole, the second through-hole having a periphery that is different than a periphery of the first through-hole.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the inner surface protrusions comprise centering ribs that extend longitudinally between the through-holes and are configured to align the front end cap in the distal end segment.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The medical device of claim 8, wherein the centering ribs are evenly distributed along the inner surface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The medical device of claim 9, wherein the centering ribs are distributed evenly between the through-holes.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The medical device of claim 8, wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment has an inner perimeter, wherein each of the centering ribs has a width measured perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction and a depth measured radially from the inner surface, and wherein the width of each centering rib is less than or equal to 10 percent of the inner perimeter.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The medical device of claim 11, wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than the width.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The medical device of claim 8, wherein a cross-section of the internal space of the distal end segment peripheral wall taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction has a maximum cross-sectional extent, and wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than or equal to 5 percent of the maximum cross-sectional extent.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The medical device of claim 8, wherein the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall has a substantially tubular shape having a diameter, and wherein the depth of each of the centering ribs is less than or equal to 5 percent of the diameter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The medical device of claim 1, wherein the distal end segment peripheral wall further comprises an elongate circumferential recess extending circumferentially from one of the through-holes to another of the through-holes, the elongate circumferential recess extending from the outer surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall toward the inner surface.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The medical device of claim 15, wherein the elongate circumferential recess does not connect with the inner surface of the distal end segment peripheral wall.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

A system to inspect an internal cavity of a patient, the system comprising:
the medical device of claim 1; and
a monitor connectable to the medical device to receive and present the image generated by the camera assembly.

### Claim 18

A method to assemble a medical device, the method comprising:
providing a handle;
providing a flexible tube having a proximal end adjacent the handle when assembled and a distal end;
providing a front end cap, the front end cap having a peripheral wall and an outer surface;
inserting a camera assembly into a spacing defined by the peripheral wall of the front end cap;
providing a bending section integrally formed in one piece and including a proximal end segment, a distal end segment, and intermediate segments between the proximal end segment and the distal end segment, the intermediate segments hingedly connected to each other, the proximal end segment including a segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface defining an internal space, a cavity toward the outer surface, and a longitudinal axis, the inner surface being around the longitudinal axis and the cavity extending radially outwardly from the inner surface toward the outer surface, the distal end segment including a distal end segment peripheral wall defining an internal space, the distal end segment peripheral wall comprising an outer surface, an inner surface, inner surface protrusions extending from the inner surface toward the internal space and distributed circumferentially, and through-holes extending radially outwardly from the inner surface to the outer surface;
inserting the front end cap into the internal space at least until the through-holes of the distal end segment peripheral wall overlap the front end cap;
injecting an adhesive into the through-holes and into contact with the outer surface of the front end cap; and
allowing or causing the adhesive to adhere to the outer surface of the front end cap and harden, the hardened adhesive forming protrusions that are not comprised by the inner surface protrusions of the distal end segment peripheral wall and that extend into the through-holes of the distal end segment peripheral wall.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the inner surface protrusions comprise centering ribs, and wherein inserting the front end cap comprises positioning the centering ribs in an abutting relationship with the outer surface of the front end cap.