Endoscopic Instrument
AssigneeRichard Wolf GmbH
InventorFrank WEHRHEIM
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An endoscopic instrument has a shaft designed in a flexible manner along its longitudinal axis in at least one section. The flexible section of the shaft has a tube-shaped wall made of an electroactive polymer with a plurality of control electrodes and reference electrodes respectively embedded therein. As seen in the axial direction, the control electrodes and reference electrodes are respectively arranged alternately and separated from one another. The control electrodes and reference electrodes alternating in the axial direction respectively have a rigid design and are respectively interconnected in an electrically conducting manner in the axial direction by elastic webs arranged on the outer or inner circumference. A method is also provided for producing a flexible section of such an endoscopic instrument.
Claims14
An endoscopic instrument (2) comprising a shaft (3) designed in a flexible manner along its longitudinal axis (X) in at least one section (4) of the shaft, the flexible section (4) of the shaft (3) having a tube-shaped wall made of an electroactive polymer with a plurality of control electrodes (6) and reference electrodes (8) respectively embedded therein, the control electrodes (6) and the reference electrodes (8) being arranged alternately as seen in the axial direction (X) and being separated from one another, and the control electrodes (6) and reference electrodes (8) alternating in the axial direction (X) respectively having a rigid design and being respectively interconnected in an electrically conducting manner in the axial direction (X) by elastic webs (14, 18) arranged on the outer or inner circumference of the flexible section of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.