Endoscope and method of use
AssigneeMeditrina, Inc.
InventorsAkos TOTH, Csaba TRUCKAI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An endoscope includes a shaft having proximal and distal ends and a longitudinal axis therebetween. A handle is coupled to the proximal end of the shaft, and an image sensor is carried on the distal end of the shaft. A channel extends through at least a distal shaft portion and has a channel diameter, and a section of the channel is re-configurable between a constricted shape and a non-constricted shape to accommodate tools introduced therethrough. The combined diagonal dimension and channel diameter is usually greater than the outer shaft diameter. The image sensor may be connected to a connector on the housing by a first slack flex circuit and a lights source on the shaft may be connected to a connector on the housing by a second slack flex circuit.
Claims16
A flexible circuit for an endoscope configured for use in a fluid environment, comprising:
- an elongated flexible circuit extending in a planar shape to a distal end;
- an image sensor operatively coupled to a surface of the flex circuit and a first arrangement of electrical conductors therein;
- an illumination source operatively coupled to a surface of the flex circuit and a second arrangement of electrical conductors therein;
- and
- wherein said first arrangement of electrical conductors is disposed in an interior of the flex circuit with a superior dielectric layer and an inferior dielectric layer sufficient to prevent electrical coupling through both of the superior dielectric layer and the inferior dielectric layer to prevent interference with an image sensor signal carried by the first arrangement of electrical conductors.
A flexible circuit for an endoscope, comprising:
- an elongated flexible circuit extending in a planar shape to a distal end having first and second flex elements adapted to bend away from the planar shape;
- an image sensor with a field of view axis operatively coupled to a surface of the first flex element;
- an illumination source with a light axis operatively coupled to a surface of the second flex element;
- wherein the first and second flex elements are capable of bending away from the planar shape to a non-planar shape for coupling to an endoscope shaft where the field of view axis and light axis are in a distal-facing orientation;
- and
- wherein the image sensor has a plurality of electrical contacts coupled to corresponding electrical conductors in the flexible circuit;
- and
- wherein said electrical conductors are disposed in an interior of the flex circuit with superior and inferior dielectric layers sufficient to prevent electrical coupling through said dielectric layers to thereby prevent interference with image sensor signals carried by said electrical conductors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.