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US 6,743,168 B2Granted
Endoscope system and method of use
AssigneeInsight Instruments, Inc.
InventorsK. Peter Luloh, Michael Annen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An endoscope for eye surgery incorporates a handle having a camera and an electric motor driven lens assembly for enabling a user to focus the camera during surgery without manually adjusting the focus. The endoscope includes a probe attached by a rotatable bayonet type connector with a simple pivoting lever to release the probe from the handle. The motor drive system incorporates spring biasing to compensate for overruns of a drive nut on a lead screw when the user attempts to exceed the focal range of the lens assembly.
Claims23
An endoscope comprising:
- a handle;
- a probe extending from one end of the handle;
- a lens extending through the probe;
- a movable focusing lens positioned in the handle and aligned with the lens in the probe;
- an electric motor drive system mounted in the handle and coupled to the focusing lens for electrically driving the focusing lens longitudinally in the handle, the motor drive system including an electric motor;
- a lead screw;
- a nut follower threadedly mounted on the lead screw;
- a coupler for drivingly connecting the electric motor to the lead screw;
- and
- spring biasing means for urging the nut follower into engagement with threads on the lead screw when the nut follower is overdriven with respect to threads on the lead screw.
7 more elements
An endoscope comprising:
- a handle housing a means for viewing an image;
- a focusing lens disposed within a first cavity of the handle in optical communication with the means for viewing an image;
- means for longitudinally translating the focusing lens within the first cavity to adjust the focus of the endoscope including an electric motor;
- a lead screw rotationally disposed within the handle and having a threaded portion, the electric motor coupled to the lead screw for selectively rotating the lead screw;
- a follower nut disposed on the lead screw and having an interior threaded portion for engaging the threaded portion of the lead screw so that the follower nut may be longitudinally translated in response to rotation of the lead screw;
- and
- means for engaging the lead screw and the focusing lens in fixed relation so that the lens barrel is longitudinally translated in response to the longitudinal translation of the lead screw;
- a probe for holding a needle having an axially oriented major bore housing a first lens;
- and
- means for releasably coupling the handle and the probe so that the first lens housed within the axially oriented major bore is axially aligned with the focusing lens.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.