Endoscope with drying agent

Details Endoscope with drying agent Endoscope with drying agent

1999-01-28

2000-06-20

Dvorak, Linda C. M.

Surgery

Endoscope

Having imaging and illumination means

359513, A61B 106

Patent

active

060772204

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an endoscope with an endoscope optical system and a desiccant introduced into and fixed in the mounting space of the endoscope optical system.
2. Prior Art
Endoscopes and particularly endoscopes employed in biomedical engineering are fundamentally fluid-tight systems. For a number of reasons, however, moisture may occur in the mounting space of the optical system of the endoscope:
First, it is possible that due to the humidity of the air in the space where the endoscope is assembled some residual moisture remains in the mounting space of the endoscope. And secondly moisture may penetrate into the mounting space through slight leaks at joints, which, actually speaking, do not require an expensive repair of the endoscope.
For this reason it has been common for a major period of time already to provide a desiccant in the mounting space of the endoscope optical system for adsorption of this residual moisture.
Different solutions have become known for the incorporation of the desiccant into the mounting space of the endoscope optical system:
One example is the provision of the desiccant in bulk form in the mounting space. This approach presents the disadvantage, however, that noise will occur when the optical system is moved and that moreover dust may be produced as a result of desiccant abrasion caused by movement. The dust may deposit on the optical elements.
The German Patent DE 37 08 124 C2 discloses an endoscope with a hydroscopic element wherein the hydroscopic element is designed as flexible strip material and mounted in a part of the endoscope optical system between the lens carrier and the outer wall, which part is specifically provided to this end. That known endoscope, which the introductory clause of patent claim 1 starts out from, presents the disadvantage that an exchange of the hydroscopic element is possible only upon complete disassembly of the endoscope.
The German Patent DE 195 07 205 A1 has therefore proposed the provision of a hydroscopic substance underneath a removal wall element of he housing, which is connected to the remaining parts of the housing wall in a gas-tight manner by means of a coupler. This design presents the disadvantage that the endoscope has an opening wider than that which must be ensured to be fluid-tight.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based on the problem of improving an endoscope with an endoscope optical system and a desiccant which is introduced into and fixed in the mounting space of the endoscope optical system, in a way that the desiccant will be reliably fixed in the mounting space and has a high moisture adsorption efficiency so that an exchange of the desiccant is not required as a rule.
In accordance with the present invention the desiccant is present in the form of a plurality of spheres and/or rod-like elements which are inserted into at least one recess in the mounting space and which are fixed by means of at least one fixing element contacting the spheres or the rod-shaped elements merely over one part of their surface.
With this design the invention starts out from the finding that endoscopes must be suitable for disassembly for servicing reasons so that it is not necessary to provide an additional opening for the exchange of the desiccant.
On account of the fixed mounting of the desiccant in the mounting space of the optical system it is not necessary for an exchange of the desiccant to disassembly the endoscope beyond the measure common for regular servicing. Due to the provision of the desiccant in the zone of the eyepiece sufficient space is available for accommodating such an amount of desiccant that the desiccant quantity will be sufficient for an average service life of an endoscope. The desiccant may, of course, yet be exchanged whenever this will be necessary.
The use of a plurality of spheres and/or rod-shaped elements with a preferably cylindrical shape a large desiccant surface is achieved so that a high efficiency in desiccant adsorption will be

REFERENCES:
patent: 2399971 (1946-05-01), Wolfe
patent: 4755031 (1988-07-01), Daviau et al.
patent: 5836867 (1998-11-01), Speier et al.
patent: 5839284 (1998-11-01), Wyatt et al.
patent: 5868664 (1999-02-01), Speier et al.

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