Circon Corporation

John L Wardle

Jack A Cohen

An instrument of a generally tubular flexible shape for accessing a target area comprising an objective head, a control head and a flexible shaft therebetween. The control head has a repositionable instrument entry block for inserting a surgical instrument or washing fluid into the control and to a target area near the objective head. The control head also has a repositionable light post and vent valve assembly which may be repositioned after the instrument has been inserted into a target area. The light post and vent valve assembly may also comprise a connector for a disconnectable external light carrier.

Instrument control head

An endoscope having a control head, an objective head and a flexible shaft therebetween. The shaft has a flexible core with a conduit means therewith. A deflection means is provided with the shaft having a tension member and a distal end compression member for controllably returning the distal end to an undeflected position.

Multi-lumen core deflecting endoscope

An inspection instrument for accessing a target area has a shaft with a structural core of flexible material. The core has sufficient rigidity to provide a continuous frame for the shaft, but also allows the shaft to be flexible for deflection. The core has a conduit means which passes through the core along a non-straight path to act as a deflection compensation means for conduit means deformation during shaft bending or deflection.

Inspection instrument fexible shaft having deflection compensation means

An inspection instrument having a generally elongated flexible shaft extending between a control head at a proximal end and an objective assembly at a distal end. A bending section adjacent the objective assembly enables movement of the objective assembly between a neutral position and angularly disposed positions. A control member on the control head causes deflection of the objective assembly by means of a pair of operating cables which are operatively connected at their opposite ends to the control member and to the objective assembly. A compensating mechanism engages the cables intermediate their ends and is effective to guard the cable against excessive loads and also to readily accommodate variations in the working length of the cables as occurs when the cables are permanently stretched.

Endoscope with cable compensating mechanism

An inspection instrument has an elongated flexible body which extends between a control assembly at a proximal end and an objective head at a distal end. Fiber optic bundles disposed within the instrument permit the illumination and the imaging of the interior regions of a structure being inspected. An articulating vertebrae assembly and a transitional coupler are disposed proximally of the objective head whereby the objective head is caused to move in an arc when tension is applied to interiorly disposed cables connecting the objective head to the control assembly. The vertebrae assembly is comprised of individual hollow vertebrae which are disposed along and axially aligned by a resilient stiffening member which is fixed at a distal end within the objective head and at a proximal end within the coupler. The member provides flexibility to the vertebrae assembly and, because it has a rectangular cross-sectional area, resists a torsion about its longitudinal axis, thus making the distal end of the instrument torque stable.

Growing community of inventors

Shelton, CT, United States of America

John L Wardle