METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN ENDOSCOPE

Abstract

A method for the manufacturing an endoscope, the method including: providing a window having a lateral peripheral surface and a flat surface, the window is provided with a metal coating on a lateral peripheral surface and/or an edge region of the flat surface, and the flat surface of the window is provided with a solder preform, inserting the window provided with the solder preform into a window seat of an endoscope shaft of the endoscope, where the flat surface of the window one of faces an interior space of the endoscope shaft or faces away from the interior space of the endoscope shaft, and subsequent to the inserting, heating the solder preform with a heating device such that solder material of the solder preform is distributed between the window and the window seat and, after the solder material cools, solder is arranged between the window and the window seat.

Claims

1. A method for the manufacturing an endoscope, the method comprising: providing a window having a lateral peripheral surface and a flat surface, wherein the window is provided with a metal coating on one or more of a lateral peripheral surface and an edge region of the flat surface, and wherein the flat surface of the window is provided with a solder preform, inserting the window provided with the solder preform into a window seat of an endoscope shaft of the endoscope, wherein the flat surface of the window one of faces an interior space of the endoscope shaft or faces away from the interior space of the endoscope shaft, and subsequent to the inserting, heating the solder preform with a heating device such that solder material of the solder preform is distributed between the window and the window seat and, after the solder material cools, solder is arranged is between the window and the window seat.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating comprises simultaneously heating an entirety of the solder preform.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating comprises heating less than an entirety of the solder preform at a predetermined number of positions.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the lateral peripheral surface and the flat surface include the metal coating.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal coating comprises gold.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solder preform is configured to have one of an annular shape or a disk-shape.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solder preform comprises gold and tin.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating comprises one of inductive heating or heating with a laser.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the window is configured in a cylindrical shape.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the window comprises sapphire glass.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal coating is formed on the edge portion of the flat surface of the window in a ring-shape.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the ring-shape has a ring width between 50 m and 1000 m.

13. A window for use in a window seat of an endoscope shaft of the endoscope, the window comprising: a lateral peripheral surface; a flat surface; a solder preform provided to the flat surface; and a metal coating on one or more of the lateral peripheral surface and an edge region of the flat surface.

14. The window according to claim 13, wherein the metal coating is comprises gold.

15. The window according to claim 13, wherein the solder preform is configured to have one of an annular shape or a disk-shape.

16. The window according to claim 13, wherein the solder preform comprises gold and tin.

17. The window according to claim 13, wherein the window is configured to have a cylindrical shape.

18. The window according to claim 13, wherein the window is formed from sapphire glass.

19. The window according to one claim 13, wherein the metal coating is formed on at least the flat surface in a ring shape.

20. The window according to claim 19, wherein the ring shape has a ring width between 50 m and 1000 m

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Further features will become apparent from the description of the embodiments together with the claims and the attached drawings. Embodiments can fulfill individual features or a combination of several features.

[0041] The embodiments are described below, without restricting the general idea of the invention, using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, express reference being made to the drawings with regard to all details that are not explained in greater detail in the text. In the following:

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic and simplified side view of a surgical instrument,

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed view of an ocular device, in a schematic and simplified longitudinal section,

[0044] FIG. 3a, 3b illustrate partial schematic views of an arrangement of a window disk in a fiber tube tip of an endoscope before being soldered (FIG. 3a) and in a soldered state (FIG. 3b),

[0045] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a view of an ocular device of a surgical instrument in a simplified longitudinal section.

[0046] In the drawings, the same or similar elements and/or parts are provided with the same reference numbers in order to prevent the item from needing to be reintroduced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and simplified side view of a surgical instrument 2 such as an endoscope. At its distal end, it comprises a tubular endoscope shaft 4 with a lens system that makes it possible to observe a surgical or investigated region lying distally in front of the free end of the endoscope shaft 4. The endoscope shaft 4 terminates in a housing 6 that has an eyepiece 8 at the proximal end. The housing 6 is for handling the surgical instrument 2. On the side of the housing 6 is a light source 10 such as an LED light source. This is connected by a connecting cable 12 to a suitable power supply.

[0048] A schematically shown camera head 14 with an ocular adapter (not shown) is arranged on the eyepiece 8. The camera head 14 detects the light exiting the ocular of the surgical instrument 2 with its own lens system, and images it on an optical surface sensor such as a CCD or CMOS chip. The camera head 14 is supplied with power by means of a connection 16. Furthermore, it is possible to send image signals by the connection 16 from the surface sensor of the camera head 14 to an external evaluation unit and transmit control signals to the camera head 14.

[0049] FIG. 2 schematically shows a perspective view of a window disk 20 that is inserted as a window, such as in a window opening, or respectively window seat at a distal fiber tube tip of a fiber tube 30 of an endoscope, or in a proximal window frame (window seat) of an ocular device. The window disk 20 in this case is configured cylindrically, or respectively cylinder-shaped with a cylindrical peripheral surface 22 and two flat surfaces 26, and has a gold coating 24 on its cylindrical peripheral surface 22. Given the perspective diagram, only one flat surface 26, i.e., the upper side, of the window disk 20 can be seen.

[0050] The window disk 20 can be configured as a flat glass and have an annular gold coating 24 in the edge region on the upper, or respectively visible flat surface 26. Only one of the two flat surfaces 26 of the window disk 20 has the annular gold coating 24 on the outer edge of the flat surface 26.

[0051] The window disk 20 can be produced from sapphire glass, wherein the window disk 20 is transparent, or respectively impermeable to visible light in the uncoated inner region that is framed, or respectively surrounded by the gold coating 24.

[0052] The window disk 20 is inserted into a corresponding window seat of a fiber tube tip (see FIG. 3a, 3b) and is bonded to the fiber tube by being soldered at the fiber tube tip so that the window disk 20 is soldered in the window frame of the fiber tube tip.

[0053] The coatings on the peripheral surface 22 and on the flat surface 26 of the window disk 20 can also have several layers, such as metal layers, wherein the outer layer of the multiple layers can be gold or contain gold.

[0054] The annular gold coating 24 on the top side, or respectively the flat surface 26 of the window disk 20 can have a width between 100 m to 500 m in this case. The width of the ring of the gold coating 24 on the flat surface 26 can be approximately 300 m.

[0055] FIG. 3a schematically shows, in a section, a partial arrangement of the window disk 20 on a fiber tube tip of a fiber tube 30 at the distal end in a cross-section. In FIGS. 3a and 3b, only a portion of the window disk 20 and fiber tube 30 are illustrated. The same arrangement mirrored over a longitudinal center line of the window seat is not shown for simplicity. In the interior of the endoscope shaft 4 (see FIG. 1), the fiber tube tip is arranged on the distal end of the endoscope shaft 4. Optical components of the endoscope (not shown) are located in the interior of the fiber tube 30, typically at the distal end of the endoscope shaft 4.

[0056] At the distal end of the fiber tube 30, said tube is provided on the inside with a ring body 32 so that a contact surface for the edge region of the window disk 20 is formed on the inside of the ring body 32. FIG. 3a schematically shows the arrangement of the window disk 20 at the fiber tube tip of the fiber tube 30 before soldering in the window disk 20.

[0057] The fiber tube 30 is provided with a gold coating 36 on the inside on the contact surfaces facing the peripheral surface 22 of the window disk 20. Furthermore, the contact surface of the ring body 32 that faces the flat surface 26 of the window disk 20 is also provided with the gold coating 36. To solder in the window disk 20 in the frame, or respectively the window frame of the fiber tube tip, a solder preform 40 is arranged between the bottom side, or respectively the flat surface 26 of the window disk 20 which is provided with the gold coating 24 and the contact surface of the ring body 32 which is formed with the gold coating 36. The solder preform 40 in this case can be configured in an annular or disk-shape and is arranged between the window disk 20 and the ring body 32. The solder preform 40 can comprise gold and tin, such as 80% gold and 20% tin.

[0058] In order to solder the window disk 20 into the frame of the fiber tube tip, the solder preform 40 is heated by means of a schematically illustrated inductive heating device 50, whereby the solder material becomes flowable, and the solder material of the solder preform 40, due to capillary forces, therefore flows between the window disk 20 and the edge region between the window disk 20 and the fiber tube 30 in the gap between the fiber tube 30 and the window disk 20, whereby the edge region, or respectively the gap between the window 20 and the fiber tube 30, is filled with solder material, and the window disk 20 is thereby soldered into the fiber tube tip. This is shown in FIG. 3b in a partial schematic diagram.

[0059] FIG. 3b also schematically shows an inductive heating device 50 that surrounds the fiber tube tip for heating the solder preform 40. By energizing the inductive heating device 50 arranged outside of the fiber tube 30, the solder preform 40 is heated.

[0060] Simultaneously heating the complete solder preform 40 by means of the inductive heating device 50 allows the window disk 20 to be arranged and soldered in a self-centering manner in the opening in the fiber tube 30 due to the capillary forces between the window disk 20 and the fiber tube tip.

[0061] The solder preform 40 is designed disk-shaped or annular. The fiber tube 30 can be produced from metal.

[0062] FIG. 4 schematically shows an ocular device 60 for a surgical instrument 2 in a schematic and simplified longitudinal section. The ocular device 60 is provided at the proximal end of a surgical instrument 2, such as an endoscope. The ocular device 60 in this case has an ocular window frame 62 in which an optical assembly is accommodated. The optical assembly is in this case one or more lenses or lens groups, prisms, filters, etc. that form an optical system.

[0063] FIG. 4 schematically shows the optical axis of the optical system in a dot-dashed line. The ocular device 60 is located in an interior space of the surgical instrument 2 such as an interior space enclosed by the housing 6 of the endoscope depicted in FIG. 1. The ocular window frame 62 can form the separation between the hermetic inner space and the non-hermetic outer space.

[0064] The ocular window frame 62 has an ocular window 64 at the light exit side. The ocular window 64 in this case is accommodated in a window frame 66 and soldered thereto. The distal window frame 66 surrounds in this case the ocular window 64 in the peripheral direction of the ocular window 64, wherein the ocular window 64 to the inner space of the surgical instrument 2 is in contact with a retaining shoulder 68 of the ocular window frame 62.

[0065] Similar to the window disk 20 shown in FIG. 2, the ocular window 64 is provided with a gold coating on the outer peripheral surface, and is additionally provided with an annular gold coating in the outer peripheral region on the flat level, or respectively flat surface that faces the inner space of the endoscope.

[0066] The window frame 66 is provided with a gold coating 24 on the inner sides that face the peripheral surface of the cylindrical ocular window 64. The contact surface of the retaining shoulder 68 that faces the annular coating of the ocular window 64 is also provided with a gold coating 24. A laser, such as a diode laser, is arranged on the ocular device 60 in order to heat the solder preform 40 (not shown here) while using a solder preform (not shown here) between the window frame 66 and the ocular window 64 in order to solder them to each other. By heating the solder preform, the gap between the ocular frame 66 and the ocular window 64 is filled, which solders the ocular window 64 in the ocular frame 66.

[0067] The ocular window frame 62 can be produced from steel or a plastic, such as PEEK.

[0068] While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0069] 2 Surgical instrument

[0070] 4 Endoscope shaft

[0071] 6 Housing

[0072] 8 Eyepiece

[0073] 10 Light source

[0074] 12 Connecting cable

[0075] 14 Camera head

[0076] 16 Connection

[0077] 20 Window disk

[0078] 22 Peripheral surface

[0079] 24 Gold coating

[0080] 26 Flat surface

[0081] 30 Fiber tube

[0082] 32 Ring body

[0083] 36 Gold coating

[0084] 40 Solder preform

[0085] 50 Inductive heating device

[0086] 60 Ocular device

[0087] 62 Ocular window frame

[0088] 64 Ocular window

[0089] 66 Window frame

[0090] 68 Shoulder

[0091] 70 Laser device