Optical medical instrument

US9757019B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Kevin Pilz · Tuttlingen, DE
• Markus Kupferschmid · Emmingen-Liptingen, DE
• Daniel Ulmschneider · Tuttlingen, DE
• Andreas Heni · Tuttlingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 22, 2015
• Grant date: Sep 12, 2017
• Expiry date: Dec 28, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B23/2461
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical medical instrument, in particular an endoscope or exoscope, has an elongate tubular shaft, a heat source generating lost heat, and a heat pipe which extends inside the shaft, in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, and has a distal heat pipe end and a proximal heat pipe end, wherein the heat pipe is thermally coupled to the heat source in order to collect heat from the latter and remove the heat from the heat source. Between the distal heat pipe end and the proximal heat pipe end, the heat pipe is coupled thermally conductively and two-dimensionally to the shaft over at least a partial length of the heat pipe and over at least a partial circumference of the heat pipe, in order to remove heat from the heat pipe, over at least a partial length and over at least a partial circumference of the shaft, to the environment.