| CPC A61B 1/0052 (2013.01) [A61B 1/0011 (2013.01); A61B 1/0057 (2013.01); B29C 65/58 (2013.01); B29L 2031/753 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. An endoscope comprising:
an endoscope handle with a handle housing, the handle housing comprising two housing shells and an outer bearing element molded in one piece with one of the two housing shells; and
a control system including:
a first control wheel including a first shaft unit, a first control wheel unit and a first snap connection connecting the first shaft unit and the first control wheel unit, the first control wheel operable to rotate about an axis of rotation,
the first shaft unit comprising a first wire drum, a distal end, a first wheel sleeve having a bearing surface, and two connection parts at the distal end in the form of distally extending flexible fingers, each of the flexible fingers comprising a radially outwardly extending barb, and
the first control wheel unit comprising a first wheel handle and a first central part, the first central part comprising a cavity and two connection parts, each of the two connection parts of the first central part comprising a barb surface, the first snap connection formed when the distal end of the first shaft unit and the two connection parts of the first shaft unit are received in the cavity of the first central part with the radially outwardly extending barbs abutting the barb surfaces of the two connection parts of the first central part to prevent separation of the first control wheel unit from the first shaft unit;
a second control wheel including a second shaft unit, a second wheel handle and a second snap connection connecting the second shaft unit and the second wheel handle, the second shaft unit comprising a second wire drum and a second wheel sleeve having an outer bearing surface positioned farther from the axis of rotation than the bearing surface of the first control wheel; and
the outer bearing element comprising an inner bearing surface positioned farther from the axis of rotation than the outer bearing surface of the second control wheel, the inner bearing surface of the outer bearing element abutting the outer bearing surface of the second control wheel so that rotation of the second control wheel is at least partly borne on the outer bearing element,
wherein the outer bearing surface of the second control wheel includes two bearing surface portions axially spaced apart from each other and a non-bearing surface portion between the two bearing surface portions, and
wherein the two bearing surface portions rotatably bear on the inner bearing surface of the outer bearing element.
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