Patent ID: 11957303
Assignee: KARL STORZ SE & CO. KG
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  F  H | IPC A  F  H

Claim 16:
17. A method to dissipate heat in a video endoscope, comprising:
providing the video endo scope comprising an image sensor, wherein the image sensor corresponds to a heat source of the video endoscope;
providing a heat transfer apparatus, comprising:
a heat sink; and
a heat conducting element, wherein the heat conducting element is configured to conduct heat energy from the heat source to the heat sink along a heat conducting path, and wherein the heat conducting element is operatively connected to the heat source and the heat sink and mechanically changes by expansion or contraction from a first heat transfer position to a second heat transfer position at a predetermined temperature of the heat conducting element, and wherein in the second heat transfer position at least one of:
a) a first cross-sectional area between the heat source and the heat conducting element is increased over the first heat transfer position,
and
b) a length of the heat conducting element is shortened from the first heat transfer position.