JP6400393B2 - Bending / extending apparatus and bending / extending method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to various devices such as a surgical instrument, an endoscope, a device using a surgical tool and an endoscope, a movable catheter, a movable needle, a robot arm structure, a magic hand, a biopsy needle, etc. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method capable of bending and extending a hollow elastic material using a spring action.

  Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method of bending and extending an elastic material using a rubber tube and pneumatic pressure. In this method, the position and posture of the tip of the structure, and the structure are controlled by controlling the pneumatic pressure so that the structure has a shape having one or more parts of curvature, such as a string or a nose of an image. The shape of the body itself can be changed. However, the methods described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that the number of parts is large, and it is not easy to reduce the size and diameter.

  Non-Patent Documents 3, 4, and 5 disclose methods of bending and extending an elastic material by pulling a wire. In this method, an apparatus that includes an insertion portion and an operation portion and is provided with a hollow bending portion that can be bent in the vertical and horizontal directions on the distal end side of the insertion portion. The bending portion is formed by connecting a plurality of joint pieces within the bending portion. Each joint piece includes a cylindrical main body and a joint for connecting to an adjacent joint piece. A wire for bending the bending portion is passed through these joint pieces. The tip of the wire is fixed to the most advanced joint piece. The rear end of the wire is fixed to an operation knob provided in the operation unit. As the wire is pulled or relaxed according to the operation of the operation knob, the bending portion is bent, and the position and posture of the distal end of the bending portion can be changed. However, in the methods described in Non-Patent Documents 3, 4, and 5, the starting point of bending / extending is limited to the joint position where the wire is fixed. Further, the bending radius of the bending portion is determined by the joint interval. For these reasons, the bending / extension mechanism using a wire has a low degree of freedom in the shape that the bending portion can take depending on the number and position of joints to which the wire is fixed. In addition, it is possible to reduce the size, but because the part where the wire is fixed requires processing for passing the wire, it is difficult to keep the manufacturing cost low as the number of wires is increased in order to increase the degree of freedom of the shape. There was a problem of being.

  Further, in Non-Patent Documents 6 to 11, a plurality of pre-bent pipe-shaped hollow materials are inserted into a pipe-shaped elastic material, and then a plurality of inserted hollow materials are slid and rotated. A method (Concentric Tube Robot) that realizes bending and extension as a whole is described. In this method using the Concentric Tube Robot, pipes with different diameters or multiple hollow pipes that have been bent in advance using a shape memory alloy such as nickel titanium, or straight hollow pipes with a larger hollow diameter than those are used. The configured device is used. Since the hollow pipes bent in advance can be deformed, they can be forcibly accommodated in a straight pipe. From that state, the inner pipe is slid, and a part of the inner pipe is taken out from the outer straight pipe, so that the inner pipe is bent again from the straight state. From the combination of this bending characteristic and the longitudinal movement of the outer pipe, the overall shape and the tip position and posture of the pipe located on the innermost side can be changed. However, in the methods described in Non-Patent Documents 6 to 11, there is a problem that the operation is not easy in order to obtain the desired overall shape and position / posture of the tip of the pipe. For example, when the apparatus is composed of three hollow pipes, it is necessary to make full use of the sliding operation of the two inner pipes, the pushing and pulling operation of the outer portion, and the two rotating operations.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a guide wire through which an elongated flexible member and a holding ribbon are passed through a cylindrical spiral coil. A round bead is attached to the tip of the spiral coil, and the tip of the flexible member or the holding ribbon is fixed to the bead. In this guide wire, the spiral coil is bent by sliding the flexible member in the distal direction or pulling the flexible member. However, in the guide wire of Patent Document 1, the tip of the flexible member or the holding ribbon is fixed to the tip of the spiral coil (round bead), so that the spiral coil is always bent from the tip. To be. Therefore, in patent document 1, the position used as the curvature starting point of a helical coil cannot be adjusted arbitrarily.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a guide tube including a flexible portion, a hard portion, an operation tube portion, and a bending member. Each of the flexible part, the hard part, and the operation cylinder part has a cylindrical shape, and the hard part is located on the distal end side of the flexible part, and the operation cylinder part is located on the proximal side of the flexible part. The bending member has a band shape, and one end portion of the bending member is fixed to the hard portion, and is located on the tip side of the flexible portion. The other end portion of the bending member is inserted into the operation tube portion and is located on the proximal end side with respect to the flexible portion. In this guide tube, the flexible portion can be bent by pulling the bending member, and the flexible portion can be returned to the initial shape by releasing the pulling of the bending member. However, in the guide tube of Patent Document 2, one end portion of the bending member is at a position closer to the proximal end than the flexible portion, and the other end portion of the bending member is at a position closer to the proximal end than the flexible portion. Therefore, the entire bending portion is curved. Further, the direction in which the flexible portion can be bent by pulling the bending member is limited to one direction. From the above, in patent document 2, the freedom degree of a deformation | transformation of a flexible part is low.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a robot arm structure including an arm member that can bend and stretch and a base portion that supports the arm member. The arm member is formed by sequentially connecting a base arm, an intermediate arm, and a distal arm from the proximal end side to the distal end side, and each of these arms is a hollow box.

  A lower portion of the base drum is rotatably attached to the base portion. The upper part of the base drum is fixed to the base end of the base arm with screws. The lower part of the arm drum is rotatably attached to the tip of the base arm. The upper part of the arm drum is fixed to the base end of the intermediate arm with screws. The lower end of the tip arm shaft is rotatably attached to the tip of the intermediate arm. The upper end of the tip arm shaft is screwed to the base end of the tip arm.

  A first belt passes through the inside of the base arm, and the first belt is stretched between the upper part of the base drum and the lower part of the arm drum. A second belt passes through the intermediate arm, and the second belt is stretched between the upper part of the arm drum and the lower part of the tip arm shaft.

  In the robot arm structure, the base drum is rotated by the power of the motor, and the rotation of the base drum is transmitted to the earth drum and the tip arm via the first belt and the second belt, so that the arm member is Bends and stretches (base arm, intermediate arm, and tip arm rotate). However, in the robot arm structure disclosed in Patent Document 3, the position of the arm member to bend and stretch (the position serving as the rotation axis of the base arm, the intermediate arm, and the tip arm) is the position of the base drum, the earth drum, and the tip arm shaft. Limited to location. For this reason, the degree of freedom of deformation of the arm member is low.

Xu, K. and Simaan, N. (2006). Actuation compensation for flexible surgical snake-like robots with redundant remote actuation.IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 4148-4154. Jones, B. A. and Walker, I. D. (2006). Kinematics for multisection continuum robots.IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 22 (1): 43-55. Hannan, M. W. and Walker, I. D. (2003). Kinematics and the implementation of an elephant ’s trunk manipulator and other continuum style robots. Journal of Robotic Systems, 20 (2): Cieslak, R. and Morecki, A. (1999). Elephant trunk type elastic manipulator-a tool for bulk and liquid materials transportation. Robotica, 17 (1): 11-16. S with accents). Jones, B. A. and Walker, I. D. (2006) .Practical kinematics for real-time implementation of continuum robots.IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 22 (6): 1087-1099. Immega, G. and Antonelli, K. (1995). The KSI tentacle manipulator. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Vol. 3, pp. 3149-3154. Sears, P. and Dupont, P. E. (2006) .A steerable needle technology using curved concentric tubes.In IEEE / RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing, China, pp. 2850-2856. Webster, R. J., III, Okamura, A. M. and Cowan, N. J. (2006) .Toward active cannulas: miniature snake-like surgical robots.IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 2857-2863. Sears, P. and Dupont, P. E. (2007) .Inverse kinematics of concentric tube steerable needles.IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 1887-1892. Rucker, D. C. and Webster, R. J., III (2009). Parsimonious evaluation of concentric-tube continuum robot equilibrium conformation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 56 (9): 2308-2311. Webster, R. J., III, Romano, J. M. and Cowan, N. J. (2009). Mechanics of precurved-tube continuum robots. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 25 (1): 67-78.

JP 2003-325670 A JP 2011-113028 A JP 7-237156 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described matters, and an object thereof is an apparatus and method for bending and extending an elastic guide portion, and freely bending and extending an arbitrary position of the guide portion as a starting point. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bending / extending apparatus and a bending / extending method capable of improving safety, suppressing manufacturing costs, and increasing the diameter and the diameter (structural scalability). Moreover, since it is a simple structure, it is providing the bending / extension apparatus of a simple structure which can perform easily the sterilization and disinfection which are essential when it applies as a medical device.

  A bending / extending apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an elastic and hollow guide portion, and a movable piece that is movably inserted into the guide portion, and the movable piece includes the guide portion. A part or the whole is constituted by two strip-shaped flexible pieces extending in the axial direction of the two pieces, and the two flexible pieces are directly or indirectly connected to each other. By sliding the base end of one flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion, the movable piece has Bending with the tip position as a nodal point occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide portion, and the bent movable piece abuts on a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion. , Bending in the vertical direction occurs, and the base of the flexible piece is in a direction opposite to that during the bending. The is slid, the bent movable piece is extended, by the movable piece of the extension is brought into contact with a part or the whole of the inner surface of the bent guide portion, the guide portion is extended.

  Preferably, the two flexible pieces have greater elasticity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, the guide portion is formed of an elastic metal or alloy such as β-titanium or nickel-titanium, a resin material, or rubber, and the two flexible pieces are polypropylene, acrylic material, or PEEK. (Polyetheretherketone) resin is used so as to have greater rigidity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, by adjusting the thickness, width, or length of the two flexible pieces and the guide portion, the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, the movable piece is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the guide portion.

Preferably, one or both of the two flexible pieces are twisted so that the two flexible pieces intersect each other,
By sliding the base end of one flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion, the movable piece has Bending occurs at the tip position or the intersection of the flexible pieces as a node.

  Preferably, the movable piece is capable of twisting one or both of the two flexible pieces while being inserted into the guide portion.

  Preferably, it further includes a restraining tool that slidably restrains the two flexible pieces, and the proximal end of one of the flexible pieces is set to the proximal end of the other flexible piece. By relatively sliding in the axial direction, the movable piece bends with the distal end position of the flexible piece and the restraint position by the restraining tool as nodes, and from the restraint position to the proximal end side, Bending does not occur.

  Preferably, the tips of the two flexible pieces are connected to each other via a connecting piece, and a through hole for allowing wiring to pass therethrough is formed in the connecting piece and the guide portion.

  Preferably, the tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected to each other through the connection piece separate from the flexible piece.

  Preferably, the guide portion has a double tube structure in which an inner tube is inserted into an outer tube, and an inner surface of the outer tube and an outer surface of the inner tube are separated from each other, The movable piece is inserted between the inner tube, and a through-hole is formed in the tip of the outer tube, the tip of the inner tube, and the connection piece to allow wiring to pass. By sliding the base end of the flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, the bending of the movable piece may cause the outer tube or the inner side to bend. The bent movable piece, which is generated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube, abuts on a part or the whole of the inner surface of the outer tube and a part or the whole of the outer surface of the inner tube. The tube or the inner tube is bent in the vertical direction, and the flexible tube is bent in the direction opposite to that during the bending. When the base end of the inner tube is slid, the bent movable piece extends, and the extended movable piece contacts a part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube and a part or all of the outer surface of the inner tube. As a result, the outer tube and the inner tube extend.

  Preferably, the guide portion includes a movable piece contact portion and an opening crossing portion, and the movable piece contact portion includes a hollow portion for inserting the movable piece between opposing side wall portions, and the hollow portion The opening crossing portion extends from one side of the side wall of the movable piece contact portion to the other so as to cross the opening on the front side of the movable piece contact portion, and the movable piece Is inserted into the hollow portion of the movable piece contact portion so that the two flexible pieces face the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, and the base end of one flexible piece is connected to the other movable portion. By sliding relative to the base end of the flexure piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, bending of the movable piece occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, The bent movable piece comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface of the side wall of the movable piece contact portion. The guide portion bends in the vertical direction, and the bent movable piece extends by sliding the base end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to the bending direction. When the movable piece to be brought into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, the guide portion extends.

  Preferably, a slit extending spirally around the peripheral wall of the guide portion is formed in a predetermined range or the entire guide portion.

  Preferably, the slit has a meandering shape in which a convex curve and a concave curve are alternately repeated, and the convex curve and the concave curve are inclined in a direction inclined with respect to an axial direction or a circumferential direction of the guide portion. It protrudes.

  Preferably, the convex curve or the concave curve has an arc shape, and a central angle of the arc is larger than 180 °.

  Preferably, the wall thickness in the predetermined range of the guide portion is thinner than the wall thickness in the other range of the guide portion.

  Preferably, the tip of the guide part is formed in a single-edged shape that is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the guide part.

  Preferably, a recess is formed in a predetermined range of the movable piece, a through-hole is formed at the tip of the guide portion, and the movable piece is moved to the tip side of the guide portion, whereby the movable piece This predetermined range can be extended from the through hole of the guide portion.

  Preferably, a plurality of the movable pieces are prepared, and each of the movable pieces can be taken in and out of the guide portion.

  A bending / extending method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a method of bending / extending a hollow guide portion having elasticity using a movable piece, and the movable piece has two belt-like shapes. The flexible piece is partly or entirely configured, and the tips of the two flexible pieces are connected directly or indirectly, and the movable piece is inserted into the guide portion, An insertion step in which the movable piece extends in the axial direction of the guide portion, and the proximal end of one flexible piece is set in the axial direction of the guide portion with respect to the proximal end of the other flexible piece. And a slide step for sliding the base end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to that during the bending, and the movable piece includes the flexible piece by the slide step. Bending with the tip position of the piece as a node is the axis of the guide part And the bent movable piece abuts on a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion, so that the guide portion is bent in the perpendicular direction, and the reverse slide is performed. By the step, the bent movable piece extends, and the extended movable piece comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface of the bent guide portion, whereby the guide portion extends.

  Preferably, the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, the guide portion is formed of an elastic metal or alloy such as β-titanium or nickel-titanium, a resin material, or rubber, and the two flexible pieces are polypropylene, acrylic material, or PEEK. (Polyetheretherketone) resin is used so as to have greater rigidity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, by adjusting the thickness, width, or length of the two flexible pieces and the guide portion, the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion.

  Preferably, the method further includes a rotation step of rotating the movable piece inserted into the guide portion in a circumferential direction of the guide portion to change the direction of the movable piece, and the rotation step changes the direction of the movable piece. As a result, the direction of bending generated in the guide portion in the sliding step is changed.

  Preferably, the apparatus further includes a twisting step of twisting one or both of the two flexible pieces and crossing the two flexible pieces in a state where the movable piece is inserted into the guide portion. When the two flexible pieces intersect, in the sliding step, the movable piece bends with the tip position of the flexible piece or the intersecting position of the flexible piece as a node.

  Preferably, the two flexible pieces are slidably restrained by a restraining tool, and the movable step is performed by performing the sliding step in a state where the two flexible pieces are restrained by the restraining tool. The piece bends with the distal end position of the flexible piece or the restraint position by the restraint as a node, and does not bend or extend from the restraint position to the proximal end side.

  Preferably, the tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected to each other through a connection piece, and a through hole for allowing wiring to pass through is formed in the connection piece or the guide portion. The

  Preferably, the tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected to each other through the connection piece separate from the flexible piece.

  Preferably, the guide portion has a double tube structure in which an inner tube is inserted into an outer tube and an inner surface of the outer tube and an outer surface of the inner tube are separated from each other. A through hole for allowing wiring to pass is formed in the tip of the inner tube and the connection piece, and in the inserting step, the guide tube is inserted into the outer tube, and then the inner tube is By inserting, the movable piece is inserted between the outer tube and the inner tube, and in the sliding step, the base end of one flexible piece is used as the other flexible piece. By sliding relative to the base end of the movable piece contact portion in the axial direction, the bending of the movable piece occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the outer tube or the inner tube, The bent movable piece is a part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube, By abutting part or all of the outer surface of the side tube, the outer tube or the inner tube is bent in the vertical direction, and the base end of the flexible piece is placed in the opposite direction to the bent state. By sliding, the bent movable piece extends, and the extending movable piece comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube and part or all of the outer surface of the inner tube, The outer tube and the inner tube extend.

  Preferably, the guide portion includes a movable piece contact portion and an opening crossing portion, and the movable piece contact portion includes a hollow portion for inserting the movable piece between opposing side wall portions, and the hollow portion The opening of the part is formed in the front surface or the axial end surface, and the opening crossing part extends from one of the side walls of the movable piece contact part to the other so as to cross the opening in the front of the movable piece contact part. In the insertion step, the movable piece is inserted into the hollow portion of the movable piece contact portion so that the two flexible pieces face the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, and the two flexible pieces are inserted. The base end of the piece extends from the opening in the axial end surface of the movable piece contact portion. In the sliding step, the base end of one of the flexible pieces is set to the base of the other flexible piece. By sliding relative to the end in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion The bending of the movable piece occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, and the bent movable piece abuts a part or all of the inner surface of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion. The guide portion bends in the vertical direction, and in the reverse slide step, the bent movable piece extends by sliding the base end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to that during the bending. And the said guide part extends because the said movable piece to extend contact | abuts a part or all of the inner surface of the side wall part of the said movable piece contact part.

  Preferably, a slit extending spirally around the peripheral wall of the guide portion is formed in a predetermined range or the entire guide portion.

  Preferably, the slit has a meandering shape in which a convex curve and a concave curve are alternately repeated, and the convex curve and the concave curve are inclined in a direction inclined with respect to an axial direction or a circumferential direction of the guide portion. It protrudes.

  Preferably, the convex curve or the concave curve has an arc shape, and a central angle of the arc is larger than 180 °.

  Preferably, the wall thickness in the predetermined range of the guide portion is thinner than the wall thickness in the other range of the guide portion.

  Preferably, the tip of the guide part is formed in a single-edged shape that is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the guide part.

  Preferably, a recess is formed in a predetermined range of the movable piece, a through-hole is formed at the tip of the guide portion, and the movable piece is moved to the tip side of the guide portion, whereby the movable piece This predetermined range can be extended from the through hole of the guide portion.

  Preferably, a plurality of the movable pieces are prepared, and each of the movable pieces can be taken in and out of the guide portion.

  According to the bending / extending apparatus or the bending / extending method of the present invention, the movable piece can be bent and extended by relatively sliding the base ends of the two flexible pieces. Then, the bent / extended movable piece comes into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion, so that the guide portion can also be bent / extended.

  And the shape of the movable piece to bend / extend is changed by changing the direction of sliding the base end of the flexible piece or the base end of the flexible piece to be slid. For this reason, the direction in which the movable piece bends and extends can be changed without rotating the guide portion. Moreover, since the magnitude | size of the bending / extension which arises in a movable piece changes by changing the slide length of the base end of a flexible piece, the magnitude | size of the bending / extension which arises in a guide part can also be changed. Further, the bending position of the guide portion can be changed by moving the movable piece in the axial direction of the guide portion and changing the position of the movable piece in the guide portion. From the above, the bending / extending apparatus of the present invention has a high degree of freedom of deformation of the guide portion.

  Further, the bending / extending apparatus of the present invention has dramatically fewer parts compared to the conventional structure, and can transmit and convert power by flexible deformation with a simple structure. For this reason, according to the bending / extending apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve safety, increase the diameter or decrease the diameter (scalability of the structure), and keep the manufacturing cost low. Further, when the bending / extending apparatus of the present invention is applied as a medical instrument such as a surgical instrument or an endoscope, essential sterilization and disinfection can be easily performed.

It is a photograph which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 1st Example of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the guide part and movable piece used with the bending / extension apparatus of 1st Example, and a bending / extension apparatus. It is a photograph which shows the guide part used with the bending and extension apparatus of 1st Example. It is a photograph which shows the movable piece used with the bending and extension apparatus of 1st Example. It is the schematic which shows the state which bent the movable piece of 1st Example. It is a photograph which shows the state which bent the movable piece of 1st Example. It is a photograph which shows the state which bent the guide part of 1st Example. It is a photograph which shows the state which bent the guide part of 1st Example. It is a photograph which shows the state which bent the guide part of 1st Example in the direction different from FIG. It is the schematic which shows the timing which performs operation which rotates a movable piece, and operation which slides the base end of a flexible piece. It is a photograph which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a photograph which shows the movable piece used with the bending and extension apparatus of 2nd Example. It is a photograph which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 3rd Example of this invention. It is a photograph which shows the movable piece used with the bending and extension apparatus of 3rd Example. It is a photograph which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 4th Example of this invention. It is a photograph which shows the movable piece used with the bending and extension apparatus of 4th Example. It is a perspective view which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 5th Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the bending and extension apparatus of 5th Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the bending and extension apparatus of 5th Example bent. It is sectional drawing which shows the bending / extension apparatus 10 of 6th Example of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the bending / extension apparatus of 7th Example of this invention. It is a front view which shows the state which the bending / extension apparatus of 7th Example bent. It is the schematic which shows the guide part and movable piece used with the bending / extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention, and a bending / extension apparatus. It is a photograph which shows the state which the bending and extension apparatus of 8th Example bent. It is a photograph which shows the state which the bending and extension apparatus of 8th Example extended. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the bending / extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the guide part used with the bending and extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the guide part used with the bending and extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the bending / extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the modification of the bending / extension apparatus of 8th Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the slide length of the base end of a flexible piece in the bending / extension apparatus of the 1st-3rd Example, and the displacement amount of a guide part front-end | tip position.

  The bending / extending apparatus and the bending / extending method of the present invention include a surgical instrument, an endoscope, a device using the surgical instrument and an endoscope, a movable catheter, a movable needle, a robot arm structure, a magic hand, a biopsy In various apparatuses such as a needle for use, the hollow guide portion can be applied to cause bending and extension. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a photograph showing a bending / extending apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the bending / extending apparatus 1 and the guide part 2 and the movable piece 3 used in the bending / extending apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 2A is a guide part). 2, FIG. 2 (b) shows the movable piece 3, and FIG. 2 (c) shows the bending / extending device 1). FIG. 3 is a photograph showing the guide unit 2. FIG. 4 is a photograph showing the movable piece 3.

  The bending / extending apparatus 1 of the first embodiment includes a hollow guide portion 2 that is elastic and deformable, and a movable piece 3 that is movably inserted into the guide portion 2 as a functional module. .

  The guide portion 2 is preferably formed from a material having elasticity and a small residual stress. As such a material, an elastic metal or alloy such as β-titanium having a very high restoring force or nickel titanium which is a shape memory alloy, a resin material, rubber, or the like can be used.

  A device such as a camera (not shown) can be installed at the tip of the guide unit 2. Wiring (not shown) for supplying electric power to the above-described device can be provided on the inner surface of the guide portion 2.

  The movable piece 3 is partially or entirely constituted by two strip-like flexible pieces 30a and 30b extending in the axial direction of the guide portion 2 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 show the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. Shows an example in which the entire movable piece 3 is configured).

  The flexible pieces 30a and 30b are leaf spring-like elastic bands each having a predetermined width, and the tips 31a and 31b are directly connected to each other. Specifically, the movable piece 3 is formed by bending a long elastic band. By this bending, the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b are opposed to each other, and the tip positions of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are arranged. T has a pointed shape (convex shape).

  The flexible pieces 30a and 30b are formed from a material having rigidity higher than that of the guide portion 2. For example, when the guide part 2 is formed of β titanium or nickel titanium as described above, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are made of polypropylene, acrylic material, PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin, or the like. It is formed to have greater rigidity than the guide portion 2. The rigidity of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is adjusted by adjusting the geometric parameters of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the guide part 2 (thickness, width, or length of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the guide part 2). However, it may be made larger than the rigidity of the guide portion 2.

  Base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b are extended to the outside of the guide portion 2. The following three operations (1) to (3) can be realized by operating the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b.

(1) Among the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b, one base end 32 is set in the axial direction A of the guide portion 2 with respect to the other base end 32 (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6). Slide relative to).
(2) The movable piece 3 is rotated in the circumferential direction C (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) of the guide portion 2.
(3) The entire movable piece 3 is moved in the axial direction A (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) of the guide portion 2.

  When the bending / extending apparatus 1 is used, an operation unit (not shown) is connected to the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. The operations (1) to (3) can be realized by operating the operation unit.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state in which the movable piece 3 is bent by the slide (1). FIG. 6 is a photograph showing a state in which the movable piece 3 is bent. A two-dot chain line shown in FIG. 6 is an imaginary line indicating the outline of the guide portion 2. 6 (a) indicates the outline of the guide part 2 before the movable piece 3 is bent, and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 (b) indicates the guide part 2 after the movable piece 3 is bent. Show contours. FIG. 7 is a photograph showing a state in which the guide portion 2 is bent.

  When the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are slid relative to each other as in (1) above, the movable piece 3 has the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b as a node. Bending occurs in a direction B perpendicular to the axial direction A of the guide portion 2 (FIGS. 5 and 6A, 6B), and the bent movable piece 3 is formed on the inner surface of the guide portion 2. A part or all of them abut (FIG. 6B). As a result, the guide portion 2 is also bent in the perpendicular direction B (FIGS. 6B and 7). Here, the bending of the guide portion 2 means that the entire guide portion 2 is bent in a bow shape or a shape having an inflection point (see FIGS. 11 and 13 of the second and third embodiments described later), It means that the guide part 2 expands (expands diameter). For example, in the case where the guide portion 2 is made of a rubber material that can be contracted and has high elasticity, the guide portion 2 follows the deformation of the movable piece 3 by contacting the guide portion 2 with the movable piece 3 having high rigidity. To expand (expand diameter). When the guide portion 2 is formed of a material that cannot be shrunk, the movable piece 3 having high rigidity comes into contact with the guide portion 2 so that the entire guide portion 2 has an arcuate shape or a shape with an inflection point. Bend.

  5 and 6, the base end 32b of the flexible piece 30b is held in place (without moving the base end 32b), and the base end 32a of the flexible piece 30a is moved to one side in the axial direction A. In this case, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are relatively slid by moving the flexible pieces 30a and 30b to the vertical direction B. There is a bend that is convex on one side (FIG. 6B, FIG. 7).

  5 and 6, the base end 32b of the flexible piece 30b is moved in the axial direction A while the base end 32a of the flexible piece 30a is held at a fixed position (without moving the base end 32a). The base ends 32a and 32b may be relatively slid by moving to one side. In this case, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the guide part 2 are bent so as to protrude toward the other side in the vertical direction B (bending in the direction opposite to the example in FIGS. 5 to 7 occurs).

  Moreover, you may slide the base ends 32a and 32b relatively by moving one base end 32 to the other side of the axial direction A among the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. For example, when the base end 32a of the flexible piece 30a is moved to the other side in the axial direction A and the base end 32b of the flexible piece 30b is stopped at a fixed position, the flexible pieces 30a, 30b and the guide portion 2 Then, a convex bend is generated on the other side in the vertical direction B (a reverse bend occurs in the example of FIGS. 5 to 7).

  Further, the base ends 32a and 32b may be relatively slid by changing the slide lengths of the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b.

  In addition, after the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 are bent as described above, the movable pieces 3 and the guide portion are slid by sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b in the direction opposite to the bending direction. 2 can be extended. That is, by sliding in the reverse direction, the bent movable piece 3 extends, and the extended movable piece 3 comes into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the bent guide portion 2 so that the guide portion 2 extends. .

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the movable piece 3 and the guide part 2 are bent by sliding the base end 32 a of the flexible piece 30 a to one side in the axial direction A, The movable piece 3 and the guide part 2 can be extended by sliding the base end 32a of the flexible piece 30a to the other side of the axial direction A which is the reverse direction.

  Further, according to the operation of rotating the movable piece 3 in the circumferential direction C of the guide portion 2, the direction of the movable piece 3 is changed, so that the direction in which the guide portion 2 is bent can be changed. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG.8 and FIG.9, the relationship between the direction of the movable piece 3 and the direction in which the guide part 2 bends is demonstrated concretely.

  FIG. 8 shows the direction in which the guide portion 2 bends when the width direction H of the movable piece 3 (flexible pieces 30a, 30b) is in the Z-axis direction (height direction). Initially, the guide part 2 and the movable piece 3 are in a state in which their axial directions extend in the Y-axis direction. From this initial state, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are relative to each other in the Y-axis direction. When it is slid, the movable piece 3 bends in a horizontal plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the width direction H (Z-axis direction). The movable piece 3 that bends in this way abuts against the inner surface of the guide portion 2, so that the guide portion 2 is also bent in the horizontal plane (XY plane).

  9, the movable piece 3 is rotated about 90 degrees in the circumferential direction C (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) of the guide portion 2 from the state of FIG. 8, and the width direction H of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is set to X. The direction in which the guide portion 2 bends when directed in the axial direction is shown. Initially, the guide part 2 and the movable piece 3 are in a state in which their axial directions extend in the Y-axis direction. From this initial state, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are relative to the Y-axis direction. When it is slid, the movable piece 3 bends in a vertical plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the width direction H (X-axis direction). The bent movable piece 3 comes into contact with the inner surface of the guide portion 2, so that the guide portion 2 is also bent in the vertical plane (YZ plane).

  As is clear from the above, the bending of the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 occurs in a plane perpendicular to the width direction H of the movable piece 3. Therefore, the direction in which the guide part 2 bends (the plane in which the guide part 2 is bent) can be changed by changing the direction of the movable piece 3 by rotating the movable piece 3.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the timing of performing an operation of rotating the movable piece 3 and an operation of sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. The operation of rotating the movable piece 3 is performed when the guide portion 2 exhibits a linear shape. Then, after the direction of the movable piece 3 is changed by this rotation operation, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are pushed and pulled to be slid. As a result, the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 are bent (FIG. 10 shows an example in which the proximal end 32 of the flexible piece 30 is pushed (a) and the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 are bent).

  After the bending, when it is desired to bend the guide portion 2 in a different direction, first, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are pulled back and pushed back to slide. As a result, the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 extend, and the guide portion 2 returns to a linear shape (FIG. 10 shows that the movable piece 3 is extended by pulling back the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 (b). In this example, the guide portion 2 is returned to a linear shape). Next, the direction of the movable piece 3 is changed by rotating the movable piece 3, and thereafter, the base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b are pushed and pulled to slide. As a result, the movable piece 3 and the guide part 2 bend in a direction different from the previous time.

  In addition, the bending direction of the guide part 2 is obtained by rotating the movable piece 3 in the circumferential direction C (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) inside the guide part 2 while the guide part 2 is bent in a certain direction. Can also be changed. In this case, the bending direction of the guide portion 2 is changed by the rotation of the movable piece 3 so that the guide portion 2 rotates while maintaining its bent shape.

  According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to cause the movable piece 3 to bend (bend and deform) and extend by relatively sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. Then, the bent / extended movable piece 3 comes into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion 2, so that the guide portion 2 can also be bent (bend deformation) / extended.

  Moreover, since the movable piece 3 which fixed the front-end | tips of the wide strip | belt-shaped flexible pieces 30a and 30b is utilized, the base end 32 of one flexible piece 30 is slid, and the stable bending to one direction is carried out. A deformation is generated.

  Moreover, the direction in which the movable piece 3 bends and extends changes by changing the direction in which the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are slid and the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 to be slid. For this reason, the direction in which the guide part 2 bends and extends can also be changed.

  Moreover, the magnitude | size of the bending (bending deformation) and extension which arise in the movable piece 3 changes by changing the slide length of the base ends 32a and 32b of flexible piece 30a, 30b. For this reason, the magnitude | size of bending (bending deformation) and extension which arise in the guide part 2 can also be changed.

  In addition, the movable piece 3 can be freely slid in the axial direction A (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) of the guide portion 2. For this reason, it is possible to change the starting point of the bending / extension of the guide part 2 by changing the relative position of the movable piece 3 with respect to the guide part 2. For example, when the distal end position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is in the vicinity of the distal end of the guide portion 2, the guide portion 2 bends with the vicinity of the distal end being a node. And from this state, when the movable piece 3 is moved and the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a, 30b is far away from the tip of the guide portion 2, the guide portion 2 is not bent at the tip portion. Become.

  Further, since the movable piece 3 can be freely rotated in the circumferential direction C (FIGS. 2, 5, and 6) with respect to the guide portion 2, one flexible piece 30 is rotated after the movable piece 3 is rotated. The guide portion 2 can be bent and extended in an arbitrary direction by sliding the base end 32 of the guide. For this reason, when installing a camera at the front-end | tip of the guide part 2, the direction of a camera can be changed, without rotating camera itself.

  From the above, the first embodiment has a high degree of freedom in deformation of the guide portion 2.

  Further, the bending / extending apparatus 1 of the first embodiment has dramatically fewer parts than the conventional structure, and can transmit and convert power by flexible deformation with a simple structure. For this reason, according to the bending / extending apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the safety, keep the manufacturing cost low, and increase the diameter and the diameter (the scalability of the structure). . Further, when the bending / extension apparatus 1 is applied as a medical device such as a surgical instrument or an endoscope, essential sterilization and disinfection can be easily performed.

  Further, the deformed shape of the guide portion 2 and the force for holding the deformed shape of the guide portion 2 are determined by the magnitude relationship between the rigidity of the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2. As described above, the material and geometric parameters (thickness, width, length) of the movable piece 3 and the guide part 2 are determined so that the rigidity of the movable piece 3 is larger than the rigidity of the guide part 2. A desired deformed shape of the guide portion 2 can be obtained, and the deformed shape of the guide portion 2 can be maintained.

  Further, when the guide portion 2 is formed from β titanium or nickel titanium, since the restoring force of the β titanium or nickel titanium is high, by returning the base end 32 of the slidable flexible piece 30 to the initial position, The guide part 2 can be returned to the initial shape.

  Further, when the guide portion 2 is formed of β-titanium, since the β-titanium is a substance that does not give noise to the MR image, the bending / extending apparatus 1 of this embodiment is used in an MR environment. It can be applied to surgical tools and endoscope flexible torso.

  Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of overlapping points will be omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a photograph showing the bending / extending apparatus 4 of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a photograph showing the movable piece 3 used in the bending / extending apparatus 4 of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a photograph showing the bending / extending apparatus 5 of the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a photograph showing the movable piece 3 used in the bending / extending apparatus 5 of the third embodiment.

  In the bending / extending apparatuses 4 and 5 of the second and third embodiments, one or both of the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b are twisted so that the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect each other. In the bending / extending apparatus 4 (FIGS. 11 and 12) of the second embodiment, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect at one position K. In the bending / extending apparatus 5 (FIGS. 13 and 14) of the third embodiment, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect at three positions K.

  The bending / extending devices 4 and 5 of the second and third embodiments are ones in which one or both of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are twisted as described above with the movable piece 3 housed in the guide portion 2. It is. In the bending / extending devices 4 and 5, of the base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b, one base end 32 is relative to the other base end 32 in the axial direction of the guide portion 2. (FIGS. 12 and 14), the movable piece 3 is complicated by bending at the nodal point at the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the intersection position K of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. Shape. And since the movable piece 3 becomes a complicated shape in this way, it becomes possible to produce the deformation | transformation shape which has an inflexion point in the guide part 2 (FIG. 11, FIG. 13).

  In addition, since the number of inflection points of the guide portion 2 changes according to the number of twists of the movable piece 3, the number of inflection points of the guide portion 2 can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the number of twists of the movable piece 3. Can do. For example, in the bending / extending device 4 (FIGS. 11 and 12) according to the second embodiment, the number of twists of the movable piece 3 is small, and there is only one intersection position K between the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. The number of inflection points of 2 is only one. In the bending / extending device 5 (FIGS. 13 and 14) of the third embodiment, the number of twists of the movable piece 3 is large, and there are three crossing positions K of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. The number of music points is three.

  Further, after sufficiently increasing the number of intersecting positions K of the movable piece 3 (FIG. 14), one of the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is changed to the other base end 32. On the other hand, the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 2 are bent and extended only in the vicinity of the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b by sliding relatively in the axial direction of the guide portion 2 (FIG. 13). Thus, bending or extension of the movable piece 3 or the guide portion 2 can be prevented from occurring in the range closer to the proximal end side than the intersection position K closest to the distal end position T.

  FIG. 15 is a photograph showing the bending / extending apparatus 6 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a photograph showing the movable piece 3 used in the bending / extending apparatus 6 of the fourth embodiment.

  In the bending / extending apparatus 6 of the fourth embodiment, a restraining tool G that restrains the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b to be slidable is provided.

  In the bending / extending device 6, one of the base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b is slid relative to the other base end 32 in the axial direction of the guide portion 2. As a result, the movable piece 3 is bent with the nodal point at the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the position of the restraining tool G closest to the tip position T (restraint position). In the range S on the proximal end side from the position (restraint position) of the near restraint tool G, bending does not occur. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when three restraints G1, G2, and G3 are provided at intervals, the movable piece 3 includes the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b, Bending with the position of the restraining tool G1 close to the distal end position T as a node occurs, and the movable piece 3 is not deformed in the range S on the base end side with respect to the position of the restraining tool G1. For this reason, the guide part 2 deform | transforms only near the front-end | tip.

  The number of restraints G is not limited to three in the examples of FIGS. 15 and 16, and can be any plural number or one. When the number of the restraining tools G is one, the movable piece 3 bends with the tip positions T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the positions (constraining positions) of the restraining tools G as nodes, and the restraining tools G are restrained. In the range S from the position of the tool G (restraint position) to the base end side, no bending occurs.

  According to the bending / extending apparatus 6 of the fourth embodiment, it is possible to apply partial restraint to the movable piece 3 by the restraint tool G. As a result, the movable piece 3 is only partially deformed. Therefore, only a part of the guide portion 2 is deformed.

  FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a bending / extending apparatus 8 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 17 shows the distal end side of the bending / extending apparatus 8 and omits the proximal end side). 18 and 19 are sectional views showing a bending / extending apparatus 8 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 shows a state before the guide portion 2 is bent. FIG. 19 shows a state after the guide portion 2 is bent.

  The movable piece 3 provided in the bending / extending apparatus 8 of the fifth embodiment is formed by bending a long elastic band into a U-shape. By this bending, the movable piece 3 is configured such that the two flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b face each other and the tips 31 a and 31 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b are connected to each other via the connection piece 9. .

  And the through-hole 20a, 9a for allowing the wiring M to pass through is formed in the front-end | tip 20 and the connection piece 9 of the guide part 2. As shown in FIG.

  In the bending / extending device 8, as shown in FIG. 19, one of the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is moved with respect to the other base end 32. By being relatively slid in the axial direction, the movable piece 3 is bent at the tip position T of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b (the position of the connecting piece 9) as a nodal point with respect to the axial direction of the guide portion 2. It occurs in the vertical direction. The movable piece 3 bent in this manner abuts on a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion 2, so that the guide portion 2 is also bent in the perpendicular direction.

  In the bending / extending apparatus 8 of the fifth embodiment, the tips 31a and 31b of the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b are connected to each other via the connection piece 9, so that the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b are connected. A space can be provided between them. Therefore, the wiring M can be passed between the two flexible pieces 30a and 30b. And the wiring M can be extended outside the guide part 2 by letting the wiring M pass through the through-holes 9a and 20a. Therefore, the wiring M can be connected to a device such as a camera disposed outside the guide portion 2.

  In addition, the connection piece 9 may be separated from the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. In this case, the connecting pieces 9 are bonded to the tips 31a and 31b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b by thermocompression bonding or an adhesive, so that the tips 31a and 31b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are connected to the connecting pieces 9 by the adhesive pieces. Are connected indirectly. In this case, it is preferable that the rigidity of the connection piece 9 is larger than the rigidity of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b so that the flexible pieces 30a and 30b bend reliably by transmission of stress through the connection piece 9. Even when the rigidity of the piece 9 is smaller than the rigidity of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b can be bent.

  FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the bending / extending apparatus 10 of the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The bending / extending apparatus 10 of the sixth embodiment is obtained by changing the structure of the guide portion 40 from the bending / extending apparatus 8 (FIGS. 17 to 19) of the fifth embodiment.

  That is, the guide portion 40 provided in the bending / extending apparatus 10 of the sixth embodiment has a double tube structure in which the inner tube 42 is inserted into the outer tube 41. The outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42 are preferably made of a material having elasticity and a small residual stress, and are made of an elastic metal or alloy such as β titanium or nickel titanium, a resin material, rubber, or the like. . The rigidity of the outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42 is smaller than the rigidity of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b (movable piece 3). The inner surface 411 of the outer tube 41 and the outer surface 421 of the inner tube 42 are separated from each other, and the movable piece 3 is inserted between the outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42.

  The inside of the inner tube 42 is used as a space through which the wiring M passes. Through holes 420 a, 9 a, 410 a for allowing the wiring M to pass are formed in the tip 420 of the inner tube 42, the connection piece 9 of the movable piece 3, and the tip 410 of the outer tube 41.

  In the bending / extending apparatus 10 of the sixth embodiment, the movable ends 3 are bent in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide portion 2 by relatively sliding the base ends 32a, 32b of the flexible pieces 30a, 30b. When this is done (not shown), the bent movable piece 3 comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface 411 of the outer tube 41 and part or all of the outer surface 421 of the inner tube 42, so that the outer tube 41 or The inner tube 42 is bent in the perpendicular direction.

  Then, after bending the movable piece 3 and the guide part 40 as described above, the bent movable piece 3 is slid by sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b in the direction opposite to that during bending. Extends. The movable piece 3 to be extended abuts on a part or all of the inner surface 411 of the outer tube 41 and a part or all of the outer surface 421 of the inner tube 42, so that the outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42 extend. .

  According to the bending / extending apparatus 10 of the sixth embodiment described above, by adjusting the dimensions of the outer tube 41, the inner tube 42, and the guide portion 40, a sufficient space for the arrangement of the wiring M and the like can be provided. 42 can be secured inside.

  Further, since the inner tube 42 protects the wiring M, it is possible to prevent the wiring M from being damaged by bending the movable piece 3 having high rigidity.

  The bending / extending device 10 of the sixth embodiment is movable between the outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42 by inserting the inner tube 42 after inserting the guide portion 40 into the outer tube 41. The piece 3 is inserted. In addition, since the inner tube 42 is movable in the outer tube 41, the guide portion 40 is also movable in the outer tube 41. Further, the inner surface 411 of the outer tube 41 and the outer surface 421 of the inner tube 42 are separated from each other, so that the guide portion 40 is rotatable while being inserted between the outer tube 41 and the inner tube 42. In addition, the spacer arrange | positioned between the outer tube | pipe 41 and the inner tube | pipe 42, the means to support the outer tube | pipe 41 and the inner tube | pipe 42, a magnet, etc. are used, and the inner surface 411 of the outer tube | pipe 41 and the inner tube | pipe 42 are used. The outer surface 421 can be separated. Further, by extracting the inner tube 42 from the outer tube 41, the guide portion 40 can be extracted from the outer tube 41 and replaced.

  FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing the bending / extending apparatus 11 of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. 21A is an end view on one axial side, FIG. 21B is a front view, FIG. 21C is an end view on the other axial side, and FIG. 21D is a side view. FIG. FIG. 22 is a front view showing a state in which the bending / extending apparatus 11 of the seventh embodiment is bent.

  The bending / extending apparatus 11 of the seventh embodiment includes a guide portion 50 and the movable piece 3, and the structure of the guide portion 50 is different from the guide portions of the first to sixth embodiments.

  The guide part 50 includes a movable piece contact part 60 and an opening crossing part 70. The movable piece contact portion 60 includes a hollow portion into which the movable piece 3 is inserted between the opposing side wall portions 61 and 62, and openings 63 and 64 of the hollow portion are formed on the front surface or the axial end surface. Is done. Specifically, the movable piece contact portion 60 includes a base portion 65 and the side wall portions 61 and 62 extending from both side edges of the base portion 65, and the opening 63 is a surface on the opposite side of the base portion 65 ( The opening 64 is formed on both end faces in the axial direction (FIGS. 21A and 21C).

  The opening crossing portion 70 extends from one of the side wall portions 61 and 62 toward the other so as to cross the opening 63 on the front surface of the movable piece contact portion 60 (FIGS. 21A, 21B, 21C). FIG. 22). In the example of FIGS. 21 and 22, the opening crossing portion 70 is provided at the center or both ends of the movable piece contact portion 60.

  The movable piece 3 is inserted into the hollow portion (between the side wall portions 61 and 62) of the movable piece contact portion 60 so that the flexible pieces 30a and 30b face the side wall portions 61 and 62. The base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b extend from the opening 64 of the movable piece contact portion 60 (FIGS. 21A, 21C, 21D, and 22). Then, as shown in FIG. 22, of the base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b, one base end 32 is relative to the other base end 32 in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion 60. By sliding the movable piece 3, the bending of the movable piece 3 occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion 60. The bent movable piece 3 comes into contact with part or all of the inner surfaces of the side wall portions 61 and 62, so that the guide portion 50 is bent in the perpendicular direction.

  In addition, after the movable piece 3 and the guide portion 50 are bent as described above, the movable pieces 3 and the guide portion are slid by sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b in the direction opposite to the bending direction. 50 can be extended. That is, the bent movable piece 3 is extended by sliding in the reverse direction, and the guide portion 50 is brought into contact with part or all of the inner surfaces of the bent side wall portions 61 and 62 by the extended movable piece 3. Extend.

  According to the bending / extending apparatus 11 of the seventh embodiment described above, the state of the hollow part (between the side wall parts 61 and 62) of the movable piece contact part 60 is visually confirmed through the opening 63 on the front surface, the movable piece 3 and the like. Can be treated. For this reason, when a trouble occurs in the hollow part (between the side wall parts 61 and 62) of the movable piece contact part 60, the trouble can be confirmed through the opening 63, or a countermeasure for solving the trouble can be achieved.

  Further, the opening crossing portion 70 crosses the opening 63, so that the movable piece 3 is prevented from falling off the opening 63. For this reason, the state in which the movable piece 3 is disposed in the hollow portion (between the side wall portions 61 and 62) of the movable piece contact portion 60 is reliably maintained. Accordingly, the guide piece 50 can be bent and extended by reliably bringing the movable piece 3 to be bent and extended into contact with the side wall portions 61 and 62.

  FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing the bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment of the present invention, and the guide portion 80 and the movable piece 3 used in the bending / extending device 12 (FIG. 23 (a) is a guide portion). 80, FIG. 23 (b) shows the movable piece 3, and FIG. 23 (c) shows the bending / extending device 12. FIG. 24 is a photograph showing the bent state of the bending / extending apparatus 12 of the eighth embodiment. FIG. 25 is a photograph showing a state in which the bending / extending apparatus 12 of the eighth embodiment is extended.

  The bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment is used as a biopsy needle. A biopsy needle is a needle that is pierced from the skin into the body for the purpose of collecting tissue in the body or heating or cooling a tumor in the body.

  In the bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment, the movable piece 3 is movably inserted into a hollow guide portion 80 that is elastic and deformable.

  The guide portion 80 is a cylindrical body having a diameter of 1 mm, for example, and is formed of an elastic metal or alloy such as β titanium or nickel titanium, a resin material, rubber, or the like. A slit S extending in a spiral shape on the peripheral wall of the guide portion 80 is formed in the distal end side area 81 of the guide portion 80. The slit S is formed by laser processing and penetrates the wall of the guide portion 80. In addition, the diameter of the guide part 80 can be set to arbitrary numerical values other than said 1 mm. The slit S may be formed by a method other than laser processing. Further, the slit S may not penetrate the wall of the guide portion 80.

  The movable piece 3 has the same structure as that shown in the first to seventh embodiments. That is, the movable piece 3 is formed by bending a leaf spring-like (flat plate-like) elastic band having a predetermined width, and includes two opposing flexible pieces 30a and 30b. Base ends 32 a and 32 b of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b are extended to the outside of the guide portion 80.

  The flexible pieces 30a and 30b are formed of a material having rigidity higher than that of the guide portion 80. For example, when the guide part 2 is formed of β titanium or nickel titanium as described above, the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are made of polypropylene, acrylic material, PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin, or the like. It is formed to have greater rigidity than the guide portion 80. The rigidity of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is adjusted by adjusting the geometric parameters of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the guide part 80 (thickness, width or length of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b and the guide part 80). However, it may be larger than the rigidity of the guide portion 80.

  In the bending / extending apparatus 12 according to the eighth embodiment, one of the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is set to the shaft of the guide portion 80 with respect to the other base end 32. When sliding relative to the direction, the movable piece 3 bends (bends) with the tip positions of the flexible pieces 30 a and 30 b as nodes, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide portion 80. Then, the bent movable piece 3 comes into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion 80, so that the distal end side area 81 of the guide portion 80 is bent (FIG. 24). In addition, since the slit S is not formed in the range of the guide portion 80 other than the distal end side range 81, the hardness is strong and bending does not occur.

  Then, after bending the distal end side range 81 of the guide portion 80 as described above, when the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are slid in the opposite direction to the bent state, the bent movable piece 3 is Extend. Then, the extended movable piece 3 comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion 80, so that the distal end side range 81 of the bent guide portion 8 extends (FIG. 25).

  Further, according to the bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment, by rotating the movable piece 3 in the circumferential direction of the guide portion 80 (in the direction of the circular arc shown in FIGS. 23B and 23C), The direction in which the distal end side area 81 bends and extends can be adjusted.

  When the bending / extending apparatus 12 of the eighth embodiment is used as a biopsy needle, first, the tip of the guide part 80 is pressed against the skin, and the guide part 80 is pierced into the skin. And the guide part 80 and the movable piece 3 are inserted into a body by advancing the whole guide part 80 and the movable piece 3. This insertion is performed until the tip of the guide portion 80 is pierced by the tissue or tumor at the planned position. The base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are always disposed outside the body, and the user can insert the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b by sliding relative to each other. The distal end side range 81 of the guide portion 80 can be bent and extended. When the guide unit 80 is bent by the pressure received from the skin, muscle, organ, etc., the user performs the above-described sliding operation, thereby bending the distal end side range 81 of the guide unit 80 in the opposite direction. The shape of the part 80 can be controlled. By this shape control, the guide portion 80 can be stabbed straight or the guide portion 80 can be directed in a target direction, so that the guide portion 80 can be reliably reached at the planned position.

  According to the bending / extending apparatus 12 of the eighth embodiment described above, various problems in biopsy needles that have been conventionally used in the medical field can be solved.

  That is, conventionally, in the medical field, a concentric tube robot in which a plurality of shape memory alloys are inserted into a hollow pipe is used as a biopsy needle. Since this concentric tube robot bends due to resistance from skin, muscles, organs, etc., it is difficult to collect tissue at a planned position in the body.

  On the other hand, according to the bending / extending apparatus 12 of the eighth embodiment, the movable piece 3 (flexible pieces 30a, 30b) is brought into contact with the inner surface of the guide portion 80 by the sliding operation of the flexible pieces 30a, 30b. Thus, a force for bending the guide portion 80 is generated from the inside of the guide portion 80, and the shape of the guide portion 80 can be controlled by this force. For this reason, as described above, even when the guide part 80 inserted into the body is bent by the pressure received from the skin, muscle, organ, or the like, the guide part 80 can be pierced straight or the guide part 80 can be moved in the target direction. Therefore, the guide unit 80 can surely reach the planned position in the body.

  Further, since the conventional concentric tube robot requires a shape memory alloy and electrical components, the structure and control are complicated, and the manufacturing cost is high.

  On the other hand, the bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment can be realized simply by inserting the movable piece 3 into the guide portion 80, and thus has a simple structure. Further, the shape of the guide portion 80 can be controlled by the sliding operation of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b. The bending / extending device 12 does not include electrical components and has a simple structure. Therefore, the manufacturing cost is low, and the bending / extending device 12 is disposable.

  Another example of a conventional biopsy needle is one that deforms a cord by pushing and pulling a wire inserted into the cord. In this conventional biopsy needle, in order to make the cord-like body function as a needle, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the cord-like body, and in order to realize this, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the wire. However, when reducing the diameter of the wire, there is a high risk of the wire being cut when the wire is pulled while a load is applied to the wire.

  On the other hand, according to the bending / extending device 12 of the eighth embodiment, since the movable piece 3 is a leaf spring-like (flat plate) elastic band, the movable piece 3 even when the movable piece 3 is loaded. The risk of cutting 3 is very low.

  In addition, the range of the guide part 80 in which the slit S is formed is not limited to the distal end side range 81 (FIGS. 23 to 25). For example, as shown in FIG. 26A, the slit S may be formed in the proximal end side range 82 of the guide portion 80. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 26B, the slit S may be formed in the central range 83 of the guide portion 80. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 26 (c), the slit S may be formed in the entire guide portion 80. In each example shown in FIG. 26, the formation range of the slit S in the guide portion 80 is bent and extended by the sliding operation of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the tip P of the guide portion 80 may be formed in a single-edged shape that is inclined with respect to the axial direction J. In this way, it becomes easy to stab the tip P of the guide portion 80 into a tissue or the like in the body (the tip of the guide portion 80 can be stabbed into the tissue or the like with a small force). The guide part 80 shown in FIG. 27 has an outer diameter of 1.3 cm and an inner diameter of 1.0 cm, and the tip P of the guide part 80 has a single-edged shape inclined at 25 ° with respect to the axial direction. The guide part 80 shown in FIG. 28 has an outer diameter of 0.65 cm and an inner diameter of 0.4 cm, and the tip P of the guide part 80 has a single-edged shape inclined at 15 ° with respect to the axial direction.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the distal end position A of the slit S forming range is closer to the proximal end side of the guide portion 80 by a predetermined length D than the shoulder position B of the distal end surface of the guide portion 80. It's off. This is intended to prevent the distal end side range of the guide portion 80 from being bent when the distal end P of the guide portion 80 is pierced into a tissue or a tumor.

  In the example of FIG. 28, the slit S has a meandering shape in which the convex curve S1 and the concave curve S2 are alternately repeated, and the convex curve S1 and the concave curve S2 are in the axial direction J and the circumference of the guide portion 80. Projecting in a direction K inclined with respect to the direction R. According to the example of FIG. 27, when the spiral n-th and the spiral n + 1-th round in the slit forming range of the guide 80 are engaged with each other in an uneven manner, an external force is applied to the guide 80 (the guide When a tensile force or a bending force is applied to 80), it is possible to limit the deformation that the guide portion 80 extends in the axial direction and the deformation that the guide portion 80 bends. In the example of FIG. 27, the convex curve S1 and the concave curve S2 have an arc shape, and the center angle of the arc is larger than 180 °, so that the above-described concave-convex engagement is firmly performed. The convex curve S1 and the concave curve S2 may have a rectangular shape such as a triangular shape, a square shape, or a rhombus shape, or may have a rounded shape other than an arc.

  Further, instead of forming the slits S in the guide portion 80, as shown in FIG. 29, the wall thickness in a predetermined range of the guide portion 80 is made thinner than the wall thickness in other ranges of the guide portion 80. Thus, the bending / extension may be caused only in a predetermined range of the guide portion 80. For example, as shown in FIG. 29A, the wall thickness of the distal end side range 81 of the guide portion 80 may be made thinner than the wall thickness of other ranges. Or as shown in FIG.29 (b), you may make the wall thickness of the base end side range 82 of the guide part 80 thin compared with the wall thickness of another range. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 29 (c), the wall thickness of the central region 83 of the guide 82 portion 80 may be made thinner than the wall thickness of other regions. In the examples shown in FIG. 29, the base ends 32a and 32b of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are slid relative to each other, whereby the range of the guide portion 80 with a thin wall thickness is bent and extended.

  Further, as described above, even when the wall thickness in a predetermined range of the guide portion 80 is reduced (FIGS. 29A, 29B, and 29C), the tip P of the guide portion 80 is You may form in the single blade shape which inclines with respect to an axial direction. A guide portion 80 shown in FIG. 29D is obtained by deforming the tip P of the guide portion 80 shown in FIG. The same deformation can be applied to the guide portion 80 shown in FIGS. 29 (b) and 29 (c).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 30, a recess 33 for collecting tissue in the body may be formed in a predetermined range of the movable piece 3. In this case, a through hole 80a is formed at the distal end of the guide portion 80, and the movable piece 3 is moved forward (by moving the movable piece 3 toward the distal end side in the axial direction of the guide portion 80). The range in which 33 is formed can be extended from the through hole 80a of the guide portion 80 (FIG. 30B).

  When using the modified example of FIG. 30 as a biopsy needle, when the distal end of the guide unit 80 reaches the planned position in the body, the movable piece 3 is advanced, so that from the through hole 80a of the guide unit 80, The range where the recess 33 of the movable piece 3 is formed extends. The tissue is collected in the dent 33 by pressing the extended range of the movable piece 3 against the tissue in the body.

  After the tissue is collected in the recess 33, the movable piece 3 is retracted (by moving the movable piece 3 to the proximal end side in the axial direction of the guide portion 80), and the movable portion in which the recess 33 is formed. The range of the piece 3 is accommodated in the guide part 80 (FIG. 30A). Thereafter, the collected tissue can be taken out of the body by pulling out the guide unit 80 and the movable piece 3 outside the body.

  Further, in the bending / extending apparatuses 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12 of the first to eighth embodiments described above, the movable piece that can be inserted into and removed from the guide portions 2, 40, 50, and 80. A plurality of 3 may be prepared. In this case, by exchanging the movable piece 3 inserted into the guide portions 2, 40, 50, 80, the guide portions 2, 40, 50, 80 can be changed without changing the guide portions 2, 40, 50, 80. The shape and the number of inflection points can be changed.

  Further, in the bending / extending apparatuses 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 of the first to seventh embodiments described above, the plurality of movable pieces 3 are simultaneously guided by the guide portions 2, 40, 50, It may be inserted into 80. In this case, the base ends 32 a and 32 b of each movable piece 3 are extended to the outside of the guide portions 2, 40, 50 and 80. And by operation with respect to these base ends 32a and 32b, the base ends 32a and 32b of each movable piece 3 are slid relatively, or each movable piece 3 is made into the circumferential direction of the guide parts 2,40,50,80. It is possible to rotate and move each movable piece 3 in the axial direction of the guide portions 2, 40, 50, 80. In this case, the direction of each movable piece 3 and the slide length of the base ends 32a and 32b of each movable piece 3 are adjusted, so that the guide portions 2, 40, 50, and 80 have a complicated shape. Can be deformed.

  In addition, the some movable piece 3 inserted in the guide parts 2,40,50,80 may join these front-end | tips. Even in this case, the movable ends 3 are bent by relatively sliding the base ends 32a and 32b of the movable pieces 3, and the guide portions 2, 40, 50, and 80 are bent by this bending. be able to.

  The inventor of the present invention is the second and third embodiments in which the device 1 (FIG. 7) of the first embodiment having the simplest structure and the twisted flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect among the embodiments of the present invention. Experiments for confirming the relationship between the sliding length of the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 and the amount of displacement of the guide unit 2 are performed on the example apparatuses 4 and 5 (FIGS. 11 and 13). Hereinafter, this experiment will be described.

In the devices 1, 4, and 5 of the first, second, and third examples used in the experiment, the guide portion 2 is formed of β titanium. This β-titanium has a maximum tensile strength of 640 MPa to 900 MPa, a Young's modulus of 80 GPa, a Vickers hardness of 250, and a specific gravity of 4.69 g / cm ³ . This β-titanium was cut into a spiral shape by laser processing to obtain the guide portion 2 of the first, second, and third examples. The guide portion 2 of the first, second and third embodiments has a length of 120 mm, a radius of 3.0 mm, a thickness of 0.2 mm, and a helical curve pitch by laser processing of 1. 0 mm.

Moreover, in the apparatuses 1, 4, and 5 of the first, second, and third embodiments used in the experiment, the movable piece 3 is formed of polyether ether ketone (PEEK). This polyether ether ketone has a maximum tensile strength of 97 MPa, a Young's modulus of 3.5 GPa, a Rockwell hardness of 99, and a specific gravity of 1.26 to 1.30 g / cm ³ . The movable piece 3 of the first, second, and third embodiments has a length of 130 mm, a thickness of 0.5 mm, and a width of 1.0 mm.

  In this experiment, for each of the devices 1, 4 and 5 of the first, second and third embodiments, one base end 32 of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b is pushed, and the base ends of the flexible pieces 30a and 30b are pressed. 32a and 32b were slid relatively. And with this slide, the displacement amount which arises in the front-end | tip P (FIG. 7, FIG. 11, FIG. 13) of the guide part 2 was confirmed.

  FIG. 31 is a graph showing experimental results, and the relationship between the slide length of the base end of the flexible piece and the amount of displacement of the guide end position in the bending / extending apparatuses 1, 4, and 5 of the first to third embodiments. Indicates. FIG. 31 shows the slide length of the base end 32 from the origin on the horizontal axis with the position of the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 before the slide as the origin. The positive value on the horizontal axis indicates the length of sliding by pressing the base end 32a of one flexible piece 30a, and the negative value on the horizontal axis indicates that the base end 32b of the other flexible piece 30b is pressed and slid. Shows the length.

  The vertical axis in FIG. 31 indicates the Y-axis direction distance (hereinafter referred to as the Y-axis direction distance) between the origin and the tip P of the guide portion 2 (FIGS. 7, 11, and 13). In the devices 1, 4 and 5 of the first to third embodiments, the guide portion 2 is initially extended along the Y axis (before the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 is slid). For this reason, the initial distance in the Y-axis direction (distance in the Y-axis direction when the slide length is 0) matches the length of 120 mm of the guide portion 2.

  Then, when the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 of the first to third embodiments is slid, in the device 1 of the first embodiment having a simple structure, the entire guide portion 2 is bent in an arcuate shape. (FIG. 7).

  On the other hand, in the devices 4 and 5 of the second and third embodiments where the flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect, bending having an inflection point occurred in the guide portion 2 (FIGS. 11 and 13). In addition, during the bending, the vicinity of the tip P of the guide portion 2 was always substantially parallel to the Y axis.

  In FIG. 31, when comparing the Y-axis direction distance when the slide length of the base end 32 of the flexible piece 30 is the same, the first example is more in the Y-axis direction than the second and third examples. The distance is small. For example, when the slide length of the base end 32 is 4 mm, the Y-axis direction distance of the first embodiment is about 20 mm, the Y-axis direction distance (about 90 mm) of the second embodiment, and the third embodiment. Smaller than the distance in the Y-axis direction (about 100 mm).

  Further, in the first embodiment, when the slide length of the base end 32 reaches 6 mm, the Y-axis direction distance becomes negative (the tip P of the guide portion 2 reaches the Y-axis negative side). A large bend occurred. On the other hand, in the second to third embodiments, the distal end P of the guide portion 2 is always located on the Y axis positive side, and the distance in the Y axis direction is negative (the distal end P of the guide portion 2 is the Y axis). No major bend occurred (to reach the negative side).

  From the above, it is confirmed that the device 1 of the first embodiment having a simple structure causes a large bend compared to the devices 4 and 5 of the second and third embodiments where the flexible pieces 30a and 30b intersect. It was done.

1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 Bending / extending device 2, 40, 50, 80 Guide part 20a, 80a Guide part through hole 3 Movable piece 9 Connection piece 9a Connection piece through hole 30a, 30b Flexible piece 31a, 31b Flexible piece tip 32a, 32b Flexible piece base end 41 Outer tube 42 Inner tube 60 Movable piece contact part 61, 62 Side wall part 63 of movable piece contact part 63 Front side of movable piece contact part Opening 70 Opening crossing 410 Outer tube tip 410a Outer tube through hole 411 Outer tube inner surface 420 Inner tube tip 421 Inner tube outer surface 420a Inner tube through hole A Guide portion axial direction B Guide portion axial direction Direction C perpendicular to guide C Circumferential direction G1, G2, G3 of guide part H Width direction of movable piece K Crossing position M of movable piece M Wiring S Slit S1 Convex line S2 Concave line T Tip position P of flexible piece P Guide part Tip of

Claims (37)

A guide portion having elasticity and being hollow;
A movable piece that is movably inserted into the guide portion;
The movable piece is configured in part or in whole by two strip-like flexible pieces extending in the axial direction of the guide portion, and the two flexible pieces are directly or tip-to-end. Connected indirectly,
By sliding the base end of one flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion, the movable piece has Bending with the tip position as a nodal point occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide portion, and the bent movable piece abuts on a part or all of the inner surface of the guide portion. , Bending in the vertical direction occurs,
By sliding the base end of the flexible piece in the direction opposite to that during bending, the bent movable piece extends, and the extended movable piece hits a part or all of the inner surface of the bent guide portion. A bending / extending device in which the guide portion extends by contact. The bending / extending apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion. The guide portion is formed of a metal including β titanium or nickel titanium, a resin material, or rubber,
3. The bent / flexible portion according to claim 2, wherein the two flexible pieces are formed using polypropylene, an acrylic material, or PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin so as to have a rigidity higher than that of the guide portion. Extension device.   The thickness, width, or length of the two flexible pieces and the guide part is adjusted, so that the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide part. Bending / extending device.   The bending / extending apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable piece is rotatable in a circumferential direction of the guide portion. By twisting one or both of the two flexible pieces, the two flexible pieces intersect each other,
By sliding the base end of one flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion, the movable piece has The bending / extending apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein bending occurs at a tip position or a crossing position of the flexible pieces.   The bending / extending device according to claim 6, wherein the movable piece is capable of twisting one or both of the two flexible pieces in a state of being inserted into the guide portion. Further comprising a restraining tool that slidably restrains the two flexible pieces;
By sliding the base end of one flexible piece relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion, the movable piece has The bending / extension apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein bending occurs with a distal end position or a restraining position by the restraining tool as a node, and bending does not occur on a proximal end side from the restraining position. The tips of the two flexible pieces are connected via a connecting piece,
The bending / extending device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a through hole for allowing wiring to pass through is formed in the connection piece or the guide portion.   The bending / extension apparatus according to claim 9, wherein tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected to each other via the connection piece separate from the flexible piece. The guide portion has a double tube structure in which the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube,
The inner surface of the outer tube and the outer surface of the inner tube are spaced apart, and the movable piece is inserted between the outer tube and the inner tube,
The tip of the outer tube, the tip of the inner tube, and the connection piece are formed with through holes for allowing wiring to pass through,
By sliding the proximal end of one of the flexible pieces relative to the proximal end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, the bending of the movable piece can be The bent movable piece is generated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube or the inner tube, and the bent movable piece comes into contact with a part or the whole of the inner surface of the outer tube or the part or the whole of the outer surface of the inner tube. In the outer tube and the inner tube, bending in the vertical direction occurs,
By sliding the base end of the flexible piece in the direction opposite to that during the bending, the bent movable piece extends, and the movable piece that extends is part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube, The bending / extending device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the outer tube or the inner tube extends by contacting a part or all of the outer surface of the inner tube. The guide part includes a movable piece contact part and an opening crossing part,
The movable piece contact portion includes a hollow portion for inserting the movable piece between opposing side wall portions, and an opening of the hollow portion is formed on the front surface.
The opening crossing portion extends from one side of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion to the other so as to cross the opening in front of the movable piece contact portion.
The movable piece is inserted into the hollow portion of the movable piece contact portion so that the two flexible pieces face the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion,
By sliding the base end of one of the flexible pieces relative to the base end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, the bending of the movable piece can be The bent movable piece is generated in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the single contact portion, and the bent movable piece comes into contact with part or all of the inner surface of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, so that the guide portion Bend in the direction,
By sliding the base end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to that during the bending, the bent movable piece extends, and the movable piece that extends is a part of the inner surface of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion or The bending / extending device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guide portion extends by coming into contact with the entire device.   The bending / extending device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a slit extending in a spiral shape on a peripheral wall of the guide portion is formed in a predetermined range or the entire guide portion.   The slit has a meandering shape in which a convex curve and a concave curve are alternately repeated, and the convex curve and the concave curve protrude in a direction inclined with respect to an axial direction or a circumferential direction of the guide portion. The bending / extending apparatus according to claim 13.   The bending / extending device according to claim 14, wherein the convex curve or the concave curve has an arc shape, and a central angle of the arc is larger than 180 °.   The bending / extending device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a wall thickness in a predetermined range of the guide portion is thinner than a wall thickness in another range of the guide portion.   The bending / extending device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein a tip end of the guide portion is formed in a single-blade shape inclined with respect to an axial direction of the guide portion. A recess is formed in a predetermined range of the movable piece,
A through hole is formed at the tip of the guide part,
18. The predetermined range of the movable piece can be extended from the through hole of the guide portion by moving the movable piece to the distal end side of the guide portion. Bending / extending device. A plurality of the movable pieces are prepared,
The bending / extending apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each movable piece can be inserted into and removed from the guide portion. A method of bending and extending a hollow guide portion having elasticity using a movable piece,
The movable piece is partly or entirely constituted by two strip-like flexible pieces, and the tips of the two flexible pieces are directly or indirectly joined together,
An insertion step in which the movable piece is inserted into the guide portion, and the movable piece extends in the axial direction of the guide portion;
A sliding step of sliding the proximal end of one of the flexible pieces relative to the proximal end of the other flexible piece in the axial direction of the guide portion;
A reverse slide step of sliding the proximal end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to the bending time,
The sliding step causes the movable piece to bend in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide portion with respect to the axial position of the guide portion. By contacting a part or all of the inner surface, the guide portion bends in the vertical direction,
The bending / extension method in which the bent movable piece is extended by the reverse sliding step, and the extended movable piece comes into contact with a part or all of the inner surface of the bent guide portion to extend the guide portion.   21. The bending / extending method according to claim 20, wherein the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion. The guide portion is formed of a metal including β titanium or nickel titanium, a resin material, or rubber,
The bent / flexible portion according to claim 21, wherein the two flexible pieces are formed using polypropylene, an acrylic material, or PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin so as to have greater rigidity than the guide portion. Extension method.   The thickness, width, or length of the two flexible pieces and the guide portion is adjusted so that the two flexible pieces have greater rigidity than the guide portion. Bending / extending method. A rotation step of rotating the movable piece inserted into the guide portion in a circumferential direction of the guide portion to change the direction of the movable piece;
The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein a direction of bending generated in the guide portion in the sliding step is changed by changing a direction of the movable piece in the rotating step. A twisting step of twisting one or both of the two flexible pieces in a state where the movable piece is inserted into the guide portion, and crossing the two flexible pieces;
When the two flexible pieces intersect at the twisting step, the sliding step causes the movable piece to bend at the distal end position of the flexible piece or the intersection position of the flexible piece as a node. Item 25. The bending / extending method according to any one of Items 20 to 24. The two flexible pieces are slidably restrained by a restraining tool,
When the slide step is performed in a state where the two flexible pieces are restrained by the restraining tool, the movable piece has a distal end position of the flexible piece and a restraining position by the restraining tool as nodes. 26. The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein bending occurs, and bending or extension does not occur on a proximal end side from the restraining position. The tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected via a connecting piece,
27. The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein a through hole for allowing wiring to pass is formed in the connection piece or the guide portion.   28. The bending / extending method according to claim 27, wherein tips of the two flexible pieces are indirectly connected to each other via the connecting piece separate from the flexible piece. The guide portion has a double tube structure in which an inner tube is inserted into an outer tube, and an inner surface of the outer tube is separated from an outer surface of the inner tube.
The tip of the outer tube, the tip of the inner tube, and the connection piece are formed with through holes for allowing wiring to pass through,
In the inserting step, the movable piece is inserted between the outer tube and the inner tube by inserting the inner tube after the guide portion is inserted into the outer tube. And
In the sliding step, the base end of one of the flexible pieces is slid relative to the base end of the other piece of the flexible piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion. Bending occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the outer tube or the inner tube, and the bent movable piece is a part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube, a part of the outer surface of the inner tube, or Bending in the perpendicular direction occurs in the outer tube and the inner tube by abutting all of them,
By sliding the base end of the flexible piece in the direction opposite to that during the bending, the bent movable piece extends, and the movable piece that extends is part or all of the inner surface of the outer tube, The bending / extending method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the outer tube or the inner tube extends by contacting a part or all of the outer surface of the inner tube. The guide part includes a movable piece contact part and an opening crossing part,
The movable piece contact portion includes a hollow portion for inserting the movable piece between opposing side wall portions, and an opening of the hollow portion is formed on a front surface or an axial end surface.
The opening crossing portion extends from one side of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion to the other so as to cross the opening in front of the movable piece contact portion.
In the inserting step, the movable piece is inserted into the hollow portion of the movable piece contact portion so that the two flexible pieces face the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, and the two flexible pieces are inserted. The base end of the movable piece contact portion extends from the opening of the axial end surface of the movable piece contact portion,
In the sliding step, the base end of one of the flexible pieces is slid relative to the base end of the other piece of the flexible piece in the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion. Bending occurs in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the movable piece contact portion, and the bent movable piece abuts a part or all of the inner surface of the side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion, whereby the guide portion The bending in the vertical direction occurs,
In the reverse sliding step, the bent movable piece extends by sliding the base end of the flexible piece in a direction opposite to the bending direction, and the extended movable piece is a side wall portion of the movable piece contact portion. The bending / extension method according to any one of claims 20 to 28, wherein the guide portion extends by contacting a part or all of the inner surface of the guide.   The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein a slit extending in a spiral shape around a peripheral wall of the guide portion is formed in a predetermined range or the entire guide portion.   The slit has a meandering shape in which a convex curve and a concave curve are alternately repeated, and the convex curve and the concave curve protrude in a direction inclined with respect to an axial direction or a circumferential direction of the guide portion. The bending / extending method according to claim 31.   The bending / extending method according to claim 32, wherein the convex curve or the concave curve has an arc shape, and a central angle of the arc is larger than 180 °.   25. The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein a wall thickness in a predetermined range of the guide portion is thinner than a wall thickness in another range of the guide portion.   The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 31 to 34, wherein a tip end of the guide portion is formed in a single-blade shape inclined with respect to an axial direction of the guide portion. A recess is formed in a predetermined range of the movable piece,
A through hole is formed at the tip of the guide part,
36. The movable piece according to any one of claims 31 to 35, wherein a predetermined range of the movable piece can be extended from a through hole of the guide portion by moving the movable piece toward the tip side of the guide portion. Bending / extending method. A plurality of the movable pieces are prepared,
37. The bending / extending method according to any one of claims 20 to 36, wherein each movable piece can be taken in and out of the guide portion.