CN111643034A

CN111643034A - Bending unit, bending structure, and endoscope

Info

Publication number: CN111643034A
Application number: CN202010347571.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈伟杰; 吴海鹏; 陶骏平; 雷烁铿; 杨重光
Original assignee: Bio Medical Engineering HK Ltd
Current assignee: Bio Medical Engineering HK Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-28
Filing date: 2020-04-28
Publication date: 2020-09-11

Abstract

The invention provides a bending unit, a bending structure and an endoscope. The bending unit includes: a hollow curved body having a first wire passing hole and a second wire passing hole; the matching part is arranged on the end face of the bent main body and oppositely arranged along the radial direction of the bent main body, and the matching part is provided with a first wire passing channel for a lead to pass through; the mounting part is arranged on the end face of the bent main body and is arranged opposite to the matching part in a different surface mode, the mounting part is arranged oppositely along the radial direction of the bent main body, the mounting part is provided with a second wire passing channel for a lead to pass through, and the second wire passing channel corresponds to and is communicated with the second wire passing hole; the mounting portion may be pivotally mounted in the mating portion of an adjacent bending unit. The bending unit is simple in assembling process and convenient to assemble and use, and meanwhile, the volume of the hollow space inside the bending unit can be increased to accommodate more detection pipelines.

Description

Bending unit, bending structure, and endoscope

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of medical examination equipment, in particular to a bending unit, a bending structure and an endoscope.

Background

In medical examination, an endoscope is generally used to perform examination and exploration by extending into a narrow space. The current endoscope uses a plurality of bending sections which are rotatably connected, each bending section is connected in a hinged manner by two semicircular arc-shaped pieces, and two adjacent bending sections can rotate relatively to each other, so that the endoscope can be bent. However, the articulated connection of the two semicircular arc-shaped parts can lead to a complicated assembly process of the endoscope, and also occupy the internal space of the bending device, which affects the assembly of the pipeline.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a bending unit, a bending structure and an endoscope, which have simple structures and small occupied spaces, in order to solve the problems that the structures of the bending portions are complicated and the wire passing structures occupy the internal spaces at present.

The above purpose is realized by the following technical scheme:

a curving unit comprising:

the bending device comprises a hollow bending main body, a first wire passing hole and a second wire passing hole, wherein the first wire passing hole and the second wire passing hole penetrate through the bending main body along the axial direction;

the matching part is arranged on the end face of the bent main body and oppositely arranged along the radial direction of the bent main body, the matching part is provided with a first wire passing channel for a lead to pass through, and the first wire passing channel corresponds to and is communicated with the first wire passing hole; and

the mounting part is arranged on the end face of the bent main body and is arranged opposite to the matching part in a different surface mode, the mounting part is arranged oppositely along the radial direction of the bent main body, the mounting part is provided with a second wire passing channel for a lead to pass through, and the second wire passing channel corresponds to and is communicated with the second wire passing hole; the mounting portion may be pivotally mounted in the mating portion of an adjacent bending unit.

In one embodiment, the fitting portion has a fitting hole penetrating in a radial direction; the mounting portion comprises a mounting protrusion which is rotatably mounted in the matching hole, the mounting protrusion protrudes to the outer side of the bending main body along the radial direction, and the mounting protrusion is provided with the second wire passing channel along the axial direction of the bending main body.

In one embodiment, the first wire passing channel and the first wire passing hole are positioned in the same radial direction of the matching hole;

the first wire passing channel is in a flaring shape.

In one embodiment, an arcuate space is present between the mounting projection and the end face of the curving unit, the arcuate space rotatably receiving the mating portion of an adjacent curving unit.

In one embodiment, the second wire passing channel includes a first flaring channel and a second flaring channel communicated with the first flaring channel, the first flaring channel corresponds to the first wire passing hole of the adjacent bending unit, and the second flaring channel corresponds to the second wire passing hole.

In one embodiment, the first wire passing hole includes a first straight hole section facing the first wire passing channel and a first flared section communicating with the first straight hole section and facing the second wire passing hole adjacent to the bending unit.

In one embodiment, the second wire passing hole includes a second straight hole section facing the second wire passing channel and a second flared section communicating with the second straight hole section and facing the first wire passing hole of the adjacent bending unit.

In one embodiment, the outer wall of the mating portion is coplanar with the outer wall of the curved body, and the inner wall of the mating portion is coplanar with or recessed from the inner wall of the curved body;

the outer wall of installation department with the outer wall coplane of crooked main part, the inner wall of installation department with the inner wall coplane of crooked main part or cave in the inner wall of crooked main part.

In one embodiment, the end face of the curved main body has a first face and a second face, the first face is located at an end face facing away from the mounting portion, the second face is located at an end face facing away from the fitting portion, the first face is a flat face, and the second face is an inclined face and inclined toward the fitting portion from an inner side to an outer side of the curved main body.

In one embodiment, the bending unit further comprises an elastic body, one end of the elastic body is arranged on the end face of the bending main body, and the other end of the elastic body extends along the direction away from the end face of the bending main body and can be abutted with the adjacent bending unit.

In one embodiment, the elastic body is arranged on an end surface facing away from the mounting portion and/or an end surface facing away from the mating portion.

In one embodiment, the bending main body is further provided with a sunken groove sunken and arranged on the end face of the bending main body, and the sunken groove is arranged close to the joint of the elastic body and the bending main body and used for relieving stress concentration of the elastic body when the elastic body is stressed.

In one embodiment, one of the mounting portions and/or the mating portion corresponds to one of the elastic bodies.

In one embodiment, one of the mounting portions and/or the mating portion corresponds to two of the elastic bodies.

In one embodiment, each of the mounting portions and/or the mating portions corresponds to one of the elastic bodies.

In one embodiment, each of the mounting portions and/or the matching portions corresponds to two elastic bodies, and the two elastic bodies are symmetrically arranged.

In one embodiment, the cross section of the elastic body is in a straight line shape, a curved line shape, a multi-section straight line splicing, a multi-section curved line splicing or a straight line and curved line splicing, and the elastic body is used for adjusting the resilience of the elastic body.

In one embodiment, the elastic body is disposed obliquely with respect to the end surface of the curved body.

A bending structure comprises a plurality of bending units and a plurality of bending units, wherein the bending units are sequentially and rotatably connected and adjacent to each other through matching parts and installation parts, and the first wire passing hole, the second wire passing hole, the first wire passing channel and the second wire passing channel of each bending unit are communicated with each other and can be penetrated by the same lead.

An endoscope comprises a plurality of lead wires, a connecting seat, a fixed seat and a bending structure according to the technical characteristics;

the connecting seat and the fixing seat are arranged at two ends of the bending structure, the connecting seat is used for mounting a camera, and each lead wire respectively passes through the first wire passing hole, the second wire passing hole, the first wire passing channel and the second wire passing channel which are correspondingly communicated, is connected to the connecting seat and is used for controlling the bending of the bending structure.

After the technical scheme is adopted, the invention at least has the following technical effects:

according to the bending unit, the bending structure and the endoscope, the matching part and the mounting part are positioned on the end faces opposite to the bending main body, when two adjacent bending units are matched and connected, the two adjacent bending units can be directly connected with the matching part in a rotatable mode through the mounting part, and the first wire passing hole and the second wire passing hole for leading wires to pass through are formed in the bending main body, so that a structure for mounting the leading wires does not need to be added independently. The loaded down with trivial details and problem that the line structure occupied inner space of effectual solution present bending part's structure for the assembling process of bending unit is simple, reduces part quantity, and the assembly of being convenient for is used, simultaneously, can also increase the volume of the inside hollow space of bending unit, in order to hold more detection pipelines, and then reduces the whole volume of bending structure, and the endoscope of being convenient for stretches into narrow and small space and inspects and explores.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexure mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the flexure mechanism of FIG. 1 when flexed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a curving unit in the curving structure shown in FIG. 1, viewed from an angle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the flexure unit shown in FIG. 3 from another angle;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the curving unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a left side view of the curving unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the curving unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the flexure unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the flexure unit of FIG. 3 having an elastomer and viewed from an angle;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the flexure unit shown in FIG. 9 from another angle;

FIG. 11 is a front view of the curving unit shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the flexure mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a mounting lead in the bent configuration shown in FIG. 12;

fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the flexure mechanism shown in fig. 12.

Wherein:

10. a curved structure; 100. a bending unit; 110. a curved body; 111. a first wire passing hole; 112. a second wire passing hole; 113. an accommodating space; 114. a first side; 115. a second face; 116. sinking grooves; 120. a fitting portion; 121. a mating hole; 122. a first wire passage; 130. an installation part; 131. mounting a boss; 132. a second wire passage; 1321. a first flare passage; 1322. a second flare passage; 133. an arc-shaped space; 140. an elastomer; 20. and (7) leading wires.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the invention and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are not to be considered limiting of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through an intermediate. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not denote a unique embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the present invention provides a curving unit 100. The bending unit 100 is applied to a bending structure 10 of an endoscope for achieving bending of the endoscope so that the endoscope can be inserted into a narrow space for detection. The bending unit 100 of the present invention can simplify the assembly process, reduce the number of parts, and facilitate assembly and use, and at the same time, can increase the volume of the hollow space inside the bending unit 100 to accommodate more detection pipelines, thereby reducing the overall volume of the bending structure 10 and facilitating the endoscope to be inserted into a narrow space for examination and exploration.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in an embodiment, the bending unit 100 includes a hollow bending body 110, a fitting part 120, and a mounting part 130. The bending body 110 has a first wire passing hole 111 and a second wire passing hole 112 penetrating in an axial direction. The fitting part 120 is disposed on an end surface of the curved main body 110 and is disposed opposite to the curved main body 110 in a radial direction, the fitting part 120 has a first wire passage 122 for the lead 20 to pass through, and the first wire passage 122 corresponds to and communicates with the first wire passing hole 111. The mounting portion 130 is disposed on an end surface of the curved main body 110 and disposed opposite to the mating portion 120, the mounting portion 130 is disposed opposite to the curved main body 110 in a radial direction, the mounting portion 130 has a second wire passing channel 132 for the lead 20 to pass through, and the second wire passing channel 132 corresponds to and communicates with the second wire passing hole 112; the mounting portion 130 may be pivotally mounted in the mating portion 120 of the adjacent curving unit 100.

The bending body 110 is a main body structure of the bending unit 100, which is a hollow structure. Illustratively, the curved body 110 is shaped like a tube, with the outer circumference of the curved body being circular in cross-sectional shape and the inner circumference of the curved body 110 being square-like in cross-sectional shape. For convenience of description, the hollow portion of the bending unit 100 is referred to as an accommodating space 113. The fitting portion 120 and the mounting portion 130 are located on both end surfaces of the curved body 110. Specifically, two fitting portions 120 are disposed on one end surface of the bending unit 100, two mounting portions 130 are disposed on the other end surface of the bending unit 100, and the fitting portions 120 and the mounting portions 130 are both disposed on the end surface of the bending main body 110 in a protruding manner along the direction of the bending unit 100. The engaging portion 120 is provided on the lower end surface of the bending unit 100, and the mounting portion 130 is provided on the upper end surface of the bending unit 100, with reference to the direction shown in fig. 3. In this way, the curved main body 110 carries the engaging portion 120 and the mounting portion 130 through the upper and lower end surfaces without being mounted in the accommodating space 113 of the curved unit 100, and the volume of the accommodating space 113 occupied by the engaging portion 120 and the mounting portion 130 is reduced, so that the accommodating space 113 of the curved main body 110 is as large as possible. In this way, after the bending units 100 are connected to form the bending structure 10, the accommodating space 113 of the bending structure 10 is also as large as possible, so as to accommodate more detection pipelines, so that the detection pipelines do not need to be located outside the bending structure 10.

Moreover, the two matching parts 120 are located at two ends of the bending unit 100 in the radial direction, the two mounting parts 130 are also located at two ends of the bending unit 100 in the radial direction, and the connecting line of the two mounting parts 130 is perpendicular to the connecting line of the two matching parts 120. Thus, when the curving units 100 are connected to form the curving structure 10, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the connection form of adjacent three curving units 100 is: the engaging portion 120 of the middle curving unit 100 is used for rotatably mounting the mounting portion 130 of one side curving unit 100, and the mounting portion 130 of the middle curving unit 100 is rotatably mounted in the engaging portion 120 of the other side curving unit 100. That is, the phase difference between two adjacent curving units 100 is 90 °, and any two adjacent curving units 100 are arranged in a staggered manner so that the fitting portion 120 of one curving unit 100 can be rotatably fitted with the mounting portion 130 of the adjacent curving unit 100. And, the connection form of the remaining curve units 100 is the same as that of the above-described three curve units 100. Two adjacent curving units 100 are rotatably connected to the mounting portion 130 through the engaging portion 120 to curve the curving structure 10, thereby controlling the curve of the endoscope.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the bending unit 100 has two first wire passing holes 111 and two second wire passing holes 112, and accordingly, each of the fitting portions 120 has one first wire passing passage 122, and each of the mounting portions 130 has one second wire passing passage 132. The first wire passing holes 111 communicate with the corresponding first wire passing passages 122, and the second wire passing holes 112 communicate with the corresponding second wire passing passages 132. After the plurality of bending units 100 are connected to form the bending structure 10, the first wire passing hole 111, the first wire passing channel 122, the second wire passing channel 132 and the second wire passing hole 112 at the same position are communicated to form a wire passing channel for the wire 20 to pass through. That is, the bending structure 10 has four lead passages for the leads 20 to pass through, the leads 20 are respectively installed in the four lead passages, and the bending shape of the bending structure 10 is controlled by the tightness of the leads 20 to meet the use requirements of different situations.

Moreover, the fitting portion 120 is provided with the first wire passing channel 122, and the mounting portion 130 is provided with the second wire passing channel 132, so that the lead 20 can be reliably located in the first wire passing hole 111 and the second wire passing hole 112, the bending control and adjustment of the bending structure 10 are facilitated, the deviation of the bending angle of the bending structure 10 is avoided, and on the other hand, the contact interference between other components and the lead 20 can be avoided, and the working reliability of the lead 20 is ensured.

Alternatively, the curved body 110, the fitting portion 120, and the mounting portion 130 are an integral structure. That is, the bending body 110, the fitting portion 120 and the mounting portion 130 may be integrally formed. This ensures the structural strength of the bending unit 100, ensures the operational reliability thereof, and avoids breakage during use. Meanwhile, after the bending main body 110, the matching part 120 and the mounting part 130 are of an integrated structure, the assembling procedures can be reduced, the complexity of structural assembly can be reduced, the number of parts can be reduced, and the use is convenient. Alternatively, the curved body 110, the fitting portion 120, and the mounting portion 130 may be injection molded from the same material, or may be injection molded from at least two materials. Further, the curved body 110, the mating portion 120, and the mounting portion 130 are injection molded from plastic or other materials.

When the bending unit 100 of the present invention is used in connection, it is only required to directly pass through the rotatable connection of the mounting portion 130 and the mating portion 120, and the first wire passing hole 111 and the second wire passing hole 112 for the lead wire 20 to pass through are provided on the bending body 110, without separately increasing the structure for mounting the lead wire 20. The loaded down with trivial details and problem that the line structure occupied inner space of effectual solution present bending part's structure for the assembling process of bending unit 100 is simple, reduces part quantity, and the assembly of being convenient for is used, simultaneously, can also increase the volume of the inside hollow space of bending unit 100, in order to hold more detection pipelines, and then reduces bending structure 10's whole volume, and the endoscope of being convenient for stretches into narrow and small space and inspects and explores.

Referring to fig. 1 to 6, in one embodiment, the fitting portion 120 has a fitting hole 121 penetrating in a radial direction; the mounting part 130 includes a mounting boss 131 rotatably mounted in the fitting hole 121, the mounting boss 131 protruding to the outside of the bending body 110 in the radial direction, the mounting boss 131 having a second wire passage 132 penetrating in the axial direction. The outer circumference of the mounting protrusion 131 is circular, the mounting protrusion 131 is rotatably mounted in the mating hole 121, and the mounting protrusion 131 and the mating hole 121 can rotate relatively, so that after two curving units 100 are connected to the mounting portion 130 through the mating portion 120, the rotation of the adjacent curving unit 100 can be realized through the rotatable connection between the mounting protrusion 131 and the mating hole 121.

After two adjacent bending units 100 are installed, the installation protrusion 131 can be rotatably installed in the matching hole 121, and at this time, the positional relationship among the first wire passing channel 122, the first wire passing hole 111, the second wire passing channel 132 and the second wire passing hole 112 is as follows: the set matching part 120 is located below the bending main body 110, and the communication relationship from top to bottom is as follows: the first wire through hole 111, the second wire through channel 132, the first wire through channel 122 and the second wire through hole 112 are also referred to as wire guiding channels, as shown in fig. 1 and 14. After the lead 20 is installed in the lead channel, the accurate position of the lead 20 can be ensured to be positioned in the lead channel through the limit relation between each hole and each channel, and the lead 20 is prevented from deviating from the lead channel. Also, the top of the first wire passing hole 111 of the bending unit 100 at the middle position may be in butt communication with the bottom of the second wire passing hole 112 of the upper bending unit 100.

It is understood that the fitting portion 120 is a protrusion in an axial direction, and the fitting hole 121 is an opening on the fitting portion 120, which penetrates in a radial direction of the curved body 110. That is, the fitting hole 121 is a complete hole, the peripheral side of the fitting hole 121 has a complete inner wall, and the inner wall of the fitting hole 121 can limit the displacement of the mounting protrusion 131, so that the mounting protrusion 131 stably rotates in the fitting hole 121, and the mounting protrusion 131 is prevented from moving. The first wire passage 122 is located at a position of the fitting portion 120 away from the first wire passing hole 111. Moreover, the first wire passage 122 is located inside the fitting portion 120, so that the lead wire 20 therein can be prevented from deviating to the outside of the bending main body 110, and the lead wire 20 can be reliably located in the first wire passage 122. That is, the first wire passing hole 111 and the first wire passing passage 122 are matched with both ends of the hole 121 to facilitate the lead wire 20 to pass through. As shown in fig. 3, the fitting portion 120 is located below the curved body 110, the first wire passing hole 111 is located above the fitting hole 121 and below the curved body 110, and the first wire passing passage 122 is located above the fitting hole 121.

In one embodiment, the first wire passage 122 and the first wire hole 111 are located in the same radial direction of the mating hole 121. Therefore, the lead 20 can be ensured to keep in a straight state after passing through the first wire passing channel 122 and the first wire passing hole 111, and the bending control of the bending structure 10 is prevented from being influenced by the bending state. Also, the first wire passage 122 is flared. That is, the opening size of the radially inner side of the first wire passage 122 is smaller than the opening size of the radially outer side of the first wire passage 122, so that the flared first passage provides a space for the rotation of the lead wire 20 when the mounting protrusion 131 rotates in the fitting hole 121.

Optionally, the number of the mounting protrusions 131 is one, and the mounting protrusions 131 are provided with a second wire passing channel 132 along the axial direction of the bending main body 110, and the wire passing channel may be a through hole or a through groove. Of course, in the present embodiment, the number of the mounting protrusions 131 is two, and as shown in fig. 4 and 6, the two mounting protrusions 131 are oppositely disposed, and the two mounting protrusions 131 are oppositely enclosed to form the second wire passing channel 132. The outer contours of the two mounting protrusions 131 are located on the same circumference and rotatably fit with the inner wall of the fitting hole 121.

The second wire passage 132 faces the outer side of the bending main body 110, the first wire passage 122 faces the inner side of the bending main body 110, when two adjacent bending units 100 are installed in a matched manner through the matching hole 121 and the installation protrusion 131, the opening of the first wire passage 122 faces the installation part 130, the opening of the second wire passage 132 faces the matching part 120, the inner walls of the first wire passage 122 and the second wire passage 132 can limit the lead 20 to be further located in the lead passage, transmission of the lead 20 is avoided, and further the bending of the bending structure 10 is controlled through the lead 20.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the positions of the matching hole 121 and the mounting protrusion 131 can be interchanged, that is, the mounting protrusion 131 is disposed on the matching portion 120, and the matching hole 121 is disposed on the mounting portion 130, and the working principle thereof is substantially the same as that of the matching hole 121 located on the matching portion 120 in the above embodiments, which is not repeated herein. Of course, the mounting protrusion 131 and the mating hole 121 may be replaced by other components capable of realizing rotatable connection.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in one embodiment, an arcuate space 133 exists between the mounting projection 131 and the end surface of the curving unit 100, and the arcuate space 133 rotatably receives the mating portion 120 of an adjacent curving unit 100. That is, the mounting portion 130 further includes a support member supporting the mounting protrusion 131 from the end surface of the bending main body 110, such that a certain space exists between the outer contour of the mounting protrusion 131 and the surface of the bending unit 100, the bending main body 110 is disposed in an arc shape corresponding to the surface of the mounting protrusion 131, the inner wall of the arc shape and the mounting protrusion 131 define an arc-shaped space 133, the inner contour of the arc-shaped space 133 is consistent with the outer contour of the engaging portion 120, such that the engaging portion 120 can rotate in the arc-shaped space 133 after the adjacent bending main bodies 110 are connected. Optionally, the mounting protrusion 131, the support member and the curving unit 100 are an integral structure, so that the assembly process is reduced, and the reliable connection between the mounting protrusion 131 and the curving unit 100 is ensured.

Referring to fig. 3 and 6, in an embodiment, the second string passing passage 132 includes a first flared passage 1321 and a second flared passage 1322 communicating with the first flared passage 1321, the first flared passage 1321 corresponds to the first string passing hole 111 of the adjacent bending unit 100, and the second flared passage 1322 corresponds to the second string passing hole 112. That is, the opening size of the middle portion of the first string passing passage 122 is small, the opening sizes of both sides are large, and the opening sizes are gradually increased from the middle portion of the first string passing passage 122 to both sides. The first flared passage 1321 and the second flared passage 1322 may increase the active space of the lead wire 20, facilitate movement of the lead wire 20 in the second wire passage 132, and, at the same time, facilitate mating of the second wire passage 132 with other passages.

Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the second string passing passage 132 may also include a transition passage disposed between the first flared passage 1321 and the second flared passage 1322, which may communicate the first flared passage 1321 and the second flared passage 1322.

Referring to fig. 3 and 7, in an embodiment, the first wire passing hole 111 includes a first straight hole section facing the first wire passing passage 122 and a first flared section communicating with the first straight hole section and facing the second wire passing hole 112 of the adjacent bending unit 100. The size of the opening of the first flaring segment gradually increases from the end connected with the first straight hole segment to the end far away from the first straight hole segment, so that the first wire passing hole 111 is communicated with the second wire passing hole 112, and the lead 20 conveniently penetrates through the first wire passing hole 111 and extends into the second wire passing hole 112. Further, the first wire passing hole 111 further comprises a first transition section connected with the first straight hole section and the first flaring section, and the first transition section can be smoothly connected with the first straight hole section and the first flaring section, so that the lead 20 is prevented from being worn by a convex edge between the first straight hole section and the first flaring section, the reliability of the lead 20 is ensured, and the service life of the lead 20 is prolonged.

Referring to fig. 4 and 8, in an embodiment, the second wire passing hole 112 includes a second straight hole section facing the second wire passing channel 132 and a second flared section connecting the second straight hole sections facing the first wire passing hole 111 of the adjacent bending unit 100. The size of the opening of the second flaring segment gradually increases from the two ends connected with the second straight hole segment to the end far away from the second straight hole segment, so that the second wire passing hole 112 is communicated with the first wire passing hole 111, and the lead 20 can penetrate through the first wire passing hole 111 and extend into the second wire passing hole 112. Further, the second wire passing hole 112 further includes a second transition section connecting the second straight hole section and the second flared section, and the second transition section can be smoothly connected with the second straight hole section and the second flared section, so that the protruding edge between the second straight hole section and the second flared section is prevented from wearing the lead 20, the reliability of the lead 20 is ensured, and the service life of the lead 20 is prolonged.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, alternatively, the outer wall of the fitting part 120 is coplanar with the outer wall of the curved body 110, and the inner wall of the fitting part 120 is coplanar with the inner wall of the curved body 110 or recessed in the inner wall of the curved body 110. That is, the inner wall of the fitting part 120 does not exceed the inner wall of the curved body 110, so that the fitting part 120 does not occupy the volume of the accommodating space 113 to ensure the volume of the accommodating space 113 as much as possible. Illustratively, the outer wall of the fitting part 120 is coplanar with the outer wall of the curved body 110, the fitting part 120 protrudes along the radially inner side of the curved body 110, and the thickness of the fitting part 120 is smaller than that of the curved body 110.

Alternatively, the outer wall of the mounting portion 130 is coplanar with the outer wall of the curved body 110, and the inner wall of the mounting portion 130 is coplanar with the inner wall of the curved body 110 or recessed in the inner wall of the curved body 110. That is, the inner wall of the mounting portion 130 does not exceed the inner wall of the bending body 110, so that the mounting portion 130 does not occupy the volume of the accommodating space 113, thereby ensuring the volume of the accommodating space 113 as much as possible. Illustratively, the inner wall of the mounting portion 130 is coplanar with the inner wall of the curved body 110, the mounting portion 130 protrudes radially outward of the curved body 110, and the thickness of the mounting portion 130 is less than the thickness of the curved body 110. Like this, after the installation arch 131 is installed in the mating hole 121, the installation arch 131 can not stretch out of the terminal surface of the mating portion 120, and interference between the installation arch 131 and other objects when the bending structure 10 stretches into a narrow space is avoided, so that the bending structure 10 can smoothly stretch into the narrow space, and the use is convenient.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in an embodiment, an end surface of the curved main body 110 has a first surface 114 and a second surface 115, the first surface 114 is located at an end surface facing away from the mounting portion 130, the second surface 115 is located at an end surface facing away from the mating portion 120, the first surface 114 is a plane, and the second surface 115 is an inclined surface and is inclined toward the mating portion 120 from an inner side to an outer side of the curved main body 110. It can be understood that the end surface of the curved main body 110 has a first surface 114 and a second surface 115, the first surface 114 is a surface between the two fitting portions 120 of the curved main body 110, and the surface between the two mounting portions 130 of the curved main body 110 is also a plane, but the plane is obliquely arranged corresponding to the position of the fitting portion 120, and the obliquely arranged surface is the second surface 115. As shown in fig. 3, the upper surface of the curved body 110 has two inclined surfaces, which are the second surfaces 115, and the mating portions 120 are located right below the second surfaces 115. As shown in fig. 4, the plane directly below the mounting protrusion 131 is the first surface 114.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, when a plurality of curving units 100 are rotatably coupled, the fitting portion 120 of the curving unit 100 at the intermediate position is coupled with the fitting portion 120 of the curving unit 100 below, and the mounting portion 130 of the curving unit 100 at the intermediate position is mounted in the fitting portion 120 of the curving unit 100 above. At this time, the second surface 115 of the upper portion of the middle position engagement portion 120 corresponds to the first surface 114 of the lower portion of the mounting portion 130 of the upper bending unit 100, and the first surface 114 of the lower portion of the middle position mounting portion 130 corresponds to the second surface 115 of the upper portion of the engagement portion 120 of the lower bending unit 100. When the upper curving unit 100 is rotated, for example, to the right toward the middle curving unit 100, the first surface 114 of the upper curving unit 100 gradually approaches the second surface 115 of the lower curving unit 100, and the rotation of the upper curving unit 100 can be restricted when the first surface 114 abuts against the second surface 115. Similarly, the lower bending unit 100 may also limit the rotation angle of the middle bending unit 100.

By the arrangement of the second face 115, which is an inclined face, and the first face 114, which is a plane, the rotation angle of the curving unit 100 can be adjusted, and the inclination angle of the second face 115 can be changed to change the curving angle of the curving unit 100, thereby adjusting the degree of curvature of the entire curving structure 10.

Referring to fig. 1, 9 to 11, in an embodiment, the bending unit 100 further includes an elastic body 140, one end of the elastic body 140 is disposed on an end surface of the bending main body 110, and the other end of the elastic body 140 extends in a direction away from the end surface of the bending main body 110 and can abut against an adjacent bending unit 100. The elastic body 140 is disposed in a cantilever structure, one end of the elastic body 140 is a fixed end, the other end is a free end, the fixed end is connected to the end surface of the bending main body 110, and the free end is suspended. The elastic body 140 forms an angle with the end surface of the curved body 110. The elastic body 140 may adjust a bending angle of the bending unit 100 after the bending unit 100 is coupled. Optionally, the bending structure 10 may include at least one bending unit 100 with an elastic body 140. That is, the bending structure 10 may include one bending unit 100 with the elastic body 140, two bending units 100 with the elastic body 140, or more bending units 100 with the elastic body 140, which will be described in detail later.

After two adjacent curving units 100 are rotatably connected, the end of the elastic body 140 of one curving unit 100 abuts against the end face of the other curving unit 100. When the curving unit 100 rotates, the distance between the two curving units 100 on one side in the rotating direction is gradually reduced, and the curving unit 100 gradually compresses the elastic body 140. Both bending units 100 may have the elastic body 140, or one of the bending units 100 may have the elastic body 140. In addition, when any one of the bending units 100 rotates, the distance between two adjacent bending units 100 is reduced, thereby compressing the elastic body 140.

After the elastic body 140 is added, the bending units 100 can be kept at a fixed angle, so that the bending units 100 can continue to bend or move under the action of gravity and the like, and the position between two adjacent bending units 100 is fixed. Moreover, when the elastic body 140 is added, the resilience of the elastic body 140 makes it difficult to bend between two adjacent bending units 100, thereby reducing flexibility. In this way, the bending angles of the adjacent bending units 100 can be adjusted according to the applied force, so that different positions of the bending structure 10 can present different bending degrees through the elastic bodies 140, that is, the bending curvature of the whole bending structure 10 can be unevenly distributed. It can be understood that the bending angle of the bending unit 100 can be adjusted by the force output from the lead 20 controlling the bending unit 100. Specifically, when the bending unit 100 is required to be at a certain bending angle, a corresponding force is output through the lead wire 20, so that the bending unit 100 rotates under the control of the lead wire 20. When the force of the lead 20 is balanced with the spring back force, the bending unit 100 is not rotated any more and remains in this position. The elastic body 140 may also restore the bending unit 100 when the force of the lead 20 is removed.

Alternatively, the bending body 110 has a mounting groove thereon, and the elastic body 140 may be gradually moved into the mounting groove after the elastic body 140 is compressed by a force. Alternatively, the elastic body 140 is of an integral structure with the curving unit 100. That is, the elastic body 140 and the bending unit 100 can be integrally formed, so that the number of parts and the assembly process can be reduced, and the elastic body 140 and the bending unit 100 can be reliably connected. Optionally, the elastic body 140 is the same or different material as the bending unit 100.

Referring to fig. 9 to 11, optionally, the bending body 110 further has a sunken groove 116 sunken in an end surface of the bending body 110, and the sunken groove 116 is disposed near a connection between the elastic body 140 and the bending body 110 for relieving stress concentration when the elastic body 140 is stressed. The undercut 116 is located inboard of where the elastomer joins the curved body 110. It can be understood that the joint between the fixed end of the elastic body 140 and the bending main body 110 is a main stress concentration point, and the joint is damaged due to the elastic body 140 rebounding many times, which affects the service life of the elastic body 140. Thus, the addition of the undercut 116 to the curved body 110 avoids stress concentrations at one location. When the free end of the elastic body 140 is compressed toward the bending body 110 by a force, the vicinity of the fixed end of the elastic body 140 may move toward the depressed groove 116, and the depressed groove 116 may accommodate a portion of the elastic body 140 to relieve stress concentration at the fixed end of the elastic body 140, avoid damage caused by multiple rebounds of the elastic body 140, and improve reliability of the elastic body 140.

In one embodiment, the elastic body 140 is disposed on an end surface facing away from the mounting portion 130 and/or an end surface facing away from the mating portion 120. As shown in fig. 11, the elastic body 140 may be positioned only below the mounting part 130 to bend the end surface of the body 110. Of course, the elastic body 140 may be located only on the end surface of the bent body 110 above the mating portion 120, or may be located on the end surface of the bent body 110 below the mounting portion 130 and the end surface of the bent body 110 above the mating portion 120.

When the elastic body 140 is located only at the end surface of the bending main body 110 below the mounting part 130, the elastic body 140 may abut on the upper adjacent bending unit 100. When one of the curving units 100 rotates with respect to the other curving unit 100, the elastic body 140 may be compressed by the adjacent curving unit 100. When the elastic body 140 is located only at the end face of the upper bending body 110 of the fitting part 120, the elastic body 140 may abut on the lower adjacent bending unit 100. When one of the curving units 100 rotates with respect to the other curving unit 100, the upper curving unit 100 may compress the elastic body 140, and the elastic body 140 may be compressed by the adjacent curving unit 100. The elastic body 140 is located between the end surface of the lower bending main body 110 of the mounting portion 130 and the end surface of the upper bending main body 110 of the matching portion 120, and the principle thereof is the same as the above-mentioned method, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

In one embodiment, one of the mounting portions 130 and/or the mating portion 120 may correspond to one of the elastic bodies 140. That is, only one mounting portion 130 corresponds to one elastic body 140, and one elastic body 140 is arranged on the back surface of one mounting portion 130 on each bending main body 110; only one fitting portion 120 corresponds to one elastic body 140, and one elastic body 140 is provided on the back surface of one fitting portion 120 of each curved main body 110. The bending direction of the bending unit 100 can be controlled by one elastic body 140, and the bending unit 100 can be connected to the rest of the bending units 100 to bend the bending structure 10 at the side having the elastic body 140. That is, when the bending structure 10 is bent only in one direction, it may take the form of one of the mounting portion 130 or the fitting portion 120 corresponding to one of the elastic bodies 140, such as a throat endoscope.

In one embodiment, one of the mounting portions 130 and/or the mating portion 120 may correspond to two elastic bodies 140. That is, only one mounting portion 130 corresponds to two elastic bodies 140, and two elastic bodies 140 are provided on the back of one mounting portion 130 of each bending body 110; only one fitting portion 120 corresponds to two elastic bodies 140, and two elastic bodies 140 are provided on the back surface of one fitting portion 120 of each curved main body 110. The bending direction of the bending unit 100 can be controlled by the cooperation of the two elastic bodies 140, and the bending unit 100 can bend the bending structure 10 at the side having the elastic bodies 140 after being connected with the rest of the bending units 100. That is, when the bending structure 10 is bent only in one direction, it may take the form of one of the mounting portion 130 or the fitting portion 120 corresponding to the two elastic bodies 140, such as a throat endoscope.

In one embodiment, each mounting portion 130 and/or mating portion 120 corresponds to an elastomer 140. That is, there may be one elastic body 140 corresponding to one mounting portion 130, and one elastic body 140 is provided on the back surface of the mounting portion 130 of each bending body 110; there may be one fitting portion 120 corresponding to one elastic body 140, and one elastic body 140 is provided on the back surface of the fitting portion 120 of each curved main body 110. Of course, there may be one mounting portion 130 corresponding to one elastic body 140, one mating portion 120 corresponding to one elastic body 140, one elastic body 140 on the back of the mounting portion 130 of each curved main body 110, and one elastic body 140 on the back of the mating portion 120 of each curved main body 110.

In one embodiment, each of the mounting portions 130 and/or the mating portions 120 corresponds to two elastic bodies 140, and the two elastic bodies 140 are symmetrically disposed. That is, there may be one mounting portion 130 corresponding to two elastic bodies 140, and there are two elastic bodies 140 on the back of the mounting portion 130 on each bending body 110; there may be one fitting portion 120 corresponding to two elastic bodies 140, and there are two elastic bodies 140 on the back of the fitting portion 120 of each curved body 110. Of course, there may be one mounting portion 130 corresponding to two elastic bodies 140, one mating portion 120 corresponding to two elastic bodies 140, two elastic bodies 140 on the back of the mounting portion 130 of each bending main body 110, and two elastic bodies 140 on the back of the mating portion 120 of each bending main body 110.

The two elastic bodies 140 can be close to each other at the free ends and far away from each other at the fixed ends; the fixed ends of the two elastic bodies 140 can be close to each other, and the free ends can be far away from each other; it is also possible to align the free end of one of the elastic bodies 140 with the fixed end of the other elastic body 140. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, the two elastic bodies 140 may have free ends close to each other and fixed ends far from each other. Moreover, the shapes and the sizes of the two elastic bodies 140 are completely consistent, so that the stress balance is ensured.

In the above embodiments, the number of the elastic bodies 140 is different at each position, but the purpose of controlling the bending angle of the bending unit 100 can be achieved, so that the bending structure 10 can achieve a complete bending state. It will be appreciated that when one elastic body 140 is used at a corresponding position, the arm length of the elastic body 140 is appropriately longer to provide sufficient resilience. When two elastic bodies 140 are used at corresponding positions, the arm length of the elastic body 140 may be suitably shorter, and the elastic force is provided by the two elastic bodies 140 together.

In one embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body 140 is linear, curved, a plurality of straight segments, a plurality of curved segments, or a combination of straight and curved segments, so as to adjust the resilience of the elastic body 140. Differently shaped elastomers 140 may have different resiliency. The elastic body 140 having a suitable sectional shape may be selected according to a bending angle required for the bending structure 10, and then the respective bending units 100 may be assembled. As shown in fig. 9, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body 140 is linear. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body 140 is S-shaped. Alternatively, the elastic body 140 may have a sheet shape, may have a column shape, or the like.

In one embodiment, the included angle between the elastic body 140 and the end surface of the curved main body 110 ranges from 0 ° to 75 °, and is used to adjust the resilience of the elastic body 140. The elastic body 140 has a different angle with the end surface of the bending body 110, and the elastic body 140 generates a different resilient force. The angle of the elastic body 140 may be selected to be suitable according to the bending angle required for the bending structure 10. It can be understood that when the elastic body 140 is a linear type, an included angle between the elastic body 140 and the end surface of the curved main body 110 may be in a range of 0 ° to 75 °; when the elastic body 140 is curved, the connection between the elastic body 140 and the curved main body 110 has a tangent plane, and the included angle between the tangent plane and the end surface of the curved main body 110 may be in the range of 0 to 75 °.

Referring to fig. 1, 2, 12 to 14, the present invention further provides a bending structure 10, which includes a plurality of bending units 100 in the above embodiments, the plurality of bending units 100 are sequentially and rotatably connected, and adjacent bending units 100 are rotatably connected by matching with the mounting portion 130 through the matching portion 120, and the first wire passing hole 111, the second wire passing hole 112, the first wire passing channel 122, and the second wire passing channel 132 of adjacent bending units 100 are communicated with each other and can be passed by the same lead wire 20.

Each curving unit 100 forms the curving structure 10 by the rotatable connection of the mating portion 120 and the mounting portion 130. The bending structure 10 may be rotated by rotating the bending unit 100 with respect to the adjacent bending unit 100. The connection relationship of the three bending units 100 is taken as an example for explanation. The lower fitting portion 120 of the middle bending unit 100 is fitted with the mounting portion 130 of the lower bending unit 100, and the upper fitting portion 130 of the middle bending unit 100 is fitted with the upper fitting portion 120 of the upper bending unit 100. Any adjacent bending unit 100 can rotate relative to the mounting part 130 through the matching part 120. After the bending structure 10 of the present invention adopts the bending unit 100 in the above-mentioned embodiment, the volume of the hollow space of the bending structure 10 can be increased to accommodate as many detection pipelines as possible.

In one embodiment, the flexure mechanism 10 includes a plurality of flexure units 100, none of the flexure units 100 having an elastomer 140. The lead passage formed by the connection of the lead wires 20 through the respective curving units 100 controls the curvature of the curved structure 10. In one embodiment, the bending structure 10 may include at least one bending unit 100 with the elastic body 140 and a plurality of bending units 100 without the elastic body 140, and the bending units 100 are rotatably connected in series. The bending unit 100 with the elastic body 140 can be selected according to the bending angle of the bending structure 10, so that the bending structure 10 reaches a complete bending state, and meanwhile, the resilience of the elastic body 140 can be selected according to the bending angle. Illustratively, the flexure structure 10 includes 19 flexure units 100, 7 of which are flexure units 100 without the elastic body 140, 4 middle elastic flexure units 100, and 8 high elastic flexure units 100. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the number of the bending units 100 with the elastic bodies 140 and the number of the bending units 100 without the elastic bodies 140 may be selected according to actual requirements, and the layout manner may be adjusted according to actual requirements.

The invention also provides an endoscope, which comprises a plurality of lead wires 20, a connecting seat, a fixed seat and the bending structure 10 in the embodiment. The connecting seat and the fixing seat are disposed at two ends of the bending structure 10, the connecting seat is used for mounting a camera, and each lead wire 20 passes through the corresponding and communicated first wire passing hole 111, second wire passing hole 112, first wire passing channel 122 and second wire passing channel 132, and is connected to the connecting seat for controlling the bending of the bending structure 10. As shown in fig. 10, the leads 20 pass through four lead channels formed by the bending structure 10 and are connected to the connecting seat to control the bending of the bending structure 10, so as to adjust the bending angle of the camera, so that the camera can inspect and explore a narrow space, and meet the use requirement. After the endoscope of the present invention adopts the bending structure 10 of the above embodiment, on one hand, the assembly process can be simplified, the use is convenient, and the hollow space of the bending structure 10 can be ensured to accommodate the detection pipeline, and on the other hand, the controllable adjustment of the angle of the bending structure 10 can be realized, so that the bending structure 10 can reach the complete bending state.

The technical features of the embodiments described above can be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A curving unit, comprising:

2. The curving unit according to claim 1, wherein the fitting portion has a fitting hole penetrating in a radial direction; the mounting portion comprises a mounting protrusion which is rotatably mounted in the matching hole, the mounting protrusion protrudes to the outer side of the bending main body along the radial direction, and the mounting protrusion is provided with the second wire passing channel along the axial direction of the bending main body.

3. The bending unit of claim 1, wherein the second wire passage channels include a first flared channel corresponding to the first wire passage hole of an adjacent bending unit and a second flared channel communicating with the first flared channel corresponding to the second wire passage hole;

and/or the first wire passing hole comprises a first straight hole section and a first flaring section communicated with the first straight hole section, the first straight hole section faces the first wire passing channel, and the first flaring section faces the second wire passing hole adjacent to the bending unit;

and/or the second wire passing hole comprises a second straight hole section and a second flaring section communicated with the second straight hole section, the second straight hole section faces the second wire passing channel, and the second flaring section faces the first wire passing hole of the adjacent bending unit;

and/or the outer wall of the fitting part is coplanar with the outer wall of the curved body, and the inner wall of the fitting part is coplanar with or recessed from the inner wall of the curved body; the outer wall of installation department with the outer wall coplane of crooked main part, the inner wall of installation department with the inner wall coplane of crooked main part or cave in the inner wall of crooked main part.

4. The flexure unit of claim 1, wherein an end surface of the flexure body has a first surface located at an end surface facing away from the mounting portion and a second surface located at an end surface facing away from the mating portion, the first surface being a flat surface and the second surface being an inclined surface and inclined toward the mating portion from an inner side to an outer side of the flexure body.

5. The curving unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the curving unit further comprises an elastic body, one end of which is arranged at an end face of the curving body and the other end of which extends in a direction away from the end face of the curving body and can abut against an adjacent curving unit.

6. The flexure unit of claim 5, wherein the elastomer is disposed on an end face facing away from the mounting portion and/or an end face facing away from the mating portion;

and/or the bending main body is also provided with a sunken groove sunken to the end surface of the bending main body, and the sunken groove is arranged close to the joint of the elastic body and the bending main body and is used for relieving stress concentration of the elastic body when the elastic body is stressed.

7. The flexure unit of claim 6, wherein one of the mounting portions and/or the mating portion corresponds to one of the resilient bodies;

or, one of the mounting part and/or the matching part corresponds to two elastic bodies;

or, each mounting part and/or the matching part corresponds to one elastic body;

or each mounting part and/or the matching part corresponds to two elastic bodies, and the two elastic bodies are symmetrically arranged.

8. The curving unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body is a straight line, a curved line, a multi-segment straight line splice, a multi-segment curved line splice, or a straight line and curved line splice, so as to adjust the resilience of the elastic body;

and/or the elastic body is obliquely arranged relative to the end face of the bending main body.

9. A bending structure, characterized by comprising a plurality of bending units according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bending units are sequentially and rotatably connected, the adjacent bending units are matched with an installation part through matching parts to realize rotatable connection, and a first wire passing hole, a second wire passing hole, a first wire passing channel and a second wire passing channel of the adjacent bending units are communicated with each other and can be used for the same lead to pass through.

10. An endoscope comprising a plurality of lead wires, a connecting block, a holder, and a flexure mechanism according to claim 9;