CN116211221A

CN116211221A - Endoscope

Info

Publication number: CN116211221A
Application number: CN202310223504.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘坚; 谢行; 裴晓宏; 贺玉文
Original assignee: Ningbo Meifeng Medical Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Ningbo Meifeng Medical Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-09
Filing date: 2023-03-09
Publication date: 2023-06-06

Abstract

The invention provides an endoscope, which comprises a bending part, an inserting part and an operating part, wherein the bending part, the inserting part and the operating part are sequentially connected from a proximal end to a distal end, the operating part comprises a hub, a shell and a locking mechanism, part of the hub is arranged in the shell, and the hub is configured to be capable of rotating relative to the shell so as to control the bending part to bend; the locking mechanism comprises a damping member and a driving assembly; a portion of the drive assembly is disposed outside of the housing, and the damping member is disposed within the housing and between the drive assembly and the hub. The drive assembly has a locked state and an unlocked state, the drive assembly in the locked state being capable of driving the damping member to apply an elastic force to the hub to prevent rotation of the hub relative to the housing. The endoscope has a locking mechanism capable of preventing the hub from rotating, so that the safety and reliability of the endoscope in use can be ensured.

Description

Endoscope

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to an endoscope.

Background

With the improvement of the living standard of people and the development of scientific technology, electronic endoscopes are increasingly applied to medical diagnosis and treatment. Among various endoscopes, flexible electronic endoscopes are becoming popular among doctors and patients because of their advantages of flexible and adjustable bending, soft material, high imaging quality, and minimal trauma. The flexible electronic endoscope mainly comprises a bending part, an inserting part, an operating part, a connecting part and other structures which are connected in sequence. To achieve bending of the endoscope, the bending section comprises a bending element which is connected to a pulling cord for achieving control and adjustment of the bending degree of the bending section by manipulation of the pulling cord. The bending element is often provided as an elastic element and has a tendency to rebound in a direction opposite to the bending direction in a bent state, so that an operator is required to manually lock the position of the pulling rope after the bending element is bent to a predetermined angle, so as to prevent the occurrence of medical safety accidents caused by rebound of the bending element or misoperation of a doctor. The prior art does not solve the above problems well.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an endoscope, which is provided with a locking mechanism capable of preventing a hub from rotating so as to ensure the safety and reliability of the endoscope in use.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an endoscope including a bending portion, an insertion portion, and an operation portion connected in order from a proximal end to a distal end, the operation portion including a hub, a housing, and a locking mechanism; a portion of the hub is disposed within the housing, the hub being rotatable relative to the housing to control bending of the bending portion; the locking mechanism comprises a damping piece and a driving assembly, part of the driving assembly is arranged outside the shell, and the damping piece is arranged in the shell and is positioned between the driving assembly and the hub;

the drive assembly has a locked state and an unlocked state and is switchable between the locked state and the unlocked state; the drive assembly in the locked state is capable of driving the damping member to apply an elastic force to the hub to prevent the hub from rotating relative to the housing; the drive assembly in the unlocked state is capable of releasing the damper from the hub to permit rotation of the hub relative to the housing.

Optionally, the damping member includes a first damping member and a second damping member, and the first damping member and the second damping member are disposed on opposite sides of the hub; the first damping piece is connected with the driving assembly and is abutted with the hub, and the second damping piece is abutted with the hub;

the driving assembly in the locking state can drive the first damping piece and the second damping piece to elastically deform, and the elastic force can be applied to the hub after the first damping piece and the second damping piece elastically deform.

Optionally, the second damping member is disposed between the hub and the housing and is connected to or abutted against the housing;

the driving assembly in the locking state is used for compressing the first damping piece, and the first damping piece after compression deformation can drive the hub to compress the second damping piece so as to enable the second damping piece to elastically deform;

the drive assembly in the unlocked state is configured to release the first damping member such that a first gap is provided between the first damping member and the hub.

Optionally, the driving assembly includes a connecting rod and a handle, the handle is disposed outside the housing, one end of the connecting rod is connected with the first damping member, and the other end is connected with the handle; the handle is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing to drive the connecting rod to compress the first damping member.

Optionally, the locking mechanism further comprises a limit sleeve, one end of the limit sleeve is connected with the shell, and the connecting rod passes through the limit sleeve and is connected with the handle; one of the connecting rod and the limiting sleeve is provided with a convex part along the circumferential direction of the connecting rod, the other one of the connecting rod and the limiting sleeve is provided with a concave part along the circumferential direction of the connecting rod, and the convex part can be matched with the concave part so as to limit the connecting rod in the axial direction and the circumferential direction of the connecting rod.

Optionally, the top wall of the protrusion includes a first threaded surface and a first flat surface that are connected; the top wall of the concave part comprises a second flat table surface, a second threaded surface and a third flat table surface which are sequentially connected, and the length of the third flat table surface in the circumferential direction is the sum of the length of the first flat table surface and the length of the first threaded surface;

when the connecting rod rotates to an extreme position along a first direction in the circumferential direction, the first threaded surface and the second threaded surface are matched, the first platform surface is abutted against the second platform surface, and the side wall of the convex part adjacent to the first platform surface is abutted against the inner wall of the concave part adjacent to the second platform surface;

when the connecting rod rotates to a limit position along a second direction in the circumferential direction, the first threaded surface and the first platform surface are opposite to the third platform surface, the first platform surface is abutted against the third platform surface, and the side wall adjacent to the first threaded surface on the convex part and the side wall adjacent to the second threaded surface on the concave part are abutted against each other; the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

Optionally, the locking mechanism further comprises a spring disposed between the handle and the housing and configured to provide a resilient force to the handle away from the housing to release the first damping member from the hub when the drive assembly is in the unlocked state; the spring is in an initial compression state, the pitch of the spring is 1 mm-2 mm, and/or the wire diameter of the spring is 0.1 mm-0.5 mm.

Optionally, the hub is provided with a first groove for accommodating the first damping member, the first damping member is provided with a second groove for accommodating the connecting rod, and the depth of the second groove in the axial direction of the hub is greater than 3mm.

Optionally, a third groove for accommodating the second damping piece is formed in the shell, and the distance between the upper surface of the third groove and the upper surface of the second damping piece in the axial direction of the hub is 0.5-2 mm;

the second damping piece is of a fan-shaped structure, the central angle of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 40 degrees, the thickness of the fan-shaped structure in the radial direction of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 3mm, and the height of the fan-shaped structure in the axial direction of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 2mm.

Optionally, the endoscope further comprises a damping mechanism comprising a third damping member arranged between the housing and the hub and adapted to define a driving force when the hub rotates relative to the housing.

Optionally, the hub is provided with a through hole and a mounting groove, and the mounting groove is communicated with the through hole; the number of the mounting grooves and the number of the third damping pieces are multiple, the mounting grooves are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the hub, and each mounting groove is used for accommodating a corresponding third damping piece;

the damping mechanism further comprises a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft is connected with the shell, the rotating shaft is used for penetrating the through hole and is in butt joint with the third damping piece, and a second gap is reserved between the outer wall of the rotating shaft and the inner wall of the through hole.

Optionally, the damping member includes a first damping member and a second damping member, where the first damping member and the second damping member are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the hub;

the first damping piece, the second damping piece and the third damping piece are made of at least one of silica gel and rubber, and/or the hardness of the first damping piece, the second damping piece and the third damping piece is 60-90 HD.

The endoscope comprises a bending part, an inserting part and an operating part which are sequentially connected from a proximal end to a distal end, wherein the operating part comprises a hub, a shell and a locking mechanism, part of the hub is arranged in the shell, and the hub can rotate relative to the shell so as to control the bending part to bend; the locking mechanism comprises a damping member and a driving assembly; a portion of the drive assembly is disposed outside of the housing, and the damping member is disposed within the housing and between the drive assembly and the hub. The drive assembly in the locked state is capable of driving the damping member to apply an elastic force to the hub to prevent the hub from rotating relative to the housing.

The device is characterized in that the damping piece is arranged on the inner side of the endoscope, and the damping piece is connected with the inner side of the endoscope.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an endoscope in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the hub and locking mechanism in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic axial cross-section of a portion of the operating section in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of the lower housing and the rotating shaft in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a second damper according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a connecting rod according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of the upper housing and the spacing sleeve according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an axial cross-sectional view of a portion of an operating portion in another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a hub according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals are described as follows:

an operation unit 10; a bending portion 20; an insertion portion 30; a cable 40; a plug 50;

a hub 1; a hub body 11; a through hole 12; a mounting groove 13; a push rod 14; a cable accommodation groove 15; a cable fixing groove 16; a housing 2; an upper case 21; a lower housing 22; a second limiting surface 23; a stopper 24;

a locking mechanism 3; a first damper 31; a second damping member 32; a handle 33; a connecting rod 34; a first sidewall 341; a first thread face 342; a first platform surface 343; a first stage 344; a second stage 345; a third stage 346; a first limit surface 347; a limit sleeve 35; a second sidewall 351; a second flat table 352; a second thread face 353; a third platform surface 354; a spring 36;

a damping mechanism 4; a third damper 41; a rotation shaft 42; a spacer 43; and a fastener 44.

Detailed Description

The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and the specific examples. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are all to a non-precise scale, merely for convenience and clarity in aiding in the description of embodiments of the invention.

The terms "center," "longitudinal," "transverse," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counter-clockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," etc. refer to an orientation or positional relationship based on that shown in the drawings, merely for convenience of description and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.

In the present invention, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and include, for example, either fixedly attached, detachably attached, or integrally formed; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly, or through an intermediary, may be internal to the two elements or in an interactive relationship with the two elements, unless explicitly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two or three or more, etc.

As used in this specification, the term "proximal" generally refers to the end that is proximal to a doctor or operator; the term "distal" is opposite "proximal" and generally refers to an end that is distal from a medical or operator. As used in this specification, the term "axial" refers to a direction along the axis of the hub or connecting rod; the term "circumferential" refers to a direction about the axis of the hub or connecting rod; the term "transverse" refers to a direction perpendicular to the hub or connecting rod axis.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings and a preferred embodiment. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be complemented or combined with each other without conflict.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an endoscope including a bending portion 20, an insertion portion 30, and an operation portion 10 connected in this order from a proximal end to a distal end, the operation portion 10 including a hub 1, a housing 2, and a locking mechanism 3, a part of the hub 1 being disposed in the housing 2, the hub 1 being rotatable relative to the housing 2 to control bending of the bending portion 20. The locking mechanism 3 comprises a damping member and a driving assembly, part of which is arranged outside the housing 2 and is connected or in abutment with the housing 2, said damping member being arranged inside the housing 2, in particular between the driving assembly and the hub 1. In one embodiment, the damping member is connected to the driving assembly and abuts against the hub 1; in another embodiment, the damping member is connected to the housing 2 and abuts the drive assembly and the hub 1, respectively.

The drive assembly has a locked state and an unlocked state and is switchable between the locked state and the unlocked state. The drive assembly in the locked state is capable of driving the damping member to apply an elastic force to the hub 1 to prevent the hub 1 from rotating relative to the housing 2. The drive assembly in the unlocked state enables the damping member to release the hub 1 (even if the damping member does not exert an elastic force on the hub 1) to allow the hub 1 to rotate relative to the housing 2. So set up, the operation portion 10 of endoscope can prevent hub 1 from the rotation that takes place because of the maloperation through locking mechanical system 3, the operator can drive the damping piece through the drive assembly and release elastic force to the hub to realize the locking operation of hub 1 (even the hub 1 can not continue to rotate for shell 2), so can ensure the accurate control of stopping of rotating of operator to the endoscope, and can prevent the change of the distal end bending angle of endoscope that the maloperation of operator leads to, still can reduce the risk that endoscope bending position kick-backs (i.e. the distal end of endoscope moves towards the risk of opposite direction of bending direction), ensure the security and the reliability in the endoscope use simultaneously.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, in a preferred embodiment, the number of damping members is two, specifically including a first damping member 31 and a second damping member 32, where the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 are disposed on opposite sides of the hub 1, and the first damping member 31 is connected to the driving assembly and abuts against the hub 1. The second damper 32 abuts the hub 1. The driving assembly in the locking state can drive the first damping piece 31 and the second damping piece 32 to elastically deform, and the first damping piece 31 and the second damping piece 32 can apply the elastic force to the hub 1 after being elastically deformed, namely, the first damping piece 31 and the second damping piece 32 are both elastically deformed so as to clamp the hub 1 together; the drive assembly in the unlocked state is used to release the first damping member 31, at which time the drive assembly does not compress the first damping member 31 to elastically deform it to enable the hub 1 to rotate relative to the housing 2. It should be understood that the elastic force released by the damping member to the hub is the force generated by the damping member to the adjacent component (e.g., hub 1) for restoring to the original state after the elastic deformation of the damping member.

The materials for preparing the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 are not limited, and the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 may be prepared from one or more materials selected from silicone rubber, rubber and TPU, so as to have appropriate hardness. In the present application, the hardness of the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 is preferably 60 to 90HD.

The shapes of the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 are not limited, and the shapes of the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 include, but are not limited to, circular, square, oval and fan-shaped, and can be configured to be shaped, and an operator can select the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 with proper shapes according to the elastic force required when the hub 1 is locked.

In a specific example, when the drive assembly is in the unlocked state, there is a first gap between the first damping member 31 and the hub 1 to enable the first damping member 31 to release the hub 1. The size of the first gap is not limited, and the first gap may be set to 0.5mm, 1mm or 2mm as required.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3, a second damping member 32 is disposed between the hub 1 and the housing 2 and is connected or abutted with the housing 2. In the present embodiment, the housing 2 includes the upper housing 21 and the lower housing 22, and the second damper 32 is connected or abutted with the lower housing 21. The driving assembly in the locked state is used for compressing the first damping member 31 so as to enable the first damping member 31 to elastically deform, the first damping member 31 after compression deformation can drive the hub 1 to compress the second damping member 32 so as to enable the second damping member 32 to elastically deform, and the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 after elastic deformation can release elastic force to the hub 1 so as to prevent the hub 1 from continuously rotating.

It should be understood that the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 need to be disposed at opposite sides of the same or adjacent positions in the circumferential direction of the hub 1 at this time to ensure that the second damping member 32 can be compressed after the hub 1 is compressed, and to enable the second damping member 32 to apply an elastic force to the hub 1 of a sufficient magnitude to enable the hub 1 to stop rotating under the dual elastic force applied by the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32.

In other embodiments, the second damping member 32 is also coupled to the drive assembly, and is configured such that the drive assembly compresses the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32, respectively, such that the first damping member 31 and the second damping member 32 cooperate to clamp the hub 1.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the second damping member 32 is preferably of a fan-shaped configuration. In order to ensure that the second damping element 32 is able to exert a sufficient elastic force on the hub 1, the central angle β of the fan-shaped structure is greater than 40 °, preferably β is 60 °, and the thickness L1 of the fan-shaped structure in its radial direction is greater than 3mm, preferably L1 is 5mm; the height H1 of the fan-shaped structure in the axial direction of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 2mm, and H1 is preferably 3mm.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, the driving assembly includes a connection rod and a handle 33, the handle 33 is disposed outside the housing 2, one end of the connection rod is connected to the first damping member 31, and the other end is connected to the handle 33 through the upper housing 21.

Referring to fig. 3 and 6, in a preferred embodiment, the handle 33 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the upper housing 21 to drive the connecting rod to compress the first damping member 31 in its own axial direction, thereby elastically deforming the first damping member 31.

In another preferred embodiment, the connecting rod is also slidably connected to the upper housing 21, in which case the handle 33 is configured to move axially along itself so that the connecting rod 34 compresses the first damping member 31.

As shown in fig. 3 and 7, the locking mechanism 3 further includes a limit sleeve 35, one end of the limit sleeve 35 is connected to the upper housing 21, and the connecting rod 34 passes through the limit sleeve 35 and is connected to the handle 33.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in a specific embodiment, the connecting rod 34 is provided with a convex portion (not numbered) along its own circumference, and the limit sleeve 35 is provided with a concave portion (not numbered) along its own circumference, in which the convex portion is located. The male portion can cooperate with the female portion to limit the connecting rod 34 itself axially and circumferentially.

Specifically, the convex portion is rotatable in a concave portion for defining a rotation angle of the convex portion, that is, a rotation angle of the connecting rod 34 with respect to the upper housing 21, and for restricting movement of the convex portion (that is, the connecting rod 34) in the axial direction.

In another embodiment, the connecting rod 34 is provided with a concave portion along its own circumference, and the limit sleeve 35 is provided with a convex portion along its own circumference, and can limit the axial direction and the circumferential direction of the connecting rod 34 by the cooperation of the convex portion and the concave portion.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in combination with fig. 3, the protrusion includes a first top wall and two first side walls 341, wherein the first top wall is respectively adjacent to the two first side walls 341, and the first top wall includes a first threaded surface 342 and a first flat surface 343 which are connected. Preferably, the first flat surface 343 is perpendicular to the axis of the connecting rod 34, and the first flat surface 343 is flush with the first threaded surface 342 closest to the handle 33. The recess includes a second top wall and two second side walls 351, wherein the second top wall is adjacent to the two second side walls 351, respectively, the second top wall includes a second land 352, a second thread surface 353, and a third land 354 connected in sequence, and the length of the third land 354 in the circumferential direction is the sum of the length of the first land 343 and the length of the first thread surface 342.

In more detail, when the connecting rod 34 is rotated to the limit position in the first direction in the circumferential direction, the first screw thread surface 342 and the second screw thread surface 353 are engaged, and the first flat surface 343 abuts against the second flat surface 352 to axially limit the connecting rod 34. The first side wall 341 on the convex portion adjacent to the first flat surface 343 and the second side wall 351 on the concave portion adjacent to the second flat surface 352 abut against each other to limit the connecting rod 34 in the circumferential direction. At this time, the shape of the first region formed by the second land 352, the second screw surface 353, and the adjacent second side wall 351 on the concave portion matches the shape of the convex portion 351, and when the convex portion rotates in the first direction in the circumferential direction to the limit position, the convex portion is located in the first region of the concave portion.

When the connecting rod 34 rotates to the limit position along the second direction in the circumferential direction, the first threaded surface 342 and the first flat surface 343 are opposite to the third flat surface 354, and the first flat surface 343 abuts against the third flat surface 354 to limit the connecting rod 34 in the axial direction. The first side wall 341 of the protrusion adjacent to the first thread surface 342 and the second side wall 351 of the recess adjacent to the second thread surface 353 abut to limit the connecting rod 34 in the circumferential direction. At this time, the shape of the second region formed by the third land 354 on the concave portion and the adjacent second side wall 351 also matches the shape of the convex portion 351, and when the convex portion rotates in the second direction in the circumferential direction to the limit position, the convex portion is located in the second region of the concave portion.

The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the first direction is a counterclockwise direction and the second direction is a clockwise direction. In other embodiments, the first direction may also be clockwise and the second direction may also be counter-clockwise.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in a preferred embodiment, the connecting rod 34 has a stepped structure including a first stage 344, a second stage 345 and a third stage 346 connected in series in the axial direction, and the outer diameters of the first stage 344, the second stage 345 and the third stage 346 are sequentially increased. Wherein the first stage 344 is for connection to the handle 33 and the third stage 346 is for connection to the first damping member 31.

In this embodiment, the end of the first stage 344 facing the handle 33 is configured as a square structure, and when actually assembled, the square structure of the first stage 344 may be inserted into a receiving hole (not numbered) of the handle 33, and the handle 33 and the connecting rod 34 may be connected by screwing, snapping, gluing or other suitable means.

In more detail, the protrusion is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the second stage 345. The upper casing 21 is provided with a mounting hole (not numbered) for the connecting rod 34 to pass through, and the connecting rod 34 passes through the limiting sleeve 35 and the mounting hole in sequence and then is connected with the handle 33, and the diameter of the mounting hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the limiting sleeve 35. Wherein the stop sleeve 35 is adapted to cooperate with a second stage 345, the end of the second stage 345 facing the first stage 344 having a first stop face 347 (see fig. 6), and the upper housing 21 having a second stop face 23 (see fig. 7) for cooperation with the stop sleeve 35. The first limiting surface 347 is adapted to mate with the second limiting surface 23 of the upper housing 21 during actual installation to limit movement of the connecting rod 34 away from the hub 1.

Referring to fig. 3, the hub 1 is provided with a first groove (not numbered) for accommodating the first damping member 31, and the first damping member 31 is provided with a second groove (not numbered) for accommodating the connecting rod 34, and the connecting rod 34 may be fastened in the second groove by screwing or gluing, preferably gluing. The second groove has a depth in the axial direction of the hub 1 of more than 3mm to prevent the first damping member 31 from coming out of the first groove when the first damping member 31 is not compressing the hub 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the second damping member 32 is fixedly coupled to the lower housing 22, such as by screwing, snapping, or gluing the second damping member 32 to the lower housing 22.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in a preferred embodiment, the lower housing 22 is provided with a stopper 24 for receiving the second damping member 32, the stopper 24 having a third recess (not numbered) in which the second damping member 32 is disposed, and the second damping member 32 may be fastened by screw fastening or gluing, preferably gluing. The distance H2 between the upper surface of the third groove and the upper surface of the second damping member 32 (i.e., the surfaces of the third groove and the second damping member 32 away from the hub 1) in the axial direction of the hub 1 is 0.5mm to 2mm, so as to ensure that the second damping member 32 has a sufficient compression stroke to apply a sufficient elastic force to the hub 1 after the second damping member 32 is elastically deformed when the hub 1 compresses the second damping member 32.

Referring back to fig. 3, the locking mechanism 3 further includes a spring 36, the spring 36 being disposed between the handle 33 and the upper housing 21 and being configured to provide an elastic force to the handle 33 away from the housing 2. After the spring 36 is installed, since the handle 33 is connected to the connecting rod 34, the handle 33 can move the connecting rod 34 and the first damping member 31 away from the hub 1 when the driving assembly is in the unlocked state, so that the first damping member 31 can release the hub 1 when the driving assembly is in the unlocked state, so that the hub 1 can rotate relative to the housing 2 (including the upper housing 21 and the lower housing 22).

In the present embodiment, the spring 36 is in an initial compressed state (i.e., the spring 36 is in a compressed state when installed), so that the spring 36 in a compressed state can always apply an elastic force to the handle 33 to keep the handle 33 away from the upper housing 21.

In order to make the elastic force of the spring 36 small without causing the handle 33 to separate from the connecting rod 34, the pitch of the spring 36 is preferably 1mm to 2mm, for example, may be set to 1.2mm; the wire diameter of the spring 36 is preferably 0.1mm to 0.5mm, and may be set to 0.2mm, for example.

As described in the background, in the operation section of the endoscope, when the drive assembly is in the unlocked state, the operator can achieve adjustment of the distal bending angle of the endoscope by rotating the hub 1. When the operator rotates the hub 1, since the hub 1 can be rotated relatively easily, it is often difficult for the operator to precisely control the rotation angle of the hub 1 and thus the bending angle of the distal end of the endoscope. In addition, when the distal end of the endoscope needs to be maintained at a predetermined bending angle, since the hub 1 can be rotated relatively easily, the hub 1 is often rotated due to an unintentional touching by an operator during an operation, thereby causing a medical accident.

To solve the above-described problems, referring to fig. 8 and 9, the endoscope further includes a damper mechanism 4, and the damper mechanism 4 includes a third damper 41, the third damper 41 being disposed between the housing 2 and the hub 1 and configured to define a driving force when the hub 1 rotates relative to the housing 2. When the hub 1 rotates relative to the housing 2, the third damping member 41 is in a compressed state, thereby providing damping between the hub 1 and the housing 2. With this arrangement, the operator needs a driving force of a sufficient magnitude to rotate the hub 1, so that the safety of the operation of the hub 1 can be improved. It should be understood that the driving force when the hub 1 rotates relative to the housing 2 refers to the minimum external force that needs to be applied to rotate the hub 1 relative to the housing 2.

The position of the third damper 41 is not limited in the present application, and the third damper 41 may be provided only by ensuring a predetermined driving force when the hub 1 rotates relative to the housing 2.

The third damping member 41 is arranged between the hub 1 and the housing 2, so that an operator needs a driving force of a preset size when rotating the hub 1, the risk of rotating the hub 1 due to misoperation of the operator can be reduced, and the safety and reliability of an operation process are ensured. In actual use, the third damping member 41 with suitable hardness can be arranged between the hub 1 and the housing 2, so that the damping received by the hub 1 during rotation is moderate, thus the hub 1 can be rotated by an operator to have suitable hand feeling, the risk of misoperation of the operator can be reduced, the fatigue caused by overlarge driving force when the operator operates the hub can be reduced, and the comfort of the operator during use can be improved.

With continued reference to fig. 8 and 9, in a preferred embodiment, the hub 1 includes a hub body 11, with the hub body 11 having a through hole 12 and a mounting slot 13 formed therein, the mounting slot 13 preferably having a shape that matches the shape of the third damping member 41 (i.e., the shape of the mounting slot 13 corresponds to or is similar to the shape of the third damping member 41). The mounting groove 13 communicates with the through hole 12 and serves to accommodate the third damper 41, i.e., the third damper 41 is placed in the mounting groove 13. The damping mechanism 4 further includes a rotation shaft 42, where the rotation shaft 42 is connected to the lower housing 22, and the rotation shaft 42 penetrates the through hole 12 and abuts against the third damping member 41, and a second gap is formed between an outer wall of the rotation shaft 42 and an inner wall of the through hole 12, so that the third damping member 41 is compressed when the hub 1 rotates, thereby providing damping for the rotation of the hub 1.

The material for preparing the third damping member 41 is not limited in this application, and the third damping member 41 may be prepared from one or more materials selected from silicone rubber, rubber or TPU so as to have a suitable hardness. In the present application, the hardness of the third damper 41 is preferably 60 to 90HD. The shape of the third damping member 341 is not limited in this application, and the third damping member 41 may be provided in a circular shape, a rectangular shape, a concave shape, or other suitable shape, preferably a rectangular structure.

Preferably, the number of the mounting grooves 13 and the number of the third damping members 41 are plural, the plurality of mounting grooves 13 are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the hub 1, and each mounting groove 13 is used for accommodating a corresponding one of the third damping members 41. In the present embodiment, the number of the mounting grooves 13 and the third damping members 41 is 2, and the third damping members 41 are square in structure and symmetrically arranged along the axis of the hub 1.

Referring to fig. 8, the damping mechanism 4 further includes a gasket 43 and a fastener 44 (e.g., a screw), the gasket 43 being disposed at an end of the third damping member 41, the fastener 44 being for fixing the gasket 43 to seal the third damping member 41 in the mounting groove 13 by the gasket 43.

Referring to fig. 1, the endoscope further includes a bending portion 20 and an insertion portion 30, the bending portion 20, the insertion portion 30, and the operation portion 10 are sequentially connected, and the operation portion 10 is used to control a bending angle of the bending portion 20.

Further, the insertion portion 30 includes a braided tube and an inner instrument passage tube, which is hollow and is provided inside the braided tube, and the braided tube is connected to the operation portion 10. The bending portion 20 includes a head end socket, a camera module, and a snake bone tube having a hollow structure for receiving an internal instrument channel tube and cable extending therein. The head end seat is arranged on the snake bone tube and connected with the internal instrument channel tube. The head end seat is used for installing the camera module, the camera module provides the function of making a video recording and taking a picture for electronic endoscope. The snake bone tube is of a bendable structure, is connected with the traction rope, and can be used for adjusting the bending angle of the snake bone tube by stretching or loosening the traction rope. The traction rope is connected with the hub 1, and stretching or loosening of the traction rope can be achieved by rotating the hub 1.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the endoscope further includes a connection portion connected to the other end of the operation portion 10 remote from the insertion portion 30. The connecting part comprises a cable 40, a control chip and a plug 50, one end of the cable 40 passes through the operating part 10 and the inserting part 30 and stretches into the bending part 20 to be connected with the camera module, the other end of the cable 40 is connected with the plug 50, and the control chip can be arranged on the plug 50. The cable 40 is used for transmitting power and control signals of the endoscope, and the control chip is used for receiving control signals of an image processor matched with the endoscope and sending acquired image data to the image processor.

Referring to fig. 1 and 9, in the present embodiment, the hub 1 further includes a push rod 14 connected to the hub body 11, and an operator can control bending of the endoscope bending portion 20 by rotating the push rod 14 to effect rotation of the hub 1. The hub body 11 is further provided with a cable accommodating groove 15 and a cable fixing groove 16, wherein the cable accommodating groove 15 is used for accommodating the cable 40, and the cable fixing groove 16 is used for fixing the cable 40.

In summary, the endoscope provided by the invention can release the elastic force to the hub through the driving assembly driving the damping piece, thereby realizing the locking operation of the hub, ensuring the accurate rotation stop control of an operator on the endoscope, preventing the change of the bending angle of the distal end of the endoscope caused by misoperation of the operator, reducing the risk of rebound of the bending part of the endoscope, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the endoscope in the use process.

The above description is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any alterations and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An endoscope comprising a bending part, an inserting part and an operating part which are sequentially connected from a proximal end to a distal end, wherein the operating part comprises a hub, a shell and a locking mechanism; a portion of the hub is disposed within the housing, the hub being rotatable relative to the housing to control bending of the bending portion; the locking mechanism comprises a damping piece and a driving assembly, part of the driving assembly is arranged outside the shell, and the damping piece is arranged in the shell and is positioned between the driving assembly and the hub;

2. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the damping member comprises a first damping member and a second damping member, the first damping member and the second damping member being disposed on opposite sides of the hub; the first damping piece is connected with the driving assembly and is abutted with the hub, and the second damping piece is abutted with the hub;

3. The endoscope of claim 2, wherein the second damping member is disposed between the hub and the housing and is connected to or in abutment with the housing;

4. The endoscope of claim 2, wherein the drive assembly comprises a connecting rod and a handle, the handle being disposed outside the housing, one end of the connecting rod being connected to the first damping member and the other end being connected to the handle; the handle is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing to drive the connecting rod to compress the first damping member.

5. The endoscope of claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a limit sleeve, one end of the limit sleeve being connected to the housing, the connecting rod passing through the limit sleeve and being connected to the handle; one of the connecting rod and the limiting sleeve is provided with a convex part along the circumferential direction of the connecting rod, the other one of the connecting rod and the limiting sleeve is provided with a concave part along the circumferential direction of the connecting rod, and the convex part can be matched with the concave part so as to limit the connecting rod in the axial direction and the circumferential direction of the connecting rod.

6. The endoscope of claim 5, wherein the top wall of the boss comprises a first threaded surface and a first planar surface connected; the top wall of the concave part comprises a second flat table surface, a second threaded surface and a third flat table surface which are sequentially connected, and the length of the third flat table surface in the circumferential direction is the sum of the length of the first flat table surface and the length of the first threaded surface;

7. The endoscope of claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a spring disposed between the handle and the housing and configured to provide a resilient force to the handle away from the housing to release the first damping member from the hub when the drive assembly is in the unlocked state; the spring is in an initial compression state, the pitch of the spring is 1 mm-2 mm, and/or the wire diameter of the spring is 0.1 mm-0.5 mm.

8. The endoscope of claim 4, wherein the hub is provided with a first groove for receiving the first damping member, and wherein the first damping member is provided with a second groove for receiving the connecting rod, and wherein the second groove has a depth of more than 3mm in an axial direction of the hub.

9. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein a third groove for accommodating the second damper is provided on the housing, and a distance between an upper surface of the third groove and an upper surface of the second damper in an axial direction of the hub is 0.5mm to 2mm; the second damping piece is of a fan-shaped structure, the central angle of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 40 degrees, the thickness of the fan-shaped structure in the radial direction of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 3mm, and the height of the fan-shaped structure in the axial direction of the fan-shaped structure is larger than 2mm.

10. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising a damping mechanism including a third damping member disposed between the housing and the hub and configured to limit a driving force upon rotation of the hub relative to the housing.

11. The endoscope of claim 10, wherein the hub is provided with a through hole and a mounting groove, the mounting groove being in communication with the through hole; the number of the mounting grooves and the number of the third damping pieces are multiple, the mounting grooves are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the hub, and each mounting groove is used for accommodating a corresponding third damping piece;

12. The endoscope of claim 10, wherein the damping member comprises a first damping member and a second damping member, the first damping member and the second damping member being disposed on opposite sides of the hub, respectively;