JP2001309883A - Equipment for manipulating to make rotating movement and equipment for operating endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a equipment for manipulating to make rotating movements which has a simple structure to prevent a material for manipulating to make rotating movements from falling off and to control positions for rotating movements. SOLUTION: The equipment is provided with the following part: A material for manipulating to make rotating movements is fitted in a center axis for manipulating, while it can make rotating movements. A material to prevent falling off is fixed to an end of the center axis for manipulating and prevents the material for manipulating to make rotating movements from falling off in a direction of an axis line. A part for controlling circular movements controls the extent of circular movements as the part of the material for manipulating to make rotating movements is contacted by the material to prevent falling off. An indented part for clicking mates with a clicking spring, which makes rotating movements with the material for manipulating to make rotating movements, when the rotating movements of the material for manipulating to make rotating movements is controlled by the part for controlling rotating movements.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotation operation device having a rotation operation member and an endoscope operation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In endoscopes, rotary operating members such as knobs and levers are often used as operating devices. For example, an endoscope of a type capable of bending the distal end of an insertion portion inserted into an observation target such as a body cavity, and a rotating operation member for a lock operation for fixing the distal end of the insertion portion in a specific bending state. Some have been used.

By the way, this kind of rotating operation member is usually
It is held via a retaining mechanism so as not to drop off in the axial direction with respect to the operation center axis (rotating axis). Further, the above-mentioned rotation operation member for locking the endoscope often has a rotation position control mechanism for giving a click feeling at the locked position and the unlocked (unlocked) position to restrict the rotation, The provision of the rotation position control mechanism and the retaining mechanism tends to complicate the configuration around the rotation operation member.

Further, as a retaining mechanism for the rotating operation member, a structure in which an annular retaining member made of a member separate from the operation central shaft is fitted to the shaft end of the operation central shaft is well known. In such a structure in which the center shaft and the annular member are fitted, the fitting portion has a clearance (play) in a plane direction orthogonal to the axis of the operation center shaft, but the retaining member is attached to the operation center shaft. Then, it is desirable to prevent rattling due to the clearance.

[0005] The above problems are common to all operating devices using the same kind of rotating operating member, in addition to the operating device for an endoscope.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary operating device and an endoscope operating device which have a simple structure and can prevent the rotary operating member from coming off and control the rotary position. The present invention also provides
It is an object of the present invention to obtain a rotation operation device and an endoscope operation device that can stably hold a retaining member with respect to an operation center axis with a simple configuration.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A rotary operating device according to the present invention comprises a rotary operating member rotatably mounted on a central operating shaft;
A stopper member fixed to the shaft end of the operation center shaft and preventing the rotation operation member from coming off in the axial direction with respect to the operation center shaft; and the stopper member causes a part of the rotation operation member to abut. A rotation restricting portion that restricts the pivotable range of the lever, and when the rotation of the rotating operation member is restricted by the rotation restricting portion,
A click recess engaged with a click spring that rotates together with the rotating operation member. According to this configuration, since the retaining member also functions as a mechanism for controlling the rotation position of the rotation operation member, the number of components can be reduced, the configuration can be simplified, and the cost of the rotation operation device can be reduced. .

[0008] In this rotation operating device, it is preferable that the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are located at substantially opposing positions in the radial direction with respect to the operation center axis. Further, when the locking position of the rotation operation member is two positions, the retaining member is provided with a pair of the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion, respectively. It is preferable that the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion are located at substantially opposing positions in the radial direction with respect to the operation center axis. Further, it is preferable that the click spring presses the retaining member in a direction approaching the axis of the operation center axis. According to the above configuration, the retaining member is elastically clamped in the radial direction by a part of the rotating operation member and the click spring, so that the retaining member is stably held without rattling with respect to the operation center axis. Can be done.

As a structure for attaching the retaining member to the operation center shaft, for example, the shaft end of the operation center shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and a non-circular cross-section hole fitted to the shaft end of the non-circular cross-section is prevented. The retaining member can be formed in a member and fixed to the shaft end so as to be immovable in the axial direction by a fixing screw.

For example, an insertion portion that can be bent and inserted into an observation target and a bending operation member that is provided to be rotatable and coaxial with the rotation operation member and that bends the distal end of the insertion portion by the rotation operation. In the endoscope provided, the above-described rotation operation device can be applied to a lock operation member that restricts or permits the rotation operation of the bending operation member according to the rotation operation.

[0011] The rotation operating device of the present invention also includes an operation center axis; a rotation operation member fitted to the operation center axis so as to be rotatable; a radial direction sandwiching the operation center axis between the rotation operation member; And a click spring having a biasing force in a direction approaching the first rotation restricting portion, which is provided at a position substantially opposed to the first rotation restricting portion; A stopper member for preventing the rotation operation member from coming off in the axial direction with respect to the rotation control member; and a rotation restriction member provided on the stopper member for abutting a rotation restriction projection of the rotation operation member to restrict a rotatable range thereof. And a click concave portion with which a click spring is engaged when the rotation of the rotation operation member is restricted by the rotation restriction surface. According to this configuration, the components of the retaining mechanism for the rotation operating member and the rotation position control mechanism are shared, so that the configuration can be simplified, and the retaining spring is provided by the click spring and the rotation restricting projection on the rotation operating member side. Is held in the radial direction, so that the retaining member can be stably held with respect to the operation center axis.

In this rotation operating device, a pair of the rotation restricting surface of the retaining member and the click recess are provided at positions different from each other in a circumferential direction about the operation center axis. It is desirable that the click recess and the pair of click recesses are located at positions substantially opposing each other in the radial direction with respect to the rotation control surface and the click recess.

The present invention also relates to an endoscope operating device having an insertion portion to be inserted into an observation target and capable of bending the distal end of the insertion portion. An endoscope operating device according to the present invention is provided so as to be rotatable about an operation center axis, and is a bending operation member that bends a distal end of an insertion portion by the rotation operation; A lock operation member for restricting or permitting the rotation operation of the bending operation member by the rotation operation; and a lock operation member fixed to the shaft end of the operation center axis, and the lock operation member is removed in the axial direction with respect to the operation center axis. A locking member for stopping the lock operating member, the locking member being in contact with a part of the lock operation member to restrict the rotatable range thereof, and the rotation of the lock operation member by the rotation restricting portion. And a click recess that engages with a click spring that rotates together with the lock operation member when is restricted. According to this configuration, similarly to the above-described rotary operation device, the number of components of the endoscope operation device can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified.

In this endoscope operating device, it is preferable that the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are disposed at substantially opposite positions in the radial direction with the operation center axis interposed therebetween. A pair of each of the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion which are arranged at the substantially opposing positions in the radial direction may be provided. Further, it is preferable that the click spring presses the retaining member in a direction approaching the axis of the operation center axis.

In this endoscope operating device, similarly to the above-described rotary operating device, the shaft end of the operation center shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and the non-circular cross-sectional hole fitted into the shaft end of the non-circular cross-section. Is formed on the retaining member, and the retaining member can be fixed to the shaft end so as to be immovable in the axial direction by the fixing screw.

The present invention also relates to an endoscope operating device having the above-described bending operation member, a lock operation member, and a retaining member for retaining the lock operation member. And a click spring having a biasing force in a direction approaching the rotation restricting protrusion, which is provided at a substantially opposing position in the radial direction with the pinch therebetween. A rotation restricting surface for restricting the rotation range of the projection by abutting the protrusion, and a click recess engaged with a click spring when the rotation of the lock operation member is restricted by the rotation restricting surface. It is characterized by: According to this configuration, since the components of the retaining mechanism for the rotating operation member and the rotating position control mechanism are shared, the configuration of the endoscope operating device can be simplified, and the retaining member can be loosened with respect to the operation center axis. And can be stably held. For example, a pair of the rotation restricting surface and the click concave portion provided on the retaining member corresponding to the rotation restricting protrusion and the click spring at the radially opposed position can be provided.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a medical endoscope operating device. First, the overall structure of the endoscope and the outline of the operation device will be described, and then the characteristic portions of the present invention will be described.

The endoscope 10 shown in FIG. 1 has an operation section 11 and an insertion section 12, and the distal end of the insertion section 12 is moved up and down and left and right in accordance with the operation of a bending operation device 13 provided on the operation section 11. The bending portion 12a is bent in the direction.

At the tip of the curved portion 12a, an observation window (object window) and an illumination window (not shown) are provided. An image obtained through the observation window can be observed from an eyepiece 15 provided near the operation unit 11. Light for illumination is sent from the light source device 17 connected to the connector 14 to the illumination window at the distal end of the curved portion 12a via a flexible light guide tube. A forceps port 18 for inserting a treatment tool is provided between the operation unit 11 and the insertion unit 12, and the treatment tool inserted from the forceps port 18 protrudes from the distal end of the bending portion 12a.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section near the bending operation device 13. The bending operation device 13 includes a left-right bending mechanism 13LR for bending the bending portion 12a in the left-right direction, and the bending portion 1
Vertical bending mechanism 13U for bending vertical direction 2a
D. FIGS. 3 and 4 each show, as one member, a member integrally rotated in the left and right bending mechanism 13LR and the up and down bending mechanism 13UD in order to make the operation of each part easy to understand. In FIG. 3, only the part that is integrally turned in the left and right bending mechanism 13LR is hatched, and in FIG. 4, only the part that is turned integrally in the vertical bending mechanism 13UD is hatched. I have. First, the bending mechanism for the left-right direction will be described.

A board 11b is fixed in the housing 11a of the operation section 11, and a rotation base shaft 20 is fixed on the board 11b. The rotation base shaft 20 includes the housing 1
It protrudes upward through a through hole 11c formed in 1a. The through hole 11c is closed by a lid 11d disposed between a fixed base 50 and the housing 11a, which will be described later.

The right and left bending mechanism 1 is provided outside the rotation base shaft 20.
An operation shaft 21 constituting the 3LR is rotatably supported. The operation shaft body 21 is formed of a metal material, and is fitted into the rotation base shaft 20 and is a cylindrical portion 21 concentric with the rotation base shaft 20.
a and the disc-shaped portion 2 located at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 21a
1b, a plurality of circular holes 21c are formed in the disk-shaped portion 21b at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 5).

A bending operation knob 23, which is a plastic molded product, is fixed to the operation shaft 21. Bending operation knob 2
Reference numeral 3 indicates that four finger hooks 23a protrude in the outer diameter direction at equal angular intervals, and the inside is hollow. Bending operation knob 2
3 has a large-diameter opening 23b on the opposing upper surface and lower surface, respectively.
And a small-diameter opening 23 c are formed, and the small-diameter opening 23 c is fitted in the disc-shaped portion 21 b of the operation shaft 21. In the bending operation knob 23, a plurality of convex portions 23d are formed in the vicinity of the small-diameter opening 23c at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
By welding d in the circular hole 21c, the bending operation knob 23 is fixed to the operation shaft 21.

A pulley 24 is fixed to the lower end of the operating shaft 21. The pulley 24 has a pair of operation wires 2
5 and 26 are fixed, and one of the operation wire 25 and the operation wire 26 is wound around the pulley 24 by the forward and reverse rotation of the pulley 24, and the other is unreeled from the pulley 24. The operation wire 25 and the operation wire 26 are respectively connected to the node rings constituting the bending portion 12a of the insertion portion 12, and the bending portion 12a is moved in the left-right direction by the pulling and extending operations with respect to the operation wire 25 and the operation wire 26. Curved. In the present embodiment, when the combined body of the bending operation knob 23 and the operation shaft body 21 is rotated in the L direction in FIG. 10, the bending portion 12a is bent to the left, and when the combined body is rotated in the R direction. The bending portion 12a is bent rightward.

Next, the vertical bending mechanism will be described.
An operation shaft 31 constituting the up-down bending mechanism 13UD is rotatably supported outside the cylindrical portion 21a of the operation shaft 21. The operation shaft body 31 is formed of a metal material, and is rotatably fitted to the cylindrical portion 21a. The cylindrical portion 31a is concentric with the rotation base shaft 20, and a circle located at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 31a. It has a plate-like portion 31b. A plurality of circular holes 31c are formed in the disk-shaped part 31b at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

A bending operation knob 33 which is a plastic molded product is fixed to the operation shaft 31. Bending operation knob 3
3 has five finger hooks 33a projecting in the outer diameter direction at equal angular intervals, and the inside is formed hollow. Bending operation knob 3
3 has a large-diameter opening 33b on the opposing lower surface and upper surface, respectively.
And a small-diameter opening 33c are formed, and the small-diameter opening 33c is fitted in the disc-shaped portion 31b of the operation shaft body 31. In the bending operation knob 33, a plurality of protrusions 33d are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction near the small diameter opening 33c.
By welding d in the circular hole 31c, the bending operation knob 33 is fixed to the operation shaft 31. In the bending operation knob 33, an annular inner frame 33e made of a metal material is fixed inside the large-diameter opening 33b. The annular inner frame 33e has a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface.

A pulley 34 is provided at the lower end of the operating shaft 31.
Has been fixed. A pair of operation wires 35 and 36 are fixed to the pulley 34, and one of the operation wire 35 and the operation wire 36 is wound around the pulley 34 by the forward and reverse rotation of the pulley 34, and the other is unreeled from the pulley 34. It is. The operation wire 35 and the operation wire 36 are respectively connected to the bending portion 12a of the insertion portion 12, and the bending portion 12a is bent up and down in the vertical direction by the pulling and extending operations between the operation wire 35 and the operation wire 36. In the present embodiment, when the combined body of the bending operation knob 33 and the operation shaft body 31 is rotated in the U direction in FIG.
a is curved upward, and when the joint is rotated in the D direction, the curved portion 12a is curved downward.

Left-right bending mechanism 13LR and up-down bending mechanism 13
Each of the UDs has a bending operation knob 2 by a lock mechanism.
The rotation operation of the insertion portion 12 can be restricted.
Can be brought into a desired curved state. First, the lock mechanism of the left and right bending mechanism 13LR will be described.

At the upper end of the pivot base 20, a pivot base 20 is provided.
A lock shaft 41 provided with a cylindrical portion 41a and a disk-shaped portion 41b concentric with the lock shaft 41 is provided. The cylindrical portion 41a is a rotating base shaft 2.
The lock operation knob 42 is fixed on the disc-shaped portion 41b via a fixing nut 43. When the lock operation knob 42 is rotated from outside, the lock shaft 41 is locked. Are also rotated together. At the upper end of the rotation base shaft 20, a retaining member 44 for preventing the combined body of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42 from falling off is attached. As shown in FIG. 9, a non-circular hole 44c is formed in the center of the retaining member 44, and the upper end of the rotation base shaft 20 is formed in a non-circular cross-sectional shape that can be inserted into the non-circular hole 44c. By fitting the non-circular portion of the lock member 44, the retaining member 44 is supported in a state where the rotation is restricted with respect to the rotation base shaft 20. The retaining member 44 is further fixed by the fixing screw 20a so as not to drop in the axial direction of the rotation base shaft 20.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the combination of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42 is a disc-shaped portion 41b.
A pair of rotation restricting projections 41c are provided on the retaining member 44 at different positions in the circumferential direction.
Can be rotated within the range of contact with The retaining member 44 is further formed with a pair of click concave portions 44b at positions radially opposed to the respective rotation restricting surfaces 44a, and the rotation restricting projections 41c contact the respective rotation restricting surfaces 44a. And the click spring 4 fixed to the lock operation knob 42 at the rotation restricting position of the lock operation knob 42.
5 engages with the click recess 44b at the radially opposite position to give the lock operation knob 42 a click feeling.

A male screw 41d is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41a.
Female screw 46a is screwed. As shown in FIG. 5, a part of the rotation base shaft 20 in the longitudinal direction is formed as a non-circular cross section 22.
The rotation of the movement lock member 46 with respect to the rotation base shaft 20 is restricted by the engagement of the rotation restricting body 47 that is coupled to the movement lock member 46 so as not to rotate relatively. Therefore, when the combined body of the lock operation knob 42 and the lock shaft body 41 is rotated, the movable lock member 46 does not rotate along the axis of the rotation base shaft 20 due to the screwing relationship between the male screw 41d and the female screw 46a. Moved up and down.

When the combination of the lock operation knob 42 and the lock shaft 41 is rotated to move the movable lock member 46 up and down,
A friction engagement portion 46b fixed to the moving lock member 46
The frictional engagement portion 48a fixed to the fixed lock member 48
Approaching / separating from The friction engagement portions 46b and 48a are formed of a material having a high friction coefficient, for example, cork or silicone rubber. The fixed lock member 48 constitutes a part of the bending operation knob 23 so as to cover the large-diameter opening 23b, and when the bending operation knob 23 is rotated, the bending operation knob 2
3 and the operation shaft 21 are rotated. When the movable lock member 46 moves upward and the frictional engagement portion 46b is pressed against the frictional engagement portion 48a, the rotation of the fixed lock member 48 is regulated by the frictional force. Fixed locking member 4
When the rotation of 8 is restricted, the rotation of the combined body of the operation shaft 21 and the bending operation knob 23 is restricted, and the pulley 24 is locked so as not to rotate. As a result, the bending operation of the bending portion 12a in the left-right direction is regulated, and the bending state is maintained.
More specifically, when the lock operation knob 42 is rotated in the F ′ direction (lock direction) in FIG.
Moves upward and frictionally engages with the fixed lock member 48 to restrict the rotation of the bending operation knob 23. When the bending operation knob 23 is rotated in the F direction (free (unlocked) direction), the movable lock member 4
6 moves downward to release the frictional engagement with the fixed lock member 48, and the bending operation knob 23 is allowed to rotate. As described above, the lock operation knob 42 is locked with a click feeling at the two rotation positions. However, the bending operation knob 23 is locked at one click position, and the bending operation knob 23 is locked at the other click position. Is allowed to rotate. This lock operation knob 4
The former rotational position is referred to as a lock position, and the latter rotational position is referred to as an unlock position. Note that the movable lock member 46 and the fixed lock member 48 are each formed in an annular shape, and regardless of the rotational position of the fixed lock member 48 rotated together with the bending operation knob 23, the frictional engagement portion 46b Can be engaged with the frictional engagement portion 48a.

Further, the friction engagement portion 46b has an adjustment screw 49 at a lower portion, and the adjustment screw 49
And is screwed into the screw hole 49a formed in the above. Adjusting screw 49
Is rotated, according to the screwing relationship with the screw hole 49a,
The friction engagement portion 46b is moved vertically with respect to the movement lock member 46. 2 to 4 show the adjusting screw 4.
Although 9 and two screw holes 49a are shown, three or more of them may be provided at different positions in the circumferential direction. When the vertical position of the friction engagement portion 46b changes with respect to the movable lock member 46, the friction engagement force between the friction engagement portion 46b and the friction engagement portion 48a when the lock operation knob 42 is rotated to the lock position is increased. Because of the change, the lock strength with respect to the bending operation knob 23 can be adjusted. For example, bending section 1
Even in the bending state of 2a, the frictional engagement portion 46 is released so that the lock on the bending operation knob 23 is released in response to the external force applied to the bending portion 12a.
It is also possible to set the frictional force between b and the frictional engagement portion 48a. By rotating the fixed lock member 48 to change its vertical position, such a frictional force can be easily adjusted.

Next, the lock mechanism of the vertical bending mechanism 13UD will be described. A fixed pedestal 50 formed in a cylindrical shape concentric with the rotation base shaft 20 is provided outside the operation shaft body 31. The fixed pedestal 50 has its lower end fixed to the substrate 11b together with the rotation base 20. In the space between the fixed pedestal 50 and the rotation base 20, operation shafts 21, 31, and pulleys 24 and 34 are provided. Supported. On the other hand, a lock shaft 51 is supported on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed base 50. The lock shaft body 51 includes a cylindrical portion 51a and a disk-shaped portion 51b concentric with the rotation base shaft 20, and the cylindrical portion 51a is rotatable with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the fixed base 50, and is axially (up and down). Direction) so as not to move. A plurality of circular holes 51c are formed in the disk-shaped portion 51b at different positions in the circumferential direction,
The lock operation lever 52 is fixed by fitting and projecting the convex portion 52a into the circular hole 51c. That is, the lock operation lever 52 and the lock shaft 51 are
It is supported so as to be rotatable around 0 (rotation base shaft 20). Unlike the hollow lock operation knob 42 described above, the lock operation lever 52 is formed in a lever shape that extends long in the radial direction with respect to the axis of the rotation base shaft 20 in order to facilitate the rotation operation. Have been.

The combination of the lock shaft 51 and the lock operation lever 52 is composed of the cylindrical portion 51 a of the lock shaft 51 and the fixed base 5.
The lock spring 55 is locked at two rotation positions by a rotation restriction mechanism (not shown) provided between the click spring 55 and the click spring 55. At each rotation position, the click spring 55 acts as a stopper for generating a click feeling.

A male screw 51d is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 51a.
Female screw 56a is screwed. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the fixed base 50 is formed as a non-circular cross-section 54, and a rotation restricting body 57 fixed to a movement lock member 56 is provided for the non-circular cross-section 54. By the fitting, the rotation of the movable lock member 56 with respect to the fixed base 50 and the rotation base shaft 20 is regulated. Therefore, when the combined body of the lock operation lever 52 and the lock shaft body 51 is rotated, the movable lock member 56 does not rotate along the axis of the rotation base shaft 20 due to the screwing relationship between the male screw 51d and the female screw 56a. Moved up and down. The rotation restricting body 57 may be fixed as a separate member from the movement lock member 56,
A portion corresponding to the rotation restricting body 57 may be formed integrally with the movable lock member 56.

When the movable lock member 56 moves up and down by rotating the combined body of the lock operation lever 52 and the lock shaft 51, the frictional engagement portion 56b formed on a part of the movable lock member 56 is fixedly locked. It comes into contact with and separates from the frictional engagement portion 58a fixed to the member 58. The fixed lock member 58 is engaged with the inner frame 33 e of the bending operation knob 33 so as to rotate integrally in the circumferential direction, and is rotated together when the bending operation knob 33 is rotated. When the movable lock member 56 moves downward and the frictional engagement portion 56b is pressed against the frictional engagement portion 58a, the rotation of the fixed lock member 58 is regulated by the frictional force. When the rotation of the fixed lock member 58 is restricted, the operation shaft 31 and the bending operation knob 33 are controlled.
Is restricted, and the pulley 34 is locked so as not to rotate. As a result, the bending portion 1 in the vertical direction
The bending operation of 2a is regulated, and a specific bending position is maintained. More specifically, when the lock operation lever 52 is rotated in the F ′ direction (lock direction) in FIG. 10, the movable lock member 56 moves downward and frictionally engages with the fixed lock member 58 to perform the bending operation. When the rotation of the knob 33 is restricted and the knob 33 is rotated in the F direction (free (unlocked) direction), the movable lock member 56 moves upward to release the frictional engagement with the fixed lock member 58 and bend. The rotation of the operation knob 33 is allowed.
As described above, the lock operation lever 52 is locked with a click feeling at the two rotation positions, but the bending operation knob 33 is locked at one click position, and the bending operation knob 33 is locked at the other click position. Is allowed to rotate. The former rotation position of the lock operation lever 52 is called a lock position, and the latter rotation position is called an unlock position. The movable lock member 56 and the fixed lock member 58 are each formed in an annular shape, and the frictional engagement portion 5 is provided regardless of the rotational position of the fixed lock member 58 that is rotated together with the bending operation knob 33.
6b can be engaged with the friction engagement portion 58a.

On the other hand, the fixed lock member 58 is connected to the inner frame 33e.
With respect to the vertical direction. A female screw is formed in the inner frame 33e of the bending operation knob 33, and a lock adjustment nut 60 having a male screw to be screwed with the female screw is provided.
Support the fixed lock member 58 from below. When the lock adjustment nut 60 is rotated while restricting the rotation of the combined body of the bending operation knob 33 and the operation shaft body 31, the vertical position of the lock adjustment nut 60 with respect to the inner frame 33e is adjusted. The vertical position of the fixed lock member 58 with respect to the movable lock member 56 can be adjusted. When the vertical position of the fixed lock member 58 changes, the frictional force between the frictional engagement portion 56b and the frictional engagement portion 58a when the lock operation lever 52 is rotated to the lock position changes. Can be adjusted. For example, by adjusting the lock adjustment nut 60, the vertical bending mechanism 13U
It is possible to set the half lock state as described above for D.

The components of the left-right bending mechanism 13LR and the up-down bending mechanism 13UD having the above-described lock mechanism are finally assembled to the operation unit 11 via the rotation base shaft 20. The vertical bending mechanism 13UD is provided with the horizontal bending mechanism 13
The vertical position is determined by being sandwiched between the operation shaft 21 (disc-like portion 21 b) and the pulley 24 constituting the LR, and the upper end of the operation shaft 21 is located at an intermediate position in the axial direction of the rotation base shaft 20. An intermediate retaining member 61 that engages with the portion is provided. The intermediate retaining member 61 holds the entire vertical bending mechanism 13UD and the combined body of the operation shaft 21 and the bending operation knob 23 in the left and right bending mechanism 13LR so as not to fall off from the rotation base shaft 20. Further, the lock shaft member 41 and the lock operation knob 42 located above the bending operation knob 23 are held by the above-described retaining member 44 so as not to fall off the rotation base shaft 20. That is, the rotation base shaft 20
In contrast, the entire bending operation device 13 is held in a state where it is prevented from falling off.

The bending operation device 13 is provided with a sealing material such as an elastic O-ring in order to keep the inside watertight and to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering. Due to its function, the sealing material seals the inside of the housing 11a (reference numeral S1), seals the inside of the bending operation knob 23 (S2), and seals the inside of the bending operation knob 33 (S3). It can be divided into a type that seals the inside of the lock operation knob 42 (S4) and a type that seals between the operation shafts 21 and 31 (S5). For example, when the endoscope 10 is disinfected with a chemical solution, portions exposed to the outside are surely disinfected, but each of the operation knobs 23, 33, and 42 formed in a hollow shape.
The penetration of the chemical solution into the housing 11a of the operation unit 11 is prevented by the seal materials S1 to S5.

[0041]

DESCRIPTION OF THE FEATURES OF THE INVENTION FIGS. 7 to 9 and FIG.
2, the features of the present invention will be described. As described above, the combined body (the rotation operation member and the lock operation member) of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42 integrated via the fixing nut 43 is rotated by the rotation between the lock position and the unlock position. In addition, the rotation of the combined body (curving operation member) of the operation shaft 21 and the bending operation knob 23 on the side of the left and right bending mechanism 13LR can be restricted or allowed. As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 12, the combined body of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42 is rotatably supported near the upper end of the rotation base shaft 20 (operation center shaft). Specifically, the lock shaft 41
Due to the fitting relationship between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41a and the outer peripheral surface of the rotation base shaft 20, the combined body of the lock shaft body 41 and the lock operation knob 42 can rotate about the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20. It has become. Lock shaft 41 and lock operation knob 4
As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed body 2 is prevented from being moved downward in FIG. 12 along the axis 20x by a fixed lock member 48 which rotates integrally with the operation shaft 21 and the bending operation knob 23, as shown in FIG. Regulated.

The rotation base shaft 20 has a shaft end that is open upward in FIG. 12 at a position above the fitting portion of the lock shaft body 41 with the cylindrical portion 41a. The end is a non-circular cross-section 70 having a pair of parallel planes 70a parallel to the axis 20x as shown in FIG. The rotation base shaft 20 further includes a pair of parallel planes 70a,
A step 71 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the axis 20x (FIG. 12). As described above, the non-circular hole 44c of the retaining member 44 can be fitted to the non-circular cross-section 70 of the rotation base shaft 20, and the pair of parallel planes 44d formed in the non-circular hole 44c is By engaging with the parallel plane 70 a, the retaining member 44 is supported by the step 71 in a state where the rotation is restricted with respect to the rotation base shaft 20.

From the upper end surface of the rotation base shaft 20, an axis 20x
A screw hole 72 is formed in a direction along the line. When the above-mentioned fixing screw 20a is screwed into the screw hole 72, the retaining member 44 is tightened together, and the retaining member 44 has a non-circular cross-section 70, that is, the axis of the rotation base shaft 20, so that the retaining member 44 does not drop upward in the direction of the axis 20x. Fixed to the end.

The retaining member 44 fixed to the rotation base shaft 20 while being sandwiched between the step 71 and the fixing screw 20a in this manner,
It has a larger diameter than the rotation base shaft 20, and as shown in FIG.
The lower surface of the retaining member 44 is the disc-shaped portion 41 of the lock shaft 41.
b. Therefore, the upward movement of the lock shaft body 41 in the figure is restricted by the retaining member 44, and the lock shaft body 41 is held so as not to drop off from the shaft end of the rotation base shaft 20. In a state where the retaining member 44 is fixed to the rotation base shaft 20,
The lower surface of the retaining member 44 and the disc-shaped portion 41 of the lock shaft 41
A small gap is secured between the lock screw 41 and the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42.
Regardless of the tightening force a, it is rotatable about the axis 20x.

As described above, the retaining member 44 moves the axis 20x relative to the combined body of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42.
Functions as a retaining mechanism that prevents the pivot shaft 20 from dropping in the direction of the shaft end while allowing pivoting around the center. As described above, the retaining member 44 of the present embodiment further functions as means for controlling the rotational operation position of the combined body. The specific configuration will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a single-piece shape of the retaining member 44. The substantially annular retaining member 44 has a pair of rotation restricting surfaces (rotation restricting portions) 44a formed on the outer edge thereof at positions different in the circumferential direction around the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20. I have. When the lock operation knob 42 is rotated to the lock position and the unlock position, each of the rotation restricting surfaces 44a has a rotation restricting protrusion 41 that constitutes a part of the lock shaft 41.
c contact each other (FIG. 8). In other words, the interval between the pair of rotation restricting surfaces 44a in the circumferential direction is set in accordance with the amount of rotation of the lock operation knob 42 between the lock position and the unlock position. The connecting surface 44e connecting the pair of rotation restricting surfaces 44a with the retaining member 44 is
It is formed in a partial arc shape centered on x, and the arc surface 41e on the inner diameter side of the rotation restricting projection 41c is in contact with the connection surface 44e.

A pair of click recesses 44b are further formed on the outer edge of the retaining member 44 at different positions in the circumferential direction. The circumferential interval between the pair of click recesses 44b corresponds to the circumferential interval between the pair of rotation control protrusions 44a, and one and the other of the pair of click recesses 44b are connected to one of the pair of rotation control protrusions 44a. On the other hand, the pivot shaft 2
It is located at a substantially radially opposite position across the 0 axis 20x.

The lock operation knob 42 has a spring support portion 42a formed on the inner surface thereof (FIG. 12). The click spring 45 is an L-shaped spring member having a linear fixed portion 45a inserted and fixed to the spring support portion 42a, and an elastic free end portion 45b bent from the fixed portion toward the lock shaft 41. And is rotated about the axis 20x together with the lock operation knob 42. The elastic free end portion 45b of the click spring 45 extends to a position eccentric from the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20, and engages with the click recess 44b of the retaining member 44 in accordance with the rotation operation of the lock operation knob 42. It is possible. The vicinity of the tip of the elastic free end portion 45b has a semi-annular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of the click concave portion 44b (FIG. 8). The click recess 44 is provided in the elastic free end 45b.
A pressing force acts in a direction that engages with b, that is, a direction that approaches the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20. The direction of the pressing force is indicated by an arrow P in FIGS. The elastic free end 45b and the above-described rotation restricting projection 41c are located at substantially opposing positions in the radial direction with the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20 interposed therebetween.
The rotation restricting projection 41c is located on the extension of FIG. Since the bending operation knob 42 provided with the click spring 45 and the lock shaft 41 provided with the rotation restricting projection 41c are integrally rotated, the bending operation knob 42 is elastic regardless of the rotation position. The free end 45b and the rotation restricting projection 41c are always at radially opposed positions.

When the rotation restricting projection 41c of the lock shaft 41 comes into contact with one of the pair of rotation restricting surfaces 44a of the retaining member 44, that is, at the lock position or the unlock position of the lock operation knob 42, the click spring is set. The elastic free end 45b of 45 is engaged with one of the pair of click recesses 44b by its urging force, and the engagement holds the lock operation knob 42 at the lock position or the unlock position. When the lock operation knob 42 is rotated from the holding state in the rotation restriction direction opposite to the rotation restriction position,
The resilient free end 45b of the click spring 45 is opened in a direction away from the axis 20x against the urging force, and the click recess 4 is formed.
4b is released. When the lock operation knob 42 continues to rotate in the same direction, the rotation restricting projection 41c contacts the other rotation restricting surface 44a, and at the same time, the elastic free end 45b of the click screw 45 engages with the other click concave portion 44b. The combination of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42
It is kept stable again. In this manner, the lock operation member, which is a combined body of the lock shaft body 41 and the lock operation knob 42, rotates integrally with each of the pair of rotation restricting surfaces 44a and the click concave portions 44b formed on the retaining member 44, and the lock operation knob 42. The click spring 45 and the rotation restricting projection 41c formed on the lock shaft 41 control the rotation so as to be locked with a click at the lock position and the unlock position.

As is clear from the above description, in the bending operation device 13 of the endoscope according to the present embodiment, the rotation base shaft 20
A locking member 44 for preventing the combined body of the lock shaft 41 and the lock operation knob 42 from coming off is used as a component of the rotation position control mechanism that locks the combined body with a click feeling at the lock position and the unlock position. Also works. This makes it possible to share parts for the mechanism for preventing the rotation of the rotation operation member and for controlling the rotation position, to reduce the number of parts, and to simplify the configuration of the operation device.

In the bending operation device 13 of the present embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation restricting projection 41c of the lock shaft body 41 and the elastic free end 45b of the click spring 45 are arranged at radially opposite positions with the axis 20x of the rotation base shaft 20 interposed therebetween. Correspondingly, each set of the rotation restricting surface 44a and the click concave portion 44b corresponding to the lock position and the unlock position in the retaining member 44 is formed at a position substantially opposed to the radial direction. In short, the rotation restricting projection 41c and the click spring 45 provided on the lock operation member (the combination of the lock shaft body 41 and the lock operation knob 42) elastically move the retaining member 44 in a direction perpendicular to the axis 20x. It is configured to be sandwiched between. According to this configuration, when the lock operation member is at the lock position or the unlock position, the pushing force of the elastic free end portion 45b acting in the P direction causes the retaining member 4 to move.
4 is an arc-shaped surface 41 of the rotation restricting projection 41c.
e, the rattling between the rotation base shaft 20 and the retaining member 44 in a direction orthogonal to the axis 20x can be suppressed, and the retaining member 44 can be stably held.

The present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. For example, in the embodiment, a rotation operation member (lock operation member) locked at two positions of a lock position and an unlock position
However, the present invention can be applied to a rotation operation member having a single locking position. In this case, the retaining member may be provided with a pair of rotation restricting portions and a click concave portion.
Alternatively, the present invention is applicable to a rotating operation member having three or more locking positions. In this case, the retaining member may be provided with three or more sets of rotation restricting portions and click concave portions.

In addition to the endoscope operating device, the present invention provides a rotating operation member that is prevented from falling off with respect to the operation center axis and that is rotationally controlled to be locked at a specific rotational position. It can be widely applied as long as it has an operating device.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a rotation operation device and an endoscope operation device capable of preventing the rotation operation member from falling out and controlling the rotation position with a simple structure. .
Further, with a simple configuration, it is possible to obtain a rotation operation device and an endoscope operation device capable of stably holding the retaining member with respect to the operation center axis.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing the entire structure of an endoscope having an operation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the vicinity of a bending operation device of the endoscope in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a member integrally rotated by a left-right bending mechanism from FIG. 2 as one member;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a member integrally rotated by a vertical bending mechanism as one member from FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line VV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the vicinity of a retaining member viewed from the direction of arrow VIII in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a single shape of the retaining member of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the bending operation device.

FIG. 11 is a view of the bending operation device viewed from the bottom side, excluding members inside the endoscope housing;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the left and right bending mechanism in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Endoscope 11 Operation part 11a Housing 11b Substrate 11c Through hole 11d Lid body 12 Insertion part 12a Bending part 13 Bending operation device 13LR Left and right bending mechanism 13UD Up and down bending mechanism 14 Connector 15 Eyepiece part 17 Light source device 18 Forceps port 20 Rotation Main shaft (operation center axis) 20a Fixing screw 20x Axis 21 Operation shaft body (curving operation member) 21a Cylindrical part 21b Disk-shaped part 21c Circular hole 22 Non-circular cross section 23 Curving operation knob (curving operation member) 23a Finger hook 23b Large-diameter opening 23c Small-diameter opening 23d Convex part 24 Pulley 25 Operation wire 26 Operation wire 31 Operation shaft 31a Cylindrical part 31b Disk-shaped part 31c Circular hole 33 Curved operation knob 33a Finger hook 33b Large-diameter opening 33c Small-diameter opening 33d Convex part 33e Inner frame 34 Pulley 35 Operation wire 36 Operation wire 4 Reference Signs List 1 lock shaft body (rotating operation member, lock operation member) 41a cylindrical portion 41b disk-shaped portion 41c rotation restricting projection 41d male screw 41e arc-shaped surface 42 lock operation knob (rotation operation member, lock operation member) 42a spring Support portion 43 Fixing nut 44 Prevention member 44a Rotation restricting surface (rotation restricting portion) 44b Click concave portion 44c Non-circular hole 44d Parallel plane 44e Connection surface 45 Click spring 45a Fixing portion 45b Elastic free end portion 46 Moving lock member 46a Female screw 46b Friction engagement part 47 Rotation restricting body 48 Fixed lock member 48a Friction engagement part 49 Adjustment screw 49a Screw hole 50 Fixed pedestal 51 Lock shaft 51a Cylindrical part 51b Disk part 51c Circular hole 51d Male screw 52 Lock operation lever 52a Convex part 54 Non-circular cross-section part 55 Click spring 56 Movement lock member 56 Female thread 57 rotation restricting member 56b frictionally engaging portion 58 securing the locking member 58a frictionally engaging portion 60 lock the adjustment nut 61 intermediate stop member 70 non-circular cross section 70a parallel plane 71 step portion 72 threaded hole

Claims (15)

[Claims] A rotary operation member fitted to the operation center axis so as to be rotatable; fixed to an end of the operation center axis so that the rotation operation member is removed from the operation center axis in the axial direction; A stopper member for stopping the stopper member, wherein the stopper member contacts a part of the rotating operation member to regulate a rotatable range thereof, and a rotation operating member provided by the rotation regulating member. When the rotation of
And a click recess which engages with a click spring which rotates together with the rotation operation member. 2. The rotating operation device according to claim 1, wherein
The rotation operating device, wherein the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are located at substantially opposite positions in the radial direction with respect to the operation center axis. 3. The rotating operation device according to claim 1, wherein
A pair of the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are provided in a pair at positions different from each other in a circumferential direction about the operation center axis. One of the pair of the rotational restricting portions and the click concave portion are provided. One of the pair of rotation restricting portions and the other of the pair of click concave portions are located at substantially opposite positions in the radial direction with the operation center axis interposed therebetween, and the other of the pair of click concave portions is substantially radially interposed with the operation center axis. A rotary operation device located at the opposing position. 4. The rotation operating device according to claim 1, wherein the click spring presses the retaining member in a direction approaching an axis of the operation center shaft. 5. The rotating operation device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft end of the operation center shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and the retaining member has a non-circular cross-sectional end. A rotation operating device having a non-circular cross-sectional hole that fits into the portion, and a fixing screw for fixing the retaining member immovably in the axial direction to the shaft end. 6. The turning operation device according to claim 1, wherein the turning operation device is inserted into an observation target and is capable of performing a bending operation; and the turning operation member. The endoscope is provided with a bending operation member which is provided to be rotatable and coaxial with the endoscope and which bends the distal end of the insertion portion by the rotation operation. The rotation operation member is provided in accordance with the rotation operation. A rotation operation device that is a lock operation member that restricts or permits the rotation operation of the bending operation member. 7. An operation center axis; a rotation operation member which is rotatably fitted to the operation center axis;
It was provided at a substantially opposing position in the radial direction across the operation center axis,
A rotation restricting projection and a click spring having a biasing force in a direction approaching the first rotation restricting portion; a click spring fixed to the shaft end of the operation center axis, and a rotation operation member with respect to the operation center axis. A retaining member for retaining the retaining member in the axial direction; a rotation restricting surface provided on the retaining member for restricting a rotatable range by contacting a rotation restricting projection of the rotation operating member; A click concave portion with which the click spring engages when the rotation of the rotary operation member is restricted by the surface; 8. The rotating operation device according to claim 7, wherein
A pair of the rotation restricting surface and the click concave portion of the retaining member are provided in a pair at positions different from each other in a circumferential direction about the operation center axis, and one of the pair of the rotational restricting surfaces and the click concave portion are provided. One of the pair of rotation restricting surfaces and the other of the pair of click recesses are located at substantially opposite positions in the radial direction with the operation center axis interposed therebetween. A rotary operation device located at the opposing position. 9. It has an insertion portion inserted into the observation target,
A bending operation member provided to be rotatable around an operation center axis, the bending operation member being configured to bend the front end of the insertion portion by the rotation operation; A lock operating member fitted so as to be movable and capable of restricting or permitting the rotation operation of the bending operation member by the rotation operation; and a lock operation member fixed to the shaft end of the operation center axis to lock the operation center axis. A locking member for locking the member in the axial direction; a locking member for abutting a part of the lock operation member to limit a rotatable range thereof; An endoscope operating device, comprising: a click recess that engages a click spring that rotates together with the lock operation member when rotation of the lock operation member is restricted by the lock operation member. 10. The endoscope operating device according to claim 9, wherein the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are located at substantially opposing positions in a radial direction with respect to the operation center axis. Mirror operation device. 11. The endoscope operating device according to claim 9, wherein the rotation restricting portion and the click concave portion of the retaining member are provided in a pair at positions different from each other in a circumferential direction about the operation center axis. One of the pair of rotation restricting portions and one of the pair of click concave portions are located at substantially opposing positions in the radial direction across the operation center axis, and the other of the pair of rotation restricting portions and the pair of the click concave portions are disposed. An endoscope operating device, wherein the other of the click concave portions is located at a position substantially opposite to the radial direction across the operation center axis. 12. The endoscope operating device according to claim 9, wherein the click spring presses a retaining member in a direction approaching an axis of the operation center axis. apparatus. 13. The endoscope operating device according to claim 9, wherein a shaft end of the operation center shaft has a non-circular cross-sectional shape, and the retaining member has a non-circular cross-sectional shape. An endoscope operating device having a non-circular cross-sectional hole that fits into an end, and a fixing screw that is fixed to the shaft end so as to be immovable in the axial direction. 14. An endoscope having an insertion portion to be inserted into an observation target, wherein a tip of the insertion portion can be operated to be bent, the endoscope being provided so as to be rotatable about an operation center axis. A bending operation member that bends the distal end of the insertion portion by an operation; a lock operation member that is rotatably fitted to the operation center axis and controls or permits the rotation operation of the bending operation member by the rotation operation; A rotation restricting projection provided on a member at a position substantially radially opposite to the operation central axis, and a click spring having a biasing force in a direction approaching the rotation restricting projection; the axis of the operation central axis; A retaining member fixed to an end portion for preventing the lock operation member from coming off in the axial direction with respect to the operation center axis; and a rotation restricting projection of the lock operation member, which is provided on the stopper member, is brought into contact with the rotation member to rotate the rotation member. Rotation regulation that regulates the possible range When, the click spring is click recess that engages when the rotation of the lock operation member is restricted by the rotation restricting surface; endoscope operation device characterized by comprising a. 15. The endoscope operating device according to claim 14, wherein a pair of the rotation restricting surface of the retaining member and the click concave portion are provided at positions different from each other in a circumferential direction about the operation center axis. One of the pair of rotation restricting surfaces and one of the pair of click concave portions are located at substantially opposing positions in the radial direction across the operation center axis, and the other of the pair of rotation restricting surfaces and the pair of An endoscope operating device, wherein the other of the click concave portions is located at a position substantially opposite to the radial direction across the operation center axis.