JP2002272676A - Operating device for curving endoscope and method of assembling it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operating device for curving an endoscope having a structure in which drive wires for driving and towing operation wires for bending a curved part are wound on a drive pulley, without the bending angle of the curved part being reduced even after the repetition of curving operation; and a method of assembling the operating device. SOLUTION: These drive wires 12U and 12D are assembled to a drive pulley 11, with the cross-sectional shapes of the wires crushed flat along the radial direction of the drive pulley 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope bending operation device and an assembling method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an endoscope, a curved portion formed near a distal end of an insertion portion can be flexibly arbitrarily bent by a remote operation from an operation portion connected to a base end of the insertion portion. Has become.

[0003] Remote operation for bending a bending portion is usually performed by pulling an operation wire, and a drive pulley rotatably disposed on the operation portion is provided with a drive wire for pulling and driving the operation wire. Is widely used.

[0004]

In the bending operation device for an endoscope as described above, when the driving pulley is rotated to bend the bending portion, the driving wire is subjected to the groove of the driving pulley under a large tension. It is pressed against the bottom.

Therefore, while the bending operation is being repeated, the drive wire formed of a stranded wire formed by twisting a large number of fine metal wires gradually becomes flat in the radial direction of the drive pulley.

Then, the distance from the center of rotation of the driving pulley to the axial position of the driving wire is reduced, so that the amount of pulling of the operating wire is reduced and the bending angle of the bending portion is attenuated.

[0007] In particular, in a mechanism in which the drive wire is wound in a state of being overlapped and wound in the radial direction of the drive pulley when the drive pulley rotates to pull the operation wire, the bending angle of such a curved portion is attenuated. Becomes remarkable.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a structure in which a drive wire for pulling and driving an operation wire for bending a bending portion is wound around a driving pulley, and the bending angle of the bending portion is attenuated even if the bending operation is repeated. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope bending operation device and an assembling method thereof.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, a bending operation device for an endoscope according to the present invention pulls and drives an operation wire for bending a bending portion formed in an insertion portion of the endoscope. In a bending operation device of an endoscope in which a driving wire for winding is wound around a driving pulley rotatably arranged on an operating portion connected to a base end of an insertion portion, a cross-sectional shape of the driving wire is It is formed in a flat shape that is crushed in the radial direction and is assembled to the drive pulley.

When the drive pulley is rotated to pull the operation wire, the drive wire is wound in a state of being overlapped and wound in the radial direction of the drive pulley. large.

Further, in the method of assembling the bending operation device for an endoscope according to the present invention, the driving wire for pulling and driving the operation wire for bending the bending portion formed in the insertion portion of the endoscope is provided. In a method for assembling a bending operation device for an endoscope wound around a drive pulley rotatably disposed on an operation unit connected to a base end, a drive wire is formed into a flat shape that is crushed in a radial direction of the drive pulley. Then, it is assembled to the drive pulley.

When the drive pulley rotates to pull the operation wire, the drive wire is wound in a state of being overlapped and wound in the radial direction of the drive pulley. large.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a bending portion 3 which is bent at a distal end portion of an insertion portion 2 whose base end is connected to the operation portion 1 by remote operation from the operation portion 1.
Is formed, and a distal end main body 4 containing an objective optical system and the like is connected to the distal end of the bending portion 3.

In this embodiment, the bending portion 3 is bent only in the upward (U) direction and the downward (D) direction for easy explanation. The present invention can also be applied to a device in which 3 is bent in all directions, up, down, left, and right.

A bending operation mechanism 10 for pulling a pair of operation wires 5U and 5D whose distal ends are connected to the bending section 3 is disposed on the operation section 1.
A bending operation knob 6 for operating the operation unit 0 is disposed on an outer surface of the operation unit 1.

The operation wires 5U and 5D in the insertion portion 2
A base end portion of a flexible guide tube 7 for guiding the guide is fixed to a frame in the operation section 1, and a not-shown distal end portion of the flexible guide tube 7 is fixed to a tip end of the insertion section 2.

As the bending operation mechanism 10, the bending operation knob 6
Is arranged in the operation unit 1 so as to rotate together with the bending operation knob 6, and a driving wire 12U for pulling and driving the operation wires 5U and 5D.
12D is wound around the drive pulley 11.

Operation wires 5U, 5D and drive wires 12
U and 12D are connected via a wire connecting member 13, and the wire connecting member 13 functions as a slack remover for absorbing the slack of the operation wires 5U and 5D that are on the slack side. Is also good.

With such a configuration, when the bending operation knob 6 is rotated, the driving pulley 11 is rotated thereby, one of the driving wires 12U, 12D pulls one of the operation wires 5U, 5D, and the other is the driving pulley. 11
Is sent out to the tip side, and the bending portion 3 is bent.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the drive pulley 11 at the axial position. The pulley groove 14U for upward bending around which the drive wire 12U for upward bending and the drive wire 12D for downward bending are wound, and the lower part thereof. The direction bending pulley groove 14 </ b> D is formed independently and in parallel at the outer peripheral surface position of the drive pulley 11.

The drive wire 12U for upward bending and the drive wire 12D for downward bending are both fixed at their base ends to the drive pulley 11, and are wound around the drive pulley 11 in the radial direction of the drive pulley 11 so as to overlap two to three times. After that, each tip is pulled out in the direction of the wire connecting member 13.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a material wire 12 'which is a material of the wires used as the drive wires 12U and 12D. For example, a 7 × 7 twisted strand of a stainless steel wire is used. Have been.

Before the material wire 12 'is assembled to the drive pulley 11 in the manufacturing process of the endoscope (or before it is connected to the operation wires 5U and 5D), the material wire 12' is flattened as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the flat drive wires 12U and 12D are wound in the pulley grooves 14U and 14D so as to be crushed in the radial direction of the drive pulley 11, and assembled. Have been.

As described above, since the drive wires 12U and 12D are formed into a flat shape which is crushed in the radial direction of the drive pulley 11, and are assembled to the drive pulley 11, the drive wires 12U and 12D are provided even after the bending operation is repeated. Hardly changes its cross-sectional shape.

As a result, the amount of pulling of the driving wires 12U and 12D with respect to the rotation angle of the driving pulley 11 (that is, the amount of pulling of the operation wires 5U and 5D) does not change, and therefore, the bending angle of the bending portion 3 does not attenuate.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the wires forming the drive wires 12U, 12D may be any type of stranded wires, and the drive wires 12U, 12D Operation wire 5U, 5D
It does not matter if it is configured as one connection.

The present invention also relates to the driving wires 12U, 12D
The effect can be obtained even when the drive pulley 11 is rotated to pull the operation wires 5U and 5D when the drive wires 12U and 12D are pulled so as not to overlap the drive pulley 11. As long as it is wound in a state of overlapping in the radial direction, a great effect can be obtained in preventing the bending angle of the bending portion 3 from being attenuated.

[0028]

According to the present invention, in a structure in which a driving wire for pulling and driving an operation wire for bending a bending portion is wound around a driving pulley, the cross-sectional shape of the driving wire is the diameter of the driving pulley. By being assembled into the drive pulley in a flat shape that is crushed in the direction, even if the bending operation is repeated, the amount of pulling of the drive wire with respect to the rotation angle of the drive pulley does not change, and therefore, the bending angle of the bending portion is reduced. Does not decay.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view at an axial position of a drive pulley of a bending operation device for an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to an axis of a material wire of a driving wire according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to an axis of a driving wire according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external view showing an entire configuration of the endoscope according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 3 Bending part 5U, 5D operation wire 6 Bending operation knob 10 Bending operation mechanism 11 Drive pulley 12U, 12D Drive wire 12 'Material wire

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A drive wire for pulling and driving an operation wire for bending a curved portion formed in an insertion portion of an endoscope,
In a bending operation device for an endoscope wound around a drive pulley rotatably disposed on an operation portion connected to a base end of the insertion portion, a cross-sectional shape of the drive wire may be in a radial direction of the drive pulley. A bending operation device for an endoscope, wherein the bending operation device is formed in a crushed flat shape and assembled to the drive pulley. 2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein, when the drive pulley is rotated to pull the operation wire, the drive wire is wound so as to overlap with the drive pulley in the radial direction. Bending operation device. 3. A drive wire for pulling and driving an operation wire for bending a curved portion formed in an insertion portion of an endoscope,
In an assembling method of a bending operation device for an endoscope wound around a drive pulley rotatably disposed on an operation portion connected to a base end of the insertion portion, the drive wire is provided in a radial direction of the drive pulley. A method of assembling a bending operation device for an endoscope, wherein the bending operation device is formed into a flattened shape and assembled to the driving pulley. 4. The endoscope according to claim 3, wherein when the drive pulley is rotated to pull the operation wire, the drive wire is wound around the drive pulley so as to overlap in the radial direction. A method of assembling a bending operation device.