JP2002345742A - Flexible variable endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability or durability of a flexibility adjusting mechanism in an endoscope of a type for adjusting the flexibility of a flexible tube part by changing the bending rigidity of a coil. SOLUTION: In this endoscope comprising the cylindrical coil having a linear state in a free state within the flexible tube part to change the flexibility of the flexible tube part by the axial expansion and contraction of the coil, the coil is provided substantially coaxially with the flexible tube part, and two or more coil traction wires to be engaged with the coil are provided with the positions being varied in the circumferential direction of the coil. This endoscope further comprises a wire operating mechanism for pulling or loosening the coil traction wires to expand and contract the coil.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible endoscope capable of changing the flexibility of a flexible tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Medical and industrial endoscopes are provided with a flexible tube at the insertion portion to facilitate insertion of a bent path into an observation object. However, in order to further improve the insertion workability, an endoscope of a type in which the flexibility (flexural rigidity, flexural hardness) of the flexible tube portion is made variable has been proposed. This type of endoscope, for example,
When the sigmoid colon is inserted into the large intestine, the flexible tube is hardened when passing through the sigmoid colon, and the flexible tube is softened after passing the sigmoid colon.

As means for changing the flexibility of the flexible tube, for example, a coil having a straight cylindrical shape in a free state is inserted into the flexible tube, and the degree of compression of the coil is changed. Things are known. This kind of coil is hard to bend when compressed, and easy to bend when extended,
By changing the degree of compression of the coil, the flexibility of the flexible tube can be changed.

As a means for changing the degree of compression of a coil, a structure is known in which a wire is inserted through the center of the coil and fixed near the tip of the coil, and the wire is pulled or relaxed by an external operation. Have been. That is, if the wire is pulled, the coil is compressed, and if the wire is relaxed, the coil is released from the compression and returns to the free state.

[0005] By the way, the variable flexibility endoscope of the type using the coil for adjusting the flexibility and the wire for pulling the coil has the following problems. For example, in the past, the coil was operated by a single wire inserted through the center of the coil, so if this single wire was cut by an excessive tensile load, No adjustment is possible.

In addition, when the flexibility adjusting coil is blurred or buckled in a direction perpendicular to the direction of expansion and contraction during expansion and contraction, it may interfere with other endoscope built-in components and cause damage. Therefore, it was necessary to provide a position regulating mechanism for preventing such displacement of the coil.

Conventionally, a coil having a relatively small effective diameter has been used as the flexibility adjusting coil. Therefore, the amount of change in bending rigidity obtained when the wire is pulled is small, and the flexible tube is hardened. The wire operating force for the operation tends to be large.

Further, if the coil is located at a position eccentric from the center of the flexible tube, the flexibility of the flexible tube when the coil is compressed differs depending on the bending direction. Such biased flexibility may impair operability if not intended by the operator.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has been made in consideration of the above problem. An endoscope of the type in which the flexibility of a flexible tube is adjusted by changing the bending rigidity of a coil is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope excellent in operability and durability of a mechanism.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an endoscope in which a flexible tubular portion is provided with a coil having a straight cylindrical shape in a free state, and the flexibility of the flexible tube portion is changed by expansion and contraction of the coil in the axial direction. In the above, the coil is provided substantially concentrically with the flexible tube portion, and a plurality of coil pulling wires engaging with the coil are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the coil, and the plurality of coil pulling wires are pulled. Alternatively, a wire operating mechanism for relaxing and expanding / contracting the coil is provided.

Preferably, the coil has an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the flexible tube, and is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube. The plurality of coil pulling wires for pulling the large-diameter coil are preferably provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction inside the coil. Further, it is preferable that a built-in component different from the coil pulling wire is housed inside the large-diameter coil.

At the tip of the plurality of coil pulling wires,
It is preferable that a coil pressing member that engages with the tip of the coil is fixed, and the coil is pressed and compressed via the coil pressing member.

[0013] The wire operating mechanism may be configured to include a winding drum around which a plurality of coil pulling wires are wound; and drum driving means for rotating the winding drum in forward and reverse directions. . The drum driving means may be a manually operated member provided on the outer surface of the endoscope, which is coaxially and rotatably connected to the winding drum. Alternatively, the drum driving means may be constituted by a forward / reverse drive motor provided in the endoscope and a motor operating member for rotating the forward / reverse drive motor forward or backward.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a flexible variable endoscope according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. An electronic endoscope 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a medical endoscope, and has an insertion section 11 inserted into a body cavity and an operation section 12 connected to a base side thereof. The insertion portion 11 has a distal end portion 13, a bending portion 14, and a flexible tube portion 15 in this order from the distal end side.
2 connected.

The distal end portion 13 has a distal end main body (not shown) made of a rigid member. The distal end main body has an objective lens holding hole (not shown), a light distribution lens holding hole, an air / water channel outlet, and a treatment tool. An insertion channel outlet and the like are formed. An objective lens for imaging and a light distribution lens for illumination are held in the objective lens holding hole and the light distribution lens holding hole.

The bending section 14 can be bent to a desired bending state by rotating the bending operation knobs 20A and 20B provided on the operation section 12. A node ring assembly including a plurality of node rings (bending pieces) connected to be relatively rotatable is provided inside the bending portion 14. A pair of bending operation wires 33 are stretched between the bending operation knob 20A and the tip main body, and a pair of bending operation wires 34 are stretched between the bending operation knob 20B and the tip body. In addition, a corresponding pair of bending operation wires are pulled or relaxed by the rotation operation of each bending operation knob. Each bending operation wire is inserted into a wire guide provided on the node ring assembly, and when one of the pair of bending operation wires is pulled and the other is relaxed, the node ring assembly is rotated accordingly. , The bending portion 14 is bent. Specifically, when the bending operation knob 20A is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, the bending portion 14 bends left and right via the pair of bending operation wires 33, and the bending operation knob 20B is rotated in the forward and reverse directions. Then, the bending portion 14 bends vertically via the pair of bending operation wires 34. Further, the bending portion 1
The curved state of the lock knob 21A and the lock lever 21
B can be fixed by operating B. By rotating the lock knob 21A in the locking direction, the rotation operation of the bending operation knob 20A is restricted,
By turning the lock lever 21B in the locking direction, the turning operation of the bending operation knob 20B is restricted.

From the operation unit 12, the universal tube 2
5 is extended, and a connector part 26 for connecting to a processor (not shown) is provided at the end of the universal tube 25.
Is provided. The connector section 26 is provided with an end of the image signal transmission cable 50 and the light guide 51, an inlet section of the air supply channel 52 and the water supply channel 53, and the like. Signal transmission cable 50, light guide 5
1. The air supply channel 52 and the water supply channel 53 are connected to an image processing device, a light source, and an air supply / water supply source on the processor side, respectively.

In the tip portion 13, there is a C
A CD is provided, and the image of the observation target that has entered the light receiving surface of the CCD from the objective lens is photoelectrically converted, and the above-described image signal transmission cable 50 provided from the CCD to the connector section 26 of the universal tube 25 is connected. Via an electronic image to the processor. In the processor, the electronic image can be displayed on a monitor or recorded on an image recording medium. The operation unit 12 is provided with a plurality of remote operation button switches 27 for performing remote operations related to image processing. The light distribution lens is provided with illumination light from a light source provided in the processor via the above-described light guide disposed from the connector portion 26 of the universal tube 25 to the distal end portion 13.

The operation unit 12 is provided with an air / water button 28 near the remote operation button switch 27. When the air / water supply button 28 is pressed, the water supply source provided on the processor side communicates with the water supply channel 53, and water is supplied into the water supply channel 53. A nozzle is provided at the outlet of the water supply channel 53 provided at the distal end portion 13 toward the objective lens, and liquid such as washing water sent to the water supply channel 53 is ejected from the nozzle toward the objective lens, Wash the objective lens. In addition, air / water button 2
A hole (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of 8, and when this hole is closed, the positive pressure of the air supply source provided on the processor side acts on the air supply channel 52 to send air. Similarly to the water supply channel 53, the air supply channel 52 provided at the distal end portion 13 is provided.
A nozzle is provided at the exit toward the objective lens, and when air is sent to the air supply channel 52, air is blown out from the nozzle toward the objective lens, and water droplets of washing water adhered to the objective lens and , Water droplets of other liquids such as body fluids can be removed.

The connecting portion 16 of the electronic endoscope 10 is provided with a treatment tool insertion port projection 30 (FIG. 1) for inserting a treatment tool such as forceps or a high-frequency cautery treatment tool. A treatment tool insertion channel 31 extends from the projection 30 toward the inside of the endoscope. The treatment instrument insertion channel 31 communicates with a treatment instrument insertion channel outlet formed at the distal end portion 13, and the treatment instrument inserted from the treatment instrument insertion port projection 30 passes through the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 and passes through the treatment instrument insertion channel. It can protrude from the outlet. The treatment tool insertion channel 31 is also connected to a negative pressure source (suction source) (not shown) provided outside the electronic endoscope 10. Therefore, it is possible to insert a treatment tool such as forceps into the treatment tool insertion channel 31 via the treatment tool insertion port projection 30 and apply a negative pressure via the negative pressure source. When the treatment tool insertion channel 31 is used as a suction conduit, the suction button 2 provided on the operation unit 12 is used.
Press 9. Then, the conduit on the negative pressure source side and the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 are communicated with each other, and the negative pressure acts on the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 so that fluid such as body fluid can be sucked from the exit of the treatment instrument insertion channel.

As described above, the bending portion 14 can be bent arbitrarily by a bending operation, and the flexible tube portion 15 also has flexibility. It has flexibility so as to respond to the bending operation of the section 14 and the deformation of the flexible tube section 15.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Has an outer surface formed by a cylindrical flexible tube 55. The flexible tube 55 is composed of an outer skin having water impermeability and non-conductivity, a spiral tube inside thereof, and the like, and has a constant bending rigidity as a whole. Inside the flexible tube 55, a large-diameter coil 56 substantially concentric with the flexible tube 55 is provided. The coil 56 is a tubular coil that is formed by winding a steel wire and that is linear in a free state, and is capable of extending and contracting in the axial direction. The outer diameter of the coil 56 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the flexible tube 55,
Reference numeral 6 is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 55.

The coil 56 has a base end facing the operation section 12 abutting against a coil stopper 57 (FIG. 4), and a tip end opposite to the base end is supported on the inner surface of the flexible tube 55. 3 (FIG. 3). The coil stopper 57 and the coil pressing member 60 respectively
The coil stopper 57 is a member fixed to the flexible tube 55. On the other hand, the coil pressing member 60 is movable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the flexible tube 55. Therefore, the compression degree of the coil 56 can be changed by moving the coil pressing member 60 of the coil stopper 57 and the coil pressing member 60 sandwiching both ends of the coil 56. In a free state in which the coil 56 is not substantially compressed, the distal end of the coil 56 and the coil pressing member 60 are positioned near the joining position with the curved portion 14 in the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube portion 15 (reference numeral P in FIG. 1). When the coil pressing member 60 moves toward the operation unit 12 side (to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3) from the position, the coil 56 is gradually compressed.

The distal ends of three coil pulling wires 61 are fixed to the coil pressing member 60 (see FIG. 3), and each coil pulling wire 61 extends to the insertion section 12 through the inside of the coil 56. It is wound around a winding drum 62 provided in the operation unit 12 (see FIG. 4). The three coil pulling wires 61 are arranged between the coil stopper 57 and the coil pressing member 60 so that the coil stopper 5 and the coil pressing member 60 are positioned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction along the inner surface of the coil 56.
7 is guided through a wire guide portion 57a provided in the apparatus 7 and the like. In FIG. 3, two coil pulling wires 61 are shown at diametrically opposed positions for drawing.

The winding drum 62 is coaxially and rotatably connected to a flexible adjusting knob 63 provided at the base of the universal tube 25, and rotates the flexible adjusting knob 63 in forward and reverse directions. As a result, the winding drum 62 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions. When the winding drum 62 rotates in the direction A in FIG. 4, the three coil pulling wires 61 are wound on the winding drum 62 by the same amount. Conversely, when the winding drum 62 rotates in the direction B in FIG. 4, the three coil pulling wires 61 are fed out from the winding drum 62 by the same amount.

The flexible tube 1 in the electronic endoscope 10 described above.
The mode of the flexibility adjustment of No. 5 will be described. In a state where the three coil pulling wires 61 are relaxed, the coil pulling wires 61 do not regulate the moving position of the coil pressing member 60, and the coil pressing member 60 does not restrict the position of the tip of the coil 56. Therefore, the coil 56 is in the above-described free state, and the flexible tube section 15 is in the most flexible state.

Here, when the flexible adjustment knob 63 is rotated in the direction A in FIG. 4, the three coil pulling wires 61 are wound on the winding drum 62 and pulled, respectively, and according to the wire pulling amount. The operation of the operating unit 1 is
It moves in two directions (to the right in FIG. 3). The moving direction of the coil pressing member 60 is a direction in which the coil 56 is pressed toward the coil stopper 57 side, and therefore, the coil 56 sandwiched between the coil pressing member 60 and the coil stopper 57 is moved.
Is gradually compressed. The coil 56 has a characteristic that it is hard to bend (harden) when compressed, and has a characteristic that it is easy to bend (soften) when the compression is released, so that the compressed coil 56 has a higher bending rigidity than the free state. It is difficult to bend. Therefore, the hardness of the flexible tube portion 15 containing the coil 56 is also increased. The degree of hardening of the flexible tube portion 15 can be adjusted by the amount of rotation of the flexible adjustment knob 63.

To make the flexible tube section 15 soft from the hardened state, the flexibility adjustment knob 63 is rotated in the direction B in FIG. Then, the three coil pulling wires 61 are paid out from the winding drum 62, and the coil pressing member 60 can be moved toward the distal end of the insertion portion 11 (to the left in FIG. 3) by the amount of the wire drawn out. In the same direction, a force for restoring the compressed coil 56 is acting, so that the coil pressing member 60 is pushed by the tip of the coil 56 and the coil 56
Grows. When the coil 56 expands, the bending rigidity decreases, so that the flexible tube portion 15 becomes flexible. When the coil pressing member 60 is moved until the coil 56 is in a free state, the flexible tube 15 becomes the softest.

As described above, in the flexible endoscope according to the present embodiment, the three coil pulling wires 61 are pulled or relaxed by the turning operation of the flexibility adjusting knob 63, and the coil 5 is pulled.
6 can be expanded and contracted to adjust the flexibility of the flexible tube portion 15, and particularly has the following advantages.

First, since the coil 56 is pulled and compressed by the three coil pulling wires 61, the load on each coil pulling wire 61 can be reduced, and the durability is excellent. And even if one or two coil pulling wires 61 are cut, the coil 56 can be operated by the remaining coil pulling wires 61, so that there is little possibility that the flexibility cannot be completely adjusted. .

In particular, the three coil pulling wires 61 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the coil pressing member 60 can be pulled with a uniform force, and the coil 56 pressed and compressed by the coil pressing member 60 can be prevented from bending or falling.

Since the coil 56 is a large effective diameter coil having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the flexible tube 55, the amount of change in bending stiffness during coil compression is large. This makes it possible to reduce the operation amount and operation force of the coil pulling wire on the operation unit side when curing the flexible tube unit,
Operation becomes easy.

Further, since the coil 56 is disposed substantially concentrically with the flexible tube portion 15 (flexible tube 55), when the coil 56 is compressed, in any bending direction of the flexible tube portion 15, Can also provide uniform flexibility. More specifically, the coil 56 is disposed concentrically with the flexible tube 55 along the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 55, and substantially constitutes the inner surface of the flexible tube 55. Is the same as Therefore, the coil 5
The tube 6 is concentric with the flexible tube 55 and houses a light guide and various tubes inside the tube so as to avoid interference with these various built-in components. For example, unlike the present embodiment, in order to arrange a coil having the same diameter as that of the other endoscope built-in components concentrically with the flexible tube portion, the other built-in objects are placed at the center of the flexible tube portion. Is not required, but the center of the flexible tube is rarely an empty space. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the coil 56 can be arranged concentrically with the flexible tube 55 regardless of whether or not these various built-in components are provided at the center of the flexible tube portion.

Furthermore, as described above, since the coil 56 substantially constitutes the inner surface of the flexible tube 55, the flexible tube 55 can be used during the expansion and contraction operation without providing a special displacement prevention mechanism. There is no blurring or buckling in the radial direction within 55. Therefore, there is no possibility that the coil 56 will be damaged by contacting other built-in components in the flexible tube 55.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, three coil pulling wires 61
The operation of the coil 56 is common to the first embodiment described above, and the mechanism for driving the three coil pulling wires 61 is different. That is, in the operation section 12, instead of a manual operation knob or the like,
Forward / reverse drive motor 66 for rotating winding drum 65
And a motor control circuit 67, and motor drive buttons 68 and 69 for driving the forward / reverse drive motor 66 are provided on the outer surface of the operation unit 12. The motor control circuit 67 rotates the motor 66 forward when one of the motor drive buttons 68 and 69 is pressed, and reversely rotates the motor 66 when the other is pressed. When the motor 66 rotates forward or backward, the winding drum 65 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, and as a result,
The three coil pull wires 61 are pulled or relaxed.
As described above, when the coil pulling wire 61 is pulled or loosened, the coil 56 expands and contracts via the coil pressing member 60, and the flexibility of the flexible tube 15 changes.

As described above, according to the endoscope of the embodiment of the present invention, the coil 56 concentric with the flexible tube portion 15 is configured to be expanded and contracted by the plurality of coil pulling wires 61. A variable flexibility endoscope can be provided that can provide uniform flexibility in any bending direction of the portion 15 and reduce the load on each coil pulling wire 61. In particular, since the coil 56 is a coil 56 having a large effective diameter along the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 55 of the flexible tube portion 15, the bending rigidity can be largely changed by a relatively small operation force. In addition, the large-diameter coil 56 has a built-in endoscope such as various channels inside thereof, and has a flexible tube 55 in the radial direction.
Therefore, interference with other built-in components can be avoided without providing a special position regulating mechanism.

However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in the embodiment, three coil pulling wires 61 are provided for operating the coil 56, but two or four or more similar coil pulling wires may be provided. Also in this case, it is desirable to arrange the coil pulling wires at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

In the embodiment, the means for pulling the coil pulling wire is a winding mechanism in the operation unit 12, but it is also possible to provide a wire pulling means on the processor side.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above, according to the present invention, in the endoscope for adjusting the flexibility of the flexible tube by changing the bending rigidity of the coil, the operability and durability of the flexibility adjusting mechanism are improved. Performance can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a flexible endoscope to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the flexible tube section, taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the flexible tube section, taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of an operation unit of the flexible endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vicinity of an operation unit, showing an embodiment different from FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 electronic endoscope 11 insertion section 12 operation section 13 distal end section 14 bending section 15 flexible tube section 16 connecting section 20A 20B bending operation knob 25 universal tube 26 connector section 30 treatment tool insertion port projection 31 treatment tool insertion channel 33 34 bending Operation wire 50 Image signal transmission cable 51 Light guide 52 Air supply channel 53 Water supply channel 55 Flexible tube 56 Coil 57 Coil stopper 60 Coil pressing member 61 Coil pulling wire 62 65 Winding drum 63 Flexible adjustment knob (manual operation member) ) 66 Forward / reverse drive motor 67 Motor control circuit 68 69 Motor drive button (motor operation member)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Keishi Kunii 2-36-9 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inside Asahiko Gaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Ichikawa 2-36-9 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo No. Asahi Gaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H040 BA21 DA15 DA17 DA18 DA19 4C061 AA04 AA29 BB02 CC06 DD03 FF29

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope, wherein a coil having a free-form, linear cylindrical shape is provided in a flexible tube portion, and the flexibility of the flexible tube portion is changed by expansion and contraction of the coil in an axial direction. Are provided substantially concentrically with the flexible tube portion, a plurality of coil pulling wires are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the coil to engage with the coil, and the plurality of coil pulling wires are pulled or relaxed. And a wire operating mechanism for extending and retracting the coil. 2. The flexible endoscope according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the coil corresponds to an inner diameter of the flexible tube, and the coil is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube. A flexible endoscope disposed along the endoscope. 3. The flexible endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of coil pulling wires are provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction inside the coil. . 4. The variable flexible endoscope according to claim 3, wherein a built-in component other than the coil pulling wire is provided inside the coil. 5. The flexible endoscope according to claim 1, wherein distal ends of the plurality of coil pulling wires are fixed and engage with the distal ends of the coils. A flexible variable endoscope having a pressing member. 6. The flexible endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the wire operating mechanism comprises: a winding drum on which the plurality of coil pulling wires are wound; A flexible variable endoscope comprising: a drum driving means for rotating a winding drum in forward and reverse directions. 7. The variable endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the drum driving means is coaxially and rotatably coupled to the winding drum, and is provided on a manual operation provided on an outer surface of the endoscope. A flexible variable endoscope comprising members. 8. The flexible endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the drum driving means includes a forward / reverse drive motor provided in the endoscope, and a motor for rotating the forward / reverse drive motor forward or backward. A flexible variable endoscope comprising an operation member.