JP2003111719A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent operation which increases the pain of a patient by disabling operation though an operator tries to operate a hardness adjusting knob as the result of erroneously recognizing a flexible part to be straight in spite of being looped and informing the operator about that the flexible part is looped. SOLUTION: The rear end of a wire 13 is fixed strongly to a pulling member 20 with wax 49, and recesses 50 are formed respectively at the tips of the cam grooves 24a and 24b of a cam cylinder 23. Then, a moving pin 22 is set at a position where the moving pin 22 is fitted in the recess 50 when the flexible part 6 is looped. The moving pin 22 is set at the position of alternate long and two short dashes line in the Figure 8 when the flexible part 6 is flexible and straight. Consequently, when the flexible part 6 is looped, the moving pin 22 is moved forward and fitted to the recess 50. Thus, the hardness adjustment knob 26 cannot be turned even if the operator tries to turn-operate it. Then, the operator gets to know that the flexible part 6 is looped. Namely, by this inoperable state, the operator is informed that the flexible part 6 is looped.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope provided with hardness adjusting means for adjusting the hardness of a soft portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, an inspected site in the body cavity can be observed without requiring an incision, and if necessary, a medical treatment can be performed using a treatment tool. Endoscopic endoscopes have become widely used.

The insertion portion of the endoscope is made flexible so that it can be inserted into a bent insertion path. Due to this flexibility, the orientation of the distal end side with respect to the proximal side is increased. However, it may be difficult to introduce the target direction.

In order to deal with this, for example, the actual Kaihei 3-
Japanese Patent No. 43802 discloses an endoscope in which hardness varying means (or flexibility varying means) including a coil pipe and a wire is provided inside the endoscope. According to the configuration of this conventional example, the operator performing the endoscopy can adjust the flexibility of the insertion portion by a simple operation, and the insertion can be facilitated even in a bent path. .

In the conventional structure, when the insertion portion is bent, the coil therein is also bent, and since the coil is originally in a close contact state, when it is bent, the wire emerging from the coil end tends to be drawn into the coil. However, since the wire end is connected to the operation lever, it does not move and tension is applied, so that the coil is hardened by the compressive force.

[0006]

When the soft portion of the insertion portion is in the loop state, the operator erroneously recognizes that the insertion portion is in the straight state, and when the insertion portion is hardened and the insertion operation is performed, the patient suffers. Will be given.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when the soft portion is in the loop state, the operator mistakenly recognizes that the straight portion is in the straight state and tries to operate the hardness adjusting knob. Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of preventing the operation that increases the pain of the patient by notifying the operator that the soft part is in a loop state by making it inoperable.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope according to the present invention comprises an insertion portion having a flexible portion and an operating portion, and a coil and a wire inserted therein are provided in the flexible portion. An endoscope in which the hardness of the soft part can be adjusted by pulling the wire and applying a compressive force to the coil to harden the wire, and means for notifying the operator of the loop state of the soft part is provided. It is characterized by that.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 6 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a structure of an endoscope according to the first embodiment. , FIG. 2 is AA of FIG.
Fig. 3 shows a concrete example of the cam cylinder, Fig. 4 shows an operation part near a transparent window provided with a hardness display part, etc., and Fig. 5 shows a flexible part bent. FIG. 6 shows the state of the coil and the wire in the case where the insertion is performed, and FIG. 6 shows the insertion of the insertion portion from the anus to the deep side of the large intestine.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope 1 of the present invention has an elongated insertion portion 2 and an operation portion 3 provided at the rear end of the insertion portion 2. The insertion portion 2 has a hard tip portion 4 from the tip side.
And a flexible portion 6 and a rear end of the flexible portion 6 is connected to the operating portion 3. A bending stop member 7 having a bending prevention function is provided at the rear end of the flexible portion 6.

The outer skin of the flexible portion 7 is covered with a soft flexible tube 8, and a built-in component such as a light guide 9 is inserted into the flexible tube 8. The light guide 9 is covered with a protective cylinder 10 in the curved portion 6, and the protective cylinder 10 is covered.
Partially extends into the flexible portion 6.

An outer skin 11 of the bending portion 5 is formed of a rubber tube or the like, and bending pieces (not shown) are rotatably connected to each other inside the outer skin 11. A hard ring or a hard tube 12 is provided near the boundary between the rear end of the curved portion 5 and the front end of the flexible portion 6, and the tip of the wire 13 inserted through the flexible tube 8 is brazed. It is firmly fixed with.

Further, the wire 13 is provided in the flexible tube 8.
A close-fitting coil (hereinafter simply referred to as coil) 14 having a hollow portion through which is inserted is inserted, and the tip of the coil 14 is firmly fixed by brazing or the like at a position slightly rearward of the tip of the wire 13. ing. Only the tip of the coil 14 is fixed near the tip of the wire 13, and the wire 13 is movable relative to the coil 14 on the proximal side.

The proximal end of this coil 14 is a rear end cap 15
The rearward movement is restricted by hitting the coil stopper 16 which is fixed with a screw. Due to this regulation, the coil 14 is also in a non-rotatable state.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the coil 14 is in the softest and softest state (or the most flexible state) in which no compressive force is applied, and from this state (the operation of pulling the wire 13 to the rear side is performed. When a compressive force is applied to the coil 14 relatively, a frictional force acts on the adjacent coil portion, and a hard state (or a low flexibility state) in which bending is difficult occurs.

The rear end cap 15 is fixed to the cylindrical tube 17 with a nut. On the other hand, a wire stopper 18 is firmly fixed to a part of the proximal end of the wire 13 with a brazing 49.

The wire 13 is further extended rearward from the fixed position of the wire stopper 18, and the mark member 19 is attached to the rearmost end thereof. Between the coil stopper 16 and the wire stopper 18, a pulling member 20 movable in the front-rear direction is fixed to the moving ring 21 with a screw 39 (see FIG. 2B) so that the wire 13 is passed through the groove portion 20a. ing. The moving ring 21 is movable inside the cylindrical tube 17 in the axial direction.

Further, when the soft portion 6 is in a soft and soft state and in a straight state, as shown in FIG.
The fixed position of 8 is slightly rearward of the position of the pulling member 20 (in the state where the pulling operation is not performed), and by providing a certain amount of play between them which is the distance L, the flexible portion 6 has a loop shape. Even if the wire 13 is bent, the wire 13 can move within the coil 14 within this play.
The compression force is not applied to.

This distance L is at least 90 ° in the flexible part 6.
The movement amount is set to be equal to or larger than the amount of movement of the rear end side of the wire 13 (specifically, the position of the wire stopper 18) with respect to the coil when looped to some extent (for example, with the most frequent curvature). .

A cam cylinder 23 covers the outside of the cylindrical tube 17. The cam barrel 23 has cam grooves 24a, 2
4b is dug. The cylindrical tube 17 is also provided with an elongated hole 25. A moving pin 22 is fixed to the moving ring 21 with screws through cam grooves 24a and 24b and a long hole 25. On the outside of the cam cylinder 23, a hardness varying member (flexibility varying member) for performing an operation of changing the hardness (flexibility).
A hardness adjusting knob 26 is fixed by a pin 27. Reference numeral 27a is a filler.

The front end of the hardness adjusting knob 26 abuts against the contact member 29, and the contact member 29 is fixed to the support member 30 of the bending prevention member 7. This contact member 2
9 is fixed to the support member 30 with screws so as not to rotate.

The rear end of the cam cylinder 23 and the hardness adjusting knob 26 are fitted to the front end of the outer cylinder 32 of the grip 31. Then, the hardness adjusting knob 26 and the cam cylinder 23 form the cylindrical tube 17
The outer peripheral surface of the can be rotated. A cross section taken along the line AA of the insertion portion 2 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the insert section 2 contains various internal components. That is, in the insertion portion 2,
Four bending wires 33 arranged at positions corresponding to up and down, left and right, and two signal cables 3 arranged near the center
4, the two light guides 9 arranged in the central upper part, the treatment instrument channel 35 arranged in the lower part, the coil 14 and the wire 13 arranged in the left part, and the air supply arranged adjacent thereto. An air supply tube 36 for performing and a water supply tube 37 for supplying water are built in.

Further, a built-in object as shown in FIG. 2B is also arranged in the operation section 3. The layout of this internal component is shown in Figure 2.
It is almost the same as (A). In FIG. 1, only the light guide 9 as a typical built-in component therein is shown.

The light guide 9 is covered with a protective cylinder 10 in the curved portion 5, and the protective cylinder 10 also partially extends into the flexible portion 6. The protective cylinder 10
The tip end of the coil 14 is fixed to the wire 13 further on the hand side than the hand end portion.

FIG. 3 shows the cam grooves 24a, 24 of the cam cylinder 23.
The shape of b is shown. The cam groove is a double-row cam, one of which is a cam groove 24a and the other is a cam groove 24b. The cam grooves 24a and 24b have the same shape, and are 1 with respect to the shaft of the cam cylinder 23.
It is in a symmetrical position rotated by 80 degrees. In FIG. 3A, the cam grooves 24a and 24b have a simple smooth spiral groove shape.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, there is a recess 38a in the middle of the groove 24b or the recess 3 at the end of the groove 24b.
8b is provided, and when the moving pin 22 is engaged in the recess 38a or 38b, it can be locked in the hardness position even when a large traction force is required, and it is engaged in the recess 38a or 38b. The operator can understand that the hardness level corresponding to the position of the recess 38a or 38b is set by the click feeling at the time without visually recognizing it.

Returning to FIG. 1, an O-ring 40 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the hardness adjusting knob 26 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical tube 17 inside thereof, and the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the cam cylinder 23 is fitted to this. The O-rings 41 are respectively arranged between the mating outer cylinder 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the front end thereof to ensure watertightness and to adjust the hardness of the knob 26.
Also, a mechanism is provided in which a frictional force is applied to the cam tube body 23, and the hardness adjustment knob 26 is locked by this frictional force to lock in a hardness state corresponding to that state.

Further, the operation portion 3 of the endoscope 1 as shown in FIG.
A treatment instrument insertion port 42 is provided at a position in front of the grip 31. Inside the operation portion 3, the treatment instrument insertion port 4
There is a branch member 44 that branches the 2 and the suction conduit 43,
The proximal end of the treatment instrument channel 35 provided in the insertion portion 2 is connected to the branch member 44 at the connection portion 45.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the traction member 20 takes up some space, but the traction member 20 is located in front of the connecting portion 45. In the present embodiment, the pulling member 20 is arranged so as to be located at the front of the connecting portion 45 even if it is pulled rearward.

FIG. 4 shows the appearance of the operation unit 3. A transparent window 46 is provided where the mark member 19 is located.
In the vicinity of the transparent window 46, a loop state display portion 47 for displaying (notifying the operator) whether it is in a loop state or a straight state, and a hardness indicating a soft state or a hard state and a hardness level A display unit 48 is provided.

In the present embodiment, even if the flexible portion 6 is bent into a loop shape or the like, the wire 13 can move within the coil 14 within the range of the distance L so that the wire stopper 18 can be moved.
Since it does not hit the pulling member 20, the compression force does not act on the coil 14, and the increase in hardness due to the compression force acting on the coil 14 is eliminated.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the case of inserting into the deep side of the large intestine as shown in FIG. When the pulling member 20 does not abut the wire stopper 18 as shown in FIG. 1, the coil 14 is soft because no tension is applied to the wire 13. Therefore, the soft part 6 is also in a soft state. As shown in FIG. 6 (A), while the flexible portion 6 is soft, the insertion portion 2 is pushed, and the winding sigmoid colon 92 is inserted from the anus 91.

FIG. 5 shows the action of the wire 13 and the coil 14 when the flexible portion 6 is bent on an arc at an angle. The angle at which the wire 13 and the coil 14 are bent is a °. The radius from the center O of the arc to the center axis of the wire 13 is R, and the radius of the arc connecting the contact points of the coil 14 inside the center O of the arc is r.

The coil 14 is in a natural state (straight state)
Since it is a close contact coil, the length of the arc of the inner coil portion in FIG. 5 is the same as when straight. However, if it goes outside of that, it becomes longer when bent than when straight. That is, with reference to the inner coil portion, the wire 13 is drawn into the coil 14. When the amount of pull-in is x, the amount of pull-in x can be calculated by the formula shown in FIG. 5, that is, x = 2πa (R−r) / 360.

If R-r is 0.7 mm and a is 90 °, the retraction amount x is about 1.1 mm and R-r is 1.
If it is 0 mm, the pull-in amount x is about 1.6 mm. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the pulling member 20 and the wire stopper 18 are
If the amount of retraction is x or more, the wire stopper 18 does not hit the pulling member 20 even if the flexible portion 6 bends at a °,
Since no compressive force is applied to the coil 14, the coil 14 does not become hard.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), even when the bent portion of the large intestine (the bending angle is set to a °) is crossed, the flexible portion 6 does not become hard, and the patient bends smoothly so as not to cause pain to the patient as much as possible. You can cross departments. Considering that the bent portion of the sigmoid colon 92 is 90 ° even at a loose place, R-r is determined by the sizes of the wire 13 and the coil 14, so the distance (play) between the pulling member 20 and the wire stopper 18 is 1.57 ( R-r) or higher is desirable.

In FIG. 6 (A), the curved portion 5 is hung on the bent portion which moves from the sigmoid colon 92 to the descending colon 93, and when the flexible portion 6 is pulled while twisting, the flexible portions 6 and S are formed as shown in FIG. 6 (B). Sigmoid colon 9
2 is approximately straight (sigmoid colon 92 is folded and shortened to some extent). When the hardness adjusting knob 26 is rotated here, the moving pin 22 is moved as shown in FIG.
Moves in the cam groove 24a.

As a result, the pulling member 20 is pulled rearward, hits the wire stopper 18, and further pulls backward to apply tension to the wire 13 and apply compressive force to the coil 14, thereby hardening the coil 14. The soft part 6 can be made hard. In this state, the transverse colon 9 deeper than the spleen curve 94
5. Insert into the liver curve 97, ascending colon 96, cecum 98 side. Since the soft portion 6 is hard, the sigmoid colon 92 that has been linearized is not bent again, and a gentle curve is drawn, and the cecum 98 can be easily and quickly inserted as shown in FIG. 6C. it can.

Now, as shown in FIG. 4, the hardness adjusting knob 26
A transparent window 46 is provided immediately behind. Transparent window 4
The marking member 19 can be seen through 6. In the vicinity of the transparent window 46, a loop state display section 47 is attached as shown in FIG. When the flexible portion 6 is in the straight state, the mark member 19 is located at the "S" mark near the longitudinal center of the transparent window 46 as shown in FIG.

Then, as described above, when the flexible portion 6 is in the loop state, the mark member 19 correspondingly moves to the front side and is located near the "L" mark. FIG. 6 (A)
As described above, since the mark member 19 indicates “L” when the soft part 6 is in the loop state, the operator can easily recognize that the soft part 6 is in the loop state.

Therefore, when the flexible portion 6 is used as shown in FIG.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation in which the softness portion 6 is hardened by operating the hardness adjusting knob 26 assuming that it is straight. In addition, as shown in FIG.
A hardness display section 48 is provided in the vicinity. FIG. 6 (B)
Hardness adjustment knob 2 with the flexible part 6 straight as shown in
When the soft portion 6 is hardened by rotating 6 to move the mark member 19, the mark member 19 is moved backward.
9 indicates to display "HARD" from "SOFT". As a result, the operator can instantly recognize whether the soft portion 6 is in the soft state or the hard state. As a result, the hardness level of the flexible portion 6 can always be recognized accurately, and an erroneous insertion operation can be prevented.

A sensor for detecting the movement amount of the rear end of the wire 13 is provided in the operation portion 3 and when the movement amount reaches a predetermined value (loop state or hardness level), the fact is displayed on a monitor (not shown), You may make it provide the notification means which sounds a sound from a peripheral device and notifies an operator.

The present embodiment has the following effects. Even if the insertion section 2 goes from straight to loop, the coil 1
Since the play portion that allows the wire 13 to move freely is provided with respect to the wire 4, the flexible portion 6 does not inadvertently become hard. Therefore, the carelessly hardened insertion portion 2 does not press the body wall or the like little, and the pain given to the patient can be prevented from increasing.

In FIG. 1, the tip of the coil 14 is attached to the rigid tube 1
It may be directly fixed to 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the wire 13 is not provided with play between the pulling member 20 and the wire stopper 18, but the tip of the wire 13 is extended from the tip of the coil 14 and the wire stopper 18 is attached to the tip of the wire 13. It is also possible to provide such a stopper and provide play between the stopper and the tip of the coil 14.
In this case, the wire stopper 18 of FIG.
May be brought into contact with, and substantially the same operation and effect as in the case of the configuration of FIG.

(Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. This embodiment has a similar structure to that of the first embodiment, and therefore only different portions will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wire 1 is used in this embodiment.
The rear end of the 3 is firmly fixed to the pulling member 20 by the brazing 49. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the cam groove 2 of the cam cylinder 23 is
A recess 50 is provided at the tip of each of 4a and 24b. The moving pin 22 is set in a position that fits in the recess 50 when the flexible portion 6 is in the loop state, and is positioned so as to come to the position of the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8 when the flexible portion 6 is in the soft state and in the straight state. .

When the hardness adjusting knob 23 is rotated to increase the hardness, the moving pin 23 moves in the cam groove 24a as shown by the arrow in FIG.

That is, FIG. 7 shows a soft state in which the pulling operation is not performed.
It shows a state in which the rear end of the wire 13 is fixed to the pulling member 20 in a state where the flexible portion 6 is in the most loop. Therefore, when the soft portion 6 is in a straight state without being hardened, the pulling member 20 is located slightly rearward from the position shown in FIG. 7, and a play is formed between the pulling member 20 and the coil stopper 16.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same members are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

As described in the first embodiment, the rear end of the wire 13 moves depending on the loop state of the flexible portion 6.
In the present embodiment, the pulling member 20, the moving ring 21, and the moving pin 22 move forward and backward depending on the loop state of the flexible portion 6. In FIG. 8, when the flexible portion 6 is in the loop state, the moving pin 22 moves forward and fits into the recess 50, so that the hardness adjusting knob 26 cannot be rotated. Alternatively, depending on the shape of the depression 50, the operation is possible but the amount of operation force becomes very heavy.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), even if the soft portion 6 is in the loop state, the operator cannot erroneously recognize that it is in the straight state and tries to operate the hardness adjusting knob 26. It can be recognized again that the unit 6 is in the loop state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operation that would increase the pain of the patient.

If the flexible portion 6 is substantially straight, the moving pin 22 is located at the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8. Therefore, as with the first embodiment, the hardness adjusting knob 26 is rotated to move the moving pin 22. And the wire 13 can be pulled backward, and the flexible portion 6
Can be hardened. The present embodiment has an effect of preventing an insertion operation error due to erroneous recognition of the loop state of the flexible portion 6. Others have the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Only parts different from the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 9, the endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment.
The configuration of the insertion portion 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the hardness adjusting mechanism of the operation portion 3 is different. As shown in FIG. 9, the appearance is such that a hardness adjusting lever 61 is provided coaxially with the bending operation knob 62. The reference numeral 63 represents a universal code. FIG. 10 shows the internal structure of the hardness adjusting mechanism.

The rear end of the coil 14 is fixed to a part of the operating portion 3 or a member fixed to the operating portion 3 (for example, a member fixed to the rear end cap 15 or the cylindrical pipe 17 in FIG. 1).
The rear end side of the wire 13 extends rearward from there, and the rack member 65 is attached to the rear end of the wire 13. The rack member 65 can slide on the base 66 in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 2). The shaft 6 is on this stand 66.
7 and a hardness adjusting lever 61 rotatable around its axis 67. A vinylon portion 68 is provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the hardness adjusting lever 61.

Further, the rack member 65 is provided with convex and concave portions corresponding to the concave and convex of the pinion portion 68 so as to face each other. Figure 1
0 (A) is the initial position of the hardness adjusting lever 61 (the soft state of the soft portion 6), the rack member 65 is not meshed with the pinion portion 68, and is movable between the base 66 and the hardness adjusting lever 61. When the hardness adjusting lever 61 is rotated counterclockwise, the pinion portion 68 meshes with the rack member 65 and pulls the wire 13 to increase the hardness.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 10A shows the case where the flexible portion 6 is straight. When the hardness adjusting lever 61 is rotationally operated, the pinion portion 68 meshes with the rack member 65, the wire 13 is pulled, and the coil 14 and the soft portion 6 can be hardened. On the other hand, FIG. 10 (B) shows the case where the flexible portion 6 is in the loop state in the state of FIG. 10 (A), but since the wire 13 is drawn into the coil 14, the rack member 6
5 moves forward.

Even if the hardness adjusting lever 61 is rotated in this state, the pinion portion 68 does not engage (cannot reach) the rack member 65, so that the hardness adjusting lever 61 runs idle.
Therefore, the hardness adjusting operation of the soft portion 6 is impossible. As a result, even if the operator erroneously recognizes that the flexible portion 6 is in a loop state as shown in FIG. 6 (A) in a loop state and operates the hardness adjusting lever 61, it spins idle and the flexible portion 6 is in a loop state. Can be clearly recognized by the operator.

According to the present embodiment, there is an effect of preventing an insertion operation error due to erroneous recognition in the loop state of the flexible portion 6.
In addition, there are almost the same effects as the first embodiment.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the closely wound coil 14 as a member whose hardness changes due to the compressive force, and the coil 1 as a member for applying the compressive force to the coil 14.
Although the wire 13 movably inserted into the wire 4 is used for description, a spiral member (for example, a flex) may be used instead of the coil.

Further, according to the present invention, the hardness of the coil, the spiral member, and the ring of the circular ring, which are substantially fitted to the flexible tube 8, is moved forward from the rear end side of the coil for adjusting the hardness by applying a compressive force. It can also be applied to a configuration in which is variable. In this case, a predetermined amount of play may be provided between the ring and the rear end of the hardness varying member such as the coil, the spiral member, and the ring array.

[Additional Notes] (1) An insertion portion having a flexible portion and an operating portion are provided, and a tight coil and a wire inserted therein are provided in the flexible portion,
In an endoscope in which the hardness of the soft part can be adjusted by pulling the wire and applying a compressive force to the coil to harden it, the soft part is straight before the soft part is hardened. The endoscope is characterized in that the wire end portion is made movable with respect to the coil end portion in a loop state.

(2) In the above (1), means for notifying the operator of the loop state is provided. (3) In the above (2), the notification means is the display unit provided in the operation unit. (4) In the above (2), the notifying means detects the wire movement amount and expresses the predetermined movement amount on the peripheral device.

(5) In (2) above, the means for notifying is by disabling the hardness adjustment operation. (6) In (5) above, the inoperability is due to the knob for adjusting hardness not moving. (7) In (5) above, the inoperability is caused by spinning the knob for adjusting the hardness.

(8) In the above (1), the loop state is a state in which the soft portion is looped by at least 90 °. (9) In (1) above, the wire is movable with respect to the member that pulls the wire, a stopper is provided at the rear end of the wire, and a certain amount of play is provided between the pulling member and the stopper.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the operator erroneously recognizes that the soft portion is in the straight state and tries to operate the hardness adjusting knob when the soft portion is in the loop state, the operation cannot be performed. This has the effect of notifying the operator that the soft part is in a loop state and preventing an operation that increases the pain of the patient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a structure of an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA and BB of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a specific example of a cam cylinder.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an operation section near a transparent window provided with a hardness display section and the like.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state of a coil and a wire when a soft part is bent.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the insertion portion is inserted from the anus to the deep side of the large intestine.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a structure of an endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a specific example of a cam cylinder.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a structure of a hardness adjusting mechanism according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Endoscope 2 ... insertion part 3 ... Operation part 4 ... Tip 5 ... Curved part 6 ... Soft part 7 ... Bending prevention member 8 ... Flexible tube 9 ... Light guide 13 ... Wire 14 ... Coil 15 ... Rear end cap 16 ... Coil stopper 17 ... Cylindrical tube 18 ... Wire stopper 19 ... Mark member 20 ... Towing member 20a ... Groove 21 ... Moving ring 22 ... Movement pin 23 ... Cam cylinder 24a, 24b ... Cam grooves 26 ... Hardness adjustment knob 29 ... Abutting member 31 ... Grip 38a, 38b ... Recesses 40, 41 ... O-ring 42 ... Treatment instrument insertion port 45 ... Connection part 46 ... Transparent window 47 ... Loop status display section 48 ... hardness display

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An insertion part having a soft part and an operating part, wherein a coil and a wire inserted therein are provided in the soft part, and the wire is pulled to apply a compressive force to the coil to harden it. In the endoscope in which the hardness of the soft portion can be adjusted by doing so, a means for notifying the operator of the loop state of the soft portion is provided. 2. The notifying means for notifying is performed by disabling a hardness adjusting operation.
The endoscope described in.