JP2004230201A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce influence on the lengthwise direction of a soft section in an endoscope in which the hardness of the soft section is adjustable. <P>SOLUTION: When a hardness adjusting wire 26 is pulled relative to a hardness adjusting coil 27, since the elastic deformation amount of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is larger than that of the hardness adjusting coil 27, in the case the moving quantity of the hardness adjusting wire 26 applying compressive force to the hardness adjusting coil 27 is set to 6mm, for instance, the amount of shrinkage due to the amount of elastic deformation of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is 2 mm, for instance, and the amount of elongation due to the elastic deformation of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is 4 mm, for instance. It is therefore constituted to move the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 larger in the amount of elongation than the amount of shrinkage, within an operating part by a traction member 43. With this constitution of moving the rear end of the member with large variation due to elastic deformation, the influence on the longitudinal direction of a soft section 4 can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope provided with a hardness adjusting means for adjusting the hardness of a flexible tube constituting a flexible tube portion.

  In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, it is possible to observe the inspection target site in the body cavity without incision, and to perform treatment in the treatment instrument channel of the endoscope as necessary. 2. Description of the Related Art An endoscope that can perform various treatments and treatments by inserting a tool is widely used.

  The insertion section of the endoscope has flexibility so that it can be inserted into a bent body cavity or the like. However, since the insertion portion has flexibility, the operation at the insertion portion proximal side is not transmitted to the insertion portion distal end side, the direction of the insertion portion distal side is not determined, and the insertion portion is smoothly inserted to the target portion. There was a problem that it became difficult.

To cope with this problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 3-43802 discloses a hardness changing means (or a hardness adjusting means, a flexibility adjusting means) comprising a coil (sheath) and a wire (core) inside an endoscope. The endoscope that facilitates insertion into a curved path by adjusting the flexibility of the insertion section by performing a simple operation by a surgeon performing an endoscopy is provided. It has been disclosed.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-43802

  A hardness adjusting means including a sheath and a core material is provided inside the endoscope as described above, and the hardness of the sheath is adjusted by applying a compressive force to the sheath by pulling the core material to adjust the hardness of the sheath. In an endoscope that varies the flexibility, the sheath and the core material constituting the hardness adjusting means are fixed with a larger elongation amount, and when the smaller elongation amount is moved, When the core is pulled to apply a compressive force to the sheath to set the hardness of the flexible portion to be hard, there is a disadvantage that the influence on the length direction of the flexible portion increases accordingly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and when applying a compressive force to the sheath by pulling the core material and setting the hardness of the soft portion to be hard, the effect on the length direction of the soft portion is considered. It is intended to provide a smaller endoscope.

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope according to the present invention includes a soft tube constituting a flexible tube portion, provided with hardness adjusting means including a sheath for adjusting the hardness of the soft tube and a core material, By applying a compressive force to the sheath by pulling a material to adjust the hardness of the sheath, an endoscope that varies the flexibility of the flexible tube portion,
While the distal end of the sheath and the core constituting the hardness adjusting means are fixed to the distal end side of the flexible tube, on the hand side of the hardness adjusting means, when the sheath or the core is hardened, An end of a member having a small amount of elastic deformation is fixed to a part of the endoscope operation unit, and an end of the other member is moved.

  An endoscope according to the present invention is provided with a hardness adjusting means including a sheath and a core material in a flexible tube constituting a flexible tube portion, and applies a compressive force to the sheath by pulling the core material to adjust the hardness of the sheath. By performing the above, there is an effect that the influence on the lengthwise direction of the flexible tube can be reduced in the case where the flexibility of the flexible tube is varied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 17 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope system, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between a bending portion and a flexible tube portion, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connection structure between the bending portion and the flexible tube portion, FIG. 4 is a sectional view for explaining a structure on the front end side of the operation portion, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a view of FIG. 6 viewed from a direction C, FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a portion D of FIG. 4, FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 4, FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the configuration and operation of the cam groove, and FIG. 13 is a positional relationship between the hardness adjusting means and the built-in components in the flexible tube portion. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a relationship between a hardness adjusting coil and a treatment tool insertion channel in a flexible tube portion in a bent state, and FIG. 15 is a diagram in which an insertion portion of an endoscope is inserted into a body cavity. FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing the shape of the flexible tube when the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the body cavity when viewed from above, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a distance from a tip of the slab and a state of hardness.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic endoscope system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an electronic endoscope 2 in which a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD 11 is built in a distal end portion 21 of an elongated insertion section 20, and an electronic endoscope 2. A light source device 3 having a built-in illumination lamp 3a and a condenser lens 3b for supplying illumination light to a light guide cable 10 inserted into the light guide cable 10, a drive 4a for driving the CCD 11, and an electric signal transmitted from the CCD 11 It mainly includes a signal processing device 4 having a signal processing unit 4b for converting the image signal into an image signal, and a monitor 5 having a display unit 5a for displaying the image signal generated by the signal processing unit 4b.

  The insertion section 20 of the electronic endoscope 2 includes a tip section 21 having the CCD 11 built therein, a bending section 22 formed by connecting a plurality of joint pieces 12 connected to the tip section 21, and a bending section 22. And a flexible tube portion 23 having a flexible soft tube 14 connected to the tube via a connection tube 13.

  An operation section 6 including a bending operation knob 6a for bending the bending section 22 is provided at a base end of the insertion section 20. The operation section 6 is operated by an operator operating the bending operation knob 6a. The drum 6b provided in the portion 6 is rotated, and the bending wire 15 wound around the drum 6b is pulled, whereby the bending portion 22 can be bent in a desired direction.

  A universal cord 7 having a light source connector 7 a at a base end thereof detachably connected to the light source device 3 extends from a side portion of the operation unit 6. An electric connector 7b is provided on the side of the light source connector 7a. By connecting a detachable external cable 8 to the electric connector 7b and the signal processing device 4, the signal processing device 4 and the CCD 11 are connected. It is connected via a signal line 19.

  The base end of the insertion section 20 of the electronic endoscope 2 and the front end of the operation section 6 are connected via a buckling member 24. The front end of the operation section 6 adjacent to the buckling member 24 will be described later. A hardness adjusting knob (also referred to as a flexibility adjusting knob) 25 having a substantially cylindrical shape for performing a hardness adjusting operation (also referred to as a flexibility adjusting operation) of the hardness adjusting means is provided. By rotating the hardness adjusting knob 25, a hardness adjusting wire (also referred to as a hardness varying means or a flexibility varying means) arranged in the flexible tube portion 23 and a hardness adjusting wire 26 and The hardness (flexibility) of the flexible tube portion 23 can be adjusted by adjusting the hardness adjusting coil 27. Reference numeral 6c denotes a treatment tool insertion port that communicates with a treatment tool insertion channel that guides a treatment tool or the like into a body cavity.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting pipe 13 that connects the bending portion 22 and the flexible tube portion 23 is located at the rearmost end of the plurality of joint pieces 12,. It is integrally fixed by a screw 17 in a state fitted to the end joint piece 16. In addition, a cutout portion 13a for disposing the connection member 31 is formed in a part of the connection pipe 13, and the connection member 31 is fitted into the cutout portion 13a. Therefore, the connection member 31 is disposed on the connection pipe 13 by integrally fixing the connection pipe 13 and the rear end joint piece 16. On the other hand, by removing the screw 17 and separating the rear end joint piece 16 and the connection pipe 13, the connection member 31 can be slid off from the connection pipe 13. Reference numeral 18 denotes an outer tube constituting an outer layer of the curved portion 22. The screws 17 may be provided at one place or at a plurality of places.

  As shown in FIG. 3, one end of a connection pipe 32 is fitted into a part of the connection member 31, and the connection member 31 and the connection pipe 32 are integrally fixed by a brazing portion 33. . The other end of the connecting pipe 32 is inserted with the tip of a hardness adjusting wire 26 and is fixed integrally with solder 34. A tip of a hardness adjusting coil 27 is firmly fixed to a tip side of a hardness adjusting wire 26 extending from the connection pipe 32 by a brazing portion 33. The fixing between the hardness adjusting wire 26 and the connection pipe 32 is not limited to the solder 34, and caulking may be added.

The structure on the front end side of the operation unit 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in the figure, a support member 35 is crimped to the base end of the buckling member 24. The support member 35 is integrally fixed to a rear end cap 36 with a screw 37. A filler 38 is buried in a hole formed in the support member 35 in which the head of the screw 37 is provided.

  The rear end cap 36 is integrally attached to a front end of a cylindrical tube 40 fixed to an operation section main body 61 constituting the operation section 6 by a screw ring 39. A coil stopper 41 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the rear end cap 36, and the rear end of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is integrally fixed to the coil stopper 41. Further, a moving ring 42 is disposed in a portion of the cylindrical tube 40 adjacent to the rear end cap 36, and a traction member 43 is attached to the moving ring 42.

  The rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 protrudes into the operation unit 6 through the through hole formed in the coil stopper 41 and the groove formed in the traction member 43 in the hardness adjusting coil 27. . A wire stopper 44 is firmly fixed to the rear end of the protruding hardness adjusting wire 26 by a brazing portion 33. The rear end of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is firmly fixed to the coil stopper 41 by the brazing portion 33.

  A moving pin 45 is attached to each of the symmetric positions of the moving ring 42, and the moving pin 45 is provided through a long hole elongated in the longitudinal direction provided in the cylindrical tube 40. A cam groove 47 provided on a cam ring 46 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical tube 40 is fitted. A hardness adjusting knob 25 is put on the cam ring 46, and is fixed in the rotation direction by fitting the concave and convex portions as shown in FIG. 11 described later.

  A slide ring 48 is sandwiched between a front end of the cam ring 46 and a rear end of the support member 35. The rear end cap 36 and the cam ring 46 are formed of the same member, but the sliding ring 48 is made of a material having a different hardness from the rear end cap 36 and the cam ring 46. This is to prevent biting that occurs when sliding occurs. Further, a first seal ring 49 provided on the support member 35 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface on the front end side of the hardness adjusting knob 25 so that watertightness is maintained. The rear end cap 36 and the support member 35 are kept watertight by a second seal ring 50. A rear portion of the hardness adjusting knob 25 is disposed so as to overlap the seal receiving member 51, and the hardness adjusting knob 25 and the seal receiving member 51 are connected by a third seal ring 52 provided on the seal receiving member 51. Watertightness is maintained. Further, a front end portion of the cylindrical body 62 is disposed so as to overlap with a rear end side of the receiving member 51, and the fourth seal ring 53 provided on the cylindrical body 62 makes the receiving member 51 and the cylindrical body 62 watertight. Is kept.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the coil stopper 41 is integrally fixed to the rear end cap 36 by two screws 54 serving as coil rear end position adjusting means described later. Above the head of the screw 54, a groove 36a formed in the rear end cap 36 and a longitudinally elongated hole 40a formed in the cylindrical tube 40 are arranged. The screw 54 can be tightened or loosened from the outside.

  Further, a plurality of cutouts 36b for obtaining frictional resistance are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rear end cap 36, and by providing the cutouts 36b, an ideal shape as shown in FIG. During the work of tightening the rear end cap 36 and the cylindrical tube 40 adjusted to the position with the screw ring 39, the position of the rear end cap 36 and the cylindrical tube 40 in the rotational direction is prevented from being shifted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rear end cap 36 is formed with a long and narrow hole 45a in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the screw 54 is slidable by a distance a from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the two-dot chain line. However, since the step 36b is provided in the groove 36a of the rear end cap 36, when the head 54a of the screw 54 is placed on the bottom surface 36c of the groove 36a as shown in FIG. Although the screw 54 cannot slide in the direction shown by the two-dot chain line, if the screw 54 is loosened and the head 70 goes over the stepped portion 36b, the screw 54 slides in the long hole 45a to make two points. It is possible to move to the position indicated by the chain line.

  Since the height of the stepped portion 36b is set smaller than the joining length of the screw 54 to the coil stopper 41, the screw 70 is slightly connected to the coil stopper 41, and the head 70 is lifted. This makes it possible to slide. Therefore, it is possible to fit the head 54a on the bottom surface 36c at the front end shown in FIG. 7, and when the screw 54 is completely tightened, the screw 54 cannot be slid by the step portion 36b. By providing the elongated hole 40 a in the cylindrical tube 40, the operation of changing the positions of the coil stopper 41 and the screw 54 can be performed from the outer peripheral surface side of the cylindrical tube 40.

  The support member 35 is slid toward the front end by flipping up the fold-preventing member 24 with respect to the support member 35 and removing the filler 38 and removing the screw 37 in this state. After the support member 35 is slid to the front end, the hardness adjustment knob 25 is slid to the front end. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the bending preventing member 24, the supporting member 35, and the hardness adjusting knob 25 are removed from the front end.

  In a state where the buckling member 24, the support member 35, and the hardness adjusting knob 25 are removed from the front end, the sliding ring 48 is fitted around the cylindrical tube 40 on the front end side in a substantially C-shape as shown in FIG. The d spacer 55 is arranged. In other words, by fixing the support member 35 removed with the spacer 55 disposed in a predetermined position of the rear end cap 36, the positions of the cam ring 46, the moving pin 45, the moving ring 42, and the traction member 43 are changed. Moves from the initial position to the rear end side by the thickness d of the spacer 55.

  In this state, by rotating the hardness adjustment knob 25 and the cam ring 46, the moving pin 45, the moving ring 42, and the traction member 43 also move to the rear end side. At this time, the rearmost position of the wire stopper 44 is also changed. It is shifted to the rear end side by the thickness d of the spacer 55 from the initial position shown by the two-dot chain line. By preparing a plurality of types of spacers 55 each having a thickness d arbitrarily set, the amount of movement can be appropriately adjusted.

  In addition, the spacer 55 is formed to have an inner diameter dimension that fits outside the cylindrical tube 40. The width of the notch 55a is smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical tube 40 and larger than the outer diameter of the flexible tube 23. For this reason, after the spacer 55 has been fitted into the flexible tube portion 23 from the lateral direction, it can be arranged at the front of the sliding ring 48. As a result, the flexible tube section 23 can be moved from the front end of the operation section 6 without completely removing the buckling member 24, the support member 35, and the hardness adjustment knob 25 from the insertion section 20 in order to perform the work of attaching the spacer 55. It may be shifted to a halfway position. Further, the sliding ring 48 may also serve as the spacer 55. That is, the same operation as the spacer 55 can be obtained by forming a plurality of types of sliding rings 48 having different widths and appropriately replacing the sliding rings 48.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the traction member 43 is integrally fixed to the moving ring 42 by two screws 56. Since the groove 43a is provided in the traction member 43, the hardness adjusting wire 26 can be fitted from the outer peripheral direction and fixed to the moving ring 42. Since the moving ring 42 has a C-shape, a space for inserting other built-in components is secured. The balance is maintained by arranging the moving pins 45 at symmetrical positions. Further, a plurality of recesses 25a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the hardness adjusting knob 25 to prevent a gripping hand from slipping.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the hardness adjusting knob 25 and the cam ring 46 are engaged with a plurality of uneven portions formed on the inner peripheral surface of the adjusting knob 25 and a plurality of uneven portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 46 so as to rotate in the rotational direction. And is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion. The cam ring 46 is rotatable with respect to the cylindrical tube 40.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the traveling angle between the first traveling portion 57 of the cam grooves 47a and 47b and the second traveling portion 58 on the rear side changes. This is because, when the cam ring 46 is rotated and the moving pin 45 slides in the cam grooves 47a and 47b, when the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is pulled against the hardness adjusting coil 27, an excessively large amount of force is required at first. Therefore, the moving pin 45 can be largely towed by the slight rotation amount of the cam ring 46 that moves along the first running portion 57, and when the amount of traction gradually increases after being pulled to some extent, the second running portion 58 This is to prevent the rotation operation force amount of the cam ring 46 from becoming too large by making the shift to a small amount of pulling with respect to the large rotation operation amount.

  When the cam grooves 47a and 47b are formed from the beginning to the end as the first running portion 57, the amount of rotation of the cam ring 46 becomes extremely long. In the present invention, the maximum rotation amount (stroke) of the cam ring 46 is set to 180 ° at which the surgeon can operate with one operation, and the operation force amount is not so large. Note that the maximum rotation amount may be set to a rotation angle other than 180 °. In addition, since a gap serving as a play portion is provided between the traction member 43 and the wire stopper 44, the flexible tube 23 is bent when the flexible tube 23 shown in FIG. When the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is pulled into the front end of the hardness adjusting coil 27, the hardness adjusting coil 27 is prevented from becoming hard. That is, it prevents the flexible tube portion 23 from becoming naturally hard when the hardness adjustment knob 25 is not operated.

Here, an operation of changing the hardness of the flexible tube 23 from the soft state to the hard state will be described.
First, the hardness adjusting knob 25 is rotated to increase the hardness of the flexible tube 23. Then, when the cam ring 46 rotates together with the hardness adjusting knob 25, the moving pin 45 moves in the cam grooves 47a and 47b, and moves the traction member 43 to the rear end side. Then, the traction member 43 moves to the rear end side and comes into contact with the wire stopper 44.

  Next, in this state, the traction member 43 further moves to the rear end side. As a result, the hardness adjusting wire 26 is pulled to the rear side and a compressive force is applied to the hardness adjusting coil 27 so that the hardness adjusting coil 27 is hardened. Become.

The FF section of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in the figure, a hardness adjusting coil 27 and a hardness adjusting wire 26 constituting the hardness adjusting means are arranged so as to be movable in the circumferential direction in the flexible tube 14. The movable range of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is determined by the filling degree of various built-in components arranged in the flexible tube 14. In the present embodiment, when the flexible tube portion 23 is bent as shown in FIG. 14 in a state where the hardness adjusting coil 27 is compressed to the hardest state, the hardness adjusting coil 27 becomes flexible. It moves toward the outer peripheral side with respect to the bending center side of the tube portion 23. At this time, it is conceivable that the hardness adjusting coil 27 comes into contact with, for example, the treatment tool insertion channel 72, which is a built-in member that is inserted through the inside of the flexible tube portion 23, and is pressed. For this reason, in the present embodiment, even when the hardness adjusting coil 27 in the hardest state abuts against and presses against the treatment instrument insertion channel 72, the treatment instrument insertion channel 72 may be damaged. As a means for preventing damage to the internal components, the maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is set to a predetermined value, and the material and size of the treatment tool insertion channel 72 are selected so as to prevent damage. I have.

  Further, in order to prevent breakage of the built-in object in the flexible tube section 23 by the hardness adjusting coil 27 as much as possible, each built-in object disposed in the flexible tube 14 as a built-in material damage prevention means is provided with a hardness adjusting coil. In order to prevent the flexible tube 23 from being pinched between the inner wall of the flexible tube 14 and the inner wall of the flexible tube 14 closest to the coil 27 (part G shown by an arrow in FIG. 13), The object is arranged so as not to be entangled in the hardness adjusting coil 27. The part G in the figure is a part which receives the strongest pressing force by the hardness adjusting coil 27.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the treatment tool insertion channel 72 has been described as an example of a built-in object. However, the built-in object is not limited to the treatment tool insertion channel 72, and the other built-in object may be a light guide. There are a cable 10, a signal line 19, an air supply tube 74, a water supply tube 75, and the like, and the built-in components 10, 19, 74, and 75 also have the hardness adjusting coil 27 in the hardest state similarly to the treatment instrument insertion channel 72. The material and size are set so as not to be damaged even when the flexible tube 14 has a predetermined bent shape in the state of.

  In addition, the above-mentioned damage means that, in a channel such as the treatment tool insertion channel 72, the air supply tube 74, and the water supply tube 75, a line-shaped scratch is locally formed or a plastically deformed habit is formed. In the light guide cable 10, a plurality of fiber bundles passing through the cable are broken and the amount of light is reduced.

Here, specific configurations of the hardness adjusting coil 27 and the hardness adjusting wire 26 will be described in more detail.
In the present embodiment, the wire diameter of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is in the range of 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm, and the outer diameter of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is in the range of 0.9 mm to 1.3 mm. The clearance (diameter difference) between the inner diameter of the hardness adjusting coil 27 and the outer diameter of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is set in a range of 0.01 mm to 0.4 mm. If the clearance is 0 or the outer diameter of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is larger than the inner diameter of the hardness adjusting coil 27, the assemblability when inserting the hardness adjusting wire 26 into the hardness adjusting coil 27 is poor. The hardness adjusting wire 26 cannot move smoothly inside the hardness adjusting coil 27. On the other hand, if the clearance is too large, the adjacent coil strands are likely to shift in the radial direction when stiffened, particularly when bent in a hardened state, and are likely to buckle. Therefore, it is desirable that the clearance be equal to or less than half of the coil wire diameter (that is, the radius of the wire). This is because the coil strands are in contact with each other at an intermediate portion between the outer and inner diameters of the coil when hardened. The material of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is stainless steel such as SUS302, 304 or SUS631, or a metal material such as piano wire.

  In this embodiment, when the hardness adjusting wire 26 is pulled with respect to the hardness adjusting coil 27, the elastic deformation amount of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is larger than the elastic deformation amount of the hardness adjusting coil 27. For this reason, when the moving distance of the hardness adjusting wire 26 for applying a compressive force to the hardness adjusting coil 27 is 6 mm, the amount of contraction due to the elastic deformation of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is 2 mm, and the hardness adjusting wire 26 The amount of elongation due to elastic deformation is 4 mm. As a result, the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26, which has a larger elongation amount than the contraction amount, is moved by the traction member 43 in the operation unit 6. Therefore, when the moving distance of the hardness adjusting wire 26 in the operation section 6 is 6 mm, the shrinkage amount of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is 2 mm, so that the influence on the length direction of the flexible tube 14 is 2 mm. Become.

  However, if the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is fixed in the operation unit 6 and the rear end of the hardness adjusting coil 27 is moved forward by 6 mm, the hardness adjusting wire 26 Since the elongation of the flexible tube 14 is 4 mm because the elongation of the flexible tube 14 is 4 mm, the amount of change is larger than that in the case described above. Conversely, when the contraction amount of the hardness adjusting coil 27 due to the elastic deformation is larger than the elongation amount of the hardness adjusting wire 26 due to the elastic deformation, the rear end of the hardness adjusting wire 26 is fixed in the operation section 6 and the hardness is adjusted. The method of moving the rear end of the adjustment coil 27 forward has less influence on the lengthwise direction of the flexible tube 14.

  As described above, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 serving as the sheath and the hardness adjusting wire 26 serving as the core material are combined, the rear end of the member having a small amount of change due to elastic deformation is fixed, It is desirable for the flexible tube 14 to move the rear end of the member having a large change amount. In order to improve the reproducibility of the amount of change due to the elastic deformation, it is best that the sheath and the core are made of the above-described metal material.

When assembling the hardness adjusting coil 27 to the endoscope 2, the coil 27 is assembled in a state where the coil 27 is pushed into the flexible tube 14 so as to meander, or conversely, the coil 27 pulls the flexible tube 14. It is conceivable that it is assembled in such a state. When the pushing amount and the pulling amount of the coil 27 are increased, when the flexible tube 14 is bent in a state where the hardness adjusting coil 27 is hardened, the hardness adjusting coil 27 may further connect other built-in components depending on the bending direction. High pressure can cause damage. For this reason, when incorporating the hardness adjusting coil 27 into the endoscope in which the insertion portion is in the straight state, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 is in the hard state, the coil is excessively pushed into the flexible tube 14 or excessively pulled. Is set so that it does not enter the state. That is, as a built-in material damage preventing means for preventing the other built-in material from being damaged by a predetermined bending of the soft tube 14, the length of the soft tube 14 and the hardness adjustment in the hard state in the soft tube 14 are used. The length of the coil 27 is set to be substantially the same. A specific operation example of the endoscope 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
This figure illustrates a state where the insertion section 20 of the endoscope 2 is inserted into the large intestine.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the flexible tube 23 is made to be in a soft state, and the insertion portion 20 is inserted from the anus 91 through the rectum into the meandering sigmoid colon 92. Since the flexible tube 23 is in a soft state, even if a loop is formed in the middle of the flexible tube 23, the patient's pain can be reduced. Eventually, the distal end 21 of the insertion section 20 passes through the descending colon 93 and reaches near the spleen bend 94.

  When the distal end 21 reaches the vicinity of the spleen bend 94, the sigmoid colon 92 is folded by operating to pull the flexible tube 23 as shown in FIG. The colon 92 is made substantially linear. Then, as described above, the hardness adjusting knob 25 is rotated to make the flexible tube portion 23 hard. This prevents the folded sigmoid colon 92 from flexing and re-looping when pushing the distal end 21 toward the transverse colon 95.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, by pushing the distal end portion 21 with the flexible tube portion 23 in a hard state, the distal end portion 21 passes through the transverse colon 95, crosses the liver curve 97, and enters the cecum 98. To reach. Since the flexible tube portion 23 is strong when in a hard state, it not only prevents re-looping of the sigmoid colon 92 but also makes it easy to insert the transverse colon 95 as much as possible without bending it. Can be inserted in a state where is easily transmitted to the tip, so that good insertion becomes possible.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the operator performs an endoscopy as described above, as viewed from above the head.
At this time, as shown in the figure, when the operator 100 operates the endoscope 2 alone, the operator holds the operation unit 6 with the left hand and the flexible tube 23 with the right hand. Since the flexible tube 23 is inserted, the flexible tube 23 has a bent shape to some extent. At this time, the bending angle of the flexible tube portion 23 is the angle indicated by h in the drawing, and this angle h is usually 90 ° to 180 ° in use.

  That is, even when the flexible tube portion 23 is in a substantially linear state in a living body, the flexible tube portion 23 always has a somewhat curved shape outside the living body as described above. This is the same when the hardness adjusting means for hardening the flexible tube 14 is operated in the hard state, and the flexible tube portion 23 is harder to bend than when the hardness adjusting means is in the soft state. However, the proximal side of the flexible tube 23 gripped by the operator 100 may be artificially bent, and the flexible tube 23 may be bent up to 180 °. At this time, the positional relationship between the hardness adjusting coil 27 and the treatment tool insertion channel 72 in the soft tube 14 is as shown in FIG.

  When the hardness adjusting coil 27 shown in FIG. 14 is in a hard state, the hardness adjusting coil 27 moves inside the soft tube 14 while the soft tube 14 is bent by a predetermined amount, and the hardened A part of the hardness adjusting coil 27 may press a part of the treatment tool insertion channel 72 as indicated by an arrow J in the drawing. However, at this time, in the present invention, since the hardness of the hardness adjusting coil 27 or the strength of the treatment tool insertion channel 72 is set to a predetermined value, the hardness adjusting coil 27 in the hardened state is Even when the insertion channel 72 is pressed, breakage such as breakage or crushing of the treatment tool insertion channel 72 does not occur.

The above-mentioned predetermined amount of bending is the amount of bending when the flexible tube 23 bends up to 180 °.
The relationship between the distance from the distal end of the flexible tube portion 23 and the hardness in the present embodiment is as shown in FIG. 17, and the solid line shown in the figure indicates the change in the hardness of the flexible tube portion 23 when the hardness adjusting means is in the soft state. The dashed line indicates the change in hardness of the flexible tube portion 23 when the hardness adjusting means is in the hardest state. If the hardness of the flexible tube portion 23 becomes harder than this, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 presses the treatment instrument insertion channel 72 in the above-described predetermined bending state, the treatment instrument insertion channel 72 is damaged. There is a risk. Therefore, in the present invention, the hardest state of the flexible tube portion 23 is set to the hardness variable width to a value that does not damage the treatment instrument insertion channel 72. In the middle of the flexible tube portion 23, a hardness change region is provided as shown by a diagonally oblique line rising to the right.

  As described above, the maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil of the hardness adjusting means for adjusting the hardness of the soft tube constituting the flexible tube portion may be increased even when the built-in object is pressed in a hard state, such as being broken or crushed. The hardness adjustment coil is set in the hardest state by setting the size and material of each built-in member that penetrates the inside of the flexible tube as appropriate so as not to be damaged. When the pipe portion is brought into a predetermined bent state, it is possible to prevent the built-in component from being damaged by the hardness adjusting coil.

  18 and 19 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing an example of a use state in which an endoscope is inserted into a patient, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing a structure of a flexible tube portion. FIG.

  The positional relationship between the insertion section 20 of the endoscope 2 and the operation section 6 outside the living body is determined by the positional relationship between the operator and the patient. In addition, the operator holds the operation unit 6 with respect to the flexible tube portion 23 in a position where a small bent portion does not normally occur on the proximal side of the flexible tube portion 23. However, when the insertion section 20 of the endoscope 2 is inserted into a patient 90 lying on the bed 101 as shown in FIG. In some cases, the operation unit 6 may be unintentionally moved to a position above the flexible tube unit 23 while contacting the operation unit 101. In such a case, the flexible tube 23 is sandwiched between the operation unit 6 and the bed 101, and a small bent portion is artificially formed in the flexible tube 23 outside a living body. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19B, the flexible tube portion 23 has a minimum bending shape in a state where the ends of the strands of the belt-shaped spiral tube 111 constituting the flexible tube 14 are in contact with each other.

  However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19 (a), the flexible tube 14 of the flexible tube portion 23 is formed from a spiral tube 111 having a gap k between the strands in a linear state in order from the innermost part, It is composed of a mesh tube 112 covered on the outside of the tube 111 and a skin resin 113 constituting the outermost periphery, covered on the outside of the mesh tube 112. Therefore, when the flexible tube portion 23 has the minimum bending shape as described above, the ends of the strip-shaped strands of the spiral tube 111 are in contact with each other. When the spiral tube 111 bends, the gap k between the wires becomes narrower on the center side of the bent portion, and the gap k between the wires becomes wider outside the center.

In the present embodiment, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 has the maximum hardness, even when the flexible tube portion 23 is in the minimum bending state, the hardness adjusting coil 27 prevents the other internal components from being damaged. Therefore, in addition to the selection of the maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil 27 and the size and material of the built-in component, the size of the flexible tube 14 including the inter-wire gap value of the spiral tube 111 is further selected.
When the flexible tube portion 23 is formed, the spiral tube 111 may be wound twice or three times.

  As described above, in addition to the selection of the maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil and the size and material of the internal components, the size of the flexible tube including the gap between the wires of the helical tube is set, so that the flexible tube can be inspected during the inspection. Even when the portion is bent at the minimum radius, the built-in component can be prevented from being damaged by the hardness adjusting coil.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the endoscope according to the third embodiment of the present invention is housed in an endoscope housing member.
Examples of the endoscope housing member include a case for transporting and storing the endoscope 2 and a container used in combination with a device for cleaning and disinfecting the endoscope 2. The storage member is an endoscope storage device (hereinafter also referred to as a storage device) 120 formed to store the flexible tube portion 23 of the endoscope 2 in a predetermined bent shape.

  As shown in the figure, the storage device 120 is configured to forcibly bend the flexible tube 23 of the endoscope 2 into the shape of the groove 121 formed in the storage device 120 and store the flexible tube 23. The angle at which the hardness adjusting coil 27 disposed in the inside 23 is bent differs depending on the position of the flexible tube portion 23 where the hardness adjusting coil 27 is arranged.

  That is, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 is provided from the distal end position 122 of the flexible tube portion 23 to the operation unit 6 shown in the drawing, the sum of angles at which the hardness adjusting coil is forcibly bent is about 300. Becomes ゜. On the other hand, when the hardness adjusting coil 27 is provided from the middle portion 123 of the flexible tube portion 23 to the operation portion 6, the total angle of the bending angle is 210 °. Further, the minimum bending radius differs depending on the shape of the groove 121 provided individually in the endoscope housing device 120.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, in any endoscope housing member that can house the endoscope 2, the endoscope 2 in which the hardness adjusting coil 27 is held in the maximum hardened state is the endoscope housing device. The maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil 27 and the size and material of the internal component so that the internal component passing through the insertion portion is not damaged by the hardness adjusting coil 27 even when housed in the insertion portion 120. In addition to the above, the bending shape of the groove 121 formed in the endoscope housing equipment 120 is set.

  Therefore, during the inspection, the operation of operating the hardness adjustment knob 25 to end the inspection despite the rigid state of the flexible tube portion 23 and returning the flexible tube portion 23 from the hard state to the soft state can be performed. If the user forgets to store the product in a case for cleaning and disinfection, the built-in components are not damaged.

  In this way, considering that the hardness adjusting means is stored in the endoscope housing member in a hardened state, the maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting coil, the size and material of the internal component, and the endoscope housing equipment By setting the shape of the storage groove, even if the flexible tube portion in which the hardness adjustment coil is in the hardest state is stored in the endoscope storage member, it is possible to prevent the built-in object from being damaged by the hardness adjustment coil. Can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the hardness adjusting means described so far is a combination of a coil and a wire. However, the hardness adjusting means is not limited to the configuration of the coil and the wire. For example, an elongated shape memory alloy that becomes linear when heated, or a fluid that is injected into an elongated balloon to adjust the fluid pressure, is used as long as it applies a pressing force to other built-in components by bending. What is necessary is just to be able to change with a built-in elongated thing, such as a thing.

  The present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Appendix]
According to the embodiment of the present invention described in detail above, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) In an endoscope in which a hardness adjusting means for adjusting the hardness of the flexible tube and a built-in member are provided in a flexible tube constituting a flexible tube portion,
When the soft tube is bent in a state where the hardness adjusting means is adjusted to a maximum hardened state,
An endoscope provided with a built-in material damage preventing means for preventing the built-in material in the flexible tube from being damaged by the hardness adjusting means.

(2) The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein the built-in material damage prevention means has at least a maximum hardness of the hardness adjusting means or a strength of the built-in material set to prevent breakage.

(3) The endoscope according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the hardness adjusting unit is configured such that an intermediate portion is movable inside the flexible tube.

(4) The hardness adjusting means is composed of an elongated sheath and a wire passing through an inner hole of the sheath, and adjusts the hardness of the flexible tube by relatively compressing the sheath and the wire. The endoscope according to attachment 1.

(5) The endoscope according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein a bending angle of the flexible tube when bent at a minimum bending radius is 180 °.

(6) The hardness adjusting means and the built-in component are placed in the soft tube so that the built-in component is not sandwiched between the movable portion of the hardness adjusting device and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube closest to the movable portion. The endoscope according to attachment 3, wherein the endoscope is arranged.

(7) The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein a bending shape of a groove formed in the endoscope housing member is set in consideration of a maximum hard state of the flexible tube.

(8) The endoscope according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the length of the flexible tube and the length of the hardness adjusting unit in the hard state in the flexible tube are set to the same size.

(9) Hardness adjusting means including a sheath and a core material is provided in the soft portion, and by pulling this core material, a compressive force is applied to the sheath to adjust the hardness of the sheath. In an endoscope that varies
While the distal end of the hardness adjusting means is fixed to the distal end side of the soft part, on the proximal side of the hardness adjusting means, of the sheath or the core, the end of the member having a small elastic deformation amount when hardened is used. An endoscope fixed to a part of an endoscope operation unit and applying a compressive force to a sheath by moving an end of the other member.

(10) The endoscope according to supplementary note 9, wherein the sheath and the core material are metal members.

1 to 17 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope system. Cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between a bending portion and a flexible tube portion Longitudinal sectional view showing a connection structure between a bending portion and a flexible tube portion. Sectional drawing explaining the structure of the front end side of the operation unit AA sectional view of FIG. BB sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 viewed from the direction C. The figure explaining the D section of FIG. Explanatory drawing showing a spacer DD sectional view of FIG. EE sectional view of FIG. Diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the cam groove The figure which shows the positional relationship of the hardness adjustment means in a flexible tube part, and a built-in thing Explanatory drawing showing the relationship between the hardness adjusting coil in the flexible tube portion in the bent state and the treatment instrument insertion channel The figure explaining the state which inserts the insertion part of an endoscope in a body cavity. Explanatory drawing showing the shape of the flexible tube when the insertion part of the endoscope is inserted into the body cavity when viewed from above. The figure which shows the distance from the front-end | tip of a flexible tube part, and the state of hardness. 18 and 19 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a use state in which an endoscope is inserted into a patient. Explanatory drawing showing the structure of the flexible tube section Explanatory drawing showing a state where the endoscope according to the third embodiment of the present invention is housed in an endoscope housing member.

Explanation of reference numerals

2: Endoscope 14: Flexible tube 26: Wire for adjusting hardness (hardness adjusting means)
27 ... Hardness adjusting coil (hardness adjusting means)
Attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (1)

Hardness adjusting means including a sheath for adjusting the hardness of the flexible tube and a core material is provided in a flexible tube constituting the flexible tube portion, and a compressive force is applied to the sheath by pulling the core material to thereby provide a sheath. In the endoscope in which the flexibility of the flexible tube portion is changed by adjusting the hardness of the endoscope,
While the distal end of the sheath and the core constituting the hardness adjusting means are fixed to the distal end side of the flexible tube, on the hand side of the hardness adjusting means, when the sheath or the core is hardened, An endoscope wherein an end of a member having a small amount of elastic deformation is fixed to a part of an endoscope operation section, and an end of the other member is moved.

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