JP2009011442A - Joint structure for endoscope insertion tube - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint structure suitable for an insertion part of an endoscope, permitting firm joint while positioning an object to be jointed with high accuracy without enlarging the diameter of the joint area. <P>SOLUTION: The joint structure is inside the insertion part constituting the endoscope for observing inside the body cavity. The joint structure comprises a first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member constituting parts of the insertion part. The first cylindrical member has a first joint part at one end. The second cylindrical member has the approximately same outer diameter as the inner diameter of the first joint part and has a second joint part to be engaged with the first joint part at one end. The first joint part crosses the center shaft of the first cylindrical member, and comprises an application part to which the end face of the second joint part is applied to be fitted and a plurality of opening parts permitting observation of the application part. The joint parts are jointed to each other by means of soldering, etc. with the end face of the second joint part applied to the application part of the first joint part, and the plurality of opening parts are closed by means of soldering, etc. in the jointed state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint structure in an insertion portion that constitutes an endoscope that is inserted into a body cavity and images and observes a living tissue.

  The endoscope includes a gripping part that is held by an operator and an insertion part that extends from the gripping part and is inserted into a body cavity during endoscopic observation. The insertion portion is a rigid portion in which a distal end portion, a bending portion for changing the position of the distal end portion in the body cavity, and a member necessary for endoscopic observation are disposed between the distal end portion and the bending portion. And a long flexible tube positioned between the bending portion and the gripping portion. An endoscope having such an insertion portion is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below.

JP 2000-344201 A

  In a conventional endoscope as exemplified in Patent Document 1, generally, the hard portion has a cylindrical connecting tube. In addition, the bending portion has a structure (so-called node ring structure) in which a plurality of annular members are connected in a state where each of the annular members can be driven uniaxially or biaxially.

  Here, as a method of joining each member, for example, a method of screwing the joining region, that is, the end portions of two parts to be joined can be proposed. However, while the screw stopper can be positioned with relatively high accuracy, the diameter of the region to be joined corresponding to the thickness of the screw to be used must be increased. Therefore, particularly in the joint between the connecting tube and the curved portion, a portion of the endoscope where more endoscope components (for example, optical system, air supply, water supply tube, optical fiber, etc.) are accommodated while being near the tip. In joining, a problem has been pointed out that the diameter of the joining region must be increased unnecessarily.

  As another joining method, a method of soldering the joining region can be proposed. Since soldering does not use joining parts such as screws, it is possible to ensure a small diameter. However, when soldering, if the two parts to be joined are components of a fine endoscope insertion part, are the two parts to be joined properly joined in a properly positioned state? In addition, a problem has been pointed out that there is no way to confirm whether or not the soldering regions of the two joining objects are sufficiently filled.

  For example, if the central axes of the objects to be joined are joined in a non-parallel state, the endoscope constituent members disposed inside the two may interfere with each other and cannot exhibit their original performance. is there. Further, if the bonding area is not sufficiently filled with solder, there is a possibility that a solid bonding having a strength sufficient to withstand an unintended external pressure may not be realized. Therefore, the above confirmation is a very important matter when configuring the endoscope insertion portion.

  To solve such a problem, for example, more endoscope components (for example, an optical system, an air supply or water supply tube, an optical fiber, etc.) are accommodated in the vicinity of the distal end, such as a connecting tube and a bending portion. This is very important when joining parts. The same applies to the case of configuring an endoscope insertion portion including two observation optical systems having different magnifications.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention is a bonding structure suitable for an endoscope insertion portion that can firmly bond while positioning a bonding target with high accuracy without increasing the diameter of the bonding region. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an endoscope insertion tube joint structure according to the present invention is a joint structure in an insertion portion that constitutes an endoscope for observing the inside of a body cavity, and constitutes a part of the insertion portion. A first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member, the first cylindrical member has a first joint at one end, and the second cylindrical member is a first joint A first joint having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the part and fitted to the first joint at one end, and the first joint has a central axis of the first cylindrical member The abutting portion that is substantially orthogonal and to which the end surface of the second joint to be fitted is applied, and a plurality of openings that can observe the abutting portion, and the end surface of the second joint is the first In the state of being applied to the abutting part of one joint part, each joint part is joined using a liquid metal material, and in the joined state, a plurality of openings are solidified gold. Characterized in that it is closed by the material.

  By configuring as described above, before joining each cylindrical member by soldering, use the opening to check whether the tip of the second joint is securely in contact with the abutting part. can do. Moreover, when joining each cylindrical member, solid fixation is implement | achieved, maintaining a small diameter by inject | pouring solder also into the said opening part.

  According to the junction structure for an endoscope insertion tube described in claim 2, it is desirable that the openings are arranged at equal intervals around the central axis. Moreover, according to the joining structure of Claim 3, the 1st junction part can position an even number of opening part diagonally on the basis of a central axis. Thereby, a plurality of openings can be formed simultaneously by a single drilling process.

  According to the endoscope insertion tube joint structure of the fourth aspect, the end of the opening is located immediately before the abutting portion.

  According to the endoscope insertion tube joint structure according to claim 5, at least one of the plurality of openings may have a different shape. Thereby, the opening part of a different shape can be utilized as an index for positioning.

  According to the junction structure for an endoscope insertion tube of the sixth aspect, all of the plurality of openings have the same shape. Thereby, the manufacturing efficiency of a 1st junction part and by extension, a 1st cylindrical member improves.

  According to the joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube according to claim 7, the first cylindrical member is a connecting tube constituting a rigid portion in the endoscope insertion tube, and the second cylindrical member is an inner tube. This is preferably implemented in the case of a node ring structure that constitutes a bending portion in the endoscope insertion tube.

  According to the endoscope insertion tube joining structure according to claim 8, the opening is, for example, a notch that extends from the end surface of the first joining portion to just before the abutting portion.

  According to the endoscope insertion tube joint structure according to claim 9, the metal material used for joining includes, for example, solder.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when two objects to be joined are fitted, observation is performed such that accurate positioning is performed, and when the two objects to be joined are joined by soldering, An opening for appropriately filling the solder was provided. Accordingly, a bonding structure suitable for an endoscope insertion portion that can be firmly bonded while positioning a bonding target with high accuracy without increasing the diameter of the bonding region is provided.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electronic endoscope 100 having an insertion portion using the joint structure of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic endoscope 100 of the present embodiment includes an insertion portion 1, a forceps insertion port 2, and a grip portion 3.

  The insertion portion 1 formed in the electronic endoscope 100 is a long tube that is inserted into a body cavity and has flexibility. The insertion portion 1 includes a flexible tube 11, a bending portion 12, a rigid portion 13, and a distal end portion 14 in order from the proximal end side. In the description of each member in the text, the side close to the grip portion 3 is referred to as the proximal end side, and the side close to the distal end portion 14 is referred to as the distal end side. The insertion portion 1 is partially fitted to the distal end side of the flexible tube 11 and the proximal end side of the bending portion 12, the distal end side of the bending portion 12 and the proximal end portion of the rigid portion 13, and the distal end side of the rigid portion 13 and the proximal end portion of the distal end portion 14. It is configured by joining in a state. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion portion 1. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the exterior is shown in a transparent manner, and the internal configuration is visible.

  In the present embodiment, the bonding structure 500 according to the present invention is applied to the bonding between the bending portion 12 and the rigid portion 13. That is, the bonding structure 500 of the present embodiment has the curved portion 12 and the rigid portion 13.

  The bending portion 12 is connected to the operation mechanism of the grip portion 3 via a plurality of wires (not shown) inserted into the flexible tube 11. Therefore, the bending portion 12 is bent with the joint portion between the bending portion 12 and the flexible tube 11 as a starting point when the operator or the like operates the operation mechanism. The bending portion 12 forms a cylindrical shape by arranging a plurality of ring-shaped members (hereinafter referred to as segments) 121, 122,..., And a part of the segments adjacent to each other is pivotally fixed by a pin 12a. It has a structure, that is, a node ring structure. In FIG. 2, only the first segment 121 and the second segment 122 located on the distal end side are shown. Basically, each segment has the same shape. However, the most proximal segment and the most distal segment have different shapes from the other segments in order to secure a joint region with other adjacent parts (flexible tube 11 and rigid portion 13). Yes. For example, the first segment 121 on the most distal end side has a joining region 121 a with the hard portion 13. In addition, the outer periphery of the node ring structure in the curved portion 112 is covered with a metal net tube 12b. In FIG. 2, the mesh tube 12b is indicated by hatching.

  The rigid portion 13 has a connecting pipe 130 that is a cylindrical member made of metal. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the connecting pipe 130. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting tube 130 has a joining region 131 on the proximal end side and a joining region 132 on the distal end side. The joining region 131 is a region for joining with the joining region 121 a provided in the first segment 121.

  The inner diameter of the bonding region 131 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the bonding region 121a. Further, the joining region 131 has an annular abutting surface 131a perpendicular to the central axis of the connecting tube 130 at a predetermined depth from the end of the region 131 (that is, the proximal end of the connecting tube 130). Have Moreover, the joining area | region 131 has the some notch part 131b which reaches to just before the position where the applicable contact surface 131a is formed. Therefore, the insert manufacturer can check the vicinity of the internal abutment surface through the notch 131b. In the present embodiment, the joining region 131 of the connecting pipe 130 has four cutout portions 131b that are arranged at equal intervals around the central axis. Specifically, the four cutouts 131b are formed on two imaginary lines that are orthogonal to the central axis of the connecting pipe 130 and orthogonal to each other. That is, each notch 131b is located diagonally across the central axis. By comprising in this way, the two notch parts 131b can be formed by one punching process, and manufacturing efficiency improves. The connecting structure 500 between the connecting tube 130 and the bending portion 12 will be described in detail later.

  The distal end side joining area 132 of the connecting tube 130 is an area for joining to the proximal end side of the distal end portion 14. Specifically, the distal end side joining region 132 of the present embodiment has an inner diameter that is substantially equal to the outer diameter on the proximal end side of the distal end portion 14, and has a screw hole 132a in the vicinity of the end portion. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, with the proximal end side of the distal end portion 14 fitted in the distal end side joining region 132 of the connecting tube 130, the screw 15 is inserted from the screw hole 132a and screwed together to join the connecting portion. The tube 130 and the tip 14 are joined. Here, the distal end portion 14 is often made of resin from the viewpoint of electrical safety in view of being a portion exposed in the body cavity. In consideration of the efficiency of the disassembling work required at the time of repair, even if the tip 14 is made of metal, the connecting tube 130 and the tip 14 are not suitable for joining by soldering.

  The rigid portion 13 and the distal end portion 14 are provided with an endoscope constituent member such as an optical system that is used for imaging the body cavity during endoscope observation. In FIG. 2, as an endoscope constituent member, a normal observation optical system OP1 used when observing a wide range at low magnification (normal observation), when performing local observation at a higher magnification than the optical system OP1. 2 shows a special observation optical system OP2 used in the above. Examples of the special observation optical system OP2 include a confocal optical system and an ultrasonic optical system.

  Next, the joining structure 500 of the connecting pipe 130 and the bending portion 12 will be described in detail. Both are joined as follows. That is, first, the joining region 121 a is fitted into the joining region 131 by inserting the joining region 121 a of the bending portion 12 into the joining region 131 of the connecting pipe 130. The fitting is performed until the end surface of the joining region 121a contacts the abutting surface 131a. Here, as described above, the inner diameter of the bonding region 131 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the bonding region 121a. The abutting surface 131 a is in a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the connecting pipe 130. Therefore, even if the central axis of the connecting pipe 130 and the central axis of the bending portion 12 are shifted in parallel in a state where the bonding area 121a is fitted to the bonding area 131, the influence on the built-in objects is very small. Therefore, there is no problem in actual use.

  When fitting the joining region 121a to the joining region 131, it can be confirmed from each notch 131b whether the end surface of the joining region 121a is normally applied to the abutting surface 131a. Here, the normally applied state is a state in which the end surface of the joining region 121a is applied to the abutting surface 131a in a state substantially orthogonal to the central axis, that is, the entire end surface is the abutting surface 131a. The state where it is completely in contact. Furthermore, as described above, the notches 131b of the present embodiment are located diagonally with respect to the central axis. Therefore, when the joining area 121a is fitted to the joining area 131, each notch 131b can also be used as a positioning index. Due to the action of the abutting surface 131a and the notch 131b, the entire end face side end surface of the bending portion 12 is not abutted against the abutting surface 131a of the connecting tube 130, in other words, with respect to the connecting tube 130. A state in which the bending portion 12 is positioned obliquely is effectively avoided, and positioning with high accuracy is achieved.

  When the positioning as described above is performed, the bonding regions 121a and 131 are soldered. Solder is injected into a minute gap between the joining regions 121a and 131 in the fitted state. In addition, at the time of positioning, each notch 131b used as a window for confirming a contact state of the bending portion 12 to the abutting surface 131a in the connecting pipe 130 and further as an index of positioning is provided. Also, solder is injected (filled). Thereby, the range which can be utilized as the adhesion allowance between each joining area | region 121a, 131 spreads, and more firm joining is implement | achieved.

  Here, as described above, the outer periphery of the bending portion 12 of the present embodiment is covered with the mesh tube 12b. Therefore, the solder to be injected easily penetrates deeper through the mesh of the mesh tube 12b, specifically to the vicinity of the abutting surface 131a, and at the same time, a predetermined amount is retained in the mesh. Note that injecting solder into the notch 131b also facilitates penetration of the solder to the vicinity of the contact surface 131a. 4A to 4C show the joining regions 121a and 131 joined by such soldering. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view on a plane substantially orthogonal to the central axis of the connecting pipe 130 (and the first segment 121) in the vicinity of each of the joining regions 121 a and 131. FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a surface including the central axis and not including the notch 131b with respect to the vicinity of each of the bonding regions 121a and 131. FIG. 4C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of each of the joining regions 121a and 131 on the surface including the central axis and including the notch 131b. In FIGS. 4A to 4C, the solder is shown as a filled region. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, according to the present embodiment, the solder penetrates between the joining regions 121a and 131 very effectively without unevenness, that is, a higher joining effect is obtained. It turns out that it is obtained.

  The above is the embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified in various ranges.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the joining structure according to the present invention is applied to joining the rigid portion 13 (connecting tube 130) and the curved portion 12 (node ring structure). Accordingly, the bending portion 12 is driven (curved) while maintaining the small diameter and the high positioning of the rigid portion 13 that is the portion where the most endoscope components are disposed in the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion portion 1. It is possible to ensure high bonding performance that can withstand That is, the joining structure according to the present invention is very suitable for joining the rigid portion 13 and the bending portion 12. However, the joining structure according to the present invention is not only applied to joining of the respective parts, but can be applied to joining of other parts, for example, the bending portion 12 and the flexible tube 11.

  Further, it has been described that a plurality (four in the embodiment) of the cutout portions 131b formed in the bonding region 121a are provided. This is because the contact state between the end surface of the bending portion 12 and the abutting surface 131a can be confirmed from different angles. However, regarding the arrangement, if the function as a positioning index is not necessary, the notches 131b do not necessarily have to be arranged diagonally to each other.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the cutout part of the same shape was formed in all the joining area | regions 131 in view of the ease of manufacture. However, in the joint structure according to the present invention, the cutout portions do not necessarily have the same shape. For example, if emphasis is placed on the function as a positioning index, a joining region having a notch portion having one or more types of shapes may be employed. Furthermore, as an alternative to the notch 131b, use a through-hole formed at a depth corresponding to the abutting surface 131a (in other words, the end is located immediately before the abutting surface 131a). You can also. That is, the opening is not limited to the notch as long as the opening can satisfy both the function as an observation window during positioning and the function as a solder filling portion during soldering.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, it demonstrated that the hard part 13 and the front-end | tip part 14 were arrange | positioned with two types of different optical systems OP1 and OP2. This is because the bonding structure according to the present invention is highly accurate and highly functional while maintaining a small diameter even in an endoscope having a complicated internal wiring and a large number of components instead of being high performance and high function. However, this is only an example in which a firm joint can be realized. That is, the joint structure according to the present invention can be suitably implemented also for an insertion tube of an endoscope having an existing single optical system.

  In the above embodiment, solder is used as an adhesive member for joining the two joints. The adhesive member used in the endoscope insertion tube joint structure according to the present invention is not necessarily limited to solder, and a liquid that penetrates between the two joints and the entire notch 131b at the time of joining (see FIG. Or a metal material that can firmly bond the two joints after joining. Examples of such a metal material include gold brazing and silver brazing.

It is a figure which shows the electronic endoscope of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the front-end | tip part of the electronic endoscope of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the connecting pipe of embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view about each junction field neighborhood of an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Insertion part 3 Grasp part 11 Flexible tube 12 Bending part 121 1st segment 121a Joining area 13 Hard part 130 Connecting pipe 131 Joining area 131a Abutting surface 131b Notch part 14 Tip part 100 Endoscope 500 Joining structure

Claims (9)

A junction structure in an insertion portion constituting an endoscope for observing the inside of a body cavity,
A first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member constituting a part of the insertion portion;
The first cylindrical member has a first joint at one end,
The second cylindrical member has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the first joint portion and a second joint portion fitted to the first joint portion at one end,
The first joint portion is substantially orthogonal to the central axis of the first cylindrical member, and an abutting portion to which an end surface of the second joint portion to be fitted is abutted, and the abutting portion A plurality of openings capable of observing whether or not the end face of the second joint is normally applied,
With the end face of the second joint portion applied to the abutting portion of the first joint portion, each joint portion is joined using a liquid metal material,
In the joined state, the plurality of openings are closed by the solidified metal material. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to claim 1,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein the openings are arranged at equal intervals around the central axis. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion pipes according to claim 1 or 2,
The first joint has an even number of openings.
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein the opening is located diagonally with respect to the central axis. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein an end of the opening is located immediately before the abutting portion. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein at least one of the plurality of openings has a different shape. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein the plurality of openings have the same shape. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The first cylindrical member is a connecting tube constituting a rigid portion in the endoscope insertion tube,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein the second cylindrical member has a node ring structure that constitutes a bending portion in the endoscope insertion tube. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The said insertion part is a notch part extended from the said 1st junction part end surface to just before the said application part, The junction structure for endoscope insertion pipes characterized by the above-mentioned. In the junction structure for endoscope insertion tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The joint structure for an endoscope insertion tube, wherein the metal material is solder.

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