JP2009213508A - Angle wire fixing structure of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate wire replacement and lower repair costs by securely fixing the wire attached when the wire is attachable to and detachable from an angle ring. <P>SOLUTION: Grooves 16 are formed on both sides of a fixing member 14 to which the wire 13 to curve an angle portion is fixed, T-shaped attachment holes 18 having engagingly stopping portions (T-shaped vertical portions) 18b to which the fixing grooves 16 are engagingly stopped are provided on the side of the angle ring 12, and the grooves 16 are fitted into the engagingly stopping portions 18b of the attachment holes 18 so as to detachably attach the fixing member 14. The fixing member may be fastened to an end portion body by a screw by forming a threaded hole in the fixing member 14 and passing the screw through from the threaded hole and the attachment hole 18. The strength of the engagingly stopping portions 18b also can be increased by providing vertical convexities projecting vertically at the edges of the engagingly stopping portions 18b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an angle wire fixing structure for fixing, to an angle ring, an angle wire that bends the distal end portion and the angle portion of the endoscope on the distal end side of the endoscope.

  The endoscope includes a distal end portion on which an objective optical system is disposed, an angle portion (curved portion) including an angle ring in an exterior body, an operation portion having a bending operation knob, and the like, and is connected to the bending operation knob. A plurality of wires are arranged from the winding part to the tip ring of the angle ring, and the tip part and the angle part can be bent up and down and left and right by pulling the plurality of wires with a bending operation knob. It is like that.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the distal end side of a conventional endoscope. As shown in the drawing, the distal end side of the endoscope 1 has a structure in which an angle ring 3 is attached to the distal end portion main body 2. It has become. The angle ring 3 is a ring coupling body that constitutes a multi-joint mechanism by pivoting a large number of rings alternately up and down, left and right, and a wire 5 is attached and fixed to a mounting portion 4 provided on the tip ring 3. The That is, the attachment portion 4 has, for example, a through hole, and the tip of the through hole is bent through the wire 5, and the wire 5 is fixed by brazing or soldering the through hole portion. Is done.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-78504 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-186836 JP 59-228620 A

  However, in the conventional endoscope, as described with reference to FIG. 9, the wire 5 for bending the distal end portion and the angle portion is fixed to the angle ring 3 by brazing or soldering. There was a problem that it was difficult to do. That is, the wire 5 of the endoscope whose diameter is reduced is thin and the attachment thereof is fine, so that it may be cut or detached at the attachment portion. In this case, in the replacement and repair of the wire 5 in FIG. 9, it is difficult to remove and replace only the wire 5, and it is necessary to replace the entire angle portion including the angle ring 3 at the same time, and the repair becomes complicated. Further, the entire angle portion is expensive, and there is a disadvantage that the cost of repair becomes high.

  The conventional techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 exist as focusing on such problems. In Patent Literature 1, a locking hole and a slit are provided in a locking tube disposed between a tip portion and a tip portion of a bending portion constituting ring, and a wire fixing member is inserted into the locking hole through the slit. The fixing member is configured to be fitted and locked in the locking hole. However, in this patent document 1, there exists a possibility that a wire fixing member may move to an outer peripheral direction, for example, and may remove | deviate from a locking hole.

  Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a groove is formed on the outer periphery of the distal end main body of the endoscope, a stopper portion at the distal end of the wire is fitted into the groove, and the outer side is covered with an outer tube. In general, the tip body is equipped with a lens assembly, CCD, etc. for the observation optical system, so there is not enough space on the inner periphery, and it is difficult to fix the wire on the inner periphery of the tip body. become. In addition, since the tip main body is composed of the contents, and the holes for arranging the observation optical system, the light guide, etc. are processed later, when the wire is fixed on the inner periphery, the hole for the wire is formed. It is necessary to process, and the structure for fixing is also complicated. Therefore, in order to fix the wire tip to the tip body, a structure that is fixed to the outer periphery as in Patent Document 2 is common.

  However, in Patent Document 2, since a groove is formed on the outer periphery of the distal end portion main body, the thickness of the groove is required, and the diameter of the distal end portion main body cannot be reduced. The promotion of conversion will be hindered. On the other hand, since the interior of the angle ring is hollow throughout, the space other than the contents of the light guide, electrical cable, etc. is a dead space, and there is some margin compared to the tip body. Yes, if the wire is fixed on the angle ring side, it can be fixed on the inner peripheral side, and the outer periphery is not enlarged. Therefore, it is preferable to fix the wire on the angle ring side.

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 3, a punching portion using a shape memory metal is provided on a joint piece constituting a bending portion, and a wire is attached at the time of transition of the high temperature phase of the shape memory metal, and is removed at the transition of the low temperature phase. It is configured. However, in this patent document 3, the shape memory metal is used, the transition work of a high temperature phase and a low temperature phase is complicated, and a manufacturing cost and a repair cost will also become high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to ensure that the wire is fixed to the angle ring when the wire is detachable, so that the wire can be easily replaced and repaired. An object of the present invention is to provide an angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope that can reduce the cost and does not hinder the promotion of the diameter reduction of the endoscope.

In order to achieve the above object, an angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope according to the invention of claim 1 is provided with a fixing member (stopper) to which a wire for bending an angle portion is attached and a groove is formed on a side surface, and an angle A mounting hole (opening) formed on a side surface of the ring and having a locking portion (cutting portion) to which the groove of the fixing member is locked in a state where the wire is disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the angle ring; The fixing member is detachably mounted and fixed in the mounting hole.
In the invention according to claim 2, the mounting hole is formed in a T-shaped hole having a T-shaped vertical portion serving as the locking portion, and grooves formed in both side surfaces of the fixing member are formed in the T-shaped vertical portion. It is characterized by being locked.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a screw hole is formed in the fixing member, and the fixing member is screwed to the tip end body through the screw hole and the mounting hole.
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a protruding portion that protrudes in a vertical direction from the side surface of the angle ring is provided in the locking portion where the groove of the fixing member is locked.
The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the portion of the mounting hole is recessed to the inside of the angle ring, and the outer periphery of the fixing member attached to the mounting hole substantially coincides with the outer peripheral circle of the angle ring. .

  According to the configuration of the present invention, for example, grooves are formed on both sides of the fixing member, and the angle ring is provided with a T-shaped mounting hole in which the T-shaped vertical portion serves as a locking portion. The fixing member is inserted into the locking portion perpendicular to the T-shape from the T-shaped horizontal portion, and the fixing member is fixed to the mounting hole by locking the grooves on both sides thereof to the locking portion.

  According to the angle wire fixing structure of the endoscope of the present invention, even when the wire is detachable from the angle ring, there is an effect that the fixing at the time of wire attachment is performed reliably, and therefore, the wire can be easily replaced. At the same time, the repair cost can be reduced. Further, since the wire is not attached to the endoscope distal end main body, there is an advantage that the promotion of the diameter reduction of the endoscope is not hindered.

According to the configuration of the third aspect, the fixed state can be further strengthened by screwing.
According to the structure of Claim 4, there exists an advantage that it can prevent that the latching | locking part of the attachment hole provided in the angle ring spreads by the frequent pulling operation | movement of a wire.
According to the structure of Claim 5, it is prevented that the outer periphery of the attachment part of the fixing member of an angle ring is thickened, and there exists an effect that the diameter reduction of an endoscope is not inhibited.

  1 and 2 show an angle wire fixing structure of an endoscope according to a first embodiment, and an endoscope generally includes an insertion portion and an operation portion including a distal end portion and an angle portion (curving portion). Etc. In FIG. 1, the tip body 10 is connected to an angle ring (the most advanced ring) 12 that forms an angle part. Openings 10a and 10b, an opening 10c for an observation window and an objective optical system, an opening 10d for a treatment instrument insertion channel, and the like are provided.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2A, a fixing member (stopper) 14 that fixes the wire 13 to the lower through hole is provided. The winding wheel connected to the angle operation knob of the part is also arranged. The fixing member 14 has a cylindrical surface on the upper surface, and fixing grooves 16 having a width corresponding to the thickness of the angle ring 12 are formed on both side surfaces. The fixing member 14 includes four wires 13. Is provided.

  On the other hand, T-shaped attachment holes (removable holes) 18 are provided on the side surface of the most advanced angle ring 12 at four positions every 90 degrees on the outer circumference circle. A horizontal portion (front side portion) 18a is sized to allow the fixing member 14 to be inserted, and a T-shaped vertical portion cut into the rear side serves as a locking portion 18b for locking the fixing groove 16.

  According to the first embodiment having such a configuration, the fixing member 14 is inserted into the T-shaped horizontal portion 18a of the mounting hole 18 as shown in FIG. When the locking portion 18b, which is a T-shaped vertical portion, is fitted in the fixing grooves 16 on both sides and is slid rearward (right side in the figure), the fixing groove 16 is locked to the locking portion 18b, and the fixing member 14 Is mounted and fixed in the mounting hole 18. Thereafter, if the tip body 10 is inserted into the angle ring 12 through the tip opening, the wire 13 is attached and fixed to the angle ring 12 as shown in FIG. In this case, since the fixing member 14 is not brazed or soldered to the mounting hole 18, the wire 13 is detachable from the angle ring 12, and only the wire 13 can be replaced.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, since the groove 16 of the fixing member 14 is fitted into the locking portion 18b (the wall body of the angle link 12) of the mounting hole 18, a firm fixed state is obtained. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), the tip end body 10 (the length of the angle ring fitting portion) of the embodiment has a rear end face 10R that contacts the tip face of the fixing member 14 attached to the mounting hole 18. The contact length is set so as to avoid the possibility that the fixing member 14 moves forward and comes off.

  FIG. 3 shows a modification of the first embodiment. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 3, a fixing groove 19k is formed on the rear side of the fixing member 19 to which the wire 13 is fixed. At the same time, the angle ring 12 is provided with a mounting hole 20 which is a rectangular hole having a size into which the fixing member 19 can be inserted and whose rear edge is the locking portion 20b. Even with such a configuration, the locking portion 20b of the mounting hole 20 is fitted into the fixing groove 19k, and the fixing member 19 is locked by the locking portion 20b, whereby a firm fixing state can be obtained.

  4 and 5 show an angle wire fixing structure of an endoscope according to a second embodiment, and this second embodiment is screwed. As shown in the figure, the angle ring 12 is provided with a T-shaped attachment hole 18 having a T-shaped vertical portion as a locking portion 18b as in the first embodiment, and a fixing member 22 having a groove 16 formed therein. In this case, a protruding portion (collar portion) 22F is integrally formed so as to protrude to the front side of the upper portion, and a screw hole 24 through which the screw 23 is passed is formed in the protruding portion 22F.

  According to the configuration of the second embodiment as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the fixing member 22 is attached to the attachment hole 18 with the locking portion 18 b fitted in the groove 16 of the fixing member 14, and the screw 23. Can be screwed and fixed to the tip body 10 through the screw hole 24 and the attachment hole 18 (18a). Therefore, in the second embodiment, the fixing member 22 is not only fixed by the locking of the groove 16 and the locking portion 18b but also screwed, so that the fixing member 22 and the wire 13 are firmly fixed. Will be. On the other hand, by removing the screw 23, only the wire 13 can be replaced.

  6 and 7 show an angle wire fixing structure of an endoscope according to a third embodiment. In this third embodiment, a vertical convex portion is provided on a locking fixing portion of an attachment hole. It is. As shown in FIG. 6, the angle ring 12 of the third embodiment is provided with a mounting hole 18 similar to that of the first embodiment, but a locking portion (T-shaped vertical portion) 18 b of the mounting hole 18. At the edge (vertical direction), a vertical convex portion 26 is formed by bending this edge portion in the outer vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7A, the fixing member 27 is formed with a fixing groove 28 having an L-shaped cross section.

  According to the configuration of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the L-shaped locking portion 18b including the vertical convex portion 26 in the L-shaped groove 28 of the fixing member 27. The wire 13 (tip fixing member 27) is detachably attached to the angle ring 12 (attachment hole 18). In addition, since the vertical protrusion 26 is provided and formed in an L shape, the strength of the locking portion 18b itself is increased. Therefore, even when the wire 13 is frequently pulled, the locking portion 18b does not spread. .

  FIG. 7B shows a modified example of the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, this modified example has a locking portion 18b of the mounting hole 18 and its edge portion inward in the inner vertical direction. A bent vertical protrusion 29 is provided, and a fixing member 27 is formed with an inverted L-shaped fixing groove 30. Even with such a configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  FIG. 8 shows an angle wire fixing structure of an endoscope according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the outer periphery of the fixing member is matched with the outer peripheral circle of the angle ring. As shown in FIG. 8, in the fourth embodiment, the same portion of the mounting hole 18 (including the periphery) as in the first embodiment is formed in a flat surface by being recessed inward, and the cross section of the fixing member 31 is formed. The outer peripheral line (outer peripheral curved surface) 31S is formed to be the same (radius) as the cross-sectional outer peripheral circle (outer peripheral curved surface) of the angle ring 12.

According to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 (B), the outer peripheral line 31S of the fixing member 31 is to match the peripheral circle C _S of the angle ring 12, the fixing member 31 Angle There is an advantage that the wire 13 can be freely attached and detached and surely fixed can be obtained without protruding from the outer periphery of the ring 12 and preventing the angle portion (insertion portion) and thus the diameter of the endoscope from being reduced.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the front-end | tip part and angle part which shows the angle wire fixing structure of the endoscope which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a front view [figure (A)] of a fixing member in the 1st example, and a sectional view (figure (B)) showing composition of a tip part and an angle part when a wire is attached. It is a figure which shows the modification of the fixing member and attachment hole of 1st Example. It is a disassembled perspective view of the angle part which shows the angle wire fixing structure of the endoscope of 2nd Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part and angle part when a wire is attached in 2nd Example. It is a disassembled perspective view of the angle part which shows the angle wire fixing structure of the endoscope of 3rd Example. It is sectional drawing (figure (A)) when the vertical convex part of 3rd Example is inserted in the groove | channel of a fixing member, and sectional drawing which shows the modification of a vertical convex part and the groove | channel of a fixing member. The angle wire fixing structure of the endoscope of 4th Example is shown, A figure (A) is an exploded perspective view of an angle part, A figure (B) is sectional drawing when a fixing member is attached to an attachment hole. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part and angle part of the conventional endoscope.

Explanation of symbols

2, 10 ... tip body, 3, 12 ... angle ring,
5, 13 ... wire, 14, 19, 22, 27, 31 ... fixing member,
16, 28, 30 ... fixing grooves, 18, 20 ... mounting holes,
23 ... Screw, 24 ... Screw hole,
26, 29 ... vertical convex part, 31S ... outer peripheral line of fixing member,
C _S ... The outer circumference of the angle ring.

Claims (5)

A fixing member to which a wire for bending the angle portion is attached and a groove is formed on the side surface
An attachment hole formed on a side surface of the angle ring, and having a locking portion with which the groove of the fixing member is locked in a state where the wire is arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of the angle ring,
An angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope in which the fixing member is detachably attached and fixed to the attachment hole.   The mounting hole is formed as a T-shaped hole with a T-shaped vertical portion serving as the locking portion, and grooves formed on both side surfaces of the fixing member are locked to the T-shaped vertical portion. The angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein:   3. The endoscope angle according to claim 1, wherein a screw hole is formed in the fixing member, and the fixing member is screwed to the distal end body through the screw hole and the attachment hole. Wire fixing structure.   The angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a protruding portion that protrudes in a vertical direction from the side surface of the angle ring is provided in the engaging portion that engages with the groove of the fixing member.   5. The mounting hole according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the mounting hole is recessed to the inside of the angle ring, and an outer periphery of a fixing member mounted in the mounting hole is substantially coincident with an outer peripheral circle of the angle ring. An angle wire fixing structure for an endoscope according to 1.

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