JP2009279182A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope which is more easily assembled, improved in the assemblability, and inexpensively manufactured. <P>SOLUTION: This endoscope is provided with an elongated insertion section, an operation section body, and an operation wire 40. The insertion section has a curving portion capable of being curved at least two directions. The operation section body has a pulley 132 connected to the proximal end of the insertion section and capable of curving the curving portion. The operation wire 40 connects the pulley 132 and the curving portion, and operates the pulley 132 to curve the curving portion. The operation wire 40 is seamlessly connected between the curving portion and the pulley 132. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a single-use endoscope or an endoscope that can be used a plurality of times while being washed, disinfected, and sterilized.

Generally, when an endoscope is manufactured, an insertion part and an operation part are created and joined together (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The operation wire used to bend the bending portion is connected to the operation portion side operation wire and the insertion portion side operation wire so as to be detachable and adjustable in tension. That is, the operation wire is used such that the operation unit side and the insertion unit side are connected to each other in a separable manner. Generally, the operation part side operation wire is made stronger than the insertion part side operation wire so that it is difficult to be cut by use. For this reason, a new insertion part is joined to the operation part, and a new endoscope is created many times. That is, if the insertion unit fails, the entire endoscope is not discarded, but the endoscope is separated into the operation unit side and the insertion unit side, and the operation unit side is reused while the new insertion unit side is re-used. It is common to create a new endoscope by joining the to the operation unit side.
JP-A-5-184527

  However, in the case of an endoscope manufactured as a disposable type that is assumed to be used only once or several times, which is required to be manufactured at a lower cost, an operation wire is used in this way. If there is a joint, the assembly is troublesome and the cost becomes high. The operation unit does not have to be simply connected to the insertion unit, but various adjustments and replacement of parts are necessary depending on circumstances, and the operation wire is connected in the same manner as an endoscope that is reused many times. In this case, it is necessary to fix the proximal end portion of the operation unit side operation wire to the pulley of the operation unit and to connect the distal end portion of the operation unit side operation wire to the proximal end portion of the insertion unit side operation wire, resulting in poor assembly. There is.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can be assembled more easily and can be manufactured at low cost with improved assemblability. It is in.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an endoscope according to the present invention is provided with an elongated insertion portion having a bending portion that can be bent in at least two directions, and a bending operation of the bending portion connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion. An operation unit having a bendable operation unit, and an operation wire for connecting the bend operation unit and the bend unit and bending the bend unit by operating the bend operation unit. The wire is seamlessly connected between the bending portion and the bending operation portion.
For this reason, it can be manufactured at a lower cost, for example, in the case of manufacturing an endoscope that is disposable, for example, or is used after being used a plurality of times, for example, or discarded or reused some parts. In particular, it is possible to reduce the work process for connecting the operation wires when manufacturing the endoscope.

In addition, the operation unit has first and second split surfaces each having a split surface that can be split into two along the major axis direction of the insertion portion. The first and second cross sections are annular when the split surfaces are combined. It is preferable that the housing is provided.
For this reason, for example, when the operation wire is disposed in the bending operation portion, it can be easily performed in a state where the bending operation portion is disposed in the first housing, for example.

The bending operation unit includes a wire winding unit around which a proximal end of the operation wire is wound and includes a pulley to which the operation wire is fixed, and the operation wire is wound out of the pulley. It is preferable that the wire winding portion is located on the side where the second housing is disposed with respect to the dividing surface of the first housing.
For this reason, there is nothing obstruct | occluded when winding an operation wire around the wire winding part of a pulley, and the operation | work can be performed more easily. Further, since the operation wire can be fixed from the released side of the first housing, the operation can be performed more easily.

Further, it is preferable that the pulley is arranged substantially parallel to the dividing surface.
Therefore, the entire circumference of the wire winding portion of the pulley is in a state of protruding from the dividing surface, and work can be easily performed when the operation wire is wound or fixed on the pulley.

The bending portion has a plurality of bending pieces, and can be bent in a direction defined on the upper side and a direction defined on the lower side opposite to the direction defined on the upper side. The operation wire is inserted through each bending piece of the bending tube, and is preferably folded back by a bending piece disposed at a position closest to the distal end of the insertion portion of the bending tube. It is.
For this reason, an operation wire can be easily arrange | positioned in a curved part, and the structure regarding an operation wire can be simplified. For this reason, the operation | work at the time of manufacture regarding an operation wire can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an endoscope that can be easily assembled and can be manufactured at low cost with improved assemblability.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 11B.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, an endoscope 10 according to this embodiment includes an endoscope body 12 and an adapter 14 that can be attached to and detached from the endoscope body 12. ing. For this reason, the illumination optical system of the adapter 14 and the illumination optical system of the endoscope body 12 are separate, and the observation optical system of the adapter 14 and the observation optical system of the endoscope body 12 are separate. When the endoscope main body 12 and the adapter 14 are attached to each other, the illumination optical system and the observation optical system of the endoscope 10 are formed.
As shown in FIG. 1C, the adapter 14 is detachably attachable to the camera head 16 from which the camera cable 16a is extended.

Here, the endoscope 10 having the adapter 14 attached to the endoscope body 12 will be mainly described. Of course, the endoscope 10 having the camera head 16 attached to the adapter 14 is included in the endoscope 10, and further, the endoscope 10 having an integrated camera head and adapter attached to the endoscope body 12 is not shown. include.
Further, the adapter 14 is used as an eyepiece, or a combination of the adapter and the camera head 16 is used as an eyepiece.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the endoscope main body 12 includes, for example, an insertion portion 22 that is inserted into a body cavity, and an operation portion 24 that is provided at the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 22. The illumination optical system of the endoscope body 12 includes an illumination lens 32a (see FIG. 2A) and a light guide fiber 32b (see FIG. 5A). The observation optical system of the endoscope body 12 includes an objective lens 34a (see FIG. 2A) and an image guide fiber 34b (see FIG. 5A). The light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are provided with a channel tube 36 (see FIG. 4A). Further, the light guide fiber 32b, the image guide fiber 34b, and the channel tube 36 are provided with an operation wire 40 covered with a pair of closely wound coils 38a and 38b. The pair of closely wound coils 38a and 38b are formed of a metal material such as a stainless steel material. The operation wire 40 is formed of a stranded wire of a metal material such as a stainless steel material.

  The insertion portion 22 includes, in order from the distal end side thereof, a distal end rigid portion 42, a bending portion 44 that is bent by an operation from the operation portion 24, and a flexible portion 46 having flexibility. Inside the insertion portion 22, a channel (a channel tube 38 described later), an illumination optical system, and an observation optical system are disposed.

  The distal end hard portion 42 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is appropriately formed of a metal material such as a stainless steel material or a plastic material, for example. When the distal hard portion 42 is formed of a metal material, the position of the distal hard portion 42 can be confirmed using X-rays when the insertion portion 22 of the endoscope 10 is inserted into a body cavity or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, it is preferable that the distal end hard portion 42 is formed with a tapered end in consideration of the insertability of the insertion portion 22 into a body cavity or the like. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, the distal end hard portion 42 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape on the proximal end side. 2A and 2B, the distal end hard portion 42 is formed with an illumination optical system opening 52, an observation optical system opening 54, and a channel opening 56. Yes.

At the tip of the illumination optical system opening 52, an illumination lens 32a of the illumination optical system is disposed. The distal end of the light guide fiber 32b is fixed to the proximal end side of the illumination lens 32a. The light guide fiber 32 b extends from the distal end hard portion 42 to the operation portion 24 through the bending portion 44 and the flexible tube 46.
At the tip of the observation optical system opening 54, an objective lens 34a of the observation optical system is disposed. The distal end of the image guide fiber 34b is fixed to the proximal end portion of the objective lens 34a. The image guide fiber 34 b extends from the distal end hard portion 42 to the operation portion 24 through the bending portion 44 and the flexible tube 46.
The tip of the channel tube 36 is fixed to the channel opening 56. The channel tube 36 extends from the distal end hard portion 42 into the operation portion 24 through the bending portion 44 and the flexible tube 46.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the base end portion of the distal end hard portion 42 includes a disc-shaped recess 42a in which an outer peripheral portion of the most distal side bending piece 66a described later is fitted, and a distal end side bending piece 66a. Two columnar recesses 42b in which the columnar protrusions 72b are disposed are formed. That is, the disc-shaped recess 42 a is formed at the proximal end portion of the distal end hard portion 42, so that an annular edge portion 42 c is formed at the proximal end portion of the distal end hard portion 42. For this reason, the tip of the bending piece 66 a at the tip end of the bending tube 62 of the bending portion 44 is formed smaller than the inner peripheral surface of the edge portion 42 c of the tip hard portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the bending portion 44 on the proximal end side of the distal end hard portion 42 includes a bending tube 62 and a covering tube 64 that covers the bending tube 62. The bending tube 62 is formed by aligning a plurality of bending pieces 66 in the axial direction of the insertion portion 22. Each bending piece 66 is formed of a hard plastic material or a metal material such as a stainless steel material.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the bending piece 66 is formed in a columnar shape so as to engage with the adjacent bending piece 66. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, the bending piece 66 adjacent to the most proximal bending piece 66b from the bending piece 66 adjacent to the most distal bending piece 66a has a convex hinge portion, respectively. 68a and a concave hinge portion 68b. The convex hinge portion 68a is formed on one side surface of the bending piece 66 by cutting a part of a cylinder parallel to the axial direction, and the convex hinge portion 68a is orthogonal to the central axis of the bending piece 66. Is formed. That is, the convex hinge portion 68 a is formed over the diameter of the bending piece 66.
On the other hand, the concave hinge portion 68b has a shape obtained by cutting a part of a cylinder parallel to the axial direction, and is formed so as to remove the other side surface of the bending piece 66. It is formed so as to be orthogonal to the central axis. That is, the concave hinge portion 68 b is formed over the diameter of the bending piece 66.

  In particular, the long axis (hinge axis) L of the convex hinge part 68a and the long axis (hinge axis) (not shown) of the concave hinge part 68b are parallel to each other. A long axis (hinge axis) L of the convex hinge portion 68a and a long axis (hinge axis) (not shown) of the concave hinge portion 68b are substantially orthogonal to a central axis C of a channel through-hole 70c described later. .

  Of the plurality of bending pieces 66, a concave hinge portion 68 b of the bending piece 66 adjacent to, for example, the distal end side of the insertion portion 22 is abutted against the convex hinge portion 68 a of a certain bending piece 66. A convex hinge portion 68a of the bending piece 66 adjacent to, for example, the proximal end side of the insertion portion 22 is abutted against the hinge portion 68b. In this way, the plurality of bending pieces 66, 66 a, 66 b are connected to form the bending tube 62 of the bending portion 44.

  Each bending piece 66 has an illumination optical system through hole 70a through which the light guide fiber 32b is inserted, an observation optical system through hole 70b through which the image guide fiber 34b is inserted, and a channel through which the channel tube 36 is inserted. A through-hole 70c and a pair of through-holes 70d into which the tightly wound coils 38a and 38b into which the operation wire 40 or the operation wire 40 is inserted are inserted.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the concave hinge portion 68b is formed at the proximal end portion of the most distal bending piece 66a among the plurality of bending pieces 66 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), the operation wire 40 is accommodated in the substantially U-shaped or U-shaped hooked state at the distal end portion of the bending piece 66a on the most distal end side. A wire accommodating portion 72a is formed. At this time, it is also preferable that a portion of the operation wire 40 located in the wire accommodating portion 72a is fixed by silver solder or the like. Therefore, the number of operation wires 40 provided in the endoscope body 12 is one.
A structure in which the distal end of the operation wire is fixed to the distal end of the bending tube 62 (the most distal bending piece 66a) and the distal end rigid portion 42 is also allowed. In this case, there are two operation wires 40 (one pair).

  Two columnar convex portions 72b projecting toward the distal end hard portion 42 are formed at the distal end portion of the most distal end bending piece 66a. The distal end portion of the bending piece 66a on the most distal end side is fitted into the disc-shaped recessed portion 42a of the distal end hard portion 42, and the columnar protrusion portion 72b of the bending piece 66a on the most distal end side becomes the columnar recessed portion 42b of the distal end hard portion 42. It is inserted. For this reason, the distal end hard portion 42 and the distal end side bending piece 66a are fixed in a positioned state. With such a structure, it is possible to prevent the center axis and the circumferential position of the distal end hard portion 42 and the curved portion 44 from being displaced. For this reason, it is possible to prevent an extra force from being applied to a built-in object such as a treatment tool (not shown) inserted through the light guide fiber 32b, the image guide fiber 34b, and the channel tube 36. Further, an adhesive may be filled in the gap between the distal end hard portion 42 and the built-in object from the distal end side bending piece 66a to increase the fixing strength.

  The covering tube 64 that covers the outside of the bending tube 62 of the bending portion 44 is formed of, for example, an elastomer, and is fixed to the most distal bending piece 66a and the most proximal bending piece 66b by heat welding. At this time, the proximal end of the distal end hard portion 42 is also covered with the distal end of the covering tube 64 together with the most distal bending piece 66a. It should be noted that the instantaneous adhesive is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the bending piece 66a closest to the distal end and the inner peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the covering tube 64, and the outer peripheral surface of the bending piece 66b closest to the proximal end and the proximal end portion of the covering tube 64. It is also preferable to fix the covering tube 64 to the outer periphery of the bending tube 62 by pouring between the inner periphery and the inner periphery of the bending tube 62.

  The positions of the tips of the closely wound coils 38a and 38b through which the operation wire 40 is inserted, which are arranged in the bending portion 44 formed in this way, are different between the U side and the D side of the bending portion 44. As shown in FIG. 3A, the distal end of the U-side densely wound coil 38a extends to a side closer to the distal end hard portion 42 than the distal end of the D-side densely wound coil 38b. Here, a portion of the bending tube 62 where the closely wound coils 38a and 38b are present does not contribute to bending. For this reason, when the operation wire 40 inserted into the U-side densely wound coil 38a is pulled toward the operation unit 24, the portion where the U-side densely wound coil 38a exists is not curved, and only the tip side is curved. To do. On the other hand, when the operation wire 40 inserted into the D-side densely wound coil 38b is pulled toward the operation unit 24, the portion where the D-side closely wound coil 38b exists is not bent, and only the tip side is bent. .

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the distal end of the U-side densely wound coil 38a has a bending piece located between the most distal bending piece 66a and the most proximal bending piece 66b (for example, in the middle). Since it is in contact with the base end of 66c, the bending tube 62 is bent from the bending piece 66a at the most distal end to the bending piece 66c. Since the close winding coil 38b on the D side is in contact with the proximal end of the bending piece 66b on the most proximal side, the entire bending tube 62 is curved. Therefore, the degree of bending of the bending portion 44 can be changed between the U side and the D side.

  On the proximal end side of the bending piece 66b closest to the proximal end side of the bending portion 44, for example, a flexible tube 46 is disposed via a base (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a bend preventing member 80 is fixed to the proximal end of the flexible tube 46. Although the anti-bending member 80 is formed in a tubular shape, the outer appearance of the anti-bending member 80 is tapered as the distal end side approaches the outer diameter of the flexible tube 46. A recess 80a is formed in the anti-bending member 80, and the operating portion 24 is disposed in the recess 80a. Although not shown, a seal member (not shown) such as an O-ring is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the anti-bending member 80 to prevent liquid or the like from entering the operation unit 24 through the outside of the insertion unit 22. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4B, the operation unit 24 includes an operation unit main body 82 that is gripped by the operator and the bending of the insertion unit 22. A bending operation mechanism (bending operation unit) 84 for bending the unit 44, an adapter mounting base 86, an alignment member 88, and a channel base 90 are provided. The operation portion main body 82 is provided with a bending operation mechanism 84, an adapter mounting base 86, an alignment member 88, and a channel base 90.

  The operation portion main body 82 includes a first housing 92 having a dividing surface (end surface) 93 and a second housing 94 having a dividing surface (end surface) 95. The dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92 and the dividing surface 95 of the second housing 94 face each other and / or fit with each other and are separable (detachable). The first housing 92 and the second housing 94 are made of, for example, a hard plastic material. As will be described in detail later, the first housing 92 becomes a bottom portion during assembly (manufacture) of the endoscope main body 12, and the second housing 94 is a portion serving as a lid of the first housing 92. It is. The cross sections of the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 are formed in, for example, a substantially U shape or a substantially U shape. And if the 1st housing 92 and the 2nd housing 94 are match | combined, the operation part main body 82 will become an annular body with a substantially rectangular cross section. For this reason, when the first housing 92 is placed on a flat work table or the like, the first housing 92 can be stably disposed, and the assembling work is facilitated.

  The first housing 92 and the second housing 94 of the operation portion main body 82 are formed in a shape in which a bending operation mechanism 84, an adapter mounting base 86, an alignment member 88, and a channel base 90 are disposed. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (B), in the first housing 92, the adapter mounting base 86 in which the adapter mounting base 86 is disposed at the most distal position with respect to the tip of the insertion portion 22 is arranged. An installation portion 92a is formed. A pulley support portion 92b in which one end of a rotation shaft 138 of a pulley 132 (to be described later) of the bending operation mechanism 84 is formed is formed at a position closer to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 than the adapter mounting base arrangement portion 92a. ing. The pulley support portion 92b is opened. An alignment member disposing portion 92c where the aligning member 88 is disposed is formed at a position closer to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 than the pulley support portion 92b. At a position closer to the distal end side of the insertion portion 22 than the alignment member disposing portion 92c, a channel cap disposing portion 92d (see FIG. 4A) where the channel cap 90 is disposed is formed. . At the most proximal position with respect to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22, a folding member disposing portion 92 e where the folding member 80 is disposed is formed.

  In the second housing 94, an adapter mounting base arrangement part 94 a is formed similarly to the adapter mounting base arrangement part 92 a of the first housing 92. A pulley support portion 94b is formed at a position facing the pulley support portion 92b of the first housing 92 when the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 are combined. The pulley support portion 94b is not opened and is closed. Similar to the alignment member disposition portion 92c of the first housing 92, an alignment member disposition portion 94c is formed in the second housing 94. The second housing 94 is formed with a channel cap arrangement portion (not shown, but is denoted by reference numeral 94d for the sake of convenience) similarly to the channel cap arrangement portion 92d of the first housing 92. The second housing 94 is formed with a folding member disposing portion 94e in the same manner as the folding member disposing portion 92e of the first housing 92.

Of these, the adapter mounting bases 92 a and 94 a and the channel bases 92 d and 94 d are formed as annular grooves in the first housing 92 and the second housing 94.
The pulley support portion 92b of the first housing 92 is disposed in a state in which one end of the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is penetrated for attachment of the angle lever 134 shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (C). , Support in a pivotable manner. The pulley support portion 94b of the second housing 94 rotatably supports the other end of the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4B, both ends of the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132 are supported.
The alignment member disposition portions 92c and 94c shown in FIG. 4 (A) are formed in a pair of inward flange shapes projecting inward from the inner peripheral surfaces of the first housing 92 and the second housing 94. ing. The folding member disposing portions 92e and 94e are formed in an inward flange shape in the first housing 92 and the second housing 94.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the base ends of the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are connected to the adapter mounting base 86 in a predetermined direction. Therefore, as will be described later, the illumination light incident through the adapter 14 is illuminated from the adapter mounting base 86 through the light guide fiber 32b and the illumination lens 32a to the subject on the distal end side of the distal end hard portion 42, and the illuminated subject is objective. The light is guided to the image guide fiber 34b through the lens 34a and observed by the adapter 14.

  The adapter mounting base 86 includes a first mounting portion 102 disposed in the adapter base mounting portions 92 a and 94 a of the operation unit main body 82, and a second mounting portion fixed to the first mounting portion 102. 104. Each of the first and second mounting portions 102 and 104 is integrally formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is disposed on, for example, a substantially same axis as the central axis of the insertion portion 22. The outer diameter of the first mounting portion 102 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the second mounting portion 104.

  Of the first mounting portion 102, the bottom surface of the first mounting portion 102 is formed with a flange portion 102 a that protrudes outward so as to be disposed in the grooved adapter base mounting portions 92 a and 94 a. ing. Note that a second mounting portion 104 is provided on the upper surface 103 of the first mounting portion 102 and restricts axial movement of the bottom surface and the upper surface 103 (the fitting portion 202 (see FIG. 9) described later) of the adapter 14. The movement restricting unit is parallel, for example. Further, the first mounting portion 102 is formed with a rectangular plane (a movement restriction portion in the circumferential direction with respect to the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14) 112 orthogonal to the bottom surface and the top surface 103. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first mounting portion 102 of the adapter mounting base 86 is substantially D-shaped. For this reason, the adapter mounting base 86 has a prescribed orientation.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (A), a mirror-finished disk 114 is embedded in the rectangular flat surface 112. The base end portion of the light guide fiber 32b is fixed at the center position of the mirror-finished disk 114. For this reason, the proximal end portion of the light guide fiber 32 b is fixed in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the first mounting portion 102. The outer diameter of the disk 114 is formed larger than the outer diameter of a rod lens 234 (see FIG. 9) described later of the adapter 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the second mounting portion 104 is fixed on the central axis of the upper surface 103 of the first mounting portion 102. Among these, the upper surface of the upper end of the second mounting portion 104 is parallel to the upper surface 103 of the upper end of the first mounting portion 102. The base end portion of the image guide fiber 34 b of the observation optical system is fixed at the center position of the upper surface of the upper end of the second mounting portion 104. Further, an annular recess 104 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second mounting portion 104 in order to engage with an engagement ball 268 (see FIG. 9) described later of the adapter 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the alignment member 88 is formed in a substantially C-shaped plate made of, for example, a metal material or a plastic material. The alignment member 88 is disposed in a pair of inward flange-shaped alignment member disposition portions 92c and 94c.

The alignment member 88 includes first and second through holes 88a and 88b, and an opening 88c in which the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are disposed.
Here, the alignment member 88 has an orientation, and is preferably stamped or the like so that the distal end side of the insertion portion 22 and the proximal end side of the operation portion 24 can be recognized. The first and second through holes 88 a and 88 b have a larger diameter on the distal end side of the insertion portion 22, and the proximal end portion side of the operation portion 24 than the distal end side of the insertion portion 22. The diameter is large. That is, a step 88d is formed in the first and second through holes 88a and 88b, as shown in FIG. 6C, in which a portion indicated by reference numeral 6C in FIG. 6B is enlarged. Of the first and second through holes 88a, 88b of the alignment member 88, closely wound coils 38a, 38b, through which the operation wire 40 is inserted, are inserted into the distal end side of the insertion portion 22. On the other hand, of the first and second through holes 88a and 88b of the alignment member 88, the closely wound coils 38a and 38b are not disposed on the proximal end side of the operation unit 24, and only the operation wire 40 is inserted. ing. In other words, the coils 38a and 38b are disposed in a state in which the base ends of the coils 38a and 38b are abutted against the steps 88d in the first and second through holes 88a and 88b of the alignment member 88. The operation wire 40 extends further to the proximal end side of the operation portion 24 through the first and second through holes 88a and 88b of the alignment member 88.

  The bending operation mechanism (bending operation unit) 84 includes a pulley 132 (see FIGS. 7A and 7B) and an angle lever 134 (FIGS. 4A and 4C) that rotates the pulley 132. ))).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the pulley 132 includes a pulley body 136 and a rotating shaft 138 fixed to the pulley body 136. For this reason, when the rotating shaft 138 is rotated or rotated, the pulley main body 136 is rotated or rotated.
As shown in FIG. 4B, one end of the rotation shaft 138 (one end that passes through the pulley support portion 92b of the first housing 92) rotates around one end of the rotation shaft 138 outside the first housing 92. An angle lever 134 is attached in a stopped state. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1A, the angle lever 134 can be rotated, for example, in two upper and lower directions (UD direction) with respect to a steady state.

  The pulley body 136 is formed with a V-shaped groove (wire winding groove) 142 on the side close to the insertion portion 22 so that the operation wire 40 is wound from the outside. Here, considering the ease of fixing the operation wire 40 to the pulley body 136 and the amount of rotation of the pulley body 136, the V-shaped groove 142 is more than half a circumference as shown in FIG. It is formed in the remaining part. The pulley body 136 is formed with a pair of wire arrangement grooves 144 in which the operation wires 40 that pass from the V-shaped grooves 142 to the outside of the rotary shaft 138 are arranged. In the wire arrangement grooves 144, the vicinity of the end of the operation wire 40 can be arranged from one side surface of the pulley body 136.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B in which the portion indicated by reference numeral 7B in FIG. 4B is enlarged, the pulley main body 136 has a depth direction parallel to the rotation shaft 138, and the operation wire 40 is provided. A through hole 146 in which a screw 154 for fixing is disposed is formed. In these through holes 146, insert nuts 148 inserted or press-fitted into the pulley body 136 are disposed. As shown in FIG. 7A, for example, a rectangular recess 150 is formed on the upper side of the insert nut 148. Then, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a rectangular pressing plate 152 disposed in the recess 150 in a state in which the operation wire 40 is prevented from moving between the pulley main body 136 and the recess 150. Is arranged. These holding plates 152 are pressed by screws 154 so as not to rotate, and the vicinity of the end portion of the operation wire 40 is fixed with a desired tension. The recess 150 and the pressing plate 152 are not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be an ellipse or the like as long as the screw 154 can be prevented from rotating.
The pulley body 136 is thinned to reduce the weight of the pulley body 136 and to visually recognize the position where the light guide fiber 32a and the image guide fiber 34b are disposed.

  Next, after placing the bending operation mechanism 84, the adapter mounting base 86, the alignment member 88, and the channel base 90 in the first housing 92 of the operation unit 24 in the endoscope body 12, the second base 92 is provided. An operation of simply assembling the operation unit 24 by covering the first housing 92 with the housing 94 will be described.

The distal end hard portion 42, the bending portion 44, and the flexible tube 46 of the insertion portion 22 are formed in advance. At this time, the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 22 is bent with the illumination lens 32a and the light guide fiber 32b fixed to the distal end hard portion 42, the objective lens 34a and the image guide fiber 34b fixed, and the channel tube 36 fixed. The stop member 80 is inserted. And the bend prevention member 80 is fixed to the base end of the flexible tube 46 via a sealing material (not shown). At this time, it is preferable that the distal end hard portion 42, the bending portion 44 and the flexible tube 46 are straightly extended by a jig (not shown).
Further, the closely wound coils 38a and 38b, in which the operation wire 40 is inserted, are disposed in the bending portion 44, and the closely wound coils 38a, 38b and the operation wire 40 are inserted through the bending-preventing member 80 at the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 22. Let me.

  Then, the end of the first housing 92 of the operation portion main body 82 is fixed to the groove-shaped recess 80 a of the folding preventing member 80. In this way, the positional relationship between the insertion unit 22 and the operation unit 24 is defined. At this time, on the first housing 92 of the operation section main body 82, there are the closely wound coils 38a and 38b through which the light guide fiber 32b, the image guide fiber 34b, the channel tube 36, and the operation wire 40 are inserted.

The operations described below can be performed on or near the first housing 92, and the workability is good.
The proximal ends of the light guide fiber 32 b and the image guide fiber 34 b are fixed to a predetermined state with respect to the adapter mounting base 86. In particular, the orientation of the image guide fiber 36b is fixed in a desired state. In this way, when the adapter 14 is mounted on the adapter mounting base 86 and the subject is observed, the bending direction (UD direction) of the bending portion 44 and the orientation of the image observed through the image guide fiber 36b are matched. be able to.

  In this state, after confirming the direction of the alignment member 88, the end portions of the operation wires 40 are inserted into the first and second through holes 88a and 88b of the alignment member 88 in a predetermined direction. At this time, the bending direction of the bending portion 44 is confirmed by slightly pulling the operation wire 40. When the operation wire 40 is inserted through the first and second through holes 88a and 88b of the alignment member 88, the proximal ends of the closely wound coils 38a and 38b are connected to the first and second through holes of the alignment member 88. It abuts on the step 88d between 88a and 88b. In this state, the alignment member 88 is disposed on the alignment member disposing portion 92c of the first housing 92, and the opening 88c of the aligning member 88 is disposed on the upper side. At this time, in a state where the alignment member 88 is disposed in the alignment member disposition portion 92c, the closely wound coils 38a and 38b through which the operation wire 40 is inserted are compressed between the bending tube 62 of the bending portion 44. It is in.

  The light guide fiber 32 b and the image guide fiber 34 b are disposed inside through the opening 88 c of the alignment member 88. On the other hand, the base end of the channel tube 36 is fixed to the channel cap 90 on the insertion portion 22 side without being inserted through the opening 88 c of the alignment member 88. The channel cap 90 is disposed in the channel-shaped channel cap disposing portion 92d shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, one end of the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is disposed on the pulley support portion 92 b of the first housing 92. In this state, the V-shaped groove 142 of the pulley body 136 is disposed above the dividing surface (end surface) 93 of the first housing 92, and the operation of winding the operation wire 40 around the V-shaped groove 142 is facilitated. It can be carried out. At this time, in general, the bending tube 62 of the bending portion 44 is straightly extended, and the bending portion 44 is held so as not to be bent when tension is applied to the operation wire 40.

Then, the operation wire 40 wound around the V-shaped groove 142 is arranged in the wire arrangement groove 144 through the outside of the rotating shaft 138 separately on each of the U side and the D side. At this time, since the operation wire 40 passes through the rectangular recess 150, the pressing plate 152 is disposed in the recess 150, that is, the pressing plate 152 that is prevented from rotating on the operation wire 40 is disposed. Then, the screw 154 is disposed on the holding plate 152 in a state where the tension of the operation wire 40 is adjusted. At this time, since the presser plate 152 is prevented from rotating, as the screw 154 is screwed into the insert nut 148, the presser plate 152 approaches the insert nut 148, and the operation wire 40 is inserted into the insert plate 148 and the insert nut 148. It is clamped between the nut 148.
If necessary, a jig may be used so that the pulley main body 136 is disposed in a predetermined state with respect to the first housing 92 and is prevented from rotating due to the tension of the operation wire 40.

  Of the proximal end portion of the operation wire 40, if the end portion extending from the wire arrangement groove 144 of the pulley body 136 toward the insertion portion 22 is longer than necessary, the length is adjusted by cutting or the like. Also good.

For example, the adapter mounting base 86 is arranged in the adapter mounting base 92 a of the first housing 92 so that the disk 114 of the base 86 faces upward. At this time, the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are preferably passed through the lower side of the pulley body 136. At this time, the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are observed from the portion where the pulley body 136 is thinned.
The light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are slightly slack in order to prevent a large tension from being applied to the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b when the bending portion 44 is bent or the flexible tube 46 is bent. It is preferable to keep it.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first housing 92 is covered with the second housing 94.
At this time, the light guide fiber 32b and the image guide fiber 34b are prevented from coming off from the opening 88c of the alignment member 88 by being fixed to the recess 80a of the breakage member 80 by the breakage member disposing portion 94e of the second housing 94. The other end of the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is rotatably supported by the pulley support portion 94b, and the adapter mounting base 86 is fixed by the adapter mounting base arrangement portion 94a. The channel cap 90 is fixed by the channel cap mounting portion 94d. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the position of the V-shaped groove 142 of the pulley main body 136 is not lowered below the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92 but is maintained on the upper side. Is preferred. With such a structure, since the position of the pulley 132 does not move from the position where the wire winding / fixing operation has been performed, it is possible to prevent the slack of the wire after assembly.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 are fixed with screws 160 or the like. In addition to fixing with the screw 160 or the like, the split surfaces 93 and 95 of the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 may be snap-fitted, or both the fixing of the screw 160 and the snap-fit may be fixed. Combinations are also suitable.

  Then, the angle lever 134 is fixed to one end of the rotation shaft 138 in a state where the rotation is stopped.

In this way, the endoscope body 12 is formed.
Here, the example in which the first housing 92 is used as the bottom and the second housing 94 is used as the cover has been described. However, the second housing 94 may be used as the bottom and the first housing 92 may be used as a cover. It is sufficient that the final endoscope body 12 has the same structure. That is, when the endoscope main body 12 is manufactured, the work can be performed in an easy direction.

  Although the case where the adapter mounting base 86 is disposed in the first housing 92 after the operation wire 40 is wound around and fixed to the pulley 132 has been described here, the order may be reversed.

  Next, the structure of the adapter 14 to be mounted on the adapter mounting base 86 of the endoscope body 12 created as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A, the adapter 14 is a fitting portion (base housing portion) for detachably mounting the adapter 14 on the first and second mounting portions 102, 104 of the adapter mounting base 86. 202, a light source mounting part 204, an observation image enlargement part 206 as an eyepiece part, and a lock mechanism 208. The lock mechanism 208 is provided in order to maintain the mounting state between the concave portion 104a of the second mounting portion 104 of the adapter 14 and the fitting portion 202, or to release the mounting therebetween.

  The fitting portion 202 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape so as to cover the first and second mounting portions 102 and 104 of the adapter mounting base 86. The fitting portion 202 is integrally provided with a first tubular portion (base housing portion) 202a and a second tubular portion (base housing portion) 202b. The fitting portion 202 is formed such that the inner diameter of the lower first cylindrical portion 202a shown in FIG. 9 is larger than that of the upper second cylindrical portion 202b. This is because the second mounting portion 104 is disposed on the second cylindrical portion 202 b above the fitting portion 202, and the first mounting portion is disposed on the first cylindrical portion 202 a below the fitting portion 202. This is because 102 is disposed. Further, between the first cylindrical portion 202a and the second cylindrical portion 202b, the fitting portion 202 is arranged such that the upper surface of the first mounting portion 102 of the adapter mounting base 86 is brought into contact therewith. Two parallel surfaces in the direction orthogonal to the central axis (one (lower surface) is a movement restricting portion 212a for restricting the axial movement of the base 86, and the other (upper surface) is a mounting surface 212b for the flange portion 264. That is, a step is formed.

  Further, in the fitting portion 202, the first cylindrical portion 202 a has a flat surface (circumferential movement restricting portion) so as to be abutted against the rectangular flat surface 112 of the first mounting portion 102 of the adapter mounting base 86. ) 212c is formed. For this reason, the fitting part 202 can be attached and detached while being positioned in the axial direction and the circumferential direction with respect to the adapter mounting base 86.

  Of the fitting portion 202, the first cylindrical portion 212 a in which the first mounting portion 102 of the adapter mounting base 86 is disposed has a first opening in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the fitting portion 202. 214a is formed. The light source mounting portion 204 is fixed to the first opening 214a.

  Of the fitting portion 202, the second cylindrical portion 202 b in which the second attachment portion 104 of the adapter attachment base 86 is disposed has a second opening in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the fitting portion 202. 214b is formed. The second openings 214b are formed approximately every 120 degrees with respect to the central axis of the fitting portion 202. A lock mechanism 208 is disposed in the second openings 214b.

  A third opening 214c is formed above the second opening 214b in the second cylindrical portion 202b of the fitting portion 202 in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the fitting portion 202. As will be described later, the third opening 214c is below the position where the fitting portion 202 and the first frame 222a of the observation image enlargement portion 206 are screwed together. The third opening 214 c is used as a hole for allowing the cleaning liquid to pass through the inside of the adapter 14.

  An observation image enlargement unit 206 is fixed to the upper end of the second cylindrical portion 202b of the fitting unit 202. The observation image enlargement unit 206 includes first to third frame bodies 222a, 222b, and 222c, an eyepiece optical lens group 224, and a cover glass 226, respectively. An eyepiece optical lens group 224 is fixed to the first frame 222a. The outer peripheral surface at the lower end of the first frame body 222a is screwed and fixed to the inner peripheral surface at the upper end of the fitting portion 202. The inner peripheral surface of the second frame 222b is screwed and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the first frame 222a. A cover glass 226 is fixed to the third frame 222c. The cover glass 226 of the third frame 222c is disposed so as to cover the eyepiece optical lens group 224 of the first frame 222a, and the inner peripheral surface of the second frame 222b is The third frame 222c is screwed to the outer peripheral surface at the lower end. At this time, the observation optical axes (center axes) of the eyepiece optical lens group 224 and the cover glass 226 are coaxial with the center axis of the fitting portion 202. For this reason, the observation image that has passed through the eyepiece optical lens group 224 is enlarged compared to the observation image that has passed through the eyepiece optical lens group 224 and is observed by the operator.

  O-rings 228a and 228b are disposed between the first frame 222a and the second frame 222b and between the second frame 222b and the third frame 222c, respectively. . For this reason, watertightness between the first frame 222a and the second frame 222b and between the second frame 222b and the third frame 222c is achieved. That is, liquid or gas is prevented from entering the eyepiece optical lens group 224 or the cover glass 226.

  As described above, the light source attachment portion 204 is fixed to the first opening 214 a of the fitting portion 202. The light source mounting portion 204 includes a cylindrical frame 232 and a rod lens 234 fixed inside the frame 232. The frame body 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 is fixed to the first opening 214a at the lower end of the fitting portion 202 by screwing. At this time, the illumination optical axis of the rod lens 234 is in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the fitting portion 202.

As shown in FIG. 11A, a light source device (not shown) or a battery light source 244 is disposed on the frame 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 via a light guide cable 242.
The light guide cable 242 is provided at one end thereof with a light source socket 252 that is detachably connected to the frame body 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14. The light source socket 252 includes a cap 254 that is detachably attached to the frame body 232 of the light source mounting portion 204, and a condensing lens 256 that collects the irradiation light from the illumination lamp. Further, the light guide cable 242 is provided with an external light source connector 258 connected to a light source device (not shown) at the other end.

  The battery light source 244 includes an illumination lamp (not shown), a power source (not shown) for driving the illumination lamp, and a light source socket 252 that is detachably connected to the frame 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14. And. The light source socket 252 of the battery light source 244 is formed in the same shape as the light source socket 252 of the light guide cable 242.

  Therefore, when the light source socket 252 of the light guide cable 242 connected to the light source device or the light source socket 252 of the battery light source 244 is attached to the frame 232 of the light source attachment portion 204 of the adapter 14, Illumination light can be incident on the rod lens 234.

  As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 (A), the lock mechanism 208 has a cylindrical lever member 262 that is operated when the mounting state between the adapter 14 and the adapter mounting base 86 is released. 202 to be rotatable. The lever member 262 is disposed outside the fitting portion 202 and the observation image enlargement portion 206. As shown in FIGS. 10B and 11B, the outer periphery of the lever member 262 is formed by, for example, a pair of parallel flat surfaces 262a and a pair of curved surfaces 262b. For this reason, the adapter 14 is prevented from rolling by the shape of the lever member 262.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the lever member 262 has a hole 262c. The hole 262c is provided to allow a cleaning liquid, a disinfecting liquid, or the like to enter the adapter 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A, the lever member 262 includes a flange portion 264 having a circular opening through which the fitting portion 202 penetrates in the center portion. The flange portion 264 is below the second frame 222b of the observation image enlargement portion 206, and is a step between the first tubular portion 202a and the second tubular portion 202b of the fitting portion 202. It is placed on the upper surface 212b.

  The opening diameter of the flange portion 264 is narrow on the side close to the observation image enlargement portion 206 and wide on the side close to the light source mounting portion 204. That is, the opening of the flange portion 264 is formed with a slope 266 having an oblique cross section. Note that the fitting portion 202 supports the flange portion 264 of the lever member 262 in a mounted state.

  In the state where the flange portion 264 of the lever member 262 is placed on the fitting portion 202, the above-described three second openings 214b of the fitting portion 202 are formed at a position facing the inclined surface 266 of the flange portion 264. ing. In these three second openings 214b, engaging balls 268 that are engaged with the recesses 104a of the second mounting portion 104 of the adapter mounting base 86 are disposed. These second openings 214 b are formed such that the diameter on the inner peripheral surface side of the fitting portion 202 is smaller than the diameter of the engaging ball 268 and the diameter on the outer peripheral surface side is larger than the diameter of the engaging ball 268. For this reason, the engagement ball 268 is from a predetermined position (a position where the base 86 is engaged with the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14) that protrudes inward (center axis side) with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 202. Is further restricted from moving inward and allowed to move outward. Then, the engaging ball 268 is pressed to the center axis side of the fitting portion 202 by the inclined surface 266 of the flange portion 264. For this reason, when the lever member 262 is moved upward, the engaging ball 268 is allowed to move outward with respect to the central axis of the fitting portion 202.

  A coil spring 270 is disposed on the outer periphery of the fitting portion 202 between the upper surface of the flange portion 264 of the lever member 262 and the lower surface of the first frame 222a of the observation image enlargement portion 206. In this case, the coil spring 270 is biased so as to separate the upper surface of the flange portion 264 of the lever member 262 and the lower surface of the first frame 222a of the observation image enlargement unit 206. For this reason, the flange portion 264 is below the second frame 222b of the observation image enlargement portion 206 and between the first cylindrical portion 202a and the second cylindrical portion 202b of the fitting portion 202. It is pressed against the upper surface 212b of the step. Therefore, the engaging ball 268 is urged toward the center of the fitting portion 202 by the inclined surface 266. At this time, in order to engage with the concave portion 204 a of the second mounting portion 204, a part of the engagement ball 268 protrudes toward the center side from the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 202.

  In this state, the lever member 262 is moved to the upper side in FIGS. 9 and 10A with respect to the fitting portion 202 against the urging force of the coil spring 270. Then, the flange portion 264 and the upper surface 212b of the fitting portion 202 are separated, and the inclined surface 266 moves upward. For this reason, the engagement ball 268 is allowed to move outward with respect to the central axis of the fitting portion 202. Then, the engagement with the fitting portion 202 can be released.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 10 according to this embodiment will be described.
First, a procedure for attaching the adapter 14 to the endoscope body 12 will be described. That is, a procedure for mounting the adapter 14 to the adapter mounting base 86 of the endoscope body 12 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the plane 212c on which the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14 is disposed and the plane 112 on which the disk 114 of the adapter mounting base 86 is disposed are in the same direction (parallel). Grip and attach to each other.

  At this time, the engagement ball 268 is pressed toward the outside of the fitting portion 202 by the second cylindrical portion 202b of the fitting portion 202. For this reason, the lever member 262 once rises with respect to the fitting portion 202 against the biasing force of the coil spring 270 and allows the engagement ball 268 to move outward. In this state, when the concave portion 104a of the second mounting portion 104 of the adapter mounting base 86 faces the engaging ball 268, the engaging ball 268 is pressed to the inside of the fitting portion 202 by the biasing force of the coil spring 270. Engages with the recess 104 a of the second mounting portion 104. That is, the adapter 14 and the adapter mounting base 86 are engaged.

At this time, the flat surface 103 as the movement restricting portion of the first attachment portion 102 of the adapter attachment base 86 and the flat surface (engagement surface) 212a as the movement restricting portion of the fitting portion 202 are brought into contact with each other. The axial movement of the base 86 with respect to the fitting portion 202 is restricted. Further, the flat surface 112 as the movement restricting portion of the first mounting portion 102 of the base 86 and the flat surface (engagement surface) 212 c as the movement restricting portion of the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14 are brought into close contact with each other. . For this reason, the adapter mounting base 86 and the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14 are prevented from rotating with respect to each other's central axis (rotation in the circumferential direction). Therefore, the adapter mounting base 86 and the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14 are uniquely positioned. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10A, the image guide fiber 34b and the eyepiece optical lens group 224 are on the same axis, and the light guide fiber 32b and the rod lens 234 are on the same axis.
Therefore, the optical axis of the illumination optical system of the endoscope main body 12 and the optical axis of the illumination optical system of the adapter 14 can be obtained simply by moving the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14 in a predetermined direction with respect to the adapter mounting base 86. And the optical axis of the observation optical system of the endoscope body 12 and the optical axis of the observation optical system of the adapter 14 are matched. That is, two optical axes are aligned by one operation.

  Further, the light guide cable 242 and the light source socket 252 of the battery light source 244 are connected to the frame 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14. That is, the cap 254 is detachably screwed to the frame 232 of the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14. For this reason, the illumination optical axes of the condenser lens 256 and the rod lens 234 of the light source mounting portion 204 are also automatically aligned.

Therefore, for example, the illumination light that has passed through the light guide cable 242 from the light source device is applied to the vicinity of the center of the specular disk 114 of the adapter mounting base 86 of the endoscope body 12 through the rod lens 234 of the adapter 14. . Part of the illumination light irradiated on the disk 114 is incident on the proximal end of the light guide fiber 32b. That is, light enters the endoscope body 12. If it does so, illumination light will be radiate | emitted through the illumination lens 32a of the front-end | tip hard part 42 of the insertion part 22 of the endoscope 10 from the light guide fiber 32b.
At this time, since the disk 114 is mirror-like, it reflects light. Therefore, heat absorption by the disk 114 due to light reflection is suppressed, and heat generation in the disk 114 is prevented as much as possible. That is, the base 86 is prevented from being heated as much as possible, and the operation unit 24 itself is also prevented from being heated.

  The subject is illuminated by the light emitted through the illumination lens 32a. An object image can be formed on the distal end surface of the image guide fiber 34b by the objective lens 34a. If it does so, it will be guide | induced to the base end part of the image guide fiber 34b, and the image will be radiate | emitted. The image is enlarged through the eyepiece optical lens group 224 of the adapter 14 and observed by the operator.

  At this time, the base end portion of the light guide fiber 32b and the base end portion of the image guide fiber 34b are fixed to the shaft-shaped adapter mounting base 86 so as to face different directions, and the light source mounting portion 204 of the adapter 14 is fixed. And the observation image enlarging unit 206 are directed in different directions. For this reason, interference between taking the illumination light from the illumination light source and observing the observation image magnification unit 206 by the surgeon is prevented.

  Further, as necessary, various treatments are performed by projecting forceps and the like from the opening 42a of the distal end hard portion 42 of the insertion portion 22 through the channel from the channel base 90.

  When the bending portion 44 is bent by rotating the angle lever 134, power is transmitted from the pulley 132 to the bending tube 62 via the operation wire 40. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, the U-side densely wound coil 38a through which the operation wire 40 is inserted is between the most distal bending piece 66a and the most proximal bending piece 66b (for example, in the middle). The U-side tightly wound coil 38a through which the operation wire 40 is inserted is inserted from the bending piece 66c to the proximal end of the bending piece 66c. The D-side densely wound coil 38b through which the operation wire 40 is inserted is abutted against the proximal end of the most proximal bending piece 66b, and the second most bending piece 66 from the most proximal end to the most distal bending piece 66a. An operation wire 40 is inserted through the cable.

  Therefore, when the angle lever 134 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is rotated to the U side, the bending piece 66d adjacent to the proximal end side of the bending piece 66c of the bending tube 62 (FIG. 3A). ))), The bending piece 66a on the most distal end side to the bending piece 66c are bent upward in FIG. On the other hand, when the angle lever 134 is rotated to the D side, the bending piece 66a at the most distal end from the second bending piece 66 from the most proximal end of the bending tube 62 is bent downward in FIG. That is, the bending radius of the bending portion 44 can be made different between the U side and the D side.

  The long axis L of the convex hinge portion 68a of the bending piece 66 is always in contact with the concave hinge portion 68b of the adjacent bending piece 66. That is, the channel through hole 70c through which the channel tube 36 is inserted does not break from the distal end (the most distal bending piece 66a) to the proximal end (the most proximal bending piece 66b) of the bending tube 62. Therefore, the channel tube 36 can be supported so as to prevent the channel tube 36 inserted through the channel through hole 70c from spreading laterally inside the bending tube 62. Further, it is possible to prevent the channel tube 36 from being crushed or the channel tube 36 from being bent.

  Therefore, even if the bending portion 44 is bent so as to have a small bending radius, the channel tube 36 can be hardly broken, so that the channel tube 36 can be made thinner. For this reason, the endoscope body 12 can be a curved portion 44 having a smaller outer diameter. Alternatively, the channel through-hole 70c can be formed larger as the curved portion 44 having the same outer diameter, that is, the inner diameter of the channel tube 36 can be increased.

  After using the endoscope 10, the endoscope body 12 is discarded. The adapter 14 is removed from the endoscope main body 12 to be reused. If possible, the endoscope body 12 may be washed, disinfected, or sterilized for reuse.

Hereinafter, a procedure for removing the adapter 14 from the endoscope body 12 will be described.
The lever member 262 of the lock mechanism 208 is held and moved to the upper side in FIG. At this time, the lever member 262 is moved relative to the fitting portion 202 against the urging force of the coil spring 270. Then, the slope 266 of the flange portion 264 moves upward. For this reason, a space is generated outside the engagement ball 268. Then, the engagement between the engagement ball 268 and the recess 104a of the second mounting portion 104 is released. For this reason, the engagement between the adapter mounting base 86 and the fitting portion 202 of the adapter 14 is released.

  The adapter 14 is reused by cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing. In this case, a cleaning solution or the like is introduced from the hole 142c shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, and the inside is cleaned through the third opening 214c of the fitting portion 202 shown in FIG. For this reason, the inside of the adapter 14 can be reused after being cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized. This adapter 14 is newly mounted on the endoscope body 12 and used in the same manner.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The body of the operation portion main body 82 is divided into half halves having a split surface substantially parallel to the bending direction (UD direction) of the bending portion 44, and all the members are fitted into the one-side body (first housing 92). After assembly and adjustment, the other body (second housing 94) is put on one body (first housing 92) and covered. For example, the tension of the operation wire 40 can be adjusted and fixed in a state where the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is supported by the one body (the first housing 92).

  In particular, when the bending operation mechanism 84 of the operation unit 24 is created, the operation wire 40 is connected to the pulley body 136 in a state where the V-shaped groove 142 of the pulley body 136 is disposed above the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92. Can be wound and fixed. For this reason, the operation | work which winds and fixes the operation wire 40 in this way can be performed easily.

  Further, in this embodiment, the bending portion 44 has two bending directions, and the operation wire 40 is constituted by only one, and in particular, the operation portion 24 is seamlessly formed without a joint. Since the configuration is such that the operation wire 40 is simply inserted through the closely wound coils 38a and 38b, the manufacture is easy and the configuration can be reduced. For this reason, the assembly man-hour of the endoscope main body 12 can be reduced, and the endoscope main body 12 can be produced at a lower cost.

  Therefore, the endoscope main body 12 according to this embodiment can be easily manufactured. In this embodiment, the split surface 93 of the first housing 92 and the split surface 95 of the second housing 94 are simply aligned. However, a seal member is disposed between the two and the operating portion main body. It is also preferable to seal the inside of 82. With such a structure, the endoscope body 12 can be reused after being cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized, for example.

  Further, since the endoscope 10 is configured to be detachable from the endoscope main body 12 and the adapter 14, the illumination optical system and the observation optical system in the adapter 14 can be reused. For this reason, since the endoscope 10 can be configured at a lower cost than manufacturing an endoscope in which the illumination optical system and the observation optical system are all integrated, the cost can be greatly reduced, and the amount of waste can be reduced. Reduction can also be achieved.

  That is, according to this embodiment, since the endoscope main body 12 can be manufactured at a lower cost, not only can the cost of the manufacturer that manufactures the endoscope 10 be suppressed, but also such an endoscope. The user side cost (introduction cost) on the side of purchasing and using the mirror body 12 can be further reduced.

  In this embodiment, the case has been described in which the adapter 10 is configured by mounting the adapter 14 on the adapter mounting base 86 of the endoscope body 12. However, the adapter 14 is integrated with the adapter mounting base 86. It is also preferable that an eyepiece such as the above is formed.

  For example, it is also preferable to separate the U-side bending operation wire and the D-side bending operation wire. In other words, it is also preferable to use one operation wire for the U-side curve and another one operation wire for the D-side curve. In this case, the distal ends of the operation wires are fixed to, for example, the most distal bending piece 66a or fixed to the distal end hard portion 42.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the bending operation mechanism 84, the adapter mounting base 86, the alignment member 88, and the channel base 90 are all disposed between the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 has been described. However, for example, the channel cap 90 may be fixed only to the first housing 92.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92 and the dividing surface 95 of the second housing 94 around the position where the pulley body 136 is disposed are provided. The case of a flat state has been described. However, the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92 is smoothly lowered, for example, around the position where the pulley main body 136 is disposed on the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92 to form a recessed portion. It is also preferable that the operation wire 40 can be inserted into the V-shaped groove 142 of the pulley main body 136 along the dividing surface 93. In this case, it is preferable that the split surface 95 of the second housing 94 is formed with a convex portion so as to be fitted to the concave portion of the split surface 93 of the first housing 92. With this structure, the second housing 92 is easily positioned with respect to the first housing 92 by fitting the concave portion of the first housing 92 and the convex portion of the second housing 94 together. The pulley main body 136 can be disposed at a position close to the bottom surface of the first housing 92. Then, the space above the pulley body 136 (up to the inner wall near the pulley support portion 94b of the second housing 94) can be made large. In this space, the light guide fiber 32b, the image guide fiber 34b, and the like can be easily arranged.
A convex portion is formed on the dividing surface 93 of the first housing 92, and the V-shaped groove 142 of the pulley body 136 is disposed above the convex portion, and the dividing surface 95 of the second housing 94 is It is also preferable that the concave portion is formed so that the convex portion of the first housing 92 is fitted.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The same members as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 12, the endoscope main body 12 according to this embodiment includes the dividing directions of the first housing 92 and the second housing 94 of the operation unit main body 82 described in the first embodiment, and Dividing direction is different. The operation section main body 82 of the endoscope main body 12 according to this embodiment includes a first housing 302 having a dividing surface (end surface) 303 and a second housing 304 having a dividing surface (end surface) 305. .

  In the first housing 302, an adapter mounting base arrangement portion 302a in which the adapter mounting base 86 is provided is formed at the most distal position with respect to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22. A pulley support portion 302b on which one end and the other end of the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 of the bending operation mechanism 84 are placed is formed at a position closer to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 than the adapter mounting base arrangement portion 302a. Has been. One of the pulley support portions 302 b is arranged so that one end of the rotating shaft 138 protrudes to the outside of the first housing 302. The other end of the pulley support portion 302 is disposed so as to be supported inside the first housing 302. An alignment member disposition portion 302c where the alignment member 88 is disposed is formed at a position closer to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 than the pulley support portion 302b. At a position closer to the distal end side of the insertion portion 22 than the alignment member disposing portion 302c, a channel cap disposing portion (not shown) in which the channel cap 90 is disposed is formed. At the most proximal position with respect to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22, a bend preventing member disposing portion 302e in which the bend preventing member 80 is disposed is formed.

  In the second housing 304, an adapter mounting base arrangement part 304 a is formed in the same manner as the adapter mounting base arrangement part 302 a of the first housing 302. A pulley support portion 304b is formed at a position facing the pulley support portion 302b of the first housing 302 when the first housing 302 and the second housing 304 are combined. One of the pulley support portions 304 b is arranged so that one end of the rotating shaft 138 protrudes to the outside of the second housing 304. Similar to the alignment member disposition portion 302c of the first housing 302, an alignment member disposition portion 304c is formed in the second housing 304. In the second housing 304, a channel cap mounting portion (not shown) is formed in the same manner as the channel cap mounting portion of the first housing 302. The second housing 304 is formed with a bend preventing member disposing portion 94e in the same manner as the bend preventing member disposing portion 92e of the first housing 302.

  As described above, the pulley support portions 302b and 304b are formed on the split surfaces of the first housing 302 and the second housing 304 so as to support the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132, respectively. That is, the first housing 302 and the second housing 304 cooperate to support the rotating shaft 138 of the pulley 132. When the first housing 302 is placed on a flat surface and the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is disposed on the pulley support 302b of the first housing 302, the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is It is preferable to arrange it substantially parallel to the flat surface.

  The operation wire 40 disposed in the operation unit 24 of the endoscope main body 12 according to this embodiment is also seamless as described in the first embodiment. When the operation wire 40 is wound around the pulley body 136, one through hole 146 in which the screw 154 of the pulley 132 is disposed is disposed above the dividing surface of the first housing 302.

  Then, after the first housing 302 is covered with the second housing 304, the first housing 302 and the second housing 304 are turned over. At this time, the first housing 302 serving as a lid is removed from the second housing 304 on the bottom side. At this time, the other through-hole 146 in which the screw 154 of the pulley 132 is disposed is disposed above the dividing surface of the second housing 304.

Since other operations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, the case where the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is disposed on the dividing surface of the first housing 302 and the second housing 304 has been described. However, the rotation shaft 138 of the pulley 132 is disposed obliquely. It is also suitable.

  Although several embodiments have been specifically described so far with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all the embodiments performed without departing from the scope of the invention are described. Including implementation.

(A) is the schematic which shows the endoscope of the state which mounted | wore the endoscope main body and adapter based on the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention, (B) is an adapter from an endoscope main body. Schematic which shows the endoscope of the state removed and isolate | separated, (C) is the schematic which shows the endoscope which can attach or detach the endoscope main body, an adapter, and the camera head as an eyepiece part of an adapter. (A) is the schematic perspective view which observed the front-end | tip hard part arrange | positioned at the front-end | tip part of the insertion part of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment from the front end side, (B) is 1st. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a distal end hard portion arranged at the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope main body according to the second embodiment observed from the proximal end side. (A) is the bending part connected to the proximal end of the distal end hard part shown in FIG. 2 (A) and FIG. 2 (B) of the insertion part of the endoscope body according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view, (B) is a schematic perspective view showing a bending piece arranged at the most distal end of the bending portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope body according to the first and second embodiments, (C) is a schematic perspective view which shows the bending piece arrange | positioned at the bending part of the insertion part of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment, (D) is 1st and 2nd The schematic front view which shows the bending piece arrange | positioned at the bending part of the insertion part of the endoscope main body which concerns on embodiment. (A) And (B) is a schematic sectional drawing of the bending part of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (C) is the bending part of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Schematic which shows the angle lever of a pulley. FIG. 5A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an adapter mounting base disposed in the operation portion of the endoscope body according to the first and second embodiments, and FIG. 5B is a view in FIG. Schematic which shows the state observed from the arrow 5B line direction shown. (A) is the schematic which shows the alignment member arrange | positioned at the operation part main body of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (B) is schematic which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the alignment member to the operation part main body. FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a portion indicated by reference numeral 6C in FIG. 6B is enlarged. FIG. 4A is a schematic front view showing a pulley of a bending operation mechanism disposed inside the operation portion main body of the endoscope main body according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a view in FIG. The schematic fragmentary sectional view which shows the state which expanded the part shown by the code | symbol 7B of. (A) and (B) are an adapter mounting base, a pulley of a bending operation mechanism, an alignment member, and a base end of an insertion portion in the first housing of the operation portion main body of the endoscope main body according to the first embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the bending prevention member of a part, (A) is a top view, (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the adapter as an eyepiece part for mounting | wearing with the adapter mounting base of the endoscope main body which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment. (A) is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which an adapter as an eyepiece is mounted on the adapter mounting base of the endoscope body according to the first and second embodiments, and (B) is a diagram of FIG. The schematic cross-sectional view which follows the 10B-10B line in (A). (A) is the schematic which shows that a light guide cable and a battery light source are arrange | positioned with respect to the light source attachment part of the adapter of the endoscope which concerns on 1st and 2nd embodiment, (B) is FIG. The bottom view of the adapter which shows the state observed from the arrow 11B direction in (A). The dividing surface of the first housing and the second housing of the endoscope main body according to the second embodiment is changed from the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B). The schematic perspective view which shows the state which carried out.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 ... Operation wire, 132 ... Pulley, 136 ... Pulley body, 138 ... Rotating shaft, 142 ... V-shaped groove, 144 ... Wire arrangement groove, 146 ... Through-hole, 148 ... Insert nut, 150 ... Recess, 152 ... Holding Plate, 154 ... Screw

Claims (5)

An elongated insert having a bendable portion in at least two directions;
An operation unit having a bending operation unit connected to a base end of the insertion unit and capable of bending the bending unit;
An operation wire for connecting the bending operation section and the bending section and bending the bending section by operating the bending operation section;
The endoscope, wherein the operation wire is seamlessly connected between the bending portion and the bending operation portion.   The operation portion has first and second housings each having a split surface that can be split into two along the major axis direction of the insertion portion, and having a circular cross section when the split surfaces are combined with each other. The endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising: The bending operation unit includes a wire winding unit around which a proximal end of the operation wire is wound and a pulley on which the operation wire is fixed.
The said wire winding part by which the said operation wire is wound among the said pulleys is located in the side by which the said 2nd housing is arrange | positioned rather than the division surface of the said 1st housing. Item 3. The endoscope according to Item 2.   The endoscope according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the pulley is arranged substantially parallel to the dividing surface. The bending portion includes a plurality of bending pieces, and includes a bending tube that can be bent in a direction defined on the upper side and a direction defined on the lower side opposite to the direction defined on the upper side. ,
The operation wire is inserted through each bending piece of the bending tube, and is folded back by a bending piece arranged at a position closest to the distal end of the insertion portion of the bending tube. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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