JP2011167460A - Master/slave endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a master/slave endoscope, for allowing an easy operation of the master endoscope and the slave endoscope by only one user. <P>SOLUTION: The slave endoscope 60 is equipped with a hard tubular part 64 of a cylindrical shape located between a slave-side operation part 61 and a slave-side insertion part 62. At least a part of an inner conduit 36 in a master-side operation part 21 is formed to be a supporting hole 32 of a hard material, which can fit with the hard tubular part 64 and have the same cross sectional shape as the hard tubular part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical parent-child endoscope that is used by inserting an insertion portion of a child endoscope into an internal conduit of the parent endoscope.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a parent-child endoscope that includes a parent endoscope and a child endoscope that can be used by inserting its own insertion portion into the inner duct of the parent endoscope. ing. The parent-child endoscope maintains the relative position of the child endoscope with respect to the parent endoscope when the insertion portion of the child endoscope is inserted into the inner duct of the parent endoscope. Is equipped with a child scope holder to allow the parent-child endoscope to be operated without the assistance of an assistant.

The child scope holder is a substantially cylindrical member that is a separate member from the parent endoscope and the child endoscope, and is made of a hard material such as an aluminum alloy. One end portion of the child scope holder is a fixing end portion that can be coaxially fixed to the opening end portion of the internal conduit formed in the operation portion of the parent endoscope. On the other hand, the other end of the child scope holder serves as a support portion to which the vicinity of the distal end portion of the operation portion of the child endoscope is fitted when the insertion portion of the child endoscope is inserted into the child scope holder. Yes.
Accordingly, with the end portion for fixing the child scope holder fixed to the operation portion of the parent endoscope (the opening end portion of the inner conduit), the insertion portion of the child endoscope passes through the child scope holder and the inner conduit. When protruding from the distal end side of the insertion portion of the parent endoscope, the vicinity of the distal end portion of the operation portion of the child endoscope is supported in a fixed state by the support portion of the child scope holder. It becomes possible to operate the parent endoscope and the child endoscope without the help of the person.

Japanese Patent No. 4040169 Japanese Patent No. 4349670

In the parent-child endoscope, the distance between the operation unit of the parent endoscope and the operation unit of the child endoscope in the connected state is excessively increased by the child scope holder. Therefore, when the entire length of the scope holder is long, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in the operability of both endoscopes when the operation is performed by only one operator.
In addition, since the distance between the operation units of both endoscopes is long, the rotation torque (rotation torque centered on the hand of the surgeon holding the parent endoscope) due to the weight of the child endoscope operation unit is Since it grows and is transmitted from the operation part of the parent endoscope to the operator, the burden on the operator is great.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a parent-child endoscope in which a parent endoscope and a child endoscope can be easily operated by only one operator.

  The parent-child endoscope of the present invention includes a parent-side operation unit, a flexible parent-side insertion unit extending from the parent-side operation unit, and the inside of the parent-side operation unit and the parent-side insertion unit. A parent endoscope having a penetrating internal conduit, a child-side operation portion, and a flexible child-side insertion portion; the child-side insertion portion on the inner conduit; A child endoscope that can be inserted from the opening end of the child-side endoscope and protruded from the opening end on the parent-side insertion portion side, wherein the child endoscope is the child-side operation portion. And a hard cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape located between the child side insertion portion, and at least a part of the inner pipe line in the parent side operation portion can be fitted to the hard cylindrical portion, and It is characterized by having a support hole made of a hard material having the same cross-sectional shape as the hard cylindrical portion.

  It is preferable that a holding means for restricting relative movement of the hard cylindrical portion inserted into the support hole with respect to the parent side operation portion is provided in the parent side operation portion.

  One end of the supporting hole and one of the opposed surfaces of the hard cylindrical portion are connected to a suction hole provided on the surface of the parent operation portion, and the other end is the internal pipe line in the parent insertion portion. It is preferable to provide a concave groove for suction.

  The inner peripheral surface of the inner conduit in the parent operation portion is located closer to the opening end side of the inner conduit than the suction groove and is fitted in the support hole. It is preferable to provide a seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion in an airtight state.

  It is preferable that the total cross-sectional area of the suction groove is larger than the cross-sectional area of the gap between the internal pipe line in the parent insertion portion and the child insertion portion.

In the present invention, since the hard cylindrical portion and the supporting hole that function as the conventional child scope holder are integrally provided in the child endoscope and the parent endoscope, respectively, the child endoscope is It can be directly connected to the mirror, so that the distance between the operation unit of the parent endoscope and the operation unit of the child endoscope can be shortened. Therefore, operability is good even when the operation is performed by only one surgeon. Further, since the rotational torque due to the weight of the child endoscope generated around the hand of the operator holding the parent endoscope does not increase, the burden on the operator does not increase.
Further, since the cross-sectional shapes of the hard cylindrical portion and the support hole are the same circular shape, the child endoscope does not tilt or rattle with respect to the axis of the support hole in the connected state. On the other hand, the rotation direction position and the axial direction position around the axis of the child endoscope with respect to the parent endoscope can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  If comprised like Claim 2, the rotation direction position and axial direction position around the axis line with respect to the parent endoscope of a child endoscope can be hold | maintained in the arbitrary positions suitable for an operator.

According to the third aspect, even if the hard cylindrical portion is fitted into the support hole, the suction pipe is connected to the suction pipe and the internal pipe line in the insertion portion communicates with the suction hole. Is connected, suction using the opening end on the insertion portion side of the internal conduit becomes possible.
Furthermore, if the sealing member is provided as in claim 4, when suction is performed by the suction means, body fluid or the like sucked into the internal conduit from the opening end on the insertion portion side is on the operation portion side of the parent endoscope. It can prevent flowing to the opening end side of the.

  If comprised like Claim 5, it will become possible to perform suction, without the attraction force falling.

1 is a side view of a parent endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view of the operation part of a parent endoscope. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is a side view of a child endoscope. It is a side view when a child endoscope is connected to the parent endoscope. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII line of FIG. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 7 of a modification. It is sectional drawing immediately after the groove | channel for suction of the hard cylindrical part of a modification. It is a side view when a child endoscope is connected to a parent endoscope of another modification.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the distal end side of the insertion portion 22 is defined as “front” and the operation portion 21 side is defined as “rear” for the parent endoscope 20, and the child endoscope 60 is inserted. The front end side of the unit 62 is defined as “front”, and the operation unit 61 side is defined as “rear”.
The parent-child endoscope 10 is for medical use, and includes a parent endoscope 20 and a child endoscope 60 that can be connected to and separated from each other.
The parent endoscope 20 includes an operation part (parent side operation part) 21 having an exterior case made of a hard resin material, and a flexible (flexible) insertion part (parent side insertion part) extending forward from the operation part 21. ) 22, and the vicinity of the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 is a bending portion 23 that bends in response to a rotation operation of a bending operation lever 24 that is provided rotatably on the operation portion 21. An objective lens, an illumination lens, and an opening (not shown) are formed on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 22. A light guide tube 26, which is a flexible tube, extends from the surface of the operation unit 21 opposite to the bending operation lever 24. The inner space of the light guide tube 26, the inner space of the operation unit 21, and the insertion unit A light guide bundle 27 is disposed in the internal space 22, and the front end of the light guide bundle 27 is located immediately after the illumination lens. Therefore, when the end of the light guide tube 26 opposite to the operation portion 21 is connected to a light source device (not shown), the light generated by the light source device is irradiated to the outside through the light guide bundle 27 from the illumination lens. The Further, an eyepiece 28 protrudes from the rear end of the operation unit 21, and an eyepiece 29 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the end surface of the eyepiece 28. An image guide bundle 30 is disposed in the internal space of the operation unit 21 (the eyepiece unit 28) and the internal space of the insertion unit 22, and the front end of the image guide bundle 30 is located immediately after the objective lens. The rear end of the image guide bundle 30 is located immediately before the eyepiece lens 29. Therefore, the operator can visually recognize the observation image transmitted through the objective lens by looking through the eyepiece lens 29 with his / her eyes.

As shown in the drawing, in the internal space of the operation unit 21, a straight pipe material (cylindrical member) made of a hard material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or a hard resin material (for example, polycarbonate, modified PPO, etc.) is opened. The support cylinder member 31 is provided in a fixed state, and the rear end portion of the support cylinder member 31 protrudes rearward from the rear end surface of the operation portion 21. As shown in FIG. 7 and the like, the inner peripheral surface of the support cylinder member 31 is a support hole 32 having a circular cross section except for a portion where a large-diameter portion 31a described later is formed, and the front end of the support hole 32 is further provided. 4 suction grooves 33 extending in the longitudinal direction of the supporting cylindrical member 31 are recessed at 90 ° intervals in the circumferential direction (from the suction groove 33 to the middle diameter portion 31a). The rear end position is shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, etc., the inner circumferential surface of the supporting cylinder member 31 has a circular cross section having a diameter larger than that of the supporting hole 32 that communicates with each suction groove 33 immediately after each suction groove 33. A large-diameter portion 31a which is a portion is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an annular groove 34 located immediately after the large-diameter portion 31a is recessed in the inner peripheral surface of the support hole 32, and the annular groove 34 is made of O made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber. A ring (seal member) R1 is fitted.
Further, in the internal space of the front end portion of the operation portion 21 and the internal space of the insertion portion 22, the rear end is connected to the front end of the support cylinder member 31 and the front end is connected to the opening on the front end surface of the insertion portion 22. A suction tube 35 made of a flexible material is disposed (as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the rear end portion of the suction tube 35 is expanded in a tapered shape). The internal pipe line of the suction pipe 35 and the internal pipe line of the supporting cylinder member 31 are components of the internal pipe line 36.
Four slits 37 extending forward are formed at 90 ° intervals in the circumferential direction at the rear end portion of the supporting cylinder member 31, and the four press contact pieces (holding means) are formed at the rear end portion by the slit 37. It is divided into 38. The outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of each press-contacting piece 38 is a pressed tapered surface 39 in which the radial distance from the axis of the supporting cylinder member 31 gradually decreases toward the rear. Further, a male screw groove 40 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the supporting cylinder member 31.
A clamping ring (holding means) 42 is movably covered on the outer peripheral surface of the supporting cylinder member 31. A female screw groove 43 that can be screwed with the male screw groove 40 is formed in the middle portion of the inner peripheral surface of the fastening ring 42 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the rear end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the tightening ring 42 has a smaller diameter than the front portion, and a pressing taper surface 44 in which the radial distance from the axis of the supporting cylinder member 31 gradually decreases toward the rear. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the operation portion 21 has a button support protrusion 25 whose internal space communicates with the internal space of the support cylinder member 31 (through a through hole formed in the support cylinder member 31). Projected. On the inner peripheral surface of the button support projection 25, a cylinder surface 25a, which is a cylindrical surface centered on the axis of the button support projection 25, and an annular seat having a smaller diameter than the cylinder surface 25a located immediately below the cylinder surface 25a. A surface 25b is formed, and a male screw portion 25c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the button supporting projection 25. A button support member 46 of a suction button 49 having a button support member 46 and a slide member 48 that is coaxial with the button support member 46 and that can slide relative to the button support member 46 is fixed to the button support protrusion 25. That is, the female screw portion 46a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the button support member 46 is screwed into the male screw portion 25c. A piston 51 that is coaxial with the button support member 46 is fixed to the lower end portion of the slide member 48. When the button support member 46 is fixed to the button support protrusion 25, the piston 51 is slidable on the cylinder surface 25a. Mating.
Further, an O-ring R2 made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber is fitted and fixed to the annular recess formed in the lower end portion of the piston 51, and the O-ring R2 is on the supporting cylinder member 31 side with respect to the annular seating surface 25b. It is possible to make contact and separation in an airtight state. Since the compression coil spring S1 is contracted between the retainer 50 formed at the lower part of the slide member 48 and the retainer surface 47 formed at the bottom of the button support member 46, the operator can When no external force is exerted, the slide member 48 is located at a non-suction position (positions of FIGS. 1, 3, and 5) where the O-ring R2 is pressed against the annular seat surface 25b in an airtight state by the urging force of the compression coil spring S1. . On the other hand, when the slide member 48 is pushed toward the support cylinder member 31 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring S1, the slide member 48 sucks the O-ring R2 away from the annular seating surface 25b toward the support cylinder member 31. It is located at a position (not shown).
Further, a suction nipple (suction hole) 52 that is a cylindrical member that opens at both ends projects from the surface of the operation portion 21 opposite to the bending operation lever 24. The proximal end side end of the suction nipple 52 is open in the internal space of the operation unit 21, and the distal end of the suction nipple 52 can be connected to a suction source (not shown). Further, the internal space of the operation portion 21 is provided with a communication tube 53 that connects the proximal end of the suction nipple 52 and the internal space of the button support projection 25 (internal space of the cylinder surface 25a). When the O-ring R2 of the piston 51 is separated from the annular seating surface 25b, the suction groove 33 and the suction nipple 52 of the support cylinder member 31 are mutually connected via the internal space of the button support projection 25 and the communication tube 53. Communicate.

Next, the configuration of the child endoscope 60 will be described. Since the basic configuration of the child endoscope 60 is similar to that of the parent endoscope 20, the same members as those of the parent endoscope 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
The child endoscope 60 includes an operation part (child-side operation part) 61, an insertion part (child-side insertion part) 62, and a hard cylindrical part 64 as large components.
The hard cylindrical portion 64 is a linear cylindrical member that extends forward from the front end portion of the operation portion 61 that constitutes an exterior case with a hard resin material, and that has both front and rear openings, and is entirely made of SUS, aluminum, and a hard resin material. (For example, polycarbonate, modified PPO, etc.) are comprised with hard materials. As shown in the figure, the front end portion of the hard cylindrical portion 64 has a tapered shape that decreases in diameter toward the front, and all portions of the hard cylindrical portion 64 except the front end portion are formed with the support holes 32 of the support cylindrical member 31. The cross-sectional shapes are substantially the same (slightly smaller).
The insertion portion 62 is a flexible member made of the same material as the insertion portion 22, and its rear end portion is fixed to the front end portion of the hard cylindrical portion 64 in a coaxial state. An illumination lens, an objective lens, and an opening are formed on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 62. In addition, a cylindrical treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66 having an open end surface projects from the rear end of the operation section 61, and one end of the treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66 is connected to the treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66. An opening / closing cap 68 made of silicon rubber is provided that can be attached / detached (opened / closed) to an end surface opening of the treatment instrument insertion projection 66 fixed to the outer peripheral portion and provided at the other end. In the internal space of the operation portion 61, the hard cylindrical portion 64, and the insertion portion 62, the rear end can be connected to the treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66 and the front end can be connected to the opening on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 62. A treatment instrument insertion tube 65 made of a flexible material is provided.
An eyepiece 28 projects from the operation unit 61, and a light guide tube 26 and a suction nipple 52 are provided on the surface of the operation unit 61 opposite to the bending operation lever 24. The front end of the light guide bundle 27 provided in the internal space of the light guide tube 26 is located immediately after the illumination lens. The eyepiece 29 of the eyepiece 28 and the objective lens are optically connected by the operation guide 61 (eyepiece 28), the hard cylindrical portion 64, and the image guide bundle 30 disposed inside the insertion portion 62. Connected. Further, similarly to the parent endoscope 20, the internal space of the button support protrusion 25 communicates with and communicates with the treatment instrument insertion tube 65 (through a through hole formed in the treatment instrument insertion tube 65) in the operation portion 61. The suction nipple 52 communicates with the tube 53. Further, in the internal space of the button support protrusion 25, the button support member 46 and the slide member 48 of the child endoscope 60, the same cylinder / piston mechanism as the parent endoscope 20 (the cylinder surface 25a shown in FIG. , An annular seat surface 25b, a retainer surface 47, a suction button 49, a piston 51, an O-ring R2, a compression coil spring S1, etc.).

Next, the usage procedure of the parent-child endoscope 10 will be described.
First, the light guide tube 26 of the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 arranged outside the patient's body is connected to the light source device, and the suction nipple 52 of the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 is used as the suction source. In addition, the female thread groove 43 of the fastening ring 42 of the parent endoscope 20 is loosened with respect to the male thread groove 40 of the supporting cylinder member 31, and the pressing taper surface 44 is positioned behind the pressed taper surface 39. Let me. Next, the insertion part 62 of the child endoscope 60 is inserted into the support hole 32 and the suction pipe 35 of the support cylinder member 31 from the rear end opening of the support cylinder member 31, and the insertion part 62 is inserted as shown in FIG. The rigid cylindrical portion 64 is fitted into the support hole 32 of the supporting cylindrical member 31 and the outer peripheral surface of the rigid cylindrical portion 64 is set to the inner periphery of the supporting cylindrical member 31. The O-ring R1 provided on the surface is pressed in an airtight state. Then, since the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion 64 is in surface contact with the support hole 32 of the support cylindrical member 31, the inclination of the operation portion 61 (hard cylindrical portion 64) with respect to the operation portion 21 (supporting cylindrical member 31). Yagataki is regulated. On the other hand, since the cross-sectional shapes of the hard cylindrical portion 64 and the support hole 32 are both circular, the operation portion 61 (hard cylindrical portion 64) is a support tube with respect to the operation portion 21 (support cylinder member 31). The member 31 can slide in the axial direction of the member 31 and can rotate around the axial line. Therefore, the slide direction position and the rotational direction position of the operation unit 61 held by the hand with respect to the operation unit 21 are adjusted, and the bending operation lever 24 of the child endoscope 60 is operated to bend the parent endoscope 20 as shown in FIG. After the distal end portion of the insertion portion 62 is protruded from the opening portion of the distal end surface of the insertion portion 22 after being positioned on the same side as the lever 24, the fastening ring 42 is rotated by hand (the female screw groove 43 is changed to the male screw groove). 40), the pressing taper surface 44 of the clamping ring 42 is brought into pressure contact with the pressed taper surface 39 of the supporting cylinder member 31 (see FIGS. 1 and 5). Then, the four pressure contact pieces 38 are each pressed against the hard cylindrical portion 64 by the pressing taper surface 44, so that the inner peripheral surfaces of the four press contact pieces 38 are in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion 64, respectively. Therefore, since the slide and rotation of the operation unit 61 with respect to the operation unit 21 are restricted, the slide direction position and the rotation direction position of the operation unit 61 with respect to the operation unit 21 are held at the positions shown in FIG.

When the connection operation of the child endoscope 60 to the parent endoscope 20 is completed in this way, the integrated parent endoscope 20 and child endoscope 60 are inserted into the body cavity from the patient's mouth. At this time, the surgeon visually recognizes the observation image transmitted through the objective lens of the child endoscope 60 with the eyepiece 28 (eyepiece lens 29) of the child endoscope 60, and the body cavity of the insertion portion 62 and the insertion portion 22. Insert into the inside. Since the pressure contact piece 38 is in pressure contact with the hard cylindrical portion 64, even if the operator releases his / her hand from the child endoscope 60 during the insertion operation, the child endoscope 60 falls off from the parent endoscope 20. There is nothing.
When it is desired to treat the affected area using a treatment tool such as forceps, the lid 67 of the opening / closing cap 68 is removed from the opening end of the treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66 and the opening end of the treatment instrument insertion protrusion 66 is removed. The treatment instrument is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion tube 65 from the portion, the distal end of the treatment instrument is caused to protrude forward from the opening of the distal end surface of the insertion portion 62, and the affected part is treated with the treatment instrument. Since the pressure contact piece 38 is in pressure contact with the hard cylindrical portion 64, the operation of the treatment tool by the operator can be performed with the hand removed from the child endoscope 60.
Further, when it is desired to suck the affected part and the surrounding body fluid, the slide member 48 of the child endoscope 60 is pushed to the suction position. Then, since the O-ring R2 of the cylinder / piston mechanism is separated from the annular seating surface 25b toward the treatment instrument insertion tube 65, the negative pressure generated by the suction source causes the suction nipple 52, the internal space of the button support projection 25, And it reaches the said opening part of the front end surface of the insertion part 62 through the treatment tool penetration pipe 65. FIG. Therefore, the body fluid or the like is sucked by the suction source through the treatment instrument insertion tube 65, the inner space of the button support projection 25, and the suction nipple 52 from the opening of the distal end surface of the insertion portion 62. When the operator removes his / her hand from the slide member 48, the slide member 48 returns to the non-suction position by the biasing force of the compression coil spring S1, and the O-ring R2 of the cylinder / piston mechanism is pressed against the annular seat surface 25b again. Therefore, the negative pressure generated by the suction source does not reach the treatment instrument insertion tube 65 side from the O-ring R2. Therefore, the sucking operation of body fluid or the like by the child endoscope 60 is stopped.

Also, once the internal thread groove 43 of the tightening ring 42 and the external thread groove 40 of the supporting cylinder member 31 are loosened, the rigid cylindrical portion 64 is slid backward with respect to the supporting cylinder member 31 (the rigid cylinder). The insertion portion 22 of the insertion portion 62 is tightened with the female screw groove 40 after the distal end portion of the insertion portion 62 is accommodated in the insertion portion 22. When the position in the slide direction is fixed, the body fluid or the like can be sucked by the suction source to which the parent endoscope 20 is connected.
In this case, the surgeon pushes the slide member 48 of the parent endoscope 20 to the suction position while observing the state of the affected part through the eyepiece 28 (eyepiece lens 29) of the parent endoscope 20. Then, since the O-ring R2 of the cylinder / piston mechanism of the parent endoscope 20 is separated from the annular seating surface 25b, the negative pressure generated by the suction source causes the suction nipple 52, the internal space of the button support protrusion 25, and the button support protrusion. Four suction grooves 33 formed in the support cylinder member 31 communicating with the internal space of the portion 25, and a suction tube 35 (the suction tube 35 and the child endoscope 60 of the child endoscope 60) communicating with the front end portion of the suction groove 33. It extends to the opening on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 22 via a gap between the insertion portion 62 and the insertion portion 62. Therefore, the body fluid or the like is sucked by the suction source through the suction tube 35, the suction groove 33, the internal space of the button support projection 25, and the suction nipple 52 from the opening on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 22. . Further, since the O-ring R1 provided in the annular groove 34 of the supporting cylinder member 31 is in pressure-contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion 64 in an airtight state, the sucked body fluid or the like is behind the O-ring R1 (clamping ring 42). And leak from the rear end opening of the supporting cylinder member 31. When the operator removes his / her hand from the slide member 48, the slide member 48 of the parent endoscope 20 returns to the non-suction position by the urging force of the compression coil spring S1, so that the parent endoscope 20 sucks body fluids and the like. Stops.

As described above, in this embodiment, the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 are integrally provided with the supporting cylindrical member 31 and the hard cylindrical portion 64 that function as a child scope holder according to the prior art. Therefore, the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 can be directly connected without requiring a child scope holder. Therefore, the distance between the operation unit 21 of the parent endoscope 20 and the operation unit 61 of the child endoscope 60 (the axial distance between the support cylinder member 31 and the hard cylindrical part 64) can be shortened. Even when only the operator operates the parent-child endoscope 10, the operability is good. In addition, since the distance is short, the rotational torque due to the weight of the child endoscope 60 generated around the hand of the operator holding the parent endoscope 20 does not increase, so the burden on the operator increases. There is no.
Further, when the child endoscope 60 is connected to the parent endoscope 20, the axes of the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 coincide with each other (the insertion portion 22 and the insertion portion 62 in the linear state as shown in FIG. 5). Since the axis line and the axis lines of the support cylinder member 31 and the rigid cylindrical part 64 coincide with each other), the operation part 61 is not greatly swung around when the operation part 21 is rotated around the axis line. In terms of operability, the operability is good.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention can be implemented, giving various changes.
For example, instead of forming the suction groove 33 in the support hole 32 of the support cylinder member 31 as in the modification shown in FIG. 8, suction corresponding to the suction groove 33 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion 64. A groove 69 (a groove that communicates the internal space of the suction tube 35 and the internal space of the button support projection 25 when the child endoscope 60 is connected to the parent endoscope 20) may be formed. In this case, instead of providing the O-ring R1 in the annular groove 34, a plurality of (four in FIG. 9) concave portions 64a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion 64 as shown in FIG. The hard cylindrical portion 64 is covered with a seal member 70 having a circular shape that is substantially the same diameter as the outer peripheral surface (supporting hole 32) of the hard cylindrical portion 64 and whose inner peripheral surface is aligned with the suction groove 69. . If comprised in this way, the sucked body fluid etc. will move to the back (clamping ring 42 side) rather than the sealing member 70 (it contacts the inner peripheral surface of the supporting cylinder member 31 in an airtight state), and the supporting cylinder member 31 There is no leakage from the rear end opening, and the seal member 70 can rotate relative to the supporting cylinder member 31 when the child endoscope 60 is rotated around its axis.
Further, the number of the suction grooves 33 and the suction grooves 69 may be other than four. Note that, regardless of how the number of the suction grooves 33 and 69 is set, the total cross-sectional area of the suction grooves 33 and 69 (the total value of the cross-sectional areas) is the gap between the suction pipe 35 and the insertion portion 62. It is even better if it is larger than the cross-sectional area. In this way, the suction force does not drop when suction is performed using the suction source.
Further, as in the parent endoscope 20 ′ shown in FIG. 10, the axis of the supporting cylinder member 31 provided in the operation portion (parent operation portion) 21 ′ is inclined with respect to the axis of the insertion portion 22 in a linear state. May be.
Further, the hard material constituting the supporting cylindrical member 31 and the rigid cylindrical portion 64 is supported by the rigid cylindrical portion 64 when the rigid cylindrical portion 64 is fitted into the supporting cylindrical member 31 (supporting hole 32). This requirement is not limited as long as it can prevent tilting or rattling with respect to the cylinder member 31 and allows relative rotation and axial movement of the rigid cylindrical portion 64 around the axis with respect to the supporting cylinder member 31. If it satisfies, it will not be limited to the said material.
Further, the parent endoscope 20 and the child endoscope 60 are not limited to the type of endoscope having the eyepiece portion 28, and an imaging element is provided in the distal end portion of the insertion portions 22 and 62 or the operation portions 21 and 61. It may be an endoscope of the type it has.
Further, the parent endoscopes 20 and 20 ′ in which the rear end opening of the support cylinder member 31 is closed with a plug (not shown) are inserted into the body cavity of the patient, and then the plug is inserted into the rear of the support cylinder member 31. The insertion portion 62 of the child endoscope 60 may be inserted from the rear end opening portion of the support cylinder member 31 into the internal conduit 36 of the parent endoscope 20, 20 ′ by removing from the end opening portion.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Parent-child type endoscope 20 20 'Parent endoscope 21 21' Operation part (parent side operation part)
22 Insertion part (parent insertion part)
23 bending portion 24 bending operation lever 25 button supporting projection 25a cylinder surface 25b annular seating surface 25c male thread portion 26 light guide tube 27 light guide bundle 28 eyepiece 29 eyepiece 30 image guide bundle 31 supporting cylinder member 31a large Diameter portion 32 Support hole 33 Suction groove 34 Annular groove 35 Suction pipe 36 Internal conduit 37 Slit 38 Pressure contact piece (holding means)
39 Pressed taper surface 40 Male thread groove 42 Clamping ring (holding means)
43 Female thread groove 44 Pressure taper surface 46 Button support member 46a Female thread portion 47 Retainer surface 48 Slide member 49 Suction button 50 Retainer 51 Piston 52 Suction nipple (suction hole)
53 Communication tube 60 Child endoscope 61 Operation part (child side operation part)
62 Insertion part (child side insertion part)
64 Hard cylindrical portion 64a Recess 65 Treatment instrument insertion tube 66 Treatment instrument insertion projection 67 Lid 68 Opening / closing cap 69 Suction groove 70 Seal member R1 R2 O-ring (seal member)
S1 Compression coil spring

Claims (5)

Parent-side view comprising a parent-side operation part, a flexible parent-side insertion part extending from the parent-side operation part, and an internal conduit that continuously passes through the inside of the parent-side operation part and the parent-side insertion part With a mirror,
A child-side operation portion; and a child-side insertion portion having flexibility, and the child-side insertion portion is inserted into the internal duct from the opening end on the parent-side operation portion side. A child endoscope capable of protruding from the opening end on the side;
In a parent-child endoscope comprising:
The child endoscope includes a hard cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape located between the child side operation portion and the child side insertion portion,
At least a part of the internal pipe line in the master side operation part is a support hole made of a hard material that can fit the hard cylindrical part and has the same cross-sectional shape as the hard cylindrical part. A parent-child endoscope. The parent-child endoscope according to claim 1, wherein
A parent-child endoscope in which a holding means for restricting relative movement of the hard cylindrical portion inserted into the support hole with respect to the parent-side operation portion is provided in the parent-side operation portion. The parent-child endoscope according to claim 1 or 2,
One end of the supporting hole and one of the opposed surfaces of the hard cylindrical portion are connected to a suction hole provided on the surface of the parent operation portion, and the other end is the internal pipe line in the parent insertion portion. Parent-child endoscope with a recessed groove for suction. The parent-child endoscope according to claim 3,
The inner peripheral surface of the inner conduit in the parent operation portion is located closer to the opening end side of the inner conduit than the suction groove and is fitted in the support hole. A parent-child endoscope provided with a seal member that is in airtight contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hard cylindrical portion. The parent-child endoscope according to claim 3 or 4,
A parent-child endoscope in which a total cross-sectional area of the suction groove is larger than a cross-sectional area of a gap between the internal duct in the parent-side insertion portion and the child-side insertion portion.

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