JP2012183190A - Bending section of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bending section of an endoscope capable of preventing disengagement of linkage between joint rings even if the bending section is deformed by impact or crushing, capable of preventing fracture even if the bending section is excessively curved, and capable of returning to the original straight state even if the bending section is curved.SOLUTION: The bending section 23 includes a plurality of joint rings 31 arranged side by side; rotational linking parts 41 which are integrated with the joint rings 31 to rotatably link adjacent joint rings 31 with each other, and connection parts 51 which are integrated with the joint rings 31 to connect adjacent joint rings 31 with each other. The rotational linking parts 41 are disposed at ends of the joint rings 31, and separate from each another in the circumferential direction of the joint rings 31. Each connection part 51 is disposed between the rotational linking parts 41 in the circumferential direction of the joint rings 31. The connection parts 51 are flexible, and are extended/contracted according to the rotation of the joint rings 31.

Description

  The present invention relates to a bending portion of an endoscope configured by connecting a plurality of hollow node rings to each other so as to be rotatable.

  In general, a bending portion of an endoscope is configured by a plurality of hollow node rings connected to each other so as to be rotatable.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, adjacent node rings (positioned back and forth along the insertion direction of the insertion portion) are rotatably connected by a convex portion and a concave portion which are connection portions. The node rings are individually formed, and then the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted to each other.

  For example, in patent document 2, the curved part is formed of the pipe. This pipe regularly has slits and holes in order to elastically deform when bent.

  For example, in patent document 3, the bending part is coat | covered with the outer skin | shell which has elastic force, in order to return to the original linear state after a curve.

Japanese Patent No. 2944533 Japanese Patent No. 3226287 JP 63-252128 A

  In patent document 1 mentioned above, when a curved part (node ring) deform | transforms by an impact or crushing, fitting with a convex part and a recessed part will be cancelled | released and connection of node rings will be remove | eliminated. Further, such a bending portion only bends, and after the bending portion is bent, the bending portion does not return to the original linear state by the force of the bending portion alone (only the bending portion).

  Moreover, in patent document 2, the curved part is formed with a pipe, and it is preventing that the fitting with the convex part and recessed part in patent document 1 is cancelled | released. However, if the pipe is curved excessively, the pipe may be broken from the slit or hole.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, when the curved portion is used for a long time or repeatedly, the outer skin is deteriorated due to a change over time or due to an influence of a medicine in cleaning / disinfection. Therefore, there is a possibility that the bending portion does not return to the original linear state.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and prevents the connection between the node rings even when deformed by impact or crushing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bending portion of an endoscope that returns to the original linear state.

  In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a plurality of node rings arranged side by side and the adjacent node rings are rotatably connected to each other, and are integrated with the node ring and disposed at the end of the node ring. A pair of rotationally connected portions disposed apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the node ring, and the adjacent node rings are connected to each other, integrally with the node ring, in the circumferential direction of the node ring Provided is a bending portion of an endoscope that includes a connection portion that is disposed between the rotation connection portions and that has flexibility and expands and contracts according to the rotation of the node rings.

  According to the present invention, an endoscope that prevents the connection of the node rings from being disconnected even when deformed due to impact or crushing, is prevented from being broken even if it is excessively curved, and returns to its original linear state even if it is curved. Can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an endoscope according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a node ring that is rotatably connected. 3A is a top view of the node ring shown in FIG. 3B is a side view of the node ring shown in FIG. FIG. 3C is a bottom view of the node ring shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4A is a side view of the node ring when the node ring rotates. FIG. 4B is a top view of the connecting portion located on the outer side in the bending direction when the node ring rotates, showing the connecting portion in the circle 4B shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the connecting portion located inside the bending direction when the node ring rotates, showing the connecting portion in the circle 4C shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating expansion and contraction of the connection portion. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating expansion and contraction of the connection portion.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5A, and 5B.
As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope 1 includes an elongated insertion portion 10 that is inserted into a body cavity of a patient, and an operation portion 60 that is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 10 and operates the endoscope 1. Is arranged.

  The insertion portion 10 includes a distal end hard portion 21, a bending portion 23, and a flexible tube portion 25 from the distal end side to the proximal end portion side of the insertion portion 10. The proximal end portion of the distal rigid portion 21 is connected to the distal end portion of the bending portion 23, and the proximal end portion of the bending portion 23 is connected to the distal end portion of the flexible tube portion 25.

The distal end hard portion 21 is a distal end portion of the insertion portion 10 and is hard.
The bending portion 23 will be described later. The bending portion 23 is covered with an outer skin (not shown).
The flexible tube portion 25 has a desired flexibility and is bent by an external force. The flexible tube portion 25 is a tubular member that extends from a main body portion 61 described later in the operation portion 60.

  The insertion unit 10 includes, for example, built-in items (not shown) such as an operation wire, a suction channel, an air / water supply channel, and a cable in the imaging unit.

  The operation unit 60 is connected to a main body unit 61 from which the flexible tube unit 25 extends, a gripping unit 63 that is connected to the base end of the main body unit 61 and is gripped by an operator who operates the endoscope 1, And a universal cord 65 connected to the portion 63.

  The grip portion 63 is provided with a bending operation portion 67 that performs a bending operation on the bending portion 23. The bending operation section 67 includes a left / right bending operation knob 67a for bending the bending section 23 left and right with a wire (not shown), a vertical bending operation knob 67b for bending the bending section 23 with a wire (not shown), and a curved bending section. And a fixing knob 67c for fixing the position 23.

Next, the bending portion 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B, and 3C.
The curved portion 23 as shown in FIG. 2 is formed by processing the hollow member with a laser. The hollow member includes, for example, a pipe having a single cylindrical shape made of metal. At this time, the bending portion 23 is adjacent to the plurality of node rings 31 arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the bending portion 23 and the node ring 31 (positioned forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the bending portion 23). ) The rotation connecting portion 41 that rotatably connects the node rings 31 and the node rings 31 that are integral with the node ring 31 and that are adjacent to each other (located forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the curved portion 23) are connected. And a connecting portion 51. The plurality of node rings 31, the rotation connecting portion 41, and the connecting portion 51 are integrally formed by processing a pipe with a laser. Thereby, the curved part 23 is formed. The node ring 31 and the rotation connecting part 41, and the node ring 31 and the connection part 51 are integrated. Further, the node rings 31 are integrated with each other through the connection portion 51.

  The node ring 31 has a substantially cylindrical (annular) shape. The node rings 31 are connected to each other by a rotation connecting portion 41 so as to be rotatable, whereby a bending portion 23 that can be bent (turned) is formed.

  Two convex portions 31a (protruding pieces) are disposed on the distal end side of the node ring 31 (left side in FIGS. 2 and 3A). The convex portion 31a is formed so that, for example, a part of the node ring 31 protrudes toward the front (the tip end side of the bending portion 23). Since the convex portion 31a is a part of the pipe as described above, the convex portion 31a has a curved surface. As shown in FIG. 3A, the two convex portions 31a are arranged approximately 180 ° apart in the circumferential direction. The convex portion 31a has, for example, a 3/4 circular shape.

  Further, for example, on the rear end side of the node ring 31 (on the right side in FIGS. 2 and 3A), a recess 31b into which the protrusion 31a of the adjacent node ring 31 is rotatably fitted is disposed. The concave portion 31b has an arc-shaped inner peripheral surface on which the convex portion 31a can slide in the rotation direction. The recesses 31b are arranged approximately 180 ° apart in the circumferential direction. As described above, the recess 31b has a curved surface because it is partly cut out of the pipe. In the node ring 31, the convex portion 31 a and the concave portion 31 b are arranged at positions that are approximately 90 ° apart in the circumferential direction.

  As described above, the concave portion 31b of the node ring 31 on the distal end hard portion 21 side and the convex portion 31a of the node ring 31 on the flexible tube portion 25 side are rotatably connected. Thereby, the node ring 31 on the distal end hard portion 21 side and the node ring 31 on the flexible tube portion 25 side are coupled so as to be rotatable around the convex portion 31a and the concave portion 31b. The convex portion 31a and the concave portion 31b are a rotation connecting portion 41 that rotatably connects the node ring 31 on the distal end hard portion 21 side and the node ring 31 on the flexible tube portion 25 side. In the rotation connecting portion 41, the convex portion 31a and the concave portion 31b are formed at the same time as the bending portion 23 is formed in a state of being fitted to each other. As described above, the rotation connecting portions 41 are disposed at the end portion of the node ring 31 and are separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the node ring 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A, in the bending portion 23 of the present embodiment, the convex portion 31 a and the concave portion 31 b that connect the plurality of node rings 31 to each other are between the front and rear of each node ring 31. Are alternately arranged in a state of being shifted by approximately 90 °. Thereby, the bending part 23 is comprised so that it can each bend in four directions of up-down and left-right.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the connecting portion 51 is disposed between the rotation connecting portions 41 in the circumferential direction of the node ring 31. It is preferable that the connecting part 51 is disposed, for example, in the middle of the rotation connecting parts 41. The connecting portion 51 includes a rear end portion of the node ring 31 disposed on the distal end hard portion 21 side and a front end of the node ring 31 disposed on the flexible tube portion 25 side in the longitudinal direction of the bending portion 23. It arrange | positions along the circumferential direction of the node ring 31 so that the clearance gap part 33 between parts may be filled up. The connecting portion 51 includes a rear end portion of the node ring 31 disposed on the distal end hard portion 21 side and a node ring 31 disposed on the flexible tube portion 25 side in the longitudinal direction of the bending portion 23. It is arrange | positioned between the front-end parts.

  When the bending portion 23 is bent from the state shown in FIG. 3A to the state shown in FIG. 4A, the connecting portion 51 extends and contracts along the curved shape of the bending portion 23 as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C. It has become. For example, when the bending portion 23 is bent as shown in FIG. 4A, in the side view of the gap portion 33 and the node ring 31 shown in FIG. 4A, as shown in FIG. A semi-circular bottom surface 35b whose diameter is the central axis 35a rotates around the central axis 35a, with a straight line connecting in the radial direction as a central axis 35a. The peripheral surface 35c formed at that time opens and closes (moves) along the axis of the central axis 35a. At this time, the connecting portion 51 expands and contracts following the opening and closing of the peripheral surface 35c. In other words, when the bending portion 23 is bent as shown in FIG. 4A, in the side view of the gap portion 33 and the node ring 31 shown in FIG. 4A, the central shaft 35a and the distal end hard portion 21 are disposed. The rear end side end point 35e at the rear end portion of the node ring 31 and the front end side end point 35f at the front end portion of the node ring 31 disposed on the flexible tube portion 25 side are as shown in FIG. 5B. Then, a sector 35g is formed. The connecting portion 51 expands and contracts so that the angle θ of the sector 35g widens or narrows, and the arc 35h of the sector 35g expands and contracts along the circumferential direction.

When the node ring 31 is rotated as shown in FIG. 4A and the bending portion 23 is bent, as shown in FIG. 4B, the connecting portion 51 disposed outside the curved bending portion 23 is The peripheral surface 35c thus opened (expands) and extends so that the arc 35h extends.
When the node ring 31 is rotated as shown in FIG. 4A and the bending portion 23 is bent, as shown in FIG. 4C, the connecting portion 51 disposed inside the curved bending portion 23 is The peripheral surface 35c described above closes (narrows), and the arc 35h contracts so that it contracts.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, such a connection portion 51 connects the edge 31d of the node ring 31 on the distal end hard portion 21 side and the edge 31d of the node ring 31 on the flexible tube portion 25 side. The connection part 51 is a thin wire member having flexibility, and expands and contracts according to the rotation of the node rings 31. As described above, the connecting portion 51 is formed from the pipe by the laser when the node ring 31 and the rotation connecting portion 41 are formed from the pipe by the laser, and is integrated with the edge 31d. Since the connecting portion 51 expands and contracts as described above, the edge 31d of the node ring 31 on the distal end hard portion 21 side and the edge 31d of the node ring 31 on the flexible tube portion 25 side in the longitudinal direction of the bending portion 23 It has a length equal to or greater than the distance between them, and is arranged so as to be curved as desired so as to be larger than the curvature of the bending portion 23. The connection part 51 is branched into a plurality of parts, each of which is integrated. The connecting portions 51 extend so that the distance between them increases, and contract so that the distance between them decreases.

  Moreover, the connection part 51 has a restoring force in order to return the bending part 23 which has expanded and contracted and is further bent to the original state, that is, the linear state. Therefore, when the bending state of the bending portion 23 is released, the connection portion 51 disposed outside the bending portion 23 is closed in order to return the bending portion 23 to the linear state. (Narrowing), the arc 35h shrinks so that it shrinks. Further, the connecting portion 51 disposed inside the curved bending portion 23 extends so that the above-described peripheral surface 35c opens (expands) and the arc 35h extends in order to return the bending portion 23 to a linear state. The connection part 51 is a leaf | plate spring, for example.

Next, the operation method of this embodiment will be described.
A substantially cylindrical pipe (not shown) is processed by a laser to form a curved portion 23 that integrally includes a node ring 31, a rotation connecting portion 41, and a connecting portion 51. At this time, the node ring 31 and the rotation connecting portion 41 are integrated, and the node ring 31 and the connecting portion 51 are integrated. Further, the node rings 31 are integrated with each other through the connection portion 51. Moreover, when the rotation connection part 41 is formed, the convex part 31a and the recessed part 31b are the state mutually fitted. Therefore, even if the bending part 23 receives an impact or is crushed, the convex part 31a and the concave part 31b maintain the fitting, and the connection between the node rings 31 is prevented from being disconnected.
The curved portion 23 is formed by processing a pipe with a laser. At this time, the bending portion 23 has a node ring 31 that is rotatably connected by a rotation connecting portion 41. Therefore, the bending part 23 does not need to have a slit or a hole for bending, and even if it is excessively bent, breakage caused by the slit or hole is prevented.

The up / down bending operation knob 67b is operated, and the bending portion 23 is bent downward, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the connecting portion 51 disposed on the outside (upper) side of the curved bending portion 23 extends, and the wire members extend so that the distance between them increases.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the connecting portion 51 disposed on the inner (lower) side of the curved bending portion 23 is shrunk, and the line members are shrunk so that the interval between them is narrowed.

  The fixing knob 67c is operated, and the bending of the bending portion 23 is fixed. When the fixing knob 67c is operated again, the bending state of the bending portion 23 is released. At this time, the bending portion 23 returns to the linear state as shown in FIG. Therefore, the bending portion 23 is returned to the original state (straight state) by the connecting portion 51 even if the bending portion 23 is bent without being affected by the state of an unshown outer skin.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the node ring 31, the rotation coupling portion 41, and the connection portion 51 are integrally formed, and the connection portion 51 is expanded and contracted, so that the bending portion 23 is deformed by impact or crushing. It is possible to prevent the node rings 31 from being disconnected, to prevent the bending portion 23 from being broken even if the bending portion 23 is excessively bent, and to return to the original linear state even if the bending portion 23 is bent. Therefore, in this embodiment, the usability of the bending part 23 can be improved.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, when the bending state of the bending part 23 is released, the bending part 23 can be reliably returned to the linear state by expanding and contracting the connection part 51 following the opening and closing of the peripheral surface 35c.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, after manufacturing the node ring 31 mutually by processing the pipe which is not shown in figure with the laser, and forming the node ring 31, the rotation connection part 41, and the connection part 51, the node ring A process of assembling the 31s so as to be pivotable can be eliminated. In the present embodiment, the strength of the bending portion 23 (node ring 31) can be ensured, the plate thickness of the bending portion 23 (node ring 31) can be reduced, and the diameter of the node ring 31 can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope, 10 ... Insertion part, 21 ... Hard tip part, 23 ... Bending part, 25 ... Flexible pipe part, 31 ... Node ring, 41 ... Turning connection part, 51 ... Connection part.

Claims (3)

A plurality of node rings arranged side by side;
A pair of adjacent node rings are rotatably connected to each other, and are integrated with the node ring, disposed at an end of the node ring, and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the node ring. A pivot connection;
Adjacent nodes are connected to each other, are integrated with the nodes, and are disposed between the rotation connecting portions in the circumferential direction of the nodes, and have flexibility and respond to rotation of the nodes. A connecting part that expands and contracts,
A bending portion of an endoscope comprising:   A semi-circular surface having the central axis as a diameter rotates around the central axis with a straight line connecting the rotational connecting portions in the radial direction of the node ring as a central axis, and is formed by the rotation of the surface. 2. The internal view according to claim 1, wherein when the peripheral surface is opened and closed along an axis of the central axis, the connection portion is arranged to expand and contract following the opening and closing. The curved part of the mirror.   2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of node rings, the rotation coupling portion, and the connection portion are integrally formed by processing a hollow member with a laser. Curved part.

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