JP2015177813A - Wire joining method, adjustment member, and endoscope operation wire - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy-to-use wire joining method capable of joining a wire and an adjustment member, while preventing the deterioration of corrosion resistance due to residual flux and eliminating the need for providing redundant parts space.SOLUTION: The wire joining method comprises: a wire insertion step of inserting a wire 12 at least into the inside of a caulking portion 11b of an adjustment member 11; and a caulking step of joining the adjustment member 11 and the wire 12 in the caulking portion 11b by plastically deforming the caulking portion 11b with a pressing force applied to the outer peripheral surface of the caulking portion 11b. The adjustment member 11 comprises: a male screw portion 11a which is provided in an area on one end side in a height direction and has a cylindrical shape with both ends opened to allow the wire 12 to be inserted therethrough, and which has a screw thread formed on the outer peripheral surface; and the caulking portion 11b which is provided in an area on the other end side in the height direction, namely an area different from the area on the one side in the height direction, and which plastically deforms with a pressing force applied to the outer peripheral surface thereof to allow joining to the wire 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire bonding method for bonding a wire to an adjustment member used in an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tension of the wire, an adjustment member, and an operation wire for an endoscope.

  In an endoscope that is used by being inserted into an observation object or a treatment object, by bending a wire (also referred to as an operation wire or an angle wire) disposed inside the insertion portion, the bending of the insertion portion distal end with respect to the bending portion is performed. Operation is performed (for example, refer patent document 1). One end of the wire is assembled to a bending tube provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion, and the other end of the wire is assembled to an operation portion provided on the proximal end side of the insertion portion.

  The operation unit is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a tension such as tension or looseness of the wire. For example, FIG. 13 of Patent Document 1 shows a configuration of a connecting portion in which a screw member connected to an end portion of a wire and having a male screw cut on an outer peripheral surface is screwed to an adjustment nut having a female screw cut on an inner peripheral surface. Is disclosed. The tension of the wire connected to the screw member can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment nut in the connecting portion and changing the screwing amount of the screw member into the adjustment nut.

JP 2001-37706 A

  By the way, when joining a wire and a metal member, when repeated resistance is required, soldering or brazing is often used. In addition, since the flux used for soldering and brazing has a function of corroding a metal, a cleaning operation is usually performed on the bonding portion between the wire and the screw member and its periphery after the bonding operation. However, it is difficult to completely remove the flux by washing. Therefore, in the adjustment mechanism, if the flux remains in the joint portion between the wire and the screw member, the wire may corrode and break, and the bending failure of the insertion portion may occur.

  With respect to such a problem, in Patent Document 1 described above, the wire and the screw member are fixed with a screw, and further, the adhesive is applied to the wire fixing portion and the screw.

  However, in the case of Patent Document 1, a space for screwing the screw member is required, so that it is difficult to apply to a small endoscope operation unit. In addition, even with a general size endoscope, the adjustment mechanism including the wire and the screw member is a relatively small size that is housed in the endoscope body, so that a small screw is fastened, or It is necessary to perform a fine work such as applying an adhesive to a narrow area, and workability is not so good.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is capable of preventing a reduction in corrosion resistance due to residual flux and capable of joining a wire and an adjustment member without requiring an extra part space. It is an object of the present invention to provide a good wire bonding method, an adjusting member used in the wire bonding method, and an operation wire for an endoscope.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the wire bonding method according to the present invention is based on an adjustment member used in an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tension of the wire for operating the bending portion of the endoscope tip. A wire joining method for joining the wires, wherein both ends are open, are formed in a cylindrical shape into which the wire can be inserted, and are provided in a region on one end side in the height direction, and a thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface. And a caulking that is provided in a region on the other end side in the height direction and different from the region on the one end side, and is plastically deformed by pressing against the outer peripheral surface and can be joined to the wire. In the caulking part, by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the caulking part and plastically deforming at least the wire insertion process of inserting the wire into the caulking part with respect to the adjustment member provided with the part A crimping step of bonding the serial adjustment member and the wire, characterized in that it comprises a.

  The wire bonding method is characterized in that an intermediate portion is provided in a region between the male screw portion and the caulking portion.

  In the wire bonding method, an outer diameter of the intermediate portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the male screw portion.

  An adjustment member according to the present invention is an adjustment member used in an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tension of a wire for operating a bending portion at the distal end of an endoscope. Both ends are open and the wire can be inserted into the adjustment member. A male threaded portion having a cylindrical shape and provided in a region on one end side in the height direction and having a thread formed on the outer peripheral surface, and a region on the other end side in the height direction, the region on the one end side And a crimping portion that is plastically deformed by pressing against the outer peripheral surface and can be joined to the wire.

  The adjusting member is characterized in that an intermediate portion having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the male screw portion is further provided in a region between the male screw portion and the crimping portion.

  The endoscope operation wire according to the present invention includes the adjustment member, and the wire that is inserted through the adjustment member and joined to the adjustment member at the caulking portion.

  The endoscope operation wire according to the present invention includes the adjustment member, and the wire that is inserted through the adjustment member and joined to the adjustment member at the crimping portion, and the male screw portion and the crimping portion. An intermediate portion is provided in a region between the two.

  The endoscope operation wire is characterized in that at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the caulking portion is flat.

  According to the present invention, since the adjusting member and the wire are joined by caulking, it is possible to prevent a decrease in corrosion resistance due to residual flux, and the wire and the adjusting member are improved in workability without requiring an extra part space. It becomes possible to join.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an adjustment mechanism including an endoscope operation wire according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the adjustment member according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a wire bonding method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a punch used in the caulking process shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope operation wire taken along line AA shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an adjustment member according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an endoscope operation wire according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an adjustment member according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an endoscope operation wire according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a wire bonding method, an adjustment member, and an endoscope operation wire according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Moreover, in description of each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and shown to the same part. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of each part are different from the actual ones. Also between the drawings, there are included portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an adjustment mechanism including an endoscope operation wire according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The adjustment mechanism 100 is a mechanism for adjusting the tension of the wire for operating the bending portion provided at the endoscope distal end, and for operating the bending portion provided at the distal end of the endoscope. And an adjustment nut 13 and a fixing portion 14 as assembly members for assembling the endoscope operation wire 10 to the operation portion. In FIG. 1, a part of the adjusting nut 13 is shown in cross section.

  The endoscope operation wire 10 includes an adjustment member 11 for adjusting the length of the endoscope operation wire 10 and a wire 12 joined to the adjustment member 11 at one end.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the adjustment member 11 and shows a state before joining to the wire 12. As shown in FIG. 2, before the wire 12 is joined, the adjustment member 11 has a cylindrical shape with both ends opened as a whole, is provided in a region on one end side (left side in the figure) in the longitudinal direction, and has a thread on the outer peripheral surface. And a caulking portion 11b provided in a region on the other end side (right side in the drawing) in the longitudinal direction and different from the region on the one end side. Inside the adjustment member 11, a through hole 11 c through which the wire 12 is inserted is provided along the cylindrical height direction. Such an adjustment member 11 is made of, for example, a metal such as brass or an alloy.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the adjustment member 11 is joined to the wire 12 in the crimping part 11b. In the state of being joined to the wire 12, the crimped portion 11b is compressed and has a shape different from that of the original cylinder. Specifically, at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the caulking portion 11b has a planar shape according to the shape of a mold used during caulking processing described later.

  The wire 12 is a twisted wire made of a metal wire such as stainless steel. In the adjustment mechanism 100, one end of the wire 12 is joined to the adjustment member 11, and the other end (not shown) of the wire 12 is fixed to a bending portion provided at the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope. The structure of the wire 12 is not particularly limited as long as it can be joined by caulking, and may be a single wire.

  The adjustment nut 13 has a cylindrical shape with an opening on at least one end side (side on which the adjustment member 11 is inserted), and the inner peripheral surface has a female screw portion 13a in which a thread that can be screwed with the male screw portion 11a is formed. It has become. Similar to the adjustment member 11, the adjustment nut 13 is made of a metal or alloy such as brass, for example.

  The fixing portion 14 holds the adjustment nut 13 rotatably with respect to the rotation center axis of the adjustment nut 13 with respect to the operation portion.

  In such an adjustment mechanism 100, by rotating the adjustment nut 13 and changing the loading length (screwing amount) of the male screw portion 11 a with respect to the adjustment nut 13, the wire 12, the adjustment member 11, the adjustment nut 13, and the fixing The entire length of the adjustment mechanism 100 including the member 14 is changed. Thereby, the tension of the wire 12 can be adjusted.

Next, the wire bonding method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a wire bonding method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the adjustment member 11 is prepared. The adjustment member 11 can be produced by forming the through hole 11c in a cylindrical member made of a metal such as brass or an alloy, and by threading a part of the outer peripheral surface to form the male screw portion 11a.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3B, the wire 12 is inserted into the caulking portion 11b (wire insertion step). At this time, the wire 12 is inserted into the through hole 11c of the adjusting member 11 from the crimping portion 11b side, and the wire 12 is pushed forward until at least one end portion 12a of the wire 12 completely passes through the crimping portion 11b. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the wire 12 passes through the through hole 11c.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3C, the caulking portion 11b is crimped to join the caulking portion 11b and the wire 12 inserted therein.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a punch used in caulking. The punch 16 shown in FIG. 4 includes two molds 17 and 18 each having a V-shaped machining surface. The molds 17 and 18 are installed in a crimping device (not shown) so that the machining surfaces 17a and 18a face each other.

  For such a caulking device, the caulking portion 11b of the adjustment member 11 through which the wire 12 is inserted is disposed between the machining surfaces 17a and 18b. Then, the caulking device is operated so that one mold (for example, the mold 17) is brought close to the other mold (for example, the mold 18), and the caulking portion 11b is held between the two molds 17 and 18, and the outer peripheral surface Pressurize. Thereafter, the molds 17 and 18 are released, and the caulking portion 11b is released.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3 (d), the endoscope operating wire 10 in which the caulking portion 11 b is plastically deformed and joined to the wire 12 is obtained.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope operation wire 10 taken along line AA shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the cross section of the crimped portion 11b after being joined to the wire 12 is plastically deformed according to the shape of the mold used for the crimping process. For example, when using the dies 17 and 18 having the V-shaped processed surfaces 17 a and 18 a shown in FIG. 4, the crimped portion 11 b has a substantially rhombus shape having four sides 19.

  The cross section of the wire 12 is also flat due to the pressing force during the caulking process. By such caulking, the gap between the inner wall of the caulking portion 11b and the wire 12 is closed, the two are in close contact, and the adjustment member 11 and the wire 12 are firmly joined.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment member 11 and the wire 12 can be firmly joined without using soldering or brazing. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a decrease in corrosion resistance due to the residual flux, and it is possible to manufacture a highly durable endoscope that is unlikely to cause the bending failure of the insertion portion.

  Further, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, an extra part space for fixing the wire 12 to the adjustment member 11 is not required, so that the endoscope operation wire 10 is made into a small endoscope. It can also be applied. Further, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since a fine work such as fastening a small screw or applying an adhesive is not required, workability can be improved.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the caulking portion 11b is deformed into, for example, a substantially rhombus by caulking, so that the adjustment member 11 can be easily grasped by the operator's finger or gripping tool. Therefore, by using the caulking portion 11b as a screw head, the screwing operation of the adjustment member 11 to the adjustment nut 13 is facilitated, and the workability can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the caulking portion 11b after the caulking process is substantially rhombus, but the cross-sectional shape of the caulking portion 11b is not limited to this. For example, it may be a polygon such as a rectangle or a hexagon, or may be a flat shape obtained by simply squashing the original circle. When the cross-sectional shape of the caulking portion 11b is a shape other than a substantially rhombus, the caulking processing may be performed using a mold having a processing surface corresponding to a desired finished shape. In any case, by making at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the caulking portion 11b flat, it becomes easy to use the caulking portion 11b as a screw head.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an adjustment member according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and shows a state before being joined to a wire. As shown in FIG. 6, the adjustment member 21 according to the second embodiment has a cylindrical shape with both ends opened as a whole. The region on the one end side in the cylindrical height direction is a male screw portion 21a having a thread formed on the outer peripheral surface. On the other hand, a region on the other end side in the cylindrical height direction, which is different from the male screw portion 21a, is a crimped portion 21b that can be crimped while a wire to be joined is inserted. Further, an intermediate portion 21c having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of the caulking portion 21b is provided in a region between the male screw portion 21a and the caulking portion 21b. Inside the adjustment member 21, a through hole 21d through which a wire is inserted is provided along the cylindrical height direction. Such an adjusting member 21 is made of, for example, a metal such as brass or an alloy.

  The method of joining the wire 12 to the adjustment member 21 is generally the same as in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the intermediate portion 21c is provided in the caulking process (see FIG. 3C). Caulking is performed on a region (namely, the caulking portion 21b) that is far from the male screw portion 21a.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an endoscope operation wire in which the wire 12 is bonded to the adjustment member 21. As shown in FIG. 7, in the endoscope operation wire 20, the crimped portion 21b is plastically deformed by the pressurization in the crimping process, and is joined to the wire 12 inserted through the through hole 21d.

  Here, when the caulking portion 21b is plastically deformed by caulking, the region adjacent to the caulking portion 21b is also slightly deformed due to the deformation of the caulking portion 21b. Therefore, in the second embodiment, by providing the intermediate portion 21c between the crimping portion 21b and the male screw portion 21a, the influence of the deformation of the crimping portion 21b is prevented from reaching the end portion of the male screw portion 21a. It is out. Thereby, the male screw portion 21a can maintain the function of the screw over its entire length.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an adjustment member according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and shows a state before being joined to a wire. As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment member 31 according to the third embodiment has a cylindrical shape with both ends opened as a whole. A region on one end side in the cylindrical height direction is a male screw portion 31a having a thread formed on the outer peripheral surface. On the other hand, a region on the other end side in the cylindrical height direction, which is different from the male screw portion 31a, is a crimped portion 31b that can be crimped while a wire to be joined is inserted. Further, an intermediate portion 31c having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the male screw portion 31a is provided in a region between the male screw portion 31a and the crimping portion 31b. Inside the adjustment member 31, a through hole 31d through which a wire is inserted is provided along the cylindrical height direction.

  Such an adjustment member 31 has a through-hole 31d formed in a cylindrical member made of a metal or alloy such as brass, and a part of the outer peripheral surface is threaded to form a male screw portion 31a. It can be produced by cutting the outer peripheral surface of the region adjacent to 31a to form the intermediate portion 31c.

  The method of joining the wire 12 to the adjustment member 31 is generally the same as that of the first embodiment, but in the third embodiment, the intermediate portion 31c is provided in the caulking process (see FIG. 3C). Caulking is performed on a region (crimping portion 31b) that is separated from the male screw portion 31a by the amount.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an endoscope operation wire in which the wire 12 is bonded to the adjustment member 31. As shown in FIG. 9, in the endoscope operation wire 30, the crimping portion 31b is plastically deformed by pressurization in the crimping process, and is joined to the wire 12 inserted through the through hole 31d.

  Here, as described above, when the caulking portion 31b is plastically deformed by caulking, the region adjacent to the caulking portion 31b is also slightly deformed due to the deformation of the caulking portion 31b. Therefore, in the third embodiment, by providing the intermediate portion 31c between the crimping portion 31b and the male screw portion 31a, the influence of the deformation of the crimping portion 31b is prevented from reaching the end portion of the male screw portion 31a. It is out. At this time, even if the outer diameter of the intermediate portion 31c is smaller than the outer diameter of the male screw portion 31a, the intermediate portion 31c adjacent to the caulking portion 31b is deformed so as to bulge to the outer peripheral side. The deformed portion does not interfere with the adjusting nut 13 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the screwing length of the adjusting member 31 with respect to the adjusting nut 13 can be secured long, and the adjustable range of the tension of the wire 12 can be widened.

  The present invention described above is not limited to the first to third embodiments, and various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in each embodiment. For example, some components may be excluded from all the components shown in each embodiment, or the components shown in different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate. .

10, 20, 30 Endoscopic operation wire 11, 21, 31 Adjustment member 11a, 21a, 31a Male thread portion 11b, 21b, 31b Caulking portion 11c, 21d, 31d Through hole 21c, 31c Intermediate portion 12 Wire 12a One end portion DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Adjustment nut 13a Female thread part 14 Fixing part 16 Punch 17, 18 Mold 17a, 18a Work surface 19 Side 100 Adjustment mechanism

Claims (8)

A wire bonding method for bonding the wire to an adjustment member used in an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tension of the wire for operating the bending portion of the endoscope tip,
Both ends are open and have a cylindrical shape through which the wire can be inserted. The external thread is provided in a region on one end in the height direction and has a thread on the outer peripheral surface. At least the caulking with respect to the adjusting member, which is an end-side area and is provided in an area different from the one-end side area, and includes a caulking portion that is plastically deformed by pressing against the outer peripheral surface and can be joined to the wire. A wire insertion step of inserting the wire into the interior of the part;
A caulking step for joining the adjusting member and the wire in the caulking portion by pressing and plastically deforming the outer peripheral surface of the caulking portion;
A wire bonding method comprising:   The wire bonding method according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate portion is provided in a region between the male screw portion and the crimping portion.   The wire joining method according to claim 2, wherein an outer diameter of the intermediate portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the male screw portion. An adjustment member used in an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tension of a wire for operating the bending portion of the endoscope tip,
Opened at both ends, has a cylindrical shape through which the wire can be inserted,
A male screw part provided in a region on one end side in the height direction and having a thread formed on the outer peripheral surface;
A crimped portion that is provided in a region different from the region on the one end side in a region on the other end side in the height direction, and that can be plastically deformed by pressing against an outer peripheral surface and can be joined to the wire,
An adjustment member comprising:   The adjusting member according to claim 4, wherein an intermediate portion having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the male screw portion is further provided in a region between the male screw portion and the crimping portion. The adjustment member according to claim 4 or 5,
The wire inserted through the adjustment member and joined to the adjustment member in the caulking portion;
An operation wire for an endoscope, comprising: The adjustment member according to claim 4,
The wire inserted through the adjustment member and joined to the adjustment member in the caulking portion;
With
An operation wire for an endoscope, wherein an intermediate portion is provided in a region between the male screw portion and the caulking portion.   The operation wire for an endoscope according to claim 6 or 7, wherein at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the crimping portion has a planar shape.

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