JP2018189888A - Magnet holder for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnet holder for endoscope capable of simply observing a target place stably.SOLUTION: A magnet holder 100 for endoscope comprises a casing 37 having a hole and a magnetic window, a slide member with a magnet inserted into the hole in a freely removable manner, a tip cap 27 mounted on a tip part 13 of an endoscope, and an air supply passage configured to supply to the casing 37 air fed from an air feeding nozzle 15. The slide member is axially driven in the hole by air fed from the air feeding nozzle, and then arranged at any one of an adsorption position of radiating a magnetic line to the outside of the casing 37 through the magnetic window, and an adsorption release position of not radiating the magnetic line from the magnetic window.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope magnet holder.

  For industrial endoscopes used in equipment inspections such as observation inside industrial machines, collection of foreign matter from inside equipment, sampling in pipes, etc., and endoscopes used in combination with industrial endoscopes Treatment instruments are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The endoscope for an industrial machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an industrial endoscope using a CCD camera suitable for observation in a bearing filled with a lubricant such as grease. The bending / extending portion of the endoscope is configured by connecting a flexible tube and a bamboo shoot spring, and the flexible tube can be freely expanded and contracted using a wire. In addition, it is possible to remove the adhesion of grease to the lens by supplying a cleaning liquid or air to the distal end portion of the endoscope. In addition, the viewing angle of the CCD camera can be adjusted.

  The endoscope treatment tool of Patent Literature 2 can collect foreign matter, sample, and the like during endoscopic examination. This endoscope treatment tool has two gripping portions extending in the radial direction at the distal end portion, and moves the gripping portion forward and backward using a wire or air to pinch a foreign object. In order to reduce the loss of foreign matter, the grip portion on the distal end side is formed large.

JP 2008-185958 A JP 2015-49440 A

  However, the endoscope for an industrial machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not determine the fulcrum of the flexible tube even if the flexible tube can be expanded and contracted by the wire. For this reason, when the endoscope is operated, an unexpected motion may occur, and it may be difficult to observe the target portion. Moreover, even if the endoscope treatment tool of Patent Document 2 has a gripping part structure suitable for sandwiching foreign objects or sampling, the endoscope insertion part moves in an unstable manner and can stably hold a target. It may be difficult to get into a state.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope magnet holder capable of easily performing observation of a target portion in a stable state.

The present invention has the following configuration.
An endoscope magnet holder that is attached to an endoscope insertion portion of an endoscope having an air supply nozzle at the distal end portion of the endoscope and radiates magnetic force lines for magnetic adsorption,
A casing having a hole formed along the axial direction, and a magnetic window disposed on a side surface of the hole and radiating the magnetic lines of force;
A slide member inserted in and removed from the hole, and having a magnet;
A tip cap mounted on the endoscope tip to cover the air supply nozzle;
An air supply path for supplying air supplied from the air supply nozzle to the hole of the casing;
With
The sliding member is driven in the axial direction in the hole by the air supplied from the air supply nozzle, and attracts the magnetic field by the magnet to the outside of the casing through the magnetic window, and the magnetic window A magnet holder for an endoscope which is arranged at any one of the suction release positions where the magnetic lines of force are not emitted from.

  According to the endoscope magnet holder of the present invention, it is possible to easily observe a target portion in a stable state.

It is a perspective view which shows the endoscope insertion part of an industrial endoscope, and the endoscope magnet holder with which the endoscope insertion part was mounted | worn. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip cap shown in FIG. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a holder main body. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the holder body shown in FIG. 3. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a holder main body. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the magnetic force line in the magnetic adsorption position shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an endoscope insertion portion 11 of an industrial endoscope and an endoscope magnet holder 100 attached to the endoscope insertion portion 11.
The endoscope magnet holder 100 of this configuration is provided in the endoscope insertion portion 11 of an industrial endoscope (hereinafter simply referred to as “endoscope”) having an air supply nozzle 15 at the endoscope distal end portion 13. Installed.

  An operation unit (not shown) is connected to the proximal end of the endoscope insertion unit 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an air supply nozzle 15, an imaging optical unit 17, and a lens window 19 are disposed at the endoscope distal end portion 13. The endoscope insertion portion 11 is provided with a bending portion 20 that bends the endoscope distal end portion 13 in the vicinity of the endoscope distal end portion 13. The bending portion 20 is bent in a desired direction by a wire pulling operation from the operation portion.

  The air supply nozzle 15 communicates with an air supply path 21 disposed along the endoscope insertion portion 11 and injects air supplied from the air supply path 21 from the nozzle tip 15a.

  Although not shown, the imaging optical unit 17 includes an imaging camera and illumination members such as a light guide and a light source that supply illumination light. The lens window 19 serves as an illumination window that emits illumination light from the imaging optical unit 17 toward the observed portion, or an observation window that captures an observation image and forms it on the imaging camera.

  In the endoscope insertion portion 11 between the endoscope distal end portion 13 and the operation portion, an air supply path 21, a signal line 25 for transmitting an imaging camera and a control signal of illumination light, and an endoscope distal end portion 13 are desired. A wire or the like (not shown) that is bent in the direction is inserted.

  An endoscope magnet holder 100 shown in FIG. 1 is detachably attached to the endoscope insertion portion 11 of the endoscope having the above-described configuration. The endoscope magnet holder 100 includes a distal end cap 27, a holder main body 31, and an air supply path including an air supply tube 29 that supplies air from the distal end cap 27 to the holder main body 31.

  The distal end cap 27 is attached to the endoscope distal end portion 13 so as to cover the air supply nozzle 15. The distal end cap 27 in the illustrated example has an opening hole 27a that exposes the lens window 19, but may not have the opening hole 27a and cover the entire distal end surface of the endoscope distal end portion 13. . In that case, the tip cap 27 is formed of a translucent resin material.

  The tip cap 27 is formed with a cap communication hole 27b that guides the air supplied from the air supply nozzle 15 to the rear of the cap. On the rear side of the cap, the cap communication hole 27 b is connected to one end side of the air supply tube 29 that supplies air to the holder main body 31. The air supply tube 29 is made of a flexible rubber or resin material and is disposed along the endoscope insertion portion 11. The air supply tube 29 has a length that extends from the endoscope distal end portion 13 to a position beyond the bending portion 20.

  Further, the other end side of the air supply tube 29 is connected to the holder body 31 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the air supplied from the air supply nozzle 15 is sent to the air supply path composed of the cap communication hole 27b and the air supply tube 29, and is supplied to the holder body 31 through the air supply path.

  The holder main body 31 includes an upper lid portion 33 attached to the endoscope insertion portion 11, a casing 37, and a later-described slide member accommodated in the casing 37. The upper lid portion 33 is mounted so as to cover the outer periphery of the endoscope insertion portion 11, and is fastened to the casing 37 by a pinch screw 35. The holder main body 31 is attached to an arbitrary position on the distal end side of the endoscope insertion portion 11 and on the proximal end side with respect to the bending portion 20.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the holder body 31, and FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the holder body 31 shown in FIG.
The holder main body 31 includes a casing 37 having a sealed structure and having an air supply tube 29 connected to one end in the axial direction, a slide member 39, and a coil spring 46 that is an elastic member. The casing 37 includes an inner hole 41 that is a hole formed along the axial direction serving as a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of magnetic windows 43 that are disposed on the side surfaces of the inner hole 41 and that emit magnetic force lines for magnetic attraction. . A slide member 39 is inserted into the inner hole 41 of the casing 37 in an airtight manner so that it can be inserted and removed. A lid 45 is airtightly joined to the open end 37 a of the inner hole 41 of the casing 37. An air supply tube 29 that is an air supply path is connected to the lid body 45.

  A release hole (not shown) for releasing the air pressure generated by the movement of the slide member 39 is formed in the bottom 41 a of the inner hole 41 of the casing 37. A coil spring 46 that urges the slide member 39 toward the open end 37 a of the casing 37 is disposed between the bottom 41 a and the insertion tip portion 39 a of the slide member 39.

  Although the casing 37 in the illustrated example is formed in a rectangular tube shape, and the slide member 39 is formed in a prismatic shape that is fitted into the inner hole 41, the shapes of the casing 37 and the slide member 39 are not limited thereto.

  In the casing 37, a plurality of magnetic windows 43 made of yokes are arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction. The other part covering the slide member 39 inserted into the inner hole 41, that is, the part other than the magnetic window 43 of the casing 37 is made of a nonmagnetic material. The magnetic window 43 is disposed on a side surface 37 b that performs magnetic attraction of the casing 37, and radiates magnetic force lines for magnetic attraction described later to the outside of the casing 37. The illustrated example shows an example in which the magnetic windows 43 are arranged at four locations, but the number of arrangements may be two or more.

  For example, the magnetic window 43 is disposed in the casing 37 by inserting a yoke member having the same cross section as the rectangular hole into a rectangular hole formed in the side surface 37 b of the casing 37. The method for forming and arranging the magnetic window 43 is not limited to this, and a known method can be appropriately employed.

  The slide member 39 includes a plurality of magnets 51 disposed so that the same poles (N poles and S poles) face each other along the insertion / extraction direction (axial direction) of the casing 37 with respect to the inner hole 41. And yokes 53 made of a soft magnetic material. The magnet 51 and the yoke 53 have the same cross-section in the axial direction. That is, the slide member 39 is arranged in the order of the yoke 53, the south pole of the magnet 51, the north pole, the yoke 53, the north pole of the magnet 51, the south pole, the yoke 53,. It is the prismatic member arranged.

  As the magnet 51, a ferrite magnet is used. The magnet 51 may be, for example, an alnico magnet, a samarium cobalt magnet, a neodymium magnet, or the like other than the ferrite magnet. Since the ferrite magnet is excellent in corrosion resistance and is provided at low cost, the ferrite magnet can be configured at low cost and with few restrictions on the use environment of the endoscope.

  Here, the axial pitch of the plurality of magnets 51 is the same as the axial pitch of the magnetic windows 43 of the casing 37.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the holder main body 31, and shows a state in which the slide member 39 shown in FIG. 4 is moved toward the bottom 41 a of the inner hole 41 by supplying air.
The slide member 39 is driven toward the bottom 41 a in the inner hole 41 by the air supplied from the air supply tube 29. When the air supply is interrupted, the slide member 39 is pushed back to the original position by the elastic force of the coil spring 46. The coil spring 46 is not limited to the compression spring of the illustrated example, and can be replaced with an elastic body such as a leaf spring, a disc spring, or rubber.

Next, the operation of the endoscope magnet holder 100 configured as described above will be described together with the state of use of the endoscope.
In the endoscope magnet holder 100 of this configuration, when the endoscope operator inserts the endoscope distal end portion 13 (see FIG. 1) into the observation position, the slide member 39 moves to the position shown in FIG. Position). This state is a neutral state in which air is not supplied from the air supply tube 29. In this case, a nonmagnetic material between the magnetic windows 43 is disposed within the axial width W of the yoke 53 of the slide member 39.

  In this state, lines of magnetic force 55 from the N pole to the S pole of the magnet 51 are formed inside each magnetic window 43. The magnetic field lines 55 do not radiate outside the casing 37 beyond the magnetic window 43. That is, no magnetic field lines are radiated from the magnetic window 43 of the casing 37, and no magnetic adsorption effect occurs on the side surface 37 b of the casing 37. By adopting such a suction release state, the endoscope insertion portion 11 is not attracted to the surrounding members during the insertion of the endoscope insertion portion 11, and the observation position for the endoscope distal end portion 13 is aimed. Can be placed smoothly.

  When the endoscope distal end portion 13 reaches the target observation position, air is sent to the air supply nozzle 15 (see FIG. 2) by the operation of the operation portion by the endoscope operator. The air sent to the air supply nozzle 15 is a space 59 between the cap communication hole 27b of the tip cap 27 serving as an air supply path and the air supply tube 29 and the slide member 39 inside the casing 37 (see FIG. 3). To be supplied.

  When air is supplied to the space 59, the slide member 39 is pushed toward the bottom 41 a of the inner hole 41 against the elastic force of the coil spring 46. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the yoke 53 of the slide member 39 is disposed between the end 43a and the end 43b of the magnetic window 43 in the axial direction. The position of the slide member 39 is an adsorption position where the magnetic adsorption state is achieved.

  In this case, each yoke 53 between the magnets 51 has a pole of one magnet 51 in the axial direction (for example, the S pole of the left magnet in FIG. 5) and a pole of the other magnet in the axial direction (for example, the right magnet in FIG. 5). The magnetic field lines due to the N pole) are concentrated.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing enlarged magnetic field lines in the state of FIG.
Here, the magnetic force lines radiated from the magnetic window will be described by taking the magnetic force lines of the magnetic window 43B as an example.
The lines of magnetic force from the N pole of the magnet 51B are concentrated on the yoke 53C. The concentrated lines of magnetic force straddle the non-magnetic material 61B through the magnetic window 43C on the side of the yoke 53C, and head toward the yoke 53B through the magnetic window 43B adjacent to the magnetic window 43C. Moreover, the magnetic force line which goes to the S pole of the magnet 51A is a magnetic force line from the N pole of the magnet 51A. The lines of magnetic force from the magnet 51A are also concentrated on the yoke 53A, then straddle the non-magnetic material 61A through the magnetic window 43A and head toward the yoke 53B through the magnetic window 43B.

  As described above, when the nonmagnetic bodies 61A and 61B are arranged between the N pole and the S pole of the magnets 51A and 51B, magnetic lines of force are formed in the magnetic window 43B across the nonmagnetic bodies 61A and 61B. . As a result, magnetic lines of force are radiated to the outside of the magnetic windows 43A, 43B, and 43C, and a magnetic adsorption effect on the side surface 37b of the casing 37 is obtained. That is, for example, when an iron adsorption object 57 (see FIG. 5) is arranged near the side surface 37 b of the casing 37, the adsorption object 57 is magnetically adsorbed on the side surface 37 b having the magnetic window 43.

  When the endoscope distal end portion 13 is disposed at a target observation position, the casing 37 is fixed to the surrounding member by the magnetic adsorption described above. When the casing 37 is fixed to the surrounding member, the endoscope insertion portion 11 fixed to the casing 37 is stably fixed, and the bending operation by the bending portion 20 and various operations at the endoscope distal end portion 13 are not prepared. Can be stably performed without causing a positional shift.

  After the observation by the endoscope is finished, the air supply to the air supply nozzle 15 (see FIG. 2) is stopped by the operation of the operation unit by the endoscope operator. Then, the internal pressure of the space 59 of the casing 37 decreases, and the slide member 39 is pushed back to the original position (adsorption release position) by the elastic force of the coil spring 46. Then, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. 3, magnetic adsorption does not occur, and the endoscope insertion portion 11 is released from being fixed to the surrounding members. Therefore, the endoscope insertion portion 11 is smoothly extracted from the observation site without being attracted to the surrounding members during extraction.

  In the endoscope magnet holder 100 having the above-described configuration, the plurality of magnets 51 and the yokes 53 are alternately provided on the slide member 39, so that the magnetic force generated from the magnets 51 is It is transmitted to the attracting object 57 through the magnetic window 43 at a plurality of locations. Thereby, a magnetic attraction | suction force can be increased and the fixed strength to the adsorption | suction target object 57 of the casing 37 can be increased.

  Therefore, according to the endoscope magnet holder 100 of this configuration, the endoscope insertion portion 11 can be stably supported by the surrounding members at the time of equipment inspection or the like, and the posture change of the distal end portion of the endoscope can be changed. This can be performed stably and the usability of the endoscope can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configurations of the embodiments may be combined with each other, or may be modified or applied by those skilled in the art based on the description of the specification and well-known techniques. The invention is intended and is within the scope of seeking protection.

  The mechanism for moving the slide member by the air supply and the elastic force of the coil spring in the above configuration is not limited to this. For example, a configuration using another working liquid such as a cleaning liquid instead of air may be used. Further, a two-position holding type holding mechanism that alternately switches the sliding member between the suction position and the suction release position and holds the state may be adopted. In that case, it is only necessary to supply air only at the time of adsorption or desorption, and it is not necessary to continuously supply the air for fixing.

As described above, the following items are disclosed in this specification.
(1) An endoscope magnet holder that is attached to an endoscope insertion portion of an endoscope having an air supply nozzle at the distal end portion of the endoscope and emits magnetic lines of force for magnetic adsorption,
A casing having a hole formed along the axial direction, and a magnetic window disposed on a side surface of the hole and radiating the magnetic lines of force;
A slide member inserted in and removed from the hole, and having a magnet;
A tip cap mounted on the endoscope tip to cover the air supply nozzle;
An air supply path for supplying air supplied from the air supply nozzle to the hole of the casing;
With
The sliding member is driven in the axial direction in the hole by the air supplied from the air supply nozzle, and attracts the magnetic field by the magnet to the outside of the casing through the magnetic window, and the magnetic window A magnet holder for an endoscope which is arranged at any one of the suction release positions where the magnetic lines of force are not emitted from.
According to this endoscope magnet holder, when the slide member is displaced from the suction release position to the suction position by the air from the air supply path, the magnetic force lines for magnetic suction are emitted from the magnetic window to the outside of the casing. Thereby, an endoscope insertion part is fixed to a surrounding member by magnetic adsorption. Further, when the slide member is displaced from the suction position to the suction release position, the magnetic lines of force radiated from the magnetic window are cut off, and the magnetic suction with the surrounding members is released. Therefore, the endoscope can be selectively fixed to and released from the surrounding member by supplying air from the air supply path.

(2) The slide member has a plurality of the magnets arranged with the same poles facing each other along the axial direction, and yokes arranged before and after the axial direction of each of the magnets,
In the casing, the magnetic window is provided at the same pitch as the axial pitch of the plurality of magnets, and the portion excluding the magnetic window is made of a non-magnetic material,
In the attracting position, the yoke is disposed inside the window both ends of the magnetic window with respect to the axial direction,
The magnet holder for an endoscope according to (1), wherein the nonmagnetic material between the magnetic windows is disposed within the axial width of the yoke at the suction release position.
According to this endoscope magnet holder, presence / absence of magnetic field radiation from the magnetic window is determined by the relative position between the magnetic window and the magnet.

(3) An elastic member is disposed between the bottom surface of the hole and the insertion tip of the slide member,
The endoscope magnet holder according to (1) or (2), wherein the elastic member biases the slide member toward the suction release position.
According to this endoscope magnet holder, the slider member can be moved by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the magnetic adsorption with the surrounding members can be released.

(4) The magnet holder for an endoscope according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the magnet is a ferrite magnet.
According to this endoscope magnet holder, the use of ferrite magnets can be configured at low cost and with high corrosion resistance, so that there are few restrictions on the use environment of the endoscope.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Endoscope insertion part 13 Endoscope tip part 15 Air supply nozzle 27 End cap 27b Cap communication hole (air supply path)
29 Air supply tube (air supply path)
37 Casing 37b Side 39 Slide member 39a Insertion tip 41 Inner hole (hole)
41a bottom 43 magnetic window 43a, 43b end 46 coil spring 51 magnet 53 yoke 55 magnetic field line 100 magnet holder for endoscope

Claims (4)

An endoscope magnet holder that is attached to an endoscope insertion portion of an endoscope having an air supply nozzle at the distal end portion of the endoscope and radiates magnetic force lines for magnetic adsorption,
A casing having a hole formed along the axial direction, and a magnetic window disposed on a side surface of the hole and radiating the magnetic lines of force;
A slide member inserted in and removed from the hole, and having a magnet;
A tip cap mounted on the endoscope tip to cover the air supply nozzle;
An air supply path for supplying air supplied from the air supply nozzle to the hole of the casing;
With
The sliding member is driven in the axial direction in the hole by the air supplied from the air supply nozzle, and attracts the magnetic field by the magnet to the outside of the casing through the magnetic window, and the magnetic window A magnet holder for an endoscope which is arranged at any one of the suction release positions where the magnetic lines of force are not emitted from. The slide member is
A plurality of the magnets arranged with the same polarity facing each other along the axial direction;
Yokes arranged in the axial direction of each of the magnets;
Have
In the casing, the magnetic window is provided at the same pitch as the axial pitch of the plurality of magnets, and the portion excluding the magnetic window is made of a non-magnetic material,
In the attracting position, the yoke is disposed inside the window both ends of the magnetic window with respect to the axial direction,
2. The endoscope magnet holder according to claim 1, wherein the non-magnetic body between the magnetic windows is disposed within the axial width of the yoke at the suction release position. An elastic member is disposed between the bottom surface of the hole and the insertion tip of the slide member,
The endoscope magnet holder according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member biases the slide member toward the suction release position.   The said magnet is a ferrite magnet, The magnet holder for endoscopes as described in any one of Claims 1-3.

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