JP2596258Y2 - Endoscope insertion section - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an insertion portion of an endoscope used for observing water supply and sewerage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is required that an insertion portion of an endoscope used for observation inside a pipe of water and sewage has flexibility and that the endoscope is not damaged by advancing and retreating in the pipe. The insertion portion of a normal endoscope is configured by covering a braid made of a thin metal wire on the outer periphery of a flex formed by spirally winding a metal strip, and covering a soft resin tube on the outer periphery of the blade. Therefore, although having the flexibility, the resin tube is easily damaged. Therefore,
An insertion portion of an endoscope has been proposed in which a cylindrical blade made of a thin metal wire is further covered as a jacket on the outside of the resin tube so that the resin tube can be prevented from being damaged while maintaining flexibility.

[0003]

However, in the insertion portion of the endoscope, the thin wire of the jacket is easily caught by a projection in the pipe, and the smooth movement of the insertion section in the pipe cannot be ensured. Moreover, the cut thin wire may damage the inner wall of the pipe or the resin tube of the insertion portion.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 comprises a flexible insertion portion main body,
In an insertion portion of an endoscope having a jacket mounted on an outer periphery of the insertion portion main body, the jacket is formed into a cylindrical blade by knitting a resin strip, and an outermost layer of the insertion portion main body is formed. Wherein the strip is directly mounted on the outer periphery of the resin tube, and the strip has a flat cross section. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the insertion portion of the endoscope according to the first aspect, the strip is formed by deforming a tube into a flat cross section.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the jacket of the insertion portion is formed by knitting a resin strip having a flat cross section, the flexibility of the insertion portion can be ensured. Moreover, since the jacket made of the resin blade is directly mounted on the outer periphery of the resin tube forming the outermost layer of the insertion portion main body, the jacket is mounted without intervening another blade made of a thin metal wire or the like. Therefore, more favorable flexibility can be secured. In addition, since the strip of the jacket is flat, it is difficult for the insertion portion to be caught by the protrusion during the reciprocation operation of the insertion portion, and the retraction operation of the insertion portion can be performed smoothly. Further, even if this strip is cut, it does not damage the inner wall of the observation target or the outer periphery of the insertion portion main body. Claim 2
In the device of the invention, since the strip is formed by deforming the tube into a flat cross section, the flexibility can be further improved. Further, since the strip can be flattened in the course of the knitting operation, the blade can be easily formed.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope is attached to a body 1, a flexible insertion portion 2 extending from the tip of the body 1, a bending portion 3 extending from the tip of the insertion portion 2, and a tip of the bending portion 3. And a hard part 4. An operation member 5 is provided on a side surface of the body 1, and the operation member 5 allows a wire (not shown) passing through the insertion portion 2 and the bending portion 3.
The bending section 3 can be operated to bend via the.
An eyepiece 6 is provided at the rear end of the body 1, and a light guide tube 7 extends from the side. An observation window and an illumination window are formed in the hard portion 4. The observation window and the eyepiece 6 are optically connected by an image transmission optical system including an optical fiber bundle. The illumination window is connected to one end of another optical fiber bundle. The optical fiber bundle passes through the bending portion 3, the insertion portion 2, the body 1, and the light guide tube 7, and the other end is held by a connector (not shown) attached to the tip of the light guide tube 7.
This connector is connected to a light source device and receives light.

[0007] The insertion section 2 of the endoscope is inserted into water and sewage pipes. Light from a light source is emitted from the illumination window into the pipe via the optical fiber bundle. Light reflected from the inner wall of the pipe enters the observation window and enters the eyepiece 6 via the image transmission optical system.
Sent to Thereby, the inner wall of the pipe can be observed with the eyepiece 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion section 2 includes a well-known insertion section main body 20. This insertion part body 20
Is configured by covering a blade 22 knitted with a thin metal wire on the outer periphery of a flex 21 formed by spirally winding a metal strip, and covering a soft resin tube 23 on the outer periphery of the blade 22.

The insertion portion 2 further includes the insertion portion main body 2
And a jacket 25 directly attached to the outer periphery of the resin tube 23 which is the outermost layer of the resin tube 23. This jacket 25
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a plurality of, for example, ten solid bands 25a (stripes having a flat cross section) made of a resin having a small coefficient of friction as shown in FIGS. ,
It is formed into a cylindrical blade. As a material of the band 25a, for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or PA (polyamide) is preferable. Band cross section 2
5a preferably has rounded ends as shown in FIG.

The bending portion 3 is formed by connecting a number of joints so as to be rotatable with each other, covering the outer periphery of the joints with a thin metal wire blade, and covering the blade with a soft resin tube. The jacket 25 extends to the curved portion 3 and also covers the resin tube of the curved portion 3.

In the insertion section 2 having the above-described structure, the resin tube 2
Since the jacket 3 is covered with the jacket 25, the resin tube 23 can be prevented from being damaged when the insertion section 2 is moved forward and backward in the pipe. Since the jacket 25 is formed by knitting the band 25a instead of the fine wire, the jacket 25 does not catch on the protrusion of the pipe. In addition, jacket 25
The belt 25a is made of a resin having a small frictional resistance, so that friction with the pipe is small because the belt 25a is made of a resin having a small frictional resistance. Therefore, the inner wall of the pipe can be smoothly slid, and the reciprocating operation of the insertion section 2 in the pipe becomes extremely smooth. Further, since the belt 25a of the jacket 25 is made of resin and knitted, the flexibility of the insertion portion 2 is not impaired.
Even if the band 25a is cut, it does not damage the inner wall of the pipe or the resin tube 23 like a thin metal wire.

As shown in FIG. 5, a tube 125a having a circular cross section may be used as a strip for knitting the jacket, as shown in FIG. The tube 125a is deformed into a flat cross-sectional shape as shown by the imaginary line by knitting. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, after forming a jacket by knitting a strip 225 a having a circular cross section, the core is inserted into the inside of the jacket and pressed while applying heat from the outside to form a strip. 225a may be deformed to have a flat cross section as shown by imaginary lines. In this case, the intersecting strips 225a may or may not be welded.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various embodiments are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the knitting angle of the jacket is the same in the insertion portion and the bending portion, but the knitting angle in the bending portion is made smaller than that in the insertion portion, so that the bending rigidity in the bending portion of the jacket is reduced in the insertion portion. It may be smaller than the bending rigidity. Further, the jacket may be detachably attached to the insertion portion main body. In this case, it can be removed after use to clean the insertion portion main body and the jacket. This configuration is convenient for applications requiring cleanliness, such as observation of waterworks. This jacket is easier to clean than a jacket made of thin metal wires.

[0014]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the insertion portion is mounted with the jacket made of a resin strip having a flat cross section, the flexibility is not impaired. Further, it is possible to prevent the outermost resin tube of the insertion portion main body from being damaged. Moreover, since the jacket made of the resin blade is directly mounted on the outer periphery of the resin tube forming the outermost layer of the insertion portion main body, the jacket is mounted without intervening another blade made of a thin metal wire or the like. Therefore, more favorable flexibility can be secured. In addition, since the jacket is formed by knitting a flat strip instead of a thin wire, the jacket does not catch on the protrusion of the pipe. In addition, the jacket is knitted and does not come into contact with the inner wall of the pipe like a tube, so that the reciprocating operation of the insertion portion can be made extremely smooth. Also,
Even if the strip is cut, the outer periphery of the insertion portion main body and the inner wall of the observation target are not damaged. According to the invention of claim 2,
Since the strip is formed by deforming the tube into a flat cross section, the flexibility can be further improved. Further, since the strip can be flattened in the course of the knitting operation, the blade can be easily formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of an insertion portion of an endoscope according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the entire endoscope.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a part of a jacket.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a strip constituting a jacket.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the strip.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the strip.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Insert part 20 Insert body 25 Jacket 25a, 125a, 225a Strip

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A flexible insertion portion main body, an endoscope having a loaded jacket on the outer periphery of the insertion portion main body
In the insertion portion, the jacket is formed into a cylindrical blade by knitting a resin strip, and the insertion portion main body is formed.
Directly attached to the outer circumference of the resin tube that is the outermost layer of
An endoscope insertion section, wherein the strip has a flat cross section. 2. The said strip transforms the tube into a flat cross section.
A contract characterized by being formed by
An insertion part of the endoscope according to claim 1.