JP2611570B2 - Operating device for 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 operation of an insertion portion inserted into a body or the like in an endoscope or other device inserted into a human body or a mechanical device for observation or inspection. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Endoscopes, infrared endoscopes, body-insertable ultrasonic inspection apparatuses, ultrasonic endoscopes, and the like are used as instruments for performing various observations and inspections by being inserted into a body or the like. is there. Each of these has a configuration in which a main body operation unit is connected to an insertion portion inserted into a human body or a mechanical device. An observation means such as a solid-state imaging device, an incident end of an image guide, and an ultrasonic vibrator is provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion. For example, in the case of an endoscope, an observation window is provided on the distal end surface of the insertion portion or on a side surface at the distal end portion, an objective lens is mounted on the observation window, and a solid-state imaging device or an optical fiber An image guide made of a bundle is made to face, and in an ultrasonic inspection apparatus, an ultrasonic vibrator is arranged at a distal end portion of an insertion portion. The main body operation section is provided with an angle mechanism and other operation mechanisms for holding the main body operation section by an operator and pointing the distal end portion of the insertion section in a desired direction by remote control.

[0003] Here, the requirements that the main body operation section must have are that it be lightweight and have sufficient strength, and that it can be easily disassembled in order to repair or check the built-in members. Must. Furthermore, in particular, when used for medical purposes, it is necessary to wash frequently, so that even when immersed in a washing solution, the washing solution does not penetrate into the inside, so that it must be excellent in airtightness.

[0004] In order to satisfy such a demand, the following configuration has been conventionally known. That is,
The housing of the main body operation unit is formed of two members, a front housing which is a part on the side connected to the insertion unit, and a rear housing which is joined to the front housing. These front housing and rear housing are The housing made of synthetic resin is made lightweight and disassemblable by making it a synthetic resin, and the two housings are firmly connected, and the housing is used to support an angle mechanism etc. in order to maintain airtightness between them. Using the mounting plate mounted inside, fix the base side of this mounting plate to the rear housing, connect and fix the front end to the front ring, and insert the front housing through this front ring. Then, the end face is joined to the rear housing, and the fastening ring is screwed to the tip ring.

[0005] With this configuration, the front housing is pressed against the rear housing by the tightening of the tightening ring, and a force acts in a direction in which the mounting plate is retracted toward the distal ring, so that the front housing and the rear housing are actuated. Are strongly joined in a state where the mounting plate is erected therebetween, so that the strength of the housing is improved and the airtightness between the front housing and the rear housing is improved. In addition, since the two housings can be separated by attaching and detaching the tightening ring, various members mounted in the housing have excellent maintainability such as repair and replacement.

[0006]

As described above, when the mounting plate is formed of an aluminum plate from the viewpoint of weight reduction and strength, the housing of the main body operating portion is not required.
On the other hand, when the aluminum plate has sufficient strength in the direction in which the aluminum plate is compressed or pulled, that is, in the direction along the plate surface, but when a force is applied in the bending direction, that is, in the plate thickness direction,
Deforms relatively easily. In particular, the short side of the mounting plate is considerably weak against bending. Therefore, when an excessive force acts in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface in the short direction of the mounting plate, that is, in the plate thickness direction, at a joint portion between the front housing and the rear housing, the mounting plate may be bent and bent. There is. Therefore, in order to prevent deformation in this direction, a step is provided on the joint surface between the front housing and the rear housing, so as to form a so-called seal-fitting, but the strength is still sufficiently maintained. There is a drawback that you can not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks and problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the weight of the main body operation part and to reduce the weight of the front part. It is an object of the present invention to provide an operating device for an insertion portion that is not deformed even when an external force acts on a joint portion between a housing and a rear housing from any direction.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a front housing connected to an insertion portion and a rear housing joined to the front housing. In the housing, a mounting plate on which an angle mechanism or the like is supported is provided inside, the mounting plate is fixed to the rear housing, and a reinforcing plate is provided along the inner wall of the housing so as to surround the mounting plate. Reinforcement plate fixed to rear housing and tip ring
In addition, the reinforcing plate has a warp in the plate thickness direction at the tip of the mounting plate.
The front housing is inserted through this end ring, and the front housing is driven by the tightening ring, so that the front and rear housings are separated from each other. It is characterized in that it is in a state of being brought into pressure contact and integrated.

[0009]

By adopting such a configuration, when a bending force is applied to the joint between the front housing and the rear housing, the mounting plate provided in the housing can be used.
The strength in the direction along the plate surface can be given, and the reinforcing plate can have the strength in the direction perpendicular to this, that is, the thickness direction of the mounting plate, and the strength is improved as a whole. . It also extends from the rear housing to the front housing.
On the mounting plate that is not fixed on the front housing side.
The angle mechanism is supported by various forces.
Works, but is this mounting plate clamped by the reinforcing plate?
Even if the mounting plate receives force from an angle mechanism,
There is no risk of occurrence. Further, since the mounting plate is fixed only to the rear housing side, it is easy to remove the mounting plate, which is extremely advantageous when disassembling and repairing.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an ultrasonic inspection apparatus will be described. However, it goes without saying that the ultrasonic inspection apparatus may be configured as, for example, an endoscope. First, FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a main body operation unit as an operation device of an insertion unit in an ultrasonic inspection apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body operation section, and an insertion section 2 inserted into a body cavity or the like is continuously provided at a distal end of the main body operation section 1. Further, a cable 3 for transmitting a drive signal and a reception signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer disposed at the distal end of the insertion section 2 is connected to the base end side.

The housing 10 of the main body operation unit 1 is
The front housing 11 is connected to the insertion section 2 and the rear housing 12 is connected to the cable 3. The front housing 11 and the rear housing 12 are both made of a plastic material. It is formed and assembled in a mutually joined state. The main body operation unit 1 is provided with an angle knob 4 for bending the distal end of the insertion unit 2 in a desired direction. The angle operation mechanism 5 connected to the angle knob 4 is also provided in the housing 10. It is provided in. As shown in FIG. 2, the angle operating mechanism 5 has a pulley 7 integrally provided on a rotation shaft 6 rotated by an angle knob 4, and an operation wire 8 is wound around the pulley 7. When the operation wire 8 is pushed and pulled,
An angle portion formed near the distal end of the insertion portion 2 is bent by remote control. Thus, the angle operation mechanism 5 is provided on a lid piece 12b that is detachably connected to the main body 12a of the rear housing 12. A wire guide mechanism 9 for rotatably supporting the pulley 7 in the angle operation mechanism 5 and guiding the operation wire 8
A mounting plate 13 is mounted in the housing 10 in order to mount.

As is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting plate 13 is formed of a plate-like member such as aluminum, and the mounting plate 13 has four supporting portions provided on the rear housing 12. The front end faces the front housing 11. Further, a reinforcing plate 15 is provided so as to surround the mounting plate 13 at a relatively small interval. The reinforcing plate 15 includes a pair of side plate portions 15a, 15a.
And a connecting plate portion 15b connecting between them, and is formed of a substantially U-shaped thin plate member such as stainless steel. The connecting portion 15b of the reinforcing plate 15 is fixed to the rear end wall of the rear housing 12, and the side plate portions 15a, 15a extend toward the front housing 11 along the inner wall of the rear housing 12. ing. Here, since the entire housing 10 is tapered toward the distal end, that is, toward the side connected to the insertion portion 2, the interval between the side plates 15a, 15a also becomes narrower toward the distal end. ing. Then, the side plate portions 15a, 15a
Is screwed to a tip ring 16. Further, a slit 1 is provided at the tip of the side plate portion 15a.
5c is formed toward the connecting plate portion 15b by a predetermined length. On the other hand, the tapered tip portion of the mounting plate 13 is provided with laterally extending portions 13a, 13a.
The widths of the extending portions 13a, 13a are uniform from the base end to the distal end. Then, this extending portion 1
3a and 13a are inserted through slits 15c provided in the side plate portion 15a of the reinforcing plate 15.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a screw ring screwed (or integrally provided) to the tip ring 16, and the screw ring 17 has a thread groove formed on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces thereof. A screw portion 2a provided at an end of the insertion portion 2 is screwed into a screw groove on an inner peripheral side of the screw ring 17, and a cover rubber 18 is inserted into a screw groove on an outer peripheral side thereof. The connection ring 19 fixed to the inner surface is screwed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a step is provided at the joint between the front case 11 and the rear case 12, so that the two are fitted to each other.
In addition, a seal member 20 for airtightly holding the two housings 11 and 12 is interposed in the seal fitting portion, and a seal member 21 is also provided between the front housing 11 and the connection ring 19.
Are interposed, so that the inside of the housing 10 is kept completely airtight.
In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a cable 3 for the main body operation unit 1.
2 shows a connector section for connecting to the. In addition, an air supply / water supply valve, a suction valve, and the like are attached to the main body operation unit 1.
These are not shown.

The main body operating section 1 of the endoscope having the above-described configuration is provided with a rear housing 12 constituting the housing 10 thereof.
After the reinforcing plate 15 and the mounting plate 13 are fixed to the main body portion 12a, the distal end portions of the side plates 15a, 15a of the reinforcing plate 15 are connected and fixed to the distal end ring 16, and the lid piece 12 is fixed.
a, and the screw ring 1 is attached to the tip ring 16.
7, the front housing 11 is fitted. Then, the insertion portion 2 is screwed into the screw ring 17,
Further, the connecting ring 1 provided integrally with the cover rubber 18
The screw 9 is screwed into the screw ring 17 to assemble the front case 11 so as to drive it.

The connecting ring 19 is connected to the tip ring 16.
When screwed into the screw ring 17 integrated with the front housing 11, the front housing 11 is driven in the direction of pressing against the rear housing 12, and the rear housing 12 fixed to the reinforcing plate 15 is pulled in. Therefore, the two housings 11 and 12 are extremely strongly connected and fixed to each other. A seal member 20 is provided between the housings 11 and 12 at the seal fitting portion, and a seal member 21 is provided between the front housing 11 and the connection ring 19.
By interposing, it is possible to reliably maintain an airtight state therebetween.

The main body operating section 1 assembled in this manner is usually operated by an operator or the like who operates the main body 10.
Of these, the front housing 11 is gripped and operated, but the rear housing 12 is provided with an angle knob 4 and the like, and the angle knob 4 is operated with the fingers of the hand gripping the main body operation unit 1. For this reason, external forces act on the main body operation unit 1 in various directions. In particular, a large force acts on the pressing force and the bending force, and the pressing force is a force in a direction in which the front housing 11 is squeezed by a hand.
The bending force is generated when the angle knob 4 is operated or when the main body operation unit 1 is swung while the cable 3 is under a load, and the housing 10 of the main body operation unit 1 is operated. Is composed of two members, the front housing 11 and the rear housing 12, so that stress tends to concentrate on the joint between the two housings 11, 12. Therefore, sufficient strength must be provided in these directions. Moreover, on the other hand, the weight of the main body operation unit 1 must be reduced so as not to be tired even if the operation is performed for a long time.

In view of the above requirements, the entire housing 10 is formed of a plastic material, and the mounting plate 13 is made of a plate material such as aluminum having a predetermined thickness so that the weight of the main body operation unit 1 is not impaired. It consists of.
Here, of the forces acting on the main body operation unit 1, the front housing 1
For the direction of pressing 1 and the bending force in the vertical direction,
Since the plate surface of the mounting plate 13 is oriented in this direction, it has sufficient strength. However, when a bending force is applied in the left-right direction, since the direction is the thickness direction of the mounting plate 13, the mounting plate 13 cannot provide strength. In addition, for example, when the angle knob 4 is operated by gripping the front housing 11 side, or when the main body operation unit 1 is moved so as to swing while the pulling force is acting on the cable 3, etc. A considerable force acts on the joint between the unit housing 11 and the rear housing 12 so as to bend it in the left-right direction. Therefore, in the present invention, a reinforcing plate 15 is provided along the inner wall of the housing 10 so as to have sufficient strength against an external force in this direction.
Thereby, the strength in the left-right direction at the joint portion between the front housing 11 and the rear housing 12 is significantly improved. Therefore,
It is possible to reliably prevent inconveniences such as deformation such that the front housing 11 and the rear housing 12 are bent at a joint portion between the front housing 11 and the rear housing 12.

By the way, if the reinforcing plate 15 is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the mounting plate 13, the reinforcing plate 15 can sufficiently retain the strength in the above-described direction even if it is extremely thin. You can do it. Therefore, this reinforcing plate 1
By forming the member 5 from a strong and resilient member such as stainless steel, the strength of the main body operation portion 1 can be improved without increasing the weight.

Further, in repairing and inspecting the built-in components in the main body operation unit 1, the connection ring 19 is detached from the screw ring 17, and the front housing 11 is separated from the rear housing 12, so that the housing is removed. Naturally, the mounting plate 13 can be disassembled, and the mounting plate 13 is fixed only to the rear housing 12 and is not directly fixed to the front housing 11. When detached from the portion 12a, the mounting plate 13 is attached to the rear housing 12
Can be taken out from the opening of the main body 12a. That is, since the widths of the extending portions 13a, 13a are uniform from the base end to the front end, and the side plate 15a provided with the slit 15c is in a state of expanding toward the base end, the mounting is performed. When the plate 13 is pulled out to the base end side,
a and 13a can be pulled out of the slit 15c. Therefore, maintenance is possible even in a state where both the housings 11 and 12 are connected.

By the way, if the front portion of the mounting plate 13 is completely free to make it possible to remove the mounting plate 13, the mounting plate 13 is provided with a wire guide mechanism 9 and the like. Since a considerable force acts on this wire guide mechanism 9, the mounting plate 13
May be warped. However, mounting plate 1
3 is provided with an extended portion 13a at the tip thereof, and the extended portion 13a is inserted into a slit 16a formed in the side plate 15a of the reinforcing plate 15 to regulate the movement in the thickness direction. However, there is no possibility that deformation in the warp direction occurs. As a supporting mechanism in the thickness direction of the mounting plate 13, a pair of inward projections may be formed on the reinforcing plate 15, and the mounting plate 13 may be sandwiched between the projections. is there.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the housing is formed by the front housing and the rear housing, and the reinforcing plate is provided along the inner surfaces of the two housings so as to surround the mounting plate.
This reinforcing plate is fixed to the rear housing and the tip ring , and
The hard plate prevents warpage in the thickness direction of the mounting plate tip.
The front housing is inserted through this end ring and the fastening ring is screwed together, so that the front and rear housings are pressed against each other. since a configuration of integrating, without particular weight of the entire operating system, now the strength against the external force can be sufficiently given, also the front housing from the rear housing side
Side, and is unfixed on the front housing side.
The mounting plate on which the angle operating mechanism
There is no danger of deformation, and it is easy to separate the two housings and remove the mounting plate.
Various effects such as excellent maintainability such as inspection are exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a main body operation unit of an endoscope which is an example of an operation device of an insertion unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main body operation unit.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main body operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of a rear housing, a mounting plate, and a reinforcing plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body operation part 4 Angle knob 5 Angle operation mechanism 10 Housing 11 Front case 12 Rear case 13 Mounting plate 13a Extension part 15 Reinforcement plate 15c Slit 16 Tip ring 17 Screw ring 18 Cover rubber 19 Connection ring

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An observation means is provided at a distal end, and an insertion portion to be inserted into a human body or other body or a mechanical device is continuously provided,
In an operating device equipped with an angle mechanism and other operating members, in a housing composed of a front housing connected to the insertion portion and a rear housing joined to the front housing,
By mounting the mounting plate on which the angle mechanism and the like are supported,
This mounting plate is fixed to the rear housing, and a reinforcing plate is provided so as to surround the mounting plate along the inner wall of the housing, and the reinforcing plate is fixed to the rear housing and the tip ring.
In addition, the reinforcing plate has a counterpart in the thickness direction of the tip of the mounting plate.
No configured to Katachi設the clamping portion of the mounting plate to prevent Ri, before
The front housing is inserted through the tip ring, and the front housing is driven by a tightening ring so that the front and rear housings are brought into pressure contact with each other to be integrated. An operating device for the insertion section. 2. The rear housing is fixed with the mounting plate.
The body and a lid piece detachably connected to the body
And the mounting plate is not fixed to the rear housing.
The operating device for an insertion section according to claim 1, wherein the operating section is configured to hold the insertion section.