JP2751116B2 - Bending operation device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bending operation device for performing a bending operation on a bending portion of an endoscope or the like.

[Related Art] Generally, an endoscope includes an operation base, an insertion portion extending from a distal end portion of the operation base, a bendable portion provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, an observation window, and illumination. And a distal end component provided at the distal end of the curved portion, and appropriately bending the curved portion to orient the distal end component in a desired direction, thereby enabling the inside of the human body or the like to be formed. Is to be observed.

In the endoscope as described above, a bending operation device is provided to perform a bending operation on the bending portion. Examples of such a bending operation device include those described in JP-A-56-121532 and JP-B-53-52306.

In the bending operation device described in the former publication, an operation knob is provided outside the operation base, while a pulley rotatably operated by the operation knob is provided inside the operation base, and one end of an operation wire is wound around the pulley. And the other end of the operation wire is fixed to the distal end of the bending portion.With the rotation of the pulley in the forward / reverse direction, the operation wire is pulled and loosened, whereby the bending portion is bent. It is curved.

Further, the bending operation device described in the latter publication uses a pinion and a rack that mesh with each other instead of the pulley in the bending operation device, and when the pinion is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by an operation knob, the rack is moved. Move straight,
The operation wire fixed to the rack can be pulled and loosened.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned conventional bending operation device, since the operation knob and the pulley or the operation knob and the pinion and the rack are used, the weight of the operation base increases by that much. In addition, since the pulley or the rack and the pinion are provided inside the operation base, the operation base is enlarged. For this reason, there has been a problem that the weight of the entire operation base is further increased. As a result, there is a problem that the operator gets tired early.

Further, during the bending operation, the operator supports the operation base with one hand and operates the operation knob with the other hand,
Bending operation cannot be performed with only one hand. For this reason, there has been a problem that the contents of the observation cannot be recorded while observing the inside of the human body or the like with the endoscope.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a bending operation device capable of reducing the size and weight of an operation base and performing a bending operation with one hand.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an operation base, a bendable portion provided in front of the operation base, and one end provided at the tip of the bending portion. An operating wire having a fixed portion and the other end extending to the inside of the operation base, wherein the bending section is configured to bend the bending portion by pulling the operation wire; An insertion portion is provided in which the wire is inserted in a state in which the wire is movable in the longitudinal direction and is prevented from moving in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and an end of the operation wire passing through the insertion portion is connected to the insertion portion. A locking portion is provided which is prevented from moving to the side and is locked in a state where it is prevented from moving in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and faces the operation wire between the insertion portion and the locking portion. The wall of the operation base An operation hole penetrating the wall portion is formed in the portion.

[Operation] While supporting the operation base with one hand, the finger of the one hand, for example, the index finger is inserted into the inside of the operation base from the operation window, and the operation wire positioned between the insertion portion and the locking portion is inserted. Push in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Then, the operation wire is immovably provided on the insertion portion and the locking portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the end of the operation wire is immovably locked on the locking portion toward the insertion portion. Therefore, the bending portion side end of the operation wire is pulled. As a result, the bending portion is bent.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the endoscope will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The endoscope includes an operation base 1, an insertion section 2 extending from a distal end of the operation base 1, and a distal end of the insertion section 2. A bending portion 3 provided in the portion and capable of bending in one direction, for example, upward, and a distal end component portion provided at the distal end portion of the bending portion 3 and having an observation window, an illumination light window (neither is shown), or the like. 4
The outer periphery of the operation base 1 and the outer periphery of the base end of the insertion portion 2 are covered with a covering 5 made of a flexible material such as rubber.

The operation base 1 is made of a material having relatively high rigidity such as a hard plastic, and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The proximal end of the insertion section 2 is inserted and fixed to the distal end of the operation base 1. In addition, at the base end of the operation base 1,
An eyepiece 7 having an eyepiece 6 is provided, and the eyepiece 7 is optically connected to an observation window of the distal end component 4 via an image guide 8 made of an optical fiber. Further, the operation base 1 is provided with a light guide 9 made of an optical fiber. This light guide 9
One end is optically connected to the illumination light window of the distal end component 4 and the other end is connected to a light source device (not shown).

The operation base 1 may be integrally formed as a whole, or may be formed into a cylindrical shape by joining together semi-cylinders divided by a plane including the axis thereof.

The endoscope described above is provided with a bending operation device 10A for performing a bending operation on the bending portion 3.

The bending operation device 10A includes an operation wire 11 inserted and arranged inside the endoscope. One end of the operation wire 11 is
The other end is fixed to the distal end of the bending portion 3,
And extends through the inside of the insertion portion 2 to the inside of the operation base 1. When the operation wire 11 is pulled from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the operation base 1, the bending portion 3 is bent upward in FIG. The operation wire 11
Is inserted into a spiral tube 12, and one end of the spiral tube 12 is fixed to a projection 13 (described later) of the operation base 1, and the other end is fixed to a distal end of the insertion section 2.

On the inner peripheral surface of the operation base 1, two projections 13, 14 are formed. These two projections 13 and 14 are provided on the operation base 1.
Are located at the same location in the circumferential direction of the operating base 1 and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the operating base 1. The protrusion 13 located on the distal end side of the operation base 1 is formed with an insertion hole (insertion portion) 13a penetrating the protrusion 13 in the longitudinal direction of the operation base 1. The operation wire 11 is movably inserted into the insertion hole 13a. On the other hand, the protrusion (locking portion) 14 located on the base end side of the operation base 1 has an insertion hole 13.
An insertion hole 14a whose axis is substantially coincident with a is formed.
The end of the operation wire 11 that has passed through the insertion hole 13a is movably inserted into the insertion hole 14a. However, the operation wire
A stopper 15 larger than the insertion hole 14a is fixed to an end of the eleventh portion. Therefore, the operation wire 11 is connected to the operation base 1.
Can be moved to the base end side, but the movement of the operation base end 1 to the front end side is prevented by the stopper 15 abutting on the projection 14.

The operation base 1 has an operation hole 16 penetrating the wall thereof.
Are formed. This operation hole 16 has two projections 13, 14
It is located between. Therefore, operation hole 16
Will face the operation wire 11. Operation hole
In FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 4, the cover 5 facing the cover 5 is pressed with a finger from the outside, and the tip of the finger is placed on the cover 5.
It is formed so as to be inserted into the operation hole 16 together. The shape is arbitrary as long as it has such a function. For example, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation hole 16 has an elliptical shape whose major axis faces the longitudinal direction of the operation base 1, but the major axis is oriented in a direction orthogonal to that of this embodiment. It may be oriented or it may be circular or any other shape.

When the bending section 3 of the endoscope is bent upward by the bending operation device 10A having the above configuration, the thumb, ring finger and little finger are attached to the lower side of the operation base 1 as shown in FIG. The middle finger is placed on the upper side of the operation base 1, and the operation base 1 is supported by these four fingers. In this case, the thumb is positioned directly below the operation hole 16. Next, the cover 5 located directly above the operation hole 16 is pressed by the index finger, and the tip of the forefinger together with the cover 5 is moved from the operation hole 16 to the operation base 1.
Insert inside. Then, since the operation hole 16 is formed so as to face the operation wire 11, the tip of the index finger presses the operation wire 11 via the cover 5 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. At this time, the operation wire 11 is prevented from moving in the same direction by the protrusions 13 and 14, and the end of the operation wire 11 is prevented from moving from the base end to the tip end of the operation base 1 by the stopper 15. Therefore, the operation wire 11 is pulled by the pressing of the forefinger, whereby the bending portion 3 is bent.

As described above, this bending operation device does not require any operation knob and pulley, or any operation knob, pinion and rack. Accordingly, the weight of the operation base 1 can be reduced by that much, and the operation base 1 itself can be reduced in size and weight. Therefore, the fatigue of the operator can be significantly reduced.

In addition, since the bending operation can be performed with one hand, the contents of the observation can be described with the other hand while observing the inside of the human body by performing the bending operation with one hand, greatly improving the efficiency of observation Can be done.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the bending operation device 10B shown in FIG. 5, the insertion holes 13a and 14a are formed so as to be inclined, and each end of the holes 13a and 14a adjacent to the operation hole 16 is almost in contact with the coating body 5, whereby the operation is performed. The wire 11 is brought close to the covering 5. According to the bending operation device 10B of this embodiment, since the operation wire 11 is close to the covering 5, the insertion length of the finger to be inserted into the operation hole 16 is shortened as compared with the above embodiment. be able to.
Therefore, the bending operation can be performed more easily.

The bending operation device 10C shown in FIG.
1 is arranged above and below the operation base 1 and two operation holes 16 are formed correspondingly. When the upper operation wire 11 is pulled, the bending portion 3 bends upward, and When the operation wire 11 on the side is pulled, the bending portion 3 bends downward. In this case, for example, the bending portion 3 can be bent downward by inserting the thumb into the lower operation hole 16, and the bending portion 3 can be bent upward by inserting the index finger into the upper operation hole 16. Can be curved.

However, in this case, in a state where the bending portion 3 extends straight, the stopper provided on each operation wire 11 is provided.
It is desirable to keep the projection 15 away from the projection 14. If the operation wire 11 has no so-called play so that the bending portion 3 immediately bends in response to the pulling operation of the operation wire 11, the stopper 15 may be brought into contact with the projection 14 so that either one of them can be used. This is because, when the operation wire 11 is pulled, the other operation wire 11 cannot move from the base end side to the distal end side of the operation base 1, so that the bending of the bending portion 3 is hindered.

Further, the bending operation device 10D shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, four operation wires 11 are used and four operation holes 16 (only three are shown) are formed in order to bend in the vertical and horizontal directions. In this case, disposing the operation holes 16 on the same circumference of the operation base 1 causes a problem that the strength of the operation base 1 is reduced and that the operation holes 16 adjacent in the circumferential direction come into contact with each other. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operation holes 16 and 16 for performing the bending operation in the vertical direction are provided.
And operation holes 16, 16 for performing a bending operation in the left-right direction are arranged apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the operation base 1.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the present invention is applicable not only to endoscopes but also to medical catheters used by inserting blood vessels.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the outer periphery of the operation base 1 is covered with the cover 5, but the cover 5 may not be provided. However, when the cover 5 is provided, the operation hole 16 is shielded from the outside, so that there is an advantage that the operation base 1 can be made liquid-tight.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the operation wire is formed by forming an operation hole facing the operation wire in the operation base, inserting a finger through the operation hole and pressing the operation wire. With this configuration, the operation knob and the pulley, or the operation knob, the pinion, and the rack as in the conventional bending operation device are not required, and the operation base can be lightened accordingly. Moreover, since the operation base can be reduced in size, the weight of the operation base can be further reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from getting tired early. In addition, the operation base can be supported and bent with one hand at the same time, so that the observation items can be described while observing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 2 is a side view of an endoscope provided with a bending operation device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 1 with the cover removed, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the bending operation, FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. It is a partially-omitted longitudinal sectional view showing an example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Operation base, 2 ... Insertion part, 3 ... Bending part, 10A-10D ... Bending operation device, 11 ... Operation wire, 13a ... Insertion hole (insertion part), 14 ... Projection (locking part), 16 ... Operation hole .

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An operation base, a bendable bending portion provided in front of the operation base, an operation in which one end is fixed to a distal end of the bending portion and the other end extends to the inside of the operation base. A bending operation device comprising a wire, wherein the operation wire is configured to bend the bending portion by pulling the operation wire, wherein the operation wire is provided on the operation base so that the operation wire is movable in the longitudinal direction and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Is provided with an insertion portion that is inserted in a state where movement is prevented, and the end of the operation wire that has passed through the insertion portion is prevented from moving toward the insertion portion and moves in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. An operation hole is provided in the wall of the operation base facing the operation wire between the insertion portion and the engagement portion, and an operation hole penetrating the wall is formed between the insertion portion and the engagement portion. The bay characterized by Operating device.