JP2966559B2 - Method of manufacturing channel tube for endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a channel tube for an endoscope such as a channel tube for inserting a treatment tool or the like inserted in an endoscope or a channel tube for inserting an operation wire.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a channel tube incorporated in an endoscope is subjected to a bending action accompanying a bending of an endoscope insertion portion, and therefore, it is required to have flexibility not to impair the bending.
In addition, the waist must be strong enough not to bend or buckle even when subjected to a bending action.

For this reason, there has been proposed a channel tube for an endoscope of this type in which a spiral groove is formed on the outer periphery and a steel wire is wound along the spiral groove (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-40002). Gazette).

[0004]

However, in this conventional channel tube for an endoscope, the spiral groove formed on the outer periphery of the channel tube is manufactured by mechanical cutting using a cutting tool. The channel tube is easily damaged during the processing. In addition, they were often cracked or twisted. Further, since the spiral groove is formed by cutting, so-called burrs are easily generated at the edge. Moreover, it was difficult to round the edge of the spiral groove.

[0005] In this type of endoscope channel tube, it is necessary to wind a steel wire along a spiral groove on the outer periphery thereof. Is inserted from one end of the tube, and after this insertion, both ends of the coil member are bonded and fixed to the channel tube.

[0006] However, this method of assembling a coil has the drawbacks that the operation of inserting the coil member is considerably troublesome, and that the coil member to which the coil member is attached is widened, so that the wound steel wire is likely to be loose. Furthermore, since both ends of the coiled steel wire jump up, it has been difficult to bring the coiled steel wire into close contact with the spiral groove of the channel tube. Also, even if both ends of the wound coil-shaped steel wire are fixed to the spiral groove of the channel tube with an adhesive, it is difficult to adhere and fix, and it is easy to drip down or drip down before the adhesive is hardened, There was a tendency for the outer diameter to be partially large.

Further, it has been considered to apply an elastic agent to the outer periphery of this type of endoscope channel tube in which a steel wire is wound along a spiral groove on the outer periphery. In the case of simply coating, there is a disadvantage that the coating agent is uneven, and the elastic agent is biased to the lower side before drying, and the outer diameter of the tube is locally expanded.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a high-quality endoscope channel in which a reinforcing coil member is wound around a predetermined region of a fluororesin channel tube. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an endoscope channel tube that can easily and efficiently manufacture a tube.

[0009]

As shown conceptually in FIG. 1, the present invention relates to an endoscope channel tube in which a reinforcing coil member is wound around a predetermined area of a fluororesin channel tube. A first step of forming a spiral groove for accommodating the coil member on an outer peripheral surface of a predetermined range of the channel tube by heat deformation, and a second step of treating a surface portion of the spiral groove with a chemical.
And a third step of winding a coil member around the spiral groove after the second step, and attaching the coil member to the channel tube after the third step. A method of manufacturing a channel tube for an endoscope, comprising: a fourth step; and a fifth step of coating an elastic agent on an outer surface of the channel tube and an outer surface of a coil member mounted in a spiral groove. A high-quality endoscope channel tube in which a reinforcing coil member is wound around a predetermined region of a fluororesin channel tube is easily and efficiently manufactured.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. First, an embodiment of a first step of forming a spiral groove for accommodating the coil member on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube by heat deformation will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing apparatus used in the first step. This manufacturing apparatus includes a rotary driving device 4 having a collet chuck 3 for holding a channel tube material 2 having a cored bar 1 inserted therein, a wire feeding device 6 for feeding out a grooved wire 5, and a long channel tube blankingly inserted through the cored bar 1. 2 has a core receiving jig 7 for preventing run-out during rotation, and a centering jig 8 for supporting the core 1. The wire supply device 6 is provided with a grooved wire guide 9 for guiding the grooved wire 5 to be fed out. The collet chuck 3 is provided with a set screw 10 for fixing the tip of the grooved wire 5 fed from the wire feeder 6. Reference numeral 11 denotes a heat gun for heating.

Next, the first step will be described in the order of operations. (1) A tube made of Teflon (fluororesin) is cut to a specified size to obtain a channel tube material 2. (2) The core 1 having an outer diameter matching the inner diameter is inserted into the inner cavity of the channel tube material 2. (3) The channel tube material 2 is clamped by the collet chuck 3. At this time, a tape is wrapped around the portion of the channel tube material 2 to be clamped, or a soft material or the like is fixed to the collet chuck 3 side. Make sure that the channel tube material 2 is not damaged. (4) The centering jig 8 is applied to the tip of the core bar 1 to perform centering. (5) The grooved wire 5 is fed out from the wire feeder 6, the tip of the grooved wire 5 is passed through a wire guide 9, and the tip of the grooved wire 5 is wound around a set screw 10 of the collet chuck 3 and fixed. The tension applied to the grooved wire 5 is adjusted by operating an adjustment screw (not shown) of the non-slip means for applying tension to the grooved wire 5. (6) By driving the rotation driving device 4 to rotate the channel tube material 2, the channel tube material 2 is rotated.
The grooved wire 5 is wound around the outer periphery of the. At this time, the fixed head portion of the wire guide 9 is moved in the direction A in FIG. 2 along the longitudinal axis direction of the channel tube material 2 at a speed proportional to the rotation amount of the channel tube material 2 by the rotation driving device 4. Therefore, the grooved wire 5 is wound at a predetermined pitch. The wire guide 9 is provided with a non-slip means for applying tension to the grooved wire 5 to be drawn out. Therefore, the grooved wire 5 is wound around the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2 by tension. (7) In the winding operation of (6), the grooved wire 5 is wound around the softened peripheral surface portion while applying heat to the channel tube material 2 with the heat gun 11. For this reason,
The peripheral surface portion of the channel tube material 2 around which the grooved wire 5 is wound undergoes heating deformation, and is pressed by the grooved wire 5 to form a spiral groove 12. (8) When the grooved wire 5 has been wound around a predetermined area of the channel tube material 2, the grooved wire 5 is cut at the feeding port of the wire guide 9, and the set screw 10 of the collet chuck 3 is loosened to loosen the grooved wire 5. Disconnect. (9) By rotating the grooved wire 5 wound around the channel tube material 2 in the same direction as the wound wire while applying tension to the end corresponding to the set screw 10, the wound wire 5 is wound. Remove from channel tube material 2.

Thus, the spiral groove 12 for accommodating a coil member described later can be easily formed on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube blank 2 in a predetermined range by heating deformation. For this reason, a stable roundness is naturally formed at the edge of the spiral groove 12 without causing so-called burrs. Further, the channel tube material 2 is not broken or scratched.

The channel tube material 2 in which the spiral groove 12 is formed by heat deformation in this manner is subjected to a so-called tetra-H treatment for increasing the adhesiveness of the surface thereof by using a chemical for a later process.

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus used in another embodiment of the first step of forming the spiral groove 12 for accommodating the coil member on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube blank 2 by heat deformation. This apparatus uses a processing wire 16 that is heated by a heating device 15 and loops in a hook shape, instead of the grooved wire 5 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube material 2 to form the spiral groove 12. That is, the processing wire 16 is hung on the peripheral surface of the channel tube material 2, and is moved in the direction A in FIG. 3 along the longitudinal axis direction of the channel tube material 2 with the rotation of the channel tube material 2. Therefore, channel tube material 2
And is deformed by its own heat. Thus, the spiral groove 12 can be formed on the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2 by heating and deforming. Others are the same as those of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows an apparatus used in still another embodiment of the first step of forming the spiral groove 12 for accommodating the coil member on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube blank 2 by heating and deforming. This apparatus has a heating mold 21 which can be divided into two parts, and has a hole 22 for passing the channel tube material 2 and a spiral ridge 23 formed in the hole 22 between the abutting inner surfaces. The channel tube material 2 is passed through the hole 22 of the heating mold 21, and is moved in the direction A in FIG. 4 along the longitudinal axis direction of the channel tube material 2 with the rotation of the channel tube material 2. Then, the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2 is pressed by the spiral ridge 23 and is deformed by its own heat. Thus, the spiral groove 12 can be formed on the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2 by heating and deforming. Others are the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment. In this embodiment, the operation of removing the grooved wire 5 and the like after forming the spiral groove 12 can be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows an apparatus used in still another embodiment of the first step in which the spiral groove 12 for accommodating the coil member is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube blank 2 by heat deformation. This device is a heating mold 25 that can be split into two.
The abutment inner surface has a channel tube material 2
Are formed, and a spiral ridge 27 formed in the hole 26 is formed. When the channel tube material 2 is fitted into the hole 26 of the heating mold 25 and sandwiched and heated, the channel tube material 2 is pressed against the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2 by a spiral ridge 27 and deformed by its own heat. A groove 12 is formed. In this method, the spiral groove 12 can be formed by heating deformation without rotating the heating mold 25.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the first step in which the spiral groove 12 for accommodating the coil member is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube blank 2 by heat deformation. In this embodiment, the coil member 28 having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the channel tube material 2 is fitted to the outer periphery of the coil winding range of the channel tube material 2 through the cored bar 29 with its diameter increased.
Then, the whole is put into a heating furnace and heated. Then, on the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2, the coil member 2
The spiral groove 12 is formed by being tightened at 8. This method can also be formed by heating and deforming the spiral groove 12 without rotating the heating mold 25 and the like.

The method shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 does not require a rotating mechanism or a head moving mechanism, and requires a short time in the spiral groove 1.
2 can be formed.

Next, the step of winding the coil member 31 around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube blank 2 will be described. FIG. 7 shows an apparatus used for the process. This device is a rotary driving device 3 having a collet chuck 33 for holding a channel tube material 2 through which a core bar 32 is inserted.
4, a centering jig 35 for supporting the tip of the cored bar 32, a rotation fixture 36 for holding the other end of the coil member 31, and a moving base 37. The collet chuck 33 can be replaced with another one according to the diameter of the channel tube material 2. The centering jig 35 can move in the axial direction of the channel tube material 2. The rotation fixture 36 is configured such that the tip 38 supporting one end of the coil member 31 can freely rotate with a very small torque with respect to the fixed frame 39, and the fixed frame 39 is formed on the moving base 37. Has a spherical moving element 42 that slides in the feeding groove 41, and the moving element 42 moves along the feeding groove 41. The feed groove 41 includes the rotation driving device 34 and the centering jig 3.
5, the centering jig 35 side of the rotation driving device 34 is formed with a high inclination on the same plane as the center axis method of the channel tube material 2 attached to 5. Although this inclination angle can be changed arbitrarily, the coil member 31 wound around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2 is adjusted so that it is always wound with a constant tension. In addition, the moving base 37
Can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the channel tube material 2, and the movement can adjust the tension at the time of winding the coil member 31. A stopper 43 is provided on the inclined upper end of the feed groove 41.
Is provided, and when the movable element 42 hits the stopper 43, the rotation of the rotary driving device 34 is stopped. When processing the long channel tube material 2, a jig for preventing runout of the rear end is installed.

Next, a procedure for winding the coil member 31 around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube blank 2 using this device will be described. (1) The core metal 32 is inserted into the channel tube material 2, and the collet chuck 33 of the rotation driving device 34 holds it. Thus, the tip of the core bar 32 on the other side is supported by a centering jig 35 so that the core bar 32 can be rotated without center run-out. (2) One or two turns of the coil member 31 are wound around and fixed to the channel tube blank 2, and the other end of the coil member 31 is fixed to the tip 38 of the rotation fixture 36. (3) The position of the moving base 37 is selected and adjusted so as to extend it to a length at which a predetermined initial tension (to the extent that the coil member 31 does not cause permanent deformation). Further, the inclination of the feed groove 41 is adjusted so that the tension is always constant according to the coil member 31. (4) When the rotation drive device 34 is operated to rotate the channel tube material 2, the channel tube material 2 is rotated.
The coil member 31 is wound around the spiral groove 12 from one end side. When the coil member 31 is wound in this manner, a rotational force is generated by twisting on the rotation fixture 36 side, but the tip 38 supporting one end of the coil member 31 rotates extremely lightly with respect to the fixed frame 39. , The twist is eliminated. (5) As the coil member 31 is wound around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube blank 2 in this way, the rotation fixing tool 36 moves toward the centering jig 35 along the feed groove 41. Meanwhile, spiral groove 1 of channel tube material 2
The coil member 31 wound around 2 always winds at a constant tension. (6) When the mover 42 hits the stopper 43 at the upper end of the feed groove 41, the rotation of the rotary driving device 34 stops, and the winding stops. (7) When the winding of the coil member 31 is completed, the coil member 31 is cut just at both ends of the channel tube blank 2.

FIG. 8 shows an apparatus used in another embodiment of the step of winding the coil member 31 around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2. The collet chuck 33 that holds the channel tube blank 2 through which the metal core 32 is inserted is provided with a set screw 46 for attaching one end of the strand 45 of the coil member 31. Also, the coil member 31
Is fed out through a tension adjusting jig 48 supported by a moving head 47. The moving head 47 moves at a constant speed set in proportion to the rotation amount of the channel tube 2 in parallel with the channel tube 2.

Next, a procedure for winding the wire 45 of the coil member 31 around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube blank 2 using this device will be described.

(1) Core metal 32 is used for channel tube material 2
Is inserted, and it is held by the collet chuck 33 of the rotary drive unit 34. Further, the tip of the core bar 32 on the other side is supported by a centering jig 35 so that the core bar 32 can be rotated without center run-out. (2) One end of the wire 45 of the coil member 31 drawn out from the tension adjusting jig 48 of the moving head 47 is
3 and stop. (3) The channel tube material 2 is rotated by the rotation driving device 34, and the moving head 47 is moved at a constant speed set in proportion to the rotation amount of the channel tube material 2. That is, the wire 45 is wound around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2 at the pitch of the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube 2. Further, when the wire 45 wound around in this way is fed out through the tension adjusting jig 48, a constant tension is applied, and the wire 45 is reliably wound while maintaining the constant tension. And
It stops when the coil member 31 is wound around a predetermined range of the spiral groove 12. (4) After the completion of the winding, the coil member 31 is fixed with an instant adhesive so as not to come off at both ends. After this fixation, the strand 45 is cut off from the coil member 31.

According to the method of winding the coil member 31 around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2 by using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the coil member 31 is made uniform with respect to the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2. It is possible to easily perform the loading operation in which the coils are closely wound. In addition, since winding is performed while applying a constant tension, a clamping force always acts on the channel tube 2. Further, since the coil ends are fixed, the coil ends can be prevented from jumping up. When the device shown in FIG. 7 is used, the diameter of the coil member 31 wound around the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2 is made smaller than the diameter of the channel tube material 2 formed at the bottom of the spiral groove 12. The winding force can be improved. In addition, when the device shown in FIG. 8 is used, the wire-like wire 45 may be wound, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a method of loading the coil member 31 in the spiral groove 12 of the channel tube material 2 and fixing both ends of the coil member 31 to the channel tube material 2 with an adhesive as described above. Each is shown.

The method shown in FIG. 9 is performed as follows. First, an adhesive 51 is applied to both ends of the coil member 31 as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in (B), non-adhesive heat-shrinkable tubes 52 are inserted and covered near the areas where the adhesive 51 is applied. Thereafter, as shown in (C), the non-adhesive heat-shrinkable tube 52 is heated by a heat gun 53 while rotating the entirety of the channel tube material 2 to which the non-adhesive heat-shrinkable tube 52 is attached. The heat-shrinkable tube 52 is uniformly shrunk. The adhesive 51 is cured as it is, and after this curing, the non-adhesive heat-shrinkable tube 52 is peeled off as shown in FIG.

As described above, the method of fixing both ends of the coil member 31 with the adhesive is to prevent the adhesive 51 after coating from dripping or falling while preventing the adhesive 51 from becoming thick, and to make the adhesive 51 uniform without partially thickening. Can be cured. In addition, it is possible to prevent the bonding portion from becoming thicker than the outer diameter of the channel tube material 2.

In the method shown in FIG. 10, the dripping portion of the applied adhesive 51 is polished by a polishing machine 55 to remove the dripping. That is, in this polishing machine 55, a rotating device 57 for rotatably holding a metal core 56 for inserting and holding the channel tube material 2 is provided on an XY table 58.
Is installed on the base 59 through the XY table 5
Numeral 8 allows the axial movement of the core bar 56 and the movement perpendicular thereto. The movement in each direction is performed by the handles 61, 6
Operated with 2. The base 59 is provided with a polishing machine 55 having a grinding wheel 60. A plurality of cores 56 are selectively used according to the inner diameter of the channel tube material 2 to be inserted therein.

Then, the core metal 56 of the XY table 58
The channel tube material 2 that has been bonded is inserted and attached. The XY table 58 is moved by operating the handle 61, and the adhesive portion is moved by the rotating grinding wheel 60 of the polishing machine 55.
Contact. In addition, the channel tube material 2 is rotated with one hand and moved in the longitudinal axis direction, and is polished so that the bonded portion on the entire circumference becomes uniform. According to this, the bonded portion can be quickly and uniformly polished, and the variation in the diameter can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to prevent the bonding portion from becoming thicker than the outer diameter of the channel tube material 2.

Next, the step of applying a reinforcing elastic material to the outer periphery of the channel tube blank 2 obtained through the above-described steps will be described with reference to FIG. A core is inserted in advance into the channel tube material 2 around which the coil member 31 is wound, and the end is sealed with a seal tape 63 or the like. Then, as shown in (A) to (B), the channel tube material 2 is immersed in the elastic agent 64 having a constant viscosity from the front end side, and then pulled up as shown in (C) to thereby increase the channel tube. An elastic agent 64 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the material 2 to form an elastic material. Next, the non-adhesive heat-shrinkable tube 66 is covered as shown in (D), and the heat-shrinkable tube 66 is shrunk by heating with a heat gun 67 as shown in (E). Thereby, the elastic agent 64 applied to the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube material 2 is pressed and uniformly applied. When the elastic agent 64 has hardened, the heat-shrinkable tube 66 is peeled off and removed. Therefore, the elastic material is uniformly applied to the outer periphery of the channel tube material 2. Further, the bias of the elastic agent and the swelling of the outer diameter due to the application of the elastic agent 64 can be regulated, and the outer diameter accuracy can be stabilized.

As a method for curing the elastic agent 64 applied to the outer peripheral surface of the channel tube material 2, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 12 may be used. That is, FIG.
In the apparatus denoted by reference numeral 2, reference numeral 70 denotes a chuck 7 for receiving one end of the channel tube blank 2 into which the core metal 71 is inserted.
This is a jig having a 1. Reference numeral 72 denotes a belt for transmitting the rotation of the motor 73 to the channel tube blank 2 into which the core is inserted.

When the elastic agent 64 applied to the outer periphery is dried as described above, the channel tube material 2 is supported by a jig 70, and the rotation of the motor 73 is rotated via the belt 72 by the channel tube material 2. 2 The channel tube material 2 is rotated at a low speed until the applied elastic agent 64 is cured.
When the elastic agent 64 is of a thermosetting type, it is put into a drying oven or the like and cured.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and efficiently manufacture an endoscope channel tube in which a reinforcing coil member is wound around a predetermined region of a fluororesin channel tube. As a result, a high-quality channel tube for an endoscope free from the conventional drawbacks can be manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view conceptually showing steps of a manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an apparatus used in a step of forming a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube.

FIG. 3 (A) is an explanatory view of another apparatus used in a step of forming a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube, and FIG. 3 (B) is a front view of a main part thereof.

FIG. 4 (A) is an explanatory view of still another apparatus used in a step of forming a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube,
(8) is a sectional view of the main part.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of still another different apparatus used in the step of forming a spiral groove on the outer periphery of the channel tube.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of still another different apparatus used in the step of forming a spiral groove on the outer periphery of the channel tube.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an apparatus used in a step of winding a coil member around a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of another device used in a step of winding a coil member around a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D are explanatory views of a step of bonding both ends of a coil member wound around a spiral groove on the outer periphery of a channel tube to the channel tube.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of another treatment device used in a step of bonding both ends of a coil member wound around a spiral groove on the outer periphery of the channel tube to the channel tube.

11 (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) are explanatory views of a step of coating an outer periphery of a channel tube around which a coil member is wound with an elastic agent.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an apparatus used in a step of coating an outer periphery of a channel tube around which a coil member is wound with an elastic agent.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Core metal, 2 ... Channel tube material, 5 ... Grooved wire material, 11 ... Heat gun, 12 ... Spiral groove, 15 ... Heating device, 16 ... Processing wire, 21 ... Heating mold, 22 ... Hole,
25 ... heating mold, 26 ... hole, 28 ... coil member, 31 ...
Coil member, 45: strand, 51: adhesive, 52: heat shrink tube, 55: polishing machine, 64: elastic agent.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61B 1/00-1/32 G02B 23/24

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a channel tube for an endoscope in which a reinforcing coil member is wound around a predetermined region of a channel tube made of a fluororesin, wherein the coil member is housed on an outer peripheral surface of a predetermined region of the channel tube. A first step of forming a spiral groove to be formed by heating deformation, a second step of treating a surface portion of the spiral groove with a chemical, and, after completion of the second step, winding and mounting a coil member around the spiral groove. A third step, after the third step, a fourth step of adhering and fixing both ends of the coil member to the channel tube, and an outer surface of the channel tube and an outer surface of the coil member attached to the spiral groove. A fifth step of coating the elastic agent; and a method of manufacturing a channel tube for an endoscope, comprising: