JP3262890B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus using a flexible pipe for observing the inside of a body cavity such as a pipe such as a gas pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A flexible tube used for an endoscope has an elastically deformable distal end generally called a curved portion. Various mechanisms are known as a mechanism for bending the bending portion, and one of the mechanisms uses the pressure of a fluid such as a gas. The bending mechanism using the pressure of the fluid has a plurality of air chambers provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and means for appropriately feeding gas into the predetermined air chamber. When you want to bend a curved part in a certain direction,
The gas is sent into the air chamber located on the opposite side of the direction. If the supply of gas is continued as it is, the internal pressure increases and the air chamber expands. As a result, the bending portion bends in the direction opposite to the side where the expanded air chamber is located.

[0003]

The smaller the diameter of the flexible tube is, the more preferable the flexible tube is, considering the ease of insertion and the freedom in the body cavity and the inside of the tube. However, in the flexible tube using the bending mechanism using the pressure of the gas described above, a flow path for feeding the gas is provided for each air chamber.
The current situation is that the diameter has increased. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus using a flexible tube having a relatively small diameter and having an air chamber and a flow path for a bending mechanism using gas pressure.

[0004]

An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
An endoscope having a curved portion made of an elastically deformable material and having a plurality of circumferentially provided air chambers, and a plurality of flow paths for sending gas to the air chambers; A control device includes a cylinder for sending the gas to a path and a control valve for selectively sending gas from the cylinder to the plurality of flow paths.

[0005]

In the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, gas is supplied by the cylinder, and the air chamber into which the gas is sent is selected by the control valve provided in the control device. Therefore, the endoscope device of the present invention can be a compact device excellent in portability.

[0006]

Next, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as a first embodiment, an endoscope apparatus using the flexible tube of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes an insertion section 2 (flexible tube), an operation section 3, a universal cord 4, a light source 5, and a control device 6. The insertion portion 2 is formed in a tube shape having a circular cross section, and has a curved portion 7 at a tip portion thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bending portion 7 has a distal end hard portion 8 at its distal end and a connecting member 9 at its proximal end. As shown in FIG. 3, the curved portion 7 is formed of an elastic tube, and has four air chambers 10 each having a fan-shaped cross section. Both ends of the air chamber 10 are connected to the hard end portion 8.
And the connecting member 9, and the joint is kept airtight.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting member 9 has a total of four through holes formed one by one at positions corresponding to the respective air chambers 10. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the air chambers 10 is provided with one pressurized tube 11 that reaches the distal end hard portion 8 through the through hole of the connection member 9. The through hole of the connection member 9 and the outer periphery of the pressure tube 11 are joined in an airtight manner. Of the four pressurizing tubes 11, one has an image guide fiber 13 and the other two have a light guide fiber 12.
However, it passes through a gap through which gas can flow. Light guide fiber 12 and image guide fiber 13
The distal end is hermetically fixed to the rigid distal end portion 8 and is optically coupled to a lens provided on the rigid distal end portion 8. An air supply hole 14 is provided near the distal end of the pressurization tube 11, and the air chamber 10 and the internal space of the pressure tube 11 are connected through the air supply hole 14.

The pressurizing tube 11 passes through the insertion section 2, the operation section 3, and the universal cord 4, and is connected to a direction control valve (not shown) provided in the control device 6. The directional control valve is connected to a pressurized tube 1 from an air cylinder (not shown).
1 to control the flow rate of the air sent to the inside of the device 1.
The light guide fiber 12 is connected to the light source 5 and the image guide fiber 13 is connected to the eyepiece. The operation unit 3 includes a bending switch 1 for determining a bending direction.
5 is provided on the side surface. This bending switch 15
Is electrically connected to a control circuit that controls the directional control valve.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
Hereinafter, a case where the bending portion 7 is bent downward in FIG. 2 will be described as an example. When a predetermined switch of the bending switch 15 is pressed to bend the bending portion 7 downward, the control circuit inside the control device 6 controls the directional control valve connected to the upper pressurizing tube 11 to control the air cylinder. Compressed air in the inside is sent to the upper pressurized tube 11. The compressed air reaches the distal end through a gap formed between the inside of the pressurized tube 11 and the fiber 12 or 13, and flows into the air chamber 10 from the air supply hole 14. When the compressed air flows in, the air chamber 10 expands as shown in FIG. Due to the expansion of the air chamber 10, the upper portion of the curved portion 7 becomes longer by that amount, and the curved portion 7 is bent downward as a whole.

As described above, the inner wall of the pressurized tube 11 and the fiber 12
Or, since the gap formed between 13 is used, the insertion portion 2 (flexible tube) is configured to be thinner than a flexible tube provided with a separate flow path for sending air to the air chamber.

In the embodiment, the endoscope device using the flexible tube of the present invention has been described. However, the flexible tube of the present invention may be used for other devices, for example, a catheter as shown in FIG. . Subsequently, as a second embodiment, a bending portion having a configuration different from that of the bending portion described in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0014] As shown in FIG.
The configuration is very similar to the curved portion described in the first embodiment. In the figure, members that have already been described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The difference from the curved portion of the first embodiment is that orifices 16a and 16b are provided inside the air chamber 10 so as to divide it into three equal parts. For convenience of explanation, the air chamber 1 divided by the orifice 16
Each of the portions 0 is defined as an air chamber 10a, an air chamber 10b, and an air chamber 10c from the tip side.

Next, the operation will be described by taking as an example a case where the bending portion 7 is bent downward as in the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, when compressed air is sent to the upper pressurizing tube 11 by operating the bending switch, the compressed air
4 and flows into the air chamber 10 (air chamber portion 10a).
The compressed air flowing into the air chamber 10a is
And the flow velocity is weakened, and flows into the air chamber 10b. The flow rate of the air flowing into the air chamber 10b is further reduced by the orifice 16b, and flows into the air chamber 10c. Therefore,
Initially, as shown in FIG. 8A, only the air chamber 10a expands. Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the air chamber 10b expands following the air chamber 10a. At this time,
Since the air is not sufficiently fed into the air chamber 10c, it has not yet expanded. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8C, the air chamber 10c expands following the air chamber 10a and the air chamber 10b.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the curved portion can be made thinner, and the air chamber 10 is divided into three equal parts by the orifices 16a and 16b, so that the curved angle can be finely adjusted easily. .

Finally, as a third embodiment, a curved portion having a further different configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the bending portion of this embodiment has a configuration very similar to the bending portion described in the first embodiment. In the drawing, members already described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In this embodiment, a regulating member 17 made of non-stretchable fiber such as polyester fiber or aromatic polyamide fiber (Kepler) or ultrafine metal fiber is spirally embedded inside the elastic tube of the curved portion 7.

In FIG. 9, as in the first embodiment, when compressed air is sent to the upper pressurizing tube 11 to bend the curved portion 7 downward, the compressed air passes through the air supply hole 14 and is supplied to the air chamber 1.
And the air chamber 10 is about to expand. But,
Since the regulating member 17 is embedded in the elastic tube, it does not expand in the radial direction. For this reason, the air chamber 10
Is longer in the axial direction, so that the curved portion 7 bends downward.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the curved portion can be configured to be thin, and when compressed air is sent into the air chamber 10, the air chamber 10 expands only in the axial direction and expands in the radial direction. Therefore, the bending portion 7 does not become thick even when bent.

[0020]

According to the present invention, since the flow path for sending gas to the air chamber and the channel for passing the internal components are formed by a common conduit, the diameter of the gas is relatively small. Thus, an endoscope apparatus using a flexible tube having an air chamber and a flow path for a bending mechanism using the pressure described above can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an entire endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment using a flexible tube of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of the curved portion shown in FIG. 1 cut along a plane including a central axis.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of the curved portion shown in FIG. 1 taken along a plane perpendicular to a central axis.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of the connecting member shown in FIG. 2 taken along a plane perpendicular to a central axis.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a cross section taken along a plane including a central axis in a state where the bending portion shown in FIG. 1 is bent.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an entire catheter using the flexible tube of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a cross section of a curved portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane including a central axis.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a state when the bending portion in FIG. 7 is bent.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a cross section of a curved portion according to a third embodiment of the present invention, taken along a plane including a central axis.

10 is a diagram illustrating a cross section taken along a plane including a central axis in a state where the curved portion illustrated in FIG. 9 is bent.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 ... bending part, 10 ... air chamber, 11 ... pressure tube, 14
... air vents.

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yasuo Hirata 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside O-Limpus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroki Moriyama 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo O-Limpus Optics (56) References JP-A-4-197330 (JP, A) JP-A-2-134132 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 1 / 00-1/32 G02B 23/24-23/26

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An endoscope having a curved portion made of an elastically deformable material and having a plurality of air chambers provided in a circumferential direction, and a plurality of flow paths for sending gas to the air chambers. An endoscope comprising: a cylinder for sending the gas to the plurality of flow paths; and a control device including a control valve for selectively sending gas from the cylinder to the plurality of flow paths. apparatus.