JP4199493B2 - Connector structure of electronic endoscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
【Technical field】
The present invention relates to a connector part structure of an electronic endoscope.
[Prior art and its problems]
The electronic endoscope includes a connector portion that can be attached to and detached from a separate processor at the distal end portion of the universal tube extended from the operation portion. The connector portion is inserted with a signal transmission cable for transmitting an image signal from the CCD (imaging means) to the processor, a light guide for transmitting light emitted from the light source unit in the processor to the distal end of the insertion portion, and the like as a whole. Covered by a casing. This outer casing is generally made of a synthetic resin material. Conventionally, the universal tube and the connector portion are connected by connecting the distal end portion of the universal tube to the connection portion of the outer casing and tightening the connection portion with a nut.
[0002]
However, conventionally, it has been difficult to determine how much the nut should be tightened, and the outer casing may be cracked due to excessive tightening of the nut.
[0003]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to obtain a connector part structure of an electronic endoscope that can be assembled without causing a case crack.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a connector portion provided at a distal end portion of a universal tube extended from an operation portion of an electronic endoscope and attached to and detached from a processor is connected to a signal transmission cable built in the universal tube. Shield case with built-in electronic circuit; Outer casing made of synthetic resin divided into two to store the built-in case including this shield case; Inserted into the connecting opening that accepts the universal tube of this outer casing, inside and outside of the outer casing made to communicate with connecting rings connecting the internal case and the universal tube; screwed from the outer casing outside and the outer periphery of the connecting ring to secure each and the connecting ring of the outer casing being the bisected tightening nut; equipped with, in the connecting ring, nuts tightened with the tightening It is characterized in being a stopper is formed to abut against the inside outer casing when it is.
[0005]
According to the above configuration, when the tightening nut is tightened, the stopper comes into contact with the inner side of the outer casing and the tightening amount of the tightening nut is restricted, so that the outer casing can be easily assembled without breaking.
[0006]
The present invention can also be applied to a case where a valve that blocks or communicates between the inside and outside of the outer casing is attached to the outer casing with a tightening nut. That is, a valve that shuts off or communicates between the inside and outside of the outer casing; a connection ring that is inserted into the valve mounting opening of the outer casing and communicates between the inside and outside of the outer casing and fixes the valve to the outer casing; A fastening nut that is screwed from the outside of the casing to fix each of the two outer casings and the connecting ring; and when the fastening nut is tightened to the connecting ring, It is preferable that a stopper to be in contact is formed.
[0007]
The stopper is preferably provided on the outer periphery of the connecting ring or the connecting ring so as to be positioned on the side opposite to the side on which the tightening nut is screwed to the outer casing.
[0008]
It is practical to set the clearance between the outer casing and the stopper to be not less than 1/2 times and not more than 3/4 times the screw pitch interval of the tightening nut.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an electronic endoscope 1 to which the present invention is applied. The electronic endoscope 1 includes a flexible insertion portion 2, a base operation portion 3, a universal tube 4 extended from the operation portion 3, and a connector portion 5 provided at the distal end of the universal tube 4. However, it can be attached to and detached from the processor 6 via the connector portion 5. The insertion unit 2 is provided with a CCD 7 for electronically converting an image formed by the objective optical system at the distal end of the insertion unit. The image is transmitted by the cable 24, processed by the processor 6, and displayed on the TV monitor 8. In addition, an illumination window is disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion. The illumination window is illuminated from a light source in the processor 6 through a light guide that passes from the connector portion 5 to the universal tube 4, the operation portion 3, and the insertion portion 2. Light is sent. The operation unit 3 includes a large number of operation switches, and information about each switch is transmitted to the processor 6 via the operation unit 3, the universal tube 4, and the remote cable 25 inserted into the connector unit 5. Between the insertion portion 2 and the operation portion 3, a treatment instrument insertion protrusion 9 is provided for inserting the treatment instrument through the distal end of the insertion section.
[0010]
The connector 5 includes a connection plug 10 connected to a circuit system in the processor 6, a light guide plug 11 connected to a light source unit in the processor 6, and the pressure inside and outside the endoscope to be equal. The sub-water supply port 13 and the air / water supply port 14 communicated with the pressure adjustment valve 12 and the sub-water supply channel 21 and the air / water supply channel 22 inside the endoscope, respectively, project. On the surface opposite to the surface on which the auxiliary water supply port 13 and the air / water supply port 14 are formed, a suction port 15 (FIG. 2) communicating with the suction channel 23 inside the endoscope and safety when using a high-frequency treatment instrument are provided. A feedback terminal (not shown) is provided for securing.
[0011]
Below, the structure of the connector part 5 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 2, the connector portion 5 includes an outer casing 16 made of a synthetic resin that forms an outer shell, and a built-in case 17 positioned in the outer casing 16. The built-in case 17 includes a metal channel case 18 and a shield case 19, and an insulating connection case 20 that connects both cases. The sub-water supply port 13, the air / water supply port 14, the suction port 15 and the return terminal are fixed to the channel case 18, and extends from the universal tube 4 to the sub-water supply port 13, the air / water supply port 14 and the suction port 15. The auxiliary water supply channel 21, the air / water supply channel 22 and the suction channel 23 communicate with each other. On the other hand, a CCD cable 24, a remote cable 25, and a light guide 26 extending from the universal tube 4 are inserted into the shield case 19 through a channel case 18 and a connection case 20. The CCD cable 24 and the remote cable 25 are inserted into the insertion hole 27a of the magnetic core 27 in the shield case 19 and connected to the electronic circuit board. The light guide 26 is guided from the shield case 19 to the light guide plug 11 attached to the outer casing 16. Further, the connection plug 10 and the pressure adjusting valve 12 are attached to the shield case 19.
[0013]
The outer casing 16 is a casing that is divided into a front case and a back case. The outer casing 16 has a universal opening in addition to the connection plug 10, the light guide plug 11, the pressure adjustment valve 12, the auxiliary water supply port 13, the air / water supply port 14, the suction port 15 and the return terminal. A connection opening 16a for receiving the tube 4 is formed. A hollow cylindrical connecting ring 28 that allows the inside and outside of the outer casing 16 to communicate with each other is inserted into the connecting opening 16 a via an O-ring 29.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting ring 28 has an annular fitting step 28 a on the inner periphery of the end protruding outward from the outer casing 16, and the fitting step 28 a is connected to the tip cap 4 a of the universal tube 4. The fixed rotary tube 30 is fitted so as to be relatively rotatable. Further, a screw groove 28b is formed on the outer periphery of the connecting ring 28, and the tightening nut 31 is screwed into the screw groove 28b from the outer side of the outer casing 16 (universal tube 4 side). The fastening force of the fastening nut 31 is applied to the front and back cases, and the connector portion 5 and the universal tube 4 are fixed. A connecting portion between the connecting ring 28 and the universal tube 4 is covered with a cylindrical pressing rubber 32.
[0015]
The connecting ring 28 further has an annular recess 28c and a stopper 28d on the outer periphery of the inner end portion of the outer casing 16. The inner flange portion 18a of the channel case 18 is locked in the annular recess 28c. The stopper 28d is an annular protrusion that protrudes in the outer circumferential direction of the connecting ring 28, and its outer diameter is substantially equal to the diameter (one side length) of the inner flange portion 18a as shown in FIG. When the tightening nut 31 is tightened to the maximum extent, the connecting ring 28 is pulled and the stopper 28d contacts the inner side 16c of the outer casing, and the tightening amount of the tightening nut 31 is regulated so as not to exceed the maximum tightening amount. . The clearance A between the stopper 28d and the outer casing 16 is practically about 1/2 times or more and 3/4 times or less the screw pitch interval between the screw groove 28b and the tightening nut 31.
[0016]
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the connection structure of the pressure regulating valve 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressure regulating valve 12 is inserted into a hollow cylindrical connection ring 33 that communicates the inside and outside of the outer casing 16, and is fixed to the outer casing 16 and the shield case 19 via the connection ring 33. . The connection ring 33 is inserted into the mounting opening 16 b of the outer casing 16 through the O-ring 34. A screw groove portion 33a is formed on the outer periphery of the connection ring 33, and a tightening nut 38 is screwed into the screw groove portion 33a from the outside of the outer casing 16 (on the pressure regulating valve 12 side). The tightening force of the tightening nut 38 is applied to the front and back cases, and the connector portion 5 and the pressure regulating valve 12 are fixed.
[0017]
The connection ring 33 further has an annular recess 33b and a stopper 33c on the outer periphery of the end on the shield case 19 side. A part of a fixing pin 37 for fixing the insulating plate 36 to the shield case 19 is locked in the annular recess 33b. The stopper 33 c is an annular protrusion that protrudes in the outer peripheral direction of the connection ring 33. When the tightening nut 38 is tightened to the maximum extent, the connection ring 33 is pulled. As a result, the stopper 33c comes into contact with the inner side 16d of the outer casing, and the tightening amount of the tightening nut 38 is regulated so as not to exceed the maximum tightening amount. The The clearance A between the stopper 33c and the outer casing 16 is practically about 1/2 times or more and 3/4 times or less the screw pitch interval between the screw groove portion 33a and the tightening nut 38.
[0018]
The connector part 5 and the universal tube 4 are connected as follows.
First, the connection ring 28 is inserted into the connection opening 16 a of the outer casing 16 through the O-ring 29. Next, the inner flange portion 18 a of the channel case 18 is locked in the annular recess 28 c of the connecting ring 28. Then, the tightening nut 31 is screwed into the thread groove portion 28 b of the connecting ring 28. At this time, a tightening force is applied to the front and back cases of the outer casing 16 from the tightening nut 31, and the connecting ring 28 is pulled outward of the outer casing 16. When the tightening amount of the tightening nut 31 reaches the preset maximum tightening amount, the stopper 28d of the connecting ring 28 contacts the inner side 16c of the outer casing, and the tightening amount of the tightening nut 31 is regulated. . That is, when the tightening nut 31 is screwed together, the tightening nut 31 stops when the tightening amount of the tightening nut 31 reaches the maximum tightening amount. Thereby, the connecting ring 28 is fixed to the outer casing 16. Subsequently, the cylindrical pressing rubber 32 is inserted into the universal tube 4, and the rotary tube 30 is fixed to the tip cap 4 a. Then, the rotary tube 30 is fitted into the fitting step portion 28 a of the connecting ring 28, and the tubular pressing rubber 32 is put on the connecting portion between the connecting ring 28 and the universal tube 4. The universal tube 4 and the connector part 5 are connected by the above.
[0019]
Similarly, the connector part 5 and the pressure regulating valve 12 are connected as follows.
First, the connection ring 33 is inserted into the mounting opening 16 b of the outer casing 16 through the O-ring 34. Next, a part of the fixing pin 37 is locked in the annular recess 33 b of the connection ring 33, and the connection ring 33 and the shield case 19 are fixed. Then, the pressure regulating valve 12 is inserted into the connection ring 33 through the O-ring 39, and the tightening nut 38 is screwed into the thread groove 33 a of the connection ring 33 through the washer 35. The tightening nut 38 stops when the tightening amount reaches the maximum tightening amount. Thus, the connector unit 5 and the pressure adjustment valve 12 are connected.
[0020]
As described above, in this embodiment, when the tightening amounts of the tightening nuts 31 and 38 reach the maximum tightening amount, the stoppers 28d and 33c come into contact with the outer casing inner sides 16c and 16d, respectively, and the tightening nuts 31 and 38 are engaged. The amount of tightening is regulated. That is, the tightening force of the tightening nuts 31 and 38 is not excessively applied to the outer casing 16. Therefore, the outer casing 16 can be easily assembled without breaking, and assembly defects can be reduced.
[0021]
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiment, the connector part structure of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, the present invention can be applied to a sub-water supply base, an air / water supply base, and a connection structure of a suction base in addition to a universal tube and a pressure adjustment valve. Further, the stopper may be formed on the entire outer periphery of the connecting ring or the connecting ring or may be formed on a part of the outer periphery.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
According to the connector part structure of the present invention, assembly is possible without causing a case crack.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an electronic endoscope to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a connector portion provided at a distal end portion of a universal tube.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between a universal tube and a connector portion.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between a pressure regulating valve and a connector portion.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic endoscope 4 Universal tube 5 Connector part 12 Pressure adjustment valve 16 Outer casing 16a Connection opening 16b Mounting opening 16c Outer casing inner side 16d Outer casing inner side 17 Built-in case 18 Channel case 18a Inner flange part 19 Shield case 28 Connecting ring 28a Fitting step 28b Thread groove 28c Annular recess 28d Stopper 30 Rotating tube 31 Tightening nut 32 Cylindrical presser rubber 33 Connection ring 33a Thread groove 33b Annular recess 33c Stopper 36 Insulating plate 37 Fixing pin 38 Tightening nut

Claims (5)

In the connector part which is provided at the distal end part of the universal tube extended from the operation part of the electronic endoscope and which is attached to and detached from the processor,
A shield case containing an electronic circuit connected to a signal transmission cable built in the universal tube;
An outer casing made of synthetic resin that is divided into two to house the built-in case including the shield case;
A connecting ring that is inserted into a connecting opening for receiving the universal tube of the outer casing and connects the universal tube and the built-in case by communicating the inside and outside of the outer casing ; and
A fastening nut that is screwed onto the outer periphery of the connecting ring from the outside of the outer casing and fixes each of the two outer casings and the connecting ring ;
A connector part structure for an electronic endoscope , wherein the connecting ring is formed with a stopper that contacts the inner side of the outer casing when the tightening nut is tightened . The connector part structure of an electronic endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper is located on an outer periphery of the connecting ring on a side opposite to a side on which the tightening nut is screwed to the outer casing, A connector structure of a protruding electronic endoscope. In the connector part structure of the electronic endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising:
A valve that shuts off or communicates the inside and outside of the outer casing;
A connecting ring that is inserted into the valve mounting opening of the outer casing and connects the inside and outside of the outer casing to fix the valve to the outer casing;
A fastening nut that is screwed onto the outer periphery of the connection ring from the outside of the outer casing and fixes each of the two outer casings and the connection ring;
A connector part structure of an electronic endoscope in which a stopper that contacts the inner side of the outer casing when a tightening nut is tightened is formed on the connection ring . The connector part structure of the electronic endoscope according to claim 3 , wherein the stopper is located on an outer periphery of the connection ring on a side opposite to a side on which the tightening nut is screwed to the outer casing, A connector structure of a protruding electronic endoscope. 5. The connector part structure of an electronic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the clearance between the outer casing and the stopper is set to 1/2 or more and 3/4 times the screw pitch interval of the tightening nut. Connector structure of electronic endoscope set as follows.

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