JP4390528B2 - Endoscope bending device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope bending apparatus.

In an endoscope, generally, an operation wire is pulled by operating a bending operation member disposed in an operation unit, and the bending unit provided near the distal end of the flexible insertion unit corresponds to the pulling amount of the operation wire. To bend. In order to prevent the bending portion from being bent excessively, a stopper that restricts the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire is provided on the operation portion (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 58-64301 A

  The stopper is provided so that a built-in object such as an optical fiber bundle inserted and disposed inside the bending portion is not damaged and is not damaged. In the conventional endoscope bending apparatus as described above, The maximum traction amount by the stopper is adjusted by the manufacturer at the time of manufacture or regular maintenance, so that the user cannot change the maximum traction amount.

  However, for example, when using a treatment instrument having a long distal end hard part length, if the bending part is bent to the maximum extent, the treatment tool cannot pass through the treatment instrument insertion channel in the bending part, There is a case where the treatment instrument or the treatment instrument insertion channel is damaged by an excessive pushing operation. In particular, when a puncture type treatment tool is used, a treatment tool insertion channel may be pierced with a needle to cause a near-loss failure such as a water leak accident.

  In addition, the damage of the built-in object such as an optical fiber bundle occurs due to the entanglement of the bending state of the entire flexible insertion portion and the bending state of the bending portion, so in the state where the flexible insertion portion is strongly bent, If the maximum bending angle of the bending portion is not suppressed, the built-in object may be damaged.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an endoscope bending apparatus that contributes to improving the durability of an endoscope by enabling an operator to suppress the maximum bending angle of the bending portion as needed while using the endoscope. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope bending apparatus according to the present invention is provided near the distal end of a flexible insertion portion by pulling an operation wire by operating a bending operation member disposed in an operation portion. An endoscope bending apparatus in which the bent portion is bent according to the pulling amount of the operation wire, and the endoscope is provided with a stopper for restricting the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire. In this bending apparatus, a shape memory alloy material that undergoes a predetermined deformation due to a temperature change is used as a stopper, and a stopper heating means that can arbitrarily heat the stopper when energized is provided. The maximum pulling amount of the operation wire can be controlled by heating and deforming.

  In addition, the switch for performing energization control by the stopper heating means may be disposed within a range that can be operated by the operator holding the operation unit, or bend for detecting the bending state of the flexible insertion unit. State detection means may be provided, and energization control to the stopper heating means may be performed in response to an output signal from the bending state detection means.

  According to the present invention, a shape memory alloy material is used as a stopper for the operation wire that bends the bending portion, and the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire can be controlled by heat-deforming the stopper with the stopper heating means. This makes it possible for the surgeon to easily suppress the maximum bending angle of the bending portion as necessary while using the endoscope, and to improve the durability of the endoscope.

  As a stopper for regulating the maximum pulling amount of the bending operation wire, a stopper heating means that can arbitrarily heat the stopper by energization is provided by using a shape memory alloy material that undergoes a predetermined deformation due to a temperature change, The maximum pulling amount of the operation wire can be controlled by heat-deforming the stopper with the stopper heating means.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of the endoscope, and a bending portion 21 is provided at the distal end portion of the flexible insertion portion 20 connected to the lower end of the operation portion 10.

  Then, by rotating the bending operation knob 11 (bending operation member) disposed in the operation unit 10 in an arbitrary direction, the pair of the insertion operation from the operation unit 10 into the flexible insertion unit 20 is performed. One of the operation wires 22 is pulled, and the bending portion 21 is bent by an angle corresponding to the pulling amount of the operation wire 22 as indicated by a broken line. The other operation wire 22 is pushed out from the operation unit 10 toward the bending unit 21.

  A movable stopper 23 that moves integrally with the operation wire 22 is attached to a portion of the operation wire 22 that is located in the operation unit 10, and is fixed to the fixed stopper 12 that is fixedly disposed in the operation unit 10. When the movable stopper 23 collides, the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire 22 is regulated.

  The fixed stopper 12 is formed entirely or partially from a shape memory alloy material that undergoes a predetermined deformation due to a temperature change, as will be described later, and a drive circuit 30 arranged outside to energize the fixed stopper 12. The (stopper heating means) and the fixed stopper 12 are connected by a heating power supply line 31.

  A manual switch 13 for turning on / off the drive circuit 30 is disposed in the operation unit 10, and the manual switch 13 and the drive circuit 30 are connected by a switch signal line 32. Reference numeral 19 denotes an inlet of a treatment instrument insertion channel that is inserted through the entire length of the flexible insertion portion 20 in order to allow the treatment instrument to pass therethrough.

  1 and 2 each show a state in which the bending operation knob 11 is rotated and the movable stopper 23a attached to the pulling-side operation wire 22 hits the fixed stopper 12, and FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the fixed stopper 12 is energized.

  In this embodiment, the fixed stopper 12 formed in a substantially “mountain” shape is fixed to the frame 14 plate of the operation unit 10 by a small screw 15 in the vicinity of the top, and slits formed on both sides. The operation wire 22 passes through the shaped portion.

  Since the slit-like portion is formed to have a width that the movable stoppers 23a and 23b cannot pass through, the operation wire 22 can be pulled further to the bending operation knob 11 side when the movable stoppers 23a and 23b collide with the portions. Disappear.

  The fixed stopper 12 is formed of a shape memory alloy in a portion other than the vicinity of the fixed portion by the small screw or the whole, and when the temperature is higher than a certain level (for example, about 50 to 60 ° C. or more) from the normal temperature state shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the memory shape is extended in the vertical direction, and when it returns to room temperature, it returns to the short shape shown in FIG.

  A heating power supply line 31 is connected to the top and bottom of the fixed stopper 12, and the fixing circuit 12 is fixed by energizing the heating power supply line 31 from the drive circuit 30 and flowing a current through the fixed stopper 12. The stopper 12 is heated and extended in the downward direction shown in FIG. 2, and the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire 22 is reduced as shown by E in FIG. 2, and the maximum bending angle of the bending portion 21 is increased. Decrease.

  In the endoscope bending apparatus of the embodiment configured as described above, by manually operating the manual switch 13 provided in the operation unit 10, the energization to the fixed stopper 12 by the drive circuit 30 is arbitrarily turned on / off. can do.

  Therefore, in normal use, the manual switch 13 can be turned off and the bending portion 21 can be bent to a large maximum bending angle as indicated by A in FIG. 4, for example, a puncture type with a long distal end hard portion length. When inserting the treatment instrument or the like from the entrance 19 of the treatment instrument insertion channel, the maximum bending angle of the bending portion 21 is reduced as indicated by B in FIG. It is possible to prevent damage to the treatment instrument insertion channel.

  FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a bending state detection sensor 40 (bending state detecting means) for detecting the entire bending state of the flexible insertion portion 20 is provided in the flexible insertion portion 20. It is attached. Since the principle and structure of the bending state detection sensor 40 are described in many patent publications such as JP-A-2002-253481, the description thereof is omitted.

  The structure of the fixed stopper 12 disposed in the operation unit 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the fixed stopper 12 is detected by the bending state detection sensor 40 and output from the optical signal input / output device 41. The detection signal of the bending state of the flexible insertion unit 20 is guided to the control unit 42 incorporating a microcomputer or the like, and the on / off of the drive circuit 30 is controlled according to the entire bending state of the flexible insertion unit 20. The control signal is input to the drive circuit 30 via the digital / analog converter 43.

  By doing in this way, the on / off control of the drive circuit 30 is performed corresponding to the entire bending state of the flexible insertion portion 20 detected by the bending state detection sensor 40, and the flexible insertion portion 20 is When it is in a strongly bent state, the maximum bending angle of the bending portion 20 can be suppressed to prevent damage to the built-in object.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the position of the manual switch 13 is not limited to the operation unit 10, and the light source device can be operated as long as the operator holding the operation unit 10 can operate it. It may be arranged on a panel or the like, or a foot switch or the like.

  Further, as a structure for heating the fixed stopper 12, the heating power supply line 31 is not directly connected to the fixed stopper 12, for example, the heating power supply line 31 is connected to a heating coil wound around the fixed stopper 12. Various structures may be used. Further, the movable stopper 23 may be formed of a shape memory alloy instead of the fixed stopper 12 so that the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire 22 can be changed.

1 is a schematic front view of an endoscope bending apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing a state where the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire of the bending apparatus for an endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention is reduced. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial side view which shows the change of the maximum bending angle of the bending part of the bending apparatus of the endoscope of 1st Example of this invention. It is a whole block diagram of the endoscope of the 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Operation part 11 Bending operation knob (Bending operation member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Fixed stopper 13 Manual switch 20 Flexible insertion part 21 Bending part 22 Operation wire 23 Movable stopper 23a Movable stopper on the traction side 30 Drive circuit (stopper heating means)
31 Heating power supply line 40 Bending state detection sensor (bending state detection means)

Claims (3)

The operation wire is pulled by operating the bending operation member arranged in the operation portion, and the bending portion provided near the tip of the flexible insertion portion is bent according to the pulling amount of the operation wire. An endoscope bending apparatus, wherein a stopper for restricting the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire is provided in the operation unit,
As the stopper, a shape memory alloy material that undergoes a predetermined deformation due to a temperature change is used, and a stopper heating means that can arbitrarily heat the stopper when energized is provided, and the stopper is heated by the stopper heating means. An endoscope bending apparatus, wherein the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire can be controlled by being deformed. The endoscope bending apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a switch for performing energization control by the stopper heating unit is disposed in a range that can be operated by an operator holding the operation unit. A bending state detection unit for detecting a bending state of the flexible insertion portion is provided, and energization control to the stopper heating unit is performed in response to an output signal from the bending state detection unit. The bending apparatus for an endoscope according to 1.

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