JP4761891B2 - Endoscope bending operation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope bending operation apparatus.

  In general, a bending operation device for an endoscope has a plurality of operation wires arranged in parallel between a bending portion provided near the distal end of the insertion portion and an operation portion connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion. The bending portion is bent in a direction corresponding to the operation wire that has been pulled in the operation section. The operation portion includes a plurality of stoppers for restricting the maximum pulling amount of each of the plurality of operation wires, and each stopper. A plurality of stopper adjusting screws and the like are arranged for adjusting the position.

  Many of such bending operation devices are provided with four operation wires, and correspondingly four stoppers and four stopper adjustment screws are provided, and each of the four stopper adjustment screws is two in parallel. Two sets are arranged side by side.

Each stopper has a female screw hole through which the stopper adjusting screw is screwed. When a tool is engaged with the head of the stopper adjusting screw and the stopper adjusting screw is rotated about the axis, the screw is screwed with the screw. The mating stopper moves in the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screw without rotating together with the stopper adjusting screw (for example, Patent Document 1).
Jongko Sho 63-34643

  In the bending operation device of the endoscope configured as described above, the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the stopper by rotating the stopper adjusting screw. In this state, the stopper adjustment screw may rotate freely after that and the position of the stopper may change, so it engages with the stopper adjustment screw head to restrict the rotation of the stopper adjustment screw. A screw head rotation restricting member is provided.

  However, in a conventional endoscope bending operation device, such a screw head rotation restricting member is fixed to a fixed portion of the operation portion with a screw, and the screw head rotation is performed every time the stopper adjustment screw is adjusted. Since it is necessary to put on and remove the regulating member, the work is troublesome. If there are a plurality (for example, 4) of stopper adjusting screws according to the number of operation wires, the same number of screw head rotation regulating members are provided. Since it is necessary to put them on and off individually, it is very troublesome to attach and detach the screw head rotation restricting member.

  Therefore, the present invention can disengage the screw head rotation restricting member for restricting rotation of the stopper adjusting screw after adjustment from the head of the stopper adjusting screw with a simple operation, and a plurality of stopper adjusting screws are provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bending operation device for an endoscope that can engage and disengage the screw head rotation restricting member with respect to the head even if it is carried out by an extremely simple operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the bending operation device for an endoscope of the present invention pulls an operation wire from an operation portion in which a bending portion provided at a distal end of an insertion portion is connected to a proximal end of the insertion portion. A stopper for restricting the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire, a stopper adjusting screw for adjusting the position of the stopper, and a stopper for restricting the stopper adjusting screw from rotating In a bending operation device of an endoscope provided with a screw head rotation restricting member that engages with the head of an adjustment screw, a fixing screw that passes through the long hole is formed in the screw head rotation restricting member. The screw head rotation restricting member is fixed to the non-moving part of the operation part by sliding the screw head rotation restricting member within a range in which the fixing screw can move relatively along the long hole when the fixing screw is loosened. The strike The head of the path adjustment screw is obtained to be able to disengage the screw head rotation regulating member.

  The elongated hole is formed in the screw head rotation restricting member in a direction substantially parallel to the axis direction of the stopper adjusting screw. When the fixing screw is loosened, the screw head rotation restricting member is substantially parallel to the axis direction of the stopper adjusting screw. It may be slidable in the direction.

  Then, four operation wires are provided, and four stoppers and four stopper adjusting screws are provided correspondingly, and all heads of the four stopper adjusting screws are used as screw head rotation restricting members. One screw head rotation restricting member that can be simultaneously engaged with each other may be provided.

  Further, the screw head rotation restricting member is formed in a U-shaped cross-sectional shape in which two side walls arranged in parallel are integrally connected by a connecting wall, and the long hole is parallel to the two side walls in the connecting wall portion. It may be elongated in the direction.

  In addition, a tool insertion opening is formed in the operation portion, and the head of the stopper adjustment screw and the screw head rotation regulating member are both arranged in the tool insertion opening, and the fixing screw is inserted by inserting the tool into the tool insertion opening. And the stopper adjusting screw may be rotated about their respective axes.

  According to the present invention, when the fixing screw is loosened, the screw head rotation restricting member is slid in a range in which the fixing screw is relatively movable along the long hole formed in the screw head rotation restricting member. Therefore, the screw head rotation restricting member can be engaged with and disengaged from the head of the stopper adjusting screw, so that the screw head rotation restricting member for restricting the rotation of the stopper adjusting screw after the adjustment can be simplified. Thus, even if a plurality of stopper adjustment screws are provided, the engagement / disengagement of the screw head rotation restricting member with respect to the head can be performed with a very simple operation.

  The bending portion provided at the distal end of the insertion portion is configured to bend by pulling the operation wire from the operation portion connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion, and for restricting the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire. A stopper, a stopper adjusting screw for adjusting the position of the stopper, and a screw head rotation restricting member that engages with the stopper adjusting screw head for restricting rotation of the stopper adjusting screw are provided. In a bending operation device for an endoscope, a long hole is formed in a screw head rotation restricting member, and the screw head rotation restricting member is fixed to a non-moving portion of the operation portion by a fixing screw passed through the long hole, and the fixing screw is loosened The screw head rotation restricting member can be engaged with and disengaged from the head of the stopper adjusting screw by sliding the screw head rotation restricting member within a range in which the fixing screw is relatively movable along the long hole. so To so that.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 shows the entire configuration of the endoscope. A bending portion 2 that is bent by remote operation is provided near the distal end of the flexible tubular insertion portion 1, and a distal end portion main body 3 on which an observation window and the like are arranged. It is connected to the tip of the bending portion 2.

  The operation unit 4 connected to the base end of the insertion unit 1 includes a bending operation knob 5UD for up / down direction for bending the bending unit 2 in the up / down direction (up / down direction of the observation screen) and a bending operation in the left / right direction. The left and right bending operation knobs 5RL are coaxially disposed so as to be freely rotatable. In FIG. 2, the state where the bending portion 2 is bent upward is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the left-right direction of the bending is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

  6 is an operation wire that is pulled to the operation unit 4 side by bending operation knobs 5UD and 5RL in order to perform bending operation of the bending unit 2, and the upper operation wire 6U and the lower operation wire 6D are arranged in the vertical direction. When one is pulled by the bending operation knob 5UD, the other is sent out. The right operation wire 6R and the left operation wire 6L are sent out when one is pulled by the left and right bending operation knob 5RL. .

  Then, the bending portion 2 bends in a direction corresponding to the operation wire 6 pulled by the operation portion 4. For example, when the upward operation wire 6U and the right operation wire 6R are simultaneously pulled, the bending portion 2 2 is bent in an oblique direction in which the upper direction and the right direction are combined.

  Each operation wire 6 is once divided in the operation unit 4 and is connected to each other by a known wire relaxation remover 11. When the operation wire 6 is pulled, the wire relaxation remover 11 moves with the operation wire 6. A stopper 20 that restricts the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire 6 by being in contact with the operation wire 6 is disposed in the operation portion 4 so as to be adjustable.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows such a state of the stopper 20, and the upward operation wire 6 </ b> U and the left operation wire 6 </ b> L are overlapped in a direction facing the plate surface 10 a of the frame 10 of the operation unit 4. The protrusions of the upward stopper 20U and the leftward stopper 20L, which are arranged in a positional relationship, each formed in an L-shape (the wire relaxation remover 11 (11U, 11L) abuts there), A wire passage groove 21 through which the operation wires 6U and 6L pass is formed.

  A stopper adjusting screw 23 (23U, 23L) for adjusting the position of each stopper 20 (20U, 20L) is screwed into a female screw hole formed through each stopper 20 in a direction parallel to the operation wire 6. The stopper adjustment screw 23 is rotatably received at its tip without being screwed into the receiving portion 10b erected from the frame 10. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the neck portion of each stopper adjusting screw 23 is also received by a member erected from the frame 10 so as to be rotatable and not movable in the axial direction.

  As a result, by rotating the heads 24U and 24L of the stopper adjusting screws 23U and 23L, the stoppers 20U and 20L screwed with the stopper adjusting screws 23U and 23L move in the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screws 23U and 23L. Thus, the contact position with the wire slack remover 11 changes, and the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire 6 (6U, 6L) can be adjusted.

  FIG. 3 shows only the upward operation wire 6U and the left direction operation wire 6L, and the upward direction stopper 20U and the left direction stopper 20L that are engaged therewith. This mechanism (downward operation wire 6D and rightward operation wire 6R, and downward stopper 20D and rightward stopper 20R engaged therewith) is also line-symmetrical with respect to the upward and leftward mechanisms. It is comprised by the shape of line symmetry.

  FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the exterior cover of the operation unit 4 is removed for such a mechanism portion for all of the upper, lower, left, and right directions, and FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the mechanism cover 15 is further removed. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI and VIII-VIII in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes an end portion of a guide coil that guides the operation wire 6 in the insertion portion 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation wire 6 extending from the guide coil 7 and the bending operation knobs 5UD and 5RL side. Retaining members 12 and 13 that are slidable in the wire slack remover 11 are fixed to the distal ends of the extending operation wires 6. Reference numeral 14 denotes a connection screw screwed into one end side of the wire relaxation remover 11.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, each stopper 20 (20U, 20D, 20R, 20L) is loosely fitted inside the frame body and the mechanism cover 15 provided continuously to the frame 10, The stopper 20 (20U, 20D, 20R, 20L) does not rotate even if the stopper adjusting screw 23 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) is rotated around the axis.

  Four stopper adjusting screws 23 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) are arranged such that the upper stopper adjusting screw 23U and the left stopper adjusting screw 23L face the plate surface 10a of the frame 10 of the operation unit 4. Position in which the downward stopper adjusting screw 23D and the right stopper adjusting screw 23R, which are arranged in a positional relationship overlapped in the direction and line symmetrical with each other, are also overlapped in the direction facing the frame plate surface 10a. Arranged in a relationship.

  A tool insertion opening 25 for inserting a tool to be engaged with the head 24 (24U, 24D, 24R, 24L) of each stopper adjusting screw 23 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) is opposed to the frame plate surface 10a. In the direction (that is, in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 4 and 5) through the mechanism cover 15 and formed on the frame 10 of the operation unit 4.

  Only one tool insertion opening 25 is provided, and heads 24 (24U, 24D, 24R, 24L) of four stopper adjusting screws 23 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) are provided in the tool insertion opening 25. Is arranged.

  In the tool insertion opening 25, one screw head rotation regulating member 26 for preventing the stopper adjusting screws 23 from rotating is provided with heads 24U of all stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L. It arrange | positions so that it can be engaged with 24D, 24R, 24L simultaneously.

  The screw head rotation restricting member 26, as shown in FIG. 9 illustrating a single state, has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape in which two side walls arranged in parallel with a gap are integrally connected by a connecting wall 26a. The upper and left restricting pieces 26UL that engage the grooves of the heads 24U and 24L of the upper and left stopper adjusting screws 23U and 23L, and the lower and right directions This is a lower right restricting piece 26DR that engages with the grooves of the heads 24D, 24R of the stopper adjusting screws 23D, 23R.

  And the long hole 27 for letting the fixing screw 28 which fixes the screw head rotation restricting member 26 to the frame 10 which is a non-moving part of the operation unit 4 pass the upper left direction restricting piece 26UL and the lower right direction in the connecting wall 26a portion. When the screw head rotation restricting member 26 is fixed to the frame 10, the long hole 27 is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screw 23.

  Therefore, when the fixing screw 28 is loosened, the screw head rotation restricting member 26 is slidable in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screw 23 within a range in which the fixing screw 28 is relatively movable along the long hole 27. Thus, the screw head rotation restricting member 26 can be engaged with and disengaged from the heads 24U, 24D, 24R, 24L of the stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L by sliding the screw head rotation restricting member 26. .

  With such a configuration, when it is necessary to rotate the head 24 of the stopper adjusting screw 23 in order to adjust the position of the stopper 20, the tool 50 is inserted into the tool insertion opening 25 as shown in FIG. The screw head rotation is loosened by rotating the fixing screw 28 around the axis and sliding it to the retract side as indicated by the arrow A in the tool insertion opening 25 without removing the screw head rotation restricting member 26. The engagement between the member 26 and the heads 24U, 24D, 24R, 24L of all the stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L is released.

  Subsequently, the tip of the tool 60 inserted into the tool insertion opening 25 is easily engaged with any of the heads 24U, 24D, 24R, 24L of the four stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L. By rotating the optional stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L around the axis, the stoppers 20U, 20D, 20R, 20L are moved so that the maximum pulling amount of each operation wire 6U, 6D, 6R, 6L can be reduced. It can be easily adjusted without spending.

  When the adjustment is completed, as shown in FIG. 10, the screw head rotation regulating member 26 is slid so as to be engaged with the heads 24 of all the stopper adjusting screws 23, and then the fixing screw 28 is moved with the tool 50. When the screw head rotation restricting member 26 is fixed by tightly rotating it around the axis, the stopper adjusting screw 23 cannot rotate freely.

  In this way, the screw head rotation restricting member 26 for restricting the stopper adjusting screw 23 from rotating after the adjustment can be obtained by the simple operation of the heads 24U, 24D, and 24L of the stopper adjusting screws 23U, 23D, 23R, and 23L. Even if four stopper adjustment screws 23U, 23D, 23R, 23L are provided as in the above embodiment (or a plurality of other), the heads 24U, 24D can be engaged with and disengaged from 24R, 24L. , 24R, 24L can be engaged with and disengaged from the screw head rotation restricting member 26 by an extremely simple operation.

FIG. 5 is a partial side cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view corresponding to the position VIII-VIII in FIG. 4) of the endoscope bending operation device according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state during adjustment work. It is an external view which shows the whole structure of the endoscope of the Example of this invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a part of an endoscope bending operation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a front view of the bending operation apparatus of the endoscope of the Example of this invention. It is a front view in the state where the mechanism cover of the bending operation device of the endoscope of the example of the present invention was removed. It is VI-VI sectional drawing in FIG. 4 of the bending operation apparatus of the endoscope of the Example of this invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5 of the bending operation device for the endoscope according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is VIII-VIII sectional drawing in FIG. 4 of the bending operation apparatus of the endoscope of the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the screw head rotation restricting member of the bending operation device of the endoscope of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partial side cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view corresponding to the position VIII-VIII in FIG. 4) in a state after the adjustment operation of the bending operation device for the endoscope according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Insertion part 2 Bending part 4 Operation part 5UD, 5RL Bending operation knob 6 (6U, 6D, 6R, 6L) Operation wire 10 Frame (non-moving part)
10a Frame plate surface 20 (20U, 20D, 20R, 20L) Stopper 23 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) Stopper adjustment screw 24 (23U, 23D, 23R, 23L) Head 25 Tool insertion opening 26 Screw head rotation restricting member 27 Long hole 28 Fixed screw 50,60 Tool

Claims (4)

The bending portion provided at the distal end of the insertion portion is configured to bend by pulling the operation wire from the operation portion connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion, and restricts the maximum pulling amount of the operation wire. A stopper for adjusting the position of the stopper, and a screw head rotation restricting member that engages the head of the stopper adjusting screw to restrict the stopper adjusting screw from rotating. In the endoscope bending operation device provided,
A long hole is formed in the screw head rotation restricting member, and the screw head rotation restricting member is fixed to a stationary part of the operation portion by a fixing screw passed through the long hole. The screw head rotation restricting member is engaged with and disengaged from the head of the stopper adjusting screw by sliding the screw head rotation restricting member within a range in which the fixing screw is relatively movable along the elongated hole. it is to be able to,
The screw head rotation restricting member is formed in the screw head rotation restricting member so that the elongated hole is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screw. When the fixing screw is loosened, the screw head rotation restricting member is moved in the axial direction of the stopper adjusting screw. A bending operation device for an endoscope, which is slidable in a direction substantially parallel to the endoscope. Four operation wires are provided. Correspondingly, four stoppers and four stopper adjusting screws are provided, and all of the four stopper adjusting screws are used as the screw head rotation regulating member. bending operation device of the endoscope according to claim 1 Symbol placing one of the screw head rotation restricting member which can be engaged with the head at the same time is provided. The screw head rotation restricting member is formed in a U-shaped cross-sectional shape in which two side walls arranged in parallel are integrally connected by a connecting wall, and the elongated hole is formed in the connecting wall portion. The bending operation device for an endoscope according to claim 2 , wherein the bending operation device is elongated in a direction parallel to the endoscope. A tool insertion opening is formed in the operation portion, and the head of the stopper adjusting screw and the screw head rotation regulating member are both disposed in the tool insertion opening, and the tool is inserted into the tool insertion opening. 4. The endoscope bending operation device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing screw and the stopper adjusting screw can be rotated about an axis.

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