JP5022819B2 - Endoscope piping connection - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope pipe connection portion for connecting a pipe provided in an endoscope.

  In the endoscope, various pipes for supplying air, supplying water, suction, and inserting a treatment instrument are incorporated. Such piping is formed by a flexible piping tube in the insertion portion of the endoscope or the like, and is connected to a metal piping pipe in the operation portion.

  However, since force due to the pulling of the piping tube or fluid pressure acts on such a connection part, the piping tube and the piping pipe should not be pulled out by the action of such force. Need to be firmly fixed.

  Therefore, traditionally, a protrusion is formed on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the open end of the piping pipe, and a piping tube having an inner diameter thinner than the outer diameter of the piping pipe is covered from the end of the piping pipe to the position beyond the protrusion, The piping tube was tightly bound with a metal coil or the like in a range across the protruding portion.

  However, in order to attach the metal coil to the state where the piping tube is tightened, the metal coil has to be pushed in while rotating in a narrow space in the operation part, so the workability is very bad and the assembly takes time, There is also a possibility that peripheral members may be accidentally damaged.

Therefore, as the tube fixing member, an inner cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the piping tube and an outer cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the inner cylinder are provided. That is, it is formed in a taper shape whose diameter gradually increases in the direction of the tip of the piping tube, and a slit is formed in that portion from the tip side, and the outer cylinder is fitted into the inner cylinder from the rear, so that the inner cylinder The diameter of the tapered portion was reduced and strongly pressed and fixed to the bulging portion of the piping tube (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-65596 A

  In the pipe connection part of the conventional endoscope described in Patent Document 1 or the like, a force in the pulling direction is applied to the outer tube due to vibration or impact while the endoscope is used for a long period of time. If the cylinder moves even in a minute amount in the removal direction (that is, rearward), the inner cylinder pressed by the outer cylinder also moves in the removal direction because the pressing force received from the outer cylinder is loosened. Then, due to the synergistic effect that the inner cylinder further pushes the outer cylinder in the loosening direction, the fixed state of the piping tube with respect to the piping pipe may be loosened, and leakage may occur from the connecting portion.

  The present invention is an endoscope pipe connection in which a pipe tube is not loosely fixed to a pipe pipe even when vibration or impact is applied, and a good connection state without leakage can be maintained over a long period of time. The purpose is to provide a department.

  In order to achieve the above object, the pipe connecting portion of the endoscope of the present invention has a circumferential projection formed on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the open end of a hard pipe pipe arranged in the endoscope. Tube fixing to cover the tip of the flexible piping tube with an inner diameter thinner than the outer diameter of the pipe from the open end side of the piping pipe to the position beyond the projection, and press and fix the piping tube to the protruding portion of the piping pipe In the pipe connection part of the endoscope provided with the member covering the piping tube, the tube fixing member is slidable in the axial direction on the piping tube, and is slidable in the axial direction on the inner tube. The inner cylinder is formed with a plurality of slits opened in the direction opposite to the distal end direction of the piping tube, and the inner peripheral portion of the inner cylinder swells by covering the protruding portion. Arrangement A circumferential groove that is formed with an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the bulging portion of the tube and that engages the bulging portion of the piping tube is formed in the middle of the inner circumferential portion, and the outer circumferential portion of the inner cylinder and the inner circumferential portion of the outer cylinder The outer cylinder is elastically deformed by an operation in which the outer cylinder is slid from the rear of the piping tube toward the distal end, and when the sliding movement is released, the outer cylinder is pushed back by the repulsive force of the inner cylinder. A contact portion that acts to press the inner tube against the bulging portion of the piping tube is formed.

  In addition, as a contact part, the 1st contact part which the inner cylinder which tries to return to an original shape from the state which was elastically deformed by being pressed by the outer cylinder presses an outer cylinder elastically, and the 1st contact part A second abutting portion may be formed in which the outer cylinder pressed by the inner cylinder pushes the inner cylinder toward the bulging portion of the piping tube.

  In addition, tapered portions whose diameters gradually increase outward are formed at both ends on the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylinder, and an intermediate small-diameter portion on which the outer cylinder is loosely fitted is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder. A large diameter portion having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylinder is formed at both ends, a stepped portion between both ends of the intermediate thin diameter portion of the inner cylinder and the large diameter portion, and a taper at both ends of the outer cylinder. The part may be a contact part.

  According to the present invention, when the sliding operation for pushing the outer cylinder is released, the inner cylinder is pressed against the bulging portion of the piping tube by the outer cylinder pushed back by the repulsive force of the inner cylinder trying to return to the original shape. Since the same state occurs when a pulling force is applied to the cylinder, it is difficult for the piping tube to be fixed to the piping pipe even if vibrations or shocks are applied, and a good connection with no leakage is maintained over a long period of time. Can be maintained.

  Protrusions are formed on the outer peripheral surface near the open end of a rigid piping pipe placed in the endoscope, and the tip of a flexible piping tube having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the piping pipe is piped In the pipe connection part of the endoscope, which is covered from the open end side of the pipe to the position beyond the protrusion, and a tube fixing member for pressing and fixing the piping tube to the protruding portion of the piping pipe is provided over the piping tube, The fixing member includes an inner cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the piping tube, and an outer cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the inner cylinder. A plurality of slits opened in the opposite direction are formed, and the inner peripheral portion of the inner cylinder is formed to have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the bulging portion of the piping tube in a state of covering the protruding portion. A circumferential groove is formed in the middle of the inner periphery to engage the bulge of the piping tube, and the outer tube extends from the rear of the piping tube toward the front end in the outer periphery of the inner tube and the inner periphery of the outer tube. The abutting portion for elastically deforming the inner cylinder by the sliding operation and pressing the inner cylinder against the bulging portion of the piping tube by the outer cylinder pushed back by the repulsive force of the inner cylinder when the sliding operation is released Is formed.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a pipe connecting portion of an endoscope. Reference numeral 1 denotes a stainless steel pipe or the like provided in the middle of a treatment instrument insertion conduit (also serves as a suction conduit) disposed in an operation portion of the endoscope, for example. It is a hard cylindrical piping pipe made of and has an outer diameter of about 2 to 4 mm.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 1, a protrusion 11 protrudes in a circumferential shape at a position slightly spaced from the protruding end side (lower end side in FIG. 1) that is an open end. The protrusions 11 may be provided in a belt shape around the entire 360 °, or may be provided discontinuously to some extent. Moreover, it may be integrally formed with the piping pipe 1, or another member may be attached to the piping pipe 1 by welding or the like.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a flexible piping tube made of, for example, a tetrafluoroethylene resin tube or a polyethylene resin tube, which is inserted and disposed throughout the insertion portion of the endoscope, and is generally called a treatment instrument insertion channel or a forceps channel. Yes.

  The proximal end side of the piping tube 2 is connected to the piping pipe 1 as shown in FIG. 1, and the other end side not shown is open to the outside at the distal end of the insertion portion. The pipe 1 and the pipe 2 may be pipes for allowing fluid such as air / water to pass through.

  The piping tube 2 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the piping pipe 1, and covers most of the outer surface of the piping pipe 1 from the protruding end side of the piping pipe 1 beyond the protrusion 11. A sealing agent or the like may be applied in advance to the contact surface between the piping pipe 1 and the piping tube 2.

  An inner cylinder 3 and an outer cylinder 4 are provided as tube fixing members for pressing and fixing the piping tube 2 to the piping pipe 1 at the projection 11 portion, and the inner cylinder 3 is slidably covered in the axial direction on the piping tube 2. The outer cylinder 4 is placed on the inner cylinder 3 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

  The inner cylinder 3 and the outer cylinder 4 are made of a metal pipe material such as stainless steel or brass, and each is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape having irregularities on the inner and outer surfaces as shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. Has been. In addition, it is good to use the raw material rich in spring property for the inner cylinder 3. FIG.

  The inner cylinder 3 is formed with a plurality of slits 31 opened in a direction opposite to the distal direction (upward in FIG. 1) of the piping tube 2, and a portion excluding the vicinity of the end in the distal direction of the piping tube 2, As shown in FIG. 2, it is divided into a plurality of parts.

  As a result, the inner cylinder 3 can be elastically deformed relatively easily at the portion between the slits 31. In this embodiment, four slits 31 are formed at equal intervals straight in the direction parallel to the axis. However, three or five or more slits 31 may be used.

  The inner peripheral portion 32 of the inner cylinder 3 has substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the piping tube 2 in a state of being covered with the piping pipe 1 and is inflated. A circumferential groove 33 having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape is formed in the middle of the inner peripheral portion 32 and is engaged with the bulging portion 21 of the piping tube 2 completely. Has been.

  At the end of the inner cylinder 3 on the side where the slits 31 are not formed, the inner peripheral part 32 is formed in a tapered shape whose diameter gradually increases outward, and the inner cylinder 3 is connected to the outer surface of the pipe tube 2. Can be covered smoothly along. Reference numeral 34 denotes the tapered portion.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer cylinder 4 is not formed with slits, and the inner peripheral portion 41 is formed with tapered portions 42, 43 whose diameters gradually increase outward. Has been. On the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 4, a step portion 44 for finger hanging is formed.

  On the other hand, on the outer peripheral part of the inner cylinder 3, the inner diameter (that is, the taper) of the inner peripheral part 41 of the outer cylinder 4 is provided at the front and rear ends (upper and lower ends in the figure) of the intermediate small diameter part 35 on which the outer cylinder 4 is loosely fitted. Large diameter portions 36 and 37 having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the portions 42 and 43 are formed.

  The outer diameters of the large-diameter portions 36 and 37 are the same as the diameters at the midpoints of the slopes of the tapered portions 42 and 43 of the outer cylinder 4, and as shown in FIG. The step portions 38 and 39 between both ends of the intermediate small diameter portion 35 and the large diameter portions 36 and 37 are in contact with the inclined surfaces of the tapered portions 42 and 43 of the outer cylinder 4 at the same time.

  When fixing the connecting portion between the piping pipe 1 and the piping tube 2 with the tube fixing members 3 and 4 of the embodiment configured as described above, first, as shown in FIG. The cylinder 4 is put in a fitted state. In addition, it can be easily made into the state by elastically deforming the inner cylinder 3 side.

  Next, the outer cylinder 4 is pushed with the fingertip from the rear side of the piping tube 2 toward the distal end (from the lower side to the upper side in each drawing), and the inner cylinder 3 and the outer cylinder 4 are integrally connected to the piping pipe 1 and the piping tube 2. When sliding in the direction of covering, the portion of the inner cylinder 3 divided by the slit 31 is greatly elastically deformed and gets over the bulging portion 21 of the piping tube 2 bulging by covering the projection 11.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the circumferential groove 33 portion of the inner cylinder 3 has advanced to the position of the bulging portion 21 of the piping tube 2 as described above. Since the inner cylinder 3 is strongly pressed from the side of the outer cylinder 4 at the stepped portion 38 by the operation of sliding the outer cylinder 4, the portion divided by the slit 31 is greatly elastically deformed, and the circumference of the inner cylinder 3 The groove 33 is slightly raised from the bulging portion 21. FIG. 4 exaggerates such a state.

  Therefore, when the sliding operation of pushing the outer cylinder 4 with the fingertip is stopped, as shown in FIG. 1, the contact between the stepped portion 38 near the tip of the inner cylinder 3 (closer to the upper end in the figure) and the tapered portion 42 of the outer cylinder 4. In the contact portion (first contact portion), the inner cylinder 3 that tries to return to the original shape from the elastically deformed state acts to elastically push back the outer cylinder 4 as indicated by an arrow A. .

  And in the contact part (2nd contact part) of the level | step-difference part 39 of the back of the inner cylinder 3, and the taper part 43 of the outer cylinder 4, the inner cylinder 3 is the 1st contact part (38, 42). As indicated by an arrow B, the outer cylinder 4 that has been pushed back is pushed rearward from the distal end side of the piping tube 2 so as to press the bulging portion 21 of the piping tube 2.

  In this way, the state in which the bulging portion 21 of the piping tube 2 is pressed against the protrusion 11 of the piping pipe 1 is maintained by the repulsive force of the inner cylinder 3 that attempts to return to the original shape from the elastically deformed state. The piping tube 2 is firmly connected and fixed.

  Even if a force in the pulling direction (downward in FIG. 1) acts on the outer cylinder 4, the pressing force to the protrusion 11 indicated by the arrow B increases and the bulging portion 21 is strongly engaged with the protrusion 11. Therefore, the pipe pipe 1 is not loosened with respect to the pipe tube 2, and a good connection state without leakage can be maintained over a long period of time even if vibration or impact is applied.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, For example, as FIG.5 and FIG.6 shows, the cross-sectional shape of the circumferential groove 33 formed in the inner cylinder 3 is trapezoid shape or circular arc shape, etc. There is no problem.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer cylinder 4 may be formed rearwardly (that is, downward), and the second contact portions (39, 43) may be positioned rearward of the protrusions 11, As shown in FIG. 8, if the second abutting portion (39, 43) is further located rearward, only the inner cylinder 3 is connected to the connecting portion between the piping pipe 1 and the piping tube 2 at the time of assembly work. Even if the outer cylinder 4 is fitted on the inner cylinder 3 after that, the rear end vicinity 3e of the inner cylinder 3 is elastically deformed and can be easily assembled.

It is side surface sectional drawing of the assembly completion state of the piping connection part of the endoscope of 1st Example of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the inner cylinder and outer cylinder of the 1st Example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the assembly | attachment start state of the piping connection part of the endoscope of 1st Example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the state in the middle of the assembly | attachment of the pipe connection part of the endoscope of 1st Example of this invention. It is a half sectional view of the inner cylinder of the 2nd example of the present invention. It is a half sectional view of the inner cylinder of the 3rd example of the present invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the assembly completion state of the piping connection part of the endoscope of the 4th Example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing of the state in the middle of the assembly | attachment of the pipe connection part of the endoscope of the 5th Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piping pipe 2 Piping tube 3 Inner cylinder 4 Outer cylinder 11 Protrusion 21 Swelling part 31 Slit 32 Inner peripheral part 33 Circumferential groove 35 Intermediate | middle thin diameter part 36 Large diameter part 37 Large diameter part 38 Step part (1st contact part) )
39 Step part (second contact part)
41 Inner peripheral portion 42 Tapered portion (first contact portion)
43 Tapered part (second contact part)

Claims (2)

Protrusions are formed on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the open end of the rigid piping pipe disposed in the endoscope, and the distal end portion of the flexible piping tube having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the piping pipe is An endoscope provided with a tube fixing member that covers the piping tube from the open end side of the piping pipe to a position beyond the projection and that presses and fixes the piping tube to the protruding portion of the piping pipe. At the pipe connection,
The tube fixing member includes an inner cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the piping tube, and an outer cylinder that is slidable in the axial direction on the inner cylinder,
The inner cylinder is formed with a plurality of slits opened in a direction opposite to the distal end direction of the piping tube, and the inner circumferential portion of the inner cylinder is swelled by covering the protruding portion. It is formed with an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the bulge portion of the tube, and a circumferential groove is formed in the middle of the inner circumferential portion to engage the bulge portion of the piping tube,
The inner cylinder is elastically deformed by an operation in which the outer cylinder is slid from the rear side of the piping tube toward the distal end direction between the outer circumference of the inner cylinder and the inner circumference of the outer cylinder, and the sliding operation When is released, a contact portion is formed which acts to press the inner cylinder against the bulging portion of the piping tube by the outer cylinder pushed back by the repulsive force of the inner cylinder ,
A tapered portion having a diameter gradually increasing outward is formed at both ends on the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylinder, and an intermediate small diameter portion on which the outer cylinder is loosely fitted on the outer peripheral portion of the inner cylinder. A large-diameter portion having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the outer cylinder is formed at both ends of the outer cylinder, a step portion between both ends of the intermediate small-diameter section and the large-diameter section in the inner cylinder, The pipe connection part of the endoscope, wherein the tapered parts at both ends of the outer cylinder are the contact parts. As the abutting portion, a first abutting portion in which the inner cylinder that is elastically deformed by being pushed by the outer cylinder and elastically presses the outer cylinder, and a first abutting portion thereof. 2. The endoscope pipe according to claim 1, wherein the outer cylinder pushed by the contact portion at the contact portion is formed with a second contact portion that pushes the inner cylinder toward the bulge portion of the piping tube. Connection part.

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