JP5231124B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus for observing a subject.

In recent years, in various fields such as the medical field and the industrial field, an endoscope apparatus having an insertion part that can be inserted into a subject is used so that a narrowed part such as a duct that cannot be directly observed by an observer can be observed. Has been. The insertion part of such an endoscope apparatus is required to be flexible so that it can be freely bent inside a subject such as a pipe line in order to obtain a good insertion property. However, if a certain degree of flexibility is given, the rigidity is lowered, and it becomes impossible to push the inside of the subject from the proximal end side, resulting in a problem that the insertability is lowered. In order to solve such a problem, an endoscope comprising a distal end portion having an observation means and a flexible insertion portion, and a collar portion provided so as to protrude from the distal end portion of the insertion portion or the outer periphery of the insertion portion. An endoscope apparatus has been proposed that includes a fluid ejecting unit that ejects fluid from the proximal end side of the endoscope toward the distal end side with respect to the collar portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this endoscope apparatus, the fluid ejected from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the endoscope by the fluid ejecting means strikes the inside of the collar portion, thereby propelling the collar portion forward, thereby The insertion portion of the endoscope connected to the collar portion can be smoothly inserted into the inside while freely bending along the duct as the subject.
JP 2008-58681 A

  However, in the endoscope apparatus as described above, when an endoscope is inserted into a complex-shaped pipe line having a plurality of bent parts continuously, the flexible insertion part is folded into the pipe line. In some cases, a large insertion resistance may occur due to friction caused by contact with the inner wall of the bent portion or catching at the bent portion. In such a case, even if the fluid is ejected by the fluid ejecting means, there is a problem that the endoscope cannot be inserted any more.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even if the pipe has a complicated shape continuously having a plurality of bent portions, the inner wall of the pipe and the insertion portion of the endoscope It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope apparatus that can be easily inserted while minimizing insertion resistance due to contact friction.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
The present invention includes an endoscope having an insertion portion that is configured by a flexible tube body and provided with observation means on the distal end side, and is disposed along the tube body from the bent state. A wire rod having elasticity that can be restored together with the tube body, a hood provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion and projecting to the outer periphery, and a fluid ejecting fluid from the proximal end portion side to the distal end portion side of the endoscope e Bei and injection means, the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope is fixed to said hood, said wire is variable tip position relative to the tube body, disposed to be forward and backward along the tube body It is characterized by being.

According to the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, when an endoscope is inserted into a complicatedly shaped pipe having a plurality of bent portions, the flexible portion constituting the insertion portion of the endoscope is provided. The tube body having the property is bent in accordance with the shape of the pipe and is inserted into the pipe. At this time, the wire disposed along the tube body is similarly deformed in accordance with the deformation of the tube body, and tries to return to the original state together with the tube body by its own elasticity. For this reason, when the insertion portion of the endoscope passes through the bent portion of the pipe line, a force that tries to restore the tube portion of the insertion portion to a straight state by the wire works, and thereby the tube portion of the insertion portion. However, the range which contacts the bending part of a pipe line can be minimized. As a result, the insertion force received from the pipe line can be minimized with the propulsive force applied from the fluid ejecting means to the hood at the distal end of the insertion portion.
Further, since the wire rod is provided so that the tip position relative to the tube body can be moved forward and backward along the tube body, a range in which the wire rod is not disposed on the tip side of the tube body can be set, Flexibility can be increased in the range. As a result, when the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the conduit and reaches the bent portion of the conduit, the orientation of the distal end of the insertion portion can be freely changed by changing the distal end position of the wire rod. It becomes possible to change, and the insertion property at the time of inserting an endoscope into the bending part of a pipe line can be improved.

In the endoscope apparatus described above, it is preferable to include an intermediate hood provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion on the proximal end side with respect to the hood and projecting to the outer peripheral side.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, since the hood that protrudes to the outer periphery is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion on the proximal end side of the hood, the compressed air ejected from the fluid ejecting means is inserted. In addition to the hood on the distal end side, the jet is also sprayed on the intermediate hood on the proximal end side, thereby generating thrust to advance the endoscope also in the range of the intermediate portion of the insertion portion. For this reason, a driving force can be directly given to the insertion part located in the bending part of a pipe line by an intermediate hood, and insertability can further be improved.

Further, in the above endoscope apparatus, provided with illuminating means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion, cables for connecting the observation means and the illuminating means and the proximal end side are respectively inserted into different tube bodies, The wire rod is preferably inserted into one of these tube bodies.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the cables connecting the observation means, the illumination means, and the proximal end side are inserted into different tube bodies, and the wire rod is inserted into one of these tube bodies. Therefore, the diameter of the tube body per one can be made small compared with the tube body which accommodates both these cables and wires. For this reason, while being able to further improve the flexibility as the whole insertion part, it can restore | restore from the state curved with the wire.

In the endoscope apparatus, it is preferable to have an LED substrate provided on the hood and provided with a plurality of LEDs.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to illuminate with a plurality of LEDs by the LED substrate provided on the hood, so that the tip side of the hood can be illuminated more brightly, and the observation by the observation means is more suitably performed. be able to.

Further, in the above endoscope apparatus, provided with illuminating means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion, cables for connecting the observation means and the illuminating means and the proximal end side are respectively inserted into different tube bodies, The wire is preferably disposed outside the tube body, and the tip is preferably connected to a hood.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the cables connecting the observation means, the illuminating means, and the proximal end side are respectively inserted into different tube bodies, and the wires are arranged outside the tube bodies. The diameter of the tube body per one can be made small compared with the tube body which accommodates both a cable and a wire. For this reason, while being able to further improve the flexibility as the whole insertion part, it can restore | restore from the state curved with the wire.

Further, the endoscope apparatus includes illumination means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion, and the insertion portion includes a plurality of the tube bodies, and the hood is provided at each of the distal ends of the tube bodies. In addition, the observation unit and the illumination unit are preferably provided in different tube bodies.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the observation means and the illumination means are provided independently at the distal ends of the tube bodies provided with the observation means and the illumination means, respectively. It is possible to adjust the positional relationship with each other by moving forward and backward. For this reason, it is possible to realize a flexible endoscope operation according to the condition of the pipeline, and it is possible to more suitably observe the inside of the pipeline.

In the endoscope apparatus, it is preferable that the plurality of hoods be provided so as to be connected so as to be integrated.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, since a plurality of hoods are provided so as to be integrated so as to be integrated, the integrated hood is first inserted into the conduit of the subject, and then the conduit is bent. If the hood is divided into complicated shapes, the positional relationship between the corresponding observation means and illumination means can be adjusted independently, allowing more flexibility depending on the pipeline conditions. It is possible to realize a certain endoscope operation.

In the endoscope apparatus, the plurality of hoods are disposed so as to have different positions in the axial direction, and the tube body that extends from the hood on the distal end side to the proximal end side is disposed on the hood on the proximal end side. It is preferable that a through-hole disposed so as to be able to advance and retract is formed.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the tube body extending from the distal end side hood is disposed in a through hole formed in the proximal end side hood so as to be able to advance and retract, so that a plurality of hoods can be positioned relative to each other. The relationship can be adjusted and positioned on substantially the same axis. For this reason, the positional relationship between the observation means and the illumination means provided at the tip of each tube body can be freely adjusted while improving the insertability of the entire insertion portion.

Further, in the endoscope apparatus, the wire is disposed inside the tube body together with a cable connecting the distal end side and the proximal end side of the insertion portion so that the cable is wound around. It is considered preferable.
In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, since the cable connecting the distal end side and the proximal end side is wound around the wire rod and arranged in the tube body, the wire rod, the cable, and the tube body are integrated. Can be planned.

  In the endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, the wire rods are arranged along the insertion portion constituted by the tube body, so that the pipeline has a complicated shape continuously having a plurality of bent portions. In addition, the insertion can be easily performed with minimal insertion resistance due to contact friction between the inner wall of the duct and the insertion portion of the endoscope.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 show an endoscope apparatus 1 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 can inject the compressed air F1 as a fluid, the endoscope 2 inserted in the subject, the hood 3 arranged on the distal end side of the endoscope 2. Fluid ejecting means 5. Moreover, what is shown by the code | symbol S in FIG. 1 is the pipe line which is the subject used as the test | inspection object by the endoscope apparatus 1, and has the complicated shape which has several bending part Sa-Se.

  The endoscope 2 includes a CCD camera 6 that is an observation unit for observing the pipeline S, an LED illumination unit 7 that is an illumination unit for illuminating the pipeline S, and an elongated shape that extends from the distal end side to the proximal end side. The insertion portion 8, the hard distal end portion 11 provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 8, the operation portion 9 provided on the proximal end side of the insertion portion 8, and the main body portion 10 connected to the operation portion 9. Prepare. The CCD camera 6 and the LED illumination unit 7 are built in the distal end portion 11. In addition, the main body 10 includes a display unit 10a connected to the CCD camera 6 as observation means provided inside the tip via the imaging cable 12a, and a power source connected to the LED illumination unit 7 via the LED cable 12b. Part 10b. The imaging cable 12a and the LED cable 12b are both disposed in a tube body 8A described later of the insertion portion 8, and are exposed to the distal end surface 7a of the observation means 7 via the LED cable 12b. 7, the LED illumination unit 7 illuminates the distal end side of the insertion unit 8, and the image of the pipeline S captured by the CCD camera 6 is displayed on the display unit 10 a of the main body unit 10 through the imaging cable 12 a. The pipe S can be observed by displaying.

  Moreover, the insertion part 8 is comprised by the tube body 8A which consists of low friction plastics, such as a fluororesin which has the whole flexibility. The operation unit 9 is provided with an operation button 9a and a channel opening 9b. The operation button 9a is connected to the LED illumination unit 7, and the LED illumination unit 7 can be turned on / off and brightness can be adjusted by operating the operation button 9a. Further, the channel opening 9b communicates with the inside of the tube body 8A, and a treatment tool or the like can be inserted from the channel opening 9b to the distal end side of the tube body 8A as necessary.

  In addition, a wire rod 20 made of FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) having elasticity is disposed in the tube body 8A of the insertion portion 8 so as to be along the tube body 8A. This wire 20 has flexibility that can be freely bent, and has an elastic return force that returns to its original shape when it is bent by applying an external force. When the tube body 8A of the insertion portion 8 located outside thereof is bent, a force is applied to restore the tube body 8A to a straight state. The wire 20 is not limited to a plastic material such as FRP, and a metal wire may be used.

  Here, the tube body 8A generally has an outer diameter of about 3 to 3.5 mm and an inner diameter of about 2 to 3 mm, although it depends on the diameter of the pipe S that is the subject. And, as described above, for example, when the tube body 8A is formed of a fluororesin and the wire 20 is formed of FRP, in order to apply an appropriate restoring force while providing good flexibility, The outer diameter of the wire 20 is preferably about 1 to 1.5 mm.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the hood 3 is a substantially hemispherical transparent member having a tip surface 3 a formed into a curved surface, and the inside of the hood 3 is ejected from the fluid ejecting means 5. The base end side is formed in a concave shape so as to receive the compressed air F1 and generate thrust on the tip side. The front end surface 3a of the hood 3 exposes the CCD camera 6 and the LED illumination unit 7 built in the front end portion 11. The front end portion 11 has fixing means such as a fixing screw 3b and a fixing ring 3c. Is fixed in the fitting part 3d of the hood 3. Further, the tube body 8A of the insertion portion 8 and the wire 20 disposed in the tube body 8A of the insertion portion 8 are fixed to the hood 3 with an adhesive 3e. In the present embodiment, the fixing means such as the fixing screw 3b and the fixing ring 3c are used so that the imaging cable 12a and the LED cable 12b can be removed from the main body of the hood 3. You may fix to the main body of the food | hood 3 by other means, such as an adhesive agent.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid ejecting means 5 includes an air compressor 15 that can discharge the compressed air F <b> 1, an air tube body 16 that guides the compressed air F <b> 1 discharged from the air compressor 15, and an air tube body 16. And a cock 17 that can be switched between the presence and absence of injection of the compressed air F1. The air compressor 15 of the fluid ejecting unit 5 is separate from the main body 10 of the endoscope 2, but the air compressor 15 may be built in the main body 10 so as to be integrated.

  And in the endoscope apparatus 1 comprised as mentioned above, first, the endoscope 2 is pushed and inserted in the inside of the pipe line S from the front end side. At this time, the insertion portion 8 is configured by the flexible tube body 8 </ b> A, so that the insertion portion 8 is inserted into a shape along the shape of the pipe line S. Moreover, insertion resistance can be suppressed to the minimum because the front end surface 3a of the hood 3 is formed in a curved surface. After the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 is disposed in the pipe S by a certain length, the endoscope 2 is then inserted by the compressed air F1 ejected from the fluid ejecting means 5. To go. The compressed air F <b> 1 is injected from the air compressor 13 into the inside S <b> 2 of the pipeline S by the operation of the cock 17. The injected compressed air F1 is guided to the distal end side by the pipe S, and is ejected to the proximal end side of the hood 3 disposed on the distal end side. For this reason, a propulsive force is given to the front end side of the hood 3 by the compressed air F1 injected. In addition, since the base end surface of the hood 3 is formed in a concave shape, the injected compressed air can be efficiently converted into a propulsive force.

On the other hand, when the endoscope 2 described above moves forward and reaches a complex-shaped pipe line S having a plurality of bent portions Sa to Se as shown in FIG. 1, the insertion portion of the endoscope 2 is inserted. A flexible tube body 8 </ b> A constituting the pipe 8 is inserted along the pipe line S while being curved according to the shape of the pipe line S. At this time, the wire rod 20 disposed in the tube body 8A is similarly deformed in accordance with the deformation of the tube body 8A, and tries to return to the original state by its own elasticity. Thus, when the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 is further inserted into the distal end side in a state where the insertion portion 8 is disposed in the bent portions Sa to Se of the pipe S, the inner wall of the pipe S is contacted (the contact portion is changed). Even if it shows ((A)-(U))), the insertion part 8 is the bending part Sa of the pipe line S by the restoring force which returns the tube body 8A of the insertion part 8 straight from the wire 20. The range in contact with Se can be minimized. As a result, the insertion force due to friction with the inner surface of the pipe line received from the pipe line S or catching in the bent parts Sa to Se is minimized by the propulsive force applied from the fluid ejecting means 5 to the hood 3 at the tip of the insertion part 8. The endoscope 2 can be inserted while being limited to the limit.
That is, in the endoscope apparatus 1 configured as described above, even if the endoscope 2 is inserted into a complex-shaped pipeline S having a plurality of bent portions Sa to Se, the inner wall of the pipeline S The endoscope 2 can be easily inserted while minimizing insertion resistance due to contact friction with the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2.

In the embodiment shown above, the wire 20 arranged in the tube body 8A is fixed to the hood 3 with the adhesive 3e. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wire 20 is not fixed to the hood 3 and the tube body. It is good also as a structure which can advance / retreat along the tube body 8A inside 8A.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the wire 20 is not connected to the hood 3 at the distal end, and the proximal end is disposed so as to protrude from the channel opening 9 b of the operation unit 9 in FIG. 1. Therefore, if the operator grips the proximal end of the wire 20 and pushes it toward the distal end until the distal end contacts the inside of the distal end portion 11, the wire 20 is disposed in the entire tube body 8A. It can be set as the same structure. On the other hand, if the operator grasps the proximal end of the wire 20 and pulls it toward the proximal end until the distal end is located inside the tube body 8A, the distal end side range (reference numeral X) where the wire 20 is not disposed in the tube body 8A. Flexibility can be increased in the range indicated by. As a result, even when the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 is inserted into the duct S and reaches the bent portions Sa to Se of the duct S, the tip position of the wire 20 is changed. The direction of the distal end of the insertion portion 8 can be freely changed, and the insertion property when the endoscope is inserted into the bent portions Sa to Se of the duct S can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The endoscope apparatus 30 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 differs from the first embodiment in the middle of the tube body 8A constituting the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 on the proximal end side with respect to the hood 3. In addition, intermediate hoods 31 to 34 are provided so as to project to the outer peripheral side.
These intermediate hoods 31 to 34 are made of an elastic material such as a plastic with a base end portion formed in a concave shape so that the compressed air F1 injected from the fluid injection means 5 can be received and thrust can be generated on the distal end side. The formed hood main body portions 31a to 34a and elastically deformable substantially C-ring-shaped fixing members 31b to 34b fitted to the insertion portion 8 inside the hood main body portions 31a to 34a. is there.

  Openings 31c to 34c through which the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 is inserted are provided in the central portions of the hood main body portions 31a to 34a. In addition, cuts 31d to 34d are formed in the hood main body portions 31a to 34a in a positional relationship parallel to the insertion portion 8 of the endoscope 2 inserted through the openings 31c to 34c. And the food | hood main-body parts 31a-34a are attached with respect to the outer peripheral surface of 8 A of tubes, and can be removed by opening these gaps 31d-34d. Further, the fixing members 31b to 34b are attached to and detached from the outer peripheral surface of the tube body 8A via the C-shaped notch, and in the mounted state, the diameter of the tube body 8A is reduced by its own restoring force. As a result, the movement in the axial direction is restricted. And the hood main bodies 31a-34a are the states fixed with respect to the insertion part 8 because the fixing members 31b-34b are externally fitted by the base. However, when the tube body 8A is a flexible and elastic material such as a fluororesin, the position can be adjusted by sliding it by applying a certain amount of force in the axial direction.

  And in the endoscope apparatus 30 comprised as mentioned above, since the some intermediate | middle hoods 31-34 were provided in the middle of the tube body 8A of the insertion part 8 used as the base end side from the hood 3, an air compressor Compressed air F <b> 1 injected from 13 is also injected into the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 together with the hood 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 3), whereby not only the distal end of the endoscope 2 but also the middle of the insertion portion 8. A thrust force for inserting the endoscope 2 can also be generated in the range of the portion. Thus, the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 can directly apply a propulsive force to the portion of the insertion portion 8 located in the bent portions Sa to Se (see FIG. 1) of the pipe S, thereby further improving the insertability. Can do. In addition, the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 are detachable as described above, so that the position of the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 can be freely adjusted in the axial direction in the insertion portion 8. For this reason, the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 can be arranged so as to optimize the propulsive force according to the purpose of use.

  In the present embodiment, the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 can be mounted on the intermediate portion of the insertion portion 8 by configuring the hood main bodies 31a to 34a having the gaps 31d to 34d and the C-shaped fixing members 31b to 34b. However, it is not limited to this. For example, if the main body tube 8A is configured to be detachable on the base end side, the main body tube 8A can be attached by sequentially feeding from the base end side of the main body tube 8A. For example, when inserting into a bent pipe S as shown in FIG. 1, the propulsive force is reduced by friction with the pipe S at the positions of the bent portions Sa to Se if only the propulsive force acting on the tip is present. However, by providing the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 at this position, the intermediate hoods 31 to 34 can be inserted without reducing the driving force. Alternatively, when the propulsive force is reduced while being inserted into the pipeline S, it is preferable that the intermediate hood is attached and inserted into the proximal end portion after being slightly pulled out to the proximal end side. Furthermore, the attachment position of the intermediate hood varies depending on the shape of the pipeline S. As a rough guide, if you insert only with the hood 3 at the tip and have 2 to 3 intermediate hoods for the length that the insertion stopped, the insertion force can be maintained without reducing the driving force. it can.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the endoscope apparatus 40 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, an LED illumination unit 42 as an illumination unit is incorporated in a hood 41. The insertion portion 46 includes two tube bodies 46A and 46B, and includes an imaging cable 44 connected to the CCD camera 48 built in the distal end portion 11 and an LED cable 45 connected to the LED illumination portion 42, respectively. Independently disposed in different tube bodies 46A, 46B.

  Similar to the tube body 8A of the previous embodiment, the tube body 46A of the insertion portion 46 is formed of a low-friction plastic material such as a fluororesin, and the inside thereof together with the imaging cable 44 is described above. Similar to the wire 20, a wire 47 made of FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) having elasticity is disposed. The tube body 46A and the wire 47 of the insertion portion 46 are fixed to the central portion on the proximal end side of the hood 41 by adhesion, and the CCD camera 48 connected to the imaging cable 43 is a through-hole formed at the center of the hood 41. The hole 41a is fixed by a fixing screw 41b.

On the other hand, the tube body 46B of the insertion portion 46 is formed of a low-friction plastic material such as a fluororesin, similar to the above-described tube body 8A, and the LED cable 45 is disposed therein. .
The LED illumination unit 42 includes an annular LED substrate 49 provided in the hood 41, and a plurality of LEDs 43 installed in an annular shape on the LED substrate 49 toward the distal end side. The LED cable 45 is connected to the LED substrate 49. The tube body 46B is fixed to the hood 41 by adhesion.

  And in the endoscope apparatus 40 comprised as mentioned above, the restoring force which tries to make the tube body 46A of the insertion part 46 straight with the wire 47 acts, This insertion part 46 is the pipe line S. The range in contact with the bent portions Sa to Se can be minimized. As a result, the endoscope can be inserted while minimizing the insertion resistance received from the duct S with the propulsive force applied from the fluid ejecting means 5 to the hood 41 at the distal end of the insertion portion 46. Further, the imaging cable 44, the LED cable 45, and the wire 47 are separately housed in the tube bodies 46A and 46B of the two insertion portions 46, thereby reducing the diameter of the tube bodies 46A and 46B per one. Can do. For this reason, while being able to further improve the flexibility as the whole insertion part 46, it can be suitably restored from the state curved by the wire 47 as mentioned above. Moreover, in this embodiment, since several LED43 can be arrange | positioned in the hood 41 via the LED board 49, the front end side can be irradiated more brightly and imaging by the CCD camera 48 can be performed more clearly. Can do.

  In this embodiment, the wire 47 is accommodated on the tube body 46A side of the insertion portion 46 where the imaging cable 44 is disposed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the tube body 46B of the insertion portion 46 where the LED cable 45 is disposed. The wire 47 may be accommodated on the side, or the wire 47 may be accommodated in both the tube bodies 46A and 46B.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The endoscope apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is different from the previous embodiment in that the wire 51 is not arranged in the tube bodies 52A and 52B of the insertion portion 52, but outside the tube bodies 52A and 52B. And the tip is connected to the hood 53. The wire 51 is made of elastic FRP (fiber reinforced plastic), like the wire described above, and is fixed to the attachment hole 53 a located at the center of the hood 53 by bonding. Further, the tube bodies 52A and 52B of the insertion portion 52 are formed of a low-friction plastic material such as a fluororesin, similar to the tube body described above. The distal end of the tube body 51A is provided with a distal end portion in which a CCD camera 54 is built, and an imaging cable 55 connected to the CCD camera 54 is inserted into the tube body 51A. Moreover, the front-end | tip part in which the LED illumination part 56 was incorporated is provided in the front-end | tip of the tube body 51B, and the LED cable 57 connected to this LED illumination part 56 is penetrated in the tube body 51B. The tip portions in which the CCD camera 54 and the LED illumination unit 56 are incorporated are fixed by fixing screws 58 and 59 in mounting holes 53b and 53c that are symmetrical with respect to the mounting hole 53a of the hood 53. Yes. These fixing screws 58 and 59 are fixed to the hood 53 by tightening the CCD camera 54 and the LED illumination unit 56 from the radially outer side.

  And in the endoscope apparatus 50 comprised as mentioned above, the force which tries to restore | restore the tube bodies 52A and 52B of the insertion part 52 straightly by the wire 51 acts, and this insertion part 52 is the pipe line S. The range in contact with the bent portions Sa to Se can be minimized. As a result, the endoscope can be inserted while minimizing the insertion resistance received from the duct S with the propulsive force applied from the fluid ejecting means 5 to the tip hood 50. Further, by storing the imaging cable 55 and the LED cable 57 separately in the tube bodies 52A and 52B of the two insertion portions 52, the diameter of the tube bodies 52A and 52B per one can be reduced. For this reason, while being able to further improve the flexibility as the whole insertion part 52, it can be suitably restored from the state bent by the wire 51 as described above. Further, since the CCD camera 54 and the LED illumination unit 56 are fixed to the hood 53 by fixing screws 58 and 59, the CCD camera 54 and the LED illumination unit 56 can be easily replaced, and the state of the pipe line S The optimum observation means and illumination means can be installed according to the above.

(Fifth embodiment)
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The endoscope apparatus 60 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 differs from the previous embodiment in that a CCD is formed on the peripheral surface of a wire rod 61 made of elastic FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) as shown in FIG. The imaging cable 63 connected to the camera 62 is wound around and inserted into the tube body 64 with a low friction plastic material such as fluororesin.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the imaging cable 63, there are an LED cable 66 that supplies power to the LED illumination unit 65, and an air / water supply pipe 68 that ejects compressed air or water from a nozzle 67 at the tip. They are different from each other in that they are individually accommodated in tube bodies 69 and 70 made of a plastic material such as a fluororesin. In the air / water supply pipe 68, it is also possible to remove the dirt or the like from the observation site by spraying compressed air, water, or the like to the observation site to facilitate observation.

  Note that the LED cable 66 and the air / water supply pipe 68 are not wound around the wire, but only themselves are accommodated in the tube bodies 69 and 70, respectively. However, the wire 61 described above is accommodated in the tube body 68 for the LED cable 66 or the tube body 69 for the air / water supply tube 68, and the LED cable 64, air / air The water pipe 68 may be wound around. In this way, the wire rods 61 may be disposed in all the tube bodies 64, 69, and 70, or the wire rods 61 may be disposed in any one or a plurality thereof. Further, hoods 71, 72, 73 are attached to the tips of these tube bodies 64, 69, 70, respectively, and the CCD camera 62, LED illumination unit 65, The nozzle 67 is exposed. The hoods 71, 72, and 73 receive the compressed air F <b> 1 ejected from the fluid ejecting means 5 and the compressed air from the nozzle 67, and the base end side is concave so that thrust can be generated on the distal end side. It has become. In addition, the hood 70 to which the CCD camera 62 located at the tip is attached is formed of a transparent material so that the light of the LED illumination unit 65 irradiated from the rear can reach the tip side.

  The tube body 64 that houses the wire 61 around which the imaging cable 63 is wound, the tube body 69 that houses the LED cable 66, and the tube body 70 that houses the air / water supply pipe 68 are also made of fluororesin or the like. The insertion portion 76 of the endoscope 75 is configured by being inserted through a large-diameter tube body 74 formed of the low friction plastic material.

  In the endoscope apparatus 60 configured as described above, the positional relationship among the CCD camera 62, the LED illumination unit 65, and the nozzle 67 is adjusted by independently moving the tube bodies 64, 69, and 70 forward and backward. be able to. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the CCD camera 62, the LED illuminating unit 65, and the nozzle 67 can be arranged in this order from the front, and the interval between them can be adjusted to be optimum. It is possible to realize a flexible endoscope operation according to the condition of the road S. Further, since the wire rod 61 around which the imaging cable 63 is wound is accommodated in the tube body 64, the wire rod 61 and the imaging cable 63 are integrated, and the operability when inserting the imaging cable 63 to the distal end side is improved. Can be made. Moreover, since the CCD camera 62, the LED illumination part 65, and the nozzle 67 are arrange | positioned at the separate food | hoods 71-73, the magnitude | size of the one food | hood 71-73 can be made small, and the narrow pipe line S can be connected. Insertion can also be performed smoothly.

  In this embodiment, the individual hoods 71 to 73 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 14, when the hoods 71 to 73 are arranged at the same position, they are integrated on the front side. A three-part body 81 that forms the curved surface 80 may be used. Then, when the integrated hoods 71 to 73 are first inserted into the pipe S of the pipe S, and then the pipe S becomes a tortuous complex shape, as shown in FIG. 62, the LED illumination part 65, and the hoods 71 to 73 of the nozzle 67 may be arranged separately. As a result, it is possible to realize a flexible endoscope operation according to the condition of the pipe line S.

  In the present embodiment, the CCD camera 62, the LED illumination unit 65, and the nozzle 67 are disposed in the completely separate hoods 71 to 73. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. The tube body 64 that houses the wire 61 around which the imaging cable 63 is wound is inserted into the through hole 82 of the second LED hood 72 so that the tube body 64 can advance and retreat, and the tube body 64 and the LED cable 66 are The accommodated tube body 69 may be inserted through the through holes 83 and 84 of the third air supply hood 73 so as to be able to advance and retract. And by such arrangement | positioning, the front-end | tip part of the endoscope 74 can be located on the substantially same axis line. Therefore, it is possible to freely adjust the positional relationship between the CCD camera 62 and the LED illumination unit 65 provided at the distal ends of the tube bodies 64 and 69.70 while improving the insertability of the entire insertion unit.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a distal end portion of an endoscope in an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. 2 cut along the axial direction in the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope of FIG. 2 cut along the line AA in the endoscope apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the endoscope apparatus of the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, it is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the front-end | tip part of the endoscope along the axial direction. It is a whole block diagram which shows the endoscope apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the hood of FIG. 6 cut along an axial direction in an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a whole block diagram which shows the endoscope apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in which the insertion portion and the hood of FIG. 8 are cut along the axial direction. It is a perspective view of the insertion part front end and hood vicinity which show the endoscope apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the hood of FIG. 10 cut along an axial direction in an endoscope apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the insertion part front end and hood vicinity which show the endoscope apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which took out the imaging cable from the tube body in the endoscope apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is an endoscope apparatus of the 1st modification of the 5th Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of an insertion part front-end | tip and hood vicinity. It is an endoscope apparatus of the 2nd modification of the 5th Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of an insertion part front-end | tip and hood vicinity.

Explanation of symbols

1, 30, 40, 50, 60 Endoscope device 2, 74 Endoscope 3, 41, 53, 71, 72, 73 Hood 5 Fluid ejection device 6, 48, 54, 62 CCD camera (observation means)
7, 42, 56, 65 LED illumination unit (illumination means)
8, 46, 52, 76 Insertion section 8A, 46A, 46B, 52A, 52B, 64, 69, 70 Tube body 11, 44, 55, 63 Imaging cable (cable)
12, 45, 57, 66 LED cable (cable)
20, 47, 51, 61 Wire 31, 32, 33 Intermediate hood S Pipe line

Claims (9)

An endoscope having an insertion portion which is configured by a flexible tube body and provided with observation means on the distal end side;
A wire rod disposed along the tube body and having elasticity that can be restored together with the tube body from a bent state;
A hood provided on the distal end side of the insertion portion and projecting to the outer periphery;
E Bei a fluid injection means for injecting a fluid toward the tip end side from the proximal end of the endoscope,
The distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope is fixed to the hood,
An endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wire is provided such that a distal end position with respect to the tube body can be variably moved along the tube body . The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
An endoscope apparatus comprising an intermediate hood that is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion on a proximal end side with respect to the hood and projects to the outer peripheral side. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Illuminating means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion;
The cable for connecting the observation means and the illumination means to the base end side is inserted into different tube bodies, and the wire is inserted into one of these tube bodies. Mirror device. The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
An endoscope apparatus comprising an LED substrate provided on the hood and provided with a plurality of LEDs. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Illuminating means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion;
Cables respectively connecting the observation means and the illumination means and the base end side are inserted into different tube bodies,
An endoscope apparatus, wherein the wire is disposed outside the tube body, and a tip is connected to a hood. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Illuminating means for illuminating the distal end side of the insertion portion;
The insertion portion has a plurality of the tube bodies, and the hood is provided at each of the distal ends of these tube bodies,
The endoscope apparatus, wherein the observation unit and the illumination unit are provided in different tube bodies. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
The endoscope apparatus, wherein the plurality of hoods are provided so as to be connected so as to be integrated. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
The plurality of hoods are disposed so as to have different positions in the axial direction, and the hood on the proximal end side has a through hole for movably disposing the tube body extending from the hood on the distal end side to the proximal end side. An endoscope apparatus characterized by being formed. The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
An endoscope characterized in that the wire is disposed inside the tube body together with a cable connecting the distal end side and the proximal end side of the insertion portion so that the cable is wound around the circumference. apparatus.

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