JP5602619B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope in which a plurality of switches are provided in an operation unit connected to a proximal end portion of an insertion unit.

  In recent years, endoscopes are used in the medical field and the industrial field. Endoscopes used in the medical field can be observed by inserting an elongated insertion portion into the body, and various treatments can be performed by inserting a desired treatment instrument into a treatment instrument insertion channel as necessary.

  On the other hand, endoscopes used in the industrial field can inspect for scratches, corrosion, and the like by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a boiler, a gas turbine engine, piping of a chemical plant, an automobile engine, or the like.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an endoscope that allows an operator to easily control peripheral devices and that does not cause the remote control switch to be unintentionally pushed. In this endoscope, an insertion portion, a switch box provided with a remote control switch, a bending operation portion, and a grip are arranged in order.

JP 2000-210773 A

  However, in the endoscope of Patent Document 1, the outer shape of the bending operation portion protrudes from the outer shape of the switch box and the outer shape of the grip. For this reason, when the operation unit is placed on a desk, it becomes unstable and may roll and fall from the desk. In addition, there is a demand for an endoscope used in the industrial field to perform inspection or the like while placed on a work table.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of performing stable operation in a state where an operation unit is gripped or placed on a work table or the like. ing.

An endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention extends from an insertion portion having a bending portion on a distal end side, a cylindrical operation portion provided continuously with a proximal end side of the insertion portion, and a proximal end surface of the operation portion. In an endoscope provided with a universal cord, the operation unit is a switch for arranging a plurality of switches in a longitudinal axis direction by dropping a predetermined amount from the outer peripheral surface into a predetermined part of the outer periphery. A cylindrical portion that is a first gripping portion set to a predetermined length dimension and includes a placement plane portion, and a finger placement portion of a curved lever of a predetermined bending shape is in the same direction as the switch placement plane portion. A first surface portion on which one end of the bending lever is pivotally supported so as to face a certain first direction, a second surface portion opposed to the first surface portion, and the first surface of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. Has a curved surface that moves in the direction of the finger rest. A second curved surface including a first curved surface and a spherical surface projecting in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, which serves as a finger hanging portion and a first installation portion; The same as the first surface portion and the second surface portion projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and the first convex portion provided at a predetermined distance from the distal end of the operation portion. a pair of notched flat portion provided to face in the positional relationship, the first curving portion having a curved surface which connects each of the first direction side of the end of the pair of notched flat portion, and a second installation unit Te, with a second curving section having a rotating portion and a rolling-prevention portion are alternately arranged at predetermined intervals to a curved surface connecting each of the second direction side of the end of the pair of notched flat portion, wherein And a second convex portion which is a second grip portion provided at the base end of the cylindrical portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an endoscope having an endoscope operation unit that has excellent gripping properties and can obtain a stable placement state when operated on a work table or the like.

The figure explaining an endoscope system The figure explaining the structure of an operation part Side view of the operation unit It is the front view of an operation part, Comprising: The figure seen from the arrow Y4a direction of FIG. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the operation unit, as viewed from the direction of arrow Y4b in FIG. The figure explaining the 1st holding state of an operation part The figure explaining the 2nd holding | grip state of an operation part The figure explaining the mounting state of an operation part

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope system 1 includes an endoscope 2 having an elongated insertion portion 3, and an apparatus main body 6 to which a universal cord 5 extending from an operation portion 4 of the endoscope 2 is connected. It is configured with. In the endoscope 2 of the present embodiment, the insertion portion 3, the operation portion 4, and the universal cord 5 are provided so as to be substantially in a straight line.

  The insertion portion 3 includes, in order from the distal end side, a distal end portion 3a, a bending portion 3b configured to be bendable in the vertical direction, and a flexible tube portion 3c formed in a long shape having flexibility. Configured. An imaging device (not shown) having an imaging element such as a C-MOS is built in the distal end portion 3a.

The operation unit 4 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided with a bending operation lever 46 to be described later for performing an operation for bending the bending portion 3b. The bending portion 3b is configured to bend upward or downward according to the turning operation of the bending operation lever 46.
In addition to the bending operation lever 46, the operation unit 4 is provided with a switch for performing various settings provided in the distal end portion 3a, which will be described later, a switch for instructing an imaging operation, and the like.

The apparatus main body 6 is provided with a monitor 6a for displaying an endoscopic image captured by the imaging apparatus. Inside the apparatus main body 6 are disposed an image processing CPU, electrical components (not shown) such as a recording device for recording processed images, a battery unit (not shown) for supplying power, and the like.
The power of the battery is supplied to the monitor 6a, electrical components, the imaging device, a light emitting element provided in the operation unit 4, and the like.
In the universal cord 5, a signal cable connected to the imaging device, an electric wire for supplying power to a light emitting element such as an LED, and the like are inserted.

The configuration of the operation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation unit 4 mainly includes a cylindrical part 10, a first convex part 20, and a second convex part 30.

  The cylindrical portion 10 includes a first case body 11 and a second case body 12. The first case body 11 is a detachable cover and is configured to be attached to the first convex portion 20 of the second case body 12.

  The second case body 12 is a first grip portion and has a switch arrangement surface 13 and a finger contact surface 14. The finger contact surface 14 is provided with a non-slip 15 made up of continuous uneven portions. The anti-slip 15 also serves as a notification unit that visually notifies the user that the second case body 12 is a gripping unit.

The switch arrangement surface 13 is a switch arrangement plane portion, and is formed by dropping a predetermined amount L from the outer peripheral surface of the second case body 12.
On the switch arrangement surface 13, a plurality of switches 41-45 protruding from this plane are arranged in a line along the longitudinal axis of the operation unit 4.

The first switch 41 is a multifunction switch 41 having a plurality of functions, and includes a central switch 41a and an outer peripheral switch 41b. The central switch 41a is a push button type switch located in the center, and the outer peripheral switch 41b is an annular four-way switch provided on the outer peripheral side of the central switch 41a.
The central switch 41a has a function of displaying a menu screen on the screen of the monitor 6a and a function of making a decision on a selection item displayed on the screen.

  The outer peripheral switch 41b functions as a switch for moving a plurality of selection items in the vertical and horizontal directions on the screen when the menu screen is displayed on the screen of the monitor 6a. The outer peripheral switch 41b has a zoom switch function and a brightness switch function when a camera image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 6a. The screen is gradually brightened by pressing, for example, the portion indicated by the arrow 2a of the outer peripheral switch 41b, and the screen is gradually darkened by pressing the portion indicated by the arrow 2b. Further, the display image is gradually enlarged by pressing the portion indicated by the arrow 2c of the outer peripheral switch 41b, and the display image is gradually widened by pressing the portion indicated by the arrow 2d.

  The second switch 42 has, for example, a function of switching the screen of the monitor 6a from gain adjustment to camera image display or vice versa. The third switch 43 has a function of browsing a recorded image, for example. The fourth switch 44 is a first recording / shooting switch, and the fifth changeover switch 45 is a second recording / shooting switch. The recording / photographing switch has a function of recording or photographing a camera image displayed on the screen of the monitor 6a.

The second case body 12 is provided with a first protrusion 20 and a second protrusion 30.
First, the 1st convex part 20 is demonstrated.
The first convex portion 20 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4A is a lever mounting portion, and is provided with a bending operation lever 46 for bending the bending portion 3b. The first convex portion 20 includes a lever mounting surface 21, a side surface 22, a first curved surface 23, and a second curved surface 24.

  The lever mounting surface 21 is a first surface portion. The side surface 22 is a second surface portion provided at a position facing the lever mounting surface 21. The first curved surface 23 is a third surface portion and has a curved surface along which the bending operation lever 46 moves. The 2nd curved surface 24 is a 1st installation part arrange | positioned on the desk surface etc. which is a 4th surface part.

  The bending operation lever 46 is substantially L-shaped and includes a finger rest portion 46a and a connecting portion 46b. The finger placement portion 46a has a predetermined curved surface shape, and is provided with a slip stopper made up of an uneven portion on the surface. The connecting portion 46b has a plate shape, and one end thereof is attached to the lever attachment surface 21 by the attachment pin 9a so as to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow Y3a and clockwise as indicated by the arrow Y3b. Reference numeral 9b denotes a curved lock lever.

3 is an initial state in which the bending portion 3b of the insertion portion 3 is straightened. The bending portion 3b is bent upward when the connecting portion 46b is rotated clockwise, and is bent downward when the connecting portion 46b is rotated counterclockwise. The finger placement portion 46a of the bending operation lever 46 faces upward in FIG. 3 which is the same direction as the switch arrangement surface 13 in the initial state.
Hereinafter, the upward direction of the operation unit 4 is referred to as a first direction.

  The side surface 22 is a second lever mounting surface on which the bending operation lever 46 can be mounted. The lever attachment surface 21 and the side surface 22 are different in whether or not the bending operation lever 46 is attached, and the configuration is the same. Reference numeral 29 denotes a metal mounting plate that is integrally fixed to the flat surface of the lever mounting surface 21 and the flat surface of the side surface 22 by screws.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, the first curved surface 23 has a first arc surface having a radius r1 centered on the central axis of the mounting pin 9a and a second radius r2 centering on the central axis of the second case body 12. And includes a circular arc surface, and is configured to protrude in the first direction from the outer peripheral surface of the second case body 12. As described above, when the bending operation lever 46 is rotated to bend the bending portion 3b upward or downward, the back surface of the finger placement portion 46a moves along the first curved surface 23.

  The second curved surface 24 is a second arcuate surface having a radius r2 centered on the central axis of the second case body 12, and an axis orthogonal to the central axis of the second case body 12 and parallel to the central axis of the mounting pin 9a. Is formed as a spherical surface portion including a second circular arc surface having a radius r2 with the center at the center. The second curved surface 24 that is a spherical surface portion is configured to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the second case body 12 in the second direction opposite to the first direction. As described above, the second curved surface 24 is a first installation portion that is disposed on the surface of the desk or work table.

Next, the 2nd convex part 30 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4B, the second convex portion 30 serves as both the second gripping portion and the palm contact portion. The palm contact portion is a weir that prevents the palm gripping the first gripping portion from falling off toward the universal cord 5 side.

The second convex part 30 is, for example, a flange-shaped part having a circular outer shape, and is set to a predetermined width dimension.
The 2nd convex part 30 is provided with the 1st notch surface 31 and the 2nd notch surface 32 which are notch plane parts, the peripheral part 33 which is the 1st curved surface part, and the peripheral part 34 which is the 2nd curved surface part. Composed.

The first notch surface 31 is a surface parallel to the lever mounting surface 21, and the second notch surface 32 is a surface provided at a position facing the first notch surface 31.
The peripheral portion 33 is an arc surface connecting the first direction end 31 u of the first notch surface 31 and the first direction end 32 u of the second notch surface 32. The circumferential portion 34 is an arc surface connecting the second direction end 31 d of the first notch surface 31 and the second direction end 32 d of the second notch surface 32.

  The circumferential part 34 is a second installation part, and is arranged on the surface of the desk or work table. In the circumferential portion 34, a plurality of circumferential surfaces 35 and a plurality of rolling prevention portions 36 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. For example, when the operation unit 4 is placed on a desk, the circumferential surface 35 is placed in a state where it can be rolled. On the other hand, the rolling prevention part 36 is arrange | positioned on a desk and makes the operation part 4 a mounting state which is hard to roll.

  The rolling prevention unit 36 is configured, for example, by providing a plurality of depressions 37 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential portion 34. One of the rolling prevention portions 36 is set so as to be positioned at the lowermost end in the second direction of the circumferential portion 34 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B.

Instead of the depression 37, a plane may be provided in the circumferential portion 34 at a predetermined interval, and the rolling prevention portion 36 and the circumferential surface 35 may be alternately provided.
Moreover, you may make it comprise the notch surfaces 31 and 32 by a hollow.
In the present embodiment, the peripheral portion 33 and the peripheral portion 34 are second arc surfaces having a radius r <b> 2 centered on the central axis of the second case body 12.

  Furthermore, the code | symbol 38 is a 2nd holding part auxiliary | assistant part. The second grip portion auxiliary portion 38 is a convex portion that protrudes integrally from the base end surface of the second circumferential portion 34 or is integrally fixed. Further, the second convex portion 30 is not limited to the flange-shaped portion having a circular outer shape and a predetermined width dimension, and may be configured in a spherical shape.

The operation unit 4 configured as described above is preferably configured for use in the first gripping state, the second gripping state, and the mounting state described below.
In the first holding state shown in FIG. 5, the user holds the second case body 12 with the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, the little finger, and the palm of the hand, and then places the thumb on the finger placement portion 46 a of the bending operation lever 46. . Therefore, the second curved surface 24 of the first convex portion 20 has a position and a protruding amount so that it can be sandwiched between, for example, the middle finger and the index finger of the user disposed on the finger contact surface 14 having the anti-slip 15. . That is, the second curved surface 24 is a finger-hanging portion that is sandwiched between a finger disposed on the first case body 11 side and a finger disposed on the second case body 12 side.

  The height of the peripheral portion 33 of the second convex portion 30 is set so that the palm of the user's hand contacts the first convex portion 20 side of the peripheral portion 33 of the second convex portion 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user's palm from coming into contact with the first convex portion 20 side of the peripheral portion 33 and accidentally dropping the hand from the first grip portion.

  Further, in the first gripping state, the switch placement surface is arranged from the outer peripheral surface of the second case body 12 so that the various switches 41-45 are not erroneously operated by the user's hand close to the second case body 12. A dimension L up to 13 is set.

In the first gripping state, when gripping the operation unit 4, the second curved surface 24 is sandwiched between the index finger and the middle finger as described above, and the palm is applied to the first convex portion 20 side of the peripheral portion 33. As a result, the palm is lifted from the second case body 12.
As a result, the operator can freely operate the bending operation knob 46 with the thumb, and more reliably prevent the various switches 41-45 from being erroneously operated during the operation.

  In the second gripping state shown in FIG. 6, the user moves the second convex part 30 and the second gripping part auxiliary part 38 provided on the second case body 12 to the palm and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger. Each of the switches 41 to 44 is operated with the thumb. Therefore, each switch 41-44 is arranged in a range that can be operated with the thumb.

  The plurality of switches 41 to 44 are arranged in consideration of the use priority order or the use frequency. And in this embodiment, the switch with high use priority is arrange | positioned at the 1st convex part 20 side. Further, the fifth changeover switch 45 is a switch used in a mounting state to be described later. For this reason, it is provided in a range that can be operated with the thumb with the palm placed on the peripheral surface of the peripheral portion 33 of the second convex portion 30 in the mounted state.

In the mounting state shown in FIG. 7, the operation unit 4 is configured such that the spherical surface part constituting the second curved surface 24 of the first convex part 20 abuts on the desk surface 50 and the circumferential part 34 of the second convex part 30 rolls. The prevention unit 36 or the peripheral surface 35 is disposed on the desk surface 50. In other words, the operation unit 4 includes a spherical surface part constituting the second curved surface 24 and a rolling prevention part 36 of the circumferential part 34 disposed on the desk surface 50 or a spherical part constituting the second curved surface 24. The circumferential surface 35 of the circumferential portion 34 is placed on the desk surface 50 to be placed.
In this placement state, the outer peripheral surface of the first case body 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the second case body 12 constituting the operation unit 4 are separated from the desk surface 50.

  Then, in the first placement state where the spherical surface portion constituting the second curved surface 24 and the rolling prevention portion 36 of the circumferential portion 34 are placed on the surface, the operation unit 4 does not roll on the desk surface 50. Installed. On the other hand, in the second placement state in which the spherical surface portion constituting the second curved surface 24 and the circumferential surface 35 of the circumferential portion 34 are placed on the surface, the operation unit 4 has the circumferential surface 35 on the desk surface 50. Slightly rolls and moves.

  Further, in the first placement state, when the operator puts the palm on the second convex portion 30 and performs an operation of rotating the second convex portion 30 toward the hand side or in the back direction, the operation unit 4 is The operation unit 4 rotates with the longitudinal axis thereof substantially parallel to the desk surface 50. At this time, since the circumferential surface 35 and the rolling prevention portion 36 are alternately provided on the circumferential portion 34, the operation portion 4 rotates stepwise while repeating rotation and stoppage. As a result, the user can perform a twisting operation for rotating the insertion portion 3 in stages. When the operator obtains the desired twisted state of the insertion portion, the operator 4 is placed on the desk top surface 50 in a stable state by placing the rolling prevention portion 36 on the desk top surface 50.

  As described above, the first convex portion 20 and the second convex portion 30 configured as described above are provided in the operation portion 4, the bending operation lever 46 is provided in the first convex portion 20, and the switch arrangement surface 13 of the operation portion 4 is provided. Switches 41-45 are arranged in the array. Thus, the user can hold the operation unit 4 in a stable state and hold the operation unit 4 in the first holding state, and perform observation or the like with the endoscope 2. In addition, the user can hold the operation unit 4 in a stable state and perform a setting operation or the like by holding the operation unit 4 in the second holding state. Furthermore, the user places a stable placement state by placing the rolling prevention unit 36 positioned at the lowermost end in the second direction on the desk surface 50 in the placement state where the operation unit 4 is placed on the desk surface 50 or the like. Can be obtained. In other words, when the operation unit 4 is arranged on the desk surface 50, the operation unit 4 is prevented from rolling off the desk surface 50 by arranging the rolling prevention unit 36 on the desk surface 50. In addition, setting work and observation can be performed in this placement state.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope system 2 ... Endoscope 3 ... Insertion part 3a ... Tip part 3b ... Bending part 3c ... Flexible pipe part 4 ... Operation part 5 ... Universal cord 6 ... Apparatus body 6a ... Monitor 9a ... Mounting pin 9b ... Curved lock lever 10 ... cylindrical portion 11 ... first case body 12 ... second case body 13 ... switch arrangement surface
14 ... Finger contact surface 20 ... First convex portion 21 ... Lever mounting surface 22 ... Side surface
23 ... 1st curved surface 24 ... 2nd curved surface 29 ... Mounting plate 30 ... 2nd convex part
31 ... 1st notch surface 31d ... 2nd direction end 31u ... 1st direction end 32 ... 2nd notch surface 32d ... 2nd direction end 32u ... 1st direction end 33 ... Peripheral part 34 ... Circumferential part 35 ... Peripheral surface 36 ... rolling prevention part 38 ... gripping part auxiliary part 41 ... multi-function switch 41a ... central switch 41b ... outer peripheral switch 42 ... second switch 43 ... third switch 44 ... fourth switch 45 ... fifth switch 46 ... bending operation lever 46a ... Finger placement part 46b ... connection part 50 ... desk surface

Claims (6)

In an endoscope provided with an insertion part provided with a bending part on the distal end side, a cylindrical operation part connected to the proximal end side of the insertion part, and a universal cord extending from the proximal end surface of the operation part,
The operation unit is
Set to a predetermined length dimension with a switch arrangement plane part for arranging a plurality of switches in the longitudinal axis direction by dropping a predetermined amount from the outer peripheral surface into a predetermined part of the outer periphery. A cylindrical portion that is the first gripping portion,
A first surface portion on which one end of the bending lever is pivotally supported so that a finger placement portion of the bending lever of a predetermined bending shape faces a first direction which is the same direction as the switch arrangement plane portion; A second surface portion facing the first surface portion, a first curved surface that protrudes in the first direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, and has a curved surface that moves along the finger rest portion; and a finger-hanging portion; Predetermined in advance from the front end of the operation portion, which also has a second curved surface including a spherical portion that also serves as a first installation portion and protrudes in a second direction opposite to the first direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. A first convex portion provided at a distance from the base end side,
Projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion, the pair of cutout flat portion provided to face in the same positional relationship with the first surface and the second surface portions, each of said first of said pair of notches planar portion first curving portion having a curved surface connecting the end of the direction of, and a second installation portion, predetermined intervals to a curved surface connecting each of the second direction side of the end of the pair of notched flat portion A second convex part, which is a second grip part provided at the base end of the cylindrical part, comprising a second curved part having rotating parts and rolling prevention parts arranged alternately in
An endoscope comprising: In the first gripping state in which the cylindrical portion of the operation unit is gripped by the palm, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger,
The first convex portion is disposed so that the finger rest portion of the bending lever can be rotated by a thumb, and the second curved surface can be sandwiched between the middle finger and the index finger. The endoscope according to claim 1. In the second gripping state in which the second convex portion of the operation unit is gripped with one of the palm and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger,
Plurality of switches arranged on the switch plane portion endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that it is positioned so as to be operated by the thumb. In the mounting state where the operation unit is placed horizontally on one surface such as a desk surface,
The spherical surface portion of the second curved surface of the first convex portion abuts, the rolling prevention portion or the curved surface of the second curved portion of the second convex portion is installed, and the grip portion of the operation portion is separated from the one surface. The endoscope according to claim 1.   The plurality of switches are multi-function switches having a plurality of functions and various switches having one function, and the plurality of switches are arranged in consideration of the priority order and the use frequency, and the priority order and the use frequency are The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the high switch is disposed on the first convex portion side.   In the configuration in which two recording / shooting buttons are provided as the plurality of switches, one of the two recording / shooting buttons has a palm placed on the second convex portion of the operation unit installed in the horizontal position. The endoscope according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the endoscope is disposed at a position operable by a thumb in a state.

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