JP6432050B2 - Medical manipulator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical manipulator.

  Conventionally, in endoscopic surgery (also called laparoscopic surgery), for example, after opening a plurality of holes in the abdomen of a patient and inserting a trocar (cylindrical instrument) as an instrument passage port The distal part of a medical manipulator is inserted into a body cavity through a trocar to perform an operation on the affected part.

  A medical manipulator used in such endoscopic surgery includes, for example, a hollow shaft, a wire member inserted into the shaft, and one end of the shaft, and the wire member is advanced and retracted in the axial direction. It has a structure provided with a driving mechanism section for driving and a tip operating section that is provided on the other end side of the shaft and that is operated by advancing and retracting driving of the wire member. As the distal end working unit, for example, a gripper for grasping a living tissue, a scissor for cutting, an electrode of an electric knife for sealing a blood vessel or performing tissue incision / separation, a suturing unit including a suture needle, an intestinal tract Various end effectors such as an anastomosis unit for anastomoses are known.

JP 2012-065889 A

  The medical manipulator has a mechanism for operating the distal end working unit such as a gripper and an electric knife electrode by advancing and retreating driving of a wire member inserted into the shaft. In order to obtain a delicate operation by the distal end working unit. The smooth movement of the wire member in the shaft is required.

  The present invention has been made to meet such demands, and an object thereof is to provide a medical manipulator that can exhibit high slidability.

The above object of the present invention is to provide a hollow shaft, a wire member inserted into the shaft, a drive mechanism provided on one end side of the shaft, and driving the wire member to advance and retreat in the axial direction. A medical manipulator provided on the other end side and provided with a distal end working unit that is operated by the advance / retreat driving of the wire member, wherein the wire member is formed on a long wire body and an outer surface of the wire body; And a wire formed of a hydrophobic polymer material having slipperiness and a hydrophilic polymer material having slipperiness and a hydrophilic polymer material. This is achieved by a medical manipulator that is a twisted yarn with a conductive wire .

Further, the object of the present invention is to provide a hollow shaft, a wire member inserted into the shaft, a drive mechanism portion provided on one end side of the shaft and driving the wire member to advance and retreat in the axial direction, A medical manipulator provided on the other end side of the shaft and provided with a distal end working unit that is operated by the advance / retreat driving of the wire member, wherein the shaft includes a long core and an outer side of the core It is comprised as a cylindrical coil tube comprised by helically winding the shaft formation member provided with the wire material which is helically arrange | positioned and fixed to the surface, The said wire material is a slippery linear member And a medical manipulator which is a wire containing a polymer material . Here, the shaft forming member is configured such that the wire is arranged in the S winding direction with respect to the core material, and the shaft is formed in the Z winding direction with respect to the axis of the shaft. It can be configured to be wound. The shaft forming member is configured such that the wire is disposed in the Z-winding direction with respect to the core material, and the shaft is wound in the S-winding direction with respect to the axis of the shaft. You may make it comprise.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the medical manipulator which exhibits high slidability can be provided.

It is a side view of the medical manipulator concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part expanded side view of the wire member with which the medical manipulator shown in FIG. 1 is provided. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration cross-sectional view showing a modification of the wire member shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the wire member shown in FIG. 3 in a wet state. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the wire member shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the wire member shown in FIG. 3. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the cross-sectional shape of the wire wound around the surface of a wire main body. It is a schematic structure sectional view showing a section along the axial direction of a shaft. It is a principal part expanded side view of the shaft formation member used when forming the shaft shown in FIG. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the shaft shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the manufacturing process of the shaft shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view of a schematic configuration viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a modification of the shaft shown in FIG. 8. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the other modification of the manufacturing method of a shaft. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the process of the shaft formation member arrangement | positioning step in the manufacturing method of the shaft shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an example of a medical manipulator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each figure is partially enlarged or reduced in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration. FIG. 1 is a side view of a medical manipulator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The medical manipulator 1 is used by being inserted into a body cavity through a trocar or the like penetrated through a patient's abdominal wall or the like, or a natural opening such as a mouth or anus. As shown in FIG. 1, the medical manipulator 1 is provided on a hollow shaft 2, a wire member 3 inserted into the shaft 2, and one end side of the shaft 2, and drives the wire member 3 to advance and retract in the axial direction. A drive mechanism unit 4 and a tip operating unit 5 provided on the other end side of the shaft 2 and operated by advancing and retracting the wire member 3 are provided. Here, by changing the type of the distal end working unit 5, the medical manipulator 1 includes a grasping forceps, a peeling forceps, a tissue excision punch, a longeur, a tissue excision instrument, a transvaginal extractor, a needle holder, and a clip applier. It can be configured as various medical instruments such as a needle driver, a monopolar electric knife, a bipolar electric knife, an anastomosis instrument, and a suture instrument.

  The shaft 2 is a member that is inserted into a body cavity and is a rigid cylindrical member that does not have flexibility. The shaft 2 has a lumen (channel) inside. In addition, you may comprise the shaft 2 as a cylindrical member which has flexibility.

  As described above, the wire member 3 is a member that is inserted through the shaft 2 and has one end connected to the drive mechanism unit 4 and the other end connected to the tip operating unit 5. Yes. As shown in the enlarged side view of the main part of FIG. 2, the wire member 3 is configured to include a long wire body 31 and a wire 32 arranged in a spiral shape on the outer surface of the wire body 31. Yes.

  The wire main body 31 can be formed using materials constituting various conventional wires used as a power transmission member of the medical manipulator 1. For example, various metal materials such as stainless steel, piano wire, cobalt-based alloy, and pseudo-elastic alloys (including superelastic alloys) can be used.

  Here, when the shaft 2 is configured to have flexibility, it is particularly preferable to form the wire body 31 from a superelastic alloy. Since the superelastic alloy is relatively flexible, has a resilience, and is difficult to bend, the wire member 3 is made of a superelastic alloy, so that the wire member 3 has a high flexibility and a resilience to bending. Is obtained, the followability to the curved shaft 2 is improved, and more excellent operability is obtained. Further, even if the wire member 3 is repeatedly bent and bent, the wire body 31 is not bent due to the recoverability of the wire main body 31, so that the operability is prevented from being lowered due to the bent wrinkle during use of the medical manipulator 1. be able to.

  Various forms can be adopted as the form of the wire body 31. For example, the wire main body 31 may be formed of a single steel material, or the wire main body 31 may be formed by folding and twisting a single linear steel material. Moreover, the wire main body 31 may be formed by twisting a plurality of linear steel materials, or may be formed by twisting a linear steel material and a polymer linear member. Furthermore, the central portion and the surface portion are formed of different materials (two-layer structure, for example, the outer surface of the central portion made of metal is coated with a thermosetting polymer to form the surface portion. Various members such as such a member can be employed.

  Further, the entire surface of the wire body 31 may be preliminarily coated with a fluorine polymer. Examples of the fluoropolymer include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA, melting point 300 to 310 ° C.), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, melting point 330 ° C.), and tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer. Polymer (FEP, melting point 250-280 ° C), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE, melting point 260-270 ° C), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, melting point 160-180 ° C), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) , Melting point 210 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (EPE, melting point 290-300 ° C.) and the like, and fluorinated polymers such as copolymers containing these polymers It can be.

  The wire 32 arranged in a spiral shape on the outer surface of the wire body 31 is a flexible and easy-to-slip linear member, and is fixed to the outer surface of the wire body 31 by heat fusion. Such a wire 32 can be formed from various polymer materials, and examples thereof include a wire 32 formed from a fluorine-based polymer having slipperiness (lubricity). Examples of such a fluoropolymer include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA, melting point 300 to 310 ° C.), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, melting point 330 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexa. Fluoropropylene copolymer (FEP, melting point 250-280 ° C), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE, melting point 260-270 ° C), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, melting point 160-180 ° C), polychlorotrifluoro From fluorine-based polymers such as ethylene (PCTFE, melting point 210 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (EPE, melting point 290-300 ° C.), and copolymers containing these polymers Mention may be made of a hydrophobic polymer which forms. Of these, PFA, PTFE, FEP, ETFE, and PVDF are preferable because they have excellent sliding characteristics. Moreover, as the wire 32, the wire 32 formed from hydrophobic polymers, such as polyamide, polyester, polycarbonate, urethane, silicone, polyethylene, and polypropylene, can also be used.

  The wire 32 is a slippery material formed from a hydrophilic polymer material such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide polymer material, maleic anhydride polymer material, acrylamide polymer material, or water-soluble nylon. It is also possible to use a wire 32 having properties. Examples of the hydrophilic polymer material forming the wire 32 include cotton cellulose, rayon (viscose rayon, copper ammonia rayon, polynosic rayon, etc.), cellulose esters (cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate). Cellulose polymers represented by butyrate may be employed. Alternatively, the hydrophilic wire 32 may be formed by forming the wire 32 from a hydrophobic polymer material and subjecting the wire 32 to a known hydrophilic treatment. For example, after forming a wire 32 from a cellulose ester material having hydrophobicity and subjecting the wire 32 to a known hydrophilic treatment such as oxidizing a hydroxyl group of cellulose to a carboxyl group, the hydrophilic treatment is performed. It is also possible to use a wire 32 that has been made and disposed on the outer surface of the wire body 31. Or after forming the wire 32 from the cellulose ester material which has hydrophobicity, and arrange | positioning this wire 32 on the outer surface of the wire main body 31, the hydrophilic treatment is given with respect to the said wire 32, and the wire main body 31 of You may make it form the hydrophilic wire 32 arrange | positioned helically on the surface.

  The method for producing the wire 32 from the various polymer materials described above is not particularly limited, and for example, a conventionally known method such as a method of spinning a raw material by extrusion molding can be used. Moreover, the method of winding the wire 32 around the wire body 31 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of winding using a covering device used for manufacturing a covering yarn.

  As described above, the wire 32 is spirally wound around the surface of the wire body 31 and heat-sealed. However, the spacing between the wires 32 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31 is as follows. Can be set arbitrarily. For example, the wire members 32 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31 may be configured to be in close contact with each other, or may be configured to provide a predetermined interval in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31. May be. Further, the interval between the adjacent wire rods 32 may be set to be wide in a part and set to be narrow in other parts. When a predetermined interval is formed between the wire rods 32 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31, for example, the wire rod pitch of the wire rod 32 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31 is the maximum diameter of the wire rod 32. It is preferable to configure so as to be in the range of 1 to 10 times the above. In addition, the wire pitch of the wire 32 is the concept showing the center-center distance of the wire 32 adjacent to the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire main body 31, as shown in the side view of FIG.

  The wire 32 is spirally wound around the surface of the wire body 31 and heat-sealed. As a method of heat-sealing the wire 32 to the surface of the wire body 31, for example, the wire 32 is wire-bonded. A method of winding the wire 32 on the surface of the wire body 31 by winding the wire 32 on the surface of the body 31 and then melting the wire 32 by heating can be given. As a heat treatment method, for example, a chamber-type heat treatment apparatus can be used by applying heat from the outside of the wire 32 wound around the wire body 31. In addition, since the wire body 31 is made of a high-resistance conductive material (a material that can easily conduct electricity), it can also be performed by applying a voltage to both ends of the wire body 31 and conducting heating.

  In particular, when the wire body 31 is made of a conductive material and the wire 32 is formed of a material having lower magnetism than the wire body 31, the wire body 31 is formed from the outside of the wire 32 disposed on the wire body 31. The wire main body 31 is heated by electromagnetic induction using an electromagnetic induction heating device, and at least one of the opposing regions of the wire 32 and the wire main body 31 is melted by the heat of the heated wire main body 31, so It is preferable to fuse the wire 32 to the outer surface of the wire body 31 so as to be fused. The material having lower magnetism than the wire body 31 is a concept including a material having no magnetism in addition to a material having magnetism weaker than that of the wire body 31. Electromagnetic induction heating is a type of heating method that is also used in electromagnetic cookers (IH cooking heaters), high-frequency welding, etc., and causes a change in magnetic field (magnetic flux density) by passing an alternating current through the coil. This is a heating method that utilizes the principle of generating an induced current (eddy current) in a conductive substance placed in the magnetic field and generating heat by the resistance of the conductive substance itself.

  Since the density of the induced current generated in the electromagnetically heated wire body 31 increases from the center of the wire body 31 to the surface thereof, the surface is heated (concentrated faster) than the inside of the wire body 31. Heated). Therefore, when the melting point of the wire body 31 is lower than the melting point of the wire 32, the surface of the wire body 31 that is heated in a concentrated manner (a region facing the wire 32 (contact region) in the wire body 31) is melted. It becomes. Further, when the melting point of the wire 32 is lower than the melting point of the wire body 31, the heat generated by the wire body 31 is transmitted to the wire 32, and the region (contact region) facing the wire body 31 in the wire 32 is melted. It will be. In addition, by setting the frequency of the current flowing through the electromagnetic induction heating device (AC current flowing through the coil) high, it is possible to collect the heat generating parts in the wire body 31 on the surface, and conversely, set the frequency of the current low. By doing so, since the inside of the wire body 31 can also generate heat uniformly, it is preferable that the frequency of the current flowing through the electromagnetic induction heating device can be appropriately changed.

  By performing electromagnetic induction heating in this manner, the wire 32 is quickly softened or melted at and in the vicinity of the contact interface between the wire 32 and the wire body 31, so that the molecular orientation that contributes to the physical properties of the wire 32 can be easily maintained. The mechanical strength of can be kept higher. Also, unlike heating by heat transfer or radiation from the outside, energy beam irradiation, etc., the outer surface of the wire body 31 is softened or melted only at the contact interface between the wire 32 and the wire body 31 and in the vicinity thereof. It becomes easy to maintain the uneven surface shape. The surface irregularity shape here is not only different depending on the diameter of the wire 32 and the wire pitch, but also by changing the heating condition of the wire main body 31, the molten state of the wire 32 changes, so that it can be various shapes.

  Further, in order to more firmly bond the wire 32 to the outer surface of the wire body 31, after applying an adhesive such as a primer to the outer surface of the wire body 31, the wire 32 is wound around the outer surface of the wire body 31. The adhesive and the wire 32 may be melted by turning and then heated, and the wire 32 may be fused on the wire body 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism unit 4 is a member that is provided on one end side of the shaft 2 and has a function of driving the wire member 3 to advance and retract in the axial direction. The housing unit 41, the grip handle 42, And a trigger lever 43. One end of the wire member 3 inserted into the shaft 2 is connected to the trigger lever 43 through the link mechanism 44 in the housing portion 41, and the wire member 3 is advanced and retracted by opening / closing the trigger lever 43. When driven, the distal end working unit 5 is configured to perform a desired operation. The drive mechanism unit 4 is not limited in its configuration as long as the distal end operation unit 5 can perform a desired operation via the wire member 3 that is a power transmission member, and the medical manipulator 1 has been conventionally used. Various structures employed as the drive mechanism unit 4 can be used. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the tip operation unit 5 is configured to perform a desired operation by opening and closing the trigger lever 43. For example, the motor is disposed in the housing unit 41, and A motor operation switch may be provided on the surface of the housing portion 41, and the motor may be driven by a pressing operation of the operation switch so that the wire member 3 can be driven forward and backward.

  The distal end working unit 5 is a means that is provided on the other end side of the shaft 2 and is operated by advancing / retreating driving of the wire member 3 via the drive mechanism unit 4, for example, a gripper for gripping a living tissue, a cutting Various end effectors can be used, such as an electric scissors, an electrosurgical electrode that seals blood vessels and performs tissue incision and detachment, a suturing unit that includes a needle for suturing, and an anastomosis unit that anastomoses the intestinal tract. In FIG. 1, a gripper for grasping a living tissue is used as the distal end working unit 5. The gripper is configured to open by opening the trigger lever 43 and to close by closing the trigger lever 43. As specific examples of the distal end working unit 5, various end effectors other than those described above can be used.

  In the medical manipulator 1 according to the present embodiment, since the wire member 3 inserted into the shaft 2 includes the easy-to-slip wire 32 wound spirally around the surface of the wire body 31, the shaft The sliding resistance between the inner surface of the shaft and the wire member 3 when the wire member 3 moves forward and backward within 2 can be reduced, and high slidability can be obtained.

  The slippery wire 32 wound spirally around the surface of the wire body 31 forms a protrusion protruding from the surface of the wire body 31, and the protrusion contacts the inner surface of the shaft 2. Therefore, the contact area between the wire member 3 and the inner surface of the shaft 2 can be greatly reduced. Thereby, the smooth forward and backward movement of the wire member 3 relative to the shaft 2 can be further enhanced.

  The medical manipulator 1 according to the present invention has been described above, but the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the said embodiment, as shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the wire member 3 is produced by winding the single wire 32 helically around the surface of the wire main body 31, and making it heat-seal | fuse. However, the configuration is not particularly limited. For example, a plurality of wire rods 32 having the same or different thickness are wound around the outer surface of the wire body 31 in a spiral shape (double spiral shape, triple spiral shape, etc.) The wire member 3 may be formed by fusing.

  Here, a hydrophobic wire formed from a hydrophobic polymer material having slipperiness and a hydrophilic wire formed from a hydrophilic polymer material having slipperiness are spirally formed on the outer surface of the wire body 31. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, when the wire member 3 is formed by winding in a shape (double spiral, triple spiral, etc.), in a dry state (in a state where the hydrophilic wire does not contain moisture). It is preferable that the maximum height of the hydrophobic wire 32 a from the surface of the wire body 31 is higher than the maximum height of the hydrophilic wire 32 b from the surface of the wire body 31. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in the state in which the wire member 3 is wetted by body fluid, contrast medium, or the like, that is, in a wet state, and the hydrophilic wire 32b is swollen with moisture, the hydrophilicity from the surface of the wire body 31 is obtained. It is preferable that the maximum height of the conductive wire 32b be higher than the maximum height of the hydrophobic wire 32a from the surface of the wire body 31 in a wet state. By adopting such a configuration, for example, when the medical manipulator 1 is used in an environment in which the wire member 3 in the shaft 2 is not wet by a body fluid, a contrast medium, or the like, that is, in a dry environment (dry environment). The hydrophobic wire 32a exhibiting high slidability in the environment comes into contact with the inner wall of the shaft 2, and the operation of the medical manipulator 1 performed by the practitioner can be performed smoothly and smoothly. On the other hand, when the medical manipulator 1 is used in an environment in which the wire member 3 in the shaft 2 is wetted by a body fluid, a contrast agent, or the like, that is, a wet environment (wet environment), the hydrophilic wire 32b contains moisture. As shown in FIG. 4, the outermost portion (top portion) of the hydrophilic wire 32b is in a swollen state where it is higher than the outermost portion (top portion) of the hydrophobic wire 32a, and is hydrophilic to exhibit high slidability in a wet environment. The wire 32b comes into contact with the inner wall of the shaft 2. Thereby, in the wet environment, the practitioner can perform the operation of the medical manipulator 1 smoothly and smoothly. As described above, even if the environment in the shaft 2 of the medical manipulator 1 is either a dry environment (dry environment) or a wet environment (wet environment), high slidability can be exhibited.

  When the wire member 3 is formed by winding the hydrophobic wire 32a and the hydrophilic wire 32b around the outer surface of the wire body 31 in a spiral shape (double spiral shape, triple spiral shape, etc.), FIG. As shown in the figure, a covering layer 33 that covers the exposed surface of the wire body 31 is formed in a gap formed between the hydrophobic wire 32a and the hydrophilic wire 32b adjacent to each other when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31. It may be provided. Examples of the material for forming the coating layer 33 include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA, melting point 300 to 310 ° C.), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, melting point 330 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene- Hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP, melting point 250-280 ° C), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE, melting point 260-270 ° C), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, melting point 160-180 ° C), polychlorotri Fluoropolymers such as fluoroethylene (PCTFE, melting point 210 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (EPE, melting point 290-300 ° C.), and copolymers containing these polymers It can be exemplified. By providing such a coating layer 33, when the wire member 3 gets wet with a body fluid, a contrast agent, or the like, moisture is repelled by the coating layer 33 and guided to the hydrophilic wire 32b side. Immediately absorbs moisture and shifts to a swollen state. As a result, the wire member 3 can be changed more quickly to a state suitable for use in a humid environment.

  Further, the wire member 3 shown in FIG. 3 has a structure in which the hydrophobic wire 32a and the hydrophilic wire 32b do not contact each other when the hydrophilic wire 32b does not contain moisture (dry state). 6, the hydrophobic wire 32a and the hydrophilic wire 32b may be configured to contact each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire body 31. In the case of such a configuration, the hydrophilic property is set so that the swelling direction when the hydrophilic wire 32b swells with moisture when the wire member 3 is wetted by a body fluid, a contrast agent, or the like is on the radially outer side of the wire body 31. The hydrophobic wire 32a arrange | positioned at the both sides of the wire 32b exhibits the function which regulates the swelling direction of the hydrophilic wire 32b. This ensures that the maximum height of the hydrophilic wire 32b from the surface of the wire body 31 is higher than the maximum height of the hydrophobic wire 32a from the surface of the wire body 31 in a wet environment (wet environment). It is possible to swell the hydrophilic wire 32b and to make it possible for the hydrophilic wire 32b to reliably contact the inner wall of the shaft 2 in a wet environment (wet environment).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the wire 32 wound around the surface of the wire main body 31 is not specifically limited, A cross-sectional shape may be circular or non-circular. Examples of the non-circular cross-sectional shape include an elliptical shape, a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and a fan-shaped cross-sectional shape. Here, the wire 32 having a polygonal cross-sectional shape is, for example, a triangular shape in cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 7A, a pentagonal shape in cross-sectional view shown in (b), or a star-shaped cross-sectional view shown in (c). As shown in FIGS. 7D to 7F, in addition to a wire having a polygonal cross section with an angled corner, a triangular shape with a rounded corner, a pentagonal shape with a sectional view, and a star with a sectional view, as shown in FIGS. Concept including wire having a cross section such as a shape, and a wire having a cross section such as a triangular shape in cross section, a pentagonal shape in cross section, a star shape in cross section as shown in FIGS. 7 (g) to (i) It is. Even when the wire member 3 is formed using the wire member 32 having a non-circular cross section, the portion in contact with the inner wall of the shaft 2 is the outermost part (the top portion) of the wire member 32. The slidability of the wire member 3 with respect to is not lowered.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as the wire 32, the wire 32 manufactured by combining the polymer material simple substance mentioned above, the wire 32 manufactured combining a different kind of polymer material, a polymer material, and a metal material are used. A wire 32 manufactured by combining, a wire 32 manufactured by combining a polymer material and a non-metallic material, or the like can be used. The wire 32 may be a single wire or a stranded wire formed by twisting the same type of single wires. Further, it may be a stranded wire formed by twisting different types of single wires.

  When the wire 32 is configured by combining different types of polymer materials, a hydrophobic wire formed from a hydrophobic polymer material having slipperiness and a hydrophilic formed from a hydrophilic polymer material having slipperiness. It is preferable to use a wire 32 formed by twisting a conductive wire. The number of each of the hydrophobic wire and the hydrophilic wire used for the twisted yarn is not particularly limited, and can be formed by combining various numbers. Here, the hydrophobic wire formed from the hydrophobic polymer material is easy to have thermoplastic properties due to its material characteristics and is suitable for heat fusion, while the hydrophilic wire formed from the hydrophilic polymer material is Depending on the type of hydrophilic polymer material, there may be insufficient thermoplasticity to heat-seal based on intermolecular hydrogen bonds, resulting in delamination based on insufficient heat-seal. There is concern. However, as described above, the wire 32 is formed by twisting the hydrophobic wire and the hydrophilic wire, and the wire 32 is wound around the surface of the wire main body 31 and fused, so that a high degree of hydrophobic wire can be obtained. A strong fusion structure with the wire main body 31 can be obtained based on thermoplasticity, and the hydrophilic wire can realize a structure in which it is embraced by the hydrophobic wire and exists in the vicinity of the wire main body 31. The wire member 3 that maintains good slidability in either a dry environment (dry environment) or a wet environment (wet environment) while reliably preventing the conductive wire from being detached from the wire body 31. Can be obtained.

  Further, as described above, when the wire member 32 is formed by twisting the hydrophobic wire and the hydrophilic wire to form the wire member 3 by winding the wire 32 around the surface of the wire body 31, the hydrophobic wire is For example, it is preferably composed of a polyester polymer or a polyamide polymer. When the wire 32 formed by twisting the hydrophobic wire and the hydrophilic wire is disposed on the surface of the wire body 31 and thermally fused, the hydrophobic wire is formed from a polyester polymer, a polyamide polymer, or the like. Since it becomes possible to keep the fusion temperature relatively low, it is possible to make it difficult for the hydrophilic wire to be deteriorated by heat. Here, the polyester-based polymer is more preferably an aliphatic polyester-based polymer in that the fusion temperature is low. Examples of the aliphatic polyester polymer include polyethylene succinate, polybutylene succinate, polyhexamethylene succinate, polyethylene adipate, polyhexamethylene adipate, polybutylene adipate obtained by polycondensation of glycol and aliphatic dicarboxylic acid. Polyethylene oxalate, polybutylene oxalate, polyneopentyl oxalate, polyethylene sebacate, polybutylene sebacate, polyhexamethylene sebacate and the like. Examples of the aliphatic polyester polymer include poly (α-hydroxy acid) such as polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid or copolymers thereof, poly (ε-caprolactone) and poly (β-propio). Lactones) such as poly (ω-hydroxyalkanoates), poly (3-hydroxybutyrate), poly (3-hydroxyvalerate), poly (3-hydroxycaprolate), poly (3-hydroxyheptanoate) ), Aliphatic polyesters such as poly (β-hydroxyalkanoate) such as poly (3-hydroxyoctanoate) and poly (4-hydroxybutyrate). Moreover, as the above-mentioned polyamide polymer, an aliphatic polyamide polymer is more preferable in that the fusion temperature is low. Examples of the aliphatic polyamide polymer include polyamide 12, polyamide 11, polyamide 6, polyamide 66, and the like.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as mentioned above, as the wire 32 arrange | positioned on the surface of the wire main body 31, what was formed using conventionally well-known methods, such as the method of spinning a raw material by extrusion molding as mentioned above, for example. Although illustrated, it is not limited to such a thing, For example, you may form as a linear member arrange | positioned helically by the coating on the surface of the wire main body 31. FIG. The coating method is not particularly limited. For example, after masking a region other than the portion where the wire 32 is arranged on the surface of the wire body 31, a predetermined coating material (for example, for forming the wire 32 described above) is used. Polymer material) is applied to form the wire 32, and then the masking is removed. The masking can be performed by, for example, using a masking tape and winding the masking tape spirally around the surface of the wire main body 31 with a gap having a predetermined width.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wire 32 is heat-sealed and fixed with respect to the surface of the wire main body 31, it is not specifically limited to such a structure, For example, the wire main body 31 is used with an adhesive agent. The wire rod 32 may be fixed to the surface.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the wire member 3 is formed by winding the wire 32 which has slipperiness on the outer surface of the wire main body 31 helically, and the slidability of the said wire member 3 and the shaft 2 is formed. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to such a configuration, and various shafts conventionally used as a power transmission member of the medical manipulator 1 are adopted, and the shaft 2 has easy slipperiness. By adopting the imparting configuration, the slidability between the wire member 3 and the shaft 2 can be enhanced. A specific configuration of the shaft 2 having slidability will be described below. In addition, you may comprise the medical manipulator 1 using both the shaft 2 which has the slipperiness demonstrated below, and the wire member 3 mentioned above.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the shaft 2 to which easy slipping is imparted. This sectional view shows a section of the shaft 2 along the axial direction. The shaft 2 is a long cylindrical member. The shaft 2 is formed by a shaft forming member 2a. As shown in FIG. 9 showing an enlarged side view of the main part of the shaft forming member 2a, the outer surface of the long core member 21 is spirally wound around a wire 22 containing a slippery polymer fiber. It is the elongate member comprised. The shaft 2 is configured as a coil tube formed by spirally winding the shaft forming member 2a.

  The long core material 21 is a flexible member. Examples of the core material 21 include steel wires such as stainless steel wires, nickel wires, and piano wires, cobalt-based alloy wires, and alloys that exhibit pseudoelasticity. Various metal wires such as a wire (including a superelastic alloy) or a metal thin plate formed of a metal material such as stainless steel or nickel can be used.

  Various forms can be adopted as the form of the core material 21. For example, when the core material 21 is constituted by a metal wire material, the core material 21 may be formed by a single metal wire, or the core material 21 is formed by twisting and then twisting a single metal wire. May be. Further, the core material 21 may be formed by twisting a plurality of metal wires, or may be formed by twisting a metal wire and a polymer linear member. Further, various configurations such as those in which the central portion and the surface portion are formed of different materials can be employed.

  Further, when the core member 21 is formed of a metal wire, the outer diameter of the metal wire may be substantially constant, or may be configured to be partially expanded or contracted. . A metal wire having a maximum diameter in the range of 0.01 mm to 2 mm, for example, can be preferably used as the core material 21.

  In addition, when the core material 21 is formed of a thin metal plate, the thickness and width of the thin metal plate may be substantially constant, or the thickness and width may be partially changed. May be. In addition, as a metal thin plate, the thickness is the range of 0.005 mm-0.5 mm, for example, The width | variety is the range of 0.5 mm-10 mm, for example, can be used preferably.

  Moreover, the wire 22 containing the slippery polymer fiber arrange | positioned by being wound spirally around the outer surface of the core material 21 is a linear member which has flexibility. The wire 22 that is spirally wound around the outer surface of the core material 21 is fixed to the outer surface of the core material 21 by heat fusion.

  Such a wire 22 can be formed from various polymer materials, and examples thereof include a wire formed from a fluorine-based polymer having slipperiness (lubricity). Examples of such a fluoropolymer include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA, melting point 300 to 310 ° C.), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, melting point 330 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexa. Fluoropropylene copolymer (FEP, melting point 250-280 ° C), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE, melting point 260-270 ° C), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF, melting point 160-180 ° C), polychlorotrifluoro From fluorine-based polymers such as ethylene (PCTFE, melting point 210 ° C.), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (EPE, melting point 290-300 ° C.), and copolymers containing these polymers Mention may be made of a hydrophobic polymer which forms. Of these, PFA, PTFE, FEP, ETFE, and PVDF are preferable because they have excellent sliding characteristics. Moreover, as the wire 22, the wire 22 formed from hydrophobic polymers, such as polyamide, polyester, polycarbonate, urethane, silicone, polyethylene, and polypropylene, can also be used.

  The wire 22 is made of a hydrophilic polymer material such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide polymer material, maleic anhydride polymer material, acrylamide polymer material, or water-soluble nylon. Can also be used. Examples of the hydrophilic polymer material forming the wire 22 include cotton cellulose, rayon (viscose rayon, copper ammonia rayon, polynosic rayon, etc.), cellulose esters (cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate). Cellulose polymers represented by butyrate may be employed. Alternatively, the hydrophilic wire 22 may be formed by forming the wire 22 from a hydrophobic polymer material and subjecting the wire 22 to a known hydrophilic treatment. For example, after forming a wire 22 from a cellulose ester material having hydrophobicity and subjecting the wire 22 to a known hydrophilic treatment such as oxidizing a hydroxyl group of cellulose to a carboxyl group, the hydrophilic treatment is performed. It is also possible to use a wire rod 22 that has been made and disposed on the outer surface of the core member 21. Or after forming the wire 22 from the cellulose ester material which has hydrophobicity, and arrange | positioning this wire 22 on the outer surface of the core 21, the hydrophilic treatment is given with respect to the said wire 22, and the core 21 is formed. You may make it form the hydrophilic wire 22 arrange | positioned helically on the surface.

  The method for producing the wire 22 from the various polymer materials described above is not particularly limited, and for example, a conventionally known method such as a method of spinning a raw material by extrusion molding can be used. In addition, as the wire 22, a wire having a maximum diameter of 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less before heat fusion to the core material 21 can be preferably used.

  The method of winding the wire 22 around the core material 21 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of winding using a covering device used for manufacturing a covering yarn.

  As described above, the wire 22 is spirally wound around the surface of the core material 21 and heat-sealed. However, the spacing between the adjacent wire materials 22 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21 is as follows. Can be set arbitrarily. For example, the wire members 22 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21 may be configured to be in close contact with each other, or configured to provide a predetermined interval in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21. May be. Alternatively, the interval between the adjacent wire rods 22 may be set to be wide in one part and set to be narrow in the other part. When a predetermined interval is formed between the wire rods 22 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21, for example, the wire pitch of the wire rod 22 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21 is the maximum diameter of the wire rod 22. It is preferable to configure so as to be in the range of 1 to 10 times the above. The wire pitch of the wire 22 is a concept representing the distance between the centers of the wire rods 22 adjacent to each other in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the core material 21 as shown in the side view of FIG. 9.

  In addition, the wire 22 is spirally wound around the surface of the core material 21 and heat-sealed. As a method of heat-sealing the wire material 22 to the surface of the core material 21, for example, the wire material 22 is cored. A method of winding the wire 22 on the surface of the core material 21 by winding the wire 22 spirally around the surface of the material 21 and melting the wire 22 by heating can be mentioned. As a heat treatment method, for example, a chamber-type heat treatment apparatus can be used by applying heat from the outside of the wire 22 wound around the core material 21. Further, by forming the core member 21 from a high-resistance conductive material (a material that can easily conduct electricity), it can be performed by applying a voltage to both ends of the core member 21 and conducting heating. In particular, when the core material 21 is made of a conductive material and the wire material 22 is formed of a material having lower magnetism than the core material 21, the outer side of the wire material 22 arranged on the core material 21 is used. The core material 21 is electromagnetically heated by an electromagnetic induction heating device, and at least one of the opposing regions of the wire material 22 and the core material 21 is melted by the heat of the heated core material 21, so that the wire material 22 becomes the core material 21. It is preferable to fuse the wire 22 to the outer surface of the core 21 so as to be fused.

  When the wire 22 is bonded to the surface of the core material 21 by the electromagnetic induction heating method, molecules that contribute to the physical properties of the wire 22 are quickly softened or melted at and near the contact interface between the wire 22 and the core material 21. The orientation can be easily maintained, and the mechanical strength of the wire 22 can be kept higher. Further, unlike heating by heat transfer or radiation from the outside, energy ray irradiation, etc., the outer surface of the core material 21 is softened or melted only at the contact interface between the wire material 22 and the core material 21 and in the vicinity thereof. It becomes easy to maintain the uneven surface shape. The surface irregularity shape here is not only different depending on the diameter of the wire 22 and the wire pitch, but also by changing the heating conditions of the core material 21, the molten state of the wire 22 changes, so that it can be various shapes.

  Further, in order to more firmly bond the wire 22 to the outer surface of the core material 21, after applying an adhesive such as a primer to the outer surface of the core material 21, the wire material 22 is wound around the outer surface of the core material 21. It is preferable that the adhesive 22 and the wire 22 are melted by turning and then heated to fuse the wire 22 onto the core 21.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the shaft 2 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to a block diagram of FIG. 10 and an explanatory diagram illustrating the manufacturing process of FIG. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 10, the manufacturing method of the shaft 2 includes a shaft forming member manufacturing step S1, a shaft forming step S2, and a rod-like body separating step S3. In the shaft forming member manufacturing step S1, the wire 22 containing the slippery polymer fiber is spirally wound around the outer surface of the core material 21 as described above, and the wire material 22 is thermally fused to the core material 21. This is a step of producing the shaft forming member 2a (see the schematic side view of FIG. 11A).

  The shaft forming step S2 is a step of forming the cylindrical shaft 2 by the shaft forming member 2a. In the present embodiment, the shaft forming member 2a is a step of spirally winding the shaft forming member 2a to form a coil tube. More specifically, the shaft forming step S2 includes a winding step S21 and a heating step S22. In the winding step S21, as shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 11B, the shaft forming member 2a is spirally wound around the outer surface along the longitudinal direction of the rigid heat-resistant rod-like body 7. It is a process to do. As the heat-resistant rod-like body 7, for example, a rod-like glass member or ceramic member, a rod-like metal member having a fluorine resin coating on its surface, a rod-like member made of fluororesin, or the like is preferably used. be able to. The shaft 2 having different inner diameters can be manufactured by variously changing the diameter of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7. In this winding step S21, it is wound around the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 and wound so tightly that the adjacent shaft forming members 2a are in contact with each other.

  The heating step S22 is a process in which the shaft forming member 2a wound around the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 and formed into a cylindrical shape is subjected to a heat treatment. In this step, the shaft-forming member 2a spirally wound around the outer surface of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 is heated to melt the slippery polymer fiber contained in the wire 22 to obtain the structure shown in FIG. As shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of c), the annular portions 23 composed of the shaft forming members 2a that are adjacently disposed along the longitudinal direction of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 are fused together. Thereby, the cylindrical shaft 2 (coil tube) is formed. As a heat treatment method, the heating method exemplified when the above-described shaft forming member 2a is manufactured can be used. Specifically, it can be performed by applying heat from the outside of the shaft forming member 2 a wound around the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 using a chamber-type heat treatment apparatus. Further, by forming the core member 21 from a high-resistance conductive material (a material that can easily conduct electricity), it can be performed by applying a voltage to both ends of the core member 21 and conducting heating. Further, when the shaft member 2a is manufactured by forming the core member 21 from a conductive material and forming the wire member 22 from a material having lower magnetism than the core member 21, the surface of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 is used. The core material 21 is electromagnetically heated by an electromagnetic induction heating device from the outside of the shaft forming member 2a wound around the shaft forming member 2a, and the slippery polymer fiber contained in the wire 22 is melted by the heat of the heated core material 21. Accordingly, the annular portions 23 formed of the shaft forming members 2a adjacently disposed along the longitudinal direction of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 may be fused.

  As shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 11D, the rod-like body separation step S3 is performed from the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 and the structure 25 composed of the shaft 2 to the heat-resistant rod-like body along the axial direction of the structure 25. 7 is a step of pulling out 7. Since the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 is composed of a member having a high sliding property, the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 can be easily pulled out. Thus, the shaft 2 is completed by removing the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 from the structure 25 composed of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 and the shaft 2.

  As described above, the shaft 2 according to the present structure is formed by the shaft forming member 2a configured by spirally winding the outer surface of the long core material 21 with the wire 22 including the slippery polymer fiber, Since it is formed in a cylindrical shape, the wire 22 including the slippery polymer fiber exposed on the inner surface of the shaft 2 is, as shown in the schematic configuration front view of FIG. 12 seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. The convex part 27 which protrudes from the surface of the core material 21 will be comprised. Therefore, the wire member 3 inserted into the shaft 2 does not directly contact the core material 21 in the shaft 2 but contacts the convex portion 27 constituted by the wire 22 containing the slippery polymer fiber. Thus, the contact area between the surface of the wire member 3 and the inner surface of the shaft 2 can be greatly reduced. As a result, the contact resistance between the inner surface of the shaft 2 and the surface of the wire member 3 can be greatly reduced, and high slidability can be obtained.

  Further, the shaft 2 according to this structure is configured by a shaft forming member 2a configured by spirally winding an outer surface of a long core material 21 with a wire material 22 containing a slippery polymer fiber. Therefore, the shaft 2 can be easily manufactured, and the time required for manufacturing the shaft can be shortened and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by simplifying the manufacturing process.

  Moreover, the shaft 2 according to this structure is configured as a coil tube formed by spirally winding the shaft forming member 2a. Thus, the coil formed by spirally winding the shaft forming member 2a configured by spirally winding the outer surface of the long core material 21 with the wire 22 containing the slippery polymer fiber. When the shaft 2 is configured as a tube, the winding direction of the wire 22 with respect to the core 21 in the shaft 2 (core material) is appropriately set by appropriately setting the winding angle of the wire 22 with respect to the core 21 and the winding angle of the shaft forming member 2a. It is possible to easily configure the wrinkle direction of the wire 22 that is hooked on the shaft 21 so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the shaft 2. As a result, when the wire member 3 inserted into the shaft 2 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 2, it is effective that the wire member 3 moves obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the shaft 2. Therefore, it is possible to ensure movement along the axial direction of the shaft 2. Here, the winding method of the wire 22 around the core material 21 may be S winding or Z winding, and the winding method of the shaft forming member 2a in the shaft 2 may be S winding. Although it may be Z winding, the winding method of the wire 22 and the winding method of the shaft forming member 2a around the core material 21 is, for example, S winding and Z winding, or Z winding and S winding. When the different winding method is adopted, the winding direction of the wire 22 with respect to the core material 21 in the shaft 2 (the winding direction of the wire 22 hooked with respect to the core material 21) is changed in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 2 (axial direction). It becomes easy to comprise so that it may become substantially parallel.

  In addition, in the manufacturing method of the shaft 2 of this structure, although it comprises so that the process which heat-processes in each of the shaft formation member preparation step S1 and the shaft formation step S2 may be provided, for example, a shaft formation member preparation step The heat treatment in S1 is omitted, and in the heat treatment step (heating step S22) in the shaft forming step S2, heat fusion between the outer surface of the core material 21 and the wire 22 containing the slippery polymer fiber, and You may comprise so that the thermal fusion of the annular parts 23 which consist of the shaft formation member 2a adjacently arranged along the longitudinal direction of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 may be performed simultaneously.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the shaft 2 of this structure is configured as a coil tube formed by spirally winding the shaft forming member 2a, but is not particularly limited to such a configuration, for example, As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 13, the shaft 2 may be formed by forming a plurality of shaft forming members 2 a in a cylindrical shape so that the longitudinal directions thereof are substantially parallel to each other. Even if such a structure is adopted, the wire 22 including the slippery polymer fiber exposed on the inner surface of the shaft 2 constitutes the convex portion 27 protruding from the surface of the core material 21. The contact area between the surface of the wire member 3 inserted into the shaft and the inner surface of the shaft 2 can be greatly reduced, and the contact resistance between the inner surface of the shaft 2 and the surface of the wire member 3 can be greatly reduced. High slidability can be obtained.

  Here, the shaft 2 as shown in FIG. 13 includes a shaft forming step S2 and a heating step S22 in the shaft forming step S2 in the manufacturing method of the shaft 2 as shown in the block diagram of FIG. It can manufacture by comprising. The shaft forming member arrangement step S23 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 15 (a) representing a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7 and FIG. 15 (b) which is a partial perspective view. The longitudinal direction (axial direction; direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 9A) of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of shaft-forming members 2a. 7 is a step in which a plurality of shaft forming members 2a are arranged side by side on the peripheral surface 7 and formed into a cylinder. In this step, the adjacent shaft forming members 2a are arranged so as to contact each other. In addition, when arrange | positioning the shaft formation member 2a on the surrounding surface of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7, an adhesive is previously apply | coated to the surface of the shaft formation member 2a, and the heat-resistant rod-shaped by the effect | action of the said adhesive is carried out. It may be configured not to fall off from the peripheral surface of the body 7. After this shaft forming member arrangement step S23 is completed, heat treatment is performed in heating step S22, thereby melting the slippery polymer fibers contained in the wire 22 and heat-sealing the shaft forming members 2a adjacent to each other. Thereby, the cylindrical shaft 2 main body can be formed.

  Moreover, in the shaft 2 of this structure, as shown in the side view of FIG. 8, the shaft forming member 2a is produced by spirally winding a single wire 22 around the surface of the core material 21 and thermally fusing it. However, it is not particularly limited to such a configuration. For example, a plurality of wire rods 22 having the same or different thickness are wound around the surface of the core member 21 in a spiral shape (double spiral shape, triple spiral shape, etc.). The shaft forming member 2a may be formed by heat sealing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the shaft 2 of this structure is produced by winding a single shaft forming member 2a in a spiral shape on the outer surface of the heat-resistant rod-shaped body 7. For example, the shaft 2 may be formed by winding a plurality of shaft forming members 2 a in a spiral shape (double spiral shape, triple spiral shape, etc.) around the surface of the heat-resistant rod-like body 7.

  Moreover, in the shaft 2 of this structure, the cross-sectional shape of the wire 22 wound around the surface of the core material 21 is not particularly limited, and the cross-sectional shape may be circular or non-circular. Examples of the non-circular cross-sectional shape include an elliptical shape, a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and a fan-shaped cross-sectional shape. When the shaft forming member 2a is configured using the wire 22 having a non-circular cross section in this way, a more complicated uneven shape can be formed on the inner surface of the shaft 2 than when the wire 22 having a circular cross section is used. Therefore, for example, when lubricating oil is applied to the inner surface of the shaft 2 and the shaft 2 is used, it is possible to effectively suppress the lubricating oil from flowing out from the inner surface of the shaft 2, and the sliding of the shaft 2 Sex can be maintained for a long time. Even in the case where the shaft forming member 2a is configured using the wire 22 having a non-circular cross section, the portion in contact with the wire member 3 inside the shaft 2 is the outermost portion (top) of the wire 22. Therefore, the slidability of the wire member 3 with respect to the shaft 2 does not deteriorate.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as the wire 22, in addition to the wire manufactured by the polymer material simple substance mentioned above, the wire manufactured by combining different kinds of polymer materials, the polymer material and the metal material are combined. A wire manufactured by combining a manufactured wire, a polymer material, and a non-metallic material can be used. The form of the wire 22 may be a single wire, or may be a stranded wire formed by twisting the same type of single wires. Further, it may be a stranded wire formed by twisting different types of single wires.

  When the wire 22 including slippery polymer fibers is configured by combining different types of polymer materials, the first wire formed from a hydrophobic polymer material having slipperiness and the hydrophilic property having slipperiness It is preferable to use a wire 22 formed by twisting a second wire formed from a conductive polymer material. The number of each of the first wire (hydrophobic wire) and the second wire (hydrophilic wire) used for the twisted yarn is not particularly limited, and can be formed by combining various numbers. Here, the first wire formed from the hydrophobic polymer material is easily thermoplastic due to its material characteristics, and is suitable for heat fusion, while the second wire formed from the hydrophilic polymer material. Depending on the type of hydrophilic polymer material, the wire may not have sufficient thermoplasticity to heat-bond based on intermolecular hydrogen bonds, causing peeling based on insufficient heat-bonding. There is a concern that However, as described above, the wire 22 is formed by twisting the first wire (hydrophobic wire) and the second wire (hydrophilic wire), and the wire 22 is wound around the surface of the wire body 31. By fusing, a strong fusion structure with the core material 21 is obtained based on the high degree of thermoplasticity of the first wire (hydrophobic wire), and the second wire (hydrophilic wire) It is possible to realize a structure that is embraced by one wire (hydrophobic wire) and exists in the vicinity of the core material 21, and reliably prevents the second wire (hydrophilic wire) from detaching from the core material 21. However, it is possible to obtain the shaft 2 that maintains good slidability in either a dry environment (dry environment) or a wet environment (wet environment).

  Further, as described above, the wire 22 is formed by twisting the first wire (hydrophobic wire) and the second wire (hydrophilic wire), and the wire 22 is wound around the surface of the core material 21 to form the shaft. When forming the forming member 2a, it is preferable that the first wire (hydrophobic wire) is made of, for example, a polyester polymer or a polyamide polymer. When the wire 22 formed by twisting the first wire (hydrophobic wire) and the second wire (hydrophilic wire) is disposed on the surface of the core material 21 and heat-sealed, the first wire (hydrophobic) By forming the wire) from a polyester polymer or polyamide polymer, it becomes possible to keep the fusing temperature relatively low, so that the second wire (hydrophilic wire) is less likely to deteriorate due to heat. It becomes possible to do. Here, the polyester-based polymer is more preferably an aliphatic polyester-based polymer in that the fusion temperature is low. Examples of the aliphatic polyester polymer include polyethylene succinate, polybutylene succinate, polyhexamethylene succinate, polyethylene adipate, polyhexamethylene adipate, polybutylene adipate obtained by polycondensation of glycol and aliphatic dicarboxylic acid. Polyethylene oxalate, polybutylene oxalate, polyneopentyl oxalate, polyethylene sebacate, polybutylene sebacate, polyhexamethylene sebacate and the like. Examples of the aliphatic polyester polymer include poly (α-hydroxy acid) such as polyglycolic acid and polylactic acid or copolymers thereof, poly (ε-caprolactone) and poly (β-propio). Lactones) such as poly (ω-hydroxyalkanoates), poly (3-hydroxybutyrate), poly (3-hydroxyvalerate), poly (3-hydroxycaprolate), poly (3-hydroxyheptanoate) ), Aliphatic polyesters such as poly (β-hydroxyalkanoate) such as poly (3-hydroxyoctanoate) and poly (4-hydroxybutyrate). Moreover, as the above-mentioned polyamide polymer, an aliphatic polyamide polymer is more preferable in that the fusion temperature is low. Examples of the aliphatic polyamide polymer include polyamide 12, polyamide 11, polyamide 6, polyamide 66, and the like.

  In addition, the structure of the shaft 2 which has the slipperiness mentioned above is applicable to the cylindrical member in the various apparatuses used in a medical field etc. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the structure of a trocar outer tube (a tubular member that penetrates the patient's abdominal wall and the like and through which the shaft 2 of the medical manipulator 1 is inserted) into which the medical manipulator 1 according to the present invention is inserted. it can.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as the wire 22 arrange | positioned helically on the outer surface of the core material 21, as mentioned above, it forms using conventionally well-known methods, such as the method of spinning a raw material by extrusion molding, for example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the core member 21 may be formed as a linear member arranged in a spiral shape by coating on the outer surface. The coating method is not particularly limited. For example, after masking a region other than the portion where the wire 22 is arranged on the outer surface of the core material 21, a predetermined coating material (for example, for forming the wire 22 described above) is formed. The polymer material) is applied to form the wire 22 and then the masking is removed. The masking can be performed by, for example, using a masking tape and winding the masking tape spirally around the outer surface of the core member 21 with a gap having a predetermined width, for example.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wire 22 is heat-sealed and fixed with respect to the outer surface of the core material 21, it is not specifically limited to such a structure, For example, it is a core material with an adhesive agent. The wire 22 may be fixed to the surface of 21.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical manipulator 2 Shaft 2a Shaft formation member 21 Core material 22 Wire material 23 Annular part 27 Protruding part 3 Wire member 31 Wire main body 32 Wire material 32a Hydrophobic wire material 32b Hydrophilic wire material 33 Covering layer 4 Drive mechanism part 41 Housing part 42 Grip Handle 43 Trigger lever 44 Link mechanism 5 Tip action section 7 Heat-resistant rod-shaped body S1 Shaft forming member manufacturing step S2 Shaft forming step S21 Winding step S22 Heating step S23 Shaft forming member disposing step S3 Rod-shaped body separating step

Claims (4)

A hollow shaft, a wire member inserted into the shaft, a drive mechanism portion provided on one end side of the shaft, for driving the wire member to advance and retreat in the axial direction, and provided on the other end side of the shaft; A medical manipulator comprising a distal end working unit that is operated by the advance / retreat drive of the wire member,
The wire member includes a long wire main body, and a wire rod arranged and fixed spirally on the outer surface of the wire main body,
The said wire is a medical manipulator which is twisted yarn of the hydrophobic wire which consists of a hydrophobic polymer material which has slidability, and the hydrophilic wire formed from the hydrophilic polymer material which has slidability. A hollow shaft, a wire member inserted into the shaft, a drive mechanism portion provided on one end side of the shaft, for driving the wire member to advance and retreat in the axial direction, and provided on the other end side of the shaft; A medical manipulator comprising a distal end working unit that is operated by the advance / retreat drive of the wire member,
The shaft is a cylindrical coil tube formed by spirally winding a shaft forming member that includes a long core and a wire that is spirally disposed and fixed on the outer surface of the core. Is configured as
The said wire is a medical manipulator which consists of a slippery linear member, and is a wire containing a polymeric material. The shaft forming member is configured by arranging the wire in the S winding direction with respect to the core material,
The medical manipulator according to claim 2, wherein the shaft is configured by winding the shaft forming member in a Z winding direction with respect to an axis of the shaft. The shaft forming member is configured by arranging the wire in the Z winding direction with respect to the core material,
The medical manipulator according to claim 2, wherein the shaft is configured by winding the shaft forming member in an S winding direction with respect to an axis of the shaft.

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