JPH02109536A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To bend two bending parts respectively in a reverse direction with one time of bending operation, to secure the thinning of the diameter of an inserting part and to improve operability for the two bending parts by interlocking the tip side of an operating wire for bending to respective wire supporting members provided on a facing position which is opposite to the central shaft of the inserting part in first and second bending parts. CONSTITUTION:First operating wires 41 and 42 are push-/pull-driven by operating an operating knob 46 for upper/lower bending and second operating wires 43 and 44 are push-/pull-driven by operating an operating knob 47 for right/left bending. In such a case, the upper and lower positions of a tubes 51 and 51 for wire guide are exchanged with internally including the operating wires 41 and 42 in an internal part and the tubes 51 and 51 cross in an intermediate inserting part 13. Then, a tip and a rear edge are exchanged in the upper and lower positions and the tubes are fitted to wire supporting members 34 and 38 which are faced diagonally. On the other hand, a pair of the second operating wires 43 and 44 for right and left bending are fitted to the wire supporting members 34 and 38, which are faced orthogonally by exchanging the tip and rear edge to right and left. Accordingly the first and second bending parts 12 and 14 are respectively bent, in just the opposite direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope whose insertion portion can be bent.

[Prior Art] Generally, the insertion section of an endoscope has a curved section formed near the distal end component in order to change the direction of the distal end, and this curved section can be bent by remote operation using a hand control section. The direction of the tip can be changed by changing the direction of the tip. Many of the conventional endoscopes had their curved parts unilaterally curved upward, downward, leftward, rightward, etc.
As known from Japanese Patent No. 1, there is a device in which two curved portions, front and rear, are provided near the distal end of the insertion portion, and each of the curved portions is operated by a respective bending operation knob on a hand-operated portion.

Furthermore, USP No. 4.659.195 describes an endoscope in which the insertion section of the endoscope is inserted into a guide tube having a bending mechanism, and is used as an endoscope having essentially two bending mechanisms. It has been known.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, there is also a method in which two curved parts are provided in the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion section, and each curved part is operated by two bending operation knobs provided on the hand operation part. Even in cases where a guide tube with a bending mechanism is prepared separately from the endoscope, it is necessary to operate two bending operation knobs (bending operation sections). In this way, when the two bending operation parts are operated individually, the bending operation becomes extremely complicated, which impairs the operability.

Furthermore, devices that use a guide tube separate from the endoscope have the disadvantage that the outer diameter of the operating section is particularly large.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide two curved sections in the insertion section to ensure a narrow diameter, and to improve the operability of the two curved sections. Our goal is to provide an endoscope that can

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an endoscope having two curved parts in the front and rear sides of the insertion section, a first curved part on the distal side and a first curved part on the rear side. An intermediate insertion part is provided between the second bending part, and a bending operation wire leading to the hand operation part is inserted into the insertion part.
The first bending part and the second bending part are operated to bend in opposite directions by means of the operating wire. This is how it was done.

Thus, the two bending portions can be bent in opposite directions with one bending operation. Then, insert 2
Although the two curved portions are provided, the diameter of the insertion portion can be reduced, and the operability of the two curved portions can be improved.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 15 show an embodiment of voice 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the endoscope 1 of this embodiment has an operating section 2 connected to a long insertion section 3 and a universal cord 4, and the operating section 2 includes a curved operating knob 46, which will be described later.
47 and an eyepiece section 6 are provided. The universal cord 4 is provided with a connector 7 at its extending end for connection to an illumination light source (not shown).

The insertion section 3 includes, from the distal end side, a distal constituting section 11 and a first curved section 1.
2, an intermediate insertion section 13, a second curved section 14, and a flexible tube section 15, and is specifically constructed as shown in FIG. First, in the tip structure section 11, an observation objective optical system 17 and an illumination tip optical system 18 are incorporated in the tip main body 16, and the image forming position of the observation objective optical system 17 is located at the tip surface of the image guide fiber 19. is located and provided.

This image guide fiber 19 is connected to the guide tube 20.
At the same time, the tip part has a base 2.
1 is fitted. Then, it is fixed to the tip main body 16 via this cap 21. Further, the distal end surface of the image guide fiber 19 is protected by a cover glass 22. The rear end side of the image guide fiber 19 is guided through the insertion section 3 to the eyepiece section 6 of the operating section 2.

Similarly, the illumination tip optical system 18 of the tip structure section 11 is provided with the tip surface of the light guide fiber 23 positioned therein. The light guide fiber 23 is fitted with a guide tube 24, and a base 25 is fitted onto the tip end thereof. Then, it is fixed to the tip main body 16 via this cap 25. Further, the tip end surface of the light guide fiber 23 is protected by cover glasses 2 and 6. The rear end side of the light guide fiber 23 passes through the insertion section 3, the operation section 2, and the universal cord 4 to the guide tube 27 of the connector 7.
guided by.

Note that a tip hood 28 is attached to the outer periphery of the tip main body 16.

On the other hand, a first curved portion 1 connected to the tip forming portion 11
2 is made up of a first spring 31 formed into a coil shape as a core material having flexibility and elasticity, and an outer skin 32 fitted around the outer periphery of the spring 31, as shown in Fig. m1 and Fig. 2. The spring 31 is interposed between the wire support members 33.34 provided at the tip and rear end portions of the first curved portion 12, and elastically pushes the wire support members 33.34. In this embodiment, the wire support member 33 on the distal end side is the distal end hood 2.
Wire support member 34 on the rear end side provided on the inner surface of the rear end of
is attached to the inner surface of the tip of the relay pipe 35 constituting the intermediate insertion portion 13. The relay vibrator 35 constituting the intermediate insertion portion 13 is formed to be relatively rigid. In other words,
Each of the curved portions 12 may have some degree of flexibility.
．． 14 to exhibit substantially rigidity. Further, the relay vibrator 35 may be made of metal.

Also, a second curved portion 1 connected to the intermediate insertion portion 13
4 is also constructed in the same manner as the first curved portion 12 described above. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a second spring 36 formed in a coil shape is used as a core material having flexibility and elasticity, and an outer skin 37 is fitted around the outer periphery of the second spring 36. The spring 36 is interposed between the wire support members 38, 39 provided at the tip and rear end portions of the second curved portion 14, and elastically pushes the wire support members 38, 39.

In this embodiment, the wire support member 38 on the distal end side is provided on the inner surface of the rear end of the intermediate insertion section 13, and the wire support member 39 on the rear end side is attached to the inner surface of the distal end of the core material in the flexible tube 15. . In addition, the flexible tube part 15 consists of a core material and an outer skin,
It has a certain degree of flexibility.

Further, inside the insertion section 3, there are a pair of first operating wires 41, 42 and a second operating wire for bending the first bending section 12 and the second bending section 14 vertically or horizontally, respectively. Operating wires 43, 44 are inserted therethrough. Each of the operating wires 41, 42, 43, 44 is connected to a wire guide tube 45. Guided by... This wire guide tube 45. The first operating wires 41, 42 and the second operating wires 43, 44 guided by... are connected to respective bending operating mechanisms (not shown) provided in the operating section 2, and are pushed and pulled alternately. It looks like this. and the first operating wire 41.42
are driven by pushing and pulling by operating the operating knob 46 for vertical bending, and the second operating wires 43 and 44 are driven by pushing and pulling by operating the operating knob 47 for left and right bending.

Further, the pair of first operating wires 41 and 42 are arranged within the first bending section 12, the intermediate insertion section 13, and the second bending section 14 as follows.

That is, each tip of the first curved section 12 is attached and fixed to each of the upper and lower wire support members 33 at the tip of the first curved section 12, and the upper and lower ends of the rear end of the first curved section 12, that is, the upper and lower tips of the intermediate insertion section 13 are fixed. The wire support members 34 are respectively penetrated and supported. That is, the operating wire 41.42 can be slid and the operating wire 41.4 can be moved by frictional force or the like.
The Uke is linked to receive the driving force from the 2. Also,
The operating wires 41 and 42 are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the insertion section 3 within the two first curved sections 12 without intersecting each other.

In addition, the operating wires 41 and 42 are provided in the intermediate insertion portion 13.
is a flexible wire support member 34 and a wire support member 38 at the rear end thereof.
The main wire is guided through a guiding tube 51.51. These two wire guide tubes 51.51 intersect with each other so that the upper and lower ends are reversed while enclosing the operating wire 41.42 therein, and the tip and rear ends of the wire guide tubes 51.51 are placed above and below. and are attached to diagonally opposing wire support members 34,38. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when this wire guide tube 51, 51 is switched vertically, it turns 180@ along the inner surface of the intermediate insertion portion 13. Therefore, this arrangement does not interfere with the built-in items.

Moreover, in the second curved section 14, this first curved section 1
The upper and lower operating wires 41 and 42 extend from the upper and lower wire support members 38 at the distal end of the insertion portion 2 to the wire support member 39 at the rear end, and are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the insertion portion 3 without intersecting.

In this first curved part 12, they are arranged parallel to the insertion part 3 without intersecting with each other. However, since they intersect within the intermediate insertion section 13, the first curved section 12
The top and bottom are switched.

On the other hand, a pair of second operation wires 43 and 44 for left and right bending
are arranged in the first curved section 12, intermediate insertion section 13, and second curved section 14 as follows. That is, each tip is attached and fixed to each of the left and right wire support members 33 at the first tip of the first curved portion 1.
2, that is, the tip of the intermediate insertion portion 13, and is supported by penetrating through the left and right wire support members 34, respectively. In this first curved part 12, they are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the insertion part 3 without intersecting with each other.

In addition, within the intermediate insertion portion 13, the wire is guided through two flexible left and right wire guide tubes 51 and 51 installed between the wire support member 34 at the distal end and the wire support member 38 at the rear end. be done. These two wire guide tubes 51.51 intersect with each other so that the left and right sides are interchanged with the operating wires 41 and 42 contained therein, and the tip and rear ends of the wire guide tubes 51.51 are and are attached to diagonally opposing wire support members 34,38. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this wire guide tube 51
．． 51 rotates 180' along the inner surface of the intermediate insertion portion 13 when switching from side to side.

Moreover, in the second curved section 14, this first curved section 1
The left and right operating wires 41 and 42 extend from the left and right wire support members 38 at the distal end of the insertion portion 2 to the wire support member 39 at the rear end, and are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the insertion portion 3 without crossing each other.

In this first curved part 12, they are arranged parallel to the insertion part 3 without intersecting with each other. However, since they intersect within the intermediate insertion portion 13, the left and right sides of the first curve 12 are reversed.

Next, the operation of the endoscope 1 will be explained.

Operation knob for vertical or horizontal bending of the operation unit 2 46° 47
By operating the bending operating mechanism (not shown), the corresponding first operating wire 41, 42 or second operating wire 43, 44 is pushed or pulled. For example, by operating the up/down curved knob 46, a pair of corresponding first
The operating wires 41 and 42 are pushed and pulled. The retracted operating wire 41 then pulls the upper wire support member 33 at the tip of the first curved section 12 and the lower wire support member 34 at the tip of the second curved section 14, respectively. In other words, this one operating wire 41
At the same time, pull the upper side of the tip of the curved part 12 of the second
Since the lower side of the tip of the curved portion 14 is pulled, this first
The first curved portion 12 curves upward, and the second curved portion 14 curves downward.

Also, if the up and down bending knob 46 is operated and the opposite operation wire 42 is pulled, the lower wire support member 33 at the tip of the first bending section 12 and the lower wire support member 33 at the tip of the second bending section 14 are pulled. Since the upper wire support member 34 is pulled, this single operating wire 42 pulls the lower side of the tip of the first curved section 12 and simultaneously pulls the upper side of the tip of the second curved section 14. This first curved portion 12
is curved downward, and the second curved portion 14 is curved upward. In this way, the first curved section 12 and the second curved section 14 curve in opposite directions.

In this case, the amount of curvature of the first curved portion 12 and the second curved portion 14 is determined by the amount of the first spring 31 and the second spring 3 built therein.
By changing the bending rigidity relative to 6, it is possible to set various curved forms as shown in FIGS. 5 to 12.

Note that the springs 31, 36 are not necessarily necessary, and if the bending rigidity of each curved portion 12, 14 reaches a desired value, the conditions of the core material, outer skin 32, 37, etc. Various curvature forms can be set by adjusting.

FIG. 5 shows the state of the insertion section 3 without any bending operation. Figure 6 shows each bending section 1 when performing a bending operation.
2.14 shows the initial curved state.

The first curved section 12 and the second curved section 14 exhibit the same amount of curvature, so that the forward direction (viewing direction) of the tip component 11 is always kept parallel to the axial direction of the first insertion section 3. It will be done.

FIG. 7 shows a middle-term curved state, and even in this state, the first curved portion 12 and the second curved portion 14 show the same amount of curvature, and therefore, the front toward which the distal end component 11 faces (in the viewing direction) )
is always kept parallel to the axial direction of the first insertion section 3.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which it is curved to the maximum amount of curvature, and even at this time, the forward direction (viewing direction) of the distal end component 11 is always kept parallel to the axial direction of the first insertion section 3.

9 and 10, the rigidity of the second curved portion 14 is the first.
The curved state of the endoscope 1 adjusted to be stronger than the rigidity of the curved portion 12 is shown.

That is, when no bending operation is performed, the state is the same as the straight state shown in FIG. 5, but at the beginning of the bending process, as shown in FIG.
Only 2 is curved. Further, as the bending operation is continued as shown in FIG. 10, the first bending part 12 bends even more strongly, and when the bending is completed or to a certain extent, the second bending part 14 is bent. Finally, as shown in FIG. 8, the front direction (viewing direction) of the distal end component 11 is always parallel to the axial direction of the initial insertion section 3.

11 and 12 show the curved state of the endoscope 1 adjusted so that the rigidity of the first curved section 12 is stronger than the rigidity of the second curved section 14.

That is, when no bending operation is performed, the state is the same as the straight state shown in FIG. 5, but at the beginning of the bending process, only the second bending section 14 with low rigidity is curved, as shown in FIG. 11. do. Further, as the bending operation is continued as shown in FIG. 12, the second bending section 14 bends even more strongly, and when the bending is completed or to a certain extent, the ml bending section 12 is bent. Finally, as shown in FIG. 8, the front direction (viewing direction) of the distal end component 11 is always parallel to the axial direction of the initial insertion section 3.

As described above, the endoscopic ML having the above-mentioned configuration allows various curved usage modes to be obtained. Incidentally, the state shown in FIG. 13 is a state in which the user is attempting to observe the hole 62 in the wall portion 61 using the bending operation of the conventional endoscope 6o. Since the insertion section 63 of this conventional family gift 1!6o has only one curved section 64, even if the insertion section 63 is bent from the state where it lies on the bottom surface 65 of the specimen, the viewing direction is simply upward. It is not possible to observe the inside of the hole 62 in the wall portion 61 just by turning the camera toward the viewer.

However, if the endoscope 1 with the above configuration is used, the first
As shown in FIG. 4, each curved portion 12.14 can be curved in opposite directions to orient its tip portion 11 in a horizontal orientation parallel to the bottom surface 65 of the specimen. Therefore, the wall portion 6
It is possible to observe the inside of the hole 62 located at 1. Further, by moving forward and inserting the distal end portion 11 into the hole 62, the entire insertion portion 3 can be inserted as shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in the following points. First, a first curved tube 71 and a second curved tube 72 are provided in place of the springs 31 and 36 provided inside the first curved section 12 and the second curved section 14, respectively. Each of these curved tubes 71, 72 is both flexible and elastic. Note that the first curved tube 71
The distal end side of is the rear end side of the distal end hood 28, the rear end side of the first curved tube 71 is the distal end side of the relay vibrator 35, and the distal end side of the second curved tube 72 is the rear end side of the relay vibrator 35. The rear end side of the second curved tube 72 is connected to the front end side of the flexible tube section 15, respectively.

FIG. 17 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in the following points. First, a bending mechanism is formed by arranging a plurality of bending parts 81 with pivot pins 80 mutually pivotally attached inside springs 31 and 36 inside each of the first bending part 12 and the second bending part 14. The bending strength of each of the curved portions 12 and 14 is increased. Note that the distal end side of the first bending mechanism is the rear end side of the distal end hood 28, the rear end side of the first bending mechanism is the distal end side of the relay vibrator 35, and the distal end side of the second bending mechanism is the relay vibrator 35. The rear end side and the rear end side of the second bending mechanism are connected to the flexible tube section 15, respectively.

FIG. 18 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in the following points. First, the outer skin 32 of the first curved part 12 and the outer skin 37 of the second curved part 14 are replaced with interlocking spiral tubes 91 and 92. This interlock spiral tube 91
．． 92 can be easily bent by external force and maintains its shape. Moreover, it can be easily returned to its original shape by applying external force. In addition, the curved part 1 is more durable.
2.14 can be configured. Note that the distal end side of the first interlock spiral tube 91 is connected to the rear end side of the distal end hood 28, the rear end side of the first interlock spiral tube 91 is connected to the distal end side of the relay vibe 35, and the second interlock spiral tube 91 is connected to the distal end side of the distal end hood 28. tube 92
The distal end side thereof is connected to the rear end side of the relay vibe 35, and the rear end side of the second interlock spiral tube 92 is connected to the flexible tube section 15, respectively.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications are possible without changing the gist. For example, the length of the intermediate insertion portion 13 may be made shorter. For example, it does not have to be longer than the length of the curved portion 12.14 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. At this time, it is sufficient that at least the wire guide tube 51,51 has a length that allows it to be twisted easily within the intermediate insertion portion 13.

In addition, although the fiber scope was used in each of the above embodiments,
It may also be an electronic endoscope.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, two curved portions can be curved in opposite directions with one bending operation,
Although two curved portions are provided, the bending operability of the insertion portion can be improved. Further, even though the insertion portion is provided with two curved portions, the diameter of the insertion portion can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 15 show a first embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a side sectional view of the insertion part, and Figure 2 is A--A in Figure 1.
3 is a sectional view taken along line A, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the endoscope, and FIGS.
The figures are explanatory diagrams showing various bending operation modes of the insertion section of the endoscope, Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the inspection usage mode of a general endoscope shown for comparison, and Figs. 14 and 15 are 16 is a side sectional view of the insertion section of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is a side view of the insertion section of the third embodiment of the present invention. The sectional view, FIG. 18, is a side sectional view of the insertion portion of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 1... Endoscope, 2... Operation section, 3... Insertion section, 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Tip structure part, 12... 1st curved part, 13...
・Intermediate insertion portion, 14 ・Second curved portion, 33.34
... Wire support member, 38.39 ... Wire support member, 41° 42 ... Operation wire, 43.44 ... Operation wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope in which the insertion section is provided with two curved sections, front and rear, an intermediate insertion section is provided between the first curved section on the distal end side and the second curved section on the rear end side, and there is a hand control inside the insertion section. A bending operation wire leading to the insertion section is inserted, and the distal end side of this bending operation wire is connected to each wire provided at opposing positions with respect to the central axis of the insertion section in the first bending section and the second bending section. What is claimed is: 1. An endoscope, characterized in that the first bending section and the second bending section are connected to a support member and operated to bend in opposite directions by means of the operation wire.