JPH02167129A - Curving operation apparatus of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a curving operation device compact by arranging the bearing for supporting the rotary shaft of at least one gear of a transmission gear mechanism in the space surrounded by a rotary body and the traction member wound around said rotary body. CONSTITUTION:As a transmission gear mechanism, for example, the drive gear 51 of a transmission gear train 50 is fixed to a rotary shaft 35, and a chain 56 and curving operation wires 58, 58 constitute a traction member. When an upper direction switch in a curving operation switch part 21 is pushed, the rotary shaft 81 of a DC motor 81 is rotated and this rotatory power is transmitted to a follower gear t2 from the drive gear 51 of the transmission gear train 50 through bevel gears 82, 83. Then, the sprocket 55 integrated with the follower gear 52 is rotated and the chain 56 is rotated not only to draw the upper curving operation wire 58 but also to deliver the lower curving operation wire 58 and, therefore, the curved part 16 of an insert part 12 is curved. Since the DC motor 80 is used as a curving drive source, drive voltage can be lowered and the operation part 13 can be made thin.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope bending operation device for forcibly bending a curved portion of an insertion section.

[Prior Art] Recently, an electric motor has been incorporated into the operating section of an endoscope in order to forcibly bend the curved section in the insertion section of the endoscope.
It has been proposed that the bending section is remotely operated by pulling a traction member for bending operation using the power of this electric motor. For example, JP-A-61-122
Publication No. 619 discloses a device in which a pulse motor is installed in the operation section, and the pulse motor rotates a wire drum (pulley) to rotate the wire drum and wind up the bending operation wire. There is. According to this electric bending operation device, the operability is significantly improved compared to the conventional manual bending operation device.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since conventional electric motors house the electric motor within the operating section, the operating section tends to be large, which impedes operability. There was a problem.

For example, as proposed in DE 2504663 C2 (7), it is conceivable to use a plurality of gears to compensate for the torque and to correspondingly reduce the size of the motor as much as possible.

However, this alone often does not allow for compactness due to the main body of the gear portion and the members that support the gear. Since a considerably large driving force is required for the bending operation, if the gear mechanism is made large-scale in particular, the size becomes even larger. Therefore, it can be compactly incorporated into the operating section.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a bending operation device for an endoscope using a motor as a drive source, in which a transmission gear mechanism is used to transmit power to a rotating body for bending operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a bending operation device for an endoscope that can be constructed compactly by using the same and considering its arrangement structure.

[Means and operations for solving the problems] In order to solve the above problems, the endoscope bending operation device according to the present invention includes a bending operation drive motor housed in the operation section of the endoscope, and a bending operation drive motor housed in the operation section of the endoscope. a transmission gear mechanism rotationally driven by a drive motor; a traction operation rotating body rotationally driven by the bending operation drive motor via the transmission gear mechanism;
A traction member that is wrapped around the rotating body for traction operation and inserted through the insertion portion of the endoscope to the distal end side, and that bends the curved portion of the insertion portion when the rotating body is towed as the rotating body rotates. A bearing for receiving the rotating shaft of at least one of the gears constituting the transmission gear mechanism is disposed in a space surrounded by the rotating body and the traction member.

Therefore, according to this configuration, the arrangement structure of the transmission gear mechanism and the like for increasing the driving torque becomes compact.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope 11, the entirety of which is shown in FIG.
2, an operating section 13, and a universal light guide cord 14. The insertion section 12 includes a distal end section 15, a curved section 16, and a flexible tube section 17.

Further, this endoscope 11 is of an electronic type. Furthermore, the operation unit 13 includes an air/water supply switch button 19 and a suction switch button 20.
, a bending operation switch section 21, etc. are provided.

The bending operation switch section 21 includes an upward switch button 21a, a downward switch button 21b, and a leftward switch button 21c, which are used when bending the bending section 16, as will be described later.

and a right direction switch button 21d.

Further, a connector 22 for connecting to an illumination light source device 60, which will be described later, is attached to the extending end of the light guide universal cord 14.

A motor control unit 6 is provided in the main body of the illumination light source device 60.
1 and a video signal processing unit 62 are provided, and when the connector 22 of the endoscope 11 is connected to the illumination light source device 60, these are automatically connected to the all endoscope side. Further, the image signal processed by the video signal processing unit 62 is transmitted to the monitor 63.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the structure of a bending operation device incorporated into the operation section 13 of an endoscope 11. FIG.

Inside the case 25 of the operating section 13, two sets of frames 28 and 28, each consisting of a main frame 26 and a sub-frame 27, are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides with a constant interval and a space formed between them. And this one frame 28
A bending operation device section 29 for vertical bending operations is assembled to the frame 28, and a bending operation device section (not shown) for left and right bending operations is assembled to the other frame 28.

In FIG. 1, only one of the bending operation device sections 29 for vertical bending operations is shown.

Since these have similar configurations, one of them, the bending operation device section 29, will be specifically explained. That is, the ultrasonic motor unit 31 is incorporated in the subframe 27 supported by the main frame 26. The ultrasonic motor 32 in this ultrasonic motor unit 31 consists of a disc-shaped stator 33 and a rotor 34 that is in close contact with the surface of the circumference of the stator 33 that faces the case 25 side. stator 3 located
A piezoelectric body 35 is adhesively fixed to the peripheral surface of 3. The rotor 34 is fitted onto and fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 36. The middle part of the rotating shaft 36 is a thrust bearing 3
7 and a first radial bearing 38. The thrust bearing 37 and the first radial bearing 38 are housed and supported within the same first bearing box 39. This first bearing box 39 is joined to the subframe 27 and fixed by screws 41.

Further, the stator 33 is fitted on the outer periphery of the first bearing box 39, and the stator 33 is attached to the screw 42 formed on the outer periphery of the first bearing box 39.
It is tightened and fixed by a nut 43 that is screwed into the. That is, the stator 33 is fixed and cannot rotate.

Further, the thrust bearing 37 is supported at a fixed position on the rotating shaft 36 by a snap ring 45 fitted in a groove 46 formed on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 36 via a washer 47 . Further, the inner end portion of the rotating shaft 36 is connected to a second bearing box 70 attached to the main frame 26.
It is supported by a second radial bearing 48 which is held by a second radial bearing 48.

On the other hand, a disc spring 49 is attached to the outer end of the rotating shaft 36 supported in this manner by caulking.
9 strongly urges the rotor 34 in the direction of pressing against the stator 33.

Note that a rubber sheet 44 is provided between the rotor 34 and the disc spring 49 in order to protect the rotor 34 from damage and to prevent the rotor 34 and the rotating shaft 36 from slipping.

Further, on the rotating shaft 36 of the ultrasonic motor unit 31, a transmission gear mechanism, for example, a drive gear 51 of a transmission gear train 50, is mounted between the first radial bearing 38 and the second radial bearing 48. It is fixed by some means. This driving gear 51 meshes with a driven gear 52. The driven gear 52 is supported by a shaft 53 installed between the main frame 26 and the subframe 27 so as to be freely rotatable. A washer 54 made of resin, for example, is inserted between the driven gear 52 and the subframe 27 to ensure smooth rotation. Further, a sprocket 55 as a rotating body for traction operation is supported between the driven gear 52 and the main frame 26 so as to be able to freely rotate with respect to the shaft 53. Further, the driven gear 52 and the sprocket 55 are engaged with each other or connected by a screw (not shown), for example, so that they rotate together.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, a chain 56 is wound around this sprocket 55, and bending operation wires 58, 58 are connected to each end of this chain 56 via connecting pieces 57, 57. The chain 56 and the bending operation wires 58, 58 constitute a traction member. Further, each bending operation wire 58 , 58 is connected to the tip of the bending portion 16 or the rear end of the tip forming portion 15 through the insertion portion 12 . As described later, when the sprocket 55 rotates, the bending operation wire 58
．． 58 is pushed and pulled to curve the curved portion 16 of the insertion portion 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a partition plate 59 is installed between the transmission gear train 50 and the chain 56 to prevent contact between the two.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 36 and the sprocket 5
5 is disposed offset in the axial direction of the operating section 13. and,
The width a between the chains 56 corresponding to the outer diameter of the sprocket 55 is the second bearing box 7 located within this width a.
It is larger than the outer diameter d of 0. Therefore, the second bearing box 70 can be placed between the chains 56 with a margin. Moreover, for this reason, the second bearing box 70 does not come into contact with the chain 56.

Next, the operation of the bending operation device section 29 will be explained. First, the insertion section 12 of the endoscope 11 is inserted into a body cavity, and at this time, for example, when the operator wants to bend the bending section 16 upward, the operator presses the upward switch button 21a in the bending operation switch section 21. As a result, a controlled driving voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body 35 in the stator 33, and a traveling wave in a predetermined direction is generated in the stator 33. As a result, the rotor 34 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the traveling wave.

This rotation of the rotor 34 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 36 and rotates a drive gear 51 attached to the rotating shaft 36. Furthermore, the rotation of the drive gear 51 is transmitted to the driven gear 52, and rotationally drives a sprocket 55 that is integrated therewith. Thus, the chain 56 is rotated to pull the upper bending operation wire 58 connected to one end thereof, and the lower bending operation wire 58 is let out. As a result, the curved portion 16 of the insertion portion 12 is forcibly curved upward.

In this transmission gear train 50, the diameter of the driven gear 52 is made sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the driving gear 51, so that the driving force can be increased at that rotation ratio.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive gear 51 and the sprocket 55 are arranged offset in the axial direction of the operating section 13, and the width a between the chains 56 corresponding to the outer diameter of the sprocket 55 is set to the width a of the drive gear 51. Since it is made larger than the outer diameter d of the second bearing box 70 that supports the rotating shaft 36,
The movement of the chain 56 is not hindered by contact with the second bearing box 70.

Also, when you want to bend the bending part 16 downward, press the downward switch button 21b in the bending operation switch part 21, and when you want to bend the bending part 16 leftward, press the left direction switch button 21c in the bending operation switch part 21. 16 to the right, press the right switch button 21d in the bending operation switch section 21 to bend it in the desired direction in the same manner as described above. In addition, when bending the bending part 16 in the left-right direction, the bending part 16 is operated by another bending operating device section (not shown) provided symmetrically to the bending operating device section 29.

Note that in this first embodiment, the sprocket 55 was used as the rotating body, and the chain 56 was used as the traction member.
Instead of the sprocket 55, a boot may be used, and instead of the chain 56, a traction wire may be used.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment uses a DC motor 80 in place of the ultrasonic motor 32 in the first embodiment.

A rotating shaft 81 of the DC motor 80 is disposed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the operating section 13 of the endoscope 11 and is attached to the outer surface of the subframe 27. A bevel gear 82 is provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 81. Another bevel gear 83 meshes with this bevel gear 82 . This other bevel gear 83 is attached to the outer end of a drive shaft 84 arranged perpendicular to the rotating shaft 81 . Further, 1. The drive side shaft 84 has a bearing 85 supported and held by a bearing box 86 attached to the main frame 26.
Supported by

Further, the drive gear 51 of the transmission gear train 50 is fixed to the intermediate portion of the drive shaft 84 by, for example, shrink fitting, and meshes with the driven gear 52 . The driving gear 51 and the driven gear 52 constitute a transmission gear train 50 with a small transmission rotation ratio. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Therefore, when the upward switch 21a in the bending operation switch section 21 is pressed, the rotating shaft 81 of the DC motor 80 rotates, and this rotational force is transferred from the driving gear 51 of the transmission gear train 50 to the driven gear 52 through the meshing bevel gears 82 and 83. transmitted to. Then, a sprocket 55 integrated with this driven gear 52 is rotated. After this, by rotating the tune 56 in the same way as in the first embodiment,
Since the upper bending operation wire 58 is pulled and the lower bending operation wire 58 is let out, the bending section 16 of the insertion section 12
is curved.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, since the DC motor 80 is used as the bending drive source, the drive voltage can be lower than that of the ultrasonic motor. Therefore, safety and economy are improved. Furthermore, even if a vertically elongated motor is used, the thickness of the operating section 13 can be made thinner.

Note that a rotary motor such as an AC motor or a pulse motor may be used as the drive motor. Further, the motor can be placed at any position on the case 25 side of the subframe 27 as long as the bevel gear 82 provided at the end of the rotating shaft 81 meshes with the bevel gear 83.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the structure of the second embodiment is applied to a so-called fiberscope having an eyepiece 18 on the endoscope 11 itself.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the invention. For example, various numbers and combinations of gears can be used as the transmission gear mechanism.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, a bearing that supports the rotating shaft of at least one gear of the transmission gear mechanism that transmits the rotation of the bending operation drive motor to the traction operation rotating body, Since it is arranged in a space surrounded by the above-mentioned rotating body and the traction member wrapped around it, when performing curved drive by the motor, even if a transmission gear mechanism is used, it will not become long in the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the motor. , can be configured compactly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the bending operation device section in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the bending operation device section in the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the entire endoscope in the first embodiment, and FIG. An explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the bending operation device section in the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the bending operation device section in the third embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Endoscope, 12... Insertion part, 16... Curving part, 21... Curving operation switch part 1.29... Curving operation device part, 31... Ultrasonic motor unit, 32・
...Ultrasonic motor, 36... Rotating shaft, 48... Bearing, 50... Transmission gear train, 51... Drive gear,
52... Driven gear, 53... Shaft, 55...
Sprocket, 56... Chain, 58... Curving operation wire, 61... Pulley, 62... Traction wire,
70...Second bearing box, 80...DC
Motor, 85...bearing, 86...bearing box.

Claims (1)

[Claims] a bending operation drive motor housed in the operation section of the endoscope;
A transmission gear mechanism rotationally driven by this bending operation drive motor, a traction operation rotating body rotationally driven by the bending operation motor via this transmission gear mechanism, and a traction operation rotating body wound around this traction operation rotation body. A gear forming the above-mentioned transmission gear mechanism, comprising a traction member that is inserted into the distal end side through the insertion portion of the endoscope and bends the curved portion of the insertion portion when the rotation member is pulled as the rotation body rotates. A bending operation device for an endoscope, characterized in that a bearing for receiving the rotating shaft of at least one of the gears is disposed in a space surrounded by the rotating body and the traction member.