JPH0241130A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always obtain the stable curved angle of a curved pipe part by setting the moving stroke of a curving operation device due to the second stopper so as to make the same larger than that of the curving operation device due to the first stopper. CONSTITUTION:The moving stroke l2 between the rear end part of a rack 28 and the contact part 33 of the second stopper 30 is set so as to be made larger than the moving stroke l1 between the leading end part of a wire guide 22 and the first stopper 29. When a curving operation knob 15 is rotated, a pinion 27 is rotated in a direction A along with said knob 15 to move the rack 28 in a direction B (axial direction). Whereupon, either one of upper and lower operation wires 21 are drawn and the other operation wire 21 is pushed and a curved tube part 7 is curved in the direction of the drawn wire 21. When the operation wire 21 is further drawn, the curved angle of the curved tube part 7 is prescribed by the first stopper 29 to become the max. curved angle prescribed preliminarily.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an endoscope that remotely bends a bending tube section provided at the distal end of an insertion section using a bending operation device operated by a hand-held operation section. Regarding.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, a bending tube section provided at the distal end of an insertion section of an endoscope is bent by pulling and operating an operating wire via a bending operation knob provided on an operating section. And Utility Application No. 60-004007 and U.
As shown in SP No. 4203430, a stopper is provided in the operating section for regulating the movement of the wire in the axial direction at a predetermined stroke, thereby regulating the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section. I have to. This stopper is provided so that its fixing position in the axial direction can be adjusted, and by positioning the stopper, the movement stroke of the wire is set and the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section is set. In this way, by providing the stopper in the operating section so that its position can be adjusted, the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section can be easily adjusted.

The purpose of setting the maximum bending angle of this curved tube section is to make it easy to insert into the human body cavity, eliminate blind spots in observation, and easily move to the area to be treated. determined. Moreover, if the stopper is not provided, there is a risk that the operating wire may be pulled endlessly and cut, or other components may be damaged, resulting in the inability to bend the bending tube section. In addition, the curved pipe portion may be curved more than necessary,
Not only will this create a dangerous situation for the object, but it may also become impossible to insert a treatment instrument such as forceps through the forceps channel through the endoscope.

By the way, the curved pipe part is designed so that the inclined parts of adjacent joint rings come into contact with each other to form a curved shape, but the inclined parts of all the joint rings do not come into contact with each other, so be sure to assemble with enough margin. I try to match it. In other words, there are nodal rings with which the inclined portions do not come into contact.

This is because when an external force is applied to the bending tube section when it is bent by the maximum stroke of the operating wire, that is, when it is bent to the maximum bending angle, if there is not enough room between each node ring, the node ring This is because there is a risk of deformation.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, the operation wire for the bending operation and the wire guide that guides the wire in the flexible tube section of the insertion section have a length that is provided over the entire length of the flexible tube section in the longitudinal direction. Since the wire is a long member, the wire may stretch or the wire guide may shrink as the endoscope is used for many years. However, when the wire stretches or the wire guide contracts in this way, play in the axial direction occurs in the wire that bends the bending tube section, causing play in the bending operation knob.

On the other hand, since the movement stroke of this wire is preset by the stopper, the movement stroke is reduced by the play of the wire. In other words, the maximum bending angle of the curved pipe portion is reduced. Therefore, when conventional endoscopes are used for many years, the maximum bending angle of the curved tube part regularly decreases, and repairs are required each time, such as adjusting the fixing position of the stopper or eliminating play in the wire. was repeated.

In addition, if a load is generated on the bending tube that prevents it from curving, such as by bending the tube in a narrow body cavity or bending the tube with a treatment instrument such as forceps inserted into a forceps channel, the operation Even if the wire is pulled forcibly, the wire stretches, and even in such a case, there is a problem in that the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the maximum bending angle of the bending tube even when play in the axial direction occurs in the operating wire or when a load is applied to the bending tube. To provide an endoscope that can secure the angle of curvature and always obtain a stable curving angle without curving more than necessary.

[Means and operations for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first stopper at the rear end of the bending tube portion for regulating the movement of the bending operation device at a predetermined stroke. , a second stopper is provided on the operating section to similarly restrict the movement of the bending operation device by a predetermined stroke, and the movement stroke of the bending operation device due to the second stopper is longer than the movement stroke of the bending operation device due to the first stopper. This is due to the large setting of

This may cause axial play in the bending operation device, or
Even when a load is applied to the bending tube section, the bending operation device moves to a position regulated by the second stopper, and therefore the movement stroke of the bending operation knob by the first stopper is ensured.

In this way, while the movement stroke of the bending operation device is regulated by the first stopper, the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section does not decrease, and a stable bending angle is always obtained.

〔Example〕

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The endoscope 1 includes an insertion section 2, a hand operation section 3 connected to the proximal end of the insertion section 2, a universal cord 4 extending from the operation section 3, and a universal cord 4 provided at the distal end of the universal cord 4. It consists of a connector 5. The insertion section 2 includes a flexible tube section 6, a curved tube section 7, and a tip forming section 8. The tip component 8 has an image
The tip of the guide fiber 9 is provided facing the objective lens 10. The operating section 3 also includes an eyepiece section 12 which is provided with the base end of the image guide fiber 9 facing the eyepiece lens 11, an insertion opening body 13 for a treatment tool such as forceps, and a bending operation device 14, which will be described later. A bending operation knob 15 for remotely bending the bending tube section 7 is provided.

The curved tube portion 7 is formed by connecting a plurality of short cylindrical joint rings 16 such that they can rotate vertically with respect to the plane of the paper in FIG.

That is, a pair of connecting pieces 17 are protruded from both end faces of each node ring 16 to face each other, and the connecting pieces 17 of adjacent node rings 16
The seven members are pivotally connected by a support shaft 18. Note that the connecting piece 17 is provided protruding from only one end face of the node rings 16a and 16b at the most and rearmost ends of the curved pipe portion 7. Therefore, the curved tube portion 7 formed by connecting the node rings 16 in this manner is able to bend freely in the vertical direction as described above.

Further, in the insertion section 2 and the operation section 3, the bending operation device 1 is provided for bending the bending tube section 7 therebetween.
4 is built-in. The bending operation device 14 includes a bending operation member 19 and a drive member 20 that tows and drives the bending operation member 19. The bending operation member 19 is longer than the insertion section 2, and its proximal end side is fixed to the metal operation wire 21 extending into the operation section 3 and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube section 6,
It consists of a wire guide 22 that guides the operating wire 21 within the flexible tube section 6. The wire guide 22 is made of a tight coil or the like, and its distal end is fixed in alignment with the distal end of the flexible tube section 6, and its proximal end is fixed within the operating section 3 by a locking member 23. And the operation wire 21
The distal end portion of is firmly fixed by soldering or the like to a pair of fixing members 24 fitted at a portion orthogonal to the connecting piece 17 on the distal end surface of the most advanced node ring 16a, and the proximal end thereof is firmly fixed by soldering or the like. Wire receiver 2 provided on the outer peripheral surface of node ring 16
5. It passes through the wire guide 22 and is inserted into the operating section 3.

On the other hand, the drive member 20 includes a rotation transmission shaft 26 rotatably provided on one side of the operating section 3 by penetrating the same, and an end of the transmission shaft 26 inside the operating section 3 and integrally fitted therewith. The pinion 27, the bending operation knob 15 integrally fitted to the other end of the transmission shaft 26 outside the operation section 3, and the rack 2 integrally connected to the rear end of the operation wire 21.
It consists of 8. Then, the rack 28 is meshed with the pinion 27, and the pinion 27 is moved to the second position by the bending operation knob 15.
By rotating in the direction A in the figure, the rack 28 moves forward and backward in the direction B (axial direction) in the figure.

In the middle of the operating wire 21, the curved pipe portion 7 is provided.
A first stopper 29 is provided at the rear end. This first stopper 29 is connected to the wire guide 22.
The operating wire 21 is formed to have a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the operating wire 21.
It is firmly fixed to a predetermined location by brazing, soldering, or screwing. and,
When the operating wire 21 is pushed and pulled in the axial direction together with the rack 28, this first stopper 29 is moved against the wire guide 2.
2, and therefore this first stopper 2
9 prevents the operation wire 21 from moving in the axial direction.
It is now regulated by Shoes 1. On the other hand, an L-shaped second stopper 30 is provided on the inner side surface of the operating section 3 and is located at the rear end of the rack 28 . This second stopper 30- has a mounting portion 32 having a long insertion hole 31 along the axial direction in the center thereof, and a rear end portion of the receiving portion 32 that protrudes inward at right angles thereto. contact part 3
3, and is firmly attached to a predetermined location by inserting a mounting screw 34 into the insertion hole 31 and screwing it into a screw hole (not shown) installed on the inner surface of the operating section 3. There is. Then, when the rack 28 is pushed and pulled in the axial direction, the rear end of the rack 28 abuts against the abutment part 33 of the second stopper 30, so that the second stopper 30
The movement of the rack 28 in the axial direction, that is, the movement of the operating wire 21 in the axial direction, is restricted by the stroke 12.

Then, the movement stroke until the rear end of the rack 28 hits the abutment part 33 of the second stopper 30 is longer than the movement stroke No. 1 until the first stopper 29 hits the tip end of the wire guide 22. J! 2 is set larger. In this case, the optimum value is selected within the range of No2-No, X (1, 1 to 3). Note that the movement stroke of the operating wire 21 due to the restriction of the second stopper 30, l? 2 can be changed by first loosening the mounting screw 34, shifting the mounting portion 32 along the insertion hole 31, and then tightening the mounting screw 34.

According to the endoscope 1 configured in this way, when the bending operation knob 15 is rotated, the pinion 27 rotates in the inward direction together with the bending operation knob 15, thereby moving the rack 28 in the B direction (axial direction). . Then, one of the upper and lower operating wires 21 is pulled, and the other operating wire 21 is pushed, so that the bending tube section 7 is bent in the direction of the wire 21 being pulled. And operation wire 2
When the wire 1 is pulled further, the first stopper 29 first collides with the tip of the wire guide 22, so that the wire 21 cannot be pulled any further. In other words, the bending angle of the bending tube portion 7 is regulated by the first stopper 29, and becomes a predetermined maximum bending angle. At this time, when the operating wire 21 is further pulled by the bending operating knob 15, the rear end portion of the rack 28 abuts against the contact portion 33 of the second stopper 30 and stops. After the first stopper 29 hits the wire guide 22, the rack 28
Until it hits the second stopper 30, the operating wire 21 and the wire guide 22 expand and contract within the elastic deformation range, and the movement stroke of the operating wire 21, 172, is regulated by the second stopper 30. , the movement stroke of the operating wire 21 due to the restriction of the first stopper 29
It is designed to absorb the difference between

At this time, due to long-term use of the endoscope 1, the operating wire 2
1 expands or the wire guide 22 that guides it contracts, the operating wire 21 is moved to l? Even if it is moved by 1, the bending tube part 7 will not bend to the specified maximum bending angle. However, since there is a margin between 12 and 11, the operating wire 21 can be moved by the rack 28 to the second stopper 30.
The first stopper 29 can be brought into contact with the tip of the wire guide 22 . In other words, it is possible to ensure il, and therefore the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion 7 can be ensured. Moreover, since the movement of the operating wire 21 is reliably regulated by the first stopper 29, there is no danger that the maximum bending angle of the bending tube section 7 will become larger than the initially set angle, and the operation wire 21 is always stable. This results in a curved angle that is

In addition, the bending tube section 7 may be bent to some extent by bending it inside a narrow body cavity or by bending the bending tube section 7 with a treatment instrument such as forceps inserted into a forceps channel (not shown). Even if resistance is generated and the wire 21 is stretched to some extent by forcibly pulling the operation wire 21, the operation wire 2
1 can be further towed until the rack 28 abuts the second stop 30, and thus the first stop 29
can be brought into contact with the tip of the wire guide 22.

In other words, the maximum bending angle of the curved tube portion 7 can be ensured.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment, in which the bending operation device 14
This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the drive member 20 is of a drum wire type. That is, a drum 36 is integrally fitted onto a rotation transmission shaft 35 that is rotationally driven by the bending operation knob 15, and a drum wire 37 is wound around the outer circumference of the drum 36. Also, this drum wire 3
7 and the operating wire 21 are connected by a connecting member 38 inside the operating section 3, and a second stopper 30 similar to the first embodiment is provided on the rear end side of the connecting member 38 inside the operating section 3. It is being Then, in order to bend the bending tube section 7, the bending operation knob 15 is used to connect the drum wire 37 and the operation wire 2.
When the connecting member 1 is moved, the connecting member 38 also moves together with the connecting member 38, and its movement stroke 12 is regulated by the second stopper 30. Note that the second stopper 30 is fixed with a mounting screw 34 so that its position can be adjusted as in the first embodiment.

Even in such a configuration, the movement stroke l of the operating wire 21 due to the restriction of the first stopper 29 is smaller than the second movement stroke l.
By setting the movement stroke 2 of the operating wire 21 large due to the restriction of the stopper 30, the J! 1 and thus a predefined curved tube section 7
The maximum bending angle can be ensured.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above. For example, in both the first and second embodiments, a metal wire is used as the bending operation member 19, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a hydraulic drive transmission system using fluid may be adopted.

In addition, various modifications are possible.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a first stopper is provided at the rear end of the bending tube portion to restrict the movement of the bending operation device at a predetermined stroke, and the first stopper controls the movement of the bending operation device by the first stopper. Since the second stopper is provided at the part (inside the operating section) where the bending tube section is operated to bend further than the stopped state, it is possible to check whether there is play in the axial direction of the bending operation device or whether there is a load on the bending tube section. Regardless, it is possible to always ensure the specified maximum bending angle of the bending tube part, and moreover, it is possible to prevent the bending tube part from curving more than necessary.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a side view of the endoscope, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure inside the endoscope, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration inside an endoscope in a second embodiment of the present invention. 2... Insertion part, 3... Hand operation part, 7... Curving tube part, 14... Curving operation device, 29... First stopper, 30... m2 stopper. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Atsushi Tsuboi

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an endoscope in which a bending tube section at a distal end of an insertion section is bent by a bending operation device operated by a hand operation section, there is provided an endoscope at a rear end of the bending tube section that restricts movement of the bending operation device by a predetermined stroke. In addition to providing a first stopper, a second stopper is also provided on the operating section for regulating the movement of the bending operation device at a predetermined stroke, and the movement stroke of the bending operation device by the first stopper is longer than the movement stroke of the bending operation device. An endoscope characterized in that the movement stroke of the bending operation device is set to be large.