JPH034829A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need of an adhesive agent at the time of assembling a branch part, and also, to surely and firmly assemble the branch part by forming the branch part for allowing plural contained objects inserted through the inside of an insertion part to branch by a protecting member for inserting integrally the contained object, and a facing member made of resin which is formed so as to cover the protecting member. CONSTITUTION:A protecting member 19 is divided into halves in the longitudinal direction by polyethylene, etc., and brought to two-split constitution, and on the inner wall of a split piece 19a, plural fitting recessed parts 21 are provided, and on the inner wall of the other split piece 19b, plural fitting recessed parts fitted to the fitting recessed parts 21 are provided. Also, on the front wall and the rear wall, plural semicircular grooves 23 are provided so as to be opposed to each other, each groove 23 conforms and a circular fitting hole is formed. When each split pieces 19a, 19b of the protecting member 19 is fixed temporarily and an insertion part 1 and a universal cord 3 are connected, by installing it in a recessed part 27 forming an external appearance shape of a facing member 20 formed by the upper die 26a and the lower die 26b and allowing a resin of polyethylene, etc., to flow in from a gate 28, the facing member 20 is formed integrally so as to cover the protecting member 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope in which a built-in object inserted into an insertion section, such as a light guide fiber or an image guide fiber, and a channel tube are branched at a branching section.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when observing the inside of a blood vessel or heart filled with opaque liquid such as blood, a light guide fiber for illumination light transmission, an image guide fiber for image transmission, and an observation area are placed inside the insertion section made of a flexible tube. An endoscope is used that is equipped with a channel tube that introduces physiological saline into the observation area to temporarily exclude blood and create a transparent area.

For such endoscopes, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-19521
As shown in Publication No. 6, a light guide fiber,
The image guide fiber and the channel tube are branched at the branch section connected to the proximal end of the insertion section, and the light guide fiber and image guide fiber are connected to the light source device and the receiver device through the universal cord, and the channel tube is connected to the branch section. It leads to the channel entrance provided in the. The structure of the conventional branch section is that the branch section is vertically divided in half as shown in Figure 6 in the same publication, and the grooves provided in these divided pieces are used to insert light guide fibers, image guide fibers, etc. Fit the proximal end of the insertion section into which the channel tube has been inserted, and then branch the light guide fiber and image guide fiber from the insertion section and fit them into separate grooves, and then attach each divided piece using adhesive and screws. The branch was assembled by fitting them together.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional structure, since each divided piece of the branch section is fixed with adhesive, the adhesive adheres to the light guide fiber, image guide fiber, and channel tube during assembly of the branch section. There were problems that could damage these built-in components or reduce their functionality. Furthermore, in order to firmly assemble the branch portion, each divided piece must be fixed with adhesive and screws, making the assembly troublesome. Furthermore, with the structure in which each divided piece is fixed with adhesive and screws, it is not possible to completely and reliably ensure watertightness between each divided piece. There was also the problem that it penetrated into the seams and deteriorated the internal light guide fiber and image guide fiber, making them unusable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to assemble the branch part in the cylinder and eliminate damage to built-in objects due to adhesive adhesion, deterioration of functions, and deterioration of built-in objects due to liquid penetration. The purpose is to provide endoscopes.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, in the endoscope of the present invention, the branching part that branches the plurality of internal objects inserted into the insertion section is connected to the internal objects. It is formed from a protective member to be inserted and a resin exterior member molded to cover the protective member. This eliminates the need for adhesive when assembling the branch, allows the branch to be reliably and firmly assembled, and furthermore makes the inside of the branch completely waterproof.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-7.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of the endoscope, which shows a long insertion section 1 made of a flexible tube, a roughly Y-shaped branch section 2 connected to the proximal end of the insertion section 1, and a branch section 2 connected to the proximal end of the insertion section 1. A universal cord 3 connected to the proximal end of the branch 2, a first connector 4 provided at the extending end of the universal cord 3, a light guide cable 5 connected to the first connector 4, and the light. A second cable provided at the extending end of the guide cable 5
It consists of a connector 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an observation optical system 7, a channel tube 8, and an illumination optical system 9 are inserted into the insertion section 1 to cover these components, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. An observation section 10, a channel outlet 11, and an illumination section 12 are formed on the distal end surface. The observation optical system 7 is constructed by inserting and fixing a plurality of objective lenses 14 and the tip of an image guide fiber 15 into a lens frame 13. The first connector 4 is connected to a camera control section (not shown) through the first connector 4. The illumination optical system 9 also includes a light guide fiber 1 on the rear side of the illumination lens 16.
The light guide fiber 17 is guided into the second connector 6 through the insertion section 1, the branch section 2, the universal cord 3, the first connector 4 and the light guide cable 5, and It is connected to a light source device (not shown) via a connector 6. Further, the channel tube 8 is guided through the insertion section 1 into the branch section 2, and in this branch section 2, it branches into a light guide fiber 17 and an image guide fiber 15, and a channel tube provided at the proximal end of the branch section 2 is formed. 18
It communicates with

The branch portion 2 includes a box-shaped protection member 19 as shown in FIG.
and a resin exterior member 20 molded to cover the protective member 19, forming a double structure.

That is, the protective member 19 is made of liquid crystal polymer, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc., and is divided into two halves in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
A plurality of fitting recesses 21 are provided on the inner wall of the split piece 9a, and a plurality of fitting protrusions 22 that fit into the fitting recesses 21 are provided on the inner wall of the other divided piece 19b, as shown in FIG. ing. In addition, a plurality of semicircular grooves 23 are provided in the front and rear walls of these divided pieces 19a and 19b to face each other. They match to form a circular mounting hole.

On the other hand, a first connection cap 24 is attached to the base end of the insertion portion 1, and a second connection cap 25 is attached to the base end of the universal cord 3. Then, for example, the first connection cap 24 of the insertion portion 1 is fitted into the groove 23 on the front wall of one of the divided pieces 19a, and the second connection cap 25 of the universal cord 3 is fitted into one of the grooves 23 on the rear wall. ,
Furthermore, the channel tube 8 extending from the first connection base 24 is branched into the light guide fiber 17 and the image guide fiber 15, and is directly connected to the groove 2 on the rear wall.
After fitting into the other divided piece 3, each divided piece 19a, 19b is temporarily fixed by inserting the fitting convex part 22 of the other divided piece 16b into the fitting recess 21 of the other divided piece 19a and fitting it. The insertion portion 1, universal cord 3, and channel tube 8 are sandwiched between these and connected.

In this way, each divided piece 19a119b of the protection member 19
Once the insertion portion 1 and the universal cord 3 have been temporarily fixed, the protective member 19 is attached to the exterior member 2 formed on the upper mold 26a and the lower mold 26°b, as shown in FIG.
The exterior member 20 is placed in a recess 27 having an external shape of 0, and a resin such as polyurethane, polyethylene, polyester, etc. is poured from a sprue 28, so that the exterior member 20 is integrally molded to cover the protective member 19. Here, the protective member 19
The resin material of the exterior member 20 covered entirely on the outside is the light guide fiber 17 and the image guide fiber 15.
The internal components such as the channel tube 8 are protected from direct contact with the internal components. In addition,
The protective member 19 is made of resin (described above) that has a higher melting temperature than the exterior member 20, and will not be thermally deformed or melted during molding of the exterior member 20.

According to such a structure, one divided piece 19a of the protection member
, 19b are temporarily fixed and the first connection base 24 of the insertion section 1 and the second connection base 25 of the universal cord 3 into which the light guide fiber 17 and the image guide fiber 15 are inserted are connected to the protection member 19. This protective member 19
Since the branch part 2 is formed by molding the exterior member 20 over the protective member 19, no adhesive is required to assemble the branch part 2, and during the assembly process, the protective member 19
Adhesive can be prevented from adhering to the light guide fiber 17, image guide fiber 15, and channel tube 8 exposed inside, and damage to these built-in components and deterioration of function can be avoided. In addition, since the exterior member 20 is molded to cover the temporarily fixed protective member 19, the branch part 2 can be reliably and firmly assembled, compared to the conventional assembly using adhesive and screws. ,
The branch part 2 can be easily assembled. Furthermore, since the exterior member 20 is integrally molded to cover the protective member 19 which is divided into two parts by the respective divided pieces 19a and 19b, the watertightness of the branch part 2 as a whole can be completely and reliably ensured. During use of the endoscope, blood and waste water can be prevented from penetrating into the branch section 2, and deterioration of the light guide fiber 17 and the image guide fiber 15 due to liquid penetration can be prevented. In addition, there is no joint between members on the outside of the branch 2, and even if blood or sewage adheres to the branch 2, it can be easily washed away.

8 to 10 show a second embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the image guide fiber 15 is replaced by a CC
Lens frame 1 with D31 inserted and fixed into the distal end of insertion section 1
It is placed on the rear end surface of No. 3.

Then, the image of the observation area is transferred to the CCD 31 using the objective lens 14.
The CCD 31 converts the image into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is sent to the camera via a signal line 32 led from the CCD 31 to the first connector 4 through the insertion section 1, branch section 2, and universal cord 3. The information is transmitted to the control unit. Note that the other basic configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

In the second embodiment, an adapter 35 is detachably attached to the first connector 4 provided at the extending end of the universal cord 3 in the first embodiment. In this way, by attaching the adapter 35 to the first connector 4,
In addition to visual observation via this adapter 35, the adapter 3
By attaching a photographing device such as a TV left camera cine camera to 5, TV observation and cine photography become possible.

FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, an eyepiece 41 is attached to the first connector 4. Even in this case, in addition to observation with the naked eye through the eyepiece 41, TV observation and cine photography are possible by attaching a photographing device such as a TV left camera or cine camera to the eyepiece 41.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the branched part is formed by molding the resin exterior member covering the protective member into which the built-in part is inserted. No adhesive is required, and during assembly work, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from coming into contact with the built-in objects exposed in the protective member, thereby eliminating damage to these built-in objects and deterioration of function. In addition, since the exterior member is molded to cover the protective member, the branch part can be reliably and firmly assembled. Simple 1. It can be assembled into li. Furthermore, since the exterior member is molded to cover the protective member, it is possible to ensure complete watertightness of the branch as a whole, thus preventing blood or sewage from penetrating into the branch while the endoscope is in use. This can prevent deterioration of internal components due to liquid penetration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a branching section showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the entire endoscope, FIG. 3 is a front view of the insertion section, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the protective member (E), FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the protective member, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the mold, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the insertion section showing the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tip of the insertion section, and FIG.
The figure is also a vertical sectional view of the branching part, and FIG. 11 is the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a side view of the entire endoscope showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Insertion part, 2... Branch part, 8... Channel tube, 15... Image guide fiber 17.
...Light guide fiber, 19...Box-shaped protection member,
20...Resin exterior member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] an insertion section; a plurality of built-in objects inserted into the insertion section;
In the endoscope, the branch part is connected to the proximal end of the insertion section and branches the built-in object, and the branch part includes a protective member for inserting the built-in object, and a protective member that is molded to cover the protective member. An endoscope comprising a resin exterior member.