JPH0445177B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field of the Invention> The present invention relates to a curved coil of an endoscope, and more specifically, to a curved coil of an endoscope. The present invention relates to a method for assembling a curved coil in an endoscope in which a curved tube section on the insertion section is formed into a curve by manually operating a wire.

<Prior art> As is well known, gastrophic eye scope,
Medical endoscopes such as bronchial fiberscopes are
A flexible body cavity insertion section of an endoscope is inserted into a patient's body cavity to observe and treat the patient.

As shown in FIG. 1, this endoscope 1 includes an operating section main body 2 for performing various operations at hand, and a flexible long body cavity insertion section 3 that is inserted into a patient's body cavity. It's summery. The operation section main body 2 of this endoscope 1
is provided with an eyepiece section 4, a bending operation knob 5, an insertion port 6 for a treatment tool such as forceps, a treatment tool raising operation knob 7, an air supply/liquid supply button 8, a suction button 9, etc.
Further, a light guide cord 10 connected to a light source device (not shown) for illumination is connected. The body cavity insertion section 3 includes a bendable long flexible tube section 11 connected to the operation section main body 2.
and a curved tube section 12 which is connected to the flexible tube section 11 and allows the distal end component 13 to be displaced in any direction by the curved operation knob 5 of the operation section main body 2;
The distal end component 13 is connected to the curved tube part 12 and is provided with an illumination window, an observation window, a treatment instrument entrance/exit, an air supply port, a liquid supply port (none of which are shown), etc. . As is well known, inside the flexible tube 14 consisting of the flexible tube section 11 and the curved tube section 12 of the body cavity insertion section 3, light transmission members such as image guide fibers and light guide fibers, Many built-in members such as a treatment instrument insertion tube, an air supply/liquid supply tube, and an operation member for a treatment instrument lifting device are passed through, and the distal ends of each of these built-in members are fixed to the distal end component 13. ing.

Of the body cavity insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1, the curved tube section 12 is bent by rotating the bending operation knob 5, and its structure includes a large number of ring-shaped joint fittings that can be bent freely. A braid (wire mesh) is fitted around the outer periphery of the connected tubular bodies, and an elastic covering member such as synthetic resin or synthetic rubber is applied to the outer periphery.

Further, the flexible tube 14 of the flexible tube section 11 is constructed by providing a mesh tube on the outside of a spiral tube (not shown) and covering this with an elastic covering member such as a synthetic resin. A curved coil 21 is inserted into the flexible tube 14 as shown in FIG. 2, and an operating wire 22 is further inserted into the curved coil 21. One end of the operating wire 22 is adapted to be interlocked with the bending operation knob 5 via an operating mechanism (not shown), and the other end is connected to the tip component 13 through the bending tube section 12.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, one end of the curved coil 21 is brazed to a joint ring 23 that connects the curved tube section 12 and the flexible tube section 11. On the other hand, the other end is soldered to a stopper 26 having a flange portion 25, and this flange portion 25 is fitted and fixed in a groove 27 of a coil fixing portion 24 inside the operation section main body 2.

In this case, as shown in FIG.
When bent, a large tension is applied to the operating wire located inside the curve, and this tension stretches the operating section main body 2 and the curved tube section 12. Therefore, a compressive force is applied to the flexible tube portion 11, and due to this compressive force, the coil pitch of the curved coil 21 is contracted, and the operating wire 22 is relatively extended. Due to this relative elongation of the wire 22, the conventional endoscope had a drawback in that the bending angle of the curved tube section 12 was reduced.

<Objective of the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope in which the bending angle of the bending portion of the endoscope does not decrease when the bending portion thereof bends.

<Summary of the Invention> The present invention is a method for assembling a curved coil into an endoscope, in which a compressive force is applied to the curved coil when the coil is assembled into the endoscope.

<Embodiment of the Invention> An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of this invention.
In the flexible tube section 11 of the endoscope, a curved coil 21 through which an operating wire 22 is inserted is inserted into a flexible tube 14 . The flexible tube 14 consists of a spiral tube (not shown), a mesh tube covering the spiral tube, and a mesh tube covered with an elastic covering member such as synthetic resin.

A curved tube section 12 is attached to one end of the flexible tube section 11 via a joint tube 23. This joint pipe 2
3 is joined to a ring-shaped joint fitting (not shown) provided in the curved tube portion 12 and to the flexible tube 14. Further, one end of the curved coil 21 is brazed to the inner wall of the joint ring 23.

The other end of the curved coil 21 is soldered to a stopper 26 having a collar 25.
is fitted into and fixed in the groove 27 of the coil fixing part 24 inside the operating part main body 2. The operating wire 22 is connected to an operating mechanism (not shown) in the operating section main body 2, passes through the curved coil 21, and is further coupled to the tip component 13 via the curved tube section 12.

Next, a method for assembling the curved coil of this embodiment will be explained step by step.

One end of the curved coil 21 is brazed to a joint ring 23, and the other end is soldered to a stopper 26. After that, insert the operating wire 22 and attach the stopper 26.
into the coil fixing part 24 in the operating part. Here, when inserting the stopper 26 into the coil fixing part 24 in the operating section, the curved coil 21 is compressed while being pushed in in a meandering manner by an amount that compensates for the amount of contraction of the curved coil 21 when the curved tube section 12 is bent. Insert it. That is, the curved coil 21 is manufactured by soldering a stopper 26 at a position that is long by the above compression amount,
When it is assembled into an endoscope, it is compressed and inserted in a meandering manner as described above.

The amount of compression varies depending on the length of the curved coil 21, and the maximum tensile force of the operating wire 22 varies depending on the bendable angle of the curved tube portion 12, so it is determined by comprehensively taking these into consideration.

By incorporating the curved coil 21 into the endoscope using the method described above, the curved coil 21 can be
As shown in FIG. 3, it has a meandering shape around the operating wire 22. As a result, even when the bending tube section 12 is bent by pulling the operation wire 22, the bending coil 21 applies a predetermined compressive force at the time of installation, in response to the above-mentioned compressive force acting on the bending coil 21. Since the coil pitch of the bending coil 21 is shortened and the operating wire 22 is relatively extended, the bending angle does not decrease.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the order in which the curved coils 21 are assembled into the endoscope may be changed as appropriate.

<Effects of the Invention> According to this invention, when a curved coil is assembled into an endoscope, it is assembled while applying a compressive force to the curved coil, so that the curve angle is reduced even when the curved tube portion of the endoscope is operated to curve. There's nothing to do.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an endoscope, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a curved coil incorporated by a conventional method for incorporating a curved coil in an endoscope, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an endoscope. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a curved coil incorporated in the method of incorporating a curved endoscope coil. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoscope, 2... Operating unit main body, 11... Flexible tube section, 12... Curved tube section, 21... Curved coil, 22... Operating wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope curved coil that curves a curved portion via an operating wire, wherein the curved coil through which the operating wire is inserted is inserted into the endoscope in a meandering manner by a predetermined amount. How to incorporate.