JPH0447691Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of application of the invention] The present invention relates to endoscopes, and in particular to an endoscope suitable for a light guide used to guide light from a light source to the distal end of an endoscope insertion section. Regarding mirrors.

[Background of the idea]

Optical fiber bundles are used in endoscopes as light guides to guide light from the light source to the tip of the endoscope insertion tube, and to guide observation light from the objective lens at the tip of the endoscope insertion tube to the eyepiece. It is used as an image guide. As is well known, such an optical fiber bundle is composed of countless extremely thin optical fibers, and must be handled with great care so as not to break the optical fibers. However, in the endoscope insertion section, in addition to the light guide and image guide made of such optical fiber bundles, forceps channels, air supply pipes, water supply pipes, etc. are arranged, and there is not enough space and the optical fiber bundles have to be bent. It is not easy to move back and forth due to this. That is, the endoscope insertion section is composed of a curved part and a flexible part, and the desired subject is observed by bending the curved part.In this case, when the curved part is curved, the endoscope is The optical fiber bundle positioned away from the center of the mirror insertion section will move back and forth. In other words, if the optical fiber bundle is arranged downward from the center position, as the curved part curves upward, the optical fiber bundle moves forward, and as the curved part curves downward, the optical fiber bundle moves backward. I will do it. Such back-and-forth movement of the optical fiber bundle is normally absorbed by the slack in the flexible portion, which is relatively longer than the curved portion.

However, at the connection between the curved part and the flexible part, the inner diameter of the endoscope is generally narrow and narrow, so if there is not enough space as mentioned above, frictional force with other parts may cause This is similar to the state in which the optical fiber bundle is fixed at the connection portion. In this case, if the amount of movement of the optical fiber bundle is absorbed by the slackness of the optical fibers within the curved part, the distance in the curved part is short, and this slack will increase the filling rate within the curved part, causing breakage of the optical fibers. There is a problem that the durability of the optical fiber bundle is lost. This effect becomes more significant in light guides made of thinner optical fibers.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to propose an endoscope in which the optical fiber does not break during the bending operation.

[Summary of the invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an endoscope in which an optical fiber bundle is inserted through the endoscope insertion part, the hand operation part, and the connecting part. A steel wire is arranged in the longitudinal direction in an optical fiber bundle located in a section, the optical fiber is made to run along the steel wire, and both ends of the steel wire are fixed to the optical fiber.

[Example of idea]

Preferred embodiments of the endoscope according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows the general shape of the endoscope.
10 is an endoscope insertion section, 12 is a bending operation knob,
A hand-held operating section 14, which includes a water supply button, a suction button, an eyepiece, and the like, is a connecting section that connects the hand-held operating section 12 and a control unit 16 that includes a light source and the like. A curved section 18 is formed at the distal end of the endoscope insertion section 10, and a flexible section 19 is formed next to the curved section 18.
is formed.

In FIG. 2, the structure of the curved portion 18 is shown,
The bending portion 18 is composed of a plurality of node rings 20, 20, . Each node ring 20, 20... is an operating wire 21, 2
By pulling 1, it can be bent in a desired direction. An optical fiber bundle 22 used as a light guide is arranged in this curved part 18, and this optical fiber bundle 22 is arranged facing the light source of the control unit 16 through the flexible part 19, the hand operation part 12, and the connecting part 14. ing.

In FIG. 3, a cross-sectional structure of the optical fiber bundle 22 is shown. The optical fiber bundle 22 is composed of numerous ultra-fine optical fibers 24 and a tube 26 covering them. Furthermore, the curved portion 18 within the optical fiber bundle 22
A steel wire 28 made of piano wire or the like is placed at the center of the portion located at . The optical fiber 24 is placed along the steel wire 28 and at both ends 28 of the steel wire 28.
The optical fibers 24 are fixed at points A and 28B, which provides a tensile force in the range where the steel wires 28 are located, and the slack of the optical fiber bundle 22 other than the curved portion 18 is absorbed by the curved portion 18. prevent being attracted to

The operation of the embodiment of the endoscope according to the present invention constructed as described above is as follows. First, when the curved portion 18 is curved as shown in FIG. 2, the curved portion 18 is curved as shown by the imaginary line. Along with this, the optical fiber bundle 22 located in the curved portion 18 also curves. In this case, the optical fibers in the conventional optical fiber bundle are bent at the curved portion 18.
However, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the optical fiber bundle 22 located in the curved portion 18 is A tension force is applied to the curved portion 18 along the line 28 to prevent the slack of the optical fiber 24 from being pulled.
The filling rate of the optical fibers 24 in the case 8 is lower than that in the past, and there is no possibility of breakage during bending.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the endoscope of the present invention, a steel wire is arranged in the optical fiber bundle located in the curved part, and the optical fibers located in the curved part are made to follow this steel wire and are attached to the steel wire. Since both ends are fixed and a tensile force is applied to the curved part to prevent the slack of the optical fiber bundle other than the curved part from being drawn to the curved part, the optical fibers will not be broken during bending.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the general shape of an endoscope device using the optical fiber bundle according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional structure of the curved part of the endoscope insertion part, and Fig. 3 is FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an optical fiber bundle. 10... Endoscope insertion part, 18... Curved part, 22
...Optical fiber bundle, 24...Optical fiber, 28...Steel wire.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] In an endoscope in which an optical fiber bundle is inserted through the endoscope insertion part, hand operation part, and connecting part, the optical fiber bundle located at least in the curved part of the insertion part. An endoscope characterized in that a steel wire is arranged in the longitudinal direction, the optical fibers of the optical fiber bundle are arranged along the steel wire, and both ends of the steel wire are fixed to the optical fiber.