JPH05253173A - Curving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the degree of freedom of operations and to reduce the diameter over the entire part of a curving part by locally subjecting only the arbitrary part in the entire part of the curving part to a curvilinear operation. CONSTITUTION:The chuck part 9 of the operating wire 7 is provided at plural points along the axial direction of the curving part 4 and a chuck controller 17 which adjusts the curving shape of the curving part 4 at the time of the pulling operation of a operating wire 7 by selectively changing over any of the chuck parts 9 to a chucking state is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bending device that is operated to bend along with a pulling operation of an operation wire, such as a bending portion provided in an insertion portion of an endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a distal end of a flexible tube is used for an endoscope in which an insertion section formed by the flexible tube is inserted, for example, into a medical lumen or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe. A bending portion that can be bent and deformed is disposed in the portion.

A plurality of bending pieces arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the insertion portion are rotatably connected to the bending portion via connecting pins to form a multi-joint structure. Further, the distal end of an operation wire, which is disposed inside the flexible tube so as to be movable in the axial direction, is fixed to the most distal bending piece.

The proximal end portion of the operation wire extends toward the operation portion side of the endoscope near the hand. The operation section is provided with, for example, a bending operation knob on the outside and a wire pulling mechanism on the inside. The wire pulling mechanism is equipped with a rotating body such as a pulley that rotates with the operation of the bending operation knob.

Further, the distal end portion of the operation wire is connected to this rotating body. Then, when the bending operation knob is operated, the rotating body of the pulling mechanism is rotationally driven, and along with the rotation of the rotating body, the operation wire is pulled in the axial direction to remotely bend the bending portion from the hand side. ing.

[0006]

In the bending device having the above-described conventional structure, the tension from the operation wire pulled when the bending operation knob on the proximal side is operated is substantially equal to all bending pieces forming the articulated structure of the bending portion. Acts like.

Therefore, when the bending portion is bent, the joint portions between all the bending pieces are all bent in the same direction at substantially the same angle, and the entire bending portion is deformed into a smooth curved shape. There is a problem in that it is not possible to locally perform a bending operation on only an arbitrary part of the entire part, and the flexibility of the bending operation is small.

Further, by connecting an independent operation wire to each joint portion between a plurality of bending pieces arranged in the bending portion, only a part of the entire bending portion can be locally bent. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that does. However, in this case, since the number of operation wires arranged in the insertion portion of the endoscope increases, there is a problem in reducing the diameter of the insertion portion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to locally bend only an arbitrary part of the entire bending portion, thereby increasing the flexibility of the bending operation. (EN) It is possible to provide a bending device which is capable of achieving the above-mentioned advantages and is advantageous in reducing the diameter of the insertion portion.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bending apparatus in which a bending portion is operated to be bent in accordance with a pulling operation of an operation wire. And chucks for switching the wire to a chucking state in which the wire is chucked in an axially immovable state of the bending portion are provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion, and any one of the chucking portions is provided. Is selectively provided to the chuck state to provide a bending shape adjusting means for adjusting the bending shape of the bending portion during the pulling operation of the operation wire.

[0011]

When the bending portion is bent, the bending shape adjusting means selectively switches any one of the chuck portions provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion to the chucking state, thereby operating the operation wire. The bending shape of the bending portion during the pulling operation is adjusted.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a bending device of an articulated probe 1 used as an articulated manipulator to be inserted into a medical lumen or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe. is there.

The proximal end portion side of the articulated probe 1 is connected to the operating portion 2 on the proximal side. Also, the articulated probe 1
A curved portion 4 is formed at the tip of the. This curved part 4
A plurality of metal-made substantially cylindrical bending pieces 3 are arranged side by side along the axial direction. A jacket tube (not shown) made of an elastic material is attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the bending pieces 3.

Further, a pair of front projections 5a, 5 are arranged opposite to each other at the front end of each bending piece 3 other than the most advanced bending piece 3a.
a, a pair of rear projections 5b, 5b, which are arranged opposite to each other, are provided at the rear ends of the respective bending pieces 3 other than the rearmost bending piece (not shown).

Of the bending pieces 3, ... Between the rear projections 5a, 5a of the bending piece 3 on the front side and the front projections 5b, 5b of the bending piece 3 on the rear side, connecting pins 6 are formed. It is rotatably connected via a shaft and has a multi-joint structure.

Further, the probe 1 is attached to the most advanced bending piece 3a.
The distal ends of a pair of operation wires 7, 7 which are movably arranged in the axial direction inside are fixed to each other. The proximal ends of these operation wires 7 and 7 are connected to a winding device 8 arranged in the operation unit 2.

In this case, the distal end fixing portions of the pair of operation wires 7, 7 are arranged at a position of 180 ° along the circumferential direction of the bending piece 3a, and the distal end fixing portions of the operation wires 7, 7 on both sides are arranged. The connecting center line and the extension line connecting between the connecting pins 6 on both sides of the bending piece 3a are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other.

Further, in the curved portion 4, chuck portions 9 having a substantially cylindrical shape are formed at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the probe 1 at regular intervals.
Is provided. The operation wire 7 is inserted into the cylinder of the second electrode 12 of each chuck portion 9, and each chuck portion 9 is fixed by brazing to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3 as shown in FIG. ..

Further, the chuck portion 9 is provided with a cylindrical piezoelectric element 10 as shown in FIG. A cylindrical first electrode 11 is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and a cylindrical second electrode 12 is adhered to the outer peripheral surface thereof. The piezoelectric element 10 is polarized on the inner peripheral surface side and the outer peripheral surface side, and the first electrode 11 and the second electrode of the piezoelectric element 10 are polarized.
When a voltage is applied between the first electrode 12 and the second electrode 12, the inner diameter is deformed.

Further, a chuck portion 9 is provided on the operating portion 2 on the hand side.
A chuck control device (bending shape adjusting means) 17 for controlling the operation of ... Is provided. This chuck control device 17
The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 of each chuck portion 9 are connected to each of them via a lead wire 13.

Further, the chuck controller 17 has a power source 1
4. A switch 15 for turning on and off the energization of each chuck 9 and a controller 16 for controlling the operation of each switch 15 are provided. The controller 16 is formed of, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and the controller 16 selectively turns on and off the switch 15 of the chuck portion 9 at an arbitrary position.

When the switch 15 is held in the off state, the piezoelectric element 10 of the chuck portion 9 is held in a predetermined reference shape. In this state, the inner diameter of the piezoelectric element 10 is held in a state of being larger than the wire diameter of the operation wire 7, and the operation wire 7 is held in a standby state in which the operation wire 7 can move in the axial direction of the bending portion 4. There is.

When the switch 15 is turned on, the piezoelectric element 10 of the chuck 9 is deformed into a contracted shape,
With the contraction of the piezoelectric element 10, the operation wire 7 is switched to a chuck state in which the operation wire 7 is chucked in the axially immovable state of the bending portion 4.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
First, when the articulated probe 1 is used, in the normal state, all the switches 15 of the chuck control device 17 are held in the off state. In this case, the piezoelectric elements 10 of all the chuck portions 9 are held in a predetermined reference shape having a diameter larger than the wire diameter of the operation wire 7 as shown in FIG. 4 is held in a standby state which is movable in the axial direction.

Therefore, in this state, when any one of the operating portions 2, for example, the upper winding device 8 in FIG. 1 is driven, this winding device 8 drives the upper operating wire 7 in FIG. Is pulled to the hand side, and this operation wire 7
The upper end of the most distal bending piece 3a is pulled toward the operator's side through the, and the entire bending portion 4 is bent upward as shown in FIG. 4 (A). At this time, the tension from the pulled operation wire 7 acts substantially uniformly on all the bending pieces 3 forming the multi-joint structure of the bending portion 4, so that all the bending pieces 3
All joints between them are bent in the same direction at substantially the same angle, and the entire bending portion 4 is deformed into a smooth curved shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the entire bending portion 4 is bent upward, for example, as shown in FIG.
In (B), when the switch 15 of the chuck portion 9 third (X position) from the tip side of the upper operation wire 7 is turned on by the controller 16 of the chuck control device 17, the piezoelectric element of this chuck portion 9 is turned on. A voltage is applied between the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 of 10.

In this case, the piezoelectric element 10 of the chuck portion 9 to which a voltage is applied is deformed into a contracted shape as shown in FIG. 3B, and the contraction operation of the piezoelectric element 10 causes the operating wire 7 to be in a chucked state. And the operation wire 7 is fixed in the axial direction of the bending portion 4 so as not to move in the axial direction.

Therefore, in this state, even if the drive of the upper winding device 8 in FIG. 1 is released next and the pulling of the upper operating wire 7 is stopped, the upper operating wire 7 will remain at this X position.
Since the portion closer to the tip end than the chuck portion 9 at the position is held as it is, the portion closer to the tip end than the chuck portion 9 at the X position in the bending portion 4 is held in the upward curved shape. At this time, the bending is released in the portion of the bending portion 4 closer to the X position than the chuck portion 9, and the original shape is restored.

Thereafter, for example, in FIG. 4 (B), the switch 15 of the chuck portion 9 at the third position (Y position) from the tip side of the lower operation wire 7 is turned on by the controller 16 of the chuck control device 17, When the chuck portion 9 is switched to the chuck state, the lower operation wire 7 becomes immovable in the axial direction of the bending portion 4 at the Y position due to the contraction operation of the piezoelectric element 10 of the chuck portion 9. Fixed.

Further, in this state, the winding device 8 on the lower side in FIG. 1 is driven, and the operating wire 7 on the lower side in FIG. Through this operation wire 7, a portion closer to the hand than the chuck portion 9 at the Y position is bent downward. Therefore, in this case, the entire curved portion 4 of the probe 1 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), it can be deformed into a substantially S-shaped posture, and the entire bending portion 4 can be bent into a combined shape.

Therefore, in the above-described structure, when the bending portion 4 is bent, any one of the chuck portions 9 provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion 4 is selectively selected by the chuck controller 17. Since the bending shape of the bending portion 4 during the pulling operation of the operation wire 7 can be arbitrarily adjusted by switching to the chuck state, only an arbitrary part of the entire bending portion 4 is locally bent. It can be operated.

Therefore, the flexibility of the bending operation of the bending portion 4 of the probe 1 can be increased as compared with the conventional case, so that the insertion performance of the probe 1 into a conduit having a complicated shape can be improved and at the same time, It is possible to diversify the route that guides the probe 1 to the destination and improve the workability.

Further, since only a part of the entire bending portion 4 can be locally bent only by using the pair of operation wires 7, 7 and the chuck portions 9 at a plurality of places, the bending operation can be performed locally. The number of operation wires 7 can be reduced as compared with the case where independent operation wires 7 are connected to each joint between the plurality of bending pieces 3 ... It is also advantageous in achieving diameter reduction.

5 (A) to 5 (C) and FIG. 6 show examples of use of the articulated probe 1 having the above-mentioned structure.
FIG. 5 (A) shows a state in which the multi-joint probe 1 having the above-described configuration is used as a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator of the microthoracic coronary surgery microrobot 21 and is inserted into the body. In FIG. 5 (A), 22 is the micro robot 2
The endoscope 1 is provided separately from the endoscope 1.

In the microrobot 21, as shown in FIG. 5B, the insertion portion 23 having a flexible articulated structure is bent.
Is provided. For example, a micro gripper and a fixed leg are respectively provided at the tip of the insertion portion 23 so as to project. This fixing leg is provided with a fixing portion fixed to the inner wall of the cavity or the like by means of suction or the like at the tip of the leg portion.

Further, the endoscope 22 has a micro robot 2
As in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 5B, an insertion portion 24 having a multi-joint structure that bends flexibly is provided. An illumination window of the illumination optical system, an observation window of the observation optical system, a treatment instrument insertion channel, and the like are provided at the tip of the insertion portion 24. Then, a cutting treatment tool for cutting the blood vessel is inserted into the treatment tool insertion channel.

Next, the operation of the surgical microrobot 21 having the above configuration will be described. For example, when a coronary artery or the like is clogged in the treatment of myocardial infarction, the surgical microrobot 21 is used in a bypass operation in which the clogged part of the blood vessel is excised and the remaining parts are joined together.

During such treatment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the insertion portion 23 of the microrobot 21 and the insertion portion 24 of the endoscope 22 are percutaneously inserted into the chest of the patient H, respectively. .. Then, while observing the inside of the body with the endoscope 22, the micro robot 21 reaches the target treatment target site.
The leading end of the insertion portion 23 is guided. In this case, the insertion portion 23 of the microrobot 21 and the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 22
Since 4 has a multi-joint structure that bends flexibly, it can be surely guided to the back side of the heart I of the patient H, for example.

After the tip portion of the microrobot 21 is guided to the treatment target portion, the tip portion of the microrobot 21 is fixed to the treatment target portion by the fixing leg. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, a bypass operation of the coronary artery J is performed by the microgripper of the microrobot 21 and the treatment instrument for resection inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope 22.

In FIG. 5C, the multi-joint probe 1 of the first embodiment is used as a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 25 that is orally inserted into the body. The figure shows a state in which the target treatment site in the gallbladder M is guided via the esophagus, stomach, duodenum L, and the like. In the figure, K indicates the liver. Further, FIG. 6 shows the articulated probe 1 of the first embodiment applied to a treatment tool for an industrial endoscope 31 inserted into an industrial conduit P such as a gas pipe.

An illumination device 32 and a pair of CCD cameras 33 for observation are provided on the distal end surface of the industrial endoscope 31, and three short-type multi-degree-of-freedom tubular manipulators 34a for working in piping are provided. , 34b, 34c are fixed at their base ends. These manipulators 3
4a, 34b, 34c are formed by the multi-joint probe 1 of the first embodiment which bends flexibly.

The first manipulator 34a is provided with an illuminating device and an observing means such as a CCD camera for observing at the tip of the first manipulator 34a.
Thus, a working unit magnifying endoscope system unit for forming a close and direct view of the repairing unit Q in the industrial pipeline P is formed.

Further, a micro gripper 35 formed by, for example, a basket type treatment section is provided at the tip of the second manipulator 34b. The micro gripper 35 forms a tool transfer section that holds the work tool such as the welding material 36 and approaches the repair section Q while gripping the work tool.

Further, at the tip of the third manipulator 34c, there is provided a laser light emitting part and a grinder working part. Then, the third manipulator 34c approaches the repair section Q in the industrial pipeline P,
A working portion is formed for performing repair work such as welding with laser light or grinding with a grinder.

7 to 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention. Articulated probe 41 of this embodiment
A flexible tube 42 is provided in the. A distal end ring (not shown) is provided at the distal end portion of the flexible tube 42, and the distal end ring is provided with a pair of operation wires 43, 43 movably arranged in the flexible tube 42 in the axial direction. The tips are fixed.

The tip fixing portions of these operation wires 43, 43 are arranged at a position of 180 ° along the circumferential direction of the tip ring. Further, the proximal end portions of the pair of operation wires 43, 43 are respectively connected to the winding device 8 arranged in the operation portion 2 shown in FIG. 1 similarly to the first embodiment.

The probe 41 is provided inside the flexible tube 42.
Chuck rings (chuck portions) 44 made of a bidirectional shape memory alloy are provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the z. The chuck ring 44 has a recess 44a formed by recessing a part of the ring. A wire insertion opening for inserting the operation wire 43 is formed between the recess 44 a of the chuck ring 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 42. In this case, the recesses 44 a of the adjacent chuck rings 44 are arranged at positions shifted by 180 ° along the circumferential direction of the flexible tube 42.

Further, the chuck ring 44 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), the opening area of the wire insertion opening between the recess 44 a and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 42 is set to the operation wire 43.
Of the first shape when not heated, which is held in a state of being made larger than the wire diameter of the wire, and the wire insertion opening between the recess 44a and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 42 as shown in FIG. 9B. The second shape at the time of heating for shrinking the opening area to be smaller than the wire diameter of the operation wire 43 is stored in advance.

Also, the chuck ring 44 in the flexible tube 42
Are connected to the chuck control device shown in FIG. 8 via lead wires. The chuck control device is provided with a power supply 45, a switch 46 for turning on and off the energization of each chuck ring 44, and a controller 47 for controlling the operation of each switch 46. The controller 47 is formed by, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and the controller 47 selectively turns on and off the switch 46 of the chuck ring 44 at an arbitrary position.

When the switch 46 is held in the OFF state, the chuck ring 44 is not electrically heated, so that the chuck ring 44 is held in the first shape. In this state, as shown in FIG. 9A, the opening area of the wire insertion opening between the recess 44 a of the chuck ring 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the flexible tube 42 is larger than the wire diameter of the operation wire 43. The operation wire 43 is held in a standby state in which the operation wire 43 is movable in the axial direction of the flexible tube 42.

When the switch 46 is turned on, the chuck ring 44 is electrically heated to be deformed into the second shape shown in FIG. 9B, and the operation wire 43 is deformed by the deformation operation of the chuck ring 44. The flexible tube 42 is switched to a chucking state in which the flexible tube 42 is chucked so as to be immovable in the axial direction.

Therefore, even in the case of the above-mentioned structure, the flexible tube 42 is operated at the time of the bending operation of the flexible tube 42 as in the first embodiment.
Chuck rings 4 provided at a plurality of locations along the axial direction of the
4 is operated by selectively switching to the chuck state by the chuck control device.
Since the curved shape of the flexible tube 42 during the pulling operation of 3 can be arbitrarily adjusted, only an arbitrary part of the entire flexible tube 42 can be locally bent. Therefore, also in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

The shape memory alloy chuck ring 44 is used.
The heating means may be configured such that the chuck ring 44 is directly energized and heated, or a heater is attached to the chuck ring 44 of the shape memory alloy and the heater is energized and heated.

10A and 10B show a third embodiment of the present invention. This is a modification of the structure of the chuck portion 9 of the first embodiment. That is,
The chuck portion 51 of this embodiment is provided with a chuck pipe 52 formed of a bidirectional shape memory alloy.

A ring-shaped first electrode 53 is attached to one end of the chuck pipe 52, and a ring-shaped second electrode 54 is attached to the other end. Further, as shown in FIG. 10 (A), the chuck pipe 52 holds the chuck pipe 52 in a state in which the inner diameter of the chuck pipe 52 is larger than the wire diameter of the operating wire 7 when not heated, and FIG.
As shown in (B), the second shape at the time of heating for shrinking the inner diameter of the chuck pipe 52 to be smaller than the wire diameter of the operation wire 7 is stored in advance.

Therefore, even in the case of the above-mentioned structure, as in the first embodiment, when the bending portion 4 is bent, any one of the chuck portions 51 provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion 4. By selectively switching the chucking device 17 to the chucking state by the chucking control device 17, the bending shape of the bending portion 4 during the pulling operation of the operation wire 7 can be arbitrarily adjusted. It is possible to locally operate only a part of the curve. Therefore,
Also in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

11A and 11B show the fourth embodiment of the present invention. This is a modification of the chuck portion 9 of the first embodiment to an electrostatic chuck. That is, the chuck part 61 of this embodiment is provided with the chuck pipe 62 made of a metal material.

Insulating resin layers 63 and 64 made of, for example, synthetic resin are formed on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the chuck pipe 62, respectively. Further, one end of the lead wire 13a is connected to the chuck pipe 62. The other end of the lead wire 13a is connected to one connection terminal of the power supply 14 in the chuck control device 17.

One end of the lead wire 13b is connected to the other connection terminal of the power supply 14. This lead wire 13
The other end of b is connected to the operation wire 7 via a switch 15 for turning on and off the energization of the chuck portion 61.

Further, the controller 16 for controlling the operation of the switch 15 is formed by, for example, a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, and the controller 16 switches the switch 1 of the chuck portion 61 at an arbitrary position.
5 is selectively turned on and off.

When the switch 15 is held in the off state, the chuck pipe 62 of the chuck portion 61 is held in the non-energized state as shown in FIG. 11 (A).
In this state, the operation wire 7 is held in the chuck pipe 62 in a standby state in which it can move in the axial direction of the bending portion 4.

When the switch 15 is turned on, a voltage is applied between the chuck pipe 62 of the chuck 61 and the operating wire 7. Then, the chuck pipe 62 is charged with a positive charge and the operation wire 7 is charged with a negative charge, and an electrostatic force is generated between the chuck pipe 62 and the operation wire 7. Therefore, this electrostatic force causes the operation wire 7 to bend. The operation is switched to a chucking state in which it is chucked so that it cannot move in the axial direction.

Therefore, even in the case of the above-described structure, when the bending portion 4 is bent, as in the first embodiment, any one of the chuck portions 61 provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion 4. By selectively switching the chucking device 17 to the chucking state by the chucking control device 17, the bending shape of the bending portion 4 during the pulling operation of the operation wire 7 can be arbitrarily adjusted. It is possible to locally operate only a part of the curve. Therefore,
Also in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 12 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This is because the pair of pulleys 71, 71 is attached to the most distal bending piece 3a of the multi-joint probe 1 of the first embodiment, and the pair of operation wires 7, 7 in the probe 1 are attached to the distal ends of these pulleys 71, 71. , 71 and folded back, and the folded back portions of the wires 7 are inserted into the chuck portions 9 ..., and the tips of the folded back portions of the wires 7 are fixed to the bending piece 3b at the end.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned structure, the chuck controller 17 selectively selects one of the chuck portions 9 provided at a plurality of locations along the axial direction of the bending portion 4 when the bending portion 4 is bent. When the switching operation to the chuck state is performed, the winding device 8 is driven in this state, so that only the tip side of the chuck portion 9 in the chuck state can be curved. Therefore, also in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

13A to 13C show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. This is one in which the main body of the articulated probe 81 is formed by a bidirectional shape memory alloy coil 81a.

This shape memory alloy coil 81a is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13A, the first shape when not heated, which is held in the standard coil length state, and as shown in FIG. 13B, extended so that the coil length is longer than the standard coil length. The second shape at the time of heating is stored in advance.

Further, a pair of operation wires 82, 82 are arranged in the coil of the shape memory alloy coil 81a. The tips of the operation wires 43, 43 are fixed to the tips of the shape memory alloy coil 81a.

Further, inside the shape memory alloy coil 81a, chuck portions 83 having the same structure as the chuck portion 9 of the first embodiment are arranged at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the probe 81 at regular intervals.
Is provided.

The shape memory alloy coil 81a is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the chuck portion 83 is held in the first shape when not heated, and when the switch 15 of each chuck portion 83 is held in the OFF state, the chuck portion 83 is not energized. Each chuck part 83 is on standby in a non-chuck state. In this state, each operation wire 82 is held in a standby state in which it can move in the axial direction of the shape memory alloy coil 81a.

When the switch 15 of each chuck portion 83 is turned on, the chuck portion 83 is operated by the operation wire 8
2 is deformed into a chuck state in which the shape memory alloy coil 81a is chucked immovably in the axial direction.

Therefore, in the above structure, a plurality of shape memory alloy coils 81a along the axial direction of the probe 81 are held in the first shape when not heated as shown in FIG. 13 (A). One of the chuck portions 83 ... Provided at a certain position, for example, the chuck portions 83a and 8a in FIG.
3b is selectively switched to the chuck state by the chuck control device 17, and then the shape memory alloy coil 81
By heating a and deforming it into a second shape, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), only a part of the entire shape memory alloy coil 81a can be locally bent.

Therefore, in this case as well, the curved shape of the shape memory alloy coil 81a during the pulling operation of the operating wire 82 can be arbitrarily adjusted in the same manner as in the first embodiment, so that it is the same as in the first embodiment. The effect of can be obtained.

FIG. 14 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention. This is, as the operation wire 92 of the articulated probe 91, a plurality of closely-wound coils having different coil diameters are concentrically overlapped with each other, and each of the closely-wound coils is independently slidably connected to a plurality of wire constituents 93 to 96. Is provided.

Further, the tip ends of the wire constructing bodies 93 to 96 are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3 of the probe 91 at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the probe 91 at regular intervals. In this case, since the wire constructs 93 to 96 can be independently slid, the bending pieces 3 of the probe 91 can be independently moved.

In view of the above, in the above-described structure, the wire constructing bodies 93 to 96 are independently slid to move the bending pieces 3 ... Only a part can be locally curved.

Further, a plurality of wire-constituting bodies 93 in which a plurality of closely-wound coils having different coil diameters are concentrically overlapped and each closely-wound coil is slidably connected independently of each other
Since the operation wire 92 of the probe 91 is formed by the components 96 to 96, the installation space of the operation wire 92 in the probe 91 can be reduced and the diameter of the probe 91 can be reduced.

15A and 15B show an eighth embodiment of the present invention. This is an articulated probe
In the inside of 101, a plurality of actuators 102 ... Which individually operate each bending piece 3 of the probe 101 are provided. In this case, the actuators 102 are arranged at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the probe 101 at regular intervals.

Further, each actuator 102 is a balloon formed of, for example, an elastic body with a braided blade attached to the outer peripheral surface thereof. When the working fluid is discharged from the inside of the balloon, the actuator 102 holds the outer diameter dimension and the length dimension of the balloon in the reference shape of the reference dimensions, and when supplying the working fluid to the inside of the balloon, The outer diameter is inflated to an expanded state larger than the reference size, and at the same time, the balloon is deformed to a contracted state in which the length is smaller than the reference size.

Further, the front end closing portion of each actuator 102
The proximal end of the operation wire 104 is fixed to 103. The tip of this operation wire 104 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3.

Further, a micro valve 105 is attached to the rear end of each actuator 102. The micro valve 105 is connected to a communication pipe for communicating with an air supply tube 106 arranged inside the probe 101 and an exhaust pipe 107. The microvalve 105 switches the communication state between the inside of the balloon of each actuator 102 and the air supply tube 106 and the exhaust pipe 107.

The controller of the micro-valve 105 disposed in the operating portion 2 on the hand side controls the switching operation of the communication state between the inside of the balloon of each actuator 102 and the air supply tube 106 and the exhaust pipe 107. It has become so.

The microvalve 105 of each actuator 102 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3. In addition,
The front end blocking portion 103 of each actuator 102 is held on the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3 in a non-fixed state.

During operation of the articulated probe 101, the operation of supplying / discharging the working fluid into / from the balloon of each actuator 102 is controlled along with the switching operation of the microvalve 105 of each actuator 102.

Here, when the inside of the balloon of the actuator 102 and the air supply tube 106 are connected, the working fluid is supplied into the balloon, so that the outside diameter dimension of the balloon is larger than the reference dimension. Inflate at the same time, and at the same time deformed into a contracted state where the length of the balloon is smaller than the standard size
As the actuator 102 is deformed, the operation wire 104 is pulled toward the operator. Therefore, with the pulling operation of the operation wire 104, the bending pieces 3 between the rear end portion of the actuator 102 and the distal end fixing portion of the operation wire 104 connected to the actuator 102 are locally bent.

Further, along with the switching operation of the micro valve 105, the inside of the balloon of the actuator 102 and the exhaust pipe are
When 107 and 107 are connected, the working fluid in the balloon is discharged to the outside, so that the actuator 102 returns to the reference shape and the bending pieces 3 ... Are released.

Therefore, even in the case of the above structure, by selectively operating one of the actuators 102 in the probe 101, only a part of the entire bending portion 4 of the probe 101 is locally bent. be able to.

Although FIGS. 15A and 15B show the multi-joint probe 101 for two-way bending operation for bending the entire bending portion 4 in two directions, the entire bending portion 4 is bent in four directions. It can also be applied to a probe for bidirectional bending operation.

Further, FIGS. 16A to 16C show another example of the structure of the articulated probe. This is because a pair of joint bodies is provided in the axial direction of the probe, a plurality of bending pieces 3 are arranged side by side on the front and rear joint bodies, and the bending directions of the front and rear joint bodies are changed by 90 °. A rotary ultrasonic motor 111 for independently rotating each is provided.

The rotary ultrasonic motor 111 has a ring-shaped stator 112 fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3 at the end of each joint body, and a ring-shaped stator 112 rotatably connected to the stator 112. A first rotor 113 and a second rotor 114 are provided. The second rotor 114 is rotationally driven by using the first rotor 113 as a stator.

A pair of notches is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second rotor 114.
114a, 114a are formed. Further, the first rotor 113 is formed with a fixing groove 113a for the operation wire 115. Then, the operating wire 115 is inserted into the fixing groove 113a of the first rotor 113.
The middle part of is wrapped. Further, both end portions of the operation wire 115 have cutout portions 114a, 11a of the second rotor 114.
It extends through the distal end side through 4a and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the frontmost bending piece 3 of each joint body.

Then, when the multi-joint probe is used, the rotary ultrasonic motor 111 is driven. Here, by rotating the first rotor 113 with respect to the stator 112, the joint body in front of the first rotor 113 is rotationally operated.

Further, the second rotor 114 is rotationally driven by using the first rotor 113 as a stator, and the cutout portion of the second rotor 114 is formed.
114a and 114a are moved in the circumferential direction. In this case, one end side of the operation wire 115 is wound up along the fixed groove 113a of the first rotor 113, and the other end side thereof is fixed groove 11 of the first rotor 113.
Since it is extended from 3a, the joint body can be bent.

The bending direction of the joint body can be changed according to the rotating direction of the second rotor 114 at this time. 16A to 16C show a joint body in two directions, but a joint body in one direction can be similarly applied.

FIG. 17 shows another example of the structure of the articulated probe. This has a hollow flexible shaft 121 arranged in the center of the probe, and is connected to the flexible shaft 121 along the axial direction of the probe so as to be intermittently connected to a plurality of clutches 122. Each of the wire take-up reels 123 ... Is provided.

The flexible shaft 121 is formed of, for example, a tightly wound coil. Further, a motor (not shown) is connected to an end portion of the flexible shaft 121 on the proximal side, and is rotated by the motor.

Further, the operation wire 124 is wound around each wire winding reel 123, and one end thereof is fixed. The other end of the operating wire 124 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bending piece 3 on the distal end side.

The clutch 122 is formed of an electromagnet. The electromagnet of the clutch 122 is connected to a control circuit on the hand side via a lead wire arranged in the flexible shaft 121. In addition, the wire take-up reel
The surface of the 123 facing the clutch 122 is N (or S)
Is magnetized.

When the multi-joint probe is used, the flexible shaft 121 is rotationally driven. At this time, by energizing the electromagnet of the clutch 122 at an arbitrary position and connecting the wire take-up reel 123 to this clutch 122, the wire take-up reel 123 is rotated in the same direction as the flexible shaft 121, and the operation wire 124 is moved. The winding piece 3 can be wound and the bending piece 3 in front of the wire winding reel 123 can be bent.

Further, the wire take-up reel 123 has the clutch 12
When separated from 2, the entire multi-joint probe can be returned to the substantially linear basic shape by the elasticity of the jacket tube (not shown) mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the bending piece 3.

The load acting on the bending piece 3 during the bending operation of the probe is detected, and when the load rises above a certain value, the amount of electricity to the clutch 122 is reduced to switch to the half-clutch state. A safety mechanism may be provided to prevent the motor from stopping and the bending pieces 3 ... Furthermore, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0102]

According to the present invention, the chuck is operated by switching between a standby state in which the operating wire is held in a state of being movable in the axial direction of the bending portion and a chucking state in which the wire is chucked in a state of being immovable in the axial direction of the bending portion. A curved shape for providing bending portions at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion and selectively changing one of the chuck portions to a chucking state to adjust the bending shape of the bending portion during the pulling operation of the operation wire. Since the adjusting means is provided, only an arbitrary portion of the entire bending portion can be locally bent, the flexibility of the bending operation can be increased, and the insertion portion can be reduced in diameter. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a bending device for an articulated probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a chuck portion of an operation wire.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the operation of the chuck part, (A)
FIG. 4B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the chuck part is held at the standby position, and FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a bending operation state of the probe,
(A) is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a curved shape in a reference state in which an upper operation wire is pulled while the chuck part is held at a standby position, and (B) is a part of the chuck part FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a curved shape in a bent state.

5A is a schematic configuration diagram showing a state in which a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator of a surgical microrobot is inserted into the body, FIG.
(B) is a schematic configuration diagram showing a bypass operation state of a coronary artery of the heart, and (C) is a schematic configuration diagram showing a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator inserted into the body.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator inserted in a gas pipeline.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the main configuration of a bending device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a chuck control device that controls the operation of a chuck ring.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the operation of the chuck ring,
(A) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the chuck ring is held in a non-heated state, and (B) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing a chucking state of an operation wire by one chuck ring.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a bending device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a schematic configuration diagram of the main part showing a state in which a chuck part is held at a standby position; (B)
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a chucked state of an operation wire by one chuck part.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a bending device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a schematic configuration diagram of the main part showing a state in which a chuck portion is held at a standby position, (B)
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part showing a chucked state of an operation wire by one chuck part.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a main part of a bending device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a perspective view of the main part showing a state where the chuck part is held at a standby position; FIG. 3B is a perspective view of an essential part showing the extended state of the probe main body, and FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the essential part showing the bent state of the probe main body.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the main configuration of a bending device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

15A and 15B show a schematic configuration of a bending device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15A is a perspective view of a main part, and FIG.

16A and 16B show another configuration example of the articulated probe, FIG. 16A is a perspective view of a main part, FIG.
FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing the rotor of the ultrasonic motor.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a main part showing still another configuration example of the articulated probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Bending part, 7, 43, 82, 92, 104, 115, 124
… Operation wires, 9, 51, 61, 83… Chuck part, 1
7 ... Chuck control device (curved shape adjusting means), 44 ... Chuck ring (chuck portion).

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 15, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0002

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, for an endoscope in which an insertion portion for inserting into a body cavity or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe is formed by a flexible tube, a distal end portion of the flexible tube is bent and deformed. Possible bends are provided.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a bending device of an articulated probe 1 used as an articulated manipulator to be inserted into a body cavity or an industrial conduit such as a gas pipe.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Of the bending pieces 3, ... Between the rear projections 5b, 5b of the bending piece 3 on the front side and the front projections 5a, 5a of the bending piece 3 on the rear side, connecting pins 6 are formed. It is rotatably connected via a shaft and has a multi-joint structure.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0043

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, a micro gripper 35 formed by, for example, a grip type treatment section is provided at the tip of the second manipulator 34b. The micro gripper 35 forms a tool transfer section that holds the work tool such as the welding material 36 and approaches the repair section Q while gripping the work tool.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0068

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, a pair of operation wires 82, 82 are arranged in the coil of the shape memory alloy coil 81a. The tips of the operation wires 82 , 82 are fixed to the tips of the shape memory alloy coil 81a.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Akio Nakata 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Ueda 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideyuki Adachi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Katsunori Sakiyama 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichi Tatsumi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Fujio 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaaki Hayashi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus In Manabu Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bending device in which a bending portion is operated to be bent in accordance with a pulling operation of an operating wire. A plurality of chuck portions, which are operated to switch to a chuck state in which the chuck is axially immovable, are provided at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the bending portion, and one of the chuck portions is selectively placed in the chuck state. A bending device comprising a bending shape adjusting means for performing a switching operation to adjust a bending shape of the bending portion when the operation wire is pulled.