JPH05253177A - Channel of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the floating of a coil by peeling of a coil binder and the buckling of a channel and to improve the resistance of the channel. CONSTITUTION:The channel 12 winds a coil 43 along a groove 42 spirally formed on the outer periphery of an inside layer 41. The coil 43 is fixed by an elastic adhesive 44 to the groove 42. The stress of an outside layer 46 received from a wire rest 40 at the time of curving a curving part 6 is released by providing the outside layer 46 separate from the elastic adhesive 44 slidably with the elastic adhesive 44 and the load acting on the elastic adhesive 44 is decreased by providing the outside layer 46 slidably with the elastic adhesive 44. The peeling of the elastic adhesive 44 and the floating of the coil 43 are prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved endoscope channel through which various treatment tools can be inserted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, the organ inside the body cavity can be observed and, if necessary,
2. Description of the Related Art Endoscopes that can perform various medical treatments using a treatment instrument inserted in a treatment instrument channel are widely used. Further, industrial endoscopes are widely used for observing and inspecting internal scratches and corrosion of boilers, gas turbine engines, pipes of chemical plants, etc., bodies of automobile engines, etc. Further, various electronic endoscopes using a solid-state image pickup device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) as an image pickup means are also used.

Further, as the endoscope, an endoscope is widely used in which various kinds of medical treatments can be performed by using a treatment tool inserted in a treatment tool channel as necessary, for example, forceps.

By the way, as a conventional treatment instrument channel for an endoscope, there is one in which a groove is spirally provided in a tube, a coil is wound around the groove, and the coil is fixed to the tube.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-18102, a channel is spirally provided in a tube as a treatment instrument channel of an endoscope, a coil is wound around this channel, and a channel in which the coil is covered with an outer layer tube is disclosed. Disclosure.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-240022 discloses a channel in which a coil is wound around a tube, and a filler and an outer coating are closely coated.

[0007]

An endoscope generally has a bending portion. When the bending portion is bent, the length of the bending portion changes between the inside and outside of the bending. Therefore, the endoscope is incorporated accordingly. The built-in object slides back and forth. Since the ratio (filling rate) of the internal components to the internal space of the endoscope is quite high, the internal components rub against each other during sliding. In particular, since the edge portion of the wire guide wire receiver provided in the curved portion is provided so as to project inward, it is easy to rub, and in the channel of the conventional endoscope, the adhesive agent for fixing the coil is worn. In addition, the coil floats from the tube due to the peeling of the adhesive due to the stress caused by the contact with the wire receiver. When the coil floats, it does not serve to reinforce, and the tube easily buckles. When the tube buckles, the various treatment tools inserted through the channel may not pass properly, and the buckling part may wear due to contact with the treatment tool or a hole may be opened due to applied load, causing water to be seen inside. It will penetrate even the internal organs of the mirror and damage the optical system.

Further, in the case of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-240022, wear can be prevented, but since the outer coating is in close contact, the stress received from the wire receiver cannot be released and is directly transmitted to the adhesive agent of the coil. Therefore, there is a drawback that the coil is likely to float due to peeling of the adhesive.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an endoscope capable of preventing the coil from floating due to the peeling of the coil fixing agent, preventing the channel from buckling, and improving the channel resistance. The purpose is to provide a channel.

[0010]

A channel of an endoscope according to the present invention includes a tube accommodated in an insertion portion including a bending portion of the endoscope and a portion of the outer circumference of the tube corresponding to at least the bending portion. A reinforcing member having a spirally wound outer periphery including, and a channel of an endoscope in which the reinforcing member is fixed to the tube with a fixing agent, of the reinforcing material and the fixing agent, At least a portion that comes into contact with a wire receiver that inserts a wire that bends the bending portion is covered with a covering material that is separate from the adhesive agent,
This covering material is configured to be slidable with respect to the reinforcing material and the adhesive agent at least in a portion in contact with the wire receiver.

[0011]

In the above structure, the adhesive agent for the reinforcing material and the covering material separate from the reinforcing member are slidable with respect to the reinforcing material and the adhesive agent, so that the stress applied to the covering material from the wire receiver when the bending portion is bent. Is released by sliding and the load applied to the adhesive is reduced to prevent the adhesive from peeling off, prevent the channel from buckling easily, and improve the resistance of the channel.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 relate to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of the endoscope insertion distal end side, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of the endoscope, and FIG. 3 is a D direction in FIG. Arrow view, FIG. 4
Is a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion, FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view including the optical system and the like at the endoscope tip portion, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the endoscope bending portion, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the raising base and the connecting portion of the operating wire, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another configuration of the operating wire.

The endoscope 1 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a flexible insertion section 2 to be inserted into a body cavity and an operation section 3 connected to the proximal side of the insertion section 2, and the operation section 3 is shown in the drawing. A light guide cable 4 that can be connected to the illumination light source device is connected.

The insertion portion 2 has a tubular flexible tube portion 5,
A distal end hard portion 7 is connected to the distal end of the flexible tube portion 5 via a tubular curved portion 6 as well. As shown in FIG. 1, the core of the bending portion 6 has a plurality of ring-shaped bending pieces 8 arranged in the axial direction, and the adjacent bending pieces 8 are pin 9
It is configured to be rotatably connected with. The bending piece 8 located at the extreme end of the bending portion 6 has four bending wires 39 (upper, lower, left, and right) connected to a bending operation mechanism (not shown) provided in the operation portion 3 (refer to the sectional view of the bending portion in FIG. 6). ) Are connected. A ring-shaped wire receiver 40 is fixed to some of the bending pieces 8 for positioning the bending wire 39, and the bending wire 39 is arranged so as to penetrate the wire receiver 40. The bending operation mechanism pushes and pulls each of the wires 39 by the operation of the angle knob 10 shown in FIG. Then, the bending portion 6 is bent in a direction corresponding to the selectively pulled wire.

In addition, as shown in the sectional view of the insertion portion of FIG. 4, inside the insertion portion 2, a channel 12 through which a treatment tool 11 such as forceps is inserted, an image guide fiber 13,
The light guide fiber 14 and the air / water supply pipeline 15 are inserted and arranged. The channel 12 is connected to the forceps insertion port 16 shown in FIG. Further, the image guide fiber 13 is connected to an eyepiece portion 13 a provided on the operation portion 3. In addition, the light guide fiber 14 and the air / water supply conduit 15 are provided in
Is guided through a light guide cable 4 and is connected to an illumination light source device (not shown).

The tip forming section 7 is connected to the most distal bending piece 8 in the bending section 6. The tip forming section 7 is connected to the channel 12 and the tip of the treatment instrument 11 is led out to the outside. A forceps outlet 17 is formed. Then, from the connecting portion of the tip forming portion 7 with the bending piece 8 to the bending portion 6
The outer periphery of is protected by a rubber-made protective member 18, and the distal end portion of this protective member 18 is fixed to the distal end constituting portion 7 by binding with a thread 19. Further, the outer periphery of the tip forming portion 7 is formed by a synthetic resin cover 20 which is continuously connected to the protective member 18, and an opening which is continuous with the forceps outlet 17 is formed on one side of the tip of the cover 20. Part 22
Are formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the distal end forming section 7 has an objective lens 23 adjacent to the forceps outlet 17 connected to the image guide fiber 13 and an illumination lens 24 connected to the light guide fiber 14. Air supply / water supply nozzle 25 connected to the air supply / water supply pipeline 15
As shown in FIG. 3, the air / water supply nozzle 25 is provided so as to protrude from the tip forming portion 7 so as to be close to the outer peripheral surfaces of the objective lens 23 and the illumination lens 24. .. And in the case of this embodiment,
A space between the air / water supply nozzle 25 and the tip forming part 7 and the cover 20 is filled with a silicone adhesive 26 to seal the part in a liquid-tight manner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, inside the forceps outlet 17 in the distal end forming portion 7, there is provided a raising base 28 for raising the treatment instrument 11 led out from the forceps outlet 17.
This raising base 28 is provided inside the forceps outlet 17 and is located at the tip side thereof, and one end thereof is provided with a pivot pin 29.
Is rotatably supported in the insertion direction of the treatment tool 11, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the insertion portion 2. The tip of the operation wire 30 is connected to the pivoting tip side of the raising base 28. The proximal end side of the operation wire 30 is inserted into the insertion hole 31 formed in the distal end forming portion 7 and guided to the inside of the bending portion 6, and further provided in the operation portion 3 via the flexible tube portion 5. It is connected to a raising operation mechanism (not shown). When the operating wire 30 is pulled by operating the raising operation mechanism with the raising lever 32, the raising base 28 is rotated about the pivot pin 29 as a fulcrum,
The treatment tool 11 is adapted to be raised by a predetermined angle.

Insertion hole 3 into which the operation wire 30 is inserted
1 is provided at a position distant from the pivot point of the raising base 28 by a distance A shown in FIG. 1 in the radial direction of the tip forming portion 7, and this distance A reduces the raising force amount of the raising base 28. The distance B from the connection point between the raising base 28 and the operation wire 30 to the pivot point is equal to or more than the distance B shown in FIG. For this reason, the insertion hole 31 is provided at a position deviated to the outer peripheral side of the tip forming portion 7. Further, the opening 31a is expanded in a tapered shape outward of the insertion hole 31.

By the way, FIG. 8 shows a concrete example of the connecting portion between the raising base 28 and the operation wire 30. Figure 8 (a)
In the example of the connecting portion shown in (3), a hook 52 connected to the tip of the operation wire 30 is hooked on a ring 51 fixed to the upper end side of the raising base 28. Also, FIG. 8 (b)
In the example shown in FIG. 5, a cylindrical wire holding member 53 is provided on the distal end side of the operation wire 30, while a mounting hole 54a is formed in the middle of the side surface distal end of the raising base 28, and the mounting hole 54a is also formed. A slit 54b is formed in the downward direction. Further, the raising base 28 is formed with a tightening hole 54c in which a female screw is formed in the inside thereof from the end face of the raising base 28 beyond the slit 54b. The raising stand 28
If the tightening screw 55 is further screwed into the tightening hole 54c with the wire holding member 53 fitted in the fitting hole 54a, the operation wire 30 is fixed and connected to the raising base 28.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 8C, a holding member 57 having a notch 56 in addition to the structure of the wire holding member 53 is fixed to the distal end of the operation wire 30, while The upper base 28 has a mounting hole 58 formed on the side of the front end thereof, and a through hole 59 penetrating the mounting hole 58 from the end surface on the front end side. A female screw is formed inside the through hole 59. And the raising stand 2
When the screw 60 is further screwed into the through hole 59 with the wire holding member 57 mounted in the mounting hole 58 of No. 8, the tip of the screw 60 abuts the notch 56 of the holding member 57, and the holding member 57 is It is fixed to the raising stand 28. The operation wire 30 is fixed and connected to the raising base 28.

In all three examples of the connecting portion shown in FIG. 8, it is easy to release the connection between the raising base and the operating wire, and the operating wire is made detachable to improve the cleaning performance around the raising base. You can

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, one end portion of a wire guide tube 34 connected to the insertion hole 31 is soldered to the end surface 7a of the tip forming portion 7 on the curved portion 6 side. The other end of 34 projects into the curved portion 6. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, a flexible guide tube 35 is provided at the lead-out portion of the wire guide tube 34 protruding into the bending portion 6.
Are coaxially connected. The guide tube 35 is fitted onto the outer circumference of the wire guide tube 34, and the outer circumference of the guide tube 35 is bound with a thread 36. Further, the guide tube 35 and the wire guide tube 34 are integrally fixed to each other by bonding with an adhesive agent (not shown).

The guide tube 35 is provided over the entire length of the flexible tube portion 5 from the curved portion 6 of the insertion portion 2,
The operation wire 30 is passed through the guide tube 35.
To guide you.

The outer circumference of the guide tube 35 is covered with a protective sheath 37.

By the way, the insertion hole 31, the wire guide tube 34, and the connecting portion of the guide tube 35 connected to the wire guide tube 34 are arranged in a straight line.
The center line connecting them is from the insertion hole 31 to the wire guide tube 34.
It is inclined so as to approach the center line X1 of the insertion portion 2 as it goes away. Therefore, the end portion of the guide tube 35 on the side of the insertion hole 31 is also inclined in the direction approaching the center line X1.

An adjusting screw 38 is screwed into the end face 7b of the tip forming portion 7 on the side of the opening 22 to which the pivoting tip face 28a of the raising base 28 abuts when raised to the maximum angle.
The screwing amount of the adjusting screw 38, that is, the tip forming portion 7
By increasing or decreasing the amount of protrusion C from the end surface 7b, the upper limit of the raising angle of the raising table 28 can be adjusted.

The configuration shown in FIG. 9 is an example of the configuration around the operation wire for raising the forceps, and is different from the example shown in FIG. Although the operation wire is a twisted wire, the operation wire 61 of this example has a two-layer structure including a core wire 61a formed of a metal having a small elongation and a coating layer 61b covering the core wire 61a. ing. The coating layer 61b is made of a super elastic alloy, has a smooth surface, is easily bent, and has a small elongation. Since the operation wire is exposed to the outside at the portion of the opening 22, when the operation wire is a stranded wire, when dirt in the body cavity adheres, it becomes difficult to wash because the dirt is clogged in the eye of the stranded wire. However, since the operation wire 61 has a smooth surface, it is easy to clean. Further, the operation wire 61 is
Even if the guide tube 35 contains dirt, it is relatively easier to clean than the stranded wire. Incidentally, reference numeral 62 is
It is a tightly wound coil around which the protective sheath 37 is wound.

Next, the structure of the channel 12 will be described.
The inner layer 41 of the channel 12 is made of a fluororesin, and a groove 42 having a circular arc-shaped cross section at the bottom is formed in a spiral shape at least on the outer periphery corresponding to the curved portion 6. Then, the wire of the coil 43 as a reinforcing material formed of a material having a spring property is wound around the groove 42 along the groove 42 so as to be in close contact with the groove 42, and both ends thereof are fixed by adhesion. Has been done. Further, the inner layer 41 and the coil 43 are fixed by the elastic adhesive 44 as a fixing agent so that the tight contact between the coil 43 and the groove 42 does not shift when the channel 12 bends.

The channel 12 is connected to the tip forming portion 7 via a pipe 45. Details of the connecting portion are shown in FIG. The channel 12 is a coil 4
The inner layer 41 in which 3 is assembled with the elastic adhesive 44 is attached to the pipe 4
It is pressed into 5 for coating and fixed with an adhesive. At this time, since the adhesive portion that fixes the end portion of the coil 43 is likely to cause peeling when expanded by the pipe 45, the end portion of the pipe 45 and the coil 4 are prevented from causing peeling.
Fix it by pushing it to a position where the end of 3 has a slight clearance (L1 in Fig. 7).

The positional relationship between the ends of the spirally formed groove 42 and the ends of the coil 43 is matched so that the outer shape does not become thick, or the coil 43 is wound from the middle of the groove 42. To do so. In order to reinforce the strength of the end portion of the pipe 45, the inner layer 41 may be pushed into the pipe 45 and mounted, and then the outer periphery of the inner layer 41 near the end portion of the pipe 45 may be coated with an adhesive.

Furthermore, in order to improve the insertability of the treatment instrument in the curved portion 6, the inner diameter of the pipe 45 (d shown in FIG. 7).
From 1), the inner diameter of the inner layer 41 (d2 shown in FIG. 7) may be increased. In this case, the pipe 45 can be easily assembled.

Further, a stretching P is formed on the outer periphery of the inner layer 41.
An outer layer 46 made of TFE silicon tube or the like is covered. One end of the outer layer 46 is a portion of the inner layer 41 covered with the pipe 45, and is fixed to the inner layer 41 by adhesion or the like.
Alternatively, one end of the outer layer 46 may be reinforced and fixed with a spool or the like.

The other end of the outer layer 46 is formed so as to cover the entire length of the groove 42. Alternatively, the other end (hand side end) of the outer layer 46 may be covered up to the vicinity of the other end of the groove 42, or the end of the outer layer 46 may not be turned over by sliding with other built-in objects. In addition, it may be on the hand side from the rear end of the protective tube of another built-in object, that is, at a position lower than the filling rate, which is the ratio of the internal organs to the insertion portion 2, or may cover the entire length of the inner layer 41. Further, the other end of the outer layer 46 may be located anywhere as long as it covers the portion in contact with the wire receiver 40 that damages the channel 12. The proximal end of the outer layer 46 is not fixed, and the inner layer 4
It can slide with 1.

When a stretchable material such as silicone rubber is used as the outer layer 46, its end may be fixed. Alternatively, the outer layer 46 may be coated with a solid lubricant such as molybdenum oxide to improve slippage.

In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the outer layer 46 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner layer 41 assembled with the coil 43 and the elastic adhesive 44. However, the outer diameter of the outer layer 46 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner layer 41. The inner diameter may be reduced.

In this embodiment, the inner layer 41 is assembled to the pipe 45 and then the outer layer 46 is coated, but the outer layer 46 may be coated and then the pipe 45 may be coated.

Further, in this embodiment, the coil 43 is provided in the inner layer 41.
After fixing it to the pipe 45, it is covered with the pipe 45.
Alternatively, the coil 43 may be fixed after the coil 5 is covered. That is, after the inner layer 41 is covered with the pipe 45, the groove 42 may be processed in the inner layer 41, or after the groove 42 is processed, the inner layer 41 may be covered with the pipe 45 and the coil 43 may be wound. Alternatively, after winding the coil 43, one end of the coil 43 may be fixed by covering the pipe 45. By forming in this way, when the inner layer 41 is covered with the pipe 45, it is possible to prevent the adhesive agent that fixes the coil 43 from receiving stress and peeling off. In this case, the work is easier if the pipe 45 is covered with the inner layer 41 and the outer layer 46 and then the pipe 45 is fixed to the tip forming portion 7. The heat applied during the work of fixing the pipe 45 to the tip component 7 is
In order to prevent the fixing of the pipe 45 and the inner layer 41 from being adversely affected, it is desirable to select an adhesive for fixing the pipe 45 and the tip forming portion 7 that has a low curing temperature.

In the above structure, when the bending portion 6 of the endoscope 1 is bent, the length of the bending portion 6 changes between the inside and outside of the bending, and accordingly, the built-in built-in object slides back and forth. To do. Since the ratio (filling rate) of the internal components to the internal space of the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 1 is considerably high, the internal components rub against each other during sliding. Also, the wire receiver 40
Rubbing also occurs between and other internal organs. However, since the channel 12 of the present embodiment covers the outer layer 46 slidably, it is possible to prevent the coil 43 from being caught by the wire receiver 40 and exerting an excessive force. Further, since the elastic adhesive 44 and the outer layer 46 are separate bodies, the stress applied to the outer layer 46 from the wire receiver 40 is released by the sliding of the outer layer 46, and the load directly applied to the elastic adhesive 44 can be reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the coil 43 from floating from the groove 42 due to the peeling of the elastic adhesive 44. As a result, in this embodiment, the buckling of the channel 12 can be prevented and the resistance of the channel 12 can be improved.

Needless to say, this embodiment can be applied not only to the optical fiber endoscope of the illustrated example but also to an electronic endoscope. Alternatively, the groove 42 may not be provided in the inner layer 41, and the coil 43 may be wound directly around the outer periphery of the inner layer 41. Alternatively, instead of the coil 43, a strip material may be wound or a mesh tube may be used.

[0041]

The channel of the endoscope of the present invention is effective in preventing the coil from floating due to the peeling of the coil fixing agent, preventing the channel from buckling, and improving the resistance of the channel.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of an endoscope insertion distal end side.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of an endoscope.

FIG. 3 is a view on arrow D in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view including an optical system and the like at the distal end portion of the endoscope.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bending portion of the endoscope.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing details of an end portion on the channel front end side.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a raising base and a connecting portion of an operation wire.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the operation wire.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope 6 ... Bending part 8 ... Bending piece 12 ... Channel 40 ... Wire receiving 41 ... Inner layer 42 ... Groove 43 ... Coil 44 ... Elastic adhesive 46 ... Outer layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tube housed in an insertion section including a curved section of an endoscope, and a reinforcing member that spirally winds an outer circumference including at least a portion corresponding to the curved section of the outer circumference of the tube. Then, in the channel of the endoscope in which the reinforcing material is fixed to the tube with a fixing agent, the reinforcing material and the fixing agent come into contact with a wire receiver through which a wire for bending at least the bending portion is inserted. The portion to be covered is covered with a covering material separate from the adhesive, and the covering is configured to be slidable with respect to the reinforcing material and the adhesive at least in a portion in contact with the wire receiver. The channel of the endoscope characterized by.