JPH05293076A - Motor-driven endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a motor-driven endoscope wherein a driving force of an electric motor provided at the outside of an operating part is transmitted to a curving mechanism provided in the operating part by operating an operation switch and a specified amt. of an operating wire connected with a curved part is drawn by the driving force transmitted to this curving mechanism to curve the carved part in accordance with the operation of an operator. CONSTITUTION:A motor-driven endoscope apparatus 1 is provided with an endoscope 2 wherein the apex part or an inserting part 20 has a curvable curved part 22, a control apparatus 3, a monitor 4 by which the body cavity can be observed and a light source device which is not shown in the figure. An operating switch 29 is provided on the rear end of an operating part 24 and a motor 31a for UD or a motor 31b for RL provided in the control apparatus 3 is driven by operating this operating switch 29 and the first driving force transmitting device 6 is transmitted thereby to the second driving force transmitting force 7 through a curving mechanism 5 to be able to curve freely the curved part, 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric endoscope apparatus in which a bending portion provided on the distal end side of an endoscope insertion portion is bent by using an electric motor or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, the organ in 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, also in the industrial field, industrial endoscopes capable of observing and inspecting scratches and corrosion inside boilers, turbines, engines, chemical plants, etc. are widely used.

There has been proposed a bending portion provided on the distal end side of the endoscope insertion portion, which is bent vertically / horizontally by using an electric motor as a driving means. By using an electric motor for bending the bending portion of the endoscope, the bending operation can be easily performed only by operating a switch.

As a means for electrically bending the bending portion of the endoscope, Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-59329 proposes that an electric motor, which is a driving device for the bending portion, is provided in the operating portion. However, by disposing the electric motor in the operating portion, the weight of the operating portion main body becomes heavy and the operability becomes unstable. Therefore, the electric motor, which is a driving device for the bending portion, is disposed outside the operating portion. What you have done is suggested.

For example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-22574 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-33402, an electric motor is arranged in an external device such as a light source device, a control device, or a connector connected to the light source device. On the other hand, it has been proposed that the bending portion is bent by pulling an operating wire connected to a pulley and a bending portion arranged on a rotary shaft of the electric motor, with the driving force of the electric motor. In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-49202, the bending portion is bent by transmitting a driving force of an electric motor provided outside the operation portion to a bending mechanism provided inside the operation portion via a rotation transmission member. The thing which made it do is proposed.

[0006]

However, the Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-22574 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-33402 have been proposed.
In the electric endoscope device proposed in Japanese Patent Publication, since the distance between the bending portion of the endoscope and the electric motor is large, the operation wire connecting the electric motor and the bending portion becomes long, and the sliding resistance is increased. Since the driving force of the electric motor cannot be efficiently transmitted to the bending portion due to the increase or the slack of the wire, the bending angle may not be set according to the operation of the operator.

Further, the bending force provided inside the operation portion via the rotation transmitting member for the driving force of the electric motor provided outside the operation portion proposed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-49202. In the electric endoscope device that transmits to the mechanism, a large driving force of the electric motor cannot be transmitted to the bending mechanism. Therefore, the operation wire could not be pulled with a sufficient driving force, and thus the bending portion can be freely bent. It was difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and transmits the driving force of an electric motor provided outside the operating section to the bending mechanism provided inside the operating section without attenuating the same. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric endoscope apparatus that bends a bending portion according to an operator's operation by pulling an operating wire connected to the bending portion for a predetermined distance by the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism.

[0009]

In the electric endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, a bendable bending portion provided on the distal end side of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, the bendable bending portion, and the bending portion. A driving force transmitting means for connecting the mechanism and a driving motor for driving the bending mechanism connected to the driving force transmitting means to pull the driving force transmitting means to bend the bending portion; In an electric endoscope apparatus that flexibly bends a bending portion by operating an operation switch provided in an operation unit, a drive motor provided outside the operation unit of the endoscope and an operation unit of the endoscope. A bending mechanism that bends a bending portion provided inside, and a first driving force transmission unit that transmits the driving force of the drive motor to the bending mechanism.
A second driving force transmitting means for transmitting the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism by the first driving force transmitting means to the bending portion.

[0010]

With this configuration, the driving force of the drive motor disposed outside the endoscope operation section is transferred from the drive motor to the bending mechanism provided inside the operation section by the first drive force transmission means. Transmitted by. Then, the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism is transmitted from the bending mechanism to the bending portion by the second driving force transmitting means to bend the bending portion.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of an electric endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an operation of an endoscope provided in the electric endoscope apparatus. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a bending mechanism provided inside the portion, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration inside a connector that transmits a driving force to the bending mechanism provided inside the endoscope operation portion. ..

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric endoscope apparatus 1 includes
For example, the bending portion 22 in which the distal end portion of the insertion portion 20 can be bent
The endoscope 2 having the above, the control device 3 of the endoscope 2, the monitor 4 capable of observing the inside of the body cavity by connecting to the control device 3, and the observation site irradiated from the tip of the endoscope 2. The light source device is not shown in the figure.

In the endoscope 2, a distal end portion 21 that is harder than the distal end side of the insertion portion 20 that is inserted into the subject, a bending portion 22 that can be bent, and a flexible portion 23 that is flexible are sequentially connected. The operation portion 24 is connected to the rear end of the insertion portion 20. An objective lens 27, a light distribution lens 28, and the like are provided at the tip portion 21, and a solid-state image sensor 27a is provided at the image forming position of the objective lens 27, while A light guide 28a is continuously provided at the end. The signal line 27b connected to the solid-state imaging device 27a is inserted through the inside of the insertion section 20, the operation section 24, and the universal cord 26, and is electrically connected to the control device 3 via the connector 25. The light guide 28a is inserted into each of the insertion portion 20, the operation portion 24, and the universal cord 26, and is electrically connected to a light source device (not shown).

Further, an operation switch 29 is provided at the rear end of the operation section 24, and by operating the operation switch 29, the up / down direction (hereinafter referred to as UD) provided inside the controller 3 is described. ) The motor 31a or the motor 31b for the left-right direction (hereinafter referred to as RL) can be driven. That is, the driving force of the UD motor 31 a and the RL motor 31 b is the bending mechanism 5 disposed inside the operation portion 24.
The transmission means is connected to the bending portion 22 via the to bend.

The control device 3 includes UD motors 31a and R serving as driving forces for bending the bending portion 22.
L motor 31b, and UD motor 31a and RL
UD encoder 32a and RL encoder 32b for detecting the rotation amount of the UD motor 31b, and the UD motor 31a and RL motor 3 by receiving signals from the UD encoder 32a and RL encoder 32b.
The UD motors 31a and RL are received in response to signals from a bending angle detection unit 33 that converts the rotation of 1b into a bending angle of the bending unit 22 and a bending switch 29 provided in the bending angle detection unit 33 and the operation unit 24. A motor control unit 34 for controlling the motor 31b for use, a camera control unit 35 (abbreviated as CCU) for processing a signal from the solid-state image pickup device 27a and displaying an image on the monitor 4, and the like are provided.

The UD motor 31a and RL
The driving force of the driving motor 31b is the first driving force provided inside the detachable connector 25 provided at the end of the universal cord 26 extending from the side of the operating portion 25. It is adapted to be transmitted to the bending mechanism 5 provided inside the operation portion 24 by the transmission means 6. It should be noted that driving force transmission members 31c and 31d for transmitting the driving force of the motors are provided at the tip ends of the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the first driving force transmission means 6 for the UD is detachably fitted to the driving force transmission members 31c and 31d of the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b. The shaft 61a and the RL shaft 61b, the first UD bevel gear 63a and the first RL bevel gear 63b provided at the rear end of the UD shaft 61a and the RL shaft 61b, and the first UD Bevel gear 63a
And a second UD bevel gear 64a and a second RL bevel gear 64b, which mesh with the first RL bevel gear 63b, respectively, and the U rotated by the second UD bevel gear 64a and the second RL bevel gear 64b.
A UD sprocket 62a and an RL sprocket 62b provided in a direction perpendicular to the D shaft 61a and the RL shaft 61b, and a UD chain 65a and an RL chain 65b that mesh with the UD sprocket 62a and the RL sprocket 62b. And a RL driving force transmitting wire 66a and an RL driving force transmitting wire 66b. The UD shaft 61a and the RL shaft 61
The tip portion of b is formed by providing a plurality of convex portions, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B, so as to be detachably fitted to the driving force transmission members 31c and 31d of the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b. Has been done.

The driving force transmitted to the UD sprocket 62a and the RL sprocket 62b is the same as the UD sprocket 62a and the RL sprocket 62.
UD drive force transmission wire 66a and RL drive force transmission wire 66 connected to both ends of the UD chain 65a and the RL chain 65b that are wound in mesh with b.
It is adapted to be transmitted to the bending mechanism 5 by b. The bending mechanism 5 transmits the driving force transmitted by the first driving force transmission means 6 to the second driving force transmission means 7 to thereby bend the bending portion 22 provided at the distal end of the endoscope.
Is designed to bend.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the second driving force transmitting means 7 has a shaft 52 provided on the frame 51 of the operating portion 24 and a UD sprocket integrally provided with a UD pulley 53a. 71a and RL pulley 53b
And an RL sprocket 71b provided integrally therewith. A UD chain 72a is wound around the UD sprocket 71a, and an RL chain 72b is wound around the RL sprocket 71b. Further, a UD operation wire 73a is connected to the tip of the UD chain 72a,
The operation wire 73b for RL is connected to the tip of the chain 72b. Incidentally, the UD sprocket 71a
A first partition plate 74 and a second partition plate 75 are provided between the RL sprocket 71b and the RL sprocket 71b and between the RL sprocket 71b and the RL pulley 53b.

Further, the driving force is transmitted from the UD sprocket 62a and the RL sprocket 62b provided in the first driving force transmission means 6 to the UD pulley 53a and the RL pulley 53b provided in the bending mechanism 5. The UD driving force transmitting wire 66a and the RL driving force transmitting wire 66b, which transmit the power, are inserted into the universal cord 26.
In order to prevent the driving force of the driving force transmission wire 66b from being attenuated by the sliding resistance, the both ends are inserted into the coil pipe 26a fixed to the operating portion 24 and the connector 25 by brazing or the like.

The operation of the electric endoscope apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. First, when using the electric endoscope apparatus 1, the operator connects the connector 25 provided at the end of the universal cord 26 of the endoscope 2 to the control apparatus 3. By connecting the connector 25 to the control device 3, a solid-state image sensor 27a provided inside the endoscope 2, a CCU 35 and a light guide 28a provided inside the control device 3, and a light source device (not shown). And are connected. Further, at this time, the UD motor 31a for transmitting the driving force to the first power transmission means 6 and the second power transmission means 7 for bending the bending portion 22 provided in the insertion portion 20 of the endoscope 2 and Power transmission parts 31c and 31d provided at the tip of the RL motor 31b, a UD shaft 61a, and an RL shaft 61.
The drive force can be transmitted by matching with b.

Next, the endoscope 2 operates the operation switch 29 provided on the operation section 24 of the endoscope 2 to bend the bending section 22 to bend the insertion section 20 to the target observation site. Insert it. For example, when the surgeon wants to bend the bending portion 22 upward, the operator operates the operation switch 29 so that the bending portion moves upward, so that the UD provided in the control device 3 is operated. The motor 31a starts rotating. The driving force of the UD motor 31a is the UD shaft 6
1a, the first bevel gear 63a and the second bevel gear 6
UD provided inside the connector 25 via 4a
The sprocket 62a is rotated. When the UD sprocket 62a rotates, the UD chain 65a that is meshed with and wound around the UD sprocket 62a moves and the UD transmission wire 66a connected to the tip of the UD chain 65a. The UD pulley 53a provided inside the operation unit 24 is rotated by. When the UD pulley 53a rotates, the UD sprocket 71a integrated with the UD pulley 53a also rotates, so that the UD chain 72a wound around the UD sprocket 71a also moves. When the UD chain 72a moves, the UD operation wire 73a connected to the tip of the UD chain 72a is pulled to bend the bending portion 22 upward. At this time, the bending angle of the bending portion 22 is calculated by the signal sent from the UD encoder 32a provided in the UD motor 31a to control the UD motor 31a.

As described above, the bending portion 22 of the endoscope 2 is
Transmits the driving force of the UD motor 31a arranged in the control device 3 provided outside to the bending portion 22 via the first driving force transmission means 6 and the second driving force transmission means 7. Since the first transmitting wire 66a used in the first driving force transmitting means 6 is inserted into the coil pipe 26a, the bending portion 22 can be pulled without attenuating the driving force.

Since the UD chains 65a and 72a are wound around the UD sprockets 62a and 71a to transmit the driving force, the UD transmission wire 66a or the UD operation wire 73a is transmitted. Even if slack occurs, the UD chain 65a or 72a
Is capable of absorbing the slack of the wire 66a or 73a by folding the pieces forming the chain corresponding to the slack of the UD transmission wire 66a and the UD operation wire 73a, so that a predetermined bending angle can be obtained. You can

Further, the UD pulley 5 of the bending mechanism 9
The driving force transmitted to the UD pulley 53a is transmitted to the UD pulley 53a by forming the diameter of the UD sprocket 71a that rotates integrally with the UD pulley 53a to be smaller than that of the UD pulley 53a. Since the force can be converted into a stronger bending portion pulling force, the UD motor 31a arranged in the control device 3 can be downsized.

It is needless to say that the above-mentioned actions and effects are the same when the operation switch is operated downward, rightward and leftward.

Therefore, the electric endoscope apparatus 1 has the transmission wires 66a, irrespective of UD and RL.
Attenuation of driving force generated by sliding resistance generated in 66b, and the transmission wires 66a and 66b and the operation wire 7
By eliminating the damping of the driving force due to the slack generated in 3a and 73b, it is possible to obtain the bending angle as controlled by the motor control unit 34, and the working efficiency is also improved.

FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a schematic structure of the inside of the operating portion, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the frame in the operating portion and the pulley and the light guide. ..

As shown in FIG. 4, in the bending mechanism 5 provided inside the operating portion 24, the frame 51 provided in the first embodiment is provided between the RL pulley 53b and the RL sprocket 71b. ing. The UD sprocket 71a and the RL sprocket 71b are arranged in a casing 81 arranged in the frame 51. The other structure is similar to that of the first embodiment.

Thus, the UD sprocket 71 is
While the a and RL sprockets 71b are provided in the lower part with the frame 51 as a reference surface, the UD chain 72a and the RL chain 72 are provided by disposing the light guide 28a, the signal line 27b and the like on the upper part of the frame 51.
It is possible to eliminate damage and pain due to interference with the wire b, the wire for UD 72a, the wire for RL 72b, and the like.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the schematic structure of the electric endoscope apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the electric endoscope apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b are provided inside the connector 25 of the endoscope 2 so as to be opposed to each other in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the universal cord 26. There is. Then, the UD output shaft 31m and the RL output shaft 31 of the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b.
n is the pulley 62a for UD and the pulley 6 for RL, respectively.
2b is provided. Further, the bending switch 29 provided at the rear end of the operation section 24 is set to the joystick 2
9a. Although the encoder is omitted in this description, it can be attached. The other structure is similar to that of the first embodiment.

As described above, the electric endoscope apparatus 1 of this embodiment
Since the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b are arranged inside the connector 25, the drive mechanism is entirely housed inside the endoscope 2, so that waterproofing can be easily achieved. Further, the driving force of the UD motor 31a and the RL motor 31b is directly transmitted from the UD pulley 62a and the RL pulley 62b fixed to the UD output shaft 31m and the RL output shaft 31n without passing through another transmission member. Since it is outputting, the efficiency is improved. On the other hand, the coil pipe 2 provided in the universal cord 26
6a can be fixed near the UD pulley 62a and the RL pulley 62b.
It is possible to prevent interference with the light guide 28a, the signal line 27b, and the like inserted through the inside of 6. Other functions and effects are similar to those of the first embodiment. In addition,
The embodiments described above are not limited to electronic endoscopes.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the driving force of the electric motor provided outside the operating portion is transmitted to the bending mechanism provided inside the operating portion without being attenuated, and Provided is an electric endoscope apparatus that bends a bending portion according to an operator's operation by pulling an operating wire connected to the bending portion for a predetermined distance by the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a bending mechanism provided inside an operation portion of an endoscope provided in an electric endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a connector that transmits a driving force to a bending mechanism provided inside an endoscope operation section.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 relate to a second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the inside of an operation unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a frame, a pulley, and a light guide in the operation unit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric endoscope apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric endoscope apparatus 5 ... Bending mechanism 6 ... 1st driving force transmission means 7 ... 2nd driving force transmission means 20 ... Insertion part 22 ... Bending part 24 ... Operation part 29 ... Operation switch 31a ... UD motor 31b ... Motor for RL

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 23, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0005

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

For example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-22574 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-33402, an electric motor is arranged in an external device such as a light source device, a control device, or a connector connected to the light source device. Meanwhile, those so as to bend the bending portion has been proposed by pulling the operating wire driving force of the electric motor is connected to a curved portion and flop over Li which is disposed on the rotary shaft of the electric motor .. In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-49202, the bending portion is bent by transmitting a driving force of an electric motor provided outside the operation portion to a bending mechanism provided inside the operation portion via a rotation transmission member. The thing which made it do is proposed.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and transmits the driving force of an electric motor provided outside the operating section to the bending mechanism provided inside the operating section without attenuating the same. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric endoscope apparatus that bends a bending portion according to an operator's operation by pulling a driving force transmitting member connected to the bending portion by a predetermined distance by the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism. ..

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In the endoscope 2, a distal end portion 21 that is harder than the distal end side of the insertion portion 20 that is inserted into the subject, a bending portion 22 that can be bent, and a flexible portion 23 that is flexible are sequentially connected. The operation portion 24 is connected to the rear end of the insertion portion 20. An objective lens 27, a light distribution lens 28, and the like are provided at the tip portion 21, and a solid-state image sensor 27a is provided at the image forming position of the objective lens 27, while A light guide 28a is continuously provided at the end. The signal line 27b connected to the solid-state imaging device 27a is inserted through the inside of the insertion section 20, the operation section 24, and the universal cord 26, and is electrically connected to the control device 3 via the connector 25. The light guide 28a is inserted into each of the insertion portion 20, the operation portion 24, and the universal cord 26, and is connected to a light source device (not shown).

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 6]

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bendable bending portion provided on the distal end side of an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, a driving force transmitting means for connecting the bending portion and the bending mechanism, and the driving force. A drive motor for driving the bending mechanism to which the transmission means is connected to pull the driving force transmission means to bend the bending portion, and to freely operate the operation switch provided in the operation portion with the drive motor. In an electric endoscope apparatus that bends a bending portion, a drive motor provided outside the operation portion of the endoscope, a bending mechanism that bends the bending portion provided inside the operation portion of the endoscope, A first mechanism for transmitting a driving force of a driving motor to the bending mechanism
And a second driving force transmitting means for transmitting the driving force transmitted to the bending mechanism by the first driving force transmitting means to the bending portion. Endoscopic device.