JPH0554343B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an endoscopic grasping forceps device that grasps a foreign object such as a gallstone in the body and takes it out of the body by opening and closing a wire.

Prior Art Figure 1 shows a basket consisting of a plurality of wires.
This figure shows a basket-type grasping forceps device for an endoscope that grasps a foreign object such as a gallstone and takes it out of the body by opening and closing operations.

In the figure, 1 indicates both fixed ends 21a and 21b of four wires 2 each bent into a trapezoidal shape.
This basket 1 is connected to the tip cover 3 and the connecting pipe 4.
The basket wire 5 is connected to the basket wire 5 through the basket tube 6, and the proximal end of the basket wire 5 is connected to and fixed to a slider 8 which is slidably attached to the main body 7 in the front and rear directions.

Further, the main body 7 is connected to a pot 10 having a lure lock base 9.

Further, the basket tube 6 is equipped with a folding mechanism 11 for preventing buckling, and the main body 7 is equipped with an operating knob 12.

13 is a fixing knob that fixes the proximal side of the basket wire 5 to the slider 8, and 14 is a rotating ring that fixes a fixing tube (not shown) in the pot 10 to the main body 7.

In the basket-type grasping forceps device for an endoscope having such a configuration, the basket wire can be removed by holding the main body 7, hooking a finger on the operating knob 12, and sliding the slider 8 in the direction of the arrow 15 in the figure. 5, the basket 1 is moved in and out of the basket tube 6.

Basket 1 from the tip of basket tube 6
When the wires 2 come out, each wire 2 expands into a basket shape, and as the basket 1 is drawn into the basket tube 6, the wires 2 which had expanded into a basket shape are closed.

This operation will now be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, in FIG. 2, the basket 1 is completely extended from the tip of the basket tube 6, and the expansion wire 2 is in a basket shape. It shows a state in which it has expanded and surrounded a foreign object 16 such as a gallstone.

Therefore, FIG. 3 shows a state in which the basket 1 is pulled into the basket tube 6 via the basket wire 5 while operating the slider 8 of FIG. As the wire 2 is drawn into the tip of the basket tube 6, it closes and removes foreign objects 16 such as gallstones.
The foreign object 16 is then taken out of the body along with a scope (not shown), and the basket 1 is expanded to the state shown in FIG. 2 to remove the foreign object 16. .

The above-mentioned pot is used when injecting a contrast medium during cholelithography.

Now, FIGS. 4 and 5 show a method of connecting the fixed end 21a of each wire 2 of the basket 1 and the distal end cover 3 in the basket-type grasping forceps device for an endoscope described above.

In addition, the connection method shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is such that, of the four wires 2 forming the basket 1, two paired wires 2 are connected at their respective ends 2a and folded in two. This figure shows a method of inserting the end portion 2a of the wire 2, which has been formed in advance and folded into two, into the tip cover 3 for connection.

That is, as shown in the enlarged views of FIGS. 4 and 5, the ends 2a of the two sets of wires 2 folded in half are inserted into the tip cover 3 in parallel, and then the tip cover 3 is inserted as shown in FIG. By placing wax 17 in front of the plate and heating it, the adhesive is bonded by brazing.

However, when using such a bonding method, unless the wax 17 seeps out to the rear of the tip cover 3 (on the wire 2 side), it is difficult to determine whether the wire 2 has been firmly bonded or not. Discrimination had to depend on the skill level of the worker, which inevitably resulted in variations in the strength of the bonded parts.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the row 1 after brazing connected by the connection method shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Among the seven parts, the unnecessary part 17a needs to be removed by filing so that it will not get caught in the body when inserted into the body cavity, and this work requires skill. It took up a large portion of the production process.

Furthermore, the unnecessary part 17a of the brazed part
When removed by sanding, if pinholes or the like were exposed on the surface, the brazing process had to be restarted to eliminate the snags.

In addition, corrosion resistance of the tip cover 3 due to residual flux has been a major problem, contrary to the special requirement for corrosion resistance against frequent sterilization as a medical device.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and provides a method for manufacturing an endoscope grasping forceps device that does not get caught in a body cavity, has excellent corrosion resistance, and can reduce manufacturing steps. The purpose is to

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a grasping forceps device for an endoscope in which the tips of a plurality of wires are bundled to form a basket shape. Irradiate the tip of the wire with a laser beam to melt the tip so that it aligns with the center, and continue irradiating the laser beam until the tip becomes spherical due to surface tension as it melts. This is a method of manufacturing a grasping forceps device for an endoscope, characterized in that a laser beam welding process is performed to integrate the distal end portion.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the method of connecting the end portion 2a of each wire 2 constituting the basket 1 and the tip cover 3 in the manufacturing method of the grasping forceps device for an endoscope according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13. explain.

(First Example) FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example in which the end portion 2a of the wire 2 folded in half shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is connected to the tip cover 3. .

That is, as in the case of FIG. 4, the end portions 2a of the two sets of wires 2 folded in half are inserted parallel to each other into the tip cover 3 and set (see FIG. 7). As shown, the tip side of the end portion 2a is integrally fused and connected to the tip cover 3 by irradiating a laser beam 18 from the front of the tip cover 3 and performing a laser welding process.

By irradiating the laser beam 18 for a predetermined time, the tip side of the end portion 2a of the wire 2 is exposed to the tip cover 3.
The enlarged view of the fused and connected state is shown in No. 8.
As is clear from the figure, by irradiating the laser beam 18 for a certain period of time from several seconds to several tens of seconds, the welded part (welded part) 19 is in a molten state due to its surface tension. It is molded into a spherical shape.

Note that the laser welding process is carried out using a laser such as a YAG laser, a carbon dioxide laser, or a ruby laser. Processing of welded parts using laser light as in this example allows for standardization of processing without requiring the same level of skill as brazing work, which greatly reduces variations in quality among workers and makes quality uniform. In addition to being able to measure this, it is also possible to improve yield.

In addition, processing the welded part using laser light as in this example does not use flux or wax, and can eliminate corrosion and toxicity caused by them.
The quality of medical equipment can be greatly improved.

In addition, as in this example, the fixed end of the wire is irradiated with laser light to melt it, and the irradiation of laser light is continued until the fixed end is sufficiently melted and forms a spherical shape due to its surface tension. By performing a laser welding process, it is possible to bind and fix the wires and at the same time make the fixed end on the tip side into a spherical shape, so the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

In addition, when performing laser welding processing, the optical axis of the laser beam and the axis of the wire are aligned, and the laser beam is irradiated from the front of the fixed end, so that the bundled wire is uniformly centered around the axis of the wire. In addition to being able to obtain a spreading spherical shape, the surface of the spherical welded part (welded part) created by the laser welding process is smooth enough to avoid getting caught in the body cavity. There is no need to finish the surface of the welded part (welded part) after welding.

In other words, compared to the conventional connection work using brazing work, this embodiment does not require filing work to remove snags that occur at the brazed part, or redoing the connection work due to the appearance of pinholes, etc. It's about getting used to it.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 9 and 10 show that in the first embodiment, the four wires 2 forming the basket 1 are placed in a state in which the ends 2a of the pair of wires 2 are folded in half. In contrast to the connection method when the wires are connected and molded, the end portions 2a of each wire 2 of the basket 1 are not connected, and the end portions 2a of the four wires 2 are bundled together and connected to the tip cover 3. This is an example of the following.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the end portions 2a of each wire 2 of the basket 1 are inserted into the end cover 3 in a bundled state, and then a laser beam is applied in the same manner as in the first embodiment. By irradiating the ends 2 of each wire 2 of the basket 1 with
a can be integrally fused and connected to the tip cover 3.

In addition, the conditions such as the type of laser and the irradiation time in carrying out the laser welding process are carried out in accordance with the first embodiment, and the forming condition of the fused part is also spherical in the same manner as in the first embodiment. can.

According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the end portion 2a of the wire 2 is inserted uniformly into the tip cover 3 in accordance with the inner diameter thereof, the melting is more uniform than in the first embodiment, and the spherical molding state is also shaped. This also makes molding easier.

(Third Embodiment) FIGS. 11 to 13 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In particular, in contrast to the first and second embodiments, the basket 1 is constructed without using the tip cover 3. This is an example in which the fixed end 21a is formed into a spherical shape.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the ends 2 of each wire 2 forming the basket 1
After holding the wires 2 together in a bundle, a laser beam 18 is irradiated from the front of the end 2a to melt and integrate the ends 2a of each wire 2, thereby forming a spherical fused portion 2.
The tip part consisting of 0 is molded at the same time.

The conditions for laser welding processing and the forming of the welded part are as follows:
Since it is the same as the first and second embodiments, its explanation will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments described above can be obtained.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tip of the basket 1 is molded without using the tip cover 3, so the number of parts can be reduced compared to the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the processing cost of parts and reduce the number of assembly steps compared to the first embodiment.

Incidentally, this embodiment can be similarly applied to the end portion 2a of the wire 2 of the basket 1 shown in FIG. 7 through a connecting portion obtained by folding the two wires 2 in half.

Further, in the embodiments so far, only the case where the number of wires 2 forming the basket 1 is four has been described, but the present invention can be implemented without being limited to this number.

Furthermore, regarding the overall configuration of the endoscope grasping forceps apparatus, an embodiment has been described in which the apparatus is applied to the endoscope basket type grasping forceps apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. The same can be applied to a grasping forceps device for an endoscope.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, according to the method for manufacturing an endoscope grasping forceps device of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the laser welding process of the present invention, it is possible to bundle and fix the wires, to form a spherical shape that spreads uniformly around the axis of the wire at the fixed end on the distal side, and to form a spherical shape at the fixed end. Since the multiple steps of smoothing the surface of the fixed end can be performed almost simultaneously, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional basket-type grasping forceps device for an endoscope, FIGS. 2 and 3 are illustrations of the operation of the basket, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal side view of the conventional connection method between the end portion and the tip cover, FIG. 6 is an enlarged partially longitudinal side view showing the brazed state, and FIGS. 8 shows a first embodiment of the method of fusing the end of the wire and the tip cover according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional side view, FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional side view after welding, and FIG. 9 and 10 show the second embodiment.
The figure is an enlarged longitudinal side view, Figure 10 is an enlarged front view of the same,
Figures 11, 12, and 13 show the third embodiment, with Figure 11 being an enlarged longitudinal side view, Figure 12 being an enlarged front view, and Figure 13 being an enlarged longitudinal side view after welding. be. 1...Basket, 2...Wire, 21a, 21b
...Fixed end, 2a, 2b...Wire end, 3...Tip cover, 4...Connecting pipe, 5...Basket wire, 6...Basket tube, 7...Main body, 8...Slider, 9...Lure lock base, 10...Cut, 1
1... Oredome, 12... Operation knob, 13... Fixed knob, 14... Rotating ring, 16... Foreign object, 17... Row, 1
7a... Unnecessary part in the brazed part, 18... Laser light, 19... Welded part, 20... Welded part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a method for manufacturing an endoscopic grasping forceps device in which the tips of a plurality of wires are bundled to form a basket shape, a plurality of wires are bundled, and the optical axis of the laser beam is aligned with the axis of the bundled wires. The tip of the wire is irradiated with a laser beam to melt the tip, and the irradiation of the laser beam is continued until the tip becomes spherical due to the surface tension when the tip is melted. A method of manufacturing a grasping forceps device for an endoscope, characterized in that a laser welding process is performed to integrate the parts.