JPH06125868A - Flexible pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the sealing structure of a pressurizing pipe and to improve the workability for sealing by providing the outer periphery of the flexible pipe with the pressurizing pipe in the state of disposing a pressure expandable pipe part in a curved part. CONSTITUTION:Pressurizing air flows from a compressor 16 into the second pipe part 6b of the pressurizing pipe 6 when a solenoid valve 25 connecting to the pressurizing pipe 6 existing in the direction desired to be curved by the operation signal from an operating part 20. The pressurizing air flows into the pressurizing chamber 8 of the first pipe part 6a of the pressurizing pipe 6 to pressurize and expand the pressurizing chamber 8. The outer peripheral side of the pressurizing chamber 8 expands and the outer periphery of the curved part 10 is correspondingly pulled. The curved part 10 is thereby curved in the direction opposite from the expanded pressurizing chamber 8. A catheter 1 is disposed with a pressurizing pipeline 6 having the pressurizing chamber 8 formed by the pressure expandable first pipe part 6a on the outer periphery of the catheter body 2, by which the sealing structures of the pressurizing pipe 6 and more particularly the pressurizing chamber 8 are simplified, the workability for sealing is improved and the sealability is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible tube having a bending mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a mechanism for bending a bending portion such as an endoscope or a catheter, an elastic pressure chamber is provided in the bending portion as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-99029. There is a structure in which a bending portion is bent by expanding a pressure chamber with a pressurized fluid.

[0003]

However, although the bending mechanism of the above structure has a simple structure, there is a problem that it is difficult to seal the pressurizing chamber. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible tube having a pressurizing chamber having a simple structure and excellent sealability.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a flexible tube according to the present invention has a flexible tube having a bending portion which is partially driven to bend, and a flexible tube on the outer circumference of the flexible tube. A pressurizing pipe arranged along the longitudinal direction to receive supply of a pressurizing fluid,
The pressurizing pipe is configured such that a portion located in the curved portion is a pressurized expansive tube portion that is inflated by the pressurized fluid, and another portion is a non-pressurized expansive tube portion, and is located in the curved portion. The bending portion is bent by the pressure expansion of the portion of the pressure tube.

[0005]

When the pressurized fluid flows into the pressure-expandable pipe portion located in the curved portion, the pressure-expandable pipe portion expands under pressure. Along with this, the outer periphery of the bending portion is pulled, and the bending portion bends in the direction opposite to the expanding tube portion.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The flexible tube of this embodiment is a medical catheter 1, which has a tubular catheter body 2 having a channel 4 inside and a plurality of pressurizing tubes 6 arranged on the outer circumference of the catheter body 2 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Consists of. As shown in FIG. 1A, the pressurizing tube 6 is provided over the entire length of the catheter body 2, and is fixed to the catheter body 2 by adhesion or welding so as to surround the outer circumference of the catheter body 2.

The pressurizing tube 6 is a pressurizing and expansive first tube portion 6a in which a portion of the pressurizing tube 6 located on the distal side of the catheter 1 is inflated by a pressurized fluid.
A portion other than 0, which is located in the flexible portion 12, is the non-pressurizing and expandable second tube portion 6b. The first pipe portion 6a and the second pipe portion 6b are hermetically connected to each other at a connecting portion 15 which is a boundary between the bending portion 10 and the flexible portion 12.

The first pipe portion 6a is expanded by the pressurized fluid.
It is made of a flexible material that extends, such as silicon or urethane. The second tube portion 6b is formed of a non-expandable material such as Teflon or urethane having high hardness.

The inside of the pressurizing pipe 6 is a long flow passage 9 to which the pressurized fluid is supplied by the fluid supply means 23 (see FIG. 2) on the near side having the compressor 16, of which the curved portion 10 is located. The inside of the first pipe portion 6a is an inflatable pressurizing chamber 8 that communicates with the elongated flow passage 9. Further, the tip of the pressurizing tube 6 is a sealing part 11 sealed by adhesion or welding, and hermetically seals the inside of the pressurizing chamber 8.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic circuit diagram of the pressurization control (fluid supply means 23). The pressurized air from the compressor 16 is adjusted to a constant pressure by the regulator 18, and then sent to a plurality of solenoid valves 25 connected to the second pipe portion 6b of the pressurizing pipe 6. When the operator inputs the bending direction of the bending portion 10 into the operation portion 20, the solenoid valve drive control unit 22 drives the solenoid valve 25 so that the solenoid valve 25 connected to the pressurizing pipe 6 located in the bending direction is opened. To control.

Next, the operation of the catheter 1 having the above structure will be described. First, when the electromagnetic valve 25 connected to the pressurizing pipe 6 located in the direction desired to be bent is opened by the operation signal from the operating unit 20, the pressurized air flows from the compressor 16 into the second pipe portion 6b of the pressurizing pipe 6. Flowing. The pressurized air then flows into the pressurizing chamber 8 of the corresponding first pipe portion 6a of the pressurizing pipe 6 and expands the pressurizing chamber 8 under pressure. As a result, the pressurizing chamber 8 expands on the outer peripheral side as shown in FIG. 3B, and the outer periphery of the bending portion 10 is pulled accordingly,
The bending portion 10 is bent in the direction opposite to the expanding pressure chamber 8. Thus, the catheter 1 of this embodiment
Since the pressurizing conduit 6 having the pressurizing chamber 8 formed by the pressurizing and expanding first pipe portion 6a is arranged on the outer circumference of the catheter main body 2, The seal structure is simplified, the workability for the seal is improved, and the sealability is improved. Further, even if the seal breaks, pressurized air will not leak inside the catheter, and the pressurized conduit 6 can be easily repaired.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the solenoid valve 25 is required if one air solenoid pipe 25 is driven so that the three first pipe portions 6a are expanded. The number of can be reduced.

Further, the solenoid valve drive control unit 22 simply
In addition to opening and closing the solenoid valve 25 based on an operation signal from the operation unit 20, a drive pulse signal is generated to
May be PWM driven. Further, the solenoid valve 25 may be a proportional control valve, and the pressure corresponding to the operation signal may be sent while constantly monitoring the pressure.

Further, the first pipe portion 6a and the second pipe portion 6b
May be molded simultaneously with the extrusion molding of the catheter body 2. Further, a mesh tube that suppresses the radial expansion of the first tube portion 6a and promotes the expansion in the major axis direction by that amount may be arranged on the outer or inner circumference of the first tube portion 6a. Alternatively, instead of disposing the mesh tube, the fiber material may be wound around the outer circumference or the inner circumference of the first tube portion 6a.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The catheter 30 of this embodiment connects the bending portions 10 of the first embodiment in multiple stages to realize a complicated bending mechanism with multiple degrees of freedom.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the bending portion 10 is composed of five steps 10a to 10e. Fifteen pressurizing tubes 40 to 54 are arranged and fixed on the outer circumference of the catheter body 2 at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, each pressurizing pipe 40-54
The position of the tip of is different for each pressure tube. That is,
The tip ends of the first pressurizing tube 40, the sixth pressurizing tube 45, and the eleventh pressurizing tube 50 are located at the tip end of the first bending portion 10a, and the second pressurizing tube 41 and the seventh pressurizing tube 46 are located. The tip of the twelfth pressurizing tube 51 is located at the tip of the second bending portion 10b. Furthermore, the tip ends of the third pressurizing tube 42, the eighth pressurizing tube 47, and the thirteenth pressurizing tube 52 are located at the tip end of the third bending portion 10c, and the fourth pressurizing tube 43 and the ninth pressurizing tube 48 are located. And the 14th
The tip end of the pressurizing tube 53 is located at the tip end of the fourth bending portion 10d, and the tip ends of the fifth pressurizing tube 44, the tenth pressurizing tube 49, and the fifteenth pressurizing tube 54 are the tip ends of the fifth bending portion 10e. Located in.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the first pressurizing tube 40, the sixth pressurizing tube 45, and the eleventh pressurizing tube 50 have the pressurizing chamber 8 only in the first bending portion 10a. Have That is, the pressurizing tubes 40, 45, 50 have the first pressurizing expansive property in which the portion located in the bending portion 10a is inflated by the pressurizing fluid.
Of the first pipe portion 6a located at the bending portion 10a is a non-pressurizing and expanding second pipe portion 6b. The pressurizing chamber 8 to which the pressurized fluid is supplied and expands, and the inside of the second pipe portion 6b other than that serve as the pressurized fluid supply passage 9.

The second pressure pipe 41 and the seventh pressure pipe 4
The fifth and twelfth pressurizing tubes 51 have the pressurizing chamber 8 only in the second curved portion 10b. Further, the third pressurizing pipe 42 and the eighth
The pressurizing pipe 47 and the thirteenth pressurizing pipe 52 of
The pressure chamber 8 is provided only in c, the fourth pressure pipe 43, the ninth pressure pipe 48, and the fourteenth pressure pipe 53 have the pressure chamber 8 only in the fourth curved portion 10d, and The pressurizing tube 44, the tenth pressurizing tube 49, and the fifteenth pressurizing tube 54 have the pressurizing chamber 8 only in the fifth bending portion 10e. Therefore, each bending portion 10a-1
0e is the three pressurizing chambers 8 existing 120 degrees apart in the circumferential direction.
Can be bent in three directions, and the bending portions 10a to 10e can be bent to other stages by selecting the pressurizing chamber 8 for supplying the fluid. The pressure pipes 40 to 54
May be arranged over the entire length of the catheter body 2.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The flexible tube of this embodiment is the endoscope 60, and the endoscope 6
As shown in FIG. 5A, the image guide fiber 72 (a CCD cable may be used), the light guide fiber 61, and the air supply tube 6 are provided inside the insertion portion 65 of 0.
4, a water supply tube 62, and a treatment tool insertion channel 63 are incorporated. A plurality of pressurizing tubes 6 are arranged on the outer periphery of the insertion portion 65 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The pressure pipe 6 is
It is provided over the entire length of the insertion portion 65,
It is fixed to the insertion portion 65 by adhesion or welding so as to surround the outer periphery of the insertion portion 65. The pressurizing tube 6 is a pressurizing and expansive first tube portion 6a in which a portion located in the bending portion on the distal end side of the insertion portion 65 is inflated by the pressurizing fluid, and also in a flexible portion other than the bending portion. The portion of the insertion portion 65 located is the non-pressurized and expandable second tube portion 6b, and there is no difference from the configuration of the first embodiment. The pressurizing pipes 6 have a flat shape as shown in the figure, and the number of pressurizing pipes 6 is smaller than that in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5C shows a fluid supply means 80 for supplying a fluid to the pressurizing pipe 6. This fluid supply means 80
In contrast to the pneumatic drive of the first embodiment, the hydraulic drive is used. That is, the liquid from the liquid feed pump 81 is supplied to each electromagnetic valve 25 connected to the pressurizing pipe 6. The drive of the liquid feed pump 81 is controlled by a pump drive control unit 82 which receives an operation signal from the operation unit 20. In addition, the operation unit 20
The operation signal from is sent to the pump drive control unit 82, and is also sent to the solenoid valve drive control unit 22 as in the first embodiment. The other operations of the fluid supply means 80 are the same as the operations of the fluid supply means 23 described in the first embodiment. As the liquid feed pump 81, various pumps such as a roller pump, a syringe pump, and a usual electromagnetic pump can be used.

Therefore, in the endoscope 60 having the above-described structure, the pressurizing conduit 6 having the pressurizing chamber 8 formed by the pressurizing and expanding first pipe portion 6a is disposed on the outer periphery of the inserting portion 65. This simplifies the seal structure of the pressurizing chamber 8, improves workability for the seal, and improves the sealability.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the insertion portion 65 of the endoscope may be formed by the pressure tube 6. With such a configuration, the outer diameter of the insertion portion 65 can be reduced.

By the way, at the tip of the endoscope 60,
As shown in FIG. 6, an optical system such as the objective lens 99 is incorporated, but a wiper mechanism for removing water droplets on the surface of the objective lens 99 exposed at the tip of the insertion portion 65 will be described below.

Conventionally, as a wiper for removing water drops on the surface of the objective lens 99, a ceramic bimofur element or PVDF has been used, and a vibration phenomenon due to electrostriction has been utilized.
Further, the drive power of the wiper is supplied by inserting a lead wire connected to the wiper into the insertion portion 65 of the endoscope 60 and connecting the lead wire to a power source. Therefore, when the wiper is broken, the insulation is broken at the wiper portion, and the lead wire for energy supply is exposed, which is very dangerous in terms of electrical safety, and it is difficult to repair it.

Therefore, the wiper mechanism 70 shown in FIG.
Is detachably attached to the tip of the endoscope insertion portion 65 with a hood 93 to which a wiper 92 formed of an ion conductive film is attached, and is embedded in the endoscope insertion portion 65. A signal of about 1 KHz oscillated from (electrically connected) is received by a ceramic vibrator 94 enclosed by a resin material 91 in a hood 93, and this received signal is transmitted to a wiper 92 made of an ion conductive film. It is the one. As a result, the wiper 92 vibrates so as to sweep the surface of the objective lens 99 and vibrates so that the objective lens 9
Remove 9 drops of water. In this case, since the ionic conductive film is driven by 1 V and a comma number mA, the vibrators 94, 94 are driven.
The voltage transfer rate between them is about 1/100.

In the wiper mechanism having the above-mentioned structure, since the main body (insertion portion 65) of the endoscope 60 and the wiper 92 are electrically insulated, even if a single failure occurs in the wiper 92, it is safe. Also, since the hood 93 can be replaced, the wiper 92 can be easily replaced even if it breaks. Furthermore, the voltage for driving the ionic conductive film is as low as 1 V, which is safe, and the ionic conductive film can be driven even in high humidity, which is suitable for use in a body cavity.

Further, as a wiper mechanism for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems, a configuration as shown in FIG. 6B can be considered. That is, the signal magnetically transmitted from the first coil 98 embedded in the endoscope insertion portion 65 to the second coil 96 sealed by the resin material 91 in the hood 93 is as shown in FIG. Similarly, a wiper 9 made of an ion conductive film
2 is moved to remove water droplets from the objective lens 99. Since the frequency of the signal is less than 1KHz, it does not affect the CCD. Further, since mechanical vibration does not occur in the endoscope body, there is no influence on other parts.

[0028]

As described above, according to the flexible tube of the present invention, the pressurizing tube is provided on the outer circumference of the flexible tube in the state where the pressurizing and expanding tube portion is arranged in the bending portion. The seal structure is simplified, the workability for the seal is improved, and the sealability is improved. Further, even if the seal breaks, the pressurized fluid will not leak inside the flexible tube, and the pressurized conduit can be easily repaired.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a flexible tube of the present invention, (a)
FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 7B, and FIG.

2 is a circuit diagram of supply means for supplying fluid to the pressure tube of the catheter of FIG.

3 shows a state of the flexible tube of FIG. 1 during a bending operation,
(A) is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of (b), (b) is a side sectional view of a catheter.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the flexible tube of the present invention, (a)
Is a side view of the catheter, (b) is a sectional view taken along line CC of (a), (c) is a sectional view taken along line DD of (a),
(D) is a sectional view taken along line EE of (a), (e) is a sectional view taken along line FF of (a), and (f) is a sectional view taken along line GG of (a). Is.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the flexible tube of the present invention, (a)
Is a vertical cross-sectional view of the bending portion of the endoscope, (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the bending portion of the endoscope showing a modified example of (a), and (c) is a pressurizing tube of the endoscope of (a). It is a circuit diagram of the supply means which supplies a fluid.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wiper mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Catheter (flexible tube), 6 ... Pressurizing tube, 6a ... 1st tube part (pressurizing expandable tube part), 6b ... 2nd tube part (non-pressurizing expandable tube part), 10 … Bending part, 60 ... Endoscope (flexible tube).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flexible tube having a bending portion which is partly driven to bend, and a pressurizing tube arranged along the longitudinal direction on the outer circumference of the flexible tube and supplied with a pressurized fluid. The pressurizing tube is configured such that a portion located at the curved portion is a pressurized expansive tube portion that is inflated by the pressurized fluid, and another portion is a non-pressurized expansive tubular portion, and is located at the curved portion. A flexible tube characterized in that a bending portion is bent by pressurizing and expanding the portion of the pressure tube.