JPH0614866A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the increase in curving power quantity and the deterioration of an operating mechanism even in the case of curving the curving management part of a curving tube part to the max. by setting the max. curving angle of the curving tube part larger than the max. curving operation angle of the endoscope. CONSTITUTION:Respective curving pieces 21, 22, 23, 24 come into contact with each other and the curving tube part 6 having no flexible tube 26 is curved to the max. by assembling the curving tube part 6 and pulling the operation wire 33 on the upper side in the state of contg. a content therein. This angle is designated as the max. curving angle. An adhesive is applied to the part 48 of a net tube 25 corresponding to the position between the curving piece 24 and the two-direction curving piece 23 adjacent thereto and is cured when, for example, the max. curving angle is 220 deg.. The max. angle at which the curving tube part 6 can be curved is decreased to, for example, 215 deg. by applying the means for regulating the curving in such a manner. The max. curving angle to be operated is set at 210 deg. by adjusting the position of the stopper for the curving operation wire provided within the operation part. The max. curving operation angle of the endoscope 1 is set arbitrarily according to the doctor's needs.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope in which a bending tube portion of an insertion portion is forcibly bent.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an endoscope has a curved tube portion formed at its insertion portion so that the endoscope can be observed in a desired direction and can be easily inserted. It can be forcibly bent by the pulling operation with the inserted operation wire.

By the way, in the bending tube portion, a plurality of bending pieces are arranged in a line, and adjacent bending pieces are pivotally attached to each other so as to be bent as a whole (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-41207). Then, by pulling the operation wire, the bending tube portion is bent toward the pulling side.

The maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion of the insertion portion of this endoscope has been set as follows. That is, this is a method in which the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion is set to be equal to the bending angle of the endoscope to be set by setting the size of each component of the bending tube portion.

[0005]

In the conventional method for setting the dimensions of the respective parts of the bending tube portion, since the bending operation wire and the pulling operation mechanism thereof do not need a stopper or the like, the endoscope can be made compact and lightweight. There is an advantage that it can be realized.

On the other hand, in order to bend the bending tube portion to the maximum, the operating wire must be pulled with a strong force, so that the amount of bending force increases and the bending tube portion is repeatedly bent to the maximum. The parts and their operating mechanism are apt to be deteriorated, and when the parts are used for a long time, the bending angle is apt to be decreased, for example.

On the other hand, in the case where the maximum bending angle of the endoscope is determined by providing the operation wire stopper and regulating the pulling amount of the operation wire, how to set the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion itself. Up until now, it has not been particularly considered.

In order to set the maximum bending angle of the endoscope by the operation wire stopper, it is desirable that the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion be equal to or larger than the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope. However, in many conventional cases, the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion is equal to the maximum bending angle of the endoscope, and in this case, the above-mentioned drawbacks cannot be eliminated.

Further, the angles at which the bending tube portion can be bent to the maximum are not constant but uneven in the same model.
When something equal to the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope occurs,
It leads to the above mentioned defects.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to increase the amount of bending force or to bend the bending tube portion even when the bending tube portion is bent to the maximum. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can prevent deterioration of the bending tube portion and its operating mechanism as much as possible.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a plurality of bending pieces are arranged in a line, adjacent bending pieces are rotatably connected to each other, and the bending tube portion is formed by covering the bending pieces with a mesh tube. The distal end of the operation wire that is provided on the proximal side of the bending tube part is inserted into the bending tube part, is connected to the distal end side of the bending tube part, and the bending of the bending tube part is performed by advancing and retracting this operation wire. In the mirror, the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion is set to be larger than the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope.

As described above, since the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion is set to be larger than the maximum bending angle by the forced bending operation of the endoscope, the bending tube portion can be bent to the maximum. Even if it is done, the amount of bending force is increased and deterioration of the bending tube portion and its operating mechanism is prevented as much as possible.

In this case, if the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope is arbitrarily set, the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope can be set according to the needs of the doctor. How much a maximum bending operation angle is required for the endoscope by the doctor depends on the operation method. For example, some doctors want to bend more compactly than the maximum bending operation angle is unnecessarily large. On the other hand, there are some doctors who demand a larger maximum bending operation angle by emphasizing treatment performance during strong bending.

On the other hand, it is not preferable to unnecessarily increase the maximum bending operation angle in view of the durability of the built-in fiber and the like. Therefore, the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope is in conflict with the durability and the amount of bending force. Is set by. But,
Some doctors desire a larger maximum bending operation angle than durability and bending force. Therefore, as in the case of the above-described configuration, the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope is enlarged and readjusted until it becomes equal to the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion according to the doctor's request.

[0015]

1 to 3 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows the overall appearance of the endoscope 1 according to this embodiment. The endoscope 1 includes an operation unit 2, an insertion unit 3, and a light guide cable 4. The insertion portion 3 is composed of a flexible tube portion 5, a bending tube portion 6 and a tip portion 7 which are arranged in order from the proximal side.
Is forcibly bent by the operating means described later.

A lateral bending angle knob 8 and a vertical bending angle knob 9 are provided on the position side surface of the operation portion 2 so as to vertically overlap with each other on the same axis. Further, a first fixing lever 11 for fixing the left / right bending angle knob 8 is provided at the uppermost portion, and a second fixing lever 12 for fixing the up / down bending angle knob 9 is provided at the lowermost portion.

The angle knobs 8 and 9 are connected to an operating mechanism (not shown) incorporated in the operating section 2, and the operating mechanism is driven to push and pull an operating wire described later. There is. In addition, the first fixed lever 1
1, the left and right bending angle knob 8 is released at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, and the left and right bending angle knob 8 is fixed at the position shown by the dotted line.

On the other hand, the second fixed lever 12 is also shown in FIG.
The vertical bending angle knob 9 is released at the position indicated by the solid line, and the vertical bending angle knob 9 is fixed at the position indicated by the dotted line. A fixed position display 13 is provided on the side surface of the operation portion 2 corresponding to the fixed position of the second fixing lever 12, and a released position display 14 is provided on the side surface of the operation portion 2 corresponding to the released position. Is provided. Further, a fixed direction display 15 and a release direction display 16 are displayed near the respective displays 13 and 14.

The fixed levers 11 and 12 are arranged so that their directions are matched at their fixed positions and also at their released positions. That is, when both the fixed levers 11 and 12 are rotated counterclockwise, the braking mechanism thereof is activated. The right and left bending angle knob 8 is a side surface opposite to the side surface on which the angle knobs 8 and 9 are provided (a surface on which the palm portion of the gripping hand comes into contact).
To 40 mm to 60 mm. If installed in this way, the right and left bending angle knob 8 can be easily operated by the hand holding the operating portion 2.

On the other side surface of the operation section 2, an air / water supply operation button 15 and a suction operation button 16 are provided. On the other hand, the bending tube portion 6 of the insertion portion 3 is configured as shown in FIG. The core material of the bending tube portion 6 is formed by arranging a plurality of bending shafts in a line in the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion portion 3 and arranging adjacent ones in a rotatable manner. The bending pieces in this case are not all the same, and the most advanced bending pieces 21,
The 4-direction bending piece 22, the 2-direction bending piece 23, and the proximal end bending piece 24 are sequentially connected from the front end side. Further, the most distal bending piece 21 is attached and fixed to the tip end portion 7, and the proximal end bending piece 24 is connected to the tip end of the flexible tube 5.

A mesh tube 25 as a first covering member is fitted on the outer circumference of each bending piece 21, 22, 23, 24, and further,
The outer circumference is covered with an elastic tube (outer skin) 26 made of rubber or the like as a second covering member. The distal end of the elastic tube 26 is fitted on the outer circumference of the base end portion of the distal end portion 7, and a fixing thread 27 is wound around the outer circumference and tightened, and the fixing thread 27 is fixed with an adhesive 28.

The base end of the elastic tube 26 is made to abut against the tip of the outer tube 29 of the flexible tube portion 5, and the fixing thread 31 is wound around both the abutting ends of the elastic tube 26 and the outer tube 29. The fixing thread 31 is fixed with an adhesive 32. Although the fixing yarns 27 and 31 and the adhesives 28 and 32 are drawn to be considerably large in the drawing, they are actually much smaller than this. Also,
Since the elastic tube 26 and the outer tube 29 contract during thread tightening, the outer diameter becomes equal to that of the other insertion portion 3.

Further, the tip ends of the operation wires 33, 34, 35, 36 positioned vertically and horizontally are attached to the most distal bending piece 21. These operation wires 33, 34,
Reference numerals 35 and 36 are formed on the inner surface portions of the four-direction bending piece 22 and the two-direction bending piece 23, respectively, and are guided by being inserted through a guide hole 37 and a guide tube 38 arranged inside the flexible tube portion 5. The proximal ends of the operation wires 33, 34, 35, 36 are connected to the operation mechanism in the operation section 2. Then, the operation wires 33, 34, 35, 36 are alternately pushed and pulled by the operation mechanism incorporated in the operation section 2 in a vertical or horizontal combination.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an objective lens 41 and a solid-state image pickup device 42 are provided at the tip portion 7 of the insertion portion 3, and the signal cable 4 is provided in the solid-state image pickup device 42.
3 is connected. In addition to the signal cable 43, a light guide fiber 44 and a water supply tube 4 are provided in the insertion portion 3.
5, built-in objects such as the air supply tube 46 and the forceps channel tube 47 are inserted.

Further, in the mesh tube 25 of the bending tube portion 6 having the above-mentioned structure, for example, a portion 47 corresponding to a position between the hand side bending piece 24 and the bidirectional bending piece 23 is coated with an ultraviolet curable adhesive. There is provided a curving regulation means which is obtained by curing this. Then, the bending action of the portion 48 is suppressed by the bending restricting means, and the bending characteristic of the entire bending tube portion 6 is set.

Next, a method of providing the bending restriction means will be described. First, the bending tube portion 6 without the elastic tube 26 is assembled, and the operation wire 33 on the upper side is pulled while the built-in object is built in the bending tube portion 6, 22, 22
3, 24 hit each other and are maximally curved. This angle (this is called the maximum bending angle) is equal to each bending piece 21, 2.
It depends on the machining accuracy of Nos. 2, 23, 24 and the degree of beaming of the mesh tube 25 that regulates the axial displacement thereof. For example, if the maximum bending angle should be set to 210 °, 220 °
It will be scattered at 230 degrees. Further, this variation differs for each endoscope 1 even in the same model.

Therefore, for example, when the actual maximum bending angle is 220 °, with respect to the portion 48 of the mesh tube 25 corresponding to the position between the bending piece 24 on the most proximal side and the bidirectional bending piece 23 adjacent thereto. UV-curable adhesive is applied to cure it. This portion 48 is formed wider than the width of both bending pieces 23, 24 and also spreads over the portions of both bending pieces 23, 24. By applying the curving regulation means in this way,
Considering the influence of the elastic tube 26, the maximum angle at which the bending tube portion 6 can be bent is reduced to slightly larger than a desired angle, for example, 215 °. After that, the elastic tube 26 is fitted and both ends thereof are tightened with the fixing threads 27 and 31 and fixed with the adhesives 28 and 32.

Then, the maximum bending angle for bending operation is finally set to a desired 210 ° by adjusting the position of a bending operation wire stopper (not shown) provided in the operation portion 3. The maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope 1 can be set arbitrarily, and therefore, the maximum bending operation angle can also be set arbitrarily according to the needs of the doctor.

When the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion 6 is larger and is 230 °, in addition to the portion 47, the mesh tube 25 corresponding to the position between the adjacent two-way bending pieces 23, 23 is formed.
An ultraviolet curable adhesive is also applied to the portion 49 and is cured. Then, similarly to the above, the maximum bending angle of the bending may be set to be slightly larger than the desired angle.

Although a thermosetting adhesive may be used for the bending means, in the above-described embodiment, since the ultraviolet curing adhesive is used in particular, it is not necessary to apply heat and the light guide fiber 44 or the like may be used. It has no adverse effect and is cured in a short time.

The adhesive is applied to the portion 48 of the mesh tube 25,
When it is applied to 49, the adhesive is also poured into the contact portion (connecting portion) between the proximal end bending piece 24 and the bidirectional bending piece 23 within a range that does not adversely affect the movement of the operation wire 33 in the guide hole 37. You may fix at the same time.

Further, the bending restricting means of the above embodiment is the mesh tube 2
Although an adhesive is applied to the wire 5, a heat shrink tube may be fitted on the outer periphery of the mesh tube 25 and heat shrinked. It should be noted that heat shrinking with hot air from a dryer damages the light guide fiber 44 and the like, so it is desirable to bring a soldering iron or the like into contact with the heat shrinkable tube to shrink it. Further, the above-mentioned adhesive and heat shrinkable tube may be used as the curving regulation means.

Further, the bending tube portion 6 may be of a type in which bending pieces are rotatably connected using shaft bodies. Further, the bending tube portion 6 of the above-mentioned embodiment is provided with 4
The direction bending piece 22 is arranged, and the two-direction bending piece 2 is provided on the proximal side of the hand.
Since 3 is arranged, the left-right direction is curved at a portion closer to the tip. Moreover, the adhesive for bending control is less likely to enter the inside of the bending piece 23 as compared with the case where the four-direction bending pieces 22 are arranged on the proximal side of the hand.

Note that the curve may be regulated by soldering instead of bonding in a state in which the mesh tube not covered with the built-in object is covered. Further, when the endoscope is a large intestine scope, the intermediate portion of the bending tube portion 6 may be fixed appropriately.

Further, FIG. 4 shows another example of the bending restricting means, which is an elastic tube 2 as a second covering member.
6 is wound around the outer periphery of 6 and
The curling action is suppressed by hardening the adhesive with the adhesive 52. Further, the wound fixing thread 51 is the adhesive 52.
Since the yarn 51 is of the type that is hardened by the above, it is sufficient that the yarn 51 exerts the anchoring action of the adhesive 52, and therefore, the yarn 51 may be wound more loosely than the fixing yarns 27 and 31. This fixing thread 5
1 may be the same as the fixing thread 31. Further, a material different from that of the fixing threads 27 and 31 may be used.

Further, the bending restricting means in the present invention is provided on the outer circumference of the elastic tube 26 at a position where it is necessary to suppress the bending action.
A heat-shrinkable tube may be fitted and regulated.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the maximum bending angle of the bending tube portion is set to be larger than the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope, the bending tube portion is bent to the maximum. Even if the amount of bending force increases or the bending tube portion is bent, deterioration of the bending tube portion and its operating mechanism can be prevented as much as possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an insertion portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope, 5 ... Flexible tube part, 6 ... Bending tube part, 7 ... Tip part, 21 ... Cutting edge bending piece, 22 ... Four-way bending piece, 23 ...
Two-way bending piece, 24 ... Hand side end bending piece, 25 ... Net tube, 2
6 ... Elastic tube, 33 ... Operation wire, 47, 48 ... Part, 5
1 ... Thread, 52 ... Adhesive.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bending tube portion formed by arranging a plurality of bending pieces arranged in a line so as to rotatably connect adjacent bending pieces and covering the bending pieces with a mesh tube is provided on a hand side of a tip end portion thereof. In the endoscope in which the distal end of the operation wire inserted into the bending tube portion is connected to the distal end side of the bending tube portion and the operation wire is advanced and retracted, the bending tube portion is operated to bend. An endoscope in which the maximum bending angle is set to be larger than the maximum bending operation angle of the endoscope.