JPH06277174A - Endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make bending action of a curved part smooth and to insert safely the curved part by making bending rigidity of a wire smaller at the apex side of the curved part than at the rear end side and improving flexibility of the apex part of a scope. CONSTITUTION:When rigidity is provided on the rear end side of a wire 11 and angle operation is performed by means of an operational part 7, the apex end side of a curved part 5 is made easily bent. As a means for making the rear end side of the curved part 5 of the wire 11 rigid, a braid line is welded by using a silver solder or a copper solder. As the result, in comparison with a soft part 11A on the apex side of the wire of the non-welded curved part 5, a rigid part 11B on the rear end side of the curved part 5 exhibits a larger rigidity to enlarge resistance at bending time. In general, the length of the soft part 11A is made shorter than the length of the rigid part. As it is necessary to communicate guide holes for the wire, the diameter is necessarily made into the same diameter as that of the braid line before welding. As the method for welding at this same diameter, e.g. a means wherein a solder material for high density mounting of an electronic circuit base is impregnated into a raw material diffused into a liq. adhesive resin and this is heated, is used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus used for diagnosing or treating a disease by inserting a scope into a body cavity of a patient, the distal end side of which is a digestive tract, an operation hole or a bronchus. The present invention relates to improvement of a bending portion of a scope, in particular, a wire of the bending portion, which enables smooth movement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Endoscope devices include fiberscope type and electronic endoscopes, which will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, this endoscope apparatus includes a main body 2 including a monitor 1 for displaying an endoscopic image and an operation control switch.
And a scope 3 used by being inserted into a body cavity of a patient. Then, on the distal end side of the flexible portion 4 of the scope 3, a curved portion 5 for guiding the scope itself to the affected portion in the body cavity.
Is provided, and a rigid portion 6 equipped with a video camera, forceps, a cleaning nozzle, etc. is provided at the tip of the curved portion 5. On the other hand, on the rear end side of the flexible portion 4, an operating portion 7 for performing an angle operation or the like which is a bending operation of the bending portion 5 of the scope 3,
The main body 2 is provided with a universal cord 8 for transmitting a video camera signal. Though not shown, a light guide fiber, an air supply tube, a water supply tube, a conductor, and the like are incorporated inside the flexible portion 4. Also,
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer skin of the curved portion 5 of the scope 3 and the inner side of the mesh-shaped blade are provided with a large number of annular joints (angle coma) 9 and a plurality of wire guide holes 10 provided in the joint 9. , A wire 11 inserted into and communicating with the guide hole 10 of the wire. Then, the wire 11 is wound up by the operation unit 7 for performing an angle operation or the like to bend the bending portion 5 to guide the distal end portion of the scope to the affected area in the body cavity, and the portion to be viewed is displayed on the monitor 1. Project.

Conventionally, as a method for smoothly performing the bending operation of the bending portion 5 of the scope 3, there has been proposed a method of changing the thickness and hardness of the rubber of the outer cover between the front end side and the rear end side of the bending portion 5. ing. However, nothing is usually done, and a braided wire in which thin metal wires are twisted together is used as the wire 11, and the wire operation is performed by the operation unit 7 to perform the angle operation.

[0004]

However, in the conventional scope having such a bending portion, the length of the bending portion reaches from 8 cm to 15 cm, and at what distance from the tip of the scope the bending rate is increased. However, it was difficult to make it constant due to the structure of the scope. Therefore, each endoscope has different flexion movements, and it requires considerable skill to perform the angle operation to display the target lesion on the monitor. It was also a cause of heavy burden. In the method of changing the thickness and hardness of the rubber of the outer cover between the front end side and the rear end side of the curved portion, there is a drawback that the curved portion is constricted and its diameter changes between the front end side and the rear end side. . Further, when manufacturing a braided wire in which metal thin wires are twisted together, a method of changing the rigidity by changing the diameter of the thin wire between the front end side and the rear end side of the curved portion in order to improve flexibility can be considered, This has the drawbacks that it is difficult to manufacture the wire, and the work of inserting the wire into the guide hole is difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable a smooth bending operation in a bending portion, simplify the angle operation technique, and safely insert a scope into a body cavity for diagnosis. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope device capable of performing the above.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a structure of an endoscope apparatus as described below so that a bending operation in a curved portion of a scope can be smoothly performed. That is, a scope having a monitor for displaying an endoscopic image, a main body equipped with operation control switches and the like, and a rigid portion having an optical system and the like disposed at the distal end and used in a body cavity of a patient. And a bending portion connecting a large number of annular joints having a plurality of wire guide holes provided on the distal end side of the scope, and the bending operation of the bending portion is inserted into the guide holes of the respective joints for communication. In the endoscope device adapted to be operated by the operation of the wire, the bending rigidity of the wire is made smaller at the distal end side of the bending portion than at the rear end side to enhance the flexibility of the distal end portion of the scope. To do. Also,
In this endoscope device, the distal end side of the wire of the bending portion is formed of a flexible portion of the flexible structure of the braided wire in which the thin wires are twisted together, and the rear end side of the wire is formed of the metal in which the braided wire in which the thin wires are twisted together is formed. It consists of a rigid part fused between wires by a brazing material,
It is characterized in that the ratio of the length of the flexible portion is made smaller than that of the rigid portion.

[0007]

According to the above construction, the bending rigidity of the wire in the bending portion of the scope is made smaller at the tip end side of the bending portion than at the rear end side. This makes it easier to bend and allows the operator to safely insert the scope into the body cavity of the patient. In addition, the bending part of the wire consists of a flexible part on the front side and a rigid part on the rear side of the braided wire fused by brazing metal, and if the length ratio of the flexible part is smaller than that of the rigid part. Since it is tightened, the manufacture of the wire and the manufacture of the scope are simplified, and the bendability of the curved portion is improved as described above.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a wire used in the bending portion of the scope of the endoscope apparatus of the present invention. Figure 1
In, the guide wire 11 is divided into a flexible portion 11A and a rigid portion 11B. The portion corresponding to the tip side of the scope 3 is the flexible portion 11A, and the remaining portion of the curved portion 5, that is, the rear end side is the rigid portion 11B. The wire 11 is usually a flexible structure of a braided wire obtained by twisting stainless thin wires together. In the present invention, the rear end side of the wire 11 is made to have rigidity so that the distal end side of the bending portion 5 can be easily bent when an angle operation is performed by the operation portion 7. The braided wire is welded using a silver braze or a copper braze as means for making the rear end side of the curved portion 5 of the wire 11 rigid. As a result, the rear end side rigid portion 11 of the bending portion 5 is more flexible than the distal end soft portion 11A of the wire of the bending portion 5 which is not welded.
B has a high rigidity and a high resistance during bending. In the curved portion 5, how to determine the ratio between the flexible portion 11A and the rigid portion 11B depends on the purpose. For example, when you want to see the entrance of the stomach, the soft part 11
The ratio of A is set to be relatively small so that the tip end side of the bending portion 5 is easily bent. However, in general, the length of the flexible portion 11A is smaller than the length of the rigid portion 11B. If possible, if the ratio of the length of the flexible portion 11A to the length of the rigid portion 11B is set to about 1: 2, the bending of the bending portion 5 on the distal end side can be performed smoothly.

The wire 11 usually has a diameter of 0.4 mm.
From 0.5 mm to 0.6 mm, wire guide hole 1
Since it is necessary to communicate 0, the diameter must be the same as that of the braided wire before welding. As a method of welding to the same diameter, for example, a brazing material for high-density mounting of an electronic circuit board is impregnated into a material in which a liquid adhesive resin has been diffused, and then heated. During heating, a slight tensile force is applied so that the braided wire does not loosen or the diameter is distorted. Further, in order to prevent the brazing material from unnecessarily adhering to the braided wire, the above-mentioned resin having the outer diameter of the braided wire or more is wiped off so that the brazing material is welded only inside the braided wire. The resin promotes the adhesive solidification of the brazing wire and the braided wire, and contributes to the tightening of the diameter of the braided wire by vaporizing and scattering by heating and preventing unnecessary adhesion of the resin itself.

[0010]

As described above, according to the endoscope apparatus of the present invention, it becomes possible to surely bend the distal end side of the scope, particularly the distal end side of the bending portion by the angle operation. Therefore, the angle operation of the endoscope is at the operator's discretion, and the scope can be guided to the target site in the body cavity. As a result, it is possible to reduce the diagnosis time and also the burden on the patient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a wire used in a bending portion of a scope of an endoscope apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the endoscope device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an outer skin of a curved portion of a scope and an inner side of a mesh blade.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Monitor 2 Main Body 3 Scope 4 Soft Section 5 Bent Section 6 Hard Section 7 Operating Section 8 Universal Cord 9 Joint (Angle Frame) 10 Wire Guide Hole 11 Wire 11A Soft Section 11B Rigid Section

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A monitor for displaying an endoscopic image,
A body provided with an operation control switch, and a scope having a rigid portion having an optical system arranged at the tip and used by being inserted into a body cavity of a patient, and a guide hole for a wire is provided on the tip side of the scope. In an endoscope apparatus having a bending portion that connects a plurality of annular joints provided to each other, and performing bending operation of the bending portion by operating a wire that is inserted into the guide hole of each joint The endoscope apparatus is characterized in that the bending rigidity of the distal end side of the bending portion is made smaller than that at the rear end side so as to enhance the flexibility of the distal end portion of the scope. 2. The wire according to claim 1, wherein the distal end side of the wire of the bending portion is a flexible portion of the flexible structure of the braided wire in which the thin wires are twisted together, and the rear end side of the wire is in the braided wire in which the thin wires are twisted together. An endoscopic device comprising a rigid portion fused between wires by a metal brazing material and having a length ratio of a soft portion smaller than that of the rigid portion.