JPH0628627B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an endoscope device in which mounting means for an endoscope insertion assisting device is formed.

[Prior Art] In recent years, medical endoscopes capable of diagnosing an affected part by inserting an elongated insertion part into a living body have been widely used. Further, an industrial endoscope is also widely used when an elongated insertion portion is inserted into a lumen of a boiler, a turbine or the like to scan the inside.

Generally, in an industrial endoscope, the size of the target part to be used is also significantly different, and if the inner diameter of the inserted part is greatly different from the outer diameter of the tip of the insertion part, the insertion part of the endoscope greatly fluctuates within the insertion part. The observation direction cannot be determined accurately. Further, in a situation where the diameter of the insertion site is significantly different from the outer diameter of the insertion site tip, the insertion site tip may be offset to the lower side of the insertion site, and only the bottom wall portion of the insertion site may be observed.

Therefore, the present applicant has proposed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-33021, a first prior art example in which the above-mentioned inconvenience is eliminated by mounting an insertion aid for an endoscope at the tip of an insertion portion.

When the insertion assisting tool of the above-mentioned prior art is mounted on the tip of the insertion part, it is fixed by screwing a screw part provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the insertion part. The insertion aid has a protrusion to the inner peripheral portion, but this is for the purpose of preventing the insertion aid from coming off when the screw portion is unscrewed,
There is no function such as mounting of insertion aids or positioning at the time of mounting.

Further, the applicant of the present invention has proposed, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-26923, a second prior art insertion assisting tool which is attached to the insertion portion by inserting a part of the insertion portion.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the first prior art example described above, since the insertion assisting tool is screwed into the screw portion provided on the outer periphery of the distal end of the endoscope, the insertion assisting tool is used in the endoscope having the bending mechanism. The insertion aid covers the curved portion when it is attached. Therefore, there is a problem that it becomes impossible to apply a curve.

Further, when a threaded portion is provided on the flexible portion side of the bending portion, it is possible to apply bending, but there is a problem in that the outer diameter of the insertion portion becomes large.

On the other hand, the second prior example has a problem that when the insertion assisting tool is to be attached to the soft part of the insertion part, the soft part may be permanently deformed by the crimping force.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, without increasing the outer diameter of the endoscope insertion portion, and without the risk of causing permanent deformation, the endoscope insertion assisting device with a simple structure. An object is to provide a detachable endoscope device.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems] In the present invention, the endoscope insertion portion is provided with a recess such as a groove in the circumferential direction, while the insertion assisting tool for the endoscope has a protrusion for engaging with the recess. By providing the portion, the insertion aid for an endoscope can be mounted with a simple structure without thickening the insertion portion, and the mounting does not cause inconvenience such as permanent deformation.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of an endoscope insertion portion to which an insertion aid is attached, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the entire apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the insertion aid is attached. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the endoscope insertion portion, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is an industrial electronic endoscope 2, a light source device 3 for supplying illumination light to the electronic endoscope 2, and the electronic endoscope. It is composed of a control device 4 for signal-processing an image signal sent from the endoscope 2 and a color monitor 5 for displaying a video signal output from the control device 4 on a display screen.

The electronic endoscope 2 includes an elongated insertion portion 6 and the insertion portion 6
A large-diameter operating portion 7 continuously provided on the rear end side, and the operating portion 7
The universal cord 8 extends from the side of the universal cord 8, and the signal cable 10 extends from the light source connector 9 attached to the universal cord 8.

A rigid tip portion 11 is provided on the tip end side of the insertion portion 6, and a bending portion 12 adjacent to the tip end portion 11 and capable of bending is provided on the rear side. Further, a flexible soft portion 13 is continuously provided behind the curved portion 12. Further, an insertion assisting tool connecting portion 14 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the bending portion 12 near the boundary with the flexible portion 13.

The bending portion 12 can be bent up / down / left / right by operating a bending operation knob 15 provided on the operation portion 7.

Further, by connecting the light source connector 9 to the light source device 3, the white light of the light source lamp 16 is converted into the condenser lens 1.
The light is condensed at 7, and is incident on the incident end surface of the light guide 18.

Signal cable 10 extended from the light source connector 9
The signal connector 19 formed at the end of the signal cable 10 can be connected to the control device 4, and the signal processing of the image signal picked up by the electronic endoscope 2 is performed to obtain a predetermined video signal. After that, it is transmitted to the color monitor 5 so that the observation image can be displayed in color.

A distal end optical adapter 21, which is made of a hard material and formed into a substantially cylindrical shape, can be detachably attached to the distal end portion 11 of the insertion portion 6.

An insertion aid 22 (for an endoscope) can be attached to the insertion aid connection portion 14 and a part of the insertion part 6 when the insertion aid 22 is attached is shown in FIG. An enlarged structure of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG.

An objective optical system 25 is housed in the tip portion 11, and an optical image is transmitted to the CCD 26 which is arranged to be inclined with respect to the axis of the insertion portion 6 through the objective optical system 25 and an optical element such as a prism (not shown). The image can be formed.

Further, adjacent to the objective optical system 25, the light guide 1
The emission end face side of 8 is fixed, and the illumination light is further emitted from this emission end face via the optical rod 28.

An angle-of-view changing lens system 29 is attached to a position facing the optical axis of the objective lens 25, and a front angle portion of the optical rod 28 is attached to the front portion of the optical rod 28 of the tip optical adapter 21 which is screwed to the front surface of the tip portion 11. Also, a light distribution lens 30 is attached.

A large number of annular joint pieces 31, 31, ... Are arranged in the bending portion 12 adjacent to the distal end portion 11 so as to be rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 6. The outer peripheries of these joint pieces 31, 31, ... Are covered with a flexible tube 32 such as rubber so as to be easily bent. Both ends of the tube 32 are fixed so as to maintain liquid tightness by, for example, winding a thread and adhering them with an adhesive. Further, the joint piece 31 at the rearmost end is bonded to a substantially cylindrical and hard base 33 with an adhesive, for example.

Further, a front end portion of a mesh tube 34 and a flexible tube 35 made of resin or the like that covers the mesh tube 34 is internally fitted and fixed to a rear end portion of the base 33. A flexible spiral tube 36 formed by spirally winding a long thin plate member is housed inside the mesh tube 34, and a light guide 18, a signal cable 37, and the like are inserted inside the spiral tube 36. ing. Also, the base 3
A cylindrical member 38 is adhered to the inner circumference of the front end of 3 by, for example, an adhesive, and a long and flexible pipe member 39 is fixed to the inner side of the cylindrical member 38 by gluing or the like.
An angle wire (not shown) is inserted through the pipe member 39.

Also on the flexible portion 13 side, the outer circumference of the flexible tube 35 is covered with a protective outer sheath 44 made of a mesh tube or the like. The outer circumference of the curved portion 12 is also covered with a protective outer sheath 45 made of a mesh tube or the like. The outer sheath 44 of the soft portion 13 is impregnated with fluororubber, and the front end of the outer sheath 44 is held by an inner tube 46 and an outer tube 47. Exterior sheath 45 for protecting the curved portion 12
The rear end is the outer peripheral position of the base 33, and the inner pipe 41 and the outer pipe 42
And is fixed to the base 33 with a screw 43.

The outer sheath 4 that covers the curved portion 12 and the flexible portion 13 is used.
5,44 are formed separately by two bodies.

A diametrically expanded portion 51 is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the mouthpiece 33. When the protective outer sheath 44 of the flexible portion 13 is urged toward the rear end side, the diametrically expanded portion 51 is applied to the inner pipe 46. And serves as a stopper to fix the outer sheath 44 of the flexible portion 13.

By the way, the rear end of the curved portion protecting outer sheath 45,
The base 3 is provided between the outer sheath 44 for protecting the soft part and the front end thereof.
A circumferential groove portion 53 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool connecting portion 14.

The following insertion aid 22 can be mounted in the groove portion 53.

The insertion aid 22 includes a stopper 54 and a stopper stopper 55.
And a cover member 56. The stopper stopper 55 is a cylindrical member having a fitting hole 55 a into which the distal end portion 11 to the flexible portion 13 can be inserted and which can be loosely fitted in the outer tube 47. A male screw portion 57 for mounting the stopper 54 is formed on the outer periphery of the stopper stopper 55. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the stopper 54, a female screw portion 58 which is screwed into the male screw portion 57 is formed. In addition, the stopper stopper 55 has a fitting portion 55b which is fitted into the stopper 54 on the outer peripheral surface on the front end side by the male screw portion 57. On the other hand, the stopper 54
A fitting hole 54b that fits into the fitting portion 55b is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the
Are formed. A locking hole 60 is formed in the front end 59 of the stopper 54.

As shown in FIG. 4, the locking hole 60 is formed so as to open in a circular shape around a position 02 which is eccentric from the central axis 01 of the stopper 54. Inner diameter Ls of this locking hole 60
Is the maximum outer diameter from the tip 11 to the groove 53 (in this case, the outer diameter Lt of the tip 11 is the maximum outer diameter).
It is set to be slightly larger, and can be inserted from the tip end 11 side. As a result, the portion of the stopper 54 where the (eccentric) locking hole 60 is formed is in a state in which the portion on the central axis 01 side projects radially inward with respect to the groove portion 53, as shown in FIG. , Position 02 of front end 59
The insertion assisting tool 22 can be attached to the endoscope 2 such that the opposite side, that is, the inner peripheral portion on the upper side is caught by the groove 53.

A male screw portion 61 for mounting the cover member 56 is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the stopper 54, while a female screw portion 6 screwed onto the male screw portion 61 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the cover member 56.
2 is formed. Further, the cover member 56 includes
A hole portion 63 is formed so that the portion extending from the tip portion 6 to the flexible portion 13 can be inserted.

Further, the cover member 56 is formed with convex portions 64, 64 having a gradually expanded diameter at two positions on the outer peripheral surface, for example, in the front and rear of the longitudinal direction, and these convex portions 64, 64 are larger than the outer diameter of the insertion portion 6. When inserted into a pipe or the like, it is possible to suppress uneven distribution on the pipe wall side.

By the way, the inner diameter Ls of the locking hole 60 of the stopper 54 is
Is set to be slightly smaller than the maximum outer diameter La of the tip optical adapter 21. Therefore, in the state where the distal end optical adapter 21 is attached, even if the insertion aid 22 is loosened from the regular attached state, the distal end optical adapter 2
It is locked to the maximum outer diameter portion of No. 1 and can be prevented from falling off.

In the first embodiment configured as described above, the insertion portion 6
A cylindrical base 33 having the ends of outer tubes 44 and 45 fixed near the boundary between the flexible portion 13 and the curved portion 11 forming the
The groove portion 53 is formed in the to form the insertion assisting tool mounting means. This mounting means is constituted by the groove portion 53, has a simple structure, and is characterized in that it can be constituted without making the insertion portion 6 thick.

The operation of the first embodiment thus configured will be described below.

When the insertion assisting tool 22 is attached to the endoscope 2, the cover member 56, the stopper stopper 55, and the stopper 54 are attached in this order with the distal end optical adapter 21 not attached to the distal end portion 11.
Cover from the tip 11.

In this case, the cover member 56 is attached to the distal end portion 11 of the hole 63.
Through, and withdraw to the flexible portion 13 side. Next, the stopper stopper 55 is inserted from the tip portion 11 and retracted to the flexible portion 13 side. Then, the stopper 54 is inserted into the distal end portion 11 through the locking hole 60, and the protruding portion of the front end portion 59 is engaged with the groove portion 53. In that state, the flexible part 1
Stopper stopper 55 that has been retracted to the 3 side
4, and the female screw portion 58 provided on the stopper 54 is screwed into the male screw portion 57 provided on the stopper stopper 55 to mount and fix it. Then, as shown in FIG.
Locking hole 60 eccentric to the central axis 01 of the stopper 54
As a result, the front end portion 59 projects in the direction of the central axis 01 with respect to the groove portion 53, a part of the inner peripheral portion thereof is locked to the side wall of the groove portion 53, and the stopper 54 is in a state of being prevented from coming off. Then, the cover member 5 that has been retracted to the flexible portion 13 side.
6 is mounted and fixed by screwing the female screw portion 62 into the male screw portion 61, and the attachment of the insertion assisting tool 22 is completed.

Then, when the tip optical adapter 21 is attached to the tip portion 6, the state shown in FIG. 1 is obtained. In this state, the inner diameter Ls of the locking hole 60 of the stopper 54 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter La of the tip optical adapter 21. That is, since La> Ls, even if the insertion assisting tool 22 is loosely attached by the insertion assisting tool connecting portion 14, the distal end optical adapter 2
Unless 1 is removed from the tip portion 11, it is prevented from falling off.
Therefore, the insertion assisting tool 22 can be reliably prevented from falling off, and a highly safe endoscope device can be realized.

If the tip optical adapter 21 is not properly mounted, the optical axis of the objective optical system 26 and the optical axis of the angle-of-view changing lens system 29 are deviated from each other. The appearance of the field-of-view mask or the like makes it possible to know whether or not the mounting is secured.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the locking hole 60 is eccentrically provided, the front end portion 59 is in a state of protruding in the central axis direction with respect to the groove portion 53, and the front end portion 59 is in the groove portion 53.
The insertion assisting tool 22 is attached to the endoscope 2 in such a manner as to be caught by the. Therefore, without increasing the outer diameter of the insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2 and without damaging the insertion portion 6, the insertion aid 2
2 can be attached. In the first embodiment, the insertion assisting tool 22 is rotatable with respect to the insertion section 6 in the mounted state.

If a plurality of cover members 56 having different outer diameters are prepared, it is possible to deal with subjects having different inner diameters only by replacing the cover member 56.

FIG. 5 shows an insertion assisting tool 71 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The insertion assisting tool 71 of the second embodiment comprises a stopper 72 and a cover member 73.

The stopper 72 is made of a cylindrical member that can be inserted into the insertion portion 6 (for example, FIG. 1) from the tip portion 11, and a male screw portion 74 is provided on the outer periphery near the end portion that is the mounting side to the insertion portion 6. is there. On the other hand, a female screw portion 75 that is screwed into the male screw portion 74 is formed on the inner periphery of the cover member 73 on one end side. Further, a small diameter portion 76 having a smaller inner diameter is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion (on the side opposite to the male screw portion 75) of the cover member 73. Then, when the cover member 73 is mounted, a notch is provided at the rear end portion of the stopper 72 (the front end side when mounted in the insertion portion 6) corresponding to the small diameter portion 76. A plurality of cantilever beam-shaped projections 77, 77, ... Are formed. A protrusion 78 protruding outward in the radial direction is provided at the protruding tip of each protrusion 77, and the outer diameter of the circumscribing circle connecting the tips of the protrusions 78 is larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 76 of the cover member 73. It is set. Therefore, when the cover member 73 is attached, if the protrusions 78 are aligned with the groove portions 53, the small diameter portions 76 press the protrusions 78 inward in the radial direction, and the protruding tips of the protrusions 77 are narrowed down. The insertion assisting tool 71 can be mounted in the state of engaging with the groove 53 as in the first embodiment. The cover member 73 has, for example, gourd-shaped convex portions 78, 78 formed on the outer shape near the front end in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 6 shows a cover member 81 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

In the third embodiment, the cover member 81 has a structure in which projecting pieces 83, 83, ... Are radially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 82, for example.

In addition to this, the portion of the insertion portion that comes into contact with the inner diameter portion may be formed of wheels, and may have any shape and configuration that plays a role of assisting the insertion of the endoscope insertion portion. .

Further, the mounting means formed in the insertion portion is not limited to the groove portion 53 formed in the entire area in the circumferential direction, and concave portions 91, 91, ... Are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. There may be a connection 92 (for insertion aids), while the recess 9
The insertion assisting tool engaging with 1, 91, ...
The insertion aid 71 shown in the figure can be attached. Incidentally, the connection portion may be formed at another position. The present invention can be applied not only to the electronic endoscope having a built-in solid-state image sensor but also to a fiberscope having an image guide.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a protrusion provided on the endoscope insertion assisting tool side is provided with a locking means for the endoscope insertion assisting tool formed by a groove or the like in the endoscope insertion portion. Since the portion can be engaged, the endoscope insertion aid can be attached with a relatively simple structure without damaging the endoscope insertion portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 4 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of an endoscope insertion portion to which an insertion aid is attached, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the entire apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the insertion aid is attached. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an endoscope insertion portion, FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an insertion assisting tool in a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a cover member according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an insertion assisting tool connecting portion according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope device, 2 ... Electronic endoscope 3 ... Light source device, 4 ... Control device 5 ... Color monitor, 6 ... Insertion part 11 ... Tip part, 12 ... Bending part 13 ...... Soft part 14 ...... Insertion aid tool connection part 21 ...... Tip optical adapter 22 ...... Insertion aid, 53 ...... Groove part 54 ...... Stopper, 55 …… Stopper stop 56 …… Cover member, 60 …… Locking Hole

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope apparatus in which an endoscope insertion aid can be attached to an insertion portion of an endoscope having an optical adapter attached to a distal end thereof, wherein the internal portion is provided behind a bending portion of the endoscope. Forming a locking concave portion of the insertion aid for an endoscope, the central axis of the locking hole of the insertion auxiliary tool mounted in the concave portion is eccentric from the central axis of the outer diameter of the insertion auxiliary tool, An inner diameter of the locking hole is formed to be smaller than an outer diameter of the distal end optical adapter.