JPH09220193A - Locking equipment at angle handling part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to make lock lever handling light and to enable to keep locked condition surely. SOLUTION: This equipment is provided with a vertical handle 22 and a horizontal handle 23 to adjust bent angle at the tip, a vertical lock lever 47 and a horizontal lock lever 29 to lock handling positions of the handles 22 and 23 respectively, slidable plates 30 and 50 which slide vertically upon locking work, a click ball 40 and a positioning pin 38 between the horizontal lock lever 29 and the slidable plate 30, and a click ball 58 and a positioning ditch 61 between the vertical lock lever 47 and the slidable plate 50. By engaging these members, the lock levers 29 and 47 are fixed at both free and locked positions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a lock device for an angle operation part and a lock device for locking a position where a distal end of an endoscope is bent and operated in an arbitrary direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an endoscope, a distal end side is formed to be bendable, a driving wire is arranged from the distal end portion to an operating portion, and the driving wire is pulled to operate.
The tip is configured to be bendable in, for example, four directions (up and down, left and right) (or two directions). For this reason, the operation portion is provided with an angle operation portion for pulling the drive wire to set the bending angle of the tip portion.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of a conventional angle operation section (a part of which is omitted). In the figure,
An upper and lower angle knob 2 and a left and right angle knob 3 are rotatably provided on the support shaft 1, and a take-up vehicle 5 is integrally connected to the upper and lower angle knob 2 via a connecting tube 4, and the left and right angle knobs are connected to each other. A winding wheel 7 is integrally connected to 3 via a connecting tube 6. The winding vehicle 5 has
A vertical drive wire (omitted), a horizontal drive wire is wound around the winding wheel 7. Therefore, by rotating each of the angle knobs 2 and 3 and winding the driving wire, the distal end portion of the endoscope can be bent vertically or horizontally.

An up / down lock lever 8 is provided below the up / down angle knob 2, and the lower bearing 8A of the lock lever 8 is screwed (screwed) onto the fixed shaft 9.
The sliding plate 10 is connected to the lower bearing portion 8A and is placed on the lower bearing portion 8A.
Is arranged. The shaft hole of the sliding plate 10 is a square hole that matches the square outer circumference of the fixed shaft 9, and is slidable up and down in a state where rotation is restricted.

The upper and lower angle knobs 2 are provided with an abutting portion 11 so as to be integrated with each other.
Between the sliding plate 10 and the sliding plate 10 is a donut disk-shaped friction plate 1
2 is placed. According to the friction plate 12, when the up-down lock lever 8 is operated in the rotation direction for locking, the up-down lock lever 8 moves upward to bring the sliding plate 10 into pressure contact with the friction plate 12. At this time, the friction plate 12 is sandwiched between the lower sliding plate 10 and the upper abutting portion 11, and the upper and lower angle knobs 2 are locked by the frictional force to bring them into a locked state.

Further, the shaft portion of the upper and lower angle knobs 2 is fitted to a support cylinder (not shown) via an O-ring 13A,
The upper bearing 8B of the upper and lower lock levers 8 is the O-ring 1
The outer cylindrical portion 8C of the bearing portion 8B is fitted to the outer periphery of the shaft portion of the upper and lower angle knobs 2 via 3B, and the O-ring 1
The O-rings 13A to 13C are set to different diameters in order to prevent co-rotation, although the O-rings 13A to 13C are fitted to the support cylinder 9A integrated with the fixed shaft 9 via 3C.

That is, when the vertical lock lever 8 is turned, the O-ring 13A (diameter of cross section) is made thicker than the O-ring 13B so that the vertical angle knob 2 does not rotate together. The frictional force is increased. On the other hand, the O-ring 13C is made thicker than the O-ring 13B so that the lock lever 8 does not rotate together when the upper and lower angle knobs 2 are turned, and the frictional force on the lock lever 8 side is increased. doing. In the case of this O-ring 13C,
Since the frictional force increases as the diameter of the support cylinder 9A increases,
It may be smaller than the O-ring 13A.

On the other hand, even on the side of the left and right angle knobs 3,
Similarly, the left and right lock levers 14 are screwed and connected to the fixed cylinder 15, and between the sliding plate 16 sliding vertically and the contact portion 17,
A friction plate 18 is arranged. Therefore, also in this case, when the left and right lock levers 14 are operated, the left and right angle knobs 3 are locked at arbitrary positions based on the frictional force of the upper and lower surfaces of the friction plate 18.

The shaft portion of the left and right angle knobs 3 is fitted into a support cylinder (not shown) via an O-ring 13D,
The lower bearing portion 14A of the left and right lock lever 14 is fitted to the outer circumference of the shaft portion of the left and right angle knob 3 via the O-ring 13E, and the upper inner circumferential portion of the bearing portion 14A has the O-ring 1
It fits on the outer periphery of the sliding plate 16 via 3F.

When the lock lever 14 is turned, the left and right angle knobs 3 are prevented from rotating together.
The O-ring 13D (cross-sectional diameter) is made thicker than the O-ring 13E so that the frictional force on the left and right angle knobs 3 side is set to be large. On the other hand, when the left and right angle knobs 3 are rotated, the lock lever 14 rotates together. To prevent this, the O-ring 13F is made thicker than the O-ring 13E, and the frictional force on the lock lever 14 side is set to be large. This prevents co-rotation of the operating members.

[0011]

However, in the structure of the conventional lock device for the angle operation portion, as described above, the thickness of the O-rings 13A to 13F is adjusted in consideration of the contact radius, and the angle knob 2 is adjusted. , 3 and the lock levers 8, 14 are larger than the frictional force between each of these operating members and the supporting and fixing portion to prevent co-rotation of each operating member. On the contrary, there is a problem that the operation of each operation member becomes heavy.

Further, the friction force between the upper and lower lock levers 8 and the O-ring 13C arranged on the support cylinder 14, and the friction between the lock lever 14 and the O-ring 13F arranged on the sliding plate 16 are provided. There is also a problem that the locked state may be held by force, and this locked state may not be held reliably.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to lock an angle operation unit that can lighten the operation of a lock lever and can reliably hold a locked state. To provide.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a lock device for an angle operating portion according to the invention of a first aspect is provided with an operating member which rotates for operating a bending angle of a tip portion, A lock member that rotates to lock the rotation operation position of the operation member, and a slide that slides up and down by the rotation of the lock member and uses the frictional force to bring the operation member into the locked state. A plate, the contact portion between the lock member and the sliding plate is provided with a convex portion on one side, and a locking portion for locking the convex portion is provided on the other side. It is characterized in that the locking member is locked at least at the locking position by the portion. A second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the convex portion is a spring-loaded click ball, and the locking portion is a pin-shaped member or groove having a size capable of locking the click ball. According to a third aspect of the invention, a plurality of holes for disposing one of the convex portion and the locking portion are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of either one of the lock member and the sliding plate. At the same time, a plurality of the other of the convex portions or the locking portions are arranged at a slight angle offset from the circumferentially equidistant positions of the other member, and the locking positions of the convex portions and the locking portions are finely adjusted. Characterize.

According to the structures of the first and second claims,
For example, a spring-loaded click ball is provided on the lock member side, a pin-shaped member is arranged on the sliding plate side, and the click ball is locked by this pin-shaped member,
The lock member is fixed in the locked position. The click ball and the pin-shaped member can be locked at a predetermined position on the free side. According to this, since the frictional force of the O-ring is not used, there is an advantage that the operation is light and the locked state of the click ball can be sensed by the sense (feeling) of the hand. .

According to the structure of the third aspect, for example, 24 holes for arranging the pin-shaped member are provided at intervals of 15 degrees, and click ball arranging holes are arranged at equal intervals. Arrange it in three places while shifting the angle by 5 degrees. According to this, the locking position of the locking member is set to the angle 5
It is possible to fine-tune each time.

[0017]

1 shows the structure of a lock device for an angle operating portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this angle operating portion, the present invention is applied to both an up-down locking member and a left-right locking member. Has been applied. As in the case of FIG. 8, the angle operation portion of FIG. 1 has a support shaft 21 on which a vertical angle knob 22 and a horizontal angle knob 23 are rotatably provided, and the vertical angle knob 22 is connected to the vertical angle knob 22 via a connecting tube 24. A take-up wheel 25 is integrally connected, and a take-up wheel 27 is integrally connected to the left and right angle knobs 23 via a connecting tube 26. A vertical drive wire is wound around the winding wheel 25, and a horizontal drive wire is wound around the winding wheel 27.

Therefore, by rotating the upper and lower angle knobs 22 and winding the drive wire by the winding wheel 25, the distal end portion of the endoscope can be bent in the vertical direction,
The left and right angle knobs 23 are rotated to rotate the winding wheel 27.
Thus, by winding the drive wire, the distal end portion of the endoscope can be bent in the left-right direction.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion related to the left and right angle knobs 23 on the upper side of the angle operation portion, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the structure of the lock member and the sliding plate as III-I in FIG.
The figure seen from the cutting line of II is shown (the lock member and the sliding plate of FIG. 2 show the state cut | disconnected by the II line of FIG. 3). In FIG. 2, a left and right lock lever 29 is connected to a threaded portion 21A at the tip of the support shaft 21 above the left and right angle knobs 23, and a donut disk-shaped slide is provided below the threaded portion 21A. The plate 30 is attached to the support shaft 21.

That is, the support shaft 2 on the lower side of the screwing portion 21A.
As shown in FIG. 3, both side surfaces of the outer periphery of the outer peripheral surface 1 are flatly cut, and the sliding plate 30 is formed with a long hole-shaped shaft hole 31 that fits exactly on both side surfaces of the support shaft 21. . Therefore, the sliding plate 30 moves up and down with the movement in the rotation direction being restricted. In addition, this sliding plate 3
0 is biased upward by a spring 32.

Further, the left and right angle knobs 23 are
A contact portion 34 is provided on the shaft portion, and a friction plate 35 having a donut disk shape and made of engineering plastic or the like is arranged between the contact portion 34 and the sliding plate 30. Therefore, when the left and right lock levers 29 are rotated in the locking direction, the sliding plate 30 is moved downward due to the connection with the screwing portion 21A, and the friction plate 35 is brought into contact with the contact portion 34 of the left and right angle knobs 23. The left and right angle knobs 23 are locked at the current position due to the pressure contact.

In the sliding plate 30 as described above, as shown in FIG. 3, 24 mounting holes (screw holes) 37 are formed at equal intervals, and one of the mounting holes 37 has a locking pin 38.
Is attached as a locking portion. This locking pin 38
As shown in FIG. 2, it is guided by the guide groove 39 of the sliding plate 30 and is arranged so as to project upward from the guide groove 39. The guide groove 39 limits the moving range of the left and right lock levers 29 by the locking pin 38. Then, on the left and right lock levers 29 side, a click ball 40 (A,
B) is provided.

That is, in the left and right lock lever 29, the mounting holes 41A and 41B are arranged at an angular interval slightly smaller than the operating angle θ1 (for example, 60 degrees), and this combination member is 3
Set up a place. The click balls 40A and 40B are
Located in one of these mounting holes 41A, 41,
It is attached with an adjusting screw (which adjusts the returning strength of the click ball 40) 43 via a spring 42. In this example, the left and right lock levers 29 are locked at two positions, the free position (40A) and the lock position (40B). Therefore, the click balls 40A, 40B is placed. According to such a click ball 40, it moves from one end side to the other end side of its outer periphery while being pressed by the side surface of the locking pin 38, and the click ball 40 is locked by the locking pin 38 at this moving position. It

The 24 mounting holes 37 of the locking pin 38 are arranged at equal intervals of 15 degrees, but the mounting holes 41A and 41B for each set are slightly smaller than the equidistant positions. They are arranged in a staggered manner. That is, the positions P1, P2, and P3 of the mounting hole 41A are not divided by 120 degrees into three equal parts, but by 5 degrees less than this, for example, the interval from P1 to P2 is 110 degrees, and the interval from P2 to P3. Is 115 degrees. According to this, the locking positions of the left and right lock levers 29 can be adjusted at intervals of 5 degrees. For example, when the lock lever 29 moves 0.5 mm in one rotation, it is about 0.0.
It will be possible to adjust by 07 mm.

In addition, in FIG. 2, an O-ring 46A is arranged between the shaft portion of the left and right angle knob 23 and the support cylinder 45 as in the conventional case, and the left and right angle knob 2 is provided.
An O-ring 46B is arranged between the shaft portion 3 and the bearing portion 29A of the left and right lock lever 29. Then, the same thing as the O-ring 13F used in FIG. 8 is not provided.

According to such a configuration of the left and right angle operating side, when the left and right lock levers 29 are in the free position,
For example, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the click ball 40A on the lock lever 29 side is locked by the locking pin 38 on the sliding plate 30 side, so that the left and right lock levers 29 are firmly fixed at the free position. At this free position, the left and right angle knobs 23 can be freely operated, and when the endoscope distal end is bent to the desired position and then locked, the left and right lock levers 29 are moved in the counterclockwise locking direction, for example. Rotate.

Then, the click ball 40A shown in FIG.
While moving against the side surface of the locking pin 38, moves to the right and rotates counterclockwise. At the same time, the lock lever 29 rotates the screwing portion 21A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to move the sliding plate 30 downward, and the sliding plate 30 moves downward.
The contact portions 34 of the left and right angle knobs 23 are pressed against each other via the so as to be in a locked state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the other click ball 40B on the right and left lock lever 29 side moves on the side surface of the locking pin 38 of the sliding plate 30 and is then locked by this locking pin 38. As a result, the left and right lock levers 29 are fixed at the lock position. Then, such a locking operation of the click ball 40 can be confirmed with a sense of a hand.

On the other hand, when releasing the locked state, the left and right lock levers 29 are rotated clockwise,
By returning the click ball 40A to the state of FIG. 3,
The left and right lock levers 29 can be fixed to the free position. In this way, in this example, it is possible to set the fixed state at the two positions of the free position and the locked position,
Moreover, between the left and right lock levers 29 and the sliding plate 30,
Lock lever 2 without using conventional O-ring 13F
There is an advantage that the operation of 9 becomes light.

Next, the structure of the upper and lower angle knobs 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion related to the upper and lower angle knobs 22 on the lower side of the angle operation portion, and FIGS. 6 and 7 show the configurations of the lock member and the sliding plate. In FIG. 5, an up / down lock lever 47 is provided below the up / down angle knob 22,
In this lock lever 47, the lower bearing portion 47A has a fixed shaft 4
8 is screwed and connected to a screwing portion 48A of 8 and a predetermined angle (for example, 4
It is configured to rotate by 5 degrees). The sliding plate 50 is arranged above the bearing portion 47A of the vertical lock lever 47 in a state of being urged downward by the spring 51.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shaft hole of the sliding plate 50 is a square shaft hole 52. The outer periphery of the fixed shaft 48 (the upper side of the screwing portion 48A) into which the shaft hole 52 is fitted. ) Is also a quadrangle, and the sliding plate 50 can be slid up and down while the rotation is restricted. Further, the upper and lower angle knobs 22 are provided with a contact portion 54 so as to be integrated, and a friction plate 55 is arranged between the contact portion 54 and the sliding plate 50.

Therefore, when the upper and lower lock levers 47 are rotated in the locking direction, they are connected to the screwing portion 48A,
The sliding plate 50 moves upward and presses the friction plate 55 against the abutting portion 54 of the upper and lower angle knobs 22, whereby the upper and lower angle knobs 22 are locked at the current position.

In the sliding plate 50 as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, 24 mounting holes (screw holes) 57 are formed at equal intervals, and a click ball (assembly) is formed at one position of the mounting hole 57. ) The member is attached. This click ball member, as shown in FIG.
8 is protrudingly arranged at the tip, and an adjusting screw 60 is provided via a spring 59.
The structure is fixed by. The lower bearing portion 47A of the vertical lock lever 47 is provided with two locking grooves 61 (A, B) for locking the click ball 58.

That is, the two engaging grooves 61A and 61B are arranged at an interval of an operating angle θ2 (for example, 45 degrees), and a guide groove 62 is provided between the engaging grooves 61A and 61B. Are set as one set, and five sets are arranged. One locking groove 61A serves as the locking means at the free position and the other locking groove 61B serves as the locking means at the locked position. Therefore, in this case, by locking the click ball 60 in the fixed state in one of the locking grooves 61A and 61B that rotate, the vertical lock lever 47 is fixed in two positions, the free position and the locked position. Will be done. The up / down lock lever 4
As shown in FIG. 7, the movement of 7 is restricted by a stepped portion 63 provided in the vicinity of the engaging grooves 61A and 61B of the bearing portion 47A.

Further, the 24 mounting holes 57 of the click ball member are arranged at equal intervals of 15 degrees, but the engaging holes 61A and 61B for each set are slightly displaced from the positions at equal intervals. Will be placed. That is, for example, the illustrated engagement hole 6
The positions Q1, Q2, and Q3 of 1A are not divided by 60 degrees but divided by 3 degrees, so the distance from Q1 to Q2 is 72 degrees, the distance from Q2 to Q3 is 69 degrees, and not shown from Q3. The interval from Q4 to 63 degrees, from Q4 to Q5 (not shown)
To 60 degrees. According to this, the locking position of the up-down lock lever 47 can be adjusted at intervals of 3 degrees,
For example, when the lock lever 29 moves 0.5 mm in one rotation, it can be adjusted by about 0.004 mm.

In FIG. 5, an O-ring 46C is arranged between the shaft portion of the upper and lower angle knobs 22 and the support cylinder 45, as in the conventional case, and the upper and lower angle knobs 2 are provided.
An O-ring 46D is arranged between the second shaft portion and the bearing portion 47B of the vertical lock lever 47. And, the same thing as the O-ring 13C used in FIG. 8 is not provided.

According to such a configuration on the vertical angle operation side, when the vertical lock lever 47 is in the free position,
In the state shown in FIG. 7, the click ball 58 on the sliding plate 50 side is locked by the locking groove 61A on the vertical lock lever 47 side, whereby the vertical lock lever 47 is firmly fixed at the free position. When the upper and lower angle knobs 22 are locked after being operated, the upper and lower lock levers 47 are rotated, for example, in a counterclockwise locking direction.

Then, the lock lever 47 is shown in FIG.
Also, the sliding plate 50 is moved upward by the connection with the screwing portion 48A of FIG. 5, so that the sliding plate 50 locks the contact portion 54 of the upper and lower angle knobs 22 via the friction plate 55. Press against. At the same time, with respect to the click ball 58 in the fixed state shown in FIG. 7, the bearing portion 47A moves to the left and passes through the guide groove 62, and then the other locking groove 61B is locked by the click ball 58, The upper and lower lock levers 47 are fixed at the lock position.

To release the locked state, the upper and lower lock levers 47 are rotated clockwise,
By returning the click ball 58 to the state shown in FIG. 7, the vertical lock lever 47 can be fixed to the free position. Thus, even on the vertical angle operation side, it can be fixed at two positions, the free position and the locked position, and the conventional O-ring 13C is used between the vertical lock lever 47 and the sliding plate 50. Therefore, the operation of the lock lever 47 becomes light.

Although the click balls 40 and 58 are provided as the protrusions in the example of the above-described embodiment, the protrusions formed simply by projecting from each member may be used.

[0040]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a convex portion such as a click ball is provided on either one of the contact portions between the lock member and the sliding plate,
On the other hand, a locking portion such as a pin-shaped member or a groove is provided, and the locking member is locked at least at the locking position by the engagement of the convex portion and the locking portion so that the frictional force of the O-ring is not used. , The operation of the lock lever can be lightened,
It is possible to reliably hold the locked state. Moreover, when the click ball is used, there is an advantage that the locked state can be sensed with the sense of a hand.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of holes for arranging one of the protrusions or the engaging portions are arranged at equal intervals, and the other of the protrusions or the engaging portions is arranged. Since a plurality of them are arranged at slight intervals from the equidistant positions, there is an advantage that the locking positions of the convex portion and the locking portion can be finely adjusted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an angle operation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the upper left and right angle operating sides of the angle operating portion of FIG. 1 (the lock member and the sliding plate in this figure are in a state cut along the line I-I in FIG. 3). ).

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a configuration of a left / right lock lever and a sliding plate on a left / right angle operation side of FIG. 2 as seen from a cutting line III-III in the figure.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where the left and right lock levers in FIG. 3 are moved to a lock position.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the upper and lower angle operation sides on the lower side of the angle operation section in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a configuration of an up / down lock lever and a sliding plate on an up / down angle operation side in a state of being cut on the upper side of the sliding plate.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a click ball member and an engagement groove of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional angle operation unit of an endoscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 21 ... Support shafts, 2, 22 ... Vertical angle knobs, 3, 23 ... Horizontal angle knobs, 8, 47 ... Vertical lock levers, 10, 16, 30, 50 ... Sliding plates, 12, 18, 35, 55 ... Friction plate, 14, 29 ... Left and right lock levers, 38 ... Locking pin, 40 (A, B), 58 ... Click ball, 61 (A, B) ... Locking groove.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An operating member that rotates to operate a bending angle of a tip portion, a lock member that rotates to lock a rotational operation position of the operating member, and a vertical member that rotates by rotating the lock member. A sliding plate that slides on the operation member to lock the operating member by using a frictional force, and a protrusion is provided on one of the contact portions of the lock member and the sliding plate, A locking device for an angle operation part, characterized in that a locking part for locking the convex part is provided on the other side, and the locking member is locked at least at the locking position by the convex part and the locking part. 2. The first portion, wherein the convex portion is a spring-loaded click ball, and the locking portion is a pin-shaped member or groove having a size capable of locking the click ball. A lock device for an angle operation part according to claim 10. 3. A plurality of holes for arranging one of the convex portion and the locking portion are arranged at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of either one of the lock member and the sliding plate, and the convex portion is provided. A plurality of the other of the locking portions or the locking portions are arranged by shifting a minute angle from the equally spaced positions in the circumferential direction of the other member, and the locking positions of the convex portion and the locking portion are finely adjusted. A lock device for an angle operation part according to claim 1.