JPH0956665A - Support structure of angle operating part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To satisfactorily hold a first connecting cylinder arranged on the outside, and hold also a spacer arranged between both connecting cylinders. SOLUTION: A vertical angle handle 12 is connected to a winding wheel 15 by a first connecting cylinder 14, a lateral angle handle 13 is connected to a winding wheel 17 by a second connecting cylinder 16, a fixed cylinder 20 is formed on the outside of the first connecting cylinder 14, a first spacer 26 is arranged between the winding wheels 15 and 17, and a second spacer 30 is arranged between the first connecting cylinder 14 and the second connecting cylinder 16. The first connecting cylinder 14 has a mounting hole 34, and a holding groove 33 is formed on the fixed cylinder 20. A plate holding piece 31 is inserted through the mounting hole 34 to engage one end with the holding groove 33, and the lower end of the second spacer 30 is also brought into contact with the other end of the holding piece 31, whereby the first connecting cylinder 14 is held by the holding piece 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support structure for an angle operation section, and a support structure in the operation section for bending the tip of an endoscope 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 portion is configured to be bendable in, for example, four directions of up, down, left and right. Therefore, the operation section is provided with an angle operation section for pulling the wire and setting the bending angle of the tip.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of a conventional angle operation section. In the figure, an upper and lower angle knob 2 and a left and right angle knob 3 are rotatably provided on a support shaft 1, and a winding wheel 5 is integrally connected to the upper and lower angle knob 2 via a first connecting cylinder 4. A vertical driving wire (not shown) is wound around the winding wheel 5. Further, the winding wheel 7 is integrally connected to the left and right angle knobs 3 via the second connecting cylinder 6. Then, between the first connecting cylinder 4 and the second connecting cylinder 6 and between the winding wheel 5 and the winding wheel 7, holding metal fittings 8 for holding each member while avoiding direct contact with each other are provided. Are placed.

According to the above construction, by rotating the upper and lower angle knobs 2 or the right and left angle knobs 3 and winding up each drive wire, the distal end portion of the endoscope can be bent vertically or horizontally. You can

[0005]

By the way, since the inside of the angle operation section has a complicated structure, simplification of the structure and simplification of manufacturing are desired. For example, FIG. 6 shows the holding metal fitting 8 described above. Focusing on this holding metal fitting 8, a thin-walled tubular body 8A and a disk-shaped portion 8B having a winding vehicle storage portion are integrally formed. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to manufacture the holding metal fitting 8. Of course, the first connecting cylinder 4 and the winding wheel 5 and the second connecting cylinder 6 and the winding wheel 7 are also integrated, and there are similar problems.

On the other hand, conventionally, in order to reduce the number of parts of the angle operation portion and reduce the weight, it has been proposed to eliminate the above-mentioned holding metal fitting 8. However, when the holding metal fitting 8 is eliminated, the winding wheel 5 and the winding wheel 7 or the first connecting cylinder 4 and the second connecting cylinder 6 interfere with each other, and, for example, the upper and lower angle knobs 2 are There is a problem that the left and right angle knobs 3 rotate together during the turning operation, which causes a co-rotation.

Therefore, in order to reduce the above-mentioned co-rotation, the present applicant individually arranges spacers (spacing members) between the winding wheels (5, 7) and between the first connecting cylinders (4, 6). Propose to place. However, since the first connecting cylinder arranged outside is not fixed in the vertical direction,
Since the lower side may interfere with the winding wheel or the like on the second connecting cylinder side, it is preferable to fix the first connecting cylinder in the vertical direction. However, because of the configuration that allows each member to be assembled,
It is difficult to support and fix the first connecting cylinder by the member on the outer periphery thereof.

Further, it is preferable that the spacer inserted between the connecting cylinders 4 and 6 is also held at a predetermined stable position.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to satisfactorily hold a first connecting cylinder arranged outside and also to hold a spacer arranged between both connecting cylinders at the same time. An object is to provide a support structure for an angle operation unit that can be used.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a support structure for an angle operating portion according to the present invention comprises two systems of angle operating members arranged for vertical and horizontal angle operations and a driving member. A wire winding wheel, an outer first connecting tube connecting one angle operating member to the winding wheel, an inner second connecting tube connecting the other angle operating member to the winding wheel, An angle having a fixed cylinder arranged outside the connecting cylinder, these members being arranged coaxially with respect to the support shaft, and a spacer being arranged between the first connecting cylinder and the second connecting cylinder. In the support structure of the operation portion, a mounting hole penetrating the side surface of the first connecting cylinder is formed, a holding groove is formed in the inner wall of the fixed cylinder, and the holding hole is inserted into the mounting hole of the first connecting cylinder. Provide a holding piece that engages with the holding groove of the fixed cylinder By abutting the end portions of the spacer to the other end of the holding piece, characterized in that so as to retain the holding piece the first coupling tube and the spacer.

[0011] According to the configuration operation of the above, since the first connecting cylinder is fixed in the vertical direction by a holding piece mounted from the inside, and the lower side of the first connecting cylinder and a second connecting cylinder and a take-up vehicles The interference does not occur, and the co-rotation between the connecting cylinders is satisfactorily reduced. Further, since the spacer is held by the holding piece, there is an advantage that the spacer can be arranged at a stable position.

[0012]

1 to 3 show a support structure for an angle operation section according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a view of the support section, and FIG. View from Figure 3, Figure 3
FIG. 4 is a view of an arrangement portion of a holding piece, and FIG. First, in FIG. 4, an upper and lower angle knob 12 and a left and right angle knob 13 are rotatably provided on a support shaft 10, and a first connecting cylinder (winding axle) 14 is integrally connected to the upper and lower angle knob 12. The winding wheel 15 is connected to the first connecting cylinder 14. On the other hand, a second connecting cylinder 16 is integrally connected to the left and right angle knobs 13, and a winding wheel 17 is connected to the second connecting cylinder 16.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 2, the shaft hole 15A of the winding wheel 15 and the shaft hole 17 of the winding wheel 17 are used.
A is a quadrangle, and the outer peripheries 14A and 16A (FIG. 1) on the lower side of the connecting cylinders 14 and 16 are also quadrangular. Is fitted to. That is, the connecting cylinders 14 and 16 and the winding wheels 15 and 17 are not integrated in the manufacturing process but separated from each other, and are connected by a fitting type during assembly. According to this, there is an advantage that the manufacturing process becomes easy.

The take-up wheel 15 is wound up and down and the take-up wheel 17 is wound up and down. Therefore, the upper and lower angle knobs 12
By rotating the winding wire and winding the drive wire with the winding wheel 15, the distal end portion of the endoscope can be bent in the vertical direction,
The left and right angle knobs 13 are rotated to rotate the winding wheel 17
By winding the drive wire with, the tip of the endoscope can be bent in the left-right direction.

An upper and lower lock lever 18 is provided below the upper and lower angle knobs 12, and a bearing portion 19 of the lock lever 18 is screwed (screwed) to a fixed shaft 20. Further, a left and right lock lever 22 is arranged above the left and right angle knob 13, and a bearing portion 23 of the lock lever 22 is screwed and connected to a fixed shaft 24.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a disc-shaped first spacer 26 is arranged between the winding wheel 15 and the winding wheel 17. This first spacer 26
Has the winding wheel 15 placed on the upper surface and the winding wheel 17 inside.
And the winding wheels 15 and 17 do not come into direct contact with each other. This first spacer 2
6 is fixed to the support body 29 and the like together with the upper fixed cylinder 20. Further, the second spacer 30 is attached above the space between the first connecting cylinder 14 and the second connecting cylinder 16 in a state where the second spacer 30 is kept airtight (O ring arrangement).

The first connecting cylinder 14 is held on the fixed cylinder 20 side by the two holding pieces 31 arranged at the intermediate position. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the holding piece 31 is a plate-shaped small piece obtained by cutting a donut-shaped disc at an angle of about 60 degrees. In addition, the holding groove 33 is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder 20 in the range of an angle of 360 degrees, and on the side surface of the first connecting cylinder 14, at a position separated from each other by an angle of 180 degrees.
Two horizontally elongated mounting holes 34 are formed so that
The holding piece 31 is inserted into the mounting hole 34. The other end (inner peripheral side) of the holding piece 31 is cut obliquely, and the lower end portion of the spacer 30 is also cut obliquely. The slope of the lower end of the spacer 30 becomes the slope of the other end of the holding piece 31. It comes into contact.

Therefore, the holding piece 31 can freely rotate along the holding groove 33 of the fixed barrel 20, and the first connecting barrel 1 can be kept in such a state that such free rotation is secured.
4 is held by a holding piece 31. According to this, the lower side of the first connecting cylinder 14 does not come into contact with the winding wheel 17 on the second connecting cylinder 16 side, interference is avoided, and the first spacer 2
Since it does not contact with 6, the rotation of the first connecting cylinder 14 itself is not hindered. As in the example, in the structure in which the first connecting cylinder 14 and the winding wheel 15 are separated,
When the connecting cylinder 14 is in the free state, it comes into contact with the lower member, so that the effect of the present invention is particularly great in such a separating structure.

The second connecting cylinder 16 is held on the support shaft 10 by a C ring or the like. In addition, the second spacer 30 described above.
The protrusion 30A (FIG. 1) is held by the first connecting cylinder 14 and is arranged in a stable state. According to the second spacer 30, the first connecting cylinder 14 and the second connecting cylinder 14 are connected to each other. It is possible to reduce the co-revolution between both of the cylinders 16.

Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the radial width t of the holding piece 31 is larger than the gap d between the first connecting cylinder 14 and the support shaft 10. It is set to be a little longer, so that the holding piece 31 will be
It doesn't fall inside.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the first spacer 26 separates the winding wheel 15 and the winding wheel 17, and the second spacer 30 separates the first connecting cylinder 14 and the second connecting cylinder 16. Therefore, co-rotation between the upper and lower angle operation members and the left and right angle operation members is prevented. Moreover, since the spacers 26 and 30 are separate members and have a simple structure, there is an advantage that the manufacturing is easier than the conventional holding metal fitting (8).

And, in such a support structure, the first
Since the connecting cylinder 14 is fixed in the vertical direction, the first
There is an advantage that the lower side of the connecting cylinder 14 is prevented from coming into contact with the winding wheel 17 or the first spacer 26 on the second connecting cylinder 16 side, and co-rotation is surely reduced.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A mounting hole is formed through the side surface of the connecting cylinder, a holding groove is formed in the inner wall of the fixed cylinder, and one end of the holding piece is engaged with the holding groove of the fixed cylinder while the holding piece is inserted into the mounting hole of the connecting cylinder. In addition, since the other end of the holding piece is brought into contact with the end portion of the spacer arranged between the connecting tubes, the first connecting tube and the spacer are held by the holding piece. It is possible to avoid contact with the winding wheel and the first spacer on the side of the second connecting cylinder, and it is possible to reliably reduce co-rotation. Further, a stable position is secured for the spacers arranged between the connecting cylinders, and as a result, it is possible to contribute to the reduction of co-rotation of the angle operation member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a support structure for an angle operation section (endoscope) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of a portion of the winding wheel of FIG. 1 viewed from above.

3A and 3B show an arrangement portion of a holding piece in FIG. 1, FIG. 3A is a view seen from the upper side, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged sectional view of one side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the angle operation unit of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional support structure for an angle operation section of an endoscope.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the holding metal fitting of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 10 ... Support shaft, 2, 12 ... Vertical angle knobs, 3, 13 ... Left and right angle knobs, 4, 14 ... 1st connection cylinder, 5, 7, 15, 17 ... Winding wheel, 6, 16 ... 2nd Connection tube, 20 ... Fixed tube, 26 ... First spacer, 30 ... Second spacer, 31 ... Holding piece, 33 ... Holding groove, 34 ... Mounting hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A two-system angle operating member and a drive wire winding wheel arranged for vertical and horizontal angle operations, and an outer first connection for connecting one angle operating member and the winding wheel. It has a tube, an inner second connecting tube that connects the other angle operation member and the winding wheel, and a fixed tube that is arranged outside the first connecting tube, and these members are attached to the support shaft. A support structure for an angle operation unit, which is coaxially arranged and has a spacer arranged between the first connecting cylinder and the second connecting cylinder, wherein a mounting hole penetrating a side surface of the first connecting cylinder is formed. A holding groove is formed in the inner peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder, a holding piece is provided which penetrates into the mounting hole of the first connecting cylinder and has one end engaged with the holding groove of the fixed cylinder, and the other end of the holding piece. By abutting the ends of the spacers, the first connecting cylinder The support structure of the angle control member, characterized in that so as to retain the fine the spacer in the holding piece.