JPH0984753A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope in which a variable regulating member can variably regulate the hardness of an insert part with a structure never damaging other integrated matters. SOLUTION: In an endoscope having an insert part 6 having a soft cylindrical body, a plurality of integrated matters inserted into the cylindrical body, a coil pipe 39 changeable in flexibility by hand-side operation and circumferentially movable which is one of the integrated matters, and a flexible regulating wire 41, this endoscope has a protecting cylinder fitted within the cylindrical body to partition the flexible variable member from at least one of the other integrated matters except the flexible variable member.

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 the hardness of an insertion portion can be variably adjusted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an endoscope to be inserted into the large intestine, the insertion portion is passed through a bent sigmoid colon, so that the insertion portion is made quite soft. However, after the tip of the insertion section has passed through the sigmoid colon (when the tip has reached the splenic curvature), the sigmoid colon is linearized, and while maintaining this state, the hardness of the insertion section is increased in order to insert it deeper. You may want to make it hard.
In order to deal with this, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-43802, a lever operation at a hand side operation unit pulls a wire inserted through a coil pipe arranged in an insertion portion to compress the coil pipe. It has been proposed that the hardness of the insertion part can be increased.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

(Conventional drawback) By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, when the insertion portion is bent while the coil pipe is hardened, the coil pipe moves while trying to take the shortest distance while moving inside the insertion portion. . Then, there may be a problem that other built-in objects having relatively weak resistance, such as a light guide or an image guide, are pressed and damaged. (Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to variably adjust the hardness of an insertion portion (flexibility adjustment) without damaging other internal components. (Possible) to provide an endoscope.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an insertion portion having a flexible tubular body, a plurality of built-in objects inserted into the tubular body, and one of the built-in objects can be operated on the hand side. An endoscope including a flexible variable member that changes in flexibility and is movable in the circumferential direction, the flexible variable member being installed in the tubular body, and the flexible variable member and other than the flexible variable member. And a partition member for partitioning at least one other built-in object. The hardness varying means (variability adjusting member) in the insertion section is partitioned from other built-in objects, thereby preventing the member of the hardness varying means from pressing other built-in objects.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (Structure) FIG. 2 shows a system of the endoscope apparatus 1, and FIG. 1 shows an internal structure of the electronic endoscope 2 in the endoscope apparatus 1. The endoscope apparatus 1 includes an endoscope 2, a control unit 3 having a light source section for supplying illumination light to the endoscope 2 and a signal processing section for processing an image signal sent from the endoscope 2. And a monitor 4 for displaying the video signal output from the control device 3 on the screen.

The electronic endoscope 2 has an elongated flexible insertion portion 6
And a large-diameter operating portion 7 continuously provided on the rear end side of the insertion portion 6.
And a universal cable 8 extending from the side portion of the operation portion 7.

The insertion portion 6 is provided with a rigid tip portion 9 located on the tip side thereof, and a bendable bending portion 11 is provided on the rear side adjacent to the tip portion 9. Further, behind the curved portion 11, a flexible portion 12 having a flexible and flexible tubular body is continuously provided. The bending portion 11 is the operation portion 7
By operating the bending operation knob 13 provided on the, it is configured to be able to bend in both up and down / left and right directions.

A connector 14 for connecting the universal cable 8 to the control device 3 is provided at the extending end of the universal cable 8.
Is provided. The control device 3 has a signal cable 1
The monitor 4 is connected by 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tip portion 9 of the insertion portion 6 is provided with a tip portion main body 17 formed of a hard material in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the tip portion main body 17 has an insertion portion. A forceps channel through hole 18 and an observation through hole 19 are provided parallel to the longitudinal direction of 6. A connecting tube 21 is built in the forceps channel through hole 18, and a flexible tube for forming a forceps channel 22 is formed at the rear portion of the connecting tube 21 projecting to the rear of the tip portion main body 17. Tube 23
The tip of is connected. The forceps channel tube 23 is inserted into the insertion portion 6, and its rear end portion is guided into the operation portion 7 so that the forceps opening 24 provided in the operation portion 7 is provided.
Connected to communicate with.

An objective lens system 26 is provided in front of the observation through hole 19, and a solid-state image pickup device 27 is provided at an image forming position of the objective lens system 26. A signal line 28 capable of transmitting an image signal is connected to the solid-state image pickup device 27. The signal line 28 is inserted into the insertion portion 6 and provided on the connector 14 via the operation portion 7 and the universal cable 8. Connected to the contact 29.

The connector 14 is provided with a light guide connector 32 which allows illumination light emitted from a light source (not shown) to enter the end of the light guide 31. This light guide 31 is a universal cable 8
After passing through the inside of the operation part 7 and the insertion part 6, the tip part thereof is inserted into a light guide through hole (not shown) provided in the tip part main body 17 to illuminate the observation site of the operative field with illumination light. Can be irradiated.

A plurality of substantially annular joint pieces 33 ... Are rotatably arranged in the bending portion 11 and are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 6. Of these joint pieces 33, the most advanced joint piece 3 ...
3 is externally fitted and fixed to the rear end of the front end main body 17. The distal end of an annular connecting pipe 34 provided at the distal end of the flexible portion 12 is fitted and fixed to the rearmost joint piece 33 of the plurality of joint pieces 33 .... The connection pipe 34 supports the tip of an angle wire guide 36 (not shown in FIG. 1) that is connected to the rear end of the tip body 17 and is formed of a metal coil pipe. An angle wire 37 (not shown in FIG. 1) such as a flexible stranded wire operated by the bending operation knob 13 is inserted and supported inside the container so as to be pulled and loosened. The curved portion 11 is curved so that the front end portion 9 in front of the curved portion 11 can be directed in the vertical / horizontal directions. The curved portion 11 is covered with a soft outer cover 65.

By the way, the insertion portion 6 is provided with a flexibility adjusting mechanism (means) described below so that the insertion portion 6 can be easily inserted into a bent body cavity such as a deep part of the large intestine.
Inside the flexible part 12 of the insertion part 6, a coil coil 39 made of metal is used as a flexible variable member as a flexibility adjusting means.
And a flexible adjusting wire 41 inserted through this lumen. The tip end of the coil pipe 39 connects the front end of the flexible portion 12 and the rear end of the bending portion 11 to the connecting pipe 34.
It is brazed and fixed to the inner wall of the unit with a braze 42. Further, the tip end of the flexibility adjusting wire 41 is also fixed to the tip end of the coil pipe 39 or the connecting pipe 34 by the brazing 42.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate portion on the rear end side of the coil pipe 39 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the connection mouthpiece 43 which connects the rear end of the flexible portion 12 and the front end of the operating portion 7. It is brazed and fixed with a wax 42. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the rear end of the coil pipe 39 extends to the inside of the operation portion 7 behind the brazing fixing portion.

The flexible variable member as the flexibility adjusting means is arranged so that at least an intermediate portion thereof is movable in the circumferential direction inside the flexible portion 12 except for the front and rear ends thereof. Generally speaking, the flexible variable member has a plurality of built-in objects inserted into the tubular body, and one of the built-in objects can change its flexibility by an operation on the hand side and can move in the circumferential direction. is there.

On the other hand, the rear end of the flexibility adjusting wire 41 incorporated in the coil pipe 39 is connected to one end of the link member 45 in the operation portion 7. As shown in FIG. 3, one end of another link 46 is connected to the other end of the link member 45. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, another link 4
The other end of 6 is connected to a later-described advancing / retreating operation mechanism on the lever 47 side for performing a flexibility adjusting operation as described later. One end of the lever 47 is formed as a disc-shaped base end portion 48, and the top portion of the other end is formed as a finger rest portion 49.

The lever 47 is rotatably mounted by pivotally attaching the center of the base end portion 48 thereof to the frame body of the operation portion 7 by means of a pivotally supporting portion 50 such as a rivet. A link connecting member 52 is attached to the outer periphery of the base end portion 48, and the tip end of the link 46 is attached so as to be rotatable around a pivotal support portion 51.

Therefore, from the state where the lever 47 is shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
Can be operated around and rotated to the position indicated by the solid line. By this rotation operation, the link 46 can be moved to the operation portion 7 side in the substantially longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 6, tension is applied to the flexibility adjusting wire 41, and the connecting pipe 34 is drawn toward the operation portion 7 side, and the coil The pipe 39 is also set in a state close to close winding.

Therefore, the flexibility adjusting wire 41 maintains the tension, generates a reaction force in the bending direction of the flexible portion 12, and can increase the rigidity of the flexible portion 12. That is,
The rigidity of the flexible portion 12 can be changed by changing the amount of rotation of the lever 47.

The pivot portion 50 of the lever 47 is substantially the same as the rotation center of the bending operation knob 13, and the lever 47 is near the bending operation knob 13 as shown in FIG. The same as operating the lever 4
The rotation of 7 can be performed by a simple operation.

The tip portion of the coil pipe 39 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the inner wall of the connecting pipe 34 or the like. In that case, the coil pipe 39 may fluctuate somewhat inside the insertion portion 6, but when the wire 41 is pulled, it is not necessary to pull only the coil pipe 39 and the connecting pipe 34. Therefore, the lever 47 is operated. There is an advantage that the ability can be lightened.

Next, the built-in structure of the flexible portion 12 in the insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2 will be described. This is shown in Figures 5 (a) and 5 (b).
There may be various types as shown in (c). Generally, in addition to the above-mentioned built-in member, the tubular body 60 of the insertion portion 6 is provided with an air feed tube 61, a water feed tube 62, and upper, lower, left, and right angle wires 37. The guide coil 36 is inserted.
The signal line 28 is composed of a plurality of shield lines 63, and is bundled by providing a binding resin layer 64 on its exterior.

The light guide 31 is a bundling tube 59 made of silicone rubber or foamable tetrafluoroethylene resin.
Are bundled with. In addition, the forceps channel tube 23 and the coil pipe 39 which is the flexibility adjusting means described above.
And the flexible adjustment wire 41 inserted through the tubular body 6
It is inserted in 0 in an appropriate arrangement.

In FIG. 5, the tubular body 60 of the insertion portion 6 is drawn as a single layer, but as shown in FIG.
In many cases, the inner cylinder 57 and the like are actually composed of a plurality of layers. The jacket 58 is made of synthetic resin. The inner cylindrical body 57 may be a metal thin wire or a knitted tube in which a metal thin wire and a synthetic resin function are knitted, or a spiral tube in which a metal plate is spirally wound on the inner layer thereof. The spiral tube may be wound in multiple directions by changing the winding direction.

The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that a protection tube surrounding another built-in member is provided to protect the coil pipe 39 through which the flexibility adjusting wire 41 is inserted, which is a flexible variable member of the flexibility adjusting means. A body (tubular body) 56 is provided, and this is used as a partition member. In the case of FIG. 5A, the protective cylinder 56 encloses the two light guides 31 which are optical system members made of non-metal glass fiber and the signal line 28 including non-metal, Both of them are partitioned into a space different from the space where the coil pipe 39 and the wire 41 of the flexibility adjusting means are located.

In the case of FIG. 5 (b), the protective cylinder 56 is a non-metal resin forceps channel tube 23, which is a member other than the light guide 31 and the signal line 28, an air supply tube 61, and a water supply tube. 62, the two angle wire guides 36 and the angle wires 37 are also surrounded.

In the case of FIG. 5C, a plurality of protective cylinders 5 are provided.
6a and 56b are provided, and the protection cylinders 56a and 56 are provided.
b surrounds the light guides 31, respectively. As a matter of course, as the protection mode by the protection cylinder body 56 in the present invention, various variations are conceivable other than the modes shown in FIGS.

A specific example of the protective cylinder 56 is shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d). FIG. 5 (a)
(C) is a form of the protection cylinder 56 (including 56a and 56b) viewed obliquely from the side. First, the protection cylinder 56 in FIG. 6A is a tube having a substantially circular cross section. This tube may be, for example, a resin tube made of expandable tetrafluoroethylene resin, rubber resin, or the like, or a tube in which such a layer is laminated in a plurality of layers. Figure 6
In the protection cylinder 56 in (b), since the protection cylinder 56 surrounds only the two light guides 31, the protection cylinder 56 has a non-circular cross-sectional shape such as an ellipse or an ellipse and has an axial direction. It extends in a direction perpendicular to. The protection cylinder 56 in FIG. 6C is, for example, a coiled cylinder formed by spirally winding a metal plate. The material may be a hard resin instead of a metal, but in any case, as compared with the one shown in FIG. 6A, the cylindrical body is less likely to be crushed in the radial direction and is easily bent in the axial direction. Further, the protective cylinder 56 may be a coil made of a metal wire having a circular cross section, or a coil in which the coil is closely wound.
The protective tubular body 56 in FIG. 6D constitutes the protective tubular body 56 made of metal thin wires or a knitted tube made of metal thin wires and synthetic resin fibers. Alternatively, a resin tube in which a metal wire or synthetic resin fiber is embedded may be used.
Both of them have a structure that is less likely to be crushed than that of FIG. 6 (a).

The range in which these protective cylinders 56 are provided is a portion where the coil pipe 39 of the flexibility adjusting means arranged in the soft portion 12 exerts a hardening action. Therefore, if the tip of the coil pipe 39 is halfway in the flexible portion 12, the protective tubular body 56 may be provided in the flexible portion 12 on the proximal side from there. Of course, the flexible part 12
May be the full length of.

Further, the flexible variable member of the flexibility adjusting means is not limited to the combination of the tubular coil pipe 39 and the wire 41 as described above, but is, for example, a resin tube in which the coil pipe 39 is softened by heating. The wire 41 may be a flexible adjusting member in combination with a wire which also serves as a heating means (heater), and may be any elongated built-in member capable of adjusting flexibility. (Operation) The operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described as a case of transanal insertion into the large intestine. First, the bending operation knob 13 is operated to insert the insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2 into the large intestine, and the distal end portion 9 of the insertion portion 6 moves from the descending colon 93 as shown in FIG. 7A. After the spleen curve 94 is reached, the insertion part 6 is twisted while pulling the flexible part 12 to obtain the state shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the bent state of the intestine and the insertion portion 6 is made linear. After that, when trying to insert into the transverse colon 95, the vicinity of the sigmoid colon 92 tries to return to the bent state,
Here, by rotating the lever 47, tension is applied to the flexibility adjusting wire 41 of the flexibility adjusting means to harden the coil pipe 39. Thereby, as described above, the flexible portion 1
The rigidity of 2 can be increased, and the soft portion 12 of the insertion portion 6 can be prevented from returning to the bent state. Therefore, it is possible to bend the distal end side of the insertion portion 6 and smoothly insert the insertion portion 6 into the transverse colon 95 side.

By passing through the transverse colon 95 while increasing the rigidity of the flexible portion 12, the transverse colon 95
The flexure can be released as shown in FIG. 7C to cross the hepatic curve 97 and be inserted into the ascending colon 96 and the cecum 98.

According to the first embodiment, the adjusting lever 47 is provided so as to be located at substantially the same rotation center position as the bending operating knob 13, so that the flexible adjusting member is provided separately. The flexibility can be adjusted by a simple operation without the need for an assistant. Alternatively, a biopsy can be performed by inserting a biopsy forceps into the forceps channel 22.

Here, when the flexible portion 12 of the insertion portion 6 is bent as shown in FIG. 7C and the coil pipe 39 for flexibility adjustment in the flexible portion 12 is hardened, other built-in components are included. Oppress. The light guide 31 made of glass fiber and the image guide (not shown) are particularly susceptible to damage due to the pressure. Since the present embodiment is an example of an electronic endoscope, an image guide is not used, but in the case of a fiber endoscope, it is preferable to surround the image guide with a protective cylinder 56.

Specifically, in FIG. 5A, the protective cylinder 5 is
By enclosing the light guide 31 and the signal line 28 with 6 and partitioning them from the coil pipe 39 of the flexibility adjusting means, the light guide 31 and the signal line 28 are protected from being pressed by the coil pipe 39. The light guide 31 is usually provided with a bundling tube 59 for bundling it, but this is the main function of bundling, and it is a material that is very flexible and easily crushed, so from the pressure of the coil pipe 39. Not enough to protect. Even if the protective cylinder 56 is crushed to some extent by the pressure of the coil pipe 39, the light guide 3
1. Since there is a sufficient gap between the signal line 28 and the signal line 28, the compressive force of the coil pipe 39 can be absorbed to protect the light guide 31 and the signal line 28.

Of course, the protective cylinder 56 may be made of a material (for example, a metal) that is hardly crushed when the coil pipe 39 is pressed. Since the signal line 28 is more resistant than the light guide 31, it may be arranged outside the protective cylinder 56 (see FIG. 6C). Further, in the case of a fiberscope instead of an electronic scope, it is necessary to arrange an image guide, which is less resistant than the light guide 31, in the protective cylinder 56 instead of the signal line 28. The coil pipe 39 (and the wire 41) can move inside the tubular body 60 outside the protective tubular body 56. If the coil pipe 39 is fixed to a portion (direction) of the tubular body 60, it will become a resistance when the flexible portion 12 is bent, and the flexible portion 12 will be hardened to some extent before the coil pipe 39 is hardened. However, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the coil pipe 39 has the tubular body 6
If it can move within 0, the soft part 12 can be sufficiently softened and can easily pass through the sigmoid colon 92.

In FIG. 5B, in addition to the light guide 31 and the signal line 28, the protection tube 56 surrounds the forceps channel tube 23, the air supply tube 61, the water supply tube 62, and the angle wire guide 36. . Therefore, the angle wire guide 36 in the protective cylinder 56 that protects the tubes from buckling and crushing does not need to be protected originally, but in order to make space efficiency effective, Two of them were arranged inside the protective cylinder 56, and the other were arranged outside.

In FIG. 5 (c), since there is a sufficient gap between the protective cylinder 56a and the binding tube 59, the protective cylinder 56a.
Even if a is made of a material that is crushed to some extent, the compressive force of the coil pipe 39 can be absorbed there. Since there is almost no gap between the protective cylinder 56b and the binding tube 59, it is necessary to use a material (metal or hard resin, thick resin) that is difficult to be crushed by itself. In this way, by enclosing the weakly resistant built-in objects individually with the protective cylinders 56a and 56b, it is possible to obtain the structure shown in FIG.
As in (a), a plurality of built-in components are provided in a cylindrical protection cylinder 5.
It is possible to eliminate the useless space as much as possible compared to the case of enclosing with 6. (Effects) As described above, in this embodiment, even when the flexible portion 12 of the insertion portion 6 is bent and the coil pipe 39 that is the flexibility adjusting member is hardened, the light guide 31 and the like are provided. It is possible to protect the built-in components of the coil pipe 39 from being pressed.

<Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. (Structure) FIG. 8 shows a system of the endoscope apparatus 1. The endoscope 2 in this embodiment has a forceps port 24 on the operation portion 7 of the endoscope 2.
An insertion port 68 for inserting a long action portion 67 of a flexible adjustment jig 66, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 9, is provided in the vicinity of. The insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2 is provided with an insertion tube 69 communicating with the insertion port 68. The distal end side of the insertion tube 69 is arranged inside the flexible portion 12 closer to the hand than the bending portion 11,
The tip of the insertion tube 69 is closed. The internal structure of the flexible portion 12 in the insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2 is the same as that of the example of FIGS. 5A to 5C as described above, and the peripheral position of the arrangement position of the coil pipe 39 in FIG. Insertion tube 6 corresponding to
Only 9 is provided. The other structures of the endoscope body are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

The flexibility adjusting jig 66 constitutes a flexible variable member, and as shown in FIG. 9, the coil pipe 39 similar to that of the first embodiment is inserted through the coil pipe 39. And a wire 41. The tip of the wire 41 is fixed to the tip 70 of the coil pipe 39. The distal end 70 is formed in a round shape so that the insertion tube 69 of the endoscope 2 is not damaged. A main body 72 of the operation portion 71 of the adjusting jig 66 is fitted with a support column 73 so as to be able to move back and forth, and the proximal end of the wire 41 is connected to the support column 73. A spiral groove 74 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the main body 72. In the spiral groove 74, the pin 7 provided on the support 73
5 is fitted. Further, some (one or more) recesses 76 are provided in the middle of the spiral groove 74, and the pin 75 is fitted into an arbitrary recess 76 and engaged therewith. Handles 77 and 78 are attached to the main body 72 and the pillar 73, respectively.
Is attached. (Function) The flexibility adjusting jig 66 is provided with the handle 7 with respect to the handle 77.
When 8 is rotated, the pin 75 moves along the spiral groove 74, the strut 73 moves axially with respect to the main body 72, the wire 41 is pulled with respect to the coil pipe 39, and a compressive force is applied to the coil pipe 39. By adding it, the action part 67 can be hardened. The flexible portion 12 can be changed from a soft state to a hard state by inserting the action portion 67 of the flexibility adjusting jig 66 into the insertion tube 69 and then performing the above operation. At that time, if the pin 75 is fitted into and engaged with the recess 76, that state can be reliably maintained.

In this embodiment, since the operating portion 67 of the flexibility adjusting jig 66 can be appropriately moved in the insertion tube 69 in the axial direction, the range and the portion of the flexible portion 12 of the insertion portion 2 to be hardened can be set by the user. It can be adjusted in the axial direction according to your preference. Also,
If there are a plurality of recesses 76, the pins 75 can be stopped there, and the flexibility can be changed in multiple stages. (Effect) According to the user's preference, the portion where the soft portion 12 is hardened can be adjusted, the hardening level can be adjusted in multiple stages, and the insertability into the large intestine can be improved depending on the individual user. (Modification) The insertion port 68 of the endoscope 2 may be provided not at the front of the forceps port 24 but at the rear thereof, or at the side of the operation unit 7. Further, it may be behind the position of the bending operation knob 13. The insertion tube 69 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 9, but may be a wire (stylet) made of metal or hard resin, for example. That is, the soft portion before the stylet is inserted can be hardened only by inserting the stylet, and a simple flexibility adjusting means can be configured.

<Third Embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (Structure) FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a main part inside the endoscope 2. FIG. 11 shows the operation unit 7 of the endoscope 2.
It is a figure which shows the vicinity. Reference numeral 100 in FIG. 10 is a bending operation wire. The bending operation wire 100 is the same as in the above embodiment.
Also, the tip thereof is fixed to the tip side portion of the bending portion 11 in the insertion portion 6. The proximal side of the bending operation wire 100 is connected via another member (not shown) to an advancing / retreating operation mechanism (not shown) operated by the bending operation knob 13 of the operation unit 7. Then, by rotating the bending operation knob 13, the bending operation wire 100 is moved back and forth.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the bending operation wire 100 inside the endoscope 2 is surrounded by the wire insertion tube 101, and the tip of the wire insertion tube 101 is the proximal end of the bending portion 11 or For example, a wax 4 is attached to the tip of the flexible portion 12.
It is attached and fixed at 2. The proximal end of the wire insertion tube 101 is fixed to a stopper member 102 provided in the operation portion 7. The wire insertion tube 101 is made of, for example, a thin metal pipe (stainless steel pipe or the like).

A coil pipe 103 is provided around the wire insertion tube 101, and the coil pipe 103 is installed so as to surround the wire insertion tube 101. The tip of the coil pipe 103 is attached and fixed to the tip of the wire insertion tube 101 by the brazing 42, for example. That is,
The tip of the coil pipe 103 is fixed to the proximal end of the bending portion 11 or the tip of the flexible portion 12.

A rack 104 is attached and fixed to the proximal end of the coil pipe 103. The rack 104 has a pinion 10 having irregularities that match the irregularities formed on the outer periphery thereof.
5 are fitted and connected. By operating the operation unit 7, the rack 10 is rotated by rotating the pinion 105.
You can move 4 forwards and backwards. The pinion 105 is rotatably supported by a column 106 provided on the operation unit 7. As shown in FIG. 11, an operation knob 107 arranged outside the operation unit 7 is connected to the column 106, and the pinion 105 is rotated by the operation knob 107. As shown in FIG. 12, the operation portion 7 is provided with a protrusion 108 that locks the operation knob 107 so that the rotation of the operation knob 107 in the loosening direction can be stopped.

As shown in FIG. 13, the insertion portion 6 of the endoscope 2
A protective cylinder 56 similar to that described in the first embodiment is provided in the flexible portion 12 and surrounds the light guide 31, the air supply tube 61, the water supply tube 62, and the forceps channel tube 23. There is. Further, outside the protective cylinder 56, the angle wire 37, the angle wire guide 36, the wire 100, and the wire insertion tube 101 are provided.
Also, the coil pipe 103 and the signal line 28 are arranged. (Operation) The wire insertion tube 101 has the same role as the angle wire guide 36 of the first embodiment, and even when the wire 100 is moved back and forth, the wire insertion tube 101 does not move, and the bending operation can be performed like a normal endoscope. . On the other hand, when the operation knob 107 is rotated, the pinion 105 is rotated to move the rack 104 forward and backward. Therefore, if the coil pipe 103 is operated so as to be compressed, the coil pipe 103 can be hardened and the flexible portion of the insertion portion 6 can be moved. 12 can be hardened or softened. When the coil pipe 103 is compressed, even if it is separated from the operation knob 107 by hand, the operation knob 107 can be stopped by the protrusion 108. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, when the operation knob 107 passes over the slope of the protrusion 108, the protrusion 10
8 It falls into the locking surface and locks, and the operation knob 1
You can stop 07. When returning to the original position, the operation knob 108 is once moved to the outside of the operation portion 7 and can be returned to the original position beyond the apex of the protrusion 108.

The larger the diameter of the coil pipe 103, the greater the hardening effect. However, by providing the coil pipe 103 coaxially with the bending operation wire 100, the space inside the tubular body 60 can be effectively used. In the example of FIG. 13, the bending operation wire 100
Also, since the wire insertion tube 101 is inside the coil pipe 103, a space in which the coil pipe 103 can move within the tubular body 60 can be made wider than that provided separately.

In the example of FIG. 13, a metal built-in object (when the signal line 28 is considered to be resistant because the inside of the signal line 28 is also metal) is provided outside the protective cylinder 56, and the protective cylinder 56. The inside of the coil pipe 10
It protects non-metallic built-in objects that are considered to be vulnerable to pressure.

Further, the flexibility adjusting member does not necessarily depend on the coil pipe 103 and a means for applying a compressive force to the coil pipe 103. For example, a resin tube that is softened by heat is provided instead of the coil pipe 103, and the wire insertion tube 101 is heated by a heating means. By doing so, the flexibility may be adjusted, or other technical means may be used.
Further, the flexible adjusting member such as the coil pipe 103 is not limited to the outer circumference of the wire 100 and the wire tube 101, and may be the outer circumference of the conduit for air supply, water supply, or suction, or the light guide 31. It may also be on the outer circumference of the signal line 28 (or the image guide). By doing so, the built-in object surrounded by the flexible adjusting member is no longer pressed by the flexible adjusting member, and the built-in object can be protected. (Effect) According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the other embodiments described above, the space in the insertion portion 6 can be effectively used to install the flexible adjustment member in the tubular body 60. . [Supplementary Note A Group] (1) Insertion portion having a flexible tubular body, a plurality of built-in objects inserted into the tubular body, and flexibility of one of the built-in objects is changed by an operation on a hand side. In the endoscope having a flexible variable member that is movable in the circumferential direction, the flexible variable member installed inside the tubular body and at least one other than the flexible variable member An endoscope characterized in that a partitioning member for partitioning the object from the object is provided.

(2) In the first aspect, the built-in object partitioned from the flexible variable member by the partition member is a non-metal object. (3) In the item (2), the non-metal material is glass fiber. (4) In the third item, the glass fiber is a light guide. (5) In the third item, the glass fiber is an image guide.

(6) In the second item, the non-metallic material is a tube member. (7) In the second item, the non-metal material includes a signal wire.

(8) In the first aspect, the partition member partitions a plurality of built-in objects. (9) In the item (8), the partition member has a different shape that matches the shapes of a plurality of built-in objects. (10) In the item (8), the plurality of built-in objects are all optical system members. (11) In the above item (8), the built-in object includes a bending operation coil pipe.

(12) In the first item, the partition member partitions one built-in object. (13) In the first item, the partition member is a resin tube.

(14) In the first item, the partition member is a spiral tube. (15) In the first item, the partition member is a knitted tube. (16) In the first item, the flexible variable member is movable in the axial direction in the tubular body. (17) In the fifteenth item, the flexible variable member is composed of a hard stylet and a pipe line that is inserted therethrough.

(18) In the first aspect, the flexible variable member is capable of changing its flexibility in a plurality of steps. (19) In the first aspect, the operating member of the flexible variable member is located near the bending knob. (20) In the first aspect, the flexible variable member comprises a coil pipe and a wire inserted through the coil pipe. (21) In the above item (1), there is a gap between the partition member and the built-in object. [Supplementary Note B Group] (1) In the endoscope including the insertion portion formed of a flexible tubular body, the operation portion on the proximal side of the insertion portion, and at least one built-in object in the tubular body, It is characterized in that a tubular flexible variable member whose flexibility is changed by the operation of the operation unit is provided around one built-in object. (2) In the first aspect, the tubular flexible variable member is a coil pipe fitted into the built-in object.

(3) In the above item (2), the rack is attached to the proximal end of the coil pipe, and the pinion provided in the operating portion is rotated to enable the rack to move forward and backward. (4) In the first item, the built-in objects are a bending operation wire and a wire conduit. (5) In the first aspect, the built-in object is a fluid conduit.

(6) In the first item, the built-in object is a member of an optical system. (7) In the sixth item, the optical system member is a glass fiber.

In general, the coil pipe for hardening the insertion portion is provided separately from the other built-in components, so that the diameter of the insertion portion becomes larger than that without it. In particular, in order to increase the degree of hardness, it is necessary to make the diameter of the coil pipe large, and the larger the diameter, the larger the diameter of the insertion portion. However, according to the appendix B group, by providing the hardness varying means (variability adjusting member) coaxially with at least one of the built-in components, the hardness varying means is housed in the insertion portion with space efficiency, and the hardness of the insertion portion is increased. Prevents thickening as much as possible.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an endoscope in which the space can be efficiently used (the diameter of the insertion portion can be prevented as much as possible) and the hardness of the insertion portion can be changed.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the endoscope having the flexible variable member in the insertion portion, the flexible adjustment member movably provided in the insertion portion is different from other endoscopes. It is possible to prevent internal components from being pressed and damaged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of an electronic endoscope according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration of a system of the endoscope apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an operation unit case of the endoscope.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a flexible adjustment wire advancing / retreating operation mechanism of the endoscope.

5A, 5B, and 5C are cross-sectional views each showing a specific example of a built-in structure of a flexible portion in the endoscope insertion portion.

6 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are perspective views showing specific examples of the protective cylinder in the endoscope.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view for use in inserting the endoscope transanally into the large intestine.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration of a system of an endoscope apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a flexibility adjusting jig for an endoscope according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing a main part inside an endoscope according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of an operating portion of the endoscope of the third embodiment of the same.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the operation knob of the endoscope of the third embodiment and the projection that locks the same.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific example of the built-in structure of the soft part in the endoscope insertion part of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope device, 2 ... Endoscope, 6 ... Insertion part, 7 ... Operation part, 9 ... Tip part, 11 ... Bending part, 12 ... Soft part, 22 ...
Forceps channel, 23 ... Tube, 28 ... Signal line, 31
… Light guide, 36… Angle wire guide, 37…
Angle wire, 39 ... Coil pipe, 41 ... Flexible adjustment wire, 47 ... Lever, 60 ... Cylindrical body, 61 ... Air supply tube, 62 ... Water supply tube, 56 ... Protective cylinder (tubular body).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An insertion part having a flexible tubular body, a plurality of built-in objects inserted in the tubular body, and one of the built-in objects whose flexibility is changed by an operation on the hand side and its surroundings. An endoscope including a flexible variable member movable in a direction, the flexible variable member being installed in the tubular body, and at least one built-in object other than the flexible variable member. An endoscope having a partitioning member for partitioning and.