JPH10146313A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve durability and sliding performance of an endoscope inserting part by constituting a flexible tube to constitute the endoscope inserting part out of a metallic net-like tube arranged on the outermost layer, a resin tube arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of this metallic net like tube and a metallic spiral tube arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of the resin tube. SOLUTION: A flexible tube 10 to constitute a flexible part 4 of an endoscope inserting part is constituted of a three-layer structure of a metallic spiral tube 11 by forming a metallic belt-like member in a spiral shape so as to become a prescribed interval, a flexible soft resin tube 12 which covers an outer periphery of this metallic spiral tube 11 and is made of a synthetic resin and a metallic net-like tube 13 formed by braiding a plurality of stranded wires which cover an outer periphery of this resin tube 12 and are composed of metallic fine lines of stainless steel and phosphor bronze or the like to constitute the outermost layer. In this way, since the metallic net-like tube 13 is arranged on the outermost layer of the endoscope inserting part, rubbing strength is improved, and frictional resistance of piping and the metallic net like tube 13 is reduced, and inserting performance is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope for improving the durability of an endoscope insertion portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by inserting an elongated endoscope insertion portion into a body cavity, an organ in the body cavity can be observed, and if necessary, various treatments can be performed using a treatment tool inserted into a treatment tool channel. Endoscopes are widely used in the medical field.

On the other hand, also in the industrial field, industrial endoscopes are widely used for observing and inspecting scratches and corrosion inside piping such as boilers, turbines, engines, and chemical plants.

In general, a flexible tube of an endoscope is disclosed in
As shown in 809 and JP-A-1-285238, a metal mesh tube formed by braiding a plurality of wires made of a thin metal wire around the outer periphery of a metal spiral tube provided in the innermost layer is covered, Further, the outer periphery of the metal mesh tube was covered with a resin tube.

[0005]

However, in particular,
Since an inspected body using an industrial endoscope has projections such as burrs and rust, the resin tube constituting the outermost layer of the endoscope insertion portion comes into contact with these projections. At this time, since the rubbing strength of the resin tube is weak, there has been a problem that the watertightness cannot be maintained because the tube is scratched or damaged.

In addition, in the endoscope insertion portion in which the outermost layer is covered with a resin tube, the frictional resistance between the resin tube and the pipe is large, so that the endoscope has poor slipperiness, and the insertability is reduced. There was a problem.

In order to improve the rubbing strength of the endoscope insertion portion, it is conceivable to further cover the outer surface of the resin tube with a metal mesh tube. However, in this case, the outer diameter is increased, and the outer diameter is increased. This configuration is not suitable for manufacturing an endoscope.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and makes it possible to reduce the durability and slipperiness of an endoscope insertion portion without changing the external dimensions and the number of components of the endoscope insertion portion. It is intended to provide an endoscope that can be improved.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided an endoscope in which a flexible tube constituting an endoscope insertion portion is formed by braiding a plurality of strands of thin metal wires provided on an outermost layer. It comprises a mesh tube, a resin tube formed of synthetic resin provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the metal mesh tube, and a metal spiral tube made of metal provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the resin tube.

[0010] According to this configuration, since the metal mesh tube is arranged on the outermost layer of the endoscope insertion portion, the rubbing strength is improved. Further, the frictional resistance between the pipe and the metal mesh pipe is reduced, and the insertability is improved.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope insertion section, and FIG. 3 is an endoscope. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure near the bending part of an insertion part.

As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment.
Is provided with an observation window, an illumination window, and the like in order from the distal end side, and is formed by connecting the distal end portion 2 provided with the objective optical system and the illumination optical system and a plurality of bending pieces so as to be freely bendable, for example, as shown by a broken line An endoscope insertion portion 5 formed by a curved portion 3 and an elongated and flexible flexible portion 4, and an operation which is located near the endoscope insertion portion 5 and also serves as a grip portion of an operator. It is mainly composed of a unit 6 and a universal cord 7 extending from a side of the operation unit 6. At the end of the universal cord 7, a light guide connector 8 that is detachably connectable to a light source device (not shown) is provided. Reference numeral 9 denotes a bending operation knob used when bending the bending portion 3 in a desired direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible tube 10 constituting the flexible portion 4 of the endoscope insertion portion 5 is formed by spirally forming metal band-shaped members at predetermined intervals in order from the inner layer side. Metal helical tube 11, a flexible resin tube 12 formed of a synthetic resin and coated on the outer periphery of the metal helical tube 11, and an outermost layer covered on the outer periphery of the resin tube 12. It has a three-layer structure of a metal mesh tube 13 formed by braiding a plurality of strands made of a thin metal wire such as stainless steel or phosphor bronze.

As described above, the flexible tube constituting the flexible portion of the endoscope insertion portion is constituted by a metal mesh tube, a resin tube, and a metal spiral tube in this order from the outer layer side. By making the outermost layer a metal mesh tube formed by braiding a thin metal wire, the durability and slipperiness of the outer periphery of the flexible tube can be greatly improved.

Further, since the number of components of the flexible tube is the same as the number of components of the conventional flexible tube of the endoscope, it is a metal mesh tube, a resin tube, and a metal spiral tube. By simply changing the endoscope, an endoscope having a flexible tube with improved durability and slipperiness can be easily provided. This provides an endoscope that is less expensive than an endoscope in which the resin tube forming the flexible tube is covered with the metal mesh tube to improve the durability and the slipperiness of the outer periphery of the flexible tube. be able to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the flexible tube 10 provided on the curved portion 3 is replaced by a resin tube 12 which is omitted.
It has a two-layer structure of a metal spiral tube 11 forming an inner layer and a metal mesh tube 13 forming an outer layer. Thus, it is possible to provide an endoscope that has durability and slipperiness on the outer periphery and significantly improves the bendability of the bending portion.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, with respect to the outer periphery of the curved portion 3 formed by covering the metal spiral tube 11 with the metal mesh tube 13 in the longitudinal direction of the endoscope insertion portion 5 as shown in FIG. For example, by covering the curved metal net tube 14 having a braid angle larger than the braid angle of the metal net tube 13 formed by knitting at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction, thereby forming the metal on the inner layer side. When the braided tube 13 is about to shrink, it is possible to prevent the flexible tube from shrinking by suppressing the expansion of the diameter by the curved metal braided tube 14 having a large inclination of the braiding angle in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 5 shows an application example of the present invention, in which the structure of the flexible tube 10 is applied to an endoscope protective cover 50 as shown in the figure.

As shown in the figure, a protective cover 50 for an endoscope is used.
Are a curved portion protection portion 51 for covering and protecting the periphery of the curved portion 3 of the endoscope 1, a flexible portion protection portion 52 for covering and protecting the periphery of the flexible portion 4, and a flexible portion protection portion 52. And a cover main body 53 which is provided at the proximal end of the endoscope 1 and is integrally attached to the operation section 6 of the endoscope 1. A stop screw 54 is provided on the cover main body 53. By tightening or loosening the stop screw 54, the operation unit 6 of the endoscope 1 and the cover main body 53 are detachably fixed. Has become.

The flexible portion protection portion 52 includes a metal spiral tube 11 located on the inner layer side similarly to the flexible tube 10 shown in FIG.
Resin tube 1 coated on the outer periphery of metal spiral tube 11
2 and a metal mesh tube 13 which covers the outer periphery of the resin tube 12 and constitutes the outermost layer.

On the other hand, the bending portion protection portion 51 has a two-layer structure of a metal spiral tube 11 forming an inner layer and a metal mesh tube 13 forming an outer layer similarly to the flexible tube 10 shown in FIG. It is composed of

As described above, the protective cover for the endoscope is composed of a flexible portion protective portion having a three-layer structure of a metal spiral tube, a resin tube and a metal mesh tube, and a curved portion having a two-layer structure of a metal spiral tube and a metal mesh tube. By providing a protective section, the endoscope protective cover with significantly improved durability and slipperiness at the outermost periphery of the endoscope protective cover can be provided at low cost without increasing the outer dimensions of the protective cover. can do. This prevents the resin tube from being damaged when the endoscope whose outermost layer is made of a resin tube is inserted into an observation target such as a pipe, and the outer tube, which is a feature of a small-diameter endoscope, is prevented. Insertion into a small diameter portion is possible without impairing the small diameter. In addition, since the bending portion protection portion for protecting the bending portion of the endoscope is configured to have flexibility without the resin tube, the bending property of the endoscope hardly changes.

As shown in FIG. 6, a metal wire 55 for preventing the metal helical tube 11 from being elongated is provided on the outer periphery of the metal helical tube 11 constituting the curved portion protection portion 51 in the longitudinal direction of the endoscope protective cover. By providing the metal spiral tube substantially parallel to the direction, the elongation of the metal spiral tube can be prevented. This prevents a decrease in the field of view of the endoscope and an insufficient amount of light, which are caused by the extension of the metal spiral tube 11.

Further, the diameter of the metal wire 55 is
By configuring the endoscope with a large diameter as long as the bending operation of the bending portion of the endoscope is not hindered, not only the elongation but also the contraction of the metal spiral tube 11 can be prevented. This prevents the metal helical tube from shrinking and damaging the distal end portion of the endoscope when the endoscope is inserted into a conduit with the endoscope attached. In addition,
The number of the metal wires is one or more.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the bending portion protection portion 51 is formed by covering the bending portion metal mesh tube 14 having a braid angle larger than the braid angle of the metal mesh tube 13 with respect to the longitudinal direction. By doing so, in the case where the metal mesh tube 13 on the inner layer side is about to shrink, it is possible to suppress the expansion of the diameter by the curved metal mesh tube 14 having a large inclination of the braiding angle in the longitudinal direction and to prevent the flexible tube from shrinking. it can.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Appendix] According to the embodiment of the present invention described in detail above, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) A metal mesh tube formed by braiding a plurality of strands of thin metal wires provided on the outermost layer with a flexible tube constituting an endoscope insertion portion, and an inner periphery of the metal mesh tube A resin tube formed of a synthetic resin provided on the surface side,
And a metal spiral tube made of metal provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the resin tube.

(2) The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein a part of the flexible tube is constituted by the metal mesh tube and the metal spiral tube. Thereby, for example, by configuring the portion corresponding to the curved portion of the endoscope insertion portion of the flexible tube with the metal mesh tube and the metal spiral tube, the bendability of the curved portion of the endoscope is not impaired. .

(3) On the outer periphery of a part of the flexible tube composed of the metal mesh tube and the metal spiral tube, a curved portion metal having a braid angle larger than the braid angle of the metal mesh tube with respect to the longitudinal direction. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope is coated with a reticulated tube.

(4) A protective cover for an endoscope, which covers the insertion portion of the endoscope whose outermost layer is formed of a resin tube, is formed by braiding a plurality of strands of fine metal wires provided on the outermost layer. Metal tube, a resin tube formed of a synthetic resin provided on the inner surface of the metal tube, and a metal helical tube made of metal provided on the inner surface of the resin tube. Protective cover for endoscope.

(5) The endoscope protection cover according to appendix 4, wherein the bending portion protection portion corresponding to the bending portion of the endoscope of the endoscope protection cover comprises a metal mesh tube and a metal spiral tube.

(6) A curved metal mesh tube having a braid angle greater than the braid angle of the metal mesh tube on the outer periphery of the curved portion protection portion formed by the metal mesh tube and the metal spiral tube. 5. The endoscope protective cover according to claim 5, wherein the endoscope is covered with a protective cover.

(7) At least one metal wire is provided on the outer periphery of the metal helical tube constituting the bending portion protection portion in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the endoscope protection cover.
The protective cover for an endoscope according to the above.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, the durability and slipperiness of the endoscope insertion portion can be improved at low cost without changing the external dimensions of the endoscope insertion portion and the number of components. An endoscope can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 relate to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope insertion unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration near a bending portion of an endoscope insertion section.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration near the bending portion of the endoscope insertion section.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of an endoscope protective cover which is an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a bending portion protection unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Flexible tube 11 ... Metal spiral tube 12 ... Resin tube 13 ... Metal mesh tube

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A metal mesh tube formed by braiding a plurality of wires made of a thin metal wire provided on an outermost layer, a flexible tube constituting an endoscope insertion portion, and an inner peripheral surface of the metal mesh tube An endoscope comprising: a resin tube formed of a synthetic resin provided on a side thereof; and a metal spiral tube made of metal provided on an inner peripheral surface side of the resin tube.