JPS5928941A - Flexible tube of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flexible endoscope tube, and particularly to a flexible endoscope tube having a distal end, a joint metal fitting, a rear joint, a curved portion such as an angle wire, and a wire coil. It is.

As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope generally includes a flexible tube section 1 inserted into the body, an operating section main body 2 connected to this, and a light source device (not shown) connected thereto. It consists of the upper part of the LG pipe. The flexible tube section 1 is composed of a distal end section 4 having a distal end, an objective lens, an air/water inlet, an egg inlet, a light guide, etc., a curved section 5, and a flexible section 6. Further, the operation section main body 2 includes an eyepiece section 7, an air/water supply button 8, a curved operation section 9, and the like.

In the curved portion 5, as shown in FIG. 2, a large number of ring-shaped joint fittings 10 are connected by rivets 11 and can be bent. The metal fitting on the distal end side of the curved portion is connected to the distal end portion 4, and the metal fitting on the rear end side is connected to the rear joint 12. The outer surface of the joint fitting 10 is covered with a blade 13, which is further covered with a skin tube 14, and this skin tube is usually threaded with a thread 15.
The thread is tied over the top of the distal end 4 and then over the soft outer sole tube 16 over the rear joint 12 to form the curved part 5. Further, the thread 15 is usually coated with an adhesive 17 to prevent damage. Still connected to the rear of the curved portion 5 is a flexible portion 6 constituted by an inner side flex 18, a flexible portion blade 19, and a flexible portion outer skin tube 16. The curved portion 5 and the flexible portion 6 are normally joined by kneading the rear joint 12 of the curved portion 5, the flex 18 of the flexible portion 6, and the flexible portion blade 19, or the like.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an angle wire, which passes through the wire coil 21 and the coil pipe 22 connected to the tip thereof, and is further connected to the inner surface of the joint fitting 10 with a solder, solder, etc., and the angle wire 20 is slidable. It is connected to the distal end portion 4 through the wire pipe 23 of the joint fitting, which has a sufficient inner diameter to Further, the coil pipe 22 is joined to the rear joint 12, the rear end of the wire coil 21 is connected to the operating section main body 2, and the rear end of the angle wire 20 is connected to the bending operating section 9. Two angle wires 20 are normally used as one part, and the other is symmetrically arranged on the opposite side.

Figure 3 shows the joint fitting 10 and angle wire 2 of this curved part.
0 and the wire pipe 23 in an easy-to-understand manner. In addition, the joint fitting 1.0 does not necessarily have a structure in which the wire pipe 23 is joined to the inside, but as shown in FIG. Angle wire 20
There are structures that allow the passage of.

In the endoscope flexible tube configured as described above, by operating the bending operation section 9, the bending section 5 can be bent in the vertical direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions.

(Both figures show a structure that bends only in two force directions.) However, in reality, this operation requires friction between the angle wire 20 and the wire coil 21, and more particularly, the angle wire 20 when the bending portion 5 bends. Since the friction between the angle wire 2Q wire coil 21 and the wire pipe 23 becomes large, the angle wire 2Q wire coil 21 and the wire pipe 23
For example, a solid lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide is used for the angle wire 20. In particular, the angle wire 20 is coated with a solid lubricant dissolved in an epoxy solvent and fixed thereon. However, the conventional structure using a solid lubricant as described above has the following drawbacks.

],, ”;l'(Yapipe 23 and angle wire 2
Since the lubrication of the sliding surface with 0 is insufficient, the amount of operating force required to curve the curved portion 5 is large.

2. The wire pipe 23 and the angle wire 20 are worn out, which may cause the wire to break or the angle to sag (inability to bend to the correct angle).

3. Friction between the joint fittings 10 and the built-in components causes the image guide and ride guide to break.

4. Since molybdenum disulfide is a black powder, it poses problems in terms of workability for workers and preservation of the working environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible endoscope tube having a curved portion that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible endoscope tube having a curved portion with better bendability and less wear in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Examples of the present invention will be described below. The structure of each part in this embodiment is basically the same as the conventional structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and will therefore be omitted.

In this embodiment, instead of using a conventional solid lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide, a ceramic coating is applied to the joint fitting 10 and the wire knob 23 to obtain lubricity and wear resistance.

Ceramic coat is made of zirconia, silica, mononitride,
The main component is monocarbide, etc., and after being applied to the surface of metal, ceramic, etc., it is heated and fired to form a ceramic coating, and the firing conditions can be, for example, 100° C. for 20 to 40 minutes.

In some cases, a stronger coating can be formed by firing at a higher temperature (for example, around 300° C.). Ceramic coats generally have excellent heat resistance (approximately 300 to 2000°C), strong adhesion to metals and ceramics, and excellent resistance to acids, alkalis, and other chemicals, and are electrically insulating. It has properties such as high quality. For example, it can be formed as a commercially available ceramic coating material on the sliding surfaces of the pipe 23, the wire coil 21, etc., or it can be formed on at least a part of the joint fitting 10 and the wire coil 21 and the angle wire 20, or the angle wire 20. and joint fitting 10 and wire coil 2
By molding it on the sliding surface with 1, the lubricity, which had been a problem in the past, has been improved.6 As a result, wire breakage and angle distortion caused by wear on the sliding surface, as well as protection of built-in components, have been improved. Work efficiency is improved. In theory, it is possible to use this ceramic coat together with a conventional solid lubricant, and it goes without saying that even more effects can be obtained by using both together.

As explained above, by forming a ceramic coating on the sliding surface of the curved part instead of or in combination with the conventional solid lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide, 1. 2. Prevents wear on sliding surfaces and prevents wire breakage and angle droop by improving falling wear resistance. 3. Protects built-in objects by reducing friction with built-in objects, especially preventing damage to fibers. 4. Prevents damage to solid objects. The elimination of lubricants has the effect of improving work efficiency and preserving the working environment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the endoscope, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the curved part including the distal end and a part of the soft part, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the joint fitting, and Fig. 4 is a modification of the joint fitting. FIG. 4...Tip portion, 5...Curved portion, 10.
...Joint fittings, 12...Back joint, 20...
Angle wire, 21...Wire coil. Agent Patent Attorney Shoji Watanabe 215

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a curved endoscope section that includes a distal end, a joint metal fitting, a rear joint, an angle wire, and a wire coil, at least a portion of the joint metal fitting, the wire coil, and the angle wire are coated with ceramic. A flexible endoscope tube characterized by being subjected to. 2. The endoscope flexible tube according to claim 1, wherein a sliding portion between the angle wire, the joint fitting, and the wire coil is coated with a ceramic coating.