JPS62208020A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the effective internal diameters of the image guide and endoscope insertion part in a flexible pipe by providing a control means which controls the intersection of a wire for curvature operation on the flexible pipe side at the rear end side of the flexible pipe. CONSTITUTION:A control member 36 is almost in a ring shape and a through hole which is internally thick on the side where a cut 37 is provided and eccentric is formed. The control member is fitted in an operation-part side ferrule member 34 and fixed with screws 38 and 38 which engage screw holes of an operation part side ferrule member 34 while its front end peripheral edge abuts on the rear end of a spiral-pipe side ferrule member 31. The cut 37 which is a little bit larger than the width of four pipes is formed in the thick part of the outer peripheral surface of the control member 36 in the peripheral direction. The depth of the cut 37 is a little bit larger than a pipe 25 and four wires 23L, 23R, 23U, and 23.D are prevented from crossing one another on the side of the flexible pipe by being run through the cut 37, and the cross one another in an operation part at the rear part of the control member 36 because there is an enough space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application 1] The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus provided with a means for restricting a bending operation wire inserted into an elongated flexible tube.

[Prior art 1] In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion section deep into the body cavity through an insertion route such as the oral cavity, it has become possible to observe and diagnose affected areas within the body cavity without making an incision, and to use it as a treatment instrument. Medical endoscopes that can perform therapeutic procedures have come to be widely used.

Also, in the industrial field, industrial endoscopes are widely used when inspecting the inside of a chemical plant or jet engine.

The above-mentioned endoscopes include a rigid endoscope with a hard insertion section and a flexible endoscope with a flexible insertion section that can be inserted through a curved path.

In the case of the above-mentioned flexible endoscope, a curved section is generally provided near the distal end of the insertion section, and this curved section can be bent using the proximal operation section.

Generally, the above-mentioned bending part is formed by connecting joint rings arranged in tandem so as to be freely rotatable, and by pulling one side of the bending operation wire inserted through the ah insertion part (flexible part) at the rear of this bending part and relaxing the other. This allows it to be bent left and right or -L down.

In this case, in order to enable the curved portion to curve both vertically and horizontally, for example, US Pat.
As shown in the figure, it is necessary to insert two pairs of bending operation wires from the bending part to the proximal operation part. As shown in FIG. 14, these wires will cross each other on the way to the hand-side boob.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] If the above-mentioned wires intersect within the insertion section, the wire A7 at the intersecting portion will protrude inward in the radial direction. The effective cross-sectional area indicated by the circle φ in FIG. 14 within the flexible tube of the insertion portion becomes small, which may be inconvenient or restrict the degree of freedom in design. In addition, in an endoscope insertion aid used as an endoscope device for inserting an endoscope, it is necessary to ensure an insertion path with a circular cross section for the insertion of the endoscope insertion part. If the wires cross within the flexible tube of the insertion section of the auxiliary device, the inner diameter of the insertion path will become smaller, which is disadvantageous.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope device that eliminates the above-mentioned inconvenience caused by the crossing of bending operation wires on the flexible portion side.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In the present invention, a means is provided for restricting the crossing of a plurality of pairs of bending operation wires inside the flexible tube, which are inserted through the flexible tube behind the bending portion, and these wires are By arranging the wires to cross within the large operation section at the rear of the flexible tube, crossing of the wires within the flexible tube is prevented and an effective cross-sectional area is secured.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a schematic perspective view showing the wire regulating member of the main part in the first embodiment, FIG. -Is the A' line enlarged sectional view and Figure 4 part of the first embodiment? l! A perspective view showing a mirror,
Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the curved part, Figure 6 is B-8 in Figure 5.
7 is a sectional view taken along the line c-c in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the industrial endoscope 1 of the first embodiment has an elongated and flexible insertion section (
a flexible part) 2, a large operation part 3 connected to the rear end side of this insertion part 2, and an eyepiece part 4 connected to the rear end of this operation part 3 and housing an eyepiece. , and a light guide cable 5 protruding from the side of the operating section 3 for transmitting illumination light.

The insertion section 2 houses an objective lens system 7 (a part of which is shown in FIG. 5) for forming an image of the object in its distal end 6. The image is transmitted to the rear end of the image guide 8 through an image guide 8 formed of a fiber bundle, so that it can be viewed under magnification through an eyepiece. Furthermore, the output end of a fiber bundle forming a light guide 9 for transmitting illumination light is fixed within this tip portion 6, and the output end of a fiber bundle forming a light guide 9 for transmitting illumination light is fixed, and is used for illumination of an illumination lamp in a light source device to which a connector 5A of the light guide cable 5 is attached. The light is transmitted and emitted to the side of the object to be imaged by the objective lens system 7, so that it can be illuminated.

A curved portion 10 is formed in a portion adjacent to the tip portion 6, and this curved portion 10 can be bent vertically or horizontally by an angle knob 11 protruding from the operating portion 3.

By the way, the above-mentioned curved portion 10 has a structure as shown in FIG.

Inside the braided pipe 12, a large number of annular nodes 13.13. .-, 13 are housed, and protruding pieces 13a, 13a are protruded such that adjacent node rings 13, 13 face each other with a 180° shift in the circumferential direction.
- Rivet 14.14. in the communication hole of 13a. ..., 14
The adjacent node rings 13 and 13 are rotatably attached.

The protrusions 13a, 13a, ... 13a are arranged horizontally (
In FIG. 5, the portions facing each other in the vertical direction (in the paper) and the portions facing each other in the vertical direction are in the longitudinal direction (front-back direction) of the curved portion 10.
so that they are repeated alternately. Thus, the foremost node ring 13 is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical tip body 15 and is fixed to the tip body 15. (In addition, the first
Figure, Figure 6.

In each cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the image guide 8, light guide 9, etc. are omitted. ) Also, the last stage node ring 13 is fitted onto the fixing ring 17, and as shown in FIG.
It is also fixed with screws 18.18. A spiral tube 19 and a mesh tube 21 outside the spiral tube 19 are fixed inside the rear side of the fixing ring 17 by pouring wax or the like into the threaded hole of the ring 17. Further, the outer peripheral surface of this mesh pipe 21 is covered with a flexible pipe 22.

By the way, the above-mentioned large number of node rings 13, 13. ..., 4 bending operation wires 23L, 23R passed through the inside of 13.

23U and 23D are passed through. Sign, R, U.

D indicates that it is for left and right and up and down directions.

Each of these wires 23I (representing I beam, R, U, D)
The front end of the tip body 15 is housed in a recess or groove provided in the front-rear direction on the outer peripheral surface of the tip body 15, and is fixed with wax or the like.

Further, each wire 231 is inserted into a guide vibe 25 made of stainless steel or the like near the rear end of the curved part 10, and this guide pipe 25 passes through the ring 17 (see FIG. 7) and is inserted into the insertion part 2 at the rear. is inserted through it and connected to the bending operation mechanism inside the operation section 3. This bending operation mechanism is operated by rotating the angle lever 11 that is protruded to the outside of the operation section 3.
One wire 23I facing vertically or horizontally is pulled while the other wire 23I is relaxed, and the pivot position on the pulled side (when bent)
It is designed so that it can be curved inward.

Each of the wires 23I passed through the inside of each node ring 13 is passed through an insertion hole of a wire receiver 26 attached to the inside of the node ring 13, thereby preventing the position of the wire 23I from moving unstablely.

Each node ring 13 to which the wire receiver 26 is attached has a sixth
As shown in the figure, notches 27 and 27 are provided at positions facing each other at an angle of 180 degrees, and a wire receiver 26 is fixed to each of these cutouts 27 by brazing 28, and the fixed wire receiver A wire 23I is passed through 26.

That is, the width of each notch 27 (in the circumferential direction of the node ring 13) is
The outer circumferential surface of the wire receiver 26 that has been inserted into (or fallen into) this notch 27 is the same as the outer circumferential surface of the node ring 13.
The settings are as follows.

However, since it is fixed in this state, the notch 27
If the joint ring 13 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the joint ring 13 without providing a
The effective radius inside the node ring 13 can be increased by the wall thickness of 6.

Further, the positions where each of the notches 27 are provided or the positions where the wire receivers 26 are fixed are different from the pivot positions that protrude inward in the radial direction on the left and right or top and bottom, and should be provided at positions close to the pivot positions. This allows the pulling of the wire 231 to act on the pivoted joint ring 13, thereby effectively bending it.

Furthermore, as is clear from Fig. 6', the position of the cutout of the joint ring 13 adjacent to the joint ring 13 provided with the left and right notches 27 and 27 is 90" offset from these notches 27° and 27. The wire receivers 26 and 26 are fixed to these notches.

Thus, an image guide 8 serving as an image transmission means and a light guide 9 for transmitting illumination light can be inserted through the hollow portion inside each node ring 13.

By the way, the insertion section 2 on the rear side of the curved section 10 has a second
This is the structure shown in the figure.

That is, the spiral pipe 19 is covered with a mesh pipe 21, and this mesh pipe 21
is further covered with a flexible tube 22.

The rear end of this mesh pipe 21 is fitted into a mouthpiece member 31, and is fixed by pouring solder 32 or the like into a hole provided on the outer peripheral surface of this mouthpiece member 31. This base member 31 has a tapered rear end, is fitted to the front end of a connection base member 34 on the operating portion 3 side, and is screwed with a retaining ring 35 .

The guide pipes 25 into which the wires 23I are inserted are inserted so as to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mesh pipe 21, and are distributed orthogonally around the central axis so that the angle from the central axis is approximately 90°. Each wire 23L, 23R, 2
3(J, 230 is (actually each wire 23I is curved part 1
0 is passed through a pipe 25 at the rear. ) As shown by the dashed line in FIG.
It is designed to pass 7. This 1AI11 member 36 is
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is approximately ring-shaped. An eccentric through hole is formed so that the side where the notch 37 is provided is thicker. Therefore, the operation part side cap member 34
It is fixed with a screw 38° 38 that is fitted into the screw hole of the operating portion side cap member 34 with its front end peripheral edge abutting the rear end of the spiral tube side cap member 31. This regulating member 3
6, a notch 37 is formed in the thickened portion of the outer peripheral surface in the circumferential direction to be slightly larger than the width of the four pipes (Tl). The depth of the notch 37 is slightly larger than the pipe 25. By passing this notch 37, the four wires 23L, 23R, 23tJ, 23D (
Alternatively, the pipes 25, 25, 25, 25) are prevented from crossing on the flexible tube 22 side, and are not allowed to cross within the operating section 3 where there is ample space behind the regulating member 36, as shown in FIG. That's what I do. On the flexible tube 22 side forming the insertion section 2 in this way, the wire 23I (or pipe 25)
Its feature is that by preventing the intersection of the light guides 9, 9, 9 and the image guide 8, which are inserted through the inside thereof, as shown in FIG. ing.

In this example, the number of light guides 9 is three to increase the cross-sectional area for illumination light transmission.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the portion of the flexible tube 22 around the portion connected by the two cap members 31 and 34 is covered with a breakage member 41. Thus, the rear end of this snapping member 41 is fixed to a ring-shaped joint 42, and this joint 42 is connected to a connecting ring 4 fixed to the operating portion side cap member 34 with a screw 43.
4 and is screwed on.

A tube 45 made of Boretex or the like is inserted into the inside of the operation part side cap member 34, and this tube 45
image guide 8 and light guide 9.9.9
so that it can be inserted.

According to the endoscope 11 of the first embodiment configured in this way,
Each pipe 2
5 restricts the movement of the flexible tube 22 in the radial direction, these pipes 25° . . . , 25 intersect within the operating portion 3 behind this portion. Therefore, the pipe 25 within the flexible tube 22. . . , 25 (or the wires 231) will not cross each other, so these pipes 25 . . . . The image guide 8, light guide 9, 9, 9, etc. inside the pipe 25 are crossed by the operation of the angle knob 11, causing inconveniences such as excessive pressure and breakage.'
can be resolved. In other words, the effective cross-sectional area through which the image guide 8 and the like can be inserted can be increased.

FIG. 8 shows an endoscope insertion aid 51 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

This auxiliary tool 51 is used, for example, to insert the endoscope &i1 inside and to facilitate guiding the distal end side of the endoscope 1 to a target site.

As shown in the figure, this auxiliary tool 51 is elongated and includes a guide tube section (hollow insertion section) 52 having a hollow passage through which the insertion section 2 of the wedding gift mi can pass, for example, and a guide tube section (hollow insertion section) 52. a large guide tube operating section 53 connected to the rear end side; an endoscope mounting section 54 formed at the rear end side of the guide tube operating section 53 to which the operating section 3 of the endoscope Wt1 is attached; Said (guide tube) operation section 53
and an endoscope holding section 55 that is formed between the endoscope mounting section 54 and the endoscope mounting section 54 and is extendable and retractable.

As shown in FIG. 9, a curved portion 56 is formed on the distal end side of the guide tube portion 52, and by rotating an angle knob 57 protruding from the operating portion 53, the curved portion 56 can be opened.
can be bent vertically or horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 9, this curved portion 56 is formed in the case of the endoscope 1, in which the tip body 15 shown in FIG. 5 is connected to a substantially cylindrical tip member 58. The distal end member 58 has a tapered surface 58a having a tapered diameter on the distal end side of the outer circumferential surface so that it can be easily inserted into the insertion path. The inner peripheral surface of this tip member 58 is also made into a tapered surface 58b with a slightly smaller diameter on the tip side, so that the insertion section 2 of the endoscope 1 inserted inside is guided toward the central axis side, making it easy to insert. are doing.

The structure of the guide tube portion 53, as shown in FIG. 10 on the rear side thereof, is similar to that shown in FIG. 2, and is indicated by the same reference numerals.

In other words, in this case, the insides of the flexible tube 22 and the spiral tube 19 are hollow passages 59 through which the image guide 8, light guide 9, etc. are not inserted, so that the endoscope insertion section can be inserted therethrough. . Therefore, the regulating member 36 is fixed to the inner side of the operation section side cap member 34 of both cap portions 031 and 34, for example. The tube 45 is disposed so that its front end faces the regulating member 36 so that the front end of the inserted endoscope can be smoothly guided to the spiral tube side.

According to the second embodiment, since the wires 23I (or the vibrator 25) are prevented from crossing each other on the side of the hollow passage 59 in the guide tube portion 52, the circular cross-sectional area of the hollow passage 59 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to realize an auxiliary tool through which the endoscope insertion portion can be inserted without increasing the outer diameter, and the range of use for guiding introduction can be expanded. (This allows the device to be used even with a narrow insertion path.) FIG. 11 shows the main part of a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this third embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 (or FIG. 2), the front end of the bore tube 45 is placed in an eccentric state so as to abut against one side circumferential inner surface 61 of the mouthpiece member 34 without using the regulating member 36. The wires 23L, 23U, 23R, and 23D inserted into each vibrator 25 are passed through a gap 62 having a crescent-shaped cross section on the side opposite to the side circumferential inner surface 61. The width in the radial direction of this gap 62 is such that it is possible to pass one vibrator 25 through it, but it is not possible to pass two vibrators crossing each other. (or wire 23) is formed.

FIG. 12 shows main parts in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this fourth embodiment, the angle vibrators 25, 25, 25 are fixed to each other by brazing 71 so as to be lined up in the circumferential direction, for example, in the vicinity of the regulating member 36 in FIG. 9 (for example, inside the base member 34). .

FIG. 13 shows the main parts of the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this fifth embodiment, for example, both cap members 31.3 in FIG.
Around 4, a screw 81 (or a pin) is made to protrude radially inward from one of the cap members (for example, 34) to form a regulating means.

That is, this screw 81 connects the wire 23R and the wire 2.
3'D partition the inserted vibrators 25 and 25, and prevent these wires 23R and 230 from intersecting on the flexible tube 22 side.

[Effect of the invention 1 As described above, according to the present invention, the crossing of the wires on the flexible tube side is restricted and the wires are crossed on the operating section side where there is ample space. The effective inner diameter through which the image guide or endoscope insertion section can be inserted can be widened.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 7 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a schematic perspective view showing the wire regulating member of the main part in the first embodiment, FIG. -A' line enlarged sectional view; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the endoscope of the first embodiment; Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the endoscope of the first embodiment;
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing the curved part, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in Figure 5, Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the tip side of the second embodiment, and Figure 10 is the guide tube section and operation FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire regulating means portion in the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire regulating means portion in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view showing
FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a wire regulating means portion in a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a portion where wires intersect in a conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoscope 2... Insertion part 3... Operation part 10... Curved part 22... Flexible tubes 23L, 23LJ, 23R, 23D... Wire 25.
・・Pipe 31. 34・Base member 36・・
・Regulation member 37...notch? ;4 Figure 6 Figure 9 Figure 11 @ Figure 13 Figure 12

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An elongated flexible tube having a curved portion at the distal end side, and a plurality of pairs of bending operation wires inserted between the curved portion and an operation portion provided with a bending operation mechanism. An endoscope apparatus, characterized in that a restriction means is provided on the rear end side of the flexible tube to restrict crossing of bending operation wires on the flexible tube side. 2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating means is formed of a base member that connects the rear end of the flexible tube and the front end of the operating section. 3. The regulating means is formed by means for regulating the movement of the flexible tube in the radial direction with respect to the angle guide member through which the bending operation wire is inserted. endoscope equipment.