JPS6240565Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to an endoscope, and in particular to a connecting portion between an endoscope body and a control device containing a light source and various control mechanisms necessary for the endoscope.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope known so far includes an operating section 1, a flexible insertion section 2 connected to the operating section 1, and inserted into a deep part of the body. , a connecting portion 4 that connects the endoscope with a control device 3 containing a light source and other various control mechanisms necessary for the endoscope.
It consists of The connecting portion 4 includes an optical fiber bundle for illumination in a flexible outer tube, the output end of which is opposed to the illumination window at the tip end of the insertion portion 2, and the input end of which is aligned with the condensing surface of the light source in the control device 3. In addition, various control mechanisms for the flexible tube or electromagnetic lunch box for the air pump for discharging air from the air pump in the control device 3 through the opening provided at the tip of the insertion section 2 can be operated in the operating section 1. Lead wires and the like for remote control using the button 1a are drawn together and enclosed. The input end of the optical fiber bundle for illumination, the connection port of the tube, or the terminal of the lead wire, etc., are aligned and fixed at the end of the connection part 4, configured as a so-called plug, and inserted into the corresponding socket provided in the control device 3. configured to be connected. The connection of the plug to the socket is generally maintained by a click stop using a combination of a spring and a groove. However, when the endoscope is used, a tensile force or the like is applied to the connection point, and there is a high risk that the connection will come off, which poses a safety problem, and a robust connection is desired.

Furthermore, although the endoscope and the control device are used as a pair, the connection parts are not standardized and vary depending on the manufacturer.
Furthermore, the control methods of the various control mechanisms are also different.

Therefore, there will be no inconvenience if a dedicated control device is used when using the endoscope, but for example, if the light source is separate from the control device, such a control device Furthermore, even if a light source is built into the control device, if the control methods of the various control mechanisms are different, the same problem arises in that it cannot be used. When using a control device like the latter, it has been proposed to use an adapter, but the proposed adapter also connects the end of the illumination optical fiber bundle to the plug on the endoscope side. Since the adapter is fixed, a light guide is built into the adapter itself, and the entrance end face of the light guide is aligned with the condensing surface of the light source, and the entrance end face of the optical fiber bundle for illumination is placed opposite to the output end face of the light guide. This is what I did. Transmitting the illumination light through the light guide in this way causes a large loss in the amount of light and is not at all preferable.

This invention provides an improved endoscope in view of the above-mentioned points.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the endoscope according to this invention, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. Reference numeral 10 indicates a flexible connecting portion corresponding to the connecting portion 3 in FIG. The first and second parts on the control device side extend integrally from the connecting part and are separated into two parts.
The connecting portions 12 and 13 are formed. In addition to the optical fiber bundle for illumination described in FIG. 1, a flexible tube, lead wires, etc. are housed in the operation section side connecting section 11, aligned together.

The illumination optical fiber bundle is further passed through the first connecting portion 12 and provided with a first plug 2 provided at the end of the first connecting portion.
0 to the outer end surface of the rod-shaped sheath 21. In addition, other flexible tubes, lead wires, etc. are arranged and passed through the second connecting part 13 so as to be aligned and fixed on the end surface of the second plug 30 provided at the end of the second connecting part. It is connected to the connection port 31 of the tube or the terminal pin 32 of the lead wire.

The first and second plugs 20 and 30 provided as described above are connected to a socket 40 which is further constructed and provided as follows.

As shown in FIG. 3, the socket 40 is provided on the side wall surface 3a of the control device 3 that houses a light source and other various control mechanisms necessary for the endoscope. It consists of a fixed connection ring 42 provided in a hood shape. It consists of a fixed connection ring 42 provided in a hood shape with respect to the socket part 41. The rod-shaped sheath 2 of the first plug 20 is attached to the socket portion 41.
1, and a guide hole 43 capable of aligning the incident end surface of the illumination optical fiber bundle 22 located on the end surface of the sheath 21 with the condensing surface of the light source, and the tube connection port 31 of the second plug 30 or the lead wire. A plurality of connection holes 44 that fit and connect with the terminal pins 32
(A connection hole corresponding to the tube connection port 31 is shown as a representative) are provided in a predetermined positional relationship. The first and second plugs 20 and 30 connected to such a socket 40 are configured such that the second plug 30 is first connected, and then the first plug 20 is connected. That is, the second plug 3
0 has the tube connection port 31 and the lead wire terminal pin 32 aligned and fixed, and also has an insertion hole 33 provided at the same position as the guide hole 43 provided in the socket portion 41. The insertion hole 33 is formed to have an inner diameter that allows the rod-shaped sheath 21 of the first plug 20 to be inserted therethrough without any play. The second plug 30 also has a connecting ring 3 fitted on the outer periphery of the fixed connecting ring 42 of the socket 40 when the second plug 30 is attached.
It has 4. The connecting ring 34 receives the fixed connecting ring 42 between it and the outer circumferential wall 35 of the main body portion of the second plug 30, and a well-known ring-shaped click spring 45 is provided on the outer circumferential portion of the fixed connecting ring 42.
A click groove 36 that is click-fitted is formed on the inner circumferential surface. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 37
indicates a lock pin, and this lock pin 37 is always biased in the left direction in the figure (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the second plug 30) by a spring 38, and its left end 37a protrudes into the insertion hole 33. When the first plug 20 is arranged as shown in FIG. 37b is provided so as to protrude from the outer peripheral wall 35 of the main body portion. Then, the lock pin 37 is moved to the right end 37b by the above-described operation.
By protruding from the outer circumferential wall 35 of the main body portion, it engages with an engaging circumferential groove 46 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the fixed connection ring 42 of the socket 40 . Note that the first plug 20 and the second plug 30 are such that when the rod-shaped sheath 21 of the first plug 20 is inserted into the guide hole 43 of the socket portion 41 through the insertion hole 33 of the second plug 30, the first plug 20 is inserted. A ring-shaped click spring 39 is provided near the entrance of the insertion hole 33 of the second plug 30 so that it can be connected fixedly to the second plug 30, and a circumferential groove for a click is provided in the first plug 20 to be click-fitted with the click spring 39. 23 are provided.

In the endoscope installed as described above, by first connecting the second plug 30 to the socket 40, the tube or lead wire etc. can be connected organically to various control mechanisms installed in the control device 3. Click spring 4 connected and at the same time on socket 40 side
5 and the click groove 36 on the second plug 30 side, a temporary fixed connection is made.
Next, the first plug 20 is connected to its rod-shaped sheath 2.
1 is inserted through the insertion hole 33 of the second plug 30 and the guide hole 43 of the socket portion 41 until the click groove 23 of the first plug 20 is click-fitted into the click spring 39 of the second plug 30.
By inserting and connecting the first plug 20, the incident end surface of the illumination optical fiber bundle 22 can be made to coincide with the condensing surface of the light source in the control device 3. When the lock pin 37 is inserted into the insertion hole 33, the lock pin 37 protrudes from the outer circumferential wall 35 of the main body part against the bias of the spring 38, and engages with the engagement circumferential groove 46 of the fixed connection ring 42 of the socket 40. plug 30 socket 40
This is a state that prevents the person from leaving.

Note that when removing the second plug 30 from the socket 40, removing the first plug 20 releases the engagement between the lock pin 37 and the circumferential engagement groove 46, so remove the second plug 30 from the socket 40. be able to.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the endoscope according to this invention, and the reference numeral 50 indicates a first plug corresponding to the first plug 20 of the previous embodiment, and the reference numeral 60 is the second plug 3 of the above embodiment.
A second plug corresponding to
1 also shows a socket corresponding to the socket 40 of the previous embodiment.

The socket 70 is provided on the side wall surface 3a of the control device 3 in the same way as in the embodiment described above, and the socket portion 71
and a fixed connecting ring 72 provided in a hood shape with respect to this socket portion 71. The rod-shaped sheath 5 of the first plug 50 is attached to the socket portion 71.
A guide hole 7 that can receive the optical fiber bundle 52 for illumination and align the incident end surface of the illumination optical fiber bundle 52 drawn through the sheath 51 with the light condensing surface of the light source provided in the control device 3.
3 and the second plug 60, and a plurality of connection holes 74 (the connection holes corresponding to the tube connection ports 61 are ) are provided in a predetermined positional relationship. The second plug 60 is provided with lead wire terminal pins and the like in addition to the tube connection port 61 in an aligned and fixed manner.
An insertion hole 62 through which the rod-shaped sheath 51 of
It is formed from a hollow guide member 63, a sliding tube 64 described later, and the like. Additionally, the second plug 60 includes a fixed ring 6 having an outer circumferential surface that frictionally fits within the inner circumferential surface of the fixed coupling ring 72.
5 is provided, and a locking pin 66 is provided. Similar to the embodiment described above, this lock pin 66 is always biased by a spring 67 so that its right end 66a protrudes into the hollow guide member 63 in FIG. The fifth part resists the above bias by the large diameter part.
As shown in the figure, move to the right in the figure and
6b protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 65 and can be engaged with an engagement groove 75 provided in the inner peripheral surface of the fixed connecting ring 72 of the socket 70.

Next, the connecting portion between the first plug 50 and the second plug 60 will be explained. The sliding tube 64
is biased upward by a spring 68 and disposed within a fixed cylinder 69. An operating barrel 80 is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the fixed barrel 69, and the operating barrel 69 is biased upward by a spring 81. 8
2 restricts upward movement. The stopper ball 82 is normally set in the state shown in FIG. 4 by the outer circumferential wall of the sliding tube 64, and engages the operating tube 80 with the tapered portion 80a of the operating tube 80 as described above. movement is regulated. This stopper ball 82 connects the first plug 50 by inserting the rod-shaped sheath 51 into the insertion hole 62 of the second plug 60, and connects the connecting portion 53 of the first plug 50 to the sliding tube 64. By pushing in against the bias of the spring 68 while abutting each other, it engages with the engagement groove 54 of the connecting portion 53. This is because at the same time that the stopper ball 82 becomes engageable with the engagement groove 54, the operating barrel 80 is constantly urged upward by the spring 81, so that the operating barrel 80 is activated by its tapered portion 80a. By being done. Moreover, the operation tube 80
continues to move upward, and the shoulder portion 55 of the first plug 50
In order to move upward until it abuts against the stopper ball 82, the inner peripheral surface of the stopper ball 82 is configured to move the stopper ball 82 to the right, that is, to maintain the above-mentioned engagement in the state shown in FIG.

When using the endoscope configured as described above, the second plug 60 is first inserted into the socket 40.
By connecting the tube or lead wire to the various control mechanisms provided in the control device 3, the tube or lead wire is organically connected to the inner peripheral surface of the fixed connection ring 72 of the socket 70 and the second plug 60. A somewhat fixed connection is made by a frictional fit with the outer peripheral surface of the fixing ring 65. To connect the first plug 50, insert the rod-shaped sheath 51 into the insertion hole 62 of the second plug 60, and then connect the socket 7.
It is inserted into the guide hole 73 provided in the socket part 71 of No. 0 until it engages with the engagement groove 54 with the stopper ball 82, as will be described later. By this insertion, the incident end surface of the illumination optical fiber bundle 52 can be made to coincide with the condensing surface of the light source in the control device 3. In addition, the second plug 60 can be inserted into the socket 70.
can be locked in the connected state. That is, the lock pin 6 provided on the second plug 60
6 is pressed by the outer peripheral surface of the rod-shaped sheath 51 of the first plug 50 and the fixed connection ring 72 of the socket 70 is pressed.
The second plug 60 is engaged with the engagement groove 75 of the socket 70 to lock the second plug 60 in the connected state to the socket 70. Further, when the first plug 50 is connected to the second plug 60, when the rod-like sheath 51 is inserted to the end, the stopper ball 82 falls into the engagement groove 54, and the operating cylinder 80 moves upward. As a result, it is connected to the second plug 60 in a state where it is prevented from coming off.

As described above, the first and second
The first and second plugs 50 and 60 can be connected to the socket 70, and the first and second plugs 50 and 60 can be removed from the socket 70 by:
Operate as follows. That is, the second plug 6
By moving the operating barrel 80 downward, the stopper ball 82 returns to the state shown in FIG. 4. The second plug 50 disengaged from the stopper ball 82 moves upward together with the sliding tube 64 by the biasing force of the spring 68. Due to this upward movement, the narrow diameter portion 51a of the rod-shaped sheath 51 is attached to the lock pin 66.
come to the position. As a result, the lock pin 66
is moved to the left in FIG. 5 by the bias of the spring 67, and reaches the state shown in FIG. plug 60 can be removed from socket 70. In the subsequent operation, the first plug 50 and the second plug 60 are connected as described above with the lock pin 66 and the narrow diameter portion 51a of the rod-shaped sheath 51 engaged. Alternatively, these plugs may be connected separately.

As described above, the endoscope according to this invention separates the plug used for connection with the control device into a plug containing an optical fiber bundle for illumination and a plug that combines other connecting members into one. Since the plug can be locked to prevent it from coming off when it is connected to the control device, there is no fear that the connection will come off when the endoscope is used, and the endoscope can be used safely.

Furthermore, it is possible to apply the control device to an existing control device in which the connection port for the optical fiber bundle to the illumination light source and the connection port for other connecting members are provided at different positions. Furthermore, if it is desired to use a light source with high illuminance, it is also possible to use a control device having a light source with high illuminance. Furthermore,
Since the plug of the optical fiber bundle for illumination is a separate unit, it can be used as is for control devices made by different manufacturers and with different control mechanisms. This can be applied by employing an adapter that has a control method conversion mechanism between them.

Furthermore, by separating the flexible connecting part into two parts on the control device side, the separated flexible connecting part can be made thinner and more flexible than conventional ones, allowing for better internal visibility. The mirror is easy to operate.

Although the endoscope according to this invention has the extremely great effects as described above, it can achieve even greater effects by adding the following items.

That is, in the embodiment according to this invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, fluorescent paint or the like is coated on the outer peripheral surface (particularly preferably near the shoulder 55) of the connecting portion 50 of the first plug 50. By attaching the display band 56, when connecting the first plug 50, when the display band 56 is visible, the connection of the first plug 50 is incomplete and cannot be seen, that is, in the state shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a warning may be issued that the connection operation must be performed until the operation tube 80 covers the connection operation.

Furthermore, for example, an endoscope used for observing the large intestine may be used in conjunction with the endoscope to perform processing using an electric scalpel. Such endoscopes require a tube for supplying carbon dioxide gas from the outside to prevent accidents caused by internal gases. however,
Since the means for sending carbon dioxide gas is a special endoscope, there is no need to incorporate it into the control device, and there is no need to extend the connection port to the plug. According to the endoscope according to this invention, since a hard Y-shaped member is used in the middle of the connecting part, the operation of the endoscope is facilitated by arranging the above-mentioned connection port on the Y-shaped member. It is easy to configure so that special control mechanisms etc. can be connected with almost no influence.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing a conventional endoscope, FIG. 2 is an external view of an embodiment of the endoscope according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing the main parts thereof.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are partial sectional views showing other embodiments of the endoscope according to this invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Operation part, 3... Control device, 4... Connection part, 10... Connection part, 20... First plug, 30
...Second plug, 40...Socket, 50...First plug, 60...Second plug, 70...Socket.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Illumination light,
In an endoscope equipped with various connecting members such as an optical fiber bundle for illumination, a flexible tube, or a lead wire for transmitting and receiving air or electric signals, the ends of the various connecting members are connected to two first and second plugs. In summary, the first plug is provided with a guide hole for connecting the second plug to the control device, and when connected to the socket provided in the control device, the second plug connects to the guide hole. 1. An endoscope, comprising means for locking the endoscope in a connected state in the socket by being inserted into the socket, and means for releasing the lock by external operation.