JPS6240566Y2 - - 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.

Already, various types of connecting members have been developed to solve the drawbacks of endoscopes that combine various types of connecting members that connect the endoscope body and a control device containing a light source and other control mechanisms necessary for the endoscope. The present applicant proposed an endoscope that can be separated into at least two sets and put them together in Utility Model Application No. 128690 filed on September 10, 1980. However, in the endoscope proposed in the above application, the plug that is disconnected first when the connection is disconnected constitutes the disconnection means. For example, it is impossible to uniformly select the biasing force of the spring. Since the amount of retraction is not constant, the following problems occur.

That is, the above-mentioned endoscope is equipped with a mechanism that locks the plug in the connected state when connecting one plug to the socket and then connecting the other plug through the guide hole provided in the plug. Since the mechanism is configured to be released by a lock pin provided on one plug and a narrow diameter portion provided on the other plug, the lock pin installation position and the narrow diameter portion are It is necessary to determine the position. however,
As mentioned above, when the other plug is disconnected, the amount of retraction is not constant, and if the amount of retraction is too large and the device becomes locked again, either insert the other plug a little in the connection direction or move the plug from one plug to the other. The drawback is that the plug must be completely separated or nearly separated.

Therefore, this invention provides an improved endoscope in view of the above-mentioned points, and one embodiment of this invention will be described in detail below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an endoscope according to this invention, and this endoscope includes an endoscope main body consisting of an operating section 1 and an insertion section 2, and a light source necessary for this endoscope. Control device 3 containing various other control mechanisms
(See Figures 2 and 3) Connecting portion 4
It is composed of. The connecting section 4 includes an operating section side connecting section 5 extending from the operating section 1 to a predetermined length.
and a first and second connecting section 6 and 7 on the control device side that extend integrally from the operating section side connecting section 5 and are separated into two. In addition to the optical fiber bundle 12 for illumination, an operable tube, lead wires, etc. are housed in the operation section side connecting section 5 in a manner that they are aligned together. The illumination optical fiber bundle 12 is
Furthermore, it extends through the first connecting part 6 to the outer end surface 12a of the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10 provided at the end of the first connecting part. Other tubes, lead wires, etc. are connected to the connection port 21 of the tube (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which is aligned and fixed to the end surface of the second plug 20 provided at the end of the second connecting portion 7 ) or to the terminal pin (not shown) of the lead wire.

The first and second plugs 10 and 20 provided as described above are further configured as follows and are connected to a socket 30 provided in the control device 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the socket 30 is provided on the side wall surface 3a of the control device 3, which houses a light source and other various control mechanisms necessary for the endoscope, and is connected to the socket portion 31 and the side wall surface 3a of the control device 3. Fixed coupling ring 32 provided in the form of a hood with respect to the socket part 31
It consists of. The socket portion 31 receives the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10, and the incident end face 12a of the illumination optical fiber bundle 12 drawn through the sheath 11 is used as a condenser for a light source provided in the control device 3. A guide hole 33 that can be aligned with the surface, a tube connection port 21 arranged in alignment with the second plug 20, and a plurality of connection holes 34 (tube connection port) that fit and connect with terminal pins (omitted) of lead wires. A connecting hole 34 corresponding to 21 is shown as a representative) are provided in a predetermined positional relationship. Furthermore,
The second plug 20 has an insertion hole 22 through which the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10 can be inserted, which is formed from a hollow guide member 23, a sliding tube 24 to be described later, a hole 51 of a fixing part 50, etc. ing. Furthermore, this second plug 20 is provided with a fixing ring 25 having an outer circumferential surface that frictionally fits within the inner circumferential surface of the fixed coupling ring 32, and is provided with a locking pin 26. This lock pin 26
In FIG. 2, the left end 26a is moved by the spring 27.
is constantly biased so as to protrude into the hollow guide member 23, and is resisted by the large diameter portion of the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10, as shown in FIG. As it moves rightward in the figure, the right end 26b protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 25 and can engage with the engagement groove 35 provided in the inner peripheral surface of the fixed connecting ring 32 of the socket 30.

Next, the connecting portion between the first plug 10 and the second plug 20 will be explained. The sliding tube 24
is biased upwardly by a coil spring 28 and disposed within a fixed cylinder 29 . This fixed cylinder 29
An operation tube 40 is slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the
The operating barrel 40 is urged upward by a spring 41, and its upward movement is restricted by a stopper ball 42 provided on the fixed barrel 29. The stopper ball 42 is normally placed in the state shown in FIG. 2 by the outer circumferential wall of the sliding tube 24.
The operation tube 4 engages with the tapered portion 40a of the operation tube 40.
It regulates the upward movement of 0. This stopper ball 42 is engaged with the connecting portion 13 of the first plug 10 by inserting the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10 into the insertion hole 22 of the second plug 20 and connecting it completely. It engages with the matching groove 14. This means that at the same time that the stopper ball 42 becomes engageable with the engagement groove 14, the operation barrel 40 is constantly held in place by the spring 41.
This is due to the fact that the tapered portion 40a of the cylindrical portion 40b is biased upwardly by the cylindrical member 40a. Moreover, the operation barrel 40 moves upward and the fixed barrel 29
In order for the stopper ball 42 to move upward until it engages with the stopper member 29a attached to the stopper member 29a, the inner peripheral surface of the stopper ball 42 moves the stopper ball 42 to the right, that is, maintains the above-mentioned engagement in the state shown in FIG. It is configured as follows.

The endoscope configured as described above is the same as the configuration explained in the aforementioned Utility Model Registration Application No. 128690 filed in 1982, and in one embodiment based on this invention, the endoscope described above is The following configuration has been added to the configuration. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part taken along the line -- in FIG. . A movement regulating spring 60 having a polygonal shape, such as a hexagonal shape, is fitted into the circumferential groove 52 and is biased so that a portion of the spring 60 projects into the hole 51 . However, this spring 60 is formed so as to retreat into the circumferential groove 52 when it is sufficiently expanded against the bias. Further, on the outer circumferential surface of the rod-like sheath 11 of the first plug 10, a concave stepped portion 11b similar to the narrow diameter portion 11a having a constant length is provided in a predetermined positional relationship with the narrow diameter portion 11a. .

When using an endoscope configured in this way,
By first connecting the second plug 20 to the socket 30, the tube or lead wire etc. is organically connected to various control mechanisms provided in the control device 3, and the fixed connection ring of the socket 30 is connected. 32 and the outer circumferential surface of the fixing ring 25 of the second plug 20, a somewhat fixed connection is established. and the first plug 10
The connection is made by connecting the rod-like sheath 11 to the second plug 2.
0 into the insertion hole 22 of the socket 30 while expanding it, and insert the spring 60 into the insertion hole 22 of the socket 30.
1 into the guide hole 33 provided in 1 until the stopper ball 42 and the engagement groove 14 engage with each other. By this insertion, the incident end surface 12a of the illumination optical fiber bundle 12 is aligned with the condensing surface of the light source in the control device 3, and also the second plug 20 can be locked in the connected state in the socket 30. can. That is, the lock pin 26 provided on the second plug 20 is pushed by the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter part of the rod-shaped sheath 11 of the first plug 10 and engages with the engagement groove 35 of the fixed connection ring 32 of the socket 30. second plug 2
0 connected to socket 30. Also, the first plug 1 with respect to the second plug 20
0, when the rod-shaped sheath 11 is inserted to the end, the stopper ball 42 falls into the engagement groove 14, and when the operation cylinder 40 moves upward, the stopper ball 42 is placed in the second plug 20 in a state where it is prevented from coming off. Connected.

As described above, the first and second
The first and second plugs 10 and 20 can be connected to the socket 30, and in order to remove the first and second plugs 10 and 20 from the socket 30,
Operate as follows. That is, the second plug 2
By moving the operating barrel 40 downward, the stopper ball 42 returns to the state shown in FIG. 2. Then, the first ball is disengaged from the stopper ball 42.
The plug 10 moves upward together with the sliding tube 24 by the biasing force of the spring 28. Due to this upward movement, the narrow diameter portion 11a of the rod-like sheath 11 is attached to the lock pin 2.
Come to position 6. This locks the lock pin 26.
is moved to the left in FIG. 3 by the bias of the spring 27, and reaches the state shown in FIG. 2, where the engagement between the lock pin 26 and the engagement groove 35 of the fixed connection ring 32 is released, and the so-called unlocking occurs. The second plug 20 can then be removed from the socket 30. In addition, the above first
The plug 10 will come out (retreat) relatively vigorously together with the sliding tube 24 due to the biasing force of the spring 28, but the spring 60 attached to the insertion hole 22 and the recessed step of the first plug 10 The amount of retraction is regulated by the engagement with the portion 11b, and after the lock release operation, the narrow diameter portion 11a of the rod-like sheath 11 is always
is positioned at a position corresponding to the lock pin 26. Therefore, as in the conventional case, the first plug 10 moves back forcefully when the lock is released, and the rod-shaped sheath 11 is moved back again.
The second plug 20 is not locked by the large diameter portion of the plug, and after the unlocking operation,
The first plug 10 and the second plug 20 can be removed together from the socket 30 and the two plugs can be left in a combined state, which is extremely advantageous in terms of use and management. Further, according to this endoscope, it is possible to completely separate the first plug 10 and the second plug 20, and for example, it is possible to use a control device that separately incorporates a light source and various control mechanisms. It is something that can be adapted. Furthermore,
According to this invention, it is sufficient to provide the rod-shaped sheath with a narrow diameter portion or a recessed step for the minimum necessary length, so the strength of the rod-shaped sheath is not impaired, and it can be inserted into the insertion hole without wobbling. It is extremely useful for endoscopes that can be connected and have safety and perfect connections as the first priority.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a general view of an embodiment of an endoscope according to this invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing only the main part of the endoscope control device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the various parts shown in FIG. 10...First plug, 11a...Small diameter portion,
11b... Recessed step, 20... Second plug, 26
... Lock pin, 30 ... Socket, 52 ... Circumferential groove, 60 ... Spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The ends of various connecting members that connect the endoscope body and a control device containing a light source and other necessary control mechanisms for the endoscope are combined into first and second plugs, and the first plug includes: A guide hole is provided for connecting a rod-shaped second plug to the control device, and the first plug is connected to the socket provided in the control device, and the second plug is connected to the control device. By inserting and connecting a predetermined amount into the guide hole, the first
Lock the plug in the above socket,
In the endoscope, the endoscope is provided with a means for releasing the lock by retracting the second plug a certain distance, and a stopper is provided at the open end of the guide hole to lock the second plug in a connected state; A release means is provided which includes an elastic member that biases the second plug in the backward direction and an operation tube that releases the locking by the stopper, and a ring-shaped release means that is attached to the inner circumferential wall of the guide hole. A retraction amount regulating means is provided which includes an elastic member and a recessed step provided on the second plug so as to engage with the elastic member and restrict the amount of retraction of the second plug. Endoscope.