JPS6330405Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bending tube device for an endoscope in which an operating wire for bending a bending tube portion has an improved guide structure.

In general, the insertion section of an endoscope is formed by connecting a distal end component to the distal end of a flexible tube section via a curved tube section, and the curved tube section is remotely bent via an operation wire at the proximal operation section. It is now possible to operate.

Conventionally, the curved tube portion of the endoscope has been constructed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, on the inside of the outer layer (not shown), each rivet 1
A large number of joint rings 2 that can be tilted vertically and horizontally by...
... are pivotally connected, and insertion tubes 3 made of pipe members are provided at 90 degree intervals on the inner peripheral surface of each node ring 2, and operating wires 4 are inserted into the corresponding insertion tubes 3 in the circumferential direction. By fixing one end of these operating wires 4 to the nodal ring 2 at the tip and pulling the operating wire on the operating section side, the nodal ring 2 can be tilted. Ta.

By the way, in such a configuration, the node ring 2...
Various members such as an optical fiber bundle for illumination light, an optical fiber bundle for observation light, a water supply tube, an air supply tube, and a forceps channel tube are inserted into the inside of the tube. As necessary, each of the above-mentioned members must be closely assembled, so that the insertion tube 3 through which the operating wire 4 is inserted also needs to be made smaller. However, if the insertion tube 3 is made smaller, the operating wire 4 as shown in FIG. It hits the protruding rivet 1 and is pushed up. Therefore, there have been problems such as increased sliding resistance of the operating wire 4, impairing operability, and early damage to the operating wire 4.

Various proposals have been made to solve these problems. For example, the method disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 55-112502 is such that a guide hole for an operating wire eccentric in the axial direction of the nodal ring is bored in an insertion tube provided on the inner circumferential surface of the nodal ring. However, with this method, the thickness of a portion of the peripheral wall of the insertion tube becomes thin and edge-like, and the operating wire may become caught in this portion, resulting in decreased operability and early damage to the operating wire. .

In addition, in the one shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-137888, the head of the rivet protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the joint ring is enlarged, and a guide hole through which the operating wire is passed is bored in the head. According to such a structure, when the rivet is caulked, the guide hole is inevitably deformed by the pressure, which increases the sliding resistance of the operating wire, resulting in a problem that smooth operability cannot be obtained.

This idea was made based on the above circumstances,
The purpose of this is to have a simple structure that does not increase the size of the insertion tube, and also to ensure that the operating wire passed through the insertion tube does not hit the inner circumferential surface of the nodal ring, resulting in low sliding resistance and excellent operability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a curved tube device for an endoscope in which the operation wire is not easily damaged.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 shows an endoscope, which includes an operating section 11, an insertion section 12 connected to the operating section 11, and a light guide cable 13. The insertion section 12 is formed by connecting a distal end component 16 to the distal end of a flexible tube section 14 via a curved tube section 15, and the curved tube section 15 is connected to a first operation knob 6a provided on the operation section 11. Or the second operation knob 16
By rotating b, it is possible to remotely perform bending operations in up, down, left and right directions, as will be described later. The operation section 11 also includes an eyepiece section 1.
7. Air supply operation button 18 and water supply operation button 1
9 is provided.

The curved pipe portion 15 is composed of a large number of annular node rings 20, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, each node ring 20... has a pair of coupling parts 21... shifted by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction from both end faces in the axial direction, and a pair of coupling parts 21... on both end faces is offset in the circumferential direction.
They are extended by 90 degrees, and each node ring 20 is pivotally connected to a corresponding connecting portion 21 with a rivet 22. Further, on the peripheral wall at both axial ends of each node ring 20, a part of the peripheral wall is made to protrude radially inward at a portion shifted 90 degrees in the circumferential direction from the point where the connecting portion 21 is extended. Projections 23 are formed. These protrusions 23..., that is, one node ring 2
On the inner surface of the four protrusions 23 formed in 0,
Each of the insertion tubes 24 made of pipe material is attached with its axis aligned with the axial direction of the node rings 20. Insertion holes 24a of corresponding insertion tubes 24 in the circumferential direction are provided with operating wires 25, respectively.
is being passed. That is, four operating wires 25 are provided at 90 degree intervals in the circumferential direction of the node rings 20. One end of these operating wires 25 is fixed to a node ring 20 located at the tip of the curved tube portion 15,
The other end is guided to the operating section 11, where a pair of operating wires 25, 2 are connected 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the node ring 20...
5. For example, the vertical pair of upper and lower operating wires 25, 25 in FIG.
5 and 25 are connected to a second winding drum (not shown) that rotates together with the second operating knob 16b. Therefore, by towing the pair of operating wires 25, 25 with the first operating knob 16a, the bending tube section 15 can be operated to bend in the vertical direction, and by pulling the pair of operating wires 25, 25 with the second operating knob 16b. If the operating wires 25, 25 are towed, the curved pipe portion 15
It is designed so that it can be bent left and right.

According to the curved tube section 15 having the above configuration,
Since the insertion tubes 24 through which the operating wires 25 are inserted are attached to the protrusions 23 formed on the node rings 20, the insertion holes 24a of these insertion tubes 24...
... is displaced inward in the radial direction of the joint rings 20 by a certain height dimension from the inner circumferential surface of the joint rings 20. Therefore, even if the insertion tubes 24 are made smaller, the operating wires 25 passed through the insertion holes 24a will not hit the heads of the rivets 22.
Each pair of operating wires 25 can be towed smoothly through the first and second operating knobs 16a and 16b, and the operability is good.
There is no possibility that the operation wires 25 come into sliding contact with the heads of the rivets 22 and are damaged early.

As described above, the present invention allows a part of the circumferential wall of the joint ring which is pivotally attached with a rivet to protrude inward in the radial direction,
Since the insertion tube through which the operating wire for tilting the nodal ring is inserted is provided on the inner surface of this protrusion, this insertion tube can be displaced radially inward of the nodal ring by a certain amount. Therefore, even if the insertion tube is made smaller in order to make the insertion portion thinner, the operation wire inserted through the insertion tube will not hit the head of the rivet, so the operation to pull the operation wire can be carried out smoothly. This provides excellent operability and prevents the operating wire from sliding against the head of the rivet and causing premature damage.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional curved pipe section, Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the state of the operating wire, Figs. 3 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is an internal view. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the entire mirror, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the curved tube portion, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4. 20... node ring, 22... rivet, 23... protrusion,
24... Insertion tube, 25... Operation wire.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A large number of joint rings are pivotally connected with rivets, and one end of the operating wire is fixed to the tip of the joint ring, and the operating wire is inserted into the insertion tube provided on the inner surface of the large number of joint rings, and the pulling operation is performed on the operating unit side. Therefore, in the device for tilting the joint ring, a part of the peripheral wall of the joint ring is protruded radially inward at a position different from the rivet until the operating wire inserted through the insertion tube does not come into sliding contact with the rivet. A curved tube device for an endoscope, characterized in that an insertion tube through which the operation wire is inserted is provided on the inner surface of the protrusion.