JPS637777B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in an endoscope bending operation device for bending a curved tube section of an insertion section.

Generally, the insertion section of an endoscope is constructed by connecting a tip component to the tip of a flexible tube via a curved tube section, and the direction of the tip component can be selected by bending the curved tube section. There is. The means for bending the bending tube section is such that a bending operation wire is inserted into the insertion section and the bending operation wire is pushed and pulled by a bending operation device provided in the operating section on the hand side. . Further, the bending operation device winds the bending operation wires around a rotating drum, pulls one bending operation wire, and lets out the other bending operation wire.

However, when one bending operation wire is pulled, the other bending operation wire is let out, causing a loosening phenomenon. Therefore, conventionally, a slack remover for absorbing and removing the slack is inserted in the middle of the bending operation wire. For example, Jikko 51-
In Publication No. 43030, one end of the bending operation wire is movably inserted into the main body of the slack remover, but the length of the main body is required to correspond to the amount of slack, and this slack remover is installed. There is a disadvantage that the operating section of the endoscope becomes large in size. Also, Utsukai Showa 52-
In order to shorten the length of the loosening remover as much as possible, the device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 158586 has the bending operation wires inserted into the body of the device shifted so that they move in parallel and overlappingly. When the wire is pulled, each end of the wire tends to straighten, causing the slack remover to tilt, preventing the bending operation wire from moving smoothly, and potentially causing the bending operation wire to break.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The object is to provide an endoscope bending operation device that can smoothly and reliably absorb and remove slack in the bending operation wire with a simple configuration, and can also reduce the size of the endoscope.

The present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, and numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is an endoscope main body. This endoscope body 1 consists of an insertion section 2 and an operation section 3.
In this example, a distal end component 6 is connected to the distal end of a flexible tube section 4 via a curved tube section 5. Furthermore, a bending operation device 7, which will be described later, is provided in the operation section 3.
This bending operation device 7 allows the bending tube section 5 to be bent remotely as shown by the dotted line in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bending operation device 7 is constructed by wrapping a flexible pipe 10 around the circumferential surface of a circular operating drum 9 attached to a rotating shaft 8. The lever 11 is used for rotational operation, and the operating drum 9 is rotated. The pipe 10 is made of, for example, a wire 12 wound tightly into a coil, and is relatively strong against tensile force. A guide groove 13 formed on the circumferential surface of the operating drum 9
I've become absorbed in it and guided by it. Furthermore, the pipe 10 is attached and fixed at the center of its intermediate portion to the circumferential surface of the operating drum 9 using a stopper 14. Thus, each of the pipe sections 10a and 10b at both ends of the pipe 10 can be drawn out.

Also, a stopper 15.15 is attached and fixed to the tip of each pipe portion 10a, 10b, respectively. This stop cap 15.15 has a through hole 17. through which a flexible bending operation wire 16.16 is inserted.
17 is formed through which the proximal end of the bending operation wire 16.16 is inserted into each pipe section 10a, 10b. Further, a spherical stopper 18.18 is attached and fixed to the base end of each bending operation wire 16.16. In other words, stopper 18.1
8 constitutes means for preventing the bending operation wire 16.16 from coming off by coming into contact with the inner surface of the stopper cap 15.15 when the bending operation wire 16.16 is pulled.

The bending operation wires 16.16 are guided to the bending tube section 4 by wire guides 19.19 provided in the insertion section 2, and further pass through the bending tube section 4 and are connected to their respective distal ends.

A guide cover 20 is disposed around the operating drum 9 to prevent the flexible pipe 10 from coming off.

Next, the operation of the endoscope bending operation device 7 will be explained. For example, when bending the curved pipe portion 5 upward, the angle lever 11 is rotated in the U direction as shown in FIG. Thus, the operating drum 9 is rotated in the U direction in FIG. 2 via the rotating shaft 8. For this reason, one pipe section 10a of the pipe 10 is rolled up into its operating drum 9, while the other pipe section 10b is let out. Then, the bending operation wire 16 on the winding side pipe portion 10a side is pulled. That is, the stopper 18 of the bending operation wire 16 hits the inner surface of the stop cap 15 and pulls the bending operation wire 16. In addition, the other pipe portion 10
As shown in FIG. 3, the bending operation wire 16 inserted into the pipe portion 10b can be inserted into the pipe portion 10b to absorb the slack. That is, since the bending operation wire 16 and the pipe portion 10b overlap, slack can be absorbed and removed.

On the other hand, when bending the curved pipe portion 5 downward, if the angle lever 11 is rotated in the D direction, the above operations are performed in the opposite direction, and the pipe portion 10b side becomes the tension side, and the pipe portion 10a side becomes the tension side.
The side will be the slack side. And the pipe part 10b
The bending operation wire 16 is pulled by one side, and the slack of the bending operation wire 16 is absorbed by the other pipe portion 10a side.

In the above embodiment, the pipe 10 is constructed from a tightly wound coil, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be constructed, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, respectively. That is, what is shown in FIG. 4 is a thick flexible tube 21 whose inner diameter does not change much. In the case shown in FIG. 5, a hard ribbon 23 is spirally wound around the outer periphery of a flexible tube 22. The one shown in FIG. 6 has a flexible tube 25 fitted on the outside of a hard ribbon 24 wound in a spiral shape.

Further, the pipe portions 10a and 10b at both ends may not be integrally formed, but may be separate pieces.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the slack of the bending operation wire can be absorbed and removed by utilizing the length of the flexible pipe wound around the operation drum. Therefore, the amount of slack in the bending operation wire can be greatly increased without increasing the length of the operation section of the endoscope. In addition, the operating section of the endoscope can be made smaller accordingly.

Further, since the bending operation wire absorbs the slack by entering the flexible pipe, the slack of the bending operation wire can be smoothly and reliably absorbed and removed.

Furthermore, unlike the conventional method in which a bending operation wire is inserted, the number of parts is reduced, and the structure can be simplified.

Note that if you use a flexible pipe that is elastic in the axial direction, you will not notice that the tip of the insertion tube is in contact with the inner wall of the body cavity, and you will avoid the risk of damaging the inner wall by bending it. This can be prevented by elasticity. Further, it is possible to prevent a force exceeding the strength of the bending operation wire from being applied to the bending operation wire.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an endoscope showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of a bending operation device portion of the endoscope, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the bending operation device of the endoscope. 4 to 6 are perspective views showing different flexible pipes, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoscope main body, 2... Insertion part, 3... Operation part, 5... Curved tube part, 7... Curved operation device, 9...
...Drum for operation, 10...Pipe, 15...Stop cap, 16...Bending operation wire, 18...Stopper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bending operation device for an endoscope, which operates the bending tube section by pushing and pulling a bending operation wire connected to the bending tube section in the insertion section of the endoscope at the operation section of the endoscope, An operating drum that is installed inside the operating section of the endoscope and can be rotated from the outside, and a bending operation wire that is wrapped around this operating drum and partially attached and fixed to this operating drum, and that is used during normal bending operations. A flexible pipe that does not expand or contract under the tension of
A stopper provided at the end of a bending operation wire movably inserted into the pipe from both ends of the pipe, and a stopper provided at both ends of the pipe through which the wire can be inserted but the stopper is not inserted. An endoscope bending operation device characterized by: