KR101670242B1 - Pneumatic steering endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a pneumatic steering endoscope including a bendable end, an insertion portion located at the rear of the distal end, a head located at the rear of the insertion portion, and an end steering means for steering the distal end. The end steering means includes a first gas moving path and a second gas moving path provided inside the head and the insertion portion to allow the gas supplied to the head to move to the distal end; A first length varying device having a rear end connected to the first gas-moving path and a sealing front end fixed to a front end of the distal end, the length varying according to the amount of the gas filled in the first gas- A second length varying unit having a rear end connected to the second gas-moving path and a sealing front end fixed to the opposite end of the front end of the distal end, the length of which varies according to the amount of gas filled therein; And first and second air supply means and second air supply means for the air supply and exhaust of each of the first gas transfer path and the second gas transfer path.

Description

{PNEUMATIC STEERING ENDOSCOPE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly, to a pneumatic steering endoscope provided so as to be able to steer its end to pneumatic pressure.

Endoscopes are largely classified into medical endoscopes and industrial endoscopes, depending on the field of use. A medical endoscope is a medical device designed to directly observe and treat a lesion site of an organ without surgery or autopsy. These medical endoscopes include bronchoscopy, esophagus, stomach, duodenal, rectal, cystoscopy, laparoscopic, and other special cases include thoracoscopic, mediastinal, and cardiac. An industrial endoscope is a device designed to observe the interior of the device without disassembling the device in various industrial fields.

Generally, at the distal end of the endoscope as described above, there are provided a camera for photographing a lesion site and an inside of the device, and illumination for irradiating a lesion site or the inside of the device. In the case of a medical endoscope, a bipolar channel is provided at the distal end, and a treatment instrument such as a forceps or a laser beam is passed through the channel.

In order for the lesion or the inside of the device to be accurately observed, the direction of the camera and the illumination must be variously changed. Therefore, the end of the endoscope can be freely bent in various directions, and the endoscope is provided so as to adjust the direction of the end.

An example of a technique capable of adjusting the direction of the endoscope end is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0990992. In this technique, a pair of wires for bending the end of the endoscope to the left and right and another pair of wires for bending the end of the endoscope up and down are used. Korean Patent No. 10-1176864 also discloses a technique for adjusting the direction of the endoscope end. In this technique, as in Korean Patent No. 10-0990992, two pairs of wires are used for steering the endoscope end .

Korean Patent No. 10-0990992 (micro-endoscope capable of adjusting the angle and curvature of the distal end) Korean Patent No. 10-1176864 (Endoscopic Surgical Tool Driving Device)

However, in the technique of using wires for endoscopic end steering, there is a problem that the wire or peripheral member is worn out due to friction between the wire and the peripheral member, and the wire is stretched.

That is, in order to steer the end of the endoscope to the left or right or up and down, the wire is pulled or loosened while moving inside the endoscope. At this time, friction occurs between the wire and its peripheral member, causing wear on the wire or its peripheral members. If the wire is repeatedly pulled or loosened, the wire is stretched. If the wire is stretched, the accuracy of the end steering becomes poor.

The present invention provides a pneumatic steering endoscope including a bendable end, an insertion portion located at the rear of the distal end, a head located at the rear of the insertion portion, and an end steering means for steering the distal end. The end steering means includes a first gas moving path and a second gas moving path provided inside the head and the insertion portion to allow the gas supplied to the head to move to the distal end; A first length varying device having a rear end connected to the first gas-moving path and a sealing front end fixed to a front end of the distal end, the length varying according to the amount of the gas filled in the first gas- A second length varying unit having a rear end connected to the second gas-moving path and a sealing front end fixed to the opposite end of the front end of the distal end, the length of which varies according to the amount of gas filled therein; And first and second air supply means and second air supply means for the air supply and exhaust of each of the first gas transfer path and the second gas transfer path.

Wherein the first air supply and exhaust means comprises: a compression container storing a gas to be supplied to the first gas passage in a compressed state; A first supply valve for allowing or blocking gas supply from the compression vessel to the first gas passage; A first exhaust pump for exhausting the gas of the first gas passage to the outside of the head; And a first exhaust valve for allowing or blocking gas exhaust from the first gas passage.

Wherein the first air supply valve is mounted to the first gas transportation path so as to be located inside the head, and the first exhaust pump and the first exhaust valve are connected to the first gas supply path located at the outlet side of the first air supply valve Can be mounted on the first exhaust branching branch branched from the branching portion.

Alternatively, the first air supply valve may be mounted on a first air supply connection path connecting the compression vessel and the first gas passage, and the first exhaust pump and the first exhaust valve may be located at the outlet side of the first air supply valve To the first exhaust branching path branched from the portion of the first supply-air connecting path.

The first air supply and exhaust means includes a first air supply pump mounted on the first gas passage, A first air supply valve mounted on the first gas passage and allowing or blocking gas supply to the first gas passage; A first exhaust pump for exhausting the gas of the first gas passage to the outside of the head; And a first exhaust valve for allowing or blocking gas exhaust from the first gas passage.

In this case, an air filter is mounted on a portion of the first gas-moving path located at the inlet side of the first air-supply pump.

On the other hand, a first exhaust branching path branched from the first gas moving path is provided in the head, and the first exhaust branching path is connected to an exhaust vessel located outside the head through a first exhaust connecting path have. In this case, the first exhaust valve is mounted to the first exhaust branch or the first exhaust connection passage, and the first exhaust pump is provided to exhaust gas from the exhaust container.

According to the present invention, no wire is used for steering the endoscope end. Therefore, there is no phenomenon that the wire or its peripheral members are worn out, the wire is stretched, and the steering of the end is inaccurate.

1 is a perspective view showing a pneumatic steering endoscope according to the present invention.
2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inside of the pneumatic steering endoscope shown in Fig.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a bent end of the pneumatic steering endoscope shown in Fig.
Figs. 4 to 6 show a modification of the pneumatic steering endoscope shown in Fig. 1. Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a pneumatic steering endoscope according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is to be understood that the terminology or words used herein are not to be construed in an ordinary sense or a dictionary, and that the inventor can properly define the concept of a term to describe its invention in the best possible way And should be construed in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

The pneumatic steering endoscope 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a distal end 130, an insertion portion 120, a head 110, and an end steering means as shown in Figs. do.

The distal end 130 has a bent portion 130a that can be bent in various directions. The distal end 130 has a front end 130b which is fixed to the front end of the bent portion 130a. A front end (130b) of the distal end (130) is provided with a camera (not shown) for photographing the periphery, and illumination (not shown) for irradiating light to the photographed portion of the camera. The camera (not shown) and the illumination (not shown) are connected to the wires 134a and 136a built in the endoscope 110.

The insertion portion 120 is inserted into the body or inside of the device during an endoscopic examination and is located behind the distal end 130 and is connected to the rear end of the bending portion 130a. The insertion portion 120 is provided so that the endoscope 100 can be bent when it is a flexible endoscope and is not bent when the endoscope 100 is a rigid endoscope.

The head 110 is located behind the insertion part 120 and is connected to the rear end of the insertion part 120. The head 110 is provided with a joystick 112 for steering the distal end 130 in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

The end steering means is provided for steering the distal end (130). In the present invention, the end steering means has both a configuration for steering the end 130 in the left-right direction and a configuration for steering in the up-down direction. However, the configuration for steering the distal end 130 in the left-right direction and the configuration for steering in the up-down direction are the same, and only the configuration for steering the distal end 130 in the up-down direction will be described below.

The end steering means includes a first gas moving path 142a, a second gas moving path 142b, a first length varying path 144a, a second length varying path 144b, , And second-stage exhaust means.

The first gas-moving path 142a is a gas path provided inside the head 110 and the inserting portion 120. [ The first variable length furnace 144a is a gas passage provided inside the bent portion 130a and is provided so that the length thereof can be changed like a corrugated pipe. The first length varying passage 144a has an open rear end connected to the first gas moving passage 142a so that the first length varying passage 144a communicates with the first gas moving passage 142a. The first length variable path 144a also has a sealing front end which is fixed to one of the rear portions of the front end 130b of the distal end 130. [

The second gas moving path 142b is a gas path provided inside the head 110 and the inserting portion 120 so as to be positioned on the opposite side of the first gas moving path 142a. The second length variable path 144b is provided inside the bent portion 130a so as to be located on the opposite side of the first length variable path 144a and is provided so that the length thereof can be changed like a corrugated pipe. The second length varying passage 144b has an open rear end connected to the second gas moving passage 142b so that the second length varying passage 144b communicates with the second gas moving passage 142b. The second length variable path 144b also has a sealing front end which is fixed at a position opposite to the one side of the rear surface portion of the front end 130b of the distal end 130 (opposite side).

3, the gas is supplied to the first gas moving path 142a, and at the same time, from the second gas moving path 142b, The gas is exhausted. When the gas is supplied to the first gas-moving path 142a, the internal pressure of the first length-varying path 144a is increased, and the length of the first length-varying path 144a is increased. When the gas is exhausted from the second gas-moving passage 142b, the internal pressure of the second-length variable passage 144a is lowered, and the length of the second-length variable passage 144b is reduced. As the length of the first length variable path 144a increases and the length of the second length variable path 144b decreases, the end 130 is bent downward as shown in FIG.

In order for the distal end 130 to be bent upward, the gas is exhausted from the first gas-moving path 142a and the gas is supplied to the second gas-moving path 142b. Even when the distal end 130 is bent to the left or right, gas supply and exhaust is performed in the same manner as above.

2 and 3, the rear end of the first gas passage 142a and the rear end of the second gas passage 142b are combined in one common passage 148 located inside the head 110 . However, the common channel 148 may not be provided in the inside of the head 110. In this case, the position where the rear end of the first gas passage 142a is exposed to the outside of the head 110 and the position where the rear end of the second gas passage 142b is exposed to the outside of the head 110 will be different .

In order to cause the bending of the distal end 130 as described above, the supply and exhaust of the gas must be properly performed, and the end steering means includes the first and second air supply means and the second air supply and exhaust means.

The first and second exhaust means are for performing the supply and exhaust of gas to and from the first gas moving path 142a and include a compression container 152, a first air supply valve 156a, a first exhaust pump 158a, , And a first exhaust valve (157a).

The compression vessel 152 stores the gas to be supplied to the first gas moving path 142a in a compressed state and is located outside the head 110. [ The compression vessel 152 is connected to the common passage 148 through the supply passage 154. Accordingly, when a valve (not shown) provided in the compression vessel 152 is opened, the gas stored in the compression vessel 152 is supplied to the common passage 148. The gas to be stored in the compression container 152 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the gas is harmless to the human body when the endoscope 100 is a medical endoscope.

Meanwhile, as described above, the common channel 148 may not be provided inside the head 110. In this case, the number of the air supply connection paths 154 is two. One of the two gas supply connection paths 154 is connected to the rear end of the first gas transportation path 142a and the other is connected to the rear end of the second gas transportation path 142b. The two air supply connection paths 154 may be connected to one compression container 152 or may be connected to two compression containers 152, respectively.

The first air supply valve 156a is for allowing or blocking the supply of gas from the compression vessel 152 to the first gas moving path 142a and is provided to the inside of the head 110 as shown in FIGS. And is mounted to the first gas-moving path 142a. When the first air supply valve 156a is opened, the gas is supplied from the compression vessel 152 to the first gas passage 142a, so that the internal pressure of the first length variable passage 144a is increased. The opening and closing of the first air supply valve 156a is controlled by a controller (not shown) such as a printed circuit board. The controller is built in the head 110 and transmits a corresponding control signal to the first supply valve 156a when the joystick 112 is operated.

The first exhaust pump 158a is for pumping the gas of the first gas moving path 142a to the outside of the head 110 and is located inside the head 110 as shown in Figures 2 and 3 , And mounted on the first exhaust branch path (146a). Here, the first exhaust branching path 146a is located at a point located on the outlet side of the first air supply valve 156a among the parts of the first gas moving path 142a (a point located in front of the first air supply valve 156a) And the exhaust holes 114 of the head 110 are communicated with each other. When the first exhaust pump 158a is operated while the first supply valve 156a is closed, the first gas passage 142a and the first variable length passage 144a are exhausted to the outside of the head 110, At this time, the internal pressure of the first length variable passage 144a becomes low. The first exhaust pump 158a receives a corresponding control signal from the controller when the joystick 112 is operated.

The first exhaust valve 157a is for allowing or blocking gas exhaust from the first gas passage path 142a and is mounted on the first exhaust branch path 146a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . When the first exhaust valve (157a) is opened, gas exhaust from the first gas passage (142a) is allowed, and it is disallowed when it is closed. The first supply valve 156a receives the corresponding control signal from the controller when the joystick 112 is operated.

The second air supply / discharge unit has the same configuration as that of the first air supply / discharge unit. 2 and 3, the second air supply valve 156b is provided in place of the first air supply valve 156a of the first air supply and exhaust unit, A second exhaust branch path 146b is used in place of the first exhaust branch path 146a and a second exhaust pump 158b is used instead of the first exhaust pump 158a and a second exhaust pump 158b is used instead of the first exhaust valve 158a. An exhaust valve 157b is used. Also, in the second and third exhaust means, a compression vessel 152 is used. The compression vessel 152 may be the same as or different from the compression vessel 152 used in the first and second exhaust means.

Hereinafter, the operation of the pneumatic steering endoscope 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The user presses the down button of the joystick 112 to bend the distal end 130 downward as shown in Figure 2 with the valve (not shown) of the compression vessel 152 open. Then, the opening of the first supply valve 156a, the closing of the second supply valve 156b, the sealing of the first exhaust valve 157a, the opening of the second exhaust valve 157b, and the operation of the second exhaust pump 158b At the same time. The gas in the compression vessel 152 is supplied to the first variable length furnace 144a via the first gas passage 142a and the second variable length furnace 144b in the second gas passage 142b, The gas is exhausted to the outside of the head 110. At this time, the first length variable path 144a is increased due to the increase in the internal pressure, the second length variable path 144b is reduced due to the decrease in the internal pressure, and the end 130 is bent downward.

Conversely, in order to bend the end 130 upward, the user presses the upward button of the joystick 112. Then, closing of the first supply valve 156a, opening of the second supply valve 156b, opening of the first exhaust valve 157a, sealing of the second exhaust valve 157b, and operation of the first exhaust pump 158a At the same time. The gas of the compression vessel 152 is supplied to the second variable length furnace 144b via the second gas passage 142b and is supplied to the first gas passage 142a and the first length variable passage 144a The gas is exhausted to the outside of the head 110. At this time, the second length variable passage 144b is increased due to the increase in the internal pressure, the first length variable passage 144a is reduced due to the decrease in the internal pressure, and the end portion 130 is bent upward.

When the user presses the left button or the right button of the joystick 112 to bend the end to the left or right, the air supply / discharge of the gas is performed in the same manner as above.

≪ Embodiment 2 >

In the first embodiment, the first exhaust valve 156a, the first exhaust pump 158a, the first exhaust valve 157a, the second air supply valve 156b, the second exhaust pump 158b, (157b) is located inside the head (110). Alternatively, however, the configurations may be external to the head 110 as shown in FIG.

In this case, the air supply connection passage 154 of the first embodiment has a first air supply connection path 154a connected to the rear end of the first gas passage 142a, a first air supply connection path 154a connected to the rear end of the second gas passage 142b, And a second supply connection path 154b. The first supply valve 156a and the second supply valve 156b are installed in the first supply connection path 154a and the second supply connection path 154b, respectively. The first exhaust pump 158a and the first exhaust valve 157a are connected to a first exhaust branch line branched from a portion of the first air supply connection line 154a located on the outlet side of the first air supply valve 156a And the second exhaust pump 158b and the second exhaust valve 157b are connected to the second exhaust valve 156b through the second exhaust valve 156b branched from the portion of the second air supply connection passage 154b located on the exit side of the second air supply valve 156b, And is mounted on a branch road.

4, the air supply connection passages 154a, 154b, 154c and 154d are connected to one compression container 152. However, even when the air supply connection passages are connected to the same number of compression containers 152, Do.

≪ Third Embodiment >

In this embodiment, the compression vessel 152 of the first embodiment is replaced by the air supply pumps 155a and 155b as shown in Fig. In this case, the first air supply pump 155a is mounted on the first gas moving path 142a so as to be positioned behind the branch point of the first exhaust gas branch path 146a, and the second air supply pump 155b is mounted on the second gas exhaust path And is mounted on the second gas moving path 142b so as to be positioned behind the branch point of the first gas passage 146b. The open rear end of the first gas moving path 142a and the open rear end of the second gas moving path 142b are provided to communicate with the outside of the head 110 through the common path 146 or individually.

When the user presses the downward button of the joystick 112 to bend the end 130 downward, the operation of the first air supply pump 155a, the opening of the first air supply valve 156a, the closing of the first air supply valve 157a Closing of the second air supply valve 156b, opening of the second exhaust valve 157b, and operation of the second exhaust pump 158b are simultaneously performed. The outside air around the head 110 is supplied to the first variable length furnace 144a via the first gas moving path 142a and the outer circumferential surface of the second gas path 142b and the second length variable path 144b The gas is exhausted to the outside of the head 110.

On the other hand, when the user pushes the upward button of the joystick 112 to bend the end 130 upward, the first air supply valve 156a is closed, the first exhaust valve 157a is opened, The operation of the second air supply pump 155b, the opening of the second air supply valve 156b, and the sealing of the second exhaust valve 157b are simultaneously performed. The outside air around the head 110 is supplied to the second variable length furnace 144b via the second gas moving path 142b and is supplied to the first gas moving path 142a and the first length varying path 144a The gas is exhausted to the outside of the head 110

In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the filter 160 is provided so that foreign matter (dust, etc.) contained in the outside air around the head 110 does not flow into the gas passage paths 142a and 142b. At this time, the filter 160 may be provided on the common channel 148 or on each of the gas flow paths 142a and 142b.

<Fourth Embodiment>

In the first embodiment, various exhaust pumps 158a and 158b are provided inside the head 110. [ In contrast, in the present embodiment, one exhaust pump 158 is provided outside the head 110. In this case, the exhaust pump 158 is provided to exhaust the gas from the exhaust container 158 located outside the head 110 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the exhaust container 158 can be maintained in the negative pressure state.

The exhaust container 158 is connected to the first exhaust branch path 146a and the second exhaust branch path 146b through the first exhaust connection path 174a and the second exhaust connection path 174b, The first exhaust valve 157a and the second exhaust valve 157b are mounted on the first exhaust connection passage 174a and the second exhaust connection passage 174b, respectively. At this time, the first exhaust valve 157a and the second exhaust valve 157b may be mounted to the first exhaust branch path 146a and the second exhaust branch path 146b, respectively, as in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, when the first exhaust valve 157a and the second exhaust valve 157b are respectively mounted in the first exhaust branch path 146a and the second exhaust branch path 146b inside the head 110, A plurality of exhaust connection passages 174a to 174d can be replaced with one exhaust connection passageway connected to the common passageway (not shown) since the common passageway (not shown) .

In the present embodiment, the internal pressure of the exhaust vessel 172 is always kept lower than the atmospheric pressure through the intermittent operation of the exhaust pump 158. [ When the downward button of the joystick 112 is pressed in this state, the opening of the first air supply valve 156a, the closing of the second air supply valve 156b, the sealing of the first exhaust valve 157a, ) Are simultaneously opened. The gas in the compression vessel 152 is supplied to the first variable length furnace 144a via the first gas passage 142a and the second variable length furnace 144b in the second gas passage 142b, The gas is exhausted to the inside of the exhaust vessel 172.

When the upward button of the joystick 112 is pressed, the first air supply valve 156a is closed, the second air supply valve 156b is opened, the first exhaust valve 157a is opened, the second exhaust valve 157b Sealing is done at the same time. The gas of the compression vessel 152 is supplied to the second variable length furnace 144b via the second gas passage 142b and is supplied to the first gas passage 142a and the first length variable passage 144a The gas is exhausted to the inside of the exhaust vessel 172.

When the user presses the left button or the right button of the joystick 112 to bend the end to the left or right, the air supply / discharge of the gas is performed in the same manner as above.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

100: pneumatic steering endoscope 110: head
112: Joystick 114: Exhaust ball
120: insertion part 130: end
130a: Bend of the end 130b: Shear of the end
142a and 142b: gas moving passages 144a and 144b: variable length passages
146a, 146b: exhaust branch passage 152: compression vessel
154a to 154d: an air supply connection path 155a, 155b: an air supply pump
156a to 156d: Air supply valves 157a to 157d:
158a to 158d: exhaust pump 160: filter
172: exhaust vessels 174a to 174d:

Claims (7)

An end portion having a bendable portion capable of bending and having a front end fixed to a front end of the bend portion; an insertion portion that is positioned behind the distal end and is inserted into the body during the endoscope procedure; And an end steering means for steering the end,
The end steering means comprises:
A first gas moving path and a second gas moving path provided inside the head and the insertion portion to allow the gas supplied to the head to move to the distal end;
A first gas passage provided in the first gas passage and having an open rear end connected to the first gas passage and a sealing front end fixed to a front end of the distal end, 1 length variable;
Wherein the first gas passage is provided with an opening rear end connected to the second gas passage and a sealing front end fixed to the opposite side of the front end of the distal end and located inside the bent portion, 2 length variable; And
And a first air supply and a second air supply and exhaust means for the air supply and exhaust of each of the first gas transfer path and the second gas transfer path. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first and second air-
A compression vessel storing a gas to be supplied to the first gas passage in a compressed state;
A first supply valve for allowing or blocking gas supply from the compression vessel to the first gas passage;
A first exhaust pump for exhausting the gas of the first gas passage to the outside of the head; And
And a first exhaust valve for allowing or blocking gas exhaust from the first gas passage. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first air supply valve is mounted to the first gas transportation path so as to be located inside the head, and the first exhaust pump and the first exhaust valve are connected to the first gas supply path located at the outlet side of the first air supply valve And the first exhaust branching path branched from the first exhaust branching path. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first air supply valve is mounted to a first air supply connection path connecting the compression vessel and the first gas passage, and the first exhaust pump and the first exhaust valve are connected to a first air supply connection path A pneumatic steering endoscope mounted on a first exhaust branching branch branched from a portion of an air supply connection passage. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first and second air-
A first air supply pump mounted on the first gas passage;
A first air supply valve mounted on the first gas passage and allowing or blocking gas supply to the first gas passage;
A first exhaust pump for exhausting the gas of the first gas passage to the outside of the head; And
And a first exhaust valve for allowing or blocking gas exhaust from the first gas passage. 6. The method of claim 5,
And an air filter is mounted on a portion of the first gas-moving path located at the inlet side of the first air-supply pump. 6. The method according to claim 2 or 5,
A first exhaust branching path branched from the first gas moving path is provided in the head, the first exhaust branching path is connected to an exhausting vessel located outside the head through a first exhaust connecting path, A first exhaust valve is mounted to the first exhaust branch or the first exhaust connection path, and the first exhaust pump is arranged to exhaust gas from the exhaust container.

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