JP2000135197A - Endoscope scope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To share components between different models. SOLUTION: A bending portion 3e is formed at a distal end portion of a flexible tube portion 3f inserted into a body cavity, and an operation portion 3a for operating the bending portion in a desired direction and a bending portion can be connected. In the endoscope 3 having a pair of driving members including the wire driving members 54 and 55 and the angle wires 127 and 129 inserted into the flexible tube, the winding units 52 and 53 for winding the wire driving members in the operation unit are provided. The wire driving member wound around the winding section was formed in a belt shape. As a result, the drive member can be wound up multiple times by one kind of winding section by the necessary stroke, and the parts can be shared between different models.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus capable of observing a state in a body cavity to perform diagnosis and treatment, and more particularly to an operation section of an endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 6, an endoscope apparatus has an endoscope main body 2 mounted on a movable carriage 1, for example, and one end side detachably connected to the endoscope main body 2. The other end side is inserted into the body cavity, and the endoscope 3 for observing the state in the body cavity, and an image taken by the endoscope scope 3,
And a monitor 4 for displaying based on an image signal obtained from the endoscope main body 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the endoscope scope 3 includes an operation unit 3 a that is gripped by an operator to perform various operations, an insertion unit 3 b connected to the operation unit 3 a and inserted into a body cavity, and an operation unit. 3b is connected to the endoscope main body 2 via the connector 31 and the universal cord 3
c. At the distal end of the insertion portion 3b, a distal end 3d having an optical system and a forceps port for observing and treating the inside of the body cavity is formed, and the orientation of the distal end 3d is appropriately adjusted following the distal end 3d. It has a curved portion 3e to be changed, and further has a long flexible tube portion 3f following the curved portion 3e.
have. The operation unit 3a has a vertical angle operation knob 32 that bends the bending portion 3e up and down and left and right to appropriately steer the direction of the distal end 3d toward the observation site in the body cavity.
And left and right angle operation knob 33,
An air supply / water supply switch 34 for controlling water supply, a suction switch 35 for performing suction, a copy switch 36 for instructing photography or recording of a still image are provided. Further, the operation section 3a is provided with a forceps hole 37 for inserting a treatment tool such as forceps into a body cavity.

Next, a conventional mechanism for bending the bending portion 3e vertically and horizontally to steer the direction of the distal end portion 3d to a desired observation site in the body cavity will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. Will be explained. FIG. 8 is an exploded plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the operation unit of the conventional endoscope.
FIG. 9 is an exploded side view corresponding to FIG. Substrate 101
The upper base 103 and the lower base 105, which are formed by bending both ends in the width direction at right angles in the same direction, are formed so as to have an H-shaped cross-section by screwing their central parts together. An up / down operation pulley 115 having a shaft 111 is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 101, and a left / right operation pulley 117 having a shaft 113 is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate 101. The shaft 113 penetrates the substrate 101 and is inserted into the shaft 111 to be coaxial. The shafts 111 and 113 penetrate the case 401 and protrude outside the operation unit 3a. Also, outside the case 401, an upper and lower angle operation knob 3 is provided at the upper end of the shaft 111.
2 is fixed and the shaft 1 protrudes from the shaft 111
A left-right angle operation knob 33 is fixed to the upper end of the thirteen.

The upper and lower operation pulleys 115 are formed with two grooves, and the upper operation pulley wire 119 for bending the bending portion 3e upward in each groove and the bending portion 3e bending downward. One end of the lower operation pulley wire 120 for fixing
19 and 120 are wound up. Similarly, the left and right operation pulleys 117 are also formed with two grooves, and each groove has a left operation pulley wire 121 for bending the bending portion 3e to the left and a bending groove 3e for the right. One end of each pulley wire is fastened in order to wind up the right operation pulley wire (not shown). The other end of the upper operation pulley wire 119 is connected to an upper operation angle wire 127 via a joint 123, and the other end of the lower operation pulley wire 120 is connected to a lower operation angle wire 129 via a joint 125.
To guide these, guide paths 131 and 133 are provided on both sides of the upper surface of the substrate 101. Although not shown, similarly, a guide path is also provided on the lower surface of the substrate 101, and a left operation angle wire connected to the left operation pulley wire 121 via a joint, and a right operation pulley wire connected to the right operation pulley wire via a joint. The right operation angle wires are respectively guided in the guide path.

Therefore, when the up / down angle operation knob 32 of the operation section 3a is turned, the up / down operation pulley 115 is turned via the shaft 111, and the upper operation pulley wire 119 or the lower operation pulley wire 120 is turned depending on the turning direction. It is wound up along the groove of the up / down operation pulley 115. Therefore, the upper operation pulley wire 119 or the lower operation pulley wire 120 according to the turning direction of the vertical angle operation knob 32.
Is pulled, and the bending portion 3e is bent upward. The same applies to the left and right angle operation knobs 33.

[0006]

By the way, the conventional pulley wires 119 and 120 and the pulley wires 121 and 122 have a wire diameter of 0.04 to 0.07 mm.
Was formed into a wire by twisting the metal wire, and the wire diameter was about 0.7 to 0.9 mm. Therefore, when the wire is wound around the up / down operation pulley 115 or the left / right operation pulley 117, if the diameter of the pulley is small, the wire is strongly bent due to a small curvature, and the wire is disconnected early due to bending fatigue. There was fear. for that reason,
The diameters of the up / down operation pulley 115 and the left / right operation pulley 117 had to be designed to be large enough to obtain the stroke necessary for maximally bending the bending portion 3e by simply winding the wire. Therefore, the up / down operation pulley 115 and the left / right operation pulley 117 become large, and the operation unit 3a that accommodates them also becomes large, so that there is a problem that it becomes difficult for the operator to operate. The endoscope 3 has an upper model and a lower model such as an upper gastrointestinal tract or a lower gastrointestinal tract. In general, the upper model is more curved than the lower model. The angle has increased. Therefore, the stroke amount of the up / down operation pulley wires 119 and 120, the left operation pulley wire 121, and the right operation pulley wire differs depending on the magnitude of the bending angle.
The diameters of the upper and lower operation pulleys 115 and left and right operation pulleys 117 for winding these are also those having an outer diameter corresponding to the wire stroke amount. For this reason, it was not possible to share parts between the models. Further, when the bending angle increases, the outer diameter of the pulleys 115 and 117 interlocked with the operation knobs 32 and 33 increases, so that the operation torque at the time of the bending operation increases, and the operation becomes heavy and burdens the operator. Therefore, there is a demand that the operation feeling at the time of the bending operation be the same even if the model is different. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible tube inserted into a body cavity and a flexible tube formed at a distal end of the flexible tube. A curved portion,
In an endoscope having an operation section for operating the bending section to bend in a desired direction, and at least a pair of driving members inserted into the flexible tube section connecting the operation section and the bending section. A winding portion for winding one end side of the driving member is provided in the operating portion, and one end side of the driving member wound on the winding portion is formed in a belt shape. is there. Thus, even if the drive member is wound around the winding portion having a small curvature, the drive member to be wound is formed in a belt shape, so that the drive member can be prevented from being disconnected early due to bending fatigue. . The invention according to claim 2 is such that a flexible tube inserted into a body cavity, a curved portion formed at a distal end portion of the flexible tube, and a curved portion bent in a desired direction. An operation unit to be operated, and an endoscope having at least a pair of driving members inserted into the flexible tube unit connecting the operation unit and the bending unit, a substrate unit disposed in the operation unit, A rotating member rotatably provided on the substrate, a pair of passive members rotating by receiving a rotating force from the rotating member, and a winding unit formed coaxially with the passive member; Then, one end side of the drive member is separately fixed to the winding portion. Thus, by appropriately rotating the rotating member by an amount corresponding to a desired stroke, a driving member having a different stroke can be wound by one kind of passive member, and the common use of parts between different models can be achieved. .

[0008] Further, the invention described in claim 3 is based on claim 2.
Wherein the pair of passive members is disposed at a position substantially symmetrical with respect to the center of the substrate portion passing through the center of rotation of the rotating member. is there. In this way, by symmetrically arranging various components on the substrate, assembly, maintenance, and inspection are facilitated. The invention described in claim 4 is the same as the invention described in claim 3.
In the endoscope described in the above paragraph, a partition portion is formed on a center line of the substrate portion, and the pair of driving members respectively wound around the pair of passive members are separated. When bending the bending portion, one of the driving members is pulled, while the other driving member is slack as the feeding side.However, by forming the partition portion, the slack driving member is pulled. It is possible to prevent the driving members from interfering with each other so as to be entangled with the driving member. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the endoscope according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, one end side of the driving member fixed to the winding portion and wound up. Is characterized by being formed in a belt shape. Thereby, in addition to the effect of the invention described in each claim, even if the drive member is wound around the winding portion having a small curvature, it is possible to prevent the drive member from being disconnected early due to bending fatigue. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the endoscope according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the driving member has a side fixed to the winding portion and wound. Metal fibers or resin fibers are knitted in a mesh shape and formed into a band shape, while the side fastened to the curved portion is formed of a twisted metal wire, and both are connected by a connecting member. Is what you do. Accordingly, the winding portion having a small diameter can be used, and the belt-shaped driving member woven in a mesh shape is durable and does not easily break even if it is wound so as to overlap.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an endoscope according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the operation unit of the endoscope according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view along a line BB in FIG. 1. In these figures, the same parts as those in FIGS. 6 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The appearance of the endoscope according to the present invention is the same as that of the conventional endoscope shown in FIG. A rotating member 51 rotatably held by a bearing or the like is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 101. Further, a pair of passive members 52 and 53 are arranged so that their peripheral edges are in contact with the peripheral edge of the rotating member 51 at positions substantially symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center of the substrate 101 passing through the rotation center of the rotating member 51. The passive members 52 and 53 are also rotatably held by bearings or the like. As shown in FIG. 4, the passive members 52 and 53 have a T-shaped cross section, and a peripheral edge of an upper portion p contacts a rotating member 51 to receive a rotational force. 55 is wound up. The wire driving members 54 and 55
Is an alternative to the conventional upper operation pulley wire 119 and lower operation pulley wire 120.

The turning member 51 turns in response to the operation of, for example, the vertical angle operation knob 32 of the operation section 3a, and is used to bend the bending section 3e of the endoscope 3 in the vertical direction. It is a drive source for driving the operation angle wire 127 and the lower operation angle wire 129.
Therefore, the passive member 52 receiving the rotational force of the rotating member 51
One end of a wire driving member 54 is fixed to a lower portion of the wire driving member 54. The other end of the wire driving member 54 is connected to the joint 1
23 is connected to an upper operation angle wire 127 for bending the bending portion 3e upward. Similarly,
One end of a wire driving member 55 is fixed to a lower portion of the passive member 53 that receives the rotating force of the rotating member 51. The other end of the wire driving member 55 is connected via a joint 125 to a lower operation angle wire 129 for bending the bending portion 3e downward. Wire drive member 5
Reference numerals 4 and 55 denote metal or resin fibers woven in a mesh shape to form a strip, and the wire diameter is 0.04 to
It is woven so that the thickness is about 0.5 mm or less using a thing of about 0.10 mm. As described above, in the present invention, the reason why the wire driving members 54 and 55 are formed in a belt shape is that a conventional pulley wire is formed by twisting a metal wire and having a diameter of about 0.7 to 0.9 mm. If the curvature is small, disconnection is likely to occur due to bending fatigue.Therefore, the diameter of the member to be wound is increased, and the necessary stroke is obtained without overlapping the double or triple parts. The wire driving members 54 and 55, which are formed by woven in a mesh shape into a belt shape,
This is because bending fatigue can be suppressed, so that it is possible to wind up a double or triple winding on a winding member having a small diameter, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of components.

Now, stopper mechanisms 56 and 57 are provided to regulate the range in which the bending portion 3e bends. The stopper mechanisms 56, 57 are provided with a shaft 56a,
Stop pieces 56b and 57b screwed to 57a
1, stop pieces 56b, 57
b escapes to the wire driving members 54 and 55,
It is arranged to engage with the joints 123, 125.
The stop pieces 56b, 57b are connected to the shafts 56a, 5
7a is rotated left and right according to the direction of rotation, so that the joints 123 and 125 engage with the stop pieces 56b and 57b at positions where the maximum bending range of the bending portion 3e is regulated. , 57b are set. Then, the partition wall 5 is placed on the longitudinal center line of the substrate 101 so as to partition between the guide path 131 and the guide path 133.
8 are formed. One end of the partition wall 58 reaches near the passive members 52 and 53, and one wire driving member (for example, 54) is replaced with the other wire driving member (for example, 55).
Prevents entering the side. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when bending the bending portion 3e and operating the vertical angle operation knob 32 to rotate the rotating member 51 clockwise, the passive members 52 and 53 Rotate in the direction. Accordingly, the passive member 53 is
Is wound and the operating angle wire 129 is pulled, whereas the other passive member 52 rotates in the direction in which the wire driving member 54 is sent out, so that the wire driving member 54 becomes slack. The formation of the partition wall 58 prevents the loose wire drive member 54 from interfering with the other wire drive member 55 after entering the other wire drive member 55 side.

Note that a wall portion 59, along the longitudinal direction, beside the rotating member 51 and the passive members 52, 53 at the end of the substrate 101.
60 are provided. The wall portions 59 and 60 are provided with through holes 59a and 60a, respectively.
A through hole is also formed in the substrate 101 so as to coincide with the holes a and 60a. Usually, the substrate 101 is formed so as to have an H-shaped cross section by bonding the back surfaces of the upper base 103 and the lower base 105 to each other.
This through hole 59 is used for positioning when bonding.
a and 60a are used. A mechanism for bending the bending portion 3e in the vertical direction is provided on the upper base 103 on the upper surface side of the substrate, and a mechanism for bending the bending portion 3e in the left-right direction with the same configuration is provided on the lower base 105. Will be provided. A shaft 113 inserted coaxially into the shaft 111 is fixed to the rotating member 61 provided on the lower base 105, and the left and right angle operation knobs 3 are attached to the upper end of the shaft 113 protruding from the shaft 111.
3 is fixed. Needless to say, the lower base 105 is not required for a device such as a bronchial endoscope that performs only an operation in the vertical direction. The embodiment of the present invention is as described above. By forming the wire driving members 54 and 55 in a belt shape, the passive members 52 and 53
4, 55 can be wound up many times. Accordingly, the wire driving members 54 and 55 can be wound by a necessary stroke by using the same passive member even for a bending part having a different bending angle, such as a model for the upper part and a model for the lower part. Therefore, it is possible to make components such as a rotating member and a passive member common to different models. Accordingly, with the common use of parts between different models, the operating torque at the time of the bending operation by the operation knobs 32 and 33 does not change between the models. Can be made the same, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

The present invention can be implemented in various modifications without being limited to the above embodiment. For example, the transmission of the rotational force between the rotating member 51 and the passive members 52 and 53 may be performed not only by the meshing of the gears but also by the frictional force of a material such as rubber having little slippage. Further, although the rotating member 51 is illustrated as fitting in a rectangular shape to the tip of the circular shaft 111, the rotating member 51 may be joined by brazing or the like while keeping the circular shape.

[0014]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the winding side of the driving member is formed in a belt shape, so that the driving member is wound around the winding portion having a small curvature. Even if it is taken, it is possible to prevent the drive member from being disconnected early due to bending fatigue. In addition, since the drive member can be wound up multiple times by one kind of winding section by the necessary stroke, parts can be shared between endoscopes of different models having different bending angles, and operation can be performed. Since the torque does not change, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling uncomfortable in operation. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the driving member can be wound up multiple times by one kind of passive member by a necessary stroke, so that parts common to different models having different bending angles can be used. Can be achieved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, assembling, maintenance and inspection of the endoscope are facilitated by symmetrically arranging various components on the substrate. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the bending portion is bent, one of the driving members is pulled, while the other driving member is on the sending side, and the slack comes out. By forming the partition portion, it is possible to prevent interference between the driving members, such as when the slack driving member enters the pulled driving member side and then retracts. Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in each claim, even if the drive member is wound around a winding portion having a small curvature, bending fatigue of the drive member is reduced, The reliability of the endoscope can be improved.
Further, since the operation torque does not change, it is possible to prevent the operator from feeling uncomfortable in operation. Further, also in the invention according to claim 6, the winding portion having a small diameter can be used, and the belt-shaped driving member woven in a mesh shape is durable and can be wound so as to overlap. In addition, it is possible to reduce the size of the operation section and to use common components without easily breaking the wire, thereby contributing to prolonging the service life and improving the reliability of the endoscope.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an internal structure of an operation unit of an endoscope according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a passive member used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram shown to explain an operation of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view shown for explaining the outline of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an external view schematically showing an endoscope.

FIG. 8 is an exploded plan view schematically showing an internal structure of an operation unit of a conventional endoscope.

FIG. 9 is an exploded side view corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Endoscope main body 3 Endoscope scope 3a Operation part 3b Insertion part 3e Bending part 3f Flexible tube part 4 Monitor 51 Rotating member 52,53 Passive member 54,55 Wire drive member

Claims (6)

[Claims] A flexible tube portion inserted into a body cavity, a curved portion formed at a distal end portion of the flexible tube portion, and an operating portion for operating the curved portion to bend in a desired direction; In an endoscope having at least a pair of drive members inserted into the flexible tube section connecting the operation section and the bending section, a winding section for winding one end side of the drive member into the operation section And an endoscope having a belt-like shape at one end of the driving member wound around the winding section. 2. A flexible tube portion inserted into a body cavity, a curved portion formed at a distal end portion of the flexible tube portion, and an operation portion for operating the curved portion to bend in a desired direction; In an endoscope having at least a pair of driving members inserted into the flexible tube section connecting the operation section and the bending section, a substrate section arranged in the operation section, and a rotation on the substrate section A rotatable member provided so as to be able to rotate, a pair of passive members rotating by receiving a rotational force from the rotatable member, and a winding portion formed coaxially with the passive member. An endoscope having an end of the driving member fixed to each of the endoscopes. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the pair of passive members are disposed at positions substantially symmetric with respect to a center of the substrate portion passing through a rotation center of the rotating member. Endoscope scope. 4. The endoscope according to claim 3, wherein a partition portion is formed on a center line of the substrate portion, and the pair of driving members respectively wound around the pair of passive members are separated. scope. 5. The drive member according to claim 2, wherein one end side of the drive member fixed to the winding portion and wound is formed in a belt shape. Endoscope scope. 6. The drive member is formed in a band shape by braiding metal fibers or resin fibers in a mesh shape on the side fixed to the winding portion and wound up, while the drive member is fixed to the curved portion. The endoscope according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the endoscope is formed of a twisted metal wire, and both are connected by a connecting member.