JP2000279372A - Angle part of endoscope and mounting method of its outer tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively protect a fragile part, which constructs the part of angle part, at the outer tube by inter posing an impact absorption layer, which is softer than the outer tube, between the outer tube and the end part ring that constructs a bending tube. SOLUTION: The impact absorption layer 37, which is made of a seal material that has a predetermined thickness in the range from the end part side to the pivotal fixing part of adjacent angle ring 30, is set so as to cover the end part ring 30a, 30b in order to protect a part on the end part ring 30a, 30b, which constructs a non-bending part, of outer tube 34 that is the outer part of angle part 21 from impact and the like, and an outer tube is mounted on the impact absorption layer 37.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope used for medical purposes and the like, and more particularly to a method of attaching an outer tube to a curved tube of an angle portion of an endoscope used for medical use. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An endoscope has a structure shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a main body operation unit, 2 is an insertion unit,
3 is a universal code. The insertion portion 2 is a flexible portion 2a that bends in an arbitrary direction along an insertion path such as in a body cavity from the side of the connecting portion to the main body operation portion 1, and a predetermined end is provided at the distal end of the flexible portion 2a. An angle portion 2b having a length is continuously provided, and a distal end hard portion 2c is continuously provided at a tip of the angle portion 2b. Although illustration is omitted in the distal end hard portion 2c,
At least an illumination unit and an observation unit are provided. The angle portion 2b is for directing the distal end hard portion 2c in a desired direction, and can be bent vertically and horizontally.
This bending operation is called an angle operation, and is performed by rotating an angle knob 4 provided on the main body operation unit 1.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a configuration of the angle portion 2b. It should be noted that in the figure, internal insertion members such as a light guide, a signal cable (or an image guide), and a treatment tool insertion channel are omitted. Thus, the angle part 2
b includes a curved tube 12 having a node ring structure by sequentially pivoting a predetermined number of angle rings 10 with pivot pins 11. Front and rear angle ring 1 with pivot pin 11
The pivot points between 0 and 10 are alternated up and down and left and right, so that the bending tube 12 as a whole can be bent up and down and left and right. The curved tube 12 is covered with a net 13 made of a braid of a wire such as a metal, and an outer tube 14 is attached to the outer periphery of the net 13.

[0004] Of the angle rings constituting the curved tube 12, end rings 10a and 10b located at both ends are connected to a soft portion 2a and a distal end hard portion 2c, respectively. For this purpose, the end ring 10a is fitted and fixed to the connecting ring 15 extending from the flexible portion 2a side.
Reference numeral 0b is fitted and fixed to the distal end portion main body 16 constituting the distal end hard portion 2c. Then, the operation wires 17 for the bending operation are fixed to the end ring 10b at four positions, that is, up and down and right and left. Each of these operation wires 17 is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the pivot pin 11, extends to the end ring 10a while being positioned at a predetermined position, and is fixed to the end ring 10a. From the insertion pipe 18 into the close contact coil 19. The operation wire 17 inserted through the close contact coil 19 extends to the main body operation unit 1 and is wound around an angle pulley (not shown) that is rotated by the angle knob 4.

[0005] In the angle portion 2b configured as described above, the outer tube 14 serving as the outermost exterior portion is provided.
Must be formed of an elastic member because it expands and contracts during the angle operation, and must be held so that the inside of the angle portion 2b is completely sealed. Further, since the insertion portion 2 is inserted into a body cavity or the like, it is natural that the insertion portion 2 is not harmful to the human body, and must be excellent in chemical resistance because it is repeatedly washed and disinfected. Must.

Although both ends of the outer tube 14 are fixed, it is necessary to completely fix the outer tube 14 so as not to leak from the end of the outer tube 14. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 154097 or the like, generally, the inside of the outer tube 14 is kept in an airtight state by being wound around the outer tube 14 and then fixed by applying an adhesive. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-12775
No. 1 discloses a method in which a fixing member formed of an elastomer such as urethane resin or a rubber member is cohered and fixed to the inner periphery of an outer tube, and the fixing member is connected to a connecting ring or a tip of a flexible portion to which a curved tube is connected. The figure shows a configuration in which it is fixed to a concave groove or the like provided in a distal end body constituting a hard portion.

In any of the above-mentioned fixing methods, the outer tube partially expands and contracts at the time of the angle operation, so that the fixing portion does not fall off during the expansion and contraction. It must exhibit the fixing strength. Here, the end rings located at both ends of the curved tube are fitted to the connection ring on the soft part side and the tip main body, respectively. Therefore, these both end rings can be used at the time of an angle operation or when an external force is applied. It is a non-curved part that does not bend. So, both ends of the outer tube
Positions near both ends of the curved tube, especially the connecting ring to the distal end body and the flexible portion of the end ring,
That is, it is stably fixed at a position where it is not pressed and deformed even when an external force acts. Thereby, the fixing strength of the outer tube is increased.

[0008]

By the way, the insertion portion of the endoscope is long, and there is a possibility that the insertion portion, especially the tip portion, may erroneously collide with a surrounding object or the like when carrying the endoscope. is there. Therefore, if the outer tube is damaged or damaged due to the impact at the time of such a collision, contaminants in the body adhere to it and cleaning becomes difficult. In an extreme case, the cleaning liquid, the disinfecting liquid, etc. And the like, the members such as the solid-state imaging device provided in the insertion portion are contaminated to cause troubles, and inconveniences such as disconnection of cables and optical fibers occur.

In the outer portion of the entire insertion portion, the hard tip portion has extremely high strength against the action of an external force such as an impact, and the angle portion and the soft portion are bendable.
When an external force acts, a certain amount of impact can be absorbed by bending. However, the connecting part of the angle part to the distal end hard part and the connecting part of the angle part and the soft part,
Although it has a limited length, there is a portion that does not bend, and the exterior portion of the portion that is not bent is formed of a soft member. Therefore, when a large impact force acts on the unbent portion, the possibility that the soft exterior portion is damaged or broken increases. In addition, since the soft portion and the angle portion have a difference in the material of the exterior portion, etc., the angle portion generally has a lower strength against an impact force.

[0010] That is, since the exterior portion of the angle portion is required to be made of a material having high elasticity in order to suppress the resistance to the angle operation and to have characteristics such as chemical resistance, the material is extremely small. It is limited, and urethane rubber and EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber) are generally used, and a material having high strength against impact or the like cannot always be selected. In particular, at the portion of the outer tube located on the end ring of the curved tube, that is, at the non-curved portion of the curved portion, the elastic outer tube is in contact with a hard base made of metal or the like, Even with a relatively small impact,
This shock cannot be absorbed, and the outer tube may be damaged. If a large shock is applied, the tube may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to effectively protect a fragile portion of an outer tube constituting an exterior portion of an angle portion. It is in.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a hard distal end provided with an angle portion which is bent by remote control, and the angle portion is provided with a soft bendable in any direction. In the insertion part of the endoscope with a series of parts,
The angle portion is a curved tube having a node ring structure formed by sequentially pivoting a predetermined number of angle rings,
A net attached to the outer surface of the curved tube and extends to a position covering an end ring attached to the outside of the net and connected to the distal end hard portion and the flexible portion of the angle ring constituting the curved tube. The outer tube and the end ring are provided between the outer tube and the end ring with a shock absorbing layer made of a member more flexible than the outer tube. This is the feature.

Here, it is desirable that the shock absorbing layer extends over substantially the entire length including the end ring and a connection portion to another angle ring adjacent to the end ring. In addition, a typical material of the outer tube is urethane rubber or ethylene propylene diene rubber. The shock absorbing layer formed inside the outer tube is made of silicone rubber or natural rubber which is more flexible than these materials. It can be a layer. Further, the impact absorbing layer can be formed by interposing a sealing material having a predetermined thickness in a portion from a fixed end of the end ring to a connection portion to another angle ring. Moreover, it is more desirable to use a sealing material having an adhesive function. Further, it is necessary to fix the shock absorbing layer as firmly as possible to the outer tube. For this purpose, it is more preferable that a portion of the inner surface of the outer tube where the shock absorbing layer is to be laminated is subjected to a primer treatment in advance.

As described above, when the sealing material functions as an impact absorbing layer and the sealing material has an adhesive function, the method of mounting the outer tube constituting the outer portion of the angle portion is as follows. A step of expanding the diameter of the outer tube by a vacuum suction force, a step of inserting the angle section structure into the outer tube thus expanded, and a step of protecting the end portion of the outer tube in the angle section structure. A step of applying a seal material having a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness on the end ring which is an angle ring at both ends, a step of applying an outer tube to the seal material application area, and cutting both ends of the outer tube And fixing to the end position of the angle portion structure.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a distal end portion in an insertion portion of an endoscope. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a hard tip portion, 21 denotes an angle portion, and 22 denotes a soft portion. Although not shown, the distal end hard portion 20 is provided with an illumination unit equipped with an illumination lens.
3 are provided, and these constitute an observation means of the endoscope. The observation unit 23 includes an objective optical system 24 and a solid-state imaging device 25 such as a CCD provided at an image forming position of the objective optical system 24. Further, a treatment tool deriving opening 26 is provided in the distal end hard portion 20 for deriving forceps and other treatment tools, and a connection pipe 26a is provided in the treatment tool derivation opening 26 by being inserted thereinto. A treatment instrument insertion tube 27 is provided so as to fit into the connection pipe 26a. Therefore, the distal end rigid portion 20 has a distal end main body 28 having a predetermined shape for mounting these members.
And a tip cap 29 that covers the front portion of the tip body 28. The distal end body 28 is formed of metal from the viewpoint of structural strength and workability, and the distal end cap 28 covers the distal end of the distal end main body 28 so as to prevent the distal end main body 28 from being exposed to the outside. Reference numeral 29 is formed of a synthetic resin having electrical insulation.

The angle portion 21 has a curved tube 32 formed by sequentially connecting the angle rings 30 via pivot pins 31. A net 33 is attached to the curved tube 32, and a net 33 is attached to the curved tube 32. An outer tube 34 is attached on the upper side. The pivot pins 31 for pivotally connecting the front and rear angle rings 30 are provided at two locations each in the order of up and down and left and right, so that the angle portion 21 can be bent up and down and left and right. For this purpose, four operating wires 35 are provided with a 90 ° phase relationship. The end ring 30a at the most proximal position of the angle ring 30 is fitted to the connection ring 36 extending from the flexible portion 22, and the end ring 30 at the most distal position.
b is fitted to the tip body 28. Therefore, the bending tube 32
Of these, both end rings 30a, 30b are
This is a non-curved portion that does not bend when a bending operation is performed by a push-pull operation or the like or when an external force is applied.

More specifically, in FIG. 1, the length L up to the mounting portion of the pivot pin 31 connecting the end rings 30a, 30b and the adjacent angle ring 30 is non-curved. And a portion between them is a curved portion. That is, in the angle ring 30 including the end rings 30a and 30b, their end faces are inclined at a predetermined angle in order to be able to bend, and the pivot pin 31 is used.
The portion on which is mounted is a protruding connecting portion 30 further protruding.
P. Therefore, strictly speaking, the non-curved portion is up to the entirety of the end rings 30a and 30b, that is, the portion of the connecting projection 30P where the pivot pin 31 is mounted.

The outer tube 34 is formed of, for example, EPDM in order to exhibit properties such as elasticity and chemical resistance. The outer tube 34 is connected to the end ring 30.
It extends to the end position of a, 30b or beyond, and seals the inside as an exterior part of the angle part 21. Therefore, it is necessary for the outer tube 34 to fully exhibit the function of completely sealing the angle portion 21 and not to be damaged by an external impact or the like over its entire length. If the thickness of the outer tube 34 is increased,
Although the strength is increased accordingly, if the thickness is excessively increased, not only the diameter of the entire insertion portion is increased, but also the resistance during the angle operation is increased. Here, the outer tube 34
In the curved portion, the impact is absorbed to some extent by bending when the impact is applied. Therefore, based on the strength against impact at the curved portion, the outer tube 3
4. Set the thickness dimension of 4. In this case, when an impact is applied to the non-curved portions located on the end rings 30a and 30b, sufficient strength cannot be obtained.

As described above, the shock absorbing layer 37 is provided to protect the non-curved portion of the outer tube 34, that is, substantially the entire length on the end rings 30a and 30b including the connecting projection 30P. I have. The shock absorbing layer 37 is made of a member that is more flexible than the outer tube 34 and has a high ability to absorb shock. Thereby, it is possible to protect the device from damage by the shock absorbing action of the shock absorbing layer 37. Moreover, by providing the shock absorbing layer 37 with a minimum thickness necessary to substantially prevent a difference in strength with respect to the impact action between the curved portion and the non-curved portion, the insertion portion can be formed. Partial increase in diameter is suppressed. Here, since the shock absorbing layer 37 is not exposed to the outside, it is not necessary to provide a chemical resistance or the like as the material thereof, and the material can be selected only from the viewpoint of shock absorption.

Thus, a sealing material is used as the shock absorbing layer 37. This sealing material is a plastic member and also has an adhesive property, such as a silicon-based sealing material or a urethane-based sealing material. And
The shock absorbing layer 37 covers the end rings 30a and 30b completely so as to completely cover the end rings 30a and 30b.
The length up to the pivotal connection portion, that is, the entire length of the non-curved portion L is substantially equal. Here, the end rings 30a, 3
Although both ends of the net 33 are fixed to 0b,
The net 33 covers up to an intermediate position between the end rings 30a and 30b. Therefore, a part of the shock absorbing layer 37 extends to a portion where the net 33 is attached.

Therefore, the outer tube 34 is formed so as to interpose an impact absorbing layer 37 made of a sealing material.
2 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the net 33 is attached to the bending tube 32, and the angle part structure 40 is constituted by this. The distal end body 2 is provided at the distal end of the angle portion structure 40.
8, and a flexible portion 22 is connected to the base end side (see FIG. 2B). Here, the inner diameter of the outer tube 34 is smaller than the outer diameter of the angle portion structure 40,
Therefore, the outer tube 34 is attached to the curved tube 32 in a compressed state.

In order to mount the outer tube 34, a mounting jig 41 is used. The mounting jig 41 is formed of a tubular member, the inner diameter of which is larger than the outer diameter of the curved tube 32,
The bending tube 32 is large enough to be inserted with a margin. The length of the mounting jig 41 is shorter than the entire length of the angle portion 21. Further, a connection tube portion 42 is provided at an intermediate position of the mounting jig 41.

First, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the outer tube 34 is inserted into the mounting jig 41, and both ends thereof are led out. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, both ends of the outer tube 34 are turned outward from both ends of the mounting jig 41 so that the outer tube 34 is formed.
Is sealed between the outer surface of the mounting jig 41 and the inner surface of the mounting jig 41. In this state, the outer tube 34 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the mounting jig 41 by connecting the vacuum suction means 43 to the connection cylinder portion 42 and applying a suction force. Then, after the angle structure 40 is inserted, the operation of the suction force by the vacuum suction means 43 is stopped.

Next, the angle part structure 40 including the curved tube 32 to which the net 33 is mounted is inserted into the mounting jig 41. Then, as shown in FIG. 2C, the shock absorbing layer 37 made of a sealing material is formed to have a predetermined thickness from the base end side of the curved tube 32, that is, from the end ring 30a to the base end of the net 33. Is applied. Here, the application of the shock absorbing layer 37 is performed by attaching the angle part structure 40 to the mounting jig 41.
This can be done at a stage before insertion into the. Therefore, the coating thickness of the shock absorbing layer 37 can be arbitrarily controlled. Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), by inverting the end of the outer tube 34 folded back by the mounting jig 41, the mounting portion of the shock absorbing layer 37 is covered with the outer tube 34. I do. Further, the impact absorbing layer 37 is similarly applied to the distal end side of the curved tube 32, that is, the end ring 30b side. Further, as shown in FIG. 2E, the other end portion of the outer layer 34 is also inverted from the mounting jig 41 so as to cover the shock absorbing layer 37, and an unnecessary length of the outer tube 34 is provided. Cut and removed. And finally, it is pulled out from the mounting jig 41 and, as shown in FIG.
4. After the bobbin 44 is wound on both ends of the bobbin 4, the bobbin 44
By applying the adhesive to the portion (2), the mounting of the outer tube 34 is completed, and the angle portion 21 is formed.

As described above, since the shock absorbing layer 37 is interposed between the outer tube 34 and the end rings 30a, 30b, even if it collides with another object or the like, the shock absorbing layer 37 interposed therebetween. Are compressed, so that the impact is reduced and the possibility of damage is reduced. In addition, since the shock absorbing layer 37 is formed of a sealing material having an adhesive property, the sealing function of the sealing material is exhibited in addition to the sealing property of the thread winding 43, so that the sealing property inside the insertion portion is further improved. .

The shock absorbing layer 37 made of a sealing material
In order to further improve the inside tightness of
It is desirable to further increase the adhesion between the inner surface of the fourth member 4 and the shock absorbing layer 37. For this purpose, a surface treatment, for example, a primer treatment, for improving the adhesiveness is performed on a portion of the inner surface of the outer tube 34 where the shock absorbing layer 37 is to be laminated. Here, when the outer tube 34 is formed of EPDM, a primer containing toluene, xylene or the like as a main component is preferably used. By performing such a surface treatment, the outer tube 34 and the shock absorbing layer 37 are strongly bonded. In addition, the sealing material forming the shock absorbing layer 37 is made up of end rings 30a, 30a.
A net 33 is attached to the end rings 30a and 30b over the entire length of b, and an anchoring effect on the net 33 is also exerted. Therefore, if a sealing material having high adhesiveness is used, the shock absorbing layer 37 also has a function of fixing the outer tube 34, so that the outer tube 34 can be formed without applying the special spool 43 and the adhesive. The end can be fixed.

The shock absorbing layer 37 is not limited to the sealing material. In short, a member that is more flexible than the outer tube 34 is made of the outer tube 34 and the end rings 30a, 30b of the curved tube 32.
It is sufficient that the sheath tube 34 is inserted between
In the case of a configuration made of DM, silicon rubber, natural rubber, or the like can also be used as the shock absorbing layer. And these are made into a liquid thing and the end rings 30a, 30
b, or formed in a tube shape and fixed to the inner surface of the outer tube with an adhesive or the like. The outer tube may be formed of urethane rubber or the like in addition to EPDM.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the shock absorbing layer which is more flexible than the outer tube is interposed between the outer tube and the end ring constituting the curved tube. This has the effect of effectively protecting the easily damaged portion of the outer tube constituting the exterior part.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an angle part showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process explanatory view of a method of attaching an outer tube to a curved tube.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of the endoscope.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an angle part according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 20 hard tip portion 21 angle portion 22 flexible portion 28 tip portion main body 30 angle ring 30a, 30b end ring 31 pivot pin 32 curved tube 33 net 34 outer tube 36 connection ring 37 shock absorbing layer 40 angle portion structure 41 mounting jig

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H040 BA00 BA24 DA12 DA14 DA16 DA19 GA02 4C061 AA00 BB01 CC06 DD03 FF32 FF35 HH33 JJ03 JJ06 JJ11 JJ13

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An insertion part of an endoscope in which an angle portion which is bent by remote control is provided on a hard distal end portion, and a flexible portion which can be bent in an arbitrary direction is connected to the angle portion. A curved tube having a node ring structure formed by sequentially pivotally attaching a predetermined number of angle rings, a net mounted on the outer surface of the curved tube, and mounted outside the net to constitute the curved tube. An outer ring tube extending to a position covering the end ring connected to the distal end hard portion and the soft portion of the angle ring.
An angle part for an endoscope, wherein a shock absorbing layer made of a member more flexible than the outer tube is provided between the outer tube and the end ring. 2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing layer extends over substantially the entire length including the end ring and a connection portion to another angle ring adjacent thereto. Angle part of. 3. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said outer tube is made of urethane rubber or ethylene propylene diene rubber, and said shock absorbing layer is made of silicon rubber or natural rubber. Angle part of. 4. The outer tube is made of urethane rubber or ethylene propylene diene rubber, and the impact absorbing layer is provided between an inner surface of the outer tube, the end ring, and the net. 2. A structure in which a sealing material having a thickness is interposed.
Angle section of the endoscope described. 5. The angle section of an endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the seal member has an adhesive function. 6. The end portion of the endoscope according to claim 3, wherein a primer treatment is performed on a portion of the inner surface of the outer tube where the shock absorbing layer is laminated. 7. A net is formed on the outer surface of a curved tube formed by pivotally connecting a predetermined number of angle rings, and a skin tube is sequentially formed on the outer side of the net, and a distal end constituting an insertion portion of an endoscope. Provided between the hard part and the soft part,
A method of mounting an outer tube constituting an exterior part on an angle portion curved by remote operation, comprising: a step of expanding the outer tube by a vacuum suction force; and an outer tube having an expanded diameter of the angle portion structure. And a sealing material having a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness is coated on an end ring which is an angle ring at both ends of the angle part structure in order to protect an end of the outer tube. A step of applying the outer tube to the sealing material application region; and a step of cutting both ends of the outer tube and fixing the outer tube to an end position of the angle portion structure. The method of attaching the outer tube to the angle portion of the endoscope.