JP3255761B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

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 endoscopy in a body cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an endoscope of this type has an insertion portion which is elongated from a front end of an operation portion, and a distal end of the insertion portion observes an illumination window for illuminating the inside of the body cavity or the inside of the body cavity. Observation window and the like are provided.

When an endoscopic examination is performed on a digestive tract such as the large intestine using such an endoscope, the endoscope is inserted through an anus to perform an endoscopic examination. Since the digestive tract bends up and down and left and right in the part from the anus to the large intestine, in order to insert the tip of the insertion part to the target site, the bending part of the insertion part must be bent up and down and left and right, and the insertion part must be centered. It is necessary to insert while rotating around. However, in the above-described endoscope, since the insertion section is fixed to the operation section, it is necessary to twist the entire endoscope when rotating the insertion section around the axis. Then, the insertion portion could not be twisted in a very wide range.

To solve this problem, US Pat. No. 4,989,581 discloses an endoscope in which an insertion portion is provided rotatably around an axis with respect to an operation portion so that the insertion portion can be twisted in a wide range. I have.

[0005]

However, in the endoscope disclosed in the above document, since the operating section and the insertion section are connected via a coiled torsion spring, the insertion section is arranged around the axis. If the hand twisting the insertion part is released from the insertion part after twisting, the insertion part will return to its original position against the surgeon's intention due to the spring force of the torsion spring, and there is a problem that handling is poor. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and even if the hand for applying a rotating force to the insertion portion around the axis is released from the insertion portion, the insertion portion is undesired against the operator's intention. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope that does not return to the position.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises an operating portion and an insertion portion provided to be rotatable around the axis with respect to the operating portion. In the endoscope, the insertion portion is biased around the axis and the bias is applied.
A switching means for switching between a non-switched state and a non-switched state is provided.

[0008]

In the present invention, the insertion portion is urged around the axis.
It is possible to switch to a state of not being state and urged the insertion portion against the operator's will without that would return to the original position, thereby improving the handling property.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an operation section of the endoscope, and a thin tubular insertion section 4 is provided at a front end of the operation section 1. The operation unit 1 is configured by providing a tubular member 3 at the center of the operation unit main body 2 as shown in FIG.

The insertion section 4 is rotatable about the axis with respect to the operation section 1. A pin 22 is provided on an insertion section base 8 (see FIG. 3) which forms a base end of the insertion section 4. Is provided. The pin 22 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 3 as shown in FIG. 4, and the cylindrical member 3 has a slit 23 for regulating the range of movement of the pin 22 to 120 ° to 150 °. Is formed. In addition, the insertion portion 4 has a cylindrical tip member 5,
A bending tube 6 connected to the rear end of the tip member 5, a flexible tube 7 connected to the rear end of the bending tube 6, and an insertion portion connected to the rear end of the flexible tube 7. And a tapered portion 10 (see FIG. 7) provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 3 at the rear end of the insertion portion die 8. A retaining portion 9 is provided.

On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the front end portion of the operation section 1, the insertion section 4 is urged to rotate about the axis with respect to the operation section 1.
A switching ring 12 is provided for switching between a state and a state where the rotation is not biased . The switching ring 12 is rotatable around the axis of the insertion portion 4, and a cam ring 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided inside the switching ring 12. The cam ring 13 is configured to rotate integrally with the switching ring 12, and guide holes 14a and 14b having a shape as shown in FIG.
These guide holes 14a and 14b are used as guide holes 1 to be described later.
7a, Ru rotates the mobile ring 16 about the central axis of the insertion portion 4 in combination with 17b. Move ring 16 in the guide holes 14a, 14b that engage the cam pins 15a, 15b are provided.

[0012] The moving ring 16 is provided between the cam ring 13 and the tubular member 3, the guide hole 17a, 17b of the tubular member 3 axes of elliptical shape on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 3 Drilled along the direction. Further, the Kamupi <br/> emissions 15a, the guide hole 17a at the end of the 15b, 17b that engage the engaging portions 18a, 18b are provided.

The front end of the moving ring 16 has an insertion portion 4
One end of a coil spring 19 for applying a biasing force around the axis is fixed. The other end of the coil spring 19 is connected to the rotating ring 2 provided between the switching ring 12 and the cylindrical member 3.
0, and a notch 21 (see FIG. 6) is provided at the front end of the rotating ring 20. An index 2 indicating the position of the notch 21 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the switching ring 12.
4a, and an index 24b indicating the position of the engaging pin 22 is provided on the outer surface of the insertion portion 4.

A fixing ring 25 is provided at the front end of the operation section 1. The fixing ring 25 is for switching the insertion portion 4 from a rotatable state to a non-rotatable state, and is mounted on a male screw portion 26 provided at the front end of the insertion portion base 8. Note that a stopper ring 27 for fixing the fixing ring 25 to the lower end of the tubular member 3 is attached to the male screw portion 26.

The operation unit 1 has an image control button 2
8, bending operation knob 29, air / water supply control button 30, suction control button 31, treatment instrument insertion port 32, and treatment instrument insertion port 3
2 is provided with a stopper 34 made of an elastic member, and a universal cord 36 for connecting the operation unit 1 to the light source device 35 is provided. Note that 37 in the figure
42 to O-ring, and O-ring 39 is O-ring 42
It is formed of a sealing material having a larger frictional resistance than that of the sealing material.

In such a configuration, when the insertion portion 4 is twisted by hand, a pin 22 provided at the base end of the insertion portion 4 has a slit provided in the cylindrical member 3 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 23, the rotation range of the insertion portion 4 is 120 ° or more.
Since the angle is regulated to 150 °, damage to the light guide, the channel tube, and the like built in the insertion section 4 can be prevented.

When the switching ring 12 provided on the outer periphery of the front end portion of the operation portion 1 is rotated around the axis of the insertion portion 4, a notch provided at the front end of the rotation ring 20 as shown in FIG. When the portion 21 is engaged with the pin 22 and the insertion portion 4 is twisted by hand, the spring force of the coil spring 19 acts on the insertion portion 4 via the pin 22, so that the insertion portion 4 is fixed by the spring force of the coil spring 19. Can be returned to position.

Further, when the fixing ring 25 is rotated around the axis of the insertion portion 4, the male screw portion 26 of the insertion portion base 8 moves to the front end side of the insertion portion 4, thereby preventing the insertion portion base 8 from coming off. Since the part 9 is pressed by the tapered part 10 of the tubular member 3 as shown in FIG. 10, the position of the insertion part 4 can be fixed.

Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, the insertion portion 4 can be rotated around the axis without damaging the light guide, the channel tube, and the like built in the insertion portion 4, and moreover, around the axis. Insertion part 4 rotated
Can be fixed in that state and returned to the home position.

In the embodiment described above, the moving ring 1 is used.
Although guide holes 14a and 14b are provided in the peripheral surface of the cam ring 13 as means for rotating the cam ring 6 around the axis of the insertion portion 4, the guide groove 43 is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 13 as shown in FIGS. , 43, and the guide grooves 43,
The cam pins 15a and 15b may be engaged with the 43.

[0021]

According to the present invention as described above, according to the present invention, the operator
From the state where the insertion part is freely urged around the axis
It is possible to switch the state of not being, the insertion section against the operator's will without that would return to the original position, thereby improving the handling property.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an endoscope and peripheral devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary sectional view showing a part of the endoscope according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the cam ring shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the rotating ring shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary sectional view showing a part of the endoscope according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view showing a part of the endoscope according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the endoscope according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the endoscope according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Operation part 4 ... Insertion part 12 ... Switching ring 13 ... Cam ring 14a, 14b ... Cam hole 15a, 15b ... Cam pin 16 ... Moving ring 18 ... Coil spring 19 ... Rotating ring 20 ... Notch 21 ... Engagement pin 26 ... Fixed ring

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An endoscope comprising: an operation section; and an insertion section rotatably provided around the axis with respect to the operation section, wherein the insertion section is urged about the axis. State and attached
An endoscope provided with switching means for switching to a non-energized state .