KR20140132100A - endoscope having rotational equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoscope having a rotating device which rotates a curved part in the axial direction. The endoscope includes a flexible part which can freely bend by an external force added; a curved part which is arranged in the front end of the flexible part, has a single degree of freedom, and can be curved; a rotating device which is rotatably coupled with the flexible part in the axial direction of the flexible part, and rotates the curve part in the axial direction; and a manipulation part which is connected to the rotating device and prepares a rotation manipulation part which manipulates the rotation of the rotating device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope having rotational equipment,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to an endoscope having a rotating device in an axial direction of a curved part.

In general, a medical endoscope is a medical device that is inserted into an organ or body cavity of an internal organs and allows the inside of the body to be seen without performing a direct operation, and contributes to the development of medicine to date.

Unlike other medical imaging devices such as X-rays, endoscopes are inserted directly into the body. Therefore, an endoscopic examination using an endoscope has an advantage that a practitioner can directly observe the shape and state of organs and body cavity in the body with the naked eye.

The endoscope has a curved portion that is provided so as to be able to bend in order to move the field of view of the endoscope in the body, and an operation portion that can be manipulated by the practitioner to manipulate the curved portion outside the body.

The curved portion is provided so as to have two degrees of freedom (DOF) so as to be curved in the vertical direction and in the lateral direction. The upward and downward curvature and the left and right curvature are operated independently of each other. Therefore, the practitioner bends the curved portion in the up-down direction or the left-right direction while holding the operation portion, and moves the view of the endoscope to the desired position.

However, the curvature in the vertical direction and the curvature in the horizontal direction are operated independently of each other, but the curvature movements of these two directions are coupled to each other, and the actual curvature output is different from the curvature operation inputted by the operator through the operation portion. Therefore, the practitioner has to carry out several bending operations in order to move the field of view of the endoscope to the desired position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope having a rotation device that is easy to move and easy to view by reducing curvature and axial rotation of a bend in accordance with intentions of an operator. There is a purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an endoscope having a rotating device, comprising: a flexible part capable of freely bending by external force; a curved part disposed at a distal end of the flexible part, A rotating device rotatably coupled to the flexible portion in the axial direction of the flexible portion to rotate the curved portion in the direction and a manipulation portion connected to the rotating device and provided with a rotary manipulation portion for manipulating the rotation of the rotary device .

The endoscope having the rotation device according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, the operation of the bend part is constituted by the bend of one degree of freedom and the axial rotation, so that the operation output of the bend part can be made corresponding to the operation input of the operator. Accordingly, since the curvature of the curved portion and the axial rotation are made in accordance with the intention of the operator, the operator can more easily move the view of the endoscope to a desired position.

Second, since the visual field of the endoscope can be easily moved, the time required for the endoscopic examination can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to alleviate the physical burden imposed on the examinee of the endoscopic examination.

1 is a view showing an endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view showing a fastening portion of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing a bend portion of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIGS.
4 is a perspective view illustrating a rotating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a rotating device according to an embodiment of the present invention
6 is a view showing the operation of the rotating device according to the embodiment of the present invention
7 is a perspective view showing a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a rotating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention,
9A to 9C are diagrams showing the operation of the rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention
10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a rotating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention,
12A to 12C are diagrams showing the operation of the rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention
13A to 13B are views showing the arrangement of rotating wires according to another embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an endoscope having a rotation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In addition, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. For convenience of explanation, the size and shape of each constituent member shown may be exaggerated or reduced have.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing a fastening part of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. Fig. 6 is a view showing a curved portion of an endoscope according to an example.

1 and 2, an endoscope system 1 used for endoscopy includes an endoscope 10, a light source device 20, a signal processing device 30, and a display device 35 do. The endoscope 10 has a fastening portion 40 to be inserted into a built-in organ or body cavity and an operation portion 50 which is gripped by a practitioner and manipulates various functions of the endoscope 10.

The coupling portion 40 includes a flexible portion 60 that is freely bent, a curved portion 70 that is curved and a rigid tip portion 80 that is provided at the tip of the curved portion 70.

The flexible portion 60 is connected to the operation portion 50. The flexible portion 60 may be composed of a helical steel band 63 and a metal wire mesh 62 and a covering tube 61 surrounding the helical steel band 63. The wire mesh 62 may be formed of a stainless steel material. The flexible portion 60 is entirely flexible so as to be passively bent by an external force.

The distal end portion 80 may be provided with an objective lens 81 for focusing the subject and a light guide lens 82 for irradiating illumination light guided from the light source device 20 to the subject. A charge coupled device (not shown) for converting the image of the object focused by the objective lens 81 into an image signal is disposed on the rear side of the objective lens 81 and can be connected to the objective lens 81 have.

The signal cable 83 is connected to the charge coupling element (not shown) and inserted into the coupling part 40 and the operation part 50. The signal cable 83 is connected to the signal processing device 30 via the inside of a universal cable 90 extending to the rear side of the operation part 50.

The light guide 84 is inserted through the coupling portion 40 and the operation portion 50 to guide the illumination light of the light source device 20 to the subject in the body. The light guide 84 is connected to the light source device 20 via the inside of the universal cable 90. The light source device (20) irradiates illumination light through the light guide (84).

The signal processing device 30 receives an image photographed at the distal end portion 80 of the endoscope 10 through a signal cable 83 and processes the image signal. The display device 35 receives the image signal processed by the signal processing device 30 and displays the received image signal to an operator of the endoscopic examination.

The curved portion (70) is connected to the tip of the flexible portion (60). The curved portion 70 is formed in a tubular shape in which a plurality of ring-shaped curved segments 71 are connected and a space is provided therein. The plurality of curved segments 71 are jointed to each other so that the curved portions 70 can be curved with a single degree of freedom. A connecting member such as a rivet may be mounted on the joint portion of the curved knob 71. The curved portion 70 is curved on one plane.

A curved wire (52) penetrates into the inside of the curved portion (70). The curved wires 52 are provided in a pair. The curved wires 52 may be disposed at positions facing each other in the inner space of the curved portion 70. One side of the curved wire 52 is fixed to the distal end of the curved portion 70 and the other side is connected to the operating portion 50 through the curved portion 70 and the flexible portion 60 in order. The operation portion 50 is provided with a curved operation portion 50 connected to the curved wire 52. The operator can bend the curved portion 70 on one plane by pulling any one of the pair of curved wires 52 by operating the curvature manipulation portion 51. [

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the curved portion 70 includes a plurality of curved segments 71 and a plurality of elastic members 73. One curved wire 52 is inserted through the inside of the curved portion 70 and the elastic member 73 is disposed on the opposite side of the curved wire 52. The plurality of curved segments 71 may have a first joint portion 74a and a second joint portion 74b, which are formed in corresponding shapes, and may be joint-connected without a separate connecting member.

The elastic members 73 are disposed between the curved segments 71, respectively. One side of one curved wire 52 is connected to the tip of the curved portion 70 and the other side is connected to the curved operation portion 51. [ When a practitioner applies tension to the curved wire 52 by operating the curvature manipulation part 51, the curved part 70 is curved and elastic energy is accumulated in the elastic member 73. [ When the practitioner releases the tension acting on the curved wire 52, the curved segment 71 is returned to the initial position by the elastic energy accumulated in the elastic member 73.

Since the curved portion 70 is curved on one plane, the field of view of the endoscope 10 is defined on a plane in which the curved portion 70 is curved.

Therefore, the endoscope 10 has the rotating device 100 that rotates the bending portion 70 in the axial direction so as to move the field of view of the endoscope 10 to various positions in the body.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a rotating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a rotating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. And Fig.

4 to 6, the rotating device includes a twisting device 100 that is coupled with the flexible portion 60. As shown in Fig. The torsion device 100 is engaged with the flexible portion 60 in such a manner as to enclose the flexible portion 60 so as to apply an axial torque to the flexible portion 60. [

The flexible portion 60 includes a first flexible portion 60a fixed to the operation portion 50, a second flexible portion 60b connected to the distal end of the first flexible portion 60a to generate a twist, And a third flexible portion 60c connected to the tip of the portion 60b and rotating in the axial direction.

The torsional rigidity of the second flexible portion 60b is preferably smaller than the torsional rigidity of the first flexible portion 60a and the third flexible portion 60c so that the twist is generated by the torque applied by the twist apparatus 100. [ To this end, the second flexible portion 60b may be composed of a spiral metal band or wire mesh having a small torsional rigidity, or may not include these metal structures.

The twist apparatus 100 includes a fixed portion 110 fixedly coupled to the operation portion 50 and the first flexible portion 60a and a fixed portion 110 fixedly coupled to the third flexible portion 60c, And a friction portion 150 disposed between the fixing portion 110 and the rotation portion 120. The rotation portion 120 is rotatably coupled to the rotation portion 120,

The fixing portion 110 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a first flexible portion 60a inserted therein. The first flexible portion 60a is in close contact with the inner surface of the fixing portion 110 and fixed to the fixing portion 110. [ The first flexible portion 60a may be coupled to the fixing portion 110 in an interference fit manner.

The rotary part 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a fixing part 110 and a second flexible part 60b inserted therein. And the rear end of the third flexible portion 60c is fixed. The rear end of the rotation part 120 is rotatably engaged with the fixing part 110 and the flexible part 60 in the axial direction. A rotation guide groove 121 corresponding to the rotation guide protrusion 112 is formed on the inner surface of the rotation part 120. The rotation guide groove 121 is formed in the outer surface of the fixing part 110 in the circumferential direction. The rotation part 120 is slidably rotated with respect to the fixing part 110 in a state where the rotation guide groove 121 is engaged with the rotation guide projection 112.

The rotation unit 120 includes a cylindrical rotating body 130 fixed to the rear end of the third flexible unit 60c and rotated together with the third flexible unit 60c and a rotating body 130 disposed at the rear end of the rotating body 130 130, and a rotating disc 140 that receives torque from the outside. A contact member 131 is disposed at the tip of the rotating body 130 so that the rear end of the third flexible portion 60c can be fixed to the rotating body 130. The rotary disk 140 is formed in a disk shape and a rotary tooth 141 may be provided around the rotary disk 140. The rotating body 130 and the rotating disk 140 may be separately provided and coupled to each other, or may be integrally formed.

When the practitioner applies an axial torque to the rotation part 120, twisting occurs in the second flexible part 60b and the third flexible part 60c rotates together with the rotation part 120 in the axial direction. The second flexible portion 60b can be returned to the initial state by the torsional elastic energy accumulated in the second flexible portion 60b when the torque applied to the rotary portion 120 is released. Therefore, in order to prevent the second flexible portion 60b from returning to the pre-twist deformation state when the torque applied to the rotary portion 120 is released, the frictional force between the fixing portion 110 and the rotary portion 120 is increased The friction portion 150 is disposed between the fixing portion 110 and the rotation portion 120.

The friction part 150 includes an elastic member 151 which contacts the fixed part 110 and the rotation part 120 in a state where elastic energy is accumulated. One side of the elastic member 151 is fixed to the fixing portion 110 and the other side is arranged to apply an elastic force to the rotation portion 120.

The operation of the twist apparatus 100 will be described below. 6, the operation unit 50 includes a housing 50a forming an outer appearance of the operation unit 50, a curved operation unit 51 and a rotation operation unit 55 mounted on the housing 50a, Respectively.

The curvature manipulation unit 51 includes a curved protrusion knob 54 disposed outside the housing 50a and a curved wire 52 connected to the curved protrusion knob 54. [ A power transmitting member such as a curved operating pulley 53 may be disposed between the curved running knob 54 and the curved wire 52.

A power device such as a motor driven by electric power may be additionally disposed between the curvature operation knob 54 and the power transmitting member.

The rotation operation unit 55 includes a rotation operation knob 59 disposed on the outside of the housing 50a and a rotation operation knob 59 disposed inside the housing 50a so that the torque applied by the operator to the rotation operation knob 59 is transmitted to the twist apparatus 100 And a power transmission member such as a gear assembly 57 for transmitting the power. The power transmitting member may include, in addition to the gear assembly 57, a wire and a pulley, a chain and a sprocket. A power device such as a motor driven by electric driving may be additionally disposed between the rotation operation knob 59 and the gear assembly 57. [

One side of the gear assembly 57 is connected to the rotary operation knob 59 and the other side is connected to the rotary disk 140 of the torsion device 100. The torque applied by the practitioner to the rotary operation knob 59 is transmitted to the rotating portion 120 of the torsion device 100 through the gear assembly 57. When the rotary portion 120 of the twist apparatus 100 applies an axial torque to the rear end of the third flexible portion 60c, the movement of the first flexible portion 60a is restricted by the fixed portion 110, The torsion occurs in the torsion bar 60b. The second flexible portion 60c rotates together with the rotation portion 120 of the twist apparatus 100 and the bent portion 70 shown in Fig. 2 connected to the tip of the flexible portion 60 is connected to the third flexible portion 60c in the axial direction.

When the torque applied to the rotary operation knob 59 is released, a restoring force for restoring the second flexible portion 60b to a state before the twist deformation acts due to the torsional elastic energy accumulated in the second flexible portion 60b. However, since the frictional part 150 fixed to the fixing part 110 exerts a frictional force corresponding to the restoring force on the rotary part 120, the second flexible part 60b can not be restored to the pre-deformation state, The rotation state can be maintained.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5 is a view showing the operation of the rotating device according to another embodiment;

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the rotating device includes a rotating tube assembly 200 formed by three tubes connected in an axial direction.

Both ends of the rotary tube assembly 200 can be connected to the flexible portion 60. However, since the rotary tube assembly 200 is rigid as a whole, when both end portions of the rotary tube assembly 200 are connected to the flexible portion 60, the flexibility of the flexible portion 60 may be deteriorated. Therefore, it is preferable that the rotary tube assembly 200 is disposed between the flexible portion 60 and the curved portion 70.

The rotary tube assembly 200 includes a fixed tube 210, a slide tube 220 coupled to the fixed tube 210 so as to reciprocate longitudinally in the fixed tube 210, a fixed tube 210, And a rotary tube (230) which is connected as far as possible. The fixed pipe 210, the slide pipe 220, and the rotary pipe 230 may be coupled to each other on the same axis.

The rear end of the fixing pipe 210 is fixed to the tip end of the flexible portion 60. On the inner wall of the fixing pipe 210, a rotation guide groove 212 for guiding the rotation of the rotary pipe 230 is formed along the circumference. The rotation guide groove 212 is formed around the tip of the fixing pipe 210.

The fixing pipe 210 has a reciprocating movement guide pin 211 protruding from the inner wall of the fixing pipe 210 to the inside of the fixing pipe 210 to guide the reciprocating movement of the slide pipe 220. The fixing pipe 210 has a rotating wire hooking part 213. The rotating wire hooking portion 213 will be described later.

The outer diameter of the slide tube 220 corresponds to the inner diameter of the fixed tube 210, and the slide tube 220 is inserted into the fixed tube 210. A reciprocating movement groove 222 in which the reciprocating movement guide pin 211 of the fixing tube 210 is engaged is formed in the longitudinal direction of the slide tube 220 on the outer wall of the slide tube 220.

A rotating wire (56) is connected to the slide tube (220). The slide tube 220 has a rotation wire connection portion 221 to which the rotation wire 56 is connected. The rotating wire 56 includes a first rotating wire 56a for moving the slide tube 220 to the rear side and a second rotating wire 56b for moving the slide tube 220 to the front side. The rotation wire connection part 221 includes a first rotation wire connection part 221a to which the first rotation wire 56a is connected and a second rotation wire connection part 221b to which the second rotation wire 56b is connected .

The first rotary wire connection part 221a and the second rotary wire connection part 221b are provided at the front end and the rear end of the slide tube 220, respectively. The first rotary wire connection part 221a and the second rotary wire connection part 221a are disposed at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the center axis of the slide tube 220. [

The rotating wire hooking part 213 of the fixing pipe 210 is positioned in front of the first rotating wire connecting part 221a of the slide tube 220. [ The rotating wire hooking part 213 and the first rotating wire connecting part 221a are positioned in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the slide tube 220. [ The first rotary wire 56a is connected to the first rotary wire connection part 221a of the slide tube 220 after being caught by the rotary wire hook 213 of the fixing tube 210. [ Accordingly, when a tension is applied to the first rotating wire 56a, the slide tube 220 is moved forward with respect to the fixed tube 210. [

In order to reduce the frictional force between the first rotating wire 56a and the rotating wire holding part 213, the rotating wire holding part 213 is formed into a cylindrical shape. The rotating wire hooking part 213 may include a roller (not shown) that is fixed to the fixing pipe 210 and rotates.

When the slide tube 220 reciprocates, the rotary tube 230 is coupled with the slide tube 220 and rotates in the axial direction. To this end, the slide tube 220 has a rotating oil tool 223 formed along the curved surface in the direction of the hatched portion with respect to the central axis of the slide tube 220. The rotating oil tool 223 is formed to communicate with the outside of the slide tube 220 on the inner wall of the slide tube 220.

The rotary pipe 230 has a rotation protrusion 231 located along the circumference of the outer wall of the rotary pipe 230. The rotation protrusion 231 is engaged with the rotation guide groove 212 of the fixing pipe 210. The rotation tube 230 is restricted in its movement in the longitudinal direction by being coupled to the rotation guide groove 212 by the rotation projection 231.

The rotary pipe 230 has a rotary pin 232 protruding from the outer wall of the rotary pipe 230 and the rotary pin 232 is engaged with the rotary oil tool 223 of the slide pipe 220. As the slide tube 220 reciprocates, the rotation pin 232 is moved along the rotational oil tool 223.

Hereinafter, the operation of the rotary tube assembly 200 will be described. 9, the operation unit 50 includes a housing 50a that forms an outer appearance of the operation unit 50, a curvature operation unit 51 that is mounted on the housing 50a, and a rotation operation unit 55.

The curvature manipulation unit 51 includes a curvature manipulation knob 54 rotatably mounted on the housing 50a so as to be gripped and rotated by the operator, a curvature manipulation pulley 53 connected to the curvature manipulation knob 54, And a curved wire (52) connected to the operating pulley (53).

The rotary operation portion 55 includes a rotary operation knob 59 rotatably mounted on the housing 50a so as to be grasped and rotated by the operator, a rotary operation pulley 58 connected to the rotary operation knob 59, And a rotating wire (56) connected to the operating pulley (58). The curved operation pulley 53 and the rotary operation pulley 58 have the same rotation axis.

The operation curvature manipulation unit 51 and the rotation manipulation unit 55 are provided so as to be able to operate independently of each other. Therefore, when the practitioner rotates the bending operation knob 54, the rotation operation knob 59 does not rotate, and conversely, when the operator rotates the rotation operation knob 59, the bending operation knob 54 does not rotate.

When the practitioner rotates the curved operation knob 54, a tension is generated in the curved wire 52 and the curved portion 70 is curved. However, since the curved portion 70 has only one degree of freedom, it is not possible to move the field of view of the endoscope to various positions in the body with the curved manipulation portion 51 alone.

When the practitioner rotates the rotary operation knob 59 in one direction so that tension is applied to the first rotary wire 56a, the slide tube 220 is moved forward inside the fixed tube 210. [ At this time, since the reciprocating movement guide pin 211 of the fixed tube 210 is coupled to the reciprocating groove 222 of the slide tube 220, the rotation of the slide tube 220 is restricted with respect to the fixed tube 210 .

The rotation pin 232 of the rotary tube 230 is moved along the rotary tool 223 of the slide tube 220 when the slide tube 220 is moved forward. The rotation protrusion 231 of the rotary pipe 230 is coupled to the rotation guide groove 212 of the fixing pipe 210 so that the rotary pipe 230 is restricted from moving back and forth. Accordingly, the rotary pipe 230 rotates in one direction with respect to the fixed pipe 210, and the curved portion 70 connected to the end of the rotary pipe 230 rotates together with the rotary pipe 230.

When the practitioner rotates the rotary operation knob 59 in the opposite direction, the rotary tube 230 and the curved portion 70 rotate in the opposite direction through the above-described operation.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention, Is a diagram illustrating an operation of a rotating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the rotary tube assembly 300 is formed by axially connecting two tubes unlike the rotary tube assembly 200 shown in FIG.

The rotary tube assembly 300 includes a fixing pipe 310 and a rotary pipe 330 inserted into the fixing pipe 310 and rotatably coupled to the fixing pipe 310.

The fixing pipe 310 may be connected to the distal end of the flexible portion 60 and the rotating pipe 330 may be connected to the rear end of the bending portion 70. The curved portion 70 can rotate in the axial direction of the rotary tubular member 300 relative to the flexible portion 60 by rotating the rotary tubular member 330 in the axial direction with respect to the fixed tubular member 310. [

The fixing pipe 310 has a rotation guide hole 312 formed along the circumference thereof. The rotary pipe 330 has a rotation pin 331 protruding outward. The rotation pin 331 is engaged with the rotation guide hole 312 of the fixing pipe 310. The rotary pipe 330 rotates about the fixed pipe 310 by moving the rotary pin 331 along the rotation guide hole 312 of the fixed pipe 310.

The rotary wire 56 is connected to the rotary pipe 330. The rotating wire 56 includes a first rotating wire 56a for rotating the rotating tube 330 in one direction and a second rotating wire 56b for rotating the rotating tube 330 in the opposite direction.

The rotary pipe 330 has a rotary wire connection portion 332 to which the rotary wire 56 is connected and fixed. The rotation wire connection portion 332 may be formed integrally with the rotation pin 331. The first rotating wire 56a and the second rotating wire 56b are connected to the rotating wire connecting portion 332, respectively.

On the inner wall of the fixing pipe 310, a rotating wire hooking part 311 for guiding the rotating wire 56 to the rotating wire connecting part 332 is provided. The rotating wire hooking part 311 includes a first rotating wire hooking part 311a for guiding the first rotating wire 56a to the rotating wire connecting part 332 and a second rotating wire hooking part 311b for guiding the second rotating wire 56b to the rotating wire connecting part 332, And a second rotating wire hooking part 311b for guiding the second rotating wire hooking part 311b. The second rotating wire holding portion 311b is positioned on the circumference of the rotating tube 330 passing the first rotating wire holding portion 311a. That is, the first rotating wire holding portion 311a and the second rotating wire holding portion 311b are positioned on one circumference. A straight line connecting the first rotating wire holding portion 311a and the second rotating wire holding portion 312b may pass the center axis of the rotating tube 330. [

The circumference passing through the rotating wire hooking portion 311 may be the same as or adjacent to the circumference where the rotation guide hole 312 is formed. The rotating wire hooking portion 312 may include a rotating roller (not shown) to reduce the frictional force acting on the rotating wire 56.

Hereinafter, the operation of the rotary tube assembly 300 will be described. 12, the operation unit 50 includes a housing 50a that forms an outer appearance of the operation unit 50, a curvature operation unit 51 that is mounted on the housing 50a, and a rotation operation unit 55.

The curvature manipulation unit 51 includes a curvature manipulation knob 54 rotatably mounted on the housing 50a so as to be gripped and rotated by the operator, a curvature manipulation pulley 53 connected to the curvature manipulation knob 54, And a curved wire (52) connected to the operating pulley (53).

The rotary operation portion 55 includes a rotary operation knob 59 rotatably mounted on the housing 50a so as to be grasped and rotated by the operator, a rotary operation pulley 58 connected to the rotary operation knob 59, And a rotating wire (56) connected to the operating pulley (58). The curved operation pulley 53 and the rotary operation pulley 58 have the same rotation axis.

The rotary operation knob 59 and the curved operation knob 54 may have rotation axes perpendicular to each other. A gear assembly 57 is disposed between the rotary operation knob 59 and the rotary operation pulley 58.

When the practitioner rotates the rotary knob 59 in one direction so that tension is applied to the first rotary wire 56a, the first rotary wire 56a is moved in the direction of the rotary wire connecting portion 332 of the rotary pipe 330 in one direction The power of. The rotation pin 331 of the rotary pipe 330 is moved in one direction along the rotation guide hole 312 and the rotary pipe 330 is rotated at a predetermined angle corresponding to the moving distance of the rotation pin 331. [ Accordingly, the curved portion 70 connected to the rotary pipe 330 rotates together with the rotary pipe 330 in the axial direction of the rotary pipe 330.

When the practitioner rotates the rotary operation knob 59 in the opposite direction, the rotary tube 230 and the curved portion rotate in the opposite direction through the above-described operation.

13A to 13B are views showing the arrangement of rotating wires according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13A to 13B, a pair of rotating wire guide pipes 65 and a pair of curved wire guide pipes 64 are inserted into the flexible portion 60. As shown in FIG. The rotary wire guide tube 65 and the curved wire guide tube 64 are fixed to the inner wall of the flexible portion 60.

The rotary wire 56 and the curved wire 52 are inserted into the rotary wire guide tube 65 and the curved wire guide tube 64, respectively. The pair of rotating wires 56 and the pair of curved wires 52 are disposed at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the center axis of the flexible portion 60.

Since the rotating wire 56 and the curved wire 52 are operated independently of each other, the rotating wire 56 and the curved wire 52 can be located at any distance. 13A, the rotating wire 56 and the curved wire 52 can be located farthest apart, and the rotating wire 56 and the curved wire 52 can be positioned close to each other, as shown in FIG. 13B, .

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

1: endoscope system 10: endoscope
20: light source device 30: signal processing device
35: display device 40: fastening part
50: operating part 60: flexible part
70: Bend section 100, 200, 300: Rotating device
110: fixing part 120: rotating part
130: rotating body 140: rotating disk
150: friction portion 210, 310: fixed pipe
220: slide tube 230, 330: rotary tube

Claims (10)

A flexible portion which is freely bendable by an external force,
A curved portion disposed at the tip of the flexible portion and capable of being bent with one degree of freedom,
A rotating device rotatably coupled to the flexible portion in an axial direction of the flexible portion to rotate the curved portion in the direction;
And an operating portion connected to the rotating device and provided with a rotating operation portion for operating the rotation of the rotating device. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the curved portion includes a plurality of curved nodes to which the curved portions are jointly coupled, and an elastic member disposed between the plurality of curved nodes to restore a position of the plurality of curved nodes Endoscope. 2. The rotary device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the flexible portion is formed to be able to twist by an axial torque of the flexible portion, and the curved portion is fixedly coupled to a tip end of the flexible portion and is rotatable together with the flexible portion. And an endoscope. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rotating device includes a twisting device coupled to the flexible portion so as to apply the torque in the direction to the flexible portion, wherein the flexible portion includes a first flexible portion fixed to the operation portion, And a third flexible portion connected to the tip of the flexible portion and generating a twist due to the torque, and a third flexible portion connected to the distal end of the second flexible portion and rotating in the axial direction Endoscope. The twisting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the twisting device comprises: a fixed portion, the fixed portion being fixedly coupled to the operation portion and the first flexible portion so that the first flexible portion is fixed to the operation portion; And a rotation unit rotatably coupled to the endoscope. [6] The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the fixing portion includes a rotation guide protrusion formed along a circumference, and the rotation portion includes a rotation groove coupled with the rotation guide projection. [6] The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the rotating portion includes a rotating body fixedly coupled to the third flexible portion and extending toward the first flexible portion, and a rotating disk fixed to the rotating body and receiving the torque from the rotating operating portion Wherein the endoscope has a rotating device. [6] The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the twist device further comprises a friction portion disposed between the rotating portion and the fixing portion to increase frictional force. 8. The endoscope according to claim 7, wherein the rotation operating portion includes a gear assembly connected to the rotating disk to transmit the torque. The endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the torsional rigidity of the second flexible portion is smaller than the torsional rigidity of the third flexible portion.

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