JP2019010363A - Remote controller for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a remote controller for an endoscope, which solves deficiency of an endoscope switch while improving operability, and which remedies operational failures caused by restriction of a switch arranged in the endoscope operation unit.SOLUTION: A remote controller 30 for an endoscope comprises: a finger-ring part 31 with a ring-shaped part 33 being worn between a second joint and a third joint in a first finger 52 of the hand of an operator 50 gripping an insertion part 11 of the endoscope 10; at least one switch 41 positioned in a reaching range of a thumb 51 gripping the insertion part 11 of the hand, while the first finger 52 is worn to the ring-shaped part 33 provided in a switch region 34 in the vicinity of the ring-shaped part 33; and the U-shaped part 32 adjoined to the ring-shaped part 33, and having a portion of middle finger 53 of the hand for gripping the insertion part 11 arranged therein. An end of a palm side face 32p of the U-shaped part 32 and an end of a side face 32 t of the hand are extended to the vicinity of a third joint in the middle finger 53 of the hand for gripping the insertion part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope remote controller provided apart from an endoscope operation unit used when operating a function provided in an endoscope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, endoscopes that can perform observations by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity or the like and performing various therapeutic treatments as necessary have been widely used.

  As shown in Patent Document 1, an operation portion of an endoscope includes a bending operation device for performing a bending operation of a bending mechanism provided in an insertion portion, a light source device that is an external device of the endoscope, a video processor (camera The control unit is also provided with an endoscope switch for outputting an operation instruction signal, an air / water button for performing air / water feeding, a suction button for performing suction, and the like.

  Then, for example, the operator holds the insertion portion (not shown) with the right hand (not shown), and holds the operation portion 1 with the left hand as shown in FIG. In this gripping state, the operator performs an operation of twisting the insertion portion while appropriately operating the bending knobs 2 and 3 that are bending operation devices, and inserts the distal end portion toward the target portion.

  In addition, the operator, if necessary, is provided with an endoscope switch 4, 5, 6, 7 which is a remote switch provided adjacent to the bending knobs 2 and 3, or an air / water supply button 8 and a suction button 9. The desired observation is performed by appropriately operating the above. As described above, the endoscope switches 4, 5, 6, 7, the air / water supply button 8, and the suction button 9 are adjacent to the bending knobs 2 and 3. As a result, the operator can use various functions with less labor and time for moving the operation unit 1 and finger movement.

  The endoscope switches 4, 5, 6 and 7 are assigned, for example, a freeze function, a release function, a function for switching an observation mode, and a function for switching the focus of the endoscope among a number of functions of the endoscope. It is.

  However, as shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the operation unit 1 is gripped and the insertion unit is gripped by a hand different from the hand that grips the operation unit 1, an endoscope is used with a finger of the hand that grips the operation unit 1. When the switches 4, 5, 6, and 7 are operated, the switch operation of the second endoscope switch 5 and the third endoscope switch 6 is performed by the other endoscope switches 4 and 7, the air / water supply button 8, and the suction button. Compared to 9, it was difficult to operate.

  For this reason, an operator whose finger is difficult to reach the switch has requested a nearby medical worker to operate the switch when it becomes necessary to operate the endoscope switches 5 and 6 during observation. However, in situations where it is impossible to request medical personnel, the operator may know that the position of the distal end of the insertion portion will move and then release the hand from the insertion portion to perform the switch operation. . Here, when the distal end portion of the insertion portion is displaced, the observation target portion displayed on the observation screen is lost.

  In Patent Document 2, a first ring to be attached to a finger, a second ring having a structure for rotating the outer periphery of the first ring, a rotation amount detecting means for detecting the rotation amount of the second ring, In accordance with the rotation amount detected by the rotation amount detection means, a processor that generates a control command for the electronic device, a selection confirmation means for executing transmission of the control command generated by the processor, and the control command generated by the processor A ring-type remote control device is disclosed that includes a transmission means for transmitting to the device.

  This ring-type remote control device can always be worn while being carried on a finger, and performs a non-continuous switching or a continuous switching input by a simple operation of rotating the second ring. It is possible.

  By attaching the ring-type remote control device of Patent Document 2 to the finger that grips the insertion portion of the operator who is difficult to reach the switch, the operator operates the endoscope of Patent Document 1, There is an increased possibility that operation control of various endoscope functions can be performed without removing the hand from the insertion portion.

JP 2008-048883 A JP 2001-125722 A

  However, the ring-type remote control device attached to the finger of the user's hand that operates the insertion portion of the endoscope can be switched by a simple operation of rotating the second ring. In other words, even if the user accidentally touches the second ring, the second ring is rotated and a control command is output to the processor, thereby switching the function of the endoscope. May occur.

  In recent years, the diversification of functions of endoscopes has progressed, and it has become difficult to fully utilize the functions of endoscopes by the number of endoscope switches provided in the operation unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, eliminates the shortage of endoscope switches while improving operability, and is operational due to restrictions on the switches arranged in the endoscope operation unit. It aims at providing the remote controller for endoscopes which improves a malfunction.

  An endoscope remote controller according to one aspect of the present invention includes a ring portion in which a ring-shaped portion is mounted between a second joint and a third joint of an index finger of an operator's hand holding an endoscope insertion portion. And in a predetermined region near the ring-shaped portion, at least one position located within the reach of the thumb of the hand holding the insertion portion in a state where the index finger is attached to the ring-shaped portion. A switch, and a U-shaped part that is adjacent to the ring-shaped part and in which a part of the middle finger of the hand that grips the insertion part is disposed in a state where the index finger is attached to the ring-shaped part. The palm-side end portion and the back-side end portion of the U-shaped portion extend to the vicinity of the third joint in the middle finger of the hand that holds the insertion portion.

  According to the present invention, for an endoscope that improves operability, eliminates the shortage of endoscope switches, and improves operational problems due to restrictions on switches disposed in the endoscope operation unit. A remote controller can be realized.

The figure explaining the relationship between the operation part of the endoscope in which a plurality of endoscope switches, an air / water supply button, a suction button, etc. are arranged adjacent to the bending knob and the fingers holding the operation part The figure explaining an endoscope and a remote controller for endoscopes The figure which shows the remote controller for endoscopes with which the finger of the hand holding an insertion part was equipped The figure which looked at the remote controller for endoscopes from the arrow Y4 side of FIG. The figure which looked at the remote controller for endoscopes from the arrow Y5 side of FIG. The figure which looked at the remote controller for endoscopes from the arrow Y6 side of FIG. The figure explaining the other structural example of the remote controller for endoscopes

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In addition, each drawing used for the following description is shown schematically, and in order to show each component to the extent that it can be recognized on the drawing, the dimensional relationship and scale of each member are scaled for each component. Some are different. The present invention is not limited only to the number of components described in these drawings, the shape of the components, the ratio of the sizes of the components, and the relative positional relationship of the components.

  Reference numeral 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an endoscope. The endoscope 10 mainly includes an insertion unit 11 and an operation unit 12. A universal cord 13 extends from the side of the operation unit 12.

  A light source device (not shown) and a detachable endoscope connector (not shown) are provided at the base end of the universal cord 13. The endoscope connector is provided with a cable connection portion. An electrical cable is detachably connected to the cable connection portion, and a processor connector that is detachably attached to a camera control unit (not shown) is provided on the electrical cable.

  The insertion portion 11 includes a distal end portion 14, a bending portion 15, and a flexible tube portion 16 in order from the distal end side. The distal end portion 14 incorporates an imaging device (not shown) and the like. The bending portion 15 is configured to bend in four directions, up, down, left, and right. Note that the bending portion 15 may be configured to bend in two upper and lower directions.

  The operation unit 12 is provided on the proximal end side of the flexible tube unit 16. The operation unit 12 includes a bending knob 2 for up and down, a bending knob 3 for left and right, a first remote switch 4, a second remote switch 5, a third remote switch 6, a fourth remote switch 7, an air supply and water supply, which are bending operation devices. A button 8, a suction button 9, a treatment instrument insertion port 20, and the like are provided.

  The bending operation device is not limited to a bending knob that is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise around an axis, and is a bending lever that is operated to move in the distal direction and proximal direction of the longitudinal axis of the insertion portion. Also good.

Any one of various functions of the endoscope 10 can be assigned to each of the remote switches 4 to 7. It is also possible to leave the function unassigned without assigning it.
Various functions include a freeze function that freezes the endoscope image, a release function that freezes the endoscope image and records it in a predetermined peripheral device, a capture function that captures the image, an enlargement function that enlarges and displays the endoscope image, A function for switching the focus of the endoscope, a function for switching the size of the endoscope image, an image enhancement switching function for switching the image enhancement mode of the endoscope image, and a normal light observation mode and a special light observation mode such as NBI. There are an observation mode switching function for switching, a function for switching photometry of an endoscopic image, a function for adjusting brightness, and the like.

  In this embodiment, for example, a function for switching focus is assigned to the first remote switch 4, the second remote switch 5 and the third remote switch 6 are not set, and an observation mode switching function is assigned to the fourth remote switch 7. ing.

Reference numeral 30 shown in FIG. 2 is an endoscope remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as a remote controller). The remote controller 30 has a ring part 31 and a U-shaped part 32, and the ring part 31 is provided with a ring-shaped part 33 and a bulging part 34.
The bulging portion 34 is provided with a first switch 41 and a second switch 42. Reference numeral 43 denotes a connection cable. Reference numeral 32m is a recess opening.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ring portion 31 of the remote controller 30 is attached to the index finger 52 of the operator's hand 50 that holds the insertion portion 11 of the endoscope 10.
Reference numeral 51 denotes a thumb, and reference numeral 53 denotes a middle finger.

The remote controller 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the remote controller 30 includes a ring portion 31 including the ring-shaped portion 33 and the bulging portion 34 described above, and a U-shaped portion 32.

  The ring-shaped part 33 has a through hole into which the index finger 52 is inserted. The ring-shaped portion 33 is disposed between the second joint and the third joint of the index finger 52 so that the ring portion 31 is attached to the finger of the hand.

  The bulging portion 34 is a thick portion provided in the ring portion 31. One surface of the bulging portion 34 in the vicinity of the ring-shaped portion 33 is a predetermined other region, which is a switch region 34a. A first switch 41 and a second switch 42 are provided in the switch area 34a. The first switch 41 and the second switch 42 are provided in consideration of operability. Specifically, the switch region 34a is a movable range in which the finger pad of the thumb 51 can reach in a state where the remote controller 30 is attached to the hand holding the insertion portion 11.

  The bulging portion 34 is also a housing portion. A substrate (not shown) on which the switches 41 and 42 are mounted is accommodated inside the switch region 34a. Further, a signal line (not shown) connected to the substrate is accommodated. The signal line is extended into the connection cable so as to pass through the connection cable 43. The board may be arranged in a storage area 34b provided in a side part of the switch area 34a (a part located on the back side of the hand when worn on the hand).

  The first switch 41 is a fifth remote switch to which an endoscope function can be assigned, and the second switch 42 is a sixth remote switch to which an endoscope function can be assigned.

In the present embodiment, a freeze function is assigned to the first switch 41, for example, and a release function is assigned to the second switch 42, for example.
The number of switches provided in the switch area 34a is not limited to two, but may be one or two or more.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the U-shaped portion 32 is a U-shaped concave portion adjacent to the ring-shaped portion 33. The recess opening 32m is located on the opposite side of the switch region 34a with the ring-shaped portion 33 interposed therebetween. The U-shaped portion 32 includes a curved portion 32c, a first side end portion 32a provided across the curved portion 32c, and a second side end portion 32b.

  The inward surface on the curved portion 32c side of the first side end portion 32a and the inward surface on the curved portion 32c side of the second side end portion 32b face each other. As shown in FIG. 6, the width of the first side end portion 32a is set narrower than the width of the second side end portion 32b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the inward surface of the first side end portion 32a is a palm side surface 32p, and the inward surface of the second side end portion 32b is a back side surface 32t. The end on the palm side surface 32p side of the first side end portion 32a extends so as to be arranged on the palm side in the vicinity of the third joint of the middle finger 53 of the middle finger 53 in a state where the index finger 52 is inserted into the ring-shaped portion 33. Has been.

  On the other hand, the end portion of the back side 32t of the hand of the second side end portion 32b is extended so as to be disposed in the vicinity of the third joint of the middle finger 53 in a state where the index finger 52 is inserted into the ring-shaped portion 33. The back side 32t of the hand is arranged so as to cover a part of the back of the hand.

  By setting the width of the first side end portion 32a to be narrow, the first side end portion 32a is connected to the insertion portion 11 in a state where the palm side surface 32p of the first side end portion 32a is arranged on the palm side. Contact is prevented.

The connection cable 43 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 extends from the second side end portion 32 b side of the bulging portion 34. On the proximal end side of the connection cable 43, an electrical connection portion (not shown) that is detachable from a terminal provided in the camera control unit is provided.
The connection cable 43 may be extended from the first side end portion 32a side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the remote controller 30 arranges the ring portion 31 at a portion between the second joint and the third joint of the index finger 52 of the hand holding the insertion portion 11, and holds the insertion portion 11. With the first side end portion 32a and the second side end portion 32b of the U-shaped portion 32 disposed in the vicinity of the third joint of the middle finger 53, the middle finger 53 is attached to the hand holding the insertion portion 11.

  In this mounted state, when the thumb 51 is moved, the finger pad of the thumb 51 reaches the switches 41 and 42 located in the switch area 34a. Therefore, the user holding the insertion portion 11 can selectively operate the first switch 41 or the second switch 42 with the thumb 51.

When the switch is operated, the first side end portion 32 a and the second side end portion 32 b of the U-shaped portion 32 are disposed in the vicinity of the third joint of the middle finger 53. For this reason, the operational trouble that the remote controller 30 rotates with respect to the index finger 52 can be solved.
As a result, a reliable switch operation can be realized with the finger pad of the thumb 51.

Here, the operation of the endoscope 10 including the remote controller 30 will be described.
A medical worker who performs the examination (hereinafter referred to as an operator) feels that it is difficult to operate the second remote switch 5 and the third remote switch 6. For this reason, the function is not assigned to the remote switches 5 and 6, but the function of switching the focus is assigned to the first remote switch 4 of the operation unit 12 as described above, the observation mode switching function is assigned to the fourth remote switch 7, and the remote A freeze function is assigned to the first switch 41 of the controller 30 and a release function is assigned to the second switch 42.

  When performing an endoscopic inspection, the endoscope connector of the endoscope 10 is connected to the light source device, and the endoscope connector and the camera control unit are connected by an electric cable. Further, the electrical connection portion of the connection cable 43 extending from the remote controller 30 is connected to a terminal provided in the camera control unit.

  The operator who performs the inspection moves the index finger 52 of one hand holding the insertion portion 11 different from the hand holding the operation portion 12 in the ring-shaped portion 33 of the remote controller 30 in the direction indicated by the arrow Y5 in FIG. And insert it into a predetermined state. Thereafter, the operator adjusts the switches 41 and 42 to a position where the operability is the best within the range where the thumb 51 can reach.

  After completion of the adjustment, the operator starts the inspection by holding the operation unit 12 with the left hand. That is, the operator performs the operation of twisting the insertion portion 11 with the right hand while appropriately operating the bending knobs 2 and 3 with the left hand, and inserts the distal end portion 14 toward the target site. During the observation, the operator does not need to operate the remote switches 5 and 6 and can operate the remote switches 4, 7, 41 and 42 to perform a desired inspection.

  In other words, the operator can perform a desired examination without requesting a switch from a nearby medical staff during observation and without releasing the hand from the insertion portion 11.

  Therefore, it is eliminated from bothering the hands of the medical staff and losing sight of the observation target site displayed on the observation screen due to the displacement of the distal end portion 14 of the insertion portion 11.

  As described above, the remote controller 30 including the switches 41 and 42 to which the desired function is assigned to one hand is mounted, and the desired functions are provided to the remote switches 4 to 7 provided in the operation unit 12 of the endoscope 10. Is assigned. As a result, the desired inspection can be performed by operating the switches 4, 7, 41, 42 to which the functions are assigned.

  In the above-described embodiment, no function is assigned to the remote switches 5 and 6. However, the switches 41 and 42 provided on the remote controller 30 attached to one hand and the remote switches 4 to 7 provided on the operation unit 12 of the endoscope 10 held by the other hand. , A desired endoscope function may be assigned.

  In this way, in addition to the remote switches 4 to 7 provided in the operation unit 12 of the endoscope 10, the functions of the endoscope are assigned to the switches 41 and 42 of the remote controller 30. Inspection corresponding to diversification of functions can be realized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remote controller 30 is placed in the attached state by disposing the index finger 52 of the hand holding the insertion portion 11 in the ring-shaped portion 33 having a through hole.

  However, the remote controller 30A may be configured as shown in FIG. A remote controller 30A shown in FIG. 7 includes a ring portion 31A having a substantially C-shaped ring-shaped portion 33A and a U-shaped portion 32A. The concave opening 32Am of the U-shaped portion 32A is adjacent to the C-shaped opening 33Am of the ring-shaped portion 33A. That is, the recess opening 32Am and the C-shaped opening 33Am open in the same direction.

  The ring-shaped portion 33A is formed in a substantially C shape by a first clip portion 33b and a second clip portion 33c having a predetermined elasticity. Reference numeral 33fm is a finger insertion slot into which the index finger 52 is inserted.

  By inserting the index finger 52 from the finger insertion opening 33fm, the C-shaped opening 33Am is expanded against the resilience of the first clip portion 33b and the resilience of the second clip portion 33c.

In a state where the portion between the second joint and the third joint of the index finger 52 is inserted into the ring-shaped portion 33A, the ring portion 31A is generated by the elastic force of the first clip portion 33b and the elastic force of the second clip portion 33c. Is pressed and held by the index finger 52.
On the other hand, a portion between the second joint and the third joint of the middle finger 53 is disposed in the recess of the U-shaped portion 32A from the recess opening 32Am.

  As a result, the remote controller 30B is attached to the hand holding the insertion portion 11. As a result, operations and effects similar to those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. Other configurations are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the connection cable 43 is extended from the remote controller 30 in order to transmit the operation instruction signal output from the switches 41 and 42 to the camera control unit.
However, an antenna (not shown), a battery (not shown), and a signal transmission board (not shown) on which a signal transmission electronic device (not shown) is mounted are accommodated in the bulging portion 34. Thus, the operation instruction signal output from the switches 41 and 42 may be wirelessly transmitted to the camera control unit. When such a configuration is adopted, the battery, the substrate, the antenna, and the like may be stored in the storage area 34b described above. A receiving antenna is provided on the camera control unit side.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Curve knob for up and down 3 ... Curve knob for left and right 4 ... 1st remote switch 5 ... 2nd remote switch 6 ... 3rd remote switch 7 ... 4th remote switch 8 ... Air supply / water supply button 9 ... Suction button 10 ... Internal view Mirror 11 ... Insertion section 12 ... Operation section 13 ... Universal cord 14 ... Tip section 15 ... Bending section 16 ... Flexible tube section 20 ... Treatment instrument insertion port 30 ... Endoscope remote controller (remote controller) 31 ... Ring section 32 ... U-shaped part 32p ... Side side of hand 32t ... Back side of hand 33 ... Ring-like part 34 ... bulging part 34a ... switch area 34b ... storage area 35 ... connection cable 36 ... accommodating part 41 ... first switch 42 ... second switch 43 ... Cable 50 ... Operator's hand 51 ... Thumb 52 ... Index finger 53 ... Middle finger

Claims (6)

A ring part in which a ring-shaped part is mounted between the second joint and the third joint of the index finger of the operator's hand holding the insertion part of the endoscope;
At least one switch provided in a predetermined region in the vicinity of the ring-shaped part, and positioned within a range where a thumb of a hand holding the insertion part can reach in the state where the index finger is attached to the ring-shaped part; ,
A U-shaped part that is arranged next to the ring-shaped part and in which the index finger is attached to the ring-shaped part, a part of the middle finger of the hand holding the insertion part is disposed;
Comprising
A remote controller for an endoscope, characterized in that a palm-side end portion and a back-side end portion of the U-shaped portion extend to the vicinity of a third joint in a middle finger of the hand gripping the insertion portion. .   The remote controller for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped portion extends from the palm side to the back side of the hand.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped portion is provided with a space between a second joint and a third joint in a middle finger of the operator's hand holding the insertion portion. For remote controller.   The one end is connected to the switch provided in the bulging portion constituting the ring portion, and the other end is connected to a camera control unit for an endoscope via a cable. Remote controller for endoscope.   The endoscope remote controller according to claim 4, wherein an electronic device for signal transmission, a battery, and an antenna are accommodated in the bulge portion.   The remote controller for an endoscope according to claim 5, wherein the electronic device communicates with the camera control unit for the endoscope via the antenna.

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