JP2599145B2 - Endoscope bending device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bending device for an endoscope having an observation optical system at a distal end portion of an insertion portion.

[Conventional technology]

The basic configuration of an industrial or medical endoscope is an operation unit,
The insertion section includes a flexible section, a curved section, and a distal end component, and the distal end component is provided with an observation optical system together with an illumination optical system. The bending portion can be remotely operated by operating an angle knob provided on the operation portion, and the distal end portion can be directed to the observation site.

JP-A-59-146636 shows a conventional industrial endoscope, in which a distal end component is provided at the distal end of an insertion section in which an optical fiber bundle for illumination and an optical fiber bundle for observation are housed.
Further, the insertion portion is provided with a cylinder and a piston that relatively move by fluid pressure supplied and controlled remotely from the outside, and the relative motion causes the joint portion to bend and stretch to bend the insertion portion. I have. Also, JP-A-61-
No. 122834 is an endoscope for observing an affected part or the like by being inserted into a living body cavity, in which an optical fiber bundle for illumination and an optical fiber bundle for observation are housed in an insertion part, and a plurality of angle wires are housed. Then, one end of each of the angle wires is connected to the distal end forming section, and the other end is connected to an angle knob provided on the operation section, and the bending section of the insertion section can be bent by pushing and pulling the angle wire with the angle knob. It was done.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, as described above, the insertion part equipped with a cylinder and piston operated by fluid pressure in the insertion part is structurally complicated and heavy, requires high fluid pressure and has no elasticity. May damage the supply when it comes into contact with other equipment in the vicinity. Also, in the case of an endoscope with a long insertion section, the angle wire becomes long, the resistance is large, and a large operation force is required when operating the angle knob. There is a disadvantage of doing so.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bending device for an endoscope that can easily and reliably perform a bending operation even when the length of an insertion portion is long. To provide.

[Means and actions for solving the problems]

The present invention provides an insertion portion having a curve, a plurality of angle wires having one ends connected to the distal end side of the bending portion, and a base member having a distal end connected to the other end of the angle wire, and a base end having the same base member. A plurality of elastic actuators, which are radially expanded and the long axis length contracts when a fluid is supplied, and are formed by coating a mesh tube outside an elastic tube; and the elastic actuator communicates with the elastic actuator. A fluid conduit for supplying and discharging fluid to the endoscope constitutes a bending device for an endoscope, and supplies and discharges fluid to and from the elastic actuator, thereby expanding and contracting the elastic actuator. The operation is such that the insertion section is operated to bend.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope main body, which is composed of an operation unit 2, an insertion unit 3, and a universal cord 4. The operation section 2 is provided with an eyepiece section 5, and a distal end section of the insertion section 3 is provided with a distal end configuration section 6. The insertion portion 3 includes a flexible portion 7 and a bending portion 8, and the distal end portion 6 is provided at a distal end portion of the bending portion 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the bending portion 8 is constituted by rotatably connecting a plurality of bending pieces 9 with pivot pins 10 and covering the periphery thereof with an outer skin 11. . Wire guides 12 are provided on the inner peripheral portion of each of the bending pieces 9, and angle wires 13a and 13b are inserted through these wire guides 12.
The distal ends of the angle wires 13a and 13b are connected to the distal end component 6, and the proximal end extends through the insertion portion 3 to the operation portion 2. That is, the angle wire
13a and 13b are housed together with an observation optical system 14 and an illumination optical system 15 made of an optical fiber bundle housed in the insertion section 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, elastic actuators 17a and 17b are accommodated in the operation unit 2 in a parallel state. This elastic actuator 17
In a and 17b, a tube 21 made of synthetic rubber is provided in the inner layer, a mesh tube 22 is coated on the outside of the tube 21, and bases 23 and 24 are connected to both ends. An air supply conduit 25 as a fluid conduit composed of an air supply tube communicating with the inside of the tube 21 is connected to the one base 23, and the other end of the angle wires 13a, 13b is connected to the other base 24. It is connected. That is, the angle wire 13a is connected to the elastic actuator 17a, and the angle wire 13b is connected to the elastic actuator 17b. The elastic actuators 17a and 17b configured as described above are held by fixing one base 23 to the base 26 of the operation unit 2. Further, the air supply line 25 is provided with an air supply tube 27a.
And 27b, and these air supply tubes 27a and 27b communicate with an air supply pump 29 via a switching valve 28 described later. The long axis length of the elastic actuators 17a and 17b expands and contracts due to the fluid pressure supplied to the inside thereof. That is, when the fluid is supplied to the elastic actuators 17a and 17b, the fluid expands in the radial direction and the long axis length is shortened.
When the fluid is discharged from the elastic actuators 17a and 17b,
The major axis length is elongated by contracting in the radial direction.

The switching valve 28 is configured as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. That is, 30 is the main valve,
31 and 32 are first and second auxiliary valves. First, the main valve 30
In the following, a reference numeral 33 denotes a valve body, and a valve chamber 35 in which a spool valve 34 is slidably movable in the left-right direction is provided inside the valve body 33. A first portion communicating with the air supply pump 29 through a communication pipe 36 is provided at a central portion of the valve body 33.
Port 37 is provided, and second and third ports 38 and 39 are provided on the left and right sides of the first port 37. Reference numeral 36a is a ball valve provided in the middle of the communication pipe 36, and communicates with the atmosphere. Further, first and second electromagnets 40 and 41 are provided at the left and right ends of the valve chamber 34, and the spool valve 35 is in a neutral state between the electromagnets 40 and 41 and both end faces of the spool valve 35. The biasing springs 42 and 43 for maintaining the pressure are interposed. Further, the second port 38 is provided with a communication pipe 44.
The third port 39 is connected to the second auxiliary valve 32 via a communication pipe 45. Since the first and second auxiliary valves 31 and 32 have the same structure, the first auxiliary valve 31 will be described. Reference numeral 46 denotes a valve body, which forms a valve chamber 47 inside. A first port 48 and a second port 49 are provided on the side wall of the valve body 46 so as to face each other. The first port 48 is connected to the communication pipe 44
And the second port 49 is connected to the main valve 30 via an air supply tube.
The elastic actuators 17a communicate with the respective elastic actuators 17a via 27a. Further, a through port 50 is provided inside the valve chamber 47.
Is movably inserted, and the valve body 51 is urged leftward by an urging spring 52. Also, the valve body
A third electromagnet 53 (the second auxiliary valve 32 is a fourth electromagnet 54) is provided on the right side of 46, and a leak port 55
Are provided in communication with the valve chamber 47.

The first to fourth electromagnets 40, 41, 53, 54 are electrically connected to first to fourth switches 56 to 59 provided on the operation unit 2.

Next, the operation of the endoscope configured as described above will be described. Normally, the first to fourth switches
56 to 59 are in the off state, and the main valve 30 and the first and second
The electromagnets 40, 41, 53, 54 of the auxiliary valves 31, 32 are demagnetized. Therefore, the first port 37 of the main valve 30 is shut off by the spool valve 35, and the fluid operated from the air supply pump 29 is leaking from the ball valve 36a to the atmosphere,
The valve bodies 51, 51 of the first and second auxiliary valves 31, 32 are also biasing springs.
Pressed by 52, 52, the second ports 49, 49 communicate with the leak ports 55, 55. For this reason, the elastic actuators 17a and 17b also communicate with the atmosphere via the air supply tubes 27a and 27b, and the elastic actuators 17a and 17b extend in the long axis direction. Therefore, the angle wires 13a, 1
3b is held in a pressed state, and the bending portion 8 of the insertion portion 3 is in a straight state.

In this state, for example, when the first switch 56 is turned on, the first electromagnet 40 is excited, and the spool valve 35 is pulled to the right against the urging force of the urging spring 42.
The first port 37 and the second port 38 of the main valve 30 communicate with each other via 35, and the third electromagnet 53 of the first auxiliary valve 31 is also excited at the same time through the through port 50 of the valve body 51. Thus, the first and second ports 48 and 49 are in a communication state. Therefore, the fluid supplied from the gas supply pump 29 is supplied to the elastic actuator 17a via the switching valve 28 and the gas supply tube 27a. When a fluid is supplied to the elastic actuator 17a, the elastic actuator 17a expands in the radial direction, and the length of the long axis is shortened accordingly. Therefore, the elastic actuator
One angle wire 13a connected to 17a is pulled,
The bending portion 8 of the insertion portion 3 is bent upward as shown in FIG.

Accordingly, by selectively operating the first to fourth switches 56 to 59 to excite or demagnetize the electromagnets 40, 41, 53, 54 of the switching valve 28, the elastic actuator 17
Fluid can be selectively supplied to and discharged from a and 17b to expand and contract, and the bending section 8 can be bent in any direction by pushing and pulling the angle wires 13a and 13b.

In the above-described embodiment, the bending operation of the insertion section having a plurality of bending pieces in the bending section has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 7, even a small-diameter endoscope having no bending piece can be used. The distal ends of the angle wires 13a and 13b are connected to a wire fixing tool 60 provided at the distal end of the insertion section 3, whereby the bending operation can be performed.

As means for connecting the elastic actuator and the angle wire, as shown in FIG. 8 (A), an anchor bolt 61 is screwed into the base 24, and a connection fitting 63 is brazed to the angle wire 62. The anchor bolt
It may be hooked on 61, as shown in (B),
A protrusion pin 64 may be provided on the base 24 and the protrusion pin 64 and the angle wire 62 may be brazed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, two elastic actuators are arranged in parallel as means for arranging the elastic actuators on the operation section of the endoscope. However, as shown in FIG. By displacing, when one elastic actuator 17b expands, it contacts the other elastic actuator 17a,
Pressing can be prevented.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the elastic actuator is housed inside the operation unit. However, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, the elastic actuator may be housed in the insertion section of the endoscope to perform the bending operation. Good. That is, reference numeral 65 denotes an insertion portion of the endoscope, which is configured by connecting a proximal insertion portion 66 and a distal insertion portion 67 each formed of a tubular body via a bending / stretching mechanism 68.
A pulley 69 is provided inside the bending and stretching mechanism 68, and an intermediate portion of the angle wire 70 is wound around the pulley 69. Further, elastic actuators 17a and 17b are accommodated inside the proximal insertion portion 66 with their positions shifted in the front-rear direction, and the bases 2 of the elastic actuators 17a and 17b are housed.
The ends of the angle wires 70 are connected to 4 and 24, respectively. Air supply tubes 27a and 27b are connected to the elastic actuators 17a and 17b, respectively, so that fluid is supplied and discharged. Therefore, the elastic actuators 17a, 17b
By selectively supplying / discharging the fluid and pushing / pulling the angle wire 70, the distal-side insertion portion 67 can be curved with the bending / stretching mechanism 68 as a fulcrum.

The fluid is not limited to a gas, but may be a liquid such as water or oil.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the endoscope main body is provided with the elastic actuator whose major axis length is expanded and contracted by the supply and discharge of the fluid, and the insertion section can be bent by the elastic actuator. Therefore, there is an effect that the bending operation can be easily and reliably performed without requiring a large amount of force to operate the angle knob. further,
Since the plurality of elastic actuators are connected to the same base member, there is also an effect that the assembling work is easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the overall configuration of an endoscope, FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal side view of a distal end portion, and FIG. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are longitudinal sectional front views of the switching valve,
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view of the distal end of the small-diameter endoscope, FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views showing a connecting means for connecting the elastic actuator and the angle wire, and FIG. FIG. 10 to FIG. 15 show an embodiment in which the elastic actuator is arranged in the insertion portion, and FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show longitudinal side surfaces of the insertion portion. FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 10, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 11, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 15 is a sectional view of FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the D line. 1 ... Endoscope body, 3 ... Insertion section, 13a, 13b ... Angle wire, 17a, 17b ... Elastic actuator.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An insertion portion having a curved portion; a plurality of angle wires having one end connected to a distal end of the curved portion; a distal end connected to the other end of the angle wire; A plurality of elastic actuators connected to the base member, which expand in the radial direction when the fluid is supplied and whose long axis length shrinks, and a plurality of elastic actuators formed by coating the mesh tube on the outside of the elastic tube; A bending device for an endoscope, comprising: a fluid conduit for supplying and discharging a fluid to an elastic actuator.