JPS60242828A - Connector for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an endoscope connector that allows a plurality of endoscope bodies, each having a plug with a different outer diameter, to be connected to a single control device.

In general, an endoscope consists of an endoscope main body, which includes an insertion section into the observation target, a manual operation section, etc., and a control device that includes a light source, power source, etc. A plug is provided at the tip of the connecting member attached to the hand control unit, and a socket is provided in the control device, so that the connection can be made removably by a connector consisting of these plugs and sockets. There is.

There are various types of endoscope bodies depending on their purpose and function, and the shape of the plug also differs depending on the type. For example, in recent years, in order to easily and efficiently clean and disinfect endoscopes, the plug has been designed to maintain a liquid-tight state, and the entire endoscope body, including the plug, has been immersed in the liquid. However, in order to make the plug liquid-tight, it is necessary to install sealing members at various parts of the plug, and the installation of these sealing members is difficult. However, it is larger and has a larger outer diameter than a regular plug that does not have a liquid-tight structure. Here, in conventional endoscopes, the socket provided on the control device side has a unique plug insertion opening, and the structure is such that it cannot be changed depending on the type of plug. Therefore, when using different types of endoscope bodies, a dedicated control device must be prepared for each type.

The present invention was made in view of the problem of oblique angles, and it is possible to change the size of the plug insertion opening in the socket on the control device side according to the shape of the plug in the endoscope body, thereby increasing versatility. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope connector having the following features.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the endoscope connector according to the present invention includes a socket on the control device side for removably connecting the plug provided on the endoscope main body side. A fixing ring into which a large-diameter plug is inserted, and a clamping member for clamping a small-diameter plug connected to a guide bin installed parallel to the center line of the fixing ring, and the clamping member is connected to the guide bin. The plug is guided along the fixing ring and can be displaced between a small-diameter plug installation position displaced toward the inner circumference of the fixing ring and a large-diameter plug attachment position displaced toward the outer circumference of the fixation ring. This is its characteristic.

Embodiments of the endoscope connector according to the present invention will be described below, taking as an example 9 a connector for an endoscope having a socket that can be shared by a large-diameter plug having a liquid-tight structure and a small-diameter plug having a non-liquid-tight structure.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope main body 1 includes an eyepiece section 2, a hand operation section 3, and an insertion section 4 attached to the hand operation section 3 into an observation target section, which is connectable to the endoscope body 1. is configured to be

The connector 7 is a plug attached to the tip of the connecting member 5 and a control device 611! The plugs are the normal plugs shown in Figures 2 and 3, and the 4th socket.
There is a liquid-tight structure shown in the figure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a normal plug 10 that does not have a liquid-tight structure has a first plug 13 that has connection terminals 11 for power and signal cables, an air pipe 12, etc. ,
A second plug 16 is formed by attaching a rod-shaped sheath 15 that covers a light guide 14 made of a bundle of optical fibers for illumination, and a mounting portion through which the rod-shaped sheath 15 is inserted into the casing 13B of the first plug 13. 17 are provided.

A guide tube 18 installed on the distal end side of the casing 13a is fitted into this attachment section 17, and a second plug 16 is fixed on the proximal end side with the rod-shaped sheath 15 attached, thereby preventing its deviation. A holding mechanism 19 is provided, and the holding mechanism 19 includes a fixed cylinder 20 screwed onto the casing 13a, a sliding cylinder 21 is disposed inside the fixed cylinder 20, and an operating cylinder 22 is fitted on the outside. These sliding tubes 2
1 and the operation tube 22 are biased by springs 23 and 24, respectively, in a direction protruding from the casing 13a toward the proximal end. Further, a receiving hole 25 is bored in the peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder 20, and a stopper ball 2 is provided in the hole 25.
6 is inserted into the stopper ball 26, and the stopper ball 26 is inserted into the fixed cylinder 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the second plug 16 is not installed, the stopper ball 26 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the sliding tube 21, and also contacts the inner circumferential side of the operating tube 22. When the second plug 16 is attached as shown in FIG. When the sliding tube 21 is pushed in a direction against the spring 23 and inserted to a position where the fitting groove 29 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the engaging tube portion 28 faces the receiving hole 25, the stopper ball 26 a part of it fits into the fitting groove 29, and at the same time, the engagement between the stopper ball 26 and the shoulder 27 of the operating barrel 22 is released, and the operating barrel 22 is moved by the action of the spring 24. The stopper ball 26 is slidably displaced in the direction of protruding from the fixed cylinder 20, and the stopper ball 26 is inserted into the receiving hole 25 of the fixed cylinder 20 and the engaging cylinder part 2.
The fitting groove 29 of the second
The configuration is such that it is possible to prevent the first plug 16 from deviating from the first plug 13. In response to this, the operation tube 22 is flipped 2
4 and causes the shoulder portion 27 to pass through the position where the receiving hole 25 of the fixed tube 20 is disposed, the engagement between the engagement tube portion 28 and the fixed tube 20 by the stopper ball 26 is caused. The second plug 16 is now released and can be detached from the first plug 13.

Further, the casing 13a of the first plug 13 is provided with a locking pin 30 at its distal end portion, and the locking pin 30 is connected to a through hole formed in the guide tube 18 at one end thereof by the action of a spring 31. The second plug 1 protrudes inwardly from 32.
When the rod-shaped sheath 15 of No. 6 is inserted into the guide tube 18, the locking pin 30 is pushed in the direction against the spring 31,
The other end is configured to be displaced so as to protrude from the ring 33 fitted to the casing 13a of the first plug 1-3.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a plug 40 with a liquid-tight structure, and since its basic structure is the same as that shown in FIGS. are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted. However, during cleaning and disinfection, this plug 40 is connected to the eyepiece section 2 of the endoscope body 1 by bayonet connection, for example, as shown by the dashed line in the figure, so that the connection terminal 11 and the like exposed from the plug 40 are connected to the eyepiece 2 of the endoscope body 1 during cleaning and disinfection. For this purpose, sealing members 41 are provided at various locations such as the connection to the eyepiece 2 and around the rod-shaped sheath 15. As a result, the casing 42a of the first plug 42
has a larger diameter than the non-liquidtight type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the locking pin 43 is also larger than that of the plug 10.
It is provided at a position closer to the proximal end than 30.

Here, in the present invention, the socket provided on the control device 6 side is a small diameter plug 10' which does not have a liquid tight structure as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a large diameter plug 10' which has a liquid tight structure as shown in FIG. 40 can also be connected, and its specific configuration is shown in FIG. 5 and below.

1. FIGS. 5 to 8 show an example of this, and in the figure, 50 is provided in the control device 6, and is fixed to the connection portion 51 of the connection terminal 11, air pipe 12, etc. on the control device 6 side, and the surroundings thereof. The socket consists of a fixing ring 52 provided with a large diameter plug 40.
It is formed of a cylindrical member large enough to insert the Pin mounting portions 53.53 are protruded from the tip of the fixing ring 52, and each of the mounting portions 53 has a pair of guide pins 54. 55.55 is provided protrudingly. A pair of clamping pieces 56a, 5 are provided between the six pairs of guide pins 54, 54 and between the guide pins 55, 55 as clamping members for clamping the small-diameter plug 10, respectively, in directions facing each other.
6b are connected, and the respective clamping pieces 56a, 56b
The inner circumferential surface of the small-diameter plug 10 is an arcuate portion 57b having a curvature approximately the same as the outer diameter of the small-diameter plug 10. These clamping pieces 56a, 56b are arranged along the guide holes 54, 55 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, it can be moved to two positions: a small-diameter plug mounting position which is located inside the inner peripheral edge of the fixing plate 2 and is concentric therewith. And these clamping pieces 56a.

In order to position 56b in the two aforementioned positions, a click stop mechanism is provided between it and the guide pins 54,55. This click stop mechanism springs 58
A click ball 59 energized by is placed inside the holding piece 56, and V-shaped click grooves 60a and 60b into which the click ball 59 is fitted are carved at the two positions mentioned above on the outer peripheral surface of the guide pin 54 and 55. It is made up of. Further, one clamping piece 56a has a locking pin 43 of the large diameter plug 40 and a locking pin 3 of the small diameter plug 10 on its inner peripheral surface.
Locking portions 61 and 62 into which the tip portions of 0 are respectively inserted are provided in recesses.

This embodiment has the above-described configuration, and in order to connect the large-diameter plug 40 to the socket 50, as shown in FIGS.
The large diameter plug 40 may be inserted into the fixing ring 52 by moving the large diameter plug to a mounting position that does not prevent insertion of the large diameter plug 40 into the fixing ring 52. Here, when inserting the plug 40, first the first plug 42 is inserted, and then the second plug 16 is inserted into the first plug 42. As a result, the locking pin 43 provided on the first plug 42 is pushed by the rod-shaped sheath 15 of the second plug 16, and its tip end touches the locking portion 61 provided on the clamping piece 56a.
As a result, the plug 40 is fixed to the socket 50 in an extremely stable state without swinging away from the socket 50.

On the other hand, in order to connect the small-diameter plug 10 to the socket 50, the holding pieces 56a and 56b are displaced toward the center of the fixing ring 52, and the arcuate portions 57a of them are moved as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. , 57b are located at the small diameter plug mounting position inside the inner peripheral edge of the fixing ring 52. The clamping pieces 56a and 56b can be displaced by simply pushing them toward each other, thereby causing the click ball 59 to disengage from the click groove 60a and reach the small diameter plug installation position. Click groove 6 when displaced
0b, the positioning can be performed easily and reliably, and the fixing at the position can be performed satisfactorily. After that, the small diameter plug 10 is held by the holding part 56a,
56b, the plug 10 is connected to the socket 50. When inserting the plug 10, the first plug 13 is first attached as described above, and then the second plug 16 is attached. When installing, locking pin 3
0 fits into the locking part 62, and the plug 10 can be fixedly connected to the socket 50.

As mentioned above, the holding pieces 56a and 56b are connected to the guide pin 5.
Plugs 10.40 with mutually different outer diameters can be connected to the socket 50 by simply displacing them along the lines 4.55, and the clamping pieces 56a and 56b are fixed/fixed to the plug 2. Since the structure is such that there is no need to remove them from the guide bins 54 and 55, there is no inconvenience such as losing them.

Next, FIGS. 9 to 12 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a fixing ring 7 constituting a socket 70 is shown.
1 is provided with an arc-shaped recess T2 larger than a semicircle in the circumference of the large-diameter portion 71a connected to the distal end thereof, and guide bins 73 and 73 are fixed to both end surfaces of the recess 72. Each guide pin 73,73 is provided and extends along the recess 72 parallel to the center line of the fixing ring T1.

Next, the 7-4 Fi clamping member 74 is shown, and the clamping member 74 is an arcuate member larger than a semicircle, and its inner peripheral edge is sized to match the outer diameter of the small diameter plug 10. The holding member 74 has pin insertion holes 75, 75 formed on both sides 9, and each of the pin insertion holes T5 has a guide pin 73.
is inserted.

As a result, the clamping member 74 can be moved along the guide bin 73 to a large-diameter plug attachment position where it does not protrude inward from the inner periphery of the fixing ring 11, and to a small-diameter plug where the inner periphery of the clamping member 74 is concentric with the fixing ring 71. It can be moved between the mounting position and the mounting position. In order to position the clamping member T4 at the aforementioned large-diameter plug attachment position, a step wall 75a is formed in the pin insertion hole T5 near the end of the clamping member 74, and comes into contact with the head 73a of the guide screw/13. In addition to functioning as a positioning mechanism, the stepped wall 75a also functions as a member to prevent the holding member 14 from coming off or coming out. On the other hand, in order to position and fix the clamping member 74 at the small-diameter plug mounting position, a click ball 77 biased by a spring 76 is attached to the clamping member T4.
are provided, and a fixing ring 71. A click groove T8 is formed in a portion facing the click ball T7.

Further, a locking portion 79 into which the tip of the locking pin 43 of the large-diameter plug 40 is fitted is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing ring 71, and a locking portion 80 into which the locking pin 30 of the small-diameter plug 10 is fitted is formed on the clamping member 74. are formed on the inner circumferential surface of each.

Even if configured as described above, the clamping member 74 is not connected to the guide bin 7.
3 and displace it to the large diameter plug mounting position shown in FIG. 9, the large diameter plug 40 can be inserted into the fixing ring 71, and also displace it to the small diameter plug mounting position shown in FIG. 10. Then, the small diameter plug 10 can be inserted into the holding member 74.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the plug 40 having a liquid-tight structure and the plug 10 having a non-liquid-tight structure are connected to the socket 50. By appropriately designing the connector, a connector to which plugs other than those described above can be connected can be made.

As described in detail above, in order to connect plugs with different outer diameters, the endoscope connector according to the present invention has a fixing ring into which a large-diameter plug is inserted, and a socket parallel to the center line of the fixing ring. A clamping member for clamping a small-diameter plug connected to an attached guide bin, and the clamping member is guided along the guide bin to be displaced between a large-diameter plug mounting position and a small-diameter plug mounting position. Because of the structure, it is possible to connect an endoscope body equipped with a large-diameter plug and an endoscope body equipped with a small-diameter plug to a single control device by simply moving the clamping member. can. Furthermore, since there is no need to remove the clamping member from the guide bin, it is convenient to handle, and the possibility of loss or the like is reliably prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an external view showing the entire endoscope, Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view showing how the first and second small-diameter plugs are attached and detached, and Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view showing how the first and second small-diameter plugs are attached and removed. Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the small diameter plug shown attached to the plug in Fig. 3.
FIGS. 5 to 8, which are partial sectional views of the large-diameter plug showing a state similar to that shown in the figure, show the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 6 and 6 are a front view and a half sectional view taken along the line A-A, respectively, showing the socket in the position where the small diameter plug is installed, and Figures 7 and 8.
The figures are a front view and a sectional view taken along line B-8 thereof, respectively, showing the socket in the position where the large diameter plug is installed, FIGS. 9 to 12 show the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. FIG. 11 is a partially sectional front view showing the socket in a large-diameter plug mounting position and a small-diameter plug mounting position, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a partially sectional plan view in FIG. 10. 1: Endoscope main body 3: Hand operation section 4: Insertion section 6: Control device 7: Connector 10: Small diameter plug 13: First plug 16.42: Second plug 3G,
43: Locking pin 40-: Large diameter plug 50.70: Socket 52, 71: Fixing ring 54.55, 73: Locking pin 56a, 56b: Holding piece 6t, 62, r9, ao: Engagement Stop portion 74: Holding member Fig. 1 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 0 Fig. 7 Fig. 10 Fig. 7^ m- Fig. 12 Fig. 11

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A plug is provided on the side of the endoscope main body that is equipped with an insertion section inserted into the observation target area, a manual operation section, etc., and a socket to which the plug is removably connected is connected to the light source of the endoscope main body;
A fixing ring provided on the side of a control device containing a power source, etc., into which the socket is inserted into which a larger diameter plug among the plugs is inserted, and a small diameter plug clamping device connected to a guide plate attached parallel to a line passing through the center of the fixing ring. a small-diameter plug attachment position where the clamping member is guided along the guide pin and displaced toward the inner circumference of the fixing ring, and a large-diameter plug attachment position where the pinching member is displaced toward the outer circumference of the fixation ring. A connector for an endoscope, characterized in that it is configured to be able to be displaced between two positions. (2) Claim (1) characterized in that the clamping member is constituted by a pair of clamping pieces provided in opposite directions.
) Endoscope connectors listed in section ). (3) The endoscope connector according to claim (1), wherein the holding member is formed of an arc-shaped member having a semicircle or more.