JP3077945B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope used for examining a human body cavity such as a gastrointestinal tract and a bronchus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an endoscope has a proximal end portion of an elongated and flexible insertion portion flexible tube inserted into a body cavity, and a proximal end portion of a connection portion flexible tube connected to a light source device or the like. The units are both connected to the operation unit, so that the operator grips the operation unit and performs an operation necessary for the examination.

[0003] The flexible insertion section flexible tube of such an endoscope needs to be as flexible as possible in order to minimize the pain given to the patient, and the flexible insertion section flexible tube has good durability. A great deal of effort has been put into achieving this.

[0004] On the other hand, a flexible connecting portion connected to a light source device or the like is a part that can be shared in an endoscope that is manufactured in a variety of small quantities, so that it is strong enough to withstand even the most severe type of endoscope. And has a smaller flexibility than the flexible tube of the insertion portion, that is, is formed harder than the flexible tube of the insertion portion.

[0005]

When performing an endoscopic examination, it is often necessary to largely move or rotate the operation unit in order to guide the flexible tube of the insertion portion to a desired position in the body cavity. Absent. Then, if the operation unit is moved or rotated, the connecting portion flexible tube connected to the operation unit bends accordingly.

However, since the distal end of the connecting portion flexible tube is connected to a fixedly disposed light source device or the like and cannot be moved at all, the flexibility of the connecting portion flexible tube is reduced as in the prior art. If the tube is less flexible and hard, it often prevents the operation unit from freely moving or rotating, and often impairs the inspection performance of the endoscope.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the connecting portion flexible tube connected to the light source device does not hinder moving or rotating the operating portion, and the operating portion is freely circulated to easily guide the insertion portion flexible tube. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope that can perform the operation.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope according to the present invention comprises an elongated and flexible insertion portion flexible tube having at least an observation window and an illumination window at its distal end; An elongated and flexible connecting portion flexible tube having a light guide connector for illumination connected to at least a light source device at a distal end and having a portion formed more flexibly than the flexible tube for the inserting portion; A flexible tube and an operation unit to which each base end of the flexible tube is connected are provided.

The flexibility of at least one of the insertion portion flexible tube and the connection portion flexible tube is changed in the middle, and the most flexible portion of the connection portion flexible tube is the insertion portion flexible tube. It may be more flexible than the least flexible part.

[0010]

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an endoscope, in which an observation window 2 and an illumination window 3 are provided at the distal end of a flexible tube 1 for insertion, and air and water are sprayed on the surface of the observation window 2. An air supply nozzle 4 and a water supply nozzle 5 protrude.

A flexible image guide fiber bundle 7 for transmitting a light image incident from the observation window 2 into the insertion portion flexible tube 1, and an illumination light emitted from the illumination window 3 to the outside. Light guide fiber bundle 8 for illumination, air supply tube 9 and water supply tube 10 for supplying air and water to air supply and water supply nozzles 4 and 5, and treatment which also serves as a passage for inserting treatment tools and a suction path from the tip. The tool insertion and suction tube 11 is inserted over the entire length.

A proximal end portion of the flexible tube 1 is connected to an operating portion 14, and a treatment instrument insertion port 15 is protruded in the vicinity of the connecting portion, and an upper portion of the operating portion 14 (left side in FIG. 1). ), An air / water supply valve 17 and a suction / kneading valve 18 are protrudingly provided.
An eyepiece 19 having a built-in eyepiece (not shown) is protruded from the upper end of the collision unit 14.

The proximal end of the image guide fiber bundle 7 is guided into the eyepiece 19, and the proximal ends of the air / water tubes 9 and 10 are connected to the air / water operation valve 17. The proximal end of the treatment instrument insertion / suction tube 11 is connected to the treatment instrument insertion port 15, and a connection between the treatment instrument insertion / suction tube 18 and the suction operation valve 18 is made by a suction tube 20 inside the operation unit that is thicker than the treatment instrument insertion / suction tube 11. Have been.

The reason why the suction tube 20 in the operation section is made thicker than the treatment instrument insertion / suction tube 11 is that dirt and the like sucked from the distal end side are sucked in the suction tube 20 in the operation section.
This is because there is a space in the operation unit 14 for arranging a tube thicker than that in the flexible tube 1 in the insertion unit.

A flexible bending portion is formed at the distal end of the flexible tube 1 of the insertion portion, and an operating device for remotely controlling the bending direction is provided on the operating portion 14, which is not shown. Omitted.

Reference numeral 23 denotes an illumination light guide connector detachably connected to and connected to the light source device 100. The illumination light guide fiber bundle 8 enters the illumination light guide fiber bundle 8 just inside a condenser lens 24 provided at the protruding end thereof. An end 8a is arranged.

On the side of the lighting light guide connector 23, an air supply / water supply base 25 for receiving air supply and water supply.
And a suction nipple 26 connected to a suction device (not shown), and an internal / external communication valve 27 for communicating the inside and outside of the endoscope when disinfecting the endoscope in EOG gas sterilization. I have.

The illumination light guide connector 23 and the operation section 14 are connected by a connection section flexible tube 30. The air supply and water supply tubes 32 and 33 for connecting and connecting the air supply / water supply base 25 of the lighting light guide connector 23 and the air supply / water supply operation valve 17 of the operation unit 14, the suction nipple 26 and the suction operation valve A connection part suction tube 34 that communicates with the connection part 18 is inserted into the connection part flexible tube 30.

Such air supply and water supply tubes 32, 3
3 is higher than the air supply and water supply tubes 9 and 10 in order to increase the air supply and water supply capacity, and because the inside of the flexible tube 30 for the connection portion can have more space than the inside of the flexible tube 1 for the insertion portion. Thick tubes are used.

The connecting section suction tube 34 is a tube thicker than the operation section suction tube 20 so that dirt sucked from the distal end side of the insertion section flexible tube 1 through the operation section suction tube 20 is not clogged. I have.

Light guide fiber bundle 8 for illumination
Is connected to the illumination light guide connector 23 from inside the insertion portion flexible tube 1 through the operation portion 14 and the connection portion flexible tube 30.

In the endoscope thus constructed, the connecting portion flexible tube 30 is formed to have greater flexibility than the insertion portion flexible tube 1, that is, to be soft and easily bent.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the structure of the tube portion 40 for covering the flexible tube for easy understanding.
1. It is formed by a mesh tube 42 made of a thin metal wire in the middle layer and a synthetic resin tube 43 in the outer layer. This basic configuration
The insertion part flexible tube 1 and the connection part flexible tube 30 are the same.

If there is no difference in the flexibility of the tube portion 40 between the insertion portion flexible tube 1 and the connection portion flexible tube 30, the difference in the thickness of the tubes inserted therein is different. For this reason, the connection portion flexible tube 30 or the insertion portion flexible tube 1 is less flexible and harder.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the thickness of the spiral tube 41 is made thinner in the connecting portion flexible tube 30, and the spiral tube 41 is formed into multiple windings as necessary.

The width t of the material of the spiral tube 41 is reduced.
The knitting angle α with respect to the axis of the mesh tube 42 is increased.

A synthetic resin tube 43 having a small hardness is used. By taking measures such as these, even when the fiber bundles and the tubes are inserted inside, the flexible tube is configured to have greater flexibility than the insertion portion flexible tube 1.

The flexibility of such a flexible tube can be changed even in the middle of one flexible tube.
A single flexible tube may be formed by joining flexible tubes having different flexibility. In such a case, in the present invention, the most flexible part (larger flexible part) of the connecting part flexible tube 30 is the hardest and less flexible part (flexible part) of the insertion part flexible tube 1. What is necessary is just to be more flexible (large flexibility) than the small part).

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be applied to a so-called electronic endoscope in which an observation image is converted into an electric signal and transmitted using a solid-state image sensor. it can.

[0031]

According to the endoscope of the present invention, since the flexible portion of the connecting portion is formed more flexible than the flexible portion of the insertion portion, the endoscope can be rotated or moved greatly. In addition, the connecting portion flexible tube can easily follow and bend so as not to hinder its movement, and as a result, the operating portion can be freely rotated to guide the insertion portion flexible tube as desired. Has the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an endoscope according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic view of a tube section for covering a flexible tube.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Insertion part flexible tube 2 Observation window 3 Illumination window 14 Operation part 23 Light guide connector for illumination 30 Connecting part flexible tube

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A possess at least an observation window and the illumination window at the distal end
The suction tube and the air and water supply tubes are inserted
And the flexible tube with a flexible elongate is, at least a light source device for illumination light guide connector that is connected are closed by a thick connecting portion suction from the suction tube to the tip
Tubes and larger air supply than the above air supply and water supply tubes
An elongated and flexible connecting portion flexible tube in which the water supply tube is inserted and arranged, and an operating portion to which the base end portions of the inserting portion flexible tube and the connecting portion flexible tube are connected are provided, The connection in a state where the tubes are inserted and arranged.
The flexibility of the flexible tube is determined by inserting each tube
An endoscope characterized in that it has a greater flexibility than the insertion section flexible tube in the state .