JPH0138284B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an industrial or medical endoscope that has a balloon for fixing an insertion section in piping or machinery of a chemical plant or a lumen in a body cavity, in which the balloon is damaged. This invention relates to an endoscope fixing device that prevents this.

In general, an industrial endoscope is used to insert the insertion tube into the pipes of a chemical plant or machinery for inspection, or a medical endoscope is inserted into a tubular body cavity such as the large intestine or small intestine for inspection. In some cases, in order to facilitate inspection, a balloon is often attached to the insertion section and the side around the tip of the insertion section is fixed within these pipes or lumens.

The balloon used to fix the endoscope in this way is usually formed of thin synthetic resin or rubber, as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of an endoscope 1 with a fixing balloon attached thereto.

In the figure, an observation optical system 2 and an illumination optical system 3 are arranged and housed at the tip of the insertion section of an endoscope 1, and a fixing balloon 4 is attached to the outer periphery of the portion near the tip of the insertion section. . On the other hand, on the hand control unit side, air is supplied into the balloon 4, and the balloon 4 is inflated as shown in the figure and pressed against the side wall of the lumen, so that the insertion part can be fixed. A syringe 5 can be attached thereto.

In addition to the above, there are also devices that have multiple balloons 4, but in all cases, the balloon 4 has a single layer structure, and the balloon 4 requires a large expansion and contraction ratio, so it is thin. However, the balloon 4 has the drawbacks that the pressure inside the balloon 4 becomes high and breaks, and that the balloon 4 may be damaged by small protrusions when inserted and fixed into pipes etc. in an industrial endoscope. It was hot.

Therefore, a balloon that is difficult to break has been desired, especially for industrial use.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and provides an endoscope fixing device that includes a highly elastic protective member that surrounds the balloon used for fixation, thereby ensuring the fixation function and preventing the balloon from being damaged. The purpose is to provide The present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the main part of the first embodiment of this invention,
Figure a is a cross-sectional view in a state before use without air supply, and Figure b is a cross-sectional view in a state in which air is supplied and inflated.

In FIG. 2, an annular recess is formed along the outer periphery of the outer skin of the endoscope 1 near the tip of the insertion portion. A hole for air supply is provided approximately in the center of the recess, and an annular (cylindrical) balloon 6 made of a highly elastic material such as synthetic resin or rubber is arranged to cover the hole. ing. This balloon 6
is fixed to both ends of the cylindrical shape by winding a wire in a ring shape or the like so that these ends form a locking part, and the air can be sealed off. An injection tube 7 for air supply is disposed between the air supply hole and the hand operation section inside the balloon 6, which has a sealed structure as described above.

Further outside the balloon 6, there is a soft and elastic sheet that fits into the recess and has a substantially cylindrical or annular shape and has locking protrusions 8a, 8a at both ends of the circumference. A protection member 8 is attached. When the balloon 6 expands and the area around the air supply hole in the approximate center of the recess expands to a larger diameter, the protective member 8 follows and moves outward, as shown in Figure B. As shown in FIG.
Movement is regulated by locking portions at both ends of the holder, and the device is configured to be locked at these portions.

Since the balloon 6 is covered with the highly elastic protective member 8, when inserting and fixing the endoscope into a tube or lumen, the balloon 6 is covered with a highly elastic protective member 8.
Even if the balloon expands and the internal pressure becomes high, the protective member 8 absorbs (shares) this pressure, which prevents the balloon 6 from being damaged.Furthermore, the protective member 8 covers the outside of the balloon 6. Since the balloon 6 can be prevented from being damaged even if there is a protrusion inside the tube, the fixing device according to this embodiment can be used for a long period of time.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is constructed by a mesh-like protective member 9 with high elasticity in place of the sheet-like protective member 8 described above, and the aforementioned protective member 9 is attached to both ends of the mesh-like protective member 9. As in the example, locking protrusions 9a, 9a are provided. Figure a is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the balloon 6 in an inflated state, and Figures b and c are enlarged sectional views of the main parts of the balloon 6 in an uninflated state and an inflated state, respectively.

In this embodiment, the (outer) side of the net wire-like protective member 9 that comes into contact with the inner wall of the lumen is coated with rubber or the like to increase the coefficient of friction with the inside of the lumen, and has a fixing function. It can also be increased further (this is also applicable to the first embodiment).

In addition to the protection members 8 and 9 described in each of the embodiments above, a protection member provided with a small number or a large number of holes may also be used.

It is also possible to increase the fixing function by providing a mesh or other pattern made of rubber or other material with a large friction coefficient on the surface of each of the above-mentioned protective members that comes into contact with the inner wall of the lumen.

In addition, although both ends of the above-mentioned protection member are partially movable, the present invention is not limited to this, and both ends or one end may be fixed. Although an example in which one balloon 6 is provided has been described so far, the present invention can be similarly applied to a large number of balloons 6, 6, . . . , 6.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the protective member for protecting the balloon is provided on the outside of the balloon, when the balloon is inflated to fix it, it can be prevented from being damaged by the pressure. This has the effect of preventing the balloon from being damaged by protrusions or the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing a conventional endoscope equipped with a balloon, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of main parts showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure a is a schematic perspective view, and Figures b and c are enlarged sectional views of essential parts. 1... Endoscope, 6... Balloon, 7... Injection tube, 8, 9... Protective member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In an endoscope that is fixed using a stretchable balloon attached to the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope, the outer circumference of the balloon is surrounded and the end thereof is within a regulated range. An endoscope fixing device characterized by being provided with a movable and highly elastic protection member. 2. The endoscope fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is formed of a sheet-like member. 3. The endoscope fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is formed of a wire mesh member.