JPH0152008B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a flexible tube for an endoscope used in an insertion section of an endoscope.

Generally, a flexible tube for an endoscope is constructed by fitting a knitted tube into a helical tube, and further covering the outside with an outer skin. The spiral tube is formed into a tube shape by winding a band-shaped plate in a spiral shape, and the knitted tube is formed into a tube shape by braiding a large number of strands of wire.

Therefore, when cleaning or disinfecting the insertion section of an endoscope, if the outer surface of the flexible tube is squeezed, the plate of the spiral tube or the strands of the knitted tube may shift to one side.
There may be gaps in the pitch. When the pitches become uneven in this way, only some parts of the flexible tube become difficult to bend, while other parts become more bendable than necessary, resulting in uneven flexibility and worsening the insertion performance of the endoscope. It turns out.

Furthermore, in a helical tube or a knitted tube, the part where the pitch of the plate or wire is loose is easy to bend, and the inner diameter tends to be small. For example, it has the drawback of damaging the image guide fiber and light guide fiber.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The purpose of this is to ensure uniform flexibility over the entire length by preventing the pitch of the core material from shifting or shifting in the longitudinal direction of the core material, and to prevent damage to the built-in components. An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible tube for an endoscope that can improve the durability of the endoscope.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is an endoscope, and this endoscope 1 has an operating section 2 connected to an insertion section 3, and further connected to the operating section 2 is a light guide cable 3a. The insertion section 3 is formed by connecting a distal end component 6 to the distal end of a flexible tube 4 via a curved section 5, and the curved section 5 can be bent by rotating the angle operating lever 7 of the operating section 2. It is becoming more and more popular.

On the other hand, the flexible tube 4 is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the first and second spiral tubes 8 and 9 are provided inside, and the knitted tube 1 is provided outside.
A core material 11 is constructed by fitting the core material 0 into the core material 11, and the outer periphery of the core material 11 is covered with a synthetic resin outer skin 12. The first and second spiral tubes 8, 9
is formed by winding metal band-shaped plates 13, 13 in a spiral shape to form a tubular shape, and the first and second spiral tubes 8, 9 are wound in opposite directions. At the same time, the first spiral tube 8 is placed inside, and the second spiral tube 9 is placed outside, so that they are stacked in close contact with each other. Further, the knitted tube 10 is formed into a tubular shape by knitting a large number of strands.

Further, the first and second helical tubes 8 and 9 and the knitting tube 10 are joined and fixed to each other by partially brazing each other at certain intervals along the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube 4. Note that it is preferable that the connecting and fixing parts 14 are not biased toward the same side of the flexible tube 4, but are arranged in a staggered manner, for example, by providing them alternately above and below, as shown in FIG.

Thus, the core material 11 of the flexible tube 4 has joint fixing portions 14 at certain intervals along its longitudinal axis direction.
In order to partially connect and fix the first and second spiral tubes 8 and 9 and the knitted tube 10 to each other,
By squeezing the outer surface of the flexible tube 4, the plates 13, 13 of the helical tubes 8, 9 and the strands of the knitted tube 10 are not biased to one side, and a predetermined pitch can be maintained. That is, since the distance between the joint fixing parts 14 is relatively short, plastic tightness of the pitches is unlikely to occur. Moreover, even if some degree of density occurs, it is negligible when viewed from the overall length of the flexible tube 4. In particular, in this example, the core material 1
1, the winding directions of the first and second spiral tubes 8, 9 are opposite, and the respective spiral tubes 8,
Since the 9 comrades are connected and fixed to each other by the above-mentioned joint fixing parts 14..., this pair of helical tubes 8, 9
The chisel alone has a strong effect of preventing deviation in the longitudinal axis direction.

Incidentally, the shorter the interval between the joint fixing parts 14, the more it is possible to prevent the pitch from shifting, but if the interval is too close, the flexibility of the flexible tube 4 will be poor and a large force will be required to bend it. . Therefore, appropriate spacing should be selected in consideration of the purpose of use. Further, it is not necessary to provide equal intervals over the entire length of the flexible tube 4, and the intervals may be appropriately selected.

Further, the joint fixing portions 14 are not limited to brazing methods such as soldering, but may be formed by bonding, welding, or the like.

In the above embodiment, the first and second spiral tubes 8, 9
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured using only one spiral tube 15, for example, as shown in FIG. In other words, this is an example of a flexible tube 4 in which the spiral tube 15 and the knitted tube 16 are each made up of one layer. However, the joint fixing parts 17 are arranged more densely than in the above embodiment. In this embodiment, the joint fixing part 1
By making the intervals between the tubes 7 close, the thickness of the flexible tube 4 can be made thin, and sufficient flexibility and elasticity can be obtained despite the simple structure.

As explained above, the present invention provides a core material consisting of a plurality of members including at least a helical tube or a knitted tube, in which joining and fixing portions are formed at appropriate intervals along the longitudinal axis direction to prevent movement between the members. Therefore, even when the outer surface of the flexible tube is squeezed, such as when cleaning or disinfecting an endoscope, the plate of the spiral tube or the wires of the knitted tube will not shift and maintain their pitch spacing. can do. Therefore, a predetermined flexibility can be maintained over the entire length of the flexible tube, and operational performance can be ensured.
Moreover, since there is no unevenness in the diameter of the flexible tube, internal components are not damaged, and the durability of the endoscope can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an endoscope showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the flexible tube, and FIG.
The figure is a side sectional view of a flexible tube showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Endoscope, 4... Flexible tube, 8... First spiral tube,
9...Second spiral tube, 10...Knitting tube, 11...
Core material, 12... Outer skin, 13, 13... Plate body, 14... Joint fixing part, 15... Spiral tube, 16... Knitted tube,
17...Joint fixing part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a flexible tube for an endoscope in which the outside of a core material made of a plurality of members including at least one of a helical tube and a knitted tube is covered with an outer skin, at least a helical tube and a knitted tube or a plurality of helical tubes are arranged together. A flexible tube for an endoscope, characterized in that a plurality of flexible tubes are connected and fixed at appropriate intervals along the longitudinal axis.