JPH0156773B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flexible tube for an endoscope, and specifically, it is made by coating a solid lubricant film on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of constituent materials such as a curved tube, metal blade, and jacket tube. This invention relates to a flexible tube for an endoscope.

In the field of medical equipment, the flexible part or curved part of a flexible endoscope that is inserted into a body cavity is a flexible part through which optical fiber bundles for image guides and light guides, tubes for forceps insertion, bending operation wires, etc. are inserted. It is made up of tubes.

This flexible tube is generally constructed as shown in FIG. A metal braid 3 made of thin metal wires knitted into a net shape is placed over the curved pipe 2 so as to enclose the curved pipe 2; A predetermined optical fiber bundle as described above, a forceps insertion tube, a bending operation wire, etc. (shown in FIG. 1, 5) are inserted into the flexible tube 1. ing.

By the way, in the conventional flexible tube, the metal blade 3 and the jacket tube 4 are used in order to exhibit its flexibility, in other words, the friction reduction effect inside the flexible tube.
A powdered lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide, boron nitride, talc, etc., is coated on each contact surface.

However, since the inner circumferential surface of the sheathing tube 4 is a slippery surface, the anti-friction agent applied to each contact surface between the metal blade 3 and the sheathing tube 4 may remain in the endoscope for a long period of time. It gradually wears off with use,
The scraped anti-friction agent passes through the mesh of the metal blade 3 and falls into the curved tube 2, and finally falls into the interior of the curved tube 2, significantly reducing the original friction-reducing effect. As a result, disadvantages such as damage to the tube due to inner wear of the jacket tube 4, an increase in the amount of bending operation force of the bending portion, and breakage of the bending operation wire are likely to occur.

Furthermore, in view of these drawbacks, the present applicant has proposed an improved flexible tube as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 70750/1983 as a representative example. According to the disclosed invention, a groove for holding an anti-friction agent is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the jacket tube that is in contact with the metal blade, thereby considerably preventing a reduction in the anti-friction effect. . However, the anti-friction agent does not completely adhere to the grooves provided on the inner circumferential surface of the jacket tube, and the above-mentioned drawbacks have not been fundamentally improved.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to fundamentally improve the above-mentioned drawbacks by adding the following:
We aim to provide a flexible tube for endoscopes that forms a solid lubricant film by applying a binder in which a solid lubricant is dispersed, and whose anti-friction effect does not deteriorate even after long-term use of the endoscope. It is something to do. Hereinafter, specific examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers. Moreover, FIG. 3 shows a partially extracted enlarged view of FIG. 2. First, a solid lubricating film 4a is applied to the inner circumferential surface of the jacket tube 4 according to the present invention. This solid lubricating film 4a is made by forming rubber, which is the material of the binder, into a paste shape, and dispersing and mixing powders of solid lubricants such as molybdenum disulfide, Teflon, graphite, boron nitride, etc. into the rubber, and applying the binder to the rubber. After coating the inner periphery of the jacket tube 4, it is cured over time to form a film. Therefore, it is desirable to add a diluting solvent to the binder in advance, if necessary, to adjust the viscosity and the like. In addition to the above-mentioned rubber as the binder material, it is also possible to use rubber latex, plastic, other substances with the same effect, or a combination thereof. Further, the solid lubricant is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplified substances, but can be similarly implemented using substances with the same effect or a combination thereof.

Next, on the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the metal blade 3, a solid lubricant coating 3a is formed which is exactly the same as that of the outer jacket tube 4.
(outer circumferential part) and 3b (inner circumferential part) are formed, and their implementation can be carried out in exactly the same manner as in the case of the jacket tube 4 described above.

Furthermore, solid lubricant coatings 2a (outer periphery) and 2b (inner periphery) are applied to the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the curved tube 2, just as in the case of the jacket tube 4 and metal blade 3.
is formed. Note that the implementation method can be carried out in the same manner as in the case of the jacket tube 4 or metal blade 3, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. As described above, since a solid lubricant film containing a solid lubricant is applied and formed on the inner and/or outer circumferential surfaces of the outer tube, metal blade, and curved tube, which are the constituent materials of the flexible tube, No adverse effects such as the anti-friction agent being scraped off occur.

As described above, according to the flexible tube for an endoscope according to the present invention, the lubrication effect and anti-friction effect do not deteriorate even during long-term use of the endoscope, and the disadvantages of the conventional flexible tube can be avoided. It is possible to prevent problems such as damage to a certain jacket tube, increase in the bending force of the bending portion, and breakage of the bending operation wire, and furthermore, it is possible to prolong the life of the product. Because it has such advantages, the present invention is not limited to flexible tubes for endoscopes, but can be similarly applied to flexible tubes of the same type for various uses.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional flexible tube for an endoscope.
The figure is a partial cross-sectional configuration diagram of the flexible tube for an endoscope according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partially extracted enlarged view of FIG. 2. 2...Curved pipe, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a
...Solid lubricating film, 3...Metal blade, 4...
Outer tube.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a flexible tube for an endoscope made of multiple layers of constituent materials such as a curved tube, a metal blade, and an exterior tube,
A molten binder made of rubber, rubber latex, or plastic in which solid lubricant powder is mixed and dispersed is applied to the inner and/or outer circumferential surfaces of each of the above constituent materials, and this is solidified to form a solid lubricant film. A flexible tube for an endoscope.