JPH0351164B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention forms a flexible part in a connecting tube that connects an objective part and a grip, and engages an operating wire at the distal end side of the flexible part. The present invention relates to a stopper mechanism for a fiberscope objective section operating wire take-up reel, which rotatably supports the wire take-up reel and bends a flexible portion by winding up the operating wire.

(Prior Art and its Problems) A conventional stopper mechanism includes, for example, a stopper protrusion or a stopper surface on the grip side, and a protrusion on the reel side that can freely engage with the stopper surface or the protrusion. However, with such a stopper mechanism, the rotation range of the take-up reel can only be set to a maximum of about 360 degrees, which causes the following problems.

(1) Since the maximum rotation range of the reel is limited to approximately 360°, the wire cannot be wound sufficiently, and the maximum amount of bending of the flexible part is therefore unnecessarily limited, which limits the operation range of the objective part. becomes narrower. In particular, since it has a long wire extending from the grip to the objective section, the amount of elongation of the wire itself is large when the wire is pulled.

(2) Although it is possible to increase the amount of winding to some extent by increasing the radius of the reel, this will increase the size of the reel and make the operation heavier, reducing operability.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention arranges a movable ring and a stopper ring coaxially with the take-up reel, fixes the stopper ring to the grip, and fixes the stopper ring to the grip. Two stopper surfaces spaced apart in the direction are formed, a protrusion is formed on the movable ring, and the protrusion is arranged between the stopper surfaces to restrict the rotation range of the movable ring to the range between the stopper surfaces. By forming a protrusion on the take-up reel that does not interfere with the stopper surface but can freely engage with the protrusion of the movable ring, the rotation range of the take-up reel can be increased to approximately 360 degrees, which is the angle between the stopper surfaces. I am trying to set it to a range that includes .

(Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows an overall side view of a fiberscope, in which a connecting tube 2 extending forward is connected to the grip 1, and an objective section 3 is provided at the front end of the connecting tube 2. An eyepiece 5 is provided at the rear end of the grip 1. Connecting tube 2
A flexible portion 2a having a certain length is formed at the front end portion of the holder, and is bendable in the vertical direction as shown by the imaginary line.

In FIG. 7 showing an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the flexible portion 2a, a large number of knot rings 6 are arranged on the same axis at intervals in the front-back direction in the flexible portion 2a, and each knot ring 6 Arc-shaped bearing recesses 7 are formed at both left and right ends of both the front and rear surfaces of the roller, and a horizontal roller shaft 8 is disposed between the recesses 7. The full-section ring 6 has two left and right fastening wires 1 extending in the front and back direction.
0, and are rotatable in the vertical direction using each roller shaft 8 as a rotation fulcrum. Operation wire insertion holes 11, 11 are formed at the upper and lower ends of each node ring 6, respectively, and an upper operation first wire 15 and a lower operation second wire 16 are inserted therethrough, respectively. The front head portions 15a, 16a of each of the operating wires 15, 16 engage with the node ring 6 at the frontmost end, and the rear end portions of the operating wires 15, 16 extend rearward within the connecting tube 2.

Also, inside the connecting tube 2 is an image guide 18.
and a light guide 19 are built in, and the front ends of both guides 18 and 19 extend into the objective part (objective hardware) 3 through the center hole of the node ring 6. Although not shown, an objective lens is disposed at the front edge of the image guide 18 in the objective section.

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the grip 1, and in this FIG. 8, the grip 1 includes a lower grip body 25 and a cover 26 covering the lower grip body 25. The image guide 18 passes through the grip 1 and extends into the eyepiece 5.
An eyepiece lens 21 is arranged behind the eyepiece lens 8, and the eyepiece lens 21 is configured to look through a viewing window 22 behind the eyepiece lens 21. Further, the light guide 19 passes through the adapter 24 and extends rearward and downward, and is connected to a light source.

Inside the grip body 25 are first and second rotating shafts 28 and 29 for pulling and operating the wires 15 and 16.
Operating devices such as the first and second reels 31 and 32 are arranged. The first and second rotation shafts 28 and 29 are rotatably supported in the grip main body 25 in a horizontal, horizontal (left-right) orientation in order from the rear side.
The first rotating shaft 28 on the rear side is located slightly higher than the second rotating shaft 29 on the front side. The first and second wire winding reels 31 and 32 are connected to each rotating shaft 2, respectively.
8 and 29 so as to be rotatable with respect to the rotating shafts 28 and 29.

On the other hand, both the operation wires 15 and 16 are connected to the guide body 3.
5 through the guide holes 35a and 35b, respectively,
The first wire 15 is wound around the first reel 31 at the rear, and the second wire 16 is wound around the second reel 32. The guide body 35 is the grip body 2
It is fixed on the top surface of 5.

In FIG. 9 showing a - sectional view of FIG. 8,
The right end portion of the first rotating shaft 28 protrudes rightward from the grip body 25, and an operating handle 36 is fixed to the tip end thereof. Both rotating shafts 28 and 29 are rotatably supported by the grip body 25 via a pair of left and right bearings 40 and 41, respectively.

Transmission gears 44 and 45 are fixed to the right side of the right bearing 41 on each rotating shaft 28 and 29, respectively.
Both gears 44 and 45 mesh with each other. Between the left and right bearings 40 and 41 of each rotating shaft 28 and 29,
The first and second reels 3 in order from the right side, respectively.
1, 32, first and second clutch rings 47, 48
and first and second sleeves 50, 51 are arranged.

In FIG. 1 showing an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view of the first rotating shaft 28, the first transmission gear 44 is fixed to the first rotating shaft 28 with a bolt (not shown), and the first sleeve 50 on the left side is fixed to the first rotating shaft 28 with a bolt (not shown). The inner circumferential female threaded portion 50a is screwed into the male threaded portion 28a of the first rotating shaft 28. Male thread part 28a and female thread part 50a
is a left-handed thread, and is screwed in by rotating the rotating shaft 28 to the left (rotating in the U1 direction), so that the first sleeve 50 moves to the right relative to the first rotating shaft 28. . The left end surface of the first sleeve 50 is in contact with the locking ring 55, and the right end surface is in contact with the first sleeve 50.
It is in contact with the left end surface of the clutch ring 47. An annular groove 57 is formed on the outer periphery of the first sleeve 50, and an elastic O-ring 58 is fitted into the annular groove 57. The radial outer circumferential portion of the O-ring 58 is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the grip body 25 with a constant pressure, generating a frictional force, but when the frictional force can no longer resist the rotational force, the grip body 25 rotates in a circular direction. It is designed to slide in the circumferential direction.

The first clutch ring 47 has an axial groove 47a on its inner peripheral surface, and a guide pin 60 that protrudes in the radial direction is fixed to the first rotating shaft 28, and the groove 47a is engaged with the guide pin 60. It matches. That is, the first clutch ring 47 is movable in the axial direction with respect to the first rotation shaft 28, but
It is designed to rotate integrally with 8.

A large number of dog teeth 61 and 62 are formed along the circumferential direction on opposing surfaces of the first clutch ring 47 and the first reel 31, respectively, and both dog teeth 6
1 and 62 can be freely engaged with each other. Further, a clutch spring 64 is compressed between the first clutch ring 47 and the first reel 31.
4 urges the first clutch ring 47 to the left and maintains both dog teeth 61 and 62 in a non-engaged state. The dog teeth 61 and 62 have sloped relief surfaces that move to the right as they move toward the rotation direction U1, as shown by the imaginary lines in FIG.

Operation first wire 15 wound on first reel 31
is inserted into the recess 68 of the first reel 31 through the cut groove 67 of the first reel 31, and the wire head 15b is engaged with the recess 68.

A first stopper ring 70 for regulating the maximum rotation range of the first reel 31 is disposed on the outer circumferential side of the right bearing 41, and the stopper ring 70 is attached to the grip main body 25 by a bolt 71. Direction position change adjustable and fixed.

To explain in detail the structure of the stopper ring 70 etc. which is the main part of the present invention, in FIG. 2, the inner peripheral surface of the stopper ring 70 has a central angle θ approximately
A cutout stepped portion 72 having a circumferential length of 180° is formed, and an end surface 70 of the stepped portion 72 in the circumferential direction is formed.
A and 70b each serve as a stopper surface. That is, both stopper surfaces 70a and 70b face each other at a constant interval (angle θ) in the circumferential direction. A movable ring 75 is rotatably fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the stopper ring 70.
A protrusion 76 is formed on the stopper ring 70, and the protrusion 76 is disposed within the step 72 of the stopper ring 70. That is, the movable ring 75 is rotatable within a range of approximately 180 degrees (.theta.) from a position where its protrusion 76 abuts on one stopper surface 70a to a position where it abuts on the other stopper surface 70b. On the other hand, the first
A protrusion 77 is formed on the right end surface of the reel 31, and the protrusion 77 is movable in the circumferential direction along the inner peripheral surface of the stopper ring 70 and is movable within the protrusion 76 of the movable ring 75. It can be freely engaged with the peripheral end side portion.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the stopper ring 70, clearly showing the positional relationship of the step 72, the protrusion 76, and the protrusion 77.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the stopper ring 70, and the position of the reel protrusion 77 shown by the solid line is such that the reel 31 is rotated to the maximum extent in the D1 direction and the protrusion of the movable ring 75 is moved by one stopper surface 70a. 76
It shows the state where it is locked through the. When the first reel 31 rotates in the U1 direction from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. While moving, it further rotates in the U1 direction until it reaches the position of the imaginary line, and the projection 76 of the movable ring 75 comes into contact with the other stopper surface 70b, thereby blocking the rotation in the U1 direction. That is, the first reel 31 is restricted to rotate within a maximum range of about one and a half rotations.

The second reel 32 for the second wire, the second rotating shaft 29, the second sleeve 51 and the second clutch ring 48 in FIG.
1. The first rotating shaft 28, the first sleeve 50, and the first clutch ring 47 have the same structure.

Also, the second reel 32 also has the first
A stopper ring 59 similar to stopper ring 70 is provided.

However, when the stopper rings 70 and 59 are provided as in this embodiment, for example, the stopper ring 70 for the first reel 31 can deflect the maximum amount of upward deflection of the flexible portion 2a (FIG. 6). The maximum rotational position of the first reel 31 in the U1 direction is regulated, and the maximum downward deflection of the flexible portion 2a (Fig. 6) is regulated by the stopper ring 59 for the second reel 32. D2 on the second reel 32
The maximum rotational position in the direction is regulated. That is, both stopper rings 70 and 59 share the regulating direction.

In FIG. 9, the first rotating shaft 28 includes the rotating shaft 2.
A locking mechanism 81 is provided so that the locking mechanism 8 can be locked at any rotational position, and the locking mechanism 81 is composed of a boss 83 having a locking lever 82, a flange 85, and a locking sleeve 86.

In FIG. 10, the locking sleeve 86 is fitted onto the outer circumferential side of the rotating shaft 28 so as to be freely movable in the axial direction, and is provided with ring-shaped meshing teeth 86a at the left end, and a guide pin 86b protruding in the radial direction.
It is integrally equipped with. A radial pin 87 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the first transmission gear 44 to protrude and oppose the meshing teeth 86a with a distance therebetween. The flange 85 is fixed to the grip cover 26 and fitted onto the outer peripheral side of the locking sleeve 86, and is provided with an axial elongated hole 90 into which the pin 86b of the locking sleeve 86 is inserted. . A cam groove 91 that is inclined with respect to the axis is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the boss 83.
is engaged with the tip of the pin 86b of the locking sleeve 86. That is, by rotating the boss 83 in the D1 direction using the lever 82, the cam action of the cam groove 91 pushes the pin 86b to the left, and the pin 86b is pushed to the left.
As locking sleeve 86 moves to the left in elongated hole 90 b, meshing teeth 86 a mesh with pin 87 to prevent rotation of transmission gear 44 .

(Function) When bending the flexible portion 2a of FIG. 6 upward, by rotating the handle 36 in the U1 direction, the upper first wire 15 of FIG. 7 is pulled and the lower second wire 16 is bent. Loosen it and curve the flexible part 2a upward.

To explain in detail, in Fig. 9, the handle 3
36 in the U1 direction, the first rotation shaft 28 rotates in the U1 direction (rotation to the left), while the second rotation shaft 29 rotates in the U2 direction (rotation to the right) via the transmission gears 44 and 45.

In FIG. 1, when the first rotating shaft 28 rotates in the U1 direction, the first sleeve 50 moves to the right by the screw feeding action. At this time, the elastic O-ring 58
Rotation of the sleeve 50 is prevented by the pressing action of the sleeve 50. When the first sleeve 50 moves to the right, it pushes the first clutch ring 47 to the right, and the dog teeth 61 and 62 mesh to engage the clutch.

After that, the first reel 31 rotates in the U1 direction together with the first rotating shaft 28, winds up the first wire 15, and pulls the first wire 15 backward. That is, the sixth
The flexible portion 2a shown in the figure is bent upward.

On the other hand, the second rotating shaft 29 in FIG.
Since the second reel 32 rotates in the U2 direction, which is the opposite direction, the clutch of the second reel 32 remains disengaged. Therefore, the second reel 32 is connected to the second rotating shaft 29
Since the second wire 16 is in a rotatable state relative to U2, the second wire 16 is pulled forward by the upward curving of the flexible portion 2a shown in FIG. 6, and the second reel 32 shown in FIG. direction, and the second wire 16 is loosened.

To maintain the desired curved state, by rotating the locking lever 82 in FIG. 9 in the direction of arrow D1, the locking sleeve 86 in FIG. 10 is moved to the left, and the meshing teeth 86a is engaged with the pin 87.

When the movable ring 75 is bent to the maximum curved state set upward, the protrusion 76 of the movable ring 75 comes into contact with the other stopper surface 70b of the first stopper ring 70 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 4, and the protrusion 76 The protrusion 77 of the first reel 31 comes into contact with the protrusion 77, thereby preventing the first reel 31 from rotating in the U1 direction.

When the operator rotates the handle 36 in FIG. 6 in the U1 direction and the dog teeth 61 and 62 engage, the elastic O-ring 58 in FIG. It begins to rotate in the U1 direction together with the sleeve 50. This prevents the first sleeve 50 from moving too far to the right, and prevents damage to the threaded portions 28a, 50a and dog teeth 61, 62 due to excessive rotation of the handle 36.

To return the flexible portion 2a of FIG. 6 to its original linear state, the handle 36 is rotated in the D1 direction.
That is, in FIG. 8, the first rotating shaft 28 rotates in the D1 direction and at the same time the second rotating shaft 29 rotates in the D2 direction, so that the clutch on the first rotating shaft 28 is disengaged and the clutch on the second rotating shaft side is also disengaged. Therefore, the second reel 32 starts rotating in the direction of arrow D2, winds up the second wire 16, and rewinds the first wire 15.
is loosened and pulled forward, and the flexible portion 2a in FIG.
returns to a straight line.

When the handle 36 shown in FIG. 6 is further rotated in the D1 direction, the second wire 16 shown in FIG. The flexible portion 2a curves downward.

In addition, when curving downward, when a predetermined maximum curving state is reached, the second reel 32's maximum rotational position in the D2 direction is controlled by the regulating action of the second stopper ring 59 on the second reel 32 side. Regulated. Of course, in this case as well, damage to the clutch etc. due to over-rotation of the handle can be prevented by the sliding of the O-ring 60 on the second rotating shaft side.

(Other Embodiments) (1) Although the illustrated embodiment shows a structure in which the flexible portion is curved vertically, it can be similarly applied to a fiberscope having a structure in which the flexible portion is curved left and right.

(2) The illustrated embodiment has a structure in which two wires are used to bend the wire up and down, but for example, one wire may be bent either upward or downward, and returned to a straight state using an appropriate return means such as a leaf spring. It can also be configured to return.

(3) Fig. 5 shows a modification of the stopper ring, in which the range θ of the notch step 72 in the circumferential direction is approximately 360°, and the movable ring 75 is approximately 360°.
This is an example of a device that rotates nearly 360 degrees. According to the structure shown in FIG. 5, the maximum rotation regulation range of the reel can be set to nearly two rotations.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention: (1) The movable ring 7 is located on the same axis as the take-up reel 31.
5 and a stopper ring 70 are arranged, the stopper ring 70 is fixed to the grip 1, and two stopper surfaces 7 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction.
0a and 70b, and a protrusion 76 is formed on the movable ring 75, and the protrusion 76 is arranged between the stopper surfaces to restrict the rotation range of the movable ring 75 to the range between the stopper surfaces. Since the reel 31 is formed with a protrusion 77 that does not interfere with the stopper surfaces 70a and 70b but can freely engage with the protrusion 76 of the movable ring 75, there are the following advantages.

(1) Between the stopper ring 70 and the reel 31,
By arranging the movable ring 75 having the projection 76, the rotation restriction range of the reel can be set to a range larger than 360 degrees, and the amount of winding of the reel can be increased.

Therefore, the operational range of the objective section 3 can be widened, and the observation range with the scope can be widened, which is convenient.

(2) Since the amount of winding can be increased without increasing the radius of the reel 31, the operating device itself can be kept compact.

(3) Since the number of reels to be wound can be increased without increasing the radius of the reel 31, the operation is not heavy and the operation performance is good.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view of an objective operating device having a stopper mechanism to which the present invention is applied;
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the stopper mechanism, and Figure 3 is the first
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the stopper ring shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a modification of the stopper ring, and FIG. 6 is an overall side view of the fiberscope. , Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front end of the fiberscope, Fig. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the grip, and Fig. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front end of the fiberscope.
10 is a detailed sectional view of the portion shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a top view of the locking sleeve of FIG. 10. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Grip, 2... Connection tube, 2a... Flexible part, 3... Objective part, 5... Eyepiece part, 15... Wire, 2
8...Rotating shaft, 31...Reel, 70...Stopper ring, 70a, 70b...Stopper surface, 75...Movable ring, 76...Protrusion, 77...Protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flexible part is formed in the connecting tube that connects the objective part and the grip, an operating wire is engaged with the tip end of the flexible part, a wire take-up reel is rotatably supported on the grip, and the operating wire is wound. In a fiberscope whose flexible part is curved by bending, a movable ring and a stopper ring are arranged on the same axis as the take-up reel, the stopper ring is fixed to the grip, and two rings are spaced apart in the circumferential direction. A stopper surface is formed, a protrusion is formed on the movable ring, and the protrusion is arranged between the stopper surfaces to restrict the rotation range of the movable ring to the range between the stopper surfaces. By forming a protrusion that does not interfere with the movable ring but can freely engage with the protrusion of the movable ring, the rotation range of the take-up reel can be set to 360 degrees plus approximately the angle between the stopper surfaces mentioned above. A stopper mechanism for the wire take-up reel for controlling the objective section of a fiberscope.