JPH074341B2 - Endoscope insertion aid - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to an endoscope insertion assisting tool provided with a telescopic mechanism.

[Prior Art] In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity or a lumen, an endoscope capable of observing the inside of the body cavity or the lumen to diagnose a diseased part or inspect for damage or the like Became widely used.

The insertion portion of the endoscope has flexibility so that it can be inserted into a bent insertion path, but due to this flexibility, the orientation on the distal end side is not fixed with respect to the hand side. , It may be difficult to introduce in the target direction.

For this reason, for example, British Patent No. 2,154,335 is provided with a hollow shaft through which an endoscope can be inserted, and the insertion portion of the endoscope can be protruded from the opening on the distal end side of the shaft, and curved toward the proximal side. A conventional example of an endoscope insertion assisting tool provided with operation means is disclosed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, even if the direction in which the distal end side of the insertion portion is projected can be controlled, the total length cannot be varied, and therefore the position at which the insertion portion is projected is almost determined. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to control it more finely.

Also, since the length of the protruding portion of the endoscope insertion portion after protruding from the above-mentioned conventional example is long, it is easy to shift from the target direction due to its own weight and flexibility, and it is difficult to guide it to the target site. However, there is a drawback that the observation field of view is inadvertently moved due to instability due to slack, which makes observation difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an endoscope insertion assisting tool that can easily guide the distal end side of the endoscope insertion portion to a target position or the like. .

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems] According to the present invention, by providing an extension / contraction mechanism that is extendable / contractible in the longitudinal direction in the mounting portion that holds the operation portion of the inserted endoscope, The position where the endoscope insertion portion is projected can also be controlled so that the guide to the target position can be performed easily.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 7 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an endoscope mounting portion of the auxiliary tool of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the whole of the first embodiment,
3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line CC 'in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line DD 'in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 shows a usage example.

The endoscope insertion assisting tool 1 of the first embodiment has an elongated hollow guide tube portion 2 as shown in FIG. 2 and a wide guide tube operation continuously provided on the rear end side of the guide tube portion 2. The portion 3 and an endoscope mounting portion 6 formed on the rear end side of the guide tube operating portion 3 and on which the operating portion 5 of the endoscope 4 is mounted.
And an endoscope holding portion 7 which is formed between the (guide tube) operation portion 3 and the endoscope mounting portion 6 and is expandable and contractible.

A curved portion 8 is formed on the front end side of the guide tube portion 2 by connecting a large number of joint pieces (not shown) in tandem, and these joint pieces connect the wires in the operation portion 3 with the wires inserted through the guide tube portion 2. Connected to the mechanism for pulling and loosening, the operation unit 3
The bending portion 8 can be bent vertically or horizontally by rotating the bending operation knob 9 provided on the outer surface, and the distal end side of the endoscope insertion portion 10 inserted through the guide tube portion 2 is inserted. It can be bent to guide it toward the target region.

The endoscope holding portion 7 has a structure as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

The holding portion 7 has a structure in which the total length can be changed by sliding the four pipes 14, 15, 16, 17 for example.

The first pipe 14 has a thickened front end to which a holding portion stopping member 18 is fitted on the outer periphery, and the holding member 18 is screwed into screw holes provided at four positions as shown in FIG. By screwing 19 into the threaded hole on the side of the pipe 14 that communicates with each of the above-mentioned threaded holes, the tip side of the threaded hole can be fixed to the stopper member 18 so that the pipe 14 does not rotate. By the rotation stop knob 21 pressing the outer peripheral surface of the outer pressing member 23, the rotation of the auxiliary tool 1 on the distal end side of the pressing member 23 can be suppressed.
Further, the stopper member 18 is provided with a screw hole 22 for mounting a tripod or the like on the side opposite to the knob 21, for example, so that the auxiliary tool 1 can be fixed by the tripod or the like.

The front end side of the stopper member 18 projects radially inward and is externally fitted to the fitted outer pressing member 23 inside the front end of the pipe 14, and its front surface abuts on the rear end surface of the joint member 24 and is prevented from coming off. ing. Then, the joint member 24 is used for the operation unit 3.
It is fixed to the rear end of the main body 25 by means of screws or the like.

A female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer pressing member 23, and an inner pressing member 26 provided with a male screw to be screwed with this female screw is screwed, and a guide tube 27 is provided on the tapered surfaces of both pressing members 23, 26. Is pinched and fixed. This guide tube 27
The inner diameter of is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the insertion portion 10 of the endoscope 4 inserted through the inside. An O-ring is interposed in the stepped portion of the outer pressing member 23 having a large diameter.

The first pipe 14 is fitted in the second pipe 15 so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the first pipe 14 can be moved so that it can be moved without careless rotation.
In the vicinity of the rear end, the length d (see FIG. 1) is stepped to a slightly larger diameter to provide a large-diameter portion 14a, and as shown in FIG. 4, key grooves 28, 28 are provided above and below, As shown in FIG. 1 or 4, each key groove 28 is fitted with a rectangular key 29 attached by a screw or the like in the longitudinal direction (front-back direction) of the inner wall of the second pipe 15.

A male screw 15a is formed on the outer circumference of the front end of the second pipe 15 so that a retaining ring 31 can be screwed therein. An O-ring 32 is provided on the inner tapered surface of the retaining ring 31.
By increasing the screwing amount of the stop ring 31, the O-ring 32 is pressed inward in the radial direction, and the friction of the pressed O-ring 32 causes the first pipe 14 and the second pipe 15 to rub.
It is possible to fix both at a desired length position by preventing the sliding of the two.

Similar means are formed for the second pipe 15 and the third pipe 16.

That is, the key grooves 34, 34 are provided with a large outer diameter near the rear end of the second pipe 15, and each key groove 34 is formed in the third pipe 1.
The square keys 35 attached to 6 are respectively engaged, and the second pipe 15 is slidable back and forth while being fitted in the third pipe 16. A male screw 16a is formed on the outer circumference of the front end of the third pipe 16, and the stop ring 36 presses the O-ring 37 provided on the inner side of the inner peripheral surface of the taper so that the second pipe 15 and the third pipe Clamping means is formed so that 16 and 16 can be fixed so as not to move back and forth.

The outer circumference of the rear end of the third pipe 16 is also made large in diameter and provided with key grooves 38, 38 so that the square keys 39, 39 of the fourth pipe 17 can be slid back and forth in a housed state. Further, a male screw 17a is formed on the outer circumference of the front end of the fourth pipe 17 so that the stop ring 41 can be screwed therein.
The O-ring 42 interposed on the inner circumference is pressed to move the third pipe.
The 16 and the fourth pipe 17 can be clamped.

By the way, the endoscope 4 is provided on the rear end side of the fourth pipe 17.
The mounting portion 6 is provided with a rotation mechanism that allows the rotatably mounted.

The outer periphery of the rear end of the fourth pipe 17 is notched and the stopper 44
The thin-walled portion on the front end side of the ring 46, which is provided with the anti-rotation knob 45, is fixed by a screw or the like. The rear end side of the ring 46 projects rearward from the fourth pipe 17, and the mounting portion 6
It is externally fitted in the recess formed on the outer periphery of the front end of the scope holding member 47 forming the. The front end face of the scope holding member 47 is fixed to the hollow presser disc 48 with screws or the like. The holding disk 48 is attached in such a manner that the front and rear surfaces of a ring 46 having a knob 45 projecting between it and the scope holding member 47 are sandwiched.
The scope holding member 47 side can be rotated with respect to 46. The holding disk 48 prevents the scope holding member 47 from coming out backward. However, by rotating the knob 45 protrudingly provided by engaging the threaded portion in the threaded hole of the ring 46, the inner tip of the threaded portion is set to press the outer surface of the scope holding member 47. , Pipe 14,1
The scope holding member 47, which is rotatable with respect to 5, 16 and 17 or the operation portion 3 side, can be clamped so as not to rotate.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 6, the scope holding member 47 is provided with a substantially rectangular inner wall surface 48 corresponding to the outer shape of the operation portion 11 of the endoscope 2 so that it can be mounted without rattling.

Then, the screw portion of the scope holding knob 49 projecting from the scope holding member 47, which is screwed into the screw hole of the scope holding member 47, projects inward and is pressed by the holding protection member 51. The endoscope 4 can be fixed by pressing the side surface of the operation portion 5 of the reference numeral 4. An O-ring 52 is provided between the scope holding member 47 and the ring 46 provided with the knob 45.

By the way, the front portion side of the operation portion 3 of the auxiliary tool 1 is connected to the rear end of the guide tube portion 2 protected by the tapered bending preventing member 53.

The operation of the first embodiment thus configured will be described below.

When the tip side of the insertion portion 10 of the endoscope 4 is inserted into the auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment to inspect the inside of an engine, a boiler or a chemical plant, for example, as shown in FIG. At the deep portion of the insertion opening 62 of the inspection object 61, for example, two concave portions
63,64 Consider inspecting the inner wall surface.

The endoscope 4 is fixed to the mounting portion 6 so that the first concave portion 63 can be observed without wobbling in an unstable manner. However, if the length of the holding portion 7 cannot be changed, the insertion is not performed. In some cases, the distal end of the inserted endoscope insertion portion 10 projects too much forward and is not suitable for observation of the examination site. However, in this first embodiment, by loosening at least one of the stop rings 31, 36, 41. The length of the pipes 14, 15, 16 and 17 can be changed. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, by tightening the back stop rings 31, 36, 41 having an appropriate length, the total length of the auxiliary tool 1 is fixed to an appropriate length, and the tip opening of the auxiliary tool 1 is fixed. When the tip of the insertion portion 10 is projected in this state, the length of the protruding portion of the insertion portion 2 can be shortened for observation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the distal end side of the insertion portion 10 from sagging and make it difficult to guide it to the target site, prevent an unstable and easily vibrating state, and improve the operability of observation.

Further, when photographing, if a screw of a tripod is screwed into the screw hole 22 of the stopper member 18 and the auxiliary tool 1 is fixed, it is possible to prevent blurring and photograph. (This may also be done in the case of observation.) Then, after inspecting the inside of the recess 63 and subsequently observing the inside of the second recess 64, the endoscope is left as it is. If the distal end of 4 is too far away, the distal end side of the endoscope 1 can be moved forward by shrinking any one or more of the pipes 14, 15, 16, and 17.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the length of the assisting tool 1 can be easily changed, it is easy to set the observation device in an easily observable state, and the operability for observation can be greatly improved.

FIG. 8 shows a part of the holding portion in the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the holding portion 71 in the second embodiment, for example, square keys 72, 72 (only one is shown in the drawing) are provided at the rear end of the first pipe 14 and each key 72 is a second pipe. 15
It is housed in key grooves 73, 73 provided in the upper and lower inner walls of the above, and is movable in the front-rear direction without inadvertently rotating. Similarly, square keys 74, 74 are provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the second pipe 15, and each key 74 is housed in the key groove 75 of the third pipe 16. A stopper 75a is fixed to the rear end of the key groove 75 so as not to move beyond the movable range.

The rectangular keys 76, 76 at the rear end of the third pipe 16 are housed in the key grooves 77, 77 of the fourth pipe 17 so that they can be moved back and forth. In FIG. 8, the pipes 14, 15 and 16 are shown in a stretched state.

Others are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the operational effects are substantially the same.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

The auxiliary tool 78 of the third embodiment is the pipe of the first embodiment.
The holding part 7 that can expand and contract with 14, 15, 16, 17 is formed,
In the third embodiment, as shown in the drawing, the holding portion 80 which can be expanded and contracted by the interlocking spiral tube 79 is formed.

Others are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the assisting tool 81 of the fourth embodiment, the holding portion 82 is formed of a bellows 83. In this bellows 83, for example, a guide rod 84
Is projected forward from the scope holding member 47, and this guide rod 84 can change the length of the holding portion 82 reaching the scope holding member 47 with respect to the holding member 18 through a guide hole (not shown) in the holding member 18. Is done. Also, this guide rod 84
Can be fixed by the knob 85 of the stopper member 18, for example.

The operation and effect of the fourth embodiment are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment.

By the way, for example, in the first embodiment, the holding portion 7 is configured so as not to rotate by using the key and the key groove, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the holding portion 7 rotates during the expansion and contraction operation like a camera tripod. You may make it possible.

Further, the fixing mechanism for the expansion / contraction operation and the rotation operation may be capable of operating in the semi-fixed state against appropriate expansion / contraction resistance and rotation resistance, respectively.

It should be noted that the rotation mechanism on the side of the endoscope mounting portion 6 on which the endoscope 4 is mounted (for example, between the ring 46 and the scope holding member 47 in FIG. 1) and the side of the auxiliary tool main body (on the side of the operation portion 3). A click mechanism may be provided in the rotating mechanism (for example, between the fitting surface of the pipe 14 and the stopper member 18 in FIG. 3) so that the setting can be performed with good reproducibility every several degrees of angular rotation.

Incidentally, the rotation of the endoscope mounting portion 6 and the operation portion 3 may be electrically driven by a motor or the like.

Further, when the endoscope holding portion (7 etc.) is extendable and retractable, a mechanism capable of click lock at a predetermined extension / contraction position may be provided.

Although the tip end side of the guide tube portion 2 can be bent at one place, it is also possible to bend the tip end portion of the guide tube portion 2 and two places such as an intermediate position.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the entire guide tube portion 2 is a flexible soft guide tube portion, but a part thereof may be made hard. Alternatively, the entire guide tube portion 2 may be made rigid to have a stretchable structure.

In addition, the guide tube portion 2 is formed of an interlock spiral tube or the like to have a structure that can be bent or expanded and contracted, or a bending portion is provided on the distal end side of the guide tube portion 2 so that bending operation can be performed on the hand side. Is also good.

[Advantages of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since the extension / contraction mechanism that can extend / contract in the longitudinal direction is provided in the endoscope mounting portion to which the endoscope is mounted, the auxiliary tool of the conventional example can be used. It is possible to easily solve the problem that it is difficult to guide the distal end of the insertion portion to the target site because the distal end side of the endoscope insertion portion protruding from the distal end sags, and good sniperiness can be maintained without the insertion portion sagging.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 7 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an endoscope mounting portion of the auxiliary tool of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the whole of the first embodiment,
3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line CC 'in FIG. The drawing is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD 'of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a side view showing a part of a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a side view which shows a part of 4th Example of invention. 1 …… (Endoscope insertion) auxiliary tool 2 …… Guide tube section 3 …… Operation section 4 …… Endoscope 5 …… (Endoscope) operation section 6 …… Mounting section, 7 …… Holding section 14,15,16,17 …… Pipe 18 …… Stopping member, 21 …… Pickup 28,34,38 …… Key groove 29,35,39 …… Key 31,36,41 …… Stop ring 45 …… Pickup , 46 …… Ring 47 …… Scope holding member 49 …… Pick

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope insertion aid having a guide tube portion having a hollow passage through which an endoscope insertion portion can be inserted, and a guide tube operation portion having a mounting portion to which an endoscope operation portion can be attached and detached. In the endoscope insertion assisting tool, the mounting portion has an expansion / contraction mechanism capable of expanding / contracting in the longitudinal direction.