JPH10276965A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope with a hardness adjustment means which maintains a coil hardening function and improves its durability. SOLUTION: A coil 36 and wire 35 are inserted into an elastic part 13 of an insertion part 6 to change the hardness, the rear end of the coil 36 is fixed to a coil stopper 40, the rear end of the coil 35 is connected to a hardness adjustment operation mechanism, and by operating a hardness adjustment knob 34, a compression force is applied to the coil 36. The front end of the coil 36 is fixed to the front end of the wire 35, an extended wire part 30 extended from the fixed part is fixed to a connecting pipe 38 at the rear end of a curving part 12. The extended wire part 30 has a torsional strength higher than that of the coil 36 and controls a rotational force which occurs when the coil 36 is compressed and hardened so as to prevent the coil from rotating exceeding its elastic limit and a hardness variable function can be maintained for a long time use.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope provided with hardness adjusting means for adjusting the hardness of a flexible portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, by inserting an elongated insertion portion into a body cavity, a site to be inspected in the body cavity can be observed without the need for an incision, and a therapeutic treatment can be performed using a treatment tool if necessary. Endoscopes that can be used have become widely used.

The insertion portion of the endoscope has flexibility so that it can be inserted also into a bent insertion path. May not be determined, and it may be difficult to introduce in the target direction.

To cope with this, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent No. 91971 discloses a hardness varying means (flexibility varying means) comprising a coil pipe and a wire in an insertion portion of an endoscope.
Are disclosed. According to the configuration of this conventional example, the operator performing the endoscopy can adjust the flexibility of the insertion portion with a simple operation, and can easily insert the insertion portion into a curved path such as the large intestine. be able to.

[0005]

When a compressive force is applied to the coil, the coil tends to rotate in the direction of decreasing the number of turns, which affects the hardness variable function and the durability. It does not state how the rotation during compression is regulated.

If one end of the coil is almost rotatable, the coil end rotates when the coil is hardened, and the rotation gradually returns to the original state even if the coil is returned to a soft state during the repetition (that is, rotation due to plastic deformation). And the hardening function is reduced.

Further, if both ends of the coil are fixed so as not to rotate at all, if the coil is hardened and the coil is further bent, the coil is further hardened according to the amount of bending, and a load more than necessary may be applied. Therefore, the coil is easily damaged (deteriorated).

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an endoscope provided with a hardness adjusting means capable of maintaining a function of hardening a coil and improving its durability. The purpose is to:

[0009]

An insertion portion having a flexible portion in which a wire and a coil through which the wire is inserted is provided, and the wire is pulled relatively to the coil to compress the coil. Thereby, in the endoscope for adjusting the hardness of the flexible portion, by regulating the rotation of the coil, by providing a regulating member having a higher torsional rigidity than the torsional rigidity of the coil, when the coil is hardened In addition to restricting the rotation of the coil to some extent, the coil can be rotated in response to an excessive load applied to the coil.

[0010] This prevents the coil from gradually rotating due to plastic deformation, and when the load is applied more than necessary to the coil, the load can be relieved somewhat, and the coil has a hardening function (durability). ) Can be maintained.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 5 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an endoscope apparatus having the first embodiment. 2 shows a configuration of the endoscope according to the first embodiment, FIGS. 3A and 3B show a cross section taken along line AA and a line BB in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 5B shows a specific example of the cam body, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope device 1 includes an electronic endoscope 2 according to a first embodiment having a built-in image pickup means, and a light source device for supplying illumination light to the electronic endoscope 2. 3, a signal processing device 4 for performing signal processing on an image pickup signal output from the electronic endoscope 2, and a color monitor 5 for displaying a video signal output from the signal processing device 4 on a screen. .

The electronic endoscope 2 has an elongated insertion section 6, a wide operation section 7 connected to the rear end side of the insertion section 6, and extends from the side of the operation section 7. Universal cable 8
A connector 9 is provided at an end of the universal cable 8, and the connector 9 can be detachably connected to the light source device 3.

The insertion portion 6 has a rigid distal end portion 11 from the distal end side.
And a flexible portion 12 formed at the rear end of the distal end portion 11 and capable of bending, and a flexible portion 13 formed at the rear end of the curved portion 12 and having a long length and flexibility. The rear end of 13 is connected to the front end of the operation unit 7. This soft part 1
On the outer periphery of the rear end of 3, there is provided a bending preventing member 10 having a tapering shape and having a function of preventing bending.

A light guide 14 composed of a fiber bundle having flexibility and having a function of transmitting illumination light is inserted into the insertion portion 6, the operation portion 7, and the universal cable 8 so as to protrude from the connector 9. By connecting the fixed light guide connector 15 to the light source device 3, the illumination light of the lamp 16 in the light source device 3 is collected by the lens 17 and supplied to the end face of the light guide connector 15.

The illumination light transmitted by the light guide 14 is emitted forward from a distal end surface fixed to an illumination window of the distal end portion 11 to illuminate a subject such as an affected part. The illuminated subject forms an optical image at an image forming position by an objective lens 18 attached to an observation window provided at the distal end portion 11 adjacent to the illumination window. At this image forming position, a charge-coupled device (abbreviated as CCD) 19 is arranged as an image sensor having a function of performing photoelectric conversion, and converts an optical image into an electric signal.

The CCD 19 is connected to one end of a signal cable 21. The signal cable 21 is inserted through the insertion section 6 and the like, and the rear end is connected to the electric connector 22 of the connector 9 and connected to the electric connector 22. It is connected to the signal processing device 4 via the external cable 23. By applying the CCD drive signal generated by the drive circuit 24 in the signal processing device 4 to the CCD 19, the photoelectrically converted image signal is read out and input to the signal processing circuit 25 in the signal processing device 4, Performs processing to convert to a standard video signal. This standard video signal is sent to the color monitor 5
The image formed on the CCD 19 is displayed in color in the endoscope image display area 5a.

Bending portion 1 provided adjacent to tip portion 11
Reference numeral 2 denotes a ring-shaped bending piece 26 which is rotatably connected to an adjacent bending piece 26 at a position corresponding to up, down, left and right with rivets or the like. The rear end of the bending wire 27 fixed to the operation unit 7 is connected to a sprocket 28 in the operation unit 7, and a bending operation knob 29 for performing a bending operation is attached to a shaft of the sprocket 28 (in FIG. 1, for simplicity). , Up and down or right and left directions only).

By rotating the bending operation knob 29, one of the pair of bending wires 27 arranged in the vertical or horizontal direction is pulled, and the other is relaxed and pulled. The bending portion 12 can be bent toward the 27 side.

The operating section 7 is provided with a grip 31 in front of the position where the bending operation knob 29 is provided, and the operator can hold one of the hands holding the grip 31 (such as a thumb not used for gripping). The operation of the bending operation knob 29 can be performed with a finger).

A treatment tool insertion port 32 is provided on the front end side of the grip portion 31. When a treatment tool is inserted from the treatment tool insertion port 32, an internal treatment tool channel 33 (see FIG. 3). Then, the distal end side of the treatment tool is projected from the channel outlet of the distal end portion 11 so that a treatment such as polyp resection can be performed.

In the present embodiment, for example, a cylindrical hardness adjusting knob 34 for performing a hardness adjusting operation is provided at a front end of the operating portion 7 adjacent to the buckling member 10.
By performing an operation of rotating the hardness adjusting knob 34, a hardness changing wire (hereinafter simply abbreviated as a wire) 35 and a hardness changing coil (hereinafter simply referred to as a wire) 35 that form hardness changing means disposed in the soft portion 13 are formed. A hardness adjusting mechanism that can change the hardness of the soft portion 13 via a coil (abbreviated as a coil) 36 is formed.

FIG. 2 shows a more specific structure of the insertion section 6 and the operation section 7 of the electronic endoscope 2. A wire 35 for transmitting a force when the hardness adjusting knob 34 is operated and a coil 36 in a state close to a close winding through which the wire 35 is inserted are provided in a soft tube 37 forming an outer skin of the soft portion 13. ing.

The wire 35 inserted through the coil 36 is firmly fixed to the tip of the coil 35 by brazing or the like, and the wire extension portion 30 forming a coil rotation restricting member extending from the tip of the coil 36 is The tip is firmly fixed by brazing or the like to a hard and ring-shaped connection pipe 38 for connecting the curved portion 12 and the soft portion 13.

The connecting pipe 38 is fixed to the rearmost bending piece 26. Alternatively, the bending piece 26 at the rear end is connected to the connecting pipe 38.
May also be used. The bending piece 26 including the connecting pipe 38 is made of an elastic sheath 39 such as a rubber tube.
Covered with.

In this embodiment, the distal end of the coil 36 is connected to the connecting pipe 38 via the wire extension 30 having a torsional rigidity that is stronger (greater) than the torsional rigidity of the coil 36 in the natural state. By fixing, a function of stopping rotation that restricts or suppresses rotation of the coil 35 is provided. The wire extension 30 has a flexible elasticity against bending and a moderate elasticity against torsion.

The end of the coil 36 on the hand side is connected to the operation unit 7.
Is fixed by a solder, an adhesive, or the like, which abuts a coil stopper 40 disposed inside the front end of the front end, and movement and rotation of the rear end from this position are restricted (prevented).

The wire 35 inserted through the coil 36 extends rearward through the hole of the coil stopper 40, and the wire 35 is movable with respect to the coil 36. Note that the coil 36 does not rotate significantly.

The coil stopper 40 is fixed to a rear end base 41 for fixing the rear end of the flexible tube 37 to the operation section 7 with screws 42. The rear end base 41 is fixed with a nut 44 near the front end of a cylindrical tube 43 arranged on the outer periphery thereof. On the other hand, a ring-shaped wire stopper 45 is firmly fixed to the proximal end of the wire 35, that is, the rear end by brazing or the like.

Between the coil stopper 40 and the wire stopper 45, a pulling member 46 movable in the front-rear direction is arranged. The pulling member 46 is attached to the moving ring 47 so that the wire 35 passes through the groove 48. Fixed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, a pulling member 46 having a groove 48 for passing the wire 35 in the radial direction is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular moving ring 47 by the screw 49.

This moving ring 47 is movable in the axial direction (front-back direction) inside the cylindrical tube 43. Accordingly, when the traction member 46 moves rearward together with the moving ring 47, the traction member 46 comes into contact with the wire stopper 45 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Further, by performing an operation of moving the traction member 46 rearward, the wire stopper 45 is also moved rearward.

In the state where the wire stopper 45 is not moved rearward, the coil 36 whose movement to the rear side is restricted by the coil stopper 40 is in the state of the highest flexibility, that is, in the soft state of the most flexible and low hardness. is there.

On the other hand, when the coil stopper 40 moves rearward and the rear end of the wire 35 also moves rearward at the same time, the coil stopper 40 relatively exerts a compressive force for pressing the coil 36 forward.

That is, a compressive force is applied to the coil 36 by applying a force for moving the rear end of the wire 35 to the rear side, and the elasticity of the elasticity of the coil 36 is reduced by the compressive force. In other words, it is possible to set a hard state in which the hardness that hardly bends (more precisely, the hardness against bending) is high. In this case, the wire stopper 45
The magnitude of the compressive force applied to the coil 35 can be changed in accordance with the amount of rearward movement of the coil 35, so that the degree of flexibility (the degree of hardness) can be changed.

A cam cylinder 51 covers the outside of the cylindrical tube 43. The cam cylinder 51 has helically provided cam grooves 52a and 52b at two opposing positions of the cylinder. The cylindrical tube 43 is also provided with a long hole 53 in the longitudinal direction. The moving ring 47 has two pins 54 that move together with the moving ring 47.
It is fixed with a screw portion through 2a or 52b and a long hole 53 outside thereof. The long hole 53 is set to a length that covers the rear end of the wire 35 or the moving range (reference numeral E in FIG. 2) of the wire stopper 45.

A hardness adjusting knob 34 is fixed to the outer side of the cam cylinder 51 by pins 55 at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction. That is, the hardness adjustment knob 34 is formed with a pin hole that reaches the cam cylinder body 51 inside the hardness adjustment knob 34, the pin 55 is fitted therein, and the hardness adjustment knob 34 is closed with the filler 56.

The front end of the hardness adjusting knob 34 abuts against an annular contact member 57, and its forward movement is restricted. The contact member 57 is disposed outside the vicinity of the front end of the cylindrical tube 43, and is fixed to the outer periphery of a support member 58 that supports the rear end of the buckling member 10 with screws 59.

On the rear end side of the hardness adjusting knob 34, the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the gripping cylinder 61 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the cam cylinder 51, and the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the gripping cylinder 61. The surface is fitted to the notched inner peripheral surface at the rear end of the hardness adjusting knob 34. In other words, the hardness adjustment knob 34 is slidably in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical tube 43 via the cam cylinder 51 in a state where the movement in the front-rear direction is restricted, and is rotatably disposed (around the cylindrical tube 43). ing. As described above, the hardness adjusting knob 34 can be rotated, but the screw 59 is rotated so that the contact member 57 does not rotate.
It is fixed at.

An O-ring 62 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the hardness adjusting knob 34 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical tube 43 facing the inside thereof.
Are arranged, and the inner peripheral surface of the front end of the hardness adjustment knob 34 is pressed against the O-ring 62. Also, between the outer peripheral surface near the rear end of the cam cylinder 51 and the inner peripheral surface of the gripping frame 61 fitted to the outer peripheral surface, for example, an O-ring 63 is provided in a peripheral groove provided on the cam body 51 side. Is housed, and the inner peripheral surface of the gripper frame 61 is
3 is pressed.

That is, while the O-rings 62 and 63 ensure watertightness, a frictional force is applied to the cam cylinder 51 and the hardness adjustment knob 34, and the hand that operates the hardness adjustment knob 34 by the frictional force is used. Even if it is released, it can be locked (or held) in that state.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the hand is released from the hardness adjustment knob 34 in a state where the hardness adjustment knob 34 is set to apply a compressive force by rotating the hardness adjustment knob 34, the O-ring 62, The state of the hardness adjustment knob 34 can be maintained (locked) by the frictional force of 63.

In other words, when the hardness adjusting knob 34 is rotated by hand to increase the hardness of the soft portion 13 and the hand is released from the hardness adjusting knob 34, the hardness adjusting knob 34 is operated by the operation. By locking in the state, the coil 36 can be locked in the hardness state corresponding to the operation state.

The O-ring for generating a frictional force for locking the hardness adjusting knob 34 may be provided at a place other than the place where the watertight sealing is performed. FIG. 4A shows the shapes of the cam grooves 52 a and 52 b of the cam cylinder 51. Cam groove 5
2a and 52b are two-section cams, one of which is a cam groove 52.
a The other is indicated by 52b.

The cam grooves 52a and 52b have the same shape and are provided at symmetrical positions such that one is rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the axis of the cam cylinder 51 and the other is overlapped. In FIG. 4A, the cam grooves 52a and 52b have a simple smooth groove shape (smooth spiral shape).

Instead of the structure shown in FIG.
For example, as shown in FIG.
The structure may be such that a is provided or a concave portion 64b is provided at the end of the groove 52b so that the click feeling is given to the operator when the pins 54 are set at these positions.

As shown in FIG. 2, an insertion port frame 65 for forming the treatment tool insertion port 32 at a front position adjacent to the grip portion 31.
Is provided. The insertion port frame 65 is connected to a branch member 67 that branches into the treatment instrument insertion port 32 side and the suction conduit 66 side inside the operation unit 7.
The treatment instrument channel 3 provided in the insertion portion 6 is provided at the front end of the
3 are connected to each other by a connection portion 68.

The branch member 67 is fixed to the cylindrical tube 43 with screws. The rear end of the cylindrical tube 43 is connected to a frame 60 to which a bending operation mechanism of the operation unit 7 is attached by a screw. The cylindrical tube 43 does not rotate even when the hardness adjustment knob 34 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 3A, various built-in components are arranged in the insertion section 6. That is, four curved wires 27 arranged at positions corresponding to up, down, left and right, two signal cables 21 arranged near the center, two light guides 14 arranged at the upper part of the center, and the lower part. , A treatment instrument channel 33 disposed on the left side, a coil 36 and a wire 35 disposed on the left side, and an air supply tube 69 for performing air supply and a water supply tube 70 for supplying water disposed adjacent thereto. I have. Also, a built-in component as shown in FIG. The arrangement of the built-in components is almost the same as that in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the traction member 46 takes up a certain amount of space, but as shown in FIG. Even if the traction member 46 is moved to the rearmost position, the traction member 46 is arranged so as to be located forward of the connecting portion 68 so that it can be compactly stored in a smaller space than when the traction member 46 is located rearward of the connecting portion 68.

In the present embodiment, the tip of the coil 36 is fixed via the wire extension 30 having a torsional rigidity higher than the torsional rigidity of the coil 36, so that the coil has a torsional rigidity of the wire extension 30. It is characterized in that a means is provided for regulating the rotational movement acting on the tip of the coil 36 when the coil 36 is hardened by applying a compressive force, and for regulating or suppressing the deformation of the coil 36 beyond its elastic limit. Has become.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the wire 35 is pulled with respect to the coil 36 by operating the hardness adjusting knob 34, a compressive force is applied to the coil 36, and the coil 36 becomes harder (bending rigidity increases). At this time, since the coil 36 is a spirally wound coil, the coil 36 tends to rotate in a direction of decreasing the number of turns. Here, the tip of the coil 36 is the wire extension 3
The rotation is restricted by being fixed to the connection pipe 38 via the “0”.

If the distal end of the wire 35 is not connected to the connecting pipe 38, the coil 36 will rotate considerably. Then, the coil 36 does not become too hard for the same traction stroke, and its rotation gradually becomes irreversible as the operation is repeated. That is, the number of turns of the coil 36 gradually decreases.
Then, if you try to make it hard, it will not become too hard.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the presence of the wire extension 30 prevents the coil 36 from rotating significantly even if the coil 36 is hardened. Further, even if the coil 36 is softened even if the wire 36 is slightly rotated (the wire extending portion 30 is twisted) (the wire 3
5 (when the traction is returned), the wire extension 30 has a torsional rigidity that ensures that the torsion returns to the original state.

Since the wire extending portion 30 has a higher torsional rigidity (restoring force against torsion) than the coil 36, the wire 36 is forced to rotate by plastic deformation in the direction of gradually decreasing the number of turns. Can be suppressed.

When the coil 36 is hardened by pulling the proximal side of the wire 35 by operating the hardness adjustment knob 34, the coil 36 is about to become harder when the insertion portion 6 is bent, that is, when the coil 36 is bent. That is, the tip of the coil 36
Further, the force to rotate is increased.

If the wire extending portion 30 is a completely rigid rod, the tip of the coil 36 hardly rotates even when the insertion portion 6 is bent, so that a large load is applied to the coil 36. In addition, the load increases as the amount of bending increases. This causes deterioration of the coil 36.

However, if the wire extension 30 has an appropriate rigidity against torsion as in the present embodiment, the bending of the insertion portion 6 may cause an unnecessary load on the coil 36. When the wire extension 30 is slightly twisted, the load on the coil 36 is slightly absorbed (unnecessary load can be absorbed by the coil extension 30). As a result, deterioration of the coil 36 due to repeated rigidification of the coil 36 can be prevented as much as possible.

To summarize the above, the wire extension 3
The condition of 0 is a torsional stiffness that is higher than the torsional stiffness of the coil 36 in the natural state (force for restoring a certain amount of torsion).
Having. When the coil 36 is stiffened and further bent, the wire extension 30 is twisted to some extent according to the amount of bending. For example, when the stiffened coil 36 is bent 180 degrees from the straight, the wire extension portion 30 is twisted (10 degrees or more) such that one end is clearly visible with respect to the other end.

Next, a procedure for inserting the electronic endoscope 2 into the large intestine will be described with reference to FIG. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, when the traction member 46 is not in contact with the wire stopper 45, the tension is not applied to the wire 35, so that the coil 36 is also soft. Therefore, the flexible portion 13 is in a state of being soft and easily bent.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the flexible portion 13 is inserted into the meandering sigmoid colon 92 from the anus 91 while pushing the insertion portion 6 in such a soft state.

Since the flexible portion 13 is in a soft state, the pain given to the patient can be inserted in a small state even in the meandering sigmoid colon 92. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the distal end of the insertion section 6 of the electronic endoscope reaches the vicinity of the spleen curve 94 via the descending colon 93, an operation of pulling the insertion section 6 is performed. Then, as shown in FIG.
Is shortened to a substantially linear shape. The insertion section 6 of the electronic endoscope becomes substantially straight.

In this state, the hardness adjusting knob 34 is turned to the position shown in FIG.
(In FIG. 4A, the left side is shown as the insertion portion side) in the direction indicated by reference symbol C.
As shown by the solid line, the pin 54 moves in the cam groove 52a (with respect to the cam cylinder 51) as shown by the arrow D.
Since the pin 54 penetrates into the elongated hole 53 formed in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical tube 43, the moving ring 47 moves rearward along the elongated hole 53 together with the pin 54. That is, the pin 54 is actually in the horizontal direction (right side) in FIG.
Go to

With this movement, the traction member 46 fixed to the moving ring 47 also moves backward, and this movement causes
When it moves from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, it hits the wire stopper 19.

Further, by turning the hardness adjusting knob 34 and moving the pulling member 46 backward, a tensile force acts on the wire 35 and a compressive force is applied to the coil 36 to harden the coil 36, thereby The flexible portion 13 can be hardened.

When compressive force is applied to the coil 36 to increase its hardness, the proximal end of the coil 36 is fixed to the coil stopper 40 to restrict rotation and the like, and the distal end of the coil 36 is restricted. Is fixed via the wire extension 30 having a torsional rigidity higher than the torsional rigidity of the coil 36, so that the distal end of the coil 36 is rotated by the wire extension 30 (that is, the wire extension). Part 3
(0) The torsional rigidity can be regulated, and it is possible to effectively prevent the end of the coil 36 from rotating beyond the elastic limit and being plastically deformed.

When a large compressive force is applied to the coil 36 via the wire 35, a large rotating force acts on the end of the coil 36, and in this case, the wire extension 30 rotates. This reduces rotation of the end of the coil 36 and prevents plastic deformation.

By turning the hardness adjusting knob 34, the soft portion 13
When hardened, the cam grooves 52a and 52b have a smooth and simple shape, but the frictional force by the O-rings 62 and 63 and
Further, the friction adjustment force caused by the front end of the hardness adjustment knob 34 abutting against the contact member 57 causes the hardness adjustment knob 3
Even when the user releases the hand that operated the pin 4, the pin 54 remains in the cam groove 52a,
52b can be stopped at any position in the movement range from the front end position to the rear end. That is, the hardness adjustment knob 34 can be locked (held) so as not to move even if the operator releases the hardness adjustment knob 34.

In the case of the smooth spiral cam grooves 52a and 52b as shown in FIG. 4A, the hardness adjusting knob 34 cannot be stopped near the hardest state depending on the setting of the amount of force for pulling the wire 35. there is a possibility. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4B, if a concave portion 64a is provided in the middle and a concave portion 64b is provided at the rear end, the pin 54 must be securely stopped where the concave portion 64a or 64b is present. (Of course, the hardness adjusting knob 34 is
4b).

At this time, when the pin 54 fits into the concave portions 64a and 64b, there is a click feeling. By having this click feeling, it is possible to inform the surgeon that the predetermined hardness has been achieved. Therefore, when the surgeon operates the hardness adjusting knob 34, the click level can accurately grasp the level of the hardness.

It is important to accurately grasp the hardness of the insertion section 6 when performing an insertion operation as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. As shown in FIG. 5 (B), the insertion section 6 is hardened, and the insertion section of the endoscope is inserted into the transverse colon 95, the liver curve 97, the ascending colon 96, and the cecum 98 while pressing the insertion section 6 further. Insert 6. In this manner, as shown in FIG. 5C, the distal end of the insertion section 6 of the electronic endoscope can reach the cecum 98.

At this time, since the flexible portion 13 is hard, it is unlikely to bend slightly in the middle.
As shown in (C), it is possible to quickly and easily insert the cecum 98 while drawing a gentle curve.

This embodiment has the following effects. As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the operation of changing the hardness of the insertion portion 6 is repeated, the coil 36 is not moved through the wire extension portion 30 having a torsional rigidity greater than the torsional rigidity of the coil 36.
Since the tip of the coil 36 is fixed, the end of the coil 36 is effectively restricted from rotating beyond the elastic limit, so that plastic deformation can be prevented and the function of varying hardness can be maintained. That is, the function of varying the hardness by the coil 36 can be maintained, and the durability of the function of varying the hardness can be improved.

Further, since the hardness adjusting knob 34 can be locked at an arbitrary hardness, when the operator hardens the insertion portion 6, the hardness adjusting knob 34 is gripped or restrained so as not to move. Since there is no need to perform the operation, the operability of the insertion operation is improved.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the distal end side of the hardness variable mechanism according to the second embodiment.

In this embodiment, the tip of the wire 35 is
6, is fixed to the fixed portion 72 in the middle by brazing or the like,
It has not extended any further. On the front side of the fixed portion 72, a coil extension portion 50 made of a non-adhesive coil formed by extending (that is, plastically deforming) the coil 36, which is an adhesive coil, is provided. Restriction means for restricting rotation of the coil 36 by being fixed by brazing or the like is formed.

As a more specific cross-sectional shape of the cohesive coil 36, as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, a wire cross-section such as coils 74, 76, and 78 is used. It may be. That is, the coil 36 has a circular cross section but 74,
Reference numerals 76 and 78 are irregular cross sections different from the circular cross section. The feature is that the wires of the coil 36 are in contact at one point, while the coils 74, 76, 78 are in contact at two points or surfaces.

For example, FIG. 7A shows a case where a contact surface 75 is formed by press working a wire having a circular cross section and then wound so that the contact surfaces 75 are in contact with each other. FIG.
(B) shows a case where the element wire originally formed into a quadrangle is formed by contact surface 77.
And may be further processed by shaving or pressing and then wound so as to be in contact with the contact surface 77.

Similarly, FIG. 7 (C) shows a substantially heart shape having a concave section and a convex section fitted into the concave section by press working or the like, and the convex section is formed at symmetrical contact points 79a and 79b in the concave section. The contact is made.

As described above, the contact surfaces 75 and 77 and the contact points 79a and 79b minimize the phenomenon that the contact portion between the wires is deformed when a compressive force is applied to the coil. The hardness variable function can be maintained without change over a long period of use. In other words, the durability of the hardness varying function can be ensured. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. FIG.
The coil extension portion 50 is the same member as the coil 36, but has a greater pitch than the coil 36 because the pitch is forcibly expanded. The coil extension 50 also satisfies the conditions required for the wire extension 30 described in the first embodiment.

In the case of the wire extending portion 30, since it is a wire, it is necessary to select an ideal one. However, in the present embodiment, the rigidity is set by setting the pitch of the coil extending portion 50 to an appropriate value. Because it can be changed, it is easy to achieve ideal rigidity (fine adjustment is possible).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the torsional rigidity of the coil extension 50 can be finely adjusted, and the plastic deformation of the coil 36 can be more effectively prevented. Setting to the state can be made easier.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a variable hardness mechanism according to the third embodiment.

In this embodiment, after the tip of the coil 36 is fixed to the vicinity of the tip of the wire 35 by brazing or the like, the coil 36
The rear end of the second coil 74 serving as a regulating member is fixed to the distal end of the wire 35 slightly projecting from the distal end.
The four tips are fixed to the connection pipe 38 by brazing or the like. The rear end of the coil 36 is fixed to the coil stopper 40 by brazing or the like as in the first embodiment.

The second coil 74 and the coil 36 are similarly, for example, tightly wound coil members.
2 is different. Length L1 is clearly shorter than length L2 (ie, L1 <L2). For example, the length L1 is around 200 mm, and the length L2 is around 1100 mm. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. Even with the same coil member, the second coil 74 having a shorter length has higher torsional rigidity than the coil 36 having a longer length. As described above, the regulating member when the coil 36 is hardened can be delicately controlled depending on the length. Fine adjustment of the torsional rigidity is possible by the cut length of the second coil 74, and it becomes easier to set to a value of the torsional rigidity that appropriately regulates rotation and the like than in the second embodiment.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the torsional rigidity can be finely adjusted more easily, and it is suitable for maintaining the function of varying the hardness by the coil 36 for a long time. It can be easily set to the value of torsional rigidity.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a variable hardness mechanism according to the fourth embodiment. In the present embodiment, the tip of the coil 36 is free, and the rear end of the coil 36 is fixed to the coil stopper 40 by brazing or the like.

The tip of the wire 35 has a coil 36
The front end is fixed to the leading end by brazing or the like, and the rear end on the hand side is fixed to the traction member 46 through the hole of the coil stopper 40 by brazing or the like. The wire 35 may be a stranded wire, a single wire, or a pipe material. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. Since both ends of the wire 35 are fixed, when the coil 36 is hardened, the wire 35 itself serves as a regulating member that regulates the rotation of the coil 36. At this time, the condition of the torsional rigidity required for the wire 35 is as described in the first embodiment. The structure is much simpler than the previous embodiments.

Although the winding direction of the coil 36 has not been described so far, the coil 36 is preferably wound left.
Then, when it hardens, it tries to rotate to the right. Under the condition that the operation unit 7 is not rotated, the distal end side of the insertion unit 6 is easily twisted to the right, but hard to twist to the left.

FIG. 10A shows a state in which the distal end of the insertion portion 6 is located in the transverse colon 95, and after the insertion portion 6 is made substantially linear, the hardness adjustment knob 34 is turned to harden the insertion portion 6. FIG. 1
FIG. 0 (B) is a view showing a case where a loop has been formed in the sigmoid colon 92. Anatomically, the loop of the sigmoid colon 92 is usually shown in FIG. This is a right-handed loop as shown in C).

This right-handed loop is formed by turning the insertion section 6 to the left when the operation section 7 is not rotated. Coil 3
If the left hand 6 is left-handed, the insertion section 6 is hard to twist to the left (the operation section 7 is not turned), so that the sigmoid colon 9 shown in FIG.
2 can be more difficult to form, and FIG.
As described above, with the sigmoid colon 92 kept substantially straight, it becomes easier to insert the sigmoid colon 92 further deeply in a state where the hand operation is well transmitted to the distal end. According to the present embodiment, there is an effect that the rotation of the tip of the coil 36 can be appropriately regulated with a simple structure.

Note that embodiments and the like constituted by partially combining the above-described embodiments and the like also belong to the present invention. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments and the like, the description has been given of the case of the electronic endoscope in which the imaging device is arranged at a position connecting the optical image at the distal end portion of the insertion portion. Is transmitted by a fiber bundle, and the transmitted optical image can be observed with the naked eye from an eyepiece unit, which includes an optical flexible endoscope called a fiberscope.

[Supplementary Notes] An insertion portion having a flexible portion in which a wire and a coil through which the wire is inserted is provided, and the hardness of the flexible portion is reduced by pulling the wire relatively to the coil and compressing the coil. An endoscope for adjusting, comprising: a regulating member that regulates rotation of the coil and has a torsional rigidity higher than the torsional rigidity of the coil.

2. In Supplementary Note 1, the regulating member is at least a part of the wire material. 3. In Supplementary Note 1, the regulating member is a non-adhesive coil. 4. In Supplementary Note 1, the regulating member is sufficiently shorter than the coil length. 5. In Supplementary Note 1, the tip of the coil is in the middle of the flexible part of the insertion part.

6. Provide a coil and wire material in the insertion part,
In an endoscope having a means for pulling a wire material against a coil to apply a compressive force to the coil and harden the coil, when the coil is hardened, the coil wires are brought into contact at a plurality of points or surfaces. An endoscope characterized by doing.

(Background of Appendix 6) (Prior Art) Same as Appendix 1. (Conventional Problems) Conventionally, since the coil has a round cross section, when the coil is hardened, the wires are in point contact with each other. While hardening is repeated, the vicinity of the contact point is crushed, the natural length of the coil is shortened, and the hardening function may be reduced.

(Purpose of Supplementary Note 6) Even when hardened repeatedly,
The hardening function is prevented from lowering. For this reason, by adopting the configuration of Appendix 6, even if the coil is hardened repeatedly,
The contact portion between the coil wires is hardly crushed, and the hardening function can be maintained. (Effect of Supplementary Note 6) Durability of hardening of the coil can be ensured.

7. Provide a coil and wire material in the insertion part,
An endoscope having means for pulling a wire material to a coil to apply a compressive force to the coil to harden the coil, wherein the coil is wound left.

(Background of Appendix 7) (Prior Art) Same as Appendix 1. (Conventional Problems) Conventionally, no particular description has been given regarding the winding direction of the coil. (Object of the Invention) When the insertion portion is hardened and inserted deep into the large intestine, the sigmoid colon that has been straightened is prevented from forming a loop again. Therefore, by adopting the configuration of Appendix 7,
When the coil is hardened, it becomes difficult to twist the coil to the left, and it becomes difficult for the insertion part to form a right-handed loop with respect to the operation part, so it is easy to prevent re-looping in the sigmoid colon when inserting the deep part of the large intestine . (Effect of Supplementary Note 7) It is possible to secure good deep colon insertion property.

[0103]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an insertion portion having a flexible portion in which a wire and a coil through which the wire is inserted are provided, and the wire is pulled relatively to the coil. An endoscope that adjusts the hardness of the flexible portion by compressing the coil, and includes a regulating member that regulates rotation of the coil and has a higher torsional rigidity than the torsional rigidity of the coil. So, while restricting the rotation of the coil when the coil is hardened by the torsional rigidity of the restricting member, and when the coil is loaded more than necessary, it rotates accordingly, preventing the coil from being plastically deformed, The function of hardening the coil can be maintained and its durability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus provided with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a structure of the endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA and line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a specific example of a cam body.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a distal end side of a hardness variable mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a sectional shape of the coil.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the structure of a hardness variable mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a structure of a variable hardness mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view of the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope apparatus 2 ... Electronic endoscope 4 ... Signal processing apparatus 5 ... Color monitor 6 ... Insertion part 7 ... Operation part 11 ... Tip part 12 ... Bending part 13 ... Flexible part 16 ... Lamp 18 ... Objective lens 19 ... CCD 21 ... Signal cable 26 ... Bending piece 27 ... Bending wire 29 ... Bending operation knob 30 ... Wire extension part 31 ... Grip part 32 ... Treatment tool insertion port 33 ... Treatment tool channel 34 ... Hardness adjustment knob 35 ... Hardness change wire (Wire) 36 ... Coil for changing hardness (coil) 37 ... Soft tube 38 ... Connecting tube 40 ... Coil stopper 41 ... Rear end cap 45 ... Wire stopper 46 ... Traction member 47 ... Move ring 48 ... Groove 51 ... Cam cylinder 52a , 52b ... cam groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] An insertion portion having a flexible portion in which a wire and a coil through which the wire is inserted are provided, and the wire is pulled relatively to the coil to compress the coil, An endoscope for adjusting the hardness of a flexible portion, comprising: a regulating member that regulates rotation of the coil and has a torsional rigidity higher than the torsional rigidity of the coil.