JPS627848B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an endoscope with an improved angle knob mounting structure.

An endoscope has an insertion section connected to an operation section, and this endoscope has an insertion section consisting of a flexible tube section, a curved section, and a distal end section, and an angle knob provided on the operation section. There is a device in which the bending portion can be arbitrarily bent by pushing or pulling the wire connecting the angle knob and the tip by turning the tip.

By the way, normally, for example, as shown in FIG.
The outer diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the operating section 2.

The operating part 2 is held by grasping the handle 2a with the palm and third to fifth fingers of the left hand 3, and the angle knob 1 is rotated by the first finger of the left hand 3. It's becoming like that.

However, in the past, the angle knob 1
is parallel to the center line of the handle 2a, so in order to rotate the angle knob 1, the first finger must be bent and stretched to an extreme extent, causing fatigue in the fingers. The burden was heavy. Also,
If you try to bend the first finger strongly, the vicinity of the metacarpophalangeal joint (second joint) of the first finger will inevitably separate from the handle 2a and the distal phalanges of the third to fifth fingers and the metacarpophalangeal joint (third joint).
The operation part 2 must be held by holding the handle only near the joint (joint), and considering that many endoscopists perform as many as 20 examinations in a day, the operator's left hand becomes extremely fatigued. Something was warm.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The object is to provide an endoscope in which the angle knob can be easily rotated and the operating section can be easily held.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 2 to 4. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an operating section, and an insertion section 12 is connected to this operating section 11. The insertion section 12 is composed of a flexible tube section 13, a curved section 14, and a distal end section 15. Further, a gear box 17 is attached to the main body 16 of the operating section 11 as shown in FIG.
A pulley shaft 18 is rotatably provided inside. The pulley shaft 18 has a pulley 19 and a first
gears 20 are attached, and these pulleys 19 and first gears 20 are fixed by pins 21. Further, a knob shaft 22 is provided in the gear box 17 in an inclined state. This knob shaft 2
A second gear 23 is attached to 2, and this second gear 23 is fixed by a pin 24. The gear box 17 is closed by a lid 25, and the knob shaft 22 protrudes from a through hole 25a of the lid 25. An angle knob 26 is attached to the protruding end of this knob shaft 22.
6 is the center line A of the handle portion 16a of the operating portion main body 16
is inclined at an angle α with respect to Further, as the first and second gears 20 and 23, magnifying gears are used, and the shaft angle thereof is made equal to the inclination angle α of the angle knob 26. On the other hand, a first wire 27 is spanned over the pulley 19,
The curved portion 14 is connected to the first wire 27 via a slack remover 28 and a second wire 29.

Therefore, in the above-described configuration, the operator holds the handle 16a of the operation section 11 in the left hand 3 as shown in FIG.
Grip with the 1st finger of your left hand or angle knob 2 with your right hand.
When the knob 6 is rotated, the knob shaft 22 is rotated, which causes the pulley shaft 18 to rotate via the first and second gears 20 and 23, and the pulley 19 to rotate. This rotation of the pulley 19 causes the first and second
The wires 27 and 29 are pushed and pulled to operate the curved portion 14.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be as shown in FIG. That is, 31 is a pulley box, a pulley shaft 32 is rotatably provided inside this box 31, and a pulley 34 fixed by a pin body 33 is attached to this pulley shaft 32. The opening of the pulley box 31 is connected to the lid 3.
5, and this lid body 35 has a cover 36.
is installed. Attachment part 3 of the cover 36
A hole 37 is bored in 6a, and this hole 37
A screw 38 is inserted inside to fix the cover 36. Further, one end portion of the pulley shaft 32 projects into the cover 36 from the lid body 35, and this projecting end 32a is bifurcated or branched. A bifurcated end of a knob shaft 42 is connected to the protruding end 32a via a universal joint 41 consisting of a cross-shaped joint member 39 and a plurality of pins 40. The knob shaft 42 protrudes from a bearing hole 43 formed in the cover 36, and is adapted to mount an angle knob. The end surface of the bearing hole 43 is formed into a gently curved surface, and the knob shaft 42 corresponding to the bearing hole 43 is formed with a taper 43 to prevent the knob shaft 42 from shaking even if the position of the cover 6 is changed. It is made sure that there is no such thing.

According to this embodiment, by forming the hole 37 in the cover 36, the mounting position of the cover 36 can be changed, and the direction and angle of the knob shaft 42 can be freely set.

The optimum angle of inclination of the angle knob 26 is the handle 1.
6a, the size of the angle knob 26, and the size of the operator's hand, but if the handle part 16a is thin, such as a Bronco endoscope, the left hand first
Around 45 degrees is suitable so that when the first finger is moved in a fan shape over 60 to 70 degrees about the second joint of the finger, the distal phalanx of the first finger always touches the angle knob 26.

In addition, since the diameter of the angle knob 26 is large in devices such as gastrointestinal endoscopes where the handle 16a must be thick to some extent, increasing the inclination angle will cause the finger to move toward the lower right side in Fig. 5. Sometimes I can't reach my fingers, so around 30 degrees is suitable.

In addition, the angle knob 2 that can be handled by the operator
The inclination angle range of 6 is 15° to 60°,
In this case, if the angle is smaller than 15°, the fingers will get tired easily and the grip will be difficult to hold, and if the angle is larger than 60°, there will be an inconvenience that the finger will not be able to reach the finger when it is moved.

As explained above, in the present invention, since the angle knob is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the center line of the handle of the operating section, for example, when the handle is grasped with the third to fifth fingers of the left hand, the first finger naturally moves. The angle knob can be rotated while it is stretched out or slightly bent, making bending operations extremely easy. Furthermore, even when the first finger moves, the second joint of the first finger does not separate from the handle, and the distal phalanges of the third to fifth fingers, the third joint, the second joint of the first finger, and the second joint of the first finger do not separate from the handle. The operation part can be held with the entire palm using the ball of the little foot, and the gripping force is small, making the third to fifth fingers in particular more comfortable and less tiring than conventional ones.

If the angle of inclination of the angle knob is made variable, the optimum inclination angle can be obtained depending on the size of the operator's hands and his/her preference, and the operability can be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example, Figures 2 to 4
The figures show one embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 2 being a schematic configuration diagram showing the endoscope, Fig. 3 being a vertical sectional view showing the main parts, and Fig. 4 showing the angle knob being operated. The explanatory diagram, FIG. 5, is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment. 11...Operation unit, 16a...Handle, 26...Angle knob, A...Center line.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a device in which the operating portion includes a handle and an angle knob, and the curved portion of the insertion portion is operated by rotating the angle knob, the angle knob is aligned with respect to the center line of the handle. An endoscope characterized by being installed at an angle. 2. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the angle knob has an inclination angle of 15° to 60°. 3. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the angle knob has an inclination angle of 30 degrees. 4. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the angle knob has an inclination angle of 45 degrees.