JP2008154809A - Joint ring of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint ring of an endoscope which permits a sufficient strength to be secured without reducing the insertion space of a content or increasing the outside diameter. <P>SOLUTION: In the joint ring of an endoscope where both inside and outside wall surfaces of a first tongue piece 72 are formed radially inwardly dented from the inside and outside wall surfaces of a short cylinder portion 71, the part 77 located in the same direction as the first tongue piece 72 is formed nearly on the same surface position as the inside wall surface of the first tongue piece 72 in the circumference of the inside wall surface of the short cylinder portion 71, and the wall thickness of the part 77 is greater than the other part of the short cylindrical portion 71. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an articulating ring of an endoscope used as a member constituting a framework such as a bending portion of an endoscope or a flexible tube.

Such an articulating ring of an endoscope generally has a pair of first tongue pieces protruding from one end side of a short cylindrical portion having a circular cross-sectional shape in the circumferential direction, and a first tongue on the other end side. A pair of second tongue pieces project and are formed 180 ° apart from each piece at a position that differs by 90 ° in the circumferential direction, and the first tongue piece and the second tongue piece of the joint ring arranged adjacent to each other overlap in the radial direction. The inner and outer wall surfaces of the second tongue piece are formed to be recessed inward in the radial direction from the inner and outer wall surfaces of the short cylinder portion (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP2000-23908 JP-A-11-244224

  The joint ring of the endoscope described in Patent Document 1 is manufactured by machining one by one using a metal tube material as a raw material, so the manufacturing unit price is high, and a large amount such as when configuring a flexible tube, etc. If used, it greatly increases the manufacturing cost of the endoscope.

  On the other hand, the joint ring of the endoscope described in Patent Document 2 is formed of a plastic material by injection molding (injection molding), and the manufacturing unit price is greatly reduced. However, the plastic material obtains a necessary strength. Is difficult.

  Therefore, by forming, for example, stainless steel as a material by so-called metal injection, which is injection molding using a metal material, a high-strength joint ring can be manufactured at low cost. Compared to the case, the configuration can be made without incurring much cost.

  However, when the joint ring is molded by metal injection, etc., the longer the axial length of the short cylinder part, the slower the flow of molten metal in the mold. In some cases, the strength was insufficient.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the lack of strength, it is sufficient to increase the thickness of the joint ring, but then the space for inserting and arranging the optical fiber bundle and other built-in items becomes narrower, the outer diameter becomes thicker, The basic performance as an endoscope is degraded.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope joint ring that can secure sufficient strength without narrowing the insertion space of the built-in object or increasing the outer diameter.

  In order to achieve the above object, the articulating ring of the endoscope of the present invention has a pair of first tongue pieces projectingly formed at one end of a short tube portion having a circular cross section at a circumferential angle of 180 °. On the end side, a pair of second tongue pieces protrude from the first tongue piece at a position different from the first tongue by 90 ° in the circumferential direction. The first tongue piece and the second tongue of the joint ring disposed adjacent to each other. In the joint ring of the endoscope in which the inner and outer wall surfaces of the first tongue piece are recessed radially inward from the inner and outer wall surfaces of the short tube portion so that the pieces overlap with each other in the radial direction, A portion of the inner wall surface that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is formed at substantially the same surface position as the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece, and the thickness of the portion is thicker than the other portion of the short cylindrical portion. Is formed.

  A portion of the inner wall surface of the short tube portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction may be formed so as to overlap the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece as viewed from the axial direction. A portion of the inner wall surface that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction may be formed in a planar shape.

  Further, the joint ring may be formed by injection molding, and the joint ring may be formed by metal injection molding. The connection hole may be integrally formed on one of the first tongue piece and the second tongue piece, and the connection shaft inserted into the connection hole may be formed integrally on the other, and the joint ring is made of stainless steel. It may be.

  According to the joint ring of the endoscope of the present invention, a portion of the inner wall surface of the short cylindrical portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is formed at a substantially flush position with the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece. The thickness of the part is thicker than the other part of the short cylinder part, so that sufficient strength can be secured without narrowing the insertion space for the built-in object or increasing the outer diameter. it can.

  A pair of first tongue pieces project from the one end side of the short cylindrical portion having a circular cross-sectional shape at a distance of 180 ° in the circumferential direction, and the other end side is 180 ° apart from the first tongue piece by 90 ° in the circumferential direction. A pair of second tongue pieces projecting apart from each other, and both the inner and outer wall surfaces of the first tongue pieces are arranged such that the first tongue pieces and the second tongue pieces of the joint rings arranged adjacent to each other overlap in the radial direction. In the joint ring of the endoscope that is recessed radially inward from the inner and outer wall surfaces of the short tube portion, a portion of the inner wall surface of the short tube portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is The tongue portion is formed at substantially the same position as the inner wall surface of the tongue piece, and the thickness of that portion is thicker than the other portion of the short tube portion.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 shows the appearance of an endoscope, and a flexible tube portion 1 constituting an insertion portion to be inserted into the body has flexibility that can be bent in an arbitrary state by an external force. And various built-in objects such as signal cables and tubes are inserted in the interior.

  A bending portion 2 that is bent by a force acting by remote operation is provided at the distal end portion of the flexible tube portion 1, and a distal end portion body 3 on which an observation window or the like is arranged is connected to the distal end of the bending portion 2. The bending portion 2 can be bent by a desired angle in a desired direction by selectively rotating the bending operation knob 5 in the operation portion 4 connected to the proximal end of the flexible tube portion 1.

  A connector (not shown) that is detachably connected to the light source device (also serves as a video processor) is attached to the distal end of a flexible connecting flexible tube 6 that extends backward from the operation unit 4.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration of the flexible tube portion 1. In the flexible tube portion 1 of the present invention, a plurality of short cylindrical joint rings 70 arranged in series on a coaxial line are rotatably connected. A flexible tube frame 7 that is flexible as a whole is formed, and a net-like tube 8 braided with an extremely fine wire made of, for example, a stainless steel fine wire is closely adhered to the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the outermost layer portion that is the outer periphery thereof In addition, a flexible outer skin 9 made of a synthetic resin material or an elastomer is coated. In addition, illustration of built-in things, such as an optical fiber bundle, is abbreviate | omitted.

  1 is a perspective view of a joint ring 70 alone, FIG. 4 is a front view, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views showing a section VV and a section VI-VI in FIG. The joint ring 70 has a configuration in which a first tongue piece 72 and a second tongue piece 73 are formed to project from both front and rear ends of a short cylindrical short cylinder portion 71 made of a metal material such as an austenitic stainless steel material. have.

  The first tongue piece 72 is formed to protrude from the one end side of the joint ring 70 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction, and the second tongue piece 73 is formed circumferentially with the first tongue piece 72 on the other end side of the joint ring 70. Projections are formed 180 ° apart from each other at 90 °.

  In addition, both the inner and outer wall surfaces of the first tongue piece 72 of the short cylindrical portion 71 are arranged so that the first tongue piece 72 and the second tongue piece 73 of the joint rings 70, 70 arranged adjacent to each other overlap in the radial direction. The second tongue piece 73 is formed so as not to be stepped from the short cylindrical portion 71. The second tongue piece 73 is recessed inward in the radial direction from the inner and outer wall surfaces.

  Then, the connecting shaft 75 formed so as to protrude inwardly from the second tongue piece 73 is fitted into the connecting hole 74 formed in the first tongue piece 72 of the adjacent joint ring 70, thereby showing in FIG. As shown, adjacent joint rings 70 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6, a portion 77 (hereinafter referred to as “first”) of the inner wall surface of the short cylindrical portion 71 of the articulation ring 70 in the circumferential direction in the same direction as the first tongue piece 72. An inner wall surface 77 at a position continuous with the tongue piece 72 ”is formed in a planar shape overlapping with the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece 72 when viewed from the axial direction, and the thickness of the portion is different from that of the short tube portion 71. It is formed thicker than the part.

  As a result, even when the joint ring 70 is formed by metal injection or the like, it is possible to obtain sufficient strength against tension, compression, bending, and the like. The inner wall surface 77 at a position continuous with the first tongue piece 72 is formed at a position substantially flush with the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece 72, and the thickness of that portion is thicker than the other portions of the short tube portion 71. If it is done, the effect of increasing the strength corresponding to it can be obtained.

  In such a joint ring 70, a so-called built-in object such as an optical fiber bundle, a piping tube or the like is inserted and arranged. Therefore, when the inner wall surface of the joint ring 70 is moved inward, the space for passing the built-in object becomes narrow.

  However, from the viewpoint of the insertion space for the built-in object, the inner wall surface 77 portion at a position continuous with the first tongue piece 72 is behind the first tongue piece 72 formed inwardly. Even if the inner wall surface 77 at a position continuous with the piece 72 is moved inward to a position where it is aligned with the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece 72, the space for inserting the built-in object is not narrowed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, For example, the connection shaft 75 may be formed in the 1st tongue piece 72 side, and the connection hole 74 may be formed in the 2nd tongue piece 73 side. . In addition, a connecting hole 74 is formed in both the first tongue piece 72 and the second tongue piece 73, and a rivet-like connecting shaft formed as a separate part is passed therethrough, thereby the first tongue piece 72 and the second tongue piece. 73 may be connected.

  Further, the joint ring 70 of the present invention may be formed by injection molding from a plastic material, or may be formed from a metal pipe material (such as a drawing material). The present invention can also be applied to the bending portion 2, the connecting flexible tube 6, and the like.

It is a perspective view of the articulation ring simple substance of the example of the present invention. 1 is an external view of an example of an endoscope to which the present invention is applied. It is side surface sectional drawing of the flexible tube part of the Example of this invention. It is a front view of the joint ring single-piece | unit of the Example of this invention. It is VV sectional drawing in FIG. 4 of the Example of this invention. It is VI-VI sectional drawing in FIG. 4 of the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible tube part 70 Joint ring 71 Short cylinder part 72 1st tongue piece 73 2nd tongue piece 74 Connection hole 75 Connection shaft 77 The inner wall surface of the position connected with a 1st tongue piece (the same direction as a 1st tongue piece in the circumferential direction) Part)

Claims (7)

A pair of first tongue pieces project from the one end side of the short cylindrical portion having a circular cross-sectional shape at a distance of 180 ° in the circumferential direction, and the other end side is positioned 90 ° different from the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction. A pair of second tongue pieces are formed to protrude 180 ° apart from each other, and the first tongue pieces and the second tongue pieces of the joint rings arranged adjacent to each other overlap in the radial direction. In the joint ring of the endoscope in which both the inner and outer wall surfaces are formed to be recessed inward in the radial direction from the inner and outer wall surfaces of the short cylindrical portion,
A portion of the inner wall surface of the short cylindrical portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is formed at a position substantially flush with the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece, and the thickness of the portion is shorter than the short wall portion. An articulating ring for an endoscope characterized in that it is formed thicker than the other part of the cylindrical part.   The portion of the inner wall surface of the short cylindrical portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is formed so as to overlap the inner wall surface of the first tongue piece as viewed from the axial direction. Endoscope joint ring.   The joint ring for an endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a portion of the inner wall surface of the short cylindrical portion that is in the same direction as the first tongue piece in the circumferential direction is formed in a planar shape.   The joint ring of an endoscope according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the joint ring is formed by injection molding.   The joint ring for an endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the joint ring is formed by metal injection molding.   6. The endoscope according to claim 5, wherein a connecting hole is integrally formed in one of the first tongue piece and the second tongue piece, and a connecting shaft to be inserted into the connecting hole is formed integrally with the other. Joint ring.   The joint ring for an endoscope according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the joint ring is made of stainless steel.

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