JP2010201011A - Endoscope apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope apparatus where the insertability of an insertion part can be improved even when insertion is difficult such as when a subject is long or has a bent part. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope apparatus 1 is provided with the insertion part 4 which includes a distal end constitution part arranged at a distal end part and provided with an observation mechanism, and the endoscope apparatus 1 is used by inserting the insertion part 4 into the subject Q. The insertion part 4 has a vibration means 5 which generates vibration in a range closer to the proximal end side than the distal end constitution part. The vibration means 5 generates the vibration in the length direction of the insertion part 4 or in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion part 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus that is used by inserting an insertion portion into a subject.

Conventionally, in an endoscope apparatus that is used by inserting an insertion portion into a subject, for example, a configuration as shown in Patent Document 1 has been used. The endoscope apparatus includes an electromagnetic coil, a weight that is movably disposed in the axial direction of the electromagnetic coil and that receives an electromagnetic force generated by energization of the electromagnetic coil, and an axial direction of the electromagnetic coil. And a coil spring having one end connected to the insertion portion and the other end connected to a weight so as to expand and contract.
Then, by applying a current to the electromagnetic coil in response to the expansion and contraction of the coil spring, the weight resonates and the vicinity of the distal end of the insertion portion slightly vibrates, so that the insertion portion can be smoothly inserted into the body. That's it.

JP 2005-237610 A

The electromagnetic coil, the weight, and the coil spring as described above are generally disposed in a distal end configuration portion provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion.
However, when this endoscope apparatus is used for industrial use, the insertion portion may be inserted into the subject as long as, for example, 10 m or longer, or may be inserted into a bending portion with a strong bend such as an elbow. . In this case, even if the distal end configuration part vibrates and the insertability around the distal end configuration part is improved, the portion of the insertion part that is proximal to the distal end configuration part occupies most of the insertion part. There is a problem that the insertion property of the entire insertion portion is lowered due to being locked to the inner peripheral surface.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and enhances the insertability of the insertion portion even when insertion is difficult, such as when the subject is long or has a bent portion. An endoscope apparatus capable of performing the above is provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention includes an insertion portion having a distal end configuration portion disposed at a distal end portion and provided with an observation mechanism, and the endoscope device used by inserting the insertion portion into a subject. The insertion portion is characterized by having vibration means for generating vibration in a range closer to the proximal end side than the distal end constituting portion.

  According to this invention, the vibration means for generating vibration is generally provided in the range of the proximal end side of the distal end constituting portion of the insertion portion, which occupies most of the length of the insertion portion. Therefore, even when insertion is difficult, such as when the subject is long or has a bent portion, the component in the normal direction of the surface of the subject with which the insertion portion abuts among vibrations generated in the insertion portion. The insertion portion can be separated from the subject, and the frictional resistance when the insertion portion is inserted into the subject can be reduced, so that the insertability of the insertion portion can be improved.

In the endoscope apparatus, the vibration means includes a tube body that is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion and that contains a fluid therein, and a fluid that can supply / discharge the fluid to / from the tube body. It is more preferable to have a supply unit.
According to this invention, the vibration means expands / contracts the tube body by supplying / discharging the fluid to / from the inside of the tube body provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion, so that the outer peripheral surface of the tube body. Is vibrated in the radial direction.
For this reason, even when the insertion portion of the portion where the tube body is provided comes into contact with the subject via the tube body, the outer peripheral surface of the tube body vibrates in the radial direction so that the tube is moved against the subject. The body and the insertion portion can be separated from each other, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject can be reduced.

In the endoscope apparatus described above, the vibrating means may move to the outside of the tube body at least in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion by supplying / discharging the fluid to / from the tube body. It is more preferable to have one movable member.
According to this invention, the outer peripheral surface of the tube body can be protected from the subject by the first movable member. Further, the vibration in the radial direction of the tube body generated on the outer peripheral surface of the tube body can be reliably transmitted to the subject by the inertial force of the first movable member.

Further, in the above endoscope apparatus, the tube body is formed with a pair of storage portions that store the fluid, and the pair of storage portions are arranged in a cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion. More preferably, the fluid is supplied to each of the pair of accommodating portions independently of each other by the fluid supply portion.
According to the present invention, a pair of insertion portions are provided on a cross section perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion by alternately supplying / discharging fluid to / from the pair of accommodating portions provided in the tube body. It can be made to vibrate alternately in the direction in which the housing portion is provided. For this reason, the amplitude of vibration of the insertion portion can be increased, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject can be effectively reduced.

In the endoscope apparatus described above, it is more preferable that the pair of housing portions is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion so as to be spiral in the length direction of the insertion portion.
According to this invention, the vibration direction of the insertion portion, which is the radial direction of the tube body, can be changed depending on the position in the length direction of the insertion portion. Therefore, the insertion portion can be separated from the subject in more directions that spiral around the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject can be more reliably reduced.

In the endoscope apparatus, the vibration means is supported on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion so as to be movable in a length direction of the insertion portion and a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion. A second movable member, a vibration wire that operates to vibrate the second movable member in a length direction of the insertion portion and a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion, and the vibration wire can be pulled It is more preferable to have a wire pulling portion.
According to this invention, the second movable member is vibrated in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion and the length direction of the insertion portion by operating the vibration wire with the wire pulling portion. For this reason, even when the insertion portion is in contact with the subject via the second movable member, the component in the normal direction of the surface of the subject with which the second movable member abuts out of the vibration of the second movable member. The insertion portion can be separated from the subject, and the insertion resistance of the insertion portion can be improved by reducing the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject.

In the endoscope apparatus, a plurality of the second movable members are provided at intervals in the length direction of the insertion portion, and the plurality of second movable members have a length direction of the insertion portion. Each of the vibration wires is fixed to the insertion portion on the distal end side of the plurality of second movable members, and the vibration wire is inserted into the through holes, More preferably, when the vibrating wire is pulled, the plurality of second movable members follow this and move in at least a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion.
According to the present invention, by pulling the vibration wire, the plurality of second movable members are moved in the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion, following this. That is, the plurality of second movable members can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion by a simple operation of pulling the vibration wire.

Further, in the above endoscope apparatus, when the vibration wire is pulled, the two second movable members move in different directions when viewed from the length direction of the insertion portion. More preferably.
According to the present invention, the insertion portion can be separated from the subject in many different directions, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject can be more reliably reduced.

In the above endoscope apparatus, it is more preferable that the vibration means is provided over the entire range of at least the proximal end side of the distal end constituent portion of the insertion portion.
According to the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject and to improve the insertion property of the insertion portion over the entire range of the insertion portion from the proximal end side to the proximal end side.

In the above endoscope apparatus, it is more preferable that the vibration unit generates vibration at a frequency at which the insertion portion resonates.
According to the present invention, the amplitude of the insertion portion can be increased, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion and the subject can be effectively reduced.

  Even when the insertion is difficult such as when the subject is long or has a bent portion, the insertion property of the insertion portion can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of an endoscope apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the insertion part and vibration means of the same endoscope apparatus. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line A1-A1 in FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line A2-A2 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken in FIG. It is sectional drawing of line A3-A3. It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the cross section of the case body of the same endoscope apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the insertion part and vibration means of the endoscope apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which represents typically the cross section of the case body of the same endoscope apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which moved each movable ring to the reference position of the vibration seen from the B direction in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of each movable ring seen from the B direction in FIG. 5 at the time of rotating a traction motor to the other with an insertion part. It is a figure which shows the state of each movable ring seen from the B direction in FIG. 5 at the time of rotating a traction motor to one side with an insertion part. It is a front view of the movable ring of the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the movable ring of the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of A according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
This endoscope apparatus 1 is an apparatus for observing by inserting a long insertion portion 4 into a subject such as a duct or a gap. In the present embodiment, a case where the endoscope apparatus 1 observes the inside of a duct (subject) will be described as an example. The subject is not limited to a pipe shape such as a pipe, and may be, for example, an engine or a generator device in which a through hole having a complicated shape is formed.
As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a distal end constituent portion 2 disposed at a distal end portion and a bending portion 3 provided on the proximal end side of the distal end constituent portion 2 and capable of bending operation. And a vibrating means 5 for generating vibration, which is disposed over the entire range of the insertion portion 4 on the base end side from the bending portion 3.

In this embodiment, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes a case body 6 to which the proximal end side of the insertion portion 4 is attached, an LCD monitor 7 and a plurality of display lamps 8 provided on the upper surface of the case body 6, and a proximal end portion. And a remote controller 9 attached to the upper surface of the case body 6.
The insertion portion 4 has a known configuration. By operating a bending operation switch 9a provided on the remote controller 9, the bending portion 3 is bent by pulling an operation wire (not shown) by a motor (not shown). It is configured to be able to.
The LCD monitor 7 and the display lamp 8 may be configured to be provided on the remote controller 9.
Further, the tip component 2 is connected to a power supply unit (not shown) provided in the case body 6 and has an illumination mechanism 10 for irradiating illumination light and an image pickup device (not shown) such as a CCD. A connected observation mechanism 11 is provided on the front side in an exposed state.
The illumination mechanism 10 irradiates illumination light with electric power supplied from a power supply unit (not shown), and the illumination mechanism 10 detects the reflected illumination light reflected from the inner peripheral surface of the pipe. The image detected by the observation mechanism 11 can be displayed on the LCD monitor 7.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion 4 and the vibration means 5 of the endoscope apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of each cutting line orthogonal to the direction D that is the length direction of the insertion portion 4 in FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section of the case body 6. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 2, a part of the insertion portion 4 and portions other than the accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b of a multi-lumen tube (tube body) 14 described later are indicated by two-dot chain lines.
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the vibration means 5 is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4 and accommodates compressed air (fluid) therein, and air is supplied to the multi-lumen tube 14. A fluid supply section 15 capable of supplying / discharging, a plurality of movable rings (first movable members) 16 arranged outside the multi-lumen tube 14, and a first coating provided to cover the outside of the plurality of movable rings 16 A tube 17.

The multi-lumen tube 14 is formed in a substantially tubular shape from a flexible material such as silicon. The inner diameter of the through hole 14 a formed in the extending direction of the multi-lumen tube 14 is formed to be substantially equal to the outer diameter of the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope apparatus 1. A pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b for accommodating compressed air are formed in the wall portion 14b provided so as to surround the through hole 14a.
The distal ends of the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b are formed up to the distal end side of the multi-lumen tube 14, respectively, and the proximal ends of the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b extend into the case body 6. The distal ends of the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b are closed by the wall portion 14b. Thus, the multi-lumen tube 14 and the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided over the entire range of the proximal end side of the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion 4.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided at positions facing each other across the insertion portion 4 in the cross section orthogonal to the direction D, and on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4. , Provided so as to be spiral with respect to the direction D.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 4, for example, a second coated tube 19 formed by impregnating a resin in a metal plate-like coil is disposed. 19 is externally fitted to the multi-lumen tube 14.
The second covered tube 19 has flexibility, and an operation wire (not shown) for bending the bending portion 3, a signal line, a power line, etc. (not shown) are inserted into the second covered tube 19.

Each movable ring 16 is formed in a ring shape having a constant weight, and when compressed air is supplied to one of the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b of the multi-lumen tube 14, the outer peripheral surface of the multi-lumen tube 14 is movable. 16 is set so as to abut on the inner peripheral surface.
Each movable ring 16 is formed with four through holes 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d penetrating in the direction D at equal distances in the circumferential direction.
Vibrating wires 20a are inserted through the through holes 16a of the movable rings 16, respectively. And the front-end | tip part and base end part of the wire 20a for vibration are each being fixed to the bending piece 23 arrange | positioned at the base end part of the bending part 3, and the base end side of the insertion part 4 by soldering, for example. In the vibration wire 20a, a stopper member 24 formed by, for example, soldering is fixed to the distal end side and the proximal end side of the portion inserted through each through hole 16a at a certain distance from the movable ring 16, for example. Yes.
Similarly, the vibration wires 20b, 20c, and 20d are inserted into the through holes 16b, 16c, and 16d of the movable rings 16 (the vibration wires 20b and 20d are not shown), and the vibration wires 20b and 20c are respectively inserted. , 20d, stopper members 24 are respectively fixed.
Each movable ring 16 configured as described above is movable in a predetermined range on the plane perpendicular to the direction D along the direction D with respect to the insertion portion 4. For example, the movable ring 16 may be configured to be movable only in the direction orthogonal to the direction D by fixing the movable ring 16 to the vibration wires 20a to 20d with the stopper member 24.

  In the present embodiment, the first covering tube 17 is made of a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene resin that has flexibility and a small surface frictional resistance. Each movable ring 16 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the first covered tube 17.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fluid supply unit 15 includes an air cylinder 27 for supplying compressed air, a main pipe 28 having one end connected to the air cylinder 27, and a flow of compressed air connected to the other end of the main pipe 28. A joint 29 that branches into two, a first branch pipe 30a, 30b having one end connected to the joint 29, an electromagnetic valve 31a, 31b connected to the other end of the first branch pipe 30a, 30b, and one end Are connected to the electromagnetic valves 31a and 31b, respectively, and the other ends are connected to the base ends of the accommodating portions 18a and 18b, respectively.

The main pipe 28 and the second branch pipes 32a and 32b are respectively provided with a main pressure sensor 33 and branch pressure sensors 34a and 34b, and detect the pressure of the compressed air in the main pipe 28 and the second branch pipes 32a and 32b. It is possible. The main pressure sensor 33 and the branch pressure sensors 34 a and 34 b are connected to the control unit 35, and the control unit 35 is further connected to the remote controller 9.
The air cylinder 27 is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 27 a, and the user of the endoscope apparatus 1 confirms the air pressure detected by the main pressure sensor 33 while checking the air pressure in the main pipe 28. The air pressure can be adjusted.

The solenoid valves 31a and 31b are respectively provided with solenoids 36a and 36b, and are connected to discharge pipes 37a and 37b, respectively. Then, the controller 35 switches the solenoid valve 31a by driving the solenoid 36a, and the compressed air can be supplied to the accommodating portion 18a by connecting the first branch pipe 30a and the second branch pipe 32a. By connecting the discharge pipe 37a and the second branch pipe 32a, the compressed air stored in the storage portion 18a can be discharged from the discharge pipe 37a.
Similarly, the controller 35 can switch the solenoid valve 31b by driving the solenoid 36b, and can supply the compressed air to the accommodating portion 18b by connecting the first branch pipe 30b and the second branch pipe 32b. Thus, the compressed air stored in the storage portion 18b can be discharged from the discharge pipe 37b by connecting the discharge pipe 37b and the second branch pipe 32b.
As described above, the fluid supply unit 15 can supply the compressed air independently to each of the pair of storage units 18a and 18b.

The accommodating portions 18a and 18b to which the compressed air is supplied can adjust the switching speed of the compressed air supplied thereto by operating the remote controller 9.
That is, for example, when the remote control 9 is operated and the switching speed is set to 1 Hz, the compressed air is supplied from the storage portion 18a 0.5 seconds after the compressed air is supplied to the storage portion 18a and the compressed air is discharged from the storage portion 18b. Is discharged and the compressed air is supplied to the storage portion 18b. After 0.5 second, the compressed air is supplied to the storage portion 18a and the compressed air is discharged from the storage portion 18b. And the control part 35 continues repeating this switching of the accommodating parts 18a and 18b which supply this compressed air at this fixed speed.
In addition, the insertion portion 4 having a base end attached to the case body 6 and having flexibility has a certain rigidity, and is configured to resonate when vibrating at a specific resonance frequency ν.

Next, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described by taking as an example the case where the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope apparatus 1 is inserted into the duct and the inside of the duct is observed.
First, the user operates the pressure adjustment valve 27a while confirming the detection value of the main pressure sensor 33 to adjust the pressure of the compressed air in the main pipe 28 to a predetermined pressure. Then, the remote controller 9 of the endoscope apparatus 1 is operated to supply power from the power supply unit to the illumination mechanism 10 to irradiate the illumination light in front of the distal end configuration unit 2, and the image detected by the observation mechanism 11 is displayed on the LCD monitor. 7 is displayed.
Next, while confirming the image displayed on the LCD monitor 7, the distal end constituting portion 2 of the insertion portion 4 is inserted into the pipe line Q indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2.

Here, the user operates the remote controller 9 to switch the accommodating units 18a and 18b for supplying compressed air by the control unit 35 at a predetermined frequency.
More specifically, the control unit 35 first switches the electromagnetic valve 31a, connects the first branch pipe 30a and the second branch pipe 32a, supplies compressed air to the accommodating portion 18a, and switches the electromagnetic valve 31b. The discharge pipe 37b and the second branch pipe 32b are communicated with each other, and the compressed air in the housing portion 18b is discharged from the discharge pipe 37b. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the accommodating portion 18 a expands and the accommodating portion 18 b contracts, and each movable ring 16 moves toward the accommodating portion 18 a with respect to the insertion portion 4.
Since each movable ring 16 has a constant weight as described above, each movable ring 16 is slightly moved to the accommodating portion 18a side from the position shown in FIG. 3A to FIG. Returned to the accommodating portion 18b side.

Next, the control unit 35 switches the electromagnetic valve 31a, causes the discharge pipe 37a and the second branch pipe 32a to communicate with each other, discharges the compressed air in the storage unit 18a from the discharge pipe 37a, and switches the electromagnetic valve 31b. The first branch pipe 30b and the second branch pipe 32b are connected to supply compressed air to the accommodating portion 18b. Then, the accommodating portion 18a contracts and the accommodating portion 18b expands, and as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the first covered tube along the cutting lines A1-A1, A2-A2, and A3-A3. 17 moves to positions P1 to P3, respectively.
Also at this time, the first covering tube 17 is moved slightly toward the housing portion 18b from the positions P1 to P3 shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C by the inertial force of each movable ring 16, and thereafter the housing portion. It is returned to the 18a side.

Thus, by switching the accommodating portions 18a and 18b to which the compressed air is supplied, the first covering tube 17 covering the movable ring 16 and the movable ring 16 is inserted into the insertion portion in the radial direction of the insertion portion 4. 4 vibrates in a direction in which the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b face each other, that is, in a direction D1 to a direction D3 in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c). And since the accommodating part 18a and the accommodating part 18b are each provided so that it may become spiral with respect to the direction D, as it is clear from FIG. 3 (a)-FIG.3 (c), the movable ring 16 and The direction in which the first coated tube 17 vibrates varies depending on the position in the direction D of the insertion portion 4.
Since the stopper member 24 is fixed to the vibrating wires 20a to 20d at a predetermined distance from the movable ring 16, the movable ring 16 vibrates in the direction D.

As described above, the movable ring 16 and the first covering tube 17 vibrate in the direction and the direction D in which the housing portions 18a and 18b face each other. For example, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. Among them, the first covering tube 17 moves away from the pipe line Q by the vibration of the component in the normal direction T1 of the surface of the pipe line Q with which the first covering tube 17 abuts, that is, the vibration in the direction D1. To do. Due to the vibration of the first covering tube 17 with respect to the pipe line Q, the frictional resistance when the insertion portion 4 is inserted into the pipe line Q is reduced in this cross section. Although the first coated tube 17 shown in FIG. 3A vibrates in the direction D, the vibration in the direction D does not contribute to the reduction of the frictional resistance.
Further, in the cross section shown in FIG. 3C, the vibration of the component in the normal direction T3 of the surface of the pipe line Q with which the first covering tube 17 abuts, that is, the vibration in the direction D3. Due to the vibration, the first coated tube 17 can be moved away from the pipe line Q.
On the other hand, as shown in the cross section shown in FIG. 3B, the normal direction T2 of the surface of the pipe line Q with which the first covering tube 17 abuts is orthogonal to the direction D2 and the direction D in which the first covering tube 17 vibrates. In this case, the first covering tube 17 is less likely to move away from the pipe line Q. Instead, when the normal direction of the surface of the pipe line Q with which the first covering tube 17 abuts is a direction that intersects the normal line direction D2, the first covering with respect to the pipe line Q is caused by the vibration in the direction D2. The tube 17 moves so as to be separated.

As described above, in a state where the first coated tube 17 vibrates in the radial direction and the direction D of the insertion portion 4, the user operates the bending operation switch 9 a of the remote controller 9 to perform the bending operation on the bending portion 3. The distal end configuration of the insertion portion 4 is adjusted while operating the remote controller 9 to adjust the frequency for vibrating the insertion portion 4 according to the bending condition of the pipeline Q, the roughness of the inner peripheral surface of the pipeline Q, etc. The part 2 is inserted into the pipe line Q.
Even when the pipe Q is provided with a bent portion (not shown) such as an elbow, the insertion portion 4 is caused to resonate by vibrating the insertion portion 4 at the resonance frequency ν. Is increased, the frictional resistance between the first coated tube 17 and the pipe line Q is reduced, and the insertion portion 4 is inserted into the bent portion.
Then, the user observes the image inside the pipeline Q detected by the observation mechanism 11 while inserting the insertion portion 4 on the LCD monitor 7.
The control unit 35 monitors the pressure detected by the main pressure sensor 33 and the branch pressure sensors 34a and 34b, and displays the detection result on the display lamp 8, for example, when the pressure is out of the predetermined pressure range. You may do it.

Thus, according to the endoscope apparatus 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, a pair of accommodating portions is provided in the range of the proximal end side of the bending portion 3 in the insertion portion 4 that occupies most of the length of the insertion portion 4. 18a and 18b are provided. Therefore, even when the insertion is difficult, such as when the pipe Q is long or has a bent part, the normal line of the surface of the pipe Q with which the insertion part 4 abuts among vibrations generated in the insertion part 4. Due to the direction component, the insertion portion 4 can be separated from the pipe line Q, the frictional resistance when the insertion part 4 is inserted into the pipe line Q can be reduced, and the insertability of the insertion part 4 can be improved. .
Further, the vibration means 5 is configured to supply / discharge compressed air to / from the pair of storage portions 18a, 18b provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 4 by the fluid supply portion 15, thereby The portions 18a and 18b are expanded / contracted to vibrate the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b in the radial direction.
For this reason, even when the insertion portion 4 provided with the multi-lumen tube 14 is in contact with the pipe line Q via the multi-lumen tube 14 and the first covering tube 17, the pair of housing portions 18 a and 18 b has a diameter thereof. By vibrating in the direction, the first coated tube 17 and the insertion portion 4 can be separated from the pipe line Q, and the frictional resistance between the insertion part 4 and the pipe line Q can be reduced.

Moreover, since the vibration means 5 has the movable ring 16 formed in the substantially ring shape outside the multi-lumen tube 14, the outer peripheral surface of the multi-lumen tube 14 can be protected from the pipe line Q. Further, the vibration in the radial direction of the multi-lumen tube 14 generated on the outer peripheral surface of the multi-lumen tube 14 can be reliably transmitted to the pipe line Q by the inertial force of the movable ring 16.
Further, in the multi-lumen tube 14, the compressed air is alternately supplied / discharged by the fluid supply unit 15 to / from the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b provided at positions facing each other with the insertion portion 4 interposed therebetween in the direction D. On the orthogonal cross section, the insertion portion 4 can be vibrated alternately in the direction in which the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b are provided. For this reason, the amplitude of vibration of the insertion portion 4 can be increased, and the frictional resistance between the insertion portion 4 and the pipe line Q can be effectively reduced.

  Further, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4 so as to be spiral with respect to the direction D. For this reason, the vibration direction of the insertion portion 4 which is the radial direction of the multi-lumen tube 14 can be changed depending on the position in the direction D. Therefore, the insertion portion 4 is spaced apart from the pipe line Q in more directions that spiral around the outer peripheral surface of the insertion part 4, and the frictional resistance between the insertion part 4 and the pipe line Q is more reliably reduced. be able to. If the insertion portion 4 does not return to a straight line in a natural state where no external force is applied because the insertion portion 4 is curved, the vibration of the insertion portion 4 is not affected even when the insertion portion 4 has a curved portion. By changing the direction according to the position of the direction D, it is possible to reduce the residual curve generated in the insertion portion 4.

Further, since the vibration means 5 can generate vibration at a resonance frequency ν that is the frequency at which the insertion portion 4 resonates, the amplitude of the insertion portion 4 is increased, and the friction resistance between the insertion portion 4 and the pipe line Q is increased. It can be effectively reduced.
Further, since the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b are provided over the entire range of the proximal end side from the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion 4, the friction resistance between the insertion portion 4 and the pipe line Q is further reduced and the insertion portion 4 is inserted. The insertability of the part 4 can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the movable ring 16 and the first covering tube 17 are provided as the vibration means 5. However, even if the movable ring 16 and the first covering tube 17 are not provided, the insertion portion 4 can be vibrated in the radial direction by the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b. For this reason, the movable ring 16 and the first covering tube 17 may not be provided.
In the present embodiment, the multi-lumen tube 14 is formed with a pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18. However, the number of accommodating portions formed in the multi-lumen tube may be any number as long as it is one or more. Further, one or a plurality of tubes in which one accommodating portion is formed may be provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the cross section orthogonal to the direction D, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided at positions facing each other across the insertion portion 4 in the cross section orthogonal to the direction D. However, in the cross section orthogonal to the direction D, the pair of accommodating portions 18a and 18b may be disposed at arbitrary positions.
In the present embodiment, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4 so as to be spiral in the direction D. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b may be provided along the direction D on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4.

In the present embodiment, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b are provided over the entire range of the proximal end side from the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion 4. However, the pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b may be provided in a part of the range on the proximal end side from the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion, or the insertion portion 4 including the distal end configuration portion 2 and the bending portion 3 may be provided. It may be provided throughout. The pair of accommodating portions 18 a and 18 b may not be provided in a portion disposed in the case body 6 on the proximal end side of the insertion portion 4.
In this embodiment, the movable ring 16 formed in a ring shape is provided as the first movable member. However, the shape of the first movable member is not limited to this. For example, even if the shape of the first movable member is notched and formed in a C shape, the first movable member is accommodated in the notched portion of the first movable member. What is necessary is just to comprise so that a part may enter and the vibration of accommodating part 18a, 18b may not be transmitted to a 1st movable member. That is, on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4, it is only necessary that the cutout portion of the first movable member is arranged in addition to the portions where the housing portions 18 a and 18 b are provided.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. The same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and only different points will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope apparatus 41 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 shows an explanatory view schematically showing a cross-section of the case body 6.
For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 5, a part of the insertion portion 4 and a vibration wire 51 a described later are indicated by a two-dot chain line.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the endoscope apparatus 41 includes a vibrating means 45 instead of the vibrating means 5 of the endoscope apparatus 1 of the above embodiment.
The vibration means 45 includes a plurality of movable rings (second movable members) 46 to 50 supported on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion 4 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction D and the direction D, and the movable rings 46 to 46. Of the vibrating wires 51a to 51d that are operated so as to vibrate 50 in a direction perpendicular to the direction D and the direction D, a wire pulling portion 52 that can pull the vibrating wires 51a to 51d, and a plurality of movable rings 46 to 50 A first covering tube 17 provided to cover the outside.
In the present embodiment, a cover formed of a material such as polytetrafluoroethylene resin that is flexible and has a small surface frictional resistance so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the second covering tube 19 of the insertion portion 4. A tube 53 is provided.

FIGS. 7A to 7E are diagrams showing the movable rings 46 to 50 viewed from the direction B in FIG. 5 in a state where they are moved to the vibration reference position for convenience of explanation. The reference position referred to here is a position that becomes the center of vibration when the movable rings 46 to 50 vibrate with respect to the insertion portion 4, and when the movable rings 46 to 50 are at the reference position, the movable ring 46. -50 and the axis line of the insertion part 4 correspond.
The movable rings 46 to 50 are formed in the same ring shape except for the through holes formed in each. The inner diameters of the movable rings 46 to 50 are each formed larger than the outer diameter of the insertion portion 4.

First, the movable ring 48 shown in FIG. 7C which is a basic shape among the movable rings 46 to 50 will be described. In the movable ring 48, through holes (through holes) 48a to 48a extending in the direction D so as to be equiangular with respect to the center O3 on a virtual circle C3 arranged so that the movable ring 48 and the center O3 coincide with each other. 48d is formed.
Here, a direction E1 from the center O3 toward the intermediate point between the through hole 48a and the through hole 48b and a direction E2 opposite to the direction E1 are defined, and a reference line L31 passing through the center O3 and along the direction E1 is defined. Similarly, a direction E3 from the center O3 toward the intermediate point between the through hole 48a and the through hole 48d and a direction E4 opposite to the direction E3 are defined, and a reference line L32 passing through the center O3 and along the direction E3 is defined. The reference line L31 and the reference line L32 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other.

The movable ring 47 shown in FIG. 7B has a center O3, a virtual circle C3, a center O2 corresponding to the reference circle L31, a virtual circle C2 (having the same radius as the virtual circle C3), and a reference line L2 in FIG. Will be described. Furthermore, virtual circles C21 and C22 are determined by moving the virtual circle C2 in the direction E1 and the direction E2 by a certain distance K1 with the same radius as the virtual circle C2.
Similarly, the movable ring 46 shown in FIG. 7A will be described with the center O3, the virtual circle C3, and the center O1, the virtual circle C1, and the reference line L1 corresponding to the center O3, the virtual circle C3, and the reference line L31 in FIG. Further, virtual circles C11 and C12 are determined by moving the virtual circle C1 in the direction E1 and the direction E2 by a certain distance K2 with the same radius as the virtual circle C1, respectively.

The movable ring 47 and the movable ring 46 are also formed with through holes (through holes) 47a to 47d and through holes (through holes) 46a to 46d in the direction D, respectively.
However, the through hole 47a in FIG. 7B is on the virtual circle C21 so that the distance between the reference line L2 and the distance between the through hole 48a and the reference line L31 in FIG. Is set. Further, the through hole 46a in FIG. 7A is on the virtual circle C11 so that the distance from the reference line L1 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 47a in FIG. 7B to the reference line L2. Is set.
The through hole 47b in FIG. 7B is on the virtual circle C22, and is set so that the distance between the reference line L2 is shorter than the distance between the through hole 48b and the reference line L31 in FIG. ing. Further, the through hole 46b in FIG. 7A is on the virtual circle C12 so that the distance from the reference line L1 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 47b in FIG. 7B to the reference line L2. Is set.
The through hole 47c in FIG. 7B is on the virtual circle C21 and is set such that the distance between the reference line L2 is shorter than the distance between the through hole 48c and the reference line L31 in FIG. 7C. ing. Further, the through hole 46c in FIG. 7A is on the virtual circle C11 so that the distance from the reference line L1 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 47c in FIG. 7B to the reference line L2. Is set.
The through hole 47d in FIG. 7B is on the virtual circle C22 so that the distance from the reference line L2 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 48d in FIG. 7C to the reference line L31. Is set. Further, the through hole 46d in FIG. 7A is on the virtual circle C12 so that the distance from the reference line L1 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 47d in FIG. 7B to the reference line L2. Is set.

Next, the movable ring 49 shown in FIG. 7D will be described with the center O3, the virtual circle C3, and the center O4 corresponding to the reference line L32, the virtual circle C4, and the reference line L4 in FIG. Further, virtual circles C41 and C42 are determined by moving the virtual circle C4 in the direction E3 and the direction E4 by the distance K1 with the same radius as the virtual circle C4.
Similarly, the movable ring 50 shown in FIG. 7E will be described with the center O3, the virtual circle C3, and the reference line L32 corresponding to the center O3, the virtual circle C3, and the reference line L32 in FIG. Further, virtual circles C51 and C52 are determined by moving the virtual circle C5 in the direction E3 and the direction E4 by the distance K2 with the same radius as the virtual circle C5.

The movable ring 49 and the movable ring 50 are also formed with through holes (through holes) 49a to 49d and through holes (through holes) 50a to 50d in the direction D, respectively.
However, the through hole 49a in FIG. 7D is on the virtual circle C42 so that the distance from the reference line L4 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 48a in FIG. 7C to the reference line L32. Is set. Further, the through hole 50a in FIG. 7 (e) is on the virtual circle C52, and the distance between the reference line L5 is shorter than the distance between the through hole 49a and the reference line L4 in FIG. 7 (d). Is set.
The through hole 49b in FIG. 7D is on the virtual circle C41, and is set so that the distance between the reference line L4 and the distance between the through hole 48b and the reference line L32 in FIG. ing. Further, the through hole 50b in FIG. 7 (e) is on the virtual circle C51 so that the distance from the reference line L5 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 49b in FIG. 7 (d) to the reference line L4. Is set.
The through hole 49c in FIG. 7D is on the virtual circle C42, and is set so that the distance between the reference line L4 and the distance between the through hole 48c and the reference line L32 in FIG. ing. Further, the through hole 50c in FIG. 7 (e) is on the virtual circle C52, and the distance between the reference line L5 is shorter than the distance between the through hole 49c and the reference line L4 in FIG. 7 (d). Is set.
The through hole 49d in FIG. 7D is on the virtual circle C41 so that the distance from the reference line L4 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 48d in FIG. 7C to the reference line L32. Is set. Further, the through hole 50d in FIG. 7 (e) is on the virtual circle C51 so that the distance from the reference line L5 is shorter than the distance from the through hole 49d in FIG. 7 (d) to the reference line L4. Is set.

  These five types of movable rings 46 to 50 are arranged in the direction D at regular intervals in the order of movable rings 47, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46,. It is configured to be.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the vibrating wire 51a is inserted through the through holes 46a, 47a, 48a, 49a, and 50a. Similarly, the vibration wire 51b has through holes 46b, 47b, 48b, 49b, and 50b, the vibration wire 51c has through holes 46c, 47c, 48c, 49c, and 50c, and the vibration wire 51d has a through hole 46d. , 47d, 48d, 49d, and 50d are respectively inserted. These vibration wires 51 a to 51 d extend along the direction D on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 4 and are arranged at almost equal distances in the circumferential direction of the insertion portion 4.
The distal ends of the vibrating wires 51a to 51d are attached to the bending piece 23 on the distal ends of the movable rings 46 to 50, and the proximal ends of the vibrating wires 51a to 51d are soldered to the proximal end of the insertion portion 4, for example. Respectively.
In the vibration wire 51a, the distal end side and the proximal end side of the portion inserted through each through hole 46a, 47a, 48a, 49a, 50a are spaced apart from each movable ring 46-50 by a certain distance, for example, by soldering. The stopper member 24 to be formed is fixed. Similarly, the stopper members 24 are fixed to the vibration wires 51b to 51d.
Each movable ring 46-50 comprised in this way is movable in the predetermined range on the plane orthogonal to the direction D further along the direction D with respect to the insertion part 4, respectively. For example, the movable rings 46 to 50 may be configured to be movable only in the direction perpendicular to the direction D by fixing the movable rings 46 to 50 to the vibration wires 51 a to 51 d with the stopper member 24. good.

  In the present embodiment, the movable rings 46 to 50 are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the first covered tube 17.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wire pulling unit 52 includes a pulling motor 55 that generates a driving force for pulling the vibrating wires 51 a to 51 d, a pulley 56 fixed to the pulling motor 55, one end of the vibrating wire 51 a, The connecting wire 57 is attached to the proximal end portion of the vibration wire 51b and 51d, and the sheaths 58a to 58d support the vibration wires 51a to 51d.
The traction motor 55 is connected to the control unit 59, and the control unit 59 is further connected to the remote controller 9.

A central portion of the connection wire 57 is wound around the pulley 56. The vibration wires 51a to 51d are inserted into the sheaths 58a to 58d, respectively, and the shapes of the sheaths 58a to 58d are supported by support means (not shown), respectively, and the vibration wires 51a to 51d move in the sheaths 58a to 58d. However, the curved shapes of the sheaths 58a to 58d are configured not to change.
Then, by rotating the traction motor 55 in one direction, the vibration wire 51a and the vibration wire 51c are simultaneously pulled, the traction of the vibration wire 51b and the vibration wire 51d is released, and the traction motor 55 is rotated in the other direction. Thus, it is possible to pull the vibration wire 51b and the vibration wire 51d at the same time and to release the pulling of the vibration wire 51a and the vibration wire 51c.

The vibration wires 51 a to 51 d can adjust the switching speed for pulling them in order by operating the remote controller 9.
That is, for example, if the switching speed is 1 Hz, the vibrating wires 51a and 51c are pulled simultaneously, and the vibrating wires 51a and 51c are pulled 0.5 seconds after the pulling of the vibrating wires 51b and 51d is released. At the same time, the vibration wires 51b and 51d are pulled simultaneously, and after 0.5 second, the vibration wires 51a and 51c are pulled simultaneously and the vibration wires 51b and 51d are released.
Then, the control unit 59 continues to switch the towed vibration wires 51a to 51d at this constant speed.

Next, the operation of the endoscope apparatus 41 configured as described above will be described by taking as an example a case where the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope apparatus 41 is inserted into the duct and the inside of the duct Q is observed.
In addition, illustration of the 1st coating tube 17 is abbreviate | omitted in Fig.8 (a)-FIG.8 (e) and FIG.9 (a)-FIG.9 (e).
First, the user operates the remote controller 9 of the endoscope device 41 to supply power from the power supply unit to the illumination mechanism 10 to irradiate illumination light in front of the distal end configuration unit 2, and the observation mechanism 11 detects it. The image is displayed on the LCD monitor 7.
Next, while confirming the image displayed on the LCD monitor 7, the distal end constituting portion 2 of the insertion portion 4 is inserted into the pipe line Q indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5.

Here, the user operates the remote controller 9 to switch the vibration wires 51 a to 51 d to be pulled by the control unit 59 at a predetermined frequency.
More specifically, when the traction motor 55 is rotated in the other direction and the vibration wire 51b and the vibration wire 51d are simultaneously pulled, the cross sections of the insertion portion 4 and the vibration means 45 are as shown in FIG. . In this case, the movable rings 46 to 50 viewed from the direction B in FIG. 5 are shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E together with the insertion portion 4.
When the vibration wire 51b and the vibration wire 51d are pulled simultaneously, the vibration wires 51b and 51d are located between the distal end portion fixed to the bending piece 23 and the proximal end portion pulled by the connection wire 57. It will be stretched without loosening. At this time, the positions of the insertion portion 4 and the movable ring 48 do not change, but follow the vibration wires 51b and 51d, and the through holes 46b, 47b, 48b, 49b, 50b of the five types of movable rings 46 to 50, and The four types of movable rings 46, 47, 49, and 50 rotate around the insertion portion 4 so that the positions of the through holes 46 d, 47 d, 48 d, 49 d, and 50 d are aligned along the insertion portion 4. Or move in a direction that intersects D.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the movable ring 47 has the reference shown in FIG. 7B so that the through holes 47b and 47d are arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48b and 48d of the movable ring 48, respectively. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the position and moves by a certain distance M1 in the direction E1.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the movable ring 46 is shown in FIG. 7 (a) so that the through holes 46b and 46d are arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48b and 48d of the movable ring 48, respectively. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the reference position shown and moves in the direction E1 by a certain distance M2 larger than the distance M1.
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 8D, the movable ring 49 has the through holes 49b and 49d disposed on the direction D side of the through holes 48b and 48d of the movable ring 48, respectively. Rotate around the insertion portion 4 from the reference position shown in FIG. 3 and move by a distance M1 in the direction E3.
Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (e), the movable ring 50 is shown in FIG. 7 (e) so that the through holes 50b and 50d are arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48b and 48d of the movable ring 48, respectively. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the indicated reference position and moves in the direction E3 by a distance M2.

Next, when the traction motor 55 is rotated in one direction and the vibration wire 51a and the vibration wire 51c are simultaneously pulled, the movable rings 46 to 50 viewed from the direction B in FIG. ) To FIG. 9 (e).
When the vibrating wire 51a and the vibrating wire 51c are pulled simultaneously, the vibrating wires 51a and 51c are pulled together by the distal end fixed to the bending piece 23 and the connecting wire 57, as described above. It is in a state of being stretched without loosening between the ends. At this time, the positions of the insertion portion 4 and the movable ring 48 do not change, but follow the vibration wires 51a and 51c, and the through holes 46a, 47a, 48a, 49a, 50a of the five types of movable rings 46 to 50, and The four types of movable rings 46, 47, 49, 50 rotate around the insertion portion 4 so that the positions of the through holes 46c, 47c, 48c, 49c, 50c are aligned along the insertion portion 4, respectively. Or move in a direction that intersects D.

As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the movable ring 47 has the reference shown in FIG. 7 (b) such that the through holes 47a and 47c are arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48a and 48c of the movable ring 48, respectively. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the position and moves in the direction E2 by a distance M1.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the movable ring 46 has a through hole 46a, 46c in FIG. 7A so that the through hole 48a, 46c of the movable ring 48 is disposed on the direction D side. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the indicated reference position and moves in the direction E2 by a distance M2.
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9D, the movable ring 49 has the through holes 49a and 49c arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48a and 48c of the movable ring 48, respectively. From the reference position shown in FIG. 4 and rotates around the insertion portion 4 and moves in the direction E4 by a distance M1.
9 (e), the movable ring 50 is shown in FIG. 7 (e) so that the through holes 50a and 50c are arranged on the direction D side of the through holes 48a and 48c of the movable ring 48, respectively. It rotates around the insertion portion 4 from the indicated reference position and moves in the direction E4 by a distance M2.

In this way, by switching the direction in which the traction motor 55 is rotated, the movable ring 47 has the amplitude of the distance M1 in the direction E1 and the direction E2, and the movable ring 46 is in the direction E1 and the direction E2 around the respective reference positions. The movable ring 49 vibrates with the amplitude of the distance M1 in the directions E3 and E4, and the movable ring 50 vibrates with the amplitude of the distance M2 in the directions E3 and E4.
That is, the directions in which the movable ring 46 and the movable ring 47 vibrate are the directions E1 and E2, and the directions in which the movable ring 49 and the movable ring 50 vibrate are the directions E3 and E4. That is, the movable ring 46 and the movable ring 47 vibrate in different directions from the movable ring 49 and the movable ring 50.
Since the stopper member 24 is fixed to the vibration wires 51a to 51d at a fixed distance from the movable rings 46 to 50, the movable rings 46 to 50 vibrate also in the direction D. And the 1st covering tube 17 which covers the outside of a plurality of movable rings 46-50 also vibrates similarly to movable rings 46-50.

  As described in detail in the above-described embodiment, in this embodiment as well, the vibration of the first coated tube 17 is caused by the vibration of the component in the normal direction of the surface of the pipe line Q with which the first coated tube 17 abuts. The first covering tube 17 moves so as to be separated from the path Q.

As described above, in a state where the first coated tube 17 vibrates in the radial direction and the direction D of the insertion portion 4, the user operates the bending operation switch 9 a of the remote controller 9 to perform the bending operation on the bending portion 3. However, the distal end constituting portion 2 of the insertion portion 4 is inserted into the pipe line Q.
Then, the user observes the image inside the pipeline Q detected by the observation mechanism 11 on the LCD monitor 7.

Thus, according to the endoscope apparatus 41 of the second embodiment of the present invention, the movable rings 46 to 50 are orthogonal to the direction D and the direction D by operating the vibration wires 51 a to 51 d with the wire pulling unit 52. Vibrate in the direction. For this reason, even if the insertion portion 4 is in contact with the pipe line Q via the movable rings 46 to 50 and the first covering tube 17, the first covering tube 17 contacts among the vibrations of the first covering tube 17. Due to the component in the normal direction of the surface of the pipe line Q, the insertion part 4 can be separated from the pipe line Q, and the frictional resistance between the insertion part 4 and the pipe line Q is reduced and the insertability of the insertion part 4 is reduced. Can be increased.
Further, the plurality of movable rings 46 to 50 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction D by a simple operation of pulling the vibration wires 51 a to 51 d.

  Further, when the vibration wires 51a to 51d are pulled, the movable ring 46 and the movable ring 47, and the movable ring 49 and the movable ring 50 are configured to move in different directions when viewed from the direction D. Therefore, the insertion portion 4 can be separated from the pipe line Q in more different directions, and the frictional resistance between the insertion part 4 and the pipe line Q can be more reliably reduced.

In addition, you may comprise the movable rings 46-50 provided by this embodiment like the movable ring 61 and the movable ring 62 which are shown to Fig.10 (a) and FIG.10 (b), for example.
The movable ring 61 shown in FIG. 10A is formed in a ring shape. The pair of through holes 61 a and 61 b formed in the movable ring 61 are respectively disposed on one side of the reference line L <b> 61 passing through the center O <b> 11 of the movable ring 61.
Further, the movable ring 62 shown in FIG. 10B is different from the movable ring 61 only in the position of the through hole. That is, the pair of through holes 62 a and 62 b formed in the movable ring 62 are disposed on the other side of the reference line L 62 corresponding to the reference line L 61 of the movable ring 61.
These movable rings 61 and 62 are alternately arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 4 in, for example, the direction D, one vibration wire is inserted into the through holes 61a and 62a, and other vibrations are inserted into the through holes 61b and 62b. Insert the wire. Similarly to the above embodiment, by pulling these vibration wires, the movable ring 61 can be moved in the direction N1 and the movable ring 62 can be moved in the direction N2 with respect to the insertion portion 4. .

Moreover, in this embodiment, the movable rings 46-50 formed in the ring shape were used as a 2nd movable member. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the second movable member 64 may be formed in a C shape as long as the second movable member 64 is set so as not to be detached from the insertion portion 4 by the notched portion 64 a.
In the present embodiment, the first covering tube 17 is provided as the vibration means 45. However, since the insertion portion 4 can be vibrated by the movable rings 46 to 50 without the first covering tube 17, the first covering tube 17 may not be provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, the movable rings 46 to 50 are provided over the entire range of the proximal end side of the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion 4. However, the movable rings 46 to 50 may be provided in a part of the range on the proximal end side from the bending portion 3 of the insertion portion, or the entire insertion portion 4 including the distal end configuration portion 2 and the bending portion 3. It may be provided. The movable rings 46 to 50 do not have to be provided at the base end side of the insertion portion 4 and the portion disposed in the case body 6.
In the present embodiment, the movable ring can also be vibrated by pulling or loosening one vibration wire inserted through the through hole. For this reason, the number of vibration wires provided in the vibration means 45 may be any number as long as it is one or more.

  Further, in the present embodiment, five types of movable rings 46 to 50 are provided, but any number of types of movable rings provided in the vibration means may be used as long as they are one or more types. For example, only the movable rings 47 to 49 out of the movable rings 46 to 50 are provided, and these are arranged outside the insertion portion 4 in the order of the movable rings 47, 48, 49, 48, 47,. You may do it.

As mentioned above, although 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment of this invention were explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The structure of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention Changes are also included.
For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, compressed air is used as a fluid. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a gas such as helium or a liquid such as water or oil may be used.
Moreover, in this embodiment, although the curved part 3 was provided in the base end side of the front-end | tip structure part 2, this curved part 3 does not need to be provided.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the bending operation is performed by pulling the bending portion 3 of the endoscope apparatus by a motor (not shown) through an operation wire (not shown). However, the method of bending the bending portion 3 is not limited to this, and instead of the motor, for example, a known actuator that is deformed so as to be shortened in the extending direction by flowing a fluid therein may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,41 Endoscope apparatus 2 Tip structure part 4 Insertion part 5, 45 Vibration means 11 Observation mechanism 14 Multi-lumen tube (tube body)
15 Fluid Supply Unit 16 Movable Ring (First Movable Member)
18a, 18b accommodating portion 46-50, 61-63 movable ring (second movable member)
64 2nd movable member 46a-46d, 47a-47d, 48a-48d, 49a-49d, 50a-50d Through-hole (through-hole)
51a to 51d Wire for vibration 52 Wire pulling portion D direction Q Pipe line (subject)

Claims (10)

In an endoscope apparatus that includes an insertion portion having a distal end configuration portion that is disposed at a distal end portion and provided with an observation mechanism, and is used by inserting the insertion portion into a subject.
An endoscope apparatus characterized in that the insertion portion has a vibration means for generating vibration in a range closer to the proximal end side than the distal end constituting portion. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The vibration means includes a tube body that is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion and accommodates a fluid therein, and a fluid supply portion that can supply / discharge the fluid to / from the tube body. Endoscope device. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The vibration means includes a first movable member that moves at least in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion by supplying / discharging the fluid to / from the tube body outside the tube body. Endoscopic device characterized. In the endoscope apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The tube body is formed with a pair of storage portions for storing the fluid,
The pair of storage portions are provided at positions facing each other across the insertion portion in a cross section orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion, and are independently provided for each of the pair of storage portions by the fluid supply portion. An endoscope apparatus characterized in that the fluid can be supplied. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
The pair of accommodating portions is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion so as to be spiral in the length direction of the insertion portion. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The vibrating means is supported on the outer peripheral surface side of the insertion portion so as to be movable in a length direction of the insertion portion and a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion;
A vibrating wire that operates to vibrate the second movable member in a length direction of the insertion portion and a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insertion portion;
A wire pulling portion capable of pulling the vibration wire;
An endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising: The endoscope apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
A plurality of the second movable members are provided at intervals in the length direction of the insertion portion,
Each of the plurality of second movable members is formed with a through hole extending in the length direction of the insertion portion.
The vibration wire has a distal end portion fixed to the insertion portion on the distal end side of the plurality of second movable members,
The vibration wire is inserted through the through hole,
When the vibration wire is pulled, the plurality of second movable members are configured to follow this and move at least in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the insertion portion. Endoscopic device. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 7,
An endoscope apparatus configured such that when the vibration wire is pulled, the two second movable members move in different directions when viewed from the length direction of the insertion portion. . The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration means is provided over the entire range of at least the proximal end side of the insertion portion. The endoscope apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration means generates vibration at a frequency at which the insertion portion resonates.

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