JPH034830A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To liquid-tightly connect a tube and a branch part and to bring the inside of the branch part to complete waterproofing by forming at least the part coming into contact with the branch part of a casing tube and a connecting tube of an insertion part by a resin which can be brought to thermal welding to the branch part. CONSTITUTION:A protecting member 19 is divided into halves in the longitudinal direction as shown in a fifth figure by propylene, liquid crystal polymer, etc., and brought to two-split constitution, and on the front wall and the rear wall of split pieces 19a, 19b, plural semicircular grooves 23 are provided so as to be opposed to each other, the grooves 23 conform and a circular fitting hole is formed. On the center part of the inner wall of the split piece 19a, a positioning projection 29 for preventing a snake motion of a channel tube 8 is provided, and also, on the rear wall of each split piece 19a, 19b, a projection 30 for preventing a sink mark is provided so as to be positioned in the periphery of the groove 23. When each split piece 19a, 19b of the protecting member 19 is fixed temporarily and an insertion part 1, a connecting tube 3 and a channel tube 8 are connected, by installing it in a recessed part 27 forming an external appearance shape of a facing member 20 formed by the upper die 26a and the lower die 26b and allowing a resin of polyethylene, etc., to flow in from a gate 28, the facing member 29 is formed unitedly so as to cover the protecting member 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope in which a built-in object inserted into an insertion section, such as a light guide fiber or an image guide fiber, and a channel tube are branched at a branching section.

[Conventional technology]

° Conventionally, when observing the inside of a blood vessel or heart filled with opaque liquid such as blood, a light guide fiber for illumination light transmission, an image guide fiber for image transmission, and an observation area are placed inside the insertion section made of a flexible tube. An endoscope is used that is equipped with a channel tube that guides physiological saline to the observation area to temporarily exclude blood from the observation area to form a transparent area.

For such endoscopes, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-19521
As shown in Publication No. 6, a light guide fiber,
The image guide fiber and the channel tube are branched at a branch part connected to the proximal end of the insertion section, and the light guide fiber and image guide fiber are connected to the light source device and the image receiver through a universal cord, and the channel tube is provided at the branch part. It leads to the entrance of the channel. The structure of the conventional branch section is that the branch section is vertically divided in half as shown in Figure 6 in the same publication, and the grooves provided in these divided pieces are used to insert light guide fibers, image guide fibers, etc. Fit the proximal end of the insertion section into which the channel tube has been inserted, and then branch the light guide fiber and image guide fiber from the insertion section and fit them into separate grooves, and then attach each divided piece using adhesive and screws. The branch was assembled by fitting them together.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional JR structure, the proximal end of the insertion part was simply fitted into the groove provided in each divided piece of the branch part, and each divided piece was fixed with adhesive and screws.
It is not possible to completely and reliably ensure the watertightness of the connection between the insertion section and the branching section, and during use of the endoscope, blood and sewage may penetrate into the connection, causing damage to the internal light guide fiber and the image. There was a problem that the guide fiber deteriorated and became unusable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is an endoscope that can completely and reliably ensure the watertightness of the connection part of the branch part and eliminate the deterioration of built-in components due to the penetration of liquid into the branch part. The purpose is to provide

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a plurality of built-in parts are inserted into the outer skin tube to form an insertion part, and a proximal end of the insertion part is formed. In an endoscope in which a resin branch part that branches the built-in parts is connected, and a connection tube is connected to the branch part to insert the branched built-in parts and guide it to the outside, the built-in parts,
At least the portions of the outer skin tube and the connecting tube of the insertion portion that contact the branch portion are formed of a resin that can be thermally welded to the branch portion. As a result, the built-in components such as the channel tube, the outer skin tube of the insertion section, and the connecting tube can be connected to the branch part in a liquid-tight manner, and the inside of the branch part can be made completely waterproof.

〔Example〕

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.
This will be explained with reference to the diagram.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of the endoscope, which shows an insertion section 1 formed by inserting a plurality of built-in objects (to be described later) into a long flexible outer skin tube la, and the proximal end of this insertion section 1. A substantially Y-shaped branch part 2 connected to the branch part 2, a connecting tube 3 connected to the proximal end of the branch part 2, a first connector 4 provided at the extending end of the connecting tube 3, a first connector 4 provided at the extending end of the connecting tube 3, A light guide cable 5 connected to the first connector 4 and a second connector 6 provided at the extending end of the light guide cable 5.
Consisting of

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an observation optical system 7, a channel tube 8, and an illumination optical system 9 covering these are inserted into the outer skin tube 1a of the insertion section 1, as shown in FIGS. An observation section 10, a channel outlet 11, and an illumination section 12 are formed on the distal end surface of the insertion section 1.

The observation optical system 7 includes a plurality of objective lenses 14 in a lens frame 13.
and the distal end of the image guide fiber 15 is inserted and fixed, and this image guide fiber 15 is inserted into the insertion section 1.
, through the branch section 2 and the connecting tube 3 into a first connector 4, and is connected to a camera control section (not shown) via the first connector 4. Further, the illumination optical system 9 includes a light guide fiber 17 installed on the rear side of the illumination lens 16, and this light guide fiber 17 includes an insertion section 1, a branch section 2, a connecting tube 3, a first
It is guided into a second connector 6 through the connector 4 and the light guide cable 5, and is connected to a light source device (not shown) via the second connector 6. Further, the channel tube 8 is guided through the insertion section 1 into the branch section 2, and in this branch section 2, it branches into a light guide fiber 17 and an image guide fiber 15, and a channel tube provided at the proximal end of the branch section 2 is formed. It communicates with 18.

The branch portion 2 includes a box-shaped protection member 19 as shown in FIG.
and a resin exterior member 20 molded to cover the protective member 19, forming a double structure.

That is, the protective member 19 is made of polyethylene, polypropylene, liquid crystal polymer, etc., and is divided into two halves in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
A plurality of fitting recesses 21 are provided on the inner wall of the split piece 9a, and a plurality of fitting protrusions 22 that fit into the fitting recesses 21 are provided on the inner wall of the other divided piece 19b, as shown in FIG. ing. In addition, a plurality of semicircular grooves 23 are provided in the front and rear walls of these divided pieces 19a and 19b to face each other, and when the divided pieces 19a and 19b are fitted together, the grooves 23 of each other are They match to form a circular mounting hole. Furthermore, a positioning protrusion 29 for preventing the channel tube 8 from meandering is provided at the center of the inner wall of one of the divided pieces 19a, and the rear wall of each divided piece 19'a, 19b is provided around the grooves 23 in part. Protrusion 3 to prevent sinking located at
0 is set.

On the other hand, a first connection cap 24 is attached to the proximal end of the outer skin tube 1a of the insertion portion 1, and a second connection cap 25 is attached to the proximal end of the connection tube 3. For example, the insertion portion 1 is inserted into the groove 23 of the front wall of one of the divided pieces 19a.
At the same time, fit the first connection cap 24 into the groove 2 on the rear wall.
Fit the second connection cap 25 of the connection tube 3 into one of the connection tubes 3, and further branch the channel tube 8 extending from the first connection cap 24 into the light guide fiber 17 and the image guide fiber 15 and connect it straight to the rear wall. After fitting into the other groove 23 of the split piece 19a, the fitting protrusion 22 of the other split piece 19b is inserted into the fitting recess 21 of the other split piece 19a and fitted, thereby temporarily holding each of the split pieces 19a and 19b. The insertion portion 1, the connection tube 3, and the channel tube 8 are sandwiched and connected between the two while being fixed. here,
Since the positioning protrusion 29 is provided on one of the divided pieces 19a,
The channel tube 8 has a fitting recess 21 and a fitting protrusion 2.
2 and the positioning protrusion 29, and can prevent the channel tube 8 from meandering within the protection member 19. Further, the channel tube 8 and the connecting tube 3 are connected and fixed at an angle of approximately 20 degrees.

In this way, each divided piece 19a119b of the protection member 19
Once the insertion portion 1 and the connecting tube 3 have been temporarily fixed and the protective member 19 has been temporarily fixed, the external shape of the exterior member 20 formed on the upper mold 26a and the lower mold 26b is adjusted as shown in FIG. The exterior member 20 is integrally molded to cover the protective member 19 by installing it in the four parts 27 and pouring resin such as polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester, etc. from the sprue 28. Here, the protective member 19 is designed to prevent the resin material of the exterior member 20, which is coated on the entire outside thereof, from directly contacting the built-in components such as the light guide fiber 17, the image guide fiber 15, and the channel tube 8. protecting things. In addition, since the protrusions 30 are provided on each of the divided pieces 19a and 19b, the protrusions 30
Prevents the resin material from forming around the edges.

Here, the outer sheath tube LAS connection tube 3 and the channel tube 8 of the insertion portion 1 are each entirely formed of a resin that can be thermally welded to the resin material of the sheath member 20, such as polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester, etc. 20, the outer skin tube la, connection tube 3, and channel tube 8 of the insertion portion 1 are thermally welded to the exterior member 20. Note that the protective member 19 is made of resin (described above) that has a higher melting temperature than the exterior member 20, and will not be thermally deformed or melted during molding of the exterior member 20.

According to such a structure, the outer skin tube 1a of the insertion section 1
Since the connecting tube 3 and the channel tube 8 are entirely made of a resin that can be thermally welded to the resin material of the exterior member 20 of the branch section 2, the exterior tube la of the insertion section 1, the connection tube 3, and the channel tube 8 are connected to the exterior. Part 2
0 can be connected liquid-tightly, and the water-tightness of the connection part can be completely and reliably ensured. Therefore, the inside of the branch section 2 can be made completely waterproof, and during use of the endoscope, blood or sewage may penetrate into the connection section and cause the internal light guide fiber 17 and image guide fiber 15 to deteriorate or be damaged. It is possible to prevent functional deterioration.

8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the outer skin tube la of the insertion section 1, the connection tube 3, and the contact portion with the outer sheath member 20 of the branch section 2 in the connecting tube 3 and the channel tube 8, that is, from the proximal end of the outer skin tube 1a of the insertion section 1 to the first connection mouth. 24, heat-fusible resin tubes 45 made of polyolefin, PVC, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, etc. are fixed with adhesive or the like to the base end of the connecting tube 3 and the base end of the channel tube 8, respectively. . And the exterior member 20
During molding, the outer skin tube 1a of the insertion portion 1, the connecting tube 3, and the resin tube 45 of the channel tube 8 are thermally welded to the exterior member 20. Note that the other basic configurations, functions, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

10 and 11 show a third embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the image guide fiber 15 is replaced by a CC
Lens frame 1 with D31 inserted and fixed into the distal end of insertion section 1
It is placed on the rear end surface of No. 3.

Then, the image of the observation area is transferred to the CCD 31 using the objective lens 14.
The CCD 31 converts the image into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is passed from the CCD 31 through the insertion section 1, the branch section 2, and the universal cord 3 into the first connector 4 via the signal line 32. It is configured to be transmitted to the power-on-la-control unit. Note that the other basic configurations, functions, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, an adapter 35 is detachably attached to the first connector 4 provided at the extending end of the universal cord 3 in the first embodiment. In this way, by attaching the adapter 35 to the first connector 4,
In addition to visual observation via this adapter 35, the adapter 3
By attaching a photographing device such as a TV right camera cine camera to 5, TV observation and cine photography become possible.

FIG. 13 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, an eyepiece 41 is attached to the first connector 4. Even in this case, in addition to observation with the naked eye through the eyepiece 41, by attaching a photographing device such as a TV right camera cine camera to the eyepiece 41, it is possible to perform TV observation and cine photography.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, at least the portions of the internal components such as the channel tube, the outer skin tube of the insertion portion, and the connecting tube that contact the branch portion are made of a resin that can be thermally welded to the branch portion. These internal components, the outer skin tube of the insertion section, and the connecting tube can be connected to the branch section in a liquid-tight manner, and the water-tightness of the connection section can be completely and reliably ensured. Therefore, the inside of the branch part can be made completely waterproof, and while the endoscope is in use, blood and sewage can penetrate into the connection part and cause the built-in components such as the light guide fiber and image guide fiber to deteriorate, damage, and function. It is possible to prevent a decrease in

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a branching section showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the entire endoscope, FIG. 3 is a front view of the insertion section, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the protective member; FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the protective member; FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the mold; and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the protective member. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a branch part showing a second embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a protective member;
The figure is a front view of the insertion section showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and the first
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tip of the insertion section, FIG. 12 is a side view of the entire endoscope showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a side view of the endoscope showing the fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the whole mirror. l...Insertion part, 1a...Outer tube, 2...Branch part, 3...Connection tube, 8...Channel tube, 15...Image guide fiber, 17...
Light guide fiber, 45...resin tube.

Claims (1)

[Claims] an insertion section formed by inserting a plurality of built-in objects into an outer skin tube; a resin branching section connected to the proximal end of the insertion section and branching off the built-in objects; In an endoscope equipped with a connecting tube for inserting an object and guiding it to the outside, at least a portion of the built-in object, the outer skin tube of the insertion portion, and the connecting tube that contacts the branch portion is made of a resin that can be thermally welded to the branch portion. An endoscope characterized by being formed with.