CN114305295A

CN114305295A - Endoscope and endoscope system

Info

Publication number: CN114305295A
Application number: CN202011042962.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘丹; 施金秋; 林海凤; 刘永峰; 柳逸凡
Original assignee: Microport Urocare Jiaxing Co Ltd; Microport Urocare Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Microport Urocare Jiaxing Co Ltd; Microport Urocare Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-28
Filing date: 2020-09-28
Publication date: 2022-04-12
Also published as: WO2022062513A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an endoscope and an endoscope system, wherein the endoscope system comprises an endoscope, an image processor and a display, the endoscope is in communication connection with the image processor, the image processor is in communication connection with the display, the endoscope comprises a handle, an insertion part and a bending control module, the bending control module is arranged in the handle and the insertion part and is used for controlling the bending of the insertion part, the bending control module can drive a pull wire to move through a driving part of the bending control module to control the bending of the insertion part, and when the pull wire is loosened in the assembling or using process, an operator can manually adjust a fixing part, namely, the pull wire can be pre-tightened to enable the pull wire to be in a tightening state, so that the pre-tightening operation of the pull wire is simplified, and the pre-tightening difficulty is reduced.

Description

Endoscope and endoscope system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to an endoscope and an endoscope system.

Background

Endoscopes are a common medical device that may be used for a variety of examination and surgical procedures. Functional minimally invasive surgery with medical endoscopes has gained widespread acceptance by physicians and patients compared to traditional surgical procedures. As long as the medical endoscope utilizes natural holes of a human body or opens small holes when necessary, a doctor can perform the operation of the closed operation in the body by skillfully inserting the endoscope lens into the body.

The traditional endoscope operation is that a doctor controls an endoscope to a specified position manually through a handle, and then corresponding operation is carried out. Specifically, the existing endoscope includes a handle and an insertion portion, the insertion portion is used for entering the body and acquiring images by an imaging module at the front end, and the handle is used for controlling the bending of the front end of the insertion portion and adjusting the shape of the insertion portion. It can be seen that the handle is important as an operation control part in an endoscope, wherein the structure for controlling the bending of the insertion part is particularly critical, but the part is always a design difficulty in the industry, especially the design of a pull wire. The process degree of difficulty of the design of acting as go-between is high, and the equipment is also loaded down with trivial details, and the mirror tube often can be crooked and twist in the use moreover, and the acting as go-between is also twined easily, still can influence other tubular product and wire rod in the lumen to also can influence the crooked form of inserted part, produce snakelike problem. In particular, the pull wires are also susceptible to loosening during assembly and use, which can affect the bend control of the endoscope.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope and an endoscope system for reducing the process difficulty of the pull wire design, simplifying the assembly operation of the pull wire, and also capable of adjusting the pretension state of the pull wire, ensuring the bending performance of the endoscope.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides an endoscope comprising a handle and an insertion portion connected to a distal end of the handle; the endoscope further comprises a bending control module for controlling bending of the insertion portion;

the bending control module is arranged in the handle and the insertion part and comprises a driving part, a transmission part, a fixing part and a limiting part;

the fixing part is arranged on the driving part; the transmission part comprises a stay wire, one end of the stay wire is connected with the fixing part, and the other end of the stay wire is connected with the insertion part; the limiting part is used for limiting the extending direction of the pull wire;

the fixing part is configured to drive the pull wire to move under the driving of the driving part so as to control the bending of the insertion part; the fixing part is also configured to be driven to move to enable the pull wire to be in a tightening state when the pull wire is loosened; the securing portion is further configured to be locked when the wire is in a taut state.

Optionally, the fixing portion includes a fixing member, the driving portion includes a turntable, and the fixing member is rotatably disposed on the turntable;

the fixing piece is configured to be driven to rotate relative to the driving part when the pull wire is loosened, so that the pull wire is in a tightening state; the fixture is further configured to be self-locking when the puller wire is tightened.

Optionally, the fixing part further comprises a fixing sleeve, and the fixing part comprises a threading hole;

one end of the pull wire penetrates into the threading hole and then is connected with the fixing sleeve outside the threading hole, and the outer diameter of the fixing sleeve is larger than the inner diameter of the threading hole.

Optionally, the fixing member includes a rotatable cylinder, an outer surface of the cylinder protrudes outward to form an extension portion, and the extension portion is provided with the threading hole.

Optionally, the transmission part includes a plurality of the pull wires, and the fixing part includes a plurality of the fixing parts; one end of each stay wire is connected with the inserting part, and the other end of each stay wire is connected with the corresponding fixing piece.

Optionally, the endoscope further comprises a circuit board disposed within the handle or the insertion portion; the circuit board is used for converting analog signals of images acquired by the endoscope into digital signals and outputting the digital signals, and/or the circuit board is used for recording identification information of the endoscope;

the endoscope still includes imaging module, imaging module sets up the distal end of portion of inserting, imaging module through the coaxial line with the circuit board is connected, the coaxial line has the shielding layer, shielding layer ground connection sets up, and/or, the portion of inserting includes the metal inner tube, metal inner tube ground connection sets up.

Optionally, the handle includes an outlet for leading out an external cable, and the outlet is provided with a connector for plugging with the external cable; the connector is used for receiving and outputting the digital signal output by the circuit board; the circuit board is connected with the connector through a short wire, or the connector is arranged on the circuit board.

Optionally, the handle includes an outlet for leading out an external cable; the handle is provided with a holding area, and the wire outlet is arranged on one side of the holding area facing to the far end of the handle; the axis of the outlet forms an included angle with a preset direction, the included angle is smaller than or equal to 90 degrees, the preset direction is the direction that the near end of the handle points to the far end, and/or the outlet is provided with a connector used for being plugged with an external cable.

Optionally, the driving part comprises a rotating disc and a handle connected with the rotating disc, and the handle is arranged outside the handle; the handle is used for driving the turntable to rotate; the insertion part comprises a head end part, a bending part and a flexible pipe part which are sequentially connected in the axial direction;

the limiting part comprises a first limiting part and a second limiting part; the first limiting part is arranged in the handle and is used for limiting the extending direction of the pull wire in the handle; the second limiting part is arranged in the inserting part and used for limiting the extending direction of the pull wire in the inserting part;

the first limiting part comprises a stay wire cover and a stay wire positioning piece; the pull wire cover is fixed on the edge of the rotary disc to enclose a part of the rotary disc to form a pull wire cavity, and the periphery of the pull wire cavity is sealed; the stay wire positioning piece is arranged on one side of the rotary disc close to the inserting part; the stay wire positioning piece is provided with a through hole, and the through hole is circumferentially closed;

the second limiting part comprises a first wire drawing groove and a second wire drawing groove, the first wire drawing groove is arranged in the bending part, the second wire drawing groove is arranged in the flexible pipe part, and the first wire drawing groove is axially communicated with the second wire drawing groove;

the pull wire includes a body having a first end and a second end; after the first end is connected with the fixing piece, the body sequentially penetrates into the stay wire cavity, the through hole, the second stay wire groove and the first stay wire groove, and then the second end is connected with the bending part.

Optionally, the insertion portion includes a head end portion, a bending portion, and a flexible tube portion, which are sequentially connected in the axial direction, and a coating layer is formed on an outer surface of the flexible tube portion.

Optionally, the endoscope further comprises an imaging module, an illumination module and a working channel; the imaging module and the illumination module are both disposed at a distal end of the insertion portion, a portion of the working channel is disposed within the insertion portion, and another portion is disposed within the handle;

the insertion portion comprises a distal head end portion comprising a head end sleeve and a head end assembly seat; the head end sleeve is sleeved on the head end assembling seat; the head end assembling seat comprises a plurality of axially through installing grooves; the imaging module, the lighting module and the working channel are all arranged in one corresponding mounting groove; the head end sleeve pipe with the head end assembly seat is an integrated structure, or the head end sleeve pipe with the head end assembly seat is a split structure.

Optionally, the head portion further includes a transparent protective cover covering the imaging module and the illumination module, and/or a heat conduction module is disposed outside the illumination module.

Optionally, the imaging module and the lighting module are both sheathed with an insulating tube, and/or the exterior of the imaging module and the lighting module is filled with colloid.

Optionally, the imaging module includes an image sensor and a pad welding part, and the image sensor is fixed on the pad welding part; the welding pad parts are arranged in corresponding mounting grooves, and the length of the mounting grooves for assembling the welding pad parts is configured to cover all welding points on the welding pad parts;

the endoscope also comprises an image transmission signal wire which is welded with the welding pad, and the part of the image transmission signal wire, which is connected with the welding pad, is filled with colloid.

To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention also provides an endoscope system comprising the endoscope, an image processor and a display; the endoscope is communicatively coupled to the image processor, which is communicatively coupled to the display.

The endoscope and the endoscope system of the present invention have the following advantages:

firstly, the endoscope controls the insertion part of the endoscope to bend through the bending control module, and the fixing part in the bending control module can be driven to move when the pull wire is loose so that the pull wire is in a tight state, and the fixing part can be locked when the pull wire is in the tight state. Therefore, if the stay wire becomes loose in the assembling process or the using process, the pretension of the stay wire can be realized only by manually adjusting the fixing part, and the idle stroke problem of the stay wire is avoided, so that the bending control performance of the endoscope is ensured, and the endoscope can finish the preset bending action;

secondly, a fixing part in a bending control module in the endoscope comprises a fixing sleeve and a fixing part, the fixing part comprises a threading hole, and the outer diameter of the fixing sleeve is larger than the inner diameter of the threading hole, so that only one end of a stay wire needs to penetrate into the threading hole and be fixed by the fixing sleeve during actual assembly, and the structure simplifies the structure for fixing the stay wire and also simplifies the operation for fixing the stay wire;

thirdly, the endoscope converts the analog signals of the images into digital signals through the circuit board for transmission, so that the stability of the image signals is improved, the anti-interference performance of the image signals is improved, and the imaging quality of the output image signals is better.

Drawings

The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the invention and are not to be construed as unduly limiting the invention. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the endoscope with internal structures shown at the proximal end in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the configuration of the head end portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the insertion portion of the endoscope assembled with the various modules at the tip end portion in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the handle of the endoscope in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a structure in which a driving portion, a fixing portion and a position-limiting portion are disposed inside a handle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial view of the handle in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with a drive portion, a fixation portion, and a stop portion disposed within the handle;

FIG. 8 is an end view of a first score line groove in the inner metal tube of the bend in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an end view of a second wireway in the metal inner tube of the flexible tube portion in a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Description of reference numerals:

1000-endoscope;

1001-handle;

1002-an insertion portion;

1021-head end;

1021 a-a head end sleeve;

1021 b-a head end mount;

1021 c-a first mounting groove;

1021 d-a second mounting groove;

1021 e-a third mounting groove;

1022-a curved portion;

1022' -the inner metal tube of the bend;

1023-a flexible tube portion;

1023' -a metal inner tube of the flexible tube portion;

1024 — an imaging module;

1025-lighting module;

1026 — working channel;

1027-image transmission signal line;

1028 — a power line;

1029-pad solder;

1003-a driving part;

1031-a turntable;

1032-a stay wire;

1033-a handle;

1034-a fixture;

1035-fixed sleeve;

1036-a pull wire lumen;

1037-pull cover;

1038-a pull wire positioning member;

1006-a multi-pass interface;

1061-instrument channel entrance;

1062-water injection channel inlet;

1007-a break-resistant portion;

1008-circuit board;

1009-outlet;

1010-connector;

1011-short-circuit line;

1012-a holding area;

101-a first wireway;

102-second wireway.

103-stay wire sleeve.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings provided in the present embodiment are only for illustrating the basic idea of the present invention, and the components related to the present invention are only shown in the drawings rather than drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation, and the type, quantity and proportion of the components in actual implementation may be changed freely, and the layout of the components may be more complicated.

Furthermore, each of the embodiments described below has one or more technical features, and thus, the use of the technical features of any one embodiment does not necessarily mean that all of the technical features of any one embodiment are implemented at the same time or that only some or all of the technical features of different embodiments are implemented separately. In other words, those skilled in the art can selectively implement some or all of the features of any embodiment or combinations of some or all of the features of multiple embodiments according to the disclosure of the present invention and according to design specifications or implementation requirements, thereby increasing the flexibility in implementing the invention.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, and the plural forms "a plurality" includes more than two referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification, the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise, and the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected. Either mechanically or electrically. Either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

To further clarify the objects, advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. It is to be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are not to precise scale, which is merely for the purpose of facilitating and distinctly claiming the embodiments of the present invention. The same or similar reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements.

As used herein, the terms "proximal" and "distal" refer to the relative orientation, relative position, and orientation of elements or actions with respect to one another from the perspective of a clinician using the medical device, and although "proximal" and "distal" are not intended to be limiting, the term "proximal" generally refers to the end of the medical device that is closer to the clinician during normal operation, and the term "distal" generally refers to the end that is first introduced into a patient.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of the construction of an endoscope in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the endoscope 1000 includes a handle 1001 and an insertion portion 1002. The insertion portion 1002 is connected to the distal end of the handle 1001. The endoscope 1000 also includes a bending control module for controlling the bending of the insertion portion 1002. The bending control module comprises a driving part 1003, the driving part 1003 comprises a rotary disc 1031 (or operating hand wheel) for controlling the bending of the front end of the insertion part 1002, and the rotary disc 1031 is arranged in the handle 1001. The driving unit 1003 further includes a handle 1033 disposed outside the handle 1001 and connected to the dial 1031. As shown in fig. 2, by operating the handle 1033 outside the handle 1001, the rotation disc 1031 can be driven to rotate to move the pulling wire 1032 connected to the rotation disc 1031, thereby controlling the bending of the front end of the insertion portion 1002. The bending control module further comprises a transmission part, a fixing part and a limiting part. The fixing portion is disposed on the driving portion 1003 and is used for connecting with the transmission portion. The driving part 1003 is used for driving the transmission part to move through the fixing part. The limiting part is used for restricting the extending direction of the stay wire 1032.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, in conjunction with fig. 1, the transmission portion includes a pulling wire 1032, and one end of the pulling wire 1032 is connected to the fixing portion, and the other end is connected to the insertion portion 1002. The fixing part is configured to drive the pulling wire 1032 to move under the driving of the driving part 1003 so as to control the bending of the insertion part 1002; the fixation portion is further configured to be driven into motion when the wire 1032 is slack, such that the wire 1032 is in a taut state (i.e., pre-tensioned); the fixation portion is further configured to be locked when the wire 1032 is in a taut state, maintaining the wire 1032 in a taut state. Here, it should be appreciated that consideration is often required in designing the wire 1032 to maintain the wire 1032 in a taut state if the active bending of the insertion portion 1002 is to be controlled by the wire 1032, for which not only the proper wire length needs to be calculated, but also the wire 1032 needs to be secured in tension during assembly. Therefore, the endoscope 1000 of the invention adjusts the pretightening state of the stayguy 1032 through the fixing part, so that the stayguy 1032 does not have idle stroke problem in the assembling or using process, thereby ensuring the bending control performance of the endoscope and leading the endoscope to better complete the preset bending action.

With continued reference to fig. 2-5, the securing portion may include a securing member 1034, and the securing member 1034 may be rotatably disposed on the turntable 1031. One end of the stay 1032 is connected to the fixing member 1034, and the other end is connected to the insertion portion 1002. In operation, the fastener 1034 is configured to move the wire 1032 under the driving of the dial 1031 to control the bending of the insertion portion 1002, and the fastener 1034 is further configured to be driven to rotate when the wire 1032 is slack to make the wire 1032 in a tight state, and the fastener 1034 is further configured to be locked when the wire 1032 is in a tight state to maintain the tight state of the wire 1032. So set up, in endoscope assembling process or use, can realize acting as go-between 1032 pretension through rotatory mounting 1034, not only the pretension is effectual, and the pretension operation is also simpler moreover, and is convenient, has avoided the tradition to assemble the endoscope or use the endoscope after, need relapse dismouting and debugging come the trouble that the pretension acted as go-between.

Further, the number of the stay wires 1032 is not required by the present invention, and the stay wires may be set according to the actual bending control requirement. For example, when bending is controlled in one direction, only one pull wire 1032 needs to be configured, and when bending is controlled in two directions, two pull wires are configured, or bending control needs in more directions are required, more pull wires 1032 are provided. And the pulling wire 1032 is plural, the plural pulling wires 1032 are arranged in the handle 1001 and the insertion portion 1002 without interfering with each other.

Optionally, the transmission portion includes two pulling wires 1032 for realizing bidirectional bending control, and one fixing piece 1034 is configured for each pulling wire 1032, and the pulling wires 1032 are connected with different fixing pieces 1034. Specifically, one end of each of the two pulling wires 1032 is connected to the insertion portion 1002, and the other end is connected to a corresponding one of the fixing members 1034. In the following description, assuming that the transmission portion includes two wires 1032, a person skilled in the art should be able to modify the following description, which is applied to cases other than the two wires 1032, with appropriate modifications in detail.

The two wires 1032 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the turntable 1031, and the two wires do not interfere with each other. Further, as shown in fig. 4, the fixing portion further includes a fixing sleeve 1035, the fixing piece 1034 includes a threading hole (not labeled), one end of the pull wire 1032 penetrates through the threading hole and then is connected to the fixing sleeve 1035 outside the threading hole, and the outer diameter of the fixing sleeve 1035 is larger than the inner diameter of the threading hole, so that the connection between the pull wire 1032 and the fixing piece 1034 can be realized, and the one end of the pull wire 1032 is prevented from coming out of the threading hole. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the manner in which the anchor 1034 engages the wire 1032, and is not limited to the manner in which the anchor 1035 is snapped into place. Here, the advantage of the present invention that the pull wire 1032 is fixed by the fixing sleeve 1035 is that the structure is simple, the assembly is convenient, and the operation of fixing the pull wire is simplified. Optionally, the fixing member 1034 includes a rotatable cylinder (not labeled), and an outer surface of the cylinder protrudes outward to form an extension (not labeled), and the extension is provided with the threading hole. The axis of the threaded bore is preferably arranged in the pretensioning direction, for example tangentially to the direction of rotation of the pretensioning.

In some embodiments, the fastener 1034 is configured to be self-locking when the wire 1032 is in a tensioned state, for example, the fastener 1034 is a screw with a washer, and the fastener 1034 can be tightened by the screw with the washer to increase the friction between the fastener 1034 and the contact surface of the disc 1031, thereby fixing the fastener 1034 and preventing the fastener 1034 from rotating. In other embodiments, the retainer further comprises a locking member for locking the retainer 1034 when the retainer 1034 is rotated to the pre-tightening position, the locking member preferably being screwed to the retainer 1034, and the locking member may be disposed outside or inside the handle 1001.

When there are two pull wires 1032, there are two corresponding fixing pieces 1034, the two fixing pieces 1034 may be disposed at the edge of the rotary plate 1031, and the two fixing pieces 1034 may be located on the same radius of the rotary plate 1031 or on different radii. In addition, the direction of rotation of the mount 1034 during pretensioning depends on the position of the pull wire 1032 on the mount 1034. For example, in this embodiment, one fastener 1034 is rotated clockwise as indicated by arrow a in fig. 4 to pretension the wire 1032 connected thereto, while the other fastener 1034 is rotated counterclockwise to pretension the wire 1032 connected thereto.

As shown in fig. 1, the insertion portion 1002 includes a head end portion 1021, a bending portion 1022, and a flexible tube portion 1023 that are axially connected in this order. The head 1021 is used to mount an imaging module 1024 and an illumination module 1025, as well as a working channel 1026, mentioned later. The head end 1021 is a rigid member, and the material may be a hard polymer material or a metal material. Here, rigidity means the ability of an object to resist deformation, and is not easily deformed by an external force. In this embodiment, the material of the head end 1021 is a hard polymer material, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or Polyimide (PI), and is not limited in particular. The flexure 1022 is used to provide multi-directional active bending under the control of a bending control module. The flexible tube portion 1023 is used to provide passive bending and is stiffer than the bending portion 1022. Passive bending here means that there is no external mechanism to control its bending, but that it can adaptively bend autonomously when it encounters an obstruction.

Further, since the flexible endoscope tube is often bent and twisted during use, the pulling wire 1032 may be twisted together without a limit, and may even affect other tubes and wires in the tube cavity, and may also affect the bending form of the flexible tube portion 1023 of the insertion portion 1002, resulting in a snake-like shape, for this reason, the present invention utilizes the limit portion to restrict the extending direction of the pulling wire 1032 in the handle 1001 and the insertion portion 1002, and avoids the problem of twisting and interference with other tubes and wires.

The limiting part comprises a first limiting part and a second limiting part; the first limiting part is arranged in the handle 1001 and used for limiting the extending direction of the stay wire 1032 in the handle 1001; the second limiting portion is disposed in the insertion portion 1002 and is used for limiting the extending direction of the pull wire 1032 in the insertion portion 1002. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the first position-limiting portion includes a wire cavity 1036 formed at the outer periphery of the rotating disc 1031 and extending along a portion of the circumferential direction of the rotating disc 1031, and the wire cavity 1036 is closed at the periphery and only has an inlet and an outlet reserved at two circumferential ends. The puller wire 1032 includes a body having opposite first and second ends, a portion of the body passing through the puller wire lumen 1036 after the first end of the body is coupled to the anchor 1034, and the second end of the body coupled to the curved portion 1022 of the insertion portion 1002. The length of the wire cavity 1036 is such that when the dial 1031 is rotated in one direction, the wire 1032 on one side is tight and the wire 1032 on the other side is loose, so that the loose wire 1032 will not leave the wire cavity 1036.

Further, the first position-limiting portion includes a wire cover 1037, and the wire cover 1037 is fixed at an edge of the rotary plate 1031 to enclose a portion of the rotary plate 1031 and form a wire cavity 1036. The pull wire cover 1037 is preferably fastened on the rotary disk 1031 for fixation, and the assembly is convenient. The wire cover 1037 is not limited in structure, and can be U-shaped or V-shaped or have an opening, and the outer contour of the wire cover 1037 is curved to fit the dial 1031. The first position-limiting portion further includes a wire positioning member 1038 disposed in front of the rotary plate 1031 (i.e., on the side closer to the insertion portion 1002) for further restricting the extending direction of the wire 1032 in the handle 100. The stay wire positioning piece 1038 is provided with a through hole for allowing the stay wire 1032 to penetrate through, and the through hole is circumferentially closed to prevent the stay wire 1032 from falling off. Thus, the body of the wire 1032 further penetrates the through hole of the wire positioning member 1038 after passing through the wire lumen 1036, and then penetrates the insertion portion 1002. The stay wire positioning piece 1038 is preferably an injection molding piece, and is simple in structure and convenient to machine. The wire positioning member 1038 is fixed in the handle 1001, for example, by designing a bracket in the handle to fix the wire positioning member 1038. And each stay wire 1032 is provided with at least one stay wire positioning piece 1038, and the stay wire positioning pieces 1038 on the two stay wires 1032 are arranged in an included angle, so that the two stay wires 1032 are prevented from being interfered. The two wires 1032 are respectively led out from the corresponding wire cavity 1036 and are spatially arranged in a crossed manner, the crossed manner does not mean that the two wires are actually contacted with each other, but the two wires 1032 are vertically staggered, the two wires are respectively penetrated into the corresponding wire positioning piece 1038 after being crossed, and after being led out from the wire positioning piece 1038, the two wires 1032 extend into the insertion portion 1002 in parallel or in an angle manner. The second limiting part comprises a stay wire groove axially extending in the inserting part 1002, and the body sequentially penetrates into the stay wire cavity, the through hole and the stay wire groove (the second stay wire groove is penetrated first, and then the first stay wire groove is penetrated).

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the wire-drawing grooves of the second limiting portion include a first wire-drawing groove 101 and a second wire-drawing groove 102. The first wire drawing groove 101 is disposed in the bent portion 1022 of the insertion portion 1002 and extends axially in the metal inner tube 1022' of the bent portion 1022. Alternatively, the first wire drawing groove 101 is press-formed by machining or external application of force. In this embodiment, the number of the first wire drawing grooves 101 is two, the first wire drawing grooves are oppositely arranged and independent of each other, and each first wire drawing groove 101 is used for penetrating one wire drawing 1032. The positions of the two first wire drawing grooves 10 are determined according to actual requirements and are not limited to symmetrical arrangement. In addition, the number of the first wire drawing grooves is also set according to the number of the wires 1032, and is not limited to 2 described in this example. The second wire drawing groove 102 is provided in the flexible tube portion 1023 of the insertion portion 1002 and extends axially in the metal inner tube 1023' of the flexible tube portion 1023. Preferably, a wire sleeve 103 is provided in the metal inner tube 1023' of the flexible tube portion 1023 to construct the second wire drawing groove 102, so as to reduce the difficulty of processing. Since the flexible tube portion 1023 is long, if a groove is directly formed in the metal inner tube 1023', the forming process is complicated and the forming difficulty is high. And the bending part 1022 is shorter, and an axially extending groove can be directly machined in the metal inner pipe to construct the first bracing wire groove 101, so that the construction is more convenient. The wire sleeve 103 is fixed to the inner side of the metal inner tube 1023' of the flexible tube portion 1023 by laser welding.

Further, the bending part 1022 is at least a two-layer composite tube, wherein the inner layer is a metal inner tube 1022', and the outer layer is a polymer outer tube. Preferably, a metal braid or a spring tube is added between the inner tube and the outer tube of the bending part 1022 to better protect the inner metal tube 1022', improve the durability of the endoscope, and facilitate the design of the outer polymer tube as a heat shrinkable tube. The material of the polymer outer tube of the bending part 1022 may be selected from silicone rubber, fluoro-rubber, vinylidene fluoride, and the like. Further, considering that the flexibility of the bending part 1022 is higher in priority than the flexibility, it is more preferable to use PEBAX or polyurethane for the polymer outer tube of the bending part 1022 in terms of material selection. It should be appreciated that the polymer outer tube of the bending part 1022 needs to have good flexibility and elasticity so as to perform an active bending action, and the flexibility makes it easy to control the bending, and the elasticity makes the outer skin not to have a significant wrinkle during the bending action. The inner metal tube of the bending part 1022 is a flexible tube having good flexibility and elasticity, and generally, the inner metal tube of the bending part 1022 is configured in a serpentine structure, and the material is not limited to stainless steel. The snake bone structure is beneficial to controlling the bending flexibility of the bending part 1022 and the attractiveness of the bending form, the preset bending action is realized, meanwhile, the driving force value for controlling the bending can be greatly reduced, and the use experience of a user is improved. In this embodiment, the snake bone structure is a metal snake bone in a common hinge form, and is formed by laser engraving and processing a metal pipe. In the aspect of processing technology, the laser engraving integrated forming can greatly reduce the forming time of sequentially processing and assembling the traditional single snake bone section. Further, the polymer outer tube of the bending part 1022 may be an extruded tube, which is sleeved on the metal inner tube and connected thereto. Here, if there is no metal braid or spring tube between the metal inner tube and the polymer outer tube, the polymer outer tube at the bending portion 1022 cannot use the heat shrinkable tube because the heat shrinkable tube is inserted into the gap of the snake bone after heat shrinkage, which makes it difficult for the snake bone (i.e., the metal inner tube) to perform a predetermined bending operation. If a metal braid or a spring tube is disposed between the inner metal tube and the outer polymer tube, the outer polymer tube of the bending portion 1022 may use a heat shrinkable tube because the heat shrinkable tube is not inserted into the gap of the snake bone.

The flexible tube portion 1023 is typically a three-layer composite tube having, in order from the inside to the outside, a metal inner tube 1023', a metal braid, and a polymer outer tube. The polymer outer tube of the flexible tube portion 1023 is usually thin and tough, and may be made of polymer material such as vinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, polyolefin, PEBAX, and the like, and especially, the polymer material with low friction is selected to make the outer surface of the polymer outer tube of the flexible tube portion 1023 smooth. The metal braid of the flexible tube portion 1023 is braided with metal wires for increasing the strength of the flexible tube portion 1023. The metal inner tube 1023' of the flexible tube portion 1023 is a flexible tube having good flexibility and elasticity, and is processed in a non-limited manner, such as laser cutting, and the material of the metal inner tube includes, but is not limited to, stainless steel. The polymer outer tube of the flexible tube portion 1023 has flexibility and rigidity, which need to be balanced, and a certain flexibility can make the endoscope 1000 go deep into the focus more easily, and because the flexible tube portion 1023 is harder than the bending portion 1022, the bending portion 1022 completes a predetermined bending action and the flexible tube portion 1023 does not bend greatly in the process of controlling active bending.

The process of making the flexible tube portion 1023 should be convenient, for example, in a non-limiting manner, the inner metal tube may be laser cut and then the metal wire may be braided over the inner metal tube to form a metal braid, and then the outer polymer tube may be heat shrunk over the metal braid. Here, the metal braid is added for the purpose of increasing the hardness of the flexible tube portion 1023, protecting the flexible tube portion 1023, and enhancing the torque transmission performance of the endoscope tube (there is a need to twist the endoscope tube during the operation). Here, the advantage of selecting the heat shrinkable tube as the polymer outer tube of the flexible tube portion 1023 is that, because the metal inner tube of the flexible tube portion 1023 is long, the process of sheathing the polymer tube is difficult to perform in the process, and the process of the heat shrinkable tube is simple and stable, so that the difficulty in manufacturing the flexible tube portion 1023 can be reduced. Further, a coating, such as an in-person coating or an antibacterial coating or other coating, is preferably provided on the outer surface of the flexible tube portion 1023 to be suitable for various use environments.

In actual assembly, the bending part 1022 and the flexible tube part 1023 are sequentially connected to form an endoscope tube, a tube material and a wire material are arranged in the inner cavity of the endoscope tube, the tube material comprises a working channel 1026, a wire drawing sleeve 103 and the like, and the wire material comprises a power supply wire 1028, an image transmission signal wire 1027, a wire drawing 1032 and the like.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the endoscope 1000 further includes an imaging module 1024 provided at a head end portion 1021 of the insertion portion 1002 and used to capture an image. The imaging module 1024 may include an image sensor, such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor. The endoscope 1000 also includes an illumination module 1025, also disposed at a head end 1021 of the insertion portion 1002, for providing illumination. The illumination mode of the illumination module 1025 can be cold light source matched with optical fiber light guide beam, and can also be LED illumination.

Further, the head end portion 1021 comprises a head end sleeve 1021a and a head end assembling seat 1021b, and the head end sleeve 1021a is sleeved on the head end assembling seat 1021b to circumferentially close the head end assembling seat 1021 b. The head end sleeve 1021a and the head end assembling seat 1021b may be integrally manufactured or may be separately manufactured and assembled. Compared with the integral manufacturing and molding, the separated manufacturing is beneficial to reducing the processing difficulty of the head end part 1021, and the size of the head end part 1021 is reduced. The head end assembling seat 1021b comprises a plurality of mounting grooves which are separately arranged, the mounting grooves are mutually independent and do not interfere with each other, and each mounting groove axially penetrates through the head end assembling seat 1021 b. The imaging module 1024, the lighting module 1025 and the working channel 1026 are disposed in a corresponding one of the mounting slots.

Further, the mounting grooves include a first mounting groove 1021c, a second mounting groove 1021d and a third mounting groove 1021 e; the first mounting groove 1021c is used for assembling an imaging module 1024; the second mounting groove 1021d is used for assembling a working channel 1026; the third mounting groove 1021e is used for mounting the lighting module 1025. Optionally, the third mounting grooves 1021e are two and may be symmetrically arranged, and each third mounting groove 1021e is used for assembling one lighting module 1025.

Further, when the imaging module 1024 and the illumination module 1025 are assembled, glue can be filled around the imaging module 1024 and the illumination module 1025, and the glue can fix the modules and can insulate to ensure the electrical safety. Preferably, the outside of the imaging module 1024 and the illumination module 1025 can be covered with an insulating tube, preferably a heat-shrinkable tube, where the material of the heat-shrinkable tube is preferably PET. Therefore, the insulation between the electronic components is further ensured through the insulating tube, and the electrical safety is enhanced. And the heat shrinkable tube can be made thin enough to avoid increasing the outer diameter of the head end portion 1021. Furthermore, light leakage at the side face of the imaging module 1024 can be prevented by selecting a dark-colored heat shrink tube and/or dark-colored glue. In actual operation, the insulating tube is coated, then the insulating tube is arranged in the corresponding mounting groove, and then glue is poured. Further, can set up transparent safety cover on imaging module 1024 and illumination module 1025, protect imaging module 1024 and illumination module 1025, and these two modules share a safety cover, and the safety cover can the printing opacity, and the macromolecular material is chooseed for use to the material, just the through-hole that exposes working channel 1026 need be reserved to the safety cover. Further, the image sensor in the imaging module is mounted on a pad solder 1029, as shown in fig. 6, the pad solder 1029 covers the image sensor, when assembling, the pad solder 1029 is first disposed in the first mounting groove 1021c, and then glue is filled and cured, and the length of the first mounting groove 1021c at least needs to cover all the welding points on the pad solder 1029, so that the glue can protect and strengthen the welding points, preferably, the head end sleeve 1021a is then mounted on the outer side, and further glue is filled and cured in the head end sleeve 1021a to strengthen the connection strength between the image transmission signal line 1027 and the pad solder 1029, and avoid the problem of welding falling off due to pulling of the signal line. Here, the present invention connects the signal lines by leading out the solder joints, thereby avoiding adding an auxiliary circuit in the endoscope and reducing the size of the head end 1021.

Further, the inventor finds that the image optical signal collected by the image sensor is usually converted into an analog electrical signal for output, but the analog signal is fragile and easily subjected to external interference and attenuation of self signal in the transmission process, especially in the case of long-distance transmission, for example, the endoscope is far away from the image processor receiving the signal and is about 4 meters, in this situation, if the image transmission signal is transmitted by using only a conventional signal line, the analog signal is very easy to attenuate and is subjected to external noise interference, so that the image quality of the image output to the display is very poor, and problems such as snowflake screen and black screen are easily caused.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of analog signal transmission, in some embodiments, the imaging module 1024 transmits analog signals of the acquired images through a coaxial cable, for example, the image transmission signal line 1027 in the endoscope 1000 is a coaxial cable, even a part of an external cable connected to the endoscope 1000 is a coaxial cable, which is costly if all the external cables are coaxial cables. The coaxial line can play a good protection role in the analog signal, thereby reducing the signal attenuation, avoiding the external noise interference and improving the imaging picture quality. In designing, the outer diameter of the coaxial line is made as small as possible for the signal line of the endoscope portion for easy assembly, and the core line is made thick to reduce the attenuation of the signal. In order to further reduce external interference, it is preferable to ground the outer shield layer of the coaxial line, and/or ground the metal inner tube of the insertion portion 1002 (the metal inner tube including the bent portion 1022 and/or the flexible tube portion 1023).

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, a circuit board 1008 may be disposed in the handle 1001, and in this case, the imaging module 1024 is preferably connected to the circuit board 1008 through a coaxial line so as to convert analog signals of the acquired images into digital signals through the circuit board 1008 and output the digital signals, thereby reducing signal attenuation and external interference. It should be understood that the coaxial line and analog-to-digital conversion may be used in combination or alternatively. In other embodiments, the circuit board 1008 can also be disposed on the insertion portion 1002, and since the lens tube of the insertion portion 1002 is thin, the inner cavity has a small size, and the space is limited, if a chip with a small size is selected and the circuit board is integrated, the circuit board is more suitably disposed in the lens tube of the insertion portion 1002 close to the signal source. The power line 1028 and the image transmission signal line 1027 are both connected to the circuit board 1008. The circuit board 1008 is preferably connected to a connector 1010 at an outlet 1009, the outlet 1009 is used for leading out an external cable, and the connector 1010 is used for receiving and outputting the digital signal output by the circuit board 1008. The external cable is arranged outside the handle and is used for being connected with the image processor. Alternatively, the connector 1010 is connected to the circuit board 1008 by a shorting stub 1011, or the connector 1010 is disposed directly on the circuit board 1008. Therefore, the image collected by the endoscope can be transmitted to the image processor by only plugging the external cable on the connector 1010, and the image processor processes the image and displays the image on the display. It should be noted that the connector 1010 may be eliminated, and the circuit board 1008 may be connected to an external cable via the short-circuiting wire 1011, in which case the external cable is not separable from the endoscope 1000. If the external cable is plugged into the connector 1010, the external cable can be separated from the endoscope 1000, so that the external cable and the endoscope can be prevented from being discarded together in the disposable endoscope, and the use cost is reduced.

The circuit board 1008 can preferably record identification information (i.e., UDI information) of the endoscope, such as a production lot number, for product tracing, and can also include the number of times of use, so as to prevent the reuse of the disposable endoscope according to the number of times of use, in addition to the analog-to-digital conversion. Further, the circuit board 1008 may be used only for recording identification information of the endoscope, or only for conversion of analog signals, or both.

As previously described, the illumination module 1025 may be an LED illumination or a cold light source coupled with a fiber optic light bundle. The optical fiber light guide bundle does not generate the heating problem, but the design is more complex. In this embodiment, LED illumination is preferred, and power and illumination is achieved by mounting LED elements on the head end 1021 and providing power cord 1028 within the tube. Because the endoscope tube of the endoscope is usually slender and the head end section is small, the space design for the illumination scheme is not sufficient under the narrow space layout, and the use of optical fiber for light guiding is not enough to provide sufficient illumination. The invention has no limitation on the type of the LED element, the color of the light is usually neutral white, the color temperature is controlled to be 5000K-6000K, and the tone of the image can be adjusted by the image processor. The LED lighting has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, and no need for a coaxial line for the power line 1028. Furthermore, the power supply current of the LED element can be controlled, so that the balance problem of the luminous brightness and the heating of the endoscope head end is solved. Further, the endoscope 1000 also includes a heat conduction module for dissipating heat from the illumination module 1025. The heat conducting module can comprise heat conducting glue, and the heat conducting glue is filled around the LED element, or a metal structure is arranged around the LED element, or both the heat conducting glue and the metal structure are arranged.

It will be appreciated that endoscopes typically have the capability of introducing surgical instruments through the lesion architectural channels, typically via working channel 1026. The working channel 1026 is typically constructed from a working channel conduit, which is preferably a composite tube, comprising an inner layer, an intermediate woven layer, and an outer layer; the inner layer is a polymer inner tube, and the material comprises but is not limited to PTFE; the middle braided layer is a metal braided layer; the outer layer is a polymer outer tube made of materials including but not limited to PEBAX. As shown in FIG. 4, a portion of the working channel conduit (i.e., working channel 1026) is disposed through insertion portion 1002, and another portion is disposed through handle 1001 and connected to through-port 1006. The working channel 1026 may provide insufflation and/or infusion channels, as well as suction and/or aspiration channels, in addition to the introduction of surgical instruments. The handle 1001 also includes a multi-way interface 1006, which is primarily a three-way interface. The three-way interface comprises a luer connector which is used for being connected with an external gas injection/liquid injection system and an external gas extraction/liquid extraction system. For example, the multi-way interface 1006 includes an instrument channel inlet 1061 and a water injection channel inlet 1062. As shown in fig. 1, a break-preventing portion 1007 is further provided at a distal end of the handle 1001, and the handle 1001 is connected to the insertion portion 1002 through the break-preventing portion 1007. The function of the break-off prevention portion 1007 is to provide structural cushioning, which is made of a somewhat rigid polymeric material, including but not limited to polyurethane and silicone. The break-off prevention portion 1007 is generally of a tapered configuration with a larger diameter end connected to the distal end of the handle 1001 and a smaller diameter end connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion 1002.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the outlet 1009 is preferably disposed on the handle 1001 on a side of the grip region 1012 facing the distal end of the handle 1001. The gripping area 1012 is the area of the handle 1001 for the user's hand or arm to grip. The multi-way interface 1006 and the grip region 1012 are disposed on the same side of the handle 1001. Further, the axis of the outlet 1009 is at an angle smaller than or equal to 90 ° to a predetermined direction in which the proximal end of the handle 1001 points to the distal end. More preferably, the included angle that the axis of outlet 1004 and predetermined direction formed is less than 90 and forms the acute angle and arranges, so the configuration, when holding, the direction below of outlet 1009 is oblique, and then after drawing external cable, be convenient for that external cable is better avoids holding district 1012, and still be convenient for reduce the focus of handle, alleviate the burden of holding, also make the inside signal line of handle 1001 need not follow carousel 1031 department on upper portion and seek the space and walk the line simultaneously, it is lighter when making to walk the line and arranging, thereby also simplified the inside structure that designs for convenient the line of handle, and reduced the interference risk with acting as go-between 1032 by a wide margin. The specific position of the outlet 1009 is not particularly limited in the present invention, and for example, the outlet 1009 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the multi-way interface 1006, the outlet 1009 and the multi-way interface 1006 are disposed on opposite sides of the handle 1001, or the outlet 1009 is disposed between the multi-way interface 1006 and the anti-breaking portion 1007, or the outlet 1009 is directly disposed on the anti-breaking portion 1007.

Further, an embodiment of the present invention also provides an endoscope system, which includes an endoscope 1000, an image processor, and a display. The endoscope 1000 is communicatively connected via an external cable to an image processor, which is communicatively connected to the display. The image signal collected by the endoscope 1000 is transmitted to an image processor through a cable for processing, and after processing and restoration, the image is displayed on a display for a doctor to observe and diagnose. The endoscope 1000 may be a reusable electronic endoscope or a disposable electronic endoscope. The endoscope 1000 may be a bronchoscope, gastroscope, duodenoscope, choledochoscope, enteroscope, nephroscope, or the like.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Various modifications and alterations of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An endoscope comprising a handle and an insertion portion, the insertion portion being connected to a distal end of the handle; the endoscope further comprises a bending control module for controlling bending of the insertion portion;

2. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the fixed portion comprises a fixed member, the driving portion comprises a turntable, and the fixed member is rotatably disposed on the turntable;

3. The endoscope of claim 2, wherein the fixation section further comprises a fixation sleeve; the fixing piece comprises a threading hole;

4. The endoscope of claim 3, wherein the fixing member comprises a rotatable cylinder, an outer surface of the cylinder protrudes outward to form an extension, and the extension is provided with the threading hole.

5. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the transmission portion comprises a plurality of the pull wires, and the fixation portion comprises a plurality of the fixation members; one end of each stay wire is connected with the inserting part, and the other end of each stay wire is connected with the corresponding fixing piece.

6. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising a circuit board disposed within the handle or the insertion portion; the circuit board is used for converting analog signals of images acquired by the endoscope into digital signals and outputting the digital signals, and/or the circuit board is used for recording identification information of the endoscope;

7. The endoscope of claim 6, wherein the handle comprises an outlet for the exit of an external cable, the outlet being provided with a connector for plugging with an external cable; the connector is used for receiving and outputting the digital signal output by the circuit board; the circuit board is connected with the connector through a short wire, or the connector is arranged on the circuit board.

8. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the handle comprises an outlet for exiting an external cable; the handle is provided with a holding area, and the wire outlet is arranged on one side of the holding area facing to the far end of the handle;

the axis of the outlet forms an included angle with a preset direction, the included angle is smaller than or equal to 90 degrees, the preset direction is the direction that the near end of the handle points to the far end, and/or the outlet is provided with a connector used for being plugged with an external cable.

9. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the drive portion comprises a dial and a handle coupled to the dial, the handle disposed outside the handle; the handle is used for driving the turntable to rotate; the insertion part comprises a head end part, a bending part and a flexible pipe part which are sequentially connected in the axial direction;

10. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the insertion portion includes a head end portion, a bending portion, and a flexible tube portion connected in this order in an axial direction, and a coating layer is formed on an outer surface of the flexible tube portion.

11. The endoscope of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising an imaging module, an illumination module, and a working channel; the imaging module and the illumination module are both disposed at a distal end of the insertion portion, a portion of the working channel is disposed within the insertion portion, and another portion is disposed within the handle;

12. The endoscope of claim 11, wherein the tip portion further comprises a transparent protective cover covering the imaging module and the illumination module, and/or wherein a thermally conductive module is disposed on an exterior of the illumination module.

13. The endoscope of claim 11, wherein the imaging module and the illumination module are each sheathed with an insulating tube, and/or wherein the exterior of the imaging module and the illumination module is filled with a gel.

14. The endoscope of claim 11, wherein the imaging module comprises an image sensor and a pad weld, the image sensor being secured to the pad weld; the welding pad parts are arranged in corresponding mounting grooves, and the length of the mounting grooves for assembling the welding pad parts is configured to cover all welding points on the welding pad parts;

15. An endoscope system comprising the endoscope of any one of claims 1-14, an image processor, and a display; the endoscope is communicatively coupled to the image processor, which is communicatively coupled to the display.