KR101759184B1

KR101759184B1 - Terminal articulation apparatus of endoscope

Info

Publication number: KR101759184B1
Application number: KR1020150137214A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김헌태
Original assignee: 주식회사 옵티메드
Priority date: 2015-09-30
Filing date: 2015-09-30
Publication date: 2017-07-18
Also published as: KR20170038199A

Abstract

The present invention provides an endoscopic end joint apparatus in which ring-shaped first soft joints and second soft joints are alternately connected to each other. Here, a pair of one-side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle is provided on one circular edge of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body. A pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a separation angle of 90 degrees with respect to the pair of one side coupling pieces and a pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle with respect to each other are formed on the circular rim on the opposite side of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body And a pair of wire guide pieces bent inward are provided. In addition, male protrusions are provided on one side of the first soft joint and on the opposite side of the engagement piece, and on one side and the opposite side of the second soft joint, female protrusions Holes are provided.

Description

[0001] TERMINAL ARTICULATION APPARATUS OF ENDOSCOPE [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a joint apparatus, and more particularly, to an endoscopic end joint apparatus provided at an end of an endoscope so as to be bent in four directions.

Endoscopes are largely classified into medical endoscopes and industrial endoscopes, depending on the field of use. A medical endoscope is a medical device designed to directly observe and treat a lesion site of an organ without surgery or autopsy. These medical endoscopes include bronchoscopy, esophagus, stomach, duodenal, rectal, cystoscopy, laparoscopic, and other special cases include thoracoscopic, mediastinal, and cardiac. An industrial endoscope is a device designed to observe the interior of the device without disassembling the device in various industrial fields.

Generally, at the distal end of the endoscope as described above, there are provided a camera for photographing a lesion site and an inside of the device, and illumination for irradiating a lesion site or the inside of the device. In the case of a medical endoscope, a hole-shaped channel is provided at the end, and a treatment instrument such as a forceps or a laser beam is passed through the channel.

In order for the lesion or the inside of the device to be accurately observed, the direction of the camera and the illumination must be variously changed. Therefore, a distal end of the endoscope is provided with a joint device capable of flexing freely in various directions.

An example of a joint device provided at the end of the endoscope is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0867658. In the articulated joint disclosed in Korean registered patent, a bending plate and a bending member are alternately stacked. In addition, the bending plate and the bending member are provided with a plurality of wire holes for insertion of the adjusting wire, so that the bending plate and the bending member must be thick enough to process the wire holes.

However, if the members (bending plate and bending member) constituting the articulating device are thick, the inner diameter of the members must be reduced, and the parts (illumination line, power line, etc.) installed to pass through the center hole of the members There is a problem that the placement becomes difficult.

A technique capable of solving the above problems is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0073637. In this Korean patent, a plurality of joint rings are connected to each other to form a joint device. Each of the plurality of articulated rings includes a joint ring body and a wire guide protrusion. The wire guide protrusion is bent to the inside of the joint ring body at a corner of the joint ring body. A wire guide hole . In the technique disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-344401, since the wire guide protrusion is bent inside the joint ring body, it is not necessary that the joint ring body has a thickness enough to process wire holes. Therefore, the member (joint ring) constituting the joint device in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-22755 can have a larger inner diameter than the members (the bending plate and the bending member) constituting the joint device in the Korean registered patent.

Korean Patent No. 10-0867658 (Endoscope Bending Device) Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2013-0073637 (Bending module provided in endoscope equipment and method for manufacturing the same)

A joint protrusion having a joint connecting hole is also provided at the corner of the joint ring body of Korean Patent Laid-Open. When the rivets are fastened to the joint connecting holes in the state where the connecting protrusions of the neighboring joint ring bodies are overlapped, the joint ring bodies are connected.

However, when the members (joint rings) constituting the joint device are connected through rivets as described above, it is difficult to manufacture the joint device and the manufacturing cost is also high. The joint device provided at the end of the endoscope has an inner diameter of about several centimeters. To tighten the rivet by the operator in such a small joint device, much effort and labor costs must be applied to the fastening operation. In particular, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the articulating apparatus will be a serious obstacle to the commercialization of disposable endoscopes capable of eliminating the disinfection process.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to provide an endoscopic end joint device capable of easy manufacture and low manufacturing cost.

Alternatively, male protrusions may be provided in any one of the pair of one-side engaging pieces and the opposite-side engaging pieces, and a female hole may be provided for inserting the male protrusions into the remaining one.

The male protrusion is provided so as to be inserted inward from the outside of the female hole. In addition, the outer surface of the male protrusion is provided in a curved shape. The projecting length of the male protrusion is smaller than the thickness of the engaging piece having the female hole.

According to the present invention, the joints constituting the endoscopic end arthroscopic device can be easily joined between the joints by simply grasping and releasing the joints which are not used any additional parts such as rivets. Therefore, according to the present invention, the manufacture of the endoscopic end joint apparatus is much simpler than the conventional art, and the manufacturing cost is also very low.

Further, according to the present invention, since the male protrusion is provided so as to be inserted inward from the outside of the female hole, there is no possibility that the jacket surrounding the endoscopic end arthroscopic device is damaged by the male protrusion.

Further, according to the present invention, since the outer surface of the male protrusion is formed as a curved surface, damage or wear of the members (jacket or wire) contacting the male protrusion can be minimized.

Further, according to the present invention, since the protruding length of the male protrusion is smaller than the thickness of the engaging piece having the female hole, the male protrusion is not in contact with the peripheral member (jacket or wire) at all.

1 is a perspective view of an endoscope including an endoscopic end joint apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing an endoscopic end joint apparatus according to the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view showing a soft joint of the endoscopic end joint apparatus shown in FIG.
4 is a perspective view for explaining a manufacturing method of the soft joint shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an endoscopic end joint apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is to be understood that the terminology or words used herein are not to be construed in an ordinary sense or a dictionary, and that the inventor can properly define the concept of a term to describe its invention in the best possible way And should be construed in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

The endoscope 1 generally has a tube 10 having a distal end 30 as shown in Fig. The tube 10 is a portion to be inserted into a body or various devices, and generally has ductility. Near the distal end 30 of such a tube is provided an articulating device 100 for allowing the distal end 30 to bend in all directions. The present invention relates to the endoscopic endo-articulating device 100. Hereinafter, the endoscopic end joint apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described, and one side and the other side of the claims are respectively shown as an upper side and a lower side in the drawings. For ease of understanding, Will be described as upper and lower parts.

2 and 3, the endoscopic end joint apparatus 100 according to the present invention has a configuration in which the first and second soft joints 110 and 120 are alternately connected to each other. The soft joints 110 and 120 are provided in the form of a ring having central passages 111 and 121. The central passages 111 and 121 are provided with a power source Cables, signal transmission lines, and so on. In addition, the soft joints 110 and 120 have ductility. Accordingly, when the operator holds the soft joints 110 and 120 with two fingers, the soft joints 110 and 120 are deformed into an elliptic shape. When the soft joints 110 and 120 are placed, Returns to its original form.

The first soft joint body 110 has a first engagement piece 130. The first engaging piece 130 includes a pair of upper engaging pieces 130a and a pair of lower engaging pieces 130b. The pair of upper engaging pieces 130a have an angle of 180 degrees The pair of lower coupling pieces 130b are provided on the upper circular rim of the first flexible joint body 110. The pair of lower coupling pieces 130b have a 90 ° separation angle with respect to the pair of upper coupling pieces 130a, Is provided on the lower circular rim of the body (110). Wherein the lower circular rim is a rim located on the opposite side of the upper circular rim.

The first flexible joint body 110 also has a pair of wire guide pieces 150 provided at the lower circular rim. The wire guide pieces 150 have a spacing angle of 180 degrees with respect to each other, Has a spacing angle of 0 degrees with respect to the sleds 130a, and has a spacing angle of 90 degrees with respect to the lower connecting pieces 130b. Further, the wire guide pieces 150 are bent inward, that is, toward the center of the central passage 111. The thickness of the first flexible joint member 110 can be made thin by this bending of the wire guide pieces 150, and thus the size of the central passage 111 can be sufficiently secured and the cables such as the power supply line, the signal transmission line, And can be easily disposed in the passage 111.

The second flexible joint 120 has a second coupling piece 140. The second engaging piece 140 includes a pair of upper engaging pieces 140a and a pair of lower engaging pieces 140b. The pair of upper engaging pieces 140a are spaced apart from each other by 180 degrees And is engaged with the lower coupling piece 130b of the first soft joint body 110. The lower coupling piece 130b of the first soft joint body 110 is provided on the upper circular rim of the second soft joint body 120. [ Here, the upper circular rim of the second soft joint 120 is a rim facing the lower circular rim of the first soft joint 110.

The pair of lower coupling pieces 140b of the second flexible joint body 120 are spaced apart from each other by 90 degrees with respect to the pair of upper coupling pieces 140a, Respectively. Here, the lower circular rim of the second soft joint 120 is a rim located on the opposite side of the upper circular rim of the second soft joint 120.

The second flexible joint member 120 also has a pair of wire guide pieces 150 provided at the lower edge of the lower circle and the wire guide pieces 150 have a spacing angle of 180 degrees with respect to each other, And has a spacing angle of 90 degrees with respect to the lower engaging pieces 140b. Further, the wire guide pieces 150 are bent inward, that is, toward the center of the central passage 121. The thickness of the second flexible joint member 120 can be made thin due to the bending of the wire guide pieces 150. This makes it possible to sufficiently secure the size of the central passage 121, It can be easily arranged in the passage 121.

3, male protrusions 135a and 135b projecting inward are provided on both the upper and lower engaging pieces 130a and 130b of the first engaging piece 130, Female holes 141a and 141b for inserting the male protrusions 135a and 135b are provided on both the upper and lower engaging pieces 140a and 140b of the second engaging piece 140. [ In this case, when the operator grasps the first soft joint body 110 and deforms into an elliptical shape, the lower engagement piece 130b of the first engagement piece 130 is engaged with the upper engagement piece 130b of the second engagement piece 140 The male protrusion 135b of the lower engaging piece 130b is inserted into the female hole 141a of the upper engaging piece 140a, The coupling between the first coupling part 130 and the second coupling part 140 is performed immediately.

Conventionally, a rivet is used for coupling the parts constituting the endoscopic end joint apparatus. However, in the present invention, a rivet is not used at all for joining the components 110 and 120 constituting the endoscopic end joint apparatus 100, and any one of the components 110 and 120 is simply held The coupling between the parts 110 and 120 is simplified. Therefore, according to the present invention, the manufacture of the endoscopic end joint apparatus is much simpler than that of the conventional art, and the manufacturing cost is also very low (about 1/10 of that in the case of using rivets).

In order to manufacture the first and second soft joints 110 and 120 as described above, a straight line having ductility is prepared as shown in FIG. The male projections 135a and 135b are formed on the upper and lower engagement pieces 130a and 130b of the straight band for the first flexible joint 110 by the drawing technique, Female holes 141a and 141b are machined in the upper and lower coupling pieces 140a and 140b of the straight band so that the wire guide pieces of the first and second soft joints 110 and 120 150, a guide hole 151 for passing a wire (not shown) used for steering the distal end 30 is formed.

The first flexible joint member 110 is manufactured by rounding the straight band for the first flexible joint member 110 and welding the both ends thereof and then bending the wire guide member 150 inward. And the wire guide piece 150 is bent inward, a second flexible joint 120 is manufactured. When the first and second soft joints 110 and 120 thus manufactured are combined by the above-described method, the endoscopic end joint apparatus 100 is manufactured.

The male projections 135a and 135b are provided on both of the upper and lower engagement pieces 130a and 130b of the first engagement piece 130 and the male projections 135a and 135b are provided on both the upper and lower engagement pieces 140a and 140b of the second engagement piece 140. [ 140b are provided with female holes 141a, 141b. However, male projections are provided on the upper engaging pieces 130a and 140a of the first engaging piece 130 and the second engaging piece 140, and the projections of the first engaging piece 130 and the second engaging piece 140 Female holes may be provided on the lower coupling pieces 130b and 140b. On the contrary, female holes are formed in the upper engagement pieces 130a and 140a of the first engagement piece 130 and the second engagement piece 140, and the first engagement piece 130 and the second engagement piece 140 Male projections may be provided on the lower engaging pieces 130b and 140b of the base plate 130. [

Further, according to the above description, the male projections 135a and 135b are provided so as to be inserted inward from the outside of the female holes 141a and 141b. Alternatively, the male protrusions 135a and 135b may be inserted from the inside to the outside of the female holes 141a and 141b. In this case, however, the male protrusions 135a and 135b may protrude to the outside of the upper coupling piece 140a having the female holes 141a and 141b. In this case, (Not shown) may be damaged by the male projections 135a and 135b. Therefore, it is preferable that the male protrusions 135a and 135b are inserted to the inside from the outside of the female holes 141a and 141b as shown in the figure.

The outer surfaces of the male protrusions 135a and 135b may be formed as curved surfaces 133a and 133b so that damage or abrasion of members contacting the male protrusions 135a and 135b may be minimized. For example, when the male protrusions 135a and 135b are inserted from the inside of the female holes 141a and 141b to the outside, the jacket can contact the male protrusions 135a and 135b, thereby minimizing damage to the jacket . When the male protrusions 135a and 135b are provided so as to be inserted inward from the outside of the female holes 141a and 141b, a wire (not shown) passing through the guide hole 151 contacts the male protrusions 135a and 135b At this time, the wear of the wire is minimized. The curved surfaces 133a and 133b of the male protrusions 135a and 135b can be formed by suitably applying the drawing technique to the straight line band shown in Fig.

The protrusions of the male protrusions 135a and 135b may be formed to be smaller than the thickness of the engagement piece 140a having the female holes 141a and 141b so that the male protrusions 135a and 135b protrude from the female holes 141a and 141b And is not protruded to the outside, damage or wear of the jacket or wire does not occur at all.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

100: endoscopic end joint apparatus 110: first soft joint
111, 121: central passage 120: second ductile joint
130: first coupling piece 135a, 135b:
140: second coupling piece 141a, 141b: female hole
150: wire guide piece 151: guide hole
1: endoscope 10: tube
30: Terminal

Claims

An endoscopic end joint apparatus in which a ring-shaped first soft joint body and a second soft joint body, which are alternately arranged, are connected to each other,
A pair of one-side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle is provided on one circular edge of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body,
Wherein a pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a separation angle of 90 degrees with respect to the pair of one side coupling pieces and a pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle with respect to each other are formed in the circular rim on the opposite side of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body A pair of wire guide pieces bent inward are provided,
Wherein male protrusions are provided on one side of the first flexible joint and opposite sides of the first flexible joint and a female hole for inserting the male protrusions is formed on one of the coupling parts and the opposite side of the coupling part of the second soft joint, Wherein the male protrusion is inserted into the female hole when one of the first soft joint and the second soft joint is deformed into an elliptic shape and restored to its original shape.

An endoscopic end joint apparatus in which a ring-shaped first soft joint body and a second soft joint body, which are alternately arranged, are connected to each other,
A pair of one-side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle is provided on one circular edge of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body,
Wherein a pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a separation angle of 90 degrees with respect to the pair of one side coupling pieces and a pair of opposite side coupling pieces having a 180 degree separation angle with respect to each other are formed in the circular rim on the opposite side of the first soft joint body and the second soft joint body A pair of wire guide pieces bent inward are provided,
Wherein male protrusions are provided at any one of the pair of one-side engaging pieces and the opposite-side engaging pieces, and a female hole for inserting the male protrusions is provided at the other one of the pair of one- Wherein one of the second flexible joints is deformed into an elliptical shape and then inserted into the female hole when restored to its original shape.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And the male protrusion is provided so as to be inserted inward from the outside of the female hole.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein an outer surface of the male protrusion is provided in a curved shape.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein a protruding length of the male protrusion is smaller than a thickness of the engaging piece having the female hole.