Bending portion for endoscope and endoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10076236-B2
Application number	US-201615008452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2016
Priority date	Feb 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

There is provided a bending portion for an endoscope and the endoscope which can prevent the piece fall of bending pieces without enlarging the diameter of the bending portion and raising the filling rate of built-in components in the bending portion. In the bending portion, one bending piece of adjacent bending pieces is formed so that a cross-sectional shape is, for example, an elliptic shape whose major axis direction or minor axis direction corresponds to a first direction. The other bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces is formed so that a cross-sectional shape is, for example, a circular shape in which a length in the first direction differs from the first bending piece; and an abutting portion in which their end portions facing each other of the adjacent bending pieces abut on each other in at least two points when the bending portion is bent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bending portion for an endoscope, in which a plurality of bending pieces are arranged in an axis direction and adjacent bending pieces are coupled in a rotatable manner, the bending portion which is to be bent by operation of an internally inserted operation wire, comprising:
a first bending piece which is one bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is an elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape whose major axis direction or minor axis direction corresponds to a first direction;
a second bending piece which is another bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is a circular shape, elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape in which a length in the first direction differs from the first bending piece; and
abutting portions in which a first end portion on a side facing the second bending piece in the first bending piece and a second end portion on a side facing the first bending piece in the second bending piece abut on each other, in at least two points when the bending portion is bent when the first bending piece rotates around a rotating axis orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the second bending piece by bending operation of the bending portion, wherein:
the first bending piece is formed so that the cross-sectional shape in the plane perpendicular to the axis direction is an elliptic shape whose major axis direction corresponds to the first direction; and
the second bending piece is formed so that the cross-sectional shape in the plane perpendicular to the axis direction is a circular shape whose diameter is shorter than a length in the first direction of the elliptic shape in the first bending piece.

2. The bending portion for an endoscope according to claim 1 , wherein,
one bending piece having a shorter length in the first direction in the cross-sectional shape in the plane perpendicular to the axis direction out of the first bending piece and the second bending piece, comprises a wire clearance portion configured to release the operation wire outward in a radial direction in an end portion on a side facing the other bending piece.

3. A bending portion for an endoscope, in which a plurality of bending pieces are arranged in an axis direction and adjacent bending pieces are coupled in a rotatable manner, the bending portion which is to be bent by operation of an internally inserted operation wire, comprising:
a first bending piece which is one bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is an elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape whose major axis direction or minor axis direction corresponds to a first direction;
a second bending piece which is another bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is a circular shape, elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape in which a length in the first direction differs from the first bending piece; and
abutting portions in which a first end portion on a side facing the second bending piece in the first bending piece and a second end portion on a side facing the first bending piece in the second bending piece abut on each other, in at least two points when the bending portion is bent when the first bending piece rotates around a rotating axis orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the second bending piece by bending operation of the bending portion, wherein:
the first bending piece is formed so that the cross-sectional shape in the plane perpendicular to the axis direction is an elliptic shape whose minor axis direction corresponds to the first direction; and
the second bending piece is formed so that the cross-sectional shape in the plane perpendicular to the axis direction is a circular shape whose diameter is longer than a length in the first direction of the elliptic shape in the first bending piece.

4. A bending portion for an endoscope, comprising:
a first bending piece including a first distal end, a first proximal end, a first longitudinal axis which connects the first distal end and the first proximal end, and an outer peripheral side surface in which a proximal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis is protruding outward over a whole circumference; and
a second bending piece which is coupled with a proximal end side of the first bending piece in a rotatable manner in a first direction orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis with respect to the first bending piece, the second bending piece including a second distal end, a second proximal end, a second longitudinal axis which connects the second distal end and the second proximal end, and an outer peripheral side surface in which a distal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the second longitudinal axis is protruding outward over a whole circumference,
wherein, an outer dimension in the first direction in a proximal-end-side cross section of the outer peripheral side surface of the first bending piece is R 1 , an outer dimension in a direction orthogonal to the first direction in the proximal-end-side cross section of the outer peripheral side surface of the first bending piece is R 2 , an outer dimension in the first direction in a distal-end-side cross section of the outer peripheral side surface of the second bending piece is r 1 and an outer dimension in a direction orthogonal to the first direction in the distal-end-side cross section of the outer peripheral side surface of the second bending piece is r 2 , (R 1 −r 1 )×(R 2 −r 2 )<0,
wherein a shape of the proximal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis includes an elliptic shape, oval shape and elongated circular shape, and a shape of distal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the second longitudinal axis includes an elliptic shape, oval shape and elongated circular shape,
wherein the shape of the proximal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis and the shape of distal-end-side cross section orthogonal to the second longitudinal axis are different.

5. An endoscope including a bending portion in which a plurality of bending pieces are arranged in an axis direction and adjacent bending pieces are coupled in a rotatable manner, the bending portion which is to be bent by operation of an internally inserted operation wire, the bending portion comprising:
a first bending piece which is one bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is an elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape whose major axis direction or minor axis direction corresponds to a first direction;
a second bending piece which is another bending piece of the adjacent bending pieces and is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the axis direction is a circular shape, elliptic shape, oval shape or flattened circular shape in which a length in the first direction differs from the first bending piece; and
abutting portions in which a first end portion on a side facing the second bending piece in the first bending piece and a second end portion on a side facing the first bending piece in the second bending piece abut on each other, in at least two points when the bending portion is bent when the first bending piece rotates around a rotating axis orthogonal to the first direction with respect to the second bending piece by bending operation of the bending portion, wherein:
the first bending piece is formed so that th

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Ikeda Toshiyuki
• Oku Masatoshi
• Uneyama Noriaki

Classifications

• A61B1/008

  Articulations · CPC title

• A61B1/0055 Primary

  Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements · CPC title

• A61B1/0056 Primary

  the insertion parts being asymmetric, e.g. for unilateral bending mechanisms · CPC title

• A61B1/0057

  Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires · CPC title