Holding member, injection device, and insertion direction guide method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435834-B2
Application number	US-202418770258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2024
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A holding member configured to hold an injection portion and an imaging unit of an insertion portion in a state in which the injection portion and the imaging unit are arranged side by side includes an injection-portion insertion portion configured such that the injection portion is press-fitted into the injection-portion insertion portion and an imaging-unit insertion portion configured such that the imaging unit is press-fitted into the imaging-unit insertion portion. The insertion portion is configured to be inserted toward a corresponding portion in a narrow space while being gripped by an operator. The injection portion has a cylindrical shape and is provided with a fluid substance injection port at a tip end portion. The imaging unit has a cylindrical shape and is configured to capture an image including the tip end portion of the injection portion and its surrounding environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A holding member configured to hold an injection portion and an imaging unit of an insertion portion in a state in which the injection portion and the imaging unit are fixed, the insertion portion being configured to be inserted toward a corresponding portion in a narrow space while being gripped by an operator, and the injection portion having a cylindrical shape and being provided with a fluid substance injection port at a tip end portion, and the imaging unit having a cylindrical shape and being configured to capture an image including the tip end portion of the injection portion and a surrounding environment of the tip end portion, the holding member comprising:
an injection-portion insertion portion configured such that the injection portion is fixed to the injection-portion insertion portion; and
an imaging-unit insertion portion configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the imaging-unit insertion portion,
wherein the injection-portion insertion portion and the imaging-unit insertion portion are made of an elastically deformable member.

2. The holding member according to claim 1 , further comprising a first connection portion configured to connect the injection-portion insertion portion and the imaging-unit insertion portion, wherein:
the injection-portion insertion portion is a first semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the injection portion is fixed to the injection-portion insertion portion; and
the imaging-unit insertion portion is a second semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the imaging-unit insertion portion.

3. The holding member according to claim 2 , wherein the first connection portion is a flat portion configured to connect one end portion of the first semi-cylindrical portion and one end portion of the second semi-cylindrical portion.

4. The holding member according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first semi-cylindrical portion is a portion where first end portion of a plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape;
the second semi-cylindrical portion is a portion where second end portion of the plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape; and
the first connection portion is a plate portion between the first semi-cylindrical portion and the second semi-cylindrical portion.

5. The holding member according to claim 4 , wherein the plate is made of synthetic resin or spring steel.

6. The holding member according to claim 1 , further comprising a second connection portion and a third connection portion, wherein:
the injection-portion insertion portion is a third semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the injection portion is fixed to the third semi-cylindrical portion;
the imaging-unit insertion portion includes a fourth semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the fourth semi-cylindrical portion and a fifth semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the fifth semi-cylindrical portion;
the second connection portion is configured to connect the third semi-cylindrical portion and the fourth semi-cylindrical portion; and
the third connection portion is configured to connect the third semi-cylindrical portion and the fifth semi-cylindrical portion.

7. The holding member according to claim 6 , wherein:
the second connection portion is a flat portion configured to connect first end portion of the third semi-cylindrical portion and one end portion of the fourth semi-cylindrical portion; and
the third connection portion is a flat portion configured to connect second end portion of the third semi-cylindrical portion and one end portion of the fifth semi-cylindrical portion.

8. The holding member according to claim 7 , wherein the third semi-cylindrical portion is fixed to the injection portion inserted into the third semi-cylindrical portion.

9. The holding member according to claim 6 , wherein:
the fourth semi-cylindrical portion is a portion where first end portion of a plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape;
the fifth semi-cylindrical portion is the portion where second end portion of the plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape;
the third semi-cylindrical portion is a plate portion between the fourth semi-cylindrical portion and the fifth semi-cylindrical portion;
the second connection portion is a plate portion between the third semi-cylindrical portion and the fourth semi-cylindrical portion;
the third connection portion is a plate portion between the third semi-cylindrical portion and the fifth semi-cylindrical portion; and
the first end portion of the plate includes a first biasing portion configured to bias the imaging unit inserted into the fifth semi-cylindrical portion against the fifth semi-cylindrical portion and a second biasing portion configured to bias the injection portion inserted into the third semi-cylindrical portion against the third semi-cylindrical portion.

10. An injection device comprising:
an insertion portion configured to be inserted toward a corresponding portion in a narrow space while being gripped by an operator, the insertion portion including:
an injection portion which has a cylindrical shape and is provided with a fluid substance injection port at a tip end portion;
an imaging unit which has a cylindrical shape and is configured to capture an image including the tip end portion of the injection portion and a surrounding environment of the tip end portion; and
a holding member configured to hold the injection portion and the imaging unit and including an injection-portion insertion portion and an imaging-unit insertion portion, the injection-portion insertion portion being configured such that the injection portion is fixed to the injection-portion insertion portion, and the imaging-unit insertion portion being configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the imaging-unit insertion portion, wherein:
the injection portion is provided with an injection portion-side marking; and
the imaging unit is arranged at a predetermined angular position with respect to the injection portion by rotating the holding member holding the injection portion and the imaging unit with respect to the injection portion and aligning a holding member-side marking of the holding member with the injection portion-side marking.

11. The injection device according to claim 10 , wherein the holding member-side marking of the holding member is a winding finish end portion of the holding member.

12. The injection device according to claim 10 , wherein:
the holding member includes a first connection portion configured to connect the injection-portion insertion portion and the imaging-unit insertion portion,
the injection-portion insertion portion is a first semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the injection portion is fixed to the injection-portion insertion portion; and
the imaging-unit insertion portion is a second semi-cylindrical portion configured such that the imaging unit is fixed to the imaging-unit insertion portion.

13. The injection device according to claim 12 , wherein the first connection portion is a flat portion configured to connect one end portion of the first semi-cylindrical portion and one end portion of the second semi-cylindrical portion.

14. The injection device according to claim 12 , wherein:
the first semi-cylindrical portion is a portion where first end portion of a plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape;
the second semi-cylindrical portion is a portion where second end portion of the plate is folded back into a semi-cylindrical shape; and
the first connection po

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takenaka Tetsuhiro

Classifications

• F16C2361/43

  Clutches, e.g. disengaging bearing · CPC title

• F16N2210/00

  Applications · CPC title

• F16D2300/06

  Lubrication details not provided for in group F16D13/74 · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• F16B2/005 Primary

  Means to increase the friction-coefficient · CPC title