Insertion instrument of an endoscope

Details Insertion instrument of an endoscope Insertion instrument of an endoscope

2001-02-02

2003-03-04

Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)

Surgery

Endoscope

Having flexible tube structure

C600S139000, C600S146000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06527706

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Art
This invention relates to an endoscopic insertion instrument which is suitable for use in medical examinations, and more particularly to an endoscopic insertion instrument having a wire guide mechanism incorporated into a flexible body portion of the insertion instrument for guiding operating wires which are pulled back and forth at the time of flexibly bending an angle section of the instrument.
2. Prior Art
As for endoscopes of medical use, for example, it has been known to employ an insertion instrument of the construction as shown in FIG.
5
. In that figure, indicated at
1
is a manipulating head, at
2
an elongated insertion instrument and at
3
a universal cable. A major part of the elongated insertion instrument
2
is constituted by a flexible body section
2
a
which is connected to the manipulating head
1
at its proximal end. An angle section
2
b
is connected to the fore end of the flexible body section
2
a
, and further a rigid tip end section
2
c
is connected to the fore end of the angle section
2
b
. Illumination means as well as image pickup means are mounted on or in the rigid tip end section
2
c
. The angle section
2
b
is flexibly bendable to turn the rigid tip end section
2
c
into desired directions. The flexible body section
2
a
is also arranged to be arbitrarily bendable along a path of insertion at the time of introduction into a body cavity.
Illustrated in
FIG. 6
is a joint portion which connects the angle section
2
b
with the flexible body section
2
a
of the insertion instrument. Incorporated into the flexible body
2
a
, which is required to be bendable in arbitrary directions, is a flexible coil shaft
10
which is formed by helically winding narrow metal strips. Generally, the coil shaft
10
is of a double-coil tube construction consisting of two coil windings of opposite directions. The coil tube
10
is enshrouded in a mesh layer
11
which is in turn enshrouded in a flexible outer skin layer
12
.
On the other hand, the angle section
2
b
is flexibly bent into an angular form by remote control from an angle knob
4
which is provided on the manipulating head
1
of the endoscopic insertion instrument. In construction, the angle section
2
b
is constituted by a series of angle rings
13
which are pivotally connected one after another by means of vertically and transversely aligned pivoting pins
14
. Namely, preceding and succeeding angle rings
13
which are pivotally connected with each other by means of a pair of pivoting pins
14
are pivotally flexible relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the paired pivoting pins
14
. Further, the angle rings
13
are connected successively and alternately by vertically aligned pivoting pins and transversely aligned pivoting pins, so that the angle section
2
b
can be turned arbitrarily in upward and downward directions as well as rightward and leftward directions. Similarly to the elongated flexible body
2
a
, the angle rings
13
of the angle section
2
b
are wrapped in successively by a mesh layer
15
and a flexible outer skin layer
16
.
As described above, the flexible body
2
a
and angle section
26
of the endoscopic insertion instrument distinctively differ from each other in construction. Therefore, it is after the flexible body
2
a
and the angle section
2
b
are assembled separately that a proximal end portion of the angle section
2
b
is connected to a fore end portion of the flexible body
2
a
of the insertion instrument. For the purpose of connecting the flexible body
2
a
and the angle section
2
b
with each other, connecting rings
17
and
18
are provided on the flexible body
2
a
and the angle section
2
b
, respectively. Namely, a connecting ring
17
is securely fixed, for example, by welding to the fore end of the coil tube
10
of the flexible body
2
a
. On the other hand or on the side of the angle section
2
b
, a connecting ring
18
which constitutes a rearmost angle ring of the angle section
2
b
is pivotally connected to an adjacent angle ring
13
by pivoting pins
14
. Alternatively, the connecting ring
18
can be securely fixed to a rearmost angle ring by welding if desired.
The angle section
2
b
is connected to the flexible body
2
a
of the insertion instrument by partly fitting the connecting ring
18
into the connecting ring
17
on the side of the flexible body
2
a
. The connecting ring
17
on the side of the flexible body
2
a
, which is located on the outer side of the connecting ring
18
, is provided with an aperture or apertures
19
. Solder
20
is filled into the apertures
19
to fix the two connecting rings
17
and
18
to each other in a securely connected state. The outer skin layer
12
of the flexible body
2
a
is butted against the outer skin layer
16
of the angle section
2
b
. A line wrapping is formed across the butted ends of the outer skin layers
12
and
16
, and an adhesive is applied on the line wrapping. Thus, the angle section
2
b
is connected to the flexible body
2
a
almost seamlessly.
In this instance, fitted in the insertion instrument
2
are various component parts, including a light guide consisting of a bundle of fiber optics for transmission of illumination light, a signal cable in the case of an electronic endoscope (an image guide consisting of a bundle of fiber optics in the case of an optical endoscope), a biopsy channel, an air/water feed channel etc. Operating wires are
21
also fitted in the insertion instrument
2
in order to flexibly bend the angle section
2
b
by remote control. A couple of operating wires are threaded in upper and lower positions in the insertion instrument
2
in case the angle section
2
a
is to be angularly bent in upward and downward directions, and four operating wires are threaded in upper, lower, right and left positions in the angle section
2
b
is to be bent in rightward and leftward directions as well as upward and downward directions. Fore ends of the operating wires
14
are fixedly anchored on a foremost angle ring of the angle section
2
b
or on the rigid tip end section
2
c
. Further, within the angle section
2
b
, the operating wires
21
are successively passed or threaded through the pivoting pins
14
or lancing arches which are formed in the angle rings
13
. On the other hand, within the flexible body
2
a
, the operating wires
21
are passed through sheathing guide coils
22
, which are each in the form of a tightly wound coil of a metallic wire with adjacent helices tightly closed to each other. The fore end of each closed sheathing coil
22
is securely fixed at a joint portion of the flexible body
2
b
with the angle section
2
b
, while the operating wires
21
are led out through the fixed end portion of the respective closed sheathing coils
22
and further extended forward through the angle section
2
b.
Illustrated in
FIG. 7
is the construction at and around the fixed fore ends of the closed sheathing coil
22
which serve as guide means for the operating wires
21
. Anchor pins
23
are fixedly planted by caulking, for example, on the inner one of the two connecting rings
17
and
18
, that is, on the connecting ring
18
on the side of the angle section
2
b
. Head portions
23
a
of the anchor pins
23
are located on the inner side of the connecting ring
18
and are each provided with a wire guide hole
24
, in which an anchor pipe
25
is fixedly fitted by brazing or by other suitable means for fixing a fore end portion of a closed sheathing coil
22
. The anchor pipe
25
is in the form of a stepped pipe having a large diameter portion
25
a
and a small diameter portion
25
b
. A fore end portion of each closed sheathing coil
22
is fixedly anchored in the large diameter portion
25
a
, for example, by brazing. An operating wire
21
alone is threaded through the smaller diameter portion
25
b
which is fitted in the guide hole
24
of the anchor pin
23
, while the large diameter portion
25
a
is extended toward the flexible bod

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Insertion instrument of an endoscope does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Insertion instrument of an endoscope, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Insertion instrument of an endoscope will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3045246