Active bending section, insertion portion and endoscope

Abstract

The present invention discloses an active bending section, an insertion part and an endoscope, and relates to the technical field of medical devices. The active bending section of the present invention includes a plurality of serpentine segments, and two adjacent serpentine segments are connected to each other; the active bending section also includes a traction rope assembly, the traction rope assembly includes a traction rope and an outer tube, the proximal end of the traction rope is connected to the handle of the endoscope, the distal end of the traction rope extends to the distal end serpentine segment, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal end serpentine segment; the outer tube is sleeved outside the traction rope, the outer tube and the traction rope are gap-matched, and from the proximal end to the distal end, the outer tube extends from the proximal end serpentine segment at least to the serpentine segment adjacent to the proximal end serpentine segment. The active bending section of the present invention can make the serpentine segment at the distal end of the outer tube bend first, and this bending mode is conducive to reducing the bending radius of the active bending section during the bending process, and can reduce the difficulty of operation when used by doctors during surgery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, and in particular to an active bending section, an insertion part and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope is a commonly used medical device that can directly enter the human body for examination and provide doctors with sufficient diagnostic information. An endoscope usually includes: an insertion part for inserting into the human body, a handle for controlling the bending of the front end of the insertion part, and a display device for displaying the internal environment of the human body's natural cavity; the endoscope can realize the internal observation of the human body, the exploration of lesions, and the treatment of lesions through the cooperation of the above three parts.

[0003] The insertion part includes an active bending section and a passive bending section, and the active bending section is located at the distal end of the insertion part. In the related art, a traction rope is provided in the handle, the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal snake bone section of the active bending section, and the proximal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the dial wheel or knob on the handle. By operating the dial rod or knob, the traction rope can be moved synchronously in different directions, so that the active bending section of the insertion part is bent. A camera module is provided at the distal end of the active bending section. After the insertion part is extended into the human body, the direction of the camera module can be adjusted by bending the active bending section, so that the camera module is aimed at the lesion site to provide diagnosis information to the doctor.

[0004] However, the inventors have discovered that when the active bending segment is bent, its proximal end bends before the distal end. This bending method results in a larger bending radius of the active bending segment during the bending process. When doctors use it during surgery, if they need to bend the active bending segment to the subrenal calyx end, the operation is difficult. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention discloses an active bending section, an insertion portion and an endoscope, so as to solve the technical problem in the related art that when the active bending section is bent, the bending radius is large, which makes it difficult for doctors to operate during surgery.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides an active bending segment.

[0008] The active bending section of the present invention is applied to the insertion part of an endoscope, and the active bending section includes a plurality of serpentine segments, and two adjacent serpentine segments are connected to each other; the active bending section also includes a traction rope assembly, and the traction rope assembly includes a traction rope and an outer tube, wherein the proximal end of the traction rope is connected to the handle of the endoscope, the distal end of the traction rope extends to the distal terminal serpentine segment, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal terminal serpentine segment; the outer tube is sleeved on the outside of the traction rope, and the outer tube and the traction rope are gap-matched, and from the proximal end to the distal end, the outer tube extends from the proximal terminal serpentine segment at least to the serpentine segment adjacent to the proximal terminal serpentine segment.

[0009] According to an optional embodiment, a traction rope channel is provided on the snake bone segment, and the traction rope channel is used to install the traction rope. During the bending process of the active bending section, the outer tube can slide along the traction rope channel and move out of or enter at least a part of the traction rope channel.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment, the traction rope channel located at the distal end of the outer tube has an aperture that gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end; or the traction rope channel located at the distal end of the passive bending section of the insertion part has an aperture that gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment, the traction rope channel is a groove formed by a partial depression of the wall surface on the snake bone joint, and the depression depth of the wall surface gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end; or the opening size of the groove gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end; or the thickness of the wall surface gradually increases from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment, the height difference between the inner wall of the hole at the distal end of the traction rope channel and the inner wall of the hole at the proximal end of the traction rope channel in the radial direction of the traction rope channel is greater than or equal to the wall thickness of the outer tube.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment, the traction rope assembly also includes a spring tube, which is sleeved on the traction rope and is located at the distal end of the outer tube, and the proximal end of the spring tube is fixedly connected to the distal end of the outer tube; the hardness of the spring tube is less than the hardness of the outer tube.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment, the setting position of the distal end of the outer tube satisfies: when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube on the bending direction side is located proximal to the fixed connection point between the traction rope and the distal terminal serpentine segment.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment, the setting position of the distal end of the outer tube satisfies: when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube on the bending direction side abuts against the fixed connection point between the traction rope and the distal terminal snake segment.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention provides an insertion portion.

[0017] The insertion portion of the present invention comprises an active bending section and a passive bending section, wherein the active bending section is connected to the passive bending section, wherein the active bending section is the active bending section described in any technical solution of the present invention.

[0018] A third aspect of the present invention provides an endoscope.

[0019] The endoscope of the present invention comprises an insertion portion and a handle, wherein the insertion portion and the handle are connected, wherein the insertion portion is the insertion portion described in any one of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0020] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0021] In the active bending section of the present invention, the distal end of the traction rope extends to the distal terminal serpentine joint, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal terminal serpentine joint, and at the same time an outer tube is connected to the outer shell of the traction rope, and the outer tube extends from the proximal terminal serpentine joint at least to the serpentine joint adjacent to the proximal terminal serpentine joint. When the active bending section is controlled to bend by pulling the traction rope, when the serpentine joint of the active bending section is about to rotate, the pulling force of the traction rope at least needs to overcome the friction between the serpentine joint and the rivet. For the part provided with the outer tube, in addition to overcoming the friction between the serpentine joint and the rivet, it is also necessary to overcome the resistance caused by the outer tube.

[0022] It can be seen that the bending resistance of the part of the active bending section without the outer tube is smaller than that of the part with the outer tube. After the pulling force is applied to the traction rope, the pulling force can first overcome the resistance of the active bending section at the far end of the outer tube and cause the snake joint at the far end of the outer tube to rotate. As the pulling force of the traction rope increases, the pulling force can overcome the resistance of the part of the active bending section with the outer tube and cause the snake joint of this part to rotate.

[0023] That is, the active bending section of the present invention can realize a bending mode in which the snake joint at the distal end of the outer tube bends first. This bending mode is conducive to reducing the bending radius of the active bending section. When the doctor uses it during surgery, for example, when the doctor needs to bend the active bending section from the upper renal calyx to the lower renal calyx, it can not only reduce the difficulty of operation, but also avoid the problem of kidney damage caused by excessive bending radius during the bending process of the active bending section. That is, the use of the traction rope assembly of the present invention can solve the technical problem in the related art that when the active bending section is bent, its bending radius is too large, which makes it difficult for the doctor to operate during the operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an insertion portion in the related art;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a bending path of an active bending section in the related art;

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an insertion portion of an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 is a first schematic diagram of an active bending section of an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 6 is a second schematic diagram of the active bending section of an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 7 is a third schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a first schematic diagram of a snake bone joint according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig. 9 is a second schematic diagram of the snake bone joint of the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Fig.10 is a first schematic diagram of a snake bone joint according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig.11 is a second schematic diagram of a snake bone joint according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig.12 is a third schematic diagram of a snake bone joint according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.13 is a first schematic diagram of the insertion portion of the present application in a bent state;

[0038] Fig.14 is a second schematic diagram of the insertion portion of the present application in a bent state;

[0039] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the bending path of the active bending section in an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] In the figure: 100, active bending section; 110, snake bone joint; 111, traction rope channel; 112, gap; 120, traction rope assembly; 121, traction rope; 121a, first fixing point; 122, outer tube; 122a, third fixing point; 122b, distal end of outer tube; 123, spring tube; 130, rivet; 200, passive bending section; 210, protective tube; 211, second fixing point; 300, insertion part; 400, handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0043] In each embodiment of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the position of each component relative to the user in the use environment, wherein the end closer to the user is designated as the "proximal end" and the end farther from the user is designated as the "distal end".

[0044] Figure 1 FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an insertion portion 300 in the related art. Figure 1 As shown, the insertion portion 300 includes an active bending section 100 and a passive bending section 200. The active bending section 100 includes a plurality of serpentine joints 110, and two adjacent serpentine joints 110 are riveted together by rivets 130. A traction rope channel 111 for the traction rope 121 to pass through is provided on the wall surface of each serpentine joint 110. The traction rope channel 111 is recessed toward the center of the active bending section 100, and the recessed area is used to install the traction rope 121. The traction rope 121 passes through each serpentine joint 110, and the distal end of the traction rope 121 is fixed to the distal end of the active bending section 100. Figure 1 As shown, the distal end of the traction rope 121 has a first fixing point 121a. Figure 1 In the related art, a protective tube 210 is provided outside the traction rope 121, and the protective tube 210 extends from the handle 400 to the distal end of the passive bending section 200, while the protective tube 210 is not provided outside the traction rope 121 located in the active bending section 100. Figure 1 As shown, the protection tube 210 has a second fixing point 211 at the distal end.

[0045] The inventors found that when the active bending section 100 is controlled to bend by the traction rope 121, the force applied by the traction rope 121 causes the snake bone joint 110 at the proximal end of the active bending section 100 to bend first, and the snake bone joint 110 at the distal end to bend later. Figure 2 This bending method results in a larger bending radius during the bending process of the active bending section 100. When doctors use it during surgery, for example, if they need to bend the active bending section 100 to the lower calyx end of the kidney, the operation is difficult.

[0046] In the related art, the bending radius of the active bending section 100 is relatively large. The reason is that the proximal serpentine joint 110 of the active bending section 100 bends before the distal serpentine joint 110. Specifically, when the serpentine joint 110 of the active bending section 100 is to rotate, the pulling force of the traction rope 121 at least needs to overcome the friction between the serpentine joint 110 and the rivet 130 and the friction between the traction rope 121 and the serpentine joint 110. Since the distal end of the traction rope 121 is fixed to the active bending section 100, the serpentine joint 110 is bent before the distal end of the serpentine joint 110. At the distal end of the curved segment 100, during the process of the tension being transmitted from the proximal end to the distal end of the traction rope 121, the tension can first overcome the friction force exerted on the proximal serpentine joint 110 of the active bending segment 100, and cause the proximal serpentine joint 110 of the active bending segment 100 to rotate first; as the tension of the traction rope 121 increases, the tension can overcome the friction force exerted on the distal serpentine joint 110 of the active bending segment 100, and only then can the distal serpentine joint 110 of the active bending segment 100 rotate.

[0047] To this end, the present application provides an active bending segment, which includes a plurality of snake bone segments connected in sequence, and also includes a traction rope assembly, the traction rope assembly including a traction rope and an outer tube, the distal end of the traction rope extends to the distal terminal snake bone segment, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal terminal snake bone segment, and the outer tube is connected to the outer tube of the traction rope, and the outer tube extends from the proximal terminal snake bone segment at least to the snake bone segment adjacent to the proximal terminal snake bone segment. When the active bending segment is controlled to bend by pulling the traction rope, the portion of the active bending segment where the outer tube is not provided, the pulling force of the traction rope at least needs to overcome the friction between the snake bone segment and the riveted part, and the portion of the active bending segment where the outer tube is provided, in addition to overcoming the friction between the snake bone segment and the riveted part, also needs to overcome the resistance caused by the outer tube, so that the portion of the active bending segment where the outer tube is not provided has a bending resistance less than the portion of the active bending segment where the outer tube is provided, so that a bending mode in which the distal end of the active bending segment bends before the proximal end can be achieved, which is beneficial to reducing the bending radius of the active bending segment.

[0048] The following is combined with Figures 3 to 15 , the active bending section, insertion portion and endoscope provided in the present application are described in detail through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0049] The first aspect of this embodiment provides a detailed description of the active bending section.

[0050] The active bending section of this embodiment is applied to the insertion portion 300 of the endoscope. The endoscope includes the insertion portion 300 and a handle 400. The insertion portion 300 is used to be inserted into the cavity. The handle 400 is provided with an operating member for the convenience of the doctor to operate. Figure 3 The insertion portion 300 includes an active bending section and a passive bending section 200, wherein the active bending section is located at the distal end and the passive bending section 200 is located at the proximal end. Figure 3 As shown. The insertion part 300 is also provided with an instrument tube for inserting instruments. The distal end surface of the active bending section is provided with a camera module and other structures. The active bending section can be in a straight state or a bent state under the action of the traction rope 121, such as Figure 4~Figure 7 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 shown.

[0051] The active bending section of this embodiment includes a plurality of snake bone sections 110, and two adjacent snake bone sections 110 are connected to each other. For example, the two adjacent snake bone sections 110 are connected by rotation, so that the snake bone sections 110 can be rotated based on the tension of the traction rope 121, so that the active bending section switches from a straight state to a bent state. For example, the two adjacent snake bone sections 110 are riveted by a rivet 130, such as Figure 4~Figure 7As shown. Exemplarily, the rivet 130 is a rivet. Two adjacent snake bone segments 110 are connected by at least two rivets 130, and the rivets 130 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the snake bone segment 110.

[0052] In some embodiments, the active bending section further includes a traction rope assembly 120, such as Figure 4 As shown. The traction rope assembly 120 is at least one group. When the traction rope assembly 120 is at least two groups, the traction rope assembly 120 is distributed along the circumferential direction of the insertion portion 300. Exemplarily, the traction rope assembly 120 is two groups, and the two groups of traction rope assemblies 120 are symmetrically distributed in the circumferential direction of the insertion portion 300, so that at least two-way bending of the active bending section can be achieved. Exemplarily, the traction rope assembly 120 is three or four groups, and three or four groups of traction rope assemblies 120 are symmetrically distributed in the circumferential direction of the insertion portion 300, so that at least four-way bending of the active bending section can be achieved.

[0053] In some embodiments, the traction rope assembly 120 includes a traction rope 121, such as Figure 4 As shown. The traction rope 121 can be a steel wire rope with a small diameter and high strength. The proximal end of the traction rope 121 is connected to the handle 400 of the endoscope. Exemplarily, the traction rope 121 is connected to a lever or a knob on the handle 400, so that the traction rope 121 can be moved by operating the lever or the knob on the handle 400. The distal end of the traction rope 121 extends to the distal end snake bone segment 110, and the distal end of the traction rope 121 is fixedly connected to the distal end snake bone segment 110, as shown. Figure 4 As shown. Figure 4 As shown, the distal end of the traction rope 121 has a first fixing point 121a.

[0054] In some embodiments, the traction rope assembly 120 further includes an outer tube 122, such as Figure 4 The outer tube 122 is provided with a channel along its axial direction, and the diameter of the channel is larger than the diameter of the traction rope 121, so that when the outer tube 122 is sleeved outside the traction rope 121, the outer tube 122 and the traction rope 121 are clearance-matched, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 From the proximal end to the distal end, the outer tube 122 extends from the proximal end snake bone segment 110 at least to the snake bone segment 110 adjacent to the proximal end snake bone segment 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown. Exemplarily, there is a third fixing point 122a between the outer tube 122 and the passive bending section 200, such as Figure 4 As shown. Exemplarily, the outer tube 122 can be a plastic hose or a plastic tube with a slightly greater hardness.

[0055] In some embodiments, from the proximal end to the distal end, the active bending section includes the first serpentine segment, the second serpentine segment, the third serpentine segment, and the Nth serpentine segment. For example, the outer tube 122 extends from the first serpentine segment to the second serpentine segment; or the outer tube 122 extends from the first serpentine segment to the third serpentine segment, or the outer tube 122 extends from the first serpentine segment to the Nth serpentine segment.

[0056] Preferably, the outer tube 122 extends from the proximal end snake bone joint 110 to the distal snake bone joint 110. The distal snake bone joint 110 mentioned here may refer to the distal end snake bone joint 110, or may refer to the snake bone joint 110 located in the distal region of the active bending section. The distal region of the active bending section may refer to the portion located at the distal end of the middle of the active bending section. Figure 5~Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the location of the distal end 122b of the outer tube is shown in FIG.

[0057] In the traction rope assembly 120 of this embodiment, the portion of the traction rope 121 that is connected to the outer tube 122, the resistance encountered by the serpentine joint 110 when rotating includes at least: the friction between the serpentine joint 110 and the rivet 130, the friction between the traction rope 121 and the outer tube 122, and the bending resistance of the outer tube 122 itself; the portion of the traction rope 121 that is not connected to the outer tube 122, the resistance encountered by the serpentine joint 110 when rotating includes at least: the friction between the serpentine joint 110 and the rivet 130, and the friction between the traction rope 121 and the serpentine joint 110.

[0058] Usually, the sum of the friction between the traction rope 121 and the outer tube 122 and the bending resistance of the outer tube 122 itself is significantly greater than the friction between the traction rope 121 and the snake bone joint 110, so that the bending resistance of the part of the active bending section where the outer tube 122 is not provided is smaller than that of the part provided with the outer tube 122. After the pulling force is applied to the traction rope 121, the pulling force can first overcome the resistance of the active bending section at the far end of the outer tube 122, and cause the snake bone joint 110 at the far end of the outer tube 122 to rotate. As the pulling force of the traction rope 121 increases, the pulling force can overcome the resistance of the part of the active bending section provided with the outer tube 122, and cause the snake bone joint 110 of this part to rotate.

[0059] The active bending section of the above technical solution can realize a bending mode in which the snake bone joint 110 at the distal end of the outer tube 122 is bent first. This bending mode is conducive to reducing the bending radius of the active bending section. When the doctor uses it during surgery, for example, when the doctor needs to bend the active bending section from the upper renal calyx to the lower renal calyx, it can not only reduce the difficulty of operation, but also avoid the problem of kidney damage caused by excessive bending radius during the bending process of the active bending section. On the other hand, the above technical solution can adjust the bending radius of the active bending section by adjusting the setting position of the outer tube 122, without making too many improvements to the existing insertion part structure, and is easy to industrialize and produce.

[0060] In some embodiments, the snake bone joint 110 is provided with a traction rope channel 111, and the traction rope channel 111 is used to install the traction rope 121. Figure 4 to Figure 12 As shown. Exemplarily, each snake bone segment 110 is provided with a traction rope channel 111, and the traction rope 121 is installed in the traction rope channel 111. Through the restraining effect of the traction rope channel 111, the traction rope 121 can be prevented from interfering with the instrument tube, wire harness and other structures in the active bending section.

[0061] In some embodiments, during the bending of the active bending section, the outer tube 122 can slide along the traction rope channel 111 and move out of or enter at least a portion of the traction rope channel 111. Exemplarily, the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 is larger than the outer diameter of the outer tube 122, so that the traction rope channel 111 can be used not only to constrain the traction rope 121, but also to allow the outer tube 122 to enter or be removed.

[0062] In some embodiments, the traction rope channel 111 located at the distal end of the outer tube 122 has a gradually decreasing aperture from the proximal end to the distal end, such as Figure 6 , Figure 10~Figure 12 As shown. Exemplarily, the aperture of each traction rope channel 111 located at the distal end of the outer tube 122 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. After the traction rope 121 is installed in the traction rope channel 111, the distance between the traction rope 121 and the wall of the traction rope channel 111 is smaller at the end with a smaller aperture of the traction rope channel 111; the distance between the traction rope 121 and the wall of the traction rope channel 111 is larger at the end with a larger aperture of the traction rope channel 111, so that during the bending process of the active bending section, the distal end of the outer tube 122 can smoothly enter the traction rope channel 111 on the next snake bone segment 110.

[0063] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 A schematic diagram showing that the apertures of the traction rope channel 111 are the same at all locations is shown. Figure 10~Figure 12 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram showing that the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. Fig.12 As shown, the aperture at the proximal end of the traction rope channel 111 is L1, and the aperture at the distal end of the traction rope channel 111 is L2, and L1 and L2 satisfy: L1>L2.

[0064] The inventors found in their research that when the active bending section bends, the outer tube 122 located on the bending direction side will move toward the distal end and enter the traction rope channel 111 on the distal snake bone segment 110, such as Fig.14As the outer tube 122 has a certain thickness, when the outer tube 122 needs to enter the traction rope channel 111 at the far end, there is a problem that the end surface of the outer tube 122 abuts against the end surface of the traction rope channel 111, thereby causing resistance to the bending of the active bending section and affecting the reliability of the bending of the active bending section.

[0065] In the above technical solution of the present embodiment, the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end, that is, when the outer tube 122 needs to enter the next traction rope channel 111, it first enters the end with a larger aperture, which can improve the smoothness of the outer tube 122 entering the next traction rope channel 111 and reduce the hidden danger of the end face of the outer tube 122 abutting against the end face of the traction rope channel 111, so as to ensure the reliability of the bending of the active bending section.

[0066] In some embodiments, the traction rope channel 111 located at the distal end of the passive bending section 200 of the insertion portion 300 has a gradually decreasing aperture from the proximal end to the distal end, such as Figure 6 , Figure 10~Figure 12 As shown. Exemplarily, the aperture of each traction rope channel 111 located at the distal end of the outer tube 122 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. After the traction rope 121 is installed in the traction rope channel 111, the distance between the traction rope 121 and the wall of the traction rope channel 111 is smaller at the end with a smaller aperture of the traction rope channel 111; the distance between the traction rope 121 and the wall of the traction rope channel 111 is larger at the end with a larger aperture of the traction rope channel 111, so that during the bending and straightening process of the active bending section, the distal end of the outer tube 122 can smoothly enter the traction rope channel 111 on the next snake bone segment 110.

[0067] The inventors also found in their research that when the active bending section bends, not only the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side will move toward the distal end and enter the traction rope channel 111 on the distal snake bone segment 110; but also the outer tube 122 on the side away from the bending direction will move toward the proximal end and enter the traction rope channel 111 on the proximal snake bone segment 110. Fig.14 As shown. When the active bending section changes from the bending state to the straightening state, the outer tube 122 on the side away from the bending direction will move distally and enter the traction rope channel 111 on the distal serpentine joint 110 to restore to its original position. Similarly, since the outer tube 122 has a certain thickness, when the outer tube 122 needs to enter the traction rope channel 111 at the distal end, there is also a problem of the end face of the outer tube 122 abutting against the end face of the traction rope channel 111, thereby causing resistance to the straightening of the active bending section, affecting the reliability of the active bending section returning to the straightening state.

[0068] like Fig.13 and Fig.14As shown, relative to when the active bending section is in the straight state, the side where the gap 112 between two adjacent serpentine joints 110 is reduced is the bending direction side; the side where the gap 112 between two adjacent serpentine joints 110 is increased is the side away from the bending direction.

[0069] In the above technical scheme of the present embodiment, the apertures of the traction rope channels 111 on the snake bone nodes 110 on the entire active bending section gradually decrease from the proximal end to the distal end, that is, when the outer tube 122 that is away from the bending direction side and located on the bending direction side needs to enter the next traction rope channel 111, it first enters the end with a larger aperture, which can improve the smoothness of the outer tube 122 entering the next traction rope channel 111 and reduce the hidden danger of the end face of the outer tube 122 abutting against the end face of the traction rope channel 111, so as to ensure the reliability of bending and straightening of the active bending section.

[0070] Exemplarily, the traction rope channel 111 is a groove formed by a depression of part of the wall surface on the snake bone segment 110, and the depression depth of the wall surface gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end, so that the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. Alternatively, the opening size of the groove gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end, and the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. Alternatively, the thickness of the wall surface gradually increases from the proximal end to the distal end, and the aperture of the traction rope channel 111 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0071] Not limited to this, the traction rope channel 111 can also be other structures.

[0072] In some embodiments, the height difference between the inner wall of the hole at the distal end of the traction rope channel 111 and the inner wall of the hole at the proximal end of the traction rope channel 111 in the radial direction of the traction rope channel 111 is greater than or equal to the wall thickness of the outer tube 122. On the one hand, the aperture of the proximal side of the traction rope channel 111 is smaller, the traction rope 121 can be supported by the distal side of the traction rope channel 111, and the traction rope 121 will not fit with the proximal side of the traction rope channel 111, which is conducive to the outer tube 122 moving out of the proximal side of the traction rope channel 111 or entering the traction rope channel 111. On the other hand, the height difference between the inner wall of the hole at the distal end of the traction rope channel 111 and the inner wall of the hole at the proximal end of the traction rope channel 111 in the radial direction of the traction rope channel 111 is greater than or equal to the wall thickness of the outer tube 122, which can ensure that there is enough gap between the traction rope 121 and the traction rope channel 111 on the proximal side of the traction rope channel 111 for the outer tube 122 to pass through, avoiding the problem of the outer tube 122 and the traction rope channel 111 stopping.

[0073] In some embodiments, the distal end of the outer tube 122 is chamfered; and / or the proximal end surface of the traction rope channel 111 is chamfered. The chamfers on the outer tube 122 and / or the traction rope channel 111 can play a guiding role, further reducing the difficulty of the outer tube 122 entering the traction rope channel 111.

[0074] In some embodiments, the traction rope assembly 120 further includes a spring tube 123, such as Figure 7 The spring tube 123 is sleeved on the traction rope 121, and the spring tube 123 is located at the distal end of the outer tube 122, and the proximal end of the spring tube 123 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the outer tube 122, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown. That is, the part of the traction rope 121 at the far end of the active bending section is not provided with the outer tube 122, and the outer tube is connected with the spring tube 123. The spring tube 123 has a guiding function. During the bending or straightening process of the active bending section, the outer tube 122 can be guided by the spring tube 123 to enter the traction rope channel 111 of the next snake bone segment 110, which can reduce the hidden danger of the end face of the outer tube 122 abutting against the end face of the traction rope channel 111, so as to ensure the reliability of the bending and straightening of the active bending section.

[0075] In some embodiments, the hardness of the spring tube 123 is less than the hardness of the outer tube 122. Exemplarily, the hardness of the spring tube 123 can be controlled by parameters such as the material, pitch, and diameter of the spring tube 123. The hardness of the spring tube 123 is less than the hardness of the outer tube 122, so that the bending resistance caused by the spring tube 123 can be less than the bending resistance caused by the outer tube 122. Therefore, even if the spring tube 123 is connected to the outer surface of the traction rope 121 at the distal end, the bending sequence of the active bending section will not be affected.

[0076] In some embodiments, the hardness of the spring tube 123 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end. Exemplarily, the pitch of the spring tube 123 gradually increases from the proximal end to the distal end, so that the hardness of the spring tube 123 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0077] In the scheme of this embodiment, the hardness of the spring tube 123 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end, that is, the bending resistance caused by the spring tube 123 gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end, so that the part of the active bending section provided with the spring tube 123 can be gradually bent from the distal end to the proximal end. In the scheme of this embodiment, the bending path of the active bending section is as follows: Fig.15 shown.

[0078] In some embodiments, the distal end of the outer tube 122 is disposed at a position that satisfies: when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side is located proximal to the fixed connection point between the traction rope 121 and the distal end snake bone segment 110. The fixed connection point between the traction rope 121 and the distal end snake bone segment 110 is also the first fixed point 121a. Fig.14 When the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side is located near the first fixing point 121a, thereby preventing the distal end of the outer tube 122 from squeezing the first fixing point 121a and causing the first fixing point 121a to fall off.

[0079] In some embodiments, the distal end of the outer tube 122 is disposed at a position that satisfies: when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side abuts against the fixed connection point between the traction rope 121 and the distal end snake bone segment 110, such as Fig.14 The fixed connection point between the traction rope 121 and the distal end of the snake bone segment 110 is also the first fixed point 121a. Fig.14 Exemplarily, when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side is just in a state of switching from non-contact to contact with the first fixing point 121a, thereby avoiding the problem of the first fixing point 121a falling off due to excessive force.

[0080] In addition, the inventors have found in their research that when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, if force is continued to be applied to the traction rope 121 , the serpentine joint 110 will be excessively squeezed, which may easily cause damage to the serpentine joint 110 .

[0081] In the above scheme of this embodiment, when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube 122 on the bending direction side abuts against the first fixed point 121a. At this time, if force is continued to be applied to the traction rope 121, the squeezing force on the serpentine joint 110 can be alleviated through the abutment between the outer tube 122 and the first fixed point 121a, which helps to protect the serpentine joint 110.

[0082] The second aspect of this embodiment describes the insertion portion in detail.

[0083] The insertion portion of this embodiment includes an active bending section 100 and a passive bending section 200, and the active bending section 100 and the passive bending section 200 are connected. Figure 3 In some embodiments, the active bending section 100 is the active bending section of any technical solution in this embodiment. The structure of the passive bending section 200 can be the same as that of the prior art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0084] The insertion portion of this embodiment includes the active bending section of any one of the technical solutions in this embodiment, which is not only conducive to reducing the area swept by the distal end during the bending process of the active bending section 100, but also can reduce the difficulty of operation and the probability of tissue damage when used by doctors during surgery.

[0085] The third aspect of this embodiment describes the endoscope in detail.

[0086] The endoscope of this embodiment includes an insertion portion 300 and a handle 400, and the insertion portion 300 and the handle 400 are connected. Figure 3 In some embodiments, the insertion portion 300 is the insertion portion of any technical solution in this embodiment. The handle 400 can be a structure of the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0087] The endoscope system of this embodiment may be a digestive endoscope, a bronchoscope, a pyeloscope, an esophagoscope, a gastroscope, a colonoscope, an otoscope, a rhinoscope, a stomatoscope, a laryngoscope, a colposcope, a laparoscope, an arthroscope, etc. This embodiment does not specifically limit the type of the endoscope system.

[0088] The endoscope of this embodiment has an insertion portion 300 according to any one of the technical solutions of this embodiment, which can reduce the difficulty of operation for doctors when using it during surgery.

[0089] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0090] In addition, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in a reverse order according to the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0091] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An active bending section, applied to an insertion portion (300) of an endoscope, characterized in that: The active bending section comprises a plurality of snake bone nodes (110), and two adjacent snake bone nodes (110) are connected to each other; The active bending section further comprises a traction rope assembly (120), wherein the traction rope assembly (120) comprises a traction rope (121) and an outer tube (122), wherein: The proximal end of the traction rope (121) is connected to the handle (400) of the endoscope, the distal end of the traction rope (121) extends to the distal terminal serpentine segment (110), and the distal end of the traction rope (121) is fixedly connected to the distal terminal serpentine segment (110); The outer tube (122) is sleeved on the outside of the traction rope (121), and the outer tube (122) and the traction rope (121) are loosely matched. The outer tube (122) is an integrated structure, and in the direction from the proximal end to the distal end, the outer tube (122) extends from the proximal terminal snake bone segment (110) to at least the snake bone segment (110) adjacent to the proximal terminal snake bone segment (110); A traction rope channel (111) is provided on the snake bone joint (110), and the traction rope channel (111) is used to install the traction rope (121). During the bending process of the active bending section, the outer tube (122) can slide along the traction rope channel (111) and move out of or enter at least a part of the traction rope channel (111), and the traction rope channel (111) located at the distal end of the outer tube (122) has an aperture that gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end; or the traction rope channel (111) located at the distal end of the passive bending section (200) of the insertion part (300) has an aperture that gradually decreases from the proximal end to the distal end.

2. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction rope channel (111) is a groove formed by partially concavely recessing a wall surface of the snake bone joint (110). From the proximal end to the distal end, the concave depth of the wall surface gradually decreases; or, From the proximal end to the distal end, the opening size of the groove gradually decreases; or, The thickness of the wall gradually increases from the proximal end to the distal end.

3. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height difference between the inner wall of the hole at the distal end of the traction rope channel (111) and the inner wall of the hole at the proximal end of the traction rope channel (111) in the radial direction of the traction rope channel (111) is greater than or equal to the wall thickness of the outer tube (122).

4. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction rope assembly (120) further comprises a spring tube (123), wherein the spring tube (123) is sleeved on the traction rope (121), and The spring tube (123) is located at the distal end of the outer tube (122), and the proximal end of the spring tube (123) is fixedly connected to the distal end of the outer tube (122); The hardness of the spring tube (123) is smaller than the hardness of the outer tube (122).

5. The active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The setting position of the distal end of the outer tube (122) satisfies that when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube (122) on the bending direction side is located proximal to the fixed connection point between the traction rope (121) and the distal terminal snake bone segment (110).

6. The active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The setting position of the distal end of the outer tube (122) satisfies that when the active bending section reaches the maximum bending angle, the distal end of the outer tube (122) on the bending direction side abuts against the fixed connection point between the traction rope (121) and the distal end snake bone segment (110).

7. An insertion portion, characterized in that: The invention comprises an active bending segment (100) and a passive bending segment (200), wherein the active bending segment (100) and the passive bending segment (200) are connected, wherein the active bending segment (100) is the active bending segment according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An endoscope, characterized in that: The invention comprises an insertion part (300) and a handle (400), wherein the insertion part (300) and the handle (400) are connected, wherein the insertion part (300) is the insertion part according to claim 7.

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