Tension adjusting mechanism and endoscope device thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a tension adjusting mechanism and an endoscope device thereof. The tension adjusting mechanism comprises a first control line, a second control line, a control handle, a control wheel, a first adjusting screw and a second adjusting screw, wherein the first adjusting screw and the second adjusting screw are rotatably screwed on the control wheel. The control handle is provided with a handle main body connected with a flexible tube of the endoscope device and a control rod operably inserted outside the handle main body. The control wheel is rotatably arranged in the handle body and connected to the control rod. The first and second control lines movably pass through the flexible tube to be connected to the first and second adjustment screws, respectively, and the tension of the first and second control lines is adjusted by rotating the first and second adjustment screws, respectively. When the control rod rotates the control wheel, the first control line and the second control line jointly control the bending direction of the flexible pipe along with rotation of the control wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tension adjusting mechanism and an endoscope device thereof, and particularly to a tension adjusting mechanism and an endoscope device thereof that wind a control line around an adjusting screw by rotating the adjusting screw to adjust the tension of the control line on a control wheel. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope device is a slender and flexible bendable tube device, which mainly includes an image capturing device, a light source, and a controllable bendable tube. After the endoscope device is electrically connected to a screen, internal organs of the human body can be captured and imaged by the endoscope device and displayed on the screen. Therefore, the endoscope device can be applied to medical detection and diagnosis. Generally, the endoscope device uses two control lines to connect to a control wheel and thread through the controllable bendable tube. Thereby, the rotation of the control wheel can apply tension to one of the control lines and release the other control line at the same time to achieve the control of the bending direction of the front end of the endoscope device (for example, bending the endoscope device upward or downward) for subsequent medical detection.

[0003] However, during the assembly process of the control wheel and the control line, since the connection backlash between the control line and the control wheel cannot be effectively eliminated, the tension of the control line cannot be accurately adjusted. Therefore, it often causes insufficient rotation stroke of the insertion end of the controllable bendable tube, thereby affecting the deflection reliability of the endoscope device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tension adjusting mechanism and an endoscope device thereof that wind a control line around an adjusting screw by rotating the adjusting screw to adjust the tension of the control line on a control wheel, so as to solve the above problems.

[0005] According to an embodiment, the tension adjustment mechanism of the present invention is applied to the wire tension adjustment of an endoscope device. The endoscope device includes a flexible tube and an endoscope head module. A distal end of the flexible tube is connected to the endoscope head module. The tension adjustment mechanism includes a control handle, a control wheel, a first adjustment screw, a second adjustment screw, a first control wire, and a second control wire. The control handle has a handle body and a control rod. The handle body is connected to a proximal end of the flexible tube. The control rod is operably inserted outside the handle body. The control wheel is rotatably disposed within the handle body and connected to the control rod such that the control wheel can rotate relative to the handle body by operating the control rod. The control wheel has a peripheral guide groove, a first guide hole, and a second guide hole. The first guide hole and the second guide hole are respectively located at two ends of the peripheral guide groove. The first adjustment screw is rotatably screwed to the control wheel. The second adjustment screw is rotatably screwed to the control wheel. The first control wire is movably passed through the flexible tube and exits through the first guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the first adjustment screw. The tension of the first control wire is adjusted by rotating the first adjustment screw to wind the first control wire around the first adjustment screw. The second control wire is movably passed through the flexible tube and exits through the second guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the second adjustment screw. The tension of the second control wire is adjusted by rotating the second adjustment screw to wind the second control wire around the second adjustment screw. When the control rod rotates the control wheel, the first control wire and the second control wire jointly control a bending direction of the flexible tube as the control wheel rotates.

[0006] According to another embodiment, the endoscope device of the present invention includes a flexible tube, an endoscope lens module, and a tension adjustment mechanism. The endoscope lens module is connected to a distal end of the flexible tube. The tension adjustment mechanism includes a control handle, a control wheel, a first adjustment screw, a second adjustment screw, a first control line, and a second control line. The control handle has a handle body and a control rod. The handle body is connected to a proximal end of the flexible tube, and the control rod is operably inserted outside the handle body. The control wheel is rotatably disposed within the handle body and connected to the control rod, such that the control wheel can rotate relative to the handle body by operating the control rod. The control wheel has a peripheral guide groove, a first guide hole, and a second guide hole, and the first guide hole and the second guide hole are respectively located at two ends of the peripheral guide groove. The first adjustment screw is rotatably screwed to the control wheel. The second adjustment screw is rotatably screwed to the control wheel. The first control line is movably passed through the flexible tube and exits the first guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the first adjustment screw, and the tension of the first control line is adjusted by rotating the first adjustment screw to wind the first control line around the first adjustment screw. The second control line is movably passed through the flexible tube and exits the second guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the second adjustment screw, and the tension of the second control line is adjusted by rotating the second adjustment screw to wind the second control line around the second adjustment screw. When the control rod rotates the control wheel, the first control line and the second control line jointly control a bending direction of the flexible tube as the control wheel rotates.

[0007] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts a screw adjustment design to wind the control line around the screw by rotating the adjustment screw, so as to achieve the effect of properly adjusting the tension of the control line, thereby effectively eliminating the connection backlash between the control line and the control wheel. In this way, the present invention can effectively solve the problems that the connection backlash between the control line and the control wheel in the prior art causes the control wheel to have a dead zone during rotation and the tension of the control line cannot be accurately adjusted, thereby greatly improving the deflection reliability and operation accuracy of the endoscope device.

[0008] The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood through the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] Figure 1 A perspective simplified diagram of an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an enlarged schematic diagram of the tension adjustment mechanism of

[0011] Figure 3 isFigure 2 Enlarged schematic view of the control wheel.

[0012] Figure 4 is Figure 2 Enlarged schematic view of the first adjustment screw.

[0013] Among them, the reference numerals are explained as follows:

[0014] 10: Endoscope device

[0015] 12: Flexible tube

[0016] 14: Endoscope lens module

[0017] 16: Tension adjustment mechanism

[0018] 18: Control handle

[0019] 20: Control wheel

[0020] 22: First adjustment screw

[0021] 23: Threading hole

[0022] 24: Second adjustment screw

[0023] 26: First control wire

[0024] 28: Second control wire

[0025] 30: Handle body

[0026] 32: Control rod

[0027] 34: Peripheral guide groove

[0028] 36: First guide hole

[0029] 38: Second guide hole

[0030] 40: First guide post

[0031] 42: Second guide post

[0032] 44: Third guide post

[0033] 46: Fourth guide post

[0034] P1: Distal end

[0035] P2: Proximal end

[0036] a, b, c, d, e: Winding path Detailed implementation mode

[0037] The following content will be accompanied by diagrams to illustrate the technical content of the present invention through specific embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. Various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In particular, the structural design and positional relationship of each component in the diagrams (such as the handle design, the size of the flexible tube / endoscope lens module / tension adjustment mechanism, etc.) are only for illustrative purposes and do not represent the actual situation of the implementation of the present invention. The following lists several preferred embodiments and illustrates the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only for reference to the directions in the attached diagrams. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustration and not for limiting the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise noted, the term "connection" herein includes any direct and indirect electrical or structural connection means. Therefore, if it is described in the text that the first device is connected to the second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically / structurally connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically / structurally connected to the second device through other devices or connection means.

[0038] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 。 Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of an endoscope device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is Figure 1 an enlarged schematic view of the tension adjustment mechanism 16 of Figure 3 is Figure 2 an enlarged schematic view of the control wheel 20 of Figure 4 is Figure 2 an enlarged schematic view of the first adjustment screw 22 of Figure 2 wherein, in order to clearly show the internal structural configuration of the tension adjustment mechanism 16, the tension adjustment mechanism 16 is presented in a sectional view in Figures 1 to 4As shown, the endoscope device 10 includes a flexible tube 12, an endoscope lens module 14, and a tension adjustment mechanism 16. The tension adjustment mechanism 16 includes a control handle 18, a control wheel 20, a first adjustment screw 22, a second adjustment screw 24, a first control line 26, and a second control line 28. The flexible tube 12 may preferably be composed of a plastic material (such as polypropylene (PP) or polyoxymethylene (POM)) and formed by a plastic injection molding process. The endoscope lens module 14 is connected to the distal end P1 of the flexible tube 12, the tension adjustment mechanism 16 is disposed at the proximal end P2 of the flexible tube 12, and the control wheel 20 is connected to the endoscope lens module 14 via the first control line 26 and the second control line 28 passing through the flexible tube 12. In this way, the rotation of the control wheel 20 can apply tension to one of the control lines and release the other control line, thereby controlling the bending direction of the flexible tube 12, and further controlling the endoscope lens module 14 to perform endoscope imaging (such as imaging of the internal organs of the human body) for subsequent medical detection and diagnosis. Regarding the related descriptions of the wire control design of the control wheel 20 and the imaging design of the endoscope lens module 14, they are common in the prior art and will not be elaborated herein.

[0039] The following will provide a detailed description of the tension adjustment design of the tension adjustment mechanism 16. From Figures 1 to 4 it can be seen that the control handle 18 includes a handle body 30 and a control rod 32. The handle body 30 is connected to the proximal end P2 of the flexible tube 12, and the control rod 32 is operably inserted outside the handle body 30. The control wheel 20 is rotatably disposed within the handle body 30 and connected to the control rod 32, such that the control wheel 20 can rotate relative to the handle body 30 by operating the control rod 32. The related description of the operation design of the control rod 32 is common in the prior art. For the sake of simplicity, it will not be elaborated herein. The control wheel 20 has a peripheral guide groove 34, a first guide hole 36, and a second guide hole 38. The first guide hole 36 and the second guide hole 38 are respectively located at both ends of the peripheral guide groove 34. The first adjustment screw 22 and the second adjustment screw 24 are rotatably screwed to the control wheel 20. The first control line 26 is movably passed through the flexible tube 12 and passes out of the first guide hole 36 along the peripheral guide groove 34 to be connected to the first adjustment screw 22, and the second control line 28 is movably passed through the flexible tube 12 and passes out of the second guide hole 38 along the peripheral guide groove 34 to be connected to the second adjustment screw 24. The first control line 26 and the second control line 28 may preferably be arranged in a crossed configuration within the handle body 30, but this is not limited thereto, meaning that in another embodiment of the present invention, other wire arrangements may also be adopted, such as a parallel wire arrangement.

[0040] More specifically, as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in order to more smoothly connect the first control line 26 and the second control line 28 to the first adjustment screw 22 and the second adjustment screw 24, and to ensure that the first control line 26 and the second control line 28 can maintain sufficient tension, in this embodiment, the control wheel 20 may further include a first guide post 40, a second guide post 42, a third guide post 44, and a fourth guide post 46. The third guide post 44 is adjacent to the first guide post 40 to guide the first control line 26 to pass between the first guide post 40 and the third guide post 44 and then connect to the first adjustment screw 22. The fourth guide post 46 is adjacent to the second guide post 42 to guide the second control line 28 to pass between the second guide post 42 and the fourth guide post 46 and then connect to the second adjustment screw 24. In addition, the present invention may adopt a wire threading hole design to further improve the connection strength and stability of the first control line 26 and the second control line 28 on the control wheel 20. For example, as Figure 4 shown, the first adjustment screw 22 may have a wire threading hole 23, and the first control line 26 may pass through the wire threading hole 23 and be wound around the first adjustment screw 22 (for example, the wire may be wound along the winding path a, b, c, d, e in sequence, but not limited thereto). As for the relevant description of the winding design of the second control line 28 on the second adjustment screw 24, it can be referred to Figure 4 by analogy and will not be elaborated herein.

[0041] Through the above design, after the first control line 26 movably passes through the flexible tube 12 and exits the first guide hole 36 along the circumferential guide groove 34, and then passes between the first guide post 40 and the third guide post 44 to connect to the first adjustment screw 22, the user can use an auxiliary jig (such as a screwdriver) to rotate the first adjustment screw 22 to tightly wind the first control line 26 around the first adjustment screw 22, thereby appropriately adjusting the tension of the first control line 26 and eliminating the connection backlash between the first control line 26 and the control wheel 20. Similarly, after the second control line 26 movably passes through the flexible tube 12 and exits the second guide hole 38 along the circumferential guide groove 34, and then passes between the second guide post 42 and the fourth guide post 46 to connect to the second adjustment screw 24, the user can also rotate the second adjustment screw 24 to tightly wind the second control line 28 around the second adjustment screw 24, thereby appropriately adjusting the tension of the second control line 28 and eliminating the connection backlash between the second control line 28 and the control wheel 20. In this way, when the user operates the control lever 32 to rotate the control wheel 20, the first control line 26 and the second control line 28 with appropriate tension can accurately control the bending direction of the flexible tube 12 without the problem of insufficient rotational travel of the distal end P1 of the flexible tube 12, thereby allowing the user to manipulate the endoscopic lens module 14 to perform accurate endoscopic imaging (such as imaging of the internal organs of the human body) for subsequent medical detection and diagnosis.

[0042] It should be noted that the present invention can adopt an adhesive connection design to fix the connection between the control line and the control wheel. For example, after the above-mentioned tension adjustment process is completed, the first control line 26 can be adhered to at least one of the first guide hole 36, the first guide post 40, the third guide post 44, and the first adjustment screw 22, so as to improve the connection strength and stability of the first control line 26 on the control wheel 20. Similarly, the second control line 28 can be adhered to at least one of the second guide hole 38, the second guide post 42, the fourth guide post 46, and the second adjustment screw 24, so as to improve the connection strength and stability of the second control line 28 on the control wheel 20.

[0043] In addition, it is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned guide posts are optional elements to simplify the control line connection design of the present invention. For example, in an embodiment where the third guide post 44 and the fourth guide post 46 are omitted, the first control line 26 only needs to bypass the first guide post 40 to be connected to the first adjustment screw 22, and the second control line 28 only needs to bypass the second guide post 42 to be connected to the second adjustment screw 24; in another embodiment where the first guide post 40, the second guide post 42, the third guide post 44, and the fourth guide post 46 are omitted, the first control line 26 can be directly connected to the first adjustment screw 22 after passing through the first guide hole 36 along the circumferential guide groove 34, and the second control line 28 can be directly connected to the second adjustment screw 24 after passing through the second guide hole 38 along the circumferential guide groove 34.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts a screw adjustment design to wind the control line around the screw by rotating the adjustment screw, so as to achieve the effect of properly adjusting the tension of the control line, thereby effectively eliminating the connection backlash between the control line and the control wheel. In this way, the present invention can effectively solve the problems that the connection backlash between the control line and the control wheel in the prior art will cause the control wheel to have an idle stroke during rotation and the tension of the control line cannot be accurately adjusted, thereby greatly improving the deflection reliability and operation accuracy of the endoscope device.

[0045] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tension adjustment mechanism for adjusting the wire tension of an endoscope device, the endoscope device comprising a flexible tube and an endoscope head module, a distal end of the flexible tube being connected to the endoscope head module, characterized in that, The described tension adjustment mechanism includes: A control handle having a handle body and a control rod, the handle body being connected to a proximal end of the flexible tube, and the control rod being operably inserted outside the handle body; A control wheel rotatably disposed within the handle body and connected to the control rod such that the control wheel can rotate relative to the handle body by operating the control rod. The control wheel has a peripheral guide groove, a first guide hole, and a second guide hole, and the first guide hole and the second guide hole are respectively located at two ends of the peripheral guide groove; A first adjustment screw rotatably threaded into the control wheel; A second adjustment screw rotatably threaded into the control wheel; A first control line movably passing through the flexible tube and passing out of the first guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the first adjustment screw, and the tension of the first control line is adjusted by rotating the first adjustment screw to wind the first control line around the first adjustment screw; and A second control line movably passing through the flexible tube and passing out of the second guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the second adjustment screw, and the tension of the second control line is adjusted by rotating the second adjustment screw to wind the second control line around the second adjustment screw; Wherein when the control rod rotates the control wheel, the first control line and the second control line jointly control a bending direction of the flexible tube as the control wheel rotates.

2. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first control line and the second control line are arranged in a crossed or parallel manner within the handle body.

3. The tension adjusting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are respectively adjusted by the first adjustment screw and the second adjustment screw, the first control line and the second control line are respectively adhered to the first guide hole and the second guide hole.

4. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein The control wheel further has a first guide post and a second guide post. After passing out of the first guide hole, the first control line bypasses the first guide post and is connected to the first adjustment screw, and after passing out of the second guide hole, the second control line bypasses the second guide post and is connected to the second adjustment screw.

5. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 4, wherein, After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are respectively adjusted by the first adjustment screw and the second adjustment screw, the first control line and the second control line are respectively adhered to the first guide post and the second guide post.

6. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 4, wherein, The control wheel further has a third guide post and a fourth guide post. The third guide post is adjacent to the first guide post to guide the first control line to pass through between the first guide post and the third guide post and be connected to the first adjustment screw, and the fourth guide post is adjacent to the second guide post to guide the second control line to pass through between the second guide post and the fourth guide post and be connected to the second adjustment screw.

7. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 6, wherein, After the tension of the first control line is adjusted by the first adjustment screw, the first control line is bonded to the first guide post and the third guide post; after the tension of the second control line is adjusted by the second adjustment screw, the second control line is bonded to the second guide post and the fourth guide post.

8. The tension adjusting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are respectively adjusted by the first adjustment screw and the second adjustment screw, the first control line and the second control line are respectively bonded to the first adjustment screw and the second adjustment screw.

9. The tension adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein The first adjustment screw has a wire-passing hole, and the first control line passes through the wire-passing hole and winds around the first adjustment screw.

10. An endoscope device, characterized in that, Comprising: A flexible tube; An endoscope lens module connected to a distal end of the flexible tube; And A tension adjustment mechanism, comprising: A control handle having a handle body and a control rod, the handle body being connected to a proximal end of the flexible tube, and the control rod being operably inserted outside the handle body; A control wheel rotatably disposed within the handle body and connected to the control rod such that the control wheel can rotate relative to the handle body by operating the control rod, the control wheel having a peripheral guide groove, a first guide hole, and a second guide hole, the first guide hole and the second guide hole being respectively located at two ends of the peripheral guide groove; A first adjustment screw rotatably screwed to the control wheel; A second adjustment screw rotatably screwed to the control wheel; A first control line movably passing through the flexible tube and passing out of the first guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the first adjustment screw, the tension of the first control line being adjusted by rotating the first adjustment screw to wind the first control line around the first adjustment screw; and A second control line movably passing through the flexible tube and passing out of the second guide hole along the peripheral guide groove to be connected to the second adjustment screw, the tension of the second control line being adjusted by rotating the second adjustment screw to wind the second control line around the second adjustment screw; Wherein when the control rod rotates the control wheel, the first control line and the second control line jointly control a bending direction of the flexible tube as the control wheel rotates.

11. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, The first control line and the second control line are arranged in a crossed or parallel manner within the handle body.

12. The endoscopic device according to claim 10, characterized in that, After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are respectively adjusted by the first adjustment screw and the second adjustment screw, the first control line and the second control line are respectively bonded to the first guide hole and the second guide hole.

13. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 10, wherein The control wheel further has a first guide post and a second guide post, the first control line bypasses the first guide post after passing out of the first guide hole and is connected to the first adjustment screw, and the second control line bypasses the second guide post after passing out of the second guide hole and is connected to the second adjustment screw.

14. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 13, wherein After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are adjusted by the first adjusting screw and the second adjusting screw respectively, the first control line and the second control line are bonded to the first guide post and the second guide post respectively.

15. The endoscopic device according to claim 13, wherein The control wheel further has a third guide post and a fourth guide post. The third guide post is adjacent to the first guide post to guide the first control line to pass between the first guide post and the third guide post and then connect to the first adjusting screw. The fourth guide post is adjacent to the second guide post to guide the second control line to pass between the second guide post and the fourth guide post and then connect to the second adjusting screw.

16. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, After the tension of the first control line is adjusted by the first adjusting screw, the first control line is bonded to the first guide post and the third guide post. After the tension of the second control line is adjusted by the second adjusting screw, the second control line is bonded to the second guide post and the fourth guide post.

17. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, After the tensions of the first control line and the second control line are adjusted by the first adjusting screw and the second adjusting screw respectively, the first control line and the second control line are bonded to the first adjusting screw and the second adjusting screw respectively.

18. The endoscopic device according to claim 10, wherein, The first adjusting screw has a wire passing hole, and the first control line passes through the wire passing hole and winds around the first adjusting screw.

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