Dilator for assisting the insertion of a capsule endoscope into an elastic clamping member

Abstract

This application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to a dilator for assisting in placing an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope, comprising: a first dilating arm including a first dilating head; a second dilating arm including a second dilating head disposed opposite to the first dilating head; a fixing member for hinging the first dilating arm and the second dilating arm so that the first dilating head and the second dilating head can approach or move away from each other; and an elastic member that elastically abuts against the first dilating arm and the second dilating arm so that the first dilating head contacts the second dilating head; after applying an external force to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member, the distance between the first dilating head and the second dilating head is greater than or equal to the diameter of the capsule endoscope. Compared with manual installation, since the dilator can assist the operator in expanding the elastic clamping member, it is convenient to place the capsule endoscope, thereby improving the installation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly relates to a dilator for assisting in placing a capsule endoscope into an elastic clamping member. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of medical technology, the application scope of endoscopes is becoming wider and wider. The endoscope can enter the body of the person to be examined (such as the esophagus) to obtain images of the part to be examined, and then determine whether there are lesions in the part to be examined.

[0003] Since the endoscope needs to be placed into the body of the person to be examined, during the detection process, the person to be examined may feel uncomfortable. To relieve this symptom, a capsule endoscope with a smaller size has emerged as the times require. Taking esophageal detection as an example, the person to be examined can swallow the capsule endoscope, so that the capsule endoscope enters the esophagus and slowly moves along the esophagus to obtain images inside the esophagus.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned capsule endoscope usually stays in the body of the person to be examined for a relatively short time, which results in incomplete images obtained by the capsule endoscope, and then problems such as missed detection occur. To solve this problem, the applicant of the present application provides an endoscope device, which uses a traction tube to connect an elastic clamping member, and the elastic clamping member can clamp the capsule endoscope. Therefore, during the process of the capsule endoscope entering the body of the person to be examined, the traction tube is always connected to the capsule endoscope, and the operator can control the movement state of the capsule endoscope through the traction tube, thereby prolonging the staying time of the capsule endoscope in the body of the person to be examined, and then preventing problems such as missed detection and improving the detection accuracy. However, when installing the capsule endoscope into the elastic clamping member, since the inner diameter of the elastic clamping member is smaller than the outer diameter of the capsule endoscope, it is difficult to install manually and the efficiency is very low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a dilator for assisting in installing a capsule endoscope to improve the efficiency of installing the capsule endoscope.

[0006] A dilator for assisting in placing a capsule endoscope into an elastic clamping member, comprising:

[0007] A first dilating arm, including a first dilating head;

[0008] A second dilating arm, including a second dilating head disposed opposite to the first dilating head;

[0009] A fixing member for hinging the first dilating arm and the second dilating arm, so that the first dilating head and the second dilating head can approach or separate from each other; and

[0010] An elastic member, which elastically abuts against the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm, so that the first expansion head contacts the second expansion head; after an external force is applied to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member, the distance between the first expansion head and the second expansion head is greater than or equal to the diameter of the capsule endoscope.

[0011] Optionally, the first expansion arm further includes a first hinge portion connected to the first expansion head, a first shaft hole is formed in the first hinge portion, the second expansion arm further includes a second hinge portion connected to the second expansion head, and a second shaft hole corresponding to the first shaft hole is also formed in the second hinge portion. The fixing member extends into the first shaft hole and the second shaft hole to hinge the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm.

[0012] Optionally, the first hinge portion further has a first installation groove communicating with the first shaft hole, and the first installation groove is used for partially accommodating the second expansion arm; the second hinge portion further has a second installation groove communicating with the second shaft hole, and the second installation groove is used for partially accommodating the elastic member. The second hinge portion is accommodated in the first installation groove; the elastic member includes an installation portion and two elastic arms, and the two elastic arms respectively extend from the installation portion; the installation portion is accommodated in the second installation groove, and the two elastic arms respectively elastically abut against the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm.

[0013] Optionally, the first expansion arm further includes a first fixing section extending from one side of the first hinge portion. The first expansion head is connected to one end of the first fixing section away from the first hinge portion, and the first fixing section is bent; the second expansion arm further includes a second fixing section extending from one side of the second hinge portion. The second expansion head is connected to one end of the second fixing section away from the second hinge portion, and the second fixing section is bent to jointly form an avoidance space for the capsule endoscope to be placed with the first fixing section.

[0014] Optionally, the first expansion arm further includes a first extension section formed between the first expansion head and the first fixing section for connecting the first fixing section and the first expansion head, and the width of the first extension section gradually decreases in the direction towards the first expansion head.

[0015] Optionally, the first expansion arm further includes a first operation portion. The first operation portion includes a connection section, and the connection section extends obliquely from the side of the first hinge portion opposite to the first expansion head. A receiving groove is formed in the connection section, and the elastic arm is received in the receiving groove and elastically abuts against the connection section.

[0016] Optionally, the first operating part further includes an operating section and a limiting section. The operating section is formed at one end of the connecting section away from the first hinge part, and the limiting section is formed on one side of the operating section facing the second expansion arm for limiting the first expansion arm when the dilator expands.

[0017] Optionally, the dimension L of the first expansion head in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the dilator and the diameter R of the capsule endoscope satisfy L = 1.2 - 1.5R.

[0018] Optionally, the maximum distance D between the first expansion head and the second expansion head and the diameter R of the capsule endoscope satisfy D = 1.2 - 1.5R.

[0019] Optionally, the force arm l1 of the first operating part and the force arm l2 of the first expansion head satisfy l1 / l2 = 0.5 - 1.0.

[0020] The technical solution provided by this application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The dilator provided by this application, compared with manual installation, since the dilator can assist the operator in expanding the elastic clamping member, thus facilitating the insertion of the capsule endoscope, thereby improving the installation efficiency. At the same time, it can also avoid various problems caused by non-standard manual operations. Further, since the dilator of this application uses an elastic member, the dilator is in a closed state in the natural state, and the dilator is in an expanded state under the applied force to open the elastic clamping member so as to facilitate the loading of the capsule endoscope. Using this method is more in line with ergonomics and is convenient for the operator to install the capsule endoscope, thereby further improving the installation efficiency.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and do not limit this application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 The front view of the dilator provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 2 is Figure 1 The three-dimensional exploded view of the dilator shown;

[0025] Figure 3 is Figure 1 The bottom view of the dilator shown;

[0026] Figure 4 is Figure 1 The schematic diagram when the dilator shown is in use.

[0027] Reference Signs:

[0028] 80 - Expander;

[0029] 81 - First expansion arm;

[0030] 811 - Hinge part;

[0031] 8110 - Axle hole;

[0032] 8112 - Installation groove;

[0033] 813 - Operating part;

[0034] 8130 - Receiving groove;

[0035] 8131 - Connecting section;

[0036] 8132 - Holding hole;

[0037] 8133 - Operating section;

[0038] 8135 - Limiting part;

[0039] 815 - Expansion part;

[0040] 8151 - Fixed connection section;

[0041] 8153 - Extension section;

[0042] 8155 - Expansion head;

[0043] 83 - Second expansion arm;

[0044] 831 - Hinge part;

[0045] 8310 - Axle hole;

[0046] 833 - Operating part;

[0047] 8330 - Receiving groove;

[0048] 8335 - Limiting part;

[0049] 835 - Expansion part;

[0050] 8351 - Fixed connection section;

[0051] 8355 - Expansion head;

[0052] 85 - Fixing part;

[0053] 87 - Elastic part;

[0054] 871 - Installation part;

[0055] 8710 - Installation hole;

[0056] 872 - Elastic arm;

[0057] 40 - Elastic clamping member;

[0058] 60 - Capsule endoscope.

[0059] The accompanying drawings here are incorporated into the specification and form a part of this specification, showing embodiments in accordance with this application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0060] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the following further details this application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not used to limit this application.

[0061] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the term "a plurality of" means two or more; unless otherwise specified or stated, terms such as "connection" and "fixation" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, an integral connection, or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0062] As Figures 1-4 shown, an embodiment of this application provides a dilator 80 for assisting in the installation of a capsule endoscope. The dilator 80 is used to load the capsule endoscope 60 into the elastic clamping member 40 to improve the installation efficiency. The dilator 80 includes a first dilating arm 81, a second dilating arm 83, a fixing member 85, and an elastic member 87. The first dilating arm 81 includes a first dilating head 8155, and the second dilating arm 83 includes a second dilating head 8355 disposed opposite to the first dilating head 8155; the first dilating arm 81 and the second dilating arm 83 are hinged to each other through the fixing member 85, so that the first dilating head 8155 and the second dilating head 8355 can approach or separate from each other; the elastic member 87 elastically abuts against the first dilating arm 81 and the second dilating arm 83, making it in a closed state in its natural state, that is, the first dilating head 8155 contacts the second dilating head 8355; when an external force is applied to the dilator 80 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 87, the dilator 80 is in an expanded state, that is, the distance between the first dilating head and the second dilating head is greater than or equal to the diameter of the capsule endoscope 60. It can be understood that when the capsule endoscope 60 has an irregular shape, the diameter of the capsule endoscope 60 can be understood as the dimension along the dilating direction.

[0063] When using the expander 80 provided in the embodiment of the present application to assist in installing the capsule endoscope 60, compared with manual installation, since the expander 80 can assist the operator in expanding the elastic clamping member 40, it is convenient to place the capsule endoscope 40, thereby improving the installation efficiency. At the same time, it can also avoid various problems caused by non-standard manual operations. Further, since the expander 80 in the embodiment of the present application uses an elastic member 87, the expander 80 is in a closed state in its natural state, and the expander 80 is in an expanded state under a force application state to open the elastic clamping member 40 so as to facilitate the loading of the capsule endoscope 60. In this way, it is more in line with ergonomics and convenient for the operator to install the capsule endoscope 60, thereby further improving the installation efficiency.

[0064] In a further embodiment of the present application, specifically, the first expansion arm 81 includes a hinge portion 811, an operation portion 813, and an expansion portion 815. The operation portion 813 and the expansion portion 815 respectively extend from the hinge portion 811 toward opposite sides. An axial hole 8110 and a mounting groove 8112 are formed in the hinge portion 811. The axial hole 8110 is used to partially receive the fixing member 85; the mounting groove 8112 communicates with the axial hole 8110 and is annularly formed around the axis of the axial hole 8110 for partially receiving the second expansion arm 83. The operation portion 813 includes a connecting section 8131, an operation section 8133, and a limiting portion 8135; the connecting section 8131 extends obliquely from one side of the hinge portion 811, and a receiving groove 8130 for partially receiving the elastic member 87 is formed in the connecting section 8131; the operation section 8133 is formed at the end of the connecting section 8131 away from the hinge portion 811, and a holding hole 8132 for facilitating the operator to hold is formed in the operation section 8133; in a more specific embodiment, the holding hole 8132 is circular; the limiting portion 8135 is formed on the side of the operation section 8133 facing the second expansion arm 83, and the limiting portion 8135 is generally a square protrusion for limiting the first expansion arm 81 when the expander 80 expands and increasing the contact area with the second expansion arm 83. The expansion portion 815 includes a fixed connection section 8151, an extension section 8153, and an expansion head 8155; one end of the fixed connection section 8151 is obliquely connected to the side of the hinge portion 811 opposite to the operation portion 813, and the other end thereof is connected to the extension section 8153; the fixed connection section 8151 is in a bent rod shape, and its bending angle is an obtuse angle; the extension section 8153 is formed between the expansion head 8155 and the fixed connection section 8151 for connecting the fixed connection section 8151 and the expansion head 8155, and the width of the extension section 8151 gradually decreases in the direction toward the expansion head 8155 to facilitate insertion into the elastic clamping member 40.

[0065] The structure of the second expansion arm 83 is substantially the same as that of the first expansion arm 81 and is symmetrically arranged. The difference is that the size of the hinge portion 831 of the second expansion arm 83 is slightly smaller than that of the hinge portion 811 of the first expansion arm 81 and is received in the mounting groove 8112 of the hinge portion 811. An installation groove (not labeled in the figure) is provided on the hinge portion 831 of the second expansion arm 83 for partially receiving the elastic member 87. For the sake of simplicity, other structures identical to those of the first expansion arm 81 will not be described herein. How the first expansion arm 81 and the second expansion arm 83 are assembled will be described in detail later.

[0066] The elastic member 87 includes a mounting portion 871 and two elastic arms 872. The two elastic arms 872 extend from the mounting portion 871 respectively and are used for elastically abutting against the first expansion arm 81 and the second expansion arm 83 respectively. The two elastic arms 872 can be received in the receiving grooves 8130 of the first expansion arm 81 and the receiving grooves 8330 of the second expansion arm 83 respectively. A mounting hole 8710 is provided on the mounting portion 871. In a specific embodiment, the elastic member 87 is a torsion spring.

[0067] During assembly, first, the hinge portion 831 of the second expansion arm 83 is disposed in the mounting groove 8112 of the first expansion arm 81, and the shaft holes 8310 and 8110 are aligned. Then, the mounting portion 871 of the elastic member 87 is disposed in the mounting groove of the second expansion arm 83, and the two elastic arms 872 are received in the receiving grooves 8130 of the first expansion arm 81 and the receiving grooves 8330 of the second expansion arm 83 respectively. Finally, a fixing member 85 is inserted into the shaft holes 8110, 8310 and the mounting hole 8710 to rotatably connect the first expansion arm 81 and the second expansion arm 83 together.

[0068] Please refer Figure 3 to. After assembly, the fixed section 8151 of the first expansion arm 81 and the fixed section 8351 of the expansion portion 835 of the second expansion arm 83 together form an avoidance space to facilitate the insertion of the capsule endoscope 60 during operation. Please refer Figure 4 to. When using the dilator 80, insert the expansion heads 8155, 8355 into the elastic clamping member 40. Then, apply an external force to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 87 to move the operating portions 813, 833 of the dilator 80 closer to each other until their limiting portions 8135, 8335 contact each other, causing the expansion heads 8155, 8355 to move away from each other to expand the elastic clamping member 40. Then, the capsule endoscope 60 can be inserted into the elastic clamping member 40, and at this time, the capsule endoscope 60 is located between the expansion heads 8155, 8355. Finally, move the dilator 80 away from the elastic clamping member 40. When the expansion heads 8155, 8355 are separated from the elastic clamping member 40, the elastic clamping member 40 resumes deformation and applies a contraction clamping force to the capsule endoscope 60.

[0069] In a further embodiment, in order to achieve a better expansion effect and prevent the elastic clamping member 40 from being over-expanded, the sizes and shapes of the expansion heads 8155 and 8355 need to be designed according to the size and shape of the capsule endoscope 60. Hereinafter, the expansion head 8155 will be taken as an example for illustration. The expansion head 8355 has the same structure as the expansion head 8155 and will not be described again. The expansion head 8155 is generally in the shape of a rectangular flat plate, and chamfers are made at two corners on the side away from the operation part 813, forming a chamfer r to facilitate the insertion of the expansion head 8155 into the elastic clamping member 40. The dimension of the expansion head 8155 along the insertion direction of the expander 80 is defined as the width W of the expansion head 8155, the dimension of the expansion head 8155 along the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the expander 80 is defined as the length L of the expansion head 8155, and the thickness of the expansion head 8155 is T; when the expander 80 is opened, the maximum distance between the two expansion heads 8155 and 8135 is D, and the diameter of the capsule endoscope 60 is R; then, W = 0.3 - 0.8L, L = 1.2 - 1.5R, D = 1.2 - 1.5R, T = 1 - 2 mm. The length L of the expansion head 8155 and the maximum expansion distance D are slightly larger than the diameter R of the capsule endoscope 60 respectively, so as to facilitate the placement of the capsule endoscope 60 during expansion and not over-expand the elastic clamping member 40 radially. The width W of the expansion head 8155 is slightly smaller than its length, so as to facilitate the placement of the capsule endoscope 60 and not over-expand the elastic clamping member 40 axially. The thickness of the expansion head 8155 is set to 1 - 2 mm. On the one hand, it has sufficient structural strength, and on the other hand, its thin thickness facilitates the insertion into the elastic clamping member 40.

[0070] In a further embodiment, in order to make the expander 80 more in line with ergonomics and reduce the operator's force application burden, the ratio l1 / l2 of the force arm l1 of the operation part 813 to the force arm l2 of the expansion part 815 is 0.5 - 1.0. Within this range, the operator's force application burden is relatively light, and the installation efficiency can be further improved.

[0071] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications can be made to the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An expander for assisting in placing an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope, characterized in that, Comprising: A first expansion arm, including a first expansion head; A second expansion arm, including a second expansion head disposed opposite to the first expansion head; A fixing member for hinging the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm, so that the first expansion head and the second expansion head can approach or move away from each other; And An elastic member, which elastically abuts against the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm, so that the first expansion head contacts the second expansion head; after applying an external force to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member, the distance between the first expansion head and the second expansion head is greater than or equal to the diameter of the capsule endoscope.

2. The dilator for assisting in inserting an elastic clamping member into a capsule endoscope according to claim 1, wherein The first expansion arm further includes a first hinge portion connected to the first expansion head, and a first shaft hole is provided on the first hinge portion. The second expansion arm further includes a second hinge portion connected to the second expansion head, and a second shaft hole corresponding to the first shaft hole is also provided on the second hinge portion. The fixing member extends into the first shaft hole and the second shaft hole to hinge the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm.

3. The expander for assisting the placement of an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope according to claim 2, wherein, The first hinge portion further has a first installation groove communicating with the first shaft hole, and the first installation groove is used for partially accommodating the second expansion arm; a second installation groove communicating with the second shaft hole is further provided on the second hinge portion, and the second installation groove is used for partially accommodating the elastic member. The second hinge portion is accommodated in the first installation groove; the elastic member includes an installation portion and two elastic arms, and the two elastic arms respectively extend from the installation portion; the installation portion is accommodated in the second installation groove, and the two elastic arms respectively elastically abut against the first expansion arm and the second expansion arm.

4. The expander for assisting in placing the elastic clamping member of the capsule endoscope according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first expansion arm further includes a first fixing section extending from one side of the first hinge portion. The first expansion head is connected to one end of the first fixing section away from the first hinge portion, and the first fixing section is bent; the second expansion arm further includes a second fixing section extending from one side of the second hinge portion. The second expansion head is connected to one end of the second fixing section away from the second hinge portion, and the second fixing section is bent to jointly form an avoidance space for the capsule endoscope to be placed with the first fixing section.

5. The expander for assisting the placement of an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first expansion arm further includes a first extension section formed between the first expansion head and the first fixing section for connecting the first fixing section and the first expansion head, and the width of the first extension section gradually decreases in the direction towards the first expansion head.

6. The expander for assisting the placement of an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope according to claim 3, wherein, The first expansion arm further includes a first operation portion, and the first operation portion includes a connecting section which obliquely extends from the side of the first hinge portion opposite to the first expansion head. A receiving groove is provided on the connecting section, and the elastic arm is received in the receiving groove and elastically abuts against the connecting section.

7. The dilator for assisting the placement of the elastic clamping member for the capsule endoscope according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first operation portion further includes an operation section and a limiting portion. The operation section is formed at one end of the connecting section away from the first hinge portion, and the limiting portion is formed on the side of the operation section facing the second expansion arm for limiting the first expansion arm when the expander expands.

8. The dilator for assisting the placement of an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The dimension L of the first expander head in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the expander and the diameter R of the capsule endoscope satisfy L = 1.2 to 1.5R.

9. The dilator for assisting the placement of the elastic clamping member of the capsule endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The maximum distance D between the first expander head and the second expander head and the diameter R of the capsule endoscope satisfy D = 1.2 to 1.5R.

10. The expander for assisting the placement of an elastic clamping member for a capsule endoscope according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The force arm l1 of the first operating part and the force arm l2 of the first expander head satisfy l1 / l2 = 0.5 to 1.0.

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