Endoscope, bending portion thereof, bending portion processing method and processing device

Abstract

The present invention provides an endoscope and a bending portion thereof, and a processing method and a processing device for the bending portion. The endoscope comprises a tube body, the tube body is cut into a plurality of bending blocks, two adjacent bending blocks are rotatably connected, the contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the contact surface on the outer side surface of the tube body and the vertical projection of the contact surface on the inner side surface of the tube body overlap each other. The above endoscope is easy to manufacture and reduces costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical device, in particular to an endoscope and a bending part thereof, and a processing method and a processing device for the bending part. Background Art

[0002] Endoscopes are widely used medical and industrial testing instruments. Currently, the endoscopes used in hospitals are used to observe laryngeal cavity, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract lesions through the patient's ears, nose, throat, and anus. After use, the endoscope must be disinfected and sterilized before it can be used again.

[0003] At present, two adjacent bending blocks of the bending part of the endoscope are mostly connected by rivets to form a hinge, so as to achieve relative rotation. However, since the manufacturing and assembly process of the rivet connection requires high precision, if there is a slight error in the production process or operation process, the riveted connection between the two bending blocks will have certain defects. Therefore, for the rivet-riveted bending part, the manufacturing precision requirements are high and the manufacturing cost is also high. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope and a bending part thereof which are easy to process and manufacture.

[0005] A bending portion of an endoscope comprises a tube body, wherein the tube body is cut into a plurality of bending blocks, two adjacent bending blocks are rotatably connected, the contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the contact surface on the outer side surface of the tube body coincides with the vertical projection of the contact surface on the inner side surface of the tube body.

[0006] In one embodiment, the thickness of the tube is less than 5 mm.

[0007] In one embodiment, a connecting portion is provided between two adjacent bending blocks, and the connecting portion includes a protrusion and a groove, and the protrusion can be rotatably received in the groove.

[0008] In one embodiment, a cutting line is provided near one end face of the bending block, a stamping portion is provided between the end face of the bending block and the cutting line, the stamping portion is recessed toward the inner side of the bending block to form a guide portion for passing a traction line, a buffer groove is provided between the cutting line and the other end face of the bending block, and the buffer groove is used to buffer the stamping pressure.

[0009] In one embodiment, the length of the buffer groove is greater than the length of the cutting line.

[0010] An endoscope comprises a traction wire and a curved portion of the endoscope, wherein the traction wire is arranged inside the curved portion and the traction wire is connected in series to traction the curved portion.

[0011] The present application also provides a method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope.

[0012] A method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope, comprising:

[0013] Fix the tube body on the fixing frame;

[0014] The laser is focused and aligned with the tube body;

[0015] The fixing frame drives the tube body to move on a reference plane, the reference plane is perpendicular to the beam direction of the laser, the laser vertically cuts the tube body to form a cutting surface, the cutting surface is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the outer side surface of the tube body coincides with the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the inner side surface of the tube body.

[0016] In one embodiment, it also includes:

[0017] The tube body rotates with the axial direction of the tube body as the axis, so that the laser is respectively aimed at different positions of the tube body, and the different positions of the tube body are processed respectively.

[0018] In one embodiment, the tube body rotates around the axial direction of the tube body at angles of 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° respectively.

[0019] In one embodiment, when the tube body rotates about its axial direction, the laser stops working.

[0020] The present application also provides a device for processing a curved portion of an endoscope.

[0021] A device for processing a curved portion of an endoscope, comprising:

[0022] A workbench, comprising a first motion axis and a second motion axis;

[0023] A laser is disposed above the workbench, wherein a laser beam of the laser is perpendicular to a plane where the first motion axis and the second motion axis are located; and

[0024] The fixed frame is used to fix the workpiece to be processed. The fixed frame is movably arranged on the workbench, and the fixed frame drives the workpiece to be processed to move along the first movement axis and the second movement axis.

[0025] In one embodiment, the fixing frame further includes a rotating shaft, which is drivingly connected to the workpiece to be processed, and the rotating shaft drives the workpiece to be processed to rotate about its axial direction.

[0026] In one embodiment, it further comprises a lifting platform, wherein the lifting platform is fixedly arranged at one side of the workbench, the laser is arranged on the lifting platform, and the laser moves up and down relative to the workbench along with the lifting platform.

[0027] In one embodiment, the first movement axis is perpendicular to the second movement axis.

[0028] In one embodiment, a cutting line is provided near one end face of the bending block, a stamping portion is provided between the end face of the bending block and the cutting line, the stamping portion is recessed toward the inner side of the bending block to form a guide portion for passing a traction line, a buffer groove is provided between the cutting line and the other end face of the bending block, and the buffer groove is used to buffer the stamping pressure.

[0029] In one embodiment, the length of the buffer groove is greater than the length of the cutting line.

[0030] In the endoscope, no rivets are required, and two adjacent bending blocks are connected by a connecting portion formed by laser cutting. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the bending portion of the endoscope only needs to control the laser to cut the tube body according to the designed cutting path. The entire manufacturing process is simple and easy to implement, which reduces the manufacturing cost of the bending portion.

[0031] In this embodiment, the contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope does not have a sharp transition surface caused by tilting or rotational cutting. The contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope is a cylindrical surface, and maintains smooth contact to ensure smooth rotation between the two bending blocks. Therefore, during the rotation of the bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope, the problem of the two bending blocks being separated due to the unstable rotation caused by the sharp transition surface can be avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an endoscope according to this embodiment;

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A perspective view of the curved portion of the endoscope shown;

[0034] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the contact surface of the bending block of the endoscope shown;

[0035] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A side view of the bending block is shown;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the contact surface of a bending block of a conventional endoscope;

[0037] Figure 6 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the bending block of the endoscope shown;

[0038] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the bending block of the endoscope shown;

[0039] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the bending block of the endoscope shown in another angle;

[0040] Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a processing device for a curved portion of an endoscope according to the present embodiment;

[0041] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope according to the present embodiment;

[0042] Fig.11 for Fig.10 A flow chart of another embodiment of a processing method is shown.

[0043] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are explained as follows: 20, endoscope; 22, traction line; 23, front end of endoscope; 24, rear end of endoscope; 10, bending portion; 1, 9, tube body; 100, bending block; 103, 903, contact surface; 11, connecting portion; 12, 92, groove; 13, protrusion; 14, abutment surface; 15, annular arm; 16, annular groove; 19, cutting line; 191, stamping portion; 192, guide portion; 193, buffer groove; 300, processing device for the bending portion; 310, workbench; 311, first moving axis; 312, second moving axis; 320, fixing frame; 321, clamp; 322, base; 324, diagonal support; 330, laser; 340, lifting platform; 99, sharp-angle transition surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Although the present invention can be easily embodied in different forms of embodiments, only some of the specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail in this specification. It should be understood that this description should be regarded as an exemplary illustration of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that described herein.

[0045] Thus, a feature indicated in this specification will be used to illustrate one of the features of an embodiment of the present invention, rather than implying that each embodiment of the present invention must have the described feature. In addition, it should be noted that this specification describes many features. Although some features can be combined together to illustrate possible system designs, these features can also be used in other combinations that are not explicitly described. Thus, unless otherwise stated, the described combinations are not intended to be limiting.

[0046] In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the indications of directions (such as up, down, left, right, front and back) used to explain the structure and movement of various elements of the present invention are not absolute but relative. These descriptions are appropriate when these elements are in the positions shown in the drawings. If the description of the positions of these elements changes, the indications of these directions also change accordingly.

[0047] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of this specification.

[0048] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides an endoscope. An endoscope 20 includes a bending portion 10 and a traction wire 22 disposed in the bending portion. The traction wire 22 is connected in series to traction the bending portion 10, so that the bending portion 10 is bent, thereby achieving the purpose of traction of the bending portion 10 to bend.

[0049] The bending portion 10 of the endoscope includes a tube body 1. The tube body 1 is cut into a plurality of bending blocks 100. The plurality of bending blocks 100 are rotatably connected in sequence. The tube body 1 is a cylindrical steel tube. The tube body 1 is cut into a plurality of bending blocks 100 according to a design pattern by laser cutting. By designing and cutting out the connection portion 11, a rotatable connection between two adjacent bending blocks 100 can be achieved.

[0050] The bending portion 10 of the endoscope does not need to be provided with rivets, and two adjacent bending blocks 100 are connected by a connecting portion 11 formed by laser cutting. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the bending portion 10 of the endoscope only needs to control the laser to cut the tube body according to the designed cutting path, and the rectification and manufacturing process is simple and easy to implement, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the bending portion.

[0051] See also Figure 1The bending portion 10 of the endoscope includes a plurality of bending blocks 100 connected in series in sequence by a traction line 22. The bending blocks 100 include a head bending block near the front end 23 of the endoscope, a tail bending block near the rear end 24 of the endoscope, and a middle bending block located between the head bending block and the tail bending block. The structures of the head bending block and the tail bending block are similar to that of the middle bending block, and the main difference is that the front end of the head bending block and the rear end of the tail bending block are not provided with a connecting portion for connecting the bending blocks, so that the head bending block is the frontmost bending block and the tail bending block is the rearmost bending block.

[0052] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the following description will be made by taking the middle bending block 100 as an example: two adjacent bending blocks 100 are connected by a connecting portion 11. Specifically, two connecting portions 11 are provided between the two adjacent bending blocks 100, and the two connecting portions 11 are arranged opposite to each other along the radial direction of the bending block 100. That is, the two adjacent bending blocks 100 are rotatably connected by the two connecting portions 11, and the two connecting portions 11 are located on the same straight line.

[0053] The contact surface 103 between two adjacent bending blocks 100 is a cylindrical surface. The vertical projection of the contact surface 103 on the outer side surface of the tube body 1 and the vertical projection of the contact surface 103 on the inner side surface of the tube body 1 coincide with each other. Specifically, the vertical projection of the outer side surface of the tube body and the vertical projection of the inner side surface of the tube body 1 are: along the axis direction of the cylindrical surface, the projection of the outer side surface of the tube body 1 and the inner side surface of the tube body 1 on the central axis plane of the tube body perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical surface. Specifically, the vertical projection of the contact surface 103 on the outer side surface of the tube body 1 and the vertical projection of the inner side surface of the tube body are circular or partially circular.

[0054] Specifically in this embodiment, the connecting portion 11 includes a groove 12 and a protrusion 13. The protrusion 13 can be rotatably received in the groove 12. The shapes of the groove 12 and the protrusion 13 are adapted so that the protrusion 13 can be rotatably received in the groove 12.

[0055] The inner side surface of the groove 12 and the outer side surface of the protrusion 13 are adapted to each other. Specifically, the groove 12 is a circular groove 12, and the shape of the protrusion 13 is circular. Therefore, the inner side surface of the groove 12 and the outer side surface of the protrusion 13 formed by laser cutting are both contact surfaces 103, and therefore, the inner side surface of the groove 12 and the outer side surface of the protrusion 13 are both vertical cylindrical surfaces.

[0056] The thickness of the tube body 1 can be less than 5 mm. The thicker thickness of the tube body 1 can ensure the strength of the connection portion 11 under the laser cutting method, ensure that the connection portion 11 is easier to form and less likely to deform. In addition, the thicker thickness of the tube body 1 can make the area of ​​the contact surface 103 between two adjacent bending blocks 100 larger, which can ensure the stability of the connection portion 11 and ensure that the protrusion 13 can be stably accommodated in the groove 12.

[0057] Specifically, in this embodiment, the thickness of the tube body 1 can be 0.3mm-0.8mm. The thickness of the tube body 1 is greater than 0.3mm, which can ensure that the thickness of the tube body 1 is large enough to meet the area size of the contact surface 103 between two adjacent bending blocks 100, and can ensure that the two adjacent bending blocks 100 maintain a stable connection to avoid the problem of displacement and separation between the two. Therefore, the thickness of the tube body 1 of this embodiment can meet the area size requirement of the contact surface 103 between the bending blocks 100 while avoiding as much as possible the thickness of the tube body 1 being too thick, which reduces the inner diameter of the bending portion 10, resulting in limited internal space of the bending portion 10, which is not conducive to the layout and setting of the interior of the bending portion 10.

[0058] See also Figure 5 In the curved portion of a conventional endoscope, in conventional laser cutting technology, the laser beam needs to be incident along the normal direction of each point on the outer side of the tube body, and the contact surface 903 of adjacent curved blocks in the formed curved portion 91 is a conical surface. During the processing, when the cutting path needs to rotate, due to the size of the laser spot and the thickness of the tube body 9, there will be differences in the cutting patterns formed on the inner and outer sides of the curved portion 91. For example, the cutting pattern formed on the outer side of the curved portion is circular, while the cutting pattern formed on the inner side of the curved portion 91 is elliptical. Even on the outer side of the tube body 9 and the inner side of the tube body 9, a sharp transition surface 99 will be generated.

[0059] On the one hand, the sharp transition surface 99 will affect the tight fit between the protrusion and the groove. When the protrusion rotates relative to the groove, the protrusion is easy to disengage from the groove. On the other hand, when the protrusion rotates relative to the groove, the protrusion rotates to the sharp transition surface and cannot rotate smoothly, which affects the rotation between the bending blocks. For the bending portion of the entire endoscope, there will be errors in the bending angle of the bending portion, which will cause inconvenience during the use of the endoscope, and even cause misoperation, affecting the normal use of the endoscope.

[0060] The contact surface 103 of the curved portion of the endoscope in this embodiment is a cylindrical surface. Compared with the curved portion of a traditional endoscope, the contact surface 103 between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 is a smooth transition without any sharp corner structure, so that the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 can maintain smooth rotation.

[0061] In this embodiment, the contact surface 103 between two adjacent bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope does not have a sharp transition surface caused by rotation cutting. The two adjacent bending blocks maintain smooth contact to avoid the sharp transition surface causing obstruction of sliding and affecting the smooth rotation between the two bending blocks.

[0062] Please refer again Figure 2 , and the open end of the groove 12 is contracted to prevent the protrusion 13 from being separated from the groove 12. In addition, since the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 are located on the annular side wall of the bending block 100, the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 both have curvature. Since the inner diameters of two adjacent bending blocks 100 are the same, the curvatures of the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 are the same.

[0063] The connection portion 11 of one bending block 100 may be a groove 12 or a protrusion 13, as long as the connection portion 11 of the other bending block 100 connected thereto can be matched and connected thereto. For example, when the connection portion 11 of one bending block 100 is a groove 12, the adjacent bending block 100 may be matched with a protrusion 13, as long as the two adjacent bending blocks 100 can be matched and connected thereto.

[0064] Specifically in this embodiment, two grooves 12 are provided at one end of the bending block 100, and two protrusions 13 are provided at the other end. Therefore, the shape of each bending block 100 is a consistent shape. A plurality of bending blocks 100 can be arranged and manufactured in a uniform manner, which facilitates the implementation of the manufacturing process. When the bending portion has two rotation directions, the two bending blocks 100 can be rotatably connected through two connecting parts 11. In addition, the grooves 12 and protrusions 13 on the same side are located on the same straight line.

[0065] The connecting parts 11 connecting three adjacent bending blocks 100 are located on two parallel lines. The bending part can rotate in two directions, and the rotation angle of the bending part can be more conveniently controlled. The bending part with two rotation directions is suitable for cavities with smaller inner diameters, such as the lung cavity.

[0066] It can be understood that the two grooves 12 of the bending block 100 can also be located on the same straight line, and the two protrusions 13 of the bending block 100 can also be located on the same straight line, and the straight line where the two grooves 12 are located is perpendicular to the straight line where the two protrusions 13 are located. When the three adjacent bending blocks 100 rotate relative to each other, the above four groups of grooves 12 and protrusions 13 cooperate with each other, and the connecting parts 11 connecting the three adjacent bending blocks 100 are located on four parallel lines. Therefore, the above bending part 10 can rotate in four directions, and the twisting and rotation angles of the bending part can be adjusted more freely and accurately. The bending part with four rotation directions is suitable for cavities with larger inner diameters, such as the intestinal cavity, gastric cavity, etc.

[0067] The end faces of the bending block 100 are provided with abutment surfaces 14 on both sides of the connecting portion 11. When the two abutment surfaces 14 of two adjacent bending blocks 100 abut against each other, the two bending blocks 100 stop rotating, and the maximum angle between the two bending blocks 100 is reached. The protrusion 13 rotates in the groove 12. When the abutment surfaces 14 of two adjacent bending blocks 100 abut against each other, the protrusion 13 stops rotating, and the maximum angle of relative rotation between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 is reached.

[0068] When the two abutting surfaces 14 on one side of the two bending blocks abut against each other, the distance between the two abutting surfaces 14 on the other side is the largest. Therefore, in the endoscope of this embodiment, the maximum angle of relative rotation between the two bending blocks 100 is small. Specifically, the maximum angle of relative rotation between the two bending blocks is less than 13 degrees.

[0069] Specifically in this embodiment, the abutting surface 14 is an arc-shaped concave surface. When the abutting surfaces 14 abut each other, the arc-shaped concave surfaces can keep the abutting surfaces 14 in contact with each other over a larger area, so that the two bending blocks 100 can be more stably positioned.

[0070] See also Figure 2 , the lowest point of the arc-shaped concave surface is opposite to the connecting portion 11. When the lowest points of the abutting surfaces 14 of the two bending blocks 100 abut against each other, a maximum angle is formed between the two center axes of the two adjacent bending blocks 100. The angle of the maximum angle is designed according to the use requirements of the endoscope. For endoscopes of different models and different use requirements, the maximum angle between the center axes of two adjacent bending blocks 100 may also be different. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of endoscopes of different models and different use requirements, the length of the bending portion of the endoscope of this embodiment is lengthened, and the number of bending blocks is larger. Therefore, the endoscope disclosed in the present invention achieves a larger bending angle through a larger number of bending blocks.

[0071] In addition, the abutment surface 14 is rounded. The rounded abutment surface 14 can improve the surface smoothness of the bending portion and prevent the sharp side edges of the abutment surface 14 from affecting the movement of the endoscope. In addition, when the two abutment surfaces 14 abut against each other, the rounded abutment surfaces 14 can avoid interference between the two abutment surfaces 14, ensuring that the angle formed between the two bending blocks 100 is consistent, thereby improving the bending accuracy of the endoscope. In addition, the surface of the rounded abutment surface 14 is smooth, and the adjacent two bending blocks 100 are in smooth contact.

[0072] The protrusion 13 rotates relatively to the maximum angle in the groove 12, and the abutting surfaces 14 of two adjacent bending blocks 100 abut against each other, so that the two bending blocks 100 are at the maximum bending angle and enter a locked state.

[0073] See also Figure 6 Specifically, in this embodiment, annular arms 15 are respectively provided on both sides of the protrusion 13, and annular grooves 16 are respectively provided on both sides of the groove 12. The annular arms 15 are correspondingly received in the annular grooves 16. The annular arms 15 can be rotatably received in the annular grooves 16.

[0074] The bending blocks 100 of the bending portion 10 of the present embodiment are connected by the connecting portion 11, and the two connecting portions 11 are rotatably connected by the protrusion 13 and the groove 12, and are rotatably connected by the annular arm 15 and the annular groove 16, so that the connection strength of the connecting portion 11 can be enhanced. When the bending portion is bent by force, the force between the two bending blocks 100 can be dispersed between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12, and between the annular arm 15 and the annular groove 16, so as to avoid force concentration, so that the connecting portion 11 between the two bending blocks 100 is deformed by force, which affects the normal use of the bending portion.

[0075] There may be one or more annular arms 15 and annular grooves 16. The annular grooves 16 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the groove 12. The annular arms 15 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the protrusion 13. Therefore, the arc lengths of the annular grooves 16 on the left and right sides and the corresponding central angles are equal, and the arc lengths of the annular arms 15 on the left and right sides and the corresponding central angles are equal.

[0076] Furthermore, the symmetry axis of the annular groove 16 is parallel to the symmetry axes of the plurality of annular arms 15, so that the annular groove 16 is orthogonally connected to the annular arms 15. Therefore, the angle between the two symmetry axes is the relative rotation angle between the two bending blocks 100.

[0077] The angle corresponding to the arc-shaped sliding track of the annular arm 15 along the annular groove 16 is greater than or equal to the maximum angle of relative rotation of the protrusion 13 and the groove 12. When the abutting surfaces 14 on one side of the two bending blocks 100 abut against each other, the annular arm 15 slides in the annular groove 16 and also rotates to the maximum angle. Therefore, the maximum angle formed between the central axes of the two bending blocks 100 and the matching relationship between the annular groove 16 and the annular arm 15 will not affect the maximum angle between the two bending blocks 100, ensuring that the bending portion can smoothly meet the bending angle requirements and be used normally.

[0078] Specifically, in this embodiment, the angle corresponding to the arc-shaped sliding track of the annular arm 15 along the annular groove 16 is equal to the maximum angle of relative rotation of the protrusion 13 and the groove 12. Then, when the two abutting surfaces 14 located on one side of the two bending blocks 100 abut against each other, the annular arm 15 slides in the annular groove 16, and the free end of the annular arm 15 also abuts against one end of the annular groove 16, and the annular arm 15 also rotates to the end of the arc-shaped sliding track in the annular groove 16. Then, the rotation position between the two bending blocks 100 at the maximum angle is limited, that is, it is limited by the mutual abutment of the two abutting surfaces 14, and also by the mutual abutment between the annular arm 15 and the annular groove 16.

[0079] Specifically in this embodiment, the angle corresponding to the arc-shaped sliding track of the annular arm 15 in the annular groove 16 is equal to 13 degrees. The arc corresponding to each annular groove 16 is at least greater than 13 degrees. The maximum angle of relative rotation between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 is 13 degrees. When the angle between the central axes of the two bending blocks 100 is 13 degrees, the free end of the annular arm 15 and the end of the annular groove 16 also just abut against each other.

[0080] Specifically, in this embodiment, the central angles of the annular arm 15 and the annular groove 16 are the same. The annular arm 15 cooperates with the annular groove 16 to increase the contact surface 103 between the two bending blocks 100, which can better disperse the force between the two bending blocks 100 and ensure a stable connection between the two bending blocks 100.

[0081] See also Figure 7 and Figure 8 , a cutting line 19 is provided near one end face of the bending block 100. A stamping portion 191 is provided between the end face of the bending block 100 and the cutting line 19. The stamping portion 191 is recessed toward the inner side of the bending block 100 to form a guide portion 192 for passing a traction line. The traction line can pass through the guide portion 192 to connect the traction line with the bending portion 10, and achieve the function of traction and guidance of the bending of the bending portion 10.

[0082] When the punching part 191 is punched, the cutting line 19 is cut off, which facilitates the formation of the guide part 192. The punching pressure is transmitted to the cutting line 19, and the pressure conduction is cut off, so as to avoid the punching pressure from affecting the parts other than the punching part 191, resulting in deformation due to force.

[0083] Between two adjacent bending blocks 100, the stamping parts 191 are interlaced, and the traction line 22 passes through the guide part 192, which can prevent the two bending blocks 100 from being separated from each other. In addition, there is a certain gap between the traction line 22 and the inner wall of the guide part 192. As long as the gap is smaller than the thickness of the tube body 1, the two bending blocks 100 will not be separated. In addition, the thickness of the tube body 1 is 0.3mm-0.8mm. When the thickness of the tube body 1 is thicker, the gap can be relatively large, and the design size of the traction line 22 and the guide part 192 can be relatively free.

[0084] The punching line 19 may be provided at a position where the protrusion 13 is provided at one end of the bending block 100, and the punching line 19 is provided at the other end of the bending block 100 relative to the protrusion 13. The punching line 19 is provided at a position that minimizes the influence on the strength of the bending block 100, thereby ensuring the strength of the bending block 100 itself.

[0085] In addition, a buffer groove 193 is provided between the cutting line 19 and the other end surface of the bending block 100. The length of the buffer groove 193 is greater than the length of the cutting line. The buffer groove 193 is used to further buffer the stamping pressure. The buffer groove 191 can effectively disperse the stamping stress on the bending block 100 evenly, isolate the stamping effect, reduce the deformation of the bending block 100 caused by the stamping process, and prevent the protrusion 13 of the connecting part 11 from being disengaged from the groove 12.

[0086] Specifically in this embodiment, the cutting line 19 and the buffer groove 193 are arranged so that the cutting line 19 and the buffer groove 193 are symmetrically distributed about the same axis. The two ends of the cutting line 19 and the two ends of the buffer groove 193 are arranged symmetrically with each other. When the punching part 191 punches, the pressure is transmitted to the cutting line 19. The cutting line 19 transmits the punching pressure and transmits it to the buffer groove 193 again. The buffer groove 193 is opposite to the cutting line 19, so that the pressure is evenly distributed on the buffer groove 193.

[0087] Furthermore, the length of the cutting line 191 is at least 1 / 2 of the length of the buffer groove 193, so that the length of the buffer groove 193 can disperse the stamping pressure as much as possible, while avoiding affecting the overall strength of the bending block 100 due to the provision of the buffer groove 193. Specifically, the length of the cutting line 191 is 5 / 7 of the length of the buffer groove 193. Then, the buffer groove 193 can better disperse the stamping pressure and ensure the overall strength of the bending block 100.

[0088] There may be one or more buffer grooves 193 to disperse stress as much as possible. The buffer grooves 193 may have different lengths and be arranged in parallel.

[0089] The cutting line 19 is located between the two connecting parts 11 of the same bending block 100. The punching part 191 is formed with a guide part 192 between the two connecting parts 11. A plurality of guide parts 192 are distributed on two mutually parallel lines for passing two traction lines. Specifically in the present embodiment, the bending part of the endoscope is made by laser cutting technology. Therefore, in order to ensure the smoothness of the rotation between the bending blocks 100 and the smoothness between the various contact parts, the welding slag (slag) is removed by polishing after laser cutting to ensure that there is no obstruction when the two sections of the bending blocks 100 move.

[0090] Furthermore, to ensure that the protrusion 13 slides smoothly in the groove 12 and the annular arm 15 slides smoothly in the annular groove 16, the contact surface 103 between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 is a smooth surface, and the contact surface 103 of the annular arm 15 in the annular groove 16 is a smooth transition surface, so that the contact surfaces 103 can rotate relatively smoothly.

[0091] In the present application, a processing device and a processing method for a curved portion of an endoscope are also provided. The processing device processes and produces the curved portion of the endoscope according to the processing method.

[0092] See also Fig. 9 The processing device 300 of the curved portion of the endoscope of this embodiment includes a workbench 310, a fixing frame 320, a laser 330 and a lifting platform 340. The fixing frame 320 is used to fix the workpiece to be processed, and the workbench 310 drives the fixing frame 320 to move. The lifting platform 340 drives the laser 330 to move up and down.

[0093] The workbench 310 includes a first motion axis 311 and a second motion axis 312. Moreover, the first motion axis 311 is perpendicular to the second motion axis 312. For convenience of description, the direction of the first motion axis 311 of the workbench 310 is the X-axis direction. The direction of the second motion axis 312 is the Y-axis direction. The lifting platform 340 rises and falls along the Z-axis direction.

[0094] The fixing frame 320 is used to fix the workpiece to be processed. The fixing frame 320 may include a clamp or a clamp, etc., which can fix the workpiece to be processed. Specifically in this embodiment, the workpiece to be processed is a tube body 1 used to be processed into a curved portion of an endoscope. Therefore, the fixing frame 320 is provided with a clamp 321 that matches the shape of the tube body 1 to clamp and fix the tube body on the fixing frame 320.

[0095] The first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 may be a sliding rod, a lead screw, a telescopic cylinder, etc. The first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 may be driven by a telescopic motor, a stepping motor, etc. to drive the fixing frame 320 to move along the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312.

[0096] The fixing frame 320 includes a base 322. The base 322 can be movably disposed on the first motion axis 311. The first motion axis 311 can move along the second motion axis 312, so that the base 322 can move along the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312.

[0097] The reference plane may be a plane where the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 are located, or the reference plane may be a plane parallel to the plane where the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 are located. Specifically, the plane where the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 are located is parallel to the surface of the workbench 310, that is, the reference plane of the tube body is also parallel to the surface of the workbench 310. During the processing of the tube body 1, the tube body 1 may move along the reference plane.

[0098] It can be understood that in other embodiments, the angle between the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 can also be an acute angle, etc., and the positional relationship between the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312 is not limited here. The fixing frame 320 only needs to be able to move the tube body 1 on the reference plane through the cooperation of the first motion axis 311 and the second motion axis 312.

[0099] Specifically in this embodiment, the fixed frame 320 also includes a rotating shaft (not shown). The rotating shaft can be connected to the workpiece to be processed. The rotation of the rotating shaft can drive the workpiece to be processed to rotate along its axial direction. Among them, the workpiece to be processed is a tube body. The tube body is rotatably connected to the fixed frame 320. The rotating shaft is connected to the tube body 1, and the rotation of the rotating shaft drives the tube body 1 to rotate along its axial direction. When it is necessary to process another position of the tube body 1, it is only necessary to rotate the tube body 1 so that another processing position of the tube body 1 is aligned with the laser 330, and multiple processing positions of the tube body 1 can be processed separately.

[0100] It is understandable that if the tube body 1 has only one processing position, the rotating shaft can be omitted. Then the initial position of the tube body only needs to align the processing position of the tube body with the laser 330. Then the tube body can be directly fixed on the fixing frame 320.

[0101] The fixing frame 320 further includes an oblique support 324. The oblique support 324 is disposed on one side of the clamp 321. The oblique support 324 is used to stably support the clamp 321 from one side of the clamp 321, so that the clamp 321 stably supports the pipe body.

[0102] The laser 330 can emit a laser beam, which performs laser cutting on the tube. The laser 330 is arranged above the workbench 310. The laser 330 is arranged opposite to the workpiece to be processed. Before the laser 330 needs to perform a cutting operation on the tube, the laser 330 beam needs to be focused so that the convergence point of the laser beam is exactly located on the surface of the tube.

[0103] Specifically in this embodiment, the processing device 300 of the curved portion of the endoscope further includes a lifting platform 340. The laser 330 is disposed on the lifting platform 340, and the laser 330 moves up and down relative to the workbench 310. The lifting and lowering movement of the lifting platform can make the laser 330 approach or move away from the tube body, thereby focusing the laser 330. For the convenience of description, the lifting platform 340 moves up and down along the Z-axis direction.

[0104] See also Fig.10 Specifically in this embodiment, using the above-mentioned processing device for the curved portion of an endoscope, a processing method for the curved portion of an endoscope may include the following steps:

[0105] Step S41, fixing the tube body on the fixing frame.

[0106] The tube body is fixed on the fixing frame by means of a clamp 321 .

[0107] Step S42, the laser is focused to the tube body 1.

[0108] The laser 330 moves up and down relative to the tube body 1 to adjust the focus and alignment of the laser beam.

[0109] In step S43, the fixing frame drives the tube body to move on a reference plane, the reference plane is perpendicular to the beam direction of the laser, the laser vertically cuts a cutting surface on the tube body, the cutting surface is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the outer side surface of the tube body coincides with the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the inner side surface of the tube body.

[0110] The reference plane can be the surface of the workbench or a surface parallel to the workbench. That is, the plane where the first motion axis and the second motion axis are located. The first motion axis is the X axis, the second motion axis is the Y axis, and the laser emits a laser beam along the Z axis. When the fixed frame moves on the reference plane, the laser always remains perpendicular to the reference plane, so the laser 330 can perform vertical cutting processing on the tube body 1.

[0111] Therefore, the laser spot falls vertically on the outer surface of the tube, and the spot directly cuts the tube vertically, so the laser beam is perpendicular to the reference plane. The beam and the reference plane always remain perpendicular. When the tube needs to be cut according to the designed pattern, the tube needs to be moved, and the tube is limited to moving on the reference plane.

[0112] Therefore, when the laser beam cuts the tube body, the laser beam cuts the tube body 1 in the Z-axis direction, and the cut surface formed on the tube body 1 also extends in the Z-axis direction, and the cut surface formed on the tube body 1 is a smooth cylindrical surface. The vertical projection of the cut surface on the outer side surface of the tube body 1 and the vertical projection of the cut surface on the inner side surface of the tube body 1 coincide with each other. Here, the cut surface formed by the laser cutting corresponds to the contact surface between the bending blocks 100 and the bending blocks 100. Therefore, the contact surface 103 between two adjacent bending blocks 100 of the tube body 1 is a smooth cylindrical surface.

[0113] See also Fig.11 When it is necessary to process the tube body at multiple processing stations separately, the processing method of the curved portion of the endoscope further includes:

[0114] Step S44, the tube body is rotated with the axial direction of the tube body as the axis, so that the laser is aimed at different positions of the tube body respectively, and the different positions of the tube body are processed respectively.

[0115] Specifically, the angles at which the tube body rotates around the axial direction of the tube body are 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° respectively.

[0116] It is understandable that different processing stations of the tube body can also be distributed at other positions, and the angle of rotation of the tube body along its axial direction can also be other degrees, for example, 30°, 45°, etc. The rotation angle of the tube body is not limited here.

[0117] Although the tube body 1 rotates to the next processing station, the reference plane of the tube body 1 is always the plane where the X-axis and the Y-axis are located, and the direction of the laser beam is always the Z-axis direction. Therefore, for the cutting operation on the next processing station, the cutting surface formed is also cylindrical, that is, the contact surface 103 between the two adjacent bending blocks is a smooth cylindrical surface.

[0118] When processing the multiple processing stations separately, when the tube body is switched from one processing station to the next, the processing method of the curved portion of the endoscope further includes: step S45, while the tube body rotates about its axial direction, the laser stops working.

[0119] While the tube body 1 is rotating, the laser stops cutting. While the tube body is rotating, it is prevented that the laser emits a laser beam to misoperate the tube body, causing the curved portion of the endoscope to be made unqualified.

[0120] Therefore, the curved portion 10 of the endoscope processed by the endoscope processing method and processing device 300 has at least the following advantages over the conventional endoscope:

[0121] First, in this embodiment, the contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope does not have a sharp transition surface caused by tilting or rotational cutting. The contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks of the bending portion of the endoscope is a cylindrical surface, and maintains smooth contact to ensure smooth rotation between the two bending blocks. Therefore, during the rotation of the bending block of the bending portion of the endoscope, the problem of the two bending blocks being separated due to the unstable rotation caused by the sharp transition surface can be avoided.

[0122] Furthermore, the curved portion of the endoscope is manufactured by using the processing device for the curved portion of the endoscope according to the processing method for the curved portion of the endoscope, and the manufacturing process is easy to control, has high precision, and is easy to operate and implement. At the same time, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the popularization and implementation of the curved portion of the endoscope is facilitated.

[0123] Furthermore, the connecting portion 11 disperses the force between the two bending blocks 100 through the contact between the annular arm 15 and the annular groove 16, thereby preventing the protrusion 13 from being separated from the groove 12. Therefore, even if the bending portion of the endoscope does not use rivets, the connection strength between the two bending blocks 100 remains strong, which will not affect the normal use of the endoscope.

[0124] The annular groove 16 is centrally symmetrically distributed about the center of the groove 12, and the multi-stage annular arm 15 is centrally symmetrically distributed about the center of the protrusion 13. The force between the protrusion 13 and the groove 12 can be centrally symmetrically distributed on the annular arm 15, and the component force received by each annular arm 15 is also centrally symmetrically distributed, which is easy to offset each other, balance the force, reduce the force between the two bending blocks 100, and ensure the stability of the connection.

[0125] Although the present invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terms used are illustrative and exemplary, rather than restrictive. Since the present invention can be embodied in a variety of forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims, so all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bending portion of an endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises a tube body, the tube body is cut into a plurality of bending blocks, two adjacent bending blocks are rotatably connected, the contact surface between two adjacent bending blocks is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the contact surface on the outer side surface of the tube body and the vertical projection of the contact surface on the inner side surface of the tube body coincide with each other; the thickness of the tube body is less than 5 mm; A connecting portion is provided between two adjacent bending blocks, the connecting portion comprising a protrusion and a groove, and the protrusion can be rotatably accommodated in the groove; A cutting line is provided near one end face of the bending block, a stamping portion is provided between the end face of the bending block and the cutting line, the stamping portion is recessed toward the inner side of the bending block to form a guide portion for passing a traction line, a buffer groove is provided between the cutting line and the other end face of the bending block, and the buffer groove is used to buffer the stamping pressure.

2. The bending portion of the endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the buffer groove is greater than the length of the cutting line.

3. An endoscope, characterized in that: The invention comprises a traction wire and the bending portion of the endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the traction wire is arranged inside the bending portion, and the traction wire pulls the bending portion in series.

4. A method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope, comprising: Fix the tube body on the fixing frame; The laser is focused on the tube body, and the thickness of the tube body is less than 5 mm; The fixing frame drives the tube body to move on a reference plane, the reference plane is perpendicular to the beam direction of the laser, the laser vertically cuts the tube body to form a cutting surface, the cutting surface is a cylindrical surface, and the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the outer side surface of the tube body and the vertical projection of the cutting surface on the inner side surface of the tube body coincide with each other; The tube body rotates with the axial direction of the tube body as the axis, so that the laser is respectively aimed at different positions of the tube body, and the different positions of the tube body are processed respectively.

5. The method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that: The angles at which the tube body rotates with the axial direction of the tube body as the rotation axis are 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° respectively.

6. The method for processing a curved portion of an endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes that when the tube body rotates with its axial direction as the axis, the laser stops working.

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