Endoscope and bending control mechanism thereof

Abstract

The application discloses an endoscope and a bending control mechanism thereof, wherein the bending control mechanism comprises a bending lever, a winding wheel, a driving rope and a first damping member; the bending lever comprises a rotating shaft and a rotating handle; the rotating handle is arranged outside a shell; the rotating shaft extends into the inside of the shell and can rotate relative to the shell according to the operation of the rotating handle; the winding wheel is arranged in the shell and is fixed in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft; the driving rope is wound around the winding wheel and is fixedly connected with the winding wheel and the distal end of the bending part respectively, so that the bending direction of the bending part can be adjusted when the winding wheel rotates; the first damping member is arranged in abutment between the winding wheel and the shell; when the winding wheel rotates to any position, the first damping member can prevent the winding wheel from rotating relative to the shell. The bending control mechanism can realize the bending control and self-locking of the bending part by only four simple and low-cost components, i.e. the bending lever, the winding wheel, the driving rope and the first elastic damping member, and has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, easy assembly and convenient operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of endoscopes, in particular to an endoscope and a bending control mechanism thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of science and technology, endoscope technology has been developing and changing. From the initial hard endoscope and fiber endoscope to the current high-definition electronic endoscope, the reliability, ease of operation, and comfort of endoscopes have been continuously developed. Endoscopes have developed from a simple diagnostic tool to one of the main means of minimally invasive treatment.

[0003] Due to the complex structure, high system integration, and special materials used in medical endoscopes, it is difficult to clean and disinfect them after use. In addition, because of the high price, the number of endoscopes purchased by hospitals often cannot meet the needs of clinical diagnosis and treatment, resulting in incomplete clinical disinfection and a large safety hazard.

[0004] In addition, when medical aid is carried out in special environments such as earthquake-stricken areas and epidemic areas, it is difficult to clean and disinfect traditional endoscopes, which greatly hinders the implementation of various emergency rescue operations.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the traditional endoscope to avoid the risk of cross infection and expand the application range of the endoscope.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the traditional endoscope to avoid the risk of cross infection and expand the application range of the endoscope. SUMMARY

[0007] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application provides an endoscope and a bending control mechanism thereof. The bending control mechanism has a simple structure, fewer components, low cost, and can realize automatic locking of bending control, which is convenient to operate. Therefore, the endoscope has better operation performance and can be used once.

[0008] According to the bending control mechanism disclosed by the present application, the bending control mechanism is arranged on an operation part of an endoscope and is used to adjust the bending direction of a bending part of the endoscope. The operation part includes a housing. The bending control mechanism includes:

[0009] A bending lever includes a rotating shaft and a rotating handle. The rotating handle is arranged outside the housing, and the rotating shaft extends into the interior of the housing and can rotate relative to the housing according to the operation of the rotating handle.

[0010] A winding wheel is arranged in the housing and is fixed in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft and can rotate together with the rotating shaft relative to the housing.

[0011] A driving rope is arranged around the winding wheel and fixedly connected with the winding wheel and the distal end of the bending part, so as to adjust the bending direction of the bending part when the winding wheel rotates.

[0012] A first damping member is arranged between the winding wheel and the housing, and can prevent the winding wheel from rotating relative to the housing when the winding wheel rotates to any position.

[0013] Further, the rotating shaft is provided with a positioning block on the circumferential surface thereof.

[0014] The winding wheel is provided with a mounting hole penetrating in the axial direction thereof, and the side wall of the mounting hole is provided with a positioning groove.

[0015] The rotating shaft penetrates the mounting hole, and the positioning block is in clamping connection with the positioning groove.

[0016] Further, the rotating shaft is formed with a second stepped surface in the circumferential direction thereof.

[0017] The mounting hole is provided with a plurality of lobe claws in the circumferential direction on the opening side away from the rotating handle.

[0018] The head end of the rotating shaft is in abutment with the free ends of the plurality of lobe claws after penetrating the plurality of lobe claws through the mounting hole.

[0019] Further, the head end of the rotating shaft is formed with a tapered surface.

[0020] Further, the inner wall of the housing is formed with a positioning convex ring, and the winding wheel is rotationally embedded in the positioning convex ring.

[0021] The first damping member is arranged in abutment between the outer circumferential surface of the winding wheel and the inner wall of the positioning convex ring.

[0022] Further, the outer circumferential surface of the winding wheel is formed with an annular groove, the first damping member is accommodated in the annular groove, and is in abutment with the inner wall of the positioning convex ring.

[0023] Further, the positioning convex ring comprises a first positioning convex ring and a second positioning convex ring, the second positioning convex ring is located in the first positioning convex ring, and the height of the end surface of the second positioning convex ring from the inner wall of the housing is lower than the height of the end surface of the first positioning convex ring from the inner wall of the housing.

[0024] The winding wheel comprises a first section and a second section, and a stepped surface is formed between the first section and the second section.

[0025] The first section is embedded in the first positioning convex ring, and the second section is embedded in the second positioning convex ring.

[0026] Further, the end face of the second positioning convex ring is arranged with a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of arc-shaped protrusions are in abutment with the stepped face.

[0027] Further, the first damping member has a rectangular cross section in the axial direction.

[0028] Further, the first damping member has a circular ring shape in the radial direction.

[0029] Further, the bending control mechanism further comprises:

[0030] The clamping member is fixedly connected with the driving rope;

[0031] The winding wheel is formed with a rope groove in the circumferential direction, and the winding wheel is further provided with a clamping groove in communication with the rope groove;

[0032] The driving rope is wound around the rope groove, and the clamping member is clamped in the clamping groove.

[0033] The endoscope provided by the embodiment of the present application comprises: an operation part comprising a shell and the above-mentioned bending control mechanism; and an insertion part comprising a flexible tube, a bending part and a head part connected in sequence from a proximal end to a distal end, wherein the flexible tube is connected to the distal end side of the shell.

[0034] Further, the endoscope further comprises: a rotation control mechanism, which is rotationally arranged on the shell and fixedly connected with the insertion part, and can drive the insertion part to rotate circumferentially relative to the shell.

[0035] Further, the rotation control mechanism comprises: a shift dial, which comprises a rotation operation part and a connecting part fixed to the end face of the rotation operation part away from the insertion part, wherein the connecting part extends into the shell from the distal end of the shell and is rotationally connected with the shell;

[0036] A second damping member is arranged between the connecting part and the shell or between the rotation operation part and the shell, and when the shift dial is rotated to any position, the second damping member can prevent the shift dial from rotating relative to the shell.

[0037] Further, the shell comprises a first shell and a second shell connected with the first shell, a connecting hole is formed between the first shell and the second shell for the connecting part to rotationally pass through, the connecting hole has an inner end face located on the inner side of the shell and an outer end face located on the outer side of the shell, the connecting part is circumferentially provided with a first annular face in abutment with the inner end face, and the rotation operation part and the connecting part are formed with a second annular face in abutment with the outer end face.

[0038] The endoscope and its bending control mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0039] The bending control mechanism enables the winding wheel to rotate relative to the housing of the operating part of the endoscope together with the rotating shaft of the bending lever through the structural design of the bending lever and the winding wheel itself. By winding a driving rope around the winding wheel and fixing it to the distal end of the winding wheel and the bending part respectively, the length of the driving rope located on both sides of the winding wheel can be changed when the bending lever drives the winding wheel to rotate relative to the housing, thereby realizing the bending control of the bending part; and, by arranging a first damping member between the winding wheel and the housing, a suitable friction force is created between the winding wheel and the housing, which can prevent the winding wheel from rotating relative to the housing when the winding wheel rotates to any position, thereby fixing the bending direction of the bending part and making it convenient for the user to release the bending lever to perform other operations.

[0040] It can be seen that the bending control mechanism can achieve bending control and self-locking of the bending part through only four simple and low-cost components: a bending lever, a winding wheel, a driving rope and a first elastic damping member. It has a simple structure, low cost, easy assembly and convenient operation.

[0041] In addition, since the bending control mechanism is an important mechanism in the operating part of the endoscope, its performance and cost have a key impact on whether the endoscope can meet the requirements of operating performance and disposable use. Therefore, the endoscope provided by the embodiment of the present invention can have better operating performance and be disposable by applying the above-mentioned bending control mechanism, thereby avoiding the risk of cross infection and expanding its scope of application.

[0042] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of an endoscope provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the inner structure of the operating part of the endoscope shown;

[0046] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The exploded structural diagram of the first housing, the winding wheel, the curved lever and the first damping member in the operating portion is shown;

[0047] Figure 4 for Figure 3A structure diagram of the curved lever and the winding wheel is shown.

[0048] Figure 5 A Figure 4 A front view of the winding wheel is shown.

[0049] Figure 6 A Figure 4 A front view of the curved lever is shown.

[0050] Figure 7 A Figure 3 A structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0051] Figure 8 Another structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0052] Figure 9 Another structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0053] Figure 10 Another structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0054] Figure 11 Another structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0055] Figure 12 Another structure diagram of the first damping member, the winding wheel and the first housing is shown.

[0056] Figure 13 An axial section diagram of the first damping member is shown.

[0057] Figure 14 A Figure 2 A structure diagram of the winding wheel and the driving rope in the operation part is shown.

[0058] Figure 15 A bending control diagram of the embodiment is shown.

[0059] Figure 16 A Figure 2 A structure diagram of the rotating control mechanism and the connecting hole is shown.

[0060] Figure 17 A Figure 16 A structure diagram of the rotating control mechanism and the connecting hole is shown.

[0061] Figure 18Another connection structure diagram of the indexing dial, the second damping member and the shell provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0062] Reference mark:

[0063] The shell 100, the first shell 110, the first positioning convex ring 111, the second positioning convex ring 112, the arc convex 1121, the rotating shaft hole 113, the second shell 120, the connecting hole 130, the first limiting part 131, the second limiting part 132, the inner end surface 133, the outer end surface 134, the first reference mark 140;

[0064] The winding wheel 200, the first section 210, the second section 220, the ladder surface 230, the first damping member 240, the petal claw 250, the mounting hole 251, the rope groove 260, the clamping groove 270, the limiting surface 271, the embedding entrance 272, the annular groove 280, the positioning groove 290;

[0065] The driving rope 300, the clamping member 310, the metal pipe 320;

[0066] The curved dial lever 400, the rotating shaft 410, the first step surface 411, the second step surface 412, the third step surface 413, the positioning block 414, the taper surface 415, the rotating handle 420;

[0067] The insertion part 500, the flexible pipe 510, the bending part 520, the end head part 530;

[0068] The rotating control mechanism 600, the indexing dial 610, the rotating operation part 611, the connecting part 612, the second damping member 620, the first annular surface 630, the second annular surface 640, the third limiting part 650, the second reference mark 660. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary only, for the purpose of explaining the present application, and should not be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0070] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation description, such as the left, right, etc. The orientation or positional relationship indicated is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0071] In the description of the invention, if several meanings are one or more, the meaning of multiple is two or more, greater than, less than, more than, etc. Understand as not including the number, above, below, within, etc. Understand as including the number. If it is described as first, second, it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the sequence of indicated technical features.

[0072] In the description of the invention, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the words such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be broadly understood, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution. Among them, unless otherwise specified, in the description of the invention, "distal end" refers to the end far from the operator during endoscope operation; "proximal end" refers to the end close to the operator.

[0073] In the description of the invention, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiment", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0074] According to the bending control mechanism disclosed by the present application, referring to Figures 1 to 4 It is arranged in the operation part of the endoscope, used for adjusting the bending direction of the bending part 520 of the endoscope, and the operation part includes a shell 100. Specifically, the bending control mechanism includes a bending lever 400, a winding wheel 200, a driving rope 300 and a first damping member 240. The bending lever 400 includes a rotating shaft 410 and a rotating handle 420. The rotating handle 420 is arranged outside the shell 100, and the rotating shaft 410 extends into the inside of the shell 100 and can rotate relative to the shell 100 according to the operation of the rotating handle 420. The winding wheel 200 is arranged in the shell 100 and is fixed in the circumferential direction with the rotating shaft 410, and can rotate together with the rotating shaft 410 relative to the shell 100. The driving rope 300 is wound around the winding wheel 200 and is fixedly connected with the winding wheel 200 and the distal end of the bending part 520 respectively, so as to adjust the bending direction of the bending part 520 when the winding wheel 200 rotates. The first damping member 240 is arranged in abutment between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100. When the winding wheel 200 rotates to any position, the first damping member 240 can prevent the winding wheel 200 from rotating relative to the shell 100.

[0075] When the endoscope is in operation, the user rotates the rotating handle 420, which drives the rotating shaft 410 to rotate relative to the shell 100. The rotating shaft 410 is circumferentially fixed to the winding wheel 200, so the winding wheel 200 can rotate synchronously with the rotating shaft 410. Since the driving rope 300 is wound around the winding wheel 200 and fixed to the distal end of the bending part 520, when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the driving rope 300 on one side of the bending part 520 becomes longer, the driving rope 300 on the other side of the bending part 520 becomes shorter, the driving rope 300 on both sides of the bending part 520 has a positional difference, and the bending part 520 bends towards the side where the driving rope 300 becomes shorter, thereby achieving control of the bending part 520 and further achieving control of the position of the tip part 530 arranged at the distal end of the bending part 520.

[0076] During the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment, the user rotates the winding wheel 200 to the desired position according to the actual situation, thereby adjusting the bending direction of the bending part 520. Generally, when detailed examination of a certain part of the cavity is required, the position of the tip part 530 needs to be stabilized to collect clear endoscopic images. At this time, the bending part 520 needs to be kept in a certain bending state. However, in order to keep the bending part 520 in a certain bending state, in some existing disposable endoscopes, the user usually needs to continuously apply force to the rotating handle 420 to fix the winding wheel 200 relative to the shell 100 and keep the state, which is not convenient for the user to perform other operations. In the present application, the first damping member 240 is arranged to allow a suitable friction force to exist between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100, thereby preventing the winding wheel 200 from rotating relative to the shell 100, and further keeping the winding wheel 200 in a certain position relative to the shell 100, keeping the bending part 520 in a bending position, and thereby keeping the position of the tip part 530.

[0077] It should be noted that the first damping member 240 always abuts between the shell 100 and the winding wheel 200 during the rotation of the winding wheel 200. Therefore, when the winding wheel 200 stops rotating, the first damping member 240 allows a suitable friction force to exist between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100, thereby achieving self-locking of the winding wheel 200. It can be seen that when the user uses the endoscope, there is no need to worry that the winding wheel 200 cannot be locked after rotating to the desired position. In addition, the first damping member 240 is arranged to abut between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100, so the first damping member 240 is easy to assemble.

[0078] It can be seen that the bending control mechanism can achieve bending control and self-locking of the bending part 520 by only four simple and low-cost components, i.e., the bending lever 400, the winding wheel 200, the driving rope 300, and the first damping member 240, which has a simple structure, low cost, easy assembly, and convenient operation.

[0079] Specifically, in some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 The shell 100 comprises a first shell 110 and a second shell 120, the first shell 110 and the second shell 120 can be fixed together by screws, glue, clamping connection, etc., and an installation cavity for installing the winding wheel 200 is formed between the first shell 110 and the second shell 120, so that the winding wheel 200 can be conveniently arranged in the shell 100.

[0080] Further realizing the circumferential fixation of the rotating shaft 410 and the winding wheel 200, in some embodiments, referring to Figures 3 to 6 The winding wheel 200 is provided with an installation hole 251 along the axial direction thereof, and the inner wall of the installation hole 251 is provided with a positioning groove 290; at the same time, the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 410 is provided with a positioning block 414, and when the rotating shaft 410 is arranged in the installation hole 251, the positioning block 414 can be slidably arranged in the positioning groove 290 to be clamped and connected with the positioning groove 290, so as to realize the circumferential fixation of the rotating shaft 410 and the winding wheel 200; when the rotating shaft 410 rotates, the rotating shaft 410 drives the winding wheel 200 to rotate through the positioning block 414.

[0081] Of course, there are various ways to realize the circumferential fixation of the winding wheel 200 and the rotating shaft 410, for example, the radial cross section of the rotating shaft 410 is not circular, the radial cross section of the installation hole 251 is consistent with the radial cross section of the rotating shaft 410 and is mutually fitted, so as to realize the circumferential fixation of the rotating shaft 410 and the winding wheel 200 (not shown in the figure).

[0082] Referring to Figure 4 and Figure 7, further realizing the installation of the winding wheel 200, the rotating shaft 410 and the first shell 110. In some embodiments, the first shell 110 is provided with a rotating shaft hole 113 for the rotating shaft 410 to extend into the shell 100, and the installation hole 251 is arranged opposite to the rotating shaft hole 113. The head end of the rotating shaft 410 extends into the shell 100 from the rotating shaft hole 113, thereby extending into the installation hole 251 and being fixed circumferentially with the winding wheel 200. Further, the side of the rotating shaft 410 close to the rotating handle 420 is provided with a first step surface 411 along the circumferential surface thereof, which is used to abut against the outer wall of the first shell 110. The winding wheel 200 is provided with a plurality of petal claws 250 at the end close to the second shell 120, which are arranged at intervals and circumferentially on the side of the opening of the installation hole 251, and the free ends of the petal claws 250 are arranged towards the inner wall of the second shell 120 (i.e. the plurality of petal claws 250 are arranged circumferentially on the opening side of the installation hole 251 away from the rotating handle 420); meanwhile, the head end of the rotating shaft 410 is provided with a second step surface 412 circumferentially, the first step surface 411 and the second step surface 412 are arranged oppositely, and the second step surface 412 abuts against the free ends of the petal claws 250 to limit the winding wheel 200 from sliding off the head end of the rotating shaft 410, so as to axially fix the winding wheel 200 with the curved lever 400.

[0083] Specifically, when installing the winding wheel 200, the user can first install the rotating shaft 410 on the first shell 110, i.e. the head end of the rotating shaft 410 extends into the first shell 110 from the installation hole 251, and the first step surface 411 abuts against the outer wall of the first shell 110; then, the winding wheel 200 is slid onto the outside of the rotating shaft 410 from the head end of the rotating shaft 410, thereby realizing the installation of the winding wheel 200. When the rotating shaft 410 slides through the installation hole 251, the plurality of petal claws 250 are spread outwards under the action of the head end of the rotating shaft 410, and after the edge of the second step surface 412 goes beyond the free ends of the petal claws 250, the plurality of petal claws 250 return to the original position, and the free ends of the petal claws 250 just abut against the second step surface 412, thereby installing the winding wheel 200 on the rotating shaft 410 and abutting the winding wheel 200 between the inner wall of the first shell 110 and the second step surface 412.

[0084] It can be understood that the winding wheel 200 and the rotating shaft 410 are convenient to install and low in manufacturing cost, and are suitable for mass production.

[0085] In some embodiments, the edge of the head end of the rotating shaft 410 is chamfered or rounded, and the chamfer or the rounded corner forms a tapered surface 415 around the head end of the rotating shaft 410. Thus, when the head end slides through the plurality of petal claws 250, the tapered surface 415 gradually spreads the petal claws 250, thereby enabling the end head 530 to more conveniently go beyond the plurality of petal claws 250 from the installation hole 251, and realizing the installation of the winding wheel 200.

[0086] In some embodiments, the side wall of the rotating shaft 410 has a third step surface 413 located between the first step surface 411 and the second step surface 412 and opposite to the second step surface 412, and the winding wheel 200 is provided with a locking surface abutting against the third step surface 413. Thus, when the second step surface 412 abuts against the free end of the petal claw 250, the third step surface 413 abuts against the locking surface of the winding wheel 200, so that the winding wheel 200 is stably installed on the rotating shaft 410 and cannot slide in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 410.

[0087] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the first housing 110 is formed with a positioning convex ring, and the central axis of the positioning convex ring coincides with the central axis of the rotating shaft hole 113. Thus, when the winding wheel 200 is rotationally embedded in the positioning convex ring, the mounting hole 251 of the winding wheel 200 can be aligned with the rotating shaft hole 113, so that the head end of the rotating shaft 410 can be slid into the mounting hole 251 from the rotating shaft hole 113, thereby achieving the installation of the winding wheel 200 and the rotating shaft 410. In addition, the positioning convex ring further positions the position of the winding wheel 200, so that the winding wheel 200 rotates around the rotating shaft 410 as the central axis. In this embodiment, the first damping member 240 can be arranged between the outer circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200 and the inner wall of the positioning convex ring.

[0088] In some embodiments, since the contact area between the end surface of the winding wheel 200 and the inner wall of the first housing 110 is large, a large amount of useless friction force is generated between the winding wheel 200 and the inner wall of the first housing 110, which affects the rotation feeling of the winding wheel 200. Based on this, referring to Figure 7 , the winding wheel 200 sequentially includes a first section 210 and a second section 220 in the axial direction thereof, the outer diameter of the second section 220 is smaller than that of the first section 210, and the end of the second section 220 away from the first section 210 is arranged close to the inner wall of the first housing 110.

[0089] By adopting the above scheme, since the cross section of the second section 220 is small enough, the abutting surface between the second section 220 and the inner wall of the first housing 110 is small enough, so that the contact area between the winding wheel 200 and the first housing 110 can be reduced, and the useless friction force between the winding wheel 200 and the first housing 110 can be reduced, thereby facilitating the control of the winding wheel 200. At the same time, the outer diameter of the first section 210 is large, and the driving rope 300 is wound around the circumferential surface of the first section 210 (see Figure 2 ), so that the driving rope 300 can be wound with a large arc, thereby facilitating the adjustment of the bending angle of the bending part 520.

[0090] Commonly, the first section 210 is a columnar body with a uniform outer diameter, the second section 220 is a columnar body with a uniform outer diameter, the outer diameter of the first section 210 is larger than that of the second section 220, thus, the stepped surface 230 towards the second section 220 can be formed between the first section 210 and the second section 220; meanwhile, the positioning convex ring comprises a first positioning convex ring 111 and a second positioning convex ring 112, the second positioning convex ring 112 is located in the first positioning convex ring 111, and the height of the end surface of the second positioning convex ring 112 from the inner wall of the first shell 110 is lower than that of the first positioning convex ring 111, the first section 210 is rotatably embedded in the first positioning convex ring 111, the second section 220 is rotatably embedded in the second positioning convex ring 112, and the end surface of the second positioning convex ring 112 can abut against the stepped surface 230.

[0091] By adopting the above manner, the positioning of the winding wheel 200 is accurately realized by the first positioning convex ring 111 and the second positioning convex ring 112, and the winding wheel 200 is stably connected to the inner side of the first shell 110; meanwhile, the end of the second positioning convex ring 112 abuts against the stepped surface 230, thus further limiting the end of the second section 220 from abutting against the inner wall of the first shell 110, and further reducing the useless friction force between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100.

[0092] Further, in order to reduce the friction force between the second positioning convex ring 112 and the stepped surface 230, a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions 1121 are arranged on the end surface of the second positioning convex ring 112 along the circumferential direction, the second positioning convex ring 112 abuts against the stepped surface 230 through the arc-shaped protrusions 1121, thus further reducing the friction force between the second positioning convex ring 112 and the winding wheel 200, and further reducing the useless friction force between the winding wheel 200 and the shell 100.

[0093] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 8 , the diameter of the second section 220 gradually decreases from the end close to the first section 210 to the end close to the first shell 110, thus the end surface area of the second section 220 close to the first shell 110 is small enough to avoid generating large useless friction force between the second section 220 and the first shell 110.

[0094] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 7 , the first damping member 240 is an elastic member, which is easy to deform during the rotation of the winding wheel 200, thus facilitating the user to operate the rotation of the winding wheel 200; meanwhile, the first damping member 240 is easy to reset to the original shape when the winding wheel 200 stops rotating, thus a suitable static friction force exists between the first damping member 240 and the winding wheel 200, thus preventing the rotation of the winding wheel 200.

[0095] Commonly, the first damping member 240 can be made of a polymer elastomer material, such as polyurethane elastomer, silicone rubber, fluororubber (FPM), nitrile rubber, etc., so that the first damping member 240 can create a suitable static friction force between the positioning protrusion and the winding wheel 200. When the user stops rotating the winding wheel 200, the winding wheel 200 is locked to the corresponding position under the action of the first damping member 240, so that the bending portion 520 remains in a bent state.

[0096] In some embodiments, the radial cross-section of the first damping member 240 can be a circular ring, that is, the first damping member 240 is an annular body, and the first damping member 240 has a first annular contact surface and a second annular contact surface, the first annular contact surface is used to abut against the winding wheel 200, and the second annular contact surface is used to abut against the inner wall of the positioning protrusion, and the central axis of the first damping member 240 coincides with the rotation center line of the winding wheel 200; thus, when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the winding wheel 200 is subjected to uniform dynamic friction in the circumference, thereby facilitating the control of the winding wheel 200; when the winding wheel 200 stops rotating, the winding wheel 200 is subjected to uniform static friction in the circumference, thereby achieving the locking of the winding wheel 200.

[0097] In addition, the first damping member 240 adopts this design, so that the first annular contact surface will not excessively abut against the winding wheel 200, and the second annular contact surface will not excessively abut against the positioning protrusion ring; thus, when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the first annular contact surface and the second annular contact surface are less worn, and the first damping member 240 will not lose its locking effect on the winding wheel 200 due to excessive rotation of the winding wheel 200.

[0098] In some embodiments, reference 7 and Figure 9 The first damping member 240 is sleeved on the outer side of the winding wheel 200, the first annular contact surface abuts against the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200, and the second annular contact surface abuts against the inner wall of the positioning convex ring, that is, the inner wall of the first positioning convex ring 111 or the inner wall of the second positioning convex ring 112 (refer to Figure 10 ); or, refer to Figure 12 The first damping member 240 abuts between the end of the winding wheel 200 and the inner wall of the housing 100, the first annular contact surface abuts the annular end surface of the winding wheel 200, and the second annular contact surface abuts the inner wall of the first housing 110 or the end of the second positioning protrusion 112 (refer to Figure 11 ).

[0099] It should be noted that the number of the first damping members 240 is indefinite, and a plurality of first damping members 240 can be arranged side by side on the outside of the winding wheel 200, so that the winding wheel 200 is subjected to appropriate static friction, and the winding wheel 200 is firmly locked; and the user can add a corresponding number of first damping members 240 according to the need, and the static friction generated by the first damping members 240 is just close to the pulling force of the driving rope 300, so as to facilitate the user to manually rotate the winding wheel 200.

[0100] In some embodiments, the area of the first annular contact surface is smaller than the area of the second annular contact surface, and the friction between the first damping member 240 and the positioning convex ring is greater than the friction between the first damping member 240 and the winding wheel 200, so that when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the positioning convex ring has a greater resistance to the first damping member 240, and the first damping member 240 can be kept in a certain position, thereby facilitating the operation of the winding wheel 200.

[0101] Commonly, with reference to Figure 13 , the axial cross section of the first damping member 240 is one of a triangle, a T shape and a trapezoid, so that the area of the first annular contact surface is smaller than the area of the second annular contact surface.

[0102] In other embodiments, with reference to Figure 7 and Figure 13 , the area of the first annular contact surface is equal to the area of the second annular contact surface, and the friction between the first damping member 240 and the positioning convex ring is equal to the friction between the first damping member 240 and the winding wheel 200. Thus, when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the two sides of the first damping member 240 are subjected to relatively uniform force, thereby avoiding that some areas of the first annular contact surface and the second annular contact surface are subjected to relatively large force, and further avoiding that the first damping member 240 is excessively damaged and the locking of the winding wheel 200 is affected.

[0103] Commonly, the axial cross section of the first damping member 240 is one of a circle, a rectangle and a regular polygon, so that the area of the first annular contact surface is equal to the area of the second annular contact surface.

[0104] In the present embodiment, the cross section of the first damping member 240 in the axial direction is a rectangle, and it has a larger contact surface in the circumferential direction, so that a larger frictional damping can be provided under a smaller compression amount.

[0105] In some embodiments, to facilitate positioning the first damping member 240 and further increase the friction between the first damping member 240 and the winding wheel 200, an annular groove 280 is formed on the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200, the first damping member 240 is accommodated in the annular groove 280 and abuts against the inner wall of the annular groove 280, and the second annular contact surface of the first damping member 240 abuts against the inner wall of the positioning convex ring. As can be seen, the annular groove 280 increases the contact area between the winding wheel 200 and the first damping member 240, so that when the winding wheel 200 stops rotating, the winding wheel 200 enters the self-locking state. Of course, the annular groove 280 can also be arranged on the inner wall of the positioning convex ring to accommodate the first damping member 240.

[0106] It should be noted that, according to needs, the annular groove 280 can be arranged on the circumferential surface of the first section 210 or the circumferential surface of the second section 220, or can be sleeved on the outer side of the second section 220 and abut against the end portion between the stepped surface 230 and the second end.

[0107] In some embodiments, the driving rope 300 has one or two, if the driving rope 300 has one (not shown in the figure), the driving rope 300 is wound in the rope groove 260 of the winding wheel 200, and the two ends of the driving rope 300 are fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending portion 520 and located on both sides of the bending portion 520. Thus, referring to Figure 14 and Figure 15 , when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the driving ropes 300 located on both sides of the bending portion 520 generate a positional difference, so that the bending portion 520 bends correspondingly; for example, referring to Figure 15 , when the rotating handle 420 is pushed upward, the driving rope 300 located on the left side of the bending portion 520 becomes shorter, and the driving rope 300 located on the right side of the bending portion 520 becomes longer correspondingly, so as to realize the left deflection of the bending portion 520, i.e. the upward bending in the professional term; conversely, the driving rope 300 located on the right side of the bending portion 520 becomes shorter, and the driving rope 300 located on the left side of the bending portion 520 becomes longer correspondingly, so as to realize the right deflection of the bending portion 520, i.e. the downward bending in the professional term.

[0108] Referring to Figure 14 and Figure 15 , if the driving rope 300 has two, one end of the two driving ropes 300 is wound on the wire groove of the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200 and fixedly connected to the winding wheel 200, and the other end of the two driving ropes 300 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending portion 520 and located on both sides of the bending portion 520; thus, when the winding wheel 200 rotates, the driving ropes 300 located on both sides of the bending portion 520 generate a positional difference, so that the bending portion 520 bends upward or downward.

[0109] It can be understood that if two driving ropes 300 are used, the user can conveniently adjust the length of the driving rope 300 and the fixed position of the driving rope 300 relative to the winding wheel 200 according to the needs, so as to better adapt the distance between the winding wheel 200 and the bending part 520.

[0110] Further, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 14 , a clamping groove 270 is formed on the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200, the clamping groove 270 is in communication with the rope groove 260, a clamping piece 310 is clamped in the clamping groove 270, one end of the driving rope 300 is wound around the rope groove 260 (see Figure 7 ), and is fixedly connected with the clamping piece 310; by using the above-mentioned manner, when the driving rope 300 is installed, the user can make the driving rope 300 and the clamping piece 310 fixedly connected according to the needs, and make the driving rope 300 just adapt to the distance between the bending part 520 and the winding wheel 200; at the same time, the clamping piece 310 is clamped in the clamping groove 270, so as to realize the fixed connection between the driving rope 300 and the winding wheel 200.

[0111] Further, the clamping piece 310 is a deformable metal piece, a through hole is formed in the clamping piece 310 for the driving rope 300 to pass through, so that the user can pass the appropriate position of the driving rope 300 into the through hole according to the needs, at this time, the user uses a corresponding tool, such as pliers, to deform the clamping piece 310, so as to press the driving rope 300, and then realize the fixed connection between the driving rope 300 and the clamping piece 310.

[0112] Further, in order to prevent the clamping piece 310 from sliding out of the clamping groove 270 from the opening on the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200, the clamping groove 270 has a limiting surface 271 facing the central axis of the winding wheel 200, the limiting surface 271 abuts against the clamping piece 310 to hinder the clamping piece 310 from being separated from the clamping groove 270 on the circumferential surface of the winding wheel 200, so it can be seen that the relative position of the winding wheel 200 and the clamping piece 310 is relatively stable; in addition, it is further convenient to embed the clamping piece 310 into the clamping groove 270, an embedding entrance 272 is formed at the end of the winding wheel 200, the embedding entrance 272 is in communication with the clamping groove 270, and the clamping piece 310 can be embedded in the clamping groove 270 through the embedding entrance 272, so as to facilitate the installation of the clamping piece 310.

[0113] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 14 , the first shell 110 and the second shell 120 are made of plastic material, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost of the endoscope; at the same time, a metal pipe 320 is fixed in the cavity formed between the first shell 110 and the second shell 120, and the driving rope 300 is arranged in the metal pipe 320, so that the metal pipe 320 can better guide and protect the sliding of the driving rope 300.

[0114] The application discloses an endoscope, which refers to Figure 1 , comprising an operation part and an insertion part 500. The operation part comprises a shell 100, and the bending control mechanism described above; the insertion part 500 comprises a flexible tube 510, a bending part 520 and a tip part 530 connected in sequence from the proximal end to the distal end, the flexible tube 510 is connected to the distal end side of the shell 100, and the end of the driving rope 300 is connected to the side wall of the bending part 520 close to the tip part 530.

[0115] By adopting the above scheme, the user controls the operation part, i.e. rotates the rotary handle 420, the rotary handle 420 drives the rotating shaft 410 to rotate, the rotating shaft 410 drives the winding wheel 200 to rotate, the winding wheel 200 causes the driving rope 300 located on both sides of the bending part 520 to generate a linear displacement difference, so as to realize the upward or downward rotation of the bending part 520.

[0116] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 16 to 18 , the endoscope further comprises a rotation control mechanism 600, the rotation control mechanism 600 is arranged on the shell 100 and is fixedly connected with the insertion part 500, and can drive the insertion part 500 to rotate circumferentially relative to the shell 100.

[0117] By adopting the above scheme, the user can adjust the flexible tube 510 circumferentially by rotating the rotation control mechanism 600, so as to adjust the bending direction of the bending part 520, and the position of the tip part 530 is fully adjusted; it can be seen that the user can conveniently adjust the tip part 530 to a preset position.

[0118] It should be noted that a channel is formed in the rotation control mechanism 600, which communicates the inside of the shell 100 and the insertion part 500, so that the wires of the camera, the illumination optical fiber and the working pipeline and the like pass through the rotation control mechanism 600 and penetrate into the insertion part 500; wherein the driving rope 300 passes through the rotation control mechanism 600 and the flexible tube 510 in sequence, so as to be connected with the end of the bending part 520 away from the flexible tube 510.

[0119] The rotation control mechanism 600 comprises a rotating shift wheel 610, the rotating shift wheel 610 comprises a rotating operation part 611 and a connecting part 612 fixed to the end face of the rotating operation part 611 away from the insertion part 500, the connecting part 612 extends into the shell 100 from the distal end side of the shell 100 and is rotationally connected with the shell 100; specifically, the user rotates the rotating shift wheel 610, so that the connecting part 612 rotates relative to the shell 100, and the insertion part 500 is fixedly arranged on the end of the rotating shift wheel 610 away from the connecting part 612, the rotating shift wheel drives the insertion part 500 to rotate, so as to realize the circumferential adjustment of the insertion part 500.

[0120] In some embodiments, the connecting portion 612 is further rotationally mounted between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120, a connecting hole 130 is formed between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 and communicates with the mounting cavity, and the connecting portion 612 is rotationally arranged in the connecting hole 130. Meanwhile, one end of the connecting hole 130 has an inner end surface 133 located inside the shell 100, and the rotation control mechanism 600 has a first annular surface 630 abutting against the inner end surface 133. The other end of the connecting hole 130 has an outer end surface 134 located outside the shell 100, and a second annular surface 640 is formed between the connecting portion 612 and the rotation operation portion 611, and the second annular surface 640 abuts against the outer end surface 134. Thus, the connecting portion 612 is rotationally connected in the connecting hole 130.

[0121] By using the above-mentioned manner, the connecting structure of the first housing 110, the second housing 120 and the index dial 610 is simple, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the endoscope, and further suitable for mass production.

[0122] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 16 and Figure 17 , the connecting hole 130 is provided with a first limiting portion 131 and a second limiting portion 132, and the connecting portion 612 is provided with a third limiting portion 650 movably arranged between the first limiting portion 131 and the second limiting portion 132. It can be seen that the first limiting portion 131 and the second limiting portion 132 limit the movement range of the third limiting portion 650, thereby limiting the rotation range of the index dial 610, so as to prevent the rotation control mechanism 600 from being excessively rotated and damaging the wires, illumination fibers and working pipes in the rotation control mechanism 600.

[0123] Further, the outer wall of the second housing 120 is provided with a first reference mark 140, the first limiting portion 131 and the second limiting portion 132 are symmetrically arranged about the first reference mark 140, and the outer wall of the rotation operation portion 611 is provided with a second reference mark 660 capable of being aligned with the first reference mark 140. Thus, the user can take the first reference mark 140 as a reference point to rotate the index dial 610 forward or reversely, so as to accurately control the position of the index dial 610.

[0124] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 16 and 18, the rotating control mechanism 600 further comprises a second damping member 620, which is arranged between the shift wheel 610 and the shell 100, so that the second damping member 620 can lock the shift wheel 610 when the shift wheel 610 rotates to any position. Specifically, when the endoscope is used, the shift wheel 610 is rotated to a certain position, and the flexible tube 510, the bending part 520 and the end head 530 synchronously change the positions to adjust the circumferential position of the end head 530; after the circumferential position of the end head 530 is adjusted, the user stops rotating the shift wheel 610, and the second damping member 620 can generate a suitable resistance force to lock the shift wheel 610, so as to lock the flexible tube 510, and correspondingly, the bending part 520 and the end head 530 are locked to the corresponding positions.

[0125] In the prior art, the operator rotates the wrist to adjust the circumferential position of the insertion part 500, and then adjusts the circumferential position of the end head 530, and manually keeps the end head 530 at the corresponding position. It can be seen that, by arranging the second damping member 620, the adjustment of the end head 530 of the endoscope is more convenient, and the use of the endoscope is more convenient.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second damping member 620 is a ring-shaped body sleeved around the shift wheel 610, and the second damping member 620 has a third annular contact surface and a fourth annular contact surface. When the third annular contact surface abuts against the circumferential surface of the connecting part 612, the fourth annular contact surface abuts against the inner wall of the connecting hole 130; when the third annular contact surface abuts against the second annular surface 640, the fourth annular contact surface abuts against the outer end surface 134 of the connecting hole 130.

[0127] By adopting the above-mentioned mode, when the rotating control mechanism 600 rotates, the shift wheel 610 is subjected to uniform circumferential dynamic friction force; when the rotating control mechanism 600 stops rotating, the rotating control mechanism 600 is subjected to uniform circumferential static friction force, so as to stably lock the rotating control mechanism 600.

[0128] The second damping member 620 can be made of an elastic material, so that the second damping member 620 has low manufacturing cost and is conducive to mass production; in addition, the second damping member 620 is arranged between the shift wheel 610 and the shell 100, so that the second damping member 620 is simple to assemble.

[0129] In some embodiments, the second rotating damping member 620 can be made of a high polymer elastomer material, such as polyurethane elastomer, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber (FPM) and nitrile rubber.

[0130] The application embodiments are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the application. Furthermore, the embodiments of the application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

Claims

1. A bending control mechanism provided at an operation section of an endoscope for adjusting a bending direction of a bending section of the endoscope, wherein, The operation part comprises a housing, and the bending control mechanism comprises: a bending lever comprising a rotating shaft and a rotating handle, the rotating handle is arranged outside the housing, the rotating shaft extends into the interior of the housing and can rotate relative to the housing according to the operation of the rotating handle; a first step surface is arranged on the side of the rotating shaft close to the rotating handle along the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft, and a second step surface is further formed on the rotating shaft in the circumferential direction; a winding wheel is arranged in the housing and fixedly connected with the rotating shaft in the circumferential direction, and can rotate together with the rotating shaft relative to the housing; the winding wheel is provided with a mounting hole penetrating in the axial direction, and a plurality of lobe claws are arranged on the opening side away from the rotating handle in the circumferential direction; the rotating shaft is arranged in the mounting hole, and the head end of the rotating shaft passes through the plurality of lobe claws after passing through the mounting hole, and the second step surface abuts against the free end of the plurality of lobe claws; a driving rope is arranged around the winding wheel and fixedly connected with the winding wheel and the distal end of the bending part, so that the bending direction of the bending part is adjusted when the winding wheel rotates; a first damping member is arranged in abutment between the winding wheel and the housing; during the rotation of the winding wheel, the first damping member is always in abutment between the housing and the winding wheel, and when the winding wheel rotates to any position, the first damping member can prevent the winding wheel from rotating relative to the housing.

2. The bending control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: a positioning block is arranged on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a positioning groove is formed in the side wall of the mounting hole; the positioning block is in clamping connection with the positioning groove. a taper surface is formed on the head end of the rotating shaft.

3. The bend control mechanism of claim 2, wherein, 4. The bending control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: a positioning convex ring is formed on the inner wall of the housing, and the winding wheel is rotatably arranged in the positioning convex ring; the first damping member is arranged in abutment between the outer circumferential surface of the winding wheel and the inner wall of the positioning convex ring.

5. The bending control mechanism according to claim 4, wherein: an annular groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the winding wheel, and the first damping member is arranged in the annular groove and in abutment with the inner wall of the positioning convex ring.

6. The bending control mechanism according to claim 4, wherein: the positioning convex ring comprises a first positioning convex ring and a second positioning convex ring, the second positioning convex ring is arranged in the first positioning convex ring, and the height of the end surface of the second positioning convex ring away from the inner wall of the housing is lower than the height of the end surface of the first positioning convex ring away from the inner wall of the housing; the winding wheel comprises a first segment and a second segment, and a stepped surface is formed between the first segment and the second segment; the first segment is arranged in the first positioning convex ring, and the second segment is arranged in the second positioning convex ring.

7. The bending control mechanism according to claim 6, wherein: the end surface of the second positioning convex ring is arranged with a plurality of arc-shaped protrusions in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of arc-shaped protrusions abut against the stepped surface. the cross section of the first damping member in the axial direction is rectangular.

8. The bend control mechanism of claim 4, wherein, ​ 9. The bend control mechanism of claim 4, wherein, The first damping member has a cross section in radial direction in the shape of a ring.

10. A bend control mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The bending control mechanism further comprises: A clamping member fixedly connected with the driving rope; The winding wheel is formed with a rope groove in the circumferential direction, and is further provided with a clamping groove in communication with the rope groove; The driving rope is wound around the rope groove, and the clamping member is clamped in the clamping groove.

11. An endoscope, characterized by It comprises: An operating part comprising a housing, and a bending control mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1-10; An insertion part comprising, in order from the proximal end to the distal end, a flexible tube, a bending part, and a tip part, the flexible tube being connected to the distal end side of the housing.

12. The endoscope of claim 11, wherein, The endoscope further comprises: A rotation control mechanism rotatably arranged in the housing and fixedly connected with the insertion part, and capable of driving the insertion part to rotate circumferentially relative to the housing.

13. The endoscope of claim 12, wherein, The rotation control mechanism comprises: A shift dial comprising a rotation operating part and a connecting part fixed to the end surface of the rotation operating part away from the insertion part, the connecting part extending into the housing from the distal end of the housing and being rotatably connected with the housing; A second damping member arranged between the connecting part and the housing or between the rotation operating part and the housing, the second damping member being capable of preventing the shift dial from rotating relative to the housing when the shift dial is rotated to any position.

14. The endoscope according to claim 13, characterized in that: The housing comprises a first housing and a second housing connected with the first housing, a connecting hole is formed between the first housing and the second housing for the connecting part to rotatably pass through, the connecting hole has an inner end surface located inside the housing and an outer end surface located outside the housing, the connecting part is circumferentially provided with a first annular surface abutting against the inner end surface, and the rotation operating part and the connecting part are formed with a second annular surface abutting against the outer end surface.

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