Endoscope bending state locking mechanism and endoscope thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to an endoscope bending state locking mechanism and an endoscope thereof. The endoscope comprises a rotating shaft for controlling the bending state of the endoscope, and the endoscope bending state locking mechanism comprises a locking sleeve coaxially sleeved outside the rotating shaft, a friction assembly arranged between the rotating shaft and the locking sleeve, and the locking sleeve is capable of rotating around the rotating shaft. The locking sleeve has an active position, a locking position and a transition position between the two during rotation. When the locking sleeve is in the locking position, the locking sleeve can drive the friction assembly to generate friction with the rotating shaft to stop the rotation of the rotating shaft. When the locking sleeve is in the active position, the friction assembly does not interfere with the rotating shaft. When the locking sleeve is in the transition position, the locking sleeve drives the friction assembly to hinder but not stop the rotation of the rotating shaft. The locking sleeve and the rotating shaft are coaxially arranged in the present application, which occupies less space, has a more compact structure, has relatively lower requirements for machining precision, and can better accommodate other parts of the original endoscope.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, in particular to an endoscope bending state locking mechanism and an endoscope. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of science and technology, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field, and they are one of the important tools for checking internal organs of the human body. Generally, in an endoscope having a soft insertion portion, an endoscope bending portion is provided on the front end side of the insertion portion. The endoscope bending portion can perform a bending action according to the operation of an operator, so that the endoscope can assume a specific angle, facilitating further operation of the user.

[0003] Clinically, after a suspected lesion site is found, the user usually needs to keep the endoscope at a certain fixed angle unchanged, so as to further observe the suspected lesion site in detail or take a biopsy by means of the endoscope. This requires the user to press the rotating handle with the thumb all the time to prevent the rotating handle from rotating, so as to keep the front end of the endoscope in a fixed bending state, until the biopsy is completed or further examination is completed, and then the rotating handle can be released. Since the operation process of detailed observation or biopsy is very time-consuming, the user needs to keep a certain fixed action for a long time, which causes poor user experience, and in some cases there is a possibility of medical risk due to user operation errors. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an endoscope bending state locking mechanism and an endoscope in view of the problems in the prior art. By using the endoscope bending state locking mechanism, the user no longer needs to continuously use manpower to prevent the rotating handle from rotating to keep the bending state of the endoscope.

[0005] In one aspect, the present application discloses an endoscope bending state locking mechanism. The endoscope includes a rotating shaft for controlling the bending state of the endoscope. The endoscope bending state locking mechanism includes a locking sleeve coaxially sleeved outside the rotating shaft, and a friction assembly arranged between the rotating shaft and the locking sleeve. The locking sleeve can rotate around the rotating shaft. The locking sleeve has an active position, a locking position, and a transition position between the two during rotation.

[0006] When the locking sleeve is in the locking position, the locking sleeve can drive the friction assembly to generate a static friction force between the friction assembly and the rotating shaft.

[0007] When the locking sleeve is in the active position, the friction force between the friction assembly and the rotating shaft is zero.

[0008] When the locking assembly is in the transition position, the locking assembly drives the friction assembly to be in dynamic friction with the rotating shaft.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the rotating shaft has a radial friction portion, the friction assembly is arranged radially on the rotating shaft and is located between the friction portion and the locking assembly, and the locking assembly can drive the friction assembly to be in friction contact with the friction portion in the radial direction.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the friction assembly has a fixed end and a movable end opposite to the fixed end, the locking assembly is provided with a radial protrusion towards the friction assembly, and the movable end can be driven by the radial protrusion to generate friction with the friction portion.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the movable end is further provided with a rotation-stopping portion towards the rotating shaft, and the radial thickness of the rotation-stopping portion is greater than that of other parts of the movable end.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the movable end is further provided with a first limiting structure on the other side opposite to the rotation-stopping portion, and the first limiting structure can limit the radial protrusion.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the friction assembly has a fixed end and a movable end opposite to the fixed end, the movable end is fixed with the locking assembly, when the locking assembly rotates to the locking position, the friction assembly is contracted towards the friction portion, and the friction assembly is in friction connection with the friction portion.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the rotating shaft has an axial friction portion, the friction assembly is arranged axially on the rotating shaft and is located between the friction portion and the locking assembly, and the locking assembly can drive the friction assembly to be in friction connection with the friction portion in the axial direction.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the friction assembly is provided with a first axial protrusion on the side away from the friction portion, the locking assembly is provided with a second axial protrusion on the side towards the friction assembly, and the first axial protrusion is connected with the second axial protrusion during the rotation of the locking assembly.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, a third limiting structure is further included, the rotating shaft is further provided with a second limiting structure, the second limiting structure rotates with the rotating shaft, and the third limiting structure is arranged on the rotation path of the second limiting structure.

[0017] Another aspect of the present application discloses an endoscope comprising the endoscope bending state locking mechanism as described in any one of the preceding embodiments.

[0018] Advantages

[0019] The endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application, by setting the locking sleeve and the friction assembly with the active position, the locking position and the transition position, makes the rotating shaft have different operating states according to the different positions of the locking sleeve, and the operator can adjust it according to the actual needs in clinic. When the bending state of the endoscope is determined, the operator adjusts the locking sleeve to the locking position, at this time, the bending state of the endoscope will not change even if the operator does not operate the endoscope bending state locking mechanism, and the operator can free his hands to continue other operations.

[0020] From the structure, the structure of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application is relatively simple, and the locking sleeve and the rotating shaft are coaxially arranged, on the one hand, the space occupation of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism is smaller, and the structure is more compact; on the other hand, the coaxial arrangement has relatively lower requirement on the machining precision, greatly reduces the processing difficulty, and has higher yield; on the other hand, the coaxial design of the locking sleeve and the rotating shaft can better compatible with other parts of the original endoscope, avoid the waste of other parts due to the setting of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application, and minimize the cost of setting the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a sectional view of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in some embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a cooperation schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the embodiment shown;

[0023] Figure 3 is Figure 1 is a cooperation schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of another endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the embodiment shown;

[0024] Figure 4 is Figure 1 is a cooperation schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of another endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the embodiment shown;

[0025] Figure 5 is a sectional view of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in another part of the embodiments of the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 is Figure 5 is a cooperation schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the embodiment shown;

[0027] Figure 7 is Figure 6Schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the illustrated embodiment in the active position;

[0028] Figure 8 Schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the illustrated embodiment in the active position; Figure 6 Schematic view of the friction assembly and the locking sleeve of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in the illustrated embodiment in the active position;

[0029] Figure 9 Schematic view of the second and third limiting structures of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism in some embodiments of the present application;

[0030] In the figure, 1 is the rotating shaft, 2 is the friction part, 3 is the locking sleeve, 4 is the friction assembly, 51 is the upper shell, 52 is the lower shell, 6 is the third limiting structure, 9 is the first base, 11 is the second limiting structure, 21 is the friction medium, 31 is the radial protrusion, 32 is the second axial protrusion, 41 is the fixed end, 42 is the movable end, 44 is the rotation-stopping part, 45 is the first limiting structure, and 46 is the first axial protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the above objectives, characteristics and advantages of the present application more apparent, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a large number of specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different ways other than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the scope of the present application, so the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0032] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0033] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0034] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "connection", "fixed", and the like should be construed as broadly as possible, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrated; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship of two elements, unless otherwise specifically limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature. The first and second features can be in direct contact, or the first and second features can be in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature can be the first feature directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature can be the first feature directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0036] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "provided on" another element, it can be directly on another element or there can be a middle element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to another element or a middle element can exist at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "up", "down", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not the only embodiment.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 The present application shows a schematic diagram of an endoscope bending state locking mechanism in an embodiment, the endoscope includes a rotating shaft 1 for controlling the bending state of the endoscope, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism includes a locking sleeve 3 coaxially sleeved outside the rotating shaft 1, a friction assembly 4 is arranged between the rotating shaft 1 and the locking sleeve 3, the locking sleeve 3 can rotate around the rotating shaft 1, the locking sleeve 3 has an active position, a locking position and a transition position between the two during rotation, when the locking sleeve 3 is in the locking position, the locking sleeve 3 can drive the friction assembly 4 to generate static friction with the rotating shaft 1 to stop the rotating shaft 1 from rotating, when the locking sleeve 3 is in the active position, the friction assembly 4 does not interfere with the rotating shaft 1, so the friction between them is 0, when the locking sleeve 3 is in the transition position, the locking sleeve 3 drives the friction assembly 4 to generate dynamic friction between them, so that the friction assembly 4 hinders but does not stop the rotating shaft 1 from rotating.

[0038] The endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present invention, by setting a locking kit and a friction component with an active position, a locking position and a transition position, allows the rotating shaft to have different operating states according to the different positions of the locking kit. Operators can adjust it themselves according to actual clinical needs, which greatly improves the user experience of operators.

[0039] In such Figure 1 In some embodiments shown, the rotating shaft 1 is driven to the reel 8. Rotation of the rotating shaft 1 drives the reel 8 to rotate, which in turn changes the bending state of the endoscope. When the locking assembly 3 is in the active position, the operator can significantly adjust the bending state of the endoscope since the movement of the rotating shaft 1 is unimpeded, providing high operational flexibility. However, when the operator needs to carefully observe the lesion, operational flexibility is no longer the primary requirement; instead, greater precision is needed. The operator can adjust the locking assembly 3 to a transitional position, where the friction component 4 generates some friction on the rotating shaft 1, but not enough to completely immobilize it. In this state, the operator can finely adjust the movement of the rotating shaft 1, ensuring the endoscope can be precisely adjusted to the optimal bending state. Once the endoscope's bending position is determined, the operator adjusts the locking mechanism to the locked position. At this point, the rotating shaft 1 can no longer rotate, thus fixing the endoscope's bending position. Even if the operator stops operating the endoscope bending locking mechanism, the endoscope's bending position will not change, allowing the operator to free up their hands to continue performing other operations.

[0040] Based on the analysis above, compared with existing technologies, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of this application significantly reduces the operational burden on operators when using the endoscope. The endoscope bending state locking mechanism is simple to operate and its operation logic conforms to common sense, effectively improving the user experience. Structurally, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of this application has a relatively simple structure. By coaxially arranging the locking kit and the rotating shaft, on the one hand, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism occupies less space and has a more streamlined structure; on the other hand, the coaxial arrangement also lowers the requirements for machining precision, greatly reducing the machining difficulty and increasing the yield rate; furthermore, the coaxial design of the locking kit and the rotating shaft allows for better compatibility with other endoscope components, avoiding waste of other parts due to the implementation of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of this application, and minimizing the cost of implementing the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of this application.

[0041] Understandably, the locking assembly 3, friction component 4, and pivot 1 can be configured in various ways. In such cases... Figure 1In the shown embodiment, the rotating shaft 1 has a radial friction part 2, the friction assembly 4 is arranged radially on the rotating shaft 1 and between the friction part 2 and the locking sleeve 3, and the locking sleeve 3 can drive the friction assembly 4 to contact and rub with the friction part 2 radially. In this embodiment, the force transmission between the locking sleeve 3, the friction assembly 4 and the rotating shaft 1 is radial, and because the rotating shaft 1 and the locking sleeve 3 are coaxially arranged, the positional relationship between the locking sleeve 3, the friction assembly 4 and the rotating shaft 1 is very stable, and the radial force exerted by the friction assembly 4 on the rotating shaft 1 will not cause the movement of the rotating shaft 1 to deviate, ensuring that the endoscope will not be affected in stability of the original bending state changing function because of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application.

[0042] Further, as shown in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 , Figure 2 the endoscope bending state locking mechanism further comprises a first base 9, the rotating shaft 1 is arranged through the first base 9, and the rotating shaft 1 and the locking sleeve 3 can rotate relative to the first base 9. Figure 2 As shown, the friction assembly 4 has a fixed end 41 and an opposite movable end 42, the fixed end 41 is fixed on the first base 9, and the movable end 42 can be driven by the radial protrusion 31 of the locking sleeve 3 to rub with the friction part 2.

[0043] Specifically, in this embodiment, when the locking sleeve 3 is in the active position, the radial protrusion 31 of the locking sleeve 3 cannot drive the movable end 42 of the friction assembly 4 to rub with the friction part 2 of the rotating shaft 1, so the rotating shaft 1 can rotate freely, and the wire reel 8 connected to the rotating shaft 1 can freely adjust the bending state of the endoscope. When the locking sleeve 3 is rotated to the transition position or even the locking position, the radial protrusion 31 is also rotated synchronously and is in driving connection with the movable end 42, so that the movable end 42 is in friction connection with the friction part 2, and the friction assembly 4 can thus hinder the rotation of the rotating shaft 1.

[0044] Specifically, in the embodiment as shown, Figure 3 the movable end 42 is further provided with a rotation stopping part 44 facing the rotating shaft 1, and the radial thickness of the rotation stopping part 44 is greater than that of the other parts of the movable end 42. Figure 3As shown, when the locking sleeve 3 is rotated to the locking position, the radial protrusion 31 is also rotated to the rotation-stopping portion 44 of the movable end 42, and due to the radial thickness of the rotation-stopping portion 44 being greater than other portions of the movable end 42, the locking sleeve 3 can generate the greatest radial extrusion force on the friction portion 2 of the rotating shaft 1 via the radial protrusion 31 and the rotation-stopping portion 44, so that the greatest friction force is generated between the friction assembly 4 and the friction portion 2, and the rotating shaft 1 is stopped from rotating, and the wire reel 8 can no longer rotate, and thus the bending state of the endoscope is fixed.

[0045] Preferably, in the embodiments as shown, Figure 3 the movable end 42 is provided with a first limiting structure 45 on the other side opposite to the rotation-stopping portion 44, which can limit the radial protrusion 31. It can be understood that the first limiting structure 45 should be matched with the shape of the radial protrusion 31, and the present application does not limit the shape of the first limiting structure 45 and the radial protrusion 31. For example, when the radial protrusion 31 is semicircular, the first limiting structure 45 can be a semicircular groove.

[0046] It should be noted that although three friction assemblies 4 are uniformly arranged around the friction portion 2 in the embodiments as shown, Figure 2 , Figure 3 this does not mean that the friction assemblies 4 must be uniformly arranged or must be three. Those skilled in the art can adaptively adjust the arrangement of the friction assemblies 4 according to actual needs after understanding the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application.

[0047] Corresponding to the technical solution that the friction assembly 4 is arranged radially on the rotating shaft 1 and between the friction portion 2 and the locking sleeve 3, in addition to the aforementioned way of arranging the radial protrusion 31 axially on the locking sleeve 3, in some embodiments as shown, Figure 4 the friction assembly 4 still includes a fixed end 41 fixed on the first base 9 and a movable end 42 opposite to the fixed end 41, and the movable end 42 is fixed on the locking sleeve 3. Since the length of the friction assembly 4 is determined, when the locking sleeve 3 is rotated, the movable end 42 also rotates with the locking sleeve 3, causing the friction assembly 4 to shrink in the direction of the friction portion 2, and thus the friction force is generated between the friction assembly 4 and the friction portion 2.

[0048] In some embodiments as shown, Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the friction assembly 4 is a C-shaped friction pad surrounding the friction part 2, and the locking kit 3 can rotate counterclockwise from the movable position to the locked position. Since the length of the friction assembly 4 remains constant and the fixed end 41 of the friction assembly 4 is fixed, during the counterclockwise rotation of the movable end 42, the friction assembly 4 retracts towards the friction part 2 of the rotating shaft 1 and rubs against it. When the locking kit 3 rotates counterclockwise to the locked position, the friction assembly 4 tightly wraps around the friction part 2, generating a large frictional force, preventing the rotating shaft 1 from continuing to rotate, and thus the reel 8 also stops rotating, fixing the bending state of the endoscope. Of course, in other embodiments, the friction assembly 4 can also be in the form of a torsion spring surrounding the friction part 2. Since the principle is the same, when the locking kit 3 rotates to the locked position, the friction assembly 4 will also rub against the friction part 2.

[0049] In addition to the aforementioned radial friction fixation, such as Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the rotating shaft 1 has an axial friction part 2, and the friction assembly 4 is disposed axially on the rotating shaft 1 and located between the friction part 2 and the locking kit 3. The locking kit 3 can axially drive the friction assembly 4 to contact the friction part 2 and generate friction. In this way, the technical effect of the rotating shaft 1 being able to move freely when the locking kit 3 is in the movable position, having resistance to the rotation of the rotating shaft 1 when the locking kit 3 is in the transition position, and being unable to rotate when the locking kit 3 is in the locked position can also be achieved.

[0050] Specifically, such as Figure 5 , 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present invention includes a first base 9, and the friction assembly 4 is fixed to the first base 9, so that the friction assembly 4 can only move along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 1. Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the friction assembly 4 has a first axial protrusion 46 on the side opposite to the friction part 2, and the locking kit 3 has a second axial protrusion 32 on the side facing the friction assembly 4. During rotation, the first axial protrusion 46 and the second axial protrusion 32 will connect, as shown. Figure 8 As shown, when the locking kit 3 is rotated to the locking position, the first axial protrusion 46 and the second axial protrusion 32 cooperate, so that the distance between the locking kit 3 and the friction assembly 4 reaches the maximum.

[0051] In the embodiments of this part, the distance between the locking sleeve 3 and the friction assembly 4 can be changed by the cooperation of the first axial protrusion 46 and the second axial protrusion 32, so that the force of the locking sleeve 3 on the friction assembly 4 can be changed, and thus the friction force of the friction assembly 4 on the friction part 2 of the rotating shaft 1 can be changed. When the locking sleeve 3 is rotated to the locking position, the first axial protrusion 46 cooperates with the second axial protrusion 32, so that the distance between the locking sleeve 3 and the friction assembly 4 reaches the maximum, and the friction force between the friction assembly 4 and the friction part 2 also reaches the maximum, which makes the friction part 2 and the rotating shaft 1 stop rotating, and the wire wheel 8 also stops rotating, so that the bending state of the endoscope is fixed.

[0052] It can be understood that the specific forms of the first axial protrusion 46 and the second axial protrusion 32 can be adjusted as needed. For example, in some embodiments, the first axial protrusion 46 and the second axial protrusion 32 are both slopes, and the top of the first axial protrusion 46 cooperates with the top of the second axial protrusion 32 when the locking sleeve 3 is rotated to the locking position.

[0053] Preferably, in order to make the rotating shaft 1 rotate smoothly when the locking sleeve 3 is in the active position, and in order to make the rotating shaft 1 rotate with a clear damping feeling when the locking sleeve 3 is in the transition position, a friction medium 21 is further arranged between the friction part 2 of the rotating shaft 1 and the friction assembly 4. The friction medium 21 is a material with good self-lubricating effect, such as POM, Teflon, etc.

[0054] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 9 The endoscope bending state locking mechanism further comprises a third limiting structure 6, which is fixed with the first base 9, and a second limiting structure 11 arranged on the rotating shaft 1, which rotates with the rotating shaft 1, and the third limiting structure 6 is arranged on the rotating path of the second limiting structure 11. In this way, by cooperating the second limiting structure 11 and the third limiting structure 6, the rotating angle of the rotating shaft 1 can be limited. Specifically, the second limiting structure 11 can be a limiting pin radially inserted into the rotating shaft 1, and the third limiting structure 6 can be a limiting block.

[0055] In order to operate the locking sleeve 3 to change between different positions, as shown in Figure 1 The endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application further comprises a locking driving member 7 which moves synchronously with the locking sleeve 3. In some embodiments, the locking driving member 7 is a locking lever which is directly connected with the locking sleeve 3. By pulling the locking lever, the locking sleeve 3 can be rotated. Specifically, the locking lever is provided with a flat groove, and the locking lever is sleeved on the locking sleeve 3 through the flat groove.

[0056] Specifically, the endoscope bending state locking mechanism of the present application further comprises a housing, in some embodiments, the housing comprises an upper housing 51 and a lower housing 52, the rotating shaft 1 penetrates through the housing, and the locking sleeve 3 and the friction assembly 4 are arranged in the housing.

[0057] Another aspect of the present application also discloses an endoscope comprising the endoscope bending state locking mechanism as described above. Since the specific structure, functional principle and technical effects of the endoscope bending state locking mechanism have been described in the foregoing, they will not be described here again. Any technical content related to the endoscope bending state locking mechanism can be referred to the foregoing description. The endoscope of the present application can provide better operation experience for the operator after the endoscope bending state locking mechanism is arranged.

[0058] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description simple, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are not described, however, as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist contradictory, they should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0059] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are all within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An endoscope bending state locking mechanism, the endoscope including a rotation shaft for controlling a bending state of the endoscope, characterized by, The endoscope bending state locking mechanism comprises a locking sleeve coaxially sleeved outside the rotating shaft, a friction assembly arranged between the rotating shaft and the locking sleeve, the locking sleeve being capable of rotating around the rotating shaft, the locking sleeve having an active position, a locking position and a transition position between the two during rotation, when the locking sleeve is in the locking position, the locking sleeve is capable of driving the friction assembly to generate static friction force between the friction assembly and the rotating shaft; when the locking sleeve is in the active position, the friction force between the friction assembly and the rotating shaft is zero; when the locking sleeve is in the transition position, the locking sleeve drives the friction assembly to generate dynamic friction force between the friction assembly and the rotating shaft; the rotating shaft has a radial friction portion, the friction assembly is arranged radially on the rotating shaft and located between the friction portion and the locking sleeve, the locking sleeve is capable of radially driving the friction assembly to frictionally contact the friction portion, the friction assembly has a fixed end and an opposite active end, the active end is fixed with the locking sleeve, when the locking sleeve rotates to the locking position, the friction assembly is contracted in the direction of the friction portion, and the friction assembly is frictionally connected with the friction portion.

2. The endoscope bend state locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a third limiting structure, the rotating shaft is further provided with a second limiting structure, the second limiting structure rotates with the rotating shaft, and the third limiting structure is arranged on the rotation path of the second limiting structure.

3. An endoscope characterized by comprising: The endoscope bending state locking mechanism comprises the locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 and 2. The endoscope bending state locking mechanism comprises the locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 and 2.

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