A 3D endoscope

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a 3D endoscope, including: a mirror body, including a lens and a snake bone assembly, the lens being connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly; a plurality of traction ropes, connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly to enable the snake bone assembly to bend in multiple directions; a wire winding assembly, arranged at the proximal end of the mirror body, and the plurality of traction ropes are wound around the wire winding assembly; an elastic tube, the plurality of traction ropes respectively pass through the elastic tube, the elastic tube is connected to the proximal end of the snake bone assembly and extends towards the proximal end of the mirror body, and the actual length of the elastic tube is greater than the total straight-line length between the proximal end of the elastic tube on the snake bone assembly and the distal end of the elastic tube on the mirror body. The embodiment of the present application solves the technical problem of the single viewing angle of the 3D endoscope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of electronic endoscopes, and particularly to a 3D endoscope. Background Art

[0002] The 3D endoscope is an important instrument in laparoscopic surgery. The 3D endoscope collects two paths of images inside the human body by simulating the human eyes through two cameras, and then transmits the two paths of images to an image processing device. The image processing device adjusts the parallax of the two paths of images through 3D reconstruction technology to obtain a 3D image with depth information, which facilitates the surgical operation.

[0003] Clinically commonly used 3D endoscopes can be divided into 0° endoscopes, 12° endoscopes, 30° endoscopes, 45° endoscopes, 70° endoscopes, and 90° endoscopes according to the viewing angle. 3D endoscopes with different viewing angles are applicable to laparoscopic surgeries at different positions. In some laparoscopic surgeries, endoscopes of two or more angles may be used, which requires preparing multiple endoscopes before the surgery, frequently switching endoscopes during the surgery, and cleaning multiple endoscopes after the surgery, resulting in a more cumbersome process for the entire surgery and a longer operation time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the technical problem of the single viewing angle of the 3D endoscope, this application provides a 3D endoscope.

[0005] This application provides a 3D endoscope, which includes:

[0006] A mirror body, including a lens and a snake bone assembly, the lens is connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly;

[0007] Multiple traction ropes, connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly to bend the snake bone assembly in multiple directions;

[0008] A wire winding assembly, arranged at the proximal end of the mirror body, and multiple traction ropes are wound around the wire winding assembly;

[0009] An elastic tube, the multiple traction ropes are respectively threaded through the elastic tube, the elastic tube is connected to the proximal end of the snake bone assembly and extends towards the proximal end of the mirror body, and the actual length of the elastic tube is greater than the total straight line length between the proximal end of the elastic tube on the snake bone assembly and the distal end of the elastic tube on the mirror body.

[0010] In some embodiments, it further includes a mirror body rotation gear, and the mirror body rotation gear is rotatably connected to the mirror body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the minimum redundant length of the elastic tube is: Where L is the redundant length of the elastic tube, L 0When the rotation angle of the mirror body is zero, the straight-line length of the elastic tube in the mirror body part, and the redundant length is the difference between the actual length and the total straight-line length L 0 The difference, the total straight-line length is the straight-line length between the fixed point at the distal end of the elastic tube and the fixed point at the proximal end of the elastic tube, and α is the maximum rotation angle of the mirror body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the winding assembly includes a mirror body bending drive disk and a winding wheel, the traction rope is wound around the winding wheel, and the mirror body bending drive disk is in transmission connection with the winding wheel.

[0013] In some embodiments, an elastic tube fixing seat is further included. One end of the elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a second traction rope groove for passing through the traction rope, and the other end of the elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a second elastic tube groove for fixing the elastic tube. The second traction rope groove and the second elastic tube groove are coaxially arranged and communicated with each other, and the aperture of the second traction rope groove is smaller than the aperture of the second elastic tube groove.

[0014] In some embodiments, it further includes:

[0015] A first guide wheel, which is installed at the outlet where the traction rope exits from the elastic tube, and the first guide wheel receives the traction rope and redirects the traction rope towards the second guide wheel;

[0016] A second guide wheel, which is installed at the outlet of the first guide wheel, and the second guide wheel receives the traction rope and redirects the traction rope towards the winding assembly.

[0017] In some embodiments, an elastic tube fixing seat is further included. The elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a through hole, and a guiding assembly is rotatably arranged in the through hole. The proximal end of the elastic tube is fixedly arranged in the guiding assembly, and the guiding assembly redirects the traction rope towards the winding assembly.

[0018] In some embodiments, the surface of the traction rope is wrapped with a hose.

[0019] In some embodiments, the mirror body further includes a snake bone fixing member. A first traction rope groove for passing through the traction rope is provided on the distal side of the snake bone fixing member, and a first elastic tube groove for fixing the elastic tube is provided on the proximal side of the snake bone fixing member. The first traction rope groove and the first elastic tube groove are coaxially arranged and communicated with each other, and the aperture of the first traction rope groove is smaller than the aperture of the first elastic tube groove.

[0020] In some embodiments, the mirror body further includes a plurality of illumination optical fibers, and the plurality of illumination optical fibers are arranged around the outside of the lens.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the 3D endoscope provided by this application include:

[0022] The 3D endoscope provided by the present application has a mirror body provided with a snake-bone assembly and a lens, a plurality of traction ropes are passed through the snake-bone assembly, and the traction ropes are wound around the winding assembly. By rotating the winding assembly, the orientation of the lens connected to the snake-bone assembly can be changed, thereby achieving adjustment of the viewing angle and solving the technical problem of a single viewing angle of the 3D endoscope. Furthermore, an elastic tube is provided on the traction rope sleeve, and the actual length of the elastic tube is greater than the total straight-line length between the proximal end of the elastic tube on the snake-bone assembly and the distal end of the elastic tube on the mirror body, that is, the elastic tube is provided with a redundant length. Since the elastic tube has a certain rigidity, the traction rope in the elastic tube can be kept in a tensioned state. When the mirror body rotates, the traction rope will twist with the mirror body. By reducing the redundancy of the elastic tube, the total length of the elastic tube and the total length of the traction rope in the elastic tube remain unchanged, thereby achieving conversion of the variable pitch transmission of the traction rope into a constant pitch transmission, effectively solving the problem of the traction rope being stretched to resist the self-rotation of the mirror body, avoiding the occurrence of traction rope breakage, and improving the safety of the 3D endoscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a 3D endoscope is shown in FIG.

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a mirror body is shown in FIG.

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a snake bone assembly is shown in FIG.

[0027] Figure 4 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a snake bone component is shown as an example;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a snake bone fixing member is shown in FIG.

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a driving seat is shown as an example;

[0030] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a driving seat is shown as an example;

[0031] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a driving seat is shown as an example;

[0032] Figure 9 An exemplary schematic diagram of the rotation of the mirror body is shown;

[0033] Figure 10 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of an elastic tube fixing seat is shown;

[0034] Figure 11 An exemplary illustration shows Figure 10 The schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of;

[0035] Figure 12 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of an elastic tube fixing seat is shown;

[0036] Figure 13 An exemplary illustration shows Figure 12 The partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of;

[0037] Figure 14 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of an elastic tube fixing seat is shown;

[0038] Figure 15 An exemplary schematic diagram of the bottom of the housing of a drive seat is shown;

[0039] Figure 16 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of a drive module is shown;

[0040] Figure 17 An exemplary structural schematic diagram of a handle is shown. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] To make the purpose and implementation manners of this application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the exemplary implementation manners of this application in combination with the drawings in the exemplary embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0042] It should be noted that the brief description of the terms in this application is only for the convenience of understanding the subsequent described implementation manners, rather than intending to limit the implementation manners of this application. Unless otherwise specified, these terms should be understood according to their ordinary and common meanings.

[0043] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in the description, claims and the above drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar or homogeneous objects or entities, and do not necessarily mean to limit a specific order or sequence, unless otherwise noted. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances.

[0044] The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover inclusion without exclusion, e.g., a product or device that comprises a series of components need not be limited to all the components clearly listed, but may include other components not clearly listed or inherent to such product or device.

[0045] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are defined herein with respect to the operating user of the robotic arm. The terms "proximal" and "proximal end" refer to the position of an element closer to the operating user, and the terms "distal" and "distal end" refer to the position of an element closer to the lens and thus farther from the operating user. In addition, directional terms such as above, below, up, down, upward, downward, left, right, etc. are used with respect to the exemplary embodiments as shown in the figures, with the upward or upward direction towards the top of the corresponding figure and the downward or downward direction towards the bottom of the corresponding figure.

[0046] Embodiments of the currently disclosed lens will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein in each of the several views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding elements.

[0047] See Figure 1 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a 3D endoscope provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the 3D endoscope includes a lens body 100, a handle 200, a drive seat 300, and a cable 400.

[0048] The drive seat 300 and the handle 200 are installed at the proximal end of the lens body 100. After a drive module is installed on the drive seat 300, it can drive the lens body 100 to bend in four directions: up, down, left, and right, and drive the lens body 100 to rotate about the axis of the lens body 100. The cable 400 can supply power to the sensor board in the lens body 100 and perform communication transmission. Among them, the sensor board is used to acquire image signals and then transmit the image signals through the cable 400. The cable 400 may include a power cable for power supply and a communication cable for signal transmission.

[0049] The structure of the lens body 100 can be seen in Figure 2 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a lens body provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, the lens body includes a lens outer tube 101, a lens 102, an illumination optical fiber 103, a snake bone assembly 104, a traction rope 105, a hose 106, an elastic tube 107, a snake bone fixing member 108, a central tube 109, and a snake bone connecting member 110.

[0050] Figure 2In the embodiment, the lens outer tube 101 is provided with a cavity for mounting a lens seat, an illumination fiber 103 and a sensor board, wherein the lens seat is used to mount two lenses 102, which are similar to two human eyes and can obtain two sets of images with parallax, and the sensor board can control the lenses 102 to realize image acquisition functions such as taking pictures and recording videos. Half-moon-shaped illumination fibers 103 are arranged on both sides of the lens seat, respectively, and the illumination fibers 103 provide uniform illumination light for the lenses 102. The lens outer tube 101 is connected to the snake-bone connector 110.

[0051] The snake-bone connector 110 is made of non-metal, and the distal end of the snake-bone connector is connected to the lens outer tube 101, which is used to seal the lens outer tube 101. The connection between the snake-bone connector 110 and the lens outer tube 101 can be sealed by medical glue, and a hole is reserved in the middle for passing the lighting optical fiber 103 and the communication signal line of the sensor board. The proximal end of the snake-bone connector 110 is covered with a hose 106, which can be made of non-metallic material. The proximal end of the hose 106 is passed into the snake-bone fixing member 108 and is covered on the central tube 109.

[0052] The distal end of the central tube 109 is fixedly connected to the inside of the snake-bone fixing member 108, and the proximal end of the central tube 109 passes through the drive seat 300 and then is inserted into the cavity of the handle 200. The central tube 109 can be made of non-metallic materials, such as glass fiber tube, carbon fiber tube, PEEK tube, etc. In this way, a non-metallic pipeline is formed between the lens 102 and the cavity of the handle 200 through the snake-bone connector 110, the hose 106 and the central tube 109, and the lighting optical fiber 103 and the communication signal line can be inserted in the pipeline, so as to achieve sealing and electromagnetic isolation between the lens end and the handle end.

[0053] It should be noted that an outer tube is also provided outside the central tube 109 to prevent the elastic tube 107 and other structures from directly contacting the human body during minimally invasive surgery. The outer tube can extend into the drive seat and be rotatably connected to the mirror body rotating gear set in the drive seat to realize the self-rotation of the mirror body.

[0054] The snake bone component 104 is sleeved on the outside of the hose 106. The distal end of the snake bone component 104 is fixedly connected to the snake bone connector 110, and the proximal end is fixedly connected to the snake bone fixing member 108.

[0055] See also Figure 3 , is a schematic diagram of the structure of a snake bone assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the two ends of the snake bone component 104 are respectively a connecting portion 113 for connecting to the snake bone connector 110, and a connecting portion 111 for connecting to the snake bone fixing member 108, and in the middle is a plurality of joints 112 connected by rivets to form a reliable and stable structural component.

[0056] See Figure 4 , which is a schematic cross-sectional view of a snake bone assembly provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 shown, on the inner side of each joint 112, there are two sets of threading holes 114 symmetrically distributed with the center point of the cross-section of the joint 112 as the symmetry point. The two sets of threading holes 114 are used for threading two sets of traction ropes 105. The traction ropes 105 can be steel wires. The steel wires are fixedly connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly 104. By controlling the pre-tightening force of the steel wires, the stiffness of the snake bone assembly 104 can be changed. By controlling the relative change in the length of a set of steel wires within the snake bone assembly 104, the bending direction of the snake bone assembly 104 can be adjusted. For example, for a set of steel wires, pulling one of the steel wires in the direction away from the lens 102 can shorten the length of this steel wire within the snake bone assembly, and the other steel wire that is driven in pairs with this steel wire will become longer within the snake bone assembly 104, which can cause the snake bone assembly 104 to bend towards the shorter steel wire. The proximal end of the traction rope 105 passes through the snake bone assembly 104 and then penetrates into the snake bone fixing member 108.

[0057] See Figure 5 , which is a schematic structural view of a snake bone fixing member provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 5 shown, a flexible tube 106 is penetrated through the distal end of the snake bone fixing member 108, and a central tube 109 is penetrated through the proximal end. The flexible tube 106 is sleeved on the central tube 109 inside the snake bone fixing member 108. Since the central tube 109 is fixedly connected to the snake bone fixing member 108, and the snake bone assembly 104 sleeved outside the flexible tube 106 is fixed on the snake bone fixing member 108, therefore, the snake bone assembly 104 is fixedly connected to the central tube 109 through the snake bone fixing member 108.

[0058] A first traction rope groove 115 for threading the traction rope is axially opened along the central tube 109 at the distal side of the snake bone fixing member 108. A first elastic tube groove 116 for fixing the elastic tube 107 is opened at the proximal side of the snake bone fixing member 108. The first traction rope groove 115 and the first elastic tube groove 116 are coaxially arranged and communicated with each other. The aperture of the first traction rope groove 115 is smaller than the aperture of the first elastic tube groove 116. The distal end of the elastic tube 107 can be fixed in the first elastic tube groove 116, and the proximal end of the elastic tube 107 extends towards the proximal end of the lens body. Among them, the elastic tube 107 can be a spring tube or other hollow tubes with certain flexibility and rigidity.

[0059] A threading hole 117 may be formed at the bottom of the first elastic tube groove 116. The threading hole 117 is coaxially arranged and communicated with the first traction rope groove 115, so that the traction rope 105 can pass through the threading hole 117 after passing through the first traction rope groove 115 and enter the first elastic tube groove 116. The threading hole 117 can reduce the friction between the traction rope 105 and the first elastic tube groove 116. The aperture of the elastic tube 107 is larger than the outer diameter of the traction rope 105, so that the traction rope 105 can pass through the elastic tube 107. In order to reduce the friction force between the elastic tube 107 and the traction rope 105, an ultra-thin hose may be arranged inside the elastic tube 107. The hose may be a polytetrafluoroethylene tube. The polytetrafluoroethylene tube is sleeved on the traction rope 105, which can not only reduce the friction force during the transmission of the traction rope 105, but also eliminate the gap between the elastic tube 107 and the traction rope 105, making the control of the transmission position of the traction rope 105 more accurate. Alternatively, the elastic tube 107 may not be sleeved with the hose, and the traction rope 105 may be a steel wire rope with rubber coating, which can also achieve the above technical effects of eliminating the gap and improving the accuracy of the transmission position.

[0060] The distal end of the elastic tube 107 is fixed to the snake bone fixing member 108, and the proximal end penetrates into the driving seat 300 along the central tube 109. After the driving seat 300 is connected to the driving module 500 (as Figure 16 shown), the length of the traction rope 105 inside the snake bone assembly 104 can be controlled to control the straightening or bending of the snake bone assembly 104.

[0061] See Figure 6 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a driving seat provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 6 shown, the driving seat 300 is formed by a housing 301 and a mounting bracket 302 to form a main frame.

[0062] An unlocking button 303 is arranged on the housing 301. The unlocking button 303 is used to fix the driving seat 300 on the driving module 500 or disassemble the driving seat 300 from the driving module 500.

[0063] Structures such as an elastic tube fixing seat 307, a driving disk 309, a driving disk 310, a winding wheel 311, a first guide wheel 312, and a second guide wheel 313 are arranged on the mounting bracket 302.

[0064] Four elastic tubes 306 penetrate through one end of the elastic tube fixing seat 307. One end of the four elastic tubes 306 is fixed inside the elastic tube fixing seat 307, and a traction rope 308 is respectively arranged inside the four elastic tubes 306. The traction rope 308 passes through the other end of the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and exits the elastic tube fixing seat 307. The traction rope 308 can also be wrapped in a polytetrafluoroethylene tube, which can reduce the friction between the traction rope 308 and the elastic tube 306.

[0065] For ease of distinction, the elastic tube 306 in the driving seat 300 can be called the second elastic tube, the elastic tube 107 on the mirror body 100 can be called the first elastic tube, the traction rope 308 in the driving seat 300 can be called the second traction rope, and the traction rope 105 on the mirror body 100 can be called the first traction rope.

[0066] It should be noted that the elastic tube 306 and the elastic tube 107 can be different names for the same elastic tube at different positions of the 3D endoscope, and the traction rope 105 and the traction rope 308 can be different names for the same traction rope at different positions of the 3D endoscope, that is, the distal end of the elastic tube 107 is fixed on the snake bone fixing piece 108, and the proximal end is fixed in the elastic tube fixing seat 307 in the driving seat 300 after passing through the driving seat 300, and the distal end of the traction rope 105 is fixed on the snake bone assembly 104, and the proximal end is inserted into the elastic tube 107 and then passes through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 in the driving seat 300, and then passes out from the elastic tube fixing seat 307. Alternatively, the elastic tube 306 and the elastic tube 107 can be two elastic tubes connected together, and the traction rope 105 and the traction rope 308 can be two traction ropes connected together, that is, one end of the elastic tube 107 is fixed on the snake bone fixing piece 108, and the other end passes through the driving seat 300, one end of the elastic tube 306 in the driving seat 300 is fixed in the elastic tube fixing seat 307, and the other end is connected to the elastic tube 107 passing through the driving seat 300, and the traction rope 308 is passed through the elastic tube 306, and the length of the traction rope 308 is longer than that of the elastic tube 306, one end of the traction rope 308 is connected to the traction rope 105 in the elastic tube 107, and the other end passes through the elastic tube fixing seat 307.

[0067] Two pairs of traction ropes 308 passing through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 are each wound around a winding assembly.

[0068] In some embodiments, the winding assembly may include a set of guide wheels, two winding wheels and a driving disk, wherein the set of guide wheels may include two guide wheels, such as a first guide wheel 312 and a second guide wheel 313 .

[0069] One of the pair of traction ropes 308 passing through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 is guided by the first guide wheel 312 and the second guide wheel 313 and then wound around two coaxial winding wheels 311 of the driving disk 309. The two winding wheels 311 are coaxially driven with the driving disk 309 and drive in the same direction as the driving disk 309. The pair of traction ropes 308 are wound around the winding wheels 311 in opposite directions. When the driving disk 309 rotates, the pair of traction ropes 308 can be stretched and relaxed, driving the snake bone assembly 104 to bend in the direction of the stretched traction rope.

[0070] Another pair of traction ropes 308 passing through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 are respectively wound around two wire winding wheels coaxial with the driving disk 310 after being guided by another set of guide wheels. At least one turn of the traction rope is wound around each wire winding wheel. These two wire winding wheels are also coaxially driven with the driving disk 310. A pair of traction ropes 308 are wound around the wire winding wheel 311 in opposite directions. When the driving disk 310 rotates, the pair of traction ropes 308 can be relaxed and tightened, driving the snake bone assembly 104 to bend in the direction of the tightened traction rope.

[0071] To further describe the driving seat 300, Figure 7 and Figure 8 shows schematic diagrams of the driving seat at different angles.

[0072] See Figure 7 , a driving disk 314, a mirror body rotation driving wheel 304, a steering gear 315 and a mirror body rotation gear 305 are further arranged in the driving seat 300. Among them, the mirror body rotation driving wheel 304 and the driving disk 314 are coaxially arranged and can rotate following the driving disk 314. The steering gear 315 is arranged between the mirror body rotation driving wheel 304 and the mirror body rotation gear 305 and is respectively in transmission connection with the mirror body rotation driving wheel 304 and the mirror body rotation gear 305, so that the mirror body rotation driving wheel 304 can be used as the driving wheel and the mirror body rotation gear 305 can rotate synchronously with the driving wheel as the driven wheel.

[0073] To facilitate the distinction between the driving disk 310, the driving disk 309 and the driving disk 314, the driving disk 310 and the driving disk 309 can be called the mirror body bending driving disks, and the driving disk 314 can be called the mirror body self-rotation driving disk.

[0074] When the central tube 109 rotates on its own axis, the four elastic tubes 107 outside the central tube 109 will follow the central tube 109 to undergo a certain amount of torsion. To prevent the traction ropes 105 inside the elastic tubes 107 from being stretched or even broken due to the torsion of the elastic tubes 107, in the embodiment of the present application, the actual length of the elastic tube 107 is greater than the total straight-line length between the proximal end of the elastic tube 107 on the snake bone assembly 104 and the distal end of the elastic tube 107 on the mirror body 100. Thus, the elastic tube 107 has a certain redundancy for the required torsion, the elastic tube 107 will not be stretched, and further the traction ropes 105 inside the elastic tube 107 will not be stretched either.

[0075] See Figure 8 , the elastic tube 306 is compressed by a certain length. Figure 8Among them, the elastic tube 306 arches towards the proximal end of the central tube 109, indicating that the elastic tube 306 is in a compressed state. If the elastic tube 306 is straightened to its natural state, the total length of the elastic tube between the snake bone fixing member 108 and the elastic tube fixing seat 307 is greater than the straight-line length between the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and the snake bone fixing member 108, that is, the elastic tube is provided with a redundant length. All four elastic tubes are provided with redundant lengths, and the redundant lengths can be the same. Due to the certain rigidity of the elastic tube, the traction rope 105 inside the elastic tube can be kept in a tensioned state. When the mirror body 100 rotates, the elastic tube will twist, reducing or even avoiding the coupling of the traction rope 105 on the mirror body 100 being over-tensioned due to the rotation of the mirror body 100. The elastic tube is in a compressed state before and after twisting, and the degree of compression of the elastic tube remains unchanged before and after twisting. The lengths of the elastic tube and the traction rope in the elastic tube are both unchanged.

[0076] To further illustrate the elastic tube during the rotation of the mirror body, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the rotation of the mirror body is shown, Figure 9 Among them, the left side is a schematic diagram before the mirror body rotates, and the right side is a schematic diagram after the mirror body rotates.

[0077] If the mirror body 100 does not rotate, the straight-line length of the elastic tube 107 from the proximal end of the mirror body to the proximal end of the snake bone assembly is S1, and the straight-line length inside the snake bone assembly 104 is S2. When the snake bone assembly 104 of the mirror body 100 does not bend in any direction, the total straight-line length S of each traction rope in the mirror body part is a fixed value, and its size is: L21 = S1 + S2. The total straight-line length of each traction rope in the drive seat part is L22, and L22 is the straight-line length from the proximal end of the central tube 109 to the elastic tube fixing seat 307.

[0078] When the snake bone assembly 104 bends in the direction where one of the traction ropes is located, the total length of this traction rope in the mirror body 100 part will be less than L21. Since the traction ropes are driven in pairs, the length of the traction rope opposite to this traction rope in the mirror body 100 part will be greater than L21.

[0079] If the mirror body 100 rotates, the four traction ropes will be twisted, which will cause the lengths of S1 of the four traction ropes to increase simultaneously. At this time, if the elastic tube 107 is not provided with a redundant length, the initial total length of each traction rope in the mirror body part is still L21, which will cause the length S2 of the four traction ropes inside the snake bone assembly 104 to become shorter, resulting in the bending of the snake bone assembly 104, that is, the rotation of the mirror body is coupled with the bending of the snake bone assembly.

[0080] When the rotation of the mirror body is coupled with the bending of the snake bone assembly, the four traction ropes are simultaneously tensioned. To resist the bending of the snake bone assembly, the traction ropes will be stretched to a certain extent, resulting in variable pitch transmission, making the total length of each traction rope greater than L. The greater the rotation angle, the greater the stretching degree of the traction rope, which affects the rigidity of the traction rope and may even cause the traction rope to break.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present application, a redundant length is set for the elastic tube, such that the actual length L11 of the elastic tube in the mirror body part is greater than L21. In the drive seat part, the actual length L12 of the elastic tube is greater than L22.

[0082] When the mirror body rotates, the elastic tube can swing relative to the mirror body at a certain angle. As Figure 9 shown, a part of the elastic tube in the drive seat will wind around the mirror body as the mirror body rotates, thereby increasing the total length of the traction rope in the mirror body part and avoiding stretching of the traction rope. When the mirror body rotates by a certain angle, there is a certain twist between the elastic tube on the mirror body and the mirror body itself, but the amplitude of the twist is not a linear variation relationship with the rotation angle of the mirror body. The twist angle of the elastic tube is less than the twist angle of the mirror body. When the preset redundant length of the elastic tube is greater than the increased length due to the rotation of the mirror body, the redundant length of the elastic tube decreases, and it will not cause the elastic tube to be stretched, nor will it change the transmission distance of the traction rope, realizing the conversion of the variable pitch movement of the traction rope into non-variable pitch transmission and solving the coupling problem between the rotation of the mirror body and the bending of the snake bone assembly.

[0083] In some embodiments, the redundant length can be calculated according to the following method:

[0084] If the linear length of the elastic tube in the mirror body part is L when the spring rotates 0° of the mirror body 0 (L 0 equals L21), the outer diameter of the central tube 109 is R, and the mirror body rotates within the designed range of ±α, that is, α is the maximum rotation angle of the central tube, then the minimum value of the required redundant length L is:

[0085]

[0086] If it rotates according to the designed ±180°, then the minimum value of the required redundant length L is:

[0087]

[0088] The maximum value of the redundant length L can be determined according to the internal controls of the drive seat. The elastic tube cannot be wound around other parts, and the bending angle of the elastic tube should not be too large to affect the smoothness of transmission.

[0089] It should be noted that the redundant length is actually the difference between the actual length between the fixed point at the distal end of the elastic tube and the fixed point at the proximal end of the elastic tube and the linear length. According toFigure 9 It can be obtained that the redundant length is the sum of the first difference and the second difference. Among them, the first difference is the difference between the actual length of the elastic tube in the L11 section and L21, and the second difference is the difference between the actual length of the elastic tube in the L12 section and L22. One end of the elastic tube 306 penetrates into the mirror body rotating gear 305, and the other end is fixed in the elastic tube fixing seat 307. The traction rope 308 in the elastic tube 306 passes through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and then winds around the corresponding wire winding wheel on the mirror body rotating drive disk.

[0090] In some embodiments, for the structure of the elastic tube fixing seat 307, refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11 , where Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an elastic tube fixing seat, Figure 11 is Figure 10 the schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of

[0091] Two second traction rope grooves 317 may be provided on the proximal side of the elastic tube fixing seat 307, and two second elastic tube grooves 316 may be provided on the distal side. The second traction rope grooves 317 and the second elastic tube grooves 316 are coaxially arranged and communicate with each other. The aperture of the second traction rope groove 317 is smaller than the aperture of the second elastic tube groove 316, so that after the elastic tube 306 penetrates into the second elastic tube groove 316, it cannot pass through the second traction rope groove 317, and thus is fixed in the second traction rope groove 317. The traction rope 308 in the second elastic tube groove 316 can pass through the second traction rope groove 317.

[0092] After the two groups of traction ropes 308 pass through the elastic tube fixing seat 307, they wind around the two wire winding wheels respectively after passing through the two groups of first guide wheels 312 and second guide wheels 313.

[0093] Four first guide wheels 312 and four second guide wheels 313 may be provided on the drive seat 300. The first guide wheels 312 can be installed at the wire outlet where the traction rope passes through the elastic tube, that is, at the wire outlet where the traction rope 308 passes through the elastic tube fixing seat 307. The first guide wheel receives the traction rope 308 and redirects the traction rope 308 towards the second guide wheel 313, avoiding friction between the traction rope 308 and the elastic tube fixing seat 307 when the traction rope 308 passes through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and thus preventing loss of the traction rope 308.

[0094] The second guide wheel 313 is installed at the wire outlet of the first guide wheel 312. The second guide wheel 313 receives the towing rope 308 and redirects the towing rope 308 towards the winding wheel, which can prevent the towing rope 308 from falling off the second guide wheel 313 and the first guide wheel 312, and enhances the transmission stability of the towing rope 308 between the winding wheel 311 and the first guide wheel 312. The plane where the wrapped arc of the towing rope 308 on the second guide wheel 313 is located can be approximately coplanar with the tangent line on the winding wheel 311. When the winding wheel 311 rotates, the tangent point of the steel wire rope on the winding wheel 311 moves up and down, which only causes a slight change in the wrap angle of the second guide wheel 313, that is, the wire outlet direction of the towing rope 308 from the winding wheel 311 is coaxial with the tangent line of the second guide wheel 313, and will not cause the towing rope 308 to fall off the second guide wheel 313 and the first guide wheel 312. If there is only one guide wheel between the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and the winding wheel 311, it will be very difficult for this guide wheel to take into account the requirements that the towing rope 308 does not rub against the elastic tube fixing seat 307 after passing through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and the plane where the wrapped arc of the steel wire rope is located is approximately coplanar with the tangent line on the winding wheel 311, which will increase the friction loss of the towing rope 308 with the guide wheel and increase the risk of the towing rope 308 falling off the guide wheel.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first guide wheel 312 and the second guide wheel 313 may not be provided, and the transmission direction of the towing rope 308 after being led out from the winding wheel 311 can also be changed through the elastic tube fixing seat 307. Refer to Figure 12 , a guide assembly 318 may be provided in the elastic tube fixing seat 307. After the towing rope 308 passes through the guide assembly 318, the transmission direction is different from the direction in which the elastic tube 306 penetrates into the elastic tube fixing seat 307.

[0096] Figure 13 For Figure 12 the partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of Figure 13 as shown in

[0097] Figure 14 shows a schematic structural diagram of an elastic tube fixing seat. As Figure 14 shown, four parallel through holes 321 are provided in the elastic tube fixing seat 307, and a guide assembly 318 is provided in each through hole 321. The guide assembly 318 includes a sphere in the middle and threading columns at both ends of the sphere. The diameter of the through hole 321 can be slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere in the middle of the guide assembly 318, so that the guide assembly 318 can swing slightly in the up-down and left-right directions in the through hole 321 and will not fall out of the elastic tube fixing seat 307.

[0098] The two wire threading posts can extend to the outside of the elastic tube fixing seat 307, facilitating the rotation of the guiding component 318 within the through hole 321. A third elastic tube groove 319 leading to the interior of the sphere is provided in the wire threading post at the distal end of the guiding component 318, and a third traction rope groove 320 leading to the interior of the sphere is provided in the wire threading post at the proximal end. Among them, the third elastic tube groove 319 and the third traction rope groove 320 are coaxially arranged and communicate with each other. The opening diameter of the third traction rope groove 320 can be larger than the diameter of the traction rope 308, which can reduce the frictional loss between the traction rope 308 and the third traction rope groove 320.

[0099] The elastic tube 306 is inserted into the elastic tube fixing seat 307 and fixed within the third elastic tube groove 319. The traction rope 308 within the elastic tube 306 can pass through the third traction rope groove 320 and then be wound around the winding wheel. The guiding component 318 within the elastic tube fixing seat 307 can be inclined towards the tangential direction of the winding wheel, such that the frictional force between the traction rope 308 and the elastic tube fixing seat 307 is relatively small.

[0100] In some embodiments, the guiding component 318 may also only include the middle sphere.

[0101] In some embodiments, the guiding component 318 may not be arranged within the elastic tube fixing seat 307, but rather outside the elastic tube fixing seat 307. It slides up and down along the elastic tube fixing seat 307 through the Z-axis movement mechanism and rotates on the horizontal plane of the elastic tube fixing seat 307 through the rotation mechanism.

[0102] The traction rope 308 passing through the elastic tube fixing seat 307 is wound around the winding wheel, and the winding wheel can be driven to rotate through the driving disk. Refer to Figure 15 , which is a schematic diagram of the bottom of the housing of a driving seat provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 15 shown, a pair of asymmetric grooves are provided on each of the three driving disks, namely the driving disk 309, the driving disk 310, and the driving disk 314. These grooves match the asymmetric protrusions provided on the servo motor of the driving module 500. The asymmetric protrusions on the servo motor have a certain elasticity. Through forward and reverse rotation, the servo motor can automatically coordinate with the driving disk. After coordination, the driving disk can be rotated through the servo motor.

[0103] Refer to Figure 16 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a driving module provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 16 shown, the driving module 500 can adopt a general driving module for the robotic arm of a surgical robot. The driving module 500 is provided with five groups of servo motors 501. When this driving module 500 is used for the robotic arm, the present application utilizes three of the servo motors 501 of this driving module 500 to achieve the rotation of the mirror body and the movement in the four directions of up and down, left and right, which has the advantages of low cost and easy installation.

[0104] See also Figure 17 , is a schematic diagram of the structure of a handle. Figure 17 As shown, the handle 200 includes a handle housing 201, a control button assembly 202, an optical fiber connector 203, and a cable connector 204. The handle housing 201 is the main structure of the handle 200, and a control button assembly 202 is installed on its side. The control button assembly 202 can include multiple buttons for controlling functions such as lighting, recording and taking pictures, and the functions and number of the buttons can be set as needed. The bottom of the handle housing 201 is connected to the drive seat 300 through a bearing, and is fixedly connected to the central tube 109, so that when the mirror body 100 rotates, the handle 200 can be driven to rotate together, avoiding the repeated twisting of the illumination optical fiber and cable inside the central tube 109, resulting in breakage or other faults. The bottom of the handle housing 201 is provided with an optical fiber connector 203 and a cable connector 204, and the illumination optical fiber 103 in the mirror body 100 is connected to the optical fiber connector 203, and the optical fiber connector 203 is detachably connected to the illumination optical fiber 103. When the mirror body 100 is disinfected, the illumination optical fiber 103 can be removed. The cable connector 204 and the communication cable can be fixedly connected to ensure power supply safety and stability.

[0105] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the 3D endoscope provided by the present application can be connected to the mirror body through the drive seat, and the winding wheel and the mirror body rotating gear can be driven to rotate through the drive disk in the drive seat. The mirror body is provided with a snake bone assembly and a lens, and a plurality of traction ropes are passed through the snake bone assembly. The traction ropes are wound on the winding assembly. By rotating the winding assembly, the orientation of the lens connected to the snake bone assembly can be changed, so that the viewing angle can be adjusted, and the technical problem of the single viewing angle of the 3D endoscope is solved; further, the traction rope sleeve is provided with an elastic tube, and the actual length of the elastic tube is greater than the total straight length between the proximal end of the elastic tube on the snake bone assembly and the distal end of the elastic tube on the mirror body, that is, the elastic tube is provided with a redundant length. Since the elastic tube has a certain rigidity, the elastic tube has a certain length. The traction rope can be kept in a tensioned state. When the scope body rotates, the traction rope will twist with the scope body. The redundancy of the elastic tube is reduced, and the total length of the elastic tube and the total length of the traction rope in the elastic tube remain unchanged, thereby realizing the conversion of the variable pitch transmission of the traction rope into a constant pitch transmission, effectively solving the problem of the traction rope being stretched to resist the rotation of the scope body, avoiding the occurrence of traction rope breakage, and improving the safety of the 3D endoscope; further, through the first guide wheel and the second guide wheel, or through the guide assembly, the transmission friction of the traction rope in the drive seat can be reduced, and the transmission stability can be improved.

[0106] Since the above embodiments are all described by citing and combining with other embodiments, different embodiments have the same parts, and the same and similar parts between the embodiments in this specification can be referred to each other. No further detailed description is given here.

[0107] The above embodiments of the present application do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A 3D endoscope, characterized in that, it includes: A lens body, including: A lens; A snake bone assembly, the lens is connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly; Multiple traction ropes, the distal ends of the multiple traction ropes are connected to the distal end of the snake bone assembly, enabling the snake bone assembly to bend in multiple directions; Multiple elastic tubes, the traction ropes are threaded through the elastic tubes, there is no gap between the traction ropes and the elastic tubes, the distal ends of the elastic tubes are connected to the proximal end of the snake bone assembly and extend towards the proximal end of the lens body, the proximal ends of the elastic tubes are fixed in the drive seat, and the actual length of the elastic tubes is greater than the total straight-line length between the proximal end of the elastic tubes on the snake bone assembly and the distal end of the elastic tubes on the lens body; The drive seat, including: A lens body rotation gear, the lens body rotation gear is rotationally connected to the lens body; An elastic tube fixing seat for fixing the proximal ends of the multiple elastic tubes, the proximal ends of the multiple traction ropes follow the elastic tubes into the elastic tube fixing seat and pass through the elastic tube fixing seat; A wire winding assembly, arranged at the proximal end of the lens body, the multiple traction ropes pass through the elastic tube fixing seat and wind around the wire winding assembly.

2. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The minimum redundant length of the elastic tube is: where L is the redundant length of the elastic tube, and L 0 is the straight-line length of the elastic tube in the mirror body part. The redundant length is the difference between the actual length and the total straight-line length. The total straight-line length is the straight-line length between the fixed point at the distal end of the elastic tube and the fixed point at the proximal end of the elastic tube. α is the maximum self-rotation angle of the mirror body.

3. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire winding assembly includes a lens body bending drive disk and a wire winding wheel, the traction rope is wound around the wire winding wheel, and the lens body bending drive disk is in transmission connection with the wire winding wheel.

4. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a second traction rope groove for threading the traction rope, the other end of the elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a second elastic tube groove for fixing the elastic tube, the second traction rope groove and the second elastic tube groove are coaxially arranged and communicate with each other, and the aperture of the second traction rope groove is smaller than the aperture of the second elastic tube groove.

5. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: A first guide wheel, which is installed at the wire outlet where the traction rope exits from the elastic tube, the first guide wheel receives the traction rope and redirects the traction rope towards the second guide wheel; A second guide wheel, which is installed at the wire outlet of the first guide wheel, the second guide wheel receives the traction rope and redirects the traction rope towards the wire winding assembly.

6. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic tube fixing seat is provided with a through hole, a guide assembly is rotatably arranged in the through hole, the proximal end of the elastic tube is fixedly arranged in the guide assembly, and the guide assembly redirects the traction rope towards the wire winding assembly.

7. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surfaces of the traction ropes are all wrapped with flexible tubes.

8. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens body further includes a snake bone fixing member. A first traction rope groove for threading the traction rope is provided on the distal side of the snake bone fixing member. A first elastic tube groove for fixing the elastic tube is provided on the proximal side of the snake bone fixing member. The first traction rope groove and the first elastic tube groove are coaxially arranged and communicate with each other. The aperture diameter of the first traction rope groove is smaller than that of the first elastic tube groove.

9. The 3D endoscope according to claim 1, wherein, the lens body further includes a plurality of illumination optical fibers, and the plurality of illumination optical fibers surround the outside of the lens.

Images