Double-layer snake bone unit section, snake bone tube and endoscope

Abstract

The present invention discloses a double-layer snake bone unit segment, a snake bone tube and an endoscope. The double-layer snake bone unit segment is formed by nesting an inner bone segment and an outer bone segment of the same length; two ears with a main body in the shape of a superior arc are extended from one end of the double-layer snake bone unit segment tube wall, and a circular arc-shaped thin-walled connecting groove is extended from the other end, and the connecting groove is hinged with the ears of the adjacent snake bone unit segment to form a snake bone tube. The present invention breaks through the single-layer snake bone unit segment structure in the prior art, and sets two tubular parts of inner and outer bones riveted to each other to form a plurality of cavities independent of each other, so that the control line and the traction line installed in the cavity are isolated from each other, and a hinged structure processed in one piece is set, which is simple to process and easy to assemble.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of medical instruments, and in particular relates to a double-layer snake bone unit section, a snake bone tube and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] Endoscopes have attracted widespread attention in the medical community due to their high accuracy in diagnosis and treatment, small wound surface, low risk of infection, short recovery time after surgery, and inconspicuous scars. With the help of a motion device, the endoscope is sent into the patient's body, allowing doctors to directly observe lesions in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, especially tiny lesions.

[0003] The motion device is usually a thin, soft tube, and a section of snake tube is usually designed at the front end of the tube to achieve the head change of direction. The snake tube is usually composed of several unit sections, which are bent by pulling the control line connected to it; among them, the first section is used to carry the imaging module, the biopsy channel outlet and the gas and water injection outlet, the tail section is connected to the endoscope tube, and the middle unit section needs to be connected in sequence to connect the first section and the tail section; there are traction lines and control lines installed in the snake tube between the first and tail sections. The function of the traction line is to control the bending movement of the snake with the operating mechanism, so as to more clearly explore the internal situation; the control line is a signal transmission line; the two lines have different functions and materials, and generally the snake tube will have multiple traction lines to improve the control accuracy. Therefore, when designing the snake tube structure, it is preferred to have a structure that can separate the two lines.

[0004] The existing snake bone unit sections all adopt a single-layer structure, and one or more wire structures are set on the inner wall of the snake bone unit section cylinder, such as the snake bone unit section structure disclosed in patent CN 207721791U and patent CN 110840380 A. Due to the complex shape of the unit section, the processing technology and assembly process of the snake bone tube are relatively complicated. In the prior art, the connection method of the snake bone joint mostly adopts rivet connection or hinge connection. Rivet connection has a complex processing technology and is expensive. The hinge method usually relies on the deformation of the snake bone unit section to force it into another snake bone unit section, and has relatively high requirements on the dimensional accuracy of the inter-unit section and the elasticity of the material; when the fit is too tight or the material elasticity is small, the assembly difficulty is large, the operation efficiency is low, and it is easy to cause joint jamming. However, when the fit is too loose or the material elasticity is too large, the reliability of the snake bone unit section will be deteriorated. Therefore, it is of great research significance and application value to design a snake bone unit section and a snake bone tube with simple and convenient assembly and reliable assembly structure. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a double-layer serpentine bone unit section, a serpentine bone tube and an endoscope. The double-layer serpentine bone unit section has a double-layer structure formed by nesting riveted inner and outer bone sections, and an articulated structure with superior arch-shaped ears and arc-shaped thin-walled connecting grooves is arranged on the inner and outer bone sections, which not only forms an isolation structure for the control line and the traction line, but also greatly simplifies the processing and assembly processes.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A double-layer snake-bone unit segment, characterized in that it is formed by nesting an inner segment and an outer segment of the same length, the inner segment main body is an arc rectangular tube, the outer segment main body is a circular tube, and the inner segment arc outer diameter is basically the same as the outer segment inner diameter; on the corresponding side of the inner segment arc surface, two identical ears with a superior arc shape and a small-section connecting structure are extended from one end of the double-layer snake-bone unit segment tube wall, and an arc-shaped thin-walled connecting groove with the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the ear main body is extended from the other end; the direction of the connecting groove is perpendicular to the length direction of the double-layer snake-bone unit segment and parallel to the center connecting line of the two ears, and is used for hinged connection with the ears of adjacent double-layer snake-bone unit segments.

[0008] Preferably, at least one positioning hole is provided on the side surface of the double-layer snake bone unit segment, which passes through the inner bone segment and the outer bone segment and is perpendicular to the length direction of the double-layer snake bone unit segment and is used for riveting the inner bone segment and the outer bone segment. The positioning hole is provided on the corresponding side of the inner bone segment arc surface.

[0009] Preferably, the arc of the ear body is greater than 270°, and correspondingly, the arc of the connecting groove is greater than 180° but smaller than the arc of the ear body; the wall thickness of the connecting groove is not less than the wall thickness of the main tube of the double-layer serpentine unit section; the small-section connecting structure between the ear body and the double-layer serpentine unit section is a rectangle, and the length of the rectangle is greater than the wall thickness of the connecting groove.

[0010] Preferably, the double-layer snake-bone unit segment is a metal snake-bone unit segment.

[0011] A snake bone tube having the double-layer snake bone unit section is characterized in that it comprises at least two double-layer snake bone unit sections hingedly connected through the lugs and the connecting grooves. Preferably, the snake bone tube further comprises an outer layer structure, which is made of a flexible material and is used to wrap the hinged double-layer snake bone unit sections.

[0012] An endoscope having the snake bone tube is characterized by comprising two traction lines for connecting and controlling each double-layer snake bone unit segment; the traction lines respectively pass through the first cavity and the second cavity formed by the outer wall of the inner segment and the inner wall of the outer segment. Preferably, the endoscope also includes a control line for transmitting the endoscope electrical signal; the control line passes through the third cavity formed by the inner wall of the inner segment.

[0013] A method for forming the double-layer snake bone unit section is characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0014] S1. Separately process the inner segment arc rectangular tube and the outer segment circular tube that meet the requirements of size and shape accuracy; S2. Nest the inner segment arc rectangular tube and the outer segment circular tube to form a double-layer snake-bone unit section profile, and drill positioning holes on their sides and insert rivets to rivet the outer segment and the outer segment; S3. Cut the riveted double-layer snake-bone unit section profile into independent double-layer snake-bone unit section blanks according to the length requirements; S4. Cut the support ears and connecting grooves on the double-layer snake-bone unit section blanks.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. The double-layer snake bone unit section of the present invention breaks through the single-layer snake bone unit section structure in the prior art, and sets two tubular parts, the inner and outer bones, which are riveted to each other, to form a plurality of independent cavities, so that the control line and the traction line installed in the cavity are isolated from each other.

[0017] 2. The double-layer snake bone unit section of the present invention is provided with an integrally processed superior arch-shaped support ear and an arc-shaped thin-walled connecting groove hinge structure. The hinge structure is simple, and the snake bone tube and endoscope assembled from the unit section have a simple process and a reliable structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a double-layer snake bone unit node structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the inner bone segment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exoskeleton segment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the snake tube with control wires and traction wires according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 1. inner condyle, 2. outer condyle, 3. positioning hole, 4. superior arch-shaped lug, 5. arc-shaped connecting groove, 6. traction line, 7. control line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the present invention is specifically described in the following embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description of these implementation methods is used to help understand the present invention, but does not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1As shown, a double-layer snake bone unit segment in this embodiment includes an inner segment 1 and an outer segment 2 of the same length; the inner segment body is an arc rectangular tube, such as Figure 2 As shown; the main body of the exoskeleton is a round tube. Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the outer diameter of the inner segment is basically the same as the inner diameter of the outer segment. The inner segment is embedded in the outer segment to form a double-layer snake bone unit segment, and a connection surface is formed at the inner segment arc surface. The inner and outer segments can be fixed by welding, riveting and other methods. For example, at least one positioning hole is provided on the side of the snake bone unit segment, which passes through the inner segment and the outer segment and is perpendicular to the length direction of the unit segment, and the inner segment and the outer segment are riveted; Figure 1 As shown, a positioning hole 4 is arranged at the center of the arc surface of the inner bone segment and penetrates the double-layer snake bone unit segment.

[0025] The double-layer snake bone unit segment is also provided with two superior arch-shaped ears 3 and arc-shaped connecting grooves 5; the ears 3 extend from one end of the snake bone unit segment main body tube wall on the corresponding side of the inner bone segment arc surface, and the connecting groove 5 extends from the corresponding other end; the direction of the connecting groove 5 is perpendicular to the length direction of the unit segment and parallel to the center connection line of the two ears, and is used to hinge with the ears of the adjacent snake bone unit segment. The arc of the ear body is greater than 270°, and correspondingly, the arc of the connecting groove is greater than 180° but smaller than the ear arc; the wall thickness of the connecting groove is not less than the wall thickness of the snake bone unit segment. A small cross-section connecting structure of a rectangle or other shape (such as a waist shape) is also provided between the ear body and the snake bone segment body, and the length of the connecting structure is greater than the wall thickness of the connecting groove to avoid movement interference.

[0026] The forming method of the double-layer snake bone unit section preferably comprises the following steps: S1. Separately process the inner bone section arc rectangular tube and the outer bone section circular tube that meet the requirements of size and shape accuracy; S2. The inner bone section arc rectangular tube and the outer bone section circular tube are nested and installed as a double-layer snake bone unit section profile, and rivets are inserted into the outer bone section and the outer bone section after drilling positioning holes on the side thereof; S3. The riveted double-layer snake bone unit section profile is cut into independent double-layer snake bone unit section blanks according to the length requirements; S4. The ears and connecting grooves are cut on the double-layer snake bone unit section blanks. The processing efficiency and the precision of the processed products can be well guaranteed by this method. The snake bone unit section structure and forming method are more suitable for metal snake bone unit sections.

[0027] The internal bone structure of the processed snake bone unit node is as follows Figure 2 As shown, the structure of the exoskeleton is as follows Figure 3 The forming method of the snake bone unit segment can also be designed to independently process the inner segment and the outer segment as shown in the figure, and then nest the inner segment and the outer segment and install the rivet in the positioning hole to rivet the outer segment and the outer segment.

[0028] The snake tube includes a plurality of snake unit segments hinged by the lugs 3 and the connecting grooves 5. When assembling the snake tube, the lugs 3 of the rear end snake unit segments are inserted into the connecting grooves 5 of the front end snake unit segments for hinged connection. The assembled bendable snake tube structure is as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the ear 3 of the rear end snake bone unit segment can rotate in the connecting groove 5 of the front end snake bone unit segment.

[0029] A control line including a signal line, a traction line for controlling the bending of the snake tube, and an outer structure for wrapping the snake tube are installed in the snake tube. An endoscope and other sensors are installed at the front end of the snake tube. A tube connected to an in vitro operating mechanism and other motion devices are installed at the rear end of the snake tube to form a complete endoscope product. The outer structure can be a flexible wrapping layer, such as a rubber hose, a metal mesh, a spring sleeve, etc. The wrapping layer can provide resetting power for the joint and fill the gap formed after the snake joint is bent. Figure 4 As shown, two traction lines 6 are installed in the first cavity and the second cavity formed by the outer wall of the inner segment and the inner wall of the outer segment to connect and control the traction line 6 on one side of each snake bone unit segment, and the entire snake bone will produce corresponding bending on the corresponding side; the control line 7 including the endoscope signal line passes through the third cavity formed by the inner wall of the inner segment; the traction line 6 and the control line 7 are installed separately to avoid the entanglement and interference of the wires, thereby enhancing the safety of the snake bone tube and the endoscope.

[0030] The above-mentioned implementation modes are preferred cases of the present invention and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Various deformations or modifications that can be made by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work within the scope of the attached claims are still within the protection scope of this patent.

Claims

1. A double-layer snake bone unit section, characterized in that: It is formed by nesting an inner bone segment and an outer bone segment of the same length, wherein the inner bone segment body is a circular arc rectangular tube, and the outer bone segment body is a circular tube, and the outer diameter of the inner bone segment is basically the same as the inner diameter of the outer bone segment; On the side corresponding to the arc surface of the inner bone segment, two identical ears with a superior arc shape and a small cross-section connection structure are extended from one end of the double-layer snake bone unit segment tube wall, and an arc-shaped thin-walled connection groove with an inner diameter the same as the outer diameter of the ear body is extended from the other end; the direction of the connection groove is perpendicular to the length direction of the double-layer snake bone unit segment and parallel to the center connection line of the two ears, and is used for hinge connection with the ears of the adjacent double-layer snake bone unit segment; The side surface of the double-layer snake bone unit segment is also provided with at least one positioning hole which penetrates the inner bone segment and the outer bone segment and is perpendicular to the length direction of the double-layer snake bone unit segment and is used for riveting the inner bone segment and the outer bone segment. The positioning hole is provided on the corresponding side of the inner bone segment arc surface; The double-layer snake bone unit segment is used for an endoscope, and the endoscope comprises two traction lines for connecting and controlling each snake bone unit segment; the traction lines respectively pass through a first cavity and a second cavity formed by an outer wall of an inner bone segment and an inner wall of an outer bone segment.

2. The double-layer snake bone unit section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arc of the ear body is greater than 270º, and correspondingly, the arc of the connecting groove is greater than 180º but smaller than the arc of the ear body; the wall thickness of the connecting groove is not less than the wall thickness of the main tube of the double-layer serpentine unit section; the small-section connection structure between the ear body and the double-layer serpentine unit section is a rectangle, and the length of the rectangle is greater than the wall thickness of the connecting groove.

3. The double-layer snake bone unit section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-layer snake-bone unit section is a metal snake-bone unit section.

4. A snake bone tube having a double-layer snake bone unit section as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It comprises at least two double-layer snake-bone unit sections hingedly connected by the support ears and the connecting grooves.

5. The snake bone tube according to claim 4, characterized in that: The snake bone tube also includes an outer layer structure, which is made of flexible material and is used to wrap the hinged double-layer snake bone unit segment.

6. The double-layer snake bone unit section according to claim 1, characterized in that: The endoscope also includes a control line for transmitting endoscope electrical signals; the control line passes through a third cavity formed by the inner wall of the inner condyle.

7. A method for forming a double-layer snake bone unit section as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Processing the inner segment arc rectangular tube and the outer segment circular tube to meet the size and shape accuracy requirements respectively; S2. The inner segment arc rectangular tube and the outer segment circular tube are nested and installed as a double-layer snake bone unit section profile, and after drilling positioning holes on its side, rivets are inserted into the outer segment and the outer segment; S3. The riveted double-layer snake bone unit section profile is cut into independent double-layer snake bone unit section blanks according to the length requirements; S4. Cut the lugs and connecting grooves on the double-layer snake bone unit segment blank.

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