Bendable structure, flexible instrument, and endoscope

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of bendable structure, flexible instrument and endoscope.The bendable structure includes joint, joint includes two ring pieces, each ring piece is provided with at least two opposite protrusions and at least two opposite recesses, protrusion and recess are arranged along the circumferential direction of ring piece, protrusion and recess respectively protrude in different directions along the axial direction of ring piece, and protrusion and recess are connected by curved surface, and the two ring pieces in joint are connected by protrusion or recess.The present application can bend the bendable structure, reduce the risk of fracture at bending, and can realize mass production, reduce production cost.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical devices, in particular to a bendable structure, a flexible device and an endoscope. BACKGROUND

[0002] An endoscope is a commonly used medical device, which is a detection instrument commonly used in modern medical diagnosis and treatment. It can enter the stomach through the oral cavity or enter the body through other natural orifices, or it can enter the human body through a small incision made by surgery. Doctors can see lesions that X-rays cannot display by using an endoscope, which is very useful for diagnosing diseases. The existing endoscope needs to use the built-in bendable structure to control when bending the head. The current bendable structure is usually a snake bone structure, but the current snake bone structure is prone to breaking at the bending part, and the structure is very complex, which makes the processing and assembly process also become complex, and the production cost increases. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide a bendable structure, a flexible device and an endoscope to solve the problems of easy breakage, complex structure and high production cost of the bendable structure used by the flexible device in the prior art.

[0004] The present application provides a bendable structure, which comprises a joint, and the joint comprises two ring pieces. Each of the ring pieces is provided with at least two opposite protrusions and at least two opposite recesses. The protrusions and the recesses are arranged circumferentially along the ring piece. The protrusions and the recesses respectively protrude in different axial directions of the ring piece. The protrusions and the recesses are connected by a curved surface. The two ring pieces in the joint are connected by the protrusions or the recesses. In this way, the bending performance of the bendable structure can be ensured, and the bendable structure is not prone to breaking during bending, and the structure is simple, facilitating processing and assembly.

[0005] In an embodiment, the two ring pieces in the joint are arranged in mirror symmetry in the axial direction of the bendable structure, so as to reduce the production cost, and the stress on the bendable structure is more uniform, and the bending effect is better.

[0006] In an embodiment, the ring width of the ring piece is 5 to 10 times the thickness of the ring piece, so that the ring piece has sufficient bending strength while also considering its deformation performance, and the size of the bendable structure can also be prevented from being too large to affect its passability.

[0007] In an embodiment, the thickness of the ring piece is not more than 0.3 mm, so as to ensure that the ring piece has good deformation performance.

[0008] In an embodiment, the ring pieces have an even number of the protrusions, and the number of the recesses is consistent with the number of the protrusions. Since the number of the traction bodies of the bendable structure is usually even, the number of the protrusions and the recesses is also even.

[0009] In an embodiment, the bendable structure is sequentially connected by the plurality of joints in the axial direction of the bendable structure, so that the bendable structure can realize a larger angle of bending.

[0010] In an embodiment, the flexibility of the bendable structure in the axial direction is not the same, so as to more accurately control the positioning of the head structure of the flexible instrument, and also to make the flexible instrument suitable for different use scenarios.

[0011] In an embodiment, the flexibility of the plurality of joints gradually decreases from the distal end to the proximal end in the axial direction of the bendable structure, so that the flexibility of the distal end of the bendable structure is the largest and is easy to bend and deform to adapt to a tortuous part or a narrow part.

[0012] In an embodiment, the plurality of ring pieces are sequentially welded in the axial direction of the bendable structure, so as to control the flexibility of the bendable structure in the axial direction by adjusting the welding force.

[0013] The present application also provides a flexible instrument, which comprises a body and the bendable structure of any one of the embodiments, and the distal end of the body is provided with the bendable structure.

[0014] In an embodiment, the flexible instrument further comprises a positioning sleeve, which is wrapped on the bendable structure, so as to position the bendable structure by the positioning sleeve, and also to reduce the damage to the target tissue caused by the bendable structure when passing through the cavity.

[0015] In an embodiment, the flexible instrument further comprises a traction member, the distal end of the traction member is fixedly connected with the distal end of the bendable structure, and the proximal end of the traction member sequentially passes through all the ring pieces, so that the bendable structure bends under the control of the traction member.

[0016] The present application also provides an endoscope, which adopts the flexible instrument of any one of the embodiments.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the bendable structure of the present application comprises a joint, the joint comprises two ring pieces, each of the ring pieces is provided with at least two opposite protrusions and at least two opposite recesses, the protrusions and the recesses are circumferentially spaced along the ring piece, the protrusions and the recesses respectively protrude in different axial directions along the ring piece, the protrusions and the recesses are connected by a curved surface, and the two ring pieces in the joint are connected by the protrusions or the recesses. Since the ring piece itself has a deformable characteristic, and the curved surface between the protrusions and the recesses can also bring a greater deformation amount, when the joint is constructed by two ring pieces, the joint can be well deformed and bent, and the bending performance of the bendable structure is ensured. In addition, since the ring piece structure is used, the joint also has the characteristics of a wide plate, so that the bendable structure is not easy to break during bending, especially the contact area between the joints is large, and even if bent many times, it is not easy to break, the structural strength of the entire bendable structure is ensured, the reliability is good, and the structure of the joint is simple, the processing and assembly process is simplified, and the production cost is reduced. The ring pieces in the bendable structure of the present application can be integrally punched in a row, and the processing cost is lower. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The implementation method of the present application and the features, properties and advantages of the related embodiments will be described by combining the following drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the endoscope of the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall bending structure of the bendable structure of the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the overall bending side view of the bendable structure of the embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 And Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the overall initial state front view and sectional view of the bendable structure of the embodiment of the present application, respectively;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a top view of the distal end connector of the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the ring piece of the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 8 It is a front view of the ring piece with two protrusions and two recesses of the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 9 It is a top view of the ring piece with two protrusions and two recesses of the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 10 A front view of a joint of an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 11 A front view of a joint of an embodiment of the present application in a bent state;

[0029] Figure 12 A front view of a ring piece of an embodiment of the present application having four protrusions and four recesses;

[0030] Figure 13 A top view of a ring piece of an embodiment of the present application having four protrusions and four recesses;

[0031] Figure 14 A front view of a plurality of joints of an embodiment of the present application sequentially connected to form an initial state of a bendable structure;

[0032] Figure 15 A front view of a plurality of joints of an embodiment of the present application sequentially connected to form an initial state of a bendable structure;

[0033] Figure 16 A cross-sectional view of a positioning sleeve of an embodiment of the present application covering the outside of a bendable structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the objects, advantages and features of the present application more clearly, the following further describes the present application in conjunction with the drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are in a simplified form and are not drawn to scale, and are only used to facilitate and clearly assist in the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present application.

[0035] As used in this specification, the words "one" or "an" or the like also mean "at least one", "multiple" means two or more, and "plurality" means a number that is not limited. As used in this specification, the term "or" is generally used in the sense of "and / or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, in the following description, a large number of specific details are given in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid obscuring the present application, some technical features known in the art are not described. In the following description, in order to facilitate the description, "axial", "circumferential", "proximal" and "distal" are used; "axial" refers to the axial direction of the bendable structure or flexible instrument; "circumferential" refers to the circumferential direction around the axis of the bendable structure or flexible instrument; "proximal" refers to the direction close to the operator; "distal" refers to the direction close to the patient.

[0036] The core of the present application is to provide a bendable structure, comprising a joint, the joint comprising two ring pieces. Each of the ring pieces is provided with at least two opposite protrusions and at least two opposite recesses. The protrusions and the recesses are circumferentially spaced along the ring piece. The protrusions and the recesses respectively protrude in different axial directions of the ring piece. The protrusions and the recesses are connected by a curved surface. The two ring pieces in the joint are connected by the protrusions or the recesses.

[0037] The present application does not make special requirements on the number of joints in the bendable structure. The number of joints in the bendable structure should be set according to actual needs. Generally, the more the number of joints, the greater the bending angle.

[0038] The bendable structure involved in the present application uses ring pieces with thick plate and wide plate to form joints. This structure ensures that the joint is bendable, and because of the thick plate and wide plate of the ring piece, it is not easy to break, and the ring piece is also easy to process and form, without the need for complex processing and assembly process, suitable for mass production.

[0039] The bendable structure involved in the present application is mainly applied to flexible instruments to control the bending of the end of the flexible instrument, and can realize rotation at any angle.

[0040] The flexible instrument involved in the present application comprises a main body and a bendable structure. The bendable structure is arranged at the distal end of the main body. The flexible instrument can further comprise a traction body, the distal end of the traction body being fixedly connected to the distal end of the bendable structure, and the proximal end of the traction body sequentially penetrating all the ring pieces.

[0041] The flexible instrument involved in the present application can be applied to an endoscope, and can also be applied to other medical instruments for performing surgical operations. The flexible instrument involved in the present application can be a disposable product or a product that can be used repeatedly.

[0042] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and preferred embodiments, and the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be supplemented or combined with each other without conflict. In the following description, an endoscope is described as an example, but this application is not limited to the endoscope. Those skilled in the art can modify the following description to obtain other flexible instruments other than the endoscope.

[0043] Reference Figures 1 to 3The embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope which is used as a flexible instrument, and the endoscope comprises a head structure 1 (which can be called a front end portion), a bendable structure 2 and a main body 3 which are sequentially connected in an axial direction from a distal end to a proximal end. The head structure 1 carries a camera module and can realize image monitoring of an in-vivo environment. The bendable structure 2 drives the head structure 1 to bend so as to accurately position a target position which needs to be shot. The main body 3 is a hollow pipe and is convenient for pushing the whole endoscope and realizing operation of the endoscope in a human body.

[0044] The bendable structure 2 comprises at least one elastically deformable joint 21, and preferably three joints 21, so that the bendable structure 2 is bent through the joints 21. As shown in the plurality of joints 21, the bendable structure 2 can realize 360-degree omnidirectional bending and swinging. The bendable structure 2 can also be understood as a snake bone structure. In the present application, the bendable structure 2 realizes bending by using the elastic deformation of the joint 21 itself. The bendable structure 2 has an initial state and a bent state; in the initial state, the bendable structure 2 is not bent, that is Figure 4 and Figure 5 as shown.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the bendable structure 2 is bent under the control of the traction member 4. The distal end of the traction member 4 is fixedly connected with the distal end of the bendable structure 2, and the proximal end of the traction member 4 is connected with a control component at the proximal end of the endoscope, and the traction member 4 is driven to move by the control component. By pulling one of the traction members 4, rotation in the corresponding direction can be realized, and by controlling two or more traction members 4, rotation control of any angle can be realized. The traction member 4 passes through all the joints 21 and then passes out of the proximal end of the bendable structure 2. The traction member 4 and the distal end of the bendable structure 2 are preferably connected in the form of welding. The distal end of the traction member 4 can be directly connected with the joint 21 or indirectly connected with the joint 21. The traction member 4 is, for example, a wire, a rope, a strip or a belt, and generally uses an elastic wire.

[0046] As a specific embodiment, the bendable structure 2 can further comprise a distal end connecting member 22 arranged at the most distal end, and the distal end of the traction member 4 is fixedly connected with the distal end connecting member 22. As shown in Figure 6As shown, the distal connector 22 can be a ring structure, the ring surface of which is fixed, preferably welded, to the distal end of the traction member 4, for example, four welding points 221 are formed on the ring surface of the distal connector 22, the welding points 221 are generally arranged at an interval of 90°, that is, the traction member 4 generally appears in the form of four roots uniformly distributed at an angle of 90 degrees. The structure of the distal connector 22 can be the same as or different from that of the ring piece 211. The head structure 1 can be directly mounted on the distal connector 22. Further, a proximal connector can be arranged at the proximal end of the bendable structure 2, and the proximal connector is directly connected to the distal end of the main body 3. The structure of the proximal connector can be the same as or different from that of the ring piece 211.

[0047] With reference to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the joint 21 comprises two ring pieces 211 stacked in the axial direction of the bendable structure 2. By "stacked", it is meant that the ring pieces 211 are stacked in the axial direction of the bendable structure 2 and are fixedly connected. Each ring piece 211 is provided with at least two opposite protrusions 211a and at least two opposite recesses 211b. The protrusions 211a and the recesses 211b are arranged at an interval in the circumferential direction of the ring piece 21. The protrusions 211a and the recesses 211b respectively protrude in different directions in the axial direction of the ring piece 21. The protrusions 211a and the recesses 211b are connected by a curved surface 211c. Preferably, the protrusions 211a and the recesses 211b are connected by a smooth curved surface 211c, which can also be understood as that the protrusions 211a and the recesses 211b are connected by a free curved surface 211c with continuous curvature, which limits the smooth transition between the protrusions 211a and the curved surface 211c, and also limits the smooth transition between the recesses 211b and the curved surface 211c, thereby reducing stress concentration.

[0048] The ring piece 211 is preferably once stamping formed. When the ring piece 211 is processed and formed, most of them need to be bent, if the curvature radius of the bent part is very small, the part will generate a lot of stress, therefore, in order to avoid the bent part generating a larger stress, the curvature radius of the bent part is at least 5 times of the thickness of the ring piece 211. In the processing process, the ring piece 211 should be heat treated according to the performance requirements, to ensure its hardness, such as the hardness can be 36-52HRC, to reduce the risk of fracture. The ring piece 211 itself is made of elastic material, such as metal material or non-metal material. The material of the ring piece 211 can be selected from, for example, flat steel strips of phosphor bronze, tin bronze, 65Mn, 55i2Mn, 60Si2MnA, 55SiMnVB, 55SiMnMoV, 60CrMn, 60CrMnB, 302, 316 and the like. The material of the ring piece 211 is, for example, plastic with good elasticity, such as ABS and the like. The ring piece 211 itself is a symmetrical structure, which can be used in both directions, and there is no possibility of misassembly.

[0049] In actual use, the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 are connected through the protruding parts 211a, and the protruding parts 211a are directly connected with the protruding parts 211a, that is, all the protruding parts 211a in one ring piece 21 are directly connected with all the protruding parts 211a in the other ring piece 21, or the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 are connected through the recessed parts 211b, and the recessed parts 211b are directly connected with the recessed parts 211b, that is, all the recessed parts 211b in one ring piece 21 are directly connected with all the recessed parts 211b in the other ring piece 21. In the embodiment of the present application, the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 and the joints 21 do not need additional parts to be connected, and the assembly process is simple.

[0050] Therefore, by means of the elastic deformability of the ring piece 211 itself, the joint 21 can be well deformed and bent, ensuring the bending performance of the bendable structure 2. Moreover, the ring piece 211 has the characteristics of thick and wide plate, and is not easy to break during bending, especially the contact area between the joints 21 is large, and even if it is bent many times, it is not easy to break, ensuring the structural strength of the entire bendable structure 2 and good reliability. Moreover, the processing and assembly of the joint 21 are easy to realize, reducing the production cost. Especially, the ring piece 211 can be stamped integrally, which is lower in processing cost. The bendable structure 2 of the present application has good mechanical stability and controllable movement, which can ensure the movement control accuracy.

[0051] All the protruding parts 211a on the ring piece 211 are distributed in the same plane, and all the recessed parts 211b are also distributed in the same plane, ensuring the controllability of the movement and reducing the control difficulty.

[0052] Referring to Figures 7 to 9, the ring piece 211 has a relatively thick ring width W (i.e. plate width) and a relatively small plate thickness H (i.e. plate height). Preferably, the ring width W of the ring piece 211 is 5 to 10 times the thickness H of the ring piece 211, so that the ring piece 211 has sufficient bending strength while also taking into account its deformation performance, and also prevents the size of the bendable structure 2 from being too large to affect its passability. Further, the thickness H of the ring piece 211 is not more than 0.3 mm to ensure that it has good deformation performance. Therefore, the structure of the ring piece 211 conforms to the original properties of flexible materials, is easy to deform and bend, is not easy to break due to its large ring width W, and is also easy to process and form, and is suitable for mass production. It should also be understood that the ring piece 211 can be elastically deformed, and the rigidity of the curved surface 211c between the convex portion 211a and the concave portion 211b is lower than that of the convex portion 211a and the concave portion 211b. Therefore, when stressed, the deformation range of the curved surface 211c is large, which ensures the deformability of the ring piece 211.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, the bendable structure 2 is usually connected in sequence in the axial direction of the bendable structure 2 by a plurality of joints 21, so that the bendable structure 2 can realize a larger angle of bending. Any two adjacent joints 21 are directly connected by the convex portion 211a or the concave portion 211b, and are generally welded and fixed.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, as a specific embodiment, the ring piece 211 has two convex portions 211a and two concave portions 211b, and the two concave portions 211b of one ring piece 211 in the joint 21 are directly welded and fixed with the two concave portions 211b of another ring piece 211. It can be understood that the two ring pieces 211 are arranged by being turned over 180° to form a joint 21. At this time, the two adjacent joints 21 can be directly welded and fixed by the convex portion 211a between the ring pieces 211 to form a stable mechanical structure. Figure 4 Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 3, as another specific embodiment, the ring piece 211 has four convex portions 211a and four concave portions 211b, and the four concave portions 211b of one ring piece 211 in the joint 21 are directly welded and fixed with the four concave portions 211b of another ring piece 211. At this time, the two adjacent joints 21 can be directly welded and fixed by the four convex portions 211a between the ring pieces 211. Figure 7 Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 3, as another specific embodiment, the ring piece 211 has four convex portions 211a and four concave portions 211b, and the four concave portions 211b of one ring piece 211 in the joint 21 are directly welded and fixed with the four concave portions 211b of another ring piece 211. At this time, the two adjacent joints 21 can be directly welded and fixed by the four convex portions 211a between the ring pieces 211.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 3, as another specific embodiment, the ring piece 211 has four convex portions 211a and four concave portions 211b, and the four concave portions 211b of one ring piece 211 in the joint 21 are directly welded and fixed with the four concave portions 211b of another ring piece 211. At this time, the two adjacent joints 21 can be directly welded and fixed by the four convex portions 211a between the ring pieces 211. Figures 12 to 15 As shown in FIG. 3, as another specific embodiment, the ring piece 211 has four convex portions 211a and four concave portions 211b, and the four concave portions 211b of one ring piece 211 in the joint 21 are directly welded and fixed with the four concave portions 211b of another ring piece 211. At this time, the two adjacent joints 21 can be directly welded and fixed by the four convex portions 211a between the ring pieces 211.

[0056] ​​The two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 can be arranged in mirror symmetry in the axial direction of the bendable structure 2, or can be arranged in non-mirror symmetry. Preferably, the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 are arranged in mirror symmetry in the axial direction of the bendable structure 2, at which time, the structures of all the ring pieces 211 are the same, the production cost is low, and the stress is more uniform, the bending effect is better.

[0057] After the distal end of the traction member 4 is fixed to the distal end of the bendable structure 2, the proximal end of the traction member 4 is sequentially threaded through each joint 21 and connected to the control component. The traction member 4 is threaded through the position corresponding to the protrusion 211a or the recess 211b of each ring piece 211; if the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 are connected by the recess 211b, the traction member 4 is threaded through the position corresponding to the protrusion 211a of each ring piece 211; if the two ring pieces 211 in the joint 21 are connected by the protrusion 211a, the traction member 4 is threaded through the position corresponding to the recess 211b of each ring piece 211. The ring piece 211 can be any suitable shape, which is similar to a leaf spring structure, not only has good flexibility, but also is not easy to break. The ring piece 211 is provided with a through positioning hole 211d, which is arranged on the recess 211b or the protrusion 211c, and each positioning hole 211d allows only one traction member 4 to pass through. As a specific embodiment, four positioning holes 211d are uniformly arranged on the ring piece 211 (see Figure 13 or Figure 9 ). The positioning hole 211d can be any suitable shape, such as a semicircle, a full circle, or other shapes, and preferably has a flange. The flange refers to the use of a mold to form a straight wall or flange with a certain angle on the closed or non-closed curved edge along the positioning hole 211d. The setting of the flange increases the contact area between the traction member 4 and the positioning hole 211d, and reduces the wear of the traction member 4.

[0058] As described above, the ring piece 211 can have two protrusions 211a and two recesses 211b, and one recess 211b is arranged between the two protrusions 211a. The ring piece 211 can also have four protrusions 211a and four recesses 211b, and one recess 211b is arranged between any two protrusions 211a. Of course, the ring piece 211 can also have more protrusions 211a and recesses 211b, which are generally set according to the number of traction members 4. Since the traction member 4 is generally even, the number of protrusions 211a and recesses 211b is also mostly even, such as 2, 4, 8, or 16, so the protrusions 211a and recesses 211b are mostly set to 2, 4, 8, or 16.

[0059] In some embodiments of this application, the flexible structure 2 can be integrally or integrally processed, such as by laser cutting or 3D printing. In this case, there is no need to assemble the ring pieces 211 one by one, making assembly simpler.

[0060] In other embodiments of this application, the flexible structure 2 can be processed into separate parts, such as by stamping to prepare ring pieces 211, and then assembling and connecting multiple ring pieces 211.

[0061] The flexibility of the flexible structure 2 in the axial direction can be the same or different, preferably different. When the flexibility of the flexible structure 2 in the axial direction is different, it allows for more precise control and positioning of the endoscope's head structure 1, and also makes the endoscope suitable for different application scenarios. Flexibility, also known as slenderness ratio, is a concept in mechanics, often denoted as λ. It refers to the magnitude of deformation of a component in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction under axial force. The greater the flexibility, the easier it is to deform.

[0062] Preferably, the flexibility of the multiple joints 21 gradually decreases from the distal end to the proximal end in the axial direction of the flexible structure 2, so that the flexibility of the distal end of the flexible structure 2 is maximized, making it easy to bend and deform to adapt to tortuous or narrow parts. Preferably, the flexible structure 2 is formed in parts, and multiple ring pieces 211 are sequentially welded together in the axial direction of the flexible structure 2, so that the axial flexibility of the flexible structure 2 can be controlled by adjusting the welding force. For example, the welding force between the ring pieces 211 and the welding force between the joints 21 will affect the axial flexibility of the flexible structure 2. If it is necessary to increase the flexibility, the welding force can be decreased; if it is necessary to decrease the flexibility, the welding force can be increased. The magnitude of the welding force is related to the weld strength, and the weld strength is related to the weld size. The welding force is adjusted by controlling the size of the weld. The weld points are specifically set around the positioning hole 211d, and the weld points can be of different sizes. The size of the weld points can be adjusted by the welding process.

[0063] The structural principle of the bendable structure 2 will be explained further below.

[0064] Figure 10 The structure of a connector 21 (as the smallest unit) is shown, wherein the ring plate 211 has two protrusions 211a and two recesses 211b. In this case, the connector 21 comprises two ring plates 211 with identical structures, and the two ring plates 211 are mirror-symmetrical in the axial direction of the flexible structure 2, forming a bidirectional serpentine structure. The two ring plates 211 are welded at the recesses 211b to form anchor points a. Further reference... Figure 11 ,from Figure 11 It can be seen that when the joint 21 bends, it deflects with the positioning hole 211d as the traction point and bends with the connection position between the two ring pieces 211 as the anchor point a, and the curved surface 211c is the segment with the largest deformation.

[0065] Figure 12 and Figure 13 The ring piece 211 is shown with four recesses 211b and four protrusions 211c, which is more suitable for the case of four traction members 4 control. As shown in Figure 14 When the ring piece 211 has four protrusions 211a, the curved surface 211c is shorter, which is more advantageous for the overall one-time molding. Similarly, when the ring piece 12 has more protrusions 211a, such as 8 protrusions 211a, the length of the curved surface 211c is further shortened. As shown in Figure 15 When the ring piece 211 has four protrusions 211a, the number of joints 21 in the bendable structure 2 is sufficient, and the bendable structure 2 can achieve a bending effect of 180°. If a larger bending angle is desired, more joints 21 can be arranged. In addition, from Figure 15 It can also be clearly seen that the bending deformation effect of the bendable structure 2 is not caused by the relative rotation and sliding between the structures, but by the deformability of the ring piece 211 itself. This deformation requires the material to have sufficient strength to ensure that it does not break. If a general thin plate laser cutting design is used, it is easy to break after a few bends. Therefore, the bendable structure 2 of the present application is based on sufficient plate width and elastic material, and the width of the plate width is given to the channel of the traction member 4, which does not cause a loss of internal space. When the bendable structure 2 needs to be assembled by stacking the ring piece 211. Since the positioning hole 211d and the anchor point a of the ring piece 211 are in the axial direction, the bendable structure 2 can be positioned in the outer circle.

[0066] As shown in Figure 16 The endoscope can also include a positioning sleeve 5 wrapped around the bendable structure 2, and the positioning sleeve 5 can be a braided tube. The positioning sleeve 5 not only can position the bendable structure 2, but also can reduce damage to the target tissue when the bendable structure 2 passes through the cavity.

[0067] The bendable structure 2 provided by the present application is stacked by the same ring pieces 211, has few types of parts, low assembly cost, especially when integrally formed, can further reduce production cost, and is particularly suitable for one-time use. The ring piece 211 can be provided as a butterfly-shaped plate spring. The elastic deformation property and special curvature structure of the butterfly-shaped plate spring ensure large deformation and bending performance. Because the butterfly-shaped plate spring has a wide plate property, it is not easy to break, and the contact surface between the ring pieces 211 is larger, so that the effect is more reliable when welding and fixing and bending multiple times. Moreover, the butterfly-shaped plate spring also has sufficient width to provide sufficient welding area to ensure welding strength. The structure of the ring piece 211 is simple, and can be continuously punched to form positioning holes, and a certain size of the flange can also be pressed, so the processing cost is low. After welding and assembling the plurality of joints 21, the traction of a single traction member 4 can cause unidirectional rotation. During the operation process, the operator simultaneously pulls two adjacent traction members 4 to obtain a certain offset direction rotation, that is, the universal effect. Especially, the welding installation process of the bendable structure 2 can realize different sizes of welding points in sequence to form different riveting forces (i.e., welding forces), which means that the bendable structure 2 has different flexibilities from the distal end to the proximal end, and can be suitable for more occasions.

[0068] It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, without departing from the method of the present application, some improvements and supplements can also be made, which should be considered as the protection scope of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present application, some changes, modifications and equivalent changes made by using the technical content disclosed above are equivalent embodiments of the present application; at the same time, any equivalent changes, modifications and evolution of the above-mentioned embodiments according to the essential technology of the present application are still within the scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible structure, characterized in that, The connector includes two ring plates; each ring plate has at least two opposing protrusions and at least two opposing recesses; the protrusions and recesses are spaced apart circumferentially along the ring plate; the protrusions and recesses protrude in different directions along the axial direction of the ring plate; the protrusions and recesses are connected by a curved surface; the two ring plates in the connector are directly connected by the protrusions or the recesses; the rigidity of the curved surface between the protrusions and the recesses is lower than that between the protrusions and the recesses; the ring width of the ring plate is 5 to 10 times its thickness; the flexible structure is configured to achieve bending by utilizing the elastic deformation of the connector itself.

2. The flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two ring plates in the joint are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner along the axial direction of the flexible structure.

3. The flexible structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the ring plate does not exceed 0.3 mm.

4. The flexible structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ring plate has an even number of protrusions, and the number of recesses is the same as the number of protrusions.

5. The flexible structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The flexible structure is formed by sequentially connecting multiple joints along the axial direction of the flexible structure.

6. The flexible structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flexibility of the flexible structures varies in the axial direction.

7. The flexible structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flexibility of the plurality of joints gradually decreases from the distal end to the proximal end in the axial direction of the flexible structure.

8. The flexible structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, Multiple ring pieces are sequentially welded together along the axial direction of the flexible structure.

9. A flexible device, characterized in that, It includes a main body and a flexible structure as described in any one of claims 1-8, the flexible structure being disposed at the distal end of the main body.

10. The flexible device according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a positioning sleeve that covers the flexible structure.

11. The flexible device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, It also includes a traction member, the distal end of which is fixedly connected to the distal end of the flexible structure, and the proximal end of which passes through all the ring plates in sequence.

12. An endoscope, characterized in that, The flexible device as described in any one of claims 9-11 is used.

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