An active bending section, an insertion section, and an endoscope

Abstract

The present invention discloses an active bending section, an insertion part and an endoscope. The active bending section includes a main body and a mounting member. The main body is an integral tubular structure formed by sequentially connecting a plurality of spiral units end to end. The mounting member is provided on the outer wall of the spiral unit and has a mounting channel for mounting a traction rope, and the mounting channel axially penetrates the mounting member along the spiral unit. The spiral unit has abutting parts located at both axial ends thereof, and the abutting parts and the mounting channel are on the same side of the spiral unit in the radial direction. Under the pulling of the traction rope, one of the adjacent two spiral units can relatively rotate with respect to the other with the abutting part as a support. The present invention can transfer the pulling force of the traction rope by abutting adjacent spiral units, avoiding large torsional deformation of adjacent spiral units on the bending side, resulting in mutual dislocation, and further avoiding the situation where the dislocation position is uncontrollable. Therefore, it is beneficial to improve the controllability of the rotation angle of the active bending section, thereby effectively ensuring the imaging stability of the front-end module and ensuring the imaging effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to an active bending section, an insertion part, and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope is a commonly used medical device, which is an inspection device that can directly enter the natural ducts of the human body and can provide sufficient diagnostic information for doctors to treat diseases. When in use, by controlling the bending of the active bending section of the insertion part, the orientation of the front-end module can be adjusted, thereby obtaining image information of the target part.

[0003] In the related art, a spiral tube is used as the active bending section of the endoscope, which has the advantages of low cost and high processing efficiency. However, in actual use, the active bending section of this structure has unstable bending, which easily causes the imaging area obtained by the front-end lens to shift. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention discloses an active bending section, an insertion part, and an endoscope to solve the technical problem of unstable bending existing in the active bending section in the related art.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an active bending section applied to an endoscope. The endoscope includes a traction rope for pulling the active bending section. The active bending section includes a main body and a mounting member. The main body includes a plurality of spiral units, and the plurality of spiral units are sequentially connected end to end to form an integral tubular structure. Among them, the mounting member is provided on the outer wall of the spiral unit. The mounting member has a mounting channel for mounting the traction rope, and the mounting channel axially penetrates the mounting member along the spiral unit. The spiral unit has abutting parts at both axial ends thereof, and the abutting parts and the mounting channel are on the same side in the radial direction of the spiral unit. Under the pulling of the traction rope, one of the adjacent two spiral units can rotate relative to the other with the abutting part as a support.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application provides an insertion part including the above-mentioned active bending section.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present application provides an endoscope including a handle and an insertion part. The handle is connected to the insertion part, and the handle can control the bending of the active bending section.

[0009] The technical solutions adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0010] The present invention can transfer the pulling force of the traction rope by means of the abutment of adjacent spiral units, enabling better force transmission between different spiral units, avoiding large torsional deformations on the bending side due to the rotation of adjacent spiral units, and preventing the misalignment of adjacent spiral units and the uncontrollable misalignment position between the two. Therefore, it is beneficial to improve the controllability of the rotation angle of the active bending section, effectively ensuring the imaging stability of the front-end module and the imaging effect. In addition, the installation part is independently arranged from the main body, which is beneficial to simplifying the structure of the main body and reducing the processing difficulty of the main body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the bending of the active bending section in the related art;

[0013] Figure 2 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 is another structural schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the relative rotation of adjacent spiral units in the embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 is Figure 4 the enlarged schematic diagram of the abutting part of the adjacent spiral units in Figure 1 ;

[0017] Figure 6 is the third structural schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 7 is the enlarged schematic diagram of the abutting part of the adjacent spiral units of the embodiment of the present application Figure 2

[0019] Figure 8 is the schematic diagram of the chamfered surface in the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 9 is the side view of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] In the figure:

[0022] 100 - Spiral unit, 110 - Stop portion, 200 - Mounting member, 210 - Mounting channel, 220 - Chamfered surface, 300 - Traction rope, 400 - Skin. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other implementation manners obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the scope protected by the present invention.

[0024] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are usually of the same type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or multiple. In addition, "and / or" in the description and claims means at least one of the connected objects. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0025] The technical solutions disclosed in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0026] In the related art, an endoscope includes an operation portion (also known as a handle) and an insertion portion. The handle portion is used to control the insertion portion to enter the human body. Among them, a traction rope is arranged inside the insertion portion, and a traction mechanism is arranged in the handle. The traction mechanism can tighten the traction rope on one side of the active bending section and loosen the traction rope on the other side, so that the active bending section of the endoscope rotates towards the side where the traction rope is tightened. The operator can control the traction mechanism in the handle to pull the traction rope, thereby pulling the active bending section of the insertion portion, and further adjusting the orientation of the front-end module (including a camera and a light source lamp) to obtain image information of the target part.

[0027] In order to reduce processing costs and improve production efficiency, in the related art, an integrally formed active bending section formed by spiral cutting is used as a snake bone in the endoscope. There is a certain distance between the spiral units in the active bending section, and the distance provides a space for avoidance during the bending process between adjacent spiral units. Among them, a traction rope is arranged inside the active bending section to control the bending of the active bending section. During the pulling process of the traction rope, the traction rope drives the spiral unit to contract along the axial direction, and the distance between adjacent spiral units gradually decreases and rotates relative to each other on the bending side.

[0028] Please refer toFigure 1 When the active bending section is bent to a certain angle, since the distance between the bending sides of adjacent spiral units decreases and the distance between the sides opposite to the bending sides increases, the spiral units will undergo torsional deformation. As a result, the bending side edges of adjacent spiral units are relatively misaligned, and the adjacent spiral units are misaligned and engaged with each other due to torsional deformation. At this time, the edge of one spiral unit abuts against the inner wall or outer wall of another spiral unit. On this basis, since the edge of the spiral unit is spiral-shaped, it is then easy for adjacent spiral units to slide along the spiral edge. Moreover, in the absence of relevant limiting structures, the misalignment depth or misalignment position between adjacent spiral units cannot be controlled, that is, the relative rotation angle between adjacent spiral units cannot be controlled. Therefore, during the above use process of the active bending section structure, the bending angle of the active bending section is uncontrollable, which leads to an uncontrollable shift in the shooting target position of the camera, thereby directly affecting the imaging effect.

[0029] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an active bending section, which is applied to an endoscope. The endoscope includes a traction rope for pulling the active bending section.

[0030] The traction rope 300 is a transmission structure of the active bending section. The proximal end of the traction rope 300 is connected to a traction mechanism inside the handle of the endoscope, and its distal end is fixedly connected to the distal end of the active bending section. By controlling the traction mechanism, the active bending section can be pulled via the traction rope 300, and the active bending section bends towards the side of the traction rope 300 being pulled. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the relative distances from the user in the use environment of the endoscope and its accessories. Among them, the end closer to the user is designated as the "proximal end", and the end farther from the user is designated as the "distal end".

[0031] Please refer to Figure 2 The active bending section disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes a main body and a mounting member 200. The main body includes a plurality of spiral units 100, and the plurality of spiral units 100 are connected end to end in sequence to form an integral tubular structure.

[0032] The side walls of the spiral unit 100 are arranged in a spiral shape, and the spiral side walls are circled around its axis to form a spiral unit 100, and each spiral unit 100 is connected end to end in sequence to form a spiral tube structure. The active bending section of the embodiment of the present application can adopt an integrated active bending section, which has better overall strength and can have a longer service life, and can also completely avoid the situation where the spiral units 100 are detached. The adjacent spiral units 100 in the active bending section can rotate with each other. In the length direction of the active bending section, each spiral unit 100 can rotate relative to the adjacent spiral units 100 to achieve the bending action of the entire active bending section, thereby adjusting the direction of the front end module. Among them, the spiral integrated tube structure can be part of the active bending section, or it can be directly used as the active bending section.

[0033] See also Figures 2 to 4 The mounting member 200 is arranged on the outer wall of the spiral unit 100, and the mounting member 200 has a mounting channel 210 for mounting the traction rope 300, and the mounting channel 210 penetrates the mounting member 200 along the axial direction of the spiral unit 100; the spiral unit 100 has stop portions 110 located at both ends of the axial direction, and the stop portions 110 and the mounting channel 210 are located on the same side of the radial direction of the spiral unit 100; under the pulling of the traction rope 300, one of the two adjacent spiral units 100 can be supported by the stop portion 110 and rotate relatively to the other.

[0034] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 , two adjacent spiral units 100 can be abutted and matched through the stop portion 110, and the two abut against each other to rotate, so as to realize the bending action of the active bending section. It can be understood that there is no large spacing between the two adjacent spiral units 100, and they are in a state of being fitted or only having a small gap. When the active bending section is bent, the two adjacent spiral units 100 abut against each other through their respective stop portions 110. The spiral tubular active bending section in the related art realizes bending by providing an avoidance space through the spacing, that is, the adjacent spiral units 100 rotate relative to each other by shortening the spacing along the axial direction. After the active bending section is bent to a certain extent, the edge of one spiral unit 100 abuts against the inner wall or outer wall of another spiral unit 100, and the curved side wall of the latter supports the spiral edge of the former, so that the abutting and matching state of the two is unstable, and it is easy to cause the two to continue to slide against each other as the pulling force increases. The adjacent spiral units 100 are in a state of mutual embedding and dislocation, and the mutual dislocation between the two is uncontrollable.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the adjacent spiral units 100 are supported by their respective abutment portions 110, and then rotate under the pulling force of the traction rope 300. On the one hand, in the embodiment of the present application, the adjacent spiral units 100 can directly abut. During the rotation process, one of them provides support for the other, and even if the active bending section is in a state with a large degree of bending, the edges of the adjacent spiral units 100 are still in a state of abutment with each other, and there will be no mutual embedding or misalignment. The present application can transmit the pulling force of the traction rope 300 by means of abutment, thereby enabling better transmission of the acting force between different spiral units 100, which is beneficial to improving the controllability of the deflection angle of the active bending section structure.

[0036] On the other hand, there is a spacing between adjacent spiral units in the active bending section in the related art, so that the spiral unit has a larger bending stroke during the bending process, which makes the degree of twisting deformation of the spiral unit greater during the bending process of the active bending section. In the embodiment of the present application, the adjacent spiral units 100 abut against each other during the bending process, and the twisting deformation of the bending side of the spiral unit 100 affected by the bending stroke is small, so that the spiral units 100 are not prone to mutual misalignment and interlocking due to twisting deformation. Thereby ensuring that the shooting target position of the front-end camera will not be affected by the misalignment and interlocking between adjacent spiral units 100 during the use of the endoscope.

[0037] In the related art, the traction rope is set inside the spiral unit. When there is a distance between adjacent spiral units, the traction rope applies force along the axial direction of the spiral unit, which can drive each spiral unit to shrink and move together along the axial direction, so that the active bending section can bend. However, compared with the structure of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application, there is no avoidance space between adjacent spiral units 100 for them to bend. The traction rope 300 set inside the spiral unit 100 can only apply a pulling force along the axial direction of the spiral unit 100. Therefore, the pulling force can only make the adjacent spiral units 100 press against each other, and the traction rope 300 cannot drive the spiral units 100 to rotate relative to each other, so the bending of the active bending section cannot be achieved.

[0038] To do this, see Figure 4 and Figure 5, in the embodiment of the present application, on the premise that two adjacent spiral units 100 are abutted and cooperated through the abutting portion 110, the towing rope 300 is threaded into the installation channel 210 of the installation member 200 installed on the outer wall of each spiral unit 100, so as to achieve the purpose of bending the active bending section. In this way, when the towing rope 300 is pulled, the towing rope 300 applies a pulling force to the outside of the spiral unit 100. According to the lever principle, the towing rope 300 applies a force to the spiral unit 100, and the spiral unit 100 uses the abutting portion 110 as a support. The adjacent spiral units 100 move away from each other on the side away from the bending side, and the whole active bending section bends towards the side where the towing rope 300 is located. In this setting mode, the towing rope 300 and the side of the spiral unit 100 away from the bending side are respectively located on both sides of the abutting portion 110. The towing rope 300 pulls the spiral unit 100 to rotate relative to the adjacent spiral unit 100, which is similar to the process of the lever action, so the active bending section can be bent.

[0039] It should be noted that the installation member 200 is provided with an installation channel 210 corresponding to the towing rope 300, and the abutting portion 110 at the end of the spiral unit 100 and the installation channel 210 are both located on the radial side where the towing rope 300 is located. That is to say, each installation channel 210 is provided with a corresponding abutting portion 110, and the installation channel 210 and the corresponding abutting portion 110 are located on the same side of the same radial direction of the spiral unit 100. Among them, the abutting portion 110 is a partial segment of the two end faces of the spiral unit 100 in the axial direction.

[0040] In some alternative embodiments, the active bending section can be used for the insertion part of an endoscope. Exemplarily, when the active bending section is used for the insertion part of an endoscope, in order to prevent human tissue fluid from entering the active bending section, its surface is wrapped with a skin 400, and the skin 400 also wraps the installation member 200. In this way, the skin 400 is supported by the installation member 200, and there is a certain interval space between the skin 400 and the spiral unit 100. In this way, when the spiral unit 100 bends, the adjacent spiral units 100 on the bending side will not clamp the skin 400, avoiding damage to the skin 400 and preventing external liquids and tissues from entering the insertion part through the gap of the clamped skin 400, thereby improving the safety of the insertion part.

[0041] In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, the installation channel 210 is directly provided on the installation member 200. The installation member 200, as the carrier of the installation channel 210, is connected to each spiral unit 100 of the main body, so that the main body does not need to process corresponding structures for the traction rope 300 during the processing, which is beneficial to simplifying the structure of the main body, improving the overall structural strength of the main body, and at the same time reducing the processing difficulty of the main body. The installation member 200 and the main body can be connected by gluing, welding or other means to fix the installation member 200 on the main body. It should be understood that the installation member 200 is connected to each spiral unit 100, so that the pulling force of the traction rope 300 can act on each spiral unit 100 to make the relative rotation of adjacent spiral units 100, so as to achieve the purpose of bending the active bending section.

[0042] In order to enable the adjacent spiral units 100 to abut and cooperate when the active bending section bends. In some embodiments of the present application, the abutting portions 110 of two adjacent spiral units 100 are in contact with each other, or the width of the gap between the abutting portions 110 of two adjacent spiral units 100 is less than 0.2 mm.

[0043] When the abutting portions 110 of adjacent spiral units 100 are in contact with each other, the abutting portions 110 of the two are in an abutting state when the spiral units 100 rotate relative to each other. The reason for setting the width of the gap between the abutting portions 110 of adjacent spiral units 100 to be less than 0.2 mm is that if the width of the gap is set too large, the two adjacent spiral units 100 will be distorted and deformed during the bending process, resulting in mutual dislocation and interlocking. In this way, it is easy to cause uncontrollable movement at the position where the adjacent spiral units 100 are misaligned, resulting in the deviation of the front-end camera position and affecting the imaging effect. In some alternative embodiments, the width of the gap between the abutting portions 110 can be set but is not limited to 0.02 mm, 0.04 mm, 0.06 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.18 mm, etc.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 6 , the installation member 200 is arranged along the axial direction of the main body to form a spiral structure, and the spiral direction of the installation member 200 is the same as that of the spiral unit 100; the installation member 200 has a plurality of sequentially connected spiral segments, one spiral segment corresponds to one spiral unit 100, and there is a clearance between adjacent spiral segments.

[0045] The mounting member 200 is arranged along the axial direction of the main body to form a spiral structure, that is: the mounting member 200 is an integral structure, and the mounting member 200 spirally winds along the axis of the main body on the outer wall of the main body, and finally forms a spiral structure wound around the main body. It can be understood that the spiral direction of the mounting member 200 is the same as that of the spiral unit 100, that is, the axial length of each spiral segment in the spiral unit 100 is equal to the axial length of each spiral unit 100.

[0046] When the mounting member 200 is in a spiral structure, the outer contour of the active bending section can still generally present a cylindrical shape. In the application scenarios of some embodiments, the active bending section is used for the insertion part of the endoscope, and the insertion part can be inserted into the human body. During this process, the cylindrical active bending section is more adaptable to various cavities in the human body, which is beneficial to improving the comfort of the patient during the diagnosis or treatment process.

[0047] Since the mounting member 200 is arranged on the main body in the form of a spiral structure, after the mounting member 200 presents a spiral structure, its whole can have a certain elasticity. In the application scenarios of some embodiments, after the active bending section completes the bending action, with the subsequent operation requirements, the active bending section may return to the initial straight state. In this case, due to the bending of the active bending section, the mounting member 200 has a certain elastic potential energy. When the active bending section returns to the initial straight state, the elastic potential energy of the mounting member 200 assists the active bending section to return to the initial straight state. That is to say, the mounting member 200 can make the active bending section return to the initial straight state to the greatest extent, reduce the deformation degree of the active bending section during long-term use, and thus improve the use performance of the active bending section.

[0048] The mounting member 200 is wound around the main body in a spiral structure, and there is a clearance between adjacent spiral segments, so that during the relative rotation of the corresponding adjacent spiral units 100, the adjacent spiral segments will not abut against each other, preventing the adjacent spiral segments from abutting against each other and causing the adjacent spiral units 100 to no longer be able to rotate relative to each other, thereby causing the active bending section to be stuck, and ensuring the use performance and reliability of the active bending section.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present application, a layer of skin 400 is wrapped on the surface of the active bending section. The adjacent spiral segments avoid clamping the skin 400 during the rotation of the adjacent spiral units 100 through the clearance, thereby avoiding damage to the skin 400 and losing its protective effect. The clearance provides a safe space for the adjacent spiral segments to protect the skin 400, which is beneficial to the long-term protection of the active bending section by the skin 400.

[0050] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 7, the spiral unit 100 has a first spiral edge located on one axial side, and the spiral section is disposed adjacent to the first spiral edge of the corresponding spiral unit 100.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7 , during the bending process of the active bending section, the adjacent spiral units 100 rotate relative to each other with the abutting portion 110 as a support, and a certain included angle structure is formed on the bending side. As the rotation angle of the spiral unit 100 gradually increases, the included angle of the included angle structure gradually decreases. The traction rope 300 located on the bending side of the spiral unit 100 is always in a straightened state during the pulling process, and presents a straight state between the installation channels 210 of the adjacent spiral units 100. When the adjacent spiral units 100 do not rotate, the traction rope 300 is parallel to the outer wall of the spiral unit 100. As the included angle structure between the spiral units 100 is formed, a certain interval space is gradually formed between the abutting portion of the traction rope 300 and the spiral unit 100. The greater the degree of rotation of the spiral unit 100, the greater the distance of this interval space. In some embodiments, the outer skin 400 on the outside of the active bending section is propped up by the traction rope 300 towards the outside of the spiral unit 100 as the distance of this interval space increases, and is away from the abutting portion between the spiral units 100. When the traction rope 300 is applied to an endoscope, the outer diameter size of the traction rope 300 is usually set to be small, so that the active bending section can have a small volume, so as to adapt to various small cavities in the human body. However, during the rotation process of the above-mentioned spiral unit 100, the skin 400 is propped up by the traction rope 300 away from the outer wall of the spiral unit 100, so that the sliding traction rope 300 will act on the skin 400. The thin traction rope 300 is easy to cut the skin 400, and the greater the degree of being propped up and away, the greater the risk of cutting.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 7 , in some embodiments of the present application, setting the spiral section in the mounting member 200 along the first spiral edge of the spiral unit 100 can make the interval space between the abutting portion of the traction rope 300 and the spiral unit 100 smaller during the rotation of the adjacent spiral units 100, and the distance between the traction rope 300 and the abutting portion is shorter. Therefore, the degree of the skin 400 being propped up and away is lower, thereby reducing the landslide risk.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present application, the mounting member 200 has a plurality of mounting units, one mounting unit corresponds to one spiral unit 100, and the mounting units are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the main body.

[0054] The installation member 200 adopts a split combination structure and is composed of multiple installation units. Each installation unit is arranged at intervals along the length direction on one radial side of the main body. Each installation unit is correspondingly provided with an installation channel 210, and the traction rope 300 is threaded through the installation channels 210 of each installation unit. During the process of pulling the traction rope 300, the traction rope 300 applies a pulling force to each spiral unit 100 through the installation unit, so that adjacent spiral units 100 are in contact with each other and rotate, thereby controlling the bending of the active bending section. It should be understood that there is a certain distance between adjacent installation units in the circumferential direction of the spiral unit 100, so that during the relative rotation of the corresponding adjacent spiral units 100, the adjacent installation units will not contact each other, preventing the adjacent spiral units 100 from no longer being able to rotate relative to each other, thereby causing the active bending section to be stuck, and ensuring the service performance and reliability of the active bending section.

[0055] Of course, one installation unit does not have to be provided with only one installation channel 210. Please refer to Figure 9 , and the installation channels 210 can be correspondingly set according to the number of traction ropes 300 arranged. For example, when the traction ropes 300 are arranged on different sides of the spiral unit 100, the installation channels 210 are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the spiral unit 100.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 8 , chamfered surfaces 220 are provided at both axial ends of the installation unit on the spiral unit 100. Along the radial direction of the spiral unit 100, the chamfered surfaces 220 are inclined towards the middle of the installation unit in the axial direction of the spiral unit 100.

[0057] The installation unit is connected to the outer wall of the spiral unit 100, and during the rotation of the spiral unit 100, the installation unit rotates with the spiral unit 100. In some embodiments, during the rotation of the spiral unit 100, the two axial ends of the installation unit contact and slide relative to the outer skin 400 outside it. The chamfered surfaces 220 at the ends of the installation unit can increase the contact area between the ends of the installation unit and the outer skin 400, reduce the concentration degree of the acting force of the ends of the installation unit on the outer skin 400, thereby reducing the risk of the outer skin 400 being scratched, which is beneficial to increasing the use reliability of the active bending section and improving the service life of the endoscope. In some embodiments, when adjacent spiral units 100 rotate to a certain extent, the installation units may contact each other, and the outer skin 400 is clamped by the ends of adjacent installation units. By increasing the contact area of the mutual contact of the installation units through the chamfered surfaces 220, the clamping force is prevented from being too concentrated at the clamped part of the outer skin 400, thereby also reducing the risk of the outer skin 400 being clamped and broken.

[0058] Optionally, the chamfered surface 220 is set as a flat surface or an arc surface, so that the installation unit has a chamfer and a fillet at the end on the side away from the main body. The chamfer structure or the fillet structure makes the end of the installation unit not protrude sharply, reducing the damage of the end of the installation unit to the outer skin 400.

[0059] The towing rope 300 is arranged along the axial direction of the main body on one radial side of the main body. Pulling the towing rope 300 can cause the active bending section to bend on this radial side. It can be understood that multiple towing ropes 300 can be arranged in the circumferential direction of the main body, and different towing ropes 300 can apply pulling forces to the active bending section at different positions in the circumferential direction, so that the active bending section can perform bending actions in different directions. Please refer to Figure 9 , the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific number of the towing ropes 300, which can be two, three, four, etc. Then the installation channels 210 are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the same spiral unit 100 corresponding to different towing ropes 300.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present application, only one towing rope 300 is passed through the same spiral unit 100 of the main body. That is to say, only one installation channel 210 is opened on the mounting member 200 on the same spiral unit 100. Compared with the active bending section provided with multiple towing ropes 300 in the related art, the structure of the active bending section of the present application is obviously simpler, so the operation is simpler and more reliable.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present application, two towing ropes 300 are provided on the main body, and two towing ropes 300 are passed through the same spiral unit 100. The mounting member 200 has a first installation channel and a second installation channel. The first installation channel is located on one side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit 100, and the second installation channel is located on the other side of the second radial direction of the spiral unit 100. That is to say, two installation channels 210 are opened on the mounting member 200 on the same spiral unit 100 in different radial directions.

[0062] Of course, the first installation channel and the second installation channel can also be located on both sides of the first radial direction respectively. That is to say, two installation channels 210 are opened on the mounting member 200 on the same spiral unit 100 on both sides of the same radial direction. In this layout, the bendable directions of the active bending section are increased, so that the orientation requirements of the front-end module can be better met, which is beneficial to improving the adjustment performance of the active bending section.

[0063] It can be understood that the mounting member 200 of the integral structure is connected to the main body, and different mounting channels 210 can be provided at different circumferential positions of the main body. In some other embodiments of the present application, the mounting member 200 includes a first mounting member and a second mounting member. The first mounting member 200 is provided with a third mounting channel, and the second mounting member is provided with a fourth mounting channel. The third mounting channel is located on one side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit 100, and the fourth mounting channel is located on the other side of the second radial direction of the spiral unit 100. Alternatively, the third mounting channel and the fourth mounting channel are respectively located on both sides of the first radial direction. Through the split-type mounting member 200, the corresponding mounting member 200 is set for the traction ropes 300 at different positions, and then the mounting channels 210 are opened for the traction ropes 300 at different circumferential positions, so that the traction ropes 300 can pull the spiral unit 100 to rotate.

[0064] It should be noted that the first radial direction and the second radial direction are two different radial directions of the same spiral unit 100. In the case of the need for multiple traction ropes, the corresponding mounting channels 210 can also be continuously provided in the third radial direction, the fourth radial direction, etc. of the spiral unit 100.

[0065] In some alternative embodiments, the cross-section of the mounting member 200 is circular, semi-circular, fan-shaped, etc., and the outer peripheral wall of the mounting member 200 on the side away from the outer wall of the spiral unit 100 is curved. Since the skin 400 is provided on the outside of the spiral unit 100, and the skin 400 also wraps the mounting member 200, the curved outer contour makes the sliding between the mounting member 200 and the skin 400 smoother, avoiding the skin 400 being scratched by the abnormal convex structure, and improving the structural stability of the active bending. It should be understood that in this setting method, the outer diameter size of the mounting member 200 should not be too large, so that the outer peripheral size of the active bending section is smaller, which is beneficial to the miniaturization design of the active bending section.

[0066] The embodiment of the present application also provides an insertion part, which includes the active bending section mentioned in any of the foregoing solutions. The insertion part of this embodiment has the beneficial effects of the foregoing active bending section, which will not be elaborated here.

[0067] The insertion part may further include a passive bending section, which is connected to the proximal end of the active bending section and can passively follow the bending when the active bending section actively bends.

[0068] The insertion part may further include a rigid tube section, which is connected to the proximal end of the passive bending section and is set to be not easily bent or completely not bent, so as to improve the overall controllability of the insertion part.

[0069] The embodiment of the present application also provides an endoscope, which includes a handle and the aforementioned insertion portion. The handle is connected to the insertion portion, and the handle can control the bending of the active bending section. The endoscope of this embodiment has the beneficial effects of the aforementioned insertion portion and the active bending section, which will not be elaborated here.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present application, the handle may include a steering adjustment mechanism. The steering adjustment mechanism can control the rotation of the insertion portion around its axis. Combining with the bending action of the active bending section, the universal rotation of the active bending section can be achieved. In the embodiment where the handle includes a steering adjustment mechanism, two traction ropes may be provided.

[0071] The endoscope of the embodiment of the present application can be a gastroscope, colonoscope, laryngoscope, fiberoptic bronchoscope, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the type of the endoscope.

[0072] In the above embodiments of the present application, the differences between the embodiments are mainly described. As long as the different optimization features between the embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a better embodiment. Considering the simplicity of the text, it will not be elaborated here.

[0073] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An active bending section, applied to an endoscope, characterized in that, The endoscope includes a traction rope (300) for pulling the active bending section. The active bending section includes a main body and a mounting member (200). The main body includes a plurality of spiral units (100), and the plurality of spiral units (100) are connected end to end in sequence to form an integral tubular structure. Among them, the mounting member (200) is disposed on the outer wall of the spiral unit (100). The mounting member (200) has a mounting channel (210) for mounting the traction rope (300), and the mounting channel (210) penetrates the mounting member (200) along the axial direction of the spiral unit (100). The spiral unit (100) has abutting portions (110) at both axial ends thereof, and the abutting portions (110) and the mounting channel (210) are located on the same side in the radial direction of the spiral unit (100). Under the pulling of the traction rope (300), one of the adjacent two spiral units (100) can relatively rotate with respect to the other with the abutting portion (110) as a support. The abutting portions (110) of two adjacent spiral units (100) are in contact with each other. The mounting member (200) has a plurality of mounting units. One mounting unit is provided corresponding to one spiral unit (100), and the mounting units are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the main body.

2. The active bending section according to claim 1, wherein The mounting member (200) is arranged along the axial direction of the main body to form a spiral structure. The spiral direction of the mounting member (200) is the same as that of the spiral unit (100). The mounting member (200) has a plurality of sequentially connected spiral segments. One spiral segment corresponds to one spiral unit (100), and there is a clearance between adjacent spiral segments.

3. The active bending section according to claim 2, characterized in that, The spiral unit (100) has a first spiral edge on one axial side, and the spiral segment is arranged adjacent to the first spiral edge of the corresponding spiral unit (100).

4. The active bending section according to claim 1, wherein chamfered surfaces (220) are provided at both axial ends of the mounting unit in the axial direction of the spiral unit (100). Along the radial direction of the spiral unit (100), the chamfered surfaces (220) are inclined towards the middle of the mounting unit in the axial direction of the spiral unit (100).

5. The active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The mounting member (200) has a first mounting channel and a second mounting channel. The first mounting channel is located on one side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit (100), and the second mounting channel is located on the other side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit (100), or the first mounting channel and the second mounting channel are respectively located on both sides of the first radial direction.

6. The active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The mounting member (200) includes a first mounting member and a second mounting member. The first mounting member is provided with a third mounting channel, and the second mounting member is provided with a fourth mounting channel. The third mounting channel is located on one side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit (100), and the fourth mounting channel is located on the other side of the first radial direction of the spiral unit (100), or the third mounting channel and the fourth mounting channel are respectively located on both sides of the first radial direction.

7. An insertion part, characterized in that, It includes the active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An endoscope, characterized in that, Comprising a handle and the insertion portion described in claim 7, the handle is connected to the insertion portion, and the handle can control the bending of the active bending section.

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