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, which comprise a plurality of spiral units. Each spiral unit winds around an axis for one week, and the spiral units are connected in sequence to form a tubular structure. A first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit includes a first abutting part and a first limiting part for installing a traction rope, and the first limiting part protrudes from the outer wall of the first abutting part. Under the pulling of the traction rope, the first abutting parts of two adjacent spiral units can be in abutting cooperation, and one of the adjacent two spiral units can rotate relative to the other with the abutting part as a support. The present invention can transmit the pulling force of the traction rope in the way of abutting between adjacent spiral units, avoid large torsional deformation on the bending side due to the rotation of adjacent spiral units, and the situation that adjacent spiral units are misaligned with each other and the misalignment position between the two 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 specific use, by controlling the bending of the active bending section of the insertion part, the orientation of the front-end module can be adjusted, so as to obtain the 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 application, 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 of 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, including a plurality of spiral-shaped spiral units. Each spiral unit winds around an axis for one week, and the spiral units are connected in sequence to form a tubular structure. The first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit includes a first abutting part and a first limiting part for installing a traction rope, and the first limiting part protrudes from the outer wall of the first abutting part. Under the pulling of the traction rope, the first abutting parts of two adjacent spiral units can be abutted and matched, and one of the two adjacent spiral units can rotate relative to the other with the first 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 situation where adjacent spiral units are misaligned and the misalignment position is uncontrollable. 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. 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 unstable bending of the active bending section in the related art;

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in

[0015] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the rotation state of the spiral unit in the embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the disconnection structure of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the disconnection structure of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the spiral unit and its abutting edge in the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 8 is a side view of the active bending section in one of the embodiments of the present application;

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

[0021] Figure 10 is a top view of the embodiment of the present application.

[0022] In the figure:

[0023] 100 - Spiral unit, 101 - Support part, 102 - Away part, 110 - First abutting part, 111 - First abutting edge, 120 - First limiting part, 130 - Second abutting part, 140 - Second limiting part. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] 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. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation manners obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] 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, and the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0026] 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.

[0027] In the related art, an endoscope includes an operation part (also called a handle) and an insertion part, and the handle part is used to control the insertion part to enter the human body. Among them, a traction rope is arranged in the insertion part, 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 part, 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.

[0028] To reduce the processing cost and improve the production efficiency, in the related art, please refer to Figure 1, in an endoscope, an integrated active bending section formed by spiral cutting is used as a snake bone. There is a certain distance between adjacent spiral units in the active bending section, and this distance provides a clearance space for 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 units to contract along the axial direction, and the distance between adjacent spiral units on the bending side gradually decreases and they rotate relative to each other.

[0029] When the active bending section bends to a certain angle, due to the decrease in the distance between adjacent spiral units on the bending side and the increase in the distance on the side opposite to the bending side, the spiral units will undergo torsional deformation. As a result, the edges of the adjacent spiral units on the bending side are misaligned and engaged with each other due to the 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 edges of the spiral units are spiral-shaped, it is then easy for adjacent spiral units to slide relative to each other along the spiral edges. 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, in the above-mentioned use process of the active bending section structure, the bending angle is uncontrollable, which leads to an uncontrollable offset in the shooting target position of the camera, and directly affects the imaging effect.

[0030] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an active bending section for use in an endoscope.

[0031] Please refer to Figures 1 to 10 , the active bending section disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes a plurality of spiral-shaped spiral units 100. Each spiral unit 100 winds around the axis for one week, and the spiral units 100 are connected in sequence to form an integrated tubular structure. Among them:

[0032] The side wall of the spiral unit 100 is arranged in a spiral shape. The spiral side wall winds around its axis for one circle to form a spiral unit 100. Each spiral unit 100 is connected end to end in sequence to form a spiral tube structure. The active bending section in the embodiment of the present application can adopt an integrated active bending section. Compared with the solution in the related art where each section of the active bending section is assembled by riveting and snap-ring hinging, its overall strength is better, it can have a longer service life, and at the same time, the situation of spiral unit detachment can be avoided. Adjacent spiral units 100 in the active bending section can rotate relative to each other. In the length direction of the active bending section, each spiral unit 100 rotates relative to the adjacent spiral unit 100 to achieve the bending action of the entire active bending section, thereby adjusting the orientation of the front-end module. Among them, the spiral tube structure can be part of the active bending section or directly serve as the active bending section.

[0033] Regarding the processing of the active bending section, it can be formed by laser cutting or combined with other processing means such as stamping. In the embodiment of processing the spiral active bending section by laser cutting, integral cutting and forming can be achieved through laser spiral cutting to improve the processing efficiency and optimize the overall strength of the active bending section.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit 100 includes a first abutting portion 110 and a first limiting portion 120 for installing a traction rope; the first limiting portion 120 is connected to the spiral unit 100 on the first side, and the first limiting portion 120 protrudes from the outer wall of the first abutting portion 110. Under the pulling of the traction rope, one of the two adjacent spiral units 100 can rotate relative to the other with the first abutting portion 110 as a support.

[0035] Two adjacent spiral units 100 can be in abutting cooperation through the first abutting portion 110, and the two abut against each other and rotate to realize the bending action of the active bending section. It can be understood that there is no large gap between two adjacent spiral units 100, and they are in a state of being in contact or having only a tiny gap. When the active bending section bends, two adjacent spiral units 100 are in abutting cooperation with each other through their respective first abutting portions 110. The spiral tubular active bending section in the related art realizes bending through the avoidance space provided by the gap, that is, the two adjacent spiral units rotate relative to each other by shortening the gap along the axial direction. After the active bending section bends to a certain extent, the edge of one spiral unit abuts against the inner wall or outer wall of the other spiral unit, and the curved side wall of the latter supports the spiral edge of the former, making the abutting cooperation state unstable and easily causing the two to continue to slide relative to each other as the pulling force increases. The adjacent spiral units are in a state of being embedded and misaligned with each other, and the misalignment situation between the two is uncontrollable.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, two adjacent spiral units 100 are supported by the first abutting portion 110 and then rotate under the action of the pulling force of the traction rope. Compared with the related art, on the one hand, in the embodiment of the present application, two adjacent spiral units 100 can be directly abutted, and during the rotation process, one of them provides support for the other. Even when the active bending section is in a state of a large bending degree, the edges of two adjacent spiral units 100 are still in an abutting state and will not be in a state of being embedded and misaligned with each other. The present application can transmit the pulling force of the traction rope through the abutting method, so that the acting force can be better transmitted between different spiral units, which is beneficial to improving the controllability of the deflection angle of the active bending section structure.

[0037] On the other hand, there is a spacing between adjacent spiral units in the active bending section in the related art, which results in a larger bending stroke of the spiral units during the bending process. As a result, during the bending process of the active bending section, the degree of torsional deformation of the spiral units is greater. In the embodiments of the present application, the adjacent spiral units 100 are in abutting cooperation with each other during the bending process. The torsional deformation of the spiral units 100 on the bent side affected by the bending stroke is relatively small, so that it is not easy for the spiral units 100 to be misaligned and engaged with each other due to torsional deformation. Thus, during the use of the endoscope, the shooting target position of the front-end camera is not affected by the misalignment and engagement between adjacent spiral units.

[0038] In some alternative embodiments, the active bending section can be used for the insertion part of the endoscope. Exemplarily, when the active bending section is used for the insertion part of the endoscope, its surface is wrapped with a skin. Since there is no large spacing between adjacent spiral units 100 in the embodiments of the present application, during the bending process of the spiral units 100, the adjacent spiral units 100 on the bent side will not clamp the skin, avoiding damage to the skin and preventing external liquids and tissues from entering the insertion part through the pinched skin gap, thereby improving the safety of the insertion part.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 7 , the first abutting portion 110 is arranged on the first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit 100. The first side is one side in one of the radial directions of the spiral unit 100, that is to say, the first abutting portion 110 is arranged on the peripheral wall of the spiral unit 100; the first abutting portion 110 can be arranged at both axial ends of the spiral unit 100, and the first limiting portion 120 is arranged between the two first abutting portions 110. In this way, the spiral unit 100 abuts and cooperates with the adjacent spiral units 100 on both sides thereof; of course, there is only one adjacent spiral unit 100 for the spiral units 100 at both ends of the active bending section, so only one first abutting portion 110 is correspondingly arranged for the spiral units 100 at both ends of the active bending section.

[0040] The traction rope is the transmission structure of the active bending section. The proximal end of the traction rope is connected to the traction mechanism in 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, and the active bending section can be bent toward the side where the traction rope is pulled. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the relative distances of the endoscope and its accessories from the user in the use environment. 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".

[0041] The spiral unit 100 is provided with a first limiting portion 120 for threading the towing rope. The first limiting portion 120 plays a role in limiting and guiding the towing rope, so as to prevent the towing rope from accidentally shifting on the spiral unit 100. In this way, the cooperation stability between the towing rope and the active bending section can be optimized, thereby ensuring that the towing rope can smoothly achieve the pulling and driving function.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 4 , during the bending process of the active bending section, the adjacent spiral units 100 use the first abutting portion 110 on the bending side as the supporting portion 101, and the portion opposite to the first abutting portion 110 in the radial direction of the spiral unit 100 is used as the away portion 102. In the related art, the towing rope of the spiral-type active bending section is arranged inside the spiral unit. When there is a distance between adjacent spiral units, the towing rope applies a force along the axial direction of the spiral unit, which can drive the adjacent spiral units to approach and bend along the axial direction. However, compared with the structure of the active bending section in the embodiment of the present application, there is no avoidance space for bending between adjacent spiral units 100, and the towing rope 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 abut against each other tightly, and the towing rope cannot drive the adjacent spiral units 100 to rotate relative to each other, so the bending of the active bending section cannot be achieved.

[0043] For this reason, in the embodiment of the present application, the first limiting portion 120 is provided protruding from the outer wall of the first abutting portion 110, that is to say, the towing rope pulls the spiral unit 100 on the outer wall. When the towing rope provides a pulling force, the away portions 102 of the adjacent spiral units 100 move away from each other, so the adjacent spiral units 100 rotate relative to each other. During this process, the away portion 102 and the towing rope are located on both sides of the supporting portion 101. According to the lever principle, when the towing rope applies a force to the supporting portion 101, it can easily drive the away portion 102 to rotate, and the active bending section can bend toward the side of the towing rope being pulled.

[0044] Specifically, 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 first abutting portions 110 of two adjacent spiral units 100 are in contact with each other, or the width of the gap between the first abutting portions 110 of two adjacent spiral units 100 is less than 0.2 mm.

[0045] When the first abutting portions 110 of adjacent spiral units 100 are in contact with each other, the first abutting portions 110 of the two are in a butting state when the spiral units 100 rotate relative to each other. The gap width between the first abutting portions 110 of adjacent spiral units 100 is set to be less than 0.2 mm because if the gap width is set too large, the two adjacent spiral units 100 will be distorted during the bending process, resulting in misalignment and interlocking. In this way, it is easy to cause uncontrollable movement at the misaligned position of adjacent spiral units 100, resulting in the deviation of the front-end camera position and affecting the imaging effect. In some alternative embodiments, the gap width between the first abutting portions 110 can be set to, but 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.

[0046] Please refer to Figures 5 to 7 , in some embodiments of the present application, the first abutting portion 110 has a first abutting edge 111 close to the adjacent spiral unit 100, and the arrangement direction of the first abutting edge 111 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100.

[0047] The first abutting edge 111 is located on the side of the first abutting portion 110 close to the adjacent spiral unit 100. The adjacent two spiral units 100 are butted and cooperated at the first abutting edge 111, and the spiral unit 100 can rotate relative to the adjacent spiral unit 100 around the first abutting edge 111. Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the coordinate directions of the active bending section in space. Among them, the X direction is the axial direction of the active bending section, the Y direction is the radial direction of the active bending section where the first side is located, and the Z direction is the radial direction of the active bending section perpendicular to the Y direction. The arrangement direction of the first abutting edge 111 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100, that is, the contour line of the first abutting edge 111 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100. In some alternative embodiments, the contour line of the first abutting edge 111 includes, but is not limited to, a straight line type and a curve type.

[0048] Specifically, please refer to Figure 7 , the first abutting edge 111 can be arranged along the H direction or the S direction in the figure. The contour lines of the first abutting edge 111 arranged along the H direction or the S direction are all skew perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100. It should be noted that the S direction is a straight line direction, the first abutting edge 111 is arranged in a straight line along the S direction, and the contour line of the first abutting edge 111 is skew perpendicular to the axis of the spiral unit 100. The H direction is a curved direction around the axis of the spiral unit 100. The first abutting edge 111 is arranged in a curve along the H direction, and the tangents of the points on the contour line of the first abutting edge 111 are skew perpendicular to the axis of the spiral unit 100.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, the arrangement direction of the first abutting edge 111 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100. When adjacent spiral units 100 are abutted, the first abutting parts 110 abut against each other along the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100, and the adjacent spiral units 100 rotate in the same plane, so that the rotation directions of the spiral units 100 in the active bending section are consistent. Therefore, it can be ensured that the rotation of the active bending section will not cause spiral deflection, and the orientation adjustment of the front module is predictable, which is convenient for controlling the orientation of the front module.

[0050] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, as Figure 7 shown, the arrangement direction of the first abutting edge 111 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit 100. At the same time, the first abutting edge 111 is set to be straight, that is, the first abutting edge 111 is linearly arranged along the S direction, and the S direction and the Z direction are the same direction.

[0051] The arrangement directions of the first abutting edges 111 between adjacent spiral units 100 abut against each other. It can be seen that the contact surface between adjacent first abutting edges 111 is located in their arrangement direction. When the active bending section rotates, all parts of two adjacent first abutting edges 111 can be in contact in the S direction or the H direction. The mutual supporting area between adjacent spiral units 100 can be further increased, the abutting pressure between the two can be reduced, which is beneficial to the realization of stable abutting cooperation and rotational cooperation between the spiral units 100, reduces the risk of mutual dislocation and embedding of the spiral units 100, and improves the service life of the active bending section.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 8 , a wire passing channel is formed between the first limiting part 120 and the first abutting part 110, and the towing rope is passed through the wire passing channel.

[0053] In order to improve the reliability of the first limiting part 120 for guiding and limiting the towing rope, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the first limiting part 120 is a limiting piece. It can be understood that the sheet-shaped first limiting part 120 and the towing rope have a larger contact area, and the pressure between the two is smaller, so as to weaken the mutual wear between the two. That is to say, the limiting piece in this embodiment can play a certain protective effect on the towing rope, thereby extending the service life of the towing rope and improving the reliability and stability of the cooperation between the two.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the specific configuration of the first limiting part 120 or the second limiting part 130 is not limited, as Figure 9As shown, it can also be a structure such as a slot or a through hole opened on the outer wall of the spiral unit 100. The first limiting portion 120 protrudes from the outer wall and is a structure with a traction rope installation hole; or the first limiting portion 120 of the limiting piece structure protrudes from the outer wall of the spiral unit 100.

[0055] In some embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figure 8 The first stop portion 110 is concavely arranged along the radial direction of the spiral unit 100 .

[0056] The first stop portion 110 is concavely arranged so that the first limiting portion 120 protrudes from the outer wall of the first stop portion 110, providing installation space for the first limiting portion 120, so that the first limiting portion 120 does not need to protrude from the peripheral wall of the spiral unit 100. In other words, the overall peripheral structure of the active bending section is more rounded, the limiting portion does not bring a protruding structure to the active bending section, and the active bending section as a whole does not have a protruding special shape. Thereby, the active bending section is more adaptable to various cavities in the human body, and during the use of the endoscope, the special-shaped protruding structure is avoided from causing discomfort to the patient, bringing a better user experience to the patient. Optionally, the outer wall of the first limiting portion 120 has the same radius as the peripheral wall of the spiral unit 100, and the first limiting portion 120 and the spiral unit 100 form a more rounded structure, thereby avoiding a special-shaped protruding structure, having the advantages of being beautiful and convenient for processing, while improving the comfort of the patient.

[0057] In addition, the first stop portion 110 is concavely set, which also provides an avoidance space for the installation of the traction rope, so that the traction rope can be smoothly installed in the limit portion along the axial direction of the active bending section, thereby improving the convenience of installation. Furthermore, the stop edge can also be set to a straight type to provide a structural basis. Since the spiral unit 100 is usually small in size, if only the stop edge of the first stop portion 110 is set to a straight type, the processing technology and materials are required to be high. If the entire first stop portion 110 is concavely set, it is easier to make its stop edge concave, so that the stop edge is processed into a straight type. The first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 130 can be concave to form a clearance platform. In this way, it is convenient to process the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 130 concavely, which can be achieved by stamping. At the same time, the stop edges of the two are also processed into a straight type.

[0058] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 8 to 10 A second stop portion 130 and a second limiting portion 140 for installing a traction rope are provided on the second radial side of the spiral unit 100, and the second side is opposite to the first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit 100. Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the first side and the second side are respectively on both sides in the Y direction; the second limiting part 140 is connected to the spiral unit 100 on the second side, and the second limiting part 140 protrudes from the outer wall of the second abutting part 130; under the pulling of the traction rope, the second abutting parts 130 of two adjacent spiral units 100 can be abutted and matched, and one of the adjacent two spiral units 100 can rotate relative to the other with the second abutting part 130 as a support.

[0059] By arranging the second abutting part 130 and the second limiting part 140 on the second side in the radial direction of the spiral unit 100, the active bending section can be bent towards the second side. Under the structural layout of this embodiment, the traction rope is arranged on both radial sides of the active bending section through the first limiting part 120 and the second limiting part 140, and the active bending section can be bent in two directions on the first side and the second side. Among them, the connection relationship and cooperation relationship between the second abutting part 130 and the second limiting part 140 and the first abutting part 110 and the second limiting part 140 in the above embodiment are the same. Therefore, the second abutting part 130 and the second limiting part 140 of this embodiment have the beneficial effects of the foregoing first limiting part 120 and second limiting part 140, so they will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present application, corresponding abutting parts and limiting parts can be arranged on the spiral unit 100 according to the requirements of the bending direction of the active bending section. In addition to arranging the abutting parts and limiting parts on the first side and / or the second side of the spiral unit 100 as described above, the abutting parts and limiting parts can also be arranged in other radial directions on the peripheral wall of the spiral unit 100 according to the usage requirements of the active bending section.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present application, the spiral unit 100, the first limiting part 120, the first abutting part 110, the second abutting part 130, and the second limiting part 140 are integrally formed.

[0062] It can be understood that the integrally formed limiting part, abutting part, and spiral unit 100 can strengthen the structural integrity of the active bending section, thereby optimizing the overall strength of the active bending section. Among them, the limiting part and the abutting part in this embodiment can be processed and formed by processes such as laser cutting and stamping. During the processing, the abutting parts and limiting parts on each spiral unit 100 are processed first, and then the active bending section as a whole is processed. Processing the structures on each spiral unit 100 first, at this time the spiral units 100 are an integral structure with each other, the relative positional relationship of each spiral unit 100 is clear, which is convenient for overall positioning and also improves the processing accuracy.

[0063] 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, and will not be elaborated here.

[0064] The insertion portion 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.

[0065] The insertion portion may further include a rigid tube section, which is connected to the proximal end of the passive bending section and is designed to be not easily bendable or completely non-bendable to improve the overall controllability of the insertion portion.

[0066] The embodiment of the present application further 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.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present application, the handle may include a steering adjustment mechanism, which can control the insertion portion to rotate around its axis. Combined 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, the traction ropes can be provided in two.

[0068] The endoscope of the embodiment of the present application can be a gastroscope, colonoscope, laryngoscope, fiber bronchoscope, etc. The present application does not specifically limit the types of endoscopes.

[0069] In the above embodiments of the present application, the differences between the various embodiments are mainly described. As long as the different optimization features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a more optimal embodiment. Considering the simplicity of the text, it will not be elaborated here.

[0070] 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 can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and all should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An active bending section, applied to an endoscope, characterized in that It includes a plurality of spiral-shaped spiral units (100), each of the spiral units (100) makes one full turn around its axis, and the spiral units (100) are connected in sequence to form an integral tubular structure; On the first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit (100), there are a first abutting portion (110) and a first limiting portion (120) for installing a traction rope, and the first limiting portion (120) protrudes from the outer wall of the first abutting portion (110); Under the pulling of the traction rope, the first abutting portions (110) of two adjacent spiral units (100) can be in abutting fit, and one of the two adjacent spiral units (100) can rotate relative to the other with the first abutting portion (110) as a support; The first abutting portion (110) has a first abutting edge (111) close to the adjacent spiral unit (100), and the arrangement direction of the first abutting edge (111) is perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral unit (100).

2. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first abutting edge (111) is straight.

3. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that, A wire passing channel is formed between the first limiting portion (120) and the first abutting portion (110), and the traction rope is threaded through the wire passing channel.

4. The active bending section according to claim 1, wherein The first abutting portion (110) is recessed inward along the radial direction of the spiral unit (100).

5. The active bending section according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first abutting portions (110) of two adjacent spiral units (100) are in contact with each other, or the width of the gap between the first abutting portions (110) of two adjacent spiral units (100) is less than 0.2 mm.

6. The active bending section according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that On the second side in the radial direction of the spiral unit (100), there are a second abutting portion (130) and a second limiting portion (140) for installing a traction rope, and the second side of the spiral unit (100) is opposite to the first side in the radial direction of the spiral unit (100); The second limiting portion (140) is connected to the spiral unit (100) on the second side, and the second limiting portion (140) protrudes from the outer wall of the second abutting portion (130); under the pulling of the traction rope, the second abutting portions (130) of two adjacent spiral units (100) can be in abutting fit, and one of the two adjacent spiral units (100) can rotate relative to the other with the second abutting portion (130) as a support.

7. The active bending section according to claim 6, wherein, The spiral unit (100), the first limiting portion (120), the first abutting portion (110), the second abutting portion (130) and the second limiting portion (140) are integrally formed.

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

9. An endoscope, characterized in that, It includes a handle and the insertion portion according to claim 8, the handle is connected to the insertion portion, and the handle can control the bending of the active bending section.

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