Method of manufacturing a bending assembly, transition assembly and endoscope

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of endoscopes, and particularly discloses a manufacturing method of a bending assembly, a transition assembly and an endoscope, the bending assembly comprising a snake bone and a traction rope connected to the snake bone, the manufacturing method comprising the following steps: S100, threading the traction rope into a sleeve to form a transition assembly; S300, inserting the transition assembly into an injection mold and fixing it; S500, injecting molten plastic into the injection mold; S600, after the injection body is cooled and shaped, pulling out the sleeve and obtaining the bending assembly; in the above scheme, the sleeve is introduced to play an isolating role between the molten plastic and the traction rope, so that the distal end of the traction rope and the snake bone are integrally injection molded together to realize the connection and fixation of the distal end of the traction rope and the distal end of the snake bone, and meanwhile the sleeve can also construct a traction rope mounting hole of the snake bone in the pouring process, so that the part of the traction rope located in the traction rope mounting hole is movable, and this way improves the convenience of assembling the snake bone and the traction rope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a method for manufacturing a bending component, a transition component, and an endoscope. Background Technology

[0002] An endoscope is a commonly used medical device, consisting of an operating section and an insertion section. The insertion section can be inserted into the human body through a cavity or surgical incision. By moving a lever on the operating section, the active bending segment at the distal end of the insertion section can be adjusted in posture. The camera module at the distal end of the insertion section can observe the internal tissues of the human body, helping doctors determine the location of lesions and the tissue structure characteristics of the lesions.

[0003] Among the related technologies, there are snake skeletons that are integrally injection molded, such as the Chinese invention patent with publication number CN115486796, which includes an integrally molded curved part and a head end. The integrally injection molded snake skeleton is usually made of a high-strength and flexible material, which allows the integrally injection molded snake skeleton to withstand forces such as compression, torsion and tension during the introduction and manipulation process, while maintaining a stable shape. It has the advantages of high strength, good flexibility, precise control, jointless design, smooth surface and easy cleaning and disinfection.

[0004] However, when assembling an endoscope, the process of threading the traction rope and assembling the snake skeleton is complicated and inefficient. Therefore, providing a method for manufacturing the traction rope and snake skeleton is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention discloses a method for manufacturing a bending component, a transition component, and an endoscope, in order to solve the technical problem of low assembly efficiency caused by the complicated assembly of snake bones and traction ropes in related technologies.

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for manufacturing a bending assembly for use in an endoscope. The bending assembly includes a snake skeleton and a traction rope connecting the snake skeleton. The manufacturing method includes the following steps:

[0008] S100, the traction rope is threaded through the sleeve to form a transition assembly;

[0009] S300, the transition component is inserted into the injection mold and fixed.

[0010] S500, molten plastic is injected into the injection mold;

[0011] S600, after the injection molded body has cooled and solidified, the sleeve is removed, and a bent assembly is obtained.

[0012] Furthermore, prior to step S300, the manufacturing method further includes:

[0013] S200, a release agent is sprayed onto the outer surface of the sleeve.

[0014] Furthermore, in step S300, the sleeve has a portion exposed outside the injection mold.

[0015] Furthermore, a limiting member is provided at the distal end of the traction rope. Before step S500, the manufacturing method further includes the following steps:

[0016] S400, apply traction force to the traction rope to limit the engagement between the limiting member and the distal end face of the sleeve, and the limiting member blocks the distal end opening of the sleeve.

[0017] Further, step S600 includes the following steps:

[0018] S610, the sleeve is removed after the injection molded body has cooled to the first temperature;

[0019] S620, after the injection molded body has cooled to a second temperature, the injection mold is removed to obtain the bent assembly, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature.

[0020] Secondly, this application also provides a transition component applied to the aforementioned method for manufacturing a bending component. The transition component includes a traction rope, a sleeve, and a limiting member, wherein the limiting member is connected to the distal end of the traction rope, the traction rope passes through the sleeve, the limiting member is in a limiting fit with the distal end of the sleeve, and the limiting member blocks the distal end opening of the sleeve.

[0021] Furthermore, the radial dimension of the limiting member is larger than the radial dimension of the sleeve, so that the limiting member has a portion that radially protrudes from the distal end face of the sleeve.

[0022] Furthermore, the limiting member is a structural component made of magnetic material, and the sleeve is a metal tube that generates magnetic attraction with the limiting member.

[0023] Furthermore, the sleeve includes a sleeve body and a drafting portion disposed near the proximal end of the sleeve body, wherein the radial dimension of the drafting portion is greater than the radial dimension of the sleeve body.

[0024] Thirdly, this application also provides an endoscope including a curved assembly assembled by the aforementioned method for manufacturing a curved assembly.

[0025] The technical solution adopted in this invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0026] The manufacturing method of the bending component, the transition component, and the endoscope of this application, by introducing a sleeve to isolate the molten plastic and the traction rope, can not only make the distal end of the traction rope integrally injection molded with the snake bone, realizing the connection and fixation between the distal end of the traction rope and the distal end of the snake bone, but also the sleeve can construct the traction rope mounting hole of the snake bone during the casting process, so that the part of the traction rope located in the traction rope mounting hole is movable, thereby enabling the snake bone to bend in a preset direction when the traction rope is pulled.

[0027] Meanwhile, the traction rope has considerable flexibility when passing through the sleeve, and the resulting transition component directly participates in the injection molding of the snake skeleton. This method avoids the technical problems of complicated operation and low assembly efficiency caused by multiple human interventions in the process of connecting the traction rope and the snake skeleton in related technologies, and significantly improves the convenience and stability of the connection between the traction rope and the snake skeleton. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic flowcharts of a method for manufacturing a bent component according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a second schematic flowchart of a method for manufacturing a bending component according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transition component according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the transition component according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a magnified view of point A in the diagram;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bending component according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the snake skeleton structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of point B in the middle.

[0037] In the picture:

[0038] 100. Traction rope; 200. Sleeve; 210. Sleeve body; 220. Drafting part; 300. Limiting component; 400. Snake bone; 410. Traction rope mounting hole; 420. Step surface. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0040] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0041] In related technologies, the snake skeleton formed by one-piece injection molding usually consists of multiple snake skeleton units, with a turning incision between two adjacent snake skeleton units. During the research process, the inventors discovered that during the assembly of the endoscope, the traction rope needs to be passed through multiple snake skeleton units in sequence. However, due to the flexibility of the traction rope itself, when the traction rope is passed through the traction rope mounting hole of one snake skeleton unit, the end of the traction rope is exposed in the turning incision and it is difficult to accurately connect into the traction rope mounting hole of the next snake skeleton unit. The operator needs to use auxiliary tools (such as tweezers) to control and guide the end of the traction rope. Thus, multiple manual interventions are required during the process of the traction rope passing through the entire snake skeleton, which is complicated.

[0042] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1 to 8 The manufacturing method of the bending component, the transition component and the endoscope provided in this application are described in detail through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0043] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a bending component according to an embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the endoscope includes an operating part and an insertion part. The proximal end of the insertion part is connected to the operating part, and the distal end of the insertion part is provided with a snake bone 400. The snake bone 400 is connected to a control mechanism on the operating part, such as a traction wheel driven by a lever, via a traction rope 100. By rotating the lever, the traction rope 100 is pulled, thereby controlling the snake bone 400 to bend in a preset direction.

[0044] In this embodiment of the application, the manufacturing method of the bending component may specifically include the following steps:

[0045] S100, the traction rope 100 is threaded through the sleeve 200 to form a transition assembly.

[0046] For some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 3-5 The sleeve 200 is a hollow structure with both ends open, and the sleeve 200 is closed on all sides. The traction rope 100 is inserted into the sleeve 200, which means that one end of the traction rope 100 extends into the sleeve 200 from one end and extends out from the other end of the sleeve 200. In this process, due to the closed nature of the sleeve 200, the traction rope 100 has a high degree of freedom and convenience in insertion.

[0047] For further technical solutions, please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 3-5 The transition component may also include a limiting member 300, which is connected to the distal end of the traction rope 100. Specifically, the distal end of the traction rope 100 may be connected and fixed to the limiting member 300 by welding, wrapping, or other methods. The limiting member 300 engages with the distal end face of the sleeve 200 to prevent the traction rope 100 from exiting the sleeve 200. The connection between the limiting member 300 and the traction rope 100 can occur before or after the traction rope 100 passes through the sleeve 200; this application does not impose specific limitations on this. It should be understood that when the limiting member 300 is connected to the traction rope 100 first, the proximal end of the traction rope 100 passes through the sleeve 200 during insertion; when the limiting member 300 is connected to the traction rope 100 later, the insertion of the traction rope 100 is arbitrary.

[0048] S300, insert the transition component into the injection mold and fix it.

[0049] In this embodiment, the periphery of the traction rope mounting hole 410 of the integrally injection-molded snake bone 400 is surrounded by plastic material. Therefore, the portion of the transition component corresponding to the traction rope mounting hole 410 needs to be suspended. Based on this, in this embodiment, the length of the sleeve 200 should be greater than the length of the snake bone 400. Preferably, the proximal portion of the sleeve 200 can be supported on the injection mold and has a portion exposed outside the injection mold, facilitating the later removal of the sleeve 200.

[0050] S500 injects molten plastic into the injection mold.

[0051] In this embodiment, when molten plastic is poured into the injection mold, the molten plastic gradually covers the outside of the limiting member 300 and the sleeve 200. The location of the limiting member 300 forms an anchor point for the connection between the traction rope 100 and the snake bone 400, while the location of the sleeve 200 forms a traction rope mounting hole 410 for the snake bone 400. The sleeve 200 isolates the traction rope 100, preventing the molten plastic from covering the outside of the traction rope 100. In other words, in the integrally injection molded bending assembly, the distal end of the traction rope 100 is only connected and fixed to the distal end of the snake bone 400, while the portion of the traction rope 100 located in the traction rope mounting hole 410 is movable. This allows the snake bone 400 to bend in a preset direction, preventing the portion of the traction rope 100 located in the traction rope mounting hole 410 from being completely fixed to the snake bone 400 and thus failing to achieve the purpose of controlling the bending of the snake bone 400.

[0052] To further improve the isolation effect of the sleeve 200 on the molten plastic and prevent the molten plastic from entering the sleeve 200 and forming together with the traction rope 100, please refer to the further technical solutions. Figure 2 Before step S500, the following steps are also included:

[0053] S400, apply traction force to the traction rope 100 so that the limiting member 300 is in a limiting fit with the distal end face of the sleeve 200, and the limiting member 300 blocks the distal end opening of the sleeve 200.

[0054] Based on the above technical solution, the limiting member 300 is matched with the far end face of the sleeve 200 and blocks the far end opening of the sleeve 200, while the near end face of the sleeve 200 is exposed to the injection mold. This completely prevents molten plastic from entering the sleeve 200, so that the part of the traction rope 100 located in the traction rope mounting hole 410 is movable.

[0055] In a further technical solution, the limiting member 300 can be a structural component made of magnetic material, and the sleeve 200 is a metal tube that generates magnetic attraction with the limiting member 300. The limiting member 300 can be tightly pressed against the sleeve 200 under magnetic attraction and block the far end opening of the sleeve 200. This method avoids the need to manually apply traction force to the traction rope 100 or apply traction force to the traction rope 100 through a traction device, and realizes the simplification, convenience and stability of the traction rope 100 and the integrated injection molding snake bone injection molding assembly.

[0056] S600, after the injection molded body has cooled and solidified, the sleeve 200 is pulled out, and a bent component is obtained.

[0057] During the casting process, the portion of the sleeve 200 located in the injection mold is molded together with the injection molded body. To facilitate the removal of the sleeve 200, further technical solutions are available; please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 2 Before the transition component is inserted into the mold, that is, before step S300, the following steps may also be included:

[0058] S200, spray release agent onto the outer surface of sleeve 200.

[0059] In this case, the main function of the release agent is to form a thin film during the injection molding process, so as to form a certain isolation layer between the injection molded body and the outer surface of the sleeve 200, thereby reducing the adhesion force. This can help the sleeve 200 to be pulled out of the injection molded body more easily and avoid the situation of the sleeve 200 sticking to the injection molded body, thereby improving the production efficiency and pass rate of the bending assembly.

[0060] In summary, the manufacturing method of the bending component in this application embodiment, by introducing a sleeve 200 to isolate the molten plastic and the traction rope 100, allows the distal end of the traction rope 100 to be integrally injection molded with the snake bone 400, achieving a connection and fixation between the distal end of the traction rope 100 and the distal end of the snake bone 400. At the same time, the sleeve 200 can also construct the traction rope mounting hole 410 of the snake bone 400 during the casting process, making the portion of the traction rope 100 located in the traction rope mounting hole 410 movable, thereby enabling the snake bone 400 to bend in a preset direction when the traction rope 100 is pulled.

[0061] Meanwhile, the traction rope 100 has a high degree of freedom when passing through the sleeve 200, and the transition component formed thereafter directly participates in the injection molding of the snake bone 400. This method avoids the technical problems of complicated operation and low assembly efficiency that require multiple human interventions in the connection process between the traction rope 100 and the snake bone 400 in related technologies, and significantly improves the convenience and stability of the connection between the traction rope 100 and the snake bone 400.

[0062] In a further technical solution, step S600 may include the following steps:

[0063] S610, the sleeve is pulled out 200 after the injection molded body has cooled to the first temperature;

[0064] S620, after the injection molded body cools to a second temperature, the injection mold is removed to obtain a bent component, where the second temperature is lower than the first temperature.

[0065] When the injection molded body cools to the first temperature, it is basically set and will not stick or wear when removed from the sleeve. When the injection molded body cools to the second temperature, due to thermal expansion and contraction, it further tightens around the limiting component, ensuring the stability of the connection between the traction rope and the snake bone 400 and preventing the limiting component from detaching through the traction rope mounting hole 410 due to tension on the traction rope. It should be understood that a release agent should also be sprayed inside the injection mold to facilitate the separation of the injection mold and the injection molded body.

[0066] This application also discloses a transition component applied to the aforementioned method for manufacturing a curved component, used to assemble a curved component forming an endoscope. Specifically, please refer to... Figures 3-5 The transition component includes a traction rope 100, a sleeve 200, and a limiting member 300. The limiting member 300 is connected to the distal end of the traction rope 100. The traction rope 100 passes through the sleeve 200. The limiting member 300 is matched with the distal end of the sleeve 200 and blocks the distal end opening of the sleeve 200.

[0067] In this embodiment, the transition component is applied during the injection molding process of the integral injection-molded snake skeleton. The limiting member 300 can play a limiting role to prevent the traction rope 100 from being disturbed and detaching from the sleeve 200. At the same time, the limiting member 300 blocks the far end opening of the sleeve 200 and can also play an isolation role between the molten plastic and the traction rope 100, preventing the molten plastic from entering the sleeve 200 through the far end opening of the sleeve 200 and covering the traction rope 100. This ensures that the snake skeleton 400 is pulled by the traction rope and bends in a preset direction.

[0068] For further technical solutions, please refer to Figures 6-8 The radial dimension of the limiting member 300 is larger than that of the sleeve 200, so that the limiting member 300 has a portion that protrudes radially from the distal end face of the sleeve 200. When molten plastic is injected, the molten plastic can include the portion of the limiting member 300 that protrudes radially from the sleeve 200, thereby improving the stability of the traction rope 100 at the anchor node and significantly improving the anti-loosening effect.

[0069] Please see Figures 7-8Based on the fact that the limiting member 300 has a portion that radially protrudes from the distal end face of the sleeve 200, the end face of the injection-molded snake bone 400 has a stepped surface 420, which can be connected with the portion of the limiting member 300 that radially protrudes from the sleeve 200, thus effectively preventing the limiting member 300 from disengaging.

[0070] In a further technical solution, the limiting member 300 is a structural component made of magnetic material, and the sleeve 200 is a metal tube that generates magnetic attraction with the limiting member 300. The limiting member 300 can be tightly pressed against the sleeve 200 under magnetic attraction and block the far end opening of the sleeve 200. This method avoids the need to manually apply traction force to the traction rope 100 or apply traction force to the traction rope 100 through a traction device, and realizes the simplification, convenience and stability of the traction rope 100 and the integrated injection molding snake bone injection molding assembly.

[0071] In a further technical solution, the sleeve 200 includes a sleeve body 210 and a pull-out portion 220 disposed near the end of the sleeve body 210. The radial dimension of the pull-out portion 220 is larger than the radial dimension of the sleeve body 210. Based on the presence of the pull-out portion 220, it is easy to apply a pulling force to the sleeve 200, thereby improving the ease of pulling out the sleeve 200.

[0072] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, for ease of description, the transition component is an intermediate component assembled during the manufacturing process of the bending component. After injection molding, the traction rope 100 and the limiting member 300 in the transition component constitute part of the bending component. The sleeve 200 in the transition component is pulled out and does not constitute part of the bending component. The pulled-out sleeve 200 can be reassembled with the new traction rope 100 and the limiting member 300 after cleaning to form the transition component to be placed into the injection mold.

[0073] This application also discloses an endoscope, including a curved assembly assembled using the aforementioned method for manufacturing curved assemblies.

[0074] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0075] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a bending assembly, applied to an endoscope, the bending assembly comprising a snake skeleton and a traction rope connecting the snake skeleton, wherein a limiting member is connected to the distal end of the traction rope, characterized in that, The manufacturing method includes the following steps: S100, the traction rope is threaded through the sleeve to form a transition assembly; S300, the transition component is inserted into the injection mold and fixed, and the sleeve has a portion exposed outside the injection mold; S400, apply traction force to the traction rope so that the limiting member is limited to the distal end face of the sleeve, and the limiting member blocks the distal end opening of the sleeve. S500, molten plastic is injected into the injection mold, and the molten plastic gradually covers the outside of the limiting member and the sleeve. The position of the limiting member forms the anchor point for the connection between the traction rope and the snake bone. S610, the sleeve is removed after the injection molded body has cooled to the first temperature; S620, when the injection molded body cools to a second temperature, the injection mold is removed to obtain the bending assembly, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, and after injection molding, the traction rope and the limiting member in the transition assembly constitute part of the bending assembly.

2. The method for manufacturing a bending component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radial dimension of the limiting member is larger than the radial dimension of the sleeve, so that the limiting member has a portion that radially protrudes from the distal end face of the sleeve.

3. The method for manufacturing a bending component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting member is a structural component made of magnetic material, and the sleeve is a metal tube that generates magnetic attraction with the limiting member.

4. The method for manufacturing a bending component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sleeve includes a sleeve body and a drafting portion disposed near the proximal end of the sleeve body, wherein the radial dimension of the drafting portion is greater than the radial dimension of the sleeve body.

5. An endoscope, characterized in that, This includes bending assemblies assembled using the method for manufacturing bending assemblies according to claim 1.

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