A pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of endoscopes, and specifically discloses a pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope, wherein the pivot unit comprises a tubular base, a first end of the tubular base is provided with an arc-shaped lug, two arc-shaped lugs are arranged opposite to each other to form a first accommodating area therebetween, a second end of the tubular base is provided with a lug, and along the circumferential direction of the tubular base, a second accommodating area is formed between the two sides of the lug and the tubular base, the lug comprises a lug base and an abutting portion connected to the lug base, and the abutting portion is located on the radial inner side of the lug base; in two adjacent pivot units of the active bending section, along the radial direction of the pivot units, the abutting portion of one pivot unit is limitedly matched with the inner wall of the other pivot unit, thereby achieving radial limitation of the two adjacent pivot units, so that the two adjacent pivot units cannot be misaligned in the radial direction, thereby improving the structural stability of the entire active bending section and ensuring the safety of the endoscope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of endoscopes, and in particular to a pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope is a medical device that inserts an insertion part into the human body and observes the internal tissues of the human body through a camera module at the distal end of the insertion part. It can help doctors determine the location of lesions in the patient's body and the tissue structure characteristics of the lesion location. An endoscope includes an operating handle and an insertion part. In actual operation, the traction wheel is driven to rotate by turning the lever on the operating handle to adjust the posture of the active bending section of the insertion part, thereby adjusting the direction of the distal module to achieve fixed-point observation and other functions.

[0003] In the related art, the active bending section is usually formed by riveting multiple pivoting units, or cut from a tubular member as a whole. The active bending section formed by riveting multiple pivoting units has the characteristics of high structural stability, which makes the active bending section not easy to loosen or fall off in a complex use environment, which can significantly improve the safety of endoscope use. The active bending section formed by riveting has the characteristics of complex structure and high tooling requirements, which leads to a significant increase in the production cost of the entire active bending section; and the active bending section formed by cutting from a tubular member as a whole has lower requirements for manufacturing and tooling, but it is easy for two adjacent pivoting units to fall off when subjected to large forces, that is, the stability of the active bending section is poor.

[0004] Therefore, providing an active bending section with high structural stability and low manufacturing cost is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The invention discloses a pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope, so as to solve the technical problem of poor stability of the active bending section in the related art.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a pivot unit, the pivot unit comprising a tubular base, a first end of the tubular base being provided with an arc-shaped lug axially protruding from the tubular base, two arc-shaped lugs being arranged opposite to each other to form a first accommodating area therebetween;

[0008] The second end of the tubular base is provided with a lug axially protruding from the tubular base, and along the circumferential direction of the tubular base, a second accommodating area is formed between the two sides of the lug and the tubular base;

[0009] The lug includes a lug base and an abutment portion connected to the lug base, the abutment portion is located radially inside the lug base, and in two adjacent pivot units, the lug base of one pivot unit is rotatably engaged in the first accommodating area of ​​the other pivot unit, and along the radial direction of the tubular base, the abutment portion of one pivot unit is limitedly engaged with the inner wall of the other pivot unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the lug also includes a bending portion, which is located between the lug base and the abutment portion, and the bending portion is extended along the axial direction and radial direction of the tubular base, so that the abutment portion is located radially inside the tubular base.

[0011] Furthermore, the lug is provided with an avoidance notch between the lug base and the abutment portion, and the avoidance notch is recessed toward the middle of the lug.

[0012] Furthermore, a slit is provided on the abutting portion, and the slit extends from the middle of the lug along a first direction, and the first direction is an extending direction of the lug relative to the tubular base.

[0013] Furthermore, the width of the slit gradually increases along the first direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the lug is provided with a through hole penetrating the lug between the lug base and the abutting portion, and the slit is communicated with the through hole.

[0015] Further, an extension length of the through hole in the first direction is greater than an extension length of the through hole in the circumferential direction of the tubular base.

[0016] Further, at least part of the through hole is located at the abutment portion.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present application further provides an active bending section, comprising the aforementioned pivot unit, wherein a plurality of the pivot units are connected end to end in sequence, and two adjacent pivot units are rotationally connected.

[0018] In a third aspect, the present application also provides an endoscope, comprising the aforementioned active bending section.

[0019] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The pivot unit, active bending section and endoscope of the present application can be a plurality of pivot units formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and in two adjacent pivot units, the abutment portion of one pivot unit is limitedly engaged with the inner wall of the other pivot unit, so that the two adjacent pivot units can form a limit in the radial direction through the abutment portion, and even if the active bending section undergoes a large bending amplitude, the two adjacent pivot units cannot be misaligned in the radial direction, thereby avoiding radial separation between the two adjacent pivot units, thereby improving the structural stability of the entire active bending section, so that the active bending section formed by integrally cutting a tubular member has the advantages of simple processing and low manufacturing cost, as well as the stability of the riveted active bending section, thereby ensuring the safety of the endoscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 It is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is the third structural schematic diagram of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the rotational connection of two pivot units in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the active bending section of an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is the fourth structural schematic diagram of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application.

[0029] In the figure:

[0030] 100, tubular base; 200, arc-shaped lug; 300, first accommodating area; 400, lug; 410, lug base; 420, abutment portion; 421, slit; 422, perforation; 430, bending portion; 440, avoidance gap; 500, second accommodating area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0033] In the related art, the active bending section is usually formed by riveting multiple pivot units or by cutting a tubular member as a whole. The active bending section formed by riveting has the characteristics of high connection strength and strong structural stability, but the production cost is high, and the tooling is relatively complicated, and the riveting process has high requirements for operators. Although the active bending section formed by cutting a tubular structure as a whole optimizes the production and tooling process of the active bending section, the tubular structure is a thin-walled structural member and lacks effective radial limit. When the active bending section has a large bending amplitude, the two adjacent pivot units are prone to misalignment in the radial direction, thereby causing the entire active bending section to loosen, and then the pivot units fall off from each other, making it difficult to ensure the safety of the endoscope.

[0034] In view of this, the present application discloses a pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope. Figures 1 to 7 , the pivot unit, active bending section and endoscope provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0035] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The embodiment of the present application discloses a pivot unit, which is applied to the active bending section of an endoscope. Specifically, the active bending section includes a plurality of pivot units connected end to end and connected in rotation, and the plurality of pivot units are tubular structures formed by cutting. Specifically, the disclosed pivot unit includes a tubular base 100, an arc-shaped lug 200 and a lug 400, wherein along the axial direction of the tubular base 100, the tubular base 100 has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the tubular base 100, the arc-shaped lug 200 and the lug 400 are integrally formed, and the arc-shaped lug 200 axially protrudes from the first end of the tubular base 100, and the lug 400 axially protrudes from the second end of the tubular base 100.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, the first end of the tubular base 100 is provided with an arc-shaped lug 200 axially protruding from the tubular base 100, and the two arc-shaped lugs 200 are arranged oppositely to form a pivoting part. The arc bending directions of the two arc-shaped lugs 200 of the same pivoting part are opposite, and a first accommodating area 300 is formed between the two arc-shaped lugs 200, and the first accommodating area 300 matches the shape of the lug 400. In two adjacent pivoting units, the lug 400 of one pivoting unit can be rotatably accommodated in the first accommodating area 300 of the other pivoting unit. The two arc-shaped lugs 200 of the same pivoting part clamp the lug 400, so that it can rotate in the first accommodating area 300 and prevent the lug 400 from axially separating from the first accommodating area 300, thereby ensuring the stability of the axial connection of the two pivoting units. It should be noted that the tubular base 100 has two pivoting parts formed at the first end, and the two pivoting parts are arranged oppositely in the radial direction of the tubular base 100, and the two pivoting parts are used to be rotatably connected with another pivoting unit.

[0037] Please continue to see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 The second end of the tubular base 100 is provided with a lug 400 axially protruding from the tubular base 100 , and the lug 400 forms a second accommodating area 500 between the tubular base 100 and the tubular base 100 on both sides relative to the extension direction of the tubular base 100 . The shape of the second accommodating area 500 matches the shape of the arcuate lug 200 , and the arcuate lug 200 can be slidably accommodated in the second accommodating area 500 .

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, in two adjacent pivot units of the active bending section, the arc-shaped support ear 200 of one pivot unit is slidably engaged in the second accommodating area 500 of the other pivot unit, and the lug 400 of the other pivot unit is rotationally engaged in the first accommodating area 300 of the pivot unit, thereby forming a pivot structure of the two pivot units. The two pivot units can be connected in rotation through the pivot structure and can also achieve limited engagement in the axial direction.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the lug 400 includes a lug base 410 and an abutment portion 420 connected to the lug base 410, the lug base 410 is connected to the tubular base 100, and the abutment portion 420 is located on the radial inner side of the lug base 410. In two adjacent pivot units, the lug base 410 of one pivot unit is rotatably engaged in the first accommodating area 300 of the other pivot unit, thereby ensuring the normal rotational abutment between the pivot unit and the other pivot unit, and the abutment portion 420 of the pivot unit is radially misaligned in the lug base 410, so that in the radial direction of the tubular base 100, the abutment portion 420 can be engaged with the inner wall of the other pivot unit to limit the position of the two adjacent pivot units in the radial direction.

[0040] Based on the above technical scheme, the pivot units of the embodiment of the present application can be multiple and formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and in two adjacent pivot units, along the radial direction of the tubular base 100, the abutment 420 of the lug 400 of one pivot unit is limitedly engaged with the inner wall of the other pivot unit. In this way, the two adjacent pivot units can form a limit in the radial direction through the abutment 420, and even if the active bending section undergoes a large bending amplitude, the two adjacent pivot units cannot be misaligned in the radial direction, thereby avoiding radial separation between the two adjacent pivot units, thereby improving the structural stability of the entire active bending section, so that the active bending section formed by integrally cutting a tubular member has the stability of the riveted active bending section, and ensuring the safety of the use of the endoscope.

[0041] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the pivot units are multiple pivot units formed by cutting a tubular structure, and the multiple pivot units are separated from each other and are rotatably connected through the aforementioned pivot structure. Since the tubular structure itself has a certain curvature, the arc-shaped support ear 200 and the lug 400 formed by the cutting both have a curvature relative to the axis of the tubular base 100. The abutment portion 420 can extend to both sides at the same time when a radially inward concave deformation occurs. Along the radial direction of the tubular base 100, the portion of the abutment portion 420 extending to both sides can abut against the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit to form a radial limit.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, see Figure 2 The lug 400 also includes a bending portion 430, which is located between the lug base 410 and the abutment portion 420. The bending portion 430 is formed by stamping the lug 400. After stamping, the bending portion 430 is extended along the axial direction of the tubular base 100 and along the radial direction of the tubular base 100. Through the radial extension of the bending portion 430, the abutment portion 420 can be located radially inside the lug base 410.

[0043] During the research process, the inventor discovered that after the lug 400 is stamped to form the abutment portion 420, the lug base 410 is still rotated and accommodated in the first accommodating area 300, and the abutment portion 420 is located outside the first accommodating area 300 and forms a radial limit fit with the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit. In this way, the part of the lug 400 that extends beyond the first accommodating area 300 is likely to be tightly abutted against the outer edge of the first accommodating area 300 to generate a larger rotational damping, affecting the smoothness of the bending of the active bending section.

[0044] Based on this situation, in further technical solutions, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 The lug 400 is also provided with an escape notch 440 between the lug base 410 and the abutment portion 420. The escape notch 440 can be formed at the edge of the aforementioned bending portion 430. Specifically, the escape notch 440 is formed by the lug 400 being recessed toward the middle of the lug 400 at the edge of the bending portion 430. In the embodiment of the present application, the escape notch 440 can be formed by cutting the lug 400 before stamping the abutment portion 420, or by cutting the lug 400 after stamping the abutment portion 420. By providing the escape notch 440, the lug 400 can be smoothly rotated in the first accommodating area 300 through the lug base 410, and an effective radial limit is formed by the abutment portion 420, thereby avoiding the situation of large rotation damping.

[0045] During the research process, the inventors found that since the lug 400 is formed by cutting, if a radial inward stamping pressure is applied to the lug 400 to deform it to form the abutment portion 420, the size of the lug 400 in the axial direction of the tubular base 100 is reduced. Even if the abutment portion 420 can be extended and deformed to both sides to abut against the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit, the abutment contact area between the abutment portion 420 and the adjacent pivot unit is small, and the stability of the radial limit formed by the abutment is poor.

[0046] Based on this situation, please continue to refer to the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 and Figure 4, a slit 421 is provided on the abutting portion 420, and the slit 421 extends from the middle of the lug 400 along the first direction, and the first direction is the axial extension direction of the lug 400 relative to the tubular base 100. In this way, based on the existence of the slit 421, when the lug 400 is stamped, along the axial direction of the tubular base 100, even if the extension size of the lug 400 is reduced, along the circumferential direction of the tubular base 100, the lug 400 on both sides of the slit 421 can be more extended and deformed to both sides, thereby ensuring that the formed abutting portion 420 can have a larger abutting contact area with the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit on both sides in the circumferential direction, thereby ensuring that a stable limit fit can be formed in the radial direction, and the stability of rotation is guaranteed.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the width of the slit 421 gradually increases along the first direction. Based on the gradual increase in the width of the slit 421, the abutment portion 420 can be easily expanded and deformed to both sides of the slit 421, and the deformation amount is large, so that the abutment portion 420 has sufficient area to form an abutment with the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit, thereby ensuring the stability of the radial limitation formed by the two adjacent pivot units through the abutment portion 420.

[0048] In the examples of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The lug 400 is further provided with a through hole 422 penetrating the lug 400 between the lug base 410 and the abutment portion 420, and the slit 421 is connected to the through hole 422. Exemplarily, the through hole 422 is preferably a circular hole or an elliptical hole. During the stamping process, the circular through hole or the elliptical through hole connected to the slit 421 can release stress, reduce stress concentration during the stamping process, and prevent the slit 421 from further tearing during the stamping process.

[0049] In a further technical solution, the through hole 422 can be used as an expansion hole. Specifically, a pushing member can be used to probe into the through hole 422. The pushing member has a conical expansion portion. After the concave abutment portion 420 is formed by stamping, the conical expansion portion of the pushing member can be inserted into the through hole 422. After a pushing force is applied to the pushing member, the portions of the abutment portion 420 distributed on both sides of the seam can be further deformed and expanded to both sides of the seam, thereby increasing the abutment contact area with the adjacent pivot units, and further ensuring the stability of the radial limit of the two adjacent pivot units.

[0050] The inventors also found during the research that if the through hole 422 is a circular hole, when a push piece is used to expand the hole, the entire peripheral wall of the circular hole can be subjected to extrusion force, so that the portion of the abutment piece on both sides of the seam has no obvious tendency to deform to both sides.

[0051] Based on this situation, in some embodiments of the present application, the extension length of the perforation 422 in the first direction is greater than the extension length of the perforation 422 in the circumferential direction of the tubular base 100. Exemplarily, the perforation 422 can be an elliptical hole extending along the first direction. Under such a configuration, when the pushing member is used to expand the hole to deform the abutment portion 420, the pushing member mainly abuts against the portions of the abutment portion 420 on both sides of the slit 421, so that the portions on both sides of the slit 421 can be significantly deformed and expanded to both sides, thereby ensuring the stability of the abutment.

[0052] In a further technical solution, a through hole 422 is provided in the middle of the lug 400, and a lug base 410 and an abutment portion 420 are formed by stamping the middle of the lug 400, and at least a portion of the through hole 422 is provided in the abutment portion 420. In this way, when the through hole 422 is expanded, it can be ensured that the portions of the abutment portion 420 on both sides of the slit 421 are expanded and deformed outward, thereby forming a stable radial limit. At the same time, the lug base 410 and the abutment portion 420 are stamped in the middle of the lug 400. During the relative rotation of two adjacent pivot units, the lug base 410 always has a portion that is rotatably engaged in the first accommodating area 300, thereby preventing the abutment portion 420 from rotating into the opening of the first accommodating area 300 and disengaging, thereby ensuring the stability of the pivot structure connection.

[0053] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the arc-shaped lug 200 and the lug 400 can be distributed in the same circumferential direction of the tubular base 100. In this arrangement, see Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 When a plurality of pivot units are connected end to end to form an active bending section, the active bending section can be bent in both directions.

[0054] In an optional embodiment of the present application, along the circumferential direction of the tubular base 100, the distribution direction of the arc-shaped lugs 200 is perpendicular to the distribution direction of the lugs 400. In this case, see Figure 6 and Figure 7 When multiple pivot units are connected end to end to form an active bending section, the active bending section can be bent in four directions. It can be understood that the selection of the two-way bending active bending section and the four-way bending active bending section can be adaptively manufactured according to actual needs, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0055] The present application also discloses an active bending section, see Figure 5 or Figure 7 The disclosed active bending section includes a plurality of the aforementioned pivot units, and two adjacent pivot units are rotationally connected.

[0056] The embodiment of the present application also discloses an endoscope, which includes an operating handle and an insertion portion, wherein the proximal end of the insertion portion is connected to the operating handle, and an active bending section is arranged at the distal end of the insertion portion so that the distal end of the insertion portion has an active bending section.

[0057] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in reverse order according to the functions involved, for example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0058] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pivot unit, characterized in that: The pivot unit is formed by cutting a tubular member in one piece, and comprises a tubular base (100), a first end of the tubular base (100) is provided with an arc-shaped lug (200) axially protruding from the tubular base (100), and two arc-shaped lugs (200) are arranged opposite to each other to form a first accommodating area (300) therebetween; The second end of the tubular base (100) is provided with a lug (400) axially protruding from the tubular base (100), and along the circumferential direction of the tubular base (100), a second accommodating area (500) is formed between two sides of the lug (400) and the tubular base (100); The lug (400) comprises a lug base (410) and an abutment portion (420) connected to the lug base (410), wherein the abutment portion (420) is located radially inward of the lug base (410), and in two adjacent pivot units, the lug base (410) of one pivot unit is rotatably engaged in the first accommodating area (300) of the other pivot unit, and along the radial direction of the tubular base (100), the abutment portion (420) of one pivot unit is limitedly engaged with the inner wall of the other pivot unit.

2. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The lug (400) further comprises a bending portion (430), wherein the bending portion (430) is located between the lug base (410) and the abutment portion (420), and the bending portion (430) is extended along the axial direction and the radial direction of the tubular base (100), so that the abutment portion (420) is located radially inside the tubular base (100).

3. The pivot unit according to claim 2, characterized in that The lug (400) is further provided with an avoidance notch (440) between the lug base (410) and the abutment portion (420), and the avoidance notch (440) is recessed toward the middle of the lug (400).

4. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The abutting portion (420) is provided with a slit (421), and the slit (421) extends from the middle of the lug (400) along a first direction, wherein the first direction is an extending direction of the lug (400) relative to the tubular base (100).

5. The pivot unit according to claim 4, characterized in that The width of the slit (421) gradually increases along the first direction.

6. The pivot unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lug (400) is further provided with a through hole (422) penetrating the lug (400) between the lug base (410) and the abutment portion (420), and the slit (421) is in communication with the through hole (422).

7. The pivot unit according to claim 6, characterized in that An extension length of the through hole (422) in the first direction is greater than an extension length of the through hole (422) in the circumferential direction of the tubular base (100).

8. The pivot unit according to claim 6, characterized in that: At least a portion of the through hole (422) is located at the abutment portion (420).

9. An active bending section, characterized in that: It comprises the pivot unit described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of the pivot units are connected end to end in sequence, and two adjacent pivot units are rotationally connected.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: Comprising the active bending section as described in claim 9.

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