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 body, a first end of the tubular base body is provided with an arc-shaped lug, a second end of the tubular base body is provided with a convex lug, the two arc-shaped lugs are arranged opposite to each other to define a first accommodating area therebetween, the convex lugs of adjacent pivot units are rotatably fitted in the first accommodating area, the arc-shaped lugs have abutment portions extending to both sides, and along the radial direction of the tubular base body, the abutment portions are limitedly fitted to the inner wall of the pivot unit adjacent thereto; in two adjacent pivot units of the active bending section, along the radial direction of the pivot units, the abutment portions of the arc-shaped lugs of one pivot unit are limitedly fitted to the inner wall of the other pivot unit, 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 use 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 present invention discloses a pivot unit, an active bending section and an endoscope, so as to solve the technical problem of poor stability of an integrally cut 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 protruding axially from the tubular base, and a second end of the tubular base being provided with a lug protruding axially from the tubular base;

[0008] The two arc-shaped ears are arranged opposite to each other to define a first accommodating area therebetween. The lugs of the adjacent pivot units are rotatably engaged in the first accommodating area. The arc-shaped ears have abutment portions extending to both sides. Along the radial direction of the tubular base, the abutment portions are limitedly engaged with the inner wall of the pivot unit adjacent thereto.

[0009] Furthermore, the arc-shaped lug is recessed from the radial inner side of the tubular base toward the radial outer side of the tubular base, and the abutment portion is formed by punching the end of the arc-shaped lug from the outside to the inside.

[0010] Furthermore, the arc-shaped support ear is provided with an avoidance notch adjacent to the abutting portion.

[0011] Furthermore, the lug includes a lug base and a collar portion, the lug base is connected to the tubular base via the collar portion, and the collar portion is formed by being recessed from the radial inner side of the tubular base toward the radial outer side of the tubular base.

[0012] Furthermore, a radially outward recessed dimension of the collar portion is the same as a radially outward recessed dimension of the arc-shaped lug.

[0013] Furthermore, along the radial direction of the tubular base, there is a gap between the arc-shaped lug and the collar portion, so that the arc-shaped lug can be accommodated in the space surrounded by the collar portion.

[0014] Further, the inner side surface of the lug base is a plane; and / or the outer side surface of the lug base is a plane.

[0015] Further, the tubular base, the arc-shaped lug and the lug are formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and the abutment portion is formed by stamping an end portion of the arc-shaped lug.

[0016] 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.

[0017] In a third aspect, the present application also provides an endoscope, comprising the aforementioned active bending section.

[0018] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The pivot unit, active bending section and endoscope of the present application, the pivot unit can be a plurality of pivot units formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and in two adjacent pivot units, the arc-shaped support ear of one pivot unit can be formed into an abutment portion by stamping to abut against the inner wall of the other pivot unit in the radial direction. In this way, the two adjacent pivot units can form a radial limit 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 stability of a riveted active bending section while being simple to process and low in manufacturing cost, thereby ensuring the safety of the use of the endoscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 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.

[0021] Figure 1 It is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 is one of the schematic diagrams of the rotational connection of two pivot units in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the active bending section of an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 5 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is the third structural schematic diagram of the pivot unit of the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 7 This is the second schematic diagram of the rotational connection of the two pivot units in the embodiment of the present application.

[0028] In the figure:

[0029] 100, tubular base; 200, arc-shaped lug; 210, abutment portion; 220, avoidance gap; 300, lug; 310, lug base; 320, collar; 400, first accommodating area; 500, second accommodating area; 510, rotation gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] In the related art, the active bending section of the endoscope 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 part 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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. In the embodiment of the present application, the pivot unit disclosed includes a tubular base 100, an arcuate lug 200 and a lug 300, wherein the tubular base 100 has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the tubular base 100, the arcuate lug 200 and the lug 300 are integrally formed, and the arcuate lug 200 axially protrudes from the first end of the tubular base 100, and the lug 300 axially protrudes from the second end of the tubular base 100.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the first end of the tubular base 100 has two radially opposite pivot parts, each pivot part includes two arc-shaped ears 200 with opposite arc bends and opposite to each other, and a first accommodating area 400 is defined between the two arc-shaped ears 200 of the same pivot part, and the first accommodating area 400 matches the shape of the lug 300. In two adjacent pivot units, the lug 300 of one pivot unit can be rotatably accommodated in the first accommodating area 400 of the other pivot unit, and the two arc-shaped ears 200 of the same pivot part form a clamping force on the lug 300, so that it can rotate in the first accommodating area 400 and can prevent the lug 300 from axially disengaging from the first accommodating area 400, thereby ensuring the stability of the axial connection between the two adjacent pivot units.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, the second end of the tubular base 100 has two radially opposite lugs 300. By way of example, the outer edge of the lug 300 can be an arc-shaped outer edge, so that the lug 300 can be rotatably fitted in the first accommodating area 400. The lug 300 forms a second accommodating area 500 between the tubular base 100 and the lug 300 on both sides of the extension direction relative to the tubular base 100. The shape of the second accommodating area 500 matches the shape of the arc-shaped lug 200, and the arc-shaped lug 200 can slide in the second accommodating area 500.

[0037] Based on the above technical solution, in two adjacent pivot units of the active bending section, the arc-shaped lug 200 of one pivot unit is slidably matched in the second accommodation area 500 of the other pivot unit, and the lug 300 of the other pivot unit is rotationally matched in the first accommodation area 400 of the pivot unit, thereby forming a pivot structure of the two pivot units, and the two pivot units can realize the limited matching in the axial direction while realizing the rotation connection through the pivot structure. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the pivot unit is a plurality of pivot units formed by cutting a tubular structure, and the plurality of pivot units are separated from each other and realized the rotation connection through the aforementioned pivot structure.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, the end of the arc-shaped support ear 200 is radially inwardly recessed in the main part of the arc-shaped support ear 200. For example, the end of the arc-shaped support ear 200 can be radially recessed inwardly by stamping, so that the arc-shaped support ear 200 is formed into an arc-shaped support ear base (i.e., the main part of the arc-shaped support ear 200) in the second accommodating area 500 and an abutment portion 210 located outside the second accommodating area 500, and the arc-shaped support ear base is connected to the abutment portion 210. It should be noted that, since the tubular structure itself has a certain curvature, the abutment portion 210 extends to both sides at the same time when the radially inward recessed deformation occurs. Along the radial direction of the tubular base 100, the part of the abutment portion 210 extending to both sides abuts against the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit, that is, the abutment portion 210 is limitedly matched with the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit.

[0039] Based on the above technical solution, the pivot units can be multiple ones formed by cutting a tubular member as a whole, and in two adjacent pivot units, the arc-shaped support ear 200 of one of the pivot units can be formed into an abutment portion 210 by stamping, so as to be limited in the radial direction and cooperate 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 portion 210, and even if the active bending section has 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; and, since the active bending section is formed by cutting a tubular member as a whole, it has the advantages of simple processing and low manufacturing cost during production, and at the same time has the stability of the riveted active bending section, thereby ensuring the safety of the use of the endoscope.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3The arcuate lug 200 is recessed from the radial inner side of the tubular base 100 to the radial outer side of the tubular base 100, and the abutment portion 210 is formed by stamping the end of the arcuate lug 200 from the outside to the inside. For example, when forming the abutment portion 210, radial outward stamping can be first performed at multiple positions on the tubular structure to form the basic contour line of the arcuate lug 200, and then a plurality of mutually separated pivot units are formed by cutting, each pivot unit includes an integrally connected tubular base 100, an arcuate lug 200 and a lug 300, and the end of the arcuate lug 200 away from the tubular base 100 is stamped inwardly to form the aforementioned abutment portion 210. That is to say, the embodiment of the present application can form the abutment portion 210 by stamping, cutting, and then stamping in sequence. The reason why it is first stamped outward to form the outwardly recessed arc-shaped support ear 200 is to ensure that when the abutment portion 210 is stamped inward to form the abutment portion 210, the abutment portion 210 has a sufficient abutment area to abut against the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit, thereby ensuring the stability of the radial limit.

[0041] The inventor discovered during the research that after the end of the arc-shaped support ear 200 is stamped to form the abutment portion 210, the arc-shaped support ear base is still located in the second accommodating area 500, and the abutment portion 210 is located outside the second accommodating area 500 and abuts against the inner wall of the adjacent pivot unit. In this way, the portion between the arc-shaped support ear base and the abutment portion 210, while stepping out of the second accommodating area 500, abuts against the outer edge of the second accommodating area 500 to generate greater rotational damping, thereby affecting the smoothness of bending of the entire active bending section.

[0042] Based on this situation, in the embodiment of the present application, the arcuate support ear 200 is further provided with an avoidance notch 220 adjacent to the abutment portion 210. By setting the avoidance notch 220, when a portion of the arcuate support ear 200 steps out of the second accommodating area 500 to form the abutment portion 210, it does not have a portion that is tightly abutted against the outer edge portion of the adjacent pivot unit in the second accommodating area 500. In this way, the sliding damping of the arcuate support ear 200 in the second accommodating area 500 can be effectively reduced, so that the arcuate support ear 200 can rotate smoothly in the second accommodating area 500, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the bending of the entire active bending section.

[0043] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the aforementioned avoidance notch 220 can be formed by cutting, and the avoidance notch 220 can be pre-cut before the abutment portion 210 is formed by stamping, or the avoidance notch 220 can be cut to form the avoidance notch 220 after the abutment portion 210 is formed by stamping, according to the tight contact between the arc-shaped lug 200 and the outer edge of the second accommodating area 500. In a preferred embodiment, the avoidance notch 220 can be pre-cut before the abutment portion 210 is formed by stamping, which can reduce the difficulty of stamping.

[0044] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The lug 300 includes a lug base 310 and a collar 320, the lug base 310 is connected to the tubular base 100 through the collar 320, the lug base 310 is rotatably accommodated in the first accommodation area 400 of the adjacent pivot unit, the lug base 310, the collar 320 and the tubular base 100 together define a second accommodation area 500, and the arcuate lug 200 is located in the second accommodation area 500. It can be understood that there is a rotation gap 510 between the end of the arcuate lug 200 and the collar 320, and the rotation gap 510 can provide redundant space for the rotation of the arcuate lug 200.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present application, the collar portion 320 may be formed by the radial inner side of the tubular base 100 being recessed toward the radial outer side of the tubular base 100. In a preferred embodiment, the radially outward recessed size of the collar portion 320 is the same as the radially outward recessed size of the arc-shaped lug 200. In this way, when the basic contour of the arc-shaped lug 200 is stamped, that is, when the arc-shaped lug 200 is stamped outwardly to form the outwardly recessed arc-shaped lug 200, the basic contour of the collar portion 320 may be stamped out simultaneously. In this way, the tubular structure may be directly stamped outwardly in one go using an annular die, thereby reducing unnecessary operation steps and time waste, and ensuring the consistency of the tubular structure when stamping a plurality of arc-shaped lugs 200.

[0046] For further technical solutions, see Figure 6 and Figure 7 The radially outward recessed size of the collar 320 is greater than the radially outward recessed size of the arc-shaped support ear 200. Along the radial direction of the tubular base 100, there is a gap between the arc-shaped support ear 200 and the collar 320. In this way, when two adjacent pivot units rotate relative to each other, the radially outward recessed area of ​​the collar 320 can provide a portion of the arc-shaped support ear 200 with a space. That is to say, the arc-shaped support ear 200 can be accommodated in the space surrounded by the collar 320. This ensures that the two adjacent pivot units can rotate relative to each other with a larger rotation amplitude, thereby increasing the bending amplitude of the entire active bending section. When applied to an endoscope, it can ensure that the endoscope can cover a wider area and reduce visual blind spots. At the same time, the active bending section can bend to a greater extent, which provides a higher degree of operational freedom, allowing doctors or operators to more accurately control the bending direction and angle of the active bending section to meet different detection or surgical requirements.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, when the arcuate support ear 200 is rotatably accommodated in the space enclosed by the collar portion 320, the outer wall surface of the arcuate support ear 200 fits with the inner wall surface of the collar portion 320, that is, the arcuate collar portion 320 formed by stamping has a good covering and fitting effect on the arcuate support ear 200. Based on this covering and fitting effect, the two adjacent pivot units can have a larger pivot contact area, and the contact surface is an arcuate contact surface, thereby being able to apply constraints in multiple directions (radial direction, axial direction and circumferential direction) other than the rotation direction of the pivot unit, thereby improving the stability of the rotational connection between the two adjacent pivot units.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 The outer side surface of the lug base 310 is a plane. In this way, when the basic contours of the arc-shaped lug 200 and the collar 320 are formed by punching outward, a stopping force can be applied to the outer side of the lug base 310 to make the basic contours of the arc-shaped lug 200 and the collar 320 formed by punching stable and controllable, thereby avoiding uncontrollable deformation.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, since the tubular structure is a thin-walled part as a whole, when the outer side surface of the lug base 310 is a plane, the inner side surface of the lug base 310 is a plane, and when the abutting portion 210 is formed by inward punching, the abutting portion 210 can abut against the inner side surface of the lug base 310. Since the inner side surface of the lug base 310 is a plane, the abutting portion 210 and the inner side surface of the lug base 310 can have a larger abutting contact area, thereby ensuring the stability of the radial limit.

[0050] In the examples of this application, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 The tubular base 100 , the arc-shaped lug 200 and the lug 300 are formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and the abutment portion 210 is formed by stamping the end of the arc-shaped lug 200 .

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 4 The arc-shaped lugs 200 and the lugs 300 are distributed in the same circumferential direction of the tubular base 100. With such an arrangement, 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.

[0052] In the optional embodiments of this application, see Figure 5, 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 300, so that 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.

[0053] The present application also discloses an active bending section, see Figure 4 or Figure 5 The disclosed active bending section includes a plurality of the aforementioned pivot units, and two adjacent pivot units are rotationally connected.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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, applied to an endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises a tubular base (100), wherein a first end of the tubular base (100) is provided with an arc-shaped lug (200) protruding axially from the tubular base (100), and a second end of the tubular base (100) is provided with a lug (300) protruding axially from the tubular base (100); The two arc-shaped ears (200) are arranged opposite to each other to define a first accommodating area (400) therebetween; the ears (300) of the adjacent pivoting units are rotatably fitted in the first accommodating area (400); the ears (300) comprise an ear base (310) and a collar (320); the ear base (310) is connected to the tubular base (100) via the collar (320); the collar (320) is formed by the radial inner side of the tubular base (100) being recessed toward the radial outer side of the tubular base (100); the ear base (310) is rotatably accommodated in the first accommodating area (400) of the adjacent pivoting unit; The arc-shaped support ear (200) has abutment portions (210) extending to both sides, and along the radial direction of the tubular base (100), the abutment portions (210) are limitedly matched with the inner wall of the pivot unit adjacent thereto.

2. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The arc-shaped support ear (200) is recessed from the radial inner side of the tubular base (100) toward the radial outer side of the tubular base (100), and the abutment portion (210) is formed by punching the end of the arc-shaped support ear (200) from the outside to the inside.

3. The pivot unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The arc-shaped support ear (200) is also provided with an avoidance notch (220) adjacent to the abutment portion (210).

4. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radially outward recessed size of the collar portion (320) is the same as the radially outward recessed size of the arc-shaped support ear (200).

5. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the radial direction of the tubular base (100), there is a gap between the arc-shaped support ear (200) and the collar portion (320), so that the arc-shaped support ear (200) can be accommodated in the space surrounded by the collar portion (320).

6. The pivot unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side surface of the lug base (310) is a plane.

7. The pivot unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The tubular base (100), the arc-shaped support ear (200) and the lug (300) are formed by integrally cutting a tubular member, and the abutment portion (210) is formed by stamping an end portion of the arc-shaped support ear (200).

8. An active bending section, applied to an endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of pivot units as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of pivot units are connected end to end in sequence, and two adjacent pivot units are rotationally connected.

9. An endoscope, characterized in that: Comprising the active bending section as described in claim 8.

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