Hardness adjustment mechanism, insertion portion, and endoscope

Abstract

This invention discloses a stiffness adjustment mechanism, an insertion section, and an endoscope, relating to the field of medical device technology. The mechanism includes an elastic component and a driving component. The elastic component comprises multiple split elastic elements, one end of which is fixedly connected to an active bending section, and the other end of which is slidably disposed within the active bending section. The driving component applies force to the elastic elements, causing them to deform at least in the axial direction of the insertion section. The elastic elements have at least a first state and a second state. The axial length of the elastic element in the first state is greater than its axial length in the second state. Furthermore, in both the first and second states, the proximal ends of the proximal elastic elements are located in the distal region of the passive bending section of the insertion section. This invention, by switching the elastic elements between the first and second states, allows the active bending section to switch between two states: easy to bend and difficult to bend, without affecting the bending performance of the passive bending section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, and in particular to a hardness adjustment mechanism, an insertion part and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] An endoscope is a commonly used medical device that can directly enter the human body for examination and provide doctors with sufficient diagnostic information. An endoscope usually includes: an insertion part for inserting into the human body, a handle for controlling the bending of the front end of the insertion part, and a display device for displaying the internal environment of the human body's natural cavity; the endoscope can realize the internal observation of the human body, the exploration of lesions, and the treatment of lesions through the cooperation of the above three parts.

[0003] The insertion part includes an active bending section and a passive bending section. The active bending section is located at the distal end of the insertion part. The active bending section can control its bending state by a lever on the operating handle. The active bending section has the characteristic of being easy to bend, and its hardness is smaller than that of the passive bending section. In the related art, in order to realize the bending of the active bending section, the active bending section is formed by riveting, hinged or welding multiple snake bones, and there is a gap between two adjacent snake bone sections.

[0004] However, the endoscope still has at least the following defects during use: when the insertion part is inserted into the cavity, especially at the entrance of the cavity, the insertion part encounters a large resistance, and the active bending section is easy to deform and bend, which is not conducive to the insertion of the insertion part into the entrance of the cavity. Therefore, providing an insertion part that is easy to insert into the entrance of the cavity has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The invention discloses a hardness adjustment mechanism, an insertion part and an endoscope, so as to solve the technical problem in the related art that the active bending section of the insertion part is easy to deform and bend, which is not conducive to inserting the insertion part into the entrance of the cavity.

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

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides a hardness adjustment mechanism.

[0008] The hardness adjustment mechanism of the present invention is applied to an endoscope, and the hardness adjustment mechanism includes an elastic component and a driving component, wherein the elastic component includes a plurality of split elastic members, one end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the active bending section of the insertion part of the endoscope, and the other end of the elastic member is slidably disposed in the active bending section; the driving component is used to apply force to the elastic member and cause the elastic member to deform at least in the axial direction of the insertion part, the elastic member has at least a first state and a second state, the axial length of the elastic member in the first state is greater than the axial length of the elastic member in the second state, and when the elastic member is in the first state and the second state, the proximal end of the elastic member located at the proximal end is located in the distal region of the passive bending section of the insertion part.

[0009] According to an optional embodiment, when the elastic member is in the first state and the second state, the first end and the second end of the elastic member are respectively located at two adjacent serpentine nodes of the active bending section; and the axial length of the elastic member in the second state is greater than the maximum value of the gap between two adjacent serpentine nodes.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment, the elastic force generated by the elastic member decreases sequentially from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment, the axial length of the elastic member when in the first state decreases gradually from the proximal end to the distal end; or the axial length of the elastic member when in the first state is the same, and the pitch of the elastic member when in the first state increases gradually from the proximal end to the distal end.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment, the elastic component also includes a first hard segment and a second hard segment, the first hard segment and the second hard segment are respectively located on both sides of the elastic member, one of the first hard segment and the second hard segment is fixedly connected to the active bending segment, and the outer diameter of the first hard segment or the second hard segment is larger than the outer diameter of the elastic member; the other of the first hard segment and the second hard segment can be slidably disposed in the active bending segment.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment, the driving assembly includes at least one group of pulling assemblies, and the pulling assembly includes a first pulling rope, one end of which is connected to the sliding end of the elastic member, and the other end of the first pulling rope is connected to the handle of the endoscope.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment, the pulling assembly also includes a plurality of pressure rings, the number of the pressure rings is the same as the number of the elastic members, the pressure rings are located at the sliding end of the elastic member, the pressure rings are axially limited with the sliding end of the elastic member, the first traction rope is connected to the pressure ring, and based on the force applied by the first traction rope, the pressure ring drives the elastic member to move axially.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment, the first traction rope is formed with a bending portion at the distal end of the active bending section, and the bending radius of the bending portion is greater than or equal to the radius of the active bending section. The pulling assembly also includes a sleeve, and the first traction rope is slidably disposed in the sleeve. The distal end of the sleeve passes through the bending portion, and the distal end of the sleeve is located at the distal end of the active bending section.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention provides an insertion portion.

[0017] The insertion portion of the present invention comprises an active bending section and a passive bending section, the active bending section and the passive bending section are connected, and the hardness adjustment mechanism described in any technical solution of the present invention is arranged in the active bending section.

[0018] A third aspect of the present invention provides an endoscope.

[0019] The endoscope of the present invention comprises an insertion portion and a handle, wherein the insertion portion and the handle are connected, and the insertion portion is the insertion portion described in any one of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0020] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0021] In the first aspect, when the hardness adjustment mechanism of the present invention is applied to an endoscope, one end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the active bending section of the insertion portion of the endoscope, and the other end of the elastic member can be slidably disposed in the active bending section. The driving assembly is used to apply force to the elastic member, so that the elastic member can be deformed at least in the axial direction of the insertion portion, thereby changing the axial length of the elastic member. Specifically, when the elastic member is in a first state, its axial length is relatively long. In this state, the hardness of the elastic member is relatively small, and the elastic member is easy to bend. When the active bending section bends, the resistance encountered by the active bending section is relatively small, so that the active bending section can maintain the performance of being easy to bend; when the elastic member is in a second state, its axial length is relatively short. In this state, the hardness of the elastic member is relatively large, and the elastic member is not easy to bend. When the active bending section bends, the resistance encountered by the active bending section is relatively large, so that the active bending section has the performance of being difficult to bend.

[0022] It can be seen that by switching the elastic member between the first state and the second state, the active bending section can be switched between the easy-to-bend and difficult-to-bend states, thereby adjusting the bending performance of the active bending section to meet different insertion requirements. This solves the technical problem in the related art that the active bending section of the insertion part is easy to deform and bend, which is not conducive to inserting the insertion part into the cavity entrance.

[0023] In the second aspect, the hardness adjustment mechanism of the present invention, the elastic component includes a plurality of split elastic members, and when the elastic members switch between the first state and the second state, the change in the axial length of a single elastic member is reduced, so that when the elastic members are in the first state and the second state, the proximal ends of the elastic members located at the proximal end are both located in the distal region of the passive bending section of the insertion part. That is, when the elastic members switch between the first state and the second state, only the bending performance of the active bending section is changed, which can avoid the problem that when the bending performance of the active bending section is changed, the bending performance of the passive bending section is also affected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] 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.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a partial schematic diagram of the insertion portion of an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the hidden passive bending section and the proximal end snake bone segment of the insertion portion of the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion when the elastic member of the embodiment of the present application is in the first state;

[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of part A;

[0030] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion portion when the elastic member of the embodiment of the present application is in the second state;

[0031] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A magnified view of part B;

[0032] Figure 8 is a partial schematic diagram of an insertion portion of another embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the insertion portion of the embodiment of the present application hiding the distal end snake bone segment;

[0034] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 Enlarged view of part C;

[0035] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of another elastic component of the present application;

[0036] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the first hard segment and the active bending segment in the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of an active bending section of an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the snake bone joint of the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the pressing ring of the embodiment of the present application.

[0040] In the figure: 100, hardness adjustment mechanism; 110, elastic component; 111, elastic member; 111a, first end; 111b, second end; 112, first hard segment; 113, second hard segment; 120, driving component; 121, first traction rope; 121a, bending portion; 122, pressing ring; 122a, mounting hole; 123, sleeve; 200, insertion portion; 210, active bending segment; 211, serpentine joint; 211a, connection point; 212, gap; 213, first recessed portion; 214, second recessed portion; 215, mounting tube; 216, fixing portion; 220, passive bending segment; 230, instrument tube; 240, second traction rope; 300, handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] In each embodiment of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the position of each component relative to the user in the use environment, wherein the end closer to the user is designated as the "proximal end" and the end farther from the user is designated as the "distal end".

[0044] In the related art, the distal end of the insertion part is provided with a camera module, an instrument tube outlet and other structures. In order to make the camera module have a larger camera range, or to align the instrument tube outlet with the lesion, it is usually necessary to adjust the bending state of the distal end of the insertion part. Specifically, the distal end of the insertion part is provided with an active bending section, and there is a gap between two adjacent snake bone sections of the active bending section, so that the hardness of the active bending section is relatively small and has the characteristic of being easy to bend. The bending state of the active bending section can be controlled by operating the lever on the handle.

[0045] When the lever is not operated, although the active bending section is in a straight state, when the insertion part is inserted into the entrance of the cavity, especially when the size of the entrance of the cavity is small, it is usually necessary to apply a large force to the insertion part to insert the insertion part into the cavity, which not only easily causes tissue damage, but also the insertion part is subjected to large resistance during the process, which easily causes the active bending section to bend, which is not conducive to inserting the insertion part into the entrance of the cavity.

[0046] To this end, the present application provides a hardness adjustment mechanism, which is arranged in the active bending section of the insertion part. The hardness adjustment mechanism includes a plurality of split elastic parts. By adjusting the compression degree of the elastic parts, the bending performance of the active bending section can be adjusted. At the same time, since the axial length change of a single elastic part is small, the proximal end of the elastic part can always be located in the distal area of ​​the passive bending section of the insertion part, thereby avoiding the bending performance of the passive bending section from being affected when adjusting the bending performance of the active bending section.

[0047] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 15 , the hardness adjustment mechanism, insertion part and endoscope provided by the present application are described in detail through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0048] The hardness adjustment mechanism of this embodiment is applied to an endoscope. The endoscope includes an insertion portion 200 and a handle 300. The insertion portion 200 is used to be inserted into a cavity. The handle 300 is provided with an operating member for the convenience of the doctor to operate. Figure 1 The inserting portion 200 has an active bending section 210 and a passive bending section 220, wherein the active bending section 210 is located at the distal end and the passive bending section 220 is located at the proximal end. Figure 2 The insertion portion 200 is also provided with an instrument tube 230, which is used to insert instruments. Figure 2 As shown. The distal end surface of the active bending section 210 is provided with a camera module and other structures. Exemplarily, the active bending section 210 is formed by hingedly connecting multiple snake bone sections 211, and two adjacent snake bone sections 211 have two symmetrically distributed connection points 211a, such as Fig.13 shown.

[0049] The hardness adjustment mechanism of this embodiment includes an elastic component 110, such as Figure 3 The elastic component 110 includes a plurality of split elastic members 111, such as Figure 4 As shown. The split elastic member 111 mentioned in this embodiment is relative to the integrated elastic member, which means that the multiple elastic members 111 are not directly connected. Exemplarily, the number of elastic members 111 is the same as the number of snake bones 211 of the active bending section 210. Exemplarily, the number of elastic members 111 is greater than 1 and less than the number of snake bones 211. Exemplarily, the elastic member 111 is an elastic component such as a spring or an elastic rubber member. Since the elastic member 111 is elastic, it can be deformed when subjected to force. The following description takes the elastic member 111 as a spring as an example.

[0050] In some embodiments, the elastic member 111 is disposed in the active bending section 210, such as Figure 4 As shown. Exemplarily, the elastic member 111 is arranged in the cavity of the active bending section 210 along the axial direction. Exemplarily, the elastic member 111 can also be arranged on the outer wall surface of the active bending section 210 along the axial direction. Exemplarily, the elastic member 111 is arranged in the cavity of the active bending section 210 along the axial direction, and the elastic member 111 is also evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the active bending section 210, so that the bending performance of the active bending section 210 is consistent. Exemplarily, the elastic member 111 is sleeved on the outer wall of the instrument tube 230, as shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown.

[0051] In some embodiments, the hardness adjustment mechanism further includes a drive assembly 120, such as Figure 3As shown. The driving assembly 120 is used to apply force to the elastic member 111, and cause the elastic member 111 to deform at least in the axial direction of the insertion portion 200. Exemplarily, the force applied by the driving assembly 120 to the elastic member 111 may be a thrust or a pull in the axial direction of the elastic member 111, so that the elastic member 111 may be deformed in its axial direction. The deformation of the elastic member 111 in its axial direction may cause the length of the elastic member 111 in its axial direction to change.

[0052] Based on the force applied by the drive assembly 120 to the elastic member 111, the elastic member 111 has at least a first state and a second state, and the axial length of the elastic member 111 when in the first state is greater than the axial length of the elastic member 111 when in the second state. The first state of the elastic member 111 can also be said to be the initial state of the elastic member 111. Exemplarily, the first state of the elastic member 111 is the state in which the elastic member 111 is in a natural state (no force). Figure 4 and Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the elastic member 111 in a first state; Figure 6 and Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the elastic member 111 in the second state.

[0053] In some embodiments, the distal end of the elastic member 111 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the active bending section 210 (for example, by welding), and the proximal end of the elastic member 111 can be slidably disposed in the insertion portion 200. The distal end of the active bending section 210 also has structures such as a camera module, and the space is limited. This arrangement of the elastic member 111 ensures that the deformation of the elastic member 111 in the axial direction will not affect the camera module and the like at the distal end of the active bending section 210, and there is no need to reserve deformation space for the elastic member 111 at the distal end of the active bending section 210.

[0054] For example, taking the case where the distal end of the elastic member 111 is fixed and a thrust is applied to the proximal end of the elastic member 111, the greater the thrust applied to the elastic member 111, the greater the deformation of the elastic member 111, the shorter the length of the elastic member 111 in the axial direction, and the greater the hardness of the elastic member 111. Taking a spring as an example, when the pitch between two adjacent turns of the spring is reduced to 0, the hardness of the spring is the largest. Conversely, the smaller the thrust applied to the elastic member 111, the smaller the deformation of the elastic member 111, the longer the length of the elastic member 111 in the axial direction, and the smaller the hardness of the elastic member 111.

[0055] Exemplarily, in the first state, the elastic member 111 is not subjected to the force applied by the driving assembly 120, or is subjected to a small thrust or pull by the driving assembly 120, so that the elastic member 111 is in a natural state, or a slightly compressed or slightly stretched state. In the second state, the elastic member 111 is subjected to a large thrust by the driving assembly 120, so that the elastic member 111 is compressed to a large extent.

[0056] In the hardness adjustment mechanism of this embodiment, when the elastic member 111 is in the first state, its axial length is relatively long. In this state, the hardness of the elastic member 111 is relatively small, and the elastic member 111 is easy to bend. When the active bending section 210 bends, the active bending section 210 is subject to relatively small resistance, thereby enabling the active bending section 210 to maintain easy-to-bend performance; when the elastic member 111 is in the second state, its axial length is relatively short. In this state, the hardness of the elastic member 111 is relatively large, and the elastic member 111 is not easy to bend. When the active bending section 210 bends, the active bending section 210 is subject to relatively large resistance, thereby enabling the active bending section 210 to have a performance that is not easy to bend.

[0057] It can be seen that by switching the elastic member 111 between the first state and the second state, the active bending section 210 can be switched between the easy-to-bend state and the difficult-to-bend state, thereby adjusting the bending performance of the active bending section 210 to meet different insertion requirements, thereby solving the technical problem in the related art that the active bending section 210 of the insertion part 200 is easy to deform and bend, which is not conducive to inserting the insertion part 200 into the cavity entrance.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the elastic member 111 is in the first state and the second state, the proximal end of the elastic member 111 located at the proximal end is located at the distal end region of the passive bending section 220 of the insertion portion 200, such as Figure 4~Figure 7 The distal region of the passive bending segment 220 may refer to the connection between the active bending segment 210 and the passive bending segment 220; it may also refer to the distal segment 211 of the proximal end of the active bending segment 210; it may also refer to the proximal end surface of the active bending segment 210; or it may refer to the passive bending segment 220 close to its distal end surface.

[0059] In the hardness adjustment mechanism of the present embodiment, the elastic component 110 includes a plurality of split elastic members 111. When the elastic member 111 switches between the first state and the second state, the change in the axial length of the single elastic member 111 is reduced, so that when the elastic member 111 is in the first state and the second state, the proximal ends of the elastic members 111 located at the proximal end are both located in the distal region of the passive bending section 220, that is, when the elastic member 111 switches between the first state and the second state, only the bending performance of the active bending section 210 is changed, thereby avoiding the problem that when the bending performance of the active bending section 210 is changed, the bending performance of the passive bending section 220 is simultaneously affected.

[0060] In some embodiments, when the elastic member 111 is in the first state, the first end 111a and the second end 111b of the elastic member 111 are respectively located at two adjacent snake bone nodes 211 of the active bending section 210. Figure 5 There is a gap 212 between two adjacent snake bone nodes 211, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 shown.

[0061] When the elastic member 111 of this embodiment is in the first state, the elastic member 111 is located at the gap 212. Since the elastic member 111 is easy to bend, when the active bending section 210 bends, the active bending section 210 is subjected to less resistance, so that the active bending section 210 can maintain the performance of being easy to bend. On the other hand, during the bending process of the active bending section 210, the instrument tube 230 bends along with the bending of the active bending section 210, and there may be a hidden danger that the instrument tube 230 collapses on the bending side. In this embodiment, the elastic member 111 is sleeved on the outer wall of the instrument tube 230, and the instrument tube 230 can be constrained by the elastic member 111, which can not only reduce the risk of collapse of the instrument tube 230, but also improve the smoothness of sliding of the elastic member 111 when the state of the elastic member 111 is switched in this state.

[0062] In some embodiments, when the elastic member 111 is in the second state, the first end 111a and the second end 111b of the elastic member 111 are respectively located at two adjacent snake bone nodes 211 of the active bending section 210; and the axial length of the elastic member 111 in the second state is greater than the maximum value of the gap 212 between the two adjacent snake bone nodes 211, such as Figure 7 This structure of the elastic member 111 allows the elastic member 111 in the second state to completely cover the gap 212 between two adjacent snake bone nodes 211 .

[0063] In the hardness adjustment mechanism of this embodiment, the elastic member 111 in the second state is located at the gap 212 between two adjacent serpentine nodes 211. At this time, the hardness of the elastic member 111 is relatively large, and the elastic member 111 is not easy to bend. When the active bending section 210 bends, the rotation between the two adjacent serpentine nodes 211 is blocked by the elastic member 111, so that the active bending section 210 has the property of being difficult to bend.

[0064] In some embodiments, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 111 decreases in sequence from the proximal end to the distal end. Exemplarily, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 111 can also be said to be the pulling force or pushing force applied to the elastic member 111 when the elastic member 111 switches from the first state to the second state; or the rebound force generated when the elastic member 111 switches from the second state to the first state; or the resistance when the elastic member 111 is deformed, and the deformation of the elastic member 111 includes axial deformation, radial deformation and / or bending deformation.

[0065] The inventors discovered during research that when the active bending section 210 is controlled to bend by the second traction rope 240, the bending order of the active bending section 210 is gradually bending from the proximal end to the distal end. This bending method causes the active bending section 210 to sweep a larger area. When the active bending section 210 bends in the cavity, the space in the cavity is limited, which makes the bending resistance of the active bending section 210 larger, or it is easy to cause cavity damage during the bending process.

[0066] In the hardness adjustment mechanism of this embodiment, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 111 decreases successively from the proximal end to the distal end. When the second traction rope 240 applies force, the distal serpentine joint 211 can bend first due to the smaller elastic force generated by the distal elastic member 111. As the force applied to the second traction rope 240 increases, the second traction rope 240 can drive the proximal serpentine joint 211 to bend, so that the active bending section 210 can bend gradually from the distal end to the proximal end. The area swept by the active bending section 210 when bending is smaller, which can not only reduce the bending resistance of the active bending section 210, but also reduce the damage to the cavity caused by the bending process.

[0067] In some embodiments, elastic materials with different compression degrees can be used to prepare each elastic member 111. Exemplarily, from the proximal end to the distal end, the axial length of the elastic member 111 in the first state decreases in sequence. That is, from the proximal end to the distal end, the compression degree of the elastic member 111 in the first state gradually decreases. Thus, from the proximal end to the distal end, the elastic force of each elastic member 111 in the first state decreases in sequence, and when the second traction rope 240 applies force, the active bending section 210 can bend gradually from the distal end to the proximal end.

[0068] In some embodiments, materials with different elasticity can be used to prepare each elastic member 111. Exemplarily, from the proximal end to the distal end, the axial lengths of the elastic members 111 in the first state are the same, and the pitches of the elastic members 111 in the first state increase sequentially, such as Figure 8 As shown, the elastic force of each elastic member 111 in the first state can be reduced in sequence from the proximal end to the distal end, and when the second traction rope 240 applies force, the active bending section 210 can be gradually bent from the distal end to the proximal end.

[0069] Without being limited to the above two methods, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 111 decreases successively from the proximal end to the distal end. Other methods may also be used to achieve a direction from the proximal end to the distal end, in which the elastic force generated by the elastic member 111 decreases successively.

[0070] In some embodiments, the elastic component 110 further includes a first hard segment 112 and a second hard segment 113, and the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 are respectively located on both sides of the elastic member 111. Fig.11 As shown. The first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 are components that do not have elasticity, or the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 are incompressible segments. Exemplarily, the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 are incompressible springs, such as Fig.11 As shown; or the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 are incompressible plastic tubes.

[0071] One of the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 is fixedly connected to the active bending segment 210, and the outer diameter of the first hard segment 112 or the second hard segment 113 is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic member 111. Fig.11 As shown. The other of the first hard segment 112 and the second hard segment 113 can be slidably disposed in the active bending segment 210. Exemplarily, the first hard segment 112 is fixedly connected to the active bending segment 210; the second hard segment 113 can be slidably disposed in the active bending segment 210, and the outer diameter of the first hard segment 112 is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic member 111. Fig.12 As shown, the maximum outer diameter of the first hard segment 112 is also the same as the inner diameter of the active bending segment 210, so that the first hard segment 112 can abut against the inner wall of the active bending segment 210, and when the elastic member 111 is in the second state, the hardness of the active bending segment 210 can be further improved.

[0072] Exemplarily, the active bending section 210 is provided with a first recessed portion 213, the first recessed portion 213 is recessed toward the instrument tube 230, and the groove formed by the first recessed portion 213 is used to install the first traction rope 121, such as Fig.12 The active bending section 210 is also provided with a second recessed portion 214, which is recessed toward the instrument tube 230. The groove formed by the second recessed portion 214 is used to install a second traction rope 240 (the second traction rope 240 is used to control the bending state of the active bending section 210). Fig.12 As shown. Exemplarily, the second recessed portion 214 is provided with a mounting tube 215, and the mounting tube 215 is used to mount the second traction rope 240, and the second traction rope 240 can be slidably disposed in the mounting tube 215, as shown. Fig.12 As shown. Exemplarily, the first recessed portion 213 and the second recessed portion 214 are distributed in the circumferential direction of the active bending segment 210, so that the inner walls of the first recessed portion 213 and the second recessed portion 214 can abut against the first hard segment 112, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 shown.

[0073] In some embodiments, along the axial direction of the active bending section 210, the first recessed portion 213 and the second recessed portion 214 are distributed over the entire length of each snake bone segment 211, such as Fig.13 and Fig.14 As shown. That is, the length of the first recessed portion 213 and the second recessed portion 214 is the same as the length of the snake bone section 211, which is beneficial to the contraction or extension of the elastic member 111. Specifically, taking the spring as an example, two adjacent turns of the spring have a pitch, and two adjacent sections of the snake bone section 211 also have a gap 212. The lengths of the first recessed portion 213 and the second recessed portion 214 are relatively long, so that the spring and the active bending section 210 are not prone to the hidden danger of mutual jamming.

[0074] In some embodiments, the driving assembly 120 includes at least one set of pulling assemblies. Exemplarily, the driving assembly 120 may include two sets of pulling assemblies, which are symmetrically distributed in the circumferential direction of the elastic assembly 110, so that the elastic assembly 110 is evenly stressed in the circumferential direction, avoiding the hidden danger of the elastic assembly 110 tilting when stressed. Exemplarily, the two sets of pulling assemblies may also be asymmetrically distributed in the circumferential direction of the elastic assembly 110.

[0075] In some embodiments, the pulling assembly includes a first pulling rope 121, one end of the first pulling rope 121 is connected to the slidable end of the elastic member 111, and the other end of the first pulling rope 121 is connected to the handle 300 of the endoscope. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Exemplarily, when a pulling force is applied to the first traction rope 121, the proximal end of the elastic member 111 is moved toward the distal end by the pulling force, thereby shortening the axial length of the elastic member 111 and placing the elastic member 111 in a compressed state; when the pulling force applied to the first traction rope 121 is released, the proximal end of the elastic member 111 moves toward the proximal end under the action of its own elastic force, thereby extending the axial length of the elastic member 111.

[0076] In some embodiments, the handle 300 is provided with a structure similar to a lever or a button. By operating the corresponding structure, the first traction rope 121 can be triggered to apply tension to the elastic member 111, or the tension applied by the first traction rope 121 to the elastic member 111 can be triggered to be released.

[0077] In some embodiments, the pulling assembly further includes a pressing ring 122, such as Figure 3~Figure 7 As shown. The number of the pressing rings 122 is multiple. Preferably, the number of the pressing rings 122 is the same as the number of the elastic members 111, so that the pressing rings 122 and the elastic members 111 are matched one by one. The pressing ring 122 is located at the slidable end of the elastic member 111, and the pressing ring 122 and the slidable end of the elastic member 111 are axially limited, as shown in FIG. Figure 4~Figure 7 As shown. Exemplarily, the pressing ring 122 is located at the proximal end of the elastic member 111 and blocks the proximal end of the elastic member 111.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first traction rope 121 is connected to the pressing ring 122. Based on the force applied by the first traction rope 121, the pressing ring 122 drives the elastic member 111 to move axially. Fig.15 The mounting hole 122a is used to mount and fix the first traction rope 121.

[0079] Exemplarily, when a pulling force is applied to the first traction rope 121, the pressing ring 122 is pulled and moves toward the distal end. The movement of the pressing ring 122 can drive the elastic member 111 to move toward the proximal end, thereby shortening the axial length of the elastic member 111 and putting the elastic member 111 in a compressed state. By applying force to the elastic member 111 through the pressing ring 122, the uniformity of the force applied to the elastic member 111 in the circumferential direction can be further enhanced. When the pulling force applied to the first traction rope 121 is released, the proximal end of the elastic member 111 moves toward the proximal end under the action of its own elastic force and pushes the pressing ring 122 to move toward the proximal end, thereby extending the axial length of the elastic member 111.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first traction rope 121 is formed with a curved portion 121a at the distal end of the elastic member 111. Figure 2 and Figure 3 That is, after one end of the first traction rope 121 is connected to the proximal end of the elastic member 111 or the pressing ring 122, the other end of the first traction rope 121 is axially extended to the distal end of the elastic member 111, and after being bent at the distal end of the elastic member 111 to form a curved portion 121a, it is axially extended again to the handle 300. For example, a fixing portion 216 is provided on the snake bone joint 211 at the farthest end, and the fixing portion 216 is used to fix the curved portion 121a. Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown.

[0081] In some embodiments, the bending radius of the curved portion 121a is greater than or equal to the radius of the active bending section 210. Figure 2 and Figure 3 That is, the first traction rope 121 forms a relatively large curved portion 121a at the far end of the elastic member 111. This structure is conducive to reducing the friction resistance of the first traction rope 121 at the curved portion 121a, thereby increasing the smoothness of the first traction rope 121 during the pulling process and avoiding the problem of the first traction rope 121 being stuck at the curved portion 121a.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first traction ropes 121 located at both ends of the bending portion 121a are respectively located on both sides of the connection point 211a of the adjacent snake bone joints 211 of the active bending section 210, such as Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown. Exemplarily, the first traction rope 121 is located in the middle between the two connection points 211a. This arrangement of the first traction rope 121 can form multiple constraint points in the circumferential direction of the active complete section through the first traction rope 121 and the connection point 211a, and when the elastic member 111 is in the second state, the hardness of the active bending section 210 can be further enhanced.

[0083] In some embodiments, the pulling assembly further includes a sleeve 123, such as Figure 3As shown. The first traction rope 121 is slidably disposed in the sleeve 123. Exemplarily, the sleeve 123 can be a hose. Exemplarily, the sleeve 123 can also be a hard tube. The inner diameter of the sleeve 123 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the first traction rope 121, so that the first traction rope 121 can slide in the sleeve 123.

[0084] In some embodiments, the distal end of the sleeve 123 passes through the curved portion 121a, and the distal end of the sleeve 123 is located at the distal end of the active curved section 210, such as Fig. 9 and Fig.10 In the bending area, the first traction rope 121 is subjected to greater frictional resistance, and the distal end of the sleeve 123 is passed through the curved portion 121a. When the first traction rope 121 slides under force, the first traction rope 121 can slide along the bending direction of the sleeve 123, which is conducive to reducing the frictional resistance encountered by the first traction rope 121 during the sliding process.

[0085] The second aspect of this embodiment describes the insertion portion in detail.

[0086] The insertion portion of this embodiment includes an active bending section 210 and a passive bending section 220, and the active bending section 210 and the passive bending section 220 are connected, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 The structures of the active bending section 210 and the passive bending section 220 may be the same as those in the prior art, and will not be described in detail herein. In the insertion portion of this embodiment, the active bending section 210 is provided with a hardness adjustment mechanism 100 of any one of the embodiments.

[0087] The insertion portion of this embodiment can realize the switching of the active bending section 210 between the easy-to-bend and hard-to-bend states through the hardness adjustment mechanism of any technical solution in this embodiment, thereby realizing the adjustment of the bending performance of the active bending section 210 without affecting the bending performance of the passive bending section 220.

[0088] The third aspect of this embodiment describes the endoscope in detail.

[0089] The endoscope of this embodiment includes an insertion portion 200 and a handle 300. The insertion portion 200 and the handle 300 are connected. The insertion portion 200 is the insertion portion of any technical solution of this embodiment, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0090] The endoscope system of this embodiment may be a digestive endoscope, a bronchoscope, a pyeloscope, an esophagoscope, a gastroscope, a colonoscope, an otoscope, a rhinoscope, a stomatoscope, a laryngoscope, a colposcope, a laparoscope, an arthroscope, etc. This embodiment does not specifically limit the type of the endoscope system.

[0091] The endoscope of this embodiment can meet different insertion requirements through the function of the insertion part of any technical solution in this embodiment.

[0092] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0093] In addition, it should be noted 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 a reverse order according to the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0094] 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 hardness adjustment mechanism, applied to an endoscope, characterized in that: The hardness adjustment mechanism comprises an elastic component (110) and a driving component (120), wherein: The elastic component (110) comprises a plurality of split elastic members (111), one end of the elastic member (111) being fixedly connected to an active bending section (210) of an insertion portion (200) of an endoscope, and the other end of the elastic member (111) being slidably disposed in the active bending section (210); The driving assembly (120) is used to apply force to the elastic member (111) and cause the elastic member (111) to deform at least in the axial direction of the insertion portion (200); the elastic member (111) has at least a first state and a second state; the axial length of the elastic member (111) when in the first state is greater than the axial length of the elastic member (111) when in the second state; When the elastic member (111) is in the first state and the second state, the proximal end of the elastic member (111) located at the proximal end is located at the distal end region of the passive bending section (220) of the insertion portion (200); The driving assembly (120) comprises at least one group of pulling assemblies, wherein the pulling assembly comprises a first pulling rope (121), one end of the first pulling rope (121) is connected to the slidable end of the elastic member (111), and the other end of the first pulling rope (121) is connected to the handle (300) of the endoscope; The pulling assembly further comprises a plurality of pressing rings (122), the number of the pressing rings (122) being the same as the number of the elastic members (111), the pressing rings (122) being located at the slidable end of the elastic member (111), the pressing rings (122) being axially limitedly matched with the slidable end of the elastic member (111), the first traction rope (121) being connected to the pressing ring (122), and based on the force applied by the first traction rope (121), the pressing ring (122) drives the elastic member (111) to move axially.

2. The hardness adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the elastic member (111) is in the first state and the second state, the first end (111a) and the second end (111b) of the elastic member (111) are respectively located at two adjacent snake bone nodes (211) of the active bending section (210); Furthermore, the axial length of the elastic member (111) in the second state is greater than the maximum value of the gap (212) between two adjacent snake bone nodes (211).

3. The hardness adjustment mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: From the proximal end to the distal end, the elastic force generated by the elastic member (111) decreases successively.

4. The hardness adjustment mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: From the proximal end to the distal end, the axial length of the elastic member (111) in the first state decreases successively; or In the direction from the proximal end to the distal end, the axial length of the elastic member (111) when in the first state is the same, and the pitch of the thread of the elastic member (111) when in the first state increases successively.

5. The hardness adjustment mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The elastic component (110) further comprises a first hard segment (112) and a second hard segment (113), wherein the first hard segment (112) and the second hard segment (113) are respectively located on two sides of the elastic member (111). One of the first hard segment (112) and the second hard segment (113) is fixedly connected to the active bending segment (210), and an outer diameter of the first hard segment (112) or the second hard segment (113) is greater than an outer diameter of the elastic member (111); The other of the first hard segment (112) and the second hard segment (113) is slidably disposed within the active bending segment (210).

6. The hardness adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first traction rope (121) is formed with a curved portion (121a) at the distal end of the active curved section (210), and the curved portion (121a) has a bending radius greater than or equal to the radius of the active curved section (210). The pulling assembly further comprises a sleeve (123), the first pulling rope (121) being slidably disposed in the sleeve (123), the distal end of the sleeve (123) passing through the curved portion (121a), and the distal end of the sleeve (123) being located at the distal end of the active curved section (210).

7. An insertion portion, characterized in that: It comprises an active bending section (210) and a passive bending section (220), the active bending section (210) and the passive bending section (220) being connected, and the hardness adjustment mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is arranged in the active bending section (210).

8. An endoscope, characterized in that: The invention comprises an insertion part (200) and a handle (300), wherein the insertion part (200) and the handle (300) are connected, and the insertion part (200) is the insertion part according to claim 7.

Images