Snake unit, active bending segment and endoscope

Abstract

The present invention discloses a snake bone unit, an active bending section and an endoscope, and relates to the technical field of medical devices. The snake bone unit of the present invention comprises a snake bone body, and the distal end and the proximal end of the snake bone body are respectively provided with a first opening and a second opening, and at least one of the first opening and the second opening is a strip hole; the snake bone unit also comprises a connecting piece, and the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively installed in the first opening and the second opening on the two adjacent snake bone bodies, and when the active bending section is in a straight state, the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies abut against each other; and at least one end of the snake bone body is provided with a notch, and a mounting hole is formed between the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies, and the mounting hole is used for the connecting piece to pass through, and the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively located inside and outside the snake bone body. The snake bone unit of the present invention can improve the smoothness of the endoscope insertion process, and at the same time can also reduce the hidden danger of the snake bone body being dislocated in the radial direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a snake-bone unit, an active bending section 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 is the core component for controlling the imaging range of the distal camera module of the endoscope. In order to achieve the bending of the active bending section, the active bending section includes multiple snake bone sections, which are formed by riveting, integral cutting or injection molding. Riveted snake bones have high labor costs. In the field of disposable endoscopes, in order to reduce the cost of parts, few manufacturers use riveted snake bones in the production of disposable endoscopes.

[0004] However, riveted metal snake bones have advantages that injection molded snake bones or one-piece cut snake bones do not have, such as stable quality and high strength. In large-sized insertion parts, such as digestive endoscopes, there are many pipelines and the size of the pipelines is large, so the overall rigidity of the insertion part is relatively large. Injection molded snake bones or one-piece cut snake bones have lower strength and may also have the risk of breaking or detaching the rotating part with fewer bending times. Therefore, riveted snake bones will still be used by a small number of manufacturers who attach importance to quality.

[0005] In the riveted snake bones of the related art, there is a gap between two adjacent snake bone joints, and the bending angle of the snake bone joint is determined by the gap between the two adjacent snake bone joints. The larger the gap, the larger the bending angle of the snake bone joint, and the larger the imaging range of the camera module. However, when the insertion part is in the straight state, due to the gap between the two adjacent snake bones, the insertion part is subject to resistance, and the snake bone joint is prone to rotation under the action of external force and irregular bending, which hinders the process of lens insertion.

[0006] In the related art, in order to solve this problem, doctors usually need to insert a rigid endoscope first, and then insert a guide wire when the rigid endoscope insertion part reaches the target position, and then remove the rigid endoscope, and finally insert the soft endoscope to the target position under the guidance of the guide wire. The above scheme leads to a complicated insertion process of the soft endoscope, many auxiliary instruments are required, and the operation time is long. Therefore, providing an active bending section that is easy to insert into the cavity is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention discloses a snake bone unit, an active bending section and an endoscope, so as to solve the technical problem that the endoscope in the related art is hindered during the insertion process.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention provides a snake bone unit.

[0010] The snake bone unit of the present invention comprises a snake bone body, wherein the distal end and the proximal end of the snake bone body are respectively provided with a first opening and a second opening, wherein at least one of the first opening and the second opening is a strip hole, and the diameter of the strip hole along the axial direction of the snake bone body is larger than the diameter along the radial direction of the snake bone body; the snake bone unit also comprises a connecting piece, wherein the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively installed in the first opening and the second opening on two adjacent snake bone bodies, and when the active bending section is in a straightened state, the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies abut against each other; and at least one end of the snake bone body is provided with a notch, and a mounting hole is formed between the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies, wherein the mounting hole is used for the connecting piece to pass through, and the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively located inside and outside the snake bone body.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment, the connecting member includes a connecting portion and a first rivet and a second rivet located at both ends of the connecting portion, the first rivet and the second rivet are respectively installed in the first opening and the second opening, and there is a movable gap between the first rivet and the first opening, and / or there is a movable gap between the second rivet and the second opening, and the movable gap is close to the end of the snake bone body.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment, the connecting portion includes a connecting rod, the connecting rod has a first connecting section and a second connecting section, and the first connecting section and the second connecting section are connected via an inclined section.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment, the connecting portion includes two connecting rods, the connecting rods have a first connecting segment and a second connecting segment, the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment are connected by an inclined segment, and the inclined segments of the two connecting rods intersect each other.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment, the distal end of the serpent bone body is provided with a notch, and the notch and the proximal end face of the adjacent serpent bone body form the mounting hole; or both the distal end and the proximal end of the serpent bone body are provided with a notch, and the notches on the two adjacent serpent bone bodies together form the mounting hole; or the proximal end of the serpent bone body is provided with a notch, and the notch and the distal end face of the adjacent serpent bone body form the mounting hole.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment, the first opening is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening is a strip-shaped hole; or the first opening is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening is a round hole; or the first opening is a round hole, and the second opening is a strip-shaped hole.

[0016] According to an optional embodiment, a traction rope installation portion is also provided on the serpentine body, and the traction rope installation portion is used to install the traction rope, and the traction rope located between two adjacent serpentine bodies is located outside the abutment point of the two adjacent serpentine bodies.

[0017] According to an optional embodiment, both ends of the snake bone body are recessed toward the center of the snake bone body and form a recessed portion, and a slit is provided on the side of the recessed portion away from the end face of the snake bone body, the slit runs through the wall surface of the snake bone body, and the slit and the snake bone body between the two slits are used to fix the traction rope.

[0018] A second aspect of the present invention provides an active bending segment.

[0019] The active bending section of the present invention comprises a plurality of snake bone units, wherein the snake bone units are the snake bone units described in any one of the technical solutions of the present invention, and the heads and tails of two adjacent snake bone units are connected to each other.

[0020] A third aspect of the present invention provides an endoscope.

[0021] The endoscope of the present invention comprises an insertion part and a handle, wherein the insertion part and the handle are connected, wherein the insertion part comprises an active bending section and a passive bending section, the active bending section is the active bending section described in any technical solution of the present invention, and the proximal end of the active bending section is connected to the distal end of the passive bending section.

[0022] The technical solution adopted by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0023] On the first aspect, when the snake bone unit of the present invention is in a straightened state, the end faces of two adjacent snake bone bodies abut against each other. Through the abutment of the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies, the two adjacent snake bone bodies can be limited to each other in the circumferential direction, thereby enhancing the rigidity of the active bending section. When the active bending section is subjected to resistance during the advancement of the endoscope, the snake bone body is not prone to irregular bending, thereby helping to reduce the hidden danger of deformation of the active bending section causing the surface smoothness to be affected, thereby improving the smoothness of the endoscope advancement process and solving the technical problem in the related art that the endoscope is hindered during the advancement process.

[0024] On the second aspect, the snake bone unit of the present invention, since at least one of the first opening and the second opening is a strip hole, when two adjacent snake bone bodies are connected by a connecting piece, a movable gap can be provided between the connecting piece and the first opening and / or the second opening. When the active bending section needs to be bent, under the pull of the traction rope, the connecting piece can move in the direction of the movable gap and form a gap between the two adjacent snake bone bodies. The gap can provide a clearance space for the bending of the snake bone body, thereby allowing the two adjacent snake bone bodies to rotate in the direction of separation from each other to achieve the bending function.

[0025] In the third aspect, in the serpentine unit of the present invention, the connecting piece passes through the mounting hole, and the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively located inside and outside the serpentine body. This structure is conducive to reducing the hidden danger of radial dislocation of the serpentine body. Specifically, when a gap is formed between two adjacent serpentine bodies, and the active bending section is subjected to external force, when the two adjacent serpentine bodies are about to be dislocated in the radial direction, since the connecting piece passes through the two adjacent serpentine bodies, and the two ends of the connecting piece are respectively located inside and outside the serpentine body, when any serpentine body is about to be dislocated, it will drive the connecting piece to move, and make the connecting piece abut against the other serpentine body, thereby limiting the movement of the serpentine body. That is, the two adjacent serpentine bodies and the connecting piece are mutually constrained, thereby reducing the hidden danger of radial dislocation of the serpentine body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] 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.

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an active bending section in the related art;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone nodes riveted to each other in the related art;

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a snake bone joint in the related art;

[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of irregular bending of the active bending section in the related art;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of connecting two adjacent snake bone bodies through a connecting piece in the related art;

[0032] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the snake bone body of the first embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the snake bone body of the second embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the snake bone body of the third embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies abutting against each other in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies abutting against each other in the second embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies connected by a connecting piece in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies after bending in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies connected by a connecting piece in the second embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies after bending in the second embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of two adjacent snake bone bodies connected by a connecting piece in the third embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig.17 is a schematic diagram of a connecting member according to a first embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram of a connecting member according to a second embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig.19 It is a partial schematic diagram of the active bending section of the embodiment of the present application in a straightened state.

[0046] In the figure: 100, snake bone unit; 110, snake bone body; 111, first opening; 112, second opening; 113, missing groove; 1131, missing groove gap; 114, movable gap; 120, connecting piece; 121, connecting part; 1211, first connecting section; 1212, second connecting section; 1213, inclined section; 122, first rivet; 123, second rivet; 130, mounting hole; 140, traction rope mounting part; 141, recessed part; 142, slit; 150, abutment point; 160, rivet; 170, lug; 171, opening; 180, traction rope; 200, insertion part; 210, active bending section; 211, cutting gap; 220, passive bending section; 300, handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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".

[0050] Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the active bending section 210 in the related art in a straightened state. Figure 1 As shown, the active bending section 210 includes a plurality of serpentine bodies 110, and two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 are riveted together by rivets 160. There is a cutting gap 211 between two adjacent serpentine bodies 110, such as Figure 2 As shown. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the two ends of the snake bone body 110 have lugs 170, and the lugs 170 are provided with openings 171, and the openings 171 are used to install the rivet 160. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The opening 171 is a circular hole. After the rivet 160 is installed in the opening 171, the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 can be fixed in the axial direction and the radial direction. When the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 rotate, the rivet 160 is used as the rotation center to rotate until the ends of the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 abut against each other on the curved side. The rotation angle of the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 is subject to the cutting gap 211 between the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110.

[0051] However, when the active bending section 210 is in a straight state, the cutting gap 211 between two adjacent snake bone nodes inevitably makes the active bending section 210 unstable. When the insertion process of the active bending section 210 encounters resistance, the snake bone body 110 is easy to rotate under the action of external force and bend irregularly, which hinders the insertion process. Figure 4 The schematic diagram shows an irregular bending posture of the active bending section 210. The deformed active bending section 210 will affect the smoothness of the surface of the active bending section 210, thereby affecting the smoothness of the mirror insertion process.

[0052] To this end, the present application provides a snake bone unit. When the active bending section is in a straight state, the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies of the snake bone unit abut against each other, so that the two adjacent snake bone bodies can be limited to each other in the circumferential direction. When the endoscope is advanced, the hidden danger of the active bending section deforming and affecting the surface smoothness can be reduced, so as to improve the smoothness of the endoscope advancement process. In addition, by providing a long strip opening on the snake bone body, when the active bending section needs to bend, a gap can be formed between the two adjacent snake bone bodies, and the gap can provide a clearance space for the bending of the snake bone body, so that the two adjacent snake bone bodies can be rotated in the direction of separation from each other to achieve the bending function.

[0053] The following is combined with Figures 5 to 19 , the snake bone unit, active bending segment and endoscope provided in the present application are described in detail through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0054] The first aspect of this embodiment describes the snake bone unit in detail.

[0055] The snake bone unit 100 of this embodiment is applied to the active bending section 210 of the endoscope, such as Figure 6 The endoscope includes an insertion portion 200 and a handle 300. Figure 6The insertion part 200 is used to be inserted into the cavity, and the handle 300 is provided with an operating member for the convenience of the doctor to operate. Figure 6 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 6 As shown. An instrument tube is also provided in the insertion part 200, and the instrument tube is used to insert the instrument. The distal end surface of the active bending section 210 is provided with a camera module and other structures. The active bending section 210 can be in a straight state or a bent state under the action of the traction rope 180.

[0056] In some embodiments, the snake bone unit 100 includes a snake bone body 110. The distal end and the proximal end of the snake bone body 110 are respectively provided with a first opening 111 and a second opening 112, and at least one of the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 is a strip-shaped hole, such as Figure 7~Figure 9 Preferably, the diameter of the strip-shaped hole along the axial direction of the serpentine body 110 is larger than the diameter of the hole along the radial direction of the serpentine body 110. Figure 7~Figure 9 That is, the strip-shaped holes are distributed along the axial direction of the snake bone body 110, so that the hidden danger of misalignment of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 in the radial direction can be reduced.

[0057] In some embodiments, the snake unit 100 further includes a connecting member 120, such as Figure 12~Figure 16 The connecting member 120 is used to connect two adjacent snake bone bodies 110. Figure 12~Figure 16 As shown. The two ends of the connecting member 120 are respectively installed in the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 on the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110. Exemplarily, for the snake bone body 110, the distal end is the first opening 111, and the proximal end is the second opening 112. The connecting member 120 is used to connect the second opening 112 of the distal snake bone body 110 and the first opening 111 of the proximal snake bone body 110, so that the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 can be connected to each other through the connecting member 120, as shown in FIG. Figure 12~Figure 16 shown.

[0058] Exemplarily, two adjacent serpentine bone bodies 110 are connected by two connecting members 120, and accordingly, the distal end of the serpentine bone body 110 has two first openings 111, and the two first openings 111 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the serpentine bone body 110; the proximal end of the serpentine bone body 110 has two second openings 112, and the two second openings 112 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the serpentine bone body 110.

[0059] In some embodiments, when the two ends of the connecting member 120 are respectively installed in the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 on the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110, if the first opening 111 is a bar hole and the second opening 112 is a round hole, the proximal end of the connecting member 120 abuts against the proximal end of the first opening 111, such as Fig.12 If the first opening 111 is a strip hole and the second opening 112 is a strip hole, the proximal end of the connecting member 120 abuts against the proximal end of the first opening 111, and the distal end of the connecting member 120 abuts against the distal end of the second opening 112, as shown Fig.14 As shown; if the first opening 111 is a round hole and the second opening 112 is a strip hole, the distal end of the connecting member 120 abuts against the distal end of the second opening 112. In this way, when the active bending section 210 is in a straight state, the end faces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 abut against each other, and when subjected to external force during the insertion of the scope, the end faces of the two adjacent snake bones can limit each other, reducing the risk of the snake bone body 110 rotating.

[0060] For example, when the active bending section 210 is required to have rigidity, the active bending section 210 can be in a straight state, and the end surfaces of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 can be abutted against each other, such as Figure 10~Figure 12 , Fig.14 and Fig.16 As shown. For example, by increasing the tension of the traction rope, the rigidity of the active bending section 210 can be further increased. When the active bending section 210 is required to be flexible, since the strip hole is larger in the axial direction of the snake bone body 110, the connecting member 120 has a movable space, and two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 can be separated from each other, such as Fig.13 and Fig.15 shown.

[0061] In the snake bone unit 100 of this embodiment, when the active bending section 210 is in the straightened state, the end surfaces of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 abut against each other. Fig.19 As shown. By abutting the end faces of two adjacent serpentine bodies 110, the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 can be limited to each other in the circumferential direction. At this time, the active bending section 210 can be regarded as a rigid tube, so the rigidity requirement of the active bending section 210 during the endoscope advancement process can be ensured. Specifically, when the endoscope is advanced, even if the active bending section 210 is subject to resistance, the serpentine body 110 is not prone to irregular bending, which is conducive to reducing the hidden danger of the active bending section 210 being deformed and affecting the surface smoothness, so as to improve the smoothness of the endoscope advancement process. That is, the serpentine unit 100 of this embodiment solves the technical problem of the endoscope being hindered during the endoscope advancement process in the related art.

[0062] In addition, in the snake bone unit 100 of the present embodiment, since at least one of the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 is a strip hole, when two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 are connected by the connecting member 120, a movable gap 114 can be provided between the connecting member 120 and the first opening 111 and / or the second opening 112. When the active bending section 210 needs to be bent, under the pull of the traction rope, the connecting member 120 can move in the direction of the movable gap 114 and form a gap between the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110. The gap can provide a clearance space for the bending of the snake bone body 110, thereby allowing the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 to rotate in the direction of separation from each other to achieve the bending function.

[0063] In some embodiments, at least one end of the snake bone body 110 is provided with a notch 113, and a mounting hole 130 is formed between the end surfaces of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110. Figure 7 to Figure 16 The mounting hole 130 is used for the connection member 120 to pass through, and the two ends of the connection member 120 are respectively located inside and outside the snake bone body 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 12~Figure 16 As shown. Figure 7~Figure 9 As shown, the notch 113 is a notch located at the end of the serpentine body 110, which penetrates the wall of the serpentine body 110. Exemplarily, the connector 120 passes through the mounting hole 130, and a portion of the connector 120 is located inside the distal serpentine body 110, and the other portion is located outside the proximal serpentine body 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 12~Figure 16 shown.

[0064] In the related art, the inventor provides a snake bone unit 100, which connects two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 through a connecting piece 120, and the two ends of the snake bone body 110 are respectively provided with a first opening 111 and a second opening 112, at least one of the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 is a strip hole. The connecting portion 121 of the connecting piece 120 in the related art is located inside or outside the snake bone body 110. Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing that the connection portion 121 is located outside the snake bone body 110 is shown.

[0065] The inventors found in actual use that due to the presence of the strip-shaped holes, the serpentine body 110 may move axially and cause a gap between two adjacent serpentine bodies 110. In addition, the connection portion 121 is located inside or outside the serpentine body 110, which makes the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 have the hidden danger of radial misalignment. Although the serpentine body 110 is covered with a skin, the skin can constrain the movement and displacement of the serpentine body 110 in the axial direction and the radial direction. However, in order to reduce the resistance of the skin to the bending of the active bending section 210, it is usually impossible for the skin to tightly wrap the serpentine body 110. Therefore, the skin can only constrain the movement of the serpentine body 110 within a small range. Once the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 are misaligned in the radial direction, the abutment position of the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 will change when the active bending section 210 is bent, thereby affecting the bending posture of the active bending section 210.

[0066] In the snake bone unit 100 of this embodiment, the connecting member 120 passes through the mounting hole 130, and the two ends of the connecting member 120 are respectively located inside and outside the snake bone body 110. This structure is conducive to reducing the hidden danger of the snake bone body 110 being dislocated in the radial direction. Specifically, when a gap is formed between two adjacent snake bone bodies 110, and the active bending section 210 is subjected to external force, when the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 are about to be dislocated in the radial direction, since the connecting member 120 passes through the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110, and the two ends of the connecting member 120 are respectively located inside and outside the snake bone body 110, when any snake bone body 110 is about to be dislocated, it will drive the connecting member 120 to move, and make the connecting member 120 abut against the other snake bone body 110, thereby limiting the movement of the snake bone body 110. That is, the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 and the connecting member 120 are mutually constrained, thereby reducing the hidden danger of the snake bone body 110 being dislocated in the radial direction.

[0067] It can be known that when the snake bone body 110 is bent due to the pulling force of the traction rope, the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 use the abutment part of the bent side as a support point, and the parts away from the bent side are away from each other, so that the groove 113 and the other snake bone body 110 can be separated from each other, thereby preventing the part of the connecting piece 120 passing through the mounting hole 130 (that is, the inclined section 1213 of the connecting rod) from being restricted by the side wall of the groove 113, so that during the bending process, the groove 113 will not interfere with the bending process.

[0068] In some embodiments, the connector 120 includes a connector portion 121 and a first rivet 122 and a second rivet 123 located at two ends of the connector portion 121. The first rivet 122 and the second rivet 123 are installed in the first opening 111 and the second opening 112, respectively. Figure 12~Figure 16As shown. Exemplarily, the first rivet 122 and the second rivet 123 are rivets, so that after the first rivet 122 and the second rivet 123 are installed in the first opening 111 and the second opening 112 respectively, the snake bone body 110 can rotate. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 121 and the first rivet 122 and the second rivet 123 are an integrally formed structure or a split structure.

[0069] In some embodiments, there is an active gap 114 between the first rivet 122 and the first opening 111, and / or there is an active gap 114 between the second rivet 123 and the second opening 112, and the active gap 114 is close to the end of the serpentine body 110. In this way, when the active bending section 210 is in a straight state, the end faces of two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 abut against each other, and when subjected to external force during the telescope insertion process, the end faces of the two adjacent serpentines can be limited to each other, thereby reducing the risk of the serpentine body 110 rotating.

[0070] Exemplarily, the first opening 111 is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening 112 is a round hole. The outer diameter of the first rivet 122 is the same as the diameter of the first opening 111 in the radial direction of the serpentine body 110, and the outer diameter of the second rivet 123 is the same as the inner diameter of the second opening 112. When the connecting member 120 is installed, the first rivet 122 is located at the proximal end of the first opening 111, and an active gap 114 is formed between the first rivet 122 and the distal end of the first opening 111 (the active gap 114 is blocked by the connecting portion 121 and is not shown in the figure); the second rivet 123 matches the second opening 112, and the two do not have an active gap 114, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 In this way, the end faces of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 can abut against each other, and the hidden danger of the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 being misaligned in the radial direction can be avoided.

[0071] Exemplarily, the first opening 111 is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening 112 is a strip-shaped hole. The outer diameter of the first rivet 122 is the same as the diameter of the first opening 111 in the radial direction of the serpentine body 110, and the outer diameter of the second rivet 123 is the same as the diameter of the second opening 112 in the radial direction of the serpentine body 110. When the connector 120 is installed, the first rivet 122 is located at the proximal end of the first opening 111, and a movable gap 114 is formed between the first rivet 122 and the distal end of the first opening 111; the second rivet 123 is located at the distal end of the second opening 112, and a movable gap 114 is formed between the second rivet 123 and the proximal end of the second opening 112, as shown in FIG. Fig.14 In this way, the end faces of two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 can abut against each other, and the hidden danger of the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 being misaligned in the radial direction can be avoided.

[0072] Exemplarily, the first opening 111 is a circular hole, and the second opening 112 is a strip hole. The outer diameter of the first rivet 122 is the same as the inner diameter of the first opening 111, and the outer diameter of the second rivet 123 is the same as the diameter of the second opening 112 in the radial direction of the serpentine body 110. When the connector 120 is installed, the first rivet 122 matches the first opening 111, and the two do not have a movable gap 114; the second rivet 123 is located at the distal end of the second opening 112, and a movable gap 114 is formed between the second rivet 123 and the proximal end of the second opening 112. In this way, the end faces of two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 can abut against each other, and the hidden danger of misalignment of two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 in the radial direction can be avoided.

[0073] The movable gap 114 of this embodiment means that: for the strip hole, the installation space of the strip hole is larger than the space required for installing the first rivet 122 or the second rivet 123, that is, after the first rivet 122 or the second rivet 123 is installed in the strip hole, there is still residual space, and the residual space is formed as the movable gap 114 for the connector 120 to move in the strip hole, such as Fig.14 Preferably, the movable gap 114 is located in the axial direction of the strip hole along the serpentine body 110; in the radial direction of the strip hole along the serpentine body 110, there is no movable gap 114, thereby avoiding the hidden danger of misalignment of two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 in the radial direction.

[0074] In some embodiments, the connecting portion 121 includes a connecting rod. Fig.17 As shown, the connecting rod has a first connecting section 1211 and a second connecting section 1212, and the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are connected by an inclined section 1213. That is, the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are respectively located at two ends of the inclined section 1213, so that the surfaces of the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are not flush, so that the end with a lower upper surface of the connecting rod is located inside the serpentine body 110, and the end with a higher upper surface of the connecting rod is located outside the serpentine body 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 12~Figure 15 As shown. Exemplarily, the first connecting section 1211, the second connecting section 1212 and the inclined section 1213 are an integrated structure. When any of the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 is to be dislocated and moved, the connecting rod will be driven to move, and the inclined section 1213 of the connecting rod will abut against the other serpentine body 110, thereby limiting the movement of the serpentine body 110.

[0075] In some embodiments, the connecting portion 121 includes two connecting rods, such as Fig.18As shown. The structure of the connecting rod is the same as the above embodiment. Exemplarily, the connecting rod has a first connecting section 1211 and a second connecting section 1212, and the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are connected by an inclined section 1213. That is, the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are respectively located at the two ends of the inclined section 1213, so that the surfaces of the first connecting section 1211 and the second connecting section 1212 are not flush, so that the end with a lower surface on the connecting rod is located inside the snake bone body 110, and the end with a higher surface on the connecting rod is located outside the snake bone body 110, as shown in FIG. Fig.16 shown.

[0076] Preferably, the inclined sections 1213 of the two connecting rods cross each other, so that the two connecting rods form an "X" shape, such as Fig.18 The inclined sections 1213 of the two connecting rods are arranged in a cross-shaped manner, so that the first connecting section 1211 at the proximal end of the inclined section 1213 can be located either inside the serpentine body 110 or outside the serpentine body 110; similarly, the second connecting section 1212 at the distal end of the inclined section 1213 can be located either inside the serpentine body 110 or outside the serpentine body 110, so that when any of the two adjacent serpentine bodies 110 is to be dislocated, the limiting effect on the serpentine body 110 is enhanced, as shown in FIG. Fig.16 shown.

[0077] In some embodiments, both the distal end and the proximal end of the snake bone body 110 are provided with a notch 113, and the notches 113 on two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 are jointly formed into a mounting hole 130, such as Fig.10 That is, the notches 113 are provided at both ends of the snake bone body 110, and the mounting hole 130 is formed by two adjacent notches 113. This structure prevents the connection part 121 from being deformed due to extrusion.

[0078] In some embodiments, the distal end of the snake bone body 110 is provided with a notch 113, and a mounting hole 130 is formed between the notch 113 and the proximal end surface of the adjacent snake bone body 110. Fig.11 As shown. Alternatively, the proximal end of the serpentine body 110 is provided with a notch 113, and a mounting hole 130 is formed between the notch 113 and the distal end surface of the adjacent serpentine body 110. That is, the notch 113 is only provided on one side of the serpentine body 110. This structure can improve the radial limiting effect of the serpentine body 110.

[0079] The inventors have found in their research that when the mounting hole 130 is formed by two notches 113, there may be a notch gap 1131 at the end between the two notches 113. Fig.10When the serpentine body 110 is about to be radially dislocated, the connecting rod has the risk of being embedded in the notch gap 1131. In this embodiment, the notch 113 is only provided on one side of the serpentine body 110, thereby reducing the risk of the connecting rod being embedded between the notch 113 and the end of the serpentine body 110, thereby improving the effect of radially limiting the serpentine body 110.

[0080] In some embodiments, the snake body 110 is further provided with a traction rope installation portion 140, such as Figure 10~Figure 16 As shown. The traction rope installation part 140 is used to install the traction rope (the traction rope is not shown in the figure). Preferably, the traction rope located between two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 is located outside the abutment point 150 of the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110. Exemplarily, after the traction rope is installed on the traction rope installation part 140, the traction ropes located at both ends of the snake bone body 110 are located on the outer wall surface of the snake bone body 110, so that when there is a gap between the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110, the traction rope located between the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 is located outside the abutment point 150 of the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110, as shown in FIG. Fig.13 and Fig.15 shown.

[0081] The inventors found in their research that the middle part of the conventional snake bone body 110 is recessed toward the center of the snake bone body 110 and forms a recessed portion 141, and a slit 142 is provided on the side of the recessed portion 141, and the slit 142 is used to keep the recessed portion 141 connected with the inside of the snake bone body 110, and the recessed portion 141 and the slit 142 form a traction rope installation portion 140, such as Figure 1~Figure 3 In this type of traction rope installation part 140, the traction ropes at both ends of the snake bone body 110 are located on the inner wall surface of the snake bone body 110. When two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 abut against each other, the traction rope between the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 is located on the inner side of the abutment point 150 of the snake bone body 110. At this time, if force is continued to be applied to the traction rope, the two adjacent snake bone bodies 110 may move in a direction close to each other, and it is impossible to ensure that the two snake bone bodies 110 can be further separated.

[0082] like Fig. 9 As shown, a traction rope installation portion 140 is also provided on the serpentine body 110 of the present embodiment, and the traction rope located between two adjacent serpentine bone bodies 110 is located on the outside of the abutment point 150 of the two adjacent serpentine bone bodies 110, so that when the two adjacent serpentine bone bodies 110 abut against each other, the two adjacent serpentine bone bodies 110 can rotate around the abutment point 150 of the serpentine bone body 110, and at the same time, the connecting piece 120 can slide in the strip hole toward the direction of the movable gap 114 to ensure that the two serpentine bone bodies 110 can be further separated.

[0083] In some embodiments, both ends of the snake bone body 110 are recessed toward the center of the snake bone body 110 and form a recessed portion 141. A slit 142 is provided on one side of the recessed portion 141 away from the end surface of the snake bone body 110. The slit 142 runs through the wall surface of the snake bone body 110, and the slit 142 and the snake bone body 110 between the two slits 142 are used to fix the traction rope. Figure 10~Figure 16 shown.

[0084] Exemplarily, after the traction rope is installed in the recessed portion 141 at the distal end, the traction rope enters the interior of the snake bone body 110 through the distal incision 142, and then passes through the interior of the snake bone body 110 from the proximal incision 142, and then the traction rope is installed in the proximal recessed portion 141, so that the traction rope can be installed and fixed.

[0085] It is known that in order to fix the traction rope, the traction rope located in the middle of the snake bone body 110 can be located inside the snake bone body 110; or located on the outer wall of the snake bone body 110. This embodiment does not limit the position of the traction rope located in the snake bone body 110.

[0086] The second aspect of this embodiment provides a detailed description of the active bending section.

[0087] The active bending section 210 of this embodiment includes a plurality of snake bone units 100, such as Fig.19 The snake-bone unit 100 is a snake-bone unit of any technical solution in this embodiment. The head and tail of two adjacent snake-bone units 100 are connected to each other.

[0088] The active bending segment 210 of this embodiment has the snake bone unit 100 of any one of the technical solutions in this embodiment. Compared with the traditional active bending segment 210, the active bending segment 210 of this embodiment has the advantage of not being easily deformed during the insertion of the scope, thereby improving the smoothness of the insertion of the scope, and at the same time reducing the risk of dislocation of the snake bone body 110 in the radial direction.

[0089] The third aspect of this embodiment describes the endoscope in detail.

[0090] The endoscope of this embodiment includes an insertion portion 200 and a handle 300, and the insertion portion 200 and the handle 300 are connected. Figure 6 In some embodiments, the insertion portion 200 includes an active bending segment 210 and a passive bending segment 220, the active bending segment 210 is the active bending segment 210 of any technical solution in this embodiment, and the proximal end of the active bending segment 210 is connected to the distal end of the passive bending segment 220, such as Figure 6 The passive bending section 220 and the handle 300 may be structures of the prior art, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0091] The endoscope 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 endoscope system.

[0092] The endoscope of this embodiment has an active bending section 210 of any one of the technical solutions in this embodiment, so as to improve the smoothness of the endoscope during the insertion process, and at the same time reduce the risk of radial dislocation of the snake bone body 110; compared with the method of using a hard mirror and a guide wire to assist in insertion, it can also reduce the use of auxiliary instruments, simplify the insertion steps, and shorten the operation time.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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 snake bone unit, characterized in that: The invention comprises a serpentine body (110), wherein the distal end and the proximal end of the serpentine body (110) are respectively provided with a first opening (111) and a second opening (112), wherein at least one of the first opening (111) and the second opening (112) is a strip-shaped hole, and the diameter of the strip-shaped hole along the axial direction of the serpentine body (110) is larger than the diameter of the hole along the radial direction of the serpentine body (110); The snake bone unit further comprises a connecting member (120), the connecting member (120) comprising a connecting rod and a first rivet (122) and a second rivet (123) located at two ends of the connecting rod, the first rivet (122) and the second rivet (123) being respectively installed in a first opening (111) and a second opening (112) on two adjacent snake bone bodies (110), and when the active bending section is in a straightened state, the end surfaces of the two adjacent snake bone bodies (110) abut against each other; At least one end of the snake bone body (110) is provided with a notch (113), and a mounting hole (130) is formed between the end faces of two adjacent snake bone bodies (110), the mounting hole (130) is used for the connecting rod to pass through, and the two ends of the connecting rod are respectively located inside and outside the two adjacent snake bone bodies (110).

2. The snake bone unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is a movable gap (114) between the first rivet (122) and the first opening (111), and / or there is a movable gap (114) between the second rivet (123) and the second opening (112), and the movable gap (114) is close to the end of the snake bone body (110).

3. The snake bone unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting member (120) comprises a connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod has a first connecting section (1211) and a second connecting section (1212), and the first connecting section (1211) and the second connecting section (1212) are connected via an inclined section (1213).

4. The snake bone unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting member (120) comprises two connecting rods, wherein the connecting rods have a first connecting section (1211) and a second connecting section (1212), the first connecting section (1211) and the second connecting section (1212) are connected via an inclined section (1213), and the inclined sections (1213) of the two connecting rods intersect each other.

5. The snake bone unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The distal end of the snake bone body (110) is provided with a notch (113), and the notch (113) and the proximal end surface of the adjacent snake bone body (110) form the mounting hole (130); or The distal end and the proximal end of the snake bone body (110) are both provided with a notch (113), and the notches (113) on two adjacent snake bone bodies (110) are jointly formed into the mounting hole (130); or The proximal end of the snake bone body (110) is provided with a notch (113), and the installation hole (130) is formed between the notch (113) and the distal end surface of the adjacent snake bone body (110).

6. The snake bone unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first opening (111) is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening (112) is a strip-shaped hole; or The first opening (111) is a strip-shaped hole, and the second opening (112) is a round hole; or The first opening (111) is a circular hole, and the second opening (112) is a strip-shaped hole.

7. The snake bone unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The snake bone body (110) is also provided with a traction rope installation portion (140), the traction rope installation portion (140) is used to install a traction rope, and the traction rope located between two adjacent snake bone bodies (110) is located outside the abutment point (150) of the two adjacent snake bone bodies (110).

8. The snake bone unit according to claim 7, characterized in that: Both ends of the snake bone body (110) are recessed toward the center of the snake bone body (110) to form a recessed portion (141). A slit (142) is provided on one side of the recessed portion (141) away from the end surface of the snake bone body (110); the slit (142) penetrates the wall surface of the snake bone body (110); and the slit (142) and the snake bone body (110) between two slits (142) are used to fix the traction rope.

9. An active bending section, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of snake bone units (100), wherein the snake bone units (100) are the snake bone units according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the heads and tails of two adjacent snake bone units (100) are connected to each other.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises an insertion part (200) and a handle (300), wherein the insertion part (200) and the handle (300) are connected, wherein: The insertion portion (200) comprises an active bending segment (210) and a passive bending segment (220), the active bending segment (210) being the active bending segment according to claim 9, and the proximal end of the active bending segment (210) is connected to the distal end of the passive bending segment (220).

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