Insertion part, endoscope, and method for recovering curved tube

Abstract

The invention discloses an insertion part, an endoscope and a recovery method of a bent tube, and relates to the technical field of medical instruments. The insertion part disclosed by the invention is used for an endoscope. The insertion part comprises a front end assembly, a bent pipe, a lining pipe and an outer sleeve, the front end assembly is installed at the far end of the outer sleeve, the lining pipe and the bent pipe are both arranged in the outer sleeve in a penetrating mode, and the bent pipe is installed between the front end assembly and the lining pipe in a limited mode in the axial direction of the insertion part; at least one of the front end assembly and the lining pipe is detachably connected with the outer sleeve and used for allowing the bent pipe to retreat from the outer sleeve after the front end assembly or the lining pipe is detached from the outer sleeve. The scheme at least can be used for solving the problem that an existing endoscope is high in use cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a method for recovering an insertion portion, an endoscope, and a bending tube. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of medical technology, endoscopes have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. At present, in order to avoid cross infection caused by repeated use of endoscopes, disposable endoscopes are often used. However, the single-disposable form leads to excessively high cost of endoscope use.

[0003] In order to reduce the cost of use, some related technologies achieve this goal by designing a part of the structure on the endoscope handle side to be reusable. The endoscope handle using this technology includes a disposable part and a reusable part. After the endoscope is used, the insertion part and the disposable part of the handle can be discarded, while the reusable part of the handle is retained for subsequent reuse, thereby reducing the cost of use. The above-mentioned related technologies still have very limited control over the cost of use of endoscopes, and there is still a relatively obvious problem of excessively high cost of use. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a method for recovering an insertion portion, an endoscope, and a bending tube, which can at least be used to solve the problem of high cost of using existing endoscopes.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an insertion portion for an endoscope.

[0006] The insertion part includes a front end component, a bending tube, an inner liner tube and an outer sleeve, wherein: the front end component is installed at the distal end of the outer sleeve, the inner liner tube and the bending tube are both inserted into the outer sleeve, and along the axial direction of the insertion part, the bending tube is limitedly installed between the front end component and the inner liner tube; among the front end component and the inner liner tube, at least one is detachably connected to the outer sleeve to allow the bending tube to withdraw from the outer sleeve after the front end component or the inner liner tube is removed from the outer sleeve.

[0007] In some embodiments, the bending tube is positioned and assembled in the outer sleeve by snap-fitting with the outer sleeve.

[0008] In some embodiments, the distal end of the bent tube abuts against the front end assembly, and the proximal end of the bent tube abuts against the distal end of the liner tube, so as to be pressed and restricted in the outer sleeve.

[0009] In some embodiments, the curved tube is snap-fitted to the outer sleeve via its distal end.

[0010] In some embodiments, the curved tube is snap-fitted to the outer sleeve via its proximal end.

[0011] In some embodiments, when the bent pipe and the liner pipe are in abutment with each other, at least one of them has a first step portion at the corresponding abutment end, and the bent pipe and the liner pipe are sleeved and matched with each other through the first step portion.

[0012] In some embodiments, the bending tube has a first clamping portion, and the bending tube is clamped and matched with the outer sleeve through the first clamping portion; the front end component includes a slot arranged on the proximal side thereof, and the slot is used to insert and install the outer sleeve and the bending tube; wherein, a second clamping portion is provided on the slot wall corresponding to the slot, and when the outer sleeve and the bending tube are inserted into the slot, the first clamping portion at the distal end of the bending tube is clamped and matched with the second clamping portion, and the portion of the outer sleeve corresponding to the first clamping portion or the second clamping portion is pressed and fixed between the slot wall of the slot and the bending tube.

[0013] In some embodiments, the outer sleeve includes a main body section and a thinned section disposed at the distal end of the main body section, the radial thickness of the thinned section is smaller than the radial thickness of the main body section, and when the outer sleeve and the bent tube are inserted into the slot, the thinned section is pressed and fixed between the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion; In some embodiments, in the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion, one is a clamping protrusion and the other is a clamping recess; in the bending tube and the front end assembly, the corresponding basic component with the clamping recess is also provided with a guide groove, which extends along the insertion direction of the bending tube and the front end assembly and is connected with the clamping recess.

[0014] In some embodiments, the outer sleeve has a second step portion provided on its distal outer surface, and a thinned section is formed on the outer sleeve at a position corresponding to the second step portion. The outer sleeve is inserted into the slot through the second step portion, and when the second step portion is inserted into the slot, the outer peripheral surface of the main body section is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the front end component.

[0015] In some embodiments, the bending tube is a riveted snake bone, the bending tube includes a plurality of snake bone joints that are rotatably connected in sequence, the outer sleeve has an avoidance groove arranged on its inner wall and distributed along its axial direction, the avoidance groove corresponds to the riveted position between the avoidance snake bone joints; on the bending tube, the first clamping portion located at the far end of the bending tube is arranged on the distribution path of the riveted position, the first clamping portion is a clamping depression, and the second clamping portion is a clamping protrusion.

[0016] In some embodiments, the front end component has a first channel space for installing the instrument tube, and the front end component also includes a support tube portion arranged on the proximal side thereof and arranged around the first channel space, the bending tube is connected to the support tube portion through its distal end, and the support tube portion supports the bending tube along its radial direction.

[0017] In some embodiments, the insertion portion includes a traction rope for pulling the bending tube to achieve the bending action, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal end or front end component of the bending tube.

[0018] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope, comprising the insertion portion described in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application.

[0019] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for recovering a bent tube, which is applied to the insertion portion described in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application.

[0020] The recycling method includes: Removing the front end assembly or the liner from the outer casing to form an opening on the corresponding side of the outer casing; The bent tube is withdrawn from the outer sleeve through the opening.

[0021] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following beneficial effects: In the insertion portion disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, by detachably connecting at least one of the front end assembly and the inner liner tube to the outer sleeve, the front end assembly and / or the inner liner tube can be removed from the outer sleeve.

[0022] Compared with the technical route in the related art in which the front end component and the liner tube are fixed to the bent tube as one by gluing, welding, integral injection molding, etc., the insertion part disclosed in the embodiment of the present application is based on the detachable capability of the front end component and / or the liner tube. This can not only simplify the assembly process of the insertion part itself, but also greatly reduce the difficulty of disassembling the front end component and / or the liner tube. In this way, the liner tube can be easily taken out and recycled and reused, thereby achieving effective control of costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute improper limitations on the present application.

[0024] In the attached picture: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the insertion part disclosed in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 It is an exploded schematic diagram of the insertion part disclosed in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the middle A; Figure 4 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of point B in the middle; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adapter disclosed in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 6 The structure of the insertion part disclosed in some embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ; Figure 7The structure of the insertion part disclosed in some embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ; Figure 8 for Figure 7 A partial enlarged view of point C in the middle; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the cooperation of the front end assembly, the outer sleeve and the bending tube disclosed in some embodiments of the present application; Fig.10 for Figure 7 A partial enlarged view of point D in the middle; Fig.11 The structure of the insertion part disclosed in some embodiments of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3 ; Fig.12 for Fig.11 A partial enlarged view of point E in the middle; Fig.13 The present invention is a flow chart of a method for recovering bent pipes disclosed in some embodiments of the present application.

[0025] Description of reference numerals: 100-front end assembly, 110-camera module, 111-mounting seat, 111a-first channel space, 112-camera, 113-light source, 114-circuit board, 120-adapter, 120a-second channel space, 122a-peripheral side wall, 122a1-second clamping portion, 122b-support tube portion, 122b1-wire hole, 122c-slot, 200-insertion tube, 210-bending tube, 210a-snake bone joint, 210b-riveted portion, 211-first clamping portion, 212-guide groove, 220-lining tube, 221-first step portion, 230-outer sleeve, 230a-avoidance groove, 231-main body section, 232-thinning section, 300-instrument tube, 400-first skin, 500-wiring harness, 600-traction rope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of the present application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] In each embodiment of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the position of the endoscope and its accessories 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".

[0028] In order to facilitate understanding of the recovery method of the insertion portion, endoscope and bending tube provided in the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies are first introduced in conjunction with the application scenarios.

[0029] In response to the problem of high cost of using existing endoscope technology, after research, the inventors found that the main cost pressure is caused by the discarding of the bending tube in the insertion part. Specifically, during the use of the endoscope, the insertion part needs to be used to achieve active bending in the human body cavity to advance or withdraw the endoscope, and the active bending operation of the insertion part is achieved by relying on the bending tube inside it. There are many types of bending tubes, among which riveted snake bones are the most representative. Riveted snake bones have excellent bending stability, but due to the high processing cost, they are difficult to use in disposable endoscopes; in addition, even if other types of bending tubes are used, such as spiral one-piece cutting tubes and pivoting one-piece cutting tubes, there are still high processing costs. This is why endoscopes that use the handle side part reuse method have limited effect on cost control.

[0030] In the related art, the camera module and the instrument tube at the distal end of the insertion part are fixed to the distal end of the bending tube by gluing, integral injection molding, welding, etc., and the proximal end of the bending tube is usually fixedly connected to the inner lining tube (such as a metal spiral tube) at the rear section of the insertion part by gluing, welding, etc. Therefore, if the bending tube is to be recovered, it is necessary to release the connection between the distal end of the bending tube and the camera module and the instrument tube, and to release the connection between the proximal end of the bending tube and the inner lining tube. As a relatively sophisticated instrument, the operation of recovering the bending tube from the insertion part of the endoscope is complicated and can only be recovered manually. However, this will not only result in high manpower expenditure, but also the accuracy of manual recovery operation is difficult to control. The degumming and desoldering processes are likely to cause the bending tube to be damaged due to stress. In this regard, the industry generally does not recycle the bending tube at present, which cannot further effectively reduce the use cost of the endoscope.

[0031] In view of this, some embodiments of the present application provide an insertion portion for an endoscope.

[0032] See also Figure 1 to Figure 12 The insertion part disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes a front end component 100, a bending tube 210, an inner lining tube 220 and an outer sleeve 230, wherein: the front end component 100 is installed at the distal end of the outer sleeve 230, the inner lining tube 220 and the bending tube 210 are both inserted into the outer sleeve 230, and along the axial direction of the insertion part, the bending tube 210 is limitedly installed between the front end component 100 and the inner lining tube 220; among the front end component 100 and the inner lining tube 220, at least one is detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230, so as to allow the bending tube 210 to withdraw from the outer sleeve 230 after the front end component 100 or the inner lining tube 220 is removed from the outer sleeve 230.

[0033] Regarding the front-end assembly 100, it is located at the distal end of the insertion portion, and includes a camera module 110 for providing a shooting function. In some embodiments, the camera module 110 includes a mounting seat 111, a camera 112, a light source 113 and a circuit board 114, and the camera 112, the light source 113 and the circuit board 114 are all mounted on the mounting seat 111, and the camera 112 and the light source 113 are connected to the circuit board 114. Among them, the mounting seat 111 is the basic structure of the camera module 110, which provides a mounting basis for the camera 112, the light source 113 and the circuit board 114, and of course, it can also protect these structures. Exemplarily, the camera 112 can be arranged on one side of the distal end surface of the mounting seat 111 to shoot the target part (such as a lesion) in the human body during the process of entering the mirror. The light source 113 can be arranged on one side of the distal end surface of the mounting seat 111 to provide a lighting function for the area facing the camera module 110. The circuit board 114 can provide power to the camera 112 and the light source 113 , and is also used to implement signal interaction.

[0034] In some embodiments, the front-end assembly 100 may further include an adapter 120, and the camera module 110 may be connected to the instrument tube 300 and / or the insertion tube 200 through the adapter 120. The adapter 120 may have a second channel space 120a for passing the instrument tube 300. In order to facilitate passing the wire harness 500, the adapter 120 may have a wire hole 122b1 for the wire harness 500 to pass through.

[0035] The insertion tube 200 of the insertion part includes a bending tube 210, an inner liner tube 220 and an outer sleeve 230, which starts from the handle side of the endoscope and extends to the distal end of the insertion part. Among them, the bending tube 210 and the inner liner tube 220 constitute the inner tube structure of the insertion tube 200, which has an axial channel for arranging the instrument tube 300, routing, etc. The insertion tube 200 has the ability of active bending, which is mainly achieved by the bending tube 210. The bending tube 210 can be in the form of a riveted snake bone or an integrally cut bending tube 210, etc. The bending tube 210 can be pulled by a traction rope 600 to achieve the bending action of the active bending section.

[0036] In the related art, the insertion portion of the endoscope often includes an insertion tube in the form of an integral body, for example, including a curved tube and an outer covering, or including a curved tube, an intermediate woven mesh layer and an outer covering. These layered structures are all covered together with the skin and are not easy to separate. Therefore, in the related art, in order to peel off the curved tube, the external structure is usually removed, which can easily cause damage to the curved tube and is difficult to peel off. In contrast, in the insertion tube 200 disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, the curved tube 210 is separated and independent from the outer sleeve 230 outside it, and the curved tube 210 can move inside the outer sleeve 230 to provide conditions for removing the curved tube 210 for recycling.

[0037] Regarding the liner tube 220, it can be an liner tube 220, which can serve as a passive bending structure on the rear side of the bending tube 210, but the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the liner tube 220. It can be a pipe with greater hardness to provide better support performance.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, the bending tube 210 is limitedly installed between the front end assembly 100 and the inner liner 220, that is, after the front end assembly 100 and the inner liner 220 are installed in place relative to the outer sleeve 230, they can both play an axial limiting role on the bending tube 210 to prevent the bending tube 210 from being separated from the outer sleeve 230. It should be understood that the axial limiting role of the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220 on the bending tube 210 does not mean that the former must abut against the bending tube 210 to provide an axial limiting role, but means that the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220 have the ability to axially limit the bending tube 210, specifically, the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220 have the ability to connect to the outer sleeve 230 to block the port of the outer sleeve 230 and prevent the bending tube 210 from being taken out of the outer sleeve 230.

[0039] At the same time, at least one of the front end assembly 100 and the inner liner tube 220 is detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230. The detachable connection belongs to a fixed connection. Therefore, when the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 is connected to the outer sleeve 230, the fixed installation between them can be achieved to ensure that the bending tube 210 is limited between the two. In addition, it should be noted that the fixed connection method can ensure that the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 will not be separated from the outer sleeve 230 when the insertion part is under stress (such as advancing, withdrawing, bending, etc.). Of course, it is precisely because the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 are detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230 that the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 have the ability to be removed from the outer sleeve 230. Whether it is the front end component 100 or the liner tube 220, when it is removed from the outer sleeve 230, an opening for the bent tube 210 to withdraw is formed on the corresponding side of the outer sleeve 230. The opening refers to the corresponding port after the front end component 100 or the liner tube 220 is removed from the outer sleeve 230. In this way, the bent tube 210 can be taken out from the opening to achieve recycling and reuse.

[0040] Among them, only one of the front-end assembly 100 and the inner liner tube 220 may be detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230. Exemplarily, the front-end assembly 100 is detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230, and the inner liner tube 220 and the outer sleeve 230 may be in a non-detachable assembly relationship, specifically by injection molding the outer sleeve 230 corresponding to the inner liner tube 220 on the outer periphery of the inner liner tube 220, or the inner liner tube 220 and the outer sleeve 230 are fixed by gluing. The inner liner tube 220 may also be detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230, while the front-end assembly 100 may be in a non-detachable assembly relationship with the outer sleeve 230, specifically by gluing, welding, integral injection molding, etc. to achieve a fixed connection between the front-end assembly 100 and the outer sleeve 230.

[0041] Of course, the front end assembly 100 and the liner tube 220 may also be detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230 .

[0042] Compared with the related art, the insertion part of the embodiment of the present application is different from the technical route of fixing the front end component 100 and the inner liner tube 220 to the outer sleeve 230 as a whole by gluing, welding, integral injection molding, etc., by detachably connecting the front end component 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 to the outer sleeve 230. This can not only simplify the assembly process of the insertion part itself (without welding, bonding, etc.), but also greatly reduce the difficulty of disassembling the front end component 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220, so that the inner liner tube 220 can be easily taken out and recycled and reused, thereby achieving effective control of costs.

[0043] It is worth noting that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the above-mentioned insertion part, which can be used in disposable endoscopes as well as reusable endoscopes.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present application, the specific manner in which the bending tube 210 is installed in a limited position in the outer sleeve 230 is not limited.

[0045] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 9 As shown, the bending tube 210 is positioned and assembled in the outer sleeve 230 by engaging with the outer sleeve 230. It should be understood that during the active bending of the insertion portion, the traction rope 600 will pull the bending tube 210, and the bending tube 210 will press against the outer sleeve 230 when performing the bending action, so there is a risk of relative displacement between the two. If this happens, it will be difficult to achieve the preset bending angle, and even the outer sleeve 230 will be damaged and cannot be bent.

[0046] In this example, the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 are directly positioned and assembled by snapping, which can prevent the bending tube 210 from shifting relative to the outer sleeve 230 when bending, thereby ensuring that the insertion portion can reliably perform the bending action. In addition, it is precisely because the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 are relatively positioned that the bending tube 210 can be prevented from moving inside the outer sleeve 230 and pressing against the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220, thereby preventing the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220 from being pushed against by the bending tube 210 and separated from the outer sleeve 230 during the operation.

[0047] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific snap-fitting relationship between the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230, such as a snap-fitting combination of a protrusion and a recess.

[0048] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 6 As shown, the distal end of the curved tube 210 abuts against the front end assembly 100, and the proximal end of the curved tube 210 abuts against the distal end of the liner tube 220, so as to be pressed and limited in the outer sleeve 230. It can be understood that under such a setting, the two ends of the curved tube 210 are pressed by the front end assembly 100 and the liner tube 220 respectively, so that the curved tube 210 is limited and installed in the outer sleeve 230. This structural layout does not require a positioning structure that cooperates with the liner tube 220 to be set in the outer sleeve 230, and the internal structure of the insertion part is more simplified. Moreover, in the actual assembly process, when the front end assembly 100 (or the liner tube 220) is connected to the outer sleeve 230, they can be pressed and matched with the curved tube 210, which is equivalent to realizing the assembly relationship between the front end assembly 100 (or the liner tube 220) and the outer sleeve 230 and the curved tube 210 at the same time in one action, thereby simplifying the assembly process.

[0049] Of course, it is worth noting that in this example, it is necessary to preset the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 and the outer sleeve 230 to have a relatively high connection reliability to avoid separation due to the relative resistance pressure of the bent tube 210.

[0050] In the embodiment where the bending tube 210 is both snap-fitted with the outer sleeve 230 and pressed in the middle by the front end assembly 100 and the inner liner tube 220, the reliability of the bending tube 210 being restricted in the outer sleeve 230 is greatly improved.

[0051] In the embodiment where the bending tube 210 abuts against the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220, the bending tube 210 can be sleeved with the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 at the abutment point through a step structure, thereby achieving radial clamping. In this way, when the insertion portion is bent, the bending tube 210 can be prevented from being detached from the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220, thereby ensuring the reliability of the connection.

[0052] In a specific embodiment, when the bending tube 210 and the liner tube 220 are in contact with each other, at least one of them is provided with a first step portion 221 at the corresponding contact end, and the bending tube 210 and the liner tube 220 are sleeved and matched through the first step portion 221. Since the bending tube 210 and the liner tube 220 are generally tubular structures with similar radial dimensions, the priority of sleeved connection between the two through the step structure will be higher. It can be understood that the bending tube 210 and the liner tube 220 can be radially limited after being sleeved through the first step portion 221, thereby preventing separation when the insertion portion is bent.

[0053] When the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 are engaged and positioned together, if there are many engaging points between the two, it will lead to increased difficulty in recovering the bending tube 210; of course, if there are fewer engaging points between the two, it will be less difficult to recover the bending tube 210, but the risk of relative displacement between the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 when the insertion part is bent becomes higher, which requires considering strengthening the reliability of the engaging points, or limiting it by pressing the bending tube 210 with the front end component 100 and the inner liner tube 220.

[0054] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 9 As shown, the bending tube 210 is engaged with the outer sleeve 230 through its distal end. It should be understood that whether the traction rope 600 of the endoscope is fixedly mounted on the front end assembly 100 or fixedly mounted on the distal end of the bending tube 210, the bending moment received by the distal end of the bending tube 210 will be the largest when the bending tube 210 is subjected to force analysis. Therefore, the part of the bending tube 210 closer to its distal end is more likely to be dislocated with the outer sleeve 230. For example, the part of the bending tube 210 closer to its distal end is arched, thereby producing a state in which the bending tube 210 has been bent and the insertion part has not been bent. It can be seen that the above situation not only causes the bending accuracy of the insertion part to deteriorate and become uncontrollable, but also makes it easy to be damaged due to the scratches between the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230.

[0055] In this example, the distal end of the bending tube 210 is clamped with the outer sleeve 230 to form a constraint between the distal end of the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230. During the bending process of the insertion part, the outer sleeve 230 will bend together with the distal end of the bending tube 210, thereby preventing relative displacement between the two, ensuring that the insertion part maintains good bending controllability and bending accuracy, and avoiding damage between the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 due to relative displacement.

[0056] In some embodiments, the bending tube 210 is snap-fitted with the outer sleeve 230 through its proximal end, which can further enhance the assembly reliability of the bending tube 210 in the outer sleeve 230 .

[0057] In the embodiment where the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 are snap-fitted, there are multiple ways of snapping the two. In a specific embodiment, the bending tube 210 is a riveted snake bone, and a positioning groove may be provided on the inner wall of the outer sleeve 230. The bending tube 210 is snap-fitted with the positioning groove through the rivets between its snake bone joints 210a. In this example, there is no need to add an additional snap-fit ​​structure to the bending tube 210, which simplifies the structural layout of the bending tube 210 and saves costs.

[0058] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 9 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the bending tube 210 has a first clamping portion 211, and the bending tube 210 is clamped and matched with the outer sleeve 230 through the first clamping portion 211; the front end component 100 includes a slot 122c arranged on the proximal side thereof, and the slot 122c is used for plugging and installing the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210; wherein, a second clamping portion 122a1 is provided on the slot wall corresponding to the slot 122c, and when the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210 are inserted into the slot 122c, the first clamping portion 211 at the distal end of the bending tube 210 is clamped and matched with the second clamping portion 122a1, and the portion of the outer sleeve 230 corresponding to the first clamping portion 211 or the second clamping portion 122a1 is pressed and fixed between the slot wall of the slot 122c and the bending tube 210.

[0059] It can be understood that there is a detachable connection relationship between the front end assembly 100 and the outer sleeve 230, and as mentioned above, the bending tube 210 can be engaged with the outer sleeve 230 through the distal end, and the above two engagement relationships usually require two sets of corresponding engagement structures. In this example, the first engagement portion 211 and the second engagement portion 122a1 are the engagement engagement structures of the front end assembly 100 and the bending tube 210, and the outer sleeve 230 is pressed and fixed between the first engagement portion 211 and the second engagement portion 122a1, thereby realizing the engagement between the front end assembly 100 and the outer sleeve 230, and between the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210 at the same time, that is, the assembly of the front end assembly 100, the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210 is realized through the above set of engagement structures, thus eliminating a set of engagement structures and realizing the simplification of the structure.

[0060] It is worth mentioning that, through the above-mentioned structural layout of this example, during the assembly process, it is only necessary to insert the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 into the slot 122c of the front end component 100, and dock the first clamping part 211 and the second clamping part 122a1 into place, thereby realizing the assembly of the front end component 100, the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210, including the detachable connection relationship between the front end component 100 and the outer sleeve 230, and the clamping matching relationship between the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210.

[0061] In addition, in the process of recovering the curved tube 210, the front end assembly 100 can be removed from the outer sleeve 230 by only releasing the cooperation between the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1, and the distal end of the outer sleeve 230 is not pressed by the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1, so the curved tube 210 can move in the outer sleeve 230, so that the curved tube 210 can be smoothly taken out of the outer sleeve 230 to achieve recovery and reuse. It can be seen that the structural layout of this example makes the operation of recovering the curved tube 210 extremely simple and significantly improves the efficiency of recovering the curved tube 210.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 9 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the outer sleeve 230 includes a main body section 231 and a thinning section 232 disposed at the distal end of the main body section 231. The radial thickness of the thinning section 232 is smaller than the radial thickness of the main body section 231. When the outer sleeve 230 and the curved tube 210 are inserted into the slot 122c, the thinning section 232 is pressed and fixed between the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the first clamping portion 211 is a clamping hole, the second clamping portion 122a1 is a clamping protrusion, the thinning section 232 is pressed and deformed by the clamping protrusion, and the thinning section 232 is pressed into the clamping hole to achieve fixed assembly.

[0063] It can be understood that the outer sleeve 230 of the insertion part should have a certain strength and rigidity to have a certain support performance, so the distal end of the outer sleeve 230 may not be easily clamped between the first clamping part 211 and the second clamping part 122a1. If it is forcibly assembled, it may even easily cause structural damage. In this regard, the example forms a thinning section 232 by thinning the distal end of the outer sleeve 230, and the main section 231 can maintain the preset radial thickness to obtain sufficient rigidity and strength, and the thinning section 232 has a smaller radial thickness, and its rigidity is lower and it is easier to deform, so that it can be smoothly clamped between the first clamping part 211 and the second clamping part 122a1. At the same time, the thinning section 232 can release internal stress through deformation, thereby avoiding damage to the pressing parts on the front end assembly 100, the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210.

[0064] In other embodiments, the distal end of outer sleeve 230 may be made of a more flexible material without changing its radial thickness.

[0065] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 9As shown, in the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1, one is a clamping protrusion and the other is a clamping recess; in the bending tube 210 and the front end assembly 100, the corresponding basic component with the clamping recess is also provided with a guide groove 212 (not shown in the drawings), which extends along the insertion direction of the bending tube 210 and the front end assembly 100 and is connected to the clamping recess. For example, Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the clamping protrusion is arranged in the slot 122c of the front end assembly 100, and the clamping recess is arranged on the bending tube 210. Specifically, the clamping recess is a through hole. Of course, the clamping recess can also be a blind hole or a groove.

[0066] It can be understood that the front end assembly 100, the outer sleeve 230 and the bending tube 210 need to be assembled at the same time, and are generally in a blind insertion state, so there is a certain degree of difficulty in alignment. In this example, through the above structural layout, during the clamping process of the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1, the clamping protrusion can be first clamped into the guide groove 212, and then smoothly clamped into the clamping recess through the guiding effect of the guide groove 212, thereby improving the assembly efficiency.

[0067] It is worth noting that the above embodiment can improve the assembly efficiency, thereby avoiding the possible wear of the bent tube 210 caused by multiple and repeated states, which helps to improve the quality of the bent tube 210 after recovery.

[0068] In a further embodiment, Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the snap-in recess can be arranged on the extension path of the guide groove 212. With such a layout, the front-end assembly 100 only needs to be pushed along the guide groove 212 until the snap-in protrusion is pushed into the snap-in recess, and the assembly process is very convenient. Of course, the width of the guide groove 212 can be set to be smaller than the radial dimension of the snap-in recess to improve the snap-in reliability of the snap-in protrusion and the snap-in recess.

[0069] In a further embodiment, the snap-in recess can be arranged in a staggered manner with the extension path of the guide groove 212. With such a layout, when the front-end assembly 100 is pushed until the snap-in protrusion moves to the end point of the guide groove 212, the front-end assembly 100 needs to be rotated so that the snap-in protrusion is screwed into the snap-in recess, thereby achieving axial snap-in fit. This example makes it necessary to reversely rotate the front-end assembly 100 until the snap-in protrusion is disengaged from the snap-in recess during the recovery process of the bending tube 210, so that the front-end assembly 100 can be successfully withdrawn to recover the bending tube 210, so that the accidental separation of the front-end assembly 100 can be prevented to a certain extent.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Fig. 9 As shown, the outer sleeve 230 has a second step portion provided on the outer surface of the distal end thereof, and a thinning section 232 is formed at a portion of the outer sleeve 230 corresponding to the second step portion. The outer sleeve 230 is inserted into the slot 122c through the second step portion, and when the second step portion is inserted into the slot 122c, the outer circumference of the main section 231 is flush with the outer circumference of the front end assembly 100. It can be understood that, in such a layout, the outer sleeve 230 forms the thinning section 232 by providing the second step portion, and the front end assembly 100 is sleeved at the thinned portion of the second step portion, so that the connection between the front end assembly 100 and the outer sleeve 230 is flush, which is convenient for covering the skin and can also avoid scratching the human body cavity.

[0071] In some embodiments, Figure 2~Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the bending tube 210 is a riveted snake bone, and the bending tube 210 includes a plurality of snake bone sections 210a that are connected in rotation in sequence. The outer sleeve 230 has an avoidance groove 230a disposed on its inner wall and distributed along its axial direction, and the avoidance groove 230a corresponds to the riveted portion 210b between the avoidance snake bone sections 210a. It can be understood that in the process of inserting the bending tube 210 into the outer sleeve 230 or removing the bending tube 210 from the outer sleeve 230, the avoidance groove 230a can guide the riveted portion 210b of the bending tube 210, and improve the smoothness of the bending tube 210 entering and exiting the outer sleeve 230 by preventing the bending tube 210 from rotating in the circumferential direction relative to the outer sleeve 230. In addition, the avoidance groove 230a is actually a local thinning of the outer sleeve 230, so that the riveted portion 210b of the bending tube 210 is accommodated in the avoidance groove 230a, which can reduce the radial size of the entire insertion portion.

[0072] Furthermore, if Figure 2~Figure 9 , Fig.11 and Fig.12As shown, on the bending tube 210, the first clamping part 211 located at the far end of the bending tube 210 is arranged on the distribution path of the riveted part 210b, the first clamping part 211 is a clamping depression, and the second clamping part 122a1 is a clamping protrusion. It can be understood that the distribution path of the riveted part 210b on the bending tube 210 corresponds to the extension path of the avoidance groove 230a. In this arrangement, the part of the outer sleeve 230 corresponding to the avoidance groove 230a is actually thinned in radial thickness to form a relatively flexible side wall, and its rigidity is relatively smaller, that is, it is easy to deform. Therefore, in the clamping process of the first clamping part 211 and the second clamping part 122a1, the clamping protrusion is easy to press the part of the outer sleeve 230 corresponding to the avoidance groove 230a to deform it, and the clamping protrusion will first be clamped into the avoidance groove 230a, and move along the avoidance groove 230a until it is clamped into the clamping depression. It can be seen that the structural layout of this example further improves the assembly efficiency.

[0073] In addition, the above-mentioned avoidance groove 230a scheme can be combined with the aforementioned embodiment in which the outer sleeve 230 has a thinned section 232, which can further enhance the flexibility of the portion of the outer sleeve 230 pressed by the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 122a1, thereby facilitating assembly and reducing the risk of damage to the mating structures.

[0074] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the front end assembly 100 has a first channel space 111a for installing the instrument tube 300. The front end assembly 100 also includes a support tube portion 122b arranged on its proximal side and arranged around the first channel space 111a. The bending tube 210 is connected to the support tube portion 122b through its distal end, and the support tube portion 122b supports the bending tube 210 along its radial direction.

[0075] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the bending tube 210 and the outer sleeve 230 are two separate independent structures, which is different from the technical route of the related art that the insertion tube is an integrated structure with multiple layers of pipe fittings. Therefore, when the bending tube 210 is bent by traction, its distal end is prone to relative displacement with the outer sleeve 230 and presses against the inner wall of the outer sleeve 230, which may cause the outer sleeve 230 to be damaged or torn. In this regard, the example uses the support tube 122b on the proximal side of the front end assembly 100, and the support tube 122b can be sleeved and support the bending tube 210. In this way, when the insertion part performs the bending action, the distal end of the bending tube 210 presses against the support tube 122b, and its pressing force directly acts on the support tube 122b, thereby avoiding pressing against the outer sleeve 230 and preventing the outer sleeve 230 from being damaged. In addition, it is worth mentioning that, precisely because the bending tube 210 and the supporting tube portion 122b are mutually sleeved, there is a certain contact area between the two along the axial direction, thereby preventing the structural damage caused by stress concentration at the contact point between the two.

[0076] In a further embodiment, Figure 5 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the front end assembly 100 further includes an outer peripheral side wall 122a disposed on the proximal side thereof. In the radial direction of the front end assembly 100, the outer peripheral side wall 122a is disposed on the outer side of the supporting tube portion 122b, and a slot 122c is defined therebetween.

[0077] In some embodiments, the insertion portion includes a traction rope 600 for pulling the bending tube 210 to achieve the bending action, and the distal end of the traction rope 600 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending tube 210 or the front end assembly 100. Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, the distal end of the traction rope 600 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending tube 210 .

[0078] It can be understood that if the solution disclosed in this example is adopted in which the traction rope 600 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending tube 210, in the process of recovering the bending tube 210, the proximal end of the traction rope 600 can be firstly peeled off from the rotating wheel in the handle, and then the bending tube 210 can be smoothly withdrawn from the outer sleeve 230 with the traction rope 600. The recovered bending tube 210 is connected with the traction rope 600, so that it can be applied to the mirror type with the matching length of the traction rope 600 to further save costs; of course, the recovered bending tube 210 can also peel off the traction rope 600 again to leave a separate bending tube 210, so that it can be adapted to more scenarios without being restricted by the original traction rope 600.

[0079] If the solution disclosed in this example in which the traction rope 600 is fixedly connected to the front end component 100 is adopted, in the process of recovering the bending tube 210, the proximal end of the traction rope 600 can also be peeled off from the rotating wheel in the handle, and then the connection between the front end component 100 and the outer sleeve 230 can be released. When the front end component 100 is removed, the traction rope 600 can be pulled out of the bending tube 210, and then the bending tube 210 can be withdrawn from the outer sleeve 230. In this way, the single bending tube 210 is recovered, and the process of peeling the traction rope 600 from the bending tube 210 is reduced.

[0080] In some embodiments, the connection between the front end assembly 100 and the outer sleeve 230 may be covered by the first skin 400 to improve the connection reliability.

[0081] See also Figure 1 to Figure 12 Some embodiments of the present application provide an endoscope, which includes the insertion part mentioned above, thereby having the beneficial effects of the aforementioned insertion part, which will not be repeated.

[0082] The endoscope involved in the embodiments of the present application may be 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. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any specific restrictions on the type of endoscope.

[0083] See also Figure 1 to Figure 13 Some embodiments of the present application provide a method for recovering a curved tube 210, which is applied to the insertion part mentioned in any of the above embodiments. The method for recovering the curved tube 210 includes: S1301, remove the front end assembly 100 or the inner liner 220 from the outer sleeve 230, and form an opening on the corresponding side of the outer sleeve 230. It should be understood that in the insertion part mentioned in the embodiment of the present application, the front end assembly 100 and / or the inner liner 220 are detachably connected to the outer sleeve 230, so that no matter whether the front end assembly 100 or the inner liner 220 is removed from the outer sleeve 230, an opening for the curved tube 210 to be withdrawn can be formed on the corresponding side of the outer sleeve 230, so that the curved tube 210 can be taken out from the opening to achieve recycling and reuse.

[0084] S1302, withdraw the bent tube 210 from the outer sleeve 230 through the opening.

[0085] Compared with the related art, since the insertion part disclosed in the embodiment of the present application detachably connects the front end component 100 and / or the inner liner tube 220 with the outer sleeve 230, which is different from the technical route of fixing the front end component 100 and the inner liner tube 220 with the bending tube 210 as one by gluing, welding, one-piece injection molding, etc., the above-mentioned recycling method only needs to remove the front end component 100 or the inner liner tube 220 from the outer sleeve 230, and the inner liner tube 220 can be easily taken out for recycling and reuse, thereby achieving effective control of costs and significantly improving its recycling efficiency.

[0086] The above embodiments of the present application focus on describing the differences between the various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a better embodiment. Considering the simplicity of the text, they will not be repeated here.

[0087] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An insertion portion for an endoscope, characterized in that: The insert portion includes a front end assembly, a curved tube, an inner liner tube and an outer sleeve, wherein: The front end assembly is installed at the distal end of the outer sleeve, the inner liner tube and the bent tube are both inserted into the outer sleeve, and along the axial direction of the insertion portion, the bent tube is limitedly installed between the front end assembly and the inner liner tube; At least one of the front end assembly and the inner liner tube is detachably connected to the outer sleeve to allow the bent tube to be withdrawn from the outer sleeve after the front end assembly or the inner liner tube is removed from the outer sleeve.

2. The insertion portion according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bending tube is positioned and assembled in the outer sleeve by snap-fitting with the outer sleeve; And / or, the distal end of the bent tube abuts against the front end assembly, and the proximal end of the bent tube abuts against the distal end of the liner tube, so as to be pressed and limited in the outer sleeve.

3. The insertion portion according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bent tube is snap-fitted with the outer sleeve via its distal end; and / or, the bent tube is snap-fitted with the outer sleeve via its proximal end; and / or, when the bent tube abuts against the inner liner tube, at least one of them is provided with a first step portion at the corresponding abutting end, and the bent tube and the inner liner tube are sleeve-fitted via the first step portion.

4. The insertion portion according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bending tube has a first clamping portion, and the bending tube is clamped and matched with the outer sleeve through the first clamping portion; The front end component includes a slot arranged on its proximal side, and the slot is used for plugging and installing the outer sleeve and the bending tube; wherein, a second clamping portion is provided on the slot wall corresponding to the slot, and when the outer sleeve and the bending tube are inserted into the slot, the first clamping portion at the distal end of the bending tube is engaged with the second clamping portion, and the portion of the outer sleeve corresponding to the first clamping portion or the second clamping portion is pressed and fixed between the slot wall of the slot and the bending tube.

5. The insertion portion according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer sleeve comprises a main body section and a thinned section arranged at the distal end of the main body section, the radial thickness of the thinned section is smaller than the radial thickness of the main body section, and when the outer sleeve and the bent tube are inserted into the slot, the thinned section is pressed and fixed between the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion; And / or, in the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion, one is a clamping protrusion and the other is a clamping recess; in the bending tube and the front end assembly, the corresponding basic component having the clamping recess is also provided with a guide groove, which extends along the insertion direction of the bending tube and the front end assembly and is connected to the clamping recess.

6. The insertion portion according to claim 5, characterized in that The outer sleeve has a second step portion arranged on its distal outer surface, and the thinned section is formed at a portion of the outer sleeve corresponding to the second step portion. The outer sleeve is inserted into the slot through the second step portion, and when the second step portion is inserted into the slot, the outer circumferential surface of the main section is flush with the outer circumferential surface of the front end component.

7. The insertion portion according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The bending tube is a riveted snake bone, and the bending tube includes a plurality of snake bone sections that are rotatably connected in sequence, and the outer sleeve has an avoidance groove arranged on its inner wall and distributed along its axial direction, and the avoidance groove corresponds to the riveted part between the snake bone sections; On the bending tube, the first clamping portion located at the distal end of the bending tube is arranged on the distribution path of the riveted portion, the first clamping portion is a clamping depression, and the second clamping portion is a clamping protrusion.

8. The insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The front end assembly has a first channel space for installing the instrument tube, and the front end assembly also includes a support tube portion arranged at a proximal side thereof and arranged around the first channel space, the curved tube is sleeved on the support tube portion through its distal end, and the support tube portion supports the curved tube in its radial direction; And / or, the insertion portion includes a traction rope for pulling the bending tube to achieve a bending action, and the distal end of the traction rope is fixedly connected to the distal end of the bending tube or the front end assembly.

9. An endoscope, characterized in that: The invention comprises the insertion part according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for recovering a bent tube, applied to the insertion portion according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The recovery method comprises: Remove the front end assembly or the inner liner from the outer sleeve to form an opening on the corresponding side of the outer sleeve; The curved tube is withdrawn from the outer sleeve through the opening.

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