Endoscope and operating handle thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an endoscope and an operating handle thereof. The operating handle comprises a handle shell, a fixing base and a soft tail assembly. The fixing seat is used for being fixedly connected with one end of the insertion tube, the fixing seat comprises a first fixing section and a second fixing section, and the first fixing section extends into the handle shell and is rotationally connected with the handle shell; the soft tail assembly is connected with the second fixing section in the axial direction and matched with the second fixing section in the radial direction so that the soft tail assembly can drive the fixing base to rotate around the axis of the insertion pipe. When an European hand doctor operates, the bending direction of the bending part is made to be the same as the rotating direction of the operating rod, when an American hand doctor operates, the soft tail assembly is rotated by a certain degree, the soft tail assembly drives the insertion pipe to rotate by a certain degree through the fixing base, and therefore the bending direction of the bending part is made to be opposite to the rotating direction of the operating rod.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an endoscope and an operating handle thereof. Background Art

[0002] The endoscope includes an operating handle and an insertion tube connected to the operating handle. The insertion tube is a tube equipped with a light, which can enter the stomach through the mouth or enter the body through other natural channels. The bending direction of the curved portion of the insertion tube is controlled by the joystick on the operating handle. When the joystick is turned in a certain direction, the curved portion will bend in a corresponding fixed direction. Among them, the operating habit of European doctors is that when the operating lever is turned, the bending direction of the curved portion is the same as the turning direction of the operating lever, and the operating habit of American doctors is that when the operating lever is turned, the bending direction of the curved portion is opposite to the turning direction of the operating lever.

[0003] However, since the bending direction of the bending portion is fixed when the joystick is operated, it is unable to simultaneously meet the usage habits of doctors in Europe and America. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an endoscope and an operating handle thereof to address the problem that the endoscope in the related art cannot simultaneously meet the usage habits of doctors in two different places, Europe and America.

[0005] An operating handle, the operating handle comprising:

[0006] Handle housing;

[0007] A fixing seat, used for fixing and connecting with one end of the insertion tube, the fixing seat comprises a first fixing section and a second fixing section, the first fixing section extends into the handle housing and is rotatably connected with the handle housing;

[0008] The soft tail assembly is axially connected to the second fixed section and radially cooperates with the second fixed section so that the soft tail assembly can drive the fixing seat to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube.

[0009] In one embodiment, the soft tail assembly is threadedly connected to the fixing seat;

[0010] An elastic buckle is provided on one of the soft-tail component and the fixing seat, and a buckle groove is provided on the other one. The elastic buckle is buckled into the buckle groove to limit the unidirectional rotation of the soft-tail component relative to the fixing seat in the thread tightening direction.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the elastic buckle includes an elastic portion and a buckling portion arranged at one end of the elastic portion, the buckling portion gradually increases in thickness along the circumference of the soft tail assembly, and the buckling portion is used to cooperate with the buckle groove.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the buckling portion is disposed on one side of the elastic portion along the first rotation direction, and a thickness of the buckling portion gradually increases along the first rotation direction.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the soft tail assembly includes a soft tail and an inner support frame arranged in the soft tail, and the elastic buckle is arranged on the inner support frame.

[0014] In one embodiment, the inner support frame includes an embedding seat extending toward the outer periphery, an embedding groove is provided in the soft tail, and the embedding seat is embedded in the embedding groove.

[0015] In one embodiment, the elastic portion is an arc-shaped structure, the embedded seat is located at one end of the elastic portion axially away from the handle housing, the elastic portion includes a connecting section and an elastic section arranged in sequence along the circumferential direction, the connecting section is fixed to the embedded seat, the outer wall of the connecting section is connected to the inner wall of the soft tail, the elastic section and the inner wall of the soft tail are spaced apart, and the snap-fit ​​portion is arranged at one end of the elastic section away from the connecting section.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, the elastic section is spaced apart from the embedding seat.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, a protrusion is provided at one axial end of the elastic buckle, a groove is provided on the handle housing, and the protrusion cooperates with the groove.

[0018] An endoscope comprises an insertion tube and an operating handle. One end of the insertion tube extends into the soft tail component and is connected to the fixing seat.

[0019] The endoscope and its operating handle are characterized in that the first fixed section is inserted into the handle housing, and the second fixed section is rotatably connected with the soft tail assembly, that is, the fixed seat is used to connect the soft tail assembly with the handle housing. One end of the insertion tube extends into the fixed seat and is fixedly connected with the fixed seat, and the other end of the insertion tube passes through the soft tail assembly and extends to the distal end. The fixed seat is rotatably connected with the handle housing and radially cooperates with the soft tail assembly at the same time, so when the soft tail assembly is rotated, the fixed seat can be driven to rotate, and then the insertion tube is driven to rotate. When the rotation direction of the operating rod remains unchanged, the insertion tube is rotated, and the bending direction of the curved portion located at the distal end of the insertion tube will change accordingly. Therefore, when the European hand doctor operates, the bending direction of the curved portion is the same as the rotation direction of the operating rod. When the American hand doctor operates, the soft tail assembly is rotated 0 degrees or 180 degrees, and the soft tail assembly drives the insertion tube to rotate degrees or degrees through the fixed seat, so that the bending direction of the curved portion is opposite to the rotation direction of the operating rod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1Schematic diagram of the structure of an operating handle in one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of an operating handle in one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the inner support frame in one embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of a soft tail assembly in one embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the inner support frame and the fixing seat in one embodiment.

[0025] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the handle housing and the fixing base in one embodiment.

[0026] Figure numerals: 100, handle housing; 110, groove; 200, fixed seat; 210, first fixed section; 220, second fixed section; 230, buckle groove; 300, soft tail assembly; 310, soft tail; 311, embedded groove; 320, inner support frame; 330, elastic buckle; 331, elastic part; 3311, connecting section; 3312, elastic section; 332, buckling part; 3321, abutment surface; 340, embedded seat; 350, protrusion; 400, insertion tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0029] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0032] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0033] The endoscope includes an insertion tube 400 and an operating handle disposed at one end of the insertion tube 400. The operating handle is provided with an operating rod, which is connected to the curved portion at the distal end of the insertion tube 400 through a pull rope. When the operating rod is rotated, the operating rod drives the curved portion to bend toward a fixed direction through the pull rope. Among them, the operating habit of European doctors is that when the operating rod is rotated, the bending direction of the curved portion is the same as the rotation direction of the operating rod, and the operating habit of American doctors is that when the operating rod is rotated, the bending direction of the curved portion is opposite to the rotation direction of the operating rod. In order to facilitate the operation of the operating handle, it can meet the operating habits of both American doctors and European doctors.

[0034] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The operating handle provided by one embodiment of the present application includes a handle housing 100, a fixing seat 200 and a soft tail assembly 300. The fixing seat 200 is used to be fixedly connected with one end of the insertion tube 400. The fixing seat 200 includes a first fixing section 210 and a second fixing section 220. The first fixing section 210 extends into the handle housing 100 and is rotatably connected with the handle housing 100. The soft tail assembly 300 is axially connected with the second fixing section 220 and is radially matched with the second fixing section 220, so that the fixing seat 200 can be driven to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube 400 through the soft tail assembly 300.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the first fixed section 210 is inserted into the handle housing 100, and the second fixed section 220 is rotatably connected to the soft tail assembly 300, that is, the fixed seat 200 is used to connect the soft tail assembly 300 to the handle housing 100. One end of the insertion tube 400 extends into the fixed seat 200 and is fixedly connected to the fixed seat 200, and the other end of the insertion tube 400 passes through the soft tail assembly 300 and extends to the far end. The fixed seat 200 is rotatably connected to the handle housing 100, and is also radially matched with the soft tail assembly 300, so when the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated, the fixed seat 200 can be driven to rotate, and then the insertion tube 400 can be driven to rotate. When the rotation direction of the operating rod remains unchanged, the insertion tube 400 is rotated, and the bending direction of the curved portion located at the far end of the insertion tube 400 will change accordingly. Therefore, when a European hand surgeon operates, the bending direction of the bending part is the same as the rotation direction of the operating rod. When an American hand surgeon operates, the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated 0 degrees or 180 degrees. The soft tail assembly 300 drives the insertion tube 400 to rotate 0 degrees or 180 degrees through the fixed seat 200, so that the bending direction of the bending part is opposite to the rotation direction of the operating rod.

[0036] A groove is formed at one end of the first fixing section 210 close to the second fixing section 220 , and the handle housing 100 is embedded in the groove, so that the first fixing section 210 is rotatably connected to the handle housing 100 .

[0037] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 The soft tail component 300 is threadedly connected to the fixing seat 200; an elastic buckle 330 is provided on one of the soft tail component 300 and the fixing seat 200, and a buckle groove 230 is opened on the other, and the elastic buckle 330 is buckled into the buckle groove 230 to limit the rotation of the soft tail component 300 relative to the fixing seat 200 toward the thread tightening direction.

[0038] In this embodiment, the following takes the counterclockwise soft tail assembly 300, which is used to tighten the thread between the soft tail assembly 300 and the fixed seat 200, as an example, when the soft tail assembly 300 is turned counterclockwise, since the soft tail assembly 300 and the fixed seat 200 are already in a tightened state, the soft tail assembly 300 will be driven to rotate counterclockwise when it is turned clockwise; when the soft tail assembly 300 is turned clockwise, since the elastic buckle 330 is buckled into the buckle groove 230, the soft tail assembly 300 cannot rotate relative to the fixed seat 200, that is, the soft tail assembly 300 will drive the fixed seat 200 to rotate clockwise at the same time. Therefore, no matter whether the soft tail assembly 300 rotates counterclockwise or clockwise, it can drive the fixed seat 200 to rotate, and then drive the curved portion of the insertion tube 400 to rotate, so as to realize the switching between the American hand and the European hand.

[0039] Further, combined with Figure 4 The elastic buckle 330 includes an elastic portion 331 and a buckling portion 332 arranged at one end of the elastic portion 331 . The buckling portion 332 gradually increases in thickness along the circumference of the soft tail assembly 300 . The buckling portion 332 is used to cooperate with the buckle groove 230 .

[0040] In one embodiment, the elastic buckle 330 is disposed on the soft tail assembly 300 , and the buckle slot 230 is opened on the fixing seat 200 .

[0041] The thickness of the buckle part 332 along the circumference of the soft tail assembly 300 gradually increases, so that the end of the buckle part 332 axially away from the elastic part 331 is used to form a contact surface 3321. When the buckle part 332 cooperates with the buckle groove 230, the contact surface 3321 abuts against the side wall of the buckle groove 230, that is, when the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated clockwise, the contact surface 3321 pushes the side wall of the buckle groove 230, thereby pushing the fixed seat 200 to rotate. When the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated counterclockwise, since the thickness of the buckle part 332 along the circumference of the soft tail assembly 300 gradually increases, and the buckle part 332 is arranged at one end of the elastic part 331, the fixed seat 200 can gradually push the buckle part 332, so that the elastic part 331 undergoes elastic deformation, so that the soft tail assembly 300 and the fixed seat 200 are screwed tightly.

[0042] Combination Figure 5The buckling portion 332 is disposed on one side of the elastic portion 331 along the first rotation direction OA, and the thickness of the buckling portion 332 gradually increases along the first rotation direction OA.

[0043] The first rotation direction OA may be clockwise or counterclockwise. Figure 5 Taking the clockwise direction as an example, the snap-fitting portion 332 is arranged on one side of the elastic portion 331 along the clockwise direction, and the thickness of the snap-fitting portion 332 gradually increases along the clockwise direction. When the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated clockwise, the snap-fitting portion 332 is snapped with the elastic portion 331. When the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated counterclockwise, it is used to tighten the thread between the soft tail assembly 300 and the fixing seat 200.

[0044] In some other embodiments, the elastic buckle 330 may also be set on the fixing seat 200, and the buckle groove 230 is opened on the soft tail assembly 300.

[0045] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the soft tail assembly 300 includes a soft tail 310 and an inner support frame 320 disposed in the soft tail 310 , and the elastic buckle 330 is disposed on the inner support frame 320 .

[0046] In this embodiment, the soft tail 310 and the inner support frame 320 are both made of plastic. The hardness of the soft tail 310 is softer than that of the inner support frame 320. When manufacturing, the inner support frame 320 is directly inserted into the soft tail 310 so that the inner support frame 320 and the soft tail 310 form a whole. The elastic buckle 330 is arranged on the inner support frame 320. At the same time, an internal thread is provided in the inner support frame 320. The second fixing section 220 is arranged with an external thread. The second fixing section 220 is threadedly connected with the inner support frame 320. The hardness of the inner support frame 320 is relatively hard, which can improve the connection strength with the fixing seat 200.

[0047] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 3 Furthermore, the inner support frame 320 includes an embedding seat 340 extending toward the periphery, an embedding groove 311 is provided in the soft tail 310, and the embedding seat 340 is embedded in the embedding groove 311.

[0048] In this embodiment, the embedding seat 340 is embedded in the embedding groove 311, connecting the inner support frame 320 and the soft tail 310 axially. At the same time, the inner support frame 320 is set in the soft tail 310 using the beer-in-place process. The two are combined into an integrated structure. When the soft tail 310 is rotated, the inner support frame 320 can be driven to rotate.

[0049] Specifically, the elastic portion 331 is an arc-shaped structure, and the embedded seat 340 is located at one end of the elastic portion 331 along the axial direction and away from the handle housing 100. The elastic portion 331 includes a connecting section 3311 and an elastic section 3312 arranged in sequence along the circumferential direction. The connecting section 3311 is fixed to the embedded seat 340, and the outer wall of the connecting section 3311 is connected to the inner wall of the soft tail 310. The elastic section 3312 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the soft tail 310, and the snap-fitting portion 332 is arranged at one end of the elastic section 3312 away from the connecting section 3311.

[0050] In this embodiment, the connecting section 3311 is connected to the embedded seat 340, and the outer wall of the connecting section 3311 is connected to the inner wall of the soft tail 310, that is, the connection between the elastic part 331 and the inner support frame 320 can be achieved through the connecting section 3311. On this basis, the elastic section 3312 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the soft tail 310, so that the elastic section 3312 can deform radially, so that when the fixing seat 200 and the soft tail assembly 300 are threadedly connected, the elastic section 3312 can drive the buckle part 332 to undergo elastic deformation.

[0051] Furthermore, the elastic section 3312 and the embedding seat 340 are spaced apart from each other, that is, the elastic section 3312 and the embedding seat 340 are not connected, so as to further enhance the elastic effect of the elastic section 3312 .

[0052] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 6 A protrusion 350 is provided at one end of the elastic buckle 330 along the axial direction, and a groove 110 is provided on the handle housing 100 , and the protrusion 350 cooperates with the groove 110 .

[0053] Specifically, the protrusion 350 is arranged on the elastic section 3312, and the elastic section 3312 is spaced apart from the embedding seat 340, so that the elastic section 3312 can be deformed in the axial direction, which facilitates the soft tail assembly 300 to rotate relative to the handle housing 100. When the protrusion 350 rotates into the groove 110, the relative position of the soft tail assembly 300 and the handle housing 100 is fixed. Specifically, when the soft tail assembly 300 drives the insertion tube 400 to rotate 0 degrees or 180 degrees through the fixing seat 200, the protrusion 350 cooperates with the groove 110, that is, the operating handle can be fixed at the operating position of the European hand and the American hand respectively.

[0054] The insert seat 340 is provided with a plurality of elastic parts 331, the plurality of elastic parts 331 are on the same arc, each elastic part 331 is provided with a protrusion 350, and the handle housing 100 is provided with a groove 110 corresponding to the protrusion 350. The plurality of protrusions 350 and the groove 110 are provided to increase the fixing effect of the soft tail assembly 300 and the handle housing 100 at a specific position.

[0055] Specifically, two circular protrusions are provided in the present application, and the two circular protrusions are located on the diameter of the soft tail assembly 300 .

[0056] It should be noted that the soft tail assembly 300 of the present application is a cylindrical structure with variable diameter, and the axial, radial and circumferential directions mentioned in the present application refer to the axial direction of the soft tail assembly 300, the radial direction of the soft tail assembly 300 and the circumferential direction of the soft tail assembly 300, respectively.

[0057] The endoscope in one embodiment of the present application includes an insertion tube 400 and an operating handle. One end of the insertion tube 400 extends into the operating handle. By rotating the soft tail assembly 300 on the operating handle, switching between European hand and American hand operating habits can be achieved.

[0058] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0059] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An operating handle, characterized in that: The operating handle comprises: Handle housing; A fixing seat, used for fixing and connecting with one end of the insertion tube, the fixing seat comprising a first fixing section and a second fixing section connected in sequence, the first fixing section extending into the handle housing and being rotatably connected with the handle housing; The soft tail assembly is axially connected to the second fixed section and radially cooperates with the second fixed section so that the soft tail assembly can drive the fixing seat to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube.

2. The operating handle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The soft tail assembly is threadedly connected to the fixing seat; An elastic buckle is provided on one of the soft-tail component and the fixing seat, and a buckle groove is provided on the other one. The elastic buckle is buckled into the buckle groove to limit the unidirectional rotation of the soft-tail component relative to the fixing seat in the thread tightening direction.

3. The operating handle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic buckle includes an elastic portion and a buckling portion arranged at one end of the elastic portion, the buckling portion gradually increases in thickness along the circumference of the soft tail assembly, and the buckling portion is used to cooperate with the buckle groove.

4. The operating handle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The buckling portion is arranged on one side of the elastic portion along the first rotation direction, and the thickness of the buckling portion gradually increases along the first rotation direction.

5. The operating handle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The soft tail assembly includes a soft tail and an inner support frame arranged in the soft tail, and the elastic buckle is arranged on the inner support frame.

6. The operating handle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner support frame includes an embedding seat extending toward the outer periphery, an embedding groove is provided in the soft tail, and the embedding seat is embedded in the embedding groove.

7. The operating handle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The elastic part is an arc-shaped structure, the embedded seat is located at one end of the elastic part along the axial direction and away from the handle shell, the elastic part includes a connecting section and an elastic section arranged in sequence along the circumferential direction, the connecting section is fixed to the embedded seat, the outer wall of the connecting section is connected to the inner wall of the soft tail, the elastic section and the inner wall of the soft tail are spaced apart, and the buckling portion is arranged at one end of the elastic section away from the connecting section.

8. The operating handle according to claim 7, characterized in that: The elastic section is spaced apart from the embedding seat.

9. The operating handle according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that: A protrusion is arranged at one end of the elastic buckle along the axial direction, and a groove is arranged on the handle housing, and the protrusion cooperates with the groove.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises an insertion tube and an operating handle as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein one end of the insertion tube extends into the soft tail assembly and is connected to the fixing seat.

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