Endoscope and its operating handle

Abstract

The present application relates to an endoscope and an operating handle thereof, comprising a handle housing, a fixing seat, and a soft tail assembly. The fixing seat is used to be fixedly connected to one end of an insertion tube, and the fixing seat comprises a first fixing section and a second fixing section, the first fixing section extending into the handle housing and being rotatably connected to the handle housing; the soft tail assembly is axially connected to the second fixing section and radially cooperates with the second fixing section so that the fixing seat can be driven to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube through the soft tail assembly. When a European hand surgeon operates, the bending direction of the bending portion is made the same as the rotation direction of the operating rod. When an American hand surgeon operates, the soft tail assembly is rotated by degrees or degrees, and the soft tail assembly drives the insertion tube to rotate by degrees or degrees through the fixing seat, so that the bending direction of the bending portion is opposite to the rotation 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] An endoscope includes an operating handle and an insertion tube connected to the handle. The insertion tube is a lighted tube that can be inserted through the mouth into the stomach or other natural orifices. The bending direction of the insertion tube's curved portion is controlled by a joystick on the operating handle. When the joystick is turned in a certain direction, the curved portion bends in a corresponding fixed direction. European doctors tend to bend the curved portion in the same direction as the joystick, while American doctors tend to bend the curved portion in the opposite direction of the joystick's rotation.

[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, comprising:

[0006] handle housing;

[0007] a fixing seat, configured to be fixedly connected to one end of the insertion tube, the fixing seat comprising a first fixing section and a second fixing section, the first fixing section extending into the handle housing and being rotatably connected to the handle housing;

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

[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. 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 direction of thread tightening.

[0011] In one embodiment, 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 embodiment, the buckling portion is provided 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 embodiment, 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 and away from the handle shell, 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 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the soft tail, and the snap-fit ​​portion is arranged at one end of the elastic section away from the connecting section.

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

[0017] In one embodiment, a protrusion is provided on 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 by a first fixed section extending through the handle housing and a second fixed section rotatably connected to the tail assembly, i.e., a mounting base for connecting the tail assembly to the handle housing. One end of the insertion tube extends into the mounting base and is fixedly connected thereto, while the other end of the insertion tube extends through the tail assembly and distally. The mounting base is rotatably connected to the handle housing and radially engages with the tail assembly, so that rotating the tail assembly drives the mounting base, which in turn drives the insertion tube. When the operating lever remains in the same direction of rotation, rotating the insertion tube will change the direction of curvature of the curved portion at the distal end of the insertion tube. Therefore, when a European operative is operating, the curvature of the curved portion is aligned with the direction of rotation of the operating lever. When an American operative is operating, the tail assembly is rotated 0 or 180 degrees, and the tail assembly, via the mounting base, drives the insertion tube to rotate by degrees or degrees, thereby causing the curvature of the curved portion to be opposite to the direction of rotation of the operating lever. 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 the 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 the 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 markings: 100, handle housing; 110, groove; 200, fixing seat; 210, first fixing section; 220, second fixing 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, abutting surface; 340, embedded seat; 350, protrusion; 400, insertion tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] In the description of this 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 this 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 this application.

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

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connected," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, these terms may refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0031] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, if a first feature is described as being "above" or "below" a second feature, or similar descriptions, this 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. Furthermore, when a first feature is described as being "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is described as being "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower 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 an intermediate 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 an intermediate element. 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 embodiment.

[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 connected to a curved portion at the distal end of the insertion tube 400 via a pull cord. When the operating rod is rotated, the curved portion is bent in a fixed direction via the pull cord. European physicians tend to rotate the operating rod in the same direction as the curved portion, while American physicians tend to rotate the operating rod in the opposite direction. This allows the operating handle to accommodate the operating habits of both American and European physicians.

[0034] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 An operating handle provided in one embodiment of the present application includes a handle housing 100, a fixing base 200, and a soft tail assembly 300. The fixing base 200 is used to be fixedly connected to one end of an insertion tube 400. The fixing base 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 to the handle housing 100. The soft tail assembly 300 is axially connected to the second fixing section 220 and radially cooperates with the second fixing section 220 so that the fixing base 200 can be driven to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube 400 through the soft tail assembly 300.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first fixing section 210 is disposed within the handle housing 100, and the second fixing section 220 is rotatably connected to the soft tail assembly 300. Specifically, the fixing base 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 fixing base 200 and is fixedly connected thereto. The other end of the insertion tube 400 passes through the soft tail assembly 300 and extends distally. The fixing base 200 is rotatably connected to the handle housing 100 and also radially mates with the soft tail assembly 300. Therefore, rotating the soft tail assembly 300 can drive the fixing base 200 to rotate, thereby driving the insertion tube 400 to rotate. When the rotation direction of the operating lever remains unchanged, rotating the insertion tube 400 will change the curvature of the curved portion at the distal end of the insertion tube 400. Therefore, when a European hand doctor operates, the bending direction of the bending part is the same as the rotation direction of the operating rod. When an American hand doctor 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, combined Figure 2 、 Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 The soft tail assembly 300 is threadedly connected to the fixing seat 200; an elastic buckle 330 is provided on one of the soft tail assembly 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 assembly 300 relative to the fixing seat 200 toward the direction of thread tightening.

[0038] In this embodiment, the counterclockwise rotation of the swivel assembly 300 is used to tighten the threads between the swivel assembly 300 and the fixing base 200. When the swivel assembly 300 is rotated counterclockwise, since the swivel assembly 300 and the fixing base 200 are already tightened, rotating the swivel assembly 300 clockwise will cause the fixing base 200 to rotate counterclockwise. When the swivel assembly 300 is rotated clockwise, the elastic buckle 330 is locked into the buckle groove 230, so the swivel assembly 300 cannot rotate relative to the fixing base 200. In other words, the swivel assembly 300 will cause the fixing base 200 to rotate clockwise. Therefore, whether the swivel assembly 300 is rotated counterclockwise or clockwise, it can drive the fixing base 200 to rotate, and thus drive the curved portion of the insertion tube 400 to rotate, thereby achieving the switching between American and European hand positions.

[0039] Further, combined 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 slot 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 snap-fit ​​portion 332 gradually increases along the circumference of the soft tail assembly 300, so that the end of the snap-fit ​​portion 332 axially away from the elastic portion 331 forms an abutment surface 3321. When the snap-fit ​​portion 332 engages the snap-fit ​​groove 230, the abutment surface 3321 abuts against the sidewall of the snap-fit ​​groove 230. That is, when the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated clockwise, the abutment surface 3321 pushes the sidewall of the snap-fit ​​groove 230, thereby pushing the fixed base 200 to rotate. When the soft tail assembly 300 is rotated counterclockwise, because the thickness of the snap-fit ​​portion 332 gradually increases along the circumference of the soft tail assembly 300 and the snap-fit ​​portion 332 is located at one end of the elastic portion 331, the fixed base 200 can gradually push the snap-fit ​​portion 332, causing the elastic portion 331 to undergo elastic deformation, thereby threading the soft tail assembly 300 and the fixed base 200 tightly.

[0042] Combine 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 clockwise 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 can also be set on the fixing seat 200, and the buckle groove 230 is opened on the soft tail assembly 300.

[0045] Combine 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, both the soft tail 310 and the inner support frame 320 are made of plastic. The hardness of the soft tail 310 is softer than that of the inner support frame 320. During 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 provided on the inner support frame 320. At the same time, the inner support frame 320 is provided with an internal thread. The second fixing section 220 is provided with an external thread. The second fixing section 220 is threadedly connected to the inner support frame 320. The inner support frame 320 is relatively hard, which can improve the connection strength with the fixing base 200.

[0047] Combine 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 opened 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-fit ​​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 elastic portion 331 is connected to the inner support frame 320 through the connecting section 3311. On this basis, the elastic section 3312 is spaced from the inner wall of the soft tail 310, so that the elastic section 3312 can deform radially. When the fixing seat 200 and the soft tail assembly 300 are threaded together, the elastic section 3312 can drive the buckle portion 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, thereby further enhancing the elastic effect of the elastic section 3312 .

[0052] Combine Figure 3 and Figure 6 A protrusion 350 is provided at one axial end of the elastic buckle 330 , 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 disposed on the elastic section 3312, which is spaced apart from the insert seat 340. This allows the elastic section 3312 to deform axially, facilitating rotation of the soft tail assembly 300 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 via the fixing seat 200, the protrusion 350 engages with the groove 110, thereby securing the operating handle in the operating position for the European hand or the American hand, respectively.

[0054] The insert seat 340 is provided with a plurality of elastic portions 331, which are arranged on the same arc. Each elastic portion 331 is provided with a protrusion 350, and the handle housing 100 is provided with a groove 110 corresponding to each protrusion 350. The plurality of protrusions 350 and grooves 110 are provided to enhance the fixing effect of the soft tail assembly 300 and the handle housing 100 in 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. 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, the operating habits of the European hand and the American hand can be switched.

[0058] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned 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 merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, and these modifications and improvements fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An operating handle, characterized in that: The operating handle comprises: handle housing; a fixing seat, configured to be fixedly connected to 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 to the handle housing; a soft tail assembly, connected to the second fixing section in the axial direction and cooperating with the second fixing section in the radial direction, so that the soft tail assembly can drive the fixing seat to rotate around the axis of the insertion tube; The soft tail assembly is threadedly connected to the fixing seat; An elastic buckle is provided on one of the soft tail assembly and the fixing seat, and a buckle groove is provided on the other, and the elastic buckle is buckled into the buckle groove to limit the soft tail assembly to rotate in one direction relative to the fixing seat in the direction of thread tightening; The elastic buckle includes an elastic portion and a buckle portion provided at one end of the elastic portion, wherein the buckle portion gradually increases in thickness along the circumference of the soft tail assembly, and the buckle portion is used to cooperate with the buckle groove; 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.

2. The operating handle according to claim 1, 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.

3. The operating handle according to claim 2, 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.

4. The operating handle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The elastic part is an arc-shaped structure, and the embedded seat is located at one end of the elastic part axially 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, and the outer wall of the connecting section is connected to the inner wall of the soft tail. The elastic section is spaced apart from the inner wall of the soft tail, and the buckle is arranged at one end of the elastic section away from the connecting section.

5. The operating handle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The elastic section is spaced apart from the embedding seat.

6. The operating handle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: 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.

7. An endoscope, characterized in that: It comprises an insertion tube and an operating handle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one end of the insertion tube extends into the soft tail assembly and is connected to the fixing seat.

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