Endoscope and endoscope imaging system

Abstract

The endoscope imaging system comprises an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical assembly and a light guide assembly, the inner tube is arranged in the outer tube, an imaging channel is formed in the inner tube, the optical assembly is arranged in the imaging channel, an illumination channel is formed between the outer tube and the inner tube, and the light guide assembly is arranged in the illumination channel; the endoscope further comprises a first guide piece fixed in the lighting channel in an assembling mode, the first guide piece comprises a limiting block, a fixing block and a connecting block connected between the limiting block and the fixing block, and a limiting structure used for preventing the first guide piece from being separated from the lighting channel is formed on the limiting block. The thickness of the connecting block is gradually increased from the limiting block to the fixing block, the fixing block is connected with the outer wall of the inner pipe and the inner wall of the outer pipe in an attached mode, and the connecting block, the limiting block, the inner pipe and the outer pipe define a part of an illumination channel and are used for limiting the position of the light guide assembly, so that emergent light of the light guide assembly can irradiate in the preset direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an endoscope and an endoscope imaging system. Background Art

[0002] Endoscopes are increasingly used in the medical field and have become popular in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Endoscopes are divided into an imaging channel and an illumination channel. The imaging channel is formed inside the inner tube, and the illumination channel is formed between the outer tube and the inner tube and is provided with a light guide assembly and a guide. The light guide assembly is used to transmit the light emitted by the light source to the end away from the light source, and the guide is used to limit the position of the light guide assembly so that the emitted light of the light guide assembly can be irradiated in a preset direction. Among them, the guide is usually fixed between the outer tube and the inner tube by gluing, which is easy to fall out of the illumination channel during high-temperature baking or surgery, and there is a risk of falling, thus causing a medical accident. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides an endoscope and an endoscope imaging system, which can prevent a first guide member from falling out of an illumination channel through a limiting structure, thereby playing a limiting role, so that the first guide member will not fall out during high-temperature baking or surgery, and is safer and more reliable to use.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an endoscope, comprising an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical component and a light guide component, wherein the inner tube is arranged inside the outer tube, an imaging channel is provided inside the inner tube, the optical component is arranged inside the imaging channel, an illumination channel is provided between the outer tube and the inner tube, and the light guide component is arranged inside the illumination channel;

[0005] In which, the endoscope also includes a first guide piece fixed in the lighting channel in an assembled manner, the first guide piece includes a limit block, a fixed block and a connecting block connected between the limit block and the fixed block, the limit block is formed with a limit structure for preventing the first guide piece from detaching from the lighting channel, the thickness of the connecting block gradually increases from the limit block to the fixed block, the fixed block is respectively fitted and connected to the outer wall of the inner tube and the inner wall of the outer tube, the connecting block and the limit block, together with the inner tube and the outer tube, form a part of the lighting channel and are used to limit the position of the light guide component, so that the outgoing light of the light guide component can be irradiated along a preset direction.

[0006] In an endoscope of one embodiment of the present invention, the limiting structure includes a notch structure arranged on the limiting block, the inner wall of the outer tube forms a limiting protrusion, and the notch structure is cooperatively connected with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guide member in the lighting channel.

[0007] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the notch structure is formed on both sides of the limiting block, and the limiting block is connected to the end of the connecting block facing away from the fixing block in the shape of an inverted triangle or an inverted trapezoid.

[0008] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting structure includes a through-hole structure provided on the limiting block, the through-hole structure passes through two sides of the limiting block and is used for being matched and connected with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube.

[0009] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting protrusion and the inner wall of the outer tube are fixed together by welding, bonding or integral molding.

[0010] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first guide member is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube via a bonding structure, and the bonding structure forms the limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure.

[0011] In an endoscope of one embodiment of the present invention, the illumination channel has a light guide channel and a guide channel located at the front end of the light guide channel, the first guide member and the outer tube and the inner tube form a guide channel that bends toward the imaging channel, and the light guide component extends from the light guide channel and bends along the guide channel.

[0012] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the inner tube and the outer tube are eccentrically arranged, and the first guide is arranged on the wide side of the illumination channel and symmetrically relative to a plane passing through the axis of the inner tube and the axis of the outer tube.

[0013] In the endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope further includes a second guide member, which is disposed on a narrow side of the illumination channel and contacts the inner tube and the outer tube.

[0014] In an endoscope of one embodiment of the present invention, the second guide member is welded, bonded or integrally formed with the inner tube; and / or the second guide member is symmetrically arranged with respect to a plane passing through the axis of the inner tube and the axis of the outer tube.

[0015] In an endoscope of one embodiment of the present invention, the endoscope includes a front end lens and a connector having a mounting groove, wherein the connector is disposed at the front end of the inner tube and is inclined relative to the optical axis of the optical component, and the front end lens is installed in the mounting groove to protect the optical component in the imaging channel.

[0016] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first fixing portion is formed on the connecting member, a second fixing portion is provided on the inner wall of the inner tube, and the connecting member fixes the first fixing portion on the second fixing portion by welding.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides an endoscope, including an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical component, and a light guiding component. The inner tube is disposed inside the outer tube. An imaging channel is provided inside the inner tube. The optical component is disposed in the imaging channel. A lighting channel is provided between the outer tube and the inner tube. The light guiding component is disposed in the lighting channel.

[0018] Wherein, the endoscope further includes a first guiding member, a front end lens, and a connecting member having a mounting groove. The connecting member is disposed at the front end of the inner tube. The front end lens is mounted in the mounting groove. A limiting structure is provided on the first guiding member. The limiting structure is used to prevent the first guiding member from detaching from the lighting channel when the first guiding member is assembled into the lighting channel.

[0019] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, a first fixing portion is formed on the connecting member, a second fixing portion is provided on the inner wall of the inner tube, and the connecting member fixes the first fixing portion on the second fixing portion by welding.

[0020] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first fixing portion includes an inclined surface formed on the circumferential side of the connecting member. The inclined surface extends along the axial direction of the inner tube. At least a part of the inner wall of the inner tube forms the second fixing portion. The inclined surface is attached to the second fixing portion.

[0021] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, a step portion is formed in the mounting groove. The front end lens is fixed on the bearing surface of the step portion. The bearing surface is parallel to the front end surface of the connecting member.

[0022] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first guiding member includes a limiting block, a fixing block, and a connecting block connecting between the limiting block and the fixing block. The two opposite circumferential surfaces of the fixing block are attached to the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube and the outer circumferential surface of the inner tube and are located at the front ends of the outer tube and the inner tube. The limiting structure is formed on the limiting block and is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube.

[0023] In the endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting structure includes a notch structure formed on the first guiding member. A limiting protrusion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube. The notch structure is in cooperation connection with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guiding member in the lighting channel.

[0024] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the notch structure is formed on both sides of the first guide member.

[0025] In an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention, the limiting structure includes a through-hole structure provided on the first guide member, the through-hole structure passes through two sides of the first guide member and is used for cooperating and connecting with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube.

[0026] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the limiting protrusion and the inner wall of the outer tube are fixed together by welding, bonding or integral molding.

[0027] In an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first guide member is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube via a bonding structure, and the bonding structure is provided with the limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure.

[0028] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides an endoscopic imaging system, characterized in that it comprises the light source, the camera, the cable, the camera host and the endoscope as described in any one of claims 1 to 22, the light source is connected to the lighting channel of the endoscope, one end of the camera is connected to the imaging channel of the endoscope, and the other end of the camera is connected to the camera host via the cable.

[0029] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application may include the following beneficial effects: The present application designs an endoscope and an endoscope imaging system, including an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical component, a first guide and a light guide component, wherein an illumination channel is provided between the outer tube and the inner tube, the light guide component is arranged in the illumination channel, and the first guide is used to limit the position of the light guide component so that the outgoing light of the light guide component can be irradiated in a preset direction, thereby illuminating the area to be observed of the endoscope. Among them, a limiting structure for preventing the first guide from detaching from the illumination channel is provided on the first guide, and the limiting structure and the inner wall of the outer tube or the adhesive on the inner wall form an anti-falling component, which plays a limiting role, preventing the first guide from slipping out of the illumination channel along the axial direction of the endoscope, so that the first guide will not fall off during high-temperature baking or surgery, and is safer and more reliable to use.

[0030] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an endoscope provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of an endoscope in FIG.

[0034] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first guide member.

[0035] Description of reference numerals:

[0036] 100, endoscope; 101, lighting channel; 102, imaging channel; 103, light output end;

[0037] 10. External management;

[0038] 20. Inner tube;

[0039] 30. first guide member; 31. fixing block; 32. limiting block; 321. limiting structure; 3211. notch structure; 3212. through hole structure; 33. connecting block;

[0040] 40. Connecting member; 41. Mounting groove; 42. Step portion; 43. First fixing portion;

[0041] 50. front lens; 51. connecting part;

[0042] 60. A second guide member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for describing specific realities. In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying 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. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0045] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0046] The endoscope of the present application is a rigid tube endoscope used in the medical field, which includes but is not limited to laparoscopes, hysteroscopes, otolaryngoscopes, arthroscopes and intervertebral discoscopes, which can enter the stomach through the mouth, or enter the body through other natural orifices or minimally invasive openings to detect pipes or body cavities and obtain images of corresponding parts through the optical components at the head end, so as to observe, shoot and diagnose, etc.

[0047] Generally, the head end of the endoscope is provided with two unconnected channels, namely, an imaging channel and a lighting channel. The imaging channel is provided with an optical component, and the lighting channel is provided with a light guide component. The light guide component can transmit the light emitted by the light source into the human body. After being reflected by the surface of the internal organs of the human body, an image is formed through the optical component for observation by the operator.

[0048] Among them, the front end of the lighting channel is usually provided with a guide, which can limit the emission direction of the light guide component, so that the light emitted by the light guide component can be irradiated along the preset direction to ensure the uniformity of the lighting effect. However, the endoscope needs to be washed and disinfected in a high temperature and high pressure environment before reuse, and is usually fixed between the outer tube and the inner tube by gluing. It is easy to fall out of the lighting channel during high temperature baking or surgery. Especially when the number of disinfection times is large, the guide is prone to fall off, thus causing medical accidents.

[0049] In addition, most endoscopes adopt a tubular structure, and at the same time, to avoid irritation or other unpleasant experiences to patients when the endoscope is placed in the patient's body, the outer diameter of the endoscope is as small as possible. Generally, the outer diameter of the endoscope does not exceed 10mm; the larger the imaging channel of the endoscope, the more conducive to improving the imaging performance; the larger the lighting channel of the endoscope, the better the lighting performance of the endoscope, that is, the final image effect of the endoscope is affected by the joint influence of the two.

[0050] In order to ensure that the optical components in the imaging channel are not affected by steam under high temperature and high pressure environment, the front end of the endoscope is sealed and connected with a front lens made of glass resistant to high pressure and high temperature steam. The front lens can be welded to the inner tube by means of filler welding, and the front lens can also be connected to the front end of the endoscope through the front seat. Among them, the front lens includes but is not limited to sapphire. Sapphire is fixed to the inner tube by means of filler. Its connection strength is not high and it is easy to fall off under high temperature and high pressure conditions. It is also not suitable for endoscopes with large angle range observation, that is, greater than 30 degrees; and sapphire is fixed to the front end of the endoscope through the front seat, which will occupy part of the structure of the imaging channel or the lighting channel, affecting the imaging quality of the endoscope.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, according to the first aspect of the present application, the present application provides an endoscope 100, comprising an outer tube 10, an inner tube 20, a light guide assembly and an optical assembly for imaging. The inner tube 20 is sleeved inside the outer tube 10, an illumination channel 101 is formed between the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20, an imaging channel 102 is arranged inside the inner tube 20, the imaging channel 102 is used to carry the optical assembly, and the light guide assembly is arranged in the illumination channel 101.

[0052] When assembling the endoscope 100, the inner tube 20 carrying the optical component is pushed into the outer tube 10, so that the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can form an illumination channel 101 for carrying the light guide component. The light guide component is introduced into the illumination channel 101 as an illumination light path and extends along the axis of the endoscope 100 to the front end of the endoscope 100, that is, the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100. Then, the two ends of the illumination channel 101 are sealed and the light guide component is fixed. Finally, the redundant light guide components at both ends are removed to complete the assembly of the endoscope 100. Among them, the imaging channel 102 and the illumination channel 101 are not connected to each other, so that the optical component and the light guide component do not interfere with each other.

[0053] In some embodiments, the endoscope 100 further includes a first guide member 30 fixed in the lighting channel 101 in an assembled manner, and the first guide member 30 limits the position of the light guide assembly so that the light emitted by the light guide assembly can be irradiated in a preset direction to ensure the uniformity of the illumination. The light guide assembly in the lighting channel 101 generally extends along the axis direction of the inner tube 20 or the outer tube 10; and in order to solve the problem of the observation field, the optical axis of the optical assembly is tilted with the axis of the inner tube 20, so that the light output end 103 of the light guide assembly is difficult to match the optical axis direction of the optical assembly, resulting in that the light emitted by the light guide assembly cannot be uniformly and accurately irradiated to the area to be observed, affecting the imaging of the endoscope 100. The present application sets the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101, which can limit the position of the light guide assembly at the light output end 103, so that the light emitted by the light guide assembly can be irradiated in a preset direction, thereby illuminating the area to be observed of the endoscope 100.

[0054] When assembling the endoscope 100, the light guide component extends along the axis of the outer tube 10 to the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100, and then the first guide member 30 is fixed to one end of the lighting channel 101 close to the light output end 103 by assembly. The first guide member 30 can limit the position of the light guide component in the lighting channel 101, so that the light guide component is tilted relative to the axis of the inner tube 20 at the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100, that is, the light guide component forms a first angle with the axis of the inner tube 20. Among them, the extension direction of the light guide component at the light output end 103 is the direction of the output light, so that the output light of the light guide component can be irradiated according to the preset direction, ensuring the accuracy and uniformity of the lighting position.

[0055] Exemplarily, the first guide member 30 is respectively connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10; or, the first guide member 30 has two parts, one part of the first guide member 30 is connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the other part of the first guide member 30 is connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 10 through the part facing the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the part facing the outer wall of the inner tube 20 is spaced from the outer wall of the inner tube 20; or, the other part of the first guide member 30 is connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 through the part facing the outer wall of the inner tube 20, and the part facing the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is spaced from the inner wall of the outer tube 10, wherein the shape of the first guide member 30 of this part is set according to the direction of the emitted light of the light guide assembly, and the shape of the first guide member 30 is also limited by the shape of the lighting channel 101. By dividing the first guide member 30 into two parts, not only the volume and weight of the first guide member 30 can be reduced, but also the overall weight and cost of the endoscope 100 can be reduced. The first guide member 30 can be attached to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10 by welding, bonding, etc., and the welding methods include but are not limited to laser welding, fusion welding, and brazing. However, the endoscope 100 needs to be sterilized at high temperature and high pressure after each inspection so that it can be reused, which can easily cause the adhesive on the first guide member 30 to fall off, and even during high-temperature baking or surgery, the first guide member 30 may fall out of the lighting channel 101, causing a medical accident.

[0056] In order to prevent the first guide member 30 from falling out of the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or during surgery and to ensure the connection strength between the first guide member 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10 and / or the outer wall of the inner tube 20, a limiting structure 321 is provided on the first guide member 30. The limiting structure 321 is used to assemble the first guide member 30 into the lighting channel 101 to prevent the first guide member 30 from falling out of the lighting channel 101, so that the endoscope 100 can be better protected during the disinfection and sterilization process, and the first guide member 30 will not fall out of the lighting channel 101, causing the endoscope 100 to be unusable or even causing a medical accident.

[0057] Exemplarily, the first guide member 30 includes a limit block 32, a fixed block 31 and a connecting block 33, wherein the connecting block 33 is connected between the limit block 32 and the fixed block 31, and a limit structure 321 is formed on the limit block 32. The thickness of the connecting block 33 gradually increases from the limit block 32 to the fixed block 31, and the fixed block 31 is respectively connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the connecting block 33 and the limit block 32, the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 form a part of the lighting channel 101 and are used to limit the position of the light guide component, so that the outgoing light of the light guide component can be irradiated in a preset direction to ensure the accuracy and uniformity of the lighting position. At the same time, the volume and weight of the first guide member 30 can also be reduced, which helps to reduce the overall weight and cost of the endoscope 100.

[0058] The limiting structure 321 can be a limiting hole or a limiting groove provided on the limiting block 32, or a limiting notch provided on both sides of the limiting block 32, and the limiting notch can be in the shape of an arc-shaped bayonet or a bayonet in other shapes, and the limiting structure 321 also includes at least two of the limiting notch, the limiting hole and the limiting groove, which is not only simple in structure and easy to process, but also convenient to assemble. The first guide member 30 is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by welding or bonding, and the limiting structure 321 can be engaged with the solidified material formed by the solder or adhesive attached to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, thereby improving the strength and firmness of the connection between the limiting block 32 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, thereby preventing the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or even surgery, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the use of the endoscope 100 and preventing the occurrence of medical accidents.

[0059] In order to guide and position the light guide assembly, the first guide member 30 is usually made of a material with a certain rigidity, such as metal, glass or resin material. However, from the perspective of cost and reducing the weight of the endoscope 100 product, the material of the first guide member 30 can be a resin material with a certain rigidity. The first guide member 30 of the resin material is usually fixedly connected to the inner tube 20 by bonding. However, the medical endoscope 100 needs to be sterilized by high-temperature and high-pressure steam before and after use. At high temperatures, the bonding layer between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20 will have the risk of separation or reduced adhesion, which will affect the fixing effect of the first guide member 30. Therefore, the present application realizes the firm fixation between the first guide member 30 of the resin material and the inner tube 20 through the limiting structure 321 on the first guide member 30, avoids the risk of the endoscope 100 falling after the high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization, and prevents the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or even during surgery, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the use of the endoscope 100 and preventing the occurrence of medical accidents.

[0060] In an optional embodiment, the limiting structure 321 includes a notch structure 3211 arranged on the limiting block 32, and the inner wall of the outer tube 10 forms a limiting protrusion. The notch structure 3211 is cooperatively connected with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101.

[0061] Exemplarily, the first guide member 30 is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by an adhesive, the adhesive is formed on the two sides of the first guide member 30, and at least part of the adhesive can be filled in the notch structure 3211 and solidified to form a limiting protrusion adapted to the notch structure 3211, so that the cured adhesive can adhere to the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the limiting protrusion forms a snap-fit ​​relationship with the notch structure 3211, so that the first guide member 30 can be firmly fixed in the lighting channel 101. Among them, the limiting protrusion formed by solidification has sufficient heat resistance to withstand relatively high temperatures, so as to ensure that the first guide member 30 will not fall out of the lighting channel 101 under high temperature and high pressure environment, and at the same time, the notch structure 3211 is connected to the limiting protrusion, so that the connection between the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is more firmly, and the first guide member 30 is less likely to fall out of the lighting channel 101.

[0062] It should be noted that the first guide member 30 can also be fixed in the lighting channel 101 by welding, wherein the limiting protrusion can be formed by solidifying the solder filled in the lighting channel 101; even the limiting protrusion can also be realized by directly processing on the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10, such as a convex point formed by stamping the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10 toward the center axis during molding, and the present application does not limit this.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, a metal coating is provided on the side of the first guide member 30 facing the inner tube 20, and welding to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 is achieved through the metal coating, thereby overcoming the difficulty in welding the inner tube 20 made of resin material and metal material, and further achieving effective fixation between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20, thereby improving the connection strength between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20, having high temperature and high pressure resistance, and improving the connection reliability compared to traditional bonding.

[0064] In an optional embodiment, the notch structure 3211 is formed on both sides of the limiting block 32, and the limiting block 32 is connected to the end of the connecting block 33 away from the fixing block 31 in the shape of an inverted triangle or an inverted trapezoid. This not only facilitates the assembly of the first guide member 30 and ensures that the force on both sides of the limiting block 32 is uniform during the assembly process; it also allows the adhesive to form an inverted triangle or inverted trapezoidal limiting protrusion on the notch structure 3211, so that the notch structure 3211 and the limiting protrusion can form an anti-falling structure.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, the limiting structure 321 includes a through-hole structure 3212 disposed on the limiting block 32, and the through-hole structure 3212 penetrates the two sides of the limiting block 32, and is used to cooperate with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube 10. The limiting protrusion can also be formed by solder or adhesive on the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and even the limiting protrusion can be formed by processing between the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10. The present application is not limited to this, and its main purpose is to enable the through-hole structure 3212 to form an anti-falling structure with the limiting protrusion, so that the connection between the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is more firm, and the first guide member 30 is less likely to be separated from the lighting channel 101, especially when the endoscope 100 is in a high temperature and high pressure environment.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, the limiting protrusion is fixed to the inner wall of the outer tube 10 by welding, bonding or integral molding.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, the first guide member 30 is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube 10 by an adhesive structure, and the adhesive structure forms a limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure 321, and the limiting protrusion is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10. Among them, the bonding structure includes but is not limited to solder or adhesive, etc., which is mainly used to fix various components constituting the endoscope 100, such as firmly fixing the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101, and the solidified product formed by the adhesive can be filled between the first guide member 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 to form a sealing structure. In the present application, the two sides of the fixing block 31 are respectively connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the side of the limiting block 32 facing the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the other side of the limiting block 32 facing the outer wall of the inner tube 20 is spaced from the outer wall of the inner tube 20, so that the limiting protrusion is formed between the first guide member 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10.

[0068] In an optional embodiment, the illumination channel 101 has a light guide channel and a guide channel at the front end of the light guide channel, the first guide member 30, the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20 form a guide channel bent toward the imaging channel 102, and the light guide component extends from the light guide channel and bends along the guide channel, so that the extension direction of the light guide component at the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100 can form a first angle relative to the axis of the inner tube 20. The value of the first angle can be specifically selected according to the observation area of ​​the objective lens of the optical component, so that the output light of the light guide component can be irradiated within the observation area of ​​the objective lens. Therefore, the direction of the outgoing light of the light guide component can be parallel to the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, that is, the first angle can be equal to the second angle formed by the optical axis of the objective lens and the axis of the inner tube 20, so that a more ideal lighting effect can be obtained; in addition, the direction of the outgoing light of the light guide component can also be inconsistent with the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, that is, there is a deviation between the first angle and the second angle. This is because the observation area of ​​the objective lens is a circular area formed on the observation surface around the optical axis, rather than just a point on the extension line of the optical axis of the objective lens. Even if the first angle is different from the second angle, the light emitted by the light guide component may still be within the observation area of ​​the objective lens. In this case, the first angle is allowed to be other values ​​other than the second angle. Technical personnel in this field can make corresponding adjustments and selections based on the field of view of the objective lens in the product and the application scenario of the product, and no excessive restrictions are made here.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, the inner tube 20 is eccentrically arranged with respect to the outer tube 10, and the first guide member 30 is arranged on the wide side of the illumination channel 101 and symmetrically arranged with respect to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10. The eccentric arrangement of the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 should be understood as that the inner tube 20 is sleeved inside the outer tube 10, and the axis of the inner tube 20 is parallel to the axis of the outer tube 10 but not colinear, so that the cross section of the illumination channel 101 formed between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can be presented as a circular ring or crescent shape with a ring width changing along the circumferential direction.

[0070] When the outer wall of the inner tube 20 does not contact the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the cross-section of the lighting channel 101 is a circular ring whose ring width changes along the circumferential direction; when the outer wall of the inner tube 20 contacts the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the cross-section of the lighting channel 101 is crescent-shaped. At this time, there is a contact connection between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10. When filling in the lighting channel 101, a direct contact force can be formed between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10, and the coaxiality of the inner tube 20 is not easily damaged. The shape of the lighting channel 101 formed by the eccentric setting of the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 is conducive to the positioning and installation of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101. The first guide member 30 is respectively fitted and connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, so that the thickness of the first guide member 30 matches the radial spacing between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10. In this case, the first guide member 30 can be arranged in the lighting channel 101 in a shape-fitting manner. Since the radial dimension of the lighting channel 101 is continuously changing along the circumferential direction, the thickness of the first guide member 30 will also be continuously changing along the circumferential direction, and the rotation of the first guide member 30 in at least one of the counterclockwise and clockwise directions will be restricted.

[0071] Specifically, the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10 are on the same plane. When the first guide member 30 crosses the plane, the thickness of the first guide member 30 in the circumferential direction may be thick at both ends and thin in the middle or thin at both ends and thick in the middle. At this time, the first guide member 30 will be restricted by the lighting channel 101 whether it rotates counterclockwise or clockwise in the lighting channel 101; when the first guide member 30 does not cross the plane, the thickness of the first guide member 30 in the circumferential direction may be gradually thickened or gradually thinned. At this time, the first guide member 30 will be restricted by the lighting channel 101 in either counterclockwise rotation or clockwise rotation in the lighting channel 101, while the other will not be restricted by the lighting channel 101. The conformal fit between the first guide member 30 and the lighting channel 101 formed by the eccentric setting can assist the positioning of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101, and facilitate the rapid assembly of the first guide member 30. During the assembly process, the first guide member 30 only needs to be inserted into the lighting channel 101 along the axis. Among them, the first guide member 30 is symmetrically arranged relative to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10, so that the first guide member 30 is restricted by the lighting channel 101 whether it rotates counterclockwise or clockwise in the lighting channel 101, thereby achieving better positioning and ensuring the uniformity of the lighting effect of the light guide assembly.

[0072] It should be noted that the function of the first guide member 30 is to make the light-emitting end 103 of the light-guiding component extend in the expected direction based on its structure, and finally obtain the output light in the expected direction. The light-guiding component is usually an optical fiber, which has the characteristics of being brittle and having low mechanical strength. In order to prevent the light-guiding component from breaking, a smooth transition surface is formed between the limit block 32, the fixing block 31 and the connecting block 33, so that when the light-guiding component transitions from the limit block 32 along the connecting block 33 to the fixing block 31, the transition surface can prevent the light-guiding component from being damaged due to sharp bending.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, the endoscope 100 further includes a second guide member 60, which is disposed on the narrow side of the illumination channel 101 and contacts the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 and forms the illumination channel 101 together with the first guide member 30, the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10. The second guide member 60 is fixed to the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 before the light guide assembly is assembled, so that the firmness of the connection between the second guide member 60 and the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can be well solved, and the first guide member 30 is assembled after the light guide assembly is installed in the illumination channel 101, so that the position of the light guide assembly can be limited, so that the light guide assembly can form a first angle with the axis of the inner tube 20 at the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100, thereby emitting light along the preset direction of the first angle to illuminate the area to be observed of the endoscope 100, and ensuring the uniformity of the illumination. Among them, after the light guide component is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by the first guide member 30 combined with the second guide member 60, the lighting channel 101 can be sealed so that the light guide component, the first guide member 30, the second guide member 60, the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can form a whole to prevent the movement of the light guide component. Specifically, the light guide component can be fixed by curing glue, and finally the part of the light guide component extending out of the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100 is removed, and the end face of the light output end 103 is ground and polished.

[0074] In an optional embodiment, the second guide member 60 is welded, bonded or integrally formed with the inner tube 20. The second guide member 60 can be the first guide member 30, and the structure of the second guide member 60 can also be different from that of the first guide member 30, which is not limited in the present application.

[0075] In an optional embodiment, the second guide member 60 is symmetrically arranged relative to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10 to better limit the second guide member 60 and also ensure the uniformity of the lighting effect of the light guide assembly.

[0076] After adopting the above technical scheme, since a limit block 32 with an inverted triangle structure is formed on the first guide member 30, a through hole structure 3212 is opened in the limit block 32, thereby effectively preventing the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or surgery, causing a medical accident; at the same time, the first guide member 30 can cooperate with the second guide member 60 to form a lighting channel 101 for carrying the light guide component, which can effectively improve the lighting performance of the endoscope 100 and optimize the assembly process of the endoscope 100. The second guide member 60 can be first connected to the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10, and then the light guide component can be assembled. Finally, the position of the light guide component is limited and fixed by the first guide member 30, so that the light guide component can be sealed in the lighting channel 101. The production consistency is strong, the production efficiency is greatly improved, and labor costs can be saved.

[0077] In an optional embodiment, the endoscope 100 includes a front end lens 50 and a connector 40 having a mounting groove 41. The connector 40 is arranged at the front end of the inner tube 20 and is inclined relative to the optical axis of the optical component. The front end lens 50 is installed in the mounting groove 41 to protect the optical components in the imaging channel 102. In this way, not only can the front end lens 50 be fixed to the front end of the inner tube 20 through the connector 40, but also compared with the use of filler welding to connect the front end lens 50 and the inner tube 20 together, it has better connection strength and process feasibility. Compared with the solution of using oblique punching to obliquely fix the front end lens 50 on the inner tube 20, it covers a larger angle range. Without occupying the space in the imaging channel 102, the connection and sealing of the front end lens 50 and the inner tube 20 are achieved, and it has the advantages of simple assembly, reliable connection and easy processing.

[0078] Exemplarily, the inner tube 20 is made of stainless steel, and the front lens 50 is sapphire. If the sapphire is fixed to the inner tube 20 as a whole by filler welding, that is, solder is added along the joint between the sapphire and the inner tube 20 for welding, it is necessary not only to pre-treat the side of the sapphire and the end to be packaged of the inner tube 20, such as electrochemical metallization pre-treatment of the sapphire to form a coating structure, but also to polish the end of the stainless steel tube; then filler is filled between the two to prepare for welding, and finally the sapphire and the inner tube 20 are welded by a welding heat source. The process is quite complicated and also needs to overcome the problem of combining different thermal expansion coefficients. The cost is high, the production efficiency is low, and the process feasibility is poor. At the same time, the structural strength of the sapphire connected to the inner tube 20 by filler welding is not high, and it is not suitable for endoscopes 100 with large angles, such as the angle range covered by the observation area of ​​the endoscope 100 is greater than 30°. If the sapphire is fixed on the front seat, and then the front seat is connected to the inner tube 20 by welding, so that the sapphire, the front seat and the inner tube 20 can be sealed together to form a sealed imaging channel 102, the optical components in the imaging channel 102 can be protected; then the welded sapphire, the front seat and the inner tube 20 are assembled with the outer tube 10, and finally the light guide component and the first guide member 30 are assembled into the lighting channel 101 between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 and cured by an adhesive such as epoxy glue. Among them, the expansion of the epoxy glue will cause the weld between the front seat and the inner tube 20 to be squeezed by external force, resulting in the weld opening, which greatly increases the probability of air leakage of the endoscope 100; and the sapphire is connected to the inner tube 20 through the front seat, which will occupy a part of the space of the imaging channel 102 or the lighting channel 101, affecting the imaging quality of the endoscope 100.

[0079] In an optional embodiment, a first fixing portion 43 is formed on the connector 40, and a second fixing portion is provided on the inner wall of the inner tube 20. The connector 40 fixes the first fixing portion 43 to the second fixing portion by welding, so that the connector 40 can form a whole with the inner tube 20. The manufacturing material of the connector 40 can be the same as the manufacturing material of the inner tube 20, and the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 have a small difference in thermal expansion coefficient. At the same time, the material thickness between the first fixing portion 43 and the second fixing portion can be approximately constant, so that the connection strength between the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 can be guaranteed, which is not only simple to assemble, but also very easy to process the connector 40.

[0080] Specifically, a step portion 42 is formed in the mounting groove 41, and connecting portions 51 are formed on both sides of the front end lens 50. The front end lens 50 is placed in the mounting groove 41 of the connector 40, and the front surface of the front end lens 50 is lower than the front end surface of the connector 40. The front end surface of the connector 40 is the end surface of the connector 40 facing the light emitting end 103. The rear surface of the front end lens 50 is in close contact with the bearing surface of the step portion 42, and the connecting portion 51 and the mounting groove 41 are gap-matched. The gap between the connecting portion 51 and the mounting groove 41 is filled with solder and heated to melt the solder. The molten solder is evenly filled in the gap, slowly cooled and formed a snap-fit ​​structure with the step portion 42, so that the front end lens 50 can be firmly fixed to the connector 40, and then the connector 40 is welded to the front end, so that the front end lens 50, the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 can be sealed together to form a sealed imaging channel 102. Among them, after the front end lens 50 and the connecting piece 40 are fixed together, atmospheric pressure leak detection can be performed to ensure that there is no air leakage at the connection between the front end lens 50 and the connecting piece 40, and then the connecting piece 40 with the front end lens 50 is fixed to ensure the sealing of the imaging channel 102.

[0081] It should be explained that the front end lens 50 and the connector 40 are connected by a first welding method, and the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 are connected by a second welding method. The first welding method and the second welding method may be the same, or they may be different. For example, the first welding method is brazing, so that the front end lens 50 and the connector 40 are welded together, and the second welding method may be welded by laser sealing welding technology, which is not limited in the present application.

[0082] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, according to the second aspect of the present application, the present application also provides an endoscope 100, including an outer tube 10, an inner tube 20, an optical component and a light guide component, wherein the inner tube 20 is arranged in the outer tube 10, and an imaging channel 102 is provided in the inner tube 20, the optical component is arranged in the imaging channel 102, an illumination channel 101 is provided between the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20, and the light guide component is arranged in the illumination channel 101. Among them, the endoscope 100 also includes a first guide member 30, a front end lens 50 and a connecting member 40 with a mounting groove 41, the connecting member 40 is arranged at the front end of the inner tube 20, the front end lens 50 is installed in the mounting groove 41, and a limiting structure 321 is provided on the first guide member 30, and the limiting structure 321 is used to prevent the first guide member 30 from being separated from the illumination channel 101 when the first guide member 30 is assembled into the illumination channel 101.

[0083] Exemplarily, the front lens 50 is first installed in the installation groove 41, and then the connector 40 with the front lens 50 fixed thereto is set at the front end of the inner tube 20, and then the inner tube 20 connected with the connector 40 is installed inside the outer tube 10, and finally the light guide assembly and the first guide member 30 are installed in the lighting channel 101 formed between the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20. Among them, the first guide member 30 can limit the position of the light guide assembly, so that the outgoing light of the light guide assembly can be irradiated in a preset direction to ensure the uniformity of the lighting. In this embodiment, a limiting structure 321 is provided on the first guide member 30, and the limiting structure 321 is used to assemble the first guide member 30 into the lighting channel 101 to prevent the first guide member 30 from detaching from the lighting channel 101.

[0084] Specifically, the front lens 50 includes but is not limited to sapphire, which is embedded in the mounting groove 41. The inner tube 20 and the connector 40 are made of stainless steel, so that the inner tube 20 and the connector 40 have similar thermal expansion coefficients, avoiding the front lens 50 from being broken due to thermal stress. Among them, the sapphire and the front lens 50 can be brazed, the inner tube 20 and the connector 40 can be welded by laser sealing welding technology, and the connector 40 can be arranged on the inner wall of the front end of the inner tube 20, so as to avoid the weld between the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 being squeezed by external force due to the expansion of the adhesive when the connector 40 is connected to the outside of the inner tube 20 after the first guide member 30 and the light guide assembly are cured by an adhesive such as epoxy glue, resulting in the weld opening. At the same time, it will not occupy part of the space of the imaging channel 102 or the lighting channel 101, affecting the imaging quality of the endoscope 100.

[0085] After adopting the above technical solution, since the front lens 50 is connected to the front end of the inner tube 20 through the connecting piece 40, the material of the connecting piece 40 can be the same as that of the inner tube 20, both of which are stainless steel, so as to avoid the need to bear the weight of the entire front lens 50 when directly welding the front lens 50 to the inner tube 20, and also need to overcome the problem of combining different thermal expansion coefficients, and is not suitable for endoscopes 100 for observation in a large angle range, and the packaging strength and sealing are not strong; or relative to the front lens 50 being connected to the front end of the inner tube 20 through the front seat, the connecting piece 40 of the present application can be directly fixed on the inner wall of the front end of the inner tube 20 Not only will it not occupy part of the space of the imaging channel 102 or the lighting channel 101, but it will also not cause the weld between the connecting member 40 and the inner tube 20 to be squeezed and opened by external force due to the expansion of the adhesive on the first guide member 30 and the light guide assembly, so that the packaging strength and sealing of the endoscope 100 are greatly improved. At the same time, the limiting structure 321 can also be used to prevent the first guide member 30 from detaching from the lighting channel 101, so that the first guide member 30 can limit the position of the light guide assembly so that the outgoing light of the light guide assembly can be irradiated in a preset direction to ensure the uniformity of the illumination of the endoscope 100.

[0086] In an optional embodiment, a first fixing portion 43 is formed on the connector 40, and a second fixing portion is provided on the inner wall of the inner tube 20. The connector 40 fixes the first fixing portion 43 to the second fixing portion by welding to prevent the connector 40 from being connected to the outer side of the inner tube 20. After the first guide member 30 and the light guide assembly are cured with an adhesive such as epoxy glue, the weld between the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 is squeezed by external force due to the expansion of the adhesive, causing the weld to open.

[0087] In an optional embodiment, the first fixing portion 43 includes an inclined surface formed on the peripheral side of the connecting member 40, the inclined surface extends along the axial direction of the inner tube 20, and at least a portion of the inner wall of the inner tube 20 forms a second fixing portion. The inclined surface is attached to the second fixing portion, so that the front end lens 50 can form a detection inclined surface together with the connecting member 40 and the front end of the inner tube 20. The detection inclined surface can be deflected to observe other areas to be observed, so as to facilitate large-angle observation in a narrow space.

[0088] In an optional embodiment, a step portion 42 is formed in the mounting groove 41, and the front lens 50 is fixed on the bearing surface of the step portion 42, and the bearing surface is parallel to the front end surface of the connector 40. The front end surface of the connector 40 refers to the end surface of the connector 40 facing the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100, so that the axis of the mounting groove 41 can correspond to the axis of the optical component, thereby ensuring that the position of the front lens 50 corresponds to the position of the optical component.

[0089] Specifically, connecting parts 51 are formed on both sides of the front end lens 50. The front end lens 50 is placed in the mounting groove 41 of the connector 40. The front surface of the front end lens 50 is lower than the front end surface of the connector 40. The front end surface of the connector 40 is the end surface of the connector 40 facing the light output end 103. The rear surface of the front end lens 50 is in close contact with the bearing surface of the step portion 42. The connecting part 51 and the mounting groove 41 are gap-matched. The matching gap between the connecting part 51 and the mounting groove 41 is filled with solder and heated to melt the solder. The molten solder is evenly filled in the matching gap, slowly cooled and formed a snap-fit ​​structure with the step portion 42, so that the front end lens 50 can be firmly fixed to the connector 40, and then the connector 40 is welded to the front end, so that the front end lens 50, the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 can be sealed together to form a sealed imaging channel 102. Among them, after the front end lens 50 and the connecting piece 40 are fixed together, atmospheric pressure leak detection can be performed to ensure that there is no air leakage at the connection between the front end lens 50 and the connecting piece 40, and then the connecting piece 40 with the front end lens 50 is fixed to ensure the sealing of the imaging channel 102.

[0090] It should be explained that the front end lens 50 and the connector 40 are connected by a first welding method, and the connector 40 and the inner tube 20 are connected by a second welding method. The first welding method and the second welding method may be the same, or the first welding method and the second welding method may be different. For example, the first welding method is brazing, so that the front end lens 50 and the connector 40 are welded together, and the second welding method can be welded by laser sealing welding technology, which is not limited in this application.

[0091] In an optional embodiment, the front surface of the front lens 50 is 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm lower than the front end surface of the connector 40 .

[0092] In an optional embodiment, the first guide member 30 includes a limit block 32, a fixed block 31 and a connecting block 33 connected between the limit block 32 and the fixed block 31. The two opposite surfaces of the fixed block 31 are in contact with the inner circumference of the outer tube 10 and the outer circumference of the inner tube 20 and are located at the front end of the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20. A limit structure 321 is formed on the limit block 32, and the limit structure 321 is in contact with the inner circumference of the outer tube 10.

[0093] The limiting structure 321 can be a limiting hole or a limiting groove provided on the limiting block 32, or a limiting notch provided on both sides of the limiting block 32, and the limiting notch can be in the shape of an arc-shaped bayonet or a bayonet in other shapes, and the limiting structure 321 also includes at least two of the limiting notch, the limiting hole and the limiting groove, which is not only simple in structure and easy to process, but also convenient to assemble. The first guide member 30 is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by welding or bonding, and the limiting structure 321 can be engaged with the solidified material formed by the solder or adhesive attached to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, thereby improving the strength and firmness of the connection between the limiting block 32 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, thereby preventing the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or even surgery, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the use of the endoscope 100 and preventing the occurrence of medical accidents.

[0094] In order to guide and position the light guide assembly, the first guide member 30 is usually made of a material with a certain rigidity, such as metal, glass or resin material. However, from the perspective of cost and reducing the weight of the endoscope 100 product, the material of the first guide member 30 can be a resin material with a certain rigidity. The first guide member 30 of the resin material is usually fixedly connected to the inner tube 20 by bonding. However, the medical endoscope 100 needs to be sterilized by high-temperature and high-pressure steam before and after use. At high temperatures, the bonding layer between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20 will have the risk of separation or reduced adhesion, which will affect the fixing effect of the first guide member 30. Therefore, the present application realizes the firm fixation between the first guide member 30 of the resin material and the inner tube 20 through the limiting structure 321 on the first guide member 30, avoids the risk of the endoscope 100 falling after the high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization, and prevents the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or even during surgery, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the use of the endoscope 100 and preventing the occurrence of medical accidents.

[0095] In an optional embodiment, the limiting structure 321 includes a notch structure 3211 formed on the first guide member 30, and a limiting protrusion is formed on the inner circumference of the outer tube 10. The notch structure 3211 is cooperatively connected with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101.

[0096] Exemplarily, the first guide member 30 is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by an adhesive, the adhesive is formed on the two sides of the first guide member 30, and at least part of the adhesive can be filled in the notch structure 3211 and solidified to form a limiting protrusion adapted to the notch structure 3211, so that the cured adhesive can adhere to the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the limiting protrusion forms a snap-fit ​​relationship with the notch structure 3211, so that the first guide member 30 can be firmly fixed in the lighting channel 101. Among them, the limiting protrusion formed by solidification has sufficient heat resistance to withstand relatively high temperatures, so as to ensure that the first guide member 30 will not fall out of the lighting channel 101 under high temperature and high pressure environment, and at the same time, the notch structure 3211 is connected to the limiting protrusion, so that the connection between the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is more firmly, and the first guide member 30 is less likely to fall out of the lighting channel 101.

[0097] It should be noted that the first guide member 30 can also be fixed in the lighting channel 101 by welding, wherein the limiting protrusion can be formed by solidifying the solder filled in the lighting channel 101; even the limiting protrusion can also be realized by directly processing on the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10, such as a convex point formed by stamping the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10 toward the center axis during molding, and the present application does not limit this.

[0098] In an optional embodiment, a metal coating is provided on the side of the first guide member 30 facing the inner tube 20, and welding to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 is achieved through the metal coating, thereby overcoming the difficulty in welding the inner tube 20 made of resin material and metal material, and further achieving effective fixation between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20, thereby improving the connection strength between the first guide member 30 and the inner tube 20, having high temperature and high pressure resistance, and improving the connection reliability compared to traditional bonding.

[0099] In an optional embodiment, the notch structure 3211 is formed on both sides of the limiting block 32, and the limiting block 32 is connected to the end of the connecting block 33 facing away from the fixing block 31 in the shape of an inverted triangle or an inverted trapezoid. This not only facilitates the assembly of the first guide member 30 and ensures that the force on both sides of the limiting block 32 is uniform during the assembly process; it also allows the adhesive to form an inverted triangle or inverted trapezoidal limiting protrusion on the notch structure 3211, so that the notch structure 3211 can form an anti-falling structure with the limiting protrusion.

[0100] In an optional embodiment, the limiting structure 321 includes a through-hole structure 3212 disposed on the limiting block 32, and the through-hole structure 3212 penetrates the two sides of the limiting block 32, and is used to cooperate with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube 10. The limiting protrusion can also be formed by solder or adhesive on the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and even the limiting protrusion can be formed by processing between the inner tube 20 and / or the outer tube 10. The present application is not limited to this, and its main purpose is to enable the through-hole structure 3212 to form an anti-falling structure with the limiting protrusion, so that the connection between the first guide member 30 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is more firm, and the first guide member 30 is less likely to be separated from the lighting channel 101, especially when the endoscope 100 is in a high temperature and high pressure environment.

[0101] In an optional embodiment, the limiting protrusion is fixed to the inner wall of the outer tube 10 by welding, bonding or integral molding.

[0102] In an optional embodiment, the first guide member 30 is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube 10 by an adhesive structure, and the adhesive structure forms a limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure 321, and the limiting protrusion is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and / or the inner wall of the outer tube 10. Among them, the bonding structure includes but is not limited to solder or adhesive, etc., which is mainly used to fix various components constituting the endoscope 100, such as firmly fixing the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101, and the solidified product formed by the adhesive can be filled between the first guide member 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10 and the outer wall of the inner tube 20 to form a sealing structure. In the present application, the two sides of the fixing block 31 are respectively connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the side of the limiting block 32 facing the inner wall of the outer tube 10 is connected to the inner wall of the outer tube 10, and the other side of the limiting block 32 facing the outer wall of the inner tube 20 is spaced from the outer wall of the inner tube 20, so that the limiting protrusion is formed between the first guide member 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10.

[0103] In an optional embodiment, the illumination channel 101 has a light guide channel and a guide channel at the front end of the light guide channel, the first guide member 30, the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 20 form a guide channel bent toward the imaging channel 102, and the light guide component extends from the light guide channel and bends along the guide channel, so that the extension direction of the light guide component at the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100 can form a first angle relative to the axis of the inner tube 20. The value of the first angle can be specifically selected according to the observation area of ​​the objective lens of the optical component, so that the output light of the light guide component can be irradiated within the observation area of ​​the objective lens. Therefore, the direction of the outgoing light of the light guide component can be parallel to the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, that is, the first angle can be equal to the second angle formed by the optical axis of the objective lens and the axis of the inner tube 20, so that a more ideal lighting effect can be obtained; in addition, the direction of the outgoing light of the light guide component can also be inconsistent with the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens, that is, there is a deviation between the first angle and the second angle. This is because the observation area of ​​the objective lens is a circular area formed on the observation surface around the optical axis, rather than just a point on the extension line of the optical axis of the objective lens. Even if the first angle is different from the second angle, the light emitted by the light guide component may still be within the observation area of ​​the objective lens. In this case, the first angle is allowed to be other values ​​other than the second angle. Technical personnel in this field can make corresponding adjustments and selections based on the field of view of the objective lens in the product and the application scenario of the product, and no excessive restrictions are made here.

[0104] In an optional embodiment, the inner tube 20 is eccentrically arranged with respect to the outer tube 10, and the first guide member 30 is arranged on the wide side of the illumination channel 101 and symmetrically arranged with respect to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10. The eccentric arrangement of the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 should be understood as that the inner tube 20 is sleeved inside the outer tube 10, and the axis of the inner tube 20 is parallel to the axis of the outer tube 10 but not colinear, so that the cross section of the illumination channel 101 formed between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can be presented as a circular ring or crescent shape with a ring width changing along the circumferential direction.

[0105] When the outer wall of the inner tube 20 does not contact the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the cross-section of the lighting channel 101 is a circular ring whose ring width changes along the circumferential direction; when the outer wall of the inner tube 20 contacts the inner wall of the outer tube 10, the cross-section of the lighting channel 101 is crescent-shaped. At this time, there is a contact connection between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10. When filling in the lighting channel 101, a direct contact force can be formed between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10, and the coaxiality of the inner tube 20 is not easily damaged. The shape of the lighting channel 101 formed by the eccentric setting of the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 is conducive to the positioning and installation of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101. The first guide member 30 is respectively fitted and connected to the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10, so that the thickness of the first guide member 30 matches the radial spacing between the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10. In this case, the first guide member 30 can be arranged in the lighting channel 101 in a shape-fitting manner. Since the radial dimension of the lighting channel 101 is continuously changing along the circumferential direction, the thickness of the first guide member 30 will also be continuously changing along the circumferential direction, and the rotation of the first guide member 30 in at least one of the counterclockwise and clockwise directions will be restricted.

[0106] Specifically, when the first guide member 30 crosses a plane passing through both the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10, the thickness of the first guide member 30 in the circumferential direction may be thick at both ends and thin in the middle, or thin at both ends and thick in the middle. At this time, the first guide member 30 will be restricted by the lighting channel 101 whether it rotates counterclockwise or clockwise in the lighting channel 101; when the first guide member 30 does not cross a plane passing through both the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10, the thickness of the first guide member 30 in the circumferential direction may be gradually thickened or gradually thinned. At this time, one of the counterclockwise rotation and clockwise rotation of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101 will be restricted by the lighting channel 101, while the other will not be restricted by the lighting channel 101. The conformal fit between the first guide member 30 and the lighting channel 101 formed by the eccentric arrangement can assist the positioning of the first guide member 30 in the lighting channel 101, and facilitate the rapid assembly of the first guide member 30. During the assembly process, it is only necessary to insert the first guide member 30 into the lighting channel 101 along the axis. The first guide member 30 is symmetrically arranged relative to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10, so that the first guide member 30 is limited by the lighting channel 101 in both counterclockwise and clockwise rotation in the lighting channel 101, achieving better limiting, and also ensuring the uniformity of the lighting effect of the light guide assembly.

[0107] It should be noted that the function of the first guide member 30 is to make the light-emitting end 103 of the light-guiding component extend in the expected direction based on its structure, and finally obtain the output light in the expected direction. The light-guiding component is usually an optical fiber, which has the characteristics of being brittle and having low mechanical strength. In order to prevent the light-guiding component from breaking, a smooth transition surface is formed between the limit block 32, the fixing block 31 and the connecting block 33, so that when the light-guiding component transitions from the limit block 32 along the connecting block 33 to the fixing block 31, the transition surface can prevent the light-guiding component from being damaged due to sharp bending.

[0108] In an optional embodiment, the endoscope 100 further includes a second guide member 60, which is disposed on the narrow side of the illumination channel 101 and contacts the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 and forms the illumination channel 101 together with the first guide member 30, the outer wall of the inner tube 20 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10. The second guide member 60 is fixed to the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 before the light guide assembly is assembled, so that the firmness of the connection between the second guide member 60 and the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can be well solved, and the first guide member 30 is assembled after the light guide assembly is installed in the illumination channel 101, so that the position of the light guide assembly can be limited, so that the light guide assembly can form a first angle with the axis of the inner tube 20 at the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100, thereby emitting light along the preset direction of the first angle to illuminate the area to be observed of the endoscope 100, and ensuring the uniformity of the illumination. Among them, after the light guide component is fixed in the lighting channel 101 by the first guide member 30 combined with the second guide member 60, the lighting channel 101 can be sealed so that the light guide component, the first guide member 30, the second guide member 60, the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10 can form a whole to prevent the movement of the light guide component. Specifically, the light guide component can be fixed by curing glue, and finally the part of the light guide component extending out of the light output end 103 of the endoscope 100 is removed, and the end face of the light output end 103 is ground and polished.

[0109] In an optional embodiment, the second guide member 60 is welded, bonded or integrally formed with the inner tube 20. The second guide member 60 can be the first guide member 30, and the structure of the second guide member 60 can also be different from that of the first guide member 30, which is not limited in the present application.

[0110] In an optional embodiment, the second guide member 60 is symmetrically arranged relative to the plane passing through the axis of the inner tube 20 and the axis of the outer tube 10 to better limit the second guide member 60 and also ensure the uniformity of the lighting effect of the light guide assembly.

[0111] After adopting the above technical scheme, since a limit block 32 with an inverted triangle structure is formed on the first guide member 30, a through hole structure 3212 is opened in the limit block 32, thereby effectively preventing the first guide member 30 from escaping from the lighting channel 101 during high-temperature baking or surgery, causing a medical accident; at the same time, the first guide member 30 can cooperate with the second guide member 60 to form a lighting channel 101 for carrying the light guide component, which can effectively improve the lighting performance of the endoscope 100 and optimize the assembly process of the endoscope 100. The second guide member 60 can be first connected to the inner tube 20 and the outer tube 10, and then the light guide component can be assembled. Finally, the position of the light guide component is limited and fixed by the first guide member 30, so that the light guide component can be sealed in the lighting channel 101. The production consistency is strong, the production efficiency is greatly improved, and labor costs can be saved.

[0112] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, according to the third aspect of the present application, the present application also provides an endoscope 100 imaging system, comprising the light source, camera, cable, camera host and the above-mentioned endoscope 100, wherein the light source is connected to the lighting channel 101 of the endoscope 100, one end of the camera is connected to the imaging channel 102 of the endoscope 100, and the other end of the camera is connected to the camera host via a cable.

[0113] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. It can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. It can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. It can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0114] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0115] The disclosure above provides many different embodiments or examples to realize the different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the parts and settings of specific examples are described above. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the various specific processes and material examples provided by the present application, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0116] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

Claims

1. An endoscope, It is characterized in that It comprises an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical component and a light guide component, wherein the inner tube is arranged inside the outer tube, an imaging channel is arranged inside the inner tube, the optical component is arranged inside the imaging channel, an illumination channel is arranged between the outer tube and the inner tube, and the light guide component is arranged inside the illumination channel; In which, the endoscope also includes a first guide piece fixed in the lighting channel in an assembled manner, the first guide piece includes a limit block, a fixed block and a connecting block connected between the limit block and the fixed block, the limit block is formed with a limit structure for preventing the first guide piece from detaching from the lighting channel, the thickness of the connecting block gradually increases from the limit block to the fixed block, the fixed block is respectively fitted and connected to the outer wall of the inner tube and the inner wall of the outer tube, the connecting block and the limit block, together with the inner tube and the outer tube, form a part of the lighting channel and are used to limit the position of the light guide component, so that the outgoing light of the light guide component can be irradiated along a preset direction.

2. The endoscope according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The limiting structure includes a notch structure arranged on the limiting block, the inner wall of the outer tube forms a limiting protrusion, and the notch structure is cooperatively connected with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guide member in the lighting channel.

3. The endoscope according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The notch structure is formed on both sides of the limiting block, and enables the limiting block to be connected to one end of the connecting block facing away from the fixing block in the shape of an inverted triangle or an inverted trapezoid.

4. The endoscope according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The limiting structure comprises a through-hole structure arranged on the limiting block, and the through-hole structure passes through two sides of the limiting block and is used for being matched and connected with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube.

5. The endoscope according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The limiting protrusion is fixed to the inner wall of the outer tube by welding, bonding or integral molding.

6. The endoscope according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The first guide member is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube via a bonding structure, and the bonding structure forms the limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure.

7. The endoscope according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The illumination channel has a light guide channel and a guide channel located at the front end of the light guide channel. The first guide member, the outer tube and the inner tube form a guide channel that bends toward the imaging channel. The light guide component extends from the light guide channel and bends along the guide channel.

8. The endoscope according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The inner tube is eccentrically arranged with respect to the outer tube, and the first guide member is arranged on the wide side of the lighting channel and symmetrically arranged with respect to a plane passing through the axis of the inner tube and the axis of the outer tube.

9. The endoscope according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The endoscope further includes a second guide member disposed on a narrow side of the illumination channel and in contact with the inner tube and the outer tube.

10. The endoscope according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The second guide member is welded, bonded or integrally formed with the inner tube; and / or the second guide member is symmetrically arranged with respect to a plane passing through the axis of the inner tube and the axis of the outer tube.

11. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 10, It is characterized in that The endoscope includes a front end lens and a connector with a mounting groove, wherein the connector is disposed at the front end of the inner tube and is tilted relative to the optical axis of the optical component, and the front end lens is installed in the mounting groove to protect the optical component in the imaging channel.

12. The endoscope according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The connecting member is formed with a first fixing portion, the inner wall of the inner tube is provided with a second fixing portion, and the connecting member fixes the first fixing portion to the second fixing portion by welding.

13. An endoscope, It is characterized in that It comprises an outer tube, an inner tube, an optical component and a light guide component, wherein the inner tube is arranged inside the outer tube, an imaging channel is arranged inside the inner tube, the optical component is arranged inside the imaging channel, an illumination channel is arranged between the outer tube and the inner tube, and the light guide component is arranged inside the illumination channel; Among them, the endoscope also includes a first guide member, a front end lens and a connecting member with a mounting groove, the connecting member is arranged at the front end of the inner tube, the front end lens is installed in the mounting groove, and a limiting structure is provided on the first guide member, and the limiting structure is used to prevent the first guide member from detaching from the lighting channel when the first guide member is assembled into the lighting channel.

14. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The connecting member is formed with a first fixing portion, the inner wall of the inner tube is provided with a second fixing portion, and the connecting member fixes the first fixing portion to the second fixing portion by welding.

15. The endoscope according to claim 14, It is characterized in that The first fixing portion includes an inclined surface formed on the peripheral side of the connecting member, the inclined surface extends along the axial direction of the inner tube, at least a portion of the inner wall of the inner tube forms the second fixing portion, and the inclined surface is attached to the second fixing portion.

16. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that A step portion is formed in the mounting groove, and the front end lens is fixed on a bearing surface of the step portion, and the bearing surface is parallel to the front end surface of the connecting member.

17. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The first guide member includes a limit block, a fixed block and a connecting block connected between the limit block and the fixed block. The two opposite sides of the fixed block are in contact with the inner circumference of the outer tube and the outer circumference of the inner tube and are located at the front end of the outer tube and the inner tube. The limit structure is formed on the limit block and is in contact with the inner circumference of the outer tube.

18. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The limiting structure includes a notch structure formed on the first guide member, a limiting protrusion is formed on the inner circumference of the outer tube, and the notch structure is cooperatively connected with the limiting protrusion to limit the position of the first guide member in the lighting channel.

19. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The notch structure is formed on both sides of the first guide member.

20. The endoscope according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The limiting structure includes a through hole structure arranged on the first guide member, and the through hole structure passes through two sides of the first guide member, and is used for being matched and connected with the limiting protrusion on the inner wall of the outer tube.

21. The endoscope according to claim 19 or 20, It is characterized in that The limiting protrusion is fixed to the inner wall of the outer tube by welding, bonding or integral molding.

22. The endoscope according to claim 21 or 22, It is characterized in that The first guide member is bonded to the inner wall of the outer tube via a bonding structure, and the bonding structure forms the limiting protrusion at the position of the limiting structure.

23. An endoscopic imaging system, It is characterized in that It comprises the light source, camera, cable, camera host and the endoscope as described in any one of claims 1 to 22, the light source is connected to the lighting channel of the endoscope, one end of the camera is connected to the imaging channel of the endoscope, and the other end of the camera is connected to the camera host via the cable.

Images