Bendable tube, insertion portion, and endoscope

Abstract

The present application discloses a bending tube, an insertion portion, and an endoscope, and relates to the technical field of medical devices. The bending tube disclosed in the present application is used for an endoscope. The bending tube includes a plurality of tube segments arranged along its axial direction, and the tube segments are rotatably connected to realize the bending action of the bending tube; the bending tube has a corresponding constraint piece provided on the tube segment, and the constraint piece is concavely provided by pressing and bending to define a guide groove between the side walls of the adjacent tube segment, and the guide groove is used to pass a traction rope; along the extension direction of the constraint piece, the stiffness of the middle part of the constraint piece is less than the stiffness of its adjacent parts. The above scheme can at least be used to improve the bending accuracy of the active bending section.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the continuous development of medical technology, endoscopes have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. When using an endoscope, the insertion part of the endoscope needs to be inserted into the patient's body. The distal part of the insertion part is pulled by a traction rope to make the active bending section bend, thereby adjusting the direction of the distal end of the insertion part to obtain image information of the target area (such as a lesion).

[0003] In related technologies, the active bending section's bending tube typically features a lower pressing plate on its sidewall. This plate forms a guide groove for the traction rope, guiding the rope along a predetermined linear path. This allows the active bending section to achieve high-precision bending. However, in practice, even with this technology, the active bending section still exhibits poor bending accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a bending tube, an insertion portion, and an endoscope, which can at least be used to improve the bending accuracy of an active bending section.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a curved tube for use in an endoscope.

[0006] The bending tube comprises multiple tube segments arranged axially and rotatably connected to each other to achieve bending. The tube has restraining plates corresponding to the tube segments. These plates are formed into recesses by compression and bending, defining guide grooves with the sidewalls of adjacent tube segments for threading a traction rope. Along the extension direction of the restraining plates, the rigidity of the central portion of the plates is less than that of the adjacent portions.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an insertion portion, which includes the curved tube described in the first aspect of the present application.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope comprising the insertion portion described in the second aspect of the present application.

[0009] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0010] The bending tube disclosed in the embodiment of the present application realizes a stiffness gradient design in the extension direction of the constraint plate by setting the stiffness of the middle part of the constraint plate to be smaller than the stiffness of its adjacent parts. During the tooling pressing process, the tooling can be adaptively adjusted to accurately apply force to the middle part of the constraint plate, avoiding positioning errors, thereby ensuring that each guide groove is distributed on a linear path parallel to the axis of the bending tube. In this way, the traction rope can be prevented from deviating from the preset linear path, effectively improving the bending accuracy of the active bending section.

[0011] In addition, based on the function of the above-mentioned constraint plate to enable the tooling to adaptively align during the stamping process, there is no need to insert a core rod into the bending tube to guide the stamping position of the tooling during the processing. This not only simplifies the processing process, but also avoids the operation of pulling out the core rod from the bending tube, thereby effectively preventing the constraint plate from being worn or damaged, and also optimizing the operational quality of the active bending section to achieve the bending action to a certain extent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute improper limitations on the present application.

[0013] In the attached figure:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a curved tube disclosed in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the coordination between the bending tube and the traction rope disclosed in the first embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the constraint sheet disclosed in the first embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the curved tube disclosed in the first embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the constraint sheet disclosed in the second embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the bending tube and the traction rope disclosed in the second embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the constraint piece disclosed in the third embodiment of this application.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] 100 - bent tube, 110 - tube section, 120 - gap, 130 - constraint plate, 130a - guide groove, 130b - first groove, 130c - protrusion, 130d - third groove, 130e - bent convex portion, 130f - limiting space, 200 - traction rope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of this application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0025] In each embodiment of the present application, "proximal end" and "distal end" refer to the position of the endoscope and its accessories relative to the user in the use environment, wherein the end closer to the user is designated as the "proximal end" and the end farther from the user is designated as the "distal end".

[0026] In order to facilitate understanding of the curved tube, insertion portion and endoscope provided in the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies are first introduced in conjunction with application scenarios.

[0027] The active bending section of the bending tube with a lower pressing plate still has the problem of poor bending accuracy. After research, the inventor found that the above problem is mainly caused by the positioning error of some lower pressing plates during the stamping process.

[0028] To elaborate, in the related art, the lower pressing plate of the bending tube is formed on the side wall of the bending tube and is formed by punching into the bending tube. However, during the punching process, the tooling may not be able to accurately align the middle area of the lower pressing plate. Therefore, after each lower pressing plate is punched, its corresponding guide grooves are not all distributed on a linear path parallel to the axis of the bending tube. In other words, some guide grooves deviate from the preset guide position. In this way, when the traction rope is pulled to realize the bending action of the active bending section, some of the lower pressing plates do not constrain the traction rope to be positioned on the preset linear path, and cannot form a constraining force point for the traction rope. Then, the corresponding tube sections of the bending tube cannot quickly respond to the relative rotation action, thereby affecting the bending accuracy of the entire active bending section.

[0029] In addition, it is worth noting that if the stamping is not performed in the middle area of the lower pressing plate, more guide grooves that deviate from the preset guide position will be formed. In the process of pulling the traction rope, some sections of the traction rope will be constrained and positioned by these guide grooves, causing part of the traction rope to deviate from the preset linear path, that is, causing the bias of part of the fulcrum of the bending tube, directly causing the active bending section to be incorrectly bent, resulting in a significant deterioration in its bending accuracy.

[0030] In view of this, some embodiments of the present application provide a curved tube for use in an endoscope.

[0031] See Figures 1 to 8 The bending tube 100 disclosed in the embodiment of the present application includes a plurality of tube segments 110 arranged along its axial direction, and the tube segments 110 are rotatably connected to realize the bending action of the bending tube 100. It should be understood that the active bending section refers to the section in the insertion part of the endoscope that can realize the active bending action. The bending tube 100 is the main part of the active bending tube 100. For example, the bending tube 100 can constitute the active bending section together with the heat shrink film wrapped around its outside. Of course, the composition of the active bending section is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the active bending section can include the bending tube 100, the woven mesh layer and the heat shrink film arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the curved tube 100 may have various structural forms, which are not limited thereto.

[0033] For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the bending tube 100 has a plurality of slits 120 arranged along its axial direction. These slits 120 divide the bending tube 100 into a plurality of tube segments 110 along its axial direction. The slits 120 form deformation spaces on the bending tube 100. Adjacent tube segments 110 can approach each other through these deformation spaces, thereby achieving relative rotation between the tube segments 110. In the entire axial direction of the bending tube 100, the coordination of the plurality of tube segments 110 enables the bending action of the bending tube 100. More specifically, the bending tube 100 is a one-piece bending tube 100 structure, and the slits 120 can be formed by processes such as cutting and etching. Laser cutting technology is preferably used as the cutting process, which can optimize processing efficiency and processing accuracy, and the formed bending tube 100 has higher overall strength.

[0034] For example, the pipe sections 110 may be separated from each other, and the pipe sections 110 are rotationally coupled to each other via a riveted structure.

[0035] At the same time, the bending tube 100 has a restraining piece 130 corresponding to the tube section 110. The restraining piece 130 is bent and pressed to form a concave setting, so as to define a guide groove 130a between the side wall of the adjacent tube section 110. The guide groove 130a is used to pass the traction rope 200. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Understand.

[0036] It should be understood that the guide groove 130a formed on the constraint plate 130 can restrain and position the traction rope 200. In particular, when the traction rope 200 is pulled to cause the bending tube 100 to bend in the active bending section, the traction rope 200 and the constraint plate 130 will be subjected to mutual force, forming a force-bearing area. Of course, it is precisely because of the restraining and positioning effect of the guide groove 130a on the constraint plate 130 on the traction rope 200 that the entire traction rope 200 extends and distributes along the predetermined linear path.

[0037] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific configuration of the constraint sheet 130 .

[0038] For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the restraining piece 130 can be recessed toward the interior of the bending tube 100, i.e., a "downward pressure piece." Of course, the restraining piece 130 can also be recessed toward the exterior of the bending tube 100; further, the restraining piece 130 can protrude beyond the sidewall of the bending tube 100, thereby not occupying the interior space of the bending tube 100 and providing more space for installing components such as instrument tubes and wiring harnesses.

[0039] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the recessed direction of the constraint piece 130 is distributed along the radial direction of the curved tube 100. Of course, the recessed direction of the constraint piece 130 may also deviate from the radial direction of the curved tube 100, as long as the guide groove 130a is formed.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, along the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130, the stiffness of the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 is less than that of the adjacent portions. It should be understood that the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130 refers to the extension direction of the path extending between the end portions of the constraint sheet 130 and the sidewall of the curved tube 100.

[0041] With this layout, the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 has lower rigidity, while the adjacent portions of the central portion have higher rigidity, thereby achieving a rigidity gradient design along the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130. During the pressing process of the constraint sheet 130, due to the lower rigidity of the central portion of the constraint sheet 130, it is more likely to deform under force, facilitating rapid centering and alignment of the tooling, and quickly bending to form the guide groove 130a. It is worth noting that when the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 initially deforms, it creates a concave portion that differs in shape from the rest of the portion. This effectively provides a guide for force-applying components, such as tooling, guiding these components into the concave portion, achieving a centering and positioning effect, further facilitating the subsequent formation of the guide groove 130a.

[0042] Compared with the related art, the bending tube 100 of the embodiment of the present application sets the middle stiffness of the constraint plate 130 to be relatively lower, so that during the tooling pressing process, the tooling can adaptively adjust and accurately apply force to the middle of the constraint plate 130, thereby avoiding positioning errors, thereby ensuring that each guide groove 130a is distributed on a linear path parallel to the axis of the bending tube 100. In this way, in the process of pulling the traction rope 200 to achieve the bending of the active bending section, the situation where part of the traction rope 200 deviates from the preset linear path is completely avoided, so that the active bending section always has excellent bending accuracy when performing the bending action.

[0043] In the related art, during the process of punching the restraining piece 130, it is necessary to pre-place a mandrel in the bending tube 100 so that the mandrel surface can support the restraining piece 130 and limit the punching position of the tooling. For example, a groove (such as an arc-shaped groove) corresponding to the middle part of the restraining piece 130 is provided on the mandrel surface, which matches the punch of the tooling. In this way, the restraining piece 130 is punched inward to fit against the mandrel surface, thereby achieving the bending process of the restraining piece 130 and forming the guide groove 130a for the traction rope 200 to pass through. However, in practice, after the restraining piece 130 is punched into place, it fits tightly against the mandrel surface, making it difficult to pull out the mandrel. In the process of forcibly pulling out the mandrel, the restraining piece 130 is easily worn, and even bent or damaged by friction, resulting in failure of the restraining piece 130.

[0044] In order to address this defect in the related art, in the bending tube 100 of the embodiment of the present application, by providing a constraint plate 130 with smaller stiffness in the middle, the tooling can adaptively align with the middle of the constraint plate 130 during the stamping process. In this way, there is no need to insert a core rod into the bending tube 100 to guide the stamping position of the tooling during the processing, which not only simplifies the processing process but also avoids the operation of pulling out the core rod from the bending tube 100, thereby effectively preventing the constraint plate 130 from being worn or damaged.

[0045] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, along the extension direction of the constraint piece 130, the width of the middle portion of the constraint piece 130 is smaller than the width of its adjacent portions. It should be understood that in this example, by reducing the width of the middle portion of the constraint piece 130, the rigidity of the middle portion of the constraint piece 130 is reduced compared to the rigidity of its adjacent portions, thereby facilitating accurate alignment of the tooling during the pressing process.

[0046] It's worth noting that this example essentially implements a gradient width design for the constraint piece 130 along its extension direction, thereby achieving a gradient stiffness design. Adjusting the width of the constraint piece 130 is relatively easy to implement and relatively cost-effective. For example, the structure of the constraint piece 130 in this example allows for the width of the central portion of the constraint piece 130 to be reduced by cutting a certain amount further into the axial side of the constraint piece 130 during the process of cutting the constraint piece 130 from the sidewall of the curved tube 100. The axial direction of the constraint piece 130 in this location can be considered to be parallel to the axial direction of the curved tube 100.

[0047] Of course, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific method of designing the stiffness gradient of the constraint sheet 130. For example, along the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130, the thickness of the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 is less than the thickness of its adjacent portions. For example, along the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130, the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 is provided with a perforation. In the aforementioned exemplary technical solutions, the dimensions of the physical structure of the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 along its extension direction are relatively reduced, achieving the goal of making the stiffness of the central portion of the constraint sheet 130 less than that of its adjacent portions, thereby achieving a stiffness gradient design, which facilitates accurate alignment of the tooling during the pressing process.

[0048] In some embodiments, the constraint sheet 130 has a first groove 130b provided on at least one axial side thereof. In the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130, the first groove 130b is correspondingly provided in the middle of the constraint sheet 130 so that the width of the middle of the constraint sheet 130 is smaller than the width of the adjacent portion. For example, Figure 4 As shown, first grooves 130b are provided on both axial side surfaces of the constraint plate 130. Of course, the first groove 130b may be provided on only one axial side surface of the constraint plate 130. In the embodiment where first grooves 130b are provided on both axial side surfaces of the constraint plate 130, this helps balance the rigidity of the two axial side surfaces of the constraint plate 130, thereby preventing asymmetric deformation during the pressing process.

[0049] In some embodiments, the constraint plate 130 has a second groove on at least one radial side surface thereof. In the direction of extension of the constraint plate 130, the second groove corresponds to the middle portion of the constraint plate 130, so that the thickness of the middle portion of the constraint plate 130 is less than that of adjacent portions. In embodiments where the constraint plate 130 has a second groove on only one radial side surface, the second groove can be located on the radially outer side surface of the constraint plate 130. This facilitates processing of the constraint plate 130 outside the bent tube 100 and provides greater working space.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first groove edge of the first groove 130b has a smooth transition, and the first groove edge is the edge of the first groove 130b close to the guide groove 130a. Figures 1 to 3 Combined understanding.

[0051] It should be understood that in some scenarios where the traction rope 200 is pulled to drive the active bending section to achieve a bending action, especially when the active bending section is in a bent state on one side and is pulled toward the other side by the traction rope 200, the traction rope 200 will press against the constraint piece 130, which causes friction between the two, especially at the edge of the constraint piece 130 near its axial side, which is a part with a sudden change in shape (for example, there are sharp corners, such as Figure 2 There are right-angled corners there), which will cause obvious wear and tear between the traction rope 200 and the constraint piece 130, and the traction rope 200 will be easily damaged after long-term use.

[0052] In this example, the first groove edge of the first groove 130b is the edge where the constraint plate 130 and the traction rope 200 are prone to wear. In this example, the first groove edge is smoothly transitioned to avoid forming a relatively sharp contact surface on the surface of the constraint plate 130, thereby effectively avoiding wear between the traction rope 200 and the constraint plate 130, and extending the service life of the traction rope 200, the constraint plate 130 and the bending tube 100.

[0053] In addition, such an arrangement can reduce the friction between the traction rope 200 and the restraining piece 130 at the first groove edge, avoid the concentration of force at this location, and further prevent damage to various components.

[0054] In some embodiments, the width of the middle portion of the constraint sheet 130 is smaller than that of other portions through the first groove 130b. Figure 4 and Figure 6 With this layout, the rigidity of the middle portion of the constraint piece 130 will be significantly reduced, and there will be a rigidity difference compared to other areas of the constraint piece 130. As a result, the middle portion of the constraint piece 130 will be easily deformed due to force, thereby improving the efficiency of the guide tooling's rapid centering and alignment, thereby optimizing the forming quality of the constraint piece 130 and, in turn, optimizing the bending accuracy of the active bending tube 100.

[0055] In some embodiments, a first groove 130b is provided on both axial sides of the constraint plate 130, and the line connecting the lowest points of the first grooves 130b on both sides of the constraint plate 130 is parallel to the axis of the bending tube 100, and the constraint plate 130 is symmetrically distributed relative to the first plane, and the connecting line and the axis of the bending tube 100 are both distributed in the first plane.

[0056] It should be understood that such a setting can ensure that the stiffness of the constraint plate 130 is roughly symmetrically distributed relative to the first plane, so that when force is applied to the middle of the constraint plate 130, the stiffness of the constraint plate 130 on both sides of the middle is roughly the same, which is conducive to forcing the constraint plate 130 to bend and concave in the middle to smoothly form the guide groove 130a, thereby improving processing efficiency and processing quality.

[0057] In some embodiments, the curved tube 100 has a plurality of constraint sheets 130 arranged along its axial direction. The constraint sheet 130 arrangement includes constraint sheets 130 arranged on both radial sides of the curved tube 100. In the same constraint sheet 130 arrangement, the constraint sheets 130 arranged on both radial sides of the curved tube 100 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the two corresponding constraint sheets 130 on both radial sides of the curved tube 100 are arranged on the same tube segment 110 or respectively on two adjacent tube segments 110. For example, Figure 5 As shown, two constraint sheets 130 in a constraint sheet 130 combination are distributed on two adjacent pipe sections 110. For example, if Figure 5 The slit corresponding to the upper side constraint piece 130 is changed into one constraint piece 130 , thus realizing the technical solution of arranging the constraint pieces 130 on different sides of the constraint piece 130 combination on the same pipe section 110 .

[0058] It should be understood that in some scenarios where the active bending section is bent by pulling the traction rope 200, the traction rope 200 will press against the constraint piece 130, thereby forming a force point at the location on the bending tube 100 corresponding to the constraint piece 130. In this example, through the above-described structural layout, the constraint pieces 130 belonging to the same constraint piece 130 assembly are arranged on the same or adjacent pipe sections 110 on the bending tube 100, thereby making the different force points of the corresponding constraint piece 130 combination in a radially corresponding or approximately radially corresponding state on the bending tube 100. In this way, during the anisotropic bending process of the bending tube 100, the force points on both sides of the radial direction are roughly symmetrically distributed, thereby balancing the force on the bending tube 100 and preventing the bending tube 100 from torsional deformation due to unilateral force, thereby facilitating the maintenance of the original tubular shape of the bending tube 100.

[0059] In some embodiments, the constraint sheet 130 has a rigidity weakened area disposed in the middle thereof. Along the extension direction of the constraint sheet 130 , the constraint sheet 130 further has rigidity strengthened areas disposed adjacent to both sides of the rigidity weakened area.

[0060] It should be understood that in this example, the addition of stiffness-enhancing zones on both sides of the stiffness-weakened zone results in a greater stiffness difference between the stiffness-weakened zone and its adjacent areas. With this arrangement, when the tooling is misaligned and pressed against the stiffness-enhanced zone, the stiffness-enhanced zone has a greater stiffness, which, to a certain extent, prevents the constraint plate 130 from being pressed against the stiffness-enhanced zone and forming a deviated guide groove 130a. When the tooling is blocked by pressing against the stiffness-enhanced zone, it will be forced to slide into the stiffness-weakened zone with even less stiffness, thereby ensuring that the guide groove 130a is accurately pressed into the desired position by pressing against the stiffness-weakened zone. In other words, it is precisely because of the stiffness difference between the stiffness-weakened zone and the stiffness-enhanced zone that the tooling can be guided to correctly align with the stiffness-weakened zone, further optimizing the accuracy of positioning and pressing.

[0061] At the same time, it is worth noting that in the process of the tooling accurately pressing the weak stiffness area, the stiffness reinforcement areas on both sides of the weak stiffness area on the constraint plate 130 can also play a certain limiting role on the tooling, preventing the tooling from shaking and accidentally falling out of the weak stiffness area, which is also conducive to improving the processing quality of the constraint plate 130.

[0062] Of course, the stiffness reinforcement area of the embodiment of the present application is to relatively enhance the stiffness of the corresponding portion of the constraint plate 130 , but the degree of stiffness enhancement still needs to ensure that a certain degree of deformation can be achieved.

[0063] In a specific embodiment, Figure 6 As shown, when the constraint plate 130 forms a stiffness weakened area through the first groove 130b on its axial side, the constraint plate 130 also has a protrusion 130c provided on its axial side. Along the extension direction of the constraint plate 130, the protrusion 130c is provided adjacent to the first groove 130b to form a stiffness reinforced area.

[0064] It should be understood that in this example, both the weak and reinforced rigidity zones are achieved by adjusting the axial width of the constraint piece 130. Adjusting the width of the constraint piece 130 is relatively easy to implement and has low processing costs. For example, in this example, the constraint piece 130 can be cut into the sidewall of the bent tube 100 by cutting a certain amount more into the corresponding axial side surface of the constraint piece 130 to form the weak rigidity zone, while cutting a certain amount less into the corresponding axial side surface to form the reinforced rigidity zone.

[0065] Of course, in other embodiments, the stiffness-weakened area and the stiffness-strengthened area may be constructed by, for example, changing the thickness of corresponding parts of the constraint sheet 130 .

[0066] In some embodiments, as Figure 6As shown, the area of the first groove 130b corresponding to the constraint plate 130 is larger than the area of the protrusion 130c corresponding to the constraint plate 130. With this arrangement, in the process of processing the constraint plate 130 by inserting the core rod into the bending tube 100, the contact area between the constraint plate 130 and the surface of the core rod can be reduced, thereby reducing the friction resistance between the two, thereby facilitating the removal of the core rod and reducing the risk of damage to the constraint plate 130.

[0067] In the embodiment in which the constraint sheet 130 has a stiffness reinforcement area, further, as Figure 7 As shown, at the position of the constraint piece 130 corresponding to the stiffness reinforcement area, the constraint piece 130 has a curved protrusion 130e protruding along the radial surface due to bending, and a limiting space 130f is defined between the curved protrusions 130e on both sides of the middle part of the constraint piece 130.

[0068] It should be understood that because the constraint plate 130 in this example has a stiffness-reinforced region and a stiffness-weakened region, with a significant stiffness difference between the two, the stiffness-reinforced region is less likely to deform during the tooling stamping process. The tooling punch slides into the central region of the constraint plate 130, corresponding to the stiffness-weakened region, and this region experiences a significant deformation, thereby forming a significant bending transition between the stiffness-weakened and stiffness-reinforced regions. This creates curved protrusions 130e, and defines a confining space 130f between the curved protrusions 130e. Thus, the curved protrusions 130e act as circumferential limiters for the traction rope 200 within the confining space 130f, ensuring that the traction rope 200 is constrained within the confining space 130f. This prevents the traction rope 200 from being pulled relative to the bending tube 100 and moving into the gap between the constraint plate 130 and the sidewall of the bending tube 100, thereby effectively preventing the traction rope 200 from being abraded in this gap.

[0069] In some embodiments, the constraint piece 130 has a second stiffness weakened area between its connection end and the stiffness reinforced area, and the connection end of the constraint piece 130 is the end connected to the side wall of the corresponding pipe section 110. Figure 8 As shown, a third groove 130d is provided between the connection end of the constraint sheet 130 and the stiffness-enhanced area formed by the protrusion 130c. The third groove 130d forms a second stiffness-weakened area. Of course, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the specific configuration of the second stiffness-weakened area. For example, the second stiffness-weakened area can also be formed by thinning the thickness of the corresponding portion of the constraint sheet 130.

[0070] It should be understood that, in the case where the rigidity of the portion of the corresponding constraint piece 130 close to its connecting end is relatively large, if the punching position of the tooling is not aligned, it is easy to punch the portion close to the connecting end of the corresponding constraint piece 130, and this portion has a relatively large rigidity, so it is not easy to deform, and the corresponding side wall of the bending tube 100 will be deformed together, making the bending tube 100 unusable.

[0071] To this end, this example reduces the stiffness of the portion of the constraint plate 130 close to its connection end by setting a second stiffness weakening zone. When the tooling stamping position is not centered or offset, the second stiffness weakening zone can be tilted by deformation, thereby facilitating the tooling punch to slide toward the middle of the constraint plate 130 to enter the normal stamping process and avoid deforming the side wall of the entire bent tube 100.

[0072] Furthermore, in an embodiment in which a third groove 130d is used to form a second stiffness weak zone, the third groove 130d can be set to extend to the joint between the constraint plate 130 and the side wall of the bending tube 100, so that the stiffness of the joint can be reduced to a certain extent. Thus, when a direct stamping process is used without core rod support, the tooling can make the gap between the end of the constraint plate 130 and the side wall of the bending tube 100 larger, thereby avoiding the gap being too small to cause a cutting effect on the inserted traction rope 200 and cause a greater degree of wear.

[0073] See Figures 1 to 8 Some embodiments of the present application provide an insertion portion, which includes the curved tube 100 involved in any of the aforementioned solutions, thereby having the beneficial effects of the aforementioned curved tube 100, which will not be repeated.

[0074] See Figures 1 to 8 Some embodiments of the present application provide an endoscope, which includes the insertion portion mentioned above, thereby having the beneficial effects of the aforementioned insertion portion, which will not be repeated here.

[0075] The endoscopes involved in the embodiments of the present application may be bronchoscopes, pyeloscopes, esophagoscopes, gastroscopes, colonoscopes, otoscopes, nasoscopes, stomatoscopes, laryngoscopes, colposcopes, laparoscopes, arthroscopes, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any specific restrictions on the types of endoscopes.

[0076] The above embodiments of this application focus on the differences between the various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a better embodiment. Considering the simplicity of the text, they will not be repeated here.

[0077] The foregoing is merely an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should all be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A curved tube for an endoscope, characterized in that: The bending tube includes a plurality of tube segments arranged along its axial direction, and the tube segments are rotatably connected to realize the bending action of the bending tube; The bending tube has a restraining piece corresponding to the tube section, the restraining piece is pressed and bent to be concave, so as to define a guide groove with the side wall of the adjacent tube section, and the guide groove is used to pass the traction rope; Along the extension direction of the constraint plate, the stiffness of the middle part of the constraint plate is less than that of its adjacent parts, so that the guide groove is formed by bending; the extension direction of the constraint plate is the extension direction of the path distributed at both ends of the constraint plate and the side wall of the curved tube.

2. The curved pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that Along the extension direction of the constraint piece, the width of the middle portion of the constraint piece is smaller than the width of the adjacent portion thereof; and / or, along the extension direction of the constraint sheet, the thickness of the middle portion of the constraint sheet is smaller than the thickness of the adjacent portion thereof; And / or, a through hole is provided in the middle of the constraint sheet along the extension direction of the constraint sheet.

3. The curved pipe according to claim 2, characterized in that The constraint piece has a first groove provided on at least one axial side surface thereof. In the extension direction of the constraint piece, the first groove is provided correspondingly in the middle portion of the constraint piece so that the width of the middle portion of the constraint piece is smaller than the width of the adjacent portion thereof. And / or, the constraint plate has a second groove provided on at least one radial side thereof, and in the extension direction of the constraint plate, the second groove corresponds to the middle part of the constraint plate, so that the thickness of the middle part of the constraint plate is smaller than the thickness of its adjacent part.

4. The curved tube according to claim 3, characterized in that The first groove edge of the first groove has a smooth transition, and the first groove edge is an edge of the first groove close to the guide groove; And / or, the width of the middle portion of the constraint sheet is smaller than that of other portions through the first groove.

5. The curved tube according to claim 3, characterized in that The first grooves are provided on both axial sides of the constraint plate, the line connecting the lowest points of the first grooves on both sides of the constraint plate is parallel to the axis of the bending tube, and the constraint plate is symmetrically distributed relative to the first plane, and the line and the axis of the bending tube are both distributed in the first plane.

6. The curved pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The curved tube has a plurality of constraint sheet assemblies distributed along its axial direction, the constraint sheet assembly including the constraint sheets distributed on both radial sides of the curved tube. In the same constraint sheet assembly, the constraint sheets distributed on both radial sides of the curved tube are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the two corresponding constraint sheets on both radial sides of the curved tube are arranged on the same tube segment or respectively on two adjacent tube segments. And / or, the constraint piece has a first stiffness weakened area arranged corresponding to the middle thereof, and along the extension direction of the constraint piece, the constraint piece further has stiffness strengthened areas arranged adjacent to both sides of the first stiffness weakened area.

7. The curved tube according to claim 6, characterized in that In a case where the first rigidity weakened area is formed by the first groove on the axial side surface of the constraint plate, the constraint plate further has a protrusion provided on the axial side surface thereof, and the protrusion is provided adjacent to the first groove along the extension direction of the constraint plate to form the rigidity strengthened area; and / or, at a portion of the constraint piece corresponding to the stiffness reinforcement zone, the constraint piece has a curved convex portion protruding along a radial surface due to bending, and a limiting space is defined between the curved convex portions on both sides of a middle portion of the constraint piece; And / or, the constraint plate has a second stiffness weakened area between its connecting end and the stiffness reinforced area, and the connecting end of the constraint plate is the end portion connected to the side wall of the corresponding pipe segment.

8. The curved tube according to claim 7, characterized in that The area of the constraint plate corresponding to the first groove is larger than the area of the constraint plate corresponding to the protrusion.

9. An insertion portion, characterized in that: The bent tube comprises the bent tube according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: The invention comprises the insertion portion according to claim 9.

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