Snake bone assembly and endoscope

Abstract

The snake bone assembly is used for being arranged in a rubber tube in a penetrating mode and comprises a plurality of snake bone units, and the near ends and the far ends of the snake bone units are provided with axial concave parts located on the two sides of an axial plane in the circumferential direction of the snake bone units; in every two adjacent snake bone units, a gap exists between the near end of one snake bone unit and the far end of the other snake bone unit, and the gap is larger than or equal to two times of the wall thickness of the rubber tube. As the wall thickness of the gap is larger than or equal to twice of the wall thickness of the rubber tube from the completely bent state to the non-bent state of the snake bone assembly, when the snake bone assembly is bent or bent towards the opposite direction from the bent state, even if the wall body of the rubber tube is clamped, the wall body of the rubber tube cannot be damaged by extrusion of the two adjacent snake bone units, and the service life of the snake bone assembly is prolonged. On the premise that normal bending of the snake bone assembly is not affected and the rubber tube is prevented from being damaged, normal use of the endoscope is not affected, and the service life of the rubber tube can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular to a snake bone assembly and an endoscope. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of science and medical technology, minimally invasive or non-invasive endoscopic medical examinations and treatments have become widely popular. Endoscopes are typically controlled by a bending section at the distal end of the insertion portion. This bending section consists of multiple snake-bone units and a rubber tube that fits over the outer surface of the snake-bone units. To ensure the bending function of the bending section, there must be gaps between adjacent snake-bone units. When the snake-bone assembly bends, the rubber tube can easily become trapped in this gap, affecting the normal use of the endoscope. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application aims to provide a snake bone assembly and an endoscope to avoid the rubber tube being squeezed and damaged when the rubber tube is clamped, thereby extending the service life of the rubber tube.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present application, the present application provides a snake bone assembly for being passed through the interior of a rubber tube, comprising a plurality of snake bone units, wherein the snake bone unit has a bending plane and an axial plane, the bending plane and the axial plane are perpendicular to each other, intersect, and pass through the axis of the snake bone unit; the two ends of the axial direction of the snake bone unit are respectively a proximal end and a distal end, and a rotation connection position is provided at the position where the proximal end and the distal end intersect with the axial plane; among two adjacent snake bone units, the rotation connection positions at which the proximal end of one snake bone unit is located on both sides of the bending plane correspond one to one with the rotation connection positions at the distal end of the other snake bone unit on both sides of the bending plane; the plurality of snake bone units are rotatably connected in sequence by the rotation connection position at the proximal end of one of the two adjacent snake bone units and the rotation connection position at the distal end of the other snake bone unit, so that the snake bone assembly bends within the bending plane;

[0005] The proximal and distal ends of the snake bone unit are provided with axial recessed portions on both sides of the axial plane in the circumferential direction thereof, the axial recessed portions are recessed along the axis direction of the snake bone unit, and the axial recessed portions pass through the curved plane;

[0006] In two adjacent snake bone units, there is a gap between the proximal end of one snake bone unit and the distal end of the other snake bone unit, and in the process of the snake bone assembly changing from a fully bent state to an unbent state, the distance between the position of the axial recessed portion of the proximal end of one snake bone unit close to the bending plane and the position of the axial recessed portion of the distal end of the other snake bone unit close to the bending plane is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube.

[0007] In one embodiment, among two adjacent snake bone units, the farthest positions of the axial recesses at the proximal end of one snake bone unit and the farthest positions of the axial recesses at the distal end of the other snake bone unit from the rotational connection position both pass through the bending plane, and the distance therebetween is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube.

[0008] In one embodiment, among two adjacent snake bone units, the distance perpendicular to the proximal end face from the farthest position of the axial recess at the proximal end of one snake bone unit to the rotational connection position is a first distance, and the distance perpendicular to the distal end face from the farthest position of the axial recess at the distal end of the other snake bone unit to the rotational connection position is a second distance, and the first distance and the second distance are the same or different.

[0009] In one embodiment, in the direction from the farthest position of the axial recess from the rotational connection position to the nearest position of the axial recess from the rotational connection position, the distance between the axial recess and the end face gradually decreases.

[0010] In one embodiment, among two adjacent snake bone units, axial limiting portions are provided on at least one side of the axial plane at the proximal end of one snake bone unit or the distal end of the other snake bone unit. The axial limiting portions protrude outward along the axial center line direction of the snake bone unit, and the axial limiting portions are located at positions of the axial recesses close to the rotational connection position; when the snake bone assembly bends, among two adjacent snake bone units, the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the proximal end of one snake bone unit or the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the distal end of the other snake bone unit abuts against the distal end of the other snake bone unit or the proximal end of one snake bone unit.

[0011] In one embodiment, axial limiting portions are provided on both sides of the bending plane in the circumferential direction at the proximal end and the distal end of the snake bone unit; when the snake bone assembly bends, among two adjacent snake bone units, the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the proximal end of one snake bone unit abuts against the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the distal end of the other snake bone unit.

[0012] In one embodiment, a radial recess is provided in the circumferential direction at the proximal end or the distal end of the snake bone unit on the axial plane. The radial recess is provided at the bottom of the axial recess and recesses inward along the radial direction of the snake bone unit from the bottom of the axial recess; the radial recess is used for the installation of the traction rope.

[0013] In one embodiment, radial recesses are provided on both sides of the bending plane at the proximal end or the distal end of the snake bone unit.

[0014] In one embodiment, the radial recess is provided at the proximal end or the distal end of one of the two serpentine bone units spaced apart by a preset number, or at the proximal end or the distal end of the other serpentine bone unit.

[0015] According to the second aspect of the present application, the present application provides an endoscope including the serpentine bone assembly described above.

[0016] Based on the serpentine bone assembly and the endoscope according to the above embodiments, since the gap is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube in both the fully bent state and the unbent state of the serpentine bone assembly, when the serpentine bone assembly is bent or bent in the opposite direction from the bent state, even if the wall of the rubber tube is clamped, the wall of the rubber tube will not be damaged by the extrusion of two adjacent serpentine bone units. Without affecting the normal bending of the serpentine bone assembly and avoiding damage to the rubber tube, it does not affect the normal use of the endoscope and can extend the service life of the rubber tube. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone unit in the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 1 ;

[0018] Figure 2 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone unit in the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 2 ;

[0019] Figure 3 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone unit in the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 3 ;

[0020] Figure 4 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 5 Bending schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 6 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 7 Bending schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 8 Structural schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 3 ;

[0025] Figure 9 Bending schematic of the serpentine bone assembly provided by the present application Figure 3 ;

[0026] Figure 10 An exploded view of the snake bone assembly provided for this application.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] Snake bone assembly 100, snake bone unit 10, proximal end 101, distal end 102, rotation connection position 11, rotation groove portion 111, rotation protrusion portion 112, axial depression portion 12, axial limiting portion 13, radial depression portion 14, rubber tube 200, traction rope 300. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings through specific implementation manners. Similar elements in different implementation manners adopt related similar element numbers. In the following implementation manners, many details are described to enable a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art can easily recognize that some of the features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, in order to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by excessive description. For those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0030] In addition, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various implementation manners, and the operation steps involved in each embodiment can also be reordered or adjusted in an obvious manner by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specification and the drawings are only for clearly describing a certain embodiment, and do not mean to be the necessary composition and / or sequence.

[0031] The serial numbers assigned to the components herein, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the described objects and do not have any sequential or technical meaning. And the "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in the present application, unless otherwise specified, both include direct and indirect connection (coupling).

[0032] The endoscope consists of parts such as a head end, a bending section, an insertion section, and an operation section. The bending section is connected to the distal end of the insertion section, the operation section is connected to the proximal end of the insertion section, the head end is mounted at one end of the bending section away from the insertion section, and an imaging unit can be provided at the head end. The bending section is composed of a snake bone assembly, a rubber tube, and a traction rope. The rubber tube is sleeved on the outside of the snake bone assembly. The snake bone assembly is composed of a plurality of snake bone units that can rotate relative to each other. The traction rope is connected to each snake bone unit, and one end of the traction rope is connected to the operation section. By operating the operation section, the traction rope can be used to axially pull each snake bone unit, so that the adjacent snake bone units rotate relative to each other, realizing the active bending of the bending section of the endoscope, and thus entering some complex cavities in the body for imaging diagnosis through the imaging unit at the head end.

[0033] Since the adjacent snake bone units in the snake bone assembly need to rotate relative to each other to bend the snake bone assembly, there needs to be a gap between the adjacent snake bone units. In the related art, when the snake bone assembly bends, the rubber tube is easily clamped in the gap between the adjacent snake bone units, and the problem of the rubber tube being clamped and damaged is likely to occur after repeated times, thus affecting the normal use of the endoscope.

[0034] In the related art, a convex portion or a concave portion is provided at the end of the snake bone unit along the axial center line direction of the snake bone unit, and the gap between the adjacent snake bone units can be divided by the convex portion, thereby preventing the rubber tube from being clamped into the gap.

[0035] The bending angle and bending radius of the snake bone assembly are closely related to the length of a single snake bone unit and the gap between two adjacent snake bone units. When a larger bending angle and a smaller bending radius are required for the snake bone assembly, the gap between two adjacent snake bone units is larger, and the length of a single snake bone unit is smaller. When using the method of setting a convex portion to solve the problem of the rubber tube being clamped, the local size of the snake bone unit will be too small, resulting in insufficient strength in the axial plane direction of the snake bone unit. At the same time, the convex portion has a larger size in the axial center line direction of the snake bone unit, and after bending, a height difference will be formed in the radial direction of the snake bone unit and protrude outward from the snake bone unit. After repeated times, there is also the problem of damaging the rubber tube.

[0036] See Figures 1 - 10 As shown, the present application provides a snake bone assembly 100. Combining Figure 10 As shown, the snake bone assembly 100 is used to pass through the inside of the rubber tube 200. Among them, the snake bone assembly 100 includes a plurality of snake bone units 10, and the plurality of snake bone units 10 are sequentially rotationally connected by the head and tail of two adjacent snake bone units 10. As Figure 1 shown, the center of the snake bone unit 10 is a hollow structure penetrating in the Q-Q direction of its axial center line. In other words, the snake bone unit 10 is an approximately tubular structure.

[0037] In some embodiments, the snake bone unit 10 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel.

[0038] The snake bone unit 10 has a bending plane M and an axial plane N, and the bending plane M is perpendicular to, intersects with, and passes through the axis Q-Q of the snake bone unit 10. Here, the axis Q-Q of the snake bone unit 10 is the center line of the tubular snake bone unit 10. The snake bone assembly 100 composed of a plurality of snake bone units 10 connected end to end can be bent in the bending plane M.

[0039] The two ends of the snake bone unit 10 in the axial direction of the axis are the proximal end 101 and the distal end 102 respectively. Here, the proximal end 101 of the snake bone unit 10 is the end where the snake bone assembly 100 is connected to the insertion part, and the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 is the end where the snake bone assembly 100 is connected to the head end part. The proximal end 101 and the distal end 102 can also be understood as the two ends close to the operation part and far from the operation part respectively.

[0040] Rotating connection positions 11 are provided at the positions where the proximal end 101 and the distal end 102 intersect with the axial plane N. And there are two intersection positions between the proximal end 101 of the snake bone unit 10 and the axial plane N. Similarly, there are two intersection positions between the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 and the axial plane N. In other words, a rotating connection position 11 is respectively arranged at each of the two intersection positions between the proximal end 101 of the snake bone unit 10 and the axial plane N. Similarly, a rotating connection position 11 is respectively arranged at each of the two intersection positions between the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 and the axial plane N. Since the bending plane M is perpendicular to, intersects with, and passes through the axis Q-Q, the two rotating connection positions 11 located at the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 are respectively located on both sides of the bending plane M, and the two rotating connection positions 11 at the same end are symmetrically arranged with respect to the bending plane M.

[0041] In two adjacent snake bone units 10, the rotating connection positions 11 of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 located on both sides of the bending plane M and the rotating connection positions 11 of the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 located on both sides of the bending plane M correspond to each other one by one. A plurality of snake bone units 10 are sequentially rotationally connected by the rotating connection positions 11 of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the rotating connection positions 11 of the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 in two adjacent snake bone units 10, so that the snake bone assembly 100 composed of a plurality of snake bone units 10 can be bent in the bending plane M.

[0042] Since two adjacent snake bone units 10 can rotate under the action of the rotational connection between the rotational connection position 11 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the rotational connection position 11 at the distal end 101 of the other snake bone unit 10, thus, the rotational directions of two adjacent snake bone units 10 can be different, and under the traction of the traction rope 300, the rotational directions of each snake bone unit 10 are the same.

[0043] Continue to refer to Figures 1 - 3 As shown, the rotational connection position 11 includes a rotational groove portion 111 and a rotational protrusion portion 112. Among them, the rotational groove portion 111 is arranged at the proximal end 101 of the snake bone unit 10, and the rotational protrusion portion 112 is arranged at the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10. As Figures 1 - 3 shown, two rotational groove portions 111 are arranged at the position where the proximal end 101 of the snake bone unit 10 passes through the axial plane N, and two rotational protrusion portions 112 are arranged at the position where the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 passes through the axial plane N.

[0044] When two adjacent snake bone units 10 are rotationally connected, the rotational protrusion portion 111 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 can be rotatably clamped in the rotational groove portion 112 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10, and a rotational connection is formed between the rotational protrusion portion 111 and the rotational groove portion 112. The rotational groove portion 112 can limit the rotational range of the rotational protrusion portion 111, thus enabling the rotational connection of two adjacent snake bone units 10.

[0045] Continue to refer to Figures 1 - 3 As shown, the proximal end 101 and the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 are provided with axial recessed portions 12 on their circumferences, which are located on both sides of the axial plane N. The axial recessed portion 12 is recessed along the axis Q-Q direction of the snake bone unit, and the axial recessed portion 12 passes through the bending plane M. Among two adjacent snake bone units 10, the two axial recessed portions 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 respectively correspond to the two axial recessed portions 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 1 Ten.

[0046] After connecting two adjacent snake bone units 10, as Figures 4 - 9 shown, there is a gap P between the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10. The gap P is the distance between the position of the axial recessed portion 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 close to the bending plane M and the position of the axial recessed portion 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 close to the bending plane M among two adjacent snake bone units. During the process of the snake bone assembly 100 changing from the fully bent state to the unbent state, the distance between the position of the axial recessed portion 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 close to the bending plane M and the position of the axial recessed portion 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 close to the bending plane M is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200.

[0047] Among them, since the gap P exists in the unbent state and the fully bent state of the bent snake bone assembly 100, when the snake bone assembly 100 is bent, there is a gap P on both the inner side and the outer side of the bend. Among them, the inner side of the bend is the side in the bending direction of the snake bone assembly 100, and the outer side of the bend is the side opposite to the bending direction of the snake bone assembly 100. And the gap P on the inner side of the bend of the bent snake bone assembly 100 is smaller than the gap P on the outer side of the bend. The rubber tube 200 has elasticity. When bending the snake bone assembly 100 in the bent state (including the state of not being fully bent and the fully bent state), since the wall of the rubber tube 200 on the outer side of the bend is in a state of elastic tension, the wall of the rubber tube 200 can more easily collapse into the gap P on the outer side of the bend under the action of elastic reset. Furthermore, the gap P on the outer side of the bend is likely to clamp the rubber tube 200, and the rubber tube 200 is folded under the clamping action, that is, the thickness of the rubber tube 200 in the gap P is twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200.

[0048] Since the gap P is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200 during the process from the unbent state to the fully bent state of the snake bone assembly 100, when bending the snake bone assembly 100 from the bending direction to the opposite direction, even if the wall of the rubber tube 200 is clamped, the wall of the rubber tube 200 will not be damaged by the extrusion of the adjacent two snake bone units 10. Without affecting the normal bending of the snake bone assembly 100 and avoiding damage to the rubber tube 200, it does not affect the normal use of the endoscope, and thus the service life of the rubber tube 200 can be extended.

[0049] The axial recess 12 is a groove-type structure, which has the farthest position and the nearest position from the rotational connection position 11 in the circumferential direction at the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102. The farthest position is usually the bottom of the groove of the axial recess 12 of the groove-type structure, and the nearest position is usually the side of the groove opening of the axial recess 12 of the groove-type structure. When the snake bone assembly 20 is bent or bent in the opposite direction in the bent state, on the side of the adjacent two snake bone units 10 located on the outer side of the bend, the distance between the farthest positions of the axial recesses 12 of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the farthest positions of the axial recesses 12 of the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 gradually decreases, and the distance between the nearest positions of the axial recesses 12 of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the nearest positions of the axial recesses 12 of the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 also gradually decreases, but the rubber tube 200 is not easily clamped between the nearest positions, and the rubber tube 200 is easily clamped between the farthest positions of the axial recesses 12 of the adjacent two snake bone units 10.

[0050] See Figure 4As shown in the figure, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 both pass through the bending plane M. Moreover, the distance L between the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200. In this way, the wall of the rubber tube 200 sandwiched between the farthest positions F1 and F2 of two adjacent snake bone units 10 will not be squeezed or even damaged due to multiple bends of the snake bone assembly 100.

[0051] Continue to refer to Figure 4 As shown in the figure, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, the distance from the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 to the proximal end face is the first distance L1, and the distance from the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 to the distal end face is the second distance L2. The farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 both pass through the bending plane M. Among them, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, the gap between the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the distal end of the other snake bone unit 10 is the sum of the first distance L1, the second distance L2, and the distance between the closest position of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 and the closest position of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11.

[0052] In this application, the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 may be the same or different. In other words, when the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 are the same, the shapes and sizes of the axial recesses 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the axial recesses 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 are the same. When the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 are different, the shapes of the axial recesses 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the axial recesses 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 may be the same, but the sizes are different. It only needs to ensure that the sum of the first distance L1, the second distance L2, and the distance between the closest position of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 and the closest position of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10 from the rotational connection position 11 is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200.

[0053] In this embodiment, in the direction from the farthest position of the axial recess 12 from the rotational connection position 11 to the nearest position of the axial recess 12 from the rotational connection position 11, the distance between the axial recess 12 and the end face gradually decreases, thus forming a conical or approximately conical structure of the axial recess 12.

[0054] In order to make the distance between the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10 greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200 among two adjacent snake bone units 10, therefore, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, an axial limiting portion 13 is provided on at least one side of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 or the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10 located in the axial plane N. The axial limiting portion 13 protrudes outward along the axis line direction of the snake bone unit 10, and the axial limiting portion 13 is located at the position of the axial recess 12 close to the rotational connection position 11, and this position is the nearest position.

[0055] When the snake bone assembly 100 bends, among two adjacent snake bone units 10, the axial limiting portion 13 on the inner side of the bend of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 or the axial limiting portion 13 on the inner side of the bend of the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10 abuts against the distal end 101 of another snake bone unit 10 or the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 to limit the relative rotation angle of two adjacent snake bone units 10, while keeping the non-contact state between the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10, and also keeping the distance between the farthest position F1 of the axial recess 12 at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 and the farthest position F2 of the axial recess 12 at the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10 greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube 200.

[0056] In this embodiment, axial limiting portions 13 are provided on both sides of the proximal end 101 and the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 in the circumferential direction and located on both sides of the bending plane M. When the snake bone assembly 100 bends, among two adjacent snake bone units 10, the axial limiting portion 13 on the inner side of the bend of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 abuts against the axial limiting portion 13 on the inner side of the bend of the distal end 102 of another snake bone unit 10.

[0057] When the snake bone assembly 100 bends, it is by pulling the traction ropes 300 connected to each snake bone unit 10 that two adjacent snake bone units 10 rotate relative to each other. For the convenience of connecting the traction ropes 300 with the snake bone units 10, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 is provided with a radial recess 14 located in the axial plane N in its circumferential direction. The radial recess 14 is arranged at the bottom of the axial recess 12 and recesses inward from the bottom of the axial recess 12 in the radial direction of the snake bone unit 10. The radial recess 14 is used for the installation of the traction rope 300, and the traction rope 300 is threaded through the radial recess 14 to achieve connection with the snake bone unit 10.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3 shown, the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 is provided with radial recesses 14 on both sides of its bending plane M. As Figure 8 and Figure 9 shown, the snake bone assembly 100 is formed after the snake bone units 10 are connected, which are formed by the radial recesses 14 provided on both sides of the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102 of the snake bone unit 10 in its bending plane M.

[0059] In another embodiment of the present application, among two snake bone units 10 spaced apart by a preset number, for example, two snake bone units 10 spaced apart by 3 numbers, the preset number is 3. A radial recess 14 is provided at the proximal end 101 or the distal end 102 of one snake bone unit 10, or at the proximal end 101 or the distal end of the other snake bone unit 10. With such a setting, after the two adjacent snake bone units 10 are rotatably connected, the traction rope 300 can be threaded through the radial recesses 14 on the two snake bone units 10 spaced apart by the preset number, and the same effect of traction and rotation of the snake bone assembly 100 can be achieved. With such a setting, on the one hand, the assembly steps can be simplified and the assembly efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, too many radial recesses 14 will increase the friction between the traction rope 300 and the radial recesses 14. Conversely, using a smaller number of radial recesses can ensure that the snake bone assembly 100 bends more smoothly.

[0060] In a specific embodiment, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, at least one radial recess 14 can be provided at the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 or the distal end 102 of the other snake bone unit 10. As Figure 2 shown, in two adjacent snake bone units 10, a radial recess 14 is provided on one side of the proximal end 101 of one snake bone unit 10 located in the axial plane N. As Figures 4 - 7 shown, a radial recess 14 is provided on the other side of the distal end of the other snake bone unit 10 located in the axial plane N. In this way, the structure of two adjacent snake bone units 10 as shown in Figures 4 - 7 can be formed.

[0061] The present application also provides an endoscope, including the snake bone assembly 100 in the above embodiment. For the specific structure and features of the snake bone assembly 100, please refer to the above embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0062] In summary, in the snake bone assembly and the endoscope provided by the present application, since the gap is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube in both the fully bent state and the unbent state of the snake bone assembly, when the snake bone assembly is bent or bent in the opposite direction from the bent state, even if the wall of the rubber tube is clamped, the wall of the rubber tube will not be damaged by the extrusion of two adjacent snake bone units. Without affecting the normal bending of the snake bone assembly and avoiding damage to the rubber tube, it does not affect the normal use of the endoscope and can extend the service life of the rubber tube.

[0063] The above uses specific examples to elaborate on the present invention, which is only used to help understand the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, based on the idea of the present invention, several simple deductions, deformations or substitutions can also be made.

Claims

1. A snake bone component for being inserted into the interior of a rubber tube, characterized in that It includes a plurality of snake bone units. The snake bone units have a bending plane and an axial plane. The bending plane is perpendicular to and intersects the axial plane and passes through the axis line of the snake bone unit. The two ends of the snake bone unit in the axial direction of the axis line are the proximal end and the distal end respectively. Rotation connection positions are provided at the positions where the proximal end and the distal end intersect the axial plane. Among two adjacent snake bone units, the rotation connection positions on both sides of the bending plane of the proximal end of one snake bone unit respectively correspond one by one to the rotation connection positions on both sides of the bending plane of the distal end of the other snake bone unit. The plurality of snake bone units are sequentially rotationally connected by the rotation connection position of the proximal end of one snake bone unit and the rotation connection position of the distal end of the other snake bone unit among two adjacent snake bone units, so that the snake bone assembly bends in the bending plane. Axial recesses located on both sides of the axial plane are provided in the circumferential direction of the proximal end and the distal end of the snake bone unit. The axial recesses are recessed along the axis line direction of the snake bone unit, and the axial recesses pass through the bending plane. Among two adjacent snake bone units, there is a gap between the proximal end of one snake bone unit and the distal end of the other snake bone unit. Moreover, during the process of the snake bone assembly from the fully bent state to the unbent state, the distance between the position of the axial recess of the proximal end of one snake bone unit close to the bending plane and the position of the axial recess of the distal end of the other snake bone unit close to the bending plane is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube.

2. The snake bone assembly according to claim 1, wherein Among two adjacent snake bone units, the farthest positions of the axial recess of the proximal end of one snake bone unit from the rotation connection position and the farthest positions of the axial recess of the distal end of the other snake bone unit from the rotation connection position both pass through the bending plane, and the distance therebetween is greater than or equal to twice the wall thickness of the rubber tube.

3. The snake bone assembly according to claim 2, wherein, Among two adjacent snake bone units, the distance perpendicular to the proximal end face from the farthest position of the axial recess of the proximal end of one snake bone unit to the rotation connection position is the first distance, and the distance perpendicular to the distal end face from the farthest position of the axial recess of the distal end of the other snake bone unit to the rotation connection position is the second distance. The first distance and the second distance are the same or different.

4. The snake bone assembly according to claim 3, wherein In the direction from the farthest position of the axial recess from the rotation connection position to the nearest position of the axial recess from the rotation connection position, the distance between the axial recess and the end face gradually decreases.

5. The snake bone assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, In two adjacent snake bone units, an axial limiting portion is provided on at least one side of the proximal end of one snake bone unit or the distal end of the other snake bone unit with respect to the axial plane. The axial limiting portion protrudes outward along the axial center line direction of the snake bone unit, and the axial limiting portion is located at a position of the axial recess portion close to the rotation connection position. When the snake bone assembly is bent, in two adjacent snake bone units, the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the bent proximal end of one snake bone unit or the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the bent distal end of the other snake bone unit abuts against the distal end of the other snake bone unit or the proximal end of one snake bone unit.

6. The snake bone assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: Axial limiting portions are provided on both sides of the proximal end and the distal end of the snake bone unit in the circumferential direction with respect to the bending plane. When the snake bone assembly is bent, in two adjacent snake bone units, the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the bent proximal end of one snake bone unit abuts against the axial limiting portion on the inner side of the bent distal end of the other snake bone unit.

7. The snake bone assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, A radial recess portion located in the axial plane is provided on the proximal end or the distal end of the snake bone unit in the circumferential direction. The radial recess portion is provided at the bottom of the axial recess portion and recesses inward along the radial direction of the snake bone unit from the bottom of the axial recess portion. The radial recess portion is used for the installation of the traction rope.

8. The snake bone assembly according to claim 7, wherein Radial recess portions are provided on both sides of the proximal end or the distal end of the snake bone unit with respect to the bending plane.

9. The snake bone assembly according to claim 7, wherein, In two snake bone units spaced apart by a preset number, a radial recess portion is provided at the proximal end or the distal end of one snake bone unit, or at the proximal end or the distal end of the other snake bone unit.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that, Comprising the snake bone assembly according to any one of claims 1-9.

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