Snake bone structure and bronchoscope

Abstract

The invention belongs to medical instruments, and particularly relates to a snake bone structure and a bronchoscope. Wherein the snake bone structure comprises a plurality of snake bone unit sections, and the multiple snake bone unit sections are sequentially hinged in the preset direction; wherein one of any two adjacent snake bone unit sections is provided with a male connector, the other one of the two adjacent snake bone unit sections is provided with a female connector matched with the male connector, and the male connector and the female connector are connected in an inserted mode and are in hinged fit, so that the two adjacent snake bone unit sections can relatively deflect; moreover, when the two adjacent snake bone unit sections relatively deflect to the maximum angle, a plurality of mutually independent supporting parts are formed between the male joint and the female joint, and meanwhile, the supporting parts abut against each other for limiting matching. In this way, the supporting stability and tensile strength of the snake bone structure in the limit deflection state can be improved, the overall anti-fatigue performance of the snake bone structure is improved, and the service life of the snake bone structure is prolonged; and the accuracy and reliability of the bending action of the snake bone structure can be guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of medical device technology, and in particular relates to a snake bone structure and a bronchoscope. Background Technology

[0002] The snake-bone structure, as a key component for enabling flexible bending of the endoscope tip, is widely used in equipment such as bronchoscopes. By manipulating the traction wire, the snake-bone tip, which integrates instruments such as image sensors and optical mirrors, can be precisely oriented and deflected within the complex airway lumen to adapt to the complex airway path.

[0003] Currently, in snake-bone structures, adjacent snake-bone segments are typically hinged together by inserting male and female connectors. However, the limiting of the deflection of two adjacent snake-bone segments to their extreme angles mainly relies on the closed contact of one or both limiting surfaces at the joint. This results in insufficient support and tensile strength of the snake-bone structure under extreme deflection conditions. At best, this affects the stability and operational accuracy of the snake-bone structure's deflection; at worst, it can cause damage or breakage of the snake-bone segments or even directly lead to the failure of the limiting fit. Consequently, it significantly reduces the overall service life of the snake-bone structure and makes it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of clinical operation for instrument reliability and durability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a snake-bone structure and bronchoscope that can solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A snake-bone structure includes multiple snake-bone unit segments, which are sequentially hinged along a predetermined direction; one of any two adjacent snake-bone unit segments is provided with a male connector, and the other is provided with a female connector adapted to the male connector; the male connector and the female connector are inserted into each other and form a hinged fit, so that the two adjacent snake-bone unit segments can be deflected relative to each other.

[0007] When two adjacent snake-bone unit segments are deflected to their maximum angle, multiple independent support parts are formed between the male connector and the female connector, and the support parts are mutually abutted to achieve a limiting fit.

[0008] Understandably, by creating multiple independent support points and achieving synchronous contact and limiting when adjacent serpentine unit segments deflect to their extreme positions, the effective contact area and number of support points between adjacent serpentine unit segments when deflected to their extreme positions can be significantly increased. This improves the support stability and tensile strength of the serpentine structure under extreme deflection conditions. It not only effectively disperses local stress at the joint, avoiding wear, deformation, or limiting failure caused by stress concentration, but also enhances the overall fatigue resistance and service life of the serpentine structure. Furthermore, it ensures the precision and reliability of the serpentine structure's bending motion, thus meeting the stringent requirements for the durability and safety of bronchoscopes in clinical operations.

[0009] In one embodiment, the male connector includes a first limiting protrusion, a plug-in body, and a second limiting protrusion. The first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion are disposed on two opposite outer sides of the plug-in body, and the two protrusions respectively enclose the plug-in body to form a first slot.

[0010] The female connector includes a third limiting protrusion and a fourth limiting protrusion, the third limiting protrusion and the fourth limiting protrusion being arranged opposite to each other and surrounding each other to form a second slot;

[0011] When the male connector is hinged to the female connector, the third limiting protrusion and the fourth limiting protrusion are respectively inserted into the two first slots, and the insertion body is inserted into the corresponding second slot.

[0012] In one embodiment, one of the third limiting protrusion and the fourth limiting protrusion can abut and limit with the bottom of the corresponding first slot, while the other abuts and limits with the plug-in body simultaneously, thus forming two support parts of the female connector.

[0013] Understandably, the two limiting protrusions on the female connector directly constitute two independent support parts for the female connector during extreme deflection. In this way, there is no need to add additional limiting components, and the dual limiting can be achieved solely by the plug-in mating structure of the female connector, thereby simplifying the structure of the female connector. At the same time, the two support parts on the female connector can form a synergistic limiting effect, which can further improve the support stability and tensile strength of the female connector under stress in the extreme deflection state, thereby improving the tensile strength between two adjacent snake bone unit sections, and thus enhancing the overall reliability of the snake bone structure.

[0014] In one embodiment, the plug-in body has a support surface, and the plug-in body can abut against or limit the third limiting protrusion or the fourth limiting protrusion through the support surface;

[0015] The supporting surface is eccentrically positioned relative to the rotation center line of the female connector.

[0016] Understandably, by designing the support surface of the plug-in body as an eccentric structure, it can selectively abut against the two limiting protrusions of the female connector during extreme deflection. This effectively increases the relative deflection angle between adjacent snake bone unit sections while providing support and limiting for the female connector. This helps to improve the overall maximum bending capacity of the snake bone structure, thereby enabling it to better adapt to the travel and operation requirements within complex airway cavities.

[0017] In one embodiment, the female connector has a third slot on each of the two outer sides of the third limiting protrusion and the fourth limiting protrusion; when the male connector is hinged to the female connector, the first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion are respectively inserted into the two third slots;

[0018] Wherein, the first limiting protrusion can abut against the bottom of the corresponding third slot for limiting, and the second limiting protrusion simultaneously abuts against the fourth limiting protrusion for limiting, so as to form two support parts of the male connector; or, the first limiting protrusion can abut against the third limiting protrusion for limiting, and the second limiting protrusion simultaneously abuts against the bottom of the corresponding third slot for limiting, so as to form two support parts of the male connector.

[0019] It is understandable that by opening third slots on the outer sides of the two limiting protrusions of the female connector and forming a plug-in fit with the two limiting protrusions of the male connector, the two limiting protrusions of the male connector can directly constitute two independent support parts of the male connector during extreme deflection. In this way, there is no need to add additional limiting components, and the dual limiting can be achieved solely by the plug-in fit structure of the male connector, thereby simplifying the structure of the male connector. At the same time, the two support parts on the male connector can form a synergistic limiting effect, which can further improve the support stability and tensile strength of the male connector under stress in the extreme deflection state, thereby improving the tensile strength between two adjacent snake bone unit sections, and thus enhancing the overall reliability of the snake bone structure.

[0020] In one embodiment, the maximum deflection angle when two adjacent snake bone segments deflect relative to each other is set to A, where 16°≤A≤24°.

[0021] Understandably, by setting the maximum relative deflection angle A between two adjacent snake bone segments within the range of 16° to 24°, the maximum bending angle is significantly increased compared to the traditional structure. This allows the snake bone structure to achieve a greater bending range while maintaining stable support. With the same total length of the snake bone structure, the overall bending radius is smaller and the turning is more flexible, making it easier for the snake bone structure to pass through complex airway lumens, which is beneficial to enhancing the feasibility and convenience of clinical operation.

[0022] In one embodiment, when the multiple snake bone unit segments deflect sequentially, the maximum deflection angle that the snake bone structure as a whole can achieve is set to B, where 240°≤B≤300°.

[0023] In one embodiment, two adjacent snake-bone unit segments together enclose a limiting groove at their joint, and the limiting groove can open / close with the relative deflection of the two adjacent snake-bone units.

[0024] The limiting groove includes a first groove, a connecting groove, and a second groove in sequence along the circumference of adjacent snake bone unit segments. The second groove and the first groove are staggered in the axial direction of the corresponding snake bone unit segments, and the two are connected through the connecting groove.

[0025] Understandably, by designing the limiting groove at the joint of two adjacent serpentine unit segments as described above, it is possible to effectively prevent the adjacent serpentine unit segments from shearing or clamping the corner rubber when the serpentine structure bends. This prevents the corner rubber from being crushed during the bending process of the serpentine structure, thus ensuring the integrity and sealing of the corner rubber. In this way, not only can bodily fluids be prevented from seeping into the serpentine structure through damage or leaking outwards, but the stable and reliable use of the serpentine structure and the corner rubber is also ensured, thereby improving the safety and durability of the bronchoscope in clinical operations.

[0026] In one embodiment, the plurality of snake bone segments sequentially include a head snake bone segment, a secondary head snake bone segment, several intermediate snake bone segments, and a tail snake bone segment along the preset direction.

[0027] The secondary head serpentine unit segment and the tail serpentine unit segment respectively form the limiting groove by surrounding the adjacent intermediate serpentine unit segment; two adjacent intermediate serpentine unit segments surround the limiting groove.

[0028] Understandably, the above structural design allows for the continuous distribution of the limiting grooves along the entire length of the snake-bone structure while minimizing the types of snake-bone unit segments required. Only a limited number of snake-bone unit segment types are needed to achieve full coverage protection for the curved sections of the snake-bone structure. This design ensures that the corner rubber sleeved on the outside of the snake-bone structure receives effective anti-pinch protection throughout the entire bending process of the snake-bone structure, without significantly increasing manufacturing costs, thus completely avoiding the risk of the corner rubber being pinched or damaged.

[0029] This application also provides a bronchoscope including the snake-bone structure described above.

[0030] Due to the application of the above solution, this application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0031] The snake-bone structure and bronchoscope claimed in this application form multiple independent support points and achieve synchronous contact and limiting when the male and female connectors are deflected to their extreme positions by two adjacent snake-bone unit segments. This significantly increases the effective contact area and the number of support points when two adjacent snake-bone unit segments are deflected to their extreme positions. This improves the support stability and tensile strength of the snake-bone structure under extreme deflection conditions. It not only effectively disperses local stress at the joint, avoiding wear, deformation, or limiting failure caused by stress concentration, but also enhances the overall fatigue resistance and service life of the snake-bone structure. Furthermore, it ensures the accuracy and reliability of the snake-bone structure's bending movements, thereby meeting the stringent requirements for the durability and safety of bronchoscopes in clinical operations. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the snake bone structure provided in this application.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the snake bone structure provided in this application from another perspective.

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of section A.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the snake-bone structure provided in this application under extreme deflection conditions.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the snake-bone structure provided in this application from another perspective under extreme deflection.

[0038] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged view of section B in the middle.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the head serpentine unit segment provided in this application.

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the sub-head serpentine unit segment provided in this application.

[0041] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate head serpentine unit segment provided in this application.

[0042] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the tail serpentine unit segment provided in this application.

[0043] Reference numerals: 100, snake bone structure; 101, supporting part; 10, snake bone unit segment; 11, head snake bone unit segment; 12, secondary head snake bone unit segment; 13, intermediate snake bone unit segment; 14, tail snake bone unit segment; 20, limiting groove; 21, first groove; 22, connecting groove; 23, second groove; 110, male connector; 111, first limiting protrusion; 112, insertion body; 1121, supporting surface; 113, second limiting protrusion; 114, first slot; 120, female connector; 121, third limiting protrusion; 122, fourth limiting protrusion; 123, second slot; 124, third slot. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0045] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0046] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0047] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0049] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, the snake-bone structure 100 provided in this application includes a plurality of snake-bone unit segments 10, which are sequentially hinged along a preset direction; one of any two adjacent snake-bone unit segments 10 is provided with a male connector 110, and the other is provided with a female connector 120 adapted to the male connector 110. The male connector 110 and the female connector 120 are inserted into each other and form a hinged fit, so that the two adjacent snake-bone unit segments 10 can be deflected relative to each other; and when the two adjacent snake-bone unit segments 10 are deflected relative to each other to the maximum angle, a plurality of independent support parts 101 are formed between the male connector 110 and the female connector 120, and the support parts 101 abut against each other to achieve a limiting fit.

[0050] Here, when two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 deflect to their extreme positions, the joint between the two snake bone unit segments 10 abuts and is limited.

[0051] As can be seen from the above, when two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 in the snake bone structure 100 of this application are deflected to their extreme positions, multiple independent support parts 101 are formed between the male connector 110 and the female connector 120, and synchronous contact and limiting are achieved. In this way, the effective contact area and the number of support points between the two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 when they are deflected to their extreme positions can be greatly increased. This can improve the support stability and tensile strength of the snake bone structure 100 under extreme deflection state. It can not only effectively disperse the local stress at the joint, but also avoid wear, deformation or limiting failure caused by stress concentration, thereby enhancing the overall fatigue resistance and service life of the snake bone structure 100. Moreover, it can also ensure the accuracy and reliability of the bending action of the snake bone structure 100, thereby meeting the stringent requirements for the durability and safety of bronchoscopes (not shown) in clinical operations.

[0052] like Figures 2 to 6 As shown, in one embodiment, two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 together form a limiting groove 20 at their joint, and the limiting groove 20 can be opened / closed as the two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 deflect relative to each other.

[0053] The limiting groove 20 includes a first groove 21, a connecting groove 22, and a second groove 23 sequentially along the circumference of adjacent serpentine unit segments 10. The second groove 23 and the first groove 21 are staggered in the axial direction of the corresponding serpentine unit segments 10, and are connected by the connecting groove 22. In other words, this embodiment makes the limiting groove 20 at the junction of two adjacent serpentine unit segments 10 "Z"-shaped. This effectively prevents the adjacent serpentine unit segments 10 from shearing or clamping the corner rubber (not shown) when the serpentine structure 100 bends, thus preventing the corner rubber from being crushed during bending and ensuring its integrity and sealing. This not only prevents bodily fluids from seeping into the serpentine structure 100 through a damaged area and continuously leaking outwards, but also ensures the stable and reliable use of the serpentine structure 100 and the corner rubber, thereby improving the safety and durability of the bronchoscope in clinical operations.

[0054] Here, the connecting groove 22 is located at the middle position between the first groove 21 and the second groove 23. It should be noted that when two adjacent snake-bone unit segments 10 deflect, the outer curved rubber is squeezed at the joint of the two snake-bone unit segments 10. During this process, the curved rubber will undergo a smooth sliding deformation along with the outer wall surface of the snake-bone unit segment 10 at the location of the connecting groove 22 on the limiting groove 20. This makes the closure of the limiting groove 20 more compatible with the stretching direction of the sleeve. During the bending process of two adjacent snake-bone unit segments 10, the curved rubber is less likely to be squeezed inward, and the pulling range on the sleeve is smaller. Therefore, the limiting groove 20 of this embodiment is less likely to clamp the curved rubber than the existing arc-shaped limiting groove.

[0055] In this embodiment, two joints symmetrically arranged on two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 are each formed with a limiting groove 20 of the shape described above, so that the two snake bone unit segments 10 are not easy to clamp the outer curved rubber when they deflect in two opposite directions.

[0056] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, in this embodiment, multiple snake-bone unit segments 10 sequentially include a head snake-bone unit segment 11, a secondary head snake-bone unit segment 12, several intermediate snake-bone unit segments 13, and a tail snake-bone unit segment 14 along a predetermined direction; wherein, the secondary head snake-bone unit segment 12 and the tail snake-bone unit segment 14 respectively enclose and form the aforementioned limiting groove 20 with adjacent intermediate snake-bone unit segments 13; two adjacent intermediate snake-bone unit segments 13 enclose and form the aforementioned limiting groove 20, thus enabling the snake-bone structure 100 of this embodiment to... While ensuring that the limiting grooves 20 are continuously distributed as much as possible along the entire length of the snake bone structure 100, the number of types of snake bone unit segments 10 required is kept to a minimum. Only a limited number of snake bone unit segment types 10 are needed to achieve full coverage protection for the curved section of the snake bone structure 100. With this design, the corner rubber sleeved on the outside of the snake bone structure 100 can be effectively protected against pinching throughout the entire bending process of the snake bone structure 100 without significantly increasing manufacturing costs, thus completely avoiding the risk of the corner rubber being pinched or damaged.

[0057] It should be noted that the snake structure 100 in this embodiment can achieve a flexible design of its overall length by adjusting the number of its intermediate snake unit segments 13. The number of intermediate snake unit segments 13 can be adaptively increased according to the usage requirements, thereby realizing the length customization of the snake structure 100 in different application scenarios. This facilitates the expansion and adaptation of the snake structure 100, which will not be elaborated here.

[0058] like Figures 4 to 6As shown, in one embodiment, the maximum deflection angle when two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 deflect relative to each other is set to A, where 16°≤A≤24°. This allows the maximum bending angle of two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 to be significantly improved compared to the traditional structure. This enables the snake bone structure 100 to achieve a greater bending range while maintaining stable support. With the same total length of the snake bone structure 100, the overall bending radius is smaller and the turning is more flexible, which makes it easier for the snake bone structure 100 to pass through the complex airway lumen, thus enhancing the feasibility and convenience of clinical operation.

[0059] Here, the maximum deflection angle A when two adjacent snake bone unit segments 10 deflect relative to each other can be 16°, 17°, 20°, 21°, 23° or 24°. Of course, the value of parameter A is not limited to the values ​​mentioned in the examples above. Those skilled in the art can make reasonable designs and adjustments according to specific usage requirements, which will not be elaborated here.

[0060] In this embodiment, when multiple snake bone unit segments 10 deflect sequentially, the maximum deflection angle that the snake bone structure 100 as a whole can achieve is set to B, where 240°≤B≤300°.

[0061] Here, the maximum deflection angle B when the snake bone structure 100 as a whole deflects is specifically the maximum deflection angle of the snake bone unit segments 10 at both ends of the snake bone structure 100. Its value can be 240°, 250°, 280°, 290° or 300°. Of course, the value of the parameter B is not limited to the values ​​mentioned above. Those skilled in the art can make reasonable designs and adjustments according to specific usage requirements, which will not be elaborated here.

[0062] like Figures 6 to 10 As shown, in one embodiment, the male connector 110 includes a first limiting protrusion 111, a insertion body 112, and a second limiting protrusion 113. The first limiting protrusion 111 and the second limiting protrusion 113 are disposed on opposite outer sides of the insertion body 112, and both together with the insertion body 112 form a first slot 114. Correspondingly, the female connector 120 includes a third limiting protrusion 121 and a fourth limiting protrusion 122. The third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 are disposed opposite each other and together form a second slot 123. Furthermore, when the male connector 110 and the female connector 120 are hinged together, the third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 are respectively inserted into the two first slots 114, and the insertion body 112 is inserted into the corresponding second slot 123, thereby realizing the mutual insertion and hinged connection between the male connector 110 and the female connector 120.

[0063] In this embodiment, one of the third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 can abut and limit the bottom of the corresponding first slot 114, while the other abuts and limits the insertion body 112 simultaneously, thus forming two support parts 101 of the female connector 120. That is to say, the third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 on the female connector 120 directly constitute two independent support parts 101 of the female connector 120 when it is under extreme deflection. In this way, there is no need to add additional limiting components, and the dual limiting can be achieved by relying solely on the insertion and mating structure of the female connector 120 itself, thereby simplifying the structure of the female connector 120. At the same time, the two support parts 101 on the female connector 120 can form a synergistic limiting effect, which can further improve the support stability and tensile strength of the female connector 120 under stress in the extreme deflection state, thereby improving the tensile strength between two adjacent snake bone unit sections 10, and thus enhancing the overall reliability of the snake bone structure 100.

[0064] Here, the third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 respectively abut against and limit the insertion body 112 in a hook-and-pull manner.

[0065] like Figure 6 , Figure 10 As shown, in this embodiment, the insertion body 112 has a support surface 1121, and the insertion body 112 can abut and limit the third limiting protrusion 121 or the fourth limiting protrusion 122 through the support surface 1121. The support surface 1121 is eccentrically set relative to the rotation center line of the female connector 120, so that the insertion body 112 in this embodiment can effectively increase the relative deflection angle between adjacent snake bone unit sections 10 while supporting and limiting the female connector 120. This helps to improve the maximum bending capacity of the snake bone structure 100 as a whole, so that it can better adapt to the travel and operation requirements in complex airway cavities.

[0066] like Figures 6 to 10 As shown, in this embodiment, the female connector 120 has a third slot 124 on the outer sides of the third limiting protrusion 121 and the fourth limiting protrusion 122 respectively; when the male connector 110 is hinged to the female connector 120, the first limiting protrusion 111 and the second limiting protrusion 113 are respectively inserted into the two third slots 124.

[0067] In this design, the first limiting protrusion 111 abuts against the bottom of the corresponding third slot 124 for limiting, while the second limiting protrusion 113 simultaneously abuts against the fourth limiting protrusion 122 for limiting, thus forming two support portions 101 of the male connector 110; or, the first limiting protrusion 111 abuts against the third limiting protrusion 121 for limiting, while the second limiting protrusion 113 simultaneously abuts against the bottom of the corresponding third slot 124 for limiting, thus forming two support portions 101 of the male connector 110. In this way, no additional limiting components are needed; the male connector 110's own insertion and mating structure alone can achieve its dual limiting function, thereby simplifying the structure of the male connector 110. Simultaneously, the two support portions 101 on the male connector 110 can form a synergistic limiting effect, further improving the support stability and tensile strength of the male connector 110 under extreme deflection conditions, thereby increasing the tensile strength between adjacent snake-bone unit sections 10, and thus enhancing the overall reliability of the snake-bone structure 100.

[0068] Here, the first limiting protrusion 111 abuts against the third limiting protrusion 121 in a hook-and-pull manner; and the second limiting protrusion 113 abuts against the fourth limiting protrusion 122 in a hook-and-pull manner.

[0069] In addition, this application also provides a bronchoscope including the snake bone structure 100 described above.

[0070] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0071] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A snake-bone structure, the snake-bone structure (100) comprising a plurality of snake-bone unit segments (10), the plurality of snake-bone unit segments (10) being sequentially hinged along a predetermined direction; characterized in that, One of any two adjacent snake-bone unit segments (10) is provided with a male connector (110), and the other is provided with a female connector (120) adapted to the male connector (110). The male connector (110) and the female connector (120) are inserted into each other and form a hinged fit so that the two adjacent snake-bone unit segments (10) can be deflected relative to each other. When two adjacent snake bone unit segments (10) are deflected to the maximum angle, multiple independent support parts (101) are formed between the male connector (110) and the female connector (120), and the support parts (101) are mutually abutted to achieve a limiting fit.

2. The snake-bone structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male connector (110) includes a first limiting protrusion (111), a plug-in body (112), and a second limiting protrusion (113). The first limiting protrusion (111) and the second limiting protrusion (113) are disposed on the two opposite outer sides of the plug-in body (112), and the two together with the plug-in body (112) form a first slot (114). The female connector (120) includes a third limiting protrusion (121) and a fourth limiting protrusion (122). The third limiting protrusion (121) and the fourth limiting protrusion (122) are arranged opposite to each other and surround each other to form a second slot (123). When the male connector (110) is hinged to the female connector (120), the third limiting protrusion (121) and the fourth limiting protrusion (122) are respectively inserted into the two first slots (114), and the insertion body (112) is inserted into the corresponding second slot (123).

3. The snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, One of the third limiting protrusion (121) and the fourth limiting protrusion (122) can abut and limit the bottom of the corresponding first slot (114), while the other abuts and limits the insertion body (112) simultaneously, so as to form two support parts (101) of the female connector (120).

4. The snake-bone structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plug-in body (112) has a support surface (1121), and the plug-in body (112) can abut and limit the third limiting protrusion (121) or the fourth limiting protrusion (122) through the support surface (1121); The support surface (1121) is eccentrically positioned relative to the rotation center line of the female connector (120).

5. The snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The female connector (120) has a third slot (124) on each of the two outer sides of the third limiting protrusion (121) and the fourth limiting protrusion (122); when the male connector (110) is hinged to the female connector (120), the first limiting protrusion (111) and the second limiting protrusion (113) are respectively inserted into the two third slots (124); Wherein, the first limiting protrusion (111) can abut and limit the bottom of the corresponding third slot (124), and the second limiting protrusion (113) simultaneously abuts and limits the bottom of the corresponding fourth limiting protrusion (122) to form two support parts (101) of the male connector (110); or, the first limiting protrusion (111) can abut and limit the bottom of the third limiting protrusion (121), and the second limiting protrusion (113) simultaneously abuts and limits the bottom of the corresponding third slot (124) to form two support parts (101) of the male connector (110).

6. The snake-bone structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum deflection angle when two adjacent snake bone unit segments (10) deflect relative to each other is set to A, where 16°≤A≤24°.

7. The snake-bone structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, When multiple snake bone unit segments (10) deflect sequentially, the maximum deflection angle that the snake bone structure (100) as a whole can achieve is set to B, where 240°≤B≤300°.

8. The snake-bone structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two adjacent snake bone unit segments (10) together form a limiting groove (20) at their joint, and the limiting groove (20) can open / close with the relative deflection of the two adjacent snake bone units; The limiting groove (20) includes a first groove (21), a connecting groove (22) and a second groove (23) in sequence along the circumference of the adjacent snake bone unit section (10). The second groove (23) and the first groove (21) are arranged in a staggered manner in the axial direction of the corresponding snake bone unit section (10), and the two are connected through the connecting groove (22).

9. The snake-bone structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, The plurality of snake bone segments (10) are sequentially included along the preset direction as a head snake bone segment (11), a secondary head snake bone segment (12), several intermediate snake bone segments (13) and a tail snake bone segment (14). The secondary head serpentine unit segment (12) and the tail serpentine unit segment (14) respectively form the limiting groove (20) by surrounding the adjacent intermediate serpentine unit segment (13); the two adjacent intermediate serpentine unit segments (13) form the limiting groove (20).

10. A bronchoscope, characterized in that, Includes the snake bone structure (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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