Instrument tube and manufacturing method thereof, and insertion portion and endoscope

Abstract

This invention provides an instrument tube, its manufacturing method, an insertion section, and an endoscope, relating to the field of endoscopic technology, and solving the problem of unstable support. The instrument tube of this invention employs a single-layered tube wall made of rigid material at the extension section, and has a complete outer and inner circumferential surface that extends axially and closes circumferentially. This eliminates the need for multi-layered composite structures, thus stably maintaining the shape of the instrument channel. The single-layered tube wall made of rigid material at the extension section also simplifies the manufacturing process and material selection, effectively reducing production costs and facilitating further reduction in the diameter of the instrument tube. This allows for more layout space within the insertion tube, which is beneficial for application in ultra-fine endoscopes. Furthermore, the single-layered tube wall made of rigid material at the extension section provides support for the insertion section of the tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of endoscopy technology, specifically to an instrument tube, its manufacturing method, an insertion part, and an endoscope. Background Technology

[0002] As a widely used minimally invasive surgical medical device, the endoscope has an instrument tube inside the insertion tube to create an instrument channel for the passage of instruments.

[0003] Instrument tubing in related technologies often employs a multi-layered composite structure. The tubing wall typically comprises a radially arranged inner polymer layer, a metal threaded tube intermediate layer, and a polymer outer layer. This structure involves numerous manufacturing steps and a variety of materials, resulting in higher production costs. Furthermore, the wall support of this multi-layered composite structure depends on the strength of the bond between each layer. In actual use, the cross-sections between the layers are prone to displacement or peeling under stress, leading to partial or complete loss of synergistic support. This reduces the overall stiffness of the tubing, making it susceptible to collapse or kinking under pressure, resulting in insufficient overall stability of the instrument tubing's support. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to design an instrument tube, a method for manufacturing the same, as well as an insertion part and an endoscope, to solve the problem of unstable support.

[0005] This application is achieved through the following technical solution: In a first aspect, some embodiments of this application disclose an instrument tube for use with an endoscope, comprising an axially extending tube body, the tube body including a distal segment and an extension segment sequentially connected axially from distal to proximal, the distal segment being disposed inside an actively curved section of an insertion tube of the endoscope; the tube body enclosing an instrument channel through the inner circumferential surface of its tube wall; the tube wall at the extension segment being configured as a single-layer structure made of a rigid material, and having a complete outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are circumferentially closed.

[0006] Secondly, some embodiments of this application disclose a method for manufacturing an instrument tube. This method is used to manufacture the instrument tube in any of the above embodiments, and includes the following steps: on a complete blank tube made of rigid material with a single-layer wall structure, a slit is cut through the tube wall at the distal end to obtain a tube body with a complete outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are circumferentially closed at the extension section; a sealing element is formed on the tube wall at the distal end of the tube body to close the slit using any one of rheological, extrusion, heat shrinking, dip coating, or powder coating methods.

[0007] Thirdly, some embodiments of this application disclose an insertion part, which includes an insertion tube and an instrument tube as described in any of the above embodiments or an instrument tube obtained by the above instrument tube manufacturing method. The instrument tube is disposed inside the insertion tube, and the rigidity of the tube body of the instrument tube is greater than the rigidity of the insertion tube. In this case, the insertion part is in a straight state, and at least a portion of the axial section of the instrument tube forms a fitting gap with the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube.

[0008] Fourthly, some embodiments of this application disclose an endoscope, which includes the insertion portion of the above embodiments.

[0009] The present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects: In this invention, the instrument tube employs a rigid single-layer structure as its wall in the extension section, abandoning the multi-layer composite structure and fundamentally eliminating interlayer interfaces. This not only avoids interlayer misalignment or peeling due to stress, thus maintaining the stable shape of the instrument channel, but also simplifies the manufacturing process and material selection, effectively reducing production costs. Furthermore, it facilitates further reduction in the diameter of the instrument tube, allowing for more layout space within the insertion tube, which is beneficial for its application in ultra-fine endoscopes.

[0010] The tube body adopts a rigid single-layer structure as the tube wall in the extension section, and has a complete outer and inner circumferential surface. This gives the tube body a circumferentially closed and seamless complete tube wall in the extension section, which can give the extension section a high radial support force and axial stiffness. Among them, the high radial support force can effectively prevent the instrument channel from collapsing or twisting under pressure; the high axial stiffness can improve the overall stiffness of the insertion part to a certain extent when it is set in the insertion tube, so that the insertion part has a better pushing ability. It can also provide support for the insertion tube by contacting the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube, preventing the insertion tube from collapsing or twisting when bending, which is beneficial for its application in ultra-fine endoscopes. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art 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.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the endoscope structure in some embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the instrument tube structure in some embodiments of this application; Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified schematic diagram of part A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of the instrument tube and traction rope inside the insertion tube in some embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of the instrument tube with an enlarged diameter section in the insertion tube in some embodiments of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of an instrument tube with a curved section in an insertion tube in some embodiments of this application; Figure 7 These are schematic diagrams of the pipe wall structure in some embodiments of this application; Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified schematic diagram of part B in the middle; Figure 9 This is a side view of the pipe wall in some embodiments of this application; Figure 10 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the instrument tube in some embodiments of this application, in which the slit is represented by red lines and the seal is represented by blue lines and blue filled patterns; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the layered structure of the seal and the pipe wall in some embodiments of this application; Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the seal and the pipe wall in some embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the seal and the pipe wall in some embodiments of this application. Figure 2 .

[0013] The diagram is marked as follows: 100. Instrument tube; 10. Tube body; 101. Distal section; 102. Extension section; 103. Expanded diameter section; 104. Bend section; 11. Instrument passage; 12. Slit; 20. Seal; 21. Embedded part; 200. Insertion part; 210. Insertion tube; 220. Traction rope; 300. Endoscope; 310. Operating handle. Detailed Implementation

[0014] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0015] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more; the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "front end," "rear end," "head," "tail," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0016] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0017] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application depending on the specific circumstances.

[0018] In the various embodiments of this application, "near end" and "far end" refer to the distance of each component from the user in the usage environment. The end closer to the user is designated as the "near end", and the end farther from the user is designated as the "far end".

[0019] This application discloses an instrument tube 100, its manufacturing method, an insertion portion 200, and an endoscope 300. The instrument tube 100 is disposed within the insertion tube 210 of the insertion portion 200, and the insertion portion 200 is connected to the distal end of the operating handle 310 of the endoscope 300 via the proximal end of the insertion tube 210. The instrument tube 100 of this application has an inner instrument channel 11 constructed from a single-layer, rigid tube wall at least at the extension section 102. Compared to existing multi-layer composite tube structures, the tube body 10 of this application eliminates the problem of interlayer delamination, provides stable support performance, simplifies the manufacturing process, and reduces space occupation.

[0020] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-13The instrument tube 100, its manufacturing method, the insertion part 200, and the endoscope 300 provided in this application will be described in detail through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0021] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose an instrument tube 100, which is applied to an endoscope 300. Specifically, it is disposed within the insertion tube 210 of the insertion portion 200 and combined with the endoscope 300 via the insertion portion 200, providing an instrument channel 11 for instruments and / or fluids to pass through.

[0022] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the instrument tube 100 includes a circular tube body 10 extending axially along the entire axial length. The tube body 10 includes a distal segment 101 and an extension segment 102 sequentially joined from distal to proximal. The distal segment 101 is used to correspond to the inner side of the active bending section of the insertion tube 210 of the endoscope 300, while the extension segment 102 is mainly used to correspond to the passive bending section of the insertion tube 210 of the endoscope 300, allowing a distal portion of the extension segment 102 to be positioned inside the active bending section of the insertion tube 210. The tube body 10 includes a tube wall that closes circumferentially, such that the inner circumferential surface of the tube wall encloses the instrument channel 11.

[0023] The tube wall at the extension 102 of the tube body 10 adopts a single-layer structure with a certain degree of rigidity, such as a rigid tube. The tube wall at the extension 102 is complete, with a complete outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are circumferentially closed. The tube wall at the extension 102 of the tube body 10 is made of a rigid material, so that the instrument tube 100 is formed by a single tube wall with a single structure, which can fundamentally avoid the problem of interlayer delamination.

[0024] The pipe wall at the distal section 101 of the pipe body 10 can adopt the existing three-layer composite structure or two-layer composite structure, or it can adopt a single-layer structure like the extension section 102.

[0025] In this embodiment, the instrument tube 100 uses a rigid single-layer structure as the tube wall in the distal section 101, abandoning the multi-layer composite structure and fundamentally eliminating the interlayer interface. This not only avoids the problem of interlayer misalignment or peeling of the tube body 10 under stress, but also stably maintains the shape of the instrument channel. At the same time, it can also simplify the manufacturing process and material types of the tube body 10 to a certain extent, effectively reducing production costs. It is also conducive to further reducing the diameter of the instrument tube, which allows for more layout space within the insertion tube 210, and is beneficial for application in ultra-fine endoscopes.

[0026] The tube body 10 adopts a rigid single-layer structure as the tube wall in the extension section 102, and has a complete outer and inner circumferential surface. This gives the tube body 10 a complete circumferentially closed and seamless tube wall in the extension section 102, which allows the extension section 102 to have high radial support force and axial stiffness. The radial support force can effectively prevent the instrument channel 11 from collapsing or twisting under pressure. The axial stiffness can improve the overall stiffness of the insertion part 200 to a certain extent when it is set in the insertion tube 210, so that the insertion part 200 has better pushing ability. It can also provide support for the insertion tube 210 by contacting the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210, preventing the insertion tube 210 from collapsing or twisting when bending, which is beneficial for its application in ultra-fine endoscopes.

[0027] According to some optional embodiments, the instrument tube 100 adopts a single-layer tube wall structure at the extension 102 of the tube body 10. The tube wall of the extension 102 is configured as a tubular structure made of a metallic material, specifically a tubular structure made of a shape memory alloy material, such as a nickel-titanium alloy, or a tubular structure made of stainless steel, such as 304 stainless steel.

[0028] The wall thickness of the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 at the extension section 102 is set to 0.04mm-0.11mm, such as 0.04mm, 0.05mm, 0.06mm, 1.0mm, or 1.1mm, with 0.05mm being the optimal thickness, as this balances a smaller diameter with good instrument passage. In this embodiment, the material of the tube wall at the extension section 102 is preferably stainless steel, such as 304 or 316 stainless steel. This ensures a thinner wall thickness while maintaining a certain rigidity, and the material is readily available and inexpensive.

[0029] According to some optional embodiments, in order to be better applied to the insertion part 200 of the ultra-thin endoscope, the outer diameter of the tube wall at the extension section 102 is set to 1mm-1.13mm, such as 1.1mm, and the inner diameter is set to 1mm-1.05mm, such as 1.0mm.

[0030] According to some optional embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the instrument tube 100 has at least one enlarged diameter section 103 on the axial section of the tube body 10. The outer diameter of the enlarged diameter section 103 is enlarged compared to other parts of the tube body 10. The single enlarged diameter section 103 can be formed alone on the distal section 101, or it can be formed alone on the extension section 102, or it can span both the distal section 101 and the extension section 102.

[0031] like Figure 5As shown, when the tube body 10 is placed inside the insertion tube 210, the enlarged diameter section 103 can reduce the fitting gap between the tube body 10 and the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210 around the entire circumference, or make full contact with the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210 of the endoscope 300. Figure 5 In the middle, the expansion section 103 reduces the fitting gap between the inner circumferential wall of the tube body 10 and the insertion tube 210 around the entire circumference, and cooperates with the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210 to radially restrict the position of the traction rope 220.

[0032] The number of diameter-expanding sections 103 can be one, two, or more. The diameter-expanding sections 103 can be set as follows: Figure 5 It is preferable to place the distal segment 101 at the proximal end of the distal end of the extension segment 102, or at the distal end of the extension segment 102 at the proximal end of the distal segment 101, because this allows the distal segment 101 of the tube body 10 to bend more smoothly as the insertion tube 210 bends.

[0033] In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the tube body 10 at the enlarged section 103, i.e. the diameter of the instrument channel 11, is constant throughout.

[0034] According to some optional embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the instrument tube 100 has at least one curved section 104 on the axial section of the tube body 10, the curved section 104 extending smoothly laterally and returning smoothly.

[0035] The single curved segment 104 can be formed alone on the distal segment 101, or it can be formed alone on the extension segment 102, or it can span both the distal segment 101 and the extension segment 102.

[0036] like Figure 6 As shown, when the tube body 10 is placed inside the insertion tube 210, the bent section 104 can move closer to one side of the insertion tube 210 to reduce the fitting gap between the tube body 10 and the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210 of the endoscope 300 on one side, or to contact the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210 of the endoscope 300 on one side. Figure 6 In the middle, the bending section 104 reduces the fitting gap between the tube body 10 and the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210 on one side, and cooperates with the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210 to radially restrict the position of the unilateral traction rope 220.

[0037] The number of bending segments 104 can be one, two, or more. The bending segments 104 can be set as follows: Figure 6 It is preferable to place the distal segment 101 at the proximal end of the distal end of the extension segment 102, or at the distal end of the extension segment 102 at the proximal end of the distal segment 101, because this allows the distal segment 101 of the tube body 10 to bend more smoothly as the insertion tube 210 bends.

[0038] The instrument tube 100 may have an enlarged diameter section 103 and a bent section 104 separately on the tube body 10, or it may have an enlarged diameter section 103 and a bent section 104 simultaneously.

[0039] According to some alternative embodiments, the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 has the same rigid single-layer structure design at the distal end 101 as the tube wall at the extension 102.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 and Figure 10 As shown, the distal end of the tube wall at extension 102 extends axially integrally towards the distal end of the tube body 10 to form the tube wall at distal end 101. That is, the distal end 101 and extension 102 of the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 are an integral structure. The single-layer tube wall structure at distal end 101 has strong integrity and fundamentally avoids the problem of interlayer delamination at the distal end of the instrument tube 100.

[0041] To ensure good bending follow-through of the instrument tube 100 at the active bending section of the insertion tube 210 of the corresponding endoscope 300, according to some optional embodiments, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figures 7-10 , Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 has several slits 12 on its wall at the distal end 101. The depth of each slit 12 is equal to the wall thickness, allowing the slits 12 to extend from the outer circumference of the tube wall to the instrument channel 11. The slits 12 on the tube wall are positioned at the corresponding locations on the distal end 101 of the tube body 10, disrupting the continuity of the rigid tube wall and allowing the wall at the distal end 101 to bend using the slits 12 as bending joints. This improves the flexibility of the distal end 101 of the tube body 10 to some extent, enabling the distal end of the tube body 10 to follow the active bending section of the insertion tube 210 effectively.

[0042] The slit 12 extends circumferentially along the distal segment 101. The inclination angle β of the slit 12 relative to the plane containing the circumferential circle of the pipe wall at the distal segment 101 is 0°-30°, such as 0°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, etc. Figure 9 In the middle, slit 12 is relative to the plane containing the circumferential circle of the pipe wall ( Figure 9 The tilt angle β of the plane perpendicular to the plane in the attached figure (shown by dashed lines) is 20°.

[0043] The number of slits 12 provided on the pipe wall at the distal end 101 can be set as needed, such as one or more. Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figures 7-10 , Figure 12 and Figure 13Both examples illustrate the case where multiple slits 12 are provided. When multiple slits 12 are provided on the pipe wall at the distal end 101, all slits 12 are arranged sequentially along the axial direction. The axial spacing between adjacent slits 12 is set to 0.1mm-0.5mm, such as 0.1mm, 0.15mm, 0.2mm, 0.25mm, 0.3mm, 0.35mm, 0.4mm, 0.45mm, 0.5mm, etc. On the pipe wall at the distal end 101, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figures 8-10 As shown, adjacent slits 12 are offset radially. Of course, adjacent slits 12 can also be arranged on the same side radially.

[0044] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when multiple slits 12 are provided, the slit 12 closest to the distal end of the tube body 10 has a one-end gap with the distal end of the tube body 10 to ensure that the end of the tube body 10 near the distal end has sufficient rigidity to provide stable directional guidance for the instrument.

[0045] refer to Figure 8 The central angle of slit 12 is set to 180°-270°, such as 180°, 200°, 210°, 245°, 270°, etc.

[0046] The slit 12 on the pipe wall at the distal end 101 is a cut formed by processing techniques such as wire cutting or laser cutting. The slit width of the slit 12 is set to 0.01mm-0.03mm, such as 0.01mm, 0.015mm, 0.02mm, 0.025mm, 0.03mm, etc., with 0.02mm being the optimal width, so that the axial section of the pipe wall at the distal end 101 with the slit 12 has a more balanced bending and support performance.

[0047] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the tube at the extension section 102 is 0.04mm-0.11mm, which is very thin. Even if the slit 12 is directly machined into the tube wall, the inner circumferential wall of the tube is almost smooth when the tube body 10 is straight or bent, and there will be no problem of instrument jamming.

[0048] The slit 12 in the pipe wall at the distal end 101 will compromise the sealing of the pipe body 10. Therefore, if... Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figures 10-13As shown, the tube wall at the distal end 101 is provided with a sealing element 20 that closes the slit 12. The sealing element 20 is used to prevent objects in the instrument channel 11 from leaking to the outside of the instrument tube 100 through the slit 12, ensuring the overall sealing of the tube body 10, so that objects in the instrument channel 11 can be blocked by the sealing element 20 and cannot leak to the outside of the instrument tube 100 through the slit 12.

[0049] In some embodiments, the seal 20 is a structural component made of a polymer material. The seal 20 is a structural component made of an elastic material, giving it a certain degree of elasticity. This allows it to effectively follow the bending deformation of the tube 10 when the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 bends, ensuring a good seal against the slit 12 and reducing the impact on the flexibility of the distal segment 101 of the tube body 10. Specifically, the seal 20 can be a structural component made of Pebax, TPU, PTFE, and PE, with Pebax being the optimal choice.

[0050] In this embodiment, the seal 20 can be formed onto the pipe wall at the distal end section 101 by means of rheology, extrusion, heat shrinkage, etc.

[0051] According to some optional embodiments, such as Figure 13 As shown, in this embodiment, the instrument tube 100 is individually filled with a seal 20 in each slit 12, and the seal 20 completely fills the corresponding slit 12 without protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the tube wall at the distal end 101. The seal 20 may fill part or all of the space in the slit 12. Figure 13 In the middle, the fourteen rows of slits 12 on the left show the situation where the seal 20 fills the entire space of the slit 12. The inner side of the seal 20 is flush with the inner circumferential wall of the tube to ensure that the cavity wall of the instrument channel 11 is smooth and without protrusions. Figure 13 In the middle, the eight rows of slits 12 on the right show the situation where the seal 20 fills part of the space of the slit 12, wherein the inner side of the seal 20 is recessed relative to the inner circumferential wall of the pipe wall.

[0052] According to some optional embodiments, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 10 As shown, the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 employs a tubular sealing element 20. The sealing element 20 extends axially and covers the outer circumferential surface of the tube wall at the distal end 101 throughout its extension direction, enclosing the tube wall. The section where the sealing element 20 is installed corresponds to the section of the tube wall where the slit 12 is provided.

[0053] In this embodiment, the seal 20 can be formed onto the pipe wall of the distal section 101 by any of the following methods: rheological molding, extrusion, heat shrinking, dip coating, or powder coating. For example, Pebax can be formed onto the outer circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal section 101. Figure 11 As shown, the formed seal 20 is evenly attached to the outer circumferential surface of the pipe wall.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 12 As shown, the seal 20 is located entirely outside the slit 12, and the inner circumferential surface of the seal 20 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end 101, without any part embedded in the slit 12.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 13 As shown, the seal 20 is located entirely outside the slit 12, and the inner side of the seal 20 is provided with an insert 21 that fills the slit 12, the insert 21 filling at least a portion of the slit 12. Figure 13 In this configuration, the embedded portion 21 fills the entire space of the slit 12, and its inner surface is flush with the inner circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end section 101, so as not to protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end section 101. Alternatively, the embedded portion 21 may fill only a portion of the space of the slit 12, with its inner surface recessed relative to the inner circumferential surface of the pipe wall. The embedded portion 21 can be formed by gradually penetrating into the slit 12 and cooling during rheological, extrusion, or heat shrinking processes.

[0056] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the portion of the seal 20 that wraps around the outer peripheral wall of the pipe is set to 0.05 mm.

[0057] Secondly, some embodiments of this application disclose a method for manufacturing an instrument tube, which is used to manufacture the instrument tube 100 in any of the above embodiments, and includes the following steps: Step S100: Obtain a complete blank tube made of rigid material, the tube wall of which has a single-layer structure.

[0058] Step S200: Place the blank tube into the working area of ​​the cutting equipment, select the tube wall at the far end of the blank tube for cutting operation, cut out several slits 12 that penetrate the tube wall, and obtain a tube body 10 with a complete outer circumferential surface and inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are circumferentially closed at the extension section 102.

[0059] In step S300, a mandrel is inserted into the instrument channel 11 of the tube body 10 and transferred to a molding device. A sealing element 20 for closing the slit 12 is formed on the tube wall at the distal section 101 of the tube body 10 using any one of the following methods: rheology, extrusion, heat shrinking, dip coating, or powder coating.

[0060] In step S400, the mandrel is pulled out from the instrument channel 11 of the tube 10 to obtain the instrument tube 100.

[0061] In some embodiments, the blank tube is a stainless steel tube.

[0062] In some embodiments, in step S200, a slit 12 is cut at the distal end of the blank tube using laser cutting.

[0063] In some embodiments, in step S300, the mandrel is a Teflon mandrel, or a metal mandrel with an anti-stick coating or oil film on its outer surface.

[0064] Unlike existing instrument tubes, the instrument tube 100 of this embodiment does not require the extrusion of an inner layer onto a mandrel, the wrapping of a spring around the outer periphery of the inner layer, and then the extrusion of the outer layer. Therefore, the instrument tube 100 of this application does not have the steps of forming an inner layer and wrapping a spring, resulting in a simpler manufacturing process and reducing production costs to some extent.

[0065] Thirdly, some embodiments of this application disclose an insertion part 200, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the insertion part 200 includes an insertion tube 210 and an instrument tube 100 as described in any of the above embodiments or an instrument tube 100 obtained by the above instrument tube manufacturing method. Figure 1 In the diagram, the instrument tube 100 is shown in dashed lines and is disposed within the insertion tube 210. The proximal end of the insertion tube 210 is used for fixed connection to the distal end of the operating handle 310 of the endoscope 300.

[0066] In this embodiment, the stiffness of the extension 102 of the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 is greater than the stiffness of the insertion tube 210. When the insertion part is in a straight state, at least a portion of the axial section of the instrument tube 100 forms a fitting gap with the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210. Since the stiffness of the tube wall of the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 at the extension 102 is greater than the stiffness of the insertion tube 210, when the insertion tube 210 is bent to a certain extent, the bending curvatures of the insertion tube 210 and the instrument tube 100 are different, and the bending curvature of the instrument tube 100 at the extension 102 of the tube body 10 is less than the bending curvature of the insertion tube 210. As a result, the instrument tube 100 will abut against the insertion tube 210, providing support for the insertion tube 210.

[0067] In some embodiments, reference is made to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The instrument tube 100 has an enlarged diameter section 103 and / or a bent section 104 on the axial section of the tube body 10. The enlarged diameter section 103 and / or the bent section 104 contact the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210, so that a fitting gap is formed between the inner peripheral walls of the insertion tube 210 and a portion of the axial section of the tube body 10.

[0068] In some embodiments, the instrument tube 100 forms a mating gap between the entire axial section of the tube body 10 and the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube 210.

[0069] According to some alternative embodiments, the insertion portion 200 is applied to an ultra-thin endoscope. The outer diameter of the insertion tube 210 of the insertion portion 200 is set to 1.0 mm-5 mm, for example, for an ultra-thin bronchoscope with an outer diameter of 2.8 mm-4 mm, or for an ultra-thin ureteroscope or cholangioscope with an outer diameter of 2.5 mm-3.2 mm, or for a vascular endoscope with an outer diameter of 1 mm-3 mm.

[0070] According to some alternative embodiments, the outer diameter of the tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 is set to 1 mm-1.13 mm and the inner diameter is set to 1 mm-1.05 mm, which should be more suitable for ultra-fine endoscopes.

[0071] According to some optional embodiments, such as Figures 4-6 As shown, a traction rope 220 is threaded through the insertion tube 210. The traction rope 220 is located within the insertion tube 210 and in the mating gap between the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210 and the outer circumferential wall of the instrument tube 100. The distal end of the traction rope 220 is fixed to the distal end of the insertion tube 210 and is used to control the orientation of the distal end of the insertion tube 210. The entire axial section of the traction rope 220 within the insertion tube 210 is not threaded through a threaded sleeve or a thin circular steel tube, but is completely exposed in the mating gap between the inner circumferential wall of the insertion tube 210 and the outer circumferential wall of the instrument tube 100. The tube body 10 of the instrument tube 100 adopts a rigid single-layer tube wall in the extension section 102 or in the distal section 101 and the extension section 102, so that the tube body 10 itself can provide support for the insertion tube 210, especially the insertion tube 210 used in ultra-fine endoscopes. Therefore, this embodiment eliminates the sleeve sleeve outside the traction rope 220, which can further save the internal layout space of the insertion tube 210, or help to further reduce the diameter of the insertion tube 210 for better application in ultra-fine endoscopes.

[0072] Fourthly, some embodiments of this application disclose an endoscope 300, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the endoscope 300 includes an operating handle 310 and an insertion portion 200 as described in any of the above embodiments. The insertion portion 200 is fixedly connected to the distal end of the operating handle 310 via the proximal end of the insertion tube 210.

[0073] The endoscopes involved in the embodiments of this application may be bronchoscopes, pyeloscopes, esophagoscopes, gastroscopes, colonoscopes, otoscopes, rhinoscopes, oral endoscopes, laryngoscopes, colposcopes, laparoscopes, arthroscopes, etc. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the types of endoscopes.

[0074] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0075] Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatus in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0076] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An instrument tube for use with an endoscope, characterized in that: The device includes an axially extending tube (10), which includes a distal segment (101) and an extension segment (102) connected sequentially from distal to proximal in the axial direction. The distal segment (101) is disposed inside the active bending section of the insertion tube of the endoscope. The tube (10) encloses the instrument channel (11) through the inner circumferential surface of its tube wall. The pipe wall at the extension section (102) is configured as a single-layer structure made of rigid material, and has a complete outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are circumferentially closed.

2. The instrument tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wall of the extension section (102) is a tubular structure made of metal material; And / or, the tube wall at the extension (102) is a tubular structure made of stainless steel or nickel-titanium alloy; And / or, the wall thickness of the pipe wall at the extension section (102) is set to 0.4mm-0.11mm.

3. The instrument tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tube body (10) has at least one enlarged diameter section (103) with an enlarged outer diameter, the enlarged diameter section (103) being formed in the distal section (101) and / or the extension section (102), the enlarged diameter section (103) being used to reduce the fit gap between the tube body (10) and the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210) of the endoscope (300) around the circumference or to make full contact with the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210) of the endoscope (300); And / or, the tube body (10) has at least one curved section (104) that extends smoothly laterally and returns smoothly, the curved section (104) being formed in the distal section (101) and / or the extension section (102), the curved section (104) being used to unilaterally reduce the mating gap between the tube body (10) and the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210) of the endoscope (300) or to unilaterally contact the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210) of the endoscope (300).

4. An instrument tube according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The distal end of the pipe wall at the extension section (102) extends integrally axially toward the distal end of the pipe body (10) to form the pipe wall at the distal end section (101).

5. The instrument tube according to claim 4, characterized in that: The distal section (101) of the tube wall is provided with a slit (12) extending from the outer peripheral surface to the instrument channel (11); the distal section (101) of the tube wall is provided with a seal (20) to close the slit (12), the seal (20) being used to prevent objects in the instrument channel (11) from leaking to the outside of the instrument tube (100) through the slit (12).

6. The instrument tube according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sealing element (20) is a structural component made of polymer material; And / or, the seal (20) is a structural component made of an elastic material; And / or, the seal (20) is a structural component made of one of Pebax, TPU, PTFE, or PE; And / or, the seal (20) is entirely filled in the slit (12), and the seal (20) fills at least a portion of the slit (12) and does not protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end (101); or, the seal (20) is configured as a tubular structure, the seal (20) wraps around the outer circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end (101) axially, and the seal (20) is entirely located outside the slit (12) or the seal (20) has an embedding portion (21) inside the slit (12), the embedding portion (21) fills at least a portion of the slit (12) and does not protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the pipe wall at the distal end (101); And / or, the seal (20) is formed on the wall of the distal section (101) by any one of rheological, extrusion, heat shrinking, dip coating, or powder coating. And / or, the slit (12) extends circumferentially along the distal segment (101), and the slit (12) is inclined at an angle of 0°-30° relative to the plane containing the circumferential circle of the distal segment (101); And / or, the distal segment (101) is provided with a plurality of slits (12) arranged sequentially along the axial direction, and the axial distance between two adjacent slits (12) is 0.1mm-0.5mm; And / or, two adjacent slits (12) are radially offset or on the same side; And / or, the central angle of the slit (12) is 180°-270°; And / or, the slit width of the slit (12) is 0.01mm-0.03mm; And / or, the slit (12) is configured as a cutting slit formed by cutting.

7. A method for manufacturing an instrument tube, characterized in that: The method for manufacturing the instrument tube (100) according to claim 5 or 6 includes the following steps: On a complete blank pipe made of rigid material with a single-layer pipe wall, a slit (12) is cut through the pipe wall at the distal end to obtain a pipe body (10) with a complete outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface that extend axially and are closed in the extended section (102). A seal (20) for closing the slit (12) is formed on the pipe wall at the distal section (101) of the pipe body (10) by any of the following methods: rheology, extrusion, heat shrinking, dip coating, and powder coating.

8. An insertion part, characterized in that: Includes an insertion tube (210) and an instrument tube (100) as described in any one of claims 1-6 or an instrument tube (100) obtained by the instrument tube manufacturing method described in claim 7, wherein the instrument tube (100) is disposed within the insertion tube (210), and the stiffness of the extension (102) of the tube body (10) of the instrument tube (100) is greater than the stiffness of the insertion tube (210); In this case, the insertion part is in a straight state, and at least a portion of the axial section of the instrument tube (100) forms a fitting gap with the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210).

9. An insertion part according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer diameter of the insertion tube (210) is 1mm-5mm; And / or, the outer diameter of the tube body (10) of the instrument tube (100) is set to 1mm-1.13mm, and the inner diameter is set to 1mm-1.05mm; And / or, a traction rope (220) is inserted into the insertion tube (210), and the axial section of the traction rope (220) located inside the insertion tube (210) is entirely exposed in the mating gap between the inner peripheral wall of the insertion tube (210) and the outer peripheral wall of the instrument tube (100).

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: Includes the insertion portion (200) as described in claim 8.

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