Endoscope and active bending section and snake bone unit thereof

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical instruments, and particularly relates to an endoscope and an active bending section and a snake bone unit thereof. The snake bone unit is provided with at least one connecting end used for being rotationally connected with the adjacent snake bone unit in the axial direction of the snake bone unit, part of the area of the at least one connecting end sinks towards the interior of the snake bone unit to form a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is used for being rotationally connected with a rotating hole of the adjacent snake bone unit. The rotating shafts formed by the snake bone units are rotationally connected with the rotating holes of the adjacent snake bone units, so that rivets do not need to be additionally assembled between every two adjacent snake bone units, the assembling difficulty of the snake bone units can be reduced, and the assembling efficiency is improved. In addition, the partial area of the connecting end of the snake bone unit is sunken towards the interior of the snake bone unit to form the rotating shaft, that is, the rotating shaft is formed by stamping from the exterior of the snake bone unit to the interior of the snake bone unit, and the solid part of the snake bone unit cannot hinder the stamping appliance, so that a larger working space can be provided for the stamping appliance, and the rotating shaft can be conveniently machined.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly relates to an endoscope, its active bending section, and snake bone unit. Background Art

[0002] When diagnosing and treating lesions in a patient's body, an endoscope is usually required. The endoscope includes an operating handle and an insertion portion. During specific operations, by controlling the operating handle, the active bending section at the front end of the insertion portion can be pulled via a traction rope to achieve a bending action, thereby changing the orientation of the front end of the insertion portion to facilitate the insertion portion to enter the natural cavity of the human body.

[0003] The active bending section is sequentially connected by a plurality of snake bone units, and adjacent snake bone units are rotationally connected by rivets, which results in a large assembly difficulty and low efficiency between adjacent snake bone units. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of this application is to provide an endoscope, its active bending section, and snake bone unit, which can solve the problems of large assembly difficulty and low efficiency between adjacent snake bone units at present.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of this application provide a snake bone unit of an endoscope. The snake bone unit has at least one connection end for rotationally connecting with an adjacent snake bone unit in its own axial direction. A partial area of at least one connection end is recessed towards the inside of the snake bone unit to form a rotation axis, and the rotation axis is used for rotationally connecting with a rotation hole of an adjacent snake bone unit.

[0007] In a second aspect, the embodiments of this application provide an active bending section of an endoscope, which includes a plurality of sequentially connected snake bone units. Adjacent snake bone units are rotationally connected, and at least one snake bone unit is the above-mentioned snake bone unit. A rotation axis is formed at one of the connection ends of the snake bone unit, and the rotation axis is rotationally connected with a rotation hole of an adjacent snake bone unit.

[0008] In a third aspect, the embodiments of this application provide an endoscope, which includes the above-mentioned active bending section.

[0009] In the embodiments of this application, a partial area of the connection end of the snake bone unit is recessed to form a rotation axis, and the rotation axis formed by the snake bone unit itself is rotationally connected with the rotation hole of an adjacent snake bone unit. Compared with the rotational connection of adjacent snake bone units by rivets, the embodiments of this application do not require additional assembly of rivets between adjacent snake bone units, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty of the snake bone unit and improving the assembly efficiency.

[0010] In addition, a partial area of the connection end of the snake bone unit is recessed toward the inside of the snake bone unit to form a rotating shaft. That is to say, the rotating shaft is formed by stamping from the outside to the inside of the snake bone unit. Compared with the embodiment in which the rotating shaft is formed by stamping from the inside to the outside of the snake bone unit, the solid part of the snake bone unit in the embodiment of the present application will not hinder the stamping tool, thereby providing a larger working space for the stamping tool, and thus it is more convenient to process the rotating shaft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figures 1 to 3 Structural schematic diagrams of snake bone units disclosed in different embodiments of the present application;

[0012] Figure 4 Assembly schematic diagram between two adjacent snake bone units disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figures 5 to 6 Assembly schematic diagram between the rotating shaft and the rotating hole disclosed in different embodiments of the present application;

[0014] Figure 7 Structural schematic diagram of the active bending section disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0016] 100, snake bone unit; 110, connection end; 120, rotating shaft; 121, rotating part; 122, guiding part; 130, connecting ear; 210, mating part; 211, rotating hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0018] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order different from those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of the same type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally means an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0019] The following will, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, elaborate on the endoscope, its active bending section, and the snake bone unit provided by the embodiments of the present application through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0020] As Figures 1 to 6 shown, the embodiments of the present application disclose a snake bone unit of an endoscope. The snake bone unit 100 has at least one connection end 110 on its own axial direction for rotatably connecting with an adjacent snake bone unit 100. Optionally, the snake bone unit 100 may have only one connection end 110 on its own axial direction. In this case, the snake bone unit 100 is the first or last section of the active bending section, which is used to connect with the passive bending section of the insertion part or connect with the front end seat of the insertion part. At this time, the structure of the snake bone unit 100 can refer to Figure 3 . Of course, both ends of the snake bone unit 100 on its own axial direction can also be connection ends 110. In this case, the snake bone unit 100 can be the middle ring section located between the first and last sections of the active bending section. In addition, the rotation structures of the connection ends 110 at both ends of the snake bone unit 100 can be the same or different. For example, one of the connection ends 110 can be provided with the rotation shaft 120 described in this embodiment, and the other connection end 110 can be provided with a rotation hole 211. As Figures 1 to 2 shows two different structures of the rotation hole 211; or, both connection ends 110 of the snake bone unit 100 can be provided with the rotation shaft 120 of this embodiment.

[0021] Part of the area of at least one connection end 110 is recessed towards the inside of the snake bone unit 100 to form a rotation shaft 120. The rotation shaft 120 is used to rotatably connect with the rotation hole 211 of an adjacent snake bone unit 100. In the embodiments of the present application, part of the area of the connection end 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is recessed to form a rotation shaft 120, and the rotation shaft 120 formed by the snake bone unit 100 itself is used to rotatably connect with the rotation hole 211 of an adjacent snake bone unit 100. Compared with the case where two adjacent snake bone units 100 are rotatably connected by rivets, in the embodiments of the present application, there is no need to additionally assemble rivets between two adjacent snake bone units 100, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty of the snake bone unit 100 and improving the assembly efficiency.

[0022] In addition, part of the area of the connection end 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is recessed towards the inside of the snake bone unit 100 to form a rotation shaft 120. That is to say, the rotation shaft 120 is formed by stamping from the outside to the inside of the snake bone unit 100. Compared with the embodiment where the rotation shaft 120 is formed by stamping from the inside to the outside of the snake bone unit 100, the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 in the embodiments of the present application (such as the side wall of the tube body end or the connection ear 130 provided on the tube body) will not hinder the stamping tool, thereby providing a larger working space for the stamping tool, and thus it is more convenient to process the rotation shaft 120.

[0023] It should be noted that there are two relative rotation points between the connecting ends 110 of two adjacent snake bone units 100. One of the two rotation points can be rotationally connected by the rotating shaft 120 and the rotating hole 211 described in the embodiments of the present application, and the other can be rotationally connected by a rivet. Of course, both of the two rotation points can also be rotationally connected by the rotating shaft 120 and the rotating hole 211 described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0024] Optionally, the snake bone unit 100 may only include a tubular body, and in this case, the connecting end 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is located at the side wall of the end of the tubular body itself; further, the snake bone unit 100 may further include a connecting ear 130, and the connecting ear 130 protrudes axially from the end face of the tubular body, and in this case, the connecting end 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is located at the connecting ear 130.

[0025] In an alternative embodiment, the rotating shaft 120 has a fixed end and a free end arranged opposite to each other. The fixed end is connected to the part of the snake bone unit 100 outside the rotating shaft 120, and the free end is a closed end. In this embodiment, the free end of the rotating shaft 120 is a closed end, that is to say, during the process of stamping the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 to form the rotating shaft 120, the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 is not penetrated, and the hole formed in the rotating shaft 120 is a blind hole, so as to avoid burrs generated by punching through the free end of the snake bone unit 100; in addition, the free end of the rotating shaft 120 being a closed end can also increase the structural strength of the rotating shaft 120, prevent the rotating shaft 120 from deforming and being damaged when pressed, thereby improving the rotational stability between two adjacent snake bone units 100. Of course, the free end of the rotating shaft 120 can also be an open end, and the present application does not limit the specific structure of the free end.

[0026] To facilitate the assembly of the rotating shaft 120 into the rotating hole 211 of the adjacent snake bone unit 100, in an alternative embodiment, the rotating shaft 120 includes a rotating portion 121 and a guiding portion 122 connected in sequence in a first direction. The rotating portion 121 is used for rotatably connecting with the rotating hole 211. In the first direction, the diameter of the rotating portion 121 remains unchanged, and the diameter of the guiding portion 122 gradually decreases, where the first direction is the direction extending from the fixed end to the free end. When specifically assembling the snake bone unit 100 of this embodiment, the rotating shaft 120 of this embodiment can be inserted into the rotating hole 211 of the adjacent snake bone unit 100 along the first direction. Since the rotating shaft 120 includes the rotating portion 121 and the guiding portion 122 connected in sequence in the first direction, the guiding portion 122 and the rotating portion 121 of the rotating shaft 120 will enter the rotating hole 211 successively, and the end of the guiding portion 122 in the first direction will enter the rotating hole 211 first. Since the diameter of the guiding portion 122 gradually decreases in the first direction, the diameter of the end of the guiding portion 122 in the first direction is smaller. Thus, it is convenient for the guiding portion 122 to enter the rotating hole 211, thereby further reducing the assembly difficulty between two adjacent snake bone units 100. It should be noted that after the rotating shaft 120 of this embodiment is assembled into the rotating hole 211, the rotating portion 121 rotates in cooperation with the rotating hole 211, and the guiding portion 122 extends out of the rotating hole 211 and does not rotate in cooperation with the rotating hole 211. Of course, the rotating shaft 120 may not have the guiding portion 122. In this case, all parts of the rotating shaft 120 are used for rotating in cooperation with the rotating hole 211.

[0027] To make it easier for the guiding portion 122 to enter the rotating hole 211, in an alternative embodiment, the extension length of the guiding portion 122 in the first direction is greater than the extension length of the rotating portion 121 in the first direction. In this embodiment, the guiding portion 122 has a relatively large extension length in the first direction. Thus, the diameter of the end of the guiding portion 122 in the first direction can be further reduced, making it more convenient for the guiding portion 122 to enter the rotating hole 211. Of course, the extension length of the guiding portion 122 in the first direction may also be less than or equal to the extension length of the rotating portion 121 in the first direction.

[0028] In an alternative embodiment, the end face of the guiding portion 122 facing away from the rotating portion 121 is a plane or an indented curved surface, that is, the curved surface is concave in the direction close to the rotating portion 121. Optionally, the curved surface can be an arc surface, a wavy curved surface, a spherical surface, etc. In this embodiment, the end face of the guiding portion 122 facing away from the rotating portion 121 is a plane or an indented curved surface. Thus, the space occupied by the guiding portion 122 inside the snake bone unit 100 can be reduced to improve the space utilization rate inside the snake bone unit 100. Of course, the end face of the guiding portion 122 facing away from the rotating portion 121 may also be a convex curved surface, and this application does not limit this.

[0029] In an alternative embodiment, the extension length of the rotating shaft 120 in its own axial direction is less than the diameter of the rotating shaft 120. In this embodiment, the extension length of the rotating shaft 120 is less than the diameter of the rotating shaft 120, so that the rotating shaft 120 can have a smaller extension length, thereby reducing the space occupied by the rotating shaft 120 inside the snake bone unit 100; and the rotating shaft 120 of this embodiment also has a larger diameter, so that the rotating shaft 120 can have a larger surface area, thereby being able to disperse a greater load pressure, so that the rotating shaft 120 can bear a greater load. Of course, the extension length of the rotating shaft 120 in its own axial direction can also be greater than or equal to the diameter of the rotating shaft 120.

[0030] As Figure 7 shown, the embodiment of the present application also discloses an active bending section of an endoscope, which includes a plurality of snake bone units 100 connected in series in sequence. Adjacent two snake bone units 100 are rotatably connected. At least one snake bone unit 100 is the snake bone unit 100 described in any of the above embodiments. One of the connecting ends 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is formed with a rotating shaft 120, and the rotating shaft 120 is rotatably connected to the rotating hole 211 of the adjacent snake bone unit 100. In this embodiment, a partial area of the connecting end 110 of the snake bone unit 100 is recessed toward the inside of the snake bone unit 100 to form the rotating shaft 120. That is to say, the rotating shaft 120 is formed by stamping from the outside to the inside of the snake bone unit 100. Compared with the embodiment in which the rotating shaft 120 is formed by stamping from the inside to the outside of the snake bone unit 100, the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 in the embodiment of the present application will not hinder the stamping tool, thereby providing a larger working space for the stamping tool, so that it is more convenient to process the rotating shaft 120.

[0031] In an alternative embodiment, a partial area of adjacent snake bone units 100 is recessed toward the inside of the snake bone unit 100 to form a mating portion 210, and a rotation hole 211 is formed in the mating portion 210. In this embodiment, the mating portion 210 is formed by recessing a partial area of adjacent snake bone units 100. That is to say, the mating portion 210 is formed by stamping, and both the mating portion 210 and the rotation hole 211 formed therein have a certain extension length. Moreover, the mating portion 210 protrudes radially from the inner wall of the snake bone unit 100, and the rotation hole 211 formed in the mating portion 210 includes two sequentially connected sections in its own extending direction. The first section is enclosed by the side wall of the snake bone unit 100, and the second section is enclosed by the part of the mating portion 210 that protrudes radially from the inner wall of the snake bone unit 100. Since the hole depth of the rotation hole 211 is equal to the sum of the hole depths of the first section and the second section, and the hole depth of the first section is equal to the wall thickness of the snake bone unit 100, the hole depth of the rotation hole 211 formed in this embodiment is greater than the wall thickness of the snake bone unit 100. In this way, the contact area between the rotating shaft 120 and the rotation hole 211 is increased to improve the rotation stability between two adjacent snake bone units 100. Of course, the rotation hole 211 can also be formed by cutting. In this case, the hole depth of the rotation hole 211 is equal to the wall thickness of the snake bone unit 100.

[0032] In an alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 , one end of the mating portion 210 away from the part of the snake bone unit 100 connected thereto is a closed end. That is to say, during the process of stamping the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 to form the mating portion 210, the solid part of the snake bone unit 100 is not penetrated, and the rotation hole 211 formed in the mating portion 210 is a blind hole. In this way, it can be avoided that one end of the mating portion 210 away from the part of the snake bone unit 100 connected thereto is punched through to generate burrs. In addition, the fact that one end of the mating portion 210 away from the part of the snake bone unit 100 connected thereto is a closed end can also increase the structural strength of the mating portion 210, prevent the mating portion 210 from being deformed and damaged when pressed, thereby improving the rotation stability between two adjacent snake bone units 100.

[0033] Alternatively, in an alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 6 , one end of the mating portion 210 away from the part of the snake bone unit 100 connected thereto is an open end, and the length of the rotating shaft 120 protruding from the inner wall of the corresponding snake bone unit 100 is greater than or equal to the extension length of the rotation hole 211 in its own axial direction. That is to say, after the rotating shaft 120 is assembled into the rotation hole 211 formed in the mating portion 210, the end of the mating portion 210 will not protrude axially from the end of the rotating shaft 120. In this way, the internal space occupied by the mating portion 210 in the snake bone unit 100 can be reduced to improve the space utilization rate of the internal space of the snake bone unit 100.

[0034] The embodiment of the present application also discloses an endoscope, including the actively bendable section described in any of the above embodiments. The endoscope referred to in the embodiment of the present application may be a bronchoscope, a pyeloscope, an esophagoscope, a gastroscope, a colonoscope, an otoscope, a nasal endoscope, an oral endoscope, a laryngoscope, a vaginoscope, a laparoscope, an arthroscope, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on the types of endoscopes.

[0035] In the above embodiments of the present application, the differences between the various embodiments are mainly described. As long as the different optimized features between the various embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a more optimal embodiment. For the sake of brevity of the description, it will not be elaborated here. The embodiments of the present application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the above specific embodiments. The above specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the inspiration of the present application, those of ordinary skill in the art can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope protected by the claims, and all of them fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A snake bone unit of an endoscope, characterized in that: The snake bone unit (100) has at least one connection end (110) in its own axial direction for rotationally connecting with an adjacent snake bone unit (100), and a partial area of ​​at least one of the connection ends (110) is recessed toward the inside of the snake bone unit (100) to form a rotation axis (120), and the rotation axis (120) is used for rotationally connecting with a rotation hole (211) of an adjacent snake bone unit (100).

2. The snake bone unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating shaft (120) has a fixed end and a free end that are arranged opposite to each other, the fixed end is connected to a portion of the snake bone unit (100) that is located outside the rotating shaft (120), and the free end is a closed end.

3. The snake bone unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotating shaft (120) comprises a rotating portion (121) and a guiding portion (122) connected in sequence in a first direction, wherein the rotating portion (121) is used for being rotatably connected to the rotating hole (211). In the first direction, the diameter of the rotating portion (121) remains unchanged, and the diameter of the guiding portion (122) gradually decreases, wherein the first direction is a direction extending from the fixed end to the free end.

4. The snake bone unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: An extension length of the guide portion (122) in the first direction is greater than an extension length of the rotating portion (121) in the first direction.

5. The snake bone unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: An end surface of the guide portion (122) that is away from the rotating portion (121) is a flat surface or an inwardly recessed curved surface.

6. The snake bone unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension length of the rotating shaft (120) in its own axial direction is smaller than the diameter of the rotating shaft (120).

7. An active bending section of an endoscope, comprising a plurality of snake bone units (100) connected in series, wherein two adjacent snake bone units (100) are rotatably connected, and characterized in that: At least one of the snake bone units (100) is a snake bone unit (100) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, and one of the connecting ends (110) of the snake bone unit (100) is formed with the rotating shaft (120), and the rotating shaft (120) is rotatably connected to the rotating hole (211) of the adjacent snake bone unit (100).

8. The active bending section according to claim 7, characterized in that: Partial areas of adjacent snake bone units (100) are recessed toward the interior of the snake bone unit (100) to form a matching portion (210), and the rotating hole (211) is formed in the matching portion (210).

9. The active bending section according to claim 8, characterized in that: The end of the matching portion (210) that faces away from the snake bone unit (100) connected thereto is a closed end; or, the end of the matching portion (210) that faces away from the snake bone unit (100) connected thereto is an open end, and the length of the rotating shaft (120) protruding from the inner wall of the corresponding snake bone unit (100) is greater than or equal to the extension length of the rotating hole (211) in its own axial direction.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that: Comprising the active bending segment as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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