Coil pipe

Abstract

The utility model provides a coil pipe which comprises a pipe body, and a plurality of notches are formed in the pipe body so as to improve flexibility and allow the pipe body to adapt to different bending angles. A first protrusion and a second protrusion are arranged between every two adjacent notches, the protrusions extend outwards from the pipe body, and a first wire containing portion and a second wire containing portion are formed on the base portions of the protrusions respectively. When the pipe body is bent, the adjacent first wire containing part and second wire containing part respectively face different side surfaces, so that staggered arrangement of the wires is realized, the wires are prevented from slipping off due to stress change, and the stability of the pipe body in a bent state is improved. The coil pipe provided by the utility model has excellent flexibility, durability and wire rod fixing capability, and is particularly suitable for application scenes requiring accurate adjustment of wire rod layout and bending control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of tubular structure technology, and in particular to a snake tube for guiding and fixing cables, which can be widely used in the fields of endoscopes, medical catheters, fiber optic cabling, and industrial equipment cable management. Background Technology

[0002] In many tubular structures requiring flexibility and bendability, such as cable management systems for endoscopes, conduits, cable protection tubes, or robotic arms, the proper layout and fixation of cables within the tubing remains a significant structural challenge. This is especially true in applications involving frequent bending; the cable installation method must not only ensure stability but also accommodate the bending deformation of the tubing. Otherwise, the cables may become loose, crushed, break, or compromise operational accuracy.

[0003] In existing technologies, a wire is used to apply force to the body of the snake-like tube, causing deformation. The wire is secured using pre-designed grooves, clamping structures, or additional limiting components to hold it inside or outside the tube. However, in existing snake-like tubes, these securing structures often have a single opening direction, making the wire prone to slipping out during use due to changes in the direction of force, thus affecting the overall system reliability. This is especially true in precision medical equipment such as endoscopes, where minute movements during operation can generate forces in multiple directions, and a unidirectional opening securing method cannot effectively prevent wire slippage, increasing the uncertainty of equipment operation.

[0004] Furthermore, when the tube bends, the wires will be subjected to varying degrees of traction and compression. If the fixing method fails to properly adjust the wire arrangement, unnecessary stress concentration may occur inside the tube, even affecting the normal bending of the tube and reducing its durability.

[0005] In summary, existing wire fixing mechanisms still suffer from problems such as easy loosening, poor stress adaptability, impact on tube bending performance, and difficulties in manufacturing and assembly. Therefore, how to provide a technical solution that can simultaneously ensure stable wire installation, adapt to tube bending deformation, and reduce the risk of wire detachment remains a pressing issue for those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0006] This invention provides an improved serpentine tube with multiple slits on its body. A protrusion is provided between every two adjacent slits, extending outwards from the tube and forming a wire receiving portion at its base. The protrusions are of two types (a first protrusion and a second protrusion), arranged facing different sides, allowing the wire to be laid out in a staggered manner along the tube's axial direction. Compared to traditional unidirectional fixing methods, this staggered arrangement effectively prevents the wire from detaching from one side due to stress or tube bending.

[0007] The wire receiving section can be open, and the openings of two adjacent wire receiving sections face opposite directions. This structure ensures that the wires are not concentrated in the same direction during the laying process, but are distributed in a staggered manner. This allows the wires to flexibly adjust the direction of force when the tube is bent, avoiding wire loosening or excessive stress due to insufficient rigidity of the fixing method.

[0008] Furthermore, the wire receiving portion can be shaped like a groove, slit, or hook to accommodate different wire fixing requirements. Cutouts and protrusions can be positioned on opposite sides of the tube, allowing the wire to be staggered along both sides of the tube, thus improving fixing stability.

[0009] To enhance the overall structural reliability, the protrusions can be manufactured using a one-piece molding process, ensuring the coil maintains high strength during use and preventing loosening at the connections from affecting the fixing effect. Simultaneously, the wire receiving portions are arranged in a staggered pattern along the axial direction of the coil, and can be configured in a 180-degree staggered manner, allowing for uniform distribution of the wires along the axial direction. This arrangement not only improves the fixing stability of the wires but also reduces uneven stress on the wires when the coil is bent, thereby enhancing the system's durability and service life.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the serpentine tube of this invention has significant advantages in the following aspects:

[0011] 1. Improve the fixing stability of the wire. The serpentine tube provided by this utility model has staggered wire receiving parts, which allows the wire to be wound in different directions, avoiding the slippage problem caused by the one-way opening structure, and ensuring that the wire can remain stable under various stress conditions.

[0012] 2. It can adapt to the bending deformation of the tube body. When the tube body is bent, the wire can be adjusted to adapt to the arrangement of the protrusions, reducing the stretching or compression of the wire, preventing damage due to excessive force, and improving the overall durability of the equipment.

[0013] 3. It can reduce the complexity of manufacturing and assembly. The serpentine tube provided by this utility model does not require additional fixing components. The wire can be laid out by relying only on protrusions and cuts, which improves production efficiency, reduces manufacturing costs, simplifies the assembly process, and makes equipment maintenance more convenient.

[0014] 4. Applicable to a variety of application scenarios, the snake tube provided by this utility model is not only suitable for catheter fixation in medical equipment, but also for cable management in industrial equipment, cable sheathing for robots, etc. It has a wide range of applications and high market application value.

[0015] In summary, this utility model provides an improved serpentine tube. Through a reasonable arrangement of protrusions, the wire can be wound in an interlaced manner, avoiding the loosening problem caused by opening in one direction. At the same time, it maintains the flexibility of the tube body to adapt to different operating requirements and improve the stability and service life of the system. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the serpentine tube of this utility model with a bending degree of 0 degrees;

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of section A;

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the serpentine tube provided by this utility model for winding wire;

[0019] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the serpentine tube with a bending angle of 30 degrees provided by this utility model;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the serpentine tube with a bending angle of 90 degrees provided by this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following will be combined with the appendix Figures 1-5 The technical content, structural features, objectives and effects of this utility model will be described in detail through preferred embodiments.

[0022] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions. They are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportional relationship, or adjustments to the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model, provided that they do not affect the effects and objectives that this utility model can produce.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the serpentine tube 1 provided by this utility model is mainly composed of a tube body 10, which extends along its axial direction and has multiple cuts 11 formed thereon to give the tube body 10 good flexibility. These cuts 11 can form multiple bending segments, allowing the tube body 10 to adapt to different bending angles under external force without affecting its overall structural stability.

[0024] Between two adjacent cuts 11, the tube body 10 has a first protrusion 12 or a second protrusion 13, which extend from the outside of the tube body 10. The structure of these protrusions not only increases the structural strength of the serpentine tube 1, but also forms a receiving part for the wire, so as to securely house the wire within the structure of the tube body.

[0025] Please also refer to Figure 2 The base of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 are respectively provided with a first wire receiving portion 121 and a second wire receiving portion 131. These wire receiving portions are used to store the wire, ensuring that the wire remains firmly fixed when the tube is bent, preventing slippage. It is worth noting that adjacent first wire receiving portions 121 and second wire receiving portions 131 face different sides, allowing the wire to be arranged in an alternating manner, thereby improving the stability of the wire and preventing the wire from slipping out due to force when the tube is bent.

[0026] For example Figure 2 As shown, the enlarged view of area A further reveals the structural details of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13. Within this area, the first wire receiving portion 121 and the second wire receiving portion 131 are located at the bases of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13, respectively, forming a groove or opening structure for wire embedding. In this embodiment, the wire receiving portions (121, 131) can have different shapes depending on application requirements. For example, the opening shape can be a groove, a slit, or a hook-like structure to adapt to different types of wire laying methods. The first wire receiving portion 121 and the second wire receiving portion 131 are arranged in an alternating pattern, allowing the wire to be embedded in different directions and preventing the wire from slipping out from one side.

[0027] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The diagram illustrates how wire 2 is wound through the arrangement of the first wire receiving portion 121 and the second wire receiving portion 131. This staggered arrangement allows wire 2 to be interlaced and fixed within the receiving portions (121, 131) in different directions. Even if the tube body bends, wire 2 remains fixed and is not easily loosened. Furthermore, through this staggered arrangement, wire 2 receives support forces from different directions, reducing stress concentration in one direction and extending the service life of wire 2. Moreover, when the tube body 10 bends, wire 2 can adapt to the deformation of the tube body 10, freely adjusting its tension without excessive stretching or compression, ensuring stable system operation.

[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, when the serpentine tube 1 is subjected to external force and begins to bend to 30 degrees, its structural features still ensure the stability of the tube body 10 and the fixation of the wire. In this bending state, the cut 11 of the tube body 10 plays a flexible adjustment role, allowing it to rotate freely within a certain range and adapt to angle changes.

[0029] When bent at 30 degrees, the distance between the inner cuts 11 may decrease, while the distance between the outer cuts 11 may increase slightly. This makes the bending process of the snake tube 1 smoother and avoids excessive stress concentration at a single node.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 still provide good support during bending, ensuring the overall structural integrity of the coil 1. At the same time, the first wire receiving portion 121 and the second wire receiving portion 131 can still maintain an alternating arrangement, ensuring that the wire 2 will not slip off due to the bending of the coil 1.

[0031] This structure ensures that the snake tube 1 still has sufficient strength and flexibility even when bent at a small angle, making it suitable for applications that require small-range dynamic adjustments, such as scenarios where the endoscope is made to make fine adjustments in a narrow cavity.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, when the coil 1 is further bent to 90 degrees, its structure remains stable and ensures that the wire 2 is not affected. In this bent state, some of the cuts 11 of the tube 10 may shrink or approach closure (depending on the size of the cuts 11; if the cuts 11 are small, they may shrink or close due to bending).

[0033] Specifically, under extreme bending conditions, the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 located on the inner side may come into contact with or approach each other, thereby forming a temporary structural support to limit further bending of the snake tube 1 and prevent mechanical damage caused by excessive bending.

[0034] Furthermore, the staggered arrangement of the first wire receiving portion 121 and the second wire receiving portion 131 in this state can still ensure the stability of the wire 2. Even if the tube 10 enters a high bending angle, the wire 2 will remain in the fixed receiving groove and will not slip due to the change of the opening direction.

[0035] This structural characteristic enables the snake tube 1 to be suitable for highly flexible applications, such as endoscopic catheters requiring a wide range of turns, surgical robotic arms, or flexible probes. In these applications, the bending capability of the snake tube 1 is crucial, and this structure ensures that it remains stable under extreme bending conditions, and the wire 2 is not easily affected by compression or deformation.

[0036] The above description is merely an example to illustrate the preferred embodiments of this utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of implementation. Any simple substitutions and equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims and description of this utility model shall fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A snake tube, characterized in that, include: tube body(10); Multiple cuts (11) are located on the tube body (10); At least one first protrusion (12) is disposed between two adjacent cuts (11), the first protrusion (12) extending outward from the tube body (10) and forming a first wire receiving portion (121) at the base; At least one second protrusion (13) is disposed between two adjacent cuts (11), the second protrusion (13) extending outward from the tube body (10) and forming a second wire receiving portion (131) at the base; The adjacent first wire receiving portion (121) and second wire receiving portion (131) face different sides.

2. The snake tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first wire receiving portion (121) and the second wire receiving portion (131) are openings, and the directions of the openings are opposite to each other.

3. The snake tube according to claim 2, characterized in that, The opening may be in the form of a groove, a slit, or a hook-like structure.

4. The snake tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of cuts (11) and the at least one first protrusion (12) and the at least one second protrusion (13) are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the tube body (10).

5. The snake tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first wire receiving portion (121) and the second wire receiving portion (131) are arranged alternately along the axial direction of the tube body (10).

6. The snake tube according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first wire receiving portion (121) and the second wire receiving portion (131) are arranged in an alternating configuration of 180 degrees.

7. The snake tube according to claim 1, characterized in that, Except for the first protrusion (12) or the second protrusion (13) closest to both ends of the tube body (10), both ends of each first protrusion (12) are adjacent to the second protrusion (13), and both ends of each second protrusion (13) are adjacent to the first protrusion (12).

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