Snake bone structure and endoscope

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of snake bone structure and endoscope, including first end snake bone knot, middle snake bone knot and tail end snake bone knot, first end snake bone knot is rotatably connected with first middle snake bone knot, tail end snake bone knot is rotatably connected with last middle snake bone knot;Rotating connection part of adjacent snake bone knot is equipped with anti-drop sheet, and anti-drop sheet is used to avoid adjacent snake bone knot from falling off when relatively rotating.The utility model sets up anti-drop sheet in the rotating connection part of snake bone knot, even when the outer diameter size of snake bone knot is further reduced, wall thickness is further thinned, anti-drop sheet still can form reliable constraint to the rotating cooperation part of both in the process that adjacent snake bone knot bends and rotates to form any angle, to effectively avoid the risk that single snake bone knot falls off and snake bone breaks, guarantee the connection stability of snake bone structure whole, and effectively reduce the medical risk of endoscope in use process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of endoscope technology, specifically to a snake bone structure and an endoscope. Background Technology

[0002] Endoscopes have a curved section, whose bending motion can be controlled by an operator. The main components that enable this bending motion are the serpentine tube and control lines. The serpentine tube is generally composed of multiple stacked unit segments; the superposition of the bending movements of these multiple segments achieves the bending motion of the serpentine tube in a preset direction. Currently, the serpentine tubes used in gastroscopes are generally riveted or rivetless. Riveted serpentine tubes are made into individual segments and then connected using rivets, offering reliable stability, but their manufacturing process is complex and costly. Rivetless serpentine tubes, on the other hand, are simpler to manufacture than riveted serpentine tubes and are therefore widely used, becoming the mainstream for the bending section of flexible endoscopes.

[0003] Authorization Announcement No.: CN 215534192U, Application Date: 2020.11.24, Utility Model Name: A Snake Bone Assembly and a Snake Bone Tube. The snake bone assembly includes two snake bone segments with different structures. The snake bone tube uses the combination structure of the first and second snake bone segments as a repeating unit, with recessed and protruding portions provided on the first and second snake bone segments. This eliminates the need to process the recessed and protruding portions simultaneously on the same snake bone segment, simplifying manufacturing. Simultaneously, the recessed portion has a protruding T-shaped locking block in the middle, and the protruding portion has an assembly opening in the middle. The protruding portion of the second snake bone segment is movably inserted into the corresponding recessed portion on the first snake bone segment. When the first and second snake bone segments are bent, the T-shaped locking block can cooperate with the inner walls on both sides of the assembly opening of the protruding portion, making the force transmission between the first and second snake bone segments more evenly distributed, and the relative movement of the first and second snake bone segments smoother and more stable.

[0004] In the aforementioned prior art, when the wall thickness of the snake bone segments is thin, the diameter of the snake bone is small, making it highly susceptible to misalignment during relative rotation. This misalignment not only significantly reduces the stability of the connection between snake bone segments but may also cause the snake bone segments to detach, severely shortening the overall lifespan of the snake bone and even leading to serious medical accidents that could endanger the patient's life. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, such as the easy detachment of snake joints during relative rotation, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a snake bone structure and endoscope that effectively avoids the risk of detachment of snake joints during bending and rotation.

[0006] The technical solution provided by this utility model is as follows: A snake-like structure includes a head segment and a tail segment, characterized in that it further includes a plurality of intermediate segments, wherein the head segment is rotatably connected to the first intermediate segment, and the tail segment is rotatably connected to the last intermediate segment. Each of the rotating connection points of adjacent snake segments is equipped with an anti-detachment plate, which is used to prevent adjacent snake segments from falling off when rotating relative to each other.

[0007] Furthermore, the intermediate serpentine segment includes a first serpentine segment and a second serpentine segment rotatably connected to the first serpentine segment; The first serpentine segment has an outwardly protruding rotating boss at one end near the second serpentine segment, and the second serpentine segment has a retaining ring at one end near the first serpentine segment, the retaining ring being located on the outer periphery of the rotating boss; The rotating boss and the retaining ring form a rotating engagement; the anti-detachment piece is provided on the rotating boss or the retaining ring.

[0008] Furthermore, the projections of the rotating boss and the retaining ring onto the plane of the anti-detachment piece fall entirely within the outline dimensions of the anti-detachment piece.

[0009] Furthermore, the anti-detachment sheet has a circular, elliptical, or square sheet structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the first snake joint also includes a first body connected to the rotating boss, and a sector is formed between the first body and the rotating boss, the sector engaging with the retaining ring of the second snake joint.

[0011] Furthermore, the second snake joint also includes a second body connected to a retaining ring, and a rotating groove is formed between the second body and the retaining ring, the rotating groove engaging with the rotating boss of the first snake joint.

[0012] Furthermore, the inner side of the free end of the retaining ring away from the second body is provided with a barb portion that protrudes in the direction of the rotating boss; The outer circumferential surface of the rotating boss is provided with an anti-rotation shoulder. When adjacent intermediate serpentine segments rotate relative to each other to a preset maximum angle, the barb part abuts against the anti-rotation shoulder.

[0013] Furthermore, the periphery of the first, middle, and tail serpentine segments are all provided with pressure grooves; the pressure grooves are recessed into the serpentine segments for threading traction steel wires.

[0014] Furthermore, the grooves of the first and second snake-bone segments are located on both sides of the anti-detachment plate.

[0015] An endoscope includes a camera section, a curved section, an operating section, and a connecting section connected in sequence, wherein the curved section includes a snake-bone structure.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this utility model has the following advantages: (1) By setting an anti-detachment plate at the rotating connection part of the snake bone segment, even when the outer diameter of the snake bone segment is further reduced and the wall thickness is further reduced, the anti-detachment plate can still form a reliable constraint on the rotating connection part of the two snake bone segments during the process of bending and rotating to form any angle, thereby effectively avoiding the risk of a single snake bone segment falling off and ensuring the overall connection stability of the snake bone structure.

[0017] (2) Compared with rivets using traditional riveting structures, the anti-detachment plate of this utility model has a less significant impact on the overall size of the snake bone in terms of size design. This advantage makes it highly applicable in specific scenarios, especially for snake bones with small diameter and thin wall thickness. Without relying on traditional riveting processes, the rivetless assembly scheme of this utility model greatly reduces the processing difficulty of the snake bone. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall snake bone structure in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bent state of the snake joint in one embodiment of this application; Figure 3 As one embodiment of this application Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of node A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the prevention of snake joint detachment by the anti-detachment patch in one embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a front view of a single intermediate serpentine segment in one embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating boss and retaining ring structure in one embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an anti-detachment piece disposed on a rotating boss in one embodiment of this application.

[0019] Explanation of the labels in the diagram: The first serpentine segment 1; First snake bone segment 21, rotating boss 211, anti-rotation shoulder 2111, sector 212; Second snake bone segment 22, retaining ring 221, barb part 2211, rotating groove 222; Tail end serpentine segment 3; Anti-detachment tablets 4. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To further understand the content of this utility model, a detailed description of this utility model will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] The structures, proportions, and sizes illustrated in the accompanying drawings are solely for illustrative purposes and to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of the invention and therefore have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, provided they do not affect the effectiveness or purpose of the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and "middle" used in this specification are merely for clarity and not intended to limit the scope of implementation. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0022] In existing metal tubing cutting and forming snake-bone processing technology, there are specific limitations regarding the wall thickness of the snake-bone: when the diameter of the metal tubing to be cut is small and the wall thickness is thin, due to the limited structural strength of the material itself, the cut snake-bone segments are prone to misalignment and detachment during assembly and use, resulting in a significant reduction in the overall service life of the snake-bone. This problem is particularly prominent in the application of small-sized flexible endoscope snake-bone systems, as segment misalignment and detachment can easily lead to the entire snake-bone system becoming disjointed and failing. The detached segments can cause the endoscope insertion part to twist. If the endoscope is forcibly withdrawn, the twisted endoscope will cause hard friction and scraping with human tissue, which may not only cause local trauma such as mucosal damage and bleeding, but also, in severe cases, complications such as infection and tissue perforation, leading to serious medical accidents.

[0023] Example 1 This application discloses a snake-bone structure, comprising a first serpentine segment 1, several intermediate serpentine segments, and a tail serpentine segment 3 connected sequentially. The first serpentine segment 1 is rotatably connected to the first intermediate serpentine segment, and the tail serpentine segment 3 is rotatably connected to the last intermediate serpentine segment. All rotatable connections between adjacent serpentine segments are provided with anti-detachment tabs 4, which constrain the relative rotation of adjacent serpentine segments to prevent any segment from detaching.

[0024] More specifically, the intermediate snake bone segment includes a first snake bone segment 21 and a second snake bone segment 22 that are rotatably connected in sequence. The first snake bone segment 21 has an outwardly protruding rotating boss 211 at one end near the second snake bone segment 22, and the second snake bone segment 22 has a corresponding retaining ring 221 at one end near the first snake bone segment 21. The retaining ring 221 is located on the outer periphery of the rotating boss 211.

[0025] The rotating boss 211 and the retaining ring 221 form a rotating engagement. The anti-detachment piece 4 is fixedly disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the rotating boss 211 or the outer peripheral wall of the retaining ring 221, and the fixing connection is preferably achieved by spot welding or laser welding. It is worth noting that the outline size of the anti-detachment piece 4 can cover the mating area between the rotating boss 211 and the retaining ring 221.

[0026] In other words, to ensure the comprehensiveness of the anti-detachment effect, the projection contours of the rotating boss 211 and the retaining ring 221 in the plane where the anti-detachment piece 4 is located fall completely within the contour size range of the anti-detachment piece 4.

[0027] This design ensures that regardless of the angle formed by adjacent snake joints during bending and rotation, the anti-detachment plate 4 can constrain the rotating engagement part of the rotating boss 211 and the retaining ring 221. It is especially suitable for snake structures with small pipe diameter and thin wall thickness, and can significantly improve their connection stability.

[0028] The anti-detachment plate 4 preferably adopts a circular, elliptical, or square sheet-like structure. As an optional embodiment, the anti-detachment plate 4 can be bent to form a certain arc, and this arc is consistent with the curvature of the snake joint structure itself. Simultaneously, the curvature of the anti-detachment plate 4 needs to be less than the curvature of the snake joint structure itself (i.e., a larger arc). This not only adapts to the morphological characteristics of the snake joint itself but also allows for sufficient movement clearance, thereby effectively avoiding interference with the rotation of the snake joint and ensuring that its flexibility of movement is not affected.

[0029] In addition, the first snake joint 21 also includes a first body integrally formed with the rotating boss 211. A sector 212 is formed between the first body and the rotating boss 211. The curvature of the sector 212 is adapted to the curvature of the retaining ring 221 of the second snake joint 22, so that when the retaining ring 221 rotates with the second snake joint 22, its outer side wall can always maintain a close fit or a small gap fit with the inner side wall of the sector 212, which not only provides guidance for the rotation of the retaining ring 221, but also avoids interference between the two in relative motion.

[0030] Correspondingly, the second snake joint 22 includes a second body integrally formed with the retaining ring 221. A rotating groove 222 is formed between the second body and the retaining ring 221. The rotating groove 222 is adapted to the size of the outer peripheral wall of the rotating boss 211 of the first snake joint 21. When the rotating boss 211 rotates with the first snake joint 21, its outer side wall can form a rotating fit with the inner side wall of the rotating groove 222, providing stable rotational support for the rotating boss 211.

[0031] As an optional embodiment, to further improve the motion safety of the serpentine structure and prevent a single serpentine segment from forming an excessively large sweep angle or sweep area due to excessive rotation within the human body, it is necessary to precisely limit the relative rotation angle of adjacent serpentine segments. Specifically, a barb portion 2211 protruding towards the rotating boss 211 is designed on the inner side of the free end of the retaining ring 221 away from the second body; correspondingly, the outer peripheral surface of the rotating boss 211 is machined with an anti-rotation shoulder 2111 that matches the barb portion 2211, ensuring that a stable rigid limit can be formed when the two are in contact.

[0032] When two adjacent serpentine segments (including the first intermediate serpentine segment 1 and the first intermediate serpentine segment, the intermediate serpentine segments, and the tail serpentine segment 3 and the last intermediate serpentine segment) rotate relative to each other, and the rotation angle reaches the preset maximum safety threshold, the end of the barb 2211 will precisely abut against the surface of the anti-rotation shoulder 2111. The rigid contact between the two restricts further rotation, thereby strictly controlling the relative rotation angle of adjacent serpentine segments within the preset range. This limiting structure can effectively prevent a single serpentine segment from accidentally touching or squeezing human tissue due to excessive rotation.

[0033] It is worth noting that, as an optional embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, when the barb portion 2211 abuts against the anti-rotation shoulder 2111, not only does the retaining ring 221 on one side have a limiting effect on the rotating boss 211, but the retaining ring 221 on the other side also simultaneously forms an auxiliary constraint: at this time, the end face of the retaining ring 221 on that side is exactly abutting against the closed end of the sector 212. The end face of the retaining ring 221 referred to here is the end that is relatively far away from the second body and the barb portion 2211.

[0034] By forming rigid contact between the two side retaining rings 221 and the rotating boss 211 and sector 212 respectively, a two-way force constraint mechanism is constructed. This avoids the local stress concentration that may be caused by unilateral force, making the angle restriction more precise and the structural stability stronger, thereby more reliably preventing the safety risks caused by excessive rotation of the snake joint in the human body.

[0035] In addition, all snake-bone segments are provided with a groove 23, which is recessed into the snake-bone segment for threading the traction steel wire. Unlike the method of providing grooves on the same side of each snake-bone segment, this embodiment adopts an intermittent arrangement, and the grooves 23 of the first snake-bone segment 21 and the second snake-bone segment 22 are located on both sides of the anti-detachment plate 4, or in other words, the grooves 23 of the first snake-bone segment 21 and the grooves of the second snake-bone segment 22 are located on both sides of the snake-bone segment axis.

[0036] Compared to the spatial position on the same side of the snake joint, the spacing of the pressure groove 23 breaks the rigid constraint of a single direction, reserving more flexible space for the traction wire. This effectively reduces the frictional resistance and motion interference of the wire when the snake joint rotates, and significantly improves the rotational flexibility of the wire, thereby helping the overall structure to achieve better motion coordination and more precise response performance.

[0037] The snake bone structure of this application has strong adaptability and versatility. Its application scenarios are not limited by the rotation direction of the snake bone segment. Whether it is unidirectional bending to meet the basic operation requirements, or bidirectional or four-directional bending to adapt to the complex trajectory of human body cavities, it can play a stable role.

[0038] Meanwhile, the structure has no special limitations on the materials used to make the snake bone joint. Whether it is medical stainless steel, titanium alloy and other metal materials, or high-strength engineering plastics and other non-metal materials, it can be adapted to the design scheme and assembly requirements of the anti-detachment piece 4, without the need to adjust the core structure due to material characteristics.

[0039] Therefore, the snake bone structure of this application greatly expands the application scenarios of snake bone structures, which can not only adapt to the customized needs of different diagnosis and treatment scenarios, but also reserve sufficient space for subsequent material selection optimization, cost control and functional upgrades.

[0040] Example 2 Based on Example 1, an endoscope is proposed, which includes a camera part, a bending part, an operating part and a connecting part, wherein the bending part adopts the snake bone structure described in Example 1.

[0041] The operating procedure for this endoscope is as follows: The operator controls the extension and retraction of the traction steel wire through the drive device. Under tension, the traction steel wire will cause several snake bone segments in the snake bone structure to rotate relative to each other in sequence. During the rotation of the snake bone segments, the anti-detachment plate 4 can always fully cover the rotating boss 211 and the retaining ring 221 of the rotating connection part of the adjacent snake bone segments, thereby effectively preventing any snake bone segment from falling off during the rotation and ensuring the stability and safety of the bending part movement.

[0042] One end of the traction steel wire is fixed to the side groove of the first snake joint 1 by crimping a steel pipe or welding. When the operator applies a pulling force to the traction steel wire at the tail snake joint 3, the snake joints will rotate relative to each other in sequence, thereby realizing the bending action of the bending part.

[0043] When the outer diameter of the snake bone segment is further reduced and the wall thickness is further reduced, the size of the limiting structure between the snake bone segments will also decrease accordingly, which directly leads to a significant increase in the risk of snake bone segments falling off and breaking.

[0044] Therefore, at the rotating joint of the serpentine segment, a detachment-preventing plate 4 that covers the rotating joint (rotating boss 211 and retaining ring 221) is preferably fixed by laser welding. In this way, when the serpentine segment rotates under the pull of the wire rope, even if some of the serpentine segment tends to fall off, the detachment-preventing plate 4 can effectively block it, ensuring the normal rotation of the serpentine segment while reliably avoiding the risk of falling off, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the endoscope.

[0045] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above illustratively. This description is not restrictive, and the figures shown are only one embodiment of the present invention; the actual structure is not limited thereto. Therefore, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the inventive spirit of the present invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A snake-bone structure, comprising a proximal serpentine segment (1) and a caudal serpentine segment (3), characterized in that: It also includes several intermediate serpentine segments, wherein the first serpentine segment (1) is rotatably connected to the first intermediate serpentine segment, and the last serpentine segment (3) is rotatably connected to the last intermediate serpentine segment; Each of the rotating connection parts of adjacent snake segments is provided with an anti-detachment piece (4), which is used to prevent adjacent snake segments from falling off when rotating relative to each other.

2. The snake-bone structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intermediate serpentine segment includes a first serpentine segment (21) and a second serpentine segment (22) rotatably connected to the first serpentine segment (21); The first snake segment (21) has an outwardly protruding rotating boss (211) at one end near the second snake segment (22), and the second snake segment (22) has a retaining ring (221) at one end near the first snake segment (21). The retaining ring (221) is located on the outer periphery of the rotating boss (211). The rotating boss (211) and the retaining ring (221) form a rotating fit; the anti-detachment piece (4) is provided on the rotating boss (211) or the retaining ring (221).

3. The snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The projections of the rotating boss (211) and the retaining ring (221) onto the plane of the anti-detachment piece (4) fall entirely within the outline dimensions of the anti-detachment piece (4).

4. The snake-bone structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-detachment sheet (4) is a circular, elliptical, or square sheet structure.

5. A snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first snake joint (21) also includes a first body connected to the rotating boss (211), and a sector (212) is formed between the first body and the rotating boss (211), the sector (212) being engaged with the retaining ring (221) of the second snake joint (22).

6. A snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second snake joint (22) also includes a second body connected to the retaining ring (221), and a rotating groove (222) is formed between the second body and the retaining ring (221). The rotating groove (222) is engaged with the rotating boss (211) of the first snake joint (21).

7. A snake-bone structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The retaining ring (221) has a barb (2211) protruding towards the rotating boss (211) on the inner side of the free end away from the second body. The outer peripheral surface of the rotating boss (211) is provided with an anti-rotation shoulder (2111). When the adjacent intermediate serpentine segments rotate relative to each other to the preset maximum angle, the barb (2211) abuts against the anti-rotation shoulder (2111).

8. A snake-bone structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The periphery of the first serpentine segment (1), the middle serpentine segment, and the tail serpentine segment (3) are all provided with pressure grooves (23); the pressure grooves (23) are recessed into the serpentine segment for threading traction steel wires.

9. A snake-bone structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The groove (23) of the first snake bone segment (21) and the groove of the second snake bone segment (22) are located on both sides of the anti-detachment piece (4).

10. An endoscope, comprising a camera section, a bending section, an operating section, and a connecting section connected in sequence, characterized in that: The curved portion includes the snake-bone structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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