Attachment device of elastic cylindrical member and attachment method of elastic cylindrical member

Abstract

To provide an attachment device of an elastic cylindrical member and an attachment method of the elastic cylindrical member which can suppress twist of the elastic cylindrical member and stably detach the elastic cylindrical member from a receiving part.SOLUTION: An attachment device of an elastic cylindrical member comprises: a movable cylinder holding member which holds a movable cylinder; and a plurality of arms whose one end is fixed in a swingable manner to the movable cylinder holding member. The plurality of arms include a receiving part which changes the state to the diameter shrunk state and the diameter expanded state with swinging of the arms on the other end. The movable cylinder includes a flange part which constitutes a tip surface and the flange part includes a plurality of extrusion parts which have the different heights in the extrusion direction. The diameter of the elastic cylindrical member is expanded by bringing the receiving part into the diameter shrunk state with swinging of the arms, attaching the elastic cylindrical member to the receiving part and bringing the receiving part into the diameter expanded state with swinging of the arms. By moving the movable cylinder after diameter expansion, the extrusion part detaches a rubber band from the receiving part in the descending order of the heights in the extrusion direction, and the elastic cylindrical member is attached to an endoscope insertion part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elastic tubular member mounting device and an elastic tubular member mounting method. [Background technology]

[0002] In an endoscope device, an inflatable or deflated balloon is used for various purposes. For example, when an endoscope device is used to observe a deep digestive tract such as the small intestine or the large intestine, an inflatable and deflated balloon is attached to an endoscope insertion part or an endoscope insertion aid (such as a sliding tube or an overtube). By inflating this balloon, the endoscope insertion part or the insertion aid is fixed inside the body. Also, in an ultrasound inspection device, an inflatable and deflated balloon is used to surround an ultrasound scanning part at the tip of an ultrasound probe and to fill it with an ultrasound transmission medium.

[0003] Such balloons are made of an elastic body such as rubber, and their ends are formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the object to which they are attached (a rod-shaped body such as an endoscope insertion part or an insertion aid) in its natural state. Therefore, when attaching the balloon, the end of the balloon is expanded in diameter to cover the object to which it is attached, and then a rubber band is expanded in diameter to fit over the end of the balloon, thereby fixing the end of the balloon to the object to which it is attached.

[0004] An attachment device for attaching such an elastic tubular member such as a balloon or a rubber band to a rod-shaped body such as an endoscope insertion part is known. For example, the attachment device for an elastic tubular member in Patent Document 1 includes a movable tube, a holding member for holding the movable tube, and a plurality of arms with one end fixed to the holding member so as to be able to swing. The arms include receiving parts at the other ends, which change between a reduced diameter state and an expanded diameter state by swinging the arms. In this attachment device, the receiving part is brought into a reduced diameter state by swinging the arms, and the rubber band is attached to the receiving part. Next, the receiving part is brought into an expanded diameter state by swinging the arms, and the rubber band is expanded by the receiving part. By moving the movable tube after the expansion, the rubber band is slid from the receiving part by the tip surface of the movable tube. The rubber band is removed from the receiving part, and the rubber band is attached to the endoscope insertion part. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-126526 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when sliding the tip surface of the movable cylinder to remove the elastic tubular member from the receiving part, the elastic tubular member may be twisted or may not be removed stably from the receiving part. Therefore, it has been desired to be able to reliably attach the elastic tubular member to the rod-shaped body.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an elastic tubular member attachment device and an elastic tubular member attachment method that suppress twisting of the elastic tubular member and enable the elastic tubular member to be stably removed from the receiving part. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first aspect of the elastic tubular member mounting device is an elastic tubular member mounting device that expands the diameter of the elastic tubular member to be larger than the outer diameter of a rod-shaped body to be mounted thereon from the outside, and that includes a movable tube into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted, a movable tube holding member that holds the movable tube so that it can move freely in the rod center direction, three or more arms that are arranged on the outer periphery of the movable tube in parallel to the rod center direction and spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and have one end attached to the movable tube holding member so that they can swing freely in the diameter direction of the movable tube, and an elastic tubular member formed on the other end of each arm that receives the inner circumferential surface of the elastic tubular member and that swings between a reduced diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be set and an expanded diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be mounted on the rod-shaped body. the movable tube includes a receiving portion, a flange portion provided on the tip side of the movable tube where the rod-shaped body is inserted and forming the tip surface of the movable tube, the flange portion allowing the arm to pass through, three or more extrusion portions for extruding the elastic tubular member formed on the tip surface for each position of the arm, at least one of the extrusion portions having a different height in the extrusion direction from the other extrusion portions, and a shift mechanism that moves the movable tube relative to the movable tube holding member, swings the arm by engaging the movable tube with the arm, and changes the receiving portion from a reduced diameter state to an expanded diameter state, and then extrudes the elastic tubular member from the receiving portion by the extrusion portions in order of the height of the extrusion portions.

[0009] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the second aspect, the three or more push-out portions all have different heights in the pushing direction.

[0010] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the third aspect, the three or more push-out portions are arranged in order of height along the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

[0011] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the fourth aspect, a groove defined by the flange and extending in the radial direction of the flange allows the arm to pass through.

[0012] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the fifth aspect, the pushing portion is composed of a pair of individual pushing portions arranged on both sides of the groove portion.

[0013] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the sixth aspect, the three or more arms are configured with four arms, and the three or more push-out portions are configured with four push-out portions.

[0014] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the seventh embodiment, only one of the four extrusion parts is composed of two types of extrusion parts that have a different height in the extrusion direction from the other three extrusion parts.

[0015] In the eighth embodiment of the elastic tubular member mounting device, the four extrusion parts are composed of one extrusion part, the other two extrusion parts, and the remaining one extrusion part, which are three types of extrusion parts with different heights in the extrusion direction.

[0016] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the ninth embodiment, the four push-out portions are configured as two types of push-out portions having different heights in the pushing direction, that is, two push-out portions and the other two push-out portions.

[0017] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the tenth aspect, of the four extrusion portions, two of the extrusion portions are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction, and the other two extrusion portions are arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0018] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the eleventh embodiment, the four push-out portions are arranged in an order of alternating different heights along the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

[0019] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the twelfth embodiment, the four push-out portions all have different heights in the pushing direction.

[0020] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the thirteenth aspect, the four push-out portions are arranged in order of height along the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

[0021] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the fourteenth aspect, the rod-shaped body is an endoscope insertion portion, and the elastic tubular member is a balloon or a rubber band for mounting the balloon that is attached to the endoscope insertion portion.

[0022] In the fifteenth embodiment of the mounting device for an elastic tubular member, the arm has a swing-limiting protrusion at one end which abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the movable tube to restrict swing, and the movable tube has a peripheral protrusion portion over which the swing-limiting protrusion rides to bring the receiving portion into a reduced-diameter state.

[0023] In the elastic tubular member mounting device of the sixteenth aspect, the flange portion and the three or more extrusion portions are configured as an integrally molded product.

[0024] A seventeenth aspect of the method for attaching an elastic tubular member is a method for attaching an elastic tubular member to a rod-shaped body from the outside by expanding the diameter of the elastic tubular member beyond the outer diameter of the rod-shaped body to which it is to be attached, the method comprising: a movable tube into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted; a movable tube holding member that holds the movable tube so that it can move freely toward the center of the tube; three or more arms that are arranged parallel to the center of the tube and spaced apart circumferentially on the outer periphery of the movable tube, one end of which is attached to the movable tube holding member so that they can swing freely in the diameter direction of the movable tube; and a receiving portion formed on the other end of each arm, which receives the inner surface of the elastic tubular member and which, by swinging the arm, changes the elastic tubular member into a reduced diameter state in which it can be set and into an expanded diameter state in which it can be attached to the rod-shaped body. The device for mounting an elastic tubular member includes a flange portion provided on the tip side of the movable tube where the rod-shaped body is inserted and forming the tip surface of the movable tube, the flange portion allowing the arm to pass through, and three or more extrusion portions for extruding the elastic tubular member formed on the tip surface for each position of the arm, at least one of the extrusion portions having a different height in the extrusion direction from the other extrusion portions.The device uses a mounting device for an elastic tubular member that includes a flange portion provided on the tip side where the rod-shaped body is inserted and forming the tip surface of the movable tube, the flange portion allowing the arm to pass through, and three or more extrusion portions for extruding the elastic tubular member formed on the tip surface for each position of the arm, at least one of the extrusion portions having a different height in the extrusion direction from the other extrusion portions, and moves the movable tube relative to the movable tube holding member, swings the arm by engaging the movable tube with the arm, and changes the receiving portion from a reduced diameter state to an expanded diameter state, and then the elastic tubular member is pushed out of the receiving portion by the extrusion portions in order of the height of the extrusion portions. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, twisting of the elastic tubular member can be suppressed, and the elastic tubular member can be stably removed from the receiving portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first state of the mounting device for an elastic tubular member. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second state of the mounting device for the elastic tubular member. [Diagram 3] 3 is a vertical sectional view of the elastic tubular member mounting device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the arm in the first state. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the arm in the second state. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rubber band and a balloon are attached to an endoscope insertion portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for mounting an elastic tubular member using a mounting device. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the first modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the second modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the third modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the fourth modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an elastic tubular member mounting device and an elastic tubular member mounting method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0028] [Overall configuration of the elastic tubular member mounting device] Figures 1 and 2 are overall perspective views of an elastic tubular member mounting device according to an embodiment. Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the mounting device 10 in the state shown in Figure 1. The elastic tubular member mounting device (hereinafter simply referred to as the mounting device) 10 comprises four arms 12, an arm holding boss 14, a movable tube 16, a grip 18, and a flange portion 20. As shown in Figure 2, a receiving portion 12c is formed on the arm 12. The arm holding boss 14 is an example of a movable tube holding member of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows the mounting device 10 in a first state, in which the receiving portions 12c of the four arms 12 are in an expanded diameter state, while Fig. 2 shows the mounting device 10 in a second state, in which the receiving portions 12c of the four arms 12 are in a contracted diameter state.

[0030] The arm holding boss 14 is formed of a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body defines the outer peripheral surface of the arm holding boss 14 and openings 14a, 14b (see FIG. 3) at both ends. The openings 14a and 14b of the arm holding boss 14 communicate with each other. The arm holding boss 14 has four arm holding grooves 15 formed in the diameter direction. The arm holding grooves 15 are arranged at 90 degree intervals in the circumferential direction. The arm 12 is movably inserted into the arm holding grooves 15. In this example, the (+) side of the cylinder center direction Ax of the arm holding boss 14 is described as the tip side into which the rod-shaped body is inserted, and the (-) side is described as the base side. Therefore, the opening 14a is located on the tip side of the arm holding boss 14, and the opening 14b is located on the base side of the arm holding boss 14. The arm holding boss 14 is an example of a movable cylinder holding member of the present invention.

[0031] Four arms 12 are arranged at 90 degree intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the arm holding boss 14 and parallel to the cylinder center direction Ax of the arm holding boss 14. The arms 12 are made of a long, thin, strip-shaped metal plate. One end of the arm 12 is attached to the arm holding boss 14 so as to be swingable in the diameter direction of the movable cylinder 16. The arm 12 is made of an arm main body 12a, an arm intermediate part 12b, and a receiving part 12c. The arm main body 12a and the receiving part 12c are approximately parallel and located at a distance from each other. The arm intermediate part 12b connects the arm main body 12a and the receiving part 12c, and the arm 12 is generally crank-shaped. One end of the arm 12 (the base end side of the arm 12) is attached to the arm holding boss 14. The receiving part 12c is located at the other end of the arm 12, forms a free end, and allows the arm 12 to expand and contract in diameter. The arm 12 is free to swing in the radial direction of the movable cylinder 16 .

[0032] The movable cylinder 16 is formed of a cylinder with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the arm holding boss 14. The cylinder defines the outer peripheral surface of the movable cylinder 16 and openings 16a, 16b at both ends. The openings 16a and 16b of the movable cylinder 16 communicate with each other. The opening 16a on the tip side of the movable cylinder 16 allows for the insertion of a rod-shaped body. The movable cylinder 16 is held by the arm holding boss 14 so as to be movable in the cylinder center direction Ax of the arm holding boss 14.

[0033] The movable cylinder 16 has a flange portion 20 that forms a tip surface 16c of the movable cylinder 16 on the tip side where the rod-shaped body is inserted. The tip surface 16c is a surface located on the tip side of the movable cylinder 16. The flange portion 20 is a substantially disk-shaped member that surrounds the periphery of the opening 16a. In this example, the flange portion 20 and the movable cylinder 16 are configured as a single molded product. The flange portion 20 and the movable cylinder 16 may also be configured as separate bodies, and the flange portion 20 and the movable cylinder 16 may be bonded together.

[0034] Four grooves 21 are defined by the flange portion 20 and allow the four arms 12 to pass through. The grooves 21 penetrate the flange portion 20 in the cylinder center direction Ax and extend in the radial direction. In this example, the grooves 21 are open on the radially outer side of the flange portion 20. Since the grooves 21 are open on the radially outer side, they can be easily machined on the flange portion 20. Instead of the grooves 21, holes that are not open on the radially outer side may be formed on the flange portion 20 as long as they allow the four arms 12 to pass through. In addition, an engagement hole 17 that penetrates the movable cylinder 16 is formed at a circumferential midpoint between the two grooves 21. An operating lever 36, which will be described later, is inserted into the engagement hole 17.

[0035] The flange portion 20 does not need to completely surround the periphery of the opening 16a. In this example, in order to avoid interference with an operating lever 36 described later, a notch 22 is formed in a part of the flange portion 20. Note that the flange portion 20 may have a plurality of notches 22 formed therein.

[0036] Four extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 are formed on the tip surface 16c at the positions of the four arms 12. The four extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 are members for extruding the elastic tubular member from the arms 12 as described later, and have flat surfaces on the tip side for extruding the elastic tubular member. In this example, the four extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 have different heights in the extrusion direction (referred to as "extrusion height"). The extrusion height is the distance from the peripheral surface 16g of the opening 16a to the flat surfaces of the extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26, and can be expressed as the distance at the position where the elastic tubular member contacts. Among the four extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26, the extrusion part 23 has the highest extrusion height, and the extrusion parts 24, 25, and 26 are lower in this order. That is, the four extrusions 23, 24, 25, and 26 are arranged in the order of extrusion height in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 20. Note that the extrusions 23, 24, and 25 are displayed in a color pattern different from that of the flange portion 20 to facilitate understanding of the structure.

[0037] The extrusions 23, 24, and 25 each have a generally cubic shape that protrudes from the peripheral surface 16g and has a different extrusion height to the flat surface. On the other hand, the flat surface of the extrusion 26 is configured to be flush with the peripheral surface 16g. The extrusion height may protrude toward the tip side based on the peripheral surface 16g, or may coincide with the peripheral surface 16g.

[0038] In this example, the extrusion section 23 is composed of a pair of individual extrusion sections 23a, 23b separated by the groove section 21. The extrusion heights of the pair of individual extrusion sections 23a, 23b are basically set to the same height. Similarly, the extrusion section 24 is composed of a pair of individual extrusion sections 24a, 24b having the same extrusion height, the extrusion section 25 is composed of a pair of individual extrusion sections 25a, 25b having the same extrusion height, and the extrusion section 26 is composed of a pair of individual extrusion sections 26a, 26b having the same extrusion height. The functions of the extrusion sections 23, 24, 25, and 26 will be described later.

[0039] The grip 18 includes a first rod member 32, a second rod member 34, and an operating lever 36. The first rod member 32 and the second rod member 34 are fixed in a substantially perpendicular positional relationship. A male screw provided at one end of the first rod member 32 is screwed into a female screw provided on the second rod member 34. The first rod member 32, the second rod member 34, and the operating lever 36 are configured in a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0040] The grip 18 includes two support members 38, one ends of which are fixed to the second rod member 34 by mounting screws 40. The two support members 38 are substantially perpendicular to the second rod member 34 and extend on the opposite side to the first rod member 32 with the second rod member 34 in between.

[0041] Two support members 38 are fixed by screws to the outer circumferential surface of the arm holding boss 14. This fixation determines the relative positional relationship between the grip 18 and the arm holding boss 14. The cylinder center direction Ax of the arm holding boss 14 and the longitudinal direction of the second rod member 34 are approximately parallel to each other.

[0042] The second rod member 34 has a bifurcated attachment portion 42 on the other end (tip side) opposite to the first rod member 32. The attachment portion 42 has a mounting shaft 44. The operating lever 36 is supported by the mounting shaft 44 of the attachment portion 42 so as to be freely rotatable.

[0043] The operating lever 36 has a tip portion 36a on one end side. The tip portion 36a is formed as a stepped cylinder having a smaller diameter than the other portion. The tip portion 36a is inserted into the engagement hole 17 of the movable cylinder 16.

[0044] A torsion spring 48 is attached to the mounting portion 42 of the second rod member 34. In this example, an end 48a of the torsion spring 48 is engaged with the spring engagement hole 42a of the mounting portion 42, and the other end 48b is engaged with the spring engagement hole 36b of the tip portion 36a of the operation lever 36. The torsion spring 48 biases the end 48a and the end 48b in a direction away from each other. The torsion spring 48 biases the tip portion 36a of the operation lever 36 toward the tip side. The biasing force causes the operation lever 36 to rotate about the mounting shaft 44, and the tip portion 36a moves toward the tip side relative to the movable tube 16. The movement of the tip portion 36a causes the movable tube 16 to move toward the tip side relative to the arm holding boss 14. As a result, in this example, when the operation lever 36 is not operated, the receiving portion 12c of the arm 12 is in an expanded diameter state as shown in FIG. 1, and the mounting device 10 is in the first state. The first state is the initial state of the mounting device 10.

[0045] On the other hand, when the operating lever 36 is operated and the rear end 36c opposite to the tip end 36a is moved toward the tip end, the operating lever 36 rotates around the mounting shaft 44. The tip end 36a moves toward the base end relative to the movable cylinder 16. The movement of the tip end 36a causes the movable cylinder 16 to move toward the base end relative to the arm holding boss 14. When the operating lever 36 is operated, the receiving portion 12c of the arm 12 becomes in a contracted diameter state as shown in FIG. 2, and the mounting device 10 enters the second state.

[0046] The grip 18 including the first rod member 32, the second rod member 34 and the operating lever 36, and the torsion spring 48 are one example of a shift mechanism of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0047] Next, switching between the first state in which the receiving portion 12c is enlarged and the second state in which the receiving portion 12c is reduced will be described. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the arm in the first state, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the arm in the second state. Grip 18 is omitted in Figures 4 and 5.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the arm holding boss 14 is provided with a mounting shaft 13, and the arm 12 is attached to the arm holding boss 14 via the mounting shaft 13 so as to be able to swing freely.

[0049] The arm 12 is provided with a swing restriction protrusion 12d that restricts swing. On the outer circumferential surface of the movable cylinder 16, a slide groove 16d, a peripheral protrusion 16e, and a receiving groove 16f are provided from the base end side to the tip end side. The swing restriction protrusion 12d is provided near the mounting end of the arm 12. Since the swing restriction protrusion 12d abuts against the bottom surface of the slide groove 16d of the movable cylinder 16, a force acts on the receiving portion 12c toward the outer circumferential surface with the mounting shaft 13 as a fulcrum. Since the receiving portion 12c abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the movable cylinder 16 (the receiving groove 16f), the receiving portion 12c is prevented from moving away from the outer circumferential surface of the movable cylinder 16.

[0050] The slide groove 16d is formed along the cylinder center direction Ax on the outer circumferential surface of the movable cylinder 16. When the movable cylinder 16 moves relatively inside the arm holding boss 14, the swing restriction protrusion 12d slides in the slide groove 16d. Therefore, the arm 12 does not swing, and the receiving portion 12c is maintained in an expanded state parallel to the cylinder center direction Ax.

[0051] A peripheral projection 16e is formed on the tip side of the slide groove 16d. When the movable cylinder 16 is moved toward the base end side and reaches the second state shown in Fig. 5, the swing restricting projection 12d rides on the peripheral projection 16e. The abutment between the receiving portion 12c and the receiving portion groove 16f is released. As a result, the arm 12 rotates around the mounting shaft 13, and the receiving portion 12c enters a diameter-reduced state.

[0052] By operating the operating lever 36, the movable cylinder 16 is moved relatively toward the tip side, and the swing restriction protrusion 12d descends from the peripheral protrusion 16e. When the swing restriction protrusion 12d comes into sliding contact with the slide groove 16d and is moved further, the first state shown in FIG. 4 is reached. Since the receiving portion 12c comes into contact with the receiving portion groove 16f, the receiving portion 12c is in an expanded diameter state. By operating the operating lever 36, the receiving portion 12c can be easily switched between the expanded diameter state and the reduced diameter state.

[0053] Next, an example of an object for which the mounting device 10 is used will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rubber band and a balloon are attached to an endoscope insertion section. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting device 10 (not shown) is used when mounting a balloon 51, which is an example of an elastic cylindrical member, and / or a rubber band 52 for mounting the balloon to a tip 50a of an endoscope insertion section 50 as a rod-shaped body. The balloon 51 is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber. The balloon 51 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends narrowed, that is, a cylindrical shape consisting of small-diameter ends 51a, 51b and a bulged central portion 51c. The balloon 51 is placed at a predetermined mounting position by inserting the endoscope insertion section 50 through it. The balloon 51 placed at the predetermined mounting position is fixed to the endoscope insertion section 50 by fixing the ends 51a, 51b with a rubber band 52.

[0054] The inner diameter of the ends 51a, 51b of the balloon 51 or the rubber band 52 in a natural, uninflated state is smaller than the outer diameter of the endoscope insertion portion 50. Therefore, the endoscope insertion portion 50 cannot be inserted in this state. Therefore, the attachment device 10 is used to expand the diameter of the ends 51a, 51b of the balloon 51 or the rubber band 52, making it easier to insert the endoscope insertion portion 50. As a result, the ends 51a, 51b of the balloon 51 or the rubber band 52 are attached with precision to the attachment position of the endoscope insertion portion 50.

[0055] Next, a case where the rubber band 52 is attached to the endoscope insertion portion 50 using the attachment device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0056] First, as shown in Fig. 7, when the operating lever 36 is pushed in the direction of the arrow A to move the movable cylinder 16 toward the base end, the movable cylinder 16 moves inside the arm holding boss 14. This causes the attachment device 10 to change from the first state (initial state) to the second state. The four receiving portions 12c protrude from the tip of the flange portion 20, and the engagement between the swing restricting protrusions 12d and the peripheral surface protrusions 16e causes the receiving portions 12c to enter a reduced diameter state. The rubber band 52 is attached to the receiving portions 12c in the reduced diameter state, and the receiving portions 12c support the inner peripheral surface of the rubber band 52.

[0057] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the operating lever 36 is operated in the direction of the arrow B to move the movable tube 16 toward the tip side. This switches the mounting device 10 from the second state to the first state. Due to the engagement between the arm 12 and the movable tube 16, the arm 12 rotates in the opening direction, and the four receiving parts 12c are in the expanded state. This causes the rubber band 52 to be expanded in diameter by the four receiving parts 12c. When viewed from the tip side along the tube center direction Ax, the rubber band 52 is expanded in diameter to have a rectangular shape. Since the rubber band 52 is expanded in diameter to a size that exceeds the outer diameter of the endoscope insertion part 50, the endoscope insertion part 50 can be inserted into the movable tube 16. In this expanded diameter position, the tip 50a of the endoscope insertion part 50 can be inserted into the movable tube 16, and the rubber band 52 can be moved relatively to the band fastening position of the endoscope insertion part 50.

[0058] By further operating the operating lever 36 in the direction of the arrow B, the movable cylinder 16 is moved toward the tip side. The pushing portion 23 formed on the flange portion 20 and having the highest pushing height pushes one of the four corner regions of the expanded rubber band 52 at a corresponding position. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the pushing portion 23 pushes the rubber band 52 out of the receiving portion 12c. The pushed-out rubber band 52 comes off the receiving portion 12c and moves to the endoscope insertion portion 50. In this expanded position, the rubber band 52 is supported by the three receiving portions 12c and expanded in diameter.

[0059] By further operating the operating lever 36 in the direction of the arrow B, the movable cylinder 16 is moved toward the tip side. The pushing part 24 at the second pushing height pushes one of the three corner areas of the expanded rubber band 52 at a corresponding position. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the pushing part 24 pushes the rubber band 52 out of the receiving part 12c. The pushed-out rubber band 52 comes off the receiving part 12c and moves to the endoscope insertion part 50. In this expanded position, the rubber band 52 is supported by the two receiving parts 12c and expanded in diameter.

[0060] By further operating the operating lever 36 in the direction of the arrow B, the movable cylinder 16 is moved toward the tip side. The pushing portion 25 at the third pushing height pushes one of the two corner regions of the rubber band 52 that is expanded by the receiving portion 12c, which is located at a corresponding position. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the pushing portion 25 pushes the rubber band 52 out of the receiving portion 12c. The pushed-out rubber band 52 moves to the endoscope insertion portion 50. In this expanded position, the rubber band 52 is supported by one receiving portion 12c and expanded in diameter.

[0061] By further operating the operating lever 36 in the direction of the arrow B, the movable cylinder 16 is moved toward the tip side. The pushing part 26 with the lowest pushing height pushes the last corner region of the rubber band 52 whose diameter has been expanded by the receiving part 12c. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the pushing part 26 pushes the rubber band 52 out of the receiving part 12c. As a result, the rubber band 52 is released from all the receiving parts 12c, and the pushed-out rubber band 52 moves to the endoscope insertion part 50, so that the rubber band 52 can be fastened to the endoscope insertion part 50.

[0062] 7 to 12, in this example, rubber band 52 is removed from four receiving parts 12c supporting rubber band 52 at different times in order from receiving parts 12c for each corner area. Since rubber band 52 is removed little by little from four receiving parts 12c, the impact when removing rubber band 52 can be reduced, and rubber band 52 can be removed stably from receiving parts 12c.

[0063] In addition, since the push-out portions 23, 24, 25, and 26 push the respective corner regions of the expanded rubber band 52, twisting of the rubber band 52 can be suppressed.

[0064] In this example, the pair of individual extrusion parts 23a and 23b constituting the extrusion part 23 can press the corner area of ​​the rubber band 52 held by the receiving part 12c from both sides, sandwiching the receiving part 12c. This allows the rubber band 52 to be stably removed from the receiving part 12c. The extrusion part 24 is composed of the pair of individual extrusion parts 24a and 24b, the extrusion part 25 is composed of the pair of individual extrusion parts 25a and 25b, and the extrusion part 26 is composed of the pair of individual extrusion parts 26a and 26b, so that the rubber band 52 can be stably removed from the receiving part 12c in the same manner. However, the shapes of the extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 are not particularly limited as long as the rubber band 52, which is an elastic cylindrical member, can be extruded from the receiving part 12c. The extrusion parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 may each be composed of one member, or may each be composed of three or more individual extrusion parts.

[0065] Furthermore, the order and time difference in which the rubber band 52 is pushed out from the receiving portion 12c can be easily adjusted by changing the arrangement and extrusion height of the extrusion portions 23, 24, 25, and 26 within the flange portion 20. For example, the extrusion portion 23 having the highest extrusion height may be arranged in a position different from the position shown in FIG.

[0066] <Modification> Modifications of the embodiment will be described below.

[0067] (First Modification) Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining the first modified example. In Fig. 13, parts common to the above-mentioned embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the following description, only flange portions 60, 70, 80, and 90 are shown.

[0068] The flange portion 60 of the first modified example includes four extrusion portions 61, 62, 63, and 64, which are arranged in order in the circumferential direction. The extrusion portion 61 and the extrusion portion 64 have the same extrusion height, and the extrusion portion 62 and the extrusion portion 63 have the same extrusion height. That is, the flange portion 60 is composed of extrusion portions with two types of extrusion height (a group of the extrusion portions 61 and 64 and a group of the extrusion portions 62 and 63). In the first modified example, the extrusion portion 61 and the extrusion portion 64 with the same extrusion height are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. The remaining two extrusion portions 62 and 63 are arranged in the circumferential direction.

[0069] In the first modified example, first, the pushing portion 61 and the pushing portion 64 push the rubber band 52 (not shown) out of the receiving portion 12c (not shown). This causes the two corner regions of the rubber band 52 to come out of the receiving portion 12c. The pushed-out rubber band 52 moves to the endoscope insertion portion 50. The rubber band 52 is supported by the remaining two receiving portions 12c and expands in diameter.

[0070] Next, the other two pushing portions 62 and 63 push the rubber band 52 out of the remaining two receiving portions 12c. This causes the remaining two corner regions of the rubber band 52 to detach from the receiving portions 12c, and the pushed-out rubber band 52 moves to the endoscope insertion portion 50, making it possible to fasten the rubber band 52 to the endoscope insertion portion 50. In the first modified example, the rubber band 52 is detached from the receiving portions 12c at two points, which reduces impact and allows the rubber band 52 to be stably removed from the receiving portions 12c.

[0071] (Second Modification) Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining the second modified example. In Fig. 14, the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0072] The flange portion 70 of the second modified example includes four extrusion portions 71, 72, 73, and 74, which are arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction. The extrusion portions 71 and 73 have the same extrusion height, and the extrusion portions 72 and 74 have the same extrusion height. That is, the flange portion 70 is composed of extrusion portions with two types of extrusion height (a group of extrusion portions 71 and 73 and a group of extrusion portions 72 and 74). In the second modified example, the four extrusion portions 71, 72, 73, and 74 are arranged in sequence at different heights alternately along the circumferential direction.

[0073] In the second modification, first, the pushing portion 71 and the pushing portion 73 push the rubber band 52 (not shown) out of the receiving portion 12c (not shown). This causes the two corner regions of the rubber band 52 to be removed from the receiving portion 12c. Next, the other two pushing portions 72 and the pushing portion 74 push the rubber band 52 out of the remaining two receiving portions 12c. This causes the remaining two corner regions of the rubber band 52 to be removed from the receiving portion 12c. The rubber band 52 is removed from the four receiving portions 12c, and the rubber band 52 can be fastened to the endoscope insertion portion 50. In the second modification, the rubber band 52 is removed from the receiving portion 12c at two positions in the same manner as in the first modification, so that the impact can be reduced and the rubber band 52 can be removed stably from the receiving portion 12c. The order in which the rubber band 52 is removed from the receiving portion 12c is different between the second modification and the first modification. Taking into consideration the characteristics of the rubber band 52, the outer diameter of the endoscope insertion portion 50, and the like, the order in which the rubber band 52 is removed from the receiving portion 12c can be changed as appropriate.

[0074] (Third Modification) Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining the third modified example. In Fig. 15, the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] The flange portion 80 of the third modified example includes four extrusion portions 81, 82, 83, and 84, which are arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction. Extrusion portion 81, extrusion portion 83, and extrusion portion 84 have the same extrusion height, and the remaining extrusion portion 82 has a different extrusion height. In other words, the flange portion 80 is composed of extrusion portions with two types of extrusion height (a group of extrusion portions 81, extrusion portions 83, and extrusion portion 84, and a group of extrusion portion 82).

[0076] In the third modified example, first, the pushing portions 81, 83, and 84 push the rubber band 52 (not shown) out of the receiving portion 12c (not shown). This causes the three corner regions of the rubber band 52 to be removed from the receiving portion 12c. Next, the remaining pushing portion 82 pushes the rubber band 52 out of the remaining receiving portion 12c. This causes the remaining corner region of the rubber band 52 to be removed from the receiving portion 12c. The rubber band 52 is removed from the four receiving portions 12c, and the rubber band 52 can be fastened to the endoscope insertion portion 50.

[0077] In the third modified example, first three points of rubber band 52 are removed from receiving portion 12c, and then the remaining one point is removed from receiving portion 12c. This reduces the impact compared to when four points of rubber band 52 are removed from receiving portion 12c at the same time, and allows rubber band 52 to be removed stably from receiving portion 12c.

[0078] In this example, the extrusion height of the extrusion portions 81, 83, and 84 is set higher than the extrusion height of the extrusion portion 82, but the opposite may be true, that is, the extrusion height of the extrusion portion 82 may be set higher than the extrusion height of the extrusion portions 81, 83, and 84. In this case, first one portion of the rubber band 52 comes off from the receiving portion 12c, and then the remaining three portions come off from the receiving portion 12c.

[0079] (Fourth Modification) Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the fourth modified example. In Fig. 16, the same reference numerals are given to the parts common to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] The flange portion 90 of the fourth modified example has four extrusion portions 91, 92, 93, and 94, which are arranged in sequence in the circumferential direction. Extrusion portion 91 and extrusion portion 94 have the same first extrusion height. Extrusion portion 92 has a second extrusion height, and extrusion portion 93 has a third extrusion height. The first extrusion height, second extrusion height, and third extrusion height are all different. That is, the flange portion 90 is composed of extrusion portions with three different extrusion heights (a group of extrusion portions 91 and 94, a group of extrusion portion 92, and a group of extrusion portion 93).

[0081] In the fourth modified example, first, the pushing portion 91 and the pushing portion 94 push the rubber band 52 (not shown) out of the receiving portion 12c (not shown). This causes two corner regions of the rubber band 52 to be removed from the receiving portion 12c. Next, the pushing portion 93 pushes out one corner region of the rubber band 52 out of the receiving portion 12c. Finally, the remaining pushing portion 92 pushes out the last corner region of the rubber band 52 out of the remaining receiving portion 12c. The rubber band 52 is removed from the four receiving portions 12c, and the rubber band 52 can be fastened to the endoscope insertion portion 50.

[0082] In the fourth modification, two portions of rubber band 52 are removed from receiving portion 12c, then one portion is removed from receiving portion 12c, and finally the remaining portion is removed from receiving portion 12c. Therefore, the impact when removing rubber band 52 can be reduced, and rubber band 52 can be stably removed from receiving portion 12c. Note that as long as four extrusion portions 91, 92, 93, and 94 are configured with extrusion portions having three different extrusion heights, their arrangement and the extrusion height of each extrusion portion can be set appropriately.

[0083] <Other preferred modifications> In this example, the mounting device has four arms and a flange portion with four extrusions, but is not limited to this. The mounting device may have at least three arms and at least three extrusions, and at least one of the extrusions may have a different extrusion height from the other extrusions.

[0084] For example, the numbers of arms and extrusion parts can be appropriately selected, such as a combination of three arms and three extrusion parts, or a combination of five arms and five extrusion parts.

[0085] The three or more extrusion parts may all have different extrusion heights, or the three or more extrusion parts may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the extrusion heights of each group may be different. When the three or more extrusion parts all have different extrusion heights, it is preferable to arrange them in order of height in the circumferential direction of the flange part. The elastic tubular member can be removed from the receiving part in order along the circumferential direction of the flange part. By adopting the above-mentioned configuration, twisting of the elastic tubular member can be suppressed, and the elastic tubular member can be stably removed from the receiving part. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 10. Mounting device 12 Arm 12a Arm body 12b Arm middle part 12c Receiving part 12d Swing restriction protrusion 13 Mounting shaft 14 Arm holding boss 14a aperture 14b opening 15 Arm retaining groove 16 Movable tube 16a aperture 16b opening 16c Tip surface 16d Slide groove 16e Peripheral protrusion 16f Receiving groove 16g Peripheral surface 17 Engagement hole 18 Grip 20 Flange 21 Groove 22 Notch 23 Extrusion section 23a Individual extrusion section 23b Individual extrusion section 24 Extrusion section 24a Individual extrusion section 24b Individual extrusion section 25 Extrusion section 25a Individual extrusion section 25b Individual extrusion section 26 Extrusion section 26a Individual extrusion section 26b Individual extrusion section 32 1st bar member 34 Second bar member 36 Operating lever 36a Tip 36b Spring locking hole 36c rear end 38 Support member 40 Mounting screws 42 Mounting part 42a Spring locking hole 44 Mounting shaft 48 Torsion Spring 48a end 48b end 50 Endoscope insertion part 50a tip 51 Balloon 51a End 51b End 51c central part 52 Rubber Band 60 Flange 61 Extrusion section 62 Extrusion section 63 Extrusion section 64 Extrusion section 70 Flange 71 Extrusion section 72 Extrusion section 73 Extrusion section 74 Extrusion section 80 Flange 81 Extrusion section 82 Extrusion section 83 Extrusion section 84 Extrusion section 90 Flange part 91 Extrusion section 92 Extrusion section 93 Extrusion section 94 Extrusion section Ax cylinder center direction

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for mounting an elastic tubular member, in which an elastic tubular member is expanded in diameter to be larger than an outer diameter of a rod-shaped body to be mounted thereon, and the elastic tubular member is mounted on the rod-shaped body from the outside, a movable cylinder into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted; a movable cylinder holding member that holds the movable cylinder so that the movable cylinder can be moved in a cylinder center direction; three or more arms arranged on the outer periphery of the movable cylinder in parallel to the cylinder center direction at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction, the arms having one end attached to the movable cylinder holding member so as to be freely swingable in the diameter direction of the movable cylinder; a receiving portion formed at the other end of each of the arms, receiving an inner peripheral surface of the elastic tubular member, and configured to be in a reduced diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be set and in an expanded diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be attached to the rod-shaped body by swinging the arms; a flange portion that is provided on a tip side of the movable cylinder into which the rod-shaped body is inserted and that forms a tip surface of the movable cylinder, the flange portion allowing the arm to pass through; three or more extrusion parts for extruding the elastic tubular member, which are formed on the tip surface for each position of the arm, and at least one of the extrusion parts has a height in an extrusion direction different from that of the other extrusion parts; a shift mechanism for moving the movable cylinder relative to the movable cylinder holding member, swinging the arm by engaging the movable cylinder with the arm, and shifting the receiving portion from the reduced diameter state to the expanded diameter state, and then pushing out the elastic tubular member from the receiving portion by the pushing portion in order of height of the pushing portion; An elastic tubular member mounting device comprising:

2. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1 , wherein the three or more extrusion sections all have different heights in the extrusion direction.

3. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 2 , wherein the three or more extrusion portions are arranged in order of height along the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

4. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a groove defined by the flange portion and extending in a radial direction of the flange portion allows the arm to pass therethrough.

5. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 4 , wherein the extrusion portion is constituted by a pair of individual extrusion portions arranged on either side of the groove portion.

6. The three or more arms include four arms, The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1 , wherein the three or more extrusion portions are composed of four extrusion portions.

7. 7. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 6, wherein only one of the four extrusion portions is composed of two types of extrusion portions having a different height in the extrusion direction from the other three extrusion portions.

8. The mounting device for an elastic tubular member as described in claim 6, wherein the four extrusion portions are composed of three types of extrusion portions having different heights in the extrusion direction: one extrusion portion, two other extrusion portions, and the remaining one extrusion portion.

9. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 6 , wherein the four extrusion portions are constituted by two types of extrusion portions, the first and second extrusion portions being different in height in the extrusion direction.

10. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 9 , wherein the four extrusion portions are arranged such that the two extrusion portions are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction, and the other two extrusion portions are arranged in the circumferential direction.

11. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 9 , wherein the four extrusion portions are arranged in an order of alternating different heights along a circumferential direction of the flange portion.

12. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 6 , wherein the four push-out portions have different heights in the pushing direction.

13. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 11 , wherein the four extrusion portions are arranged in order of height along a circumferential direction of the flange portion.

14. 3. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped body is an endoscope insertion portion, and the elastic tubular member is a balloon or a rubber band for mounting a balloon, which is attached to the endoscope insertion portion.

15. the arm has a swing restriction protrusion at the one end, the swing restriction protrusion abutting against an outer circumferential surface of the movable cylinder, 3. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the movable cylinder has a peripheral projection on which the swing restricting projection rides to reduce the diameter of the receiving portion.

16. The elastic tubular member mounting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flange portion and the three or more extrusion portions are formed as a single molded product.

17. A method for attaching an elastic tubular member, comprising the steps of: making the elastic tubular member larger in diameter than the outer diameter of a rod-shaped body to which the elastic tubular member is to be attached, and attaching the elastic tubular member to the rod-shaped body from the outside; a movable cylinder into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted; a movable cylinder holding member that holds the movable cylinder so that the movable cylinder can be moved in a cylinder center direction; three or more arms arranged on the outer periphery of the movable cylinder in parallel to the cylinder center direction at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction, the arms having one end attached to the movable cylinder holding member so as to be freely swingable in the diameter direction of the movable cylinder; a receiving portion formed at the other end of each of the arms, receiving an inner peripheral surface of the elastic tubular member, and configured to be in a reduced diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be set and in an expanded diameter state in which the elastic tubular member can be attached to the rod-shaped body by swinging the arms; a flange portion that is provided on a tip side of the movable cylinder into which the rod-shaped body is inserted and that forms a tip surface of the movable cylinder, the flange portion allowing passage of the arm; using an elastic tubular member mounting device including three or more extrusion parts formed on the tip surface for extruding the elastic tubular member for each position of the arm, at least one of the extrusion parts having a height in the extrusion direction different from the other extrusion parts; A method for attaching an elastic tubular member, comprising the steps of: moving the movable tube relative to the movable tube holding member; swinging the arm by engaging the movable tube with the arm; and changing the receiving portion from the reduced-diameter state to the expanded-diameter state. After that, the elastic tubular member is pushed out of the receiving portion by the pushing portion in order of the height of the pushing portion.

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