Rotation mechanism and medical device

Abstract

To provide a rotation mechanism capable of rotatively operating a coil body with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A rotation mechanism is constituted by spirally winding one or a plurality of wires. The rotation mechanism includes: a coil body having a gap in at least a part in between adjacent portions in the wires; and a rotation guide body including a fitting part that fits to the gap and being movable along a central axis of the coil body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a rotating mechanism and a medical instrument.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, medical instruments such as medical catheters that are inserted and used inside a living body lumen (blood vessels, digestive organs, ureters, trachea, etc.) are known. Such a medical instrument includes a coil body for transmitting a rotational operation applied to the proximal end portion by a technician such as a doctor to the distal end portion. As a device for applying a rotational operation to the proximal end portion of the coil body, a router including a rotatable element having a spiral ridge portion and an aperture that engages with the spiral ridge portion and rotates the rotatable element by moving along the longitudinal direction of the rotatable element has been devised (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above configuration, the configuration of the router for applying a rotational operation to the coil body tends to be complicated, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] Note that such a problem is not limited to the rotating mechanism for medical instruments, but is a common problem in general rotating mechanisms including various pipe uses.

[0006] This specification discloses a technology capable of solving the above-described problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized, for example, in the following forms. (1) The rotating mechanism disclosed by this specification is composed of one or a plurality of wire elements wound in a spiral shape, and has a coil body having gaps at least in part between adjacent portions of the wire elements, and a fitting portion that fits into the gaps, and a rotation guide that is movable along the central axis of the coil body.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the coil body can be rotated with a simple configuration.

[0009] (2) In the rotating mechanism described in (1) above, the wire element may include a first wire element and a second wire element adjacent to the first wire element with a gap therebetween.

[0010] According to such a configuration, for example, the coil body can be easily manufactured by removing some wire elements from a tightly wound coil, and simplification of the manufacturing process can be achieved.

[0011] (3) In the rotating mechanism described in (2) above, the fitting portion may be a guiding coil wound in a spiral shape so as to fit into the gap.

[0012] According to such a configuration, the coil body and the guiding coil can be easily manufactured, and simplification of the manufacturing process can be achieved.

[0013] (4) In the rotating mechanism described in (1) or (2) above, the rotation guide may include a coil holding portion having an insertion hole through which the coil body can be inserted, and the fitting portion may be a protrusion protruding from the coil holding portion into the inside of the insertion hole.

[0014] According to such a configuration, the coil body can be rotated with a simple configuration. Also, the strength of the rotation guide can be ensured.

[0015] (5) The medical device disclosed by this specification is provided with the rotation mechanism described in any one of (1) to (4) above. The above rotation mechanism has a simple configuration, can rotate the coil body, and is suitable for medical devices.

[0016] Note that the technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various forms. For example, it can be realized in the form of a rotation mechanism and its manufacturing method, etc.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] A. First Embodiment: A-1. Configuration of the Rotation Mechanism 100: The rotation mechanism 100 of the present embodiment is a member provided in a medical instrument such as a medical catheter that is inserted into a living body lumen (blood vessel, digestive organ, ureter, trachea, etc.) and used to transmit an operation at the operator's hand to the tip. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation mechanism 100 includes a coil body 110 and a rotation guide 120, and is fixed to a workbench (not shown) by a fixing member 130 and used. In FIG. 1, the positive Z-axis direction side is the tip side (distal side) inserted into the living body lumen, and the negative Z-axis direction side is the proximal side (proximal side) operated by a technician such as a doctor. These points are the same for the figures after FIG. 2. In FIG. 1, the rotation mechanism 100 is shown in a substantially straight line state parallel to the Z-axis direction as a whole, but the rotation mechanism 100 has flexibility to the extent that it can be bent. In the following, for the rotation mechanism 100 and each component member of the rotation mechanism 100, the tip and its vicinity are referred to as the "tip portion", and the base end and its vicinity are referred to as the "base end portion".

[0019] (Coil body 110) The coil body 110 is a hollow multi-strand coil in which a plurality of strands 111 are wound in a spiral shape, and has a cylindrical shape with a constant inner diameter over the entire length. The total length of the coil body 110 is, for example, about 10 - 500 mm, and the outer diameter of the coil body 110 is, for example, about 0.2 - 0.9 mm.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the strand 111 includes a first strand 111A and a second strand 111B adjacent to it. The first strand 111A and the second strand 111B are arranged adjacent to each other with a gap 112 over the entire length. Two adjacent strands 111 other than the first strand 111A and the second strand 111B are in contact with each other without a gap over the entire length. That is, the coil body 110 is a closely wound coil wound such that adjacent strands 111 are in contact with each other except that there is a gap 112 between the first strand 111A and the second strand 111B. In the present embodiment, the twisting direction of the strand 111 is Z-twist.

[0021] As the material of the element wire 111, known materials are used, for example, metal materials, more specifically, stainless steels (such as SUS302, SUS304, SUS316, etc.), superelastic alloys such as Ni-Ti alloys, piano wires, nickel-chromium alloys, cobalt alloys, tungsten, etc.

[0022] (Rotating inductor 120) The rotating inductor 120 includes an induction coil 121 (an example of a fitting part) that fits into the gap 112 of the coil body 110, and a gripping part 122 fixed to one end of the induction coil 121.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the induction coil 121 is a loosely wound coil in which a wire is spirally wound so as to fit into the gap 112. More specifically, the induction coil 121 has a coil mean diameter D2 equal to the coil mean diameter D1 of the coil body 110. Also, the pitch angle α2 of the induction coil 121 is equal to the pitch angle α1 of the coil body 110. Note that the coil mean diameter D1 of the coil body 110 is the average value of the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the coil body 110, and the coil mean diameter D2 of the induction coil 121 is the average value of the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the induction coil 121. Also, the pitch angle α1 of the coil body 110 is represented by the angle formed by a plane P1 perpendicular to the central axis Ac of the coil body 110 and the center line Aw1 of the element wire 111 constituting the coil body 110, and the pitch angle α2 of the induction coil 121 is represented by the angle formed by a plane P2 perpendicular to the central axis of the induction coil 121 (which coincides with the central axis Ac of the coil body 110) and the center line Aw2 of the wire constituting the induction coil 121. The thickness of the induction coil 121 may be such that it can fit into the gap 112, and it may be equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the gap 112 (the distance between the first element wire 111A and the second element wire 111B).

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, one end portion of the induction coil 121 protrudes from the coil body 110, and the remaining portion is attached to the coil body 110 so as to fit into the gap 112.

[0025] As the material of the wire forming the induction coil 121, known materials are used, for example, metal materials, more specifically, stainless steel (SUS302, SUS304, SUS316, etc.), superelastic alloys such as Ni-Ti alloys, piano wire, nickel-chromium alloys, cobalt alloys, tungsten, etc. The material of the strand 111 forming the coil body 110 and the material of the wire forming the induction coil 121 may be the same or different.

[0026] The gripping portion 122 is connected to one end portion that protrudes from the coil body 110 in the induction coil 121. In FIG. 1, a rod-shaped member thicker than the induction coil 121 is illustrated as the gripping portion 122, but the gripping portion 122 may have a shape that is easy to grip when the operator operates. The material of the gripping portion 122 only needs to have a strength such that it does not deform when the operator tries to grip and operate it. For example, metal, synthetic resin, etc. can be exemplified.

[0027] (Fixing member 130) The fixing member 130 is a member that is fixed to the workbench and rotatably supports the coil body 110. The fixing member 130 may include, for example, a known bearing for rotatably supporting the coil body 110.

[0028] (Manufacturing method of the rotation mechanism 100) An example of a method for manufacturing the rotation mechanism 100 configured as described above will be described below.

[0029] First, a closely wound coil formed of a plurality of strands and wound so that adjacent strands are in contact with each other is prepared. From this closely wound coil, one strand is removed while maintaining its helical shape. The closely wound coil from which one strand has been removed becomes the coil body 110 with a gap 112 formed at the position where the removed strand was originally disposed, and the one removed strand becomes the induction coil 121.

[0030] Next, the induction coil 121 is attached to the coil body 110 such that one end portion protrudes from the coil body 110 and the remaining portion fits into the gap 112.

[0031] In addition, through necessary steps such as a step of attaching the gripping portion 122 to the induction coil 121, the rotating mechanism 100 is completed.

[0032] A-2. Operation of the rotating mechanism 100: When rotating the rotating mechanism 100, an operator holds the gripping portion 122 and moves the rotation inductor 120 along the central axis Ac of the coil body 110. When the gripping portion 122 is pushed toward the tip of the coil body 110 (in the positive Z-axis direction in FIG. 1), the induction coil 121 tries to move toward the tip inside the gap 112 while interfering with the second wire element 111B adjacent to the tip side. Along with this, the coil body 110 rotates clockwise around the central axis Ac as viewed from the tip side. Also, when the gripping portion 122 is pulled in a direction away from the tip of the coil body 110 (in the negative Z-axis direction in FIG. 1), the induction coil 121 tries to move toward the base end inside the gap 112 while interfering with the first wire element 111A adjacent to the base end side. Along with this, the coil body 110 rotates counterclockwise around the central axis Ac as viewed from the tip side. In this way, the linear movement of the induction coil 121 can be easily converted into the rotational movement of the coil body 110.

[0033] A-3. Effects of the rotating mechanism 100: As described above, according to the present embodiment, the rotating mechanism 100 includes a coil body 110 in which a plurality of wire elements 111 are wound in a spiral shape and which has a gap 112 between the adjacent first wire element 111A and second wire element 111B, and an induction coil 121 wound in a spiral shape so as to fit into the gap 112, and a rotation inductor 120 movable along the central axis Ac of the coil body 110.

[0034] According to the above configuration, the coil body 110 can be rotated with a simple configuration. Also, the coil body 110 and the induction coil 121 can be easily manufactured, and simplification of the manufacturing process can be realized.

[0035] B. Second Embodiment B-1. Configuration of Rotation Mechanism 200: The rotation mechanism 200 of this embodiment is a member that is provided in a medical instrument and used to transmit an operation at the operator's hand to the tip, similar to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation mechanism 200 includes a coil body 210 and a rotation inductor 220.

[0036] (Coil Body 210) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coil body 210 includes a core material 213 and a coil portion 214 disposed to surround the core material 213. The core material 213 is a long, round bar-shaped member. The coil portion 214 is a hollow multi-strand coil formed by winding a plurality of strands 111 in a spiral shape and has a gap 112. Since the detailed structure of the coil portion 214 is the same as the structure of the coil body 110 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0037] As the materials of the core material 213 and the strand 111, known materials are used, for example, metal materials, more specifically, stainless steel (SUS302, SUS304, SUS316, etc.), superelastic alloys such as Ni-Ti alloys, piano wire, nickel-chromium alloys, cobalt alloys, tungsten, etc. The material of the core material 213 and the material of the strand 111 may be the same or different.

[0038] (Rotation Inductor 220) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rotating conductor 220 includes a coil holding portion 221, two flanges 223, and a protrusion 224 (an example of a fitting portion and a protrusion). The coil holding portion 221 has a cylindrical shape with an insertion hole 222 through which the coil body 210 can be inserted. The inner diameter of the insertion hole 222 only needs to be large enough to allow the coil body 210 to be inserted therein, and may be equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the coil body 210. The two flanges 223 protrude outward from both end edges of the coil holding portion 221, respectively. The protrusion 224 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the coil holding portion 221 into the insertion hole 222 and extends spirally from one end to the other end of the coil holding portion 221 so as to fit into the gap 112 of the coil body 110. More specifically, the winding angle α3 of the protrusion 224 is equal to the pitch angle α1 of the coil body 110. Note that the winding angle α3 of the protrusion 224 is represented by the angle formed by a plane P3 perpendicular to the central axis of the coil holding portion 221 (which coincides with the central axis Ac of the coil body 110) and the center line Ar of the protrusion 224. The width of the protrusion 224 only needs to be large enough to fit into the gap 112, and may be equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the gap 112.

[0039] The material of the rotating conductor 220 only needs to have a strength such that it does not deform when an operator tries to grasp and operate it. For example, metals, synthetic resins, etc. can be exemplified.

[0040] The coil body 210 is inserted into the coil holding portion 221 such that the protrusion 224 fits into the gap 112, and is rotatably held by the coil holding portion 221.

[0041] B-2. Operation of the rotating mechanism 200: When rotating the rotating mechanism 200, an operator places a finger on the flange 223 and moves the rotation guide 220 along the central axis Ac of the coil body 210. When the rotation guide 220 is pushed toward the tip of the coil body 210 (in the positive Z-axis direction in FIG. 4), the coil holding portion 221 tends to move toward the tip of the coil body 210. At this time, the protrusion 224 attempts to move toward the tip inside the gap 112 while interfering with the second wire 111B adjacent to the tip side. Along with this, the coil body 210 rotates clockwise around the central axis Ac as viewed from the tip side. Also, when the rotation guide 220 is pushed in a direction away from the tip of the coil body 210 (in the negative Z-axis direction in FIG. 1), the coil holding portion 221 tends to move toward the base end of the coil body 210. At this time, the protrusion 224 attempts to move toward the base end inside the gap 112 while interfering with the first wire 111A adjacent to the base end side. Along with this, the coil body 210 rotates counterclockwise around the central axis Ac as viewed from the tip side. In this way, the linear movement of the rotation guide 220 can be easily converted into the rotational movement of the coil body 110. Further, since the coil holding portion 221 is cylindrical and surrounds the coil body 210 over the entire circumference, even if the protrusion 224 buffers against the coil body 210 as the rotation guide 220 moves, the coil holding portion 221 is difficult to deform, and the strength of the rotation guide 220 can be ensured.

[0042] B-3. Function and Effect of Rotating Mechanism 200: As described above, according to the present embodiment, the rotating mechanism 200 includes a coil body 210 and a rotation guide 220 that is movable along the central axis Ac of the coil body 210. The coil body 210 includes a coil portion 214, and the coil portion 214 is formed by winding a plurality of wires 111 in a spiral shape and has a gap 112 between the adjacent first wire 111A and second wire 111B. Further, the rotation guide 220 includes a coil holding portion 221 having an insertion hole 222 through which the coil body 210 can be inserted, and a protrusion 224 that protrudes from the coil holding portion 221 into the insertion hole 222 and fits into the gap 112.

[0043] According to such a configuration, similar to the first embodiment, the coil body 110 can be rotated with a simple configuration. Also, the strength of the rotation conductor 220 can be ensured.

[0044] C. Modification Example: The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified into various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible. (1) The configuration of the coil body is not limited to that of the above embodiment. For example, there may be a gap wider than one wire or a gap narrower than one wire between the first wire and the second wire. Alternatively, it may be a loosely wound coil wound so as to have a gap between adjacent portions of one wire. (2) The width of the fitting portion is arbitrary as long as it can fit into the gap of the coil body. (3) The coil body of the first embodiment does not include a core material, and the coil body of the second embodiment includes a core material. However, whether the coil body includes a core material or not is arbitrary. When the coil body includes a core material, the coil body and the core material together can be referred to as a solid rope. Also, the core material may be a single wire, or may be a rope-like one in which a plurality of wires are twisted. (4) In the first embodiment, the twisting direction of the coil body 110 was Z-twist, but the twisting direction of the coil body is arbitrary. The same applies to the second embodiment. (5) In the first embodiment, a method of forming the coil body 110 by removing one wire 111 from a closely wound coil composed of a plurality of wires 111 was exemplified. However, the coil body may be formed by removing two or more wires from the closely wound coil. Also, when the removed wire is not used as an induction coil, the wire may be removed without maintaining its spiral shape. The same applies to the second embodiment. (6) In the second embodiment, the protrusion 224 extended spirally from one end to the other end of the coil holding portion 221. However, the shape of the fitting portion only needs to be a shape that can fit into the gap of the coil body 210. For example, it may be a protrusion arranged in a part from one end to the other end of the coil holding portion, or it may be a columnar protrusion protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the coil holding portion. (7) In the above embodiment, a medical catheter has been exemplified as a medical instrument provided with the rotation mechanisms 100 and 200. However, the medical instrument provided with the rotation mechanism may be, for example, a treatment tool for an endoscope or the like. Further, the rotation mechanism may be applied to uses other than medical use (for example, for piping).

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0045] 100: Rotation mechanism 110: Coil body 111: Strand 111A: First strand 111B: Second strand 112: Gap 120: Rotation inductor 121: Induction coil 122: Gripping portion 130: Fixed member 200: Rotation mechanism 210: Coil body 213: Core material 214: Coil portion 220: Rotation inductor 221: Coil holding portion 222: Insertion hole 223: Flange 224: Protrusion (protruding portion) Ac: Central axis Ar, Aw1, Aw2: Center lines D1, D2: Coil mean diameters P1, P2, P3: Planes α1, α2: Pitch angles α3: Winding angle

Claims

1. A coil body formed by winding one or more strands spirally, having a gap in at least a part between adjacent portions of the strands; A rotation guide body provided with a fitting portion that fits into the gap and movable along the central axis of the coil body; Comprising: A rotation mechanism.

2. The strand includes a first strand and a second strand adjacent to the first strand with a gap therebetween, The rotation mechanism according to Claim 1.

3. The fitting portion is a guiding coil wound spirally so as to fit into the gap, The rotation mechanism according to Claim 2.

4. The rotation guide body includes a coil holding portion having an insertion hole through which the coil body can be inserted, The fitting portion is a protrusion protruding from the coil holding portion into the insertion hole, The rotation mechanism according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

5. A medical instrument comprising the rotation mechanism according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

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