Distal end hub, insertion portion and endoscope

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a distal end hub, an insertion portion and an endoscope. The distal end hub is formed with a mounting cavity, and has a first end portion and a second end portion arranged opposite each other, the first end portion being provided with a first notch and a second notch. The first notch and the second notch are arranged at the first end portion of the distal end hub, and can thus be respectively used to accommodate a first functional member and a second functional member in the insertion portion of the endoscope. When the first functional member and the second functional member are mounted in the mounting cavity of the distal end hub, at least part of the first functional member is located at the first notch, and at least part of the second functional member is located at the second notch. This allows for a reduction in size of the entire distal end hub, or can increase the sizes of the first functional member and the second functional member without reducing the size of the entire distal end hub, thereby improving the detection accuracy, etc. of the entire endoscope.

Description

Front connector, insertion part and endoscope Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a front-end seat, an insertion part, and an endoscope. Background Technology

[0002] An endoscope typically consists of a handle and an insertion section. The insertion section is a tube equipped with a light that can be inserted into the body through natural openings or a small surgical incision. Using a built-in miniature camera and optical system, the insertion section transmits images of internal organs to an external display screen, allowing doctors to visually observe the condition of internal tissues and organs.

[0003] However, the cross-sectional dimensions of the insertion section in existing technologies are relatively large. When encountering narrow natural passages in the human body, it becomes difficult for the surgeon to control the endoscope for exploration within the patient. Furthermore, when surgical incisions are required to enter the body, these incisions also need to be large, which increases the risk of injury to the patient.

[0004] Therefore, providing an insertion part with a small cross-sectional size is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application discloses a front-end seat, an insertion part, and an endoscope to at least partially improve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] To solve the above problems, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] On one hand, embodiments of this application provide a front-end seat applicable to the insertion portion of an endoscope. The endoscope includes a first functional component and a second functional component disposed on the front-end seat. The front-end seat has a mounting cavity for accommodating the first and second functional components. The front-end seat has opposing first and second ends. The first end has a first notch and a second notch, both extending from the first end to the second end. The first notch accommodates at least a portion of the first functional component, and the second notch accommodates at least a portion of the second functional component.

[0008] On the other hand, embodiments of this application also provide an insertion part, including a body and a front end seat as described above.

[0009] In another aspect, embodiments of this application also provide an endoscope, including a handle portion and an insertion portion as described above, the insertion portion being connected to the handle portion.

[0010] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0011] The front-end seat provided in this application embodiment has a first notch and a second notch at its first end. The first and second notches can respectively accommodate a first functional component and a second functional component in the insertion portion of the endoscope. When the first and second functional components are installed in the mounting cavity of the front-end seat, at least a portion of the first functional component is located at the first notch, and at least a portion of the second functional component is located at the second notch. In other words, in this embodiment, the sidewall of the front-end seat is empty at the first and second notches, and the empty portions can accommodate the first and second functional components. This allows for a smaller overall size of the front-end seat, or, without reducing the overall size of the front-end seat, an increase in the size of the first and second functional components, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the entire endoscope. This solves the problem in the prior art where the cross-sectional size of the insertion portion is large, making it difficult for the surgeon to control the endoscope to explore inside the patient when encountering narrow natural passages, and requiring a large incision for surgical entry, which increases the risk of injury to the patient. When the aforementioned front-end seat is applied to the insertion portion, the insertion portion can also solve the above problems. When the insertion part is applied to the endoscope, the endoscope can also solve the above problems. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an endoscope according to an embodiment of this application.

[0014] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an insertion part according to an embodiment of this application.

[0015] Figure 3 is an enlarged view of point A in Figure 2.

[0016] Figure 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an insertion portion according to an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 5 shows a front view of a front-end mount according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 6 shows a partial exploded view of an insertion portion according to an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 7 shows a partial exploded view of an insertion portion according to an embodiment of this application from another perspective.

[0020] Figure 8 shows an exploded view of a front-end base, a first functional component, and a second functional component cooperating in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Reference numerals: Endoscope 1, Handle 10, First functional component 110, Second functional component 120, Cable 121, Lens 122, Circuit board 123, Instrument mouth 130, Insertion part 2, Front end seat 20, Mounting cavity 210, First end 220, First notch 221, Second notch 222, Second end 230, First structural section 240, Second structural section 250, Expansion section 260, Smooth section 270, Transition surface 280, Protective sleeve 30, First extension 310, Second extension 320, Active bending section 4, Passive bending section 5. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0024] In the various embodiments of this application, "near end" and "far end" refer to the distance of each component from the user in the usage environment. The end closer to the user is designated as the "near end", and the end farther from the user is designated as the "far end".

[0025] The inventive concept of this application is described here:

[0026] An endoscope typically consists of a handle and an insertion section. The insertion section is a tube equipped with a light that can be inserted into the body through natural openings or a small surgical incision. Using a built-in miniature camera and optical system, the insertion section transmits images of internal organs to an external display screen, allowing doctors to visually observe the condition of internal tissues and organs.

[0027] However, the cross-sectional dimensions of the insertion section in existing technologies are relatively large. When encountering narrow natural passages in the human body, it becomes difficult for the surgeon to control the endoscope for exploration within the patient. Furthermore, when surgical incisions are required to enter the body, these incisions also need to be large, which increases the risk of injury to the patient.

[0028] Because the front-end seat of the insertion section integrates multiple functional components, and the size of these components is usually already at its limit and difficult to further reduce, otherwise it would greatly increase production costs. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the size of the front-end seat by reducing the size of the functional components.

[0029] The inventors discovered that the sidewall space of the front-end unit is not fully utilized. Although the sidewalls are thin, they still have a certain thickness, and the combined thickness of the two sidewalls at the axial interface of the front-end unit is still a considerable value. Currently, the front-end unit is mainly used to protect the functional components integrated within it. However, the distal end of the insertion part usually requires sealing during subsequent processing to prevent bodily secretions from entering the front-end unit. Therefore, the inventors modified the traditional front-end unit structure by creating a notch in the sidewall. This notch accommodates at least part of the functional component's structure, thus fully utilizing the sidewall. On one hand, without changing the size of the front-end unit, more space can be allocated to the functional component, allowing for a larger component size and improving the endoscope's detection accuracy. On the other hand, without changing the size of the functional component, the front-end unit can be made smaller, facilitating the insertion part's entry into the narrow natural passages within the body. Furthermore, when surgical incisions are required for entry, these incisions can be made smaller, reducing circumferential damage to the body.

[0030] Based on this, the inventors provide a front end seat, an insertion part, and an endoscope. By providing a notch on the front end seat, at least a portion of the functional component can be accommodated using the notch without changing the size of the functional component, thereby reducing the size of the front end seat and at least partially improving the above-mentioned problems.

[0031] The front end seat 20, insertion part 2 and endoscope 1 provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 8, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1-3 simultaneously. This application embodiment provides an endoscope 1, which may include a handle portion 10 and an insertion portion 2. The insertion portion 2 can be connected to the handle portion 10, and the handle portion 10 can be used by the operator to hold and rotate the insertion portion 2. An instrument nozzle 130 may be provided on the handle portion 10, which can be used by the operator to insert a detection device into the insertion portion 2 and extend it from the distal end of the insertion portion 2. The insertion portion 2 can be inserted into the patient's natural passages to examine or perform surgery on lesions within the patient's natural passages. This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection method between the handle portion 10 and the insertion portion 2; for example, it can be a threaded connection, integral molding, etc., and can be set according to the actual situation.

[0033] Furthermore, referring to Figure 3, the endoscope 1 also includes a first functional component 110 and a second functional component 120. The first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 each have different functions, such as providing a light source, capturing images, transmitting data, collecting samples, or performing surgery. This application embodiment does not limit the specific form and structure of the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120. For example, in this embodiment, the first functional component 110 can be an instrument tube, and the second functional component 120 can be a camera module. Specific configurations can be made according to actual circumstances.

[0034] Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the insertion part 2 may include an active bending section 4, a passive bending section 5, and a front end seat 20. The passive bending section 5 can be connected to the handle part 10, the active bending section 4 can be connected to the end of the passive bending section 5 away from the handle part 10, and the front end seat 20 can be connected to the end of the active bending section 4 away from the passive bending section 5. This application does not limit the specific connection method between the active bending section 4, the passive bending section 5, and the front end seat 20. For example, in one embodiment, the active bending section 4, the passive bending section 5, and the front end seat 20 can be configured as an integrally formed structure. This is beneficial for improving the overall structural stability of the active bending section 4, the passive bending section 5, and the front end seat 20, thereby reducing the possibility of breakage. Specific configurations can be made according to actual conditions and are not limited here.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 3-5 simultaneously. The front end seat 20 can be a hollow, cylindrical structure. The front end seat 20 forms a mounting cavity 210, which can be used to accommodate the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120. The front end seat 20 can have opposing first end 220 and second end 230, wherein the second end 230 is connected to the active bending section 4, and the first end 220 is a free end. The first end 220 can be provided with a first notch 221 and a second notch 222, both of which extend from the first end 220 toward the second end 230. The first notch 221 can be used to accommodate at least a portion of the first functional component 110, and the second functional component 120 can be used to accommodate at least a portion of the second functional component 120. That is, in this embodiment, after the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 are installed in the mounting cavity 210, at least a portion of them are located within the first notch 221 and the second notch 222. This can make full use of the space of the sidewall of the mounting cavity 210, thereby helping to reduce the size of the first end 220. The surgeon can control the endoscope 1 to enter narrower natural passages within the patient, thus facilitating examinations or surgeries. Furthermore, when the surgeon needs to make a surgical incision to insert the endoscope 1 into the patient, the aforementioned incision can be made smaller, thereby reducing damage to the patient's body.

[0036] Referring to Figures 6 and 7, in one embodiment, the dimension of the first notch 221 near the second end 230 is smaller than the dimension of the first notch 221 near the first end 220. In another embodiment, the dimension of the second notch 222 near the second end 230 is smaller than the dimension of the second notch 222 near the first end 220. In yet another embodiment, the dimension of the first notch 221 near the second end 230 is smaller than the dimension of the first notch 221 near the first end 220, and the dimension of the second notch 222 near the second end 230 is smaller than the dimension of the second notch 222 near the first end 220. This application embodiment uses the example of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 having the same structure; that is, in this embodiment, the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can be configured as a structure resembling a "V" or "U" shape. Preferably, both the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can be configured as having sloping sidewalls and a rounded bottom. The smooth bottom structure allows the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 to extend from the bottom of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 respectively, and to be embedded in the first notch 221 and the second notch 222, thereby avoiding or reducing the possibility of damage to the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 during installation.

[0037] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 can also be integrated within the protective sleeve 30. The structure of the protective sleeve 30 can match the structure of the front end seat 20, thereby ensuring that a sealed environment can be formed after the protective sleeve 30 is connected to the front end seat 20. Specifically, the protective sleeve 30 may include a first extension 310 and a second extension 320. The first extension 310 can match the first notch 221, and the second extension 320 can match the second notch 222. The aforementioned structure of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can also serve a pre-positioning function. That is, during the installation of the protective sleeve 30 onto the front end seat 20, the first extension 310 can be pre-aligned with the first notch 221, and the second extension 320 can be pre-aligned with the second notch 222 to improve installation efficiency.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, the front end 20 may include a first structural segment 240 and a second structural segment 250, wherein the first structural segment 240 and the second structural segment 250 are connected by a transition surface 280. The first structural segment 240 is the region near the first end 220, and the second structural segment 250 is the region near the second end 230. Both the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 extend from the first structural segment 240 to the second structural segment 250.

[0039] Correspondingly, the first notch 221 and / or the second notch 222 may include an interconnected smooth section 270 and an expansion section 260. The smooth section 270 is located in the second structural section 250, and the expansion section 260 is located in the first structural section 240. The size of the expansion section 260 is larger than that of the smooth section 270. As mentioned above, the expansion section 260 can further guide the installation of the protective sleeve 30, and the structure of the front end seat 20 described above can further improve the efficiency of installation with the protective sleeve 30. In a more specific embodiment, the expansion section 260 has the same size along the axial direction of the front end seat 20. That is, the transition surface 280 and the extension line of the first structural section 240 can be set perpendicularly. This can help improve the structural strength of the entire front end seat 20. It should be noted that the length of the expansion section 260 should not be set too long, which can also avoid or reduce the possibility of the expansion section 260 breaking, thereby helping to improve the structural strength of the entire front end seat 20. As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the bottom of the smooth section 270 can be set as an arc surface.

[0040] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the junction of the second structural segment 250 and the transition surface 280 is rounded; and / or, the junction of the first structural segment 240 and the end face of the first end 220 is rounded. It is understood that during the installation of the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 onto the front end seat 20, they may come into contact with the end face of the first end 220 and the transition surface 280. Therefore, rounding these locations can avoid or reduce the possibility of damage to the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 during installation onto the front end seat 20.

[0041] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific depth of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222. For example, in one embodiment, the depth of the first notch 221 may be equal to the depth of the second notch 222.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 4 and 8 simultaneously. It should be noted that the first notch 221 mates with the first functional component 110, and the second notch 222 mates with the second functional component 120. The first functional component 110 is an instrument tube, and the second functional component 120 is a camera module. The instrument tube is a tubular structure. The proximal end of the instrument tube communicates with the instrument nozzle 130, and the distal end of the instrument tube is integrated into the first end 220 of the front-end seat 20 and located within the first notch 221. Therefore, the axis of the instrument tube is not a straight line; it needs to be bent to fit within the first notch 221. The distal end of the camera module has components such as a lens 122 and a circuit board 123, while the proximal end has a cable 121 for data transmission. The size of the cable 121 is typically much smaller than the size of components such as the lens 122 and the circuit board 123. Therefore, the size of the camera module mainly depends on the size of components such as the lens 122 and the circuit board 123. Similarly, the camera module also needs to be bent to fit within the second notch 222. In addition, the size of the cable 121 is usually much smaller than the size of the instrument tube. In the active bending section 4 and the passive bending section 5, the instrument tube can compress the space of the cable 121, bend near the first notch 221 and release the space of the compressed cable 121.

[0043] Therefore, when the depth of the first notch 221 is the same as the depth of the second notch 222, not only can the size of the front end seat 20 be reduced, but also the size of the active bending section 4 and the passive bending section 5 can be reduced. Specifically, since the instrument tube cannot extend outside the installation space, when the instrument tube is bent and positioned at the first notch 221, the instrument tube will be displaced in the radial direction of the insertion part 2. This requires the installation cavity 210 to have a larger radial space to accommodate the instrument tube. However, when the depths of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 are set to be the same, the camera module can be extended to the second notch 222 to reserve the radial space within the installation cavity 210. This allows the bending of the instrument tube to be achieved without increasing the size of the active bending section 4 and the passive bending section 5.

[0044] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the depth of the first notch 221 can be set to be greater than the depth of the second notch 222. As mentioned above, since the bending point of the instrument tube is located near the first notch 221, setting the depth of the first notch 221 to be greater than the depth of the second notch 222 allows the bending point of the instrument tube to be further away from the first end 220 of the mounting cavity 210. In other words, in this embodiment, the bending points of the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 can be staggered, and the first functional component 110 bends further away from the first end 220, avoiding bending of the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 at the same or similar cross-section of the front end seat 20. This helps to prevent the bending point of the instrument tube from collapsing, thereby providing good passage performance for subsequent medical devices extending from the instrument tube.

[0045] It is understood that, in a preferred embodiment, the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can be arranged opposite to each other, that is, the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 are arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction of the front end seat 20. This can further utilize the space of the first end face of the front end seat 20, avoid excessive remaining space in the front end seat 20, and thus facilitate the miniaturization of the front end seat 20.

[0046] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific size and structure of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222. For example, in one embodiment, the structures of the first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can be set to be the same, but the size of the first notch 221 can be set to be larger than the size of the second notch 222. The specific settings can be made according to the actual situation.

[0047] In summary, the front end 20 provided in this application embodiment provides a first notch 221 and a second notch 222 at the first end 220 of the front end 20. The first notch 221 and the second notch 222 can be used to accommodate the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 in the insertion part 2 of the endoscope 1, respectively. When the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 are installed in the mounting cavity 210 of the front end 20, at least a portion of the first functional component 110 is located at the first notch 221, and at least a portion of the second functional component 120 is located at the second notch 222. In other words, in this embodiment, the sidewall of the front end seat 20 is empty at the first notch 221 and the second notch 222. The empty portions can accommodate the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120, thereby allowing the overall size of the front end seat 20 to be reduced. Alternatively, without reducing the overall size of the front end seat 20, the sizes of the first functional component 110 and the second functional component 120 can be increased, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the entire endoscope 1. This solves the problem in the prior art where the cross-sectional size of the insertion part 2 is large, making it difficult for the surgeon to control the endoscope 1 to explore inside the patient's body when encountering narrow natural passages, and requiring a large incision for surgical entry, which increases the risk of injury to the patient. When the aforementioned front end seat 20 is applied to the insertion part 2, the insertion part 2 also solves the above problems. When the insertion part 2 is applied to the endoscope 1, the endoscope 1 also solves the above problems.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0049] Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatus in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0050] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A front-end connector, characterized in that, It can be applied to the insertion part of an endoscope, the endoscope including a first functional component and a second functional component disposed on the front end seat; The front end has a mounting cavity for accommodating the first functional component and the second functional component. The front end has a first end and a second end, the first end having a first notch and a second notch, both extending from the first end to the second end. The first notch is for accommodating at least a portion of the first functional component, and the second notch is for accommodating at least a portion of the second functional component.

2. The front-end mount according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of the first notch is greater than or equal to the depth of the second notch; And / or, the first notch and the second notch are positioned opposite each other.

3. The front-end mount according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dimension of the first notch near the second end is smaller than the dimension of the first notch near the first end; And / or, the size of the second notch near the second end is smaller than the size of the second notch near the first end.

4. The front-end mount according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front end includes a first structural segment and a second structural segment, wherein the first notch and the second notch extend from the first structural segment to the second structural segment; The first gap and / or the second gap includes an interconnected smooth segment and an expansion segment, the smooth segment being located in the second structural segment and the expansion segment being located in the first structural segment, the size of the expansion segment being larger than the size of the smooth segment.

5. The front-end mount according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom of the smooth segment is an arc surface; And / or, the expansion segments have the same dimensions along the axial direction of the front end seat.

6. The front-end mount according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first structural segment and the second structural segment are connected by a transition surface, and the junction between the second structural segment and the transition surface is rounded. And / or, the junction between the first structural segment and the end face of the first end is rounded.

7. The front-end mount according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first structural segment and the second structural segment are connected by a transition surface, which is perpendicular to the extension line of the first structural segment.

8. The front-end mount according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first functional component is an instrument tube; And / or, the second functional component is a camera module.

9. An insertion part, characterized in that, Includes the front-end mount as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. An endoscope, characterized in that, It includes a handle portion and an insertion portion as described in claim 9, wherein the insertion portion is connected to the handle portion.

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