JP2005323683A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope which is constituted in such a manner that the assembly workability is improved without increasing the cost price, and the diameter of the endoscope insertion section is made smaller, the curving operation force quantity is reduced, and the durability and the brightness of a light guide can be increased. <P>SOLUTION: The light guide 35 for which a plurality of optical fibers are bound are divided at least into two. The glass fibers of light guide divisions 35a and 35b are rebound into one light guide division 35e on the distal end 6 of this endoscope 1, and the light guide division 35e is connected with the distal end 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope in which an optical fiber bundle is disposed in an insertion portion.

  Currently, endoscopes are widely used in the medical field and the like. In general, an endoscope includes an insertion portion having flexibility to be inserted into a body cavity and an operation portion provided at a proximal end of the insertion portion. In addition, an objective optical system that captures a subject image at the distal end of the insertion unit, an imaging device that captures the subject image captured from the objective optical system, an illumination lens member that emits illumination light that illuminates the subject, and a channel A base member or the like is incorporated. A signal line is connected to the imaging device section, a light guide made of an optical fiber bundle is connected to the illumination lens member, and a channel tube is connected to the base member of the channel. It is inserted in the club. Further, a bending operation wire, a tube for guiding the wire, an air supply tube, a water supply tube, and the like are also arranged in the insertion portion. As described above, since various built-in members are incorporated in the insertion portion of the endoscope, the insertion portion becomes thicker accordingly.

  On the other hand, it should be considered to reduce the patient's pain due to the fact that the insertion portion is inserted into the body cavity, and it is desirable to make the insertion portion of the endoscope as thin as possible.

  Built-in items related to the imaging device unit and the treatment instrument channel are preferentially arranged in the insertion part of the conventional endoscope, and the illumination light guide remains in a limited space remaining after arranging other built-in items. Had been placed.

Further, in order to protect the optical fiber bundle constituting the light guide body of the light guide for illumination, a protective tube is coated on the outer periphery of the light guide body, and as a result, the outer diameter of the light guide is located on the tip side. It becomes larger than the outer diameter of the front-end molding part or the illumination lens provided on the front-end side.
For this reason, the light guide filling rate in the insertion portion is higher than that of the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

  Further, in an endoscope where the brightness of the subject image is desired, there is a strong demand to increase the cross-sectional area by increasing the thickness of the light guide and increase the amount of light transmitted by the illumination light guide.

  However, as described above, since the light guide is arranged using a limited space, it is difficult to arrange the light guide with a space in the insertion portion while maintaining the circular cross-sectional shape.

For this reason, an endoscope has been proposed in which a light guide in which the shape of the cross section of the light guide is deformed from a perfect circle to an irregular shape is arranged in the insertion portion to increase the filling rate of the light guide (patent) Reference 1). Furthermore, in the endoscope described in Patent Document 1, in order to protect the built-in object from friction and pressure caused by bending the insertion part or the bending part, a lubricant is provided around the built-in object to prevent slipping. It enhances the performance and allows the built-in items to be stored more closely.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-78673

  In an endoscope in which a soft part or a bending part is provided in the insertion part, when the soft part or the bending part of the insertion part is bent, the built-in object moves in the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion part. In particular, when the bending portion is bent, it moves more greatly.

  However, because the light guide is tightly embedded in the insertion portion for the reason described above, the interference rate with other internal components (the interference rate here is the ratio of the area where the substance and the substance are in contact with each other). And the frictional resistance between the built-in objects increases. Particularly, when the soft part or the curved part of the insertion part is bent, the frictional resistance is further increased.

  Therefore, when the soft part and the bending part of the insertion part are bent, the bending operation force becomes heavy. In addition, the light guide has a problem in durability that a large load is generated due to interference with other built-in objects, and the light guide itself is easily broken.

  Furthermore, the endoscope in Patent Document 1 tries to alleviate the load caused by interference by providing a lubricant in the insertion portion in order to improve the durability of the built-in components. The number of parts increases, and there is a problem that cost increases and assembly workability decreases.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and can reduce the diameter of the endoscope insertion portion, decrease the bending operation force, improve the resistance of the optical fiber bundle, increase the amount of transmitted light, or increase the cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope that can improve the assembly workability.

The present invention provides an endoscope in which a plurality of flexible and long light guides (or optical fiber bundles composed of optical fibers) are arranged in an insertion part having a distal end and a curved part. Alternatively, the optical fiber bundle) is divided into a plurality of pieces at least in the bending portion, and at least a plurality of the plurality of pieces divided in the bending portion are bundled and connected to the tip portion.
The plurality of optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion includes a circular cross section.
The plurality of optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion include those having a circular cross-sectional shape.
A plurality of optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion include those having different cross-sectional areas.

The plurality of optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion all include a plurality of optical fiber bundles having a circular cross-sectional shape and different cross-sectional areas.
In the tip portion, at least a plurality of optical fiber bundles divided into a plurality of pieces in the curved portion are re-bundled so as to be one optical fiber bundle having a circular cross-sectional shape and connected to the tip portion. Includes features.
The optical fiber bundle includes a light guide for transmitting illumination light.
The optical fiber bundle includes an optical guide for transmitting an image.
The optical fiber bundle includes both a light guide for transmitting illumination light and an image guide for transmitting images.

The insertion portion includes one in which a tube for conduction of a treatment instrument or a tube capable of supplying air or water is disposed.
The insertion section includes an arrangement in which an imaging cable that is installed at the distal end hard section and extends from an imaging apparatus section for capturing a subject image is disposed.
The bending portion includes a wire guide for passing a wire and an optical fiber bundle having a large outer diameter in the optical fiber bundle arranged in the vicinity of the wire guide.

  According to the present invention, when the insertion portion and the bending portion are curved, the interference ratio between the light guide and other built-in objects in the insertion portion and the bending portion is low, so that excessive friction and pressure do not occur, and the light guide Can move smoothly. Therefore, when trying to improve the brightness and resolution in the insertion part of an endoscope where a reduction in diameter is desired, the limited space in the insertion part can be used effectively, and transmission can be performed without increasing the diameter of the insertion part. Performances such as an increase in the amount of light can be improved.

[First Embodiment]
An endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external form of an electronic endoscope 1 according to this embodiment. The endoscope 1 includes a long insertion portion 2 that is inserted into a test site such as a body cavity, an operation portion 3 that is connected to a proximal end of the insertion portion 2, and a length that extends from the operation portion 3. A universal cord 4 having a flexible scale is provided. A connector 5 for connecting to a lighting light source device (not shown) is provided at the tip of the universal cord 4. Further, a signal processing circuit such as a video processor (not shown) is connected via the connector 5.

  The insertion portion 2 includes a distal end portion 6, a curved portion 7 provided behind the distal end portion 6, and a long and flexible soft portion (flexible provided behind the curved portion 7. Part) 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 6 of the insertion portion 2 includes a distal end portion main body 11 made of a substantially cylindrical hard member, and the portion from the front end surface to the side peripheral surface of the distal end portion main body 11 is made of resin insulation. The cover 12 is almost completely covered. The entire portion of the insulating cover 12 that is joined to the tip end body 11 is fixed to the tip end body 11 with an adhesive. A concave step portion 13 is partially formed in a portion located on the operation portion 3 side of the rear end of the insulating cover 12 in the outer peripheral portion of the side portion of the tip body 11. The stepped portion 13 can be used when, for example, the tip end body 11 is removed from the bending portion 7. That is, the tip end body 11 can be easily detached from the bending portion 7 by pulling the tip end body 11 while holding the stepped portion 13 with a jig such as pliers. At this time, there is no possibility of damaging the insulating cover 12.

  The bending portion 7 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, a plurality of bending pieces 16 formed in a short annular shape are arranged in a line along the major axis direction of the insertion portion 2 and adjacent bending pieces 16 are connected by the shaft pin 17 so that the plurality of bending pieces 16 are bent as a whole. It is possible.

  The specific structure for connecting the bending pieces 16 is as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 3, each bending piece 16 is formed with a first contact ring portion 21 protruding forward at the front end edge, and a second contact ring portion 22 rearward at the rear end edge of the bending piece 16. It is formed to protrude toward. However, the most advanced bending piece 16 a does not have the first contact ring portion 21, and the rearmost bending piece 16 b does not have the second contact ring portion 22.

  And as shown in FIG. 2, the 1st contact ring part 21 and the 2nd contact ring part 22 of the mutually adjacent bending piece 16 are piled up and combined with each other. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a relationship in which the first contact ring portion 21 is positioned outside and the second contact ring portion 22 is positioned inside. A shaft pin 17 is attached to the inner surface of the first contact ring portion 21 located outside. The shaft pin 17 is irradiated with a laser from the outside of the first contact ring portion 21 in a state where it is in contact with the inner surface of the first contact ring portion 21, and is thereby welded and fixed to the first contact ring portion 21. As shown in FIG. 2, a shaft hole 23 through which the shaft pin 17 is passed is formed in the second contact ring portion 22 located on the inner side.

  Then, the shaft pin 17 is passed through the shaft hole 23 of the second contact ring portion 22, and the tip portion protruding to the inside of the second contact ring portion 22 is pivoted flatly as shown in FIG.

  In this way, the shaft pin 17 that connects the bending pieces 16 of the bending portion 7 is welded and fixed to the inner surface of the first contact ring portion 21 located outside, so that the shaft pin 17 protrudes outward. In addition, the outer diameter of the bending portion 7 can be reduced correspondingly, and the diameter of the bending portion 7 can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, three elongated hole-like through holes 24 are arranged in the first contact ring portion 21 so as to be arranged concentrically radially around the center of the welded portion of the first contact ring portion 21. ing. These through-holes 24 are evenly arranged radially on the circumference centered on the welded portion of the first contact ring portion 21, and are not arranged near the root portion 25 of the first contact ring portion 21. .

  With the configuration in which the through hole 24 is provided in this way, when the shaft pin 17 is welded to the first contact ring portion 21, the shaft pin 17 is located at the center of the first contact ring portion 21 on the inner surface of the first contact ring portion 21. Whether or not they are correctly arranged can be confirmed through the through holes 24 from the outside. Further, since the through hole 24 is not disposed in the vicinity of the root portion 25 of the first contact ring portion 21, even when a strong tensile load is applied to the curved portion 7, the strength near the weakest root portion 25 is maintained, It will not be destroyed from the vicinity of the root portion 25 of the first ring contact portion 21. Therefore, even if the through hole 24 is provided, the strength of the first contact ring portion 21 can be secured.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the bending piece 16a positioned at the foremost end abuts against the rear end of the tip end main body 11 and is attached to a protective pipe 33 to be described later to be bonded or welded. Thus, the bending piece 16a located at the foremost end is fixedly connected to the distal end portion main body 11.

  Note that the tip of the bending piece 16a positioned at the forefront may be positioned by abutting against a protrusion 33a formed at an intermediate portion of the outer periphery of the protective pipe 33 described later. Further, the distal end portion of the bending piece 16a located at the foremost end is fitted on the rear end portion of the distal end portion main body 11, and is fixed to the distal end portion main body 11 by means such as screwing, adhesion or welding. You may do it.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the bending piece 16b located at the rearmost end is closely fitted into the front end portion of the connecting pipe 18 at its rear end portion, and is joined to the connecting pipe 18 by means such as screwing, bonding or welding. Fixedly connected to the tube 18.

  Furthermore, the outer periphery of the bending piece 16 of the bending portion 7 is covered with a thin metal wire blade 26, and the outer side of the blade 26 is covered with a resin outer tube 27 to provide an airtight exterior. . The distal end of the outer tube 27 is abutted against the rear end of the insulating cover 12 of the distal end main body 11 and is hermetically connected by bonding, thread fastening, or the like.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the bending portion 7 is connected to the distal end of the flexible portion 8 by the joint pipe 18, and an operation surface for bending the bending section 7 on the inner peripheral surface of the joint pipe 18. The tip of a coil 29 as a wire guide tube through which the wire 28 passes is fixedly connected by silver solder or the like. The distal end of the operation wire 28 is fixed to the distal end portion main body 11 of the distal end portion 6 or the most advanced bending piece 16a. Then, by operating the operation lever 30 provided in the operation unit 3, the operation wire 28 is advanced and retracted, whereby the bending portion 7 of the insertion unit 2 is bent in the direction of being pulled. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion body 11 at the distal end portion 6 of the insertion portion 2 has an objective optical system 10 (see FIG. 8) and an optical image of the test portion via the objective optical system 10. And a protective pipe 33 for forming a mouth portion 32 of a treatment instrument insertion channel 31 for inserting a treatment instrument (not shown). An illumination light guide 35 made of an optical fiber bundle as a flexible light guide and an illumination lens 36 for spreading and emitting illumination light to a necessary angle are fixed to the body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rear end portion of the protection pipe 33 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the distal end main body 11 and is made of a resin that forms the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 on the outer periphery of the protruding portion. The distal end portion of the insertion tube 38 is fitted and fixedly connected with an adhesive. The distal end of the insertion tube 38 is abutted against a protrusion 33 a formed at an intermediate position on the outer periphery of the protective pipe 33. The protective pipe 33 is tightly inserted into the channel connection hole 39 formed in the tip end body 11 and only the part where both are fitted is fixed with an adhesive.

  Further, the inner diameter of the insulating cover 12 connected to the mouth portion 32 of the channel 31 formed by the protective pipe 33 is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the protective pipe 33, and the mouth portion 32 of the channel 31 is formed by this enlarged portion. The diameter of the tip opening 32a is wide. With such a configuration, for example, when the insertion tube 38 forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 has a hole for some reason and the insertion tube 38 needs to be replaced, the outer diameter is the channel at the time of repair. Inserting a drill or the like having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the connection hole 39 and slightly larger than the inner diameter of the protection pipe 33 into the channel connection hole 39 from the distal end side of the insertion portion 2 and cutting only the protection pipe 33, insulation is achieved. The insertion tube 38 of the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 can be easily replaced without damaging the cover 12 or other parts.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the attachment portion 41 of the coil 29 is formed by a concave surface 42 obtained by scraping a part of the inner wall portion of the connecting pipe 18. By disposing the tip portion of the coil 29 in the concave surface 42, the amount of protrusion from the original inner surface position of the connecting pipe 18 to the inside of the coil 29 can be reduced. Interference can be mitigated and the degree of freedom of movement of the built-in object can be increased, and the endoscope assembly workability and the resistance of the built-in object can be increased. In addition, the brazing material 40 can easily go around the concave surface 42 where the tip portion of the coil 29 is arranged.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear end portion of the insertion tube 38 of the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 is formed on a taper portion 46 provided at a front end side portion of a metal branch member 45 provided in the operation portion 3. It is pushed and expanded in a taper shape. The outer periphery of the rear end portion of the insertion tube 38 is fastened by a taper tube 47.

  A convex portion 48 protruding outward is provided at the rear end edge of the tapered tube 47, and the convex portion 50 of the restraining ring 49 is engaged with the convex portion 48. The holding ring 49 is screwed into the branch member 45. The convex portion 50 is provided at the tip edge of the holding ring 49 so as to protrude inward. The inner diameter of the convex portion 50 is smaller than the outer diameter of the convex portion 48, and both are configured to be hooked with each other in the axial direction. When the retaining ring 49 is rotated and screwed into the branching member 45, the tapered tube 47 moves to the operation portion 3 side, and the insertion tube 38 can be fixed by pressure between the tapered portion 46 and the tapered tube 47.

  The tapered tube 47 is formed so as to extend from the end of the tapered portion 46 to the distal end side. Furthermore, since the inner peripheral surface 52 of the end portion of the tapered portion 46 and the tapered tube 47 is a rounded round surface, for example, when a treatment instrument having a long hard portion is inserted and pulled out from the operation portion side, the treatment instrument is The taper 46 and the taper tube 47 can be smoothly pulled out without being caught.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the illumination light guide 35 (35 a, 35 b, 35 c, 35 d), the bending operation wire 28, and the treatment tool insertion are provided in the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 1. An insertion tube 38 that forms the channel 31, an imaging cable 60 that extends from the imaging device section, and the like are incorporated. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a wire guide 61 to be guided is formed on the bending piece 16 of the bending portion 7 so as to protrude inward. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a coil 29 through which a bending operation wire 28 is passed is disposed on the inner surface of the connecting pipe 18.

  Next, the configuration of the illumination light guide 35 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the overall configuration with only the illumination light guide 35 taken out.

  The light guide 35 is configured by bundling many glass fibers, and the outer side of the fiber bundle is covered with a protective tube 71 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the protective tube 71 forms a bundle of glass fibers. It is designed to protect against external pressure.

  Further, the light guide 35 is not a single one over the entire length, but includes a light guide portion divided into a plurality over the entire length, as shown in FIG. Although the thing divided into plurality over the full length can also be considered, here, at least two of the front end side part and the rear end side part are bundled together in one light guide part. An intermediate portion of the light guide 35 is divided into four light guide portions 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d. In the rear end portion of the light guide 35, the glass fibers are bundled into one bundle by a single protective tube 72, and this one bundle portion is inserted into the universal cord 4 from the operation unit 3. Then, it is guided to the connector 5 of the endoscope 1, and the rearmost part thereof is fixed to the connector 5.

  A portion divided into four light guide portions 35 a to 35 d is arranged in a region extending from the bending portion 7 to the flexible portion 8 of the insertion portion 2.

  And in the area | region used as the front-end | tip hard part in the front-end | tip part 6 of the insertion part 2, two light guide parts 35a and 35b bundle a glass fiber together in the one light guide part 35e, and other two light guides In the portions 35c and 35d, the glass fiber is rebundled in one light guide portion 35f. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the light guide portions 35 a to 35 d are each formed in a circular shape in cross section. Moreover, although all the cross-sectional shapes of the light guide portions 35a to 35d are circular, some of the cross-sectional shapes may be crushed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the light guide portions 35 e and 35 f that are two on the distal end side have the protective tube 71 peeled off in the vicinity of the distal end main body 11 corresponding to the distal end hard portion in the distal end portion 6 of the insertion portion 2. In this state, it is fixedly disposed in the hole 34 formed in the hard tip portion. The portion of the glass fiber bundle disposed in the hole 34 is shaped so that the cross-sectional shape is circular (see FIG. 8). Further, the light guide portions 35e and 35f in which the glass fibers are bundled together in one piece are all circular in cross-sectional shape, but some of the cross-sectional shapes may be crushed. good.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 8, the arrangement structure of the two light guide portions 35e and 35f is arranged on both sides of the objective optical system 10, and forms a mouth portion 32 of the treatment instrument insertion channel 31. It is arranged in a space outside the pipe 33.

  Further, the middle part of the light guide 35 and the light guide parts 35a to 35d divided into four parts are arranged inside the bending piece 16 in the region of the bending part 7 shown in FIG. The insertion tube 38 forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31, the imaging cable 60 extending from the imaging device section, and the gap between the members of the wire guide 61 through which the operation wire 28 passes are filled as much as possible. The gaps are arranged so as to be used effectively. The set of light guide portions 35a and 35b and the set of light guide portions 35c and 35d are arranged separately on the opposite side with the imaging cable 60 interposed therebetween.

  Furthermore, the outer diameters and shapes of the light guide portions 35a to 35d obtained by dividing the light guide 35 into a plurality of parts may be the same, but the invention is not limited to this, and the shape and size of the gaps between the members are not limited thereto. Depending on the arrangement condition, one light guide part 35a, 35c is thicker and the other light guide part 35b, 35d is thinner than that of a pair at the tip. It has become.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the thick and thin ones are paired, and the paired ones are arranged adjacent to each other, and the thicker light guide portions 35 a and 35 c are closer to the wire guide 61. The light guide portions 35b and 35d having a smaller outer diameter are disposed on the side away from the wire guide 61.

  As described above, the cross-sectional shape of each of the light guide portions 35a to 35d is circular as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 regardless of the diameter. That is, the light guide 35 in the present embodiment has a circular shape in both the divided portion and the divided portion bundled together.

  On the other hand, in the region of the flexible portion 8 of the insertion portion 2, each member is arranged as shown in FIG. 5, and this arrangement substantially corresponds to the arrangement shown in FIG. 4, but the wire guide 61 is not provided. There is more margin than the arrangement conditions in the region of the curved portion 7. However, a coil 29 for passing the bending operation wire 28 is located between the light guide portions 35a and 35b.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the middle part of the light guide 35 is divided into a plurality of parts, the light guide 35 can be efficiently disposed inside the insertion part 2. Specifically, since the light guide 35 is divided into a plurality of portions in the curved portion 7 and the flexible portion 8, the diameter of each of the divided light guide portions 35a to 35d is narrowed, and each light guide portion 35a to 35d can be made to be in a narrow gap. In addition to being able to arrange, a narrow gap can be used effectively. Moreover, since each light guide part 35a-35d is disperse | distributed and arrange | positioned in a clearance gap, the area ratio which occupies for the whole clearance gap can be increased. Further, a gap is easily generated between the built-in objects, and the interference rate can be reduced.

  Therefore, even when the bending portion 7 is bent, the built-in object smoothly moves in the axial direction in the bending portion 7 of the insertion portion 2 according to the bending. The same applies when the flexible portion 8 is bent.

  Further, since the light guide portions 35a and 35c having a large outer diameter are disposed in the vicinity of the wire guide 61 side, the other thin light guide portions 35b and 35d get over the wire guide 61 by the bending operation and set the treatment instrument insertion channel 31. The possibility that the light guide 35 is broken by being moved to the insertion tube 38 side to be formed and sandwiched therebetween is reduced.

  Furthermore, since the glass fiber of the light guide 35 can be divided at an arbitrary ratio, the interference rate with other built-in objects is lower than when the light guide 35 is divided with the same cross-sectional area or with a light guide that is not divided at all. For this reason, there is an advantage that the frictional resistance and pressure can be reduced, the glass fibers of the optical fiber bundle are not easily broken, and the bending operation force is reduced. Furthermore, since the glass fibers of the divided optical fiber bundle are rebundled at the tip portion 6, the tip portion 6 can be incorporated without using any special parts, so the number of components constituting the tip portion 6 is reduced. Moreover, the assembly workability can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, even if the light guide portions 35a and 35c have a circular cross section in the middle of the light guide 35, the light guide portions 35a and 35c can be arranged compactly while increasing the occupation ratio without causing interference with other built-in objects.

  And it is possible to use it with the cross-sectional shape being circular, and when the cross-sectional shape is circular, the manufacture and assembly of the light guide portions 35a and 35c are good.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, other built-in objects such as the light guide portions 35 a and 35 c of the light guide 35 and the imaging cable 60 are inserted into the resin-made forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31. It becomes possible to arrange with sufficient margin by moving toward the crescent-shaped space area inside the bending piece 16 around the common tube 38.

[Second Embodiment]
An endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except for the matters described below, and detailed description of the same parts is omitted.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, an image guide 80 composed of an optical fiber bundle as a flexible light guiding means for transmitting an optical image of the test part obtained by the objective optical system 10 is added. is there. The distal end portion of the image guide 80 as a flexible light guide is fixed to the distal end portion body 11 of the endoscope 1 (see FIG. 11).

  FIG. 10 shows only the image guide 80 as a flexible light guide. The image guide 80 is composed of an optical fiber bundle formed by bundling many glass fibers, and its outer periphery is covered with a protective tube 81 to protect it from external pressure. The image guide 80 includes a portion that is divided into a plurality of parts over the entire length, not a single one over the entire length. Further, although it may be divided into a plurality of parts over the entire length, the rear end portion is formed into a single bundle here, and further covered with another protective tube 82. As described above, the rear end side portion 83 formed by being bundled into one bundle is inserted into the operation portion 3 and an eyepiece (not shown) provided in the operation portion 3 of the endoscope 1. )It is connected to the.

  In addition, the image guide 80 is divided into two image guide portions 80a and 80b inside the operation portion 3, and glass fibers are re-bundled on one image guide portion 80c at the most advanced portion thereof. Yes. As shown in FIG. 11, the image guide portion 80c is formed in the vicinity of the distal end portion main body 11 corresponding to the distal end hard portion in the distal end portion 6. As shown in FIG. The cross-sectional shape is circular. The portion of the image guide portion 80c is located in the region between the light guide portions 35e and 35f described above.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the image guide portions 80a and 80b divided into two have different diameters, and one image guide portion 80a is thicker than the other image guide portion 80b. Further, the cross-sectional shapes of the image guide portions 80a and 80b are both circular as shown in FIG.

  The narrower image guide portion 80b is disposed in a relatively narrow gap between the contact ring portions 21 and 22 of the bending piece 16 and the insertion tube 38 forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31. . The thicker image guide portion 80a is disposed in a relatively wide gap avoiding the ring contact portions 21 and 22.

  Further, the thin illumination light guide portion 35c described above is disposed between the thicker image guide portion 80a and the thicker illumination light guide portion 35d, and the thinner illumination light guide portion 35c is disposed on the other side. It is arranged to prevent it from getting over to the side as much as possible.

  The image guide portions 80a and 80b are arranged so as to fill a gap between the insertion tube 38 forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31 and the wire guide 61 in the internal space of the bending piece 16 of the bending portion 7. The light guide 35 is disposed between the light guide portions 35a to 35d of the light guide 35 described above.

  In the present embodiment, not only the light guide 35 but also the image guide 80 is efficiently disposed in the insertion portion 2 in a divided state. For this reason, a gap is easily generated between the built-in members. Therefore, the built-in object can smoothly move in the axial direction of the insertion portion 2 even when the bending portion 7 is bent, and an endoscope with higher durability can be provided. When the endoscope 1 is operated and the bending portion 7 is bent, each built-in object smoothly moves in the bending portion 7 according to the bending.

  In the present embodiment, not only the light guide 35 but also the image guide 80 is divided and disposed in the insertion portion 2, so that the image guide portions 80 a and 80 b, the light guides are arranged as shown in FIG. 12. Other built-in components such as the light guide portions 35a and 35c of the guide 35 and the imaging cable 60 are crescent-shaped inside the bending piece 16 around the resin insertion tube 38 forming the treatment instrument insertion channel 31. It can be arranged in a space with a margin in the space area.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to other forms.

1 is a perspective view showing an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the insertion part of the endoscope which similarly concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view of the bending piece of the endoscope which similarly concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view of the place along the AA line in the figure. It is a cross-sectional view of the place along the BB line of FIG. It is a longitudinal section showing a connection portion of a branching member and insertion tube of an endoscope concerning a 1st embodiment similarly. It is explanatory drawing which similarly shows the structure of the light guide for illumination of the endoscope which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 2. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the insertion part of the endoscope which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which similarly shows the structure of the light guide for illumination of the endoscope which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 9.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic endoscope, 2 ... Insertion part, 6 ... Tip part, 7 ... Bending part 8 ... Soft part, 11 ... Tip part main body, 35 ... Light guide 35a-35d for illumination ... Light guide part, 36 ... Illumination Lens 80 ... Image guide, 80a-80c ... Image guide part

Claims (13)

  In an endoscope in which a plurality of flexible and long light guides are arranged in an insertion part having a distal end part and a bending part, the light guiding part is divided into a plurality of parts at least in the bending part, and is divided in the bending part. An endoscope characterized in that at least a plurality of light guiding means are bundled and connected to the distal end portion.   In an endoscope in which an optical fiber bundle composed of a plurality of optical fibers is disposed in an insertion portion having a distal end portion and a bending portion, the optical fiber bundle is divided into a plurality of pieces at least in the bending portion, and the inside of the bending portion An endoscope characterized in that at least a plurality of optical fiber bundles separated by 1 are bundled and connected to the distal end portion.   The endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of light guide means and optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion include a circular cross section.   The endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein all of the plurality of light guide means and optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion have a circular cross-sectional shape.   The endoscope according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the plurality of light guiding means divided in the bending portion and the optical fiber bundle have different cross-sectional areas. .   The plurality of light guide means and optical fiber bundles separated in the curved portion include a plurality of light guide means and optical fiber bundles having a circular cross-sectional shape and different cross-sectional areas. 1. The endoscope according to 1.   The at least a plurality of light guide means and optical fiber bundles divided into a plurality of pieces in the curved portion are rebound into a circular cross-sectional shape and connected to the tip portion. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light guide means, the light guide means, and the optical fiber bundle are light guides for transmitting illumination light.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light guide unit, the light guide unit, and the optical fiber bundle are image guides for transmitting an image.   8. The light guide means and the optical fiber bundle are a plurality of light guides including both a light guide for transmitting illumination light and an image guide for transmitting an image. The endoscope according to any one of the above.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a tube for conduction of a treatment instrument or a tube capable of supplying air or water is disposed in the insertion portion.   12. The imaging cable according to claim 1, wherein an imaging cable that is installed at the distal end and extends from an imaging device unit for imaging a subject image is disposed in the insertion unit. The endoscope according to 1.   The curved portion is provided with a wire guide for passing a wire, and the one having a larger outer diameter in the light guide means and the optical fiber bundle is closer to the wire guide than a smaller outer diameter. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the endoscope is disposed in the position.

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