CN111772556A - Endoscope and insertion tube thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an endoscope and an insertion tube thereof. An insertion tube of an endoscope includes: the spiral pipe, and the woven net layer and the plastic layer which are sequentially arranged on the outer side of the spiral pipe. The insertion tube also includes a rigid wire. The rigid wire is arranged at one end of the insertion tube close to the operation part. The rigidity of one end of the insertion tube close to the operation part is higher than that of one end of the insertion tube close to the bending part, the rigid wire is embedded in the insertion tube, and the axial direction of the rigid wire is the same as the axial direction of the insertion tube. The endoscope and the insertion tube thereof can ensure that the operation part can smoothly push the insertion part into the cavity, and can relieve the pain of a patient as much as possible.

Description

Endoscope and insertion tube thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical endoscopes, in particular to an endoscope and an insertion tube thereof.

Background

The sight glass is a medical and industrial detection instrument with wide application. An endoscope generally includes an insertion portion and an operation portion. The insertion part is used for entering a human body, and the front end of the insertion part is provided with a bending part which is used for guiding the movement of the insertion part. The operation part is positioned outside the human body to control the bending part to move in the human body.

Because the insertion part needs to move in the cavity of the human body, force needs to be conducted to the insertion part through the operation part, and medical personnel push the operation part by holding the operation part to push the insertion part into the cavity of the human body. The insert portion is therefore generally relatively flexible to facilitate movement within the body passageway to avoid significant discomfort to the patient as the insert portion moves within the body passageway.

However, when the medical staff advances the insertion portion through the operation portion, the insertion portion that is easily bent is not easily subjected to force due to its low hardness, and is not conducive to transmission of the pushing force. After the insertion part enters the cavity for a short distance, the endoscope can not be pushed forward any more, thereby influencing the use function of the endoscope and bringing limitation to the examination of patients.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an endoscope and an insertion tube thereof, which can ensure that an insertion part can be smoothly pushed into a cavity by an operation part and can reduce the pain of a patient as much as possible.

An insertion tube of an endoscope, comprising: the spiral pipe, the woven net layer and the plastic layer are sequentially arranged on the outer side of the spiral pipe; the insertion tube further comprises a rigid wire, the rigid wire is arranged at one end, close to the operation portion, of the insertion tube, the hardness of one end, close to the operation portion, of the insertion tube is larger than that of one end, close to the bending portion, of the insertion tube, the rigid wire is embedded in the insertion tube, and the axial direction of the rigid wire is the same as that of the insertion tube.

In one embodiment, the rigid wires are embedded between the spiral tube and the mesh layer.

In one embodiment, the rigid wires are embedded between the mesh layer and the plastic layer.

In one embodiment, the rigid filaments are embedded within the plastic layer.

In one embodiment, the rigid wires are a plurality of rigid wires, and the plurality of rigid wires are uniformly distributed around the spiral pipe.

In one embodiment, the rigid filaments and the netting layer are in contact with each other and there is a friction force between the rigid filaments and the netting layer.

In one embodiment, the plastic layer tightly surrounds the mesh layer, and the mesh layer presses the rigid wires to the outside of the spiral pipe.

In one embodiment, the rigid wire is a metal wire or a memory alloy wire.

In one embodiment, the rigid wire has a length less than the length of the insertion tube.

An endoscope comprises an operation part and an insertion part, wherein the insertion part comprises an insertion tube, the front end of the insertion tube is provided with a bending part, and the operation part is arranged at the other end of the insertion part.

According to the above aspect, in the endoscope, the rigidity of the end of the insertion tube close to the operation portion is increased by the rigid wire, the rigid wire is provided close to the rear end of the insertion tube, and the axial direction of the rigid wire is the same as the axial direction of the insertion tube. The rigidity of the rear end of the insertion tube is increased by the rigid wire in the axial direction of the insertion tube, and when the insertion tube is pushed, the rear end of the insertion tube can facilitate the transmission of the pushing force, so that the insertion tube can smoothly enter the lumen. And the front end of the insertion tube keeps smaller hardness, so that the front end of the insertion tube enters the body cavity, the softer front end can be bent easily to move along the cavity smoothly, and discomfort of a patient can be relieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an endoscope of the present embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion tube shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the insertion tube shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the inner structure of the insertion tube shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows the position relationship of the rigid wire, the woven mesh layer and the plastic layer of the insertion tube according to another embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the positioning of rigid wires and plastic layers of an insertion tube.

The reference numerals are explained below: 1. an insertion portion; 11. an insertion tube; 111. a spiral tube; 112. 212, a netting layer; 113. 213, 313, plastic layer; 114. 214, 314, rigid wire; 119. a helical ring; 12. a bending section; 2. an operation section; 21. a control knob; 22. and a control button.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments that embody features and advantages of the invention are described in detail below in the specification. It is to be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention and the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

The invention provides an endoscope and an insertion portion thereof.

Referring to fig. 1, the endoscope of the present embodiment includes an elongated insertion portion 1 inserted into a patient channel and an operation portion 2 located at a rear end of the insertion portion 1. The operation unit 2 is connected to the insertion unit 1. Wherein, the front and back directions of the endoscope can be as follows: the end of the endoscope close to the patient is in the front direction, and the end of the endoscope close to the medical operator is in the rear direction.

The endoscope of the present embodiment is a disposable endoscope. The disposable endoscope can be used for discarding the polluted part after being used, so that the sanitation degree of the endoscope can be improved, and the safe use of a patient can be ensured. Since the operation part 2 and the insertion part 1 are contaminated during use, the operation part 2 and the insertion part 1 need to be discarded to ensure safe use of the endoscope.

The operation part 2 is approximately in a handle shape, is convenient for an operator to hold by hands and is convenient for forceful operation. The insertion section 1 includes an insertion tube 11 and abent portion 12. The insertion tube 11 has abent portion 12 at its distal end. From the operating portion 2, a pull wire (not shown) extends, which is drivingly connected to thebending portion 12 through the insertion tube 11. Thecurved portion 12 is provided with a plurality of serpentine structures rotatably connected to each other. The snake bone structure can rotate freely. The inner side wall of the snake bone structure is provided with a guide groove, and the traction wire penetrates through the guide groove to be connected with the snake bone structure in a traction manner. When the operation part 2 pulls the traction wire, the snake bone structure is driven to rotate or bend, so that the bending direction and the bending angle of thebending part 12 connected with the other end of the traction wire can be controlled. Thecurved portion 12 is curved to extend, and the insertion tube 11 is guided to move in the lumen.

The operation unit 2 is provided with acontrol knob 21. Thecontrol knob 21 is connected with the traction wire, and thecontrol knob 21 is rotated to pull and move the traction wire. Thecontrol knob 21 may be a plurality of hand wheels. A plurality of hand wheels are coaxially arranged up and down. The finger of the operator can be used for poking.

Similarly, the operation unit 2 is provided with acontrol button 22. Thecontrol button 22 is in electrical communication with the pump set of the endoscope. The pump set of the endoscope is used for pumping gas or liquid and the like into the endoscope for the endoscope to use during use. Thecontrol button 22 can control the operating state of the pump unit. The working state of the pump group can comprise the switching of the pump group, the adjustment of parameters and the like.

The head end of the bendingpart 12 is provided with a light source and an image acquisition module. The image acquisition module is used for acquiring and obtaining image information in the cavity of the patient. The medical staff carries out diagnosis and medical treatment on the patient according to the image information.

The insertion tube 11 is provided between the operation portion 2 and the bendingportion 12. The insertion tube 11 has a certain flexibility to facilitate movement of the insertion tube 11 within the patient's lumen. Moreover, the outer surface of the insertion tube 11 is a smooth surface, so that on one hand, the friction force between the insertion tube 11 and the cavity can be reduced; on the other hand, the cavity of the patient can be protected, and the patient can be prevented from being scratched.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the insertion tube 11 may include aspiral tube 111, and amesh layer 112 and aplastic layer 113 sequentially disposed outside thespiral tube 111. Thespiral tube 111 is formed by spirally winding a metal strip. Thehelical pipe 111, when wound, forms a plurality of continuoushelical loops 119. There is a space between two adjacent spiral rings 119. Thus, thesolenoid 111 can be rotated in all directions. The inner cavity of thespiral tube 111 has a certain rigidity. The pull wire, the gas-liquid pipeline, the electric circuit and the like of the endoscope can be contained in thespiral tube 111, and extend to the head end of the bendingpart 12 through thespiral tube 111, so that the work of image acquisition and the like of the head end is realized.

Thenetting layer 112 covers the outside of thespiral pipe 111. Themesh layer 112 is woven from metal wire. Theplastic layer 113 covers the outside of themesh layer 112, and forms the outer peripheral surface of the insertion tube 11. Thespiral pipe 111 with themesh layer 112 is passed through an extruder filled with a material such as a molten resin or rubber, and aplastic layer 113 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of themesh layer 112.

Since thespiral tube 111 is bent, the distance between two adjacent spiral rings 119 is changed. If the bending angle is large, theplastic layer 113 is easily engaged between the spiral rings 119, and theplastic layer 113 is broken. Thenet layer 112 is woven by metal wires, and thenet layer 112 can provide a certain supporting effect for theplastic layer 113, so that theplastic layer 113 is prevented from entering between the two spiral rings 119 and being occluded and damaged by the two spiral rings 119. The wovennet layer 112 can protect theplastic layer 113 to a certain extent. Theplastic layer 113 can seal the side wall of the inner cavity of thespiral tube 111, so as to ensure the sealing tube of the insertion tube 11 and ensure the normal use of the endoscope.

In this embodiment, theplastic layer 113 may include a hard adhesive layer and a soft adhesive layer. The hardness of the hard glue layer is greater than that of the soft glue layer. The hard glue layer and the soft glue layer can form a double-layer or multi-layer structure. The hardness of theplastic layer 113 can be changed by adjusting the thickness ratio of the hard adhesive layer to the soft adhesive layer. Specifically, the thickness of the hard adhesive layer at the rear end of theplastic layer 113 is greater than the thickness of the soft adhesive layer. The thickness of the hard glue layer is gradually reduced from back to front, and the thickness of the soft glue layer is gradually increased from back to front. Therefore, the hardness of the rear end of theplastic layer 113 may be greater than that of the front end of theplastic layer 113. The hardness of the rear end of the insertion tube 11 is greater than that of the front end of the insertion tube 11, so that the front end of the insertion tube 11 can be conveniently bent, the hardness of the rear end of the insertion tube 11 can be ensured, and the insertion tube 11 can be conveniently pushed into the cavity.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the insertion tube 11 of the endoscope further includes arigid wire 114. Therigid wire 114 is provided at one end of the insertion tube 11 close to the operation portion 2, therigid wire 114 is fitted into the insertion tube 11, and the axial direction of therigid wire 114 is the same as the axial direction of the insertion tube 11.

Therigid wire 114 has a certain hardness, and therigid wire 114 may be a metal wire or the like. Therigid wire 114 is disposed near the rear end of the insertion tube 11, and the axial direction of therigid wire 114 is the same as the axial direction of the insertion tube 11. Therigid wire 114 increases the rigidity of the rear end of the insertion tube 11 in the axial direction of the insertion tube 11, and the rear end of the insertion tube 11 facilitates the transmission of the propelling force when the insertion tube 11 is advanced, so that the insertion tube 11 can smoothly enter the lumen. Moreover, the front end of the insertion tube 11 keeps a small hardness, so that the front end of the insertion tube 11 enters the body cavity, and the soft front end can relieve the discomfort of the patient.

Referring to fig. 4, in this embodiment, therigid wires 114 may be embedded between thespiral pipe 111 and thenetting layer 112.Rigid filaments 114 andnetting layer 112 are in contact with each other, and there is a friction force betweenrigid filaments 114 andnetting layer 112. Theplastic layer 113 tightly wraps themesh layer 112, and themesh layer 112 tightly presses therigid wires 114 to the outside of thespiral pipe 111. Accordingly, therigid wires 114 are tightly sandwiched between thenetting layer 112 and thespiral tube 111. The side of thebraided layer 112 in contact with therigid wires 114 is a braided layer of metal mesh wires, so the surface of thebraided layer 112 is rough. Thus, when there is relative motion or a tendency for relative motion betweennetting layer 112 andrigid filaments 114, a first frictional force exists betweenrigid filaments 114 andnetting layer 112. And, when there is a relative movement or a relative movement tendency between thecoil 111 and thestiff wire 114, there is a second friction between the outer side of thecoil 111 and thestiff wire 114. The first frictional force and the second frictional force are opposite in direction, and can block therigid wire 114 from moving so as to limit therigid wire 114.

Moreover, therigid wires 114 are multiple, and therigid wires 114 are uniformly distributed around thespiral pipe 111. For example, the number of therigid wires 114 may be 2, 3, 6, 8, etc., as long as the rigid wires are uniformly distributed around thespiral pipe 111, so as to ensure that the hardness of thespiral pipe 111 is consistent in each radial direction. The resistance of thespiral tube 111 in each radial direction is kept consistent, so that the insertion tube 11 can be accurately dragged by the bendingpart 12 to be accurately deformed, and then smoothly enters the cavity of the patient.

Therigid filaments 114 are linear. A plurality ofrigid wires 114 are maintained in a parallel arrangement. Specifically, therigid wires 114 may be 4. The 4rigid wires 114 are evenly distributed around thespiral tube 111. The 4rigid wires 114 may correspond to four perpendicular radial directions of thecoil 111, respectively. Alternatively, the number of therigid wires 114 may be even, every two of the even number of therigid wires 114 are parallel to form a group, and the groups of therigid wires 114 may be uniformly distributed around thespiral tube 111.

In other embodiments, therigid wires 114 may also be formed into a rigid wire structure by bending, weaving, or the like. The rigid wire structure may be in a spiral shape, a braided tube shape, or the like, and as long as the axis of the rigid wire structure is parallel to the axis of thespiral tube 111, the rigid wire structure and thespiral tube 111 are uniformly stressed, and the rigid wire structure may also achieve an effect of enhancing the hardness of the insertion tube 11. When the rigid wire structure is spiral, the rigid wire structure and thespiral tube 111 are interlaced or reversely rotated, so as to ensure that therigid wire 114 can be stably limited between thespiral tube 111 and thenetting layer 112.

In addition, the spiral rigid wire structure can also change the size of the spiral pitch and/or the diameter of the spiral, so that the rigidity of the rigid wire structure in the axial direction can be adjusted. The stiffness of the rigid wire structure at larger helical pitches is less than the stiffness at smaller helical pitches. The pitch of the helix of the helical rigid wire structure may increase gradually from back to front. The hardness of the rigid wire structure gradually decreases from the back to the front. Therefore, aiming at different use requirements, the hardness of the rigid wire structure can be further designed, so that the endoscope achieves better use effect.

When therigid wire 114 is in the shape of a braided tube, the braided tube is sleeved between thespiral tube 111 and thebraided layer 112. The braided tube may also enhance the rigidity of the insertion tube 11. The axis of the mesh tube coincides with the axis of thespiral tube 111. Therefore, the stress between the mesh-knitted pipe and thespiral pipe 111 is uniform, and the mesh-knitted pipe does not influence the accurate bending deformation of thespiral pipe 111.

The length of therigid wire 114 may be less than the length of the insertion tube 11. The insertion tube 11 may be partially provided with arigid wire 114. Therefore, the insertion tube 11 can enhance the rigidity of a portion thereof. Also, the length of therigid wire 114 may be less than half the length of the insertion tube 11. Most of the insertion tube 11 near the front end has a lower hardness to ensure that the insertion tube 11 can smoothly enter the body cavity, thereby reducing the discomfort of the patient.

In other embodiments, therigid wire 114 may also be a memory alloy wire or the like. The stiffness of thestiff wire 114 may be a memory alloy wire that changes with temperature. The stiffness of thestiff filaments 114 may decrease with increasing temperature. When the insertion tube 11 enters the patient's lumen, the temperature of the insertion tube 11 entering the lumen will rise due to the temperature in the lumen, and the temperature of the insertion tube 11 located outside the body lumen will be relatively low. Therefore, the stiffness of therigid wire 114 located within the lumen decreases, increasing the flexibility of the insertion tube 11 and reducing the pain of the patient. The stiffness of therigid wire 114, which is outside the lumen, is higher to facilitate advancement of the insertion tube 11 into the lumen.

Further, since therigid wire 114 near the distal end of the insertion tube 11 enters the lumen earlier, therigid wire 114 near the distal end of the insertion tube 11 has a hardness lower than that of therigid wire 114 near the rear end of the insertion tube 11 because therigid wire 114 located near the rear end of the insertion tube 11 enters the lumen for a longer time. Therefore, the front end of the insertion tube 11 is easily bent, and the rear end of the insertion tube 11 is easily pushed in, thereby improving the operability of the endoscope. Then, in the above embodiment, the length of therigid wire 114 may be equal to the length of the insertion tube 11.

In other embodiments, the endoscope may also be provided with an electromagnet. When the electromagnet is energized to produce a changing magnetic field, the stiffness of therigid wire 114 within the magnetic field changes.Rigid wire 114 may be an aluminum magnesium alloy wire. When the current is gradually increased and changed, the tensile strength and the hardness of the aluminum magnesium alloy wire are also slightly increased. Therefore, the endoscope can adjust the hardness of therigid wire 114 by controlling the energization of the electromagnet. The endoscope can realize that the rigidity of therigid wire 114 at the rear end of the insertion tube 11 is stronger and the rigidity of therigid wire 114 at the front end of the insertion tube 11 is weaker by the adjustment of the electromagnet.

Referring to fig. 5, the position of therigid wire 114 is not limited to the above-mentioned position setting. In other embodiments, therigid wires 214 may be embedded between themesh layer 212 and the plastic layer 213. Alternatively, referring to fig. 6, in other embodiments, the rigid wires 314 may be embedded in theplastic layer 313.

The insertion tube 1 can achieve the purpose of increasing the hardness of the insertion tube 1 by arranging the rigid wires, so that the hardness of the insertion tube 1 is gradually reduced along the direction from the back to the front. When the insertion tube 1 is pushed, the rear end of the insertion tube 1 can facilitate the transmission of the pushing force so that the insertion tube 1 can smoothly enter the lumen. Moreover, the front end of the insertion tube 1 has a low hardness, and can be bent easily, and smoothly move along the bendingpart 12 and the body cavity, thereby alleviating the pain of the patient.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the terminology used is intended to be in the nature of words of description and illustration, rather than of limitation. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. An insertion tube for an endoscope, comprising: the spiral pipe, the woven net layer and the plastic layer are sequentially arranged on the outer side of the spiral pipe; the insertion tube further comprises a rigid wire, the rigid wire is arranged at one end, close to the operation portion, of the insertion tube, the hardness of one end, close to the operation portion, of the insertion tube is larger than that of one end, close to the bending portion, of the insertion tube, the rigid wire is embedded in the insertion tube, and the axial direction of the rigid wire is the same as that of the insertion tube.

2. The insertion tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said rigid wire is embedded between said spiral tube and said mesh layer.

3. The insertion tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the rigid wire is embedded between the mesh layer and the plastic layer.

4. The insertion tube of an endoscope of claim 1, wherein the rigid wire is embedded within the plastic layer.

5. The insertion tube for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said rigid wires are a plurality of wires, and a plurality of said rigid wires are uniformly distributed around said spiral tube.

6. The insertion tube of an endoscope according to claim 2, wherein said rigid wire and said mesh layer are in contact with each other, and a friction force exists between said rigid wire and said mesh layer.

7. The insertion tube for an endoscope according to claim 6, wherein said plastic layer tightly wraps said mesh layer, and said mesh layer presses said rigid wire to an outside of said spiral tube.

8. The insertion tube of an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said rigid wire is a metal wire, a memory alloy wire.

9. The insertion tube of an endoscope of claim 1, wherein a length of the rigid wire is less than a length of the insertion tube.

10. An endoscope comprising an operation section and an insertion section, wherein the insertion section comprises the insertion tube according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a bending section is provided at a distal end of the insertion tube, and the operation section is provided at the other end of the insertion section.

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