US20100152535A1 - Endoscope connector device, endoscope cable lead-out unit and endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

An endoscope connector device comprises: a first cable of an endoscope, including a light guide for supplying illumination light and an electric wire for obtaining video signals from an image pickup device; a light guide connector connected to the first cable; and a second cable of the endoscope, including the electric wire led out of the light guide connector wherein the second cable is attached diagonally from the light guide connector at an angle θ within a range, of 0°<θ<90° from a first cable side of an axial direction of the first cable.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/134,429 filed May 23, 2005 for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 120. This application claims priority of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2004-154480 and 2004-197332, filed on May 25, 2004 and Jul. 2, 2004, respectively. The entire contents of all are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to an endoscope connector device, more specifically, the construction of a connector device for connecting a light guide for supplying illumination light to a light source unit and connecting an electric wire for obtaining video signals to a processor unit.
• The invention relates to an endoscope cable lead-out unit, more specifically, a construction of a cable lead-out part which is used for a portion where an endoscope cable including various linear members is branched, and branches an electric wire from a light guide connector for connection to a light source unit.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• FIG. 7 andFIG. 8 show the construction of the related-art endoscope (electronic endoscope), andFIG. 7 is described in Japanese Examined Patent Application No. H07-24653, andFIG. 8 is described in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application NO. 2000-225093.
• The endoscope apparatus ofFIG. 7 includes anendoscope51, alight source unit52 and an imagepickup control unit53 placed on thelight source unit52, and auniversal cable54aof theendoscope51 including a light guide and a signal line, etc., is connected to afront panel52A (operation switch and the like are arranged thereon) of thelight source unit52 by a lightsource part connector54b, and asignal cable54cattached to the side face of thisconnector54bis connected to thefront panel53A of the imagepickup control unit53 by aconnector54d. Thesignal cable54ccan be removed from the lightsource part connector54bby aconnector54e.
• In the endoscope apparatus shown inFIG. 8, alight source unit56 is placed on theprocessor unit55, and to thefront panel56A (on which an operation switch, etc., are arranged) of thelight source unit56, anendoscope cable57aincluding a light guide and an electric wire, etc., is connected by aconnector part57b, and a cable (electric cable)57cattached to the lower side of theconnector57bis connected to thefront panel55A of theprocessor unit55 by aconnector57a. Thus, in the related-art endoscope apparatus, a light guide and an electric wire (or a signal line) are installed inside one endoscope cable, and the light guide is connected to alight source unit52 or56 and the electric wire is connected to an imagepickup control unit53 or aprocessor unit55.
• In an endoscope (electronic endoscope) apparatus, a first cable including a light guide for supplying illumination light and an electric wire for obtaining video signals from an image pickup device is connected to a light source unit via a light guide connector, and a second cable of the endoscope which includes the electric wire extracted so as to be branched from the light guide connector is connected to a processor unit for video signal processing via an electric connector.
• FIG. 18A andFIG. 18B show a construction example (employing a detachable connector type on the lead-out part of the electric wire) of the cable lead-out part of the light guide connector part, and in this light guide connector, a first cable (including a light guide and an electric wire2) is laid from the endoscope distal end part, and a cylindrical lead-out partouter sheath1bis integrally formed from a synthetic resin (hard) so as to project from theouter sheath1aof the light guide connector main body. To the distal end side of this lead-out partouter sheath1b, ametallic insert ring1cis, attached.
• On the other hand, apin supporting part3athat connects theelectric wire2 guided from the light guide connector main body is installed inside aconnector receiver3b, and thisconnector receiver3bis attached to theouter sheath1bas shown inFIG. 18B by being fit to the inner surface of theinsert ring1cand fixed byscrews4 at a plurality of points. Thisconnector receiver3bis coupled to a connector inserting part to which the second cable is connected by afixing ring5, whereby the electric wire to the processor unit is linked.
• However, the related-art endoscope connector devices have the following, problems. Namely, in the endoscope apparatus ofFIG. 7, as illustrated, thecable54cto be attached to the lightsource part connector54bis led out rightward along thefront panel52A, so that thecable54cto be linked to the imagepickup control unit53 occupies the front of the front pane is (operation panels)52A and53A of thelight source unit52 and the imagepickup control unit53, and remarkably disturbs various operations on the operation parts arranged on thefront panels52A and53A. On the of her hand, thecable54cto be connected to the imagepickup control unit53 is made detachable by theconnector54e, however, when this is attached to or detached from the lightsource part connector54bconnected to the,light source unit52, theconnector54eis inserted or detached along (in parallel to) thefront panel52A at a position close to thefront panel52A of thelight source unit52, so that this detaching and attaching operation becomes difficult In order to avoid this, it is also considered that the position of theconnector54eis separated far from thefront panel52A, however, this case lengthens the lightsource part connector54b.
• Furthermore, in the endoscope apparatus ofFIG. 8, obstruction of access to the operation part of the front panel as described above is rare, however, the upper andlower cables57aand57cattached to theconnector part57bare adjacent to each other, so that cleaning between thesecables57aand57cbecomes difficult. In addition, the distance between the base end portion (connector part57bside) of the cable (electric wire cable) arranged on the lower side and the connecting position of theconnector57din the processor un it55 is short, thecable57cis bent at a small curvature, and this burdens a great load on thecable57c.
• Furthermore, in the case ofFIG. 7, thecable54cis arranged so as to be led out vertically to the right side from the lightsource part connector54b, however, in the related art, in some cases, as shown in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application IN 2003-235797, opposite to the case ofFIG. 7, the cable (corresponding to54c) that extends to a signal processing unit is led out to the left side of the light guide connector (corresponding to54b) also exists. In this case, disturbance of various operations on the front panels of the light source unit and the signal processing unit is reduced. However, in many endoscopes, it is required that the control portion (51A ofFIG. 7) is held by the le ft hand and the light guide connector (light source part connector) is inserted into the light source unit by the right hand and then the cable and connector positioned on the left hand side are held and connected to the signal processing unit (processor unit), and this connection is troublesome. In addition, as described inFIG. 7, when thecable54cis attachable to and detachable from theconnector54e, thisconnector54emust be connected to the left side of the lightsource part connector54b(light guide connector) by the right hand, and this connection is not easy.
• In addition, in some the related-art cases, instead of attachment of thecables54cand57ctoward the sides of the image pickupdevice control unit53 and theprocessor unit55 to theconnectors54band57bas shown inFIG. 7 andFIG. 8, an endoscope cable (54aor57a) is branched into two of a light source side cable and a processor unit side cable at the middle of the cable as shown in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H05-228104. However, in this case, the connectors of the two branched cables swing as pendulums, and the connectors themselves may be broken due to collision of these.
• With the construction of the cable lead-out part ofFIG. 18, since theinsert ring1cis arranged inside theouter sheath1bmade of a synthetic resin (plastic) and theconnector receiver3bis screw-tightened and fixed to thisinsert ring1c, when the second cable is connected, a stress concentrates at the lead-out partouter sheath1baround theinsert ring1cand may break the plastic-madeouter sheath1b. In addition, tightening and fixing of the plurality of screws (4) for connecting theconnector receiver3bare troublesome.
• In order to avoid such breakage of the plastic-made lead-out partouter sheath1b, it is considered that the lead-out part is reinforced by arranging a metallic supporter inside the lead-out part, however, in this case, it is necessary that the metallic supporter of the lead-out part is fixed to the metallic supporter or the like inside the light guide connector main body by some method, and this fixing method becomes complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The invention was made in view of the above-described problems, and a first object thereof is to provide an endoscope connector device that is easy to be used and has advantages in that excellent access to the operation part can be secured by widening the front side space of the front panels of the light source unit or the processor unit, and makes cable connections to the light source unit and the processor unit easy, and cleaning performance is high.
• The invention was made in view of the above-described problems, and a second object thereof is to provide an endoscope cable lead-out unit which can eliminate the possibility of breakage of the synthetic resin-including outer sheath, makes leading-out and assembling of the cable easy, and realizes a simple construction in the case where the cable is taken out from the main body.
• In order to achieve the above-mentioned first object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an endoscope connector device comprising: a first cable of an endoscope, including a light guide for supplying illumination light and an electric wire for, obtaining video signals from an image pickup device; a light guide connector connected to the first cable; and a second cable of the endoscope, including the electric wire led out of the light guide connector, wherein the second cable is attached diagonally from the light guide connector at an angle θ within a range of 0°<θ<90° from a first cable side of an axial direction of the first cable.
• In addition, according to the invention, there is provided an endoscope device comprising: an endoscope connector device as described in the first aspect of the invention; a light source unit that connects the first cable via the light guide connector; and a video signal processor unit that connects that connects the second cable via an electric connector; wherein the second cable is arranged on a right side of the light guide connector, the light guide connector being connected to the light source unit so as to face a front panel of the light source unit.
• According to a second aspect of the invention, the light guide connector comprises an intermediate connector so as to make the second cable attachable to and detachable from the light guide connector.
• According to a third aspect of the invention, when the processor unit is arranged below the light source unit, the second cable is attached so as to turn downward at an angle φ_ain a range of 0°<φ_a<90° from its horizontal position at which the light guide connector is connected, and, when the processor unit is arranged above the light source unit, the second cable is attached so as to turn upward at an angle φ_bin a range of 0°<φ_b90° from its horizontal position at which the light guide connector is connected.
• With the above-mentioned construction, the second cable is led out diagonally rearward at an angle θ of for example 45 degrees (or 30 through 60 degrees) with respect to the first cable and attached on the right side of the light guide connector in a state in that it faces the front panel of the light source unit when the light guide, connector is connected, and in comparison with the case where the second cable is arranged in parallel to the front panel, the space in front of the front panel as an operation space becomes wider according to the diagonally rearward withdrawal.
• Furthermore, with the construction according to the third aspect, in the layout in that the light source unit and the processor unit are stacked vertically, when the processor unit is placed below the light source unit, the second cable is attached downward at an angle of for example, approximately 20 to 30 degrees from its horizontal position, and on the other hand, when the processor unit is placed above the light source unit, the second cable is attached upward at the angle φ of, for example, 20 to 30 degrees from its horizontal position
• In order to achieve the above-described second object, according to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an endoscope cable lead-out unit for leading-out a cable from a main body comprising: an outer sheath that includes a synthetic resin and is formed so as to project in a cable lead out direction from the main body; a metallic lead-out part frame (supporting frame) for retaining and fixing a cable or components of the cable, arranged inside the outer sheath while engaging with a base end side of the outer sheath; and a presser ring that is screwed and coupled to the lead-out part frame and engages a the distal end side of the outer sheath in this screw-coupled state, wherein the outer sheath is nipped by the presser ring and the lead-out part frame.
• According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the lead-out part frame comprises: a first frame adjacent to the main body; and a second frame that is detachably attached to the first frame by a latching unit and retains and fixes the cable or components of the cable, and the presser ring is arranged on the second frame.
• According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the main body is a light guide connector that connects a first cable including: a light guide for illumination light supply; and an electric wire for video signal transmission to a light source unit, and the endoscope cable lead-out unit is applied to a lead-out part of the light guide connector from which a second cable for linking the electric wire from the light guide connector to a processor unit is led out diagonally rearward from the light guide connector that is connected to the light source unit while facing a front panel of the light source unit.
• According to the construction of the fourth aspect, a metallic frame of the lead-out part independent from the metallic supporting member of the main body side is disposed inside the outer sheath, and the synthetic resin-including outer sheath is nipped by this frame and the presser ring, whereby the metallic frame that retains the cable or components thereof is easily attached inside the lead-out part outer sheath.
• According to the construction of the fifth aspect, the synthetic resin-including outer sheath is nipped by the first frame and the presser ring on the side of the second frame, whereby the second frame that retains the cable or components thereof is easily attached inside the lead-out part outer sheath.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the construction of an endoscope apparatus to which the endoscope connector device according to the embodiments 1-1 and 2-4 of the invention is applied;
• FIG. 2A is a top view showing the relationship between the first cable and the second cable in the light guide connector according to the embodiments 1-1 and 2-4,
• FIG. 2B is a view from the first cable side, showing the relationship between the first cable and the second cable in the light guide connector according to the embodiments 1-1 and 2-4,
• FIG. 3 is a view showing the entire construction of the endoscope of the embodiments 1-1 and 2-4;
• FIG. 4A is a view of the surrounding of the light guide connector being connected from the right side surface, the view corresponding the second cable is arranged horizontally;
• FIG. 4B is a view of the surrounding of the light guide connector being connected from the right side surface, when the second cable is inclined downward from the horizontal position;
• FIG. 5A is a view when the second cable is inclined downward from the horizontal position according to the processor unit placed below;
• FIG. 5B is a view when the second cable is inclined upward from the horizontal position according, to the processor unit placed above;
• FIG. 6A is a view showing a construction relating to the intermediate connector of the, embodiment 1-2, before the connector is connected;
• FIG. 6B is a view showing a construction relating to the intermediate connector of the embodiment 1-2, after the connector is connected;
• FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the related-art connector connection of an endoscope apparatus;
• FIG. 8 is a side view showing another example of the related-art connector connection of an endoscope apparatus;
• FIG. 9 is, a sectional view, showing the construction of the endoscope cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-1 of the invention;
• FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the construction of the endoscope cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-2;
• FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the construction of the endoscope cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-3;
• FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the construction of the first frame used in the embodiments 2-4 and 2-5;
• FIGS. 13A and 13B are sectional views showing the states before assembling the cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-4 in order;
• FIG. 14A is a view showing the construction of the cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-4, after assembling;
• FIG. 14B is an enlarged view of the portion shown by the arrow B ofFIG. 14A;
• FIG. 15 shows the exterior construction of the endoscope cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-5;
• FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the state before assembling the cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-5 in order;
• FIG. 17A is a view showing the construction of the cable lead-out unit according to the embodiment 2-5, after assembling;
• FIG. 17B is an enlarged view of the, portion shown by the arrow B ofFIG. 17A; and
• FIGS. 18A and 18B are sectional views showing the construction of the related-art endoscope cable lead-out unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONFirst Embodiment
• FIG. 1 throughFIGS. 5A and 5B show the construction of an endoscope connector device according to an embodiment 1-1, whereinFIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in that the connector device is connected to a light source unit and a processor unit, andFIG. 3 is an entire construction view of an endoscope (electronic endoscope) The endoscope apparatus includes anendoscope10 shown inFIG. 3, alight source unit12 and aprocessor unit14 shown inFIG. 1, and a monitor, etc.
• InFIG. 3, theendoscope10 includes aflexible portion16 that is an insertion portion for a body cavity or the like and has an image pickup device on its distal end, acontrol portion17 having an angle operation knob or other various switches, a light guide for guiding illumination light, afirst cable18 that includes: an, electric wire for transmitting control signals and video signals; an air/water duct; and the like, thefirst cable18 being for connecting these to an external unit, and the like. On the end of thisfirst cable18, a light guide connector (inserting part)19 for connection to thelight source unit12, and, asecond cable20 and an electric connector (inserting part)21 for connection to theprocessor unit14 are provided.
• Namely, on thelight guide connector19, anincidence end22 of the light guide is formed so as to project, and this connects the light guide laid from the distal end of theflexible portion16 to theincidence end22 through thefirst cable18 to thelight source unit12. Theelectric connector21 connects the electric wire (signal line) laid from the image pickup device installed at the distal end of theflexible portion16 through thefirst cable18 and thesecond cable20 to theprocessor unit14. In, thelight guide connector19, awater supply connector23a, anair supply connector23b, asuction connector23c, and anS terminal23dare provided.
• InFIG. 1, on thefront panel12A of thelight source unit12, aconnector receiver25 to which thelight guide connector19 is connected is provided, and on the right side of thisconnector receiver25, an operation panel (touch panel or a push button layout panel)26, etc., are arranged. On thefront panel14A of theprocessor unit14, aconnector receiver27 to which theelectric connector21 is connected is provided, and on the right side of thisconnector receiver27, an operation panel (similar to said panel)28, etc., are arranged. Themember29 on the left side of the units is a water supply tank.
• In thelight guide connector19 in such anendoscope10, in the embodiment 1-1, by providing a lead-out part (having a lead-out ring inside)30, thesecond cable20 is led out diagonally rearward from the right side of the light guide connector and attached. Namely, as shown inFIG. 2A andFIG. 3, in thelight guide connector19, the angle θ between the first cableaxial direction100 as the center axis direction of thefirst cable18 and the second cableaxial direction101 as the center axis direction of the second cable20 (angle within a horizontal plane measured from thefirst cable18 side, when, viewing thelight guide connector19 from above) is set to, for example, 45 degrees. This angle θ is set within the range of 0°<θ<90° or 0°≦θ≦80°, or more preferably, 30°≦θ≦60°.
• As shown inFIG. 2B andFIG. 4A, the leading-out direction of thissecond cable20 is maintained at a horizontal position by the lead-out part30 (when the light guide connector is connected).FIG. 2B is a view ofFIG. 2A from thefirst cable18 side, wherein the second cableaxial direction101 is maintained horizontally by attaching the lead-outpart30 horizontally on the right side of thelight guide connector19. Basically, thissecond cable20 is led out from the right side of thelight guide connector19, and in the embodiment 1-1, as shown inFIG. 2B, when the angle measured from the lower side of the vertical line of the first cableaxial direction101 is defined as φ, this angle is set within the range of 0°<φ<180°. Thelight guide connector19 is cylindrical, however, the connecting position in its rotation direction is fixed according to the set position of the lightguide incidence end22.
• As the angle (φ) in the vertical direction, the following values can be selected according to the layout condition of thelight source unit12 and theprocessor unit14. InFIG. 4B, as shown inFIG. 1, an example in the case where theprocessor unit14 is placed below thelight source unit12 is shown, and when the light guide connector is connected, thesecond cable20 can be attached by being turned down by an angle φ_aof, for example, 30 degrees (the angle, between the first cableaxial direction100 and the second cableaxial direction101 viewed from the side) from its horizontal position. Namely, as shown inFIG. 5A, this angle is set within the range of 0°<φ_a<90° from the horizontal position to the downward side
• On the other hand, contrary toFIG. 1, when the processor unit ked on thelight source unit12, as shown inFIG. 5B, when the light guide connector is connected, thesecond cable20 can be attached by being turned upward by an angle φ_b(angle between the first cableaxial direction100 and the second cableaxial direction101 viewed from the side) of approximately 30 degrees from its horizontal position. This angle φ_bis set within a range of 0°<φ_b<90° from the horizontal position to the upward side. Thus, by inclining thesecond cable20 to theprocessor unit14, thesecond cable20 is arranged in a natural state, and the load to be burdened by thissecond cable20 on the base end of thelight guide connector19 or the lead-outpart30 can be reduced.
• The embodiment 1-1 is constructed as described above, wherein when thelight guide connector19 and theelectric connector21 are connected to thelight source unit12 and theprocessor unit14, the state shown inFIG. 1 is obtained. As seen in thisFIG. 1, thesecond cable20 is led diagonally rearward from the side surface of thelight guide connector19 by the lead-outpart30, so that in front of thefront panels12A and14A of thelight source unit12 and theprocessor unit14, a wide space shown as E is created. Therefore, the operation to access to theoperation panels26 and28, etc., provided on thefront panels12A and14A becomes easy. In addition, since thesecond cable20 is arranged on the right side of thelight guide connector19, it is possible that thelight guide connector19 and theelectric connector21 are easily connected by the right hand while theendoscope control portion17 is held by the left hand. In addition, the distance between thefirst cable18 and thesecond cable20 does not become short, so that high cleaning performance is maintained, and the curvature when thesecond cable20 is attached and connected does not become small.
• InFIG. 6A andFIG. 6B, the construction of an endoscope connector device according to an embodiment 1-2 is shown, and in this embodiment 1-2, thesecond cable20 is made attachable and detachable by anintermediate connector32 in thelight guide connector19. As shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B, the intermediate connector (inserting part)32 provided on thesecond cable20 side is constructed so as to be connected to the lead-out part (connector receiving part) of thelight guide connector19 side, and inside this lead-outpart33, for example, amale pin35 for the electric connector provided inside and engagingpins37 are provided on three points of the outer circumference of the receivingring36. On the other hand, the intermediate connector (inserting part)32 is provided with female pins inside and a fixingring39 that rotates in a predetermined range is provided on the outer circumference. Inside this fixingring39, guidegrooves40 that engage with the engagingpins37 are formed on three points, and on the outer circumference, amark41 indicating the upper position is provided.
• According to this embodiment 1-2, as shown inFIG. 6A, theintermediate connector32 is inserted into the lead-outpart33 by turning themark41 to the upside, and the fixingring39 is rotated clockwise and fastened, as shown inFIG. 6B, the engagingpins37 are guided to the insides of the guide grooves (grooves in the, inserting direction, grooves inclined diagonally, and grooves in the rotating direction), whereby theintermediate connector32 is tightly fixed to the lead-out part33 (it is fixed when the engagingpins37 are positioned in the grooves in the rotating direction).
• According to this embodiment 1-2, thesecond cable20 becomes disconnectable from thefirst cable18 by theintermediate connector32, so that handling when cleaning or connecting the connector becomes easy. In addition, even in this embodiment 1-2, theintermediate connector32 is also arranged on the right side of thelight guide connector19 so that thesecond cable20 is led out from the right side of thelight guide connector19, so that theintermediate connector32 can be easily connected to thelight guide connector19 by the right hand.
Second Embodiment
• FIG. 9 throughFIG. 11 show a basic construction of an endoscope cable lead-out unit of the invention, whereinFIG. 9 shows an embodiment 2-1,FIG. 10 shows an embodiment 2-2, andFIG. 11 shows an embodiment 2-3. InFIG. 9, a cylindrical lead-out partouter sheath70bis integrally formed from a synthetic resin material (hard) in the leading-out direction from an outer sheath of the main body of the light guide connector, etc., and inside theouter sheath70b, acylindrical frame71 that is made of metal is arranged, and the outercircumferential edge71aof thisframe71 is constructed so as to engage and come into contact with the base end side (cylinder bottom surface) of theouter sheath70b. Thisframe71 is provided with apresser ring71 so as to be screwed and coupled to a screwing portion G₁at the distal end side, and the outer circumferential projection (flange portion)72aof thispresser ring72 is engaged to be contacted with the distal end face of theouter sheath70b.
• According to this embodiment 2-1, thepresser ring72 is coupled to and screwed into theframe71 disposed inside theouter sheath70bvia the screwing portion G₁, whereby theouter sheath70bis nipped vertically by theprojection72aof thepresser ring72 and the outercircumferential edge71aof theframe71, whereby theframe71 can be securely fixed to the inner side of the synthetic resin-includingouter sheath70b. The cable including the electric wire or the like is fixed to theframe71 or the like.
• In the case of the embodiment 2-2 ofFIG. 10, on the base end side (main body side), a cylindricalfirst frame73 having an outercircumferential edge73aand a cylindricalsecond frame74 that fits the inner circumferential surface of theframe73 are provided, and thisfirst frame73 is provided with aguide groove73bthat extends from the distal end side (the lower side of the figure) to the latching position, and thesecond frame74 is attached withpins75 that are latched by being guided by thisguide groove73b. On the distal end side outer circumference of, thefirst frame73, a temporary (second)presser ring76 is provided that is coupled to a screwing portion G₂and comes into contact with and presses the distal end face of theouter sheath70b, and on the middle outer circumference of thesecond frame74, atemporary presser ring77 that is coupled to a screwing portion G₃is provided, and thispresser ring77 is constructed so as to press the lead-out partouter sheath70bvia (by contact with the lower surface thereof) thetemporary presser ring76.
• According to this embodiment 2-2, first, thefirst frame73 is disposed inside theouter sheath70band then thetemporary presser ring76 is coupled to the screwing portion G₂there, whereby thetemporary presser ring76 and the outercircumferential edge73aof thefirst frame73 nip theouter sheath70b. Thereafter, while fitting thesecond frame74 to thefirst frame73, thepins75 are inserted through theguide grooves73bto latch the second,frame74 at a predetermined position, and thepresser ring77 coupled to the screwing portion G₃is rotated and fastened, whereby (the end face of) thepresser ring77 and the outercircumferential edge73aof thefirst frame73 nip theouter sheath70bvia thetemporary presser ring76, whereby thefirst frame73 and the >second frame74 can be securely fixed to the inner surface of the synthetic resin-includingouter sheath70b.
• The embodiment 2-3 ofFIG. 11 shows an example in the case where no temporary presser ring is used in the construction of the embodiment 2-2, and as in the case of the embodiment 2-2, thesecond frame79 is attached to thefirst frame78 via theguide groove78band thepins75. Thepresser ring80 that is coupled to the screwing portion G₃on the middle outer circumference of thesecond frame79 is disposed so as to come into direct contact with the distal end face of theouter sheath70b. In the case of this embodiment 2-3 also, by fastening thepresser ring80, theouter sheath70bcan be nipped by thepresser ring80 and the outercircumferential edge78aof thefirst frame78 and bothframes78 and79 can be securely fixed to the inner surface side of theouter sheath70b.
• As described above, in the embodiments 2-1 to 2-3, theframe71, thefirst frames73 and78, and thesecond frames74 and79 are arranged on, the inner surface side of theouter sheath70b, and a cable (or components thereof) is retained by these frames, so that theouter sheath70bis prevented from being broken due to stress concentration.
• In the embodiments 2-2 and 2-3, thesecond frames74 and79 that retain a cable including an electric wire and the like are detachably attached to thefirst frames73 and78, so that assembling of the cable to the lead-out part becomes easy.
• FIG. 1 throughFIG. 3 andFIG. 12 throughFIGS. 14A and 14B show an endoscope cable lead-out unit of an embodiment 2-4 and a construction of an endoscope to which this endoscope cable lead-out unit is applied, and this embodiment 2-4 uses the basic construction of the embodiment 2-2 (and the second cable fixing type).FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in that a light guide connector and an electric connector are connected to a light source unit and a processor unit, andFIG. 3 is an entire construction view of an endoscope, and an endoscope apparatus includes theendoscope10 shown inFIG. 3, thelight source unit12 and theprocessor unit14 shown inFIG. 1, and a monitor, etc.
• InFIG. 3, theendoscope10 has a flexible portion that is an, insertion portion for a body cavity or the like and has an image pickup device on its distal end, acontrol portion17 having an angle operation knob and other various switches, and afirst cable18 that includes: a light guide for guiding illumination light; an electric wire for transmitting control signals and video signals; and air/water duct, the first cable being for connecting these to an external unit. On the end of thisfirst cable18, a light guide connector (inserting part)19 for linking to thelight source unit12 and asecond cable20 and an electric connector (inserting part)21 for linking to theprocessor unit14 are provided.
• Namely, thelight guide connector19 has anincidence end22 for a light guide formed so as to project, whereby a light guide installed through thefirst cable18 from the distal end of theflexible portion16 is connected to thelight source unit12. In addition, theelectric connector21 connects the electric wire (signal line) installed through thefirst cable18 and thesecond cable20 from the image pickup device provided on the distal end of theflexible portion16 to theprocessor unit14. Thelight guide connector19 is provided with awater supply connector23a, anair supply connector23b, asuction connector23c, and anS terminal23d.
• InFIG. 1, on thefront panel12A of thelight source unit12, aconnector receiver25 to which thelight guide connector19 is connected is provided, and on the right side of thisconnector receiver25, anoperation panel26 and the like are arranged. On thefront panel14A of theprocessor unit14, aconnector receiver27 to which theelectric connector21 is connected is provided, and on the right side of thisconnector receiver27, anoperation panel28 and the like are arranged. Themember29 on the left side of the units is a water supply tank.
• In thelight guide connector19 of theendoscope10 thus constructed, according to the fourth embodiment, thesecond cable20 is led out diagonally rearward from the right side of thelight guide connector19 and attached by providing a lead-outpart30. Namely, as shown inFIG. 2A andFIG. 3, in thelight guide connector19, the angle θ between the first cableaxial direction100 as the central axial direction of thefirst cable18 and the second cableaxial direction101 as the central axis direction of the second cable20 (the angle within a horizontal plane measured from thefirst cable18 side when viewing thelight guide connector19 from above) is set to, for example, 45 degrees. This angle θ is set within the range of 0°<θ<90°.
• FIG. 2B is a view ofFIG. 2A from thefirst cable18 side, wherein the lead-outpart30 is attached horizontally on the right side of thelight guide connector19, and the second cableaxial direction101 is maintained horizontally (when the light guide connector is connected).
• FIG. 12 shows the construction of thefirst frame173 to be used in the embodiment 2-4 (and the embodiment 2-5), and on the bottom surface side (the upper side of the figure) of thisfirst frame173, plate-shaped edge parts (frame edge parts)173afor engaging with two points of the base end side of the synthetic resin-includingouter sheath170b(FIGS. 13A and 13B) of the lead-outpart30 is provided. On the cylindrical main body inner circumferential surface of thefirst frame173, aguide groove173bis formed and a screw part for the screwing portion G2 is formed on the distal end side of the outer circumferential surface.
• As shown inFIGS. 13A and 13B andFIGS. 14A and 14B (FIG. 14B is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by the arrow B ofFIG. 14A), thefirst frame173 is disposed inside theouter sheath170bof the lead-outpart30, and as in the case ofFIG. 10, it is temporarily fixed to theouter sheath170bby coupling thetemporary presser ring176 to the screwing portion G₂. In addition, asecond frame174 is provided which has an outer circumferential surface fit to the inner circumferential surface of thisfirst frame173, and to thissecond frame174, apin175 that is guided by theguide groove173band, latches is attached, and apresser ring177 is screwed and arranged on the screwing portion G₃on the outer circumference. To thissecond frame174, acable20 including anelectric wire2 is attached, and on the cable side of thissecond frame174, a synthetic resin-includingcover182 that protects thecable20 is provided.
• The embodiment 2-4 is constructed as described above, and inFIG. 13A, first, thefirst frame173 is temporarily fixed to theouter sheath170bby thetemporary presser ring176. From this state ofFIG. 13A, thesecond frame174 is fit to thefirst frame173 and thepin175 is latched through theguide groove173bto fasten thepresser ring177, whereby theouter sheath170bcan be nipped by thepresser ring177 and theedge173aof the first frame173 (via the temporary presser ring176) as shown inFIG. 13B. Thereby, theframes173 and174 and thesecond cable20 are securely fixed to theouter sheath170b. Last, by attaching acover182, the state ofFIGS. 14A and 14B is obtained.
• In addition, in this embodiment 2-4, as shown inFIG. 1, thesecond cable20 is led diagonally rearward from the side surface of thelight guide connector19 by the lead-outpart30, so that in front of thefront panels12A and14A of thelight source unit12 and theprocessor unit14, a wide space indicated by E is created. Therefore, the operation to access theoperation panels26 and28, etc., arranged on thefront panels12A and14A becomes easy. In addition, since thesecond cable20 is arranged on the right side of thelight guide connector19, thelight guide connector19 and theelectric connector21 can be easily connected by the right hand while theendoscope control portion17 is grasped by the left hand.
• FIG. 15 throughFIGS. 17A and 17B show the construction of an endoscope cable lead-out unit according to an embodiment 2-5, and this construction of the embodiment 2-5 is similar to that of the embodiment 2-4 (uses the basic construction of the embodiment 2-2) except, that anintermediate connector32 is disposed on the lead-outpart33 of thelight guide connector19 to make thesecond cable20 detachable. As shown inFIG. 15, the intermediate connector (inserting part)32 provided on thesecond cable20 side is constructed so as to be connected to the lead-out part (connector receiver)33 of thelight guide connector19 side, and this lead-outpart33 is provided with, for example, male pins35 for an electric connector inside, and on, for example, three points of the outer circumference of thereceiver ring36, engagingpins37 are provided. On the other hand, the intermediate connector (inserting part)32 is provided with female pins inside and, on the outer circumference, a fixingring39 that rotates in a predetermined range. On this fixingring39, guidegrooves40 that engage with the engagingpins37 are formed inside at three points, and on the outer circumference, amark41 indicating the upper position is provided.
• In this embodiment 2-5, thefirst frame173 ofFIG. 12 is also provided, and as shown inFIG. 16, thisfirst frame173 is provided inside theouter sheath170bof the lead-outpart33, and is temporarily fixed to theouter sheath170bby coupling thetemporary presser ring176 to the screwing portion G₂as in the case ofFIG. 10. In addition, on the inner circumferential surface of thisfirst frame173, asecond frame274 having an outer circumferential surface to fit the inner circumferential surface is provided, and to thissecond frame274, apin275 that is guided by theguide groove173bof thefirst frame173 and latched is attached, and to a screwing portion G₃on the outer circumference thereof, apresser ring277 is set and screwed. Inside this second frame, apin supporting member282 provided with connector pins35 is attached.
• The embodiment 2-5 is constructed as described above, and inFIG. 16, thefirst frame173 is temporarily fixed to theouter sheath170bby thetemporary presser ring176, and from this state ofFIG. 16, thesecond frame274 is fit to thefirst frame173, thepin275 is latched by theguide groove173b, and thepresser ring277 is fastened, whereby theouter sheath170bis nipped by thepresser ring277 and theedge173aof thefirst frame173 vertically as shown inFIG. 17A. Thereby, theframes173 and274 and thepin supporting member282 are securely fixed to theouter sheath170b.
• Then, as shown inFIG. 15, theintermediate connector32 is inserted into the lead-outpart33, and the fixingring39 is rotated clockwise so as to be fastened, whereby the engagingpins37 are guided to the insides of theguide grooves40 and theintermediate connector32 is linked to the lead-outpart33. According to this embodiment 2-5, thesecond cable20 is made disconnectable from thefirst cable18 by theintermediate connector32, so that handling in cleaning or connector connection becomes easy. In this embodiment 2-5, thesecond cable20 is also led diagonally rearward from the side surface of thelight guide connector19 by the lead-outpart33 as shown inFIG. 1.
• In the above-described embodiments, a cable including an electric wire is led out from the main body, however, in an endoscope, in addition to this electric wire, linear members such as a light guide, an air duct, an water duct, a driving force linear transmitting member, and the like are installed, and the invention can be applied for leading-out these linear members from the main bodies of various units.
• According to the endoscope connector device of this invention, the operation space in front of the front, panel becomes wider, access to the front panel operation part becomes easy, and since the second cable is arranged on the right side, it becomes possible for a user to hold the endoscope control portion by the left hand and easily connect the light guide connector and the electric connector by the right hand, and even when the second cable becomes detachable due to the intermediate connector as in the case according to the second aspect, the intermediate connector of the second cable can be easily connected or disconnected by the right hand.
• Furthermore, in comparison with the related-art construction ofFIG. 8, the distance between the first cable and the second cable does not become narrow, so that high cleaning performance is maintained, and since the curvature of the second cable when it is attached and connected does not become small, a load is not burdened on the second cable. As in the case of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H05-228104, it can also be prevented that the light guide connector (inserting part) and the electric connector (inserting part) swing and break each other.
• With the construction according to the third aspect, even when the light source unit is above or below the processor unit, the second cable faces the processor unit from the light guide connector, so that natural connection and layout are obtained, and the load to be burdened by the second cable on the base end (root) of the light guide connector is reduced.
• According to the endoscope cable lead-out unit of the invention, since a cable or components of the cable are retained by the metallic frame, a stress generated due to load of the cable does not concentrate at the synthetic resin-including outer sheath, and the outer sheath is prevented, from being broken. Furthermore, leading-out and assembling of the cable become easy.
• With the construction according to the, fifth aspect, since the cable is retained by the second frame that is detachably attached to the first frame of the lead-out part, the cable can be easily laid at the lead-out part while being securely fixed to the second frame, whereby arrangement and assembling of the cable with respect to the lead-out part become easy.
• With the construction according to the sixth aspect, even when the second cable including an electric wire is led out diagonally rearward from the light guide connector to which the first cable including a light guide and the electric wire is connected, the lead-out part that may not be broken can be easily assembled without using a complicated construction.
• The entire disclosure of each and every foreign patent application from which the benefit of foreign priority has been claimed in the present application is incorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth.

Claims (3)

1. An endoscope cable lead-out unit for leading-out a cable from a main body, comprising:

an outer sheath that includes a synthetic resin and is formed so as to project in a cable lead-out direction from the main body;

a metallic lead-out part frame for retaining and fixing a cable or components of the cable, arranged inside the outer sheath while engaging with a base end side of the outer sheath; and

a presser ring that is screwed and coupled to the lead-out part frame and engages a the distal end side of the outer sheath in this screw-coupled state,

wherein the outer sheath is nipped by the, presser ring and the lead-out part frame.

2. The endoscope cable lead-out unit according toclaim 1,

wherein the lead-out part frame comprises:

a first frame adjacent to the main body side; and

a second frame that is detachably attached to the first frame by a latching unit and retains and fixes the cable or components of the cable,

wherein the presser ring is arranged on the second frame.

3. The endoscope cable lead-out unit according toclaim 1,

wherein the main body is a light guide connector that connects a first cable including: a light guide for illumination light supply; and an, electric wire for video signal transmission to a light source unit,

wherein the endoscope cable lead-out unit is applied to a lead-out part of the light guide connector from which a second cable for linking the electric wire from the light guide connector to a processor unit is led out diagonally rearward from the light guide connector that is connected to the light source unit while facing a front panel of the light source unit.

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