JP2007196017A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope which can secure security feeling on holding the endoscope. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope 10 is equipped with an insertion part 12 with a curve part 34 and an operation part 13 connected to the base end part of the insertion part 12. The operation part 13 has a curve operation part 42 for curving operation of the curve part 34, a switch setting part 46 with a switch to perform various setting, and a holding part 48a for holding the operation part 13. Among the curve operation part 42, the switch setting part 46, and the holding part 48a, the curve operation part 42 is utmost close to the curved part 42, the holding part 48a utmost distant, and the switch setting part 46 is set between the curve operation part 42 and the holding part 48a. Those curve operation part 42, switch setting part 46, and holding part 48a are arranged almost in a straight line. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope.

  The endoscope (endoscope main body) includes an elongated insertion portion, an operation portion provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion, and a universal cable. And when the insertion part of an endoscope is hard, for example, it is formed heavier than other parts with a metal material.

  Depending on the layout of the operation section of the endoscope, there may be a problem in the operability of the endoscope. In addition, when the insertion part of the endoscope is hard, for example, it is made of a metal material, so there may be a problem in the operability of the endoscope depending on the layout of the operation part, and the endoscope is held. There is a problem with stability when doing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope that can ensure a sense of stability when the endoscope is gripped.

  In order to solve the above problems, an endoscope according to the present invention includes an insertion portion having a bending portion and an operation portion connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion. The operation unit is capable of rotating operation and has a bending operation unit having a bending operation lever that bends the bending unit in accordance with the rotation operation, and a switch disposition unit in which switches for performing various settings are disposed. A gripping portion for gripping the operation portion, wherein the bending operation portion, the switch disposing portion, and the gripping portion are arranged substantially linearly, and the rotation center of the bending operation lever is the switch operation portion It is arranged on the insertion part side rather than.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an endoscope that can ensure a sense of stability when the endoscope is gripped.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope (endoscope main body) 10 according to this embodiment includes an elongated insertion portion 12, an operation portion 13 provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 12, and a universal cable. 14, a light guide connector 15, a camera cable 16, and a camera connector 17.

  Although not shown, an imaging unit having a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD is built in the distal end side of the insertion portion 12. The universal cable 14 is extended from the base end part of the operation part 13. The light guide connector 15 is provided at the rear end portion (distal end portion with respect to the operation portion 13) of the universal cable 14. The light guide connector 15 includes a light guide rod 18 connected to a light source device 22 described later. The camera cable 16 extends from the side of the light guide connector 15. The camera connector 17 is provided at the extended tip of the camera cable 16 (the distal end with respect to the light guide connector 15).

  Note that the flexibility of the camera cable 16 and the flexibility of the universal cable 14 are different from each other. The universal cable 14 connected to the operation unit 13 held and operated by the surgeon is highly flexible. Then, the universal cable 14 can be flexibly followed when the endoscope 10 is handled. Therefore, the universal cable 14 is prevented from obstructing the operation of the endoscope 10.

  On the other hand, the camera cable 16 has a certain degree of rigidity. For this reason, the camera connector 17 is dropped while holding the light guide connector 15 when the endoscope 10 is transported / stored, connected to the light source device 22 and the CCU 24 (see FIG. 2) described later, or removed. Thus, even if the weight of the camera connector 17 is directly applied to the camera cable 16, damage to the camera cable 16 is reduced.

  Further, the flexibility of the universal cable 14 may be changed as it approaches the operation unit 13 side. In that case, it is possible to increase the flexibility in the vicinity of the connecting portion with the light guide connector 15 and reduce the damage to the universal cable 14 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide connector 15 of the endoscope 10 is connected to the light source device 22. The camera connector 17 is connected to a camera control unit (hereinafter referred to as CCU) 24. The light source device 22 includes a light guide connector receiving portion 26 to which the light guide rod 18 of the light guide connector 15 is connected. The CCU 24 includes a connector receiving portion 28 to which the camera connector 17 is connected. Although not shown, a monitor is connected to the CCU 24. For this reason, after an optical image of the test portion is picked up by a solid-state image pickup device of an image pickup unit, which will be described later, signal processing is performed by the CCU 24 through the image pickup cable, and the image of the test portion is displayed on the monitor.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a distal end portion 32 made of a hard member is provided at the most distal position of the insertion portion 12. On the distal end surface of the distal end portion 32, for example, an illumination window (illumination lens) of an illumination optical system that guides illumination light for illuminating the subject portion in the body cavity, or a subject portion illuminated with the illumination light. An objective lens for taking in an optical image is provided. In the illumination window, a light guide fiber that guides light from the light source device 22 to the distal end portion 32 of the insertion portion 12 through the universal cable 14 and the operation portion 13 is disposed on the same optical axis. The objective lens is formed as an objective lens system in which a plurality of lenses are combined. On the optical axis of the objective lens system, a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD element that captures an image formed by the objective lens system is disposed at the distal end portion 32. The objective lens system and the solid-state imaging device are combined to form an imaging unit. In other words, the imaging unit is built in the distal end portion 32.

  An imaging cable (not shown) is connected to the rear side of the imaging unit. The imaging cable is guided to the camera connector 17 through the insertion portion 12, the operation portion 13, the universal cable 14, the light guide connector 15, and the camera cable 16 of the endoscope 10. As shown in FIG. 2, when the camera connector 17 is connected to the connector receiving portion 28 of the CCU 24, the imaging unit is electrically connected to the CCU 24.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a bending portion 34 that is bent by the operation of the operation portion 13 is connected to the proximal end portion of the distal end portion 32 of the insertion portion 12. A long, thin, hard portion 36 made of a metal material is connected to the base end portion of the curved portion 34.

  The operation portion 13 is connected to the proximal end portion of the hard portion 36. That is, the base end portion of the hard portion 36 is fixed by the operation portion 13. At this time, the proximal end portion of the rigid portion 36 is fixed in a watertight state with respect to the operation portion 13. Further, the base end portion of the rigid portion 36 is disposed in the vicinity of a first drum 62a (see FIG. 4B) described later.

  The operation unit 13 includes a bending operation unit 42 that bends the bending unit 34 of the insertion unit 12, and a cylindrical grip unit 44 that is a part of a portion that the operator holds. The bending operation part 42 is disposed between the hard part 36 and the grip part 44. The grip portion 44 includes a switch disposition portion 46 and a bend stop 48 of the universal cable 14. The switch disposition unit 46 is disposed between the bending operation unit 42 and the folding stop 48. The switch arrangement unit 46 includes a plurality of remote switches 46a on the circumference for remotely operating a video recording device such as a VTR (not shown), the CCU 24, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the folding stop 48 includes a gripping part 48a disposed adjacent to the switch mounting part 46, a folding stop part 48b disposed on the side where the universal cable 14 is extended, And a step 48c disposed between the grip portion 48a and the bend preventing portion 48b. The step 48c is disposed at a transition portion between the grip portion 48a and the bend preventing portion 48b. The grip portion 48a includes a substantially cylindrical core cylinder 52a formed of a material having rigidity such as a metal material, and an elastic material 52b such as a rubber material covered on the outer periphery of the core cylinder 52a. . For this reason, the holding part 48a is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a relatively large diameter.

  In the anti-bending portion 48b, the elastic material 52b extends from the core tube 52a. At this time, the bend preventing part 48b extends in a tapered substantially conical shape as the distance from the insertion part 12 increases. For this reason, the bend preventing part 48b has moderate flexibility. Therefore, the bend preventing part 42b has a function of preventing the universal cable 14 from buckling in the vicinity of the operation part 13 and preventing it from being bent slightly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the operator grips the grip portion 48a, the grip portion 48a sufficiently covers the operator's thumb and index finger on the bending operation portion 42 and the switch placement portion 46. Thus, the axial length is set.

  The hard part 36 is made of a metal material and heavier than the other parts. The base end portion of the rigid portion 36 is fixed in the operation portion 13 at a position as close as possible to bending operation levers 56a and 56b described later. That is, the proximal end portion of the insertion portion 12 is disposed closer to the grip portion 48a. For this reason, the center of gravity of the endoscope 10 is brought as close as possible to the gripping portion 48a side (the hand side) to ensure a sense of stability when the endoscope 10 is gripped.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bending operation unit 42 includes two bending operation levers 56a and 56b and bending fixing levers 58a and 58b (the bending fixing lever 58b for the bending operation lever 56b is not shown). . The bending fixing levers 58a and 58b are disposed at positions adjacent to the bending operation levers 56a and 56b, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the center of rotation of a pair of thin disk-shaped first drums 62a is fixed to the rotation shafts of the bending operation levers 56a and 56b inside the bending operation unit 42. . Therefore, each of the first drums 62a is rotated based on the rotation operation angle by rotating the bending operation levers 56a and 56b.

  A pair of thin disc-shaped second drums 62b is rotatably supported at a position on the side of the folding stop 48 with respect to the first drum 62a. The rotation axes of the first drum 62a and the second drum 62b are parallel to each other.

  One end of each of the lever wires 64a and 64b for bending the bending portion 34 is fixed on the circumference of the first drum 62a. The end portions of the lever wires 64 a and 64 b are wound around the outer periphery of the second drum 62 b and the direction thereof is folded back toward the distal end portion 32 side of the insertion portion 12. Here, the outer diameter of the second drum 62b is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the first drum 62a, and is the distance between the folded lever wires 64a and 64b substantially equal to the inner diameter of the rigid portion 36? It is slightly smaller and extends in parallel.

  On the other hand, the bending operation wires 66a and 66b for bending the bending portion 34 in a predetermined direction have the distal end portion of the bending piece 34 (not shown) of the bending portion 34 at the tip of the bending piece. It is fixed. The bending operation wires 66a and 66b are inserted into the guide coils 68a and 68b over almost the entire length other than the distal end portion 32 and the bending portion 34 inside the insertion portion 12. The proximal ends of the bending operation wires 66a and 66b are exposed in the operation unit 13 from the guide coils 68a and 68b. The bending operation wires 66a and 66b are connected to the lever wires 64a and 64b inside the grip portion 44, respectively.

  When the bending operation levers 56a and 56b are respectively rotated, the first drum 62a is rotated and the second drum 62b is rotated by the lever wires 64a and 64b. Then, the bending operation wires 66a and 66b move forward and backward in the guide coils 68a and 68b to move the bending piece of the bending portion 34. Then, the bending portion 34 is bent. Since the bending operation section 42 includes the bending fixing levers 58a and 58b, the bending section 34 is fixed in a desired bending state by operating the bending fixing levers 58a and 58b.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the light guide connector 15 includes a connector main body 72 connected at the rear end of the universal cable 14, an inner cylinder 74 fixedly provided inside the connector main body 72, A pressure cap (cylindrical member) 76 that is externally fitted to the cylinder 74 and can be advanced and retracted in the axial direction is provided. A space between the inner peripheral surface of the connector main body 72 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74 is fixed in a state of being water-tightly sealed by an O-ring 77 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74.

  The light guide rod 18 connected to the light guide connector receiving portion 26 (see FIG. 2) of the light source device 22 is watertightly connected to the protruding end of the inner tube 74 (the end on the distal side with respect to the universal cable 14). Has been. The inner cylinder 74 is filled with a substantially cylindrical filling block 78 made of a lightweight material such as a plastic material. The filling block 78 is a filling member for making the internal space of the endoscope 10 smaller. A filling block (not shown) is also arranged in a portion other than the light guide connector 15 constituting the endoscope 10. For this reason, the space volume which occupies the inside of the endoscope 10 is formed as small as possible.

  A small-diameter through-hole 78a is formed at approximately the center (center axis) in the longitudinal direction of the filling block 78. The through hole 78 a communicates with a lumen portion extending from the light guide connector 15 of the endoscope 10 to the entire distal end portion 32 of the insertion portion 12.

  A light guide fiber 80 is disposed in the through hole 78a. The distal end portion of the light guide fiber 80 is optically connected to the above-described illumination window of the distal end portion 32 of the insertion portion 12. The proximal end portion of the light guide fiber 80 is covered with the light guide rod 18.

  The filling block 78 is formed with an air passage 78b opened from the through hole 78a toward the outer periphery. A concave groove 78 c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the filling block 78. The concave groove 78c communicates with the air passage 78b. The inner cylinder 74 has a leak hole 74a communicating with the ventilation path 78b. The leak hole 74a is formed in a part of a recess 74b in which the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74 is recessed in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, a groove 74c is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74 along the longitudinal direction so as to communicate with the recess 74b. In addition, a cam pin 82 is fixed in a watertight manner at a specified position of the inner cylinder 74.

  The pressure cap 76 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a bottom portion through which the light guide rod 18 passes. The pressure cap 76 is externally fitted to the inner cylinder 74 so as to be able to advance and retract within the movable range of the cam pin 82. A space between the bottom of the pressure cap 76 and the light guide rod 18 is always kept in a watertight state by the seal ring 84.

  On the inner peripheral surface in the vicinity of the opening end of the pressure cap 76, there is a groove 76a formed along the longitudinal direction, and a seal block 85 on the circumference on the deeper side (bottom of the pressure cap 76) than the groove 76a. It is arranged. Further, the pressure cap 76 is formed with a cam groove 76c in which the cam pin 82 described above is disposed. A cylindrical cover 76d is disposed on the outer periphery of the pressure cap 76 so as to cover the cam groove 76c. A pair of seal rings 76e is disposed on the circumference between the pressure cap 76 and the cylindrical cover 76d, and the pressure cap 76 and the cylindrical cover 76d are fixed by, for example, four screws 76f. . The seal rings 76e are disposed at the distal end portion and the proximal end portion of the cylindrical cover 76d, respectively. The screws 76f are fixed to the distal end side and the base end side of the seal ring 76e, respectively. For this reason, the cam groove 76c is held in a watertight state with respect to the cylindrical cover 76d.

  FIG. 5B is an observation of the cam groove 76c provided in the body portion of the pressure cap 76 from the direction of the arrow 5B in FIG. At both end positions of the cam groove 76c, convex portions 86a and 86b are formed to which the cam pin 82 gets over and is click-engaged.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, a first spring receiving portion 88a is formed at the bottom of the pressure cap 76. A second spring receiving portion 88 b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74. Between the first and second spring receiving portions 88a and 88b, a coil spring 88 urged so that the pressure cap 76 is separated from the inner cylinder 74 is disposed. That is, the pressure cap 76 is always urged against the end of the inner cylinder 74 by the action of the coil spring 88.

  5A and 5B, the seal block 85 of the pressure cap 76 is disposed in the concave portion 74b of the inner cylinder 74 at the cam end position (the state where the cam pin 82 is engaged with the convex portion 86a). ing. For this reason, the lumen 90, the groove 74c, the recess 74b, the air passage 78b, the through-hole 78a, the groove 76a, and the outside of the endoscope 10, which are the internal space of the pressure cap 76, are all in communication. That is, the inside of the endoscope 10 is in communication with the atmosphere. In this state, the endoscope 10 can be placed in a negative pressure environment such as gas sterilization.

  Further, from the above state, when the pressure cap 76 is rotated clockwise with respect to the inner cylinder 74 (front side in FIG. 5A), the cam pin 82 moves in the cam groove 76c. At this time, the pressure cap 76 can be moved on the inner cylinder 74 toward the universal cable 14 by a stroke (length L in FIG. 5B).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the communication with the atmosphere is released by the seal block 85, and the atmosphere is cut off. At this time, the seal block 85 is moved by the length L while keeping the inside of the endoscope 10 in a watertight state. For this reason, the seal block 85 has a function as a watertight state variable mechanism that changes the inside of the endoscope 10 from a communication state communicated to the outside to a watertight state.

  Then, the volume of the inside of the endoscope 10 decreases as the pressure cap 76 rotates, that is, the pressure is increased and the pressure is increased with respect to the outside. That is, the inside of the endoscope 10 is kept watertight and is in a pressurized state. For this reason, the pressure cap 76 has a function as an internal pressure variable means for changing the internal pressure of the endoscope 10 to change the internal pressure.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, first and second state display protrusions 92 a and 92 b are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connector main body 72. A third state display protrusion 92 c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical cover 76 d of the pressure cap 76. The first state display protrusion 92a is formed in a small circular shape. The second and third state display protrusions 92 b and 92 c are formed in an oval shape having a longitudinal direction in the axial direction of the light guide connector 15.

  At this time, in the atmosphere communication state shown in FIG. 5A, as shown in FIG. 7A, the first state display protrusion 92a is arranged on the axis of the third state display protrusion 92c. In the air blocking state (endoscope internal pressure state) shown in FIG. 6 (A), as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the second state display protrusion 92b is on the axis of the third state display protrusion 92c. Be placed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector main body 72 of the light guide connector 15 measures the pressure inside the endoscope 10 (inside the light guide connector 15) and displays the measured value. Pressure display means) 94 is provided. A camera cable 16 extends from the side of the connector main body 72, and a camera connector 17 is connected to an end of the camera cable 16.

  Next, the operation of the endoscope 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

  When performing endoscopic observation, the light guide rod 18 of the light guide connector 15 of the endoscope 10 is connected to the light guide connector receiving portion 26 of the light source device 22 as shown in FIG. The camera connector 17 is connected to the connector receiving portion 28 of the CCU 24.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, during use of the endoscope 10, the surgeon grips the grip portion 48a covered with the elastic material 52b (see FIG. 3) mainly made of rubber. When the bending operation of the bending portion 34 shown in FIG. 1 is performed, the bending operation levers 56a and 56b are operated with the thumb. Further, when operating the remote switch 46a, the bending fixing levers 58a and 58b are operated to fix the bending operation levers 56a and 56b, and then the thumb is moved rearward and the finger is placed on the remote switch 46a. . At this time, since the distances between the remote switch 46a, the bending operation levers 56a and 56b, and the bending fixing levers 58a and 58b are close to each other, the remote switch 46a and the bending operation levers 56a and 56b can be moved smoothly without difficulty. Further, the bending fixing levers 58a and 58b can be operated.

  After the endoscope 10 is used, a water leak inspection of the endoscope 10 is performed before the whole is cleaned. From the state shown in FIG. 5A to the state shown in FIG. 6A, the pressure cap 76 of the light guide connector 15 is rotated clockwise about the longitudinal direction (front side in FIG. 5A). Then, the cam pin 82 is moved along the cam groove 76 c and the pressure cap 76 is slid by the distance L with respect to the inner cylinder 74. At this time, since the convex portion 86b is present at the terminal position of the cam groove 76c (see FIG. 6B), the cam pin 82 is held with a click feeling in the state shown in FIG. 6A. . For this reason, the state of the pressure cap 76 is maintained against the elastic force (biasing force) of the coil spring 88.

  Here, in the state shown in FIG. 5A before the rotation, the through-hole 78a communicating with the inside of the endoscope 10 as a whole is communicated with the atmosphere through the groove portion 76a together with the lumen 90 of the pressure cap 76. ing. At this time, since the convex portion 86a is present at the end position of the cam groove 76c (see FIG. 5B), the cam pin 82 is held with a click feeling in the state shown in FIG. . For this reason, the state of the pressure cap 76 is maintained against the elastic force (biasing force) of the coil spring 88. When the pressure cap 76 is rotated from this state and sliding is started in the longitudinal direction, the seal block 85 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 74, and the through hole 78a and the inner cavity 90 are blocked from the atmosphere. Since the through-hole 78a and the lumen 90 are always in communication with each other through the groove 74c, the volume change of the lumen 90 due to the movement of the pressurizing cap 76 causes the pressurized air to flow into the endoscope 10 from the through-hole 78a. It becomes.

  Further, the pressure cap 76 is rotated with respect to the inner cylinder 74, and the cam pin 82 is slid to the rotation end position shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B) with respect to the cam groove 76c. That is, the end of the pressure cap 76 is brought into contact with the end of the connector main body 72. Then, air flows into the through hole 78a through the lumen 90, the groove 74c, the leak hole 74a, and the ventilation path 78b. For this reason, the volume of the lumen 90 is eliminated, and the entire volume of the initial lumen 90 is sent into the endoscope 10 (inside the through hole 78a) and is pressurized.

  Note that the internal pressure of the endoscope 10 at this time is a pressure that does not damage the endoscope 10 itself, and the maximum lumen 90 is set to a pressure at which water leakage can be confirmed reliably and easily. The volume of is set.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the state where the cam pin 82 is disposed on the convex portion 86a, the appearance of the light guide connector 15 is in the state shown in FIG. 7A. In this case, the first state display protrusion 92a is disposed on the connector main body 72 on the axis of the third state display protrusion 92c disposed on the cylindrical cover 76d of the pressure cap 76. Then, the surgeon can easily confirm that the inside of the endoscope 10 is in the communication state shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the appearance of the light guide connector 15 is in the state shown in FIG. 7B when the cam pin 82 is disposed on the convex portion 86b. In this case, the second state display protrusion 92b is disposed on the connector main body 72 on the axis of the third state display protrusion 92c of the pressure cap 76. Then, the surgeon can easily confirm that the inside of the endoscope 10 is blocked from the atmosphere and is in a pressurized state as shown in FIG. 6A.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the entire endoscope 10 in which the inside of the endoscope 10 is pressurized is immersed in a tray 96 containing water. If there is a water leak location somewhere in the endoscope 10, the pressurized air leaks from there, so that it appears as a bubble and the water leak location can be confirmed immediately. In addition, it is possible to know whether or not the inside of the endoscope 10 is leaking by checking the change in the pressure display of the pressure display unit 94 provided in the light guide connector 15. In this case, even if the endoscope 10 is not immersed in the tray 96 (underwater), it can be confirmed that there is no water leakage if there is no pressure change, so that the trouble of preparing the tray 96 and the like can be saved. In addition, the pressure display unit 94 may serve as a means for confirming whether the inside of the endoscope 10 has an appropriate pressure or whether the inside of the endoscope 10 has been subjected to a water leak inspection under an appropriate pressure. Used.

  Then, after the water leakage inspection of the endoscope 10, the appearance of the endoscope 10 is cleaned and disinfected. Subsequently, when performing gas sterilization, the pressurizing cap 76 is rotated counterclockwise (back side in FIG. 6A) from the endoscope internal pressurizing state shown in FIG. The air communication state shown in FIG.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The pressure inside the endoscope 10 can be changed by extending and contracting the light guide connector 15. At this time, the endoscope 10 can be changed between a communication state in which the interior of the endoscope 10 communicates with the atmosphere and a pressurized state in which the endoscope 10 is sealed and pressurized. For this reason, when the inside of the endoscope 10 is in a pressurized state, a power supply and equipment are unnecessary, and a water leak inspection can be performed reliably, easily, and efficiently. Further, by observing the numerical value of the pressure display unit 94 provided in the light guide connector 15, it is possible to determine whether or not the endoscope 10 has leaked water without being immersed in water. In this case, when there is a water leak from the endoscope 10, the site cannot be specified, but an emergency determination of the presence or absence of the water leak can be made.

  In addition, a part of the folding stop 48 covered with a rubber material functions as the grip portion 44 and the folding stop 48 serves as a non-slip, so that the operability of the endoscope 10 can be improved. Further, since the step 48c is provided at the transition portion between the rigid gripping portion 48a and the flexible folding stop portion 48b, the erroneous gripping of the folding stop portion 48b is reduced, resulting in damage to the universal cable 14. Can be prevented.

  Since the base end portion of the rigid portion 36 made of a metal material having a weight as compared with other portions is fixed at a position close to the grasping position of the operation portion 13, the center of gravity of the endoscope 10 is grasped by the operator. It becomes close to a position and the manageability of the endoscope 10 itself can be improved. That is, a sense of stability when the endoscope 10 is grasped can be increased.

  Since the layout of the operation unit 13 is arranged in this order from the distal end 32 side of the insertion unit 12 to the bending operation levers 56a and 56b, the remote switch 46a, and the gripping unit 48a, the bending operation lever 56a, It becomes easy to operate 56b and the remote switch 46a, and as a result, the operability of the endoscope 10 can be improved.

  By configuring the universal cable 14 connected to the bend preventing portion 48b to be highly flexible, the universal cable 14 can flexibly follow the operation of the endoscope 10, so that the manageability of the endoscope 10 is improved. Can do.

  Further, when the light guide connector 15 and the camera connector 17 are connected to the light source device 22 and the CCU 24, respectively, usually one of them is connected to the device first and then the other is connected. At this time, even if the camera connector 17 or the light guide connector 15 is accidentally dropped while the light guide connector 15 or the camera connector 17 is held by hand or connected to a device, the camera cable 16 itself has low flexibility. Therefore, the damage applied to the camera cable 16 can be reduced.

  That is, according to this embodiment, when performing water leakage confirmation, a dedicated device is not required, a power source is unnecessary, water leakage confirmation can be performed easily and easily, and a series of cleaning and disinfection operations is performed. It is possible to provide the endoscope 10 that can efficiently perform the process.

  In this embodiment, it has been described that the base end portion of the insertion portion 12 is formed as the hard portion 36 made of a metal material. However, a flexible tube having flexibility may be used instead of the hard portion 36. good.

  The embodiment has been specifically described so far with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and all the embodiments performed without departing from the scope of the invention are described. Including.

  According to the above description, the following matters can be obtained. Combinations of the terms are also possible.

[Appendix]
(Additional Item 1) An insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, an operation portion provided on a proximal end side of the insertion portion, and a universal cable extending from the operation portion are arranged substantially linearly, and the universal cable In an endoscope in which the universal cable is connected to the proximal end side operation portion with a bend preventing the universal cable from buckling.
A relatively large-diameter grip portion in which an elastic material such as rubber is externally coated on a substantially cylindrical core material made of a rigid material such as metal, and the elastic material is substantially conical from the core material. An endoscope comprising a flexible folding stop portion extending in a tapered shape, and a step provided at a transition portion between the gripping portion and the folding stop portion.

(Additional Item 2) The operation unit includes a bending operation unit that performs a bending operation on the bending unit near the distal end of the insertion unit, and a remote switch unit that remotely operates an endoscopic image.
The endoscope according to appendix 1, wherein a bending operation unit, a remote switch unit, and a gripping unit are arranged in this order from the side close to the insertion unit in the operation unit.

    (Additional Item 3) In order to perform the bending operation of the bending portion, the bending operation wire provided at one end of the bending portion and inserted into the operation portion and the movement of the bending operation lever provided in the operation portion are bent. The internal view according to claim 2, wherein the connecting portion with the lever wire for transmitting to the operation wire is configured to be located closer to the holding portion side with respect to the rotation shaft of the bending operation lever. mirror.

    (Additional Item 4) An insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity, an operation portion provided on a proximal end side of the insertion portion, and a universal cable extending from the operation portion are arranged substantially linearly, and the universal In an endoscope provided with a light guide connector at the end of the cable and further provided with a camera connector at the end of the camera cable extending from the light guide connector, the flexibility of the camera cable is determined by the light guide cable. An endoscope characterized by being higher than flexibility.

    (Additional Item 5) The endoscope according to Additional Item 4, wherein the camera cable is configured to be shorter than the universal cable.

    (Additional Item 6) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the flexibility of the universal cable is configured to become lower as it approaches the operation unit side.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of an endoscope according to an embodiment. FIG. Schematic which shows the state which connected the endoscope which concerns on one Embodiment to the light source device and the camera control unit. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing how an endoscope according to an embodiment is prevented from being folded. FIG. 1 shows an endoscope according to an embodiment, (A) is a schematic diagram showing a state where an operator has gripped an operation unit, and (B) is a schematic partial sectional view showing a configuration of a bending operation unit of the operation unit. . (A) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the inside of the light guide connector of the endoscope according to the embodiment is communicated with the atmosphere, and (B) is an additional view of the light guide connector in the state shown in (A). Schematic which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the cam groove and cam pin which were formed in the pressure cap. (A) is sectional drawing of the longitudinal direction which shows the state which interrupted | blocked the inside of the light guide connector of the endoscope which concerns on one Embodiment with respect to air | atmosphere, (B) is a light guide connector in the state shown to (A). Schematic which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the cam groove and cam pin which were formed in the pressurization cap. The light guide connector in the endoscope which concerns on one Embodiment is shown, (A) is the schematic which shows the state which connected the inside of the light guide connector with respect to air | atmosphere, (B) is the atmosphere inside the light guide connector. Schematic which shows the state interrupted | blocked with respect to. Schematic which shows the state which carries out the water leak test | inspection of the whole endoscope which concerns on one embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Light guide connector, 18 ... Light guide rod, 72 ... Connector main body, 74 ... Inner cylinder, 74a ... Leak hole, 74b ... Recessed part, 74c ... Groove part, 76 ... Pressure cap, 76a ... Groove part, 76c ... Cam groove, 76d ... Cylindrical cover, 78 ... Filling block, 78a ... Through hole, 78b ... Air passage, 78c ... Groove, 80 ... Light guide fiber, 82 ... Cam pin, 84 ... Seal ring, 85 ... Seal block, 88 ... Coil spring

Claims (7)

An insertion portion having a bending portion;
An endoscope comprising: an operation unit connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion unit;
The operation unit is
A bending operation unit having a bending operation lever capable of rotating and bending the bending unit according to the rotation operation;
A switch disposition section in which switches for performing various settings are disposed;
A gripping part for gripping the operation part,
The bending operation unit, the switch arrangement unit, and the gripping unit are arranged in a substantially straight line,
The endoscope characterized in that the turning center of the bending operation lever is disposed closer to the insertion portion than the switch.   Of the bending operation unit, the switch disposing unit, and the gripping unit, the bending operation unit is closest to the insertion unit, the gripping unit is most separated, and the switch disposing unit is the bending operation unit and the gripping unit. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the endoscope is disposed between the two. Between the bending portion and the bending operation portion, an operation wire for bending the bending portion by being pulled according to the operation of the bending operation lever of the bending operation portion is disposed.
In the inside of the operation unit, a first drum that is arranged at the center of rotation of the bending operation lever of the bending operation unit and rotates according to the operation of the bending operation lever, and the first drum more than the first drum A second drum arranged on the gripping portion side is provided;
One end of the operation wire is connected to the first drum,
The other end of the operation wire extends in the direction of the second drum, and abuts on the second drum and extends in the direction of the bending portion to extend to the bending portion. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the endoscope is connected to the endoscope. The proximal end of the insertion part is disposed inside the operation part,
The distance between the proximal end of the insertion portion and the rotation center of the bending operation lever is shorter than the distance between the distal end of the grip portion and the rotation center of the bending operation lever. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the insertion portion includes a rigid portion between the bending portion and the operation portion.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a cable extends substantially linearly from an end of the gripping portion.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the switch placement portion includes a cylindrical member on which a switch is placed.

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