BENDING PORTION FOR ENDOSCOPE, BENDING PIECE OF BENDING PORTION FOR ENDOSCOPE, ENDOSCOPE, AND INJECTION MOLDING MOLD FOR BENDING PIECE OF BENDING PORTION FOR ENDOSCOPE

• US 20190328212A1
• Filed: 07/11/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: NAKAJI, Hiroaki, SATO, Eijiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,534,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0052 Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0057 Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/008 Articulations
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports

Abstract

A bending piece of a bending portion for endoscope is provided with: an annular wall portion; a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness; thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness; and a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around a longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion formed to have a third wall thickness that is equal to or less than the first wall thickness and is thicker than the second wall thickness.

Claims

1. A bending portion for endoscope comprising a plurality of bending pieces having contact portions on end portions facing each other in a longitudinal axis direction, the contact portions being in contact with each other, the plurality of bending pieces being mutually rotatable and being consecutively provided in the longitudinal axis direction, wherein

each of the bending pieces comprises:

an annular wall portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface formed around a longitudinal axis and having a predetermined length in the longitudinal axis direction;

a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness and through holes are formed, the through holes passing through the wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction, through which pulling wires configured to cause the bending pieces to rotate being inserted through the through holes;

thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness on the wall portion between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis; and

a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion being formed to have a third wall thickness that is equal to or less than the first wall thickness and is thicker than the second wall thickness.

6. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein a space of the bending piece facing the inner peripheral surface of the thin wall portions constitutes an accommodating portion configured to accommodate long items extending in the longitudinal axis direction.

7. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the third wall thickness is equal to or less than the first thickness.

8. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 1, wherein, for bending pieces adjoining in the longitudinal axis direction, among the plurality of bending pieces, positions of thick wall portions around the longitudinal axis correspond to each other.

2. A bending portion for endoscope comprising a plurality of bending pieces having contact portions on end portions facing each other in a longitudinal axis direction, the contact portions being in contact with each other, the plurality of bending pieces being mutually rotatable and being consecutively provided in the longitudinal axis direction, wherein

each of the bending pieces comprises:

an annular wall portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface formed around a longitudinal axis and having a predetermined length in the longitudinal axis direction;

a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness and through holes are formed, the through holes passing through the wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction, pulling wires configured to cause the bending pieces to rotate being inserted through the through holes;

thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness on the wall portion between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis; and

a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion being formed to have a third wall thickness that is thicker than the second wall thickness;

wherein

a gate mark of injection molding for molding the bending piece is formed on the thick wall portion.

3. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the gate mark is a protruding portion that is projectingly provided on an end surface of the thick wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction.

4. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the gate mark is a protruding portion that is projectingly provided on the outer peripheral surface of the thick wall portion.

5. The bending portion for endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the gate mark is the protruding portion removed for surface matching with the outer peripheral surface by secondary processing after the injection molding.

9. A bending piece of a bending portion for endoscope, the bending piece comprising:

an annular wall portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface formed around a longitudinal axis and having a predetermined length in a longitudinal axis direction;

a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness and through holes are formed, the through holes passing through the wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction and allowing insertion of pulling wires;

thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness on the wall portion between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis; and

a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion being formed to have a third wall thickness that is equal to or less than the first wall thickness and is thicker than the second wall thickness.

10. An endoscope comprising the bending piece of a bending portion for endoscope according to claim 9.

11. An injection molding mold for a bending piece of a bending portion for endoscope, the bending piece comprising:

an annular wall portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface formed around a longitudinal axis and having a predetermined length in a longitudinal axis direction;

a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness and through holes are formed, the through holes passing through the wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction and allowing insertion of pulling wires;

thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness on the wall portion between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis; and

a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around the longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion being formed to have a third wall thickness that is thicker than the second wall thickness;

wherein

a gate or an eject pin for injection molding is positioned at a position where a surface of an end portion of the thick wall portion in the longitudinal axis direction is formed.