KR-20260066040-A - endoscopy

KR20260066040AKR 20260066040 AKR20260066040 AKR 20260066040AKR-20260066040-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoscope and comprises an insertion part having an illumination and imaging part and an insertion tube, and an operating part having an operating knob and operating the insertion tube to bend according to the operation of the operating knob, wherein the insertion tube includes a bending part that bends according to the operation of the operating part, and wherein the bending part comprises a bending section injection-molded from a first material and a connecting part injection-molded from a second material different from the first material and connecting a plurality of the bending sections, thereby having the effect of being able to manufacture a bending part that can provide bending performance at a low cost.

Inventors

김원수
황창규
김순범

Assignees

엘지전자 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240906
Priority Date: 20230908

Claims (12)

An insertion part having an illumination imaging part and an insertion tube; and An operating unit is provided with an operating knob and operates the insertion tube by bending it according to the operation of the operating knob; Includes, The above insertion tube is, A bending part that bends according to the operation of the above-mentioned operating part; Includes, The above bending part is, A bending section injection-molded from a first material; and A connecting part that is injection molded from a second material different from the first material and connects a plurality of the bending sections; An endoscope including
In paragraph 1, The above bending section is, An endoscope characterized by being formed in a ring shape.
In paragraph 1, The above connecting part is, An endoscope characterized by having a pair formed at each end in the longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned bending section.
In paragraph 3, The above connecting part is, An endoscope characterized by being arranged with a constant phase difference along the circumferential direction of the above-mentioned bending section.
In paragraph 1, The above connecting part is, A plurality of the above bending sections, An endoscope characterized by relative rotation around the above-mentioned connecting part as an axis.
In paragraph 1, The above first material is, An endoscope characterized by being made of polycarbonate.
In paragraph 1, The above second material is, An endoscope characterized by being made of thermoplastic polyurethane.
In paragraph 1, An endoscope characterized in that the bending section and the connecting part are integrally formed.
In paragraph 8, An endoscope characterized in that the bending section and the connecting part are formed by simultaneous injection molding.
In paragraph 1, Inside the above bending section, An endoscope characterized by a wire passing through which the wire moves back and forth according to the operation of the above-mentioned operating knob.
In paragraph 1, An endoscope characterized in that the first material has greater rigidity than the second material.
In paragraph 1, An endoscope characterized in that the second material has greater flexibility than the first material.

Description

Endoscopy The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more specifically, to an endoscope in which an insertion part and an operating part are detachably provided so that a disposable insertion part can be replaced and used. A medical endoscope is a device used to directly insert into internal human tissues for examination or procedure to check the condition of the affected area or perform a procedure. A conventional endoscope places an articulated assembly at one end of a flexible insertion tube to allow for adjustment of the insertion direction during insertion into the human body. A tip body equipped with an image sensor and a light source is provided at one end of the articulated assembly. A handle body may be provided at the other end of the insertion tube. The handle body is connected to an image processing device (not illustrated) via a separate cable and connector. Dials and buttons used for adjusting the direction of the joint assembly and for procedures are arranged on the handle body. A pair of dials is arranged to allow the direction of travel of the tip body to be adjusted vertically and horizontally relative to the longitudinal direction of the insertion tube. Inside the handle body, a sprocket and a chain are provided to convert the rotational motion of the dials into linear motion. The chain is connected to the end of the joint assembly via a separate wire. Consequently, the rotation of the dials is converted into linear motion of the wire through the sprocket and chain, and the joint assembly bends according to the linear motion of the wire. This allows the operator of the endoscope to control the direction of travel of the tip body during the process of inserting the insertion tube into the human body. Here, since the endoscope is inserted into the human body, thorough hygiene management is required, and cleaning and disinfection must be performed before and after medical examinations or surgeries. In some cases, it may be impossible or undesirable to reuse the parts actually inserted into the body, namely the insertion tube and joint assembly. In such cases, since conventional endoscopes consist of a single body, the problem arises that the entire endoscopic device must be replaced. Furthermore, even if reuse is possible, if only a part of the endoscope can be separated rather than the entire device, cleaning and disinfection can be performed more easily. Meanwhile, the bending part of a conventional endoscope requires flexible operation during bending while ensuring rigidity. To this end, conventional endoscopes are equipped with a metal joint structure and connected using welding or rivets to enable bending operation. However, as mentioned above, joint structures formed of metal incur high manufacturing costs, so they have limitations in that they are not suitable for disposable endoscopes that are replaced after a single use. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the detachable relationship between the operating part and the insertion part in an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2. FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining the method of joining a first coupling part and a second coupling part in an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is an enlarged view of Figure 4 seen from a different angle. FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining the state in which a first coupling part and a second coupling part are coupled in an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 13 are drawings for explaining a structure that guides the initial position of a wire frame in an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of Fig. 2 seen from a different angle. FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating an illumination imaging unit in an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the internal structure of an illumination imaging unit in an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a drawing for explaining a heat sink in an endoscope according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 18 and 19 are drawings for explaining a bending portion in an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. This is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be interpreted to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of