JP3863684B2 - Handpiece - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a handpiece, and more particularly to a handpiece for a medical device such as an ultrasonic surgical instrument.
[0002]
[Prior art and problems]
A handpiece for an ultrasonic surgical instrument is roughly divided into a case and a unit housed therein. Conventionally, when storing a unit in a case, for example, work of about 10 steps is required. In these steps, for example, a step of fixing a cylindrical fixing member in the case and press-fitting the body of the vibration unit into the fixing member, a step of driving a plurality of pins into the vibration unit through the fixing member and the case In order to reinforce the seal by the O-ring, many steps are included such as a step of injecting silicone between the case and the vibration unit and solidifying it, and a step of sealing the signal cable outlet. For this reason, there is a problem that the manufacturing operation is complicated and the manufacturing cost cannot be reduced. There is also a problem that the structure of the handpiece is complicated. In addition, when performing maintenance, there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to pull out the vibration unit from the case. Furthermore, due to the necessity of a large number of processes, there are many precautions for properly assembling the handpiece, and there is a problem that the labor load on the operator is large. This problem is also pointed out in medical devices such as electrosurgical handpieces.
[0003]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a handpiece capable of easily setting an internal unit to a case.
[0004]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a handpiece that allows an internal unit to be easily removed from a case.
[0005]
Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to collectively perform processes such as fixing an internal unit, connecting a flow path, and sealing processing around a signal cable.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention corresponds to a surgical unit in which a first engagement portion is formed on the distal end side and supplies a surgical signal to a surgical instrument, and the first engagement portion. A second engaging portion is formed at a position where the surgical unit is inserted from a rear end opening, and the first engaging portion engages with the second engaging portion to cause the surgical unit to be And a rear end cap that is attached to the rear end opening of the case and restricts the retreat of the surgical unit relative to the case in a state where the forward movement is restricted.
[0007]
According to the above configuration, when the surgical unit is inserted into the case from the rear end opening of the case, the first engaging portion formed on the distal end side of the surgical unit is engaged with the second engaging portion formed inside the case. This restricts the forward movement of the surgical unit relative to the case. Further, a rear end cap is attached to the rear end opening, thereby restricting the retreat of the surgical unit with respect to the case. Therefore, the back and forth movement of the surgical unit with respect to the case is suppressed by the engaging action of the first and second engaging portions and the plug action by the rear end cap, that is, the surgical unit is fixed. According to the present invention, since the handpiece can be assembled in two basic processes of inserting the surgical unit and attaching the rear end cap, the manufacturing process can be greatly simplified.
[0008]
The first engagement portion is preferably provided at or near the distal end of the surgical instrument, but is provided at least in front of the center of the surgical unit. In this case, the first engaging portion is basically formed on the outer peripheral surface of the surgical unit, and is preferably provided particularly at the position of the vibration node. The second engaging portion is formed at a position corresponding to the first engaging portion on the inner wall of the case (position that can be engaged). These engaging parts can also be configured as shoulders and steps, for example. The rear end cap can be provided so as to cover the rear end opening, but may be inserted into the rear end opening like a plug. In that case, it is desirable that the signal line is held and sealed by the rear end cap. By removing the rear end cap, the surgical unit can be easily pulled out from the case, and the maintenance performance is also good.
[0009]
Preferably, a first elastic member is interposed between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion. Preferably, a second elastic member is disposed between the intermediate body portion of the surgical unit and the inner wall of the case. Preferably, a third engagement portion is formed at the rear end of the surgical unit, and a fourth engagement portion is engaged with the second engagement portion via a third elastic member at the front end of the rear end cap. Is formed. The surgical unit can be stably held by various elastic members, and the sealing action by the elastic members can be exhibited.
[0010]
Preferably, a unit flow path is formed along the central axis of the surgical unit, and a cap flow path communicating with the unit flow path is formed along the central axis of the rear end cap. Desirably, a pin for restricting rotation of the surgical unit within the case is provided. For example, when a replaceable tip is attached to the tip of a surgical instrument (eg, ultrasonic horn) exposed from the tip opening of the case (eg, tip opening of the horn cover), if a pin is provided, It is possible to prevent the surgical unit from rotating with respect to the case by the rotational force.
[0011]
Preferably, the handpiece includes an ultrasonic transducer. That is, the present invention can be applied to various handpieces such as an ultrasonic surgical handpiece and an electrosurgical device handpiece, and is particularly preferable to be applied to the former handpiece having a complicated surgical unit structure. .
[0012]
(2) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a surgical unit that supplies a surgical signal to a surgical instrument, a case in which the surgical unit is inserted from a rear end opening, A rear end cap that is attached to the rear opening and regulates the movement of the surgical unit in a state in which the surgical unit is inserted, wherein the rear end cap is formed on the inner diameter of the case. It includes an elastic member having a corresponding outer diameter, and a holding mechanism that holds the elastic member and expands it in the radial direction.
[0013]
According to the said structure, the elastic member which comprises a rear-end cap elastically deforms to radial direction, and it swells, and can fix a rear-end cap reliably by the frictional resistance under a pressing force. In particular, the rear end cap can be attached without providing a special structure inside the rear end opening, and the attachment is completed with a simple operation. Since elastic deformation is used, a sealing effect can be expected.
[0014]
Preferably, the clamping mechanism includes a pair of blocks that sandwich the elastic member, and a screw member that is provided across the pair of blocks and reduces the distance between the pair of blocks. According to this configuration, the surgical unit can be fixed by tightening the screw, and the fixed state can be released by loosening the screw.
[0015]
Preferably, the elastic member is formed with a cable hole through which the signal cable passes, and the gap between the cable hole and the signal cable is sealed as the elastic member is sandwiched. Conventionally, a special seal has been required for the signal cable extraction portion (for example, silicone filling). According to the present invention, the signal cable is fixed simultaneously with the fixing of the surgical unit by using the elastic action of the elastic member. Can also be sealed.
[0016]
(3) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a surgical unit that supplies a surgical signal to a surgical instrument, a case that houses the surgical unit, and the surgical unit that is housed in the case. And means for swelling radially in the case and thereby fixing the surgical unit to the case.
[0017]
(4) Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a step of inserting a surgical unit from a rear end opening into a case, and an elasticity to the rear end opening in a state where the surgical unit is inserted into the case. A step of inserting a member, and a step of pressing and holding the elastic member to expand the elastic member in a radial direction, thereby fixing the surgical unit.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a handpiece according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a sectional view thereof. A handpiece 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a handpiece for an ultrasonic surgical instrument in this embodiment.
[0020]
The handpiece 10 is roughly divided into a case main body 12, a horn cover 14 attached to the tip thereof, and an internal assembly 16 accommodated in a handpiece case constituted by the case main body 12 and the horn cover 14. The The internal assembly 16 is roughly composed of a surgical unit 18 and a rear end cap 20. Each configuration will be specifically described below.
[0021]
In the surgical unit 18, the transducer unit 22 is a so-called bolted ultrasonic transducer and includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements 30. Electrodes are provided between the piezoelectric elements 30, and a laminated body composed of a plurality of piezoelectric bodies and electrodes is sandwiched between the pair of blocks 32 and 34 at a predetermined pressure. That is, a front block 34 that extends to the horn 24 is provided on the front side of the vibrator portion 22, and a rear block 32 is provided on the rear side of the laminate. These two blocks 32 and 34 are connected to each other by bolts not shown. This structure itself is a known configuration.
[0022]
A ring groove 34A is formed on the laminate side of the front block 34 (intermediate portion of the surgical unit 18), and an O-ring 36 is disposed in the ring groove 34A. The O-ring 36 is provided at the position of the vibration node and functions to fix and seal the surgical unit 18.
[0023]
The front end side of the front block 34 is engaged with the horn cover 14 via an O-ring 38. This will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. Here, like the O-ring 36, the O-ring 38 has functions of fixing and sealing the surgical unit 18.
[0024]
A horn 24 is connected to the front end side of the front block 34, and ultrasonic vibration generated in the vibrator unit 22 is transmitted to the horn 24 through the front block 34. The tissue is crushed by the tip of the horn. In the present embodiment, the tip 25 is attached to the tip of the horn 24. For example, when the tip 25 is deteriorated, only the portion can be replaced. A hollow flow path 24A is formed inside the horn 24, and the crushed tissue and washing liquid can be sucked through the flow path 24A.
[0025]
The horn cover 14 is connected to the tip of the pipe 13. The pipe 13 is for supplying a cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the gap between the horn cover 14 and the horn 24. Then, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the affected area through the gap. Here, since the O-ring 38 is provided as described above, the cleaning liquid does not enter the case body 12.
[0026]
Next, the rear end cap 20 will be described in detail. The rear end cap 20 is a member inserted like a plug into the rear end opening of the case body 12 in the present embodiment, and the rear end cap 20 includes the first connection block 46, the elastic member 48, and the second connection block 50. Consists of. The first and second connection blocks 46 and 50 are made of a metal such as aluminum, and the elastic member 48 is made of rubber or the like. A tightening screw 52 is provided across the first connection block 46 and the second connection block 50, and by tightening the tightening screw 52, the two connection blocks 46, 50 are close to each other, and as a result, elastic The member 48 expands in the radial direction. Due to the sliding resistance between the elastic member 48 and the inner wall of the case body 12 due to the expansion pressure, the rear end cap 20 is securely and stably fixed in the rear end opening.
[0027]
In the handpiece 10 of the present embodiment, the surgical unit 18 is inserted from the rear end opening of the case body 12, and the rear end cap is placed in the rear end opening of the case body 12 in a state where the surgical unit 18 reaches the advanced end. The rear end cap 20 is fixed in a state where 20 is inserted and pressure is slightly applied in the forward direction. That is, the elastic member 48 is fixed by expansion. In this state, the movement of the surgical unit 18 in the forward direction is restricted by the engaging action of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion as described later with reference to FIG. Directional movement is regulated by the presence of the rear end cap 20. That is, it is possible to securely fix the surgical unit 18 inside the case body 12 by applying inward regulation on both the front end side and the rear end side of the surgical unit.
[0028]
Incidentally, as described above, the O-ring 36 is provided at the position of the vibration node, and similarly, the O-ring 38 is also provided at the position of the vibration node. Since the positional relationship and the surgical unit 18 are held by O-rings 36 and 38 such as rubber, it is possible to efficiently transmit the ultrasonic waves generated by the vibrator unit 22 to the horn 24.
[0029]
The rear end cap 20 will be further described. The first and second connecting blocks 46 and 50 and the elastic member 48 each have a disk shape corresponding to the circular shape of the rear end opening. The front end side of the first connection block 46 protrudes and a holder 56 is formed. The holder 56 engages with the nozzle 40 protruding from the rear end side of the vibrator portion 22. Specifically, a sleeve 42 is provided on the outer periphery of the nozzle 40, and the sleeve 42 is supported by the holder 56. It is in contact with the wall 56A. An O-ring 44 is provided in the holder 56 so as to surround the nozzle 40, thereby sealing between those members. The interior of the nozzle 40 communicates with the internal flow path 24A of the horn 24 described above, and further the interior of the nozzle 40 communicates with the flow path formed at the center of each member of the rear end cap 20, and finally the nozzle 58. It communicates with the inside of. A tube (not shown) is connected to the nozzle 58, and the cleaning liquid sucked through such a tube is transported.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 later, the rear end cap 20 is formed with a cable hole that penetrates the lead-out portion 54A of the cable 54. When the elastic member 48 is elastically deformed, the pull-out portion 54A is caused by its action. Tightened and the part is sealed. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a special sealing process on the fixed portion of the drawer portion 54A.
[0031]
Incidentally, the outer diameter of the intermediate portion of the handpiece 10 is, for example, 12 mm, and can be formed thinner by several millimeters by reducing the number of parts compared to a conventional handpiece having the same function. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a bolted ultrasonic transducer is used, but a so-called magnetostrictive transducer can also be used.
[0032]
Although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, one or a plurality of bearings may be provided around the first connection block 46. According to such a configuration, the insertion operation of the rear end cap 20 can be performed more smoothly. Further, although only one tightening screw 52 is shown in FIG. 1, for example, two or three such tightening screws 52 may be provided. If the plurality of tightening screws 52 are equally disposed, there is an advantage that unbalance when the elastic member 48 is tightened can be prevented.
[0033]
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the distal end portion of the surgical unit 18 shown in FIG. A shoulder 60 is formed on the front end side of the front block 34, and a stepped portion 64 is formed on the horn cover 14 that forms part of the handpiece case. Here, the shoulder portion 60 functions as a first engagement portion, and the step portion 64 functions as a second engagement portion. Between them, an O-ring 38 is arranged as described above. Here, the contact surface 60A facing forward in the shoulder 60 is opposed to the contact surface 64A facing backward in the stepped portion 64, and an O-ring 38 exists between the two surfaces. . The gap between the outer peripheral surface 60B of the front end member 62 in the front block 34 and the inner peripheral surface 64B in the rear end portion of the horn cover 14 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the O-ring 38 in this embodiment. As a result of the O-ring 38 being sandwiched between the two surfaces, the O-ring 38 is flattened with the axial direction of the handpiece as the long axis. As a result, the sealing effect can be enhanced. Of course, when the surgical unit 18 is inserted into the case body 12, the forward movement of the surgical unit 18 is restricted by the presence of the O-ring 38. In other words, the shoulder 60 and the stepped portion 64 collide with each other via the O-ring 38, which determines the advance end of the surgical unit 18.
[0034]
A U groove 68 is formed in the tip member 62 and engages with a pin 70 provided on the horn cover 14. The rotational movement of the surgical unit 18 is restricted by the engagement between the pin 70 and the U groove 68. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the tip 25 is attached to the horn 24, the tip 25 is rotated using a special tool. In this case, the rotation of the surgical unit 18 is stopped. Can be performed.
[0035]
Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the case main body 12 and the horn cover 14 are configured separately, but of course, they may be integrated as a handpiece case.
[0036]
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the rear end cap 20. As described above, the elastic member 48 is sandwiched between the first connection block 46 and the second connection block 50, and the elastic member 48 expands in the radial direction by tightening the tightening screw 52. As a result, the rear end cap 20 can be reliably fixed inside the rear end opening of the case main body 12, and at the same time, the lead-out portion 54A of the cable 54 can be reliably sealed. Here, the lead-out portion 54A is inserted into cable holes 46B, 48B, and 50B formed in the members 46, 48, and 50, respectively.
[0037]
A screw hole 46 </ b> A is formed in the first connection block 46, and the screw hole 46 </ b> A is screwed with the tip screw portion 52 </ b> B of the tightening screw 52. The elastic member 48 has a screw hole 48A, and the second connection block 50 has a screw hole 50A. Further, the second connecting block 50 is formed with a step where the screw head 52A is brought into contact. The first connecting block 46 is formed with a cylindrical portion 46C that penetrates the central portion of the elastic member 48, and the flow path inside the cylindrical portion 46C communicates with the flow channel 50C formed in the central portion of the second connecting block 50. is doing.
[0038]
Next, a method for assembling the handpiece 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0039]
First, in a state where the horn cover 14 is attached to the case body 12, the surgical unit 18 is inserted into the rear end opening 12 </ b> A of the case body 12. This is indicated by S1. When the insertion is performed, the shoulder 60 is brought into contact with the stepped portion 64 through the O-ring 38 as shown in FIG. As a result, the forward movement of the surgical unit 18 is restricted. In a state where a slight pressure is applied to the surgical unit 18 in the forward direction, the rear end cap 20 is inserted into the rear end opening 12A as indicated by reference numeral S2, and the rear end cap 20 applies the surgical unit 18 to the surgical unit 18. The above-described tightening screw 52 is tightened while maintaining a state where a slight pressure is applied in the forward direction. Then, the rear end cap 20 is securely fixed to the rear end opening 12A.
[0040]
Incidentally, it is desirable that the O-rings 38, 36, and 44 are attached to the surgical unit 18 in advance. Here, the O-ring 40 can be inserted into the holder 56 of the rear end cap 20. Further, when attaching the rear end cap 20, it is necessary to insert the lead-out portion 54 </ b> A of the cable 54 into the rear end cap 20 in advance. If treated in such a manner, it is possible to simultaneously achieve the sealing of the lead-out portion 54A when the rear end cap 20 is attached.
[0041]
According to the handpiece according to the present embodiment, the surgical unit 18 can be fixed with respect to the axial direction at basically two positions on the distal end side and the rear end side of the surgical unit 18, so that, for example, the number of steps is reduced to the conventional number. It can be reduced to about 30%. In addition, since it is not necessary to inject silicone into the case and wait for its solidification, for example, the manufacturing time of one handpiece can be reduced to 1/50 compared with the conventional case.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the internal unit can be easily set in the case. In addition, the manufacturing process can be simplified.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a handpiece according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a distal end portion of a surgical unit.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a rear end cap.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an assembling method at the time of assembling;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Handpiece, 12 Case main body, 14 Horn cover, 16 Internal assembly, 18 Surgical unit, 20 Rear end cap, 22 Vibrator part, 24 Horn, 46 1st connection block, 48 Elastic member, 50 2nd connection block, 52 Fastening screw, 60 shoulder (first engaging portion), 64 stepped portion (second engaging portion).

Claims (9)

A surgical unit for supplying surgical signals to the surgical tool;
A case where the surgical unit is inserted from a rear end opening;
With the surgical unit inserted in the case, a rear end cap that is attached to the rear opening and fixes the surgical unit;
A handpiece including
The rear end cap is
An elastic member having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the case;
A clamping mechanism that clamps the elastic member and swells in the radial direction;
Including
By the sliding resistance between the elastic member due to the expansion pressure and the inner wall of the case, the rear end cap is fixed inside the rear end opening of the case ,
The elastic member is formed with a cable hole for penetrating the signal cable,
The gap between the cable hole and the signal cable is sealed by sandwiching the elastic member and expanding in the radial direction.
Handpiece characterized by that. The handpiece according to claim 1, wherein
The clamping mechanism is
A pair of blocks sandwiching the elastic member;
A screw member provided across the pair of blocks to reduce the distance between the pair of blocks;
A handpiece comprising: The handpiece according to claim 1, wherein
The surgical unit has a first engagement portion formed on the distal end side thereof, and supplies a surgical signal to the surgical instrument,
The case has a second engagement portion formed at a position corresponding to the first engagement portion,
In a state in which the first engagement portion engages with the second engagement portion and the advancement of the surgical unit relative to the case is restricted, the rear end cap is attached to the rear end opening of the case and the Restricting the retraction of the surgical unit relative to the case,
Handpiece characterized by that. The handpiece according to claim 3, wherein
A handpiece, wherein a first elastic ring is interposed between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion. The handpiece according to claim 4, wherein
A handpiece, wherein a second elastic ring is interposed between an intermediate body portion of the surgical unit and an inner wall of the case. The handpiece according to claim 5, wherein
A third engagement portion is formed at the rear end of the surgical unit,
4. A handpiece according to claim 1, wherein a fourth engagement portion that engages with the third engagement portion via a third elastic ring is formed at a tip of the rear end cap. The handpiece according to claim 6, wherein
A unit flow path is formed along the central axis of the surgical unit,
A cap channel communicating with the unit channel is formed along the central axis of the rear end cap. Handpiece characterized by being made. The handpiece according to claim 7, wherein
A handpiece comprising a pin for restricting rotation of the surgical unit in the case. The handpiece according to claim 8, wherein
The handpiece includes an ultrasonic transducer.

Images