Push button device for endoscope, and endoscope

Inventors

Kimura, Shunsuke • KOYAMA, Reiji • Numata, Tetsu • GORAI, Shigeto • Kusaka, Akihiro

Assignees

Olympus Corp • Alps Alpine Co Ltd

Abstract

A push button device for an endoscope includes: a connection member having a bottomed tubular shape and provided to a finger placement member, the finger placement member having elasticity and disposed on an exterior member of the endoscope; a first stem that has an upper end portion inserted and fitted into the connection member and that is slidably and swingably disposed; a second stem slidably and swingably provided and configured to move in conjunction with motion of the first stem; an immobile member slidably and swingably holding the first stem and the second stem; and a switch configured to be switched by displacement of the second stem moving in conjunction with the motion of the first stem when the finger placement member is pushed.

Core Innovation

A push button device for an endoscope includes a finger placement member having elasticity and disposed at an operation portion of the endoscope. The finger placement member is connected to a connection member having a concavity at a first central portion, and a first stem has a protrusion inserted into the concavity and is disposed so as to be slidable along a longitudinal axis and swingable relative to the longitudinal axis. A second stem is also slidable and swingable relative to the longitudinal axis and is configured to move in conjunction with motion of the first stem such that a switch is switched by displacement of the second stem when the finger placement member is pushed.

The mechanism uses planar central contact surfaces between the first and second stems. The lowest central end surface of the first stem and the upper central end surface of the second stem are planar surfaces that are maintained in planar contact when the finger placement member is pushed in an oblique direction relative to the longitudinal axis direction and the first stem rotates relative to the longitudinal axis. The first stem is inserted into a cavity of a fixed member for slidably and swingably holding both stems, with the cavity having an inner diameter larger than a corresponding outer diameter of the first stem so that a central axis of the first stem rotates relative to the longitudinal axis when pushed obliquely.

The disclosed geometry constrains how the first and second stems interact during oblique pushing, maintaining the planar contact while accommodating rotation so that switch responsiveness is improved with reduced pushing force. The design also addresses preventing operation-portion size increase, and the document further provides an optional spherical convex contact as a modification and integrally formed first and second stems as another modification.

Claims Coverage

The document provides two independent claims covering a push button device for an endoscope and an endoscope including the push button device. Across both independent claims, the main inventive features are centered on planar central end surface contact maintained during oblique pushing-induced rotation, and on a cavity with an inner diameter larger than the first stem outer diameter that enables central axis rotation while holding and guiding both stems for coordinated switch actuation.

Across both independent claims, the core claim coverage is the coordinated two-stem push-button mechanism for an endoscope in which oblique pushing causes the first stem to rotate relative to the longitudinal axis, the cavity geometry allows that rotation, and planar central contact between the stem end surfaces is maintained to switch a switch via displacement of the second stem in conjunction with the first stem motion.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications