US 12,262,905 B2
Bending structure and joint function part
Takafumi Hirata, Yokohama (JP); Shimpei Kurokawa, Yokohama (JP); and Yuki Hotoda, Yokohama (JP)
Assigned to NHK Spring Co., Ltd., Yokohama (JP)
Appl. No. 17/268,929
Filed by NHK SPRING CO., LTD, Yokohama (JP)
PCT Filed Aug. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/030599
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/036085, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 20, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-152642 (JP), filed on Aug. 14, 2018; and application No. 2019-017778 (JP), filed on Feb. 4, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0001590 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 17/29 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/28 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01); A61B 34/37 (2016.01); B25J 3/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/10 (2006.01); B25J 17/02 (2006.01); F16F 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/2909 (2013.01) [A61B 34/37 (2016.02); B25J 3/00 (2013.01); B25J 9/1075 (2013.01); B25J 17/02 (2013.01); F16F 3/06 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00305 (2013.01); A61B 17/28 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2905 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2908 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2918 (2013.01); A61B 2017/292 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2939 (2013.01); A61B 2034/301 (2016.02); A61B 34/70 (2016.02)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bending structure being bendable with respect to an axial direction, comprising:
an outer coiled part formed of a wire which is wound in a coiled shape to have a plurality of coils in the axial direction; and
an inner coiled part formed of a wire which is wound in a coiled shape to have a plurality of coils in the axial direction and arranged in the outer coiled part; and
a flexible member extending inside the inner coiled part in the axial direction and movable in the axial direction to conduct operation, wherein
the outer coiled part has a plurality of gaps to distance adjacent coils in the axial direction,
the coils of the inner coiled part are provided so as to correspond to the gaps of the outer coiled part and fit between the adjacent coils while being in contact with the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part,
the inner coiled part has a passing portion defined by an inner circumference of the inner coiled part, the inner circumference directly facing an outer circumference of the flexible member in a diametral direction, and the passing portion movably passing and guiding the flexible member in the axial direction so that the bending structure movably passes the flexible member through the passing portion in the axial direction and is bendable as well as the flexible member, and
the flexible member has flexibility that allows the flexible member to axially move in the passing portion in a bending state of the inner and the outer coiled parts of the bending structure while keeping a bending posture of the inner and the outer coiled parts in said bending state without change.