Bending apparatus

Abstract

A bending apparatus includes: a bending portion; an operation element erected vertically from an operation portion having a longitudinal axis and has a shaft portion in which a tilt direction and tilt angle are changeable; a pulling member having one end connected to the bending portion; a pulley on which a rotary body around which the pulling member is wound is arranged; a motor that generates a driving force that rotates the pulley to pull the pulling member wound around the rotary body in a winding direction; a hanging frame that extends in a diameter direction of the shaft portion, and includes an attachment portion to which the other end of the pulling member is attached; and an attachment path setting member provided inside the operation portion, which changes a path of the pulling to the longitudinal axis direction and guides the pulling member to the attachment portion.

1 . A bending apparatus, comprising:
 a bending portion;   a grasping portion that is included in an operation portion and has a longitudinal axis, and that is grasped when effecting a bending operation of the bending portion;   an operation element that is erected vertically from the operation portion, and that has a shaft portion in which a tilt direction and a tilt angle are changeable;   a pulling member having one end connected to the bending portion;   a pulley that is disposed at a position that is deviated in the longitudinal axis direction relative to the operation element, and on which a rotary body around which an intermediate portion of the pulling member is wound is arranged in a loosely fitting state;   a motor that is disposed at a position that is deviated in the longitudinal axis direction relative to the operation element, and that generates a driving force that rotates the pulley to pull the pulling member that is wound around the rotary body arranged on the pulley in a winding direction;   a hanging frame that extends in a diameter direction of the shaft portion of the operation element, and that comprises an attachment portion to which the other end of the pulling member that is wound around the rotary body is attached; and   an attachment path setting member that is provided inside the operation portion and that leads the pulling member that is wound around the rotary body in the longitudinal axis direction, and changes a path of the pulling member that is led to a direction of a longitudinal axis of the shaft portion to guide the pulling member to the attachment portion.   
     
     
         2 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the attachment path setting member is disposed on the longitudinal axis of the shaft portion, and is provided at a position that is separated by a predetermined distance from the hanging frame that sways in accordance with a tilt operation of the shaft portion. 
     
     
         3 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the pulley and the attachment path setting member are provided so as to be separated by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal axis direction of the grasping portion. 
     
     
         4 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the pulley is disposed inside the grasping portion such that a rotary shaft of the pulley is in a perpendicular positional relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion. 
     
     
         5 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein;
 the motor is arranged such that a drive shaft of the motor is disposed perpendicular or parallel to the rotary shaft of the pulley inside the grasping portion;   the bending apparatus further comprising a driving force transmitting mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor to the rotary shaft of the pulley.   
     
     
         6 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein;
 the pulley includes a first pulley and a second pulley that are disposed parallel to each other, and a rotary shaft of each of the pulleys is disposed inside the grasping portion in a perpendicular positional relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion; and   the motor is disposed inside the grasping portion such that a drive shaft of the motor is in a coaxial, parallel, or perpendicular positional relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion;   the bending apparatus further comprising:   a driving force transmitting mechanism portion that has a gear train comprising a plurality of gears and that transmits the driving force of the motor to the pulleys; and   at least one of pulley lead-in members that divide travel paths of a plurality of pulling members that are guided into the operation portion into two and guide the pulling members to a rotary body that is arranged on the first pulley and a rotary body that is arranged on the second pulley, and pulley lead-out members that guide travel paths of the pulling members that are extended from the rotary body that is arranged on the first pulley and the travel paths of the pulling members that are extended from the rotary body that is arranged on the second pulley to the attachment path changing members.   
     
     
         7 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the first pulley and the second pulley are rotated in opposite directions to each other by the driving force transmitting mechanism portion, and a winding direction of a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body that is arranged on the first pulley and a winding direction of a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body that is arranged on the second pulley are different to each other. 
     
     
         8 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the first pulley and the second pulley are rotated in identical directions by the driving force transmitting mechanism portion, and a winding direction of a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body that is arranged on the first pulley and a winding direction of a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body that is arranged on the second pulley are identical directions. 
     
     
         9 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein;
 the pulley lead-in member, the pulley lead-out member, and the attachment path setting member are provided in plurality in correspondence with a plurality of pulling members, respectively; and   the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are assembled such that the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are divided into two first support bodies and two second support bodies, respectively, in correspondence with a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body arranged on the first pulley and the pulling member that is wound around the rotary body arranged on the second pulley, and the plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed at predetermined positions inside the operation portion in a state in which the plurality of attachment path setting members are pivotably assembled on a single support body.   
     
     
         10 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein;
 the pulley lead-in member, the pulley lead-out member, and the attachment path setting member are provided in plurality in correspondence with a plurality of pulling members, respectively; and   the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are assembled such that the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are divided into two first support bodies and two second support bodies, respectively, in correspondence with a pulling member that is wound around the rotary body arranged on the first pulley and the pulling member that is wound around the rotary body arranged on the second pulley, and the plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed at predetermined positions inside the operation portion in a state in which the plurality of attachment path setting members are pivotably assembled on a single support body.   
     
     
         11 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein a pulley lead-in member disposed on one of the first support bodies and a pulley lead-out member disposed on one of the second support bodies, and a pulley lead-in member disposed on the other of the first support bodies and a pulley lead-out member disposed on the other of the second support bodies are disposed at facing positions such that a hypothetical line that joins a center of the first pulley and a center of the second pulley is interposed therebetween, and the support body on which the plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed is disposed in an intersecting positional relationship with respect to a longitudinal axis of the operation portion and at a position such that a center of the support body intersects with a longitudinal axis of the operation element. 
     
     
         12 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein a pulley lead-in member disposed on one of the first support bodies and a pulley lead-in member disposed on one of the second support bodies are disposed such that a hypothetical line that joins a center of the first pulley and a center of the second pulley is interposed therebetween, a pulley lead-in member disposed on the other of the first support bodies and a pulley lead-out member disposed on the other of the second support bodies are disposed such that a hypothetical line that joins the center of the first pulley and the center of the second pulley is interposed therebetween, and the support body on which the plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed is disposed in an intersecting positional relationship with respect to a longitudinal axis of the operation portion and at a position such that a center of the support body intersects with a longitudinal axis of the operation element. 
     
     
         13 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein;
 in a configuration in which two rotary bodies around which the pulling members are wound are disposed on the first pulley and the second pulley, respectively,   an interval between the two rotary bodies disposed on the second pulley is wider than an interval between the two rotary bodies disposed on the first pulley, and an interval between the two rotary bodies disposed on the second pulley is set to be narrower than twice a width dimension of the rotary body.   
     
     
         14 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein by changing a diametrical dimension of the first pulley and a diametrical dimension of the second pulley, or by changing a diametrical dimension of a rotary body disposed on the first pulley and a diametrical dimension of a rotary body disposed on the second pulley, a diametrical dimension of pulling members that are wound around the respective pulleys is changed. 
     
     
         15 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a rotary shaft of the pulley and a rotary shaft of the motor are disposed inside the grasping portion in a coaxial or parallel positional relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion. 
     
     
         16 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein;
 as wire travel path changing members that change a travel path of a pulling member that is guided into the operation portion along the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion,   a pulley lead-in member that guides the pulling member substantially perpendicularly with respect to the rotary shaft of the pulley, and a pulley lead-out member that, after the pulling member is wound around a rotary body arranged on the pulley, changes a travel path of the pulling member that is led out from the rotary body in a substantially perpendicular manner with respect to the rotary shaft of the pulley to guide the pulling member to the attachment path setting member are provided.   
     
     
         17 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein;
 the pulley lead-in member and the pulley lead-out member are provided in plurality in correspondence with a plurality of pulling members, respectively; and   the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are disposed at predetermined positions inside the operation portion in a state in which the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are pivotably assembled on a support body.   
     
     
         18 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members that are respectively disposed on the support body are disposed at facing positions such that the pulley is interposed therebetween, a plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed on the support body and rotate using the support body as a rotary shaft, and the rotary shaft of the support body is disposed at a position that intersects with a longitudinal axis of the operation element. 
     
     
         19 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein;
 with respect to the plurality of pulley lead-in members or the plurality of pulley lead-out members, or both the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members, a plurality of guide rollers having different diameters that rotate around a center of a same rotary shaft are configured so as to be arranged in order from a short diameter to a large diameter along the rotary shaft; and   a travel direction of the plurality of pulling members is changed by winding the plurality of pulling members around the guide rollers that are arranged along the rotary shaft.   
     
     
         20 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein;
 the pulley lead-in member and the pulley lead-out member are provided in plurality in correspondence with a plurality of pulling members; and   the plurality of pulley lead-in members and the plurality of pulley lead-out members are individually disposed such that respective positions thereof are deviated from each other in a circumferential direction with respect to an outer circumferential face of the pulley, and a plurality of the attachment path setting members are disposed in a pivotably assembled state on a support body.   
     
     
         21 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein;
 the support body on which the plurality of attachment path setting members are disposed is disposed in an intersecting positional relationship with respect to a longitudinal axis of the operation portion and at a position such that a center of the support body intersects with a longitudinal axis of the operation element; and   among the plurality of attachment path setting members disposed on the support body, a diametrical dimension or a width dimension of a predetermined attachment path setting member that is disposed at an end side of the support body is set to be greater than a diametrical dimension or a width dimension of an attachment path setting member that is disposed on an inner side thereof.   
     
     
         22 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein;
 the pulley is disposed inside the operation portion body at a position that is further on a proximal end side than the operation element in a positional relationship such that a longitudinal axis of the pulley intersects with the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion;   the motor is arranged such that a drive shaft of the motor is disposed parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pulley; and   the attachment path setting member is disposed in a vicinity of the pulley;   the bending apparatus further comprising:   driving force transmitting means that is provided in the motor and the pulley, and that transmits rotation of the motor to the pulley;   a first travel path changing member that leads a travel path of a pulling member that is guided into the operation portion to a vicinity of an axial extension line of the operation element that is an opposite direction to the operation element such that the longitudinal axis of the grasping portion is interposed therebetween; and   a pulley lead-in member that is disposed in a vicinity of the pulley, and that guides the pulling member that is led out from the first travel path changing member to the pulley.   
     
     
         23 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein;
 a hanging frame that includes a plurality of frames in which an attachment portion to which a proximal end portion of a pulling member is fixedly attached is provided at an end portion is configured in a cruciform shape comprising four frames;   the bending apparatus further comprising, at respective end portions of two frames that are disposed along a longitudinal axis of the operation portion, distal end curved portions that are curved in different directions so as to interpose a center line therebetween.   
     
     
         24 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a center of gravity position of the operation portion is inside the grasping portion. 
     
     
         25 . The bending apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the travel path changing member is a coil pipe through which the pulling member can be inserted so as to freely advance and retract.