CN115299856A

CN115299856A - Air and liquid feeding system for endoscope, and endoscope system

Info

Publication number: CN115299856A
Application number: CN202211132015.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 不公告发明人
Original assignee: Shenzhen Kesimingde Medical Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Kesimingde Medical Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-16
Filing date: 2022-09-16
Publication date: 2022-11-08

Abstract

An air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope, which feeds a gas and a liquid to the endoscope, wherein the endoscope includes a connector for connecting the endoscope to peripheral equipment and an operation portion connected to the connector via a cable and held by a user, and a gas/liquid joint is provided at the connector, the gas/liquid joint includes a liquid feeding joint and an air/liquid feeding joint, and the air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope further includes: a bottle body containing a predetermined amount of liquid and gas; one end of the liquid feeding pipeline is connected with the liquid feeding joint of the connector, and the other end of the liquid feeding pipeline extends into the liquid in the bottle body; one end of the first air supply pipeline is connected with the air supply joint of the connector, and the other end of the first air supply pipeline extends into the gas in the bottle body; one end of the second air supply pipeline is connected with the air pump, and the other end of the second air supply pipeline extends into the air in the bottle body.

Description

Air and liquid feeding system for endoscope, and endoscope system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope, and an endoscope system, and more particularly, to an air/liquid feeding system, an endoscope, and an endoscope system capable of simplifying an interface of a connector of the endoscope.

Background

In recent years, medical diagnosis using an endoscope and the like have been widely used with the progress of medical technology. The endoscope in the narrow sense includes an elongated insertion portion inserted into a lumen of a human body, an operation portion held by an operator, a connector for connecting to peripheral equipment, a cable between the operation portion and the connector, and the like. The endoscope in a broad sense also includes peripheral devices such as an image processing device and a light source device. The peripheral device is usually a host device into which an image processing apparatus and a light source apparatus are integrated.

Among them, a connector of the endoscope connected to peripheral equipment needs to be inserted and removed from the peripheral equipment a plurality of times, and as medical equipment, disinfection and sterilization treatment or the like must be performed before and after each use. Therefore, the connector of the endoscope must have sufficient reliability and sufficient convenience.

A conventional endoscope system is known in which a connector between an endoscope and peripheral devices generally includes a light guide connector for transmitting illumination light, an air pump connector connected to an air pump, an electrical connector for supplying power to the endoscope, and a signal transmission connector. Because there are a plurality of joints on the connector, and need match a plurality of joints simultaneously and align when connecting, lead to the connector structure complicacy, bulky, the operation is inconvenient.

Further, since the connector of the endoscope must be compatible with the peripheral device interface to which it is connected, the outer diameter of the connector of the endoscope is limited, and if the outer diameter is not increased, the connector may be easily damaged by merely extending the length of the connector. Therefore, in order to ensure sufficient reliability and convenience while ensuring connection compatibility, it is an important issue to appropriately set a joint of a connector of an endoscope.

For example, reference 1 discloses an endoscope apparatus. An end surface 103 and a boss 105 are provided at the tip of a connector of an endoscope apparatus, a second optical fiber transmission port 108 is provided on the end surface 103, and a first light transmission port 106 and an air pump port 109 are provided on the boss 105. The size of the interface of the peripheral device to which the connector is connected is limited, and therefore, the front end of the connector can only be formed in a relatively complicated shape, that is, a two-stage structure, and the size of the connector in the longitudinal direction becomes large, which causes a problem of a decrease in strength.

Reference to the related literature

Patent document

Patent document 1: CN105455766

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an air/liquid feeding system, an endoscope, and an endoscope system, which can simplify the interface of a connector of the endoscope.

In order to achieve the above object, an air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope for feeding a gas and a liquid to an endoscope, the endoscope including a connector for connecting the endoscope to peripheral equipment and an operation portion connected to the connector via a cable and held by a user,

the air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope is characterized in that,

the connector is provided with a gas-liquid joint which comprises a liquid feeding joint and a gas feeding joint,

the gas and liquid feeding system for an endoscope further includes:

a bottle body containing a predetermined amount of liquid and gas;

one end of the liquid conveying pipeline is connected with the liquid conveying joint of the connector, and the other end of the liquid conveying pipeline extends into the liquid in the bottle body;

one end of the first air supply pipeline is connected with the air supply joint of the connector, and the other end of the first air supply pipeline extends into the gas in the bottle body;

and one end of the second air supply pipeline is connected with the air pump, and the other end of the second air supply pipeline extends into the air in the bottle body.

Thus, the air/liquid feeding system of the interface of the connector of the endoscope can be simplified, and the reliability, convenience and safety of the endoscope can be improved.

In one preferred aspect, a one-way check valve is provided at a connection portion of the liquid feeding pipe and the liquid feeding joint of the connector, and when the liquid feeding pipe is connected to the liquid feeding joint of the connector, a flow of liquid to the connector is permitted, and when the liquid feeding pipe is disconnected from the liquid feeding joint of the connector, a flow of liquid is prohibited.

Thus, after the gas-liquid pipe is disconnected from the connector of the endoscope, leakage of liquid in the bottle body can be avoided.

In one preferred aspect, the connector includes a substantially flat front end surface facing the peripheral device, and a side surface extending from a peripheral edge of the front end surface toward an opposite side of the peripheral device, and the gas-liquid joint is provided on the side surface of the connector.

This makes it possible to make the arrangement of the joint on the connector of the endoscope more compact.

In a preferred embodiment, the air pump is a first air pump disposed inside the peripheral device and configured to supply a first air, or a second air pump disposed outside the peripheral device and configured to supply a second air.

In this way, different gases can be supplied to the endoscope by connecting the second air supply duct to any of the plurality of air pumps. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an air pump connector connected to an air pump in the main unit at the distal end of the connector of the endoscope, and the structure of the connector of the endoscope is greatly simplified, thereby improving the reliability, convenience, and safety of the endoscope.

In a preferred form, the first gas is air, the second gas is carbon dioxide, and the liquid is water.

In a preferred embodiment, the liquid feeding pipe and the gas feeding pipe are integrated into a gas-liquid pipe covered with a tubular casing.

This allows the air/liquid feeding system to have a structure that matches the integrated air/liquid feeding joint and liquid feeding joint of the connector of the endoscope.

In a preferred aspect, an endoscope liquid feeding duct connected to the liquid feeding duct and an endoscope air feeding duct connected to the air feeding duct are provided inside the endoscope,

the operation unit is provided with a gas-liquid switching valve that can switch the endoscope to one of a first mode in which the intra-scope liquid supply duct is on and the intra-scope air supply duct is off and a second mode in which the intra-scope liquid supply duct is off and the intra-scope air supply duct is on.

This makes it possible to smoothly carry out the supply of gas or liquid into the endoscope and to avoid erroneous supply of gas or liquid into the body cavity of the subject.

Another aspect of the present invention is an endoscope including:

a connector for connecting the endoscope to a peripheral device;

an operation section for a user to hold and operate the endoscope;

a cable connecting the connector and the operation portion; and

an insertion section having one end connected to the operation section and the other end inserted into a body cavity of a living body,

the endoscope is characterized in that,

the endoscope air supply and liquid supply system is provided with an air-liquid joint connected to an air-liquid pipe of the endoscope air supply and liquid supply system.

Another aspect of the present invention is an endoscope system including:

the endoscope described above;

the air and liquid feeding system; and

a peripheral device provided with a first air pump.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an endoscope of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope system of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the gas-liquid joint in the connector of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a one-way check valve provided in the liquid feeding pipe according to the present invention.

Description of the symbols

100. Endoscope with a detachable handle

1. Connector with a locking member

11. Light guide connector

12. Gas-liquid joint

121. Liquid feeding joint

122. Air supply joint

13. Liquid feeding pipeline in lens

14. Air supply pipeline in mirror

2. Operation part

21. Liquid and gas feeding valve

3. Insertion part

31. Front end part

32. Movable part

33. Flexible part

4. Cable with a flexible connection

5. Air and liquid feeding system

51. Bottle body

52. Gas-liquid channel

521. Liquid feeding channel

521A one-way check valve

522. Second air supply channel

53. Second air supply channel

54. Second air pump

6. Main unit

61. Light source

62. First air pump

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that: unless otherwise indicated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values, etc., set forth in these embodiments should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation.

The use of the word "comprising" or "comprises" and the like in this disclosure is intended to mean that the elements listed before the word encompass the elements listed after the word and does not exclude the possibility that other elements may also be encompassed.

All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs unless specifically defined otherwise. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

For components, specific models of components, and like parameters, interrelationships between components, and control circuitry not described in detail in this section, can be considered techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art, but where appropriate, should be considered as part of the specification.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

First, the overall structure of the endoscope of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an endoscope of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, an endoscope 100 of the present invention is an apparatus which is inserted into a natural orifice of a human body and inspects internal organs of the human body. The endoscope 100 includes a connector 1, an operation portion 2, an insertion portion 3, a cable 4, and the like.

The connector 1 can be inserted into a corresponding interface of a peripheral device such as a peripheral device, thereby connecting the endoscope 100 with the peripheral device. The connector 1 needs to ensure a stable connection with the peripheral device and be configured to be easily inserted and removed. Details of the connector 1 will be left to the following.

The operation unit 2 is gripped by a user to perform various operations of the endoscope. The operation unit 2 is provided with knobs, buttons, switches, and the like for adjusting various parameters of the endoscope 100. Further, a gas/liquid feeding valve 21 for switching between a liquid feeding mode and a gas feeding mode is provided in the operation portion. The details are left to the following.

The insertion portion 3 is an elongated member that enters a natural lumen of a human body, for example, a large intestine, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is not limited, but is preferably a smooth shape that is not harmful to the human body lumen, such as a circular shape or an elliptical shape. The insertion portion 3 includes a distal end portion 31 having an imaging device at the foremost end thereof, a movable portion 32 located at the rear end of the distal end portion 31 and capable of flexibly bending according to a command, and a long flexible portion 33 located at the rear end of the movable portion 32.

The length and degree of freedom of the movable portion 32 can be set as appropriate according to the needs of the examination site. Although not shown, the movable portion 32 is further provided with a driving device for driving the movement of the movable portion 32. The length of the flexible portion 33 may be set as appropriate according to the needs of the examination site.

The insertion portion 3, specifically, the flexible portion 33 of the insertion portion 3 is connected to the operation portion 2. The flexible portion 33 is used to transmit signals between the operation portion 2 and the distal end portion 31 of the insertion portion 3.

The cable 4 is used to connect the connector 1 and the operation portion 2, and to transmit signals, electric power, and the like between the connector 1 and the operation portion 2. The structure and material of the cable 4 are not limited, and for example, an optical fiber, a conductive wire, or the like is preferable.

Further, in order to secure the connection strength of the respective members and avoid the user from cutting the hand when holding the endoscope 100, transition members are provided at the connection portions of the respective members. For example, a transition member is provided at a connection point between the connector 1 and the cable 4, a transition member is provided at a connection point between the operation portion 2 and the cable 4, and a transition member is provided at a connection point between the operation portion 2 and the insertion portion 3. Since the connector 1 and the operation part 2 each have a larger outer diameter than the insertion part 3 and the cable 4, each transition member is provided in a tapered shape from thick to thin. For example, the transition member provided at the connection between the connector 1 and the cable 4 has an outer diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the connector 1 at the end connected to the connector 1, and has an outer diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the cable 4 at the end connected to the cable 4. That is, the connector 1 and the cable 4 are connected via a transition member, the operation portion 2 and the cable 4 are connected via a transition member, and the operation portion 2 and the insertion portion 3 are connected via a transition member.

Next, another configuration of the endoscope system according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope system, particularly an air/liquid feeding system, according to the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the endoscope 100 is provided with an air/liquid feeding system 5 for supplying gas and liquid to the endoscope 100, and a host machine 6 as a peripheral device connected to the connector 1 of the endoscope 100.

Further, although not shown in detail in the drawings, an optical connector 11 and a laser connector are provided on the front end face of the connector 1 (only the optical connector 11 is shown in fig. 2). The front end surface of the connector 1 described above refers to a front end surface facing the host computer 6 when the connector 1 is inserted into a peripheral device. In the present invention, the light guide connector 11 is connected to the light source 61 in the main unit 6 and supplies the light source to the endoscope 100, and corresponds to a light guide connection portion. The light source received by the optical connector 11 is not limited, and may be, for example, a visible light source or a halogen light source.

The laser joint, not shown, corresponds to a signal connection portion between the endoscope 100 and the main unit 1. That is, the endoscope 100 of the present invention is an optical communication endoscope that performs communication using light. As an example, the light for performing communication in the present invention is laser light. Therefore, unlike the endoscope of the electric communication type, the endoscope 100 of the present invention does not need to provide an electric contact for data transmission, and only provides a laser connector for laser communication. More specifically, the electric contacts in the endoscope of the present invention are used only for supplying power necessary for the endoscope 100, and do not have a communication function, and communication between the endoscope 100 and the main unit 6 is performed by a laser connector.

As shown in fig. 2, the connector 1 is further provided with a gas-liquid joint 12 which is connected to an externally-mounted bottle and supplies gas and liquid to the connector 1. The specific structure of the gas-liquid joint 12 will be described below with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the gas-liquid joint 12 provided in the connector 1 according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, the gas-liquid joint 12 includes a liquid feed joint 121 for supplying liquid to the connector 1 and a gas feed joint 122 for supplying gas to the connector 1. Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, an intra-scope liquid feeding pipe 13 through which liquid flows and an intra-scope air feeding pipe 14 through which gas flows are provided inside the connector 1. The liquid feeding joint 121 corresponds to a joint with the outside of the endoscopic liquid feeding tube 13, and the air feeding joint 122 corresponds to a joint with the outside of the endoscopic air feeding tube 14. In the present invention, the scope air supply duct 13 and the scope air supply duct 14 are integrated. The liquid feeding joint 121 and the air feeding joint 122 are also integrated to form the gas-liquid joint 12, and are provided adjacent to (in close contact with) the connector 1. Thus, compared to a conventional endoscope, the liquid feeding joint 121 and the air feeding joint 122 are integrated as a gas-liquid joint instead of being separately provided, thereby saving the installation space on the connector 1.

Note that, although details will be left, since the liquid feeding joint 121 and the gas feeding joint 122 are integrated into the gas-liquid joint 12, when the gas-liquid pipe 52 of the gas-liquid feeding system 5 described in detail below is connected to the gas-liquid joint 12 of the connector 1, the liquid feeding joint 121 and the gas feeding joint 122 of the gas-liquid joint 12 are connected to each other at the same time, and cannot be connected to either one of them alone.

Although details will be described later, the air supply joint 122 in the present invention receives various gases necessary for the use of the endoscope 100 from an external air pump.

Although not shown, the connector 1 is further provided with a suction fitting, a sub liquid feeding fitting cap, an S-cable fitting, a product name plate, an upward sign, and the like.

Next, the explanation will be continued with reference to fig. 2 back to the main unit 6 in the endoscope system of the present invention.

The endoscope system includes various devices such as an image processing device and a light source device. These devices are typically integrated in the host 6. Fig. 2 shows a light source 61 and a first air pump 62 built in the main unit 6, and the illustration of the remaining devices is omitted.

The light source 61 is used to provide illumination light required by the endoscope 100. The light source 61 is connected to the light guide joint 11 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, and finally illuminates the distal end of the insertion portion 3 via the light guide path inside the connector 1 and the light guide paths inside the cable 4, the insertion portion 3, and the like. Thereby, the distal end portion 31 of the insertion portion 3 having the imaging device images the site to be examined in the body cavity, and transmits the imaged image back to the host computer 6.

The first air pump 62 is used to supply air to the endoscope 100. As a typical example, the first air pump 62 provides air as the first gas to the endoscope 100.

The main unit 6 further includes an interface for connecting to the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, and the aforementioned connectors such as the light guide connector 11 and the laser connector 12 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100 are directly connected to the main unit 6.

Next, the air/liquid feeding system 5 in the endoscope system according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the air/liquid feeding system 5 according to the present invention is a system including a bottle, a pipe, and the like, which is independent of the endoscope 100 and the peripheral main unit 6. The gas referred to in the present invention includes various gases that may be used in medical treatment, such as air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, and the liquid referred to in the present invention includes various liquids that may be used in medical treatment, such as pure water, physiological saline, and medicinal liquid in which a drug is dissolved.

In addition, the main unit 6 generally has a fixed national standard and an international standard, and the type of gas that the built-in first gas pump 62 can supply is fixed. Usually, the gas supplied by the first air pump 62 built in the main unit 6 is air. In diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope, a gas other than air is generally required. In the present invention, as a typical example, as described above, the air supplied from the first air pump 62 in the main unit 6 is used as the first gas, and the other gas than the air is used as the second gas. In the present embodiment, carbon dioxide gas is used as the second gas, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the second gas may be other gases such as oxygen gas and nitrogen gas.

When a second gas other than the first gas (air) is required for diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope, the second gas cannot be directly supplied from the main unit 6, and therefore, the second gas needs to be supplied from the external air/liquid feeding system 5. In addition, since liquids (pure water, physiological saline, liquid medicine, and the like) required for diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope cannot be supplied from the main unit 6, the liquids need to be supplied by the external air/liquid feeding system 5. That is, the air/liquid feeding system 5 of the present invention is used to supply a gas and a liquid other than the first gas (air) necessary for diagnosis or treatment to the endoscope 100.

The configuration of the air/liquid feeding system 5 will be specifically described below.

The air/liquid feeding system 5 includes: a bottle 51, an air-liquid pipe 52 composed of a liquid feeding pipe 521 and a first air feeding pipe 522, a second air feeding pipe 53, a second air pump 54, and the like.

The vial 51 is a medical vial, and is typically a transparent vial with graduations made of glass, plastic or the like. The shape, volume, and the like of the bottle 51 are not limited, and can be appropriately selected according to the application. In the bottle body 51, a predetermined amount of liquid and gas is contained. Therefore, a predetermined amount of liquid is contained in the lower portion of the bottle 51, and a predetermined amount of gas is contained in the upper portion of the bottle 51. The types of liquid and gas contained in the bottle body 51 can also be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

In addition, the flask 51 has a not-shown stopper for isolating the gas inside and outside the flask. The stopper is provided with openings and the like corresponding to various ducts described later.

The gas-liquid pipe 52 is a pipe in which the liquid feed pipe 521 and the first air feed pipe 522 are covered with a tubular casing. In the present embodiment, the liquid feeding pipe 521, the first air feeding pipe 522, and the housing covering them are made of a soft material, and therefore the gas-liquid pipe 52 is a soft pipe, and is easy to insert and connect to various devices. Of course, a metal skeleton may be appropriately provided in the gas-liquid pipe 52.

One end of the gas-liquid pipe 52 is connected to the gas-liquid joint 12 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, and the other end thereof passes through the stopper of the vial 51 and enters the interior of the vial 51. More specifically, when the gas-liquid pipe 51 is connected to the gas-liquid joint 12 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, the liquid feeding pipe 521 of the gas-liquid pipe 52 is connected to the liquid feeding joint 121 of the gas-liquid joint 12 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, and the first gas feeding pipe 522 of the gas-liquid pipe 52 is connected to the gas feeding joint 122 of the gas-liquid joint 12 of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100. That is, since the liquid feeding joint 121 and the air feeding joint 122 in the connector 1 of the endoscope 100 are integrated into the gas-liquid joint 12, and the liquid feeding pipe 521 and the first air feeding pipe 522 are integrated into the gas-liquid pipe 52, these four are always connected two by two, and the gas passage or the liquid passage cannot be connected individually.

On the side of the gas-liquid pipe 52 that is projected into the bottle 51, the first air supply pipe 522 is projected into the gas portion in the bottle 51, and the liquid supply pipe 521 having a longer length than the first air supply pipe 522 is projected into the liquid portion in the bottle 51. Thereby, the connection of the liquid feeding joint 121 in the connector 1 of the endoscope 100 and the liquid in the bottle 51 and the connection of the gas feeding joint 122 in the connector 1 of the endoscope 100 and the gas in the bottle 51 are realized through the gas-liquid pipe 52.

The second air supply duct 53 is also a flexible duct made of a flexible material, one end of which is used for connecting with various air pumps, and the other end of which passes through the stopper of the bottle body 51 and extends into the air in the bottle body 51.

In addition, the air/liquid feeding system 5 further includes a second air pump 54. As described above, in the present invention, since carbon dioxide gas is taken as an example of the second gas, the second gas pump 54 is a carbon dioxide gas pump. Of course, the second air pump 54 may be an oxygen air pump, a nitrogen air pump, or the like, as needed.

Next, the operation principle of the air/liquid feeding system 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 2.

When the first gas (air) is required to be used for diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope, the user switches the air/liquid feeding valve 21 in the operation portion 2 to the air supply mode while connecting the second air supply pipe 53 in the air/liquid feeding system 5 to the first air pump 62 of the main unit 6. The air supply mode here means that the intra-scope liquid supply duct 13 provided inside the connector 1 and through which the liquid flows is closed and the intra-scope air supply duct 14 through which the gas flows is in a flowing state.

Thereby, the first gas (air) supplied from the first air pump 62 of the main body 6 is pumped into the bottle body 51 via the second air supply pipe 53. Next, the first gas pumped into the vial 51 increases the gas pressure inside the vial 51, and therefore, the first gas is pressed into the first gas supply pipe 522 and further into the gas-liquid joint 12 (gas supply joint 122) of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100. Thereby, the first gas is supplied to the endoscope 100.

When the second gas (carbon dioxide) is required to be used for diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope, the user switches the air/liquid feeding valve 21 in the operation unit 2 to the air supply mode while connecting the second air supply pipe 53 in the air/liquid feeding system 5 to the external second air pump 54.

Thereby, the second gas (carbon dioxide gas) supplied from the first air pump 54 is pumped into the bottle 51 through the second air supply pipe 53. Next, the second gas pumped into the vial 51 increases the gas pressure inside the vial 51, and therefore, the second gas is pressed into the first gas supply pipe 522 and further into the gas-liquid joint 12 (gas supply joint 122) of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100. Thereby, the second gas is supplied to the endoscope 100.

That is, one end of the second air supply duct 53 is extended into the air portion in the bottle body 51, and the other end is selectively connected to a required air pump. In this way, different gases can be supplied to the endoscope 100 only by switching the connection target (the first air pump or the second air pump) of the second air supply duct 53.

Furthermore, since the gas is supplied to the gas-liquid joint 12 (gas supply joint 122) of the connector 1 of the endoscope 100 via the first gas supply pipe 522 finally regardless of which of the plurality of gas pumps the second gas supply pipe 53 is connected to, various gases required for use of the endoscope can be received by providing only 1 gas supply joint 122 on the connector 1 of the endoscope 100, and since the gas pump joint provided at the distal end of the connector 1 is omitted as compared with the conventional endoscope, the space at the distal end of the connector can be saved, the structure of the connector can be simplified, and the reliability and convenience of the endoscope can be improved.

Further, when it is not necessary to supply gas to the body cavity of the subject but to supply liquid to the body cavity of the subject, the air-feeding and liquid-feeding valve 21 in the operation portion 2 is switched to the liquid-feeding mode. The liquid feeding mode here means that the endoscopic liquid feeding tube 13 through which liquid flows provided inside the connector 1 is put in a flowing state and the endoscopic air feeding tube 14 through which gas flows is put in a closed state. At this time, since the in-lens air supply duct 14 provided inside the connector 1 for flowing the gas is in the closed state, the gas is not supplied into the body cavity of the subject in the case where any air pump is used as the connection target of the second air supply duct 53.

On the other hand, the power for supplying the liquid to the endoscope 100 is also derived from the pressure of the gas, and theoretically, the second air supply pipe 53 may be connected to any air pump (the first air pump 62 in the main unit 6 or the externally-provided second air pump 54). However, the first air pump 62 for pumping air is more preferable from the viewpoint of cost, and therefore, in the liquid feeding mode, the second air feeding pipe 53 is usually connected to the first air pump 62 in the main unit 6.

The principle of supplying liquid to the endoscope 100 will be described next. Under the operation of the first air pump 62, the first gas is pumped into the bottle 51 through the second air supply pipe 53. At this time, since the connector is in the liquid feeding mode in which the in-scope air feeding duct 14 is closed, the gas inside the bottle 51 cannot enter the first air feeding duct 522. The increased gas pressure in the bottle 51 forces the liquid in the bottle 51 to flow to the liquid delivery pipe 521. Further, the liquid is finally delivered into the body cavity of the subject via an endoscopic liquid delivery tube 13 provided inside the endoscope 100.

On the other hand, when a different type of liquid is required for diagnosis or treatment using an endoscope, the vial 51 may be replaced. This is the same as the conventional air/liquid feeding system, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

That is, in the present invention, the switching between the liquid feeding mode and the air feeding mode is realized by switching the flow and closing of the in-scope liquid feeding duct 13 and the in-scope air feeding duct 14 by the air feeding liquid feeding valve 21 provided in the operation portion 2. The switching between the first gas and the second gas is performed by the connection target (the first gas pump 62 or the second gas pump 54) of the second gas supply line 53. The liquid is switched by replacing the bottle 51.

It is apparent that, although the first air pump 62 (air) and the second air pump 54 (carbon dioxide gas) are exemplified in the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can appreciate that more air pumps may be prepared to achieve more gas inputs.

In addition, since the second air supply duct 53 is alternatively connected to any one of the air pumps, there is no case where the second air supply duct is simultaneously connected to a plurality of air pumps. This can fundamentally prevent a plurality of gases from being simultaneously supplied to the endoscope 100, thereby greatly reducing the risk of accidents in diagnosis and treatment.

More specifically, in the related art, the first air pump 62 of the main unit 6 for supplying the first air is connected to an air pump connector provided at the distal end of the connector of the endoscope, and the second air pump externally provided for supplying the second air is connected to an air supply connector provided at the side surface of the connector of the endoscope. That is, in a conventional endoscope, the first gas and the second gas are sent into a connector of the endoscope from different joints.

Inside the endoscope, an air supply duct communicating with the first air pump and an air supply duct communicating with the second air pump join together to become an endoscope air supply duct. That is, in the conventional technology, in order to switch between the gas from the first gas pump and the gas from the second gas pump, a three-way valve must be provided inside the endoscope.

In such a configuration, if the three-way valve fails, it may cause a plurality of gases to be simultaneously input to the body cavity of the examinee or cause medical accidents by inputting wrong gases to the body cavity of the examinee. In contrast, the air/liquid feeding system 5 according to the present invention eliminates the air pump joint connected to the first air pump 62 of the main unit 6 provided at the distal end of the connector of the endoscope in the conventional art, and receives the air supply from the first air pump 62 and the air supply from the second air pump 54 by the air supply joint 122 provided at the side surface of the connector 1. Therefore, the safety of the endoscope 100 can be improved in addition to the reliability and convenience brought by the elimination of the air pump joint.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a one-way check valve provided in the liquid feed pipe 521 according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 4, a one-way check valve 521V is provided at a connection point of the liquid feeding pipe 521 and the liquid feeding joint 121 of the connector 1. The one-way check valve 521V functions to permit the flow of liquid to the connector 1 when the liquid feeding pipe 521 is connected to the liquid feeding joint 121 of the connector 1, and to prohibit the flow of liquid when the liquid feeding pipe 521 is disconnected from the liquid feeding joint 121 of the connector 1.

As a typical example, the one-way check valve 521V may be formed of a valve flap having elasticity, and when the liquid feeding pipe 521 is connected to the liquid feeding joint 121 of the connector 1, the liquid feeding joint 121 pushes open the valve flap of the one-way check valve 521V to set the liquid feeding pipe 521 in a flow state. When the liquid feed pipe 521 is disengaged from the liquid feed joint 121 of the connector 1, the valve flap is restored by its own elastic force, and the liquid feed pipe 521 is closed.

Thus, when the liquid-feeding pipe 521 is not used, the liquid in the bottle 51 can be prevented from leaking from the liquid-feeding pipe 521 to contaminate the environment.

The present invention has been described in terms of the specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Claims

1. An air and liquid feeding system for an endoscope for feeding a gas and a liquid to an endoscope, the endoscope comprising a connector for connecting the endoscope to peripheral equipment and an operation portion connected to the connector via a cable and held by a user,

the air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope is characterized in that,

the gas and liquid feeding system for an endoscope further includes:

a bottle body containing a predetermined amount of liquid and gas;

one end of the second air supply pipeline is connected with the air pump, and the other end of the second air supply pipeline extends into the air in the bottle body.

2. The air and liquid feeding system for an endoscope according to claim 1,

a one-way check valve is provided at a connection of the liquid feeding pipe and the liquid feeding joint of the connector, and allows a flow of liquid to the connector when the liquid feeding pipe is connected to the liquid feeding joint of the connector, and prohibits a flow of liquid when the liquid feeding pipe is detached from the liquid feeding joint of the connector.

3. The air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope according to claim 1 or 2,

the connector includes a substantially flat front end surface facing the peripheral device, and a side surface extending from a peripheral edge of the front end surface toward an opposite side of the peripheral device,

the gas-liquid joint is arranged on the side surface of the connector.

4. The air/liquid feeding system for an endoscope according to claim 1 or 2,

the air pump is a first air pump arranged in the peripheral equipment and used for supplying first air, or a second air pump arranged outside the peripheral equipment and used for supplying second air.

5. The air-feeding and liquid-feeding system for endoscope according to claim 3,

the first gas is air and the second gas is,

the second gas is carbon dioxide and is selected from the group consisting of,

the liquid is water.

6. The air and liquid feeding system for an endoscope according to claim 3,

the liquid feed pipe and the gas feed pipe are integrated into a gas-liquid pipe covered with a tubular casing.

7. The air-feeding and liquid-feeding system for an endoscope according to claim 1 or 2,

an in-scope liquid feeding pipe connected to the liquid feeding pipe and an in-scope air feeding pipe connected to the air feeding pipe are provided inside the endoscope,

the operation unit is provided with a gas-liquid switching valve that can switch the endoscope to one of a first mode in which the endoscopic liquid supply conduit is on and the endoscopic gas supply conduit is off and a second mode in which the endoscopic liquid supply conduit is off and the endoscopic gas supply conduit is on.

8. An endoscope is provided with:

a connector for connecting the endoscope to a peripheral device;

an operation section for a user to hold and operate the endoscope;

a cable connecting the connector and the operation portion; and

the endoscope is characterized in that the endoscope is provided with a plurality of endoscope heads,

the endoscope air/liquid feeding system is provided with an air/liquid joint connected to an air/liquid pipe of the endoscope air/liquid feeding system according to claim 5.

9. An endoscope system comprising:

the endoscope of claim 7;

an air and liquid delivery system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7; and

a peripheral device provided with a first air pump.