JP2003024266A - Portable endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the portability and operability of an endoscope. SOLUTION: A pump housing section 90 and a tank housing section 100 are formed on a portion connecting to a grip 14 in a connecting section 15 for connecting the grip 14 of an operating section of a scope with an insertion section. The sections 90 and 100 are provided on opposite sides each other centered at a longitudinal axis of the grip 14. That is, the sections 90 and 100 are symmetrically positioned centered at the longitudinal axis of the grip 14. An air sending pump 91 is housed in the section 90, and a water sending tank 101 is housed in the section 100. In the grip 14, a driving current for the pump 91 is supplied from a battery in a battery unit which is detachably mounted on the opposite side to an air sending and water sending button 71.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an endoscope having an air / liquid feeding function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an endoscope scope is used by being connected to a light source device. When the scope is connected to the light source device, a light guide provided so as to pass through the scope is optically connected to a light source such as a halogen lamp in the light source device. The light emitted from the light source is guided to the tip of the scope by the light guide, and is emitted as illumination light in front of the tip of the scope. The illumination light is reflected by the observation site and enters the image guide via the objective lens provided at the tip of the scope. The reflected light is guided to the eyepiece section of the operation section by the image guide, and the observation site can be observed through the eyepiece optical system of the eyepiece section.

Further, the endoscope has an air / liquid feeding function. By appropriately operating the gas supply / liquid supply button provided on the operation unit, gas or liquid is ejected from the distal end of the scope to remove the cloudiness adhering to the surface of the observation window that protects the objective lens described above. To the air, cleaning the surface of the observation window, etc. The liquid sent to the distal end is stored in a liquid sending tank that is separate from the endoscope. The liquid sending tank is connected via a tube to an air sending liquid sending tube which is inserted through an air sending liquid sending channel of the insertion portion. The gas or liquid is sent in via a pump provided in the light source device.

[0004]

As described above, in using the endoscope, peripheral devices such as a light source device and a liquid feed tank are required. Therefore, it is necessary to carry and set these peripheral devices together with the endoscope, which is a problem in portability.

Further, since the endoscope is a medical instrument which is operated by inserting the insertion portion of the scope into the patient's body, good operability is required. However, as described above, the endoscope must be connected to the light source device and the liquid feed tank via cables, respectively, and the light source device has a power cable for supplying a drive current to the built-in light source and pump. Must be connected to a commercial power source via. That is, there is a problem that a plurality of cables are crossed and it is troublesome to operate the endoscope. Further, the light source device is a stationary peripheral device and cannot be freely moved according to the operation of the scope. On the other hand, the power cable is connected to an outlet of a commercial power source provided at a predetermined position in the medical field. Therefore, the operation of the endoscope is inevitably restricted by the location of the medical site where it is actually used. As described above, the conventional endoscope is not satisfactory in terms of operability.

The present invention solves the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an endoscope excellent in operability and portability.

[0007]

A portable endoscope according to the present invention includes a semiconductor light emitting element provided at the tip for irradiating the front of the tip of the insertion portion of a scope with illumination light, and a gas at the tip. A pump for feeding the liquid, a power supply means for supplying a driving current to the semiconductor light emitting element and the pump, and a liquid feed tank for storing the liquid are provided, and the power supply means is detachably attached to the operation portion. The liquid feed tank and the pump are symmetrically provided about the longitudinal axis of the operating portion of the scope.

Preferably, the operating section has a gripping section to be gripped by an operator and a connecting section for connecting the gripping section and the inserting section, and the liquid feed tank and the pump are fixed to the connecting section.
The power supply means is attached to the grip portion so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis.

Further, the portable endoscope according to the present invention has a semiconductor light emitting element provided at the front end portion for irradiating the front end portion of the insertion portion of the scope with illumination light, and a gas and a liquid for feeding to the front end portion. Pump, a semiconductor light emitting element, a power supply means for supplying a drive current to the pump, and a liquid feed tank in which a liquid is stored. The power supply means is detachably attached to the operation part. And the pump
It is characterized in that it is provided on the opposite side across the longitudinal axis of the operating portion of the scope.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the relatively heavy liquid feed tank and the pump are arranged in the operating portion of the scope, the scope is operated symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the operating portion. The balance of the department is maintained.
Therefore, the operator can stably perform the procedure while holding the operation part, and the operability of the scope in which the peripheral equipment such as the liquid feed tank and the pump is attached to the operation part is improved.

Further, by fixing the liquid feed tank and the pump to the connecting portion connecting the holding portion and the inserting portion of the scope,
When operating the scope, the portion containing these liquid feed tanks and pumps is located below the operator's hand. Therefore, the stability during operation is further increased.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable endoscope to which an embodiment according to the present invention is applied. The fiberscope 10 includes an insertion portion 11 that is a flexible conduit that is inserted into a patient's body, and an operation portion 12 provided with various operation buttons.
And an eyepiece section 13 provided integrally with the operation section. Further, the operation unit 12 includes a grip portion 14 that is gripped by an operator and a connecting portion 15 that connects the insertion portion 11 and the grip portion 14.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the tip of the insertion portion 11. A tip portion 23 made of a suitable rigid material, for example, a corrosion resistant metal, is fixed to the opening portion at the tip of the insertion portion 11. The distal end portion 23 has a through hole 3 for accommodating the distal end of the image guide 30 inserted through the insertion portion 11.
1 is formed. The image guide 30 is a light fiber bundle for observing an endoscopic image, and an objective lens 32 is arranged at the tip thereof. At the opening of the through hole 31, the objective lens 32 is protected and the through hole 3
1. An observation window 33 for preventing foreign matter from entering the inside is fixed.

Further, through holes 41 and 42 are formed in the tip portion 23 along the cross section. LEDs 43 and 44 are arranged near the open ends of the through holes 41 and 42, respectively.
Light distribution optical systems 45 and 46 are provided on the optical paths of the light emitted from the LEDs 43 and 44 in the through holes 41 and 42. Lead wires W11, W12, W21, W22 are LEDs 43, 44
It is a wiring for supplying a drive current to the.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the tip portion 23, and schematically shows the relative positional relationship of each portion. The cross section of FIG. 2 corresponds to the cross section taken along the line I--I of FIG. An air supply nozzle 51 and a water supply nozzle 52 are arranged near the observation window 33. The air supply nozzle 51 and the water supply nozzle 52 are
They are connected to an air supply conduit and a water supply conduit that are inserted from the operation unit 12 to the insertion unit 11. Air and cleaning water are jetted from the air supply nozzle 51 and the water supply nozzle 52, respectively, to remove the fog and clean the observation window 33. From the forceps channel 53, a treatment instrument, for example, a cup portion of a biopsy forceps is exposed, and a piece of tissue in the affected area is cut off. The air supply conduit, the water supply (liquid supply) conduit, the air (gas), and the supply of the cleaning water (liquid) to the tip portion 23 will be described later.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the connecting portion 15 includes
A forceps port 60 communicating with the forceps channel 53 described above is provided. A treatment tool such as a biopsy forceps or a brush is inserted through the forceps port 60, inserted through the forceps channel 53, and guided to the tip of the insertion portion 11.

The grip portion 14 is provided with an air / water supply button 71, a suction button 72, and an air supply pump button 73. A mounting port 16 is provided on the opposite side of these various buttons in the grip portion 14, and a battery unit 17 is mounted in the mounting port 16. Battery unit 1
7 includes a cylindrical housing 18 and a mounting nut 19. The battery unit 17 is attachable to and detachable from the mounting opening 16 by rotating the mounting nut 19. A battery is housed in the battery unit 17 as described later, and the power supply from the battery is started and stopped in accordance with the rotating operation of the power button 20.

In FIG. 4, the grip portion 14 and the connecting portion 15 are
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing the side of the grip portion 14 on which various buttons are provided, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a part of the grip portion 14 and the battery unit 17 in the same direction as FIG. Shown cut out.

The left and right angle knobs 80 and the up and down angle knobs 81 have a substantially circular shape when viewed from the left in FIG. 4, and are provided so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. When the left and right angle knobs 80 are rotated, the insertion portion 11
The angle of the tip of the is bent along a predetermined linear direction, and the angle of the bend is held by operating the left and right angle lock levers 82. When the vertical angle knob 81 is rotated, the tip of the insertion portion 11 is curved along another linear direction that intersects the linear direction that is curved by the rotation of the horizontal angle knob 80. The bending angle is maintained by operating the up-down angle lock lever 83. Also,
A suction nipple 84 is provided on the grip portion 14 on the opposite side of the left and right angle knobs 80 and the up and down angle knobs 81.

A pump accommodating portion 90 and a tank accommodating portion 100 are formed in a portion of the connecting portion 15 which is continuous with the grip portion 14. Pump housing 90 and tank housing 100
Are provided on opposite sides with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grip portion 14, in other words, the pump housing portion 90 and the tank housing portion 100 are symmetrically located with respect to the longitudinal axis of the grip portion 14. There is. The air pump 9 is installed in the pump housing 90.
1 is accommodated, and the water tank 10 is accommodated in the tank accommodating portion 100.
1 is housed.

Cleaning water is stored in the water supply tank 101. The air supply pump 91 is connected to an opening 90 </ b> A provided on the side surface of the pump housing 90. Opening 90A
Is provided with an intake valve 92 for preventing backflow of air. When operating the air supply pump 91, the intake valve 9
A separate opening cap 93 is attached to the intake valve 92 in order to open 2 and take in outside air from the opening 90A.
A water supply pipe 200 is provided in the water supply tank 101 so that the wash water can be replenished, and the water supply pipe 200 is connected to a water supply port 201 formed on a side surface of the tank housing portion 100. When the scope 10 is used, the water supply port 201 is tightly plugged by the cap 202, and when replenishing the cleaning water,
The cap 202 is removed, and cleaning water is injected from the water supply port 201.

The air supply pump 91 is connected to the water supply tank 101 by a pipe line 111, and the air sucked from the opening 90A is sent to the water supply tank 101 through the pipe line 111. A backflow prevention valve 1 for preventing backflow of air from the water supply tank 101 to the air supply pump 91 in the pipe line 111.
11A is provided.

An air supply line 112 and a water supply line 113 are connected to the water supply tank 101. Air line 112
Inserts air into the tip of the insertion part 11 to feed air.
Is connected to an air supply pipe line 114 that extends to the tip end, and the water supply pipe line 113 is connected to a water supply pipe line 115 that inserts the insertion part 11 to the tip end for feeding cleaning water to the tip end of the insertion part 11. The end of the water supply pipe line 113 is immersed in the wash water in the water supply tank 101. At the tip portion 23 of the insertion portion 11, the air supply nozzle 51 is connected to the air supply pipeline 114, and the water supply nozzle 52 is connected to the water supply pipeline 115.

The forceps channel tube 116, like the air supply conduit 114 and the water supply conduit 115, has the insertion portion 11 inserted all the way to the tip. The forceps channel tube 116 is connected to the forceps port 60, and the forceps channel 53 communicates with the forceps port 60. Also, forceps channel tube 1
16 is connected with the connecting tube 117 to the suction nipple 84 by pressing the suction button 72. 4 and 5, the connecting portion between the forceps channel tube 116 and the forceps port 60 and the connecting portion between the connection tube 117 and the suction nipple 84 are omitted.

When the battery unit 17 is connected to the mounting opening 16, the battery 120 housed in the battery unit 17 is placed in the mounting opening 16 via the switch SW1, as shown in FIG. A pair of contact pins 12
1, 122 are connected. A pair of contact pins 121, 12
2 is connected to lead wires W31, 32 (see FIG. 4) for supplying a drive current to the air supply pump 91, and lead wires W11, W12, W21 connected to the LEDs 43, 44 of the tip portion 23. , W22 (see FIG. 2). ON / OFF of the switch SW1 is controlled according to the turning operation of the power button 20. Switch SW1
Is turned on, the LED provided at the tip of the insertion part 11
A drive current is supplied to 43 and 44, and power can be supplied to the air supply pump 91.

The switch SW2 is controlled to be turned on / off according to the operation of pressing the air supply pump button 73. When the switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on, power is supplied to the air supply pump 91.

When the hole in the upper part of the air / water supply button 71 is closed, the air sucked from the outside by the air supply pump 91 is
It is sent to the air supply pipe 114 via the pipe 111, the water supply tank 101, and the air supply pipe 112. As a result, the tip 2
Air is ejected from the air / water supply nozzle 51 (see FIG. 3) of No. 3 to remove the fog on the surface of the observation window 33 which protects the objective lens 32 and to supply air into the body.

When the air supply / water supply button 71 is pushed, the communication between the air supply conduit 112 and the air supply conduit 114 is cut off, and the discharge path of the air sent to the water supply tank 101 by the air supply pump 91 is cut off. Therefore, the atmospheric pressure in the water supply tank 101 rises, and the stored cleaning water is transferred to the water supply pipeline 11.
It is sent from 3 to the water supply line 115. As a result, cleaning water is ejected from the water supply nozzle 52 of the tip portion 23, and the observation window 3
The surface of No. 3 is cleaned and the like.

Further, when the suction button 72 is pushed in with the forceps plug (not shown) attached to the forceps port 60, at the tip portion 23 by the suction device (not shown) connected through the suction nipple 74. Suction is performed from the opening of the forceps channel 53 to remove water droplets, mucus, etc. adhering to the surface of the observation window 33, and to eliminate body air (decompression in the body cavity).

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, all the peripheral devices necessary for operating the endoscope are attached to the operation portion of the endoscope, and the comparison of the air supply pump and the liquid supply tank is made. An instrument having a relatively heavy weight is provided on the opposite side of the scope gripping portion with the longitudinal axis interposed therebetween. Therefore,
There is no imbalance in the balance when the operator holds the scope, and stable operation is possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable endoscope to which a first embodiment according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a distal end of an insertion portion of a scope.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the distal end of the insertion portion of the scope.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a notch of a grip portion of the scope.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a part of a grip portion of a scope and a battery unit in a cutaway view.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Fiberscope 11 Insert 12 Operation part 13 Eyepiece 14 grip 15 Connection 16 mounting mouth 60 forceps mouth 71 Air / water button (air / liquid button) 72 Suction button 73 Air supply pump button 90 Pump housing 91 Air pump 100 tank compartment 101 Water tank (liquid tank) 112, 114 Air supply line 113, 115 Water supply line (liquid supply line) 120 battery

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor light emitting element provided on the tip for irradiating illumination light to the front of the tip of the insertion part of the scope, a pump for feeding gas and liquid to the tip, and the semiconductor light emitting element. And a power supply means for supplying a drive current to the pump, and a liquid feed tank in which the liquid is stored, the power supply means being detachably attached to the operation part, the liquid feed tank and the liquid feed tank. The portable endoscope, wherein the pumps are provided symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the operating portion of the scope. 2. The operation section includes a grip section to be gripped by an operator and a connecting section that connects the grip section and the insertion section, and the liquid supply tank and the pump are fixed to the connecting section. The portable endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the power supply means is attached to the grip so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. 3. A semiconductor light emitting element provided at the tip for illuminating the front of the tip of the insertion part of the scope, a pump for feeding gas and liquid to the tip, and the semiconductor light emitting element. And a power supply means for supplying a drive current to the pump, and a liquid feed tank in which the liquid is stored, the power supply means being detachably attached to the operation part, the liquid feed tank and the liquid feed tank. The portable endoscope, wherein the pump is provided on the opposite side of the operating portion of the scope with the longitudinal axis interposed therebetween.