JP2008073182A - Endoscope, endoscope management system and endoscope management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope capable of previously preventing deterioration/failure of the endoscope by notifying that the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure after executing an autoclave, and to provide an endoscope management system having the endoscope and an endoscope management method using the endoscope. <P>SOLUTION: This endoscope 10 includes a communication section where its inside and outside communicates with each other as needed, and remote switches (switches) 71-74 turned on by a pushing operation for operating the endoscope 10, and when executing the autoclave process, the endoscope 10 itself is placed under a negative pressure environment, and thereby, the inside has the negative pressure via the communication section. This endoscope includes the remote switches 71-74 constituted to retain the ON state when the inside of the endoscope 10 has the negative pressure, and a control microcomputer (a notification means ) 60 detecting the ON state of the remote switches 71-74 and notify of it. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope, an endoscope management system, and an endoscope management method.

  Endoscopes can be used to observe organs in body cavities by inserting an elongated insertion part of the endoscope into the body cavity, and to perform various treatments using treatment tools inserted into the insertion channel of the treatment tool as necessary. Widely used in medical fields. The distal end of the insertion portion is provided with a bending portion and a distal end portion, and an operator or the like is bent by a wire connected to the endoscope operation portion, whereby the objective lens of the observation optical system disposed in the distal end portion The observation direction can be changed.

  Endoscopes are cleaned, disinfected or sterilized after use to prevent infection. As a method for sterilization, a high-temperature high-pressure steam sterilization (autoclave) method is known. In this case, an endoscope is being sterilized using a dedicated autoclave device. Sterilization and sterilization using an autoclave device has been widely used in many fields because of its low running cost and the absence of harmful substances.

  An endoscope used in an autoclave apparatus is provided with a check valve that allows gas to pass from the inside to the outside and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside. In the autoclave apparatus, the internal air of the endoscope is released to the outside, the internal pressure is lowered, and steam, gas, cleaning water or the like does not enter the interior during sterilization or cleaning. ing.

  As such an endoscope, Patent Document 1 includes a push button device that includes an operation switch capable of high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization and a pressing member that covers the operation switch in a watertight manner and is displaceable in the push-in direction of the switch. Are disclosed.

  By the way, in an endoscope with such a configuration, after sterilization by autoclave, it is necessary to manually open the check valve and return the interior of the endoscope to atmospheric pressure. The stop valve may not open.

  In this case, the inside of the endoscope is in a negative pressure state, but it cannot be determined from the appearance of the endoscope that the pressure is negative.

  However, since the operation of the endoscope itself is possible, the surgeon performs the bending operation of the flexible tube or the like while the pressure inside the endoscope is lowered. Since this operation places a great burden on each part of the endoscope, particularly the flexible tube, it causes deterioration and failure of each part of the endoscope.

  Further, since the inside of the endoscope is in a negative pressure state, for example, in the case of an endoscope including an operation switch covered with a watertight pressing member as shown in Patent Document 1, an operation is performed. The switch may remain pressed and proper processing may not be performed.

Japanese Patent No. 3691164

  An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope capable of notifying deterioration and failure of an endoscope by informing that the inside of the endoscope after autoclaving is under negative pressure, and the endoscope. An endoscope management system having an endoscope and an endoscope management method using such an endoscope.

The object is achieved by the present inventions (1) to (8) below.
(1) Provided with a communicating part that allows the inside and outside of the endoscope to communicate with each other when necessary, and a switch that is turned on by a pressure difference between the inside and the outside. An endoscope in which the inside becomes negative pressure through the communication part,
The switch configured to maintain the ON state when the inside of the endoscope is under negative pressure;
An endoscope comprising: notification means for detecting and notifying the ON state of the switch.

  As a result, it is possible to notify that the endoscope switch after the autoclave operation is ON, and based on this notification, it can be determined that the inside of the endoscope is under negative pressure. Failure can be prevented in advance.

(2) A plurality of the switches are provided,
The endoscope according to (1), wherein when the notification unit detects that all of the plurality of switches are in an ON state, the notification unit notifies that the switch is in an ON state.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous determination that determines that the pressure has returned to atmospheric pressure despite the negative pressure inside the endoscope.

  (3) The endoscope according to (1) or (2), wherein the notification unit notifies that the switch is in an ON state when the switch is maintained in an ON state for a predetermined time.

  With this configuration, for example, even when the operator is temporarily touched and the switch is turned on, notification by the notification means is not performed. In spite of this, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous notifications that are notified by the notification means.

  (4) The endoscope according to (3), wherein the predetermined time is one minute.

  Thereby, it can be determined in a relatively short time whether or not the ON state of the switch is maintained, and erroneous notification due to the switch being temporarily pressed can be reliably prevented.

  (5) The endoscope according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the switch is an operation switch that operates each part of the endoscope when the endoscope is used for endoscopy. mirror.

  Thereby, it can implement without adding a new member or changing a design. For this reason, the effect that it is easy to implement and can be introduced at low cost can be obtained.

(6) An endoscope management system having the endoscope according to any one of (1) to (5) above and an external device to which the endoscope is connected,
The external device includes notification means for determining that the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure based on a notification that the switch is in an ON state by the notification means and notifying the inside. Endoscope management system.

  Thereby, it is possible to notify the surgeon and the like that the inside of the endoscope after the autoclave is in a negative pressure by a message display by a monitor device or the like, lighting by an LED lamp or the like, voice synthesis output or the like.

  (7) When the notification unit connects the endoscope to the external device, the notification unit supplies power to the notification unit, and when the notification unit receives a notification that the switch is in the ON state, The endoscope management system according to (6), which is configured to determine and notify that the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure.

  Thereby, it is possible to notify the surgeon and the like that the inside of the endoscope after the autoclave is in a negative pressure by a message display by a monitor device or the like, lighting by an LED lamp or the like, voice synthesis output or the like.

(8) An endoscope management method for an endoscope according to any one of (1) to (5) above,
Performing the autoclave process on the endoscope and detecting the ON state of the switch prior to use in the next endoscopic examination;
An endoscope management method comprising: notifying that an ON state of the switch has been detected.

  As a result, it is possible to notify that the endoscope switch after the autoclave operation is ON, and based on this notification, it can be determined that the inside of the endoscope is under negative pressure. Failure can be prevented in advance.

  According to the present invention, by detecting the ON / OFF state of the operation switch, it is possible to notify the operator or the like that the inside of the endoscope after the autoclave is under negative pressure. Further, it is possible to prevent the endoscope from being deteriorated or broken by using the endoscope in a state where the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure.

  In addition, the operation switch can be returned to a normal state before use without using the endoscope while the operation switch is pressed.

  Hereinafter, an endoscope, an endoscope management system, and an endoscope management method according to the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following, the case where the endoscope of the present invention is applied to a medical endoscope, particularly, an electronic endoscope (electronic scope) will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment in which the endoscope of the present invention is applied to an electronic endoscope, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a remote switch provided in the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an endoscope management apparatus installed inside the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a judgment as to whether or not the inside of the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when doing. In the following description, the upper side in FIG. 1 will be referred to as a “base end” and the lower side as a “tip”.

  An electronic endoscope 10 (hereinafter referred to as “endoscope 10”) illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a long insertion portion flexible tube 11 having flexibility (flexibility), and an insertion portion flexible tube 11. The bending portion 12 provided at the distal end portion, the operation portion 13 provided at the proximal end portion of the insertion portion flexible tube 11 and operated by the operator to operate the endoscope 10 as a whole, and connected to the operation portion 13 The connecting portion flexible tube 14 and the light source insertion portion 15 provided on the distal end side of the connecting portion flexible tube 14 are provided.

Each of the insertion portion flexible tube 11 and the connection portion flexible tube 14 is a flexible tube for an endoscope in which the outer periphery of a tubular core material having a hollow portion is covered with an outer skin.
The insertion portion flexible tube 11 is used by being inserted into a body lumen such as a digestive tract, for example.

  The operation unit 13 includes a switch box 70 covered with an exterior member 701, and operation knobs 16 and 17 and remote switches 71 to 74 are installed on the side of the switch box 70.

  When the operation knobs 16 and 17 are operated, a wire (not shown) disposed in the insertion portion flexible tube 11 is pulled, and the bending portion 12 is bent in, for example, four directions, and the direction can be changed. it can. An image sensor (not shown) (a solid-state image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor or a CCD) that captures a subject image at the observation site is provided at the distal end of the bending portion 12.

  In addition, the remote switches 71 to 74 are operation switches for performing various operations when an operator or the like performs pressing operations.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the remote switches 71 to 74 are provided on the side surface of the exterior member 701, and the movable part 711, the O-ring 712 that maintains the airtightness of the switch box 70, and the movable part 711 are switched to the switch box. And a compression coil spring 713 that urges the outer side of 70.

  The movable portion 711 (displacement member) is slidably installed on a switch mounting seat 702 formed in a cylindrical shape projecting inward of the exterior member 701 via an O-ring 712 for sealing. Yes.

  The O-ring 712 is provided between the exterior member 701 and the movable portion 711 so as to be in contact with both of them, and has a function of maintaining the airtightness of the switch box 70, and the movable portion 711 is attached to the exterior member 701. It has a function to slide against. With this configuration, the inside of the switch box 70 can be sealed from the outside regardless of the position of the movable portion 711, the endoscope 10 can withstand the high-temperature and high-pressure steam of the autoclave, and the endoscope 10 It can withstand internal negative pressure.

  The compression coil spring 713 functions as an urging means for urging the movable portion 711, and urges the switch box 70 from the inside to the outside, thereby disposing the movable portion 711 at the position shown in FIG.

  When an operator or the like performs a pressing operation on the remote switches 71 to 74 having such a configuration, the movable portion 711 is attached to the compression coil spring 713 while the airtightness inside the switch box 70 is maintained by the O-ring 712. It will be pushed inward (inside) against the power.

  A shaft center portion 711a of the movable portion 711 protrudes inward, and a contact switch electrode (first terminal) 711b is screwed into the shaft center portion 711a, and a movable portion is located inward of the contact switch electrode 711b. A cable 80 that is moved by a pressing operation 711 is attached.

  The entire mounting seat 702 is covered with a lid portion 703, and the lid portion 703 accommodates the movable portion 711, the contact switch electrode 711 b and the compression coil spring 713 inside the mounting seat 702. The inside of the lid 703 serves as a spring receiver at one end of the compression coil spring 713.

  The lid (main body portion of the endoscope) 703 is formed with a circular opening 704 through which the cable 80 is inserted, and a contact switch electrode (first switch) is formed on the edge of the opening 704 on the movable portion 711 side. 2 terminals) 705 are provided. The contact switch electrode 705 is connected to the cable 81 via a lead wire 706. The cable 80 and the cable 81 are electrically connected to a control microcomputer 60 described later.

  When the movable portion 711 is on the outside due to the urging force of the compression coil spring 713 (position shown in FIG. 2), the contact switch electrode 711b does not contact the contact switch electrode 705, so that the remote switches 71 to 74 are turned off. ing. On the other hand, when the movable portion 711 is pushed into the switch box 70 by a pressing operation, the contact switch electrode 711b contacts the contact switch electrode 705. As a result, the cable 80 and the cable 81 communicate with each other via the contact switch electrodes 711b and 705 and the lead wire 706, and the remote switches 71 to 74 are turned on.

  The urging means is constituted by an elastic member such as a sponge, an air cushion, a rubber material, a leaf spring, etc., in addition to the case where it is constituted by a coil spring as in this embodiment. May be.

  By pressing the remote switches 71 to 74 having the above-described configuration in a state where the endoscope 10 is connected to the processor connection connector 21 described later, various peripheral devices such as the processor 24 and the monitor device 25 are operated. Operations (for example, switching between moving images and still images of an electronic image, operation and / or stop of an electronic image filing system and a photographing device, operation and / or stop of an electronic image recording device) can be remotely controlled. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light source insertion portion 15 is provided with a light source connector 18 and an image signal connector 19 on the distal end side, and a check valve 20 on the proximal end side.

  The check valve 20 allows gas to pass from the inside of the endoscope 10 to the outside, and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside of the endoscope 10. By providing the check valve 20 having such a configuration in the light source insertion portion 15, the air in the endoscope 10 is released to the outside in the vacuum sterilization chamber of the autoclave device, and the internal pressure is reduced. Intrusion of gas or washing water into the endoscope 10 is prevented. That is, in the present embodiment, the check valve 20 forms a communication portion that allows the inside and the outside of the endoscope 10 to communicate with each other when necessary, and the negative pressure state inside the endoscope 10 when performing autoclave processing. Can be maintained.

  The light source connector 18 is connected to a processor 24 having a built-in light source device via a processor connection connector 21 and a signal cable 22.

  The image signal connector 19 is connected to the processor 24 via the processor connection connector 21 and the signal cable 22, and the processor 24 is connected to the monitor device 25 via a cable (not shown). In the present embodiment, the processor connection connector 21, the processor 24, and the monitor device 25 constitute an external device.

  The processor 24 supplies illumination light to the light source connector 18 by a built-in light source device, and controls the operation of the imaging means of the endoscope 10 to process the captured video signal. Further, the monitor device 25 displays a video signal corresponding to the subject image output from the processor 24.

  Illumination light emitted from the light source device is supplied to the light source connector 18 and the light source insertion portion 15, the connection portion flexible tube 14, the operation portion 13, the insertion portion flexible tube 11, and the bending portion 12. It passes through a light guide (not shown) by a bundle of optical fibers arranged continuously, and is irradiated from the distal end of the bending portion 12 to illuminate the observation site.

  The reflected light (subject image) from the observation site illuminated by the illumination light is imaged by the image sensor. The image sensor outputs an image signal corresponding to the captured subject image.

  This image signal is continuously arranged in the bending portion 12, the insertion portion flexible tube 11, the operation portion 13, and the connection portion flexible tube 14, and connects the image sensor and the image signal connector. The light is transmitted to the light source insertion portion 15 via a signal cable (not shown).

  Then, predetermined processing (for example, signal processing, image processing, etc.) is performed in the processor 24, and then input to the monitor device 25. The monitor device 25 displays an endoscope monitor image of a moving image captured by the image sensor.

  When the image signal connector 19 is connected to the processor connection connector 21, power is supplied to a control microcomputer 60 (described later in FIG. 3) installed inside the light source insertion portion 15.

  As shown in FIG. 3, such an endoscope 10 includes an endoscope management apparatus 50 including a plurality of remote switches 71 to 74 as described above and a control microcomputer 60.

  As described above, the remote switches 71 to 74 are provided so that the inside of the switch box 70 is hermetically sealed from the outside, and is configured to receive the displacement due to the pressing operation by the lid portion 703 included in the switch box 70. Therefore, the remote switches 71 to 74 are normally configured to be turned on by moving to the inside of the switch box 70 by a pressing operation of an operator or the like, but the inside of the operation unit 13 (switch box 70) is Even when a negative pressure is generated with respect to the outside, the pressure is drawn into the switch box 70 due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside, and the switch is turned on. As a result, as long as the negative pressure state is maintained, the remote switches 71 to 74 are maintained in the ON state.

  Here, in order to turn on the remote switches 71 to 74, the remote switches 71 to 74 (the movable portion 711) are switched to the switch box 70 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring (biasing member) 713 toward the outside of the switch box 70. It is necessary to pull in the inside. The force drawn into the switch box 70 depends on the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the switch box 70 and the opening area of the mounting seat 702. The force maintained on the outside of the switch box 70 depends on the O-ring and the switch. It depends on the static frictional force between the side surfaces of the box 70 and the elastic force by the biasing member. Therefore, by appropriately setting the opening area, the static friction force, and the elastic force, the remote switches 71 to 74 are pulled into the switch box 70 according to the degree of the negative pressure inside the switch box 70, It is not drawn in. That is, for example, if the elastic forces of the compression coil springs 713 used for the remote switches 71 to 74 are different from each other, the remote switches 71 to 74 including the compression coil springs 713 having a small elastic force have a relatively low pressure difference. In contrast, the remote switches 71 to 74 including the compression coil springs 713 having a large elastic force are drawn into the switch box 70 when the pressure difference becomes large. Will be.

  The control microcomputer 60 is configured by a microprocessor or the like, and is a control unit that controls the entire endoscope 10 including execution of operation calculation processing such as signal input / output, and data used for calculation according to a program on the ROM. Various processes are executed using the memory storing the. A part of the memory is configured by a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable ROM) or a flash memory, and retains setting conditions even after the power is turned off.

  In the present invention, the control microcomputer 60 is sealed inside the endoscope 10 and detects the state of the remote switches 71 to 74 through a communication unit (such as a serial interface I / O port) (not shown). 24 has a function as a notification means for outputting to 24.

  That is, the control microcomputer 60 has a function of notifying the processor 24 of the detected contents when detecting that the remote switches 71 to 74 are kept in the ON state. The fact that the processor 24 is in the ON state may be notified when at least one of the remote switches 71 to 74 is in the ON state, or all the remote switches 71 to 74 may be notified. 74 may be in the ON state, but the latter is preferred. Thereby, it can detect more reliably that the switch box 70, ie, the inside of the endoscope 10, has a negative pressure. Furthermore, since it is difficult for an operator or the like to turn on all the remote switches 71 to 74 at the same time, the ON state by the operator's pressing operation and the inside of the operation unit 13 become negative pressure with respect to the outside. Thus, it is possible to reliably distinguish the ON state.

  When the processor 24 receives notification from the control microcomputer 60 that the remote switches 71 to 74 are in the ON state, the processor 24 determines that the inside of the endoscope 10 has a negative pressure, and the inside of the endoscope 10 Has a function as a notification means for notifying the surgeon or the like of the negative pressure information, which is negative pressure, by displaying a message on the display screen of the monitor device 25, blinking of an LED lamp or the like, or voice synthesis output. Is.

  In the present embodiment, the endoscope management system is configured by the remote switches (switches) 71 to 74, the control microcomputer (notification unit) 60, and the processor (notification unit) 24 as described above.

  The above is the operation when the light source insertion portion 15 is connected to the processor connection connector 21 and the power is supplied to the control microcomputer 60. In contrast, when the endoscope 10 is autoclaved, the endoscope 10 is housed in a vacuum sterilization chamber provided in the autoclave device, so that the light source connector 18 and the image signal connector 19 are connected to the processor connection connector. As a result, power is not supplied from the outside of the endoscope 10. Therefore, unless the control microcomputer 60 is connected to the processor connection connector 21 or the like, it cannot operate because there is no power supply. Therefore, the control microcomputer 60 notifies the processor 24 that the remote switches 71 to 74 are in the ON state, the light source plug 15 is connected to the processor connection connector 21 and the like, and the control microcomputer 60 is supplied with power. Performed when supplied.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the case where there are four remote switches 71 to 74 is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this case, and other numbers may be used.

  Now, the present invention is used for endoscopy when the inside of the endoscope 10 is in a negative pressure state after the endoscope 10 is exposed to a reduced pressure state as in autoclave processing. Prior to being performed, the operator is informed that the inside of the endoscope 10 is in a negative pressure state.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the endoscope management device 50 (control microcomputer 60) for the processor 24 when notifying the surgeon or the like that the inside of the endoscope 10 has a negative pressure will be described.

[1] Removal from External Device First, the operator or the like removes the light source insertion portion 15 from the external device (in the present embodiment, the connector 21 for processor connection) after completion of the examination. As a result, the endoscope 10 is detached from the processor connection connector 21. In such a state, the endoscope 10 is temporarily stored for autoclaving. At this time, when the light source insertion portion 15 is detached from the processor connection connector 21, the power supply to the control microcomputer 60 is lost, and the control microcomputer 60 stops its operation.

  In addition, the remote switches 71 to 74 are located on the outside of the switch box 70 by an urging means included in the remote switches 71 to 74 and are in an OFF state under atmospheric pressure.

[2] Autoclave treatment Next, the endoscope 10 is subjected to autoclave treatment.

  In this autoclave process, after the endoscope 10 is housed in a sterilization chamber provided in the autoclave apparatus, a sterilization process for reducing the pressure in the sterilization chamber, and sterilization in which high-pressure and high-temperature steam is sent into the pressure-reduced pressure-reduced chamber. Process.

  The depressurization step is a step for distributing high-pressure and high-temperature steam to the details of the endoscope 10 during the subsequent sterilization step. By adopting a configuration in which the sterilization step is performed after the depressurization step, the endoscope 10 sterilization can be performed reliably.

  Here, in the decompression step, the endoscope itself is placed in a negative pressure environment, and the interior of the light source insertion portion 15 is connected via a check valve (communication portion) 20 attached to the light source insertion portion 15. Since the gas inside the endoscope 10 is exhausted to the outside, the pressure inside the light source insertion portion 15 is also reduced as in the sterilization chamber.

  In the sterilization process, when the high-pressure and high-temperature steam is fed into the sterilization chamber, the check valve 20 does not allow the high-pressure and high-temperature steam to enter the light source insertion part 15. The negative pressure state is maintained. As a result, a pressure difference in which the pressure in the sterilization chamber becomes higher than that in the endoscope 10, that is, a pressure difference in which the pressure in the light source insertion portion 15 becomes a negative pressure from the sterilization chamber is generated. As a result, the remote switches 71 to 74 are drawn from the outside to the inside of the switch box 70 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring (biasing means) 713, and are turned on as a result.

  As described above, when the elastic force of the compression coil spring 713 included in each of the remote switches 71 to 74 is different, the remote switches 71 to 74 including those having a small elastic force of the compression coil spring 713 are given priority to the switch box. It is pulled into the inside of 70 and turned ON. In such a case, the negative pressure level is higher when all four of the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON than when all four are ON. Can be determined.

[3] After Autoclave Processing Next, the endoscope 10 that has been subjected to autoclave processing is taken out from the sterilization chamber.

  The inside of the light source insertion part 15 (inside the endoscope 10) is maintained in a negative pressure state by the action of the check valve 20 even after being taken out from the sterilization chamber. It is released from the negative pressure state by moving. That is, by this operation, the inside of the endoscope 10 is communicated with the outside, thereby returning the inside of the endoscope 10 to atmospheric pressure (normal pressure).

The endoscope 10 that has undergone the above-described steps is used for the next endoscopy.
However, since there is no significant difference in the appearance between when the inside of the endoscope 10 is under negative pressure and when it is under atmospheric pressure, the check valve 20 is moved to increase the inside of the endoscope 10 to a large extent. You may forget to return to atmospheric pressure. When the endoscope 10 is used for the next endoscopic inspection while the inside of the endoscope 10 is maintained in a negative pressure state, when the insertion portion flexible tube 11 is bent, the endoscope 10 is particularly bent. An enormous burden is applied, and this may cause the endoscope to break down.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the endoscope 10 is used for the next endoscopic examination in a state where the inside of the endoscope 10 is not returned to the atmospheric pressure (the inside of the endoscope 10 maintains a negative pressure). It is comprised so that it can prevent.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, after the autoclave process is performed, the light source insertion portion 15 of the endoscope 10 is connected to the processor connection connector 21 for use in the next endoscopic examination. As a result, power is supplied to the control microcomputer 60, the control microcomputer 60 is activated, and the control microcomputer 60 is initialized (initialized). Thereafter, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the control microcomputer 60 is configured to execute an endoscope management method that detects and notifies the ON / OFF states of the remote switches 71 to 74. As a result, the processor 24 is notified that the remote switches 71 to 74 are in the ON state, and based on this notification, the processor 24 is informed that the inside of the endoscope 10 has not been returned to atmospheric pressure. Can be informed. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the endoscope 10 from being used for the next endoscopic examination in a state where the inside of the endoscope 10 is not returned to the atmospheric pressure.

  Hereinafter, the endoscope management method executed by the control microcomputer 60 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In the figure, S indicates each step of the flow.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON. If all the remote switches 71 to 74 are OFF, this flow is ended.

  Here, as described above, the remote switches 71 to 74 are configured to receive the displacement in the pushing direction due to the pressing operation inside the switch box 70 (inside the endoscope 10). Remote switches 71 to 74 are turned on.

  Further, the remote switches 71 to 74 have a structure in which the inside is sealed with respect to the outside so as to withstand the autoclave process. Therefore, when the inside of the endoscope 10 has a negative pressure, it remains pushed into the inside of the switch box 70 even when the pressing operation by the operator is released. The ON state will be maintained.

  From the above, if any of the remote switches 71 to 74 is OFF in the above step S1, notification to the processor 24 is not performed because the inside of the endoscope 10 is not negative pressure. .

  When at least one of the remote switches 71 to 74 is ON in step S1, the control microcomputer 60 starts a timer in step S2. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous determination that determines that the pressure has returned to atmospheric pressure despite the negative pressure inside the endoscope.

  Next, in step S3, it is determined whether or not the remote switches 71 to 74 that are turned on are maintained for one minute.

  If the maintenance time of the remote switches 71 to 74 that are ON is less than 1 minute, it is determined again in step S4 whether all the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON / OFF. If none of the remote switches 71 to 74 is ON in this step S <b> 4, this flow is finished without notifying the processor 24.

  When at least one of the remote switches 71 to 74 is ON, the process returns to step S3, and this step S3, until the ON state of the remote switches 71 to 74 that are ON is maintained for 1 minute. Repeat S4. Thus, even if the remote switches 71 to 74 are temporarily turned on, in this embodiment, the notification to the processor 24 is maintained until the remote switches 71 to 74 are kept on for 1 minute. Do not do. With this configuration, for example, even when the remote switches 71 to 74 are turned on when the surgeon or the like is temporarily touched, the notification to the processor 24 is not performed. Even though the inside of the mirror 10 is not under negative pressure, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous notification to be sent to the processor 24.

  In step S3, when the maintenance time of one of the remote switches 71 to 74 that is ON has passed 1 minute, it is determined in step 5 that the ON state of the remote switches 71 to 74 is maintained, Set the remote switch error flag to ON. Thereby, the notification to the processor 24 is started in step S6, and this flow is ended when the notification is completed.

  In this embodiment, the notification to the processor 24 is performed by general-purpose serial transfer using, for example, RS232C through a communication unit (such as a serial interface I / O port) (not shown).

  The processor 24 receives the remote switch abnormality flag from the control microcomputer 60 and determines that the inside of the endoscope 10 has a negative pressure. The negative pressure information is displayed on the monitor device 25 as a message, or blinked by an LED or the like. The operator or the like is notified by a buzzer sound or voice synthesis announcement.

  As described above, when the control microcomputer 60 detects that any one of the remote switches 71 to 74 is kept ON, the control microcomputer 60 notifies the processor 24 of the detected content.

  In this embodiment, when the time during which the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON in step S3 is maintained for 1 minute, the control microcomputer 60 notifies the control. However, the present embodiment is limited to such a case. For example, the time during which the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON may be less than one minute or may be more than one minute. However, as in this embodiment, by setting the time for which the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON to 1 minute, it is possible to determine whether the ON state of the remote switches 71 to 74 is maintained in a relatively short time. While being able to determine, the erroneous notification by the remote switches 71-74 being temporarily pressed can be prevented reliably.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remote switches 71 to 74 that are turned on by a pressing operation that operates the endoscope 10 and that are kept on when the inside of the endoscope 10 is negative pressure, When detecting that the remote switches 71 to 74 are ON and detecting that at least one of the remote switches 71 to 74 is in an ON state, the control microcomputer 60 that notifies the processor 24 of the ON state Have.

  By setting the endoscope 10 to such a configuration, it is possible to reliably notify the operator or the like that the inside of the endoscope 10 after the autoclave is in a negative pressure. As a result, since the inside of the endoscope 10 can be reliably returned to the atmospheric pressure before being used for endoscopy, it is possible to prevent deterioration and failure of the endoscope 10 in advance. Further, prior to using the endoscope 10, the state of the remote switches 71 to 74 can be turned off (normally).

  Further, in the present embodiment, when remote switches 71 to 74 are used as switches that are turned on due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside when the inside of the endoscope 10 has a negative pressure with respect to the outside. Although described, it is not limited to such a case, For example, you may make it provide the light source insertion part 15 separately with the switch which will be in an ON state by the pressure difference of an inside and the exterior.

  Note that, as in the present embodiment, the remote switches 71 to 74 and the control microcomputer 60 that are originally provided in the endoscope 10 are used as they are, without adding new members or changing the design. Can be implemented. For this reason, the effect that it is easy to implement and can be introduced at low cost can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, the internal pressure of the endoscope 10 is monitored by executing a program by the control microcomputer 60. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and the internal pressure is monitored by a logic circuit or the like. May be. With this configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Furthermore, the types of remote switches that the endoscope 10 has are not limited to the configurations described in the present embodiment.

  The endoscope, the endoscope management system, and the endoscope management method of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each member (each unit) has the same function. It can be replaced with an arbitrary one or an arbitrary configuration can be added.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the endoscope is applied to an electronic endoscope (electronic scope) has been described as a representative. However, the endoscope of the present invention is an optical endoscope (fiberscope type endoscope). It can also be applied to mirrors.

  Moreover, although the case where it applied to the endoscope for medical use was demonstrated, the endoscope of this invention can also be applied to the endoscope for industrial (industrial) use.

It is the schematic which shows embodiment at the time of applying the endoscope of this invention to an electronic endoscope. It is an enlarged view which shows the remote switch with which the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a figure which shows the endoscope management apparatus installed in the light source insertion part of the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when determining whether the inside of the electronic endoscope shown in FIG. 1 is a negative pressure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electronic endoscope 11 Insertion part flexible tube 12 Bending part 13 Operation part 14 Connection part flexible tube 15 Light source insertion part 16, 17 Operation knob 18 Light source connector 19 Image signal connector 20 Check valve 21 Processor connection Connector 22 Signal cable 24 Processor 25 Monitor device 50 Endoscope management device 60 Microcomputer for control 70 Switch box 71 to 74 Remote switch 701 Exterior member 702 Mounting seat 703 Cover portion 704 Opening portion 705, 711b Contact switch electrode 706 Lead wire 711 Movable 711a shaft center 712 O-ring 713 compression coil spring 80, 81 cable

Claims (8)

A communication part that allows the inside and outside of the endoscope to communicate with each other when necessary, and a switch that is turned on by a pressure difference between the inside and the outside, and when the autoclave process is performed, the endoscope itself is in a negative pressure environment An endoscope in which the inside becomes negative pressure via the communication part,
The switch configured to maintain the ON state when the inside of the endoscope is under negative pressure;
An endoscope comprising: notification means for detecting and notifying the ON state of the switch. A plurality of the switches;
The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein when the notification unit detects that all of the plurality of switches are in an ON state, the notification unit notifies that the switch is in an ON state.   The endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification means notifies that the switch is in an ON state when the switch is maintained in an ON state for a predetermined time.   The endoscope according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time is one minute.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switch is an operation switch for operating each part of the endoscope when the endoscope is used for endoscopy. An endoscope management system comprising the endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and an external device to which the endoscope is connected,
The external device includes notification means for determining that the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure based on a notification that the switch is in an ON state by the notification means and notifying the inside. Endoscope management system.   The notification means supplies power to the notification means when the endoscope is connected to the external device, and when the notification means obtains a notification that the switch is ON, the endoscope The endoscope management system according to claim 6, which is configured to determine and notify that the inside is negative pressure. An endoscope management method for an endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Performing the autoclave process on the endoscope and detecting the ON state of the switch prior to use in the next endoscopic examination;
An endoscope management method comprising: notifying that an ON state of the switch has been detected.

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