JP2008200372A - Fluid control device of intracavity testing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly, surely and easily operate a fluid supply and drain means connected to an intracavity testing apparatus according to a prescribed operating procedure. <P>SOLUTION: A changeover control valve 31 constituting this fluid control device 30 is provided with: a connection tube 36 detachably connected to a fluid connection section 27 of a body operation section 3; and a valve member 35 disposed in a valve casing 34 which has a supply port 37P connected with a water supply tube 37, and a suction port 38P connected with a suction tube 38 and changes over the connection between the ports. When a valve operation section 41 connected to the valve member 35 is rotationally operated for every 90° in the forward direction, the valve member is sequentially changed over into a connection cutoff position, a first connection position for supplying ultrasonic transmission media in a balloon 9, the communication cutoff position, a second connection position for draining the ultrasonic transmission media from the balloon 9, and the communication cut off position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an intracorporeal inspection apparatus having an insertion portion into a body cavity, such as an endoscope or an ultrasonic inspection apparatus, in a preset order of fluid supply / discharge operation to a flow path provided in the main body operation section. The present invention relates to a fluid control device that is controlled to operate.

  An example of the body cavity inspection apparatus is an ultrasonic endoscope. The ultrasonic endoscope is inserted into a body cavity, is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion, and a main body operation portion that is grasped and operated by an operator, and extends from the main body operation portion. The light source device, and a universal cord that is detachably connected to the processor and the ultrasonic observation device. An ultrasonic transducer and endoscopic optical observation means are attached to the distal end of the insertion portion. When performing an ultrasonic examination, place the ultrasonic transducer at the tip of the insertion section so that it faces the body wall to be examined, and send an ultrasonic pulse from the ultrasonic transducer toward the body. Transmits and receives reflected echoes from the tomographic part of the body tissue. Then, by scanning mechanically or electronically in a predetermined direction, data relating to an ultrasonic tomographic image is acquired over a predetermined range.

  If air is present in the transmission / reception path of the ultrasonic signal, the signal is significantly attenuated. Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which the balloon is attached to the portion where the ultrasonic transducer is mounted in the insertion portion. Normally, this balloon is deflated and kept in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion. When performing an ultrasonic examination, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon to bulge the portion of the flexible membrane in the balloon, and the balloon thus bulged is brought into contact with the inner wall of the body cavity. As a result, air does not intervene in the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception path, and attenuation of the ultrasonic signal can be suppressed. Further, after the ultrasonic inspection is completed, the ultrasonic transmission medium is discharged from the balloon and contracted, and is again brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion. As a result, the outer diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion does not increase, and the operation of moving the insertion portion or pulling it out of the body is not hindered.

  For this purpose, the ultrasonic endoscope is provided with a mechanism for controlling the supply and discharge of the ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon. For supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium, an ultrasonic transmission medium supply source and a negative pressure generation source are provided. Here, the ultrasonic endoscope is provided with cleaning means for cleaning the observation window constituting the endoscope optical observation means. The observation window is cleaned with cleaning water, and the ultrasonic transmission medium is also water. Therefore, although a dedicated ultrasonic transmission medium supply source can be provided, the water supply mechanism constituting the observation window cleaning means can be shared with the ultrasonic transmission medium supply source. In addition, since the suction means for sucking the internal filth is provided, the discharge mechanism of the ultrasonic transmission medium can be configured as a unique one or shared with this suction means.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in a water supply mechanism for supplying cleaning water for an observation window in an endoscope optical observation means, a flow path on the water supply source side is provided with a water supply path to the observation window and an ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon. A switching cock for switching and connecting to the supply path, and a structure for switching and connecting the discharging path from the balloon and the path from the suction opening opened at the distal end of the insertion section to the suction source side path via the switching cock; Has been disclosed. These two switching cocks are provided in the main body operation section. By operating one of the switching cocks, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon, and by operating the other switching cock, Control for discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium is performed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-275440

  By the way, the supply / discharge control of the ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon is usually performed as follows. First, the balloon is held in a shut-off state in which neither an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied nor discharged. When the ultrasonic inspection is started, one of the switching cocks is operated to switch to the ultrasonic transmission medium supply state. When a predetermined amount of the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied and the balloon is inflated to a predetermined size, the switching cock is shut off. The ultrasonic inspection is performed by operating the ultrasonic transducer in this state. When the ultrasonic inspection is completed, the other switching cock is operated to switch to the state in which the ultrasonic transmission medium is discharged, and the balloon is deflated by discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium. When the balloon is deflated until it comes into contact with the outer surface of the insertion portion, the switching cock is brought into a blocking state.

  When performing the above operation, the insertion portion is inserted into the body. At this time, an operator such as an operator generally focuses attention mainly on the operation of the endoscope, and performs the above-described supply / discharge control of the ultrasonic transmission medium while gazing at the endoscope image. It will be. The operation of the endoscope is performed by gripping the main body operation unit, but the two switching cocks are arranged in a positional relationship that cannot be operated by the finger of the hand holding the main body operation unit. Therefore, the operation of the switching cock is performed with the other hand. And since the supply / discharge operation of the ultrasonic transmission medium is in a groping state, it may cause a misunderstanding in terms of which one of the two switching cocks is being operated, and the operation direction and operation angle thereof. However, there is a problem that the operability is bad, for example, it may not be accurately grasped.

  In addition, in the stage before the insertion portion is inserted into the body cavity of the subject, the balloon is attached to the attachment portion of the ultrasonic transducer. However, the air is exhausted from the inside of the attached balloon and the ultrasonic transmission medium is completely removed. A replacement operation is performed. In this operation, the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied by supplying the ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon with the tip of the insertion portion facing downward, collecting the air in the balloon upward, and sucking it from the inside of the balloon. At the same time, the air remaining in the balloon is discharged. This operation procedure is the same as the procedure for performing the ultrasonic examination, and the operation is performed while confirming the situation in the balloon, so that the same problem as described above occurs.

  As described above, in addition to the control of feeding and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon in the ultrasonic endoscope, the intracavity type ultrasonic examination apparatus that does not include the endoscope optical observation means Since the observation window cleaning means and suction means are not provided, the supply and discharge of the ultrasonic transmission medium to and from the balloon cannot be shared with the observation window cleaning and suction means. Of course, the procedure for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium in this case is the same as that described above. Furthermore, for example, an endoscope inserted into an overtube, and a so-called balloon-type endoscope in which a balloon is attached to the tip of the overtube or the insertion portion of the endoscope has been put into practical use. In this case, water may be supplied and discharged into the balloon, but mainly air is supplied and discharged. The supply and discharge of air into the balloon is performed in the same procedure as described above. Accordingly, there is a high need for improving the operability of the fluid supply / discharge operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to accurately and surely and easily perform the fluid supply / discharge means connected to the body cavity inspection device according to a predetermined operation procedure. An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid control device for a body cavity inspection device which can be operated.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a fluid supply / discharge passage in an insertion portion connected to the main body operation portion, and this fluid supply / discharge passage is provided as an opening in the main body operation portion as a flow path connection portion. A fluid control device for an in-vivo inspection device that is detachably connected to an in-vivo inspection device, the fluid connection portion being attached to the flow path connection portion and connected to the fluid supply / discharge passage A valve casing formed with a connection port leading to the exhaust flow path, a supply port leading to the fluid supply flow path and a suction port leading to the suction flow path, and mounted in the valve casing and rotating around an axis to thereby A switching control valve including a valve member that switches a flow path between the ports, and a valve operation unit that is provided on the valve member and is manually operated, and the valve operation unit is directed at a predetermined angle in one direction. To position and rotate Further, the valve member includes a communication cutoff position where the connection port is disconnected from the supply port and the suction port, a first connection position where the connection port and the supply port are connected, a communication cutoff position of each port, It is characterized in that the connection port is sequentially switched in the order of the second connection position for connecting the connection port to the suction port or in the opposite order.

  The intracorporeal inspection apparatus to which the fluid control apparatus of the present invention is applied has an endoscope, an intracorporeal insertion type ultrasonic inspection apparatus, and an ultrasonic endoscope as long as it has an insertion section into the body cavity of a subject. It includes a mirror and the like, and these inspection devices and accessories inserted into the body cavity, for example, overtubes, are also targeted. The fluid supply / discharge passage provided in the insertion portion is typically one that supplies and discharges fluid into the balloon attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion, but is not limited thereto. The fluid supplied to the fluid supply / discharge passage is either a liquid containing water or a gas containing air.

  The fluid control device includes a switching control valve including at least a valve casing and a valve member, and a piping unit connected to the switching control valve, a main body operation unit, a fluid supply source, and a suction source. The connection passage constituting the piping portion is detachably connected to the fluid supply / discharge passage by a flow passage connection portion provided in the main body operation portion. When the fluid control device is not connected, it is closed with a plug member.

  The piping part has a suction line and a fluid supply line. Although the suction line can be connected to a unique suction source, it can be configured to be common with a suction path generally provided in an endoscope. The fluid supply line supplies liquid or gas. The endoscope is provided with a cleaning means for the observation window, and this cleaning means includes a cleaning water supply mechanism and a pressurized air supply mechanism. Therefore, either of these cleaning water or pressurized air supply mechanisms can be shared with the fluid supply passage, or a unique supply passage may be configured.

  By the operation of the valve member, the connection port is connected to the suction port and the supply port, the communication cutoff position, the first connection position for connecting the connection port and the supply port, the communication cutoff position, and the connection port is connected to the suction port. It switches to the second connection position. The valve member is positioned and rotated at predetermined angles within the valve casing by the operation of the valve operating unit. However, since the valve member has four positions, a click feeling is generated so as to rotate and position at each of these positions. It is desirable to configure as follows. Therefore, it is possible to generate a click feeling every time the valve operation unit is rotated 90 degrees, and the rotation direction is one direction, and this is defined as the forward direction. A difference in resistance to rotation can be provided.

  The communication switching position, the first connection position, the communication disconnection position, and the second connection position are switched in this order depending on the rotation direction of the valve operation unit, but the first connection position and the second connection position are switched. It can also be.

  By rotating the valve operation unit in a predetermined direction, for example, the fluid supply / discharge passage provided in the body cavity inspection device is switched from the blocked state to the fluid supply state, from the fluid supply state to the blocked state, from the blocked state to the fluid discharge state, and from the fluid discharge It is possible to switch from the state to the shut-off state in order, so that it is possible to accurately grasp the position of the valve member without visually confirming the position of the valve operating part or the like. There is no risk of incorrect operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a fluid supply / discharge mechanism of an ultrasonic endoscope as an example of a fluid supply / discharge mechanism provided in the body cavity inspection apparatus. The fluid supplied to and discharged from the balloon attached to the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope is an ultrasonic transmission medium.

  In the figure, 1 is an ultrasonic endoscope. The ultrasonic endoscope 1 is roughly composed of an insertion portion 2, a main body operation portion 3, and a universal cord 4. As is well known, an endoscope is provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2. Optical observation means and ultrasonic observation means are provided. The end portion of the universal cord 4 is provided with a light source connector 5 that is detachably connected to the light source device 6, and in the case of an electronic endoscope, a connector for connection to a processor, and an ultrasonic observation device A connector for connection to is provided.

  The endoscope optical observation means has an illumination window (not shown) and an observation window 7, and acquires an image in the body cavity through the observation window 7 in a state where illumination light is irradiated into the body cavity. For this purpose, a camera unit including an objective lens and a solid-state image sensor is attached to the observation window 7. The ultrasonic observation means is constituted by an ultrasonic transducer 8. In the illustrated example, the endoscope optical observation means is provided at the position of the distal end surface of the insertion portion 2, and the ultrasonic transducer 8 constituting the ultrasonic observation means is provided on the distal end side surface of the insertion portion 2. A balloon 9 that covers the ultrasonic transducer 8 is detachably attached to a portion of the insertion unit 2 where the ultrasonic transducer 8 is provided. The configuration and arrangement of these endoscope optical observation means and ultrasonic observation means are not limited to those shown in FIG.

  When the insertion portion 2 is inserted into the body cavity and the examination is performed, if the observation window 7 is contaminated with body fluid or the like, the contaminant is washed away to wash away the contaminants. For this purpose, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is provided with observation window cleaning means. Moreover, in order to suck and remove the filth present in the body, a suction means is also provided. The balloon 9 is for suppressing attenuation of an ultrasonic signal transmitted and received when the ultrasonic transducer 8 is operated to acquire information on a tissue state in the body. When performing an ultrasonic examination, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9, and the balloon 9 is inflated and brought into close contact with the inner wall of the body cavity to be examined. On the other hand, when the ultrasonic inspection is not performed, that is, before and after the inspection, the ultrasonic transmission medium in the balloon 9 is discharged and contracted to bring the balloon 9 into close contact with the surface of the insertion portion 2 and insert. Do not disturb the movement and position adjustment of the part 2. For this purpose, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is provided with an ultrasonic transmission medium supply / discharge means.

  First, as a configuration of the observation window cleaning means, cleaning water and pressurized air are jetted onto the observation window 5. For this purpose, a cleaning fluid channel 10 is provided in the insertion portion 2, and the distal end portion of the cleaning fluid channel 10 serves as an ejection nozzle 10 a directed toward the observation window 5 on the distal end surface of the insertion portion 2. ing. On the other hand, the cleaning fluid flow path 10 branches into a pressurized air supply path 11 and a cleaning water supply path 12 at an intermediate position of the insertion section 2 and extends into the main body operation section 3. The main body operation unit 3 is provided with an air / water supply valve 13, and the pressurized air supply path 11 and the cleaning water supply path 12 are connected to the air / water supply valve 13.

  Further, an air supply passage 14 and a water supply passage 15 are connected to the air supply / water supply valve 13, and the air supply passage 14 and the water supply passage 15 are extended from the main body operation unit 3 into the universal cord 4. . A plurality of flow paths are connected to the light source connector 5 provided at the end of the universal cord 4, and two of the flow paths are the air supply flow path 14 and the water supply flow path 15 described above. A pressurized air pipe 17 from the built-in air pump 16 is also connected. A tank connection pipe 18 is detachably connected to the light source connector 5. The tank connection pipe 18 is connected to a water supply tank 19, and includes a water supply pipe section 20 that extends below the liquid level of the water supply tank 19 and a tank pressurization pipe section 21 that opens above the liquid level of the water supply tank 19. Has been. Further, the tank pressurizing pipe portion 21 is branched into two flow paths.

  When the fluid connection connector 18 a is connected to the light source connector 5, the water supply pipe part 20 is connected to the water supply flow path 15, and the tank pressurization pipe part 21 is connected to the pressurized air pipe 17 and the air supply flow path 14 from the air pump 16. . As a result, pressurized air from an air pump 16 serving as a pressurized air supply source is supplied to the air supply passage 14, and the liquid level of the water supply tank 19 is pressurized by this pressurized air, and the water supply passage 15 is supplied. The washing water will be pumped towards.

  The air / water supply valve 13 is normally in a non-operating position where the air supply passage 14 and the water supply passage 15 are blocked, and the air supply passage 14 and the pressurized air supply passage 11 are connected by a switching operation. The water supply flow path 15 and the cleaning liquid supply path 12 are cut off, and the communication between the air supply position for supplying the pressurized air to the pressurized air supply path 11 and the air supply flow path 14 and the pressurized air supply path 11 is cut off. Then, the water supply channel 15 is switched to the water supply position for supplying the cleaning water to the cleaning water supply channel 12. This switching can be performed with a finger of a hand that holds the main body operation unit 3.

  A suction means is provided for sucking and removing from the periphery of the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2 things that obstruct the observation by the endoscope optical observation means, such as body fluids. A treatment instrument insertion channel 22 provided in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is used as a suction path constituting the suction means. A branch portion is provided at a position in the main body operation section 3 in the treatment instrument insertion channel 22, and the suction path 23 is branched from the treatment instrument insertion channel 22 and extends to the light source connector 5 of the universal cord 4. The light source connector 5 is detachably connected to a suction source side pipe 24 provided with a suction connector 24a at the tip. The suction source side pipe 24 communicates with a suction source (not shown). Further, the main body operation unit 3 is provided with a suction valve 25 along with the air / water supply valve 13, and the suction path 23 is connected to the suction valve 25 at a midway position. The source side is a primary suction path, and the connection side to the treatment instrument insertion channel 22 is a secondary suction path.

  The suction valve 25 is connected to a primary suction path on the suction source side constituting the suction path 23 and a secondary suction path communicating with the treatment instrument insertion channel 22. Normally, the communication between the primary suction path and the secondary suction path is blocked. When the suction valve 25 is operated so as to be pushed in with fingers, the primary suction path and the secondary suction path communicate with each other, and negative pressure suction force is applied to the treatment instrument insertion channel 22 so that filth, etc. Will be sucked.

  Next, an ultrasonic transmission medium supply / discharge unit provided in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 will be described. The ultrasonic transmission medium supply / discharge means has a fluid supply / discharge path 26 extending from the insertion section 2 to the main body operation section 3. One end of the fluid supply / discharge path 26 is opened at a position closer to the base end side than the mounting position of the ultrasonic transducer 8 inside the balloon 9 at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2. Further, the other end of the fluid supply / discharge path 26 extends from the insertion portion 2 to the main body operation portion 3, and is on the base end surface of the main body operation portion 3, that is, the end surface opposite to the extending direction of the insertion portion 2. Opened as a flow path connecting portion 27. Therefore, the fluid supply / discharge passage 26 is a substantially straight passage inside the ultrasonic endoscope 1. The fluid control device 30 is detachably connected to the flow path connecting portion 27. When the fluid control device 30 is not connected, a plug member (not shown) is attached.

  The fluid control device 30 includes a switching control valve 31 and a piping part 32. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the switching control valve 31 is configured by providing a valve casing 34 in a main body housing 33 and mounting a valve member 35 inside the valve casing 34. As shown in FIG. 4, the valve casing 34 is provided with three ports 36P to 38P. 36P is a connection port, 37P is a supply port, and 38P is a suction port. The connection port 36 </ b> P is connected to a connection pipe 36 as a connection flow path that is detachably connected to the fluid connection section 27 provided in the main body operation section 3. The supply port 37P is connected to a water supply conduit 37 as a fluid supply passage, and the suction port 38P is connected to a suction conduit 38 as a suction passage. The water supply pipe 37 and the suction pipe 38 together with the multi-lumen tube 39 constitute the pipe portion 32. The multi-lumen tube 39 has two passages formed therein, and one of the two passages is a balloon bulging passage 39a to which a water supply pipe 37 is connected, and the other is a suction pipe. 38 is a balloon contraction passage 39b to which 38 is connected. The other end of the multi-lumen tube 39 is branched, the balloon contraction passage 39b is connected to the suction source side pipe 24, and the other passage, the balloon inflation passage 39a, branches from the multi-lumen tube 39. Thus, it is detachably connected to the water supply pipe section 20.

  The valve member 35 provided in the valve casing 34 switches the connection between the connection port 36P, the supply port 37P, and the suction port 38P, and is rotatable in the valve casing 34. As is clear from FIG. 4, the valve member 35 is provided with four switching flow paths 40 a to 40 d that merge at the center position and open to the outer peripheral surface. One end of the valve member 35 is led out from the valve casing 34, and a valve operating portion 41 is connected to the lead-out portion from the valve casing 34. The valve operation part 41 is for switching a flow path by manual operation.

  When the valve member 35 is in the position shown in FIG. 4A, the connection port 36P, the supply port 37P, and the suction port 38P are not connected to any of the switching flow paths 40a to 40d of the valve member 35. Therefore, this position of the valve member 35 is a communication cut-off position where the connection pipe 36 is cut off from the water supply pipe 37 and the suction pipe 38. Of course, the water supply line 37 and the suction line 38 do not communicate with each other.

  When the valve operation unit 41 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4A (this direction is the forward direction), the valve member 35 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 1 is displaced to the connection position. As a result, the switching flow path 40a communicates with the connection port 36P connected to the connection pipeline 36, and the supply port 37P connected to the water supply pipeline 37 communicates with the switching flow path 40b. The water supply pipe 37 and the connection pipe 36 communicate with each other through the switching flow paths 40a and 40b. At this time, the suction port 38P does not communicate with any switching channel. Accordingly, the water from the water supply tank 19 is supplied as an ultrasonic transmission medium to the fluid supply / discharge passage 26 through the fluid control device 30 through the water supply conduit 20 and the water supply conduit 37 in order, and flows into the balloon 9. Will do.

  And if the valve operation part 41 is further rotated 90 degree | times to the forward direction, the valve member 35 will be in the position shown in FIG.4 (c). At this time, the connection port 36P communicates with the switching channel 40c of the valve member 35, but the supply port 37P and the suction port 38P are not connected to any switching channel. As a result, the connection pipe line 36 becomes a communication cutoff position that does not communicate with the water supply pipe line 37 and the suction pipe line 38.

  When the valve operation unit 41 is further rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction, the connection port 36P and the suction port 38P are made to communicate with each other through the switching flow paths 40b and 40d of the valve member 35 as shown in FIG. The supply port 37P is switched to the blocked position, which is the second connection position. As a result, the negative pressure acting on the suction source side pipe 24 acts on the fluid supply / discharge path 26 opened in the balloon 9 via the suction pipe 38 and the fluid control device 30. As a result, the ultrasonic transmission medium filled in the balloon 9 is discharged by this negative pressure suction force. And if the valve operation part 41 is rotated 90 degree | times to a forward direction, it will be in the communication interruption | blocking position of Fig.4 (a).

  In the present embodiment, by operating the valve operation unit 41 in the forward direction, the communication cutoff position, the first connection position where the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9, the communication cutoff position, the ultrasonic transmission medium Is switched to the second connection position where the balloon 9 is discharged from the balloon 9 and the communication cut-off position. As apparent from FIG. 3, a spherical protrusion 42 is formed on the side of the valve operating portion 41 facing the main body casing 33, and on the main body casing 33 side, every 90 degrees in the rotation direction. The recess 43 is formed in the bottom. As a result, the valve member 35 is positioned and held at each position described above, and the switching of the valve member 35 to each position by the operation of the valve operation unit 41 is used as a click operation feeling. The operator who operates can be made to recognize. In addition, since the spherical protrusions 42 are engaged with the recesses 43 at each of the above-described positions, the spherical protrusions 42 are stably held at these positions, and are not misaligned.

  In addition, when the valve operation unit 41 rotates in the forward direction, the resistance is small to some extent, and it is desirable to give a difference to the resistance depending on the operation direction so that the resistance against the rotation increases when the valve operation unit 41 is rotated in the reverse direction. For this purpose, for example, the rising from the concave portion 43 may be gentle toward the forward direction and steep toward the reverse direction.

  The present embodiment is configured as described above. In the following, the operation will be described by limiting the supply and discharge of the ultrasonic transmission medium. Since the operation as an ultrasonic endoscope is conventionally known, the description thereof will be omitted.

  When performing the ultrasonic examination, the connection pipe 36 from the switching control valve 31 in the fluid control device 30 is provided in the main body operation unit 3 before the insertion unit 2 is inserted into the body of the subject. A multi-lumen tube 39 connected to the path connecting portion 27 and constituting the piping portion 32 is connected to the water supply conduit 37 and the suction conduit 38, and the other end of the balloon contraction passage 39b of the multi-lumen tube 39 is connected. Is connected to the suction source side pipe 24, and the other end of the balloon inflation passage 39 a is connected to the water supply pipe section 20.

  In this state, the balloon 9 is attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2 and air is discharged from the inside of the balloon 9 to completely replace the ultrasonic transmission medium. This replacement operation is performed with the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2 facing downward. Then, the valve operation unit 41 is rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction to switch the valve member 35 in the communication cut-off position to the first connection position. As a result, the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9 in a deflated state. By this operation, air present in the balloon 9 is collected above the balloon 9, that is, on the proximal end side. From this state, when the valve operating portion 41 is rotated 90 degrees, the valve member 35 is in the communication cut-off position. Therefore, the operation is performed so that the air in the balloon 9 is completely collected at the position on the proximal end side. Thereafter, when the valve operation unit 41 is further rotated by 90 degrees, the communication cut-off position is switched to the second connection position. As a result, the ultrasonic transmission medium sent into the balloon 9 is discharged through the fluid supply / discharge path 26. Since the fluid supply / discharge path 26 is opened at a position on the proximal end side in the balloon 9, air is first discharged from the balloon 9, and then the ultrasonic transmission medium is discharged. When the balloon 9 comes into close contact with the outer surface of the insertion portion 2, the valve operating portion 41 is rotated 90 degrees to switch the valve member 35 to the communication cutoff position.

  Thus, by performing an operation of positioning and rotating the valve operating portion 41 every 90 degrees in one direction, the valve member 35 has a communication cut-off position, a first connection position, a communication cut-off position, a second connection position, a communication Switching is made in the order of the blocking positions, and the switching can be surely performed without visually checking the operating position of the valve operating portion 41 during the operation. And when switching to each position mentioned above, since the spherical protrusion 42 by the side of the valve operation part 41 engages with the recessed part 43 formed in the main body housing | casing 33, since a click feeling will arise, an operator It can be recognized that the valve member 35 has been switched by touch. Therefore, the operator can reliably perform the operation for air replacement in the balloon 9 while gazing at the distal end of the insertion portion 2, and there is no room for erroneous operation or the like at that time. When air cannot be completely exhausted by this single operation, the same operation is repeated, but at this time, it is only necessary to further continue the rotation of the valve operation unit 41 in the forward direction.

  Next, when inserting the insertion portion 2 into the body cavity of the subject and performing an ultrasonic examination, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9 and the balloon 9 is expanded. Then, the balloon 9 is brought into contact with the inner wall of the body cavity, so that air does not intervene in the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception path from the ultrasonic transducer 8 to the body.

  For this purpose, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9 by operating the valve operating portion 41 provided in the switching control valve 31 that is connected to the main body operating portion 3 by the connecting pipe portion 36. The valve member 35 that is switched by the valve operation unit 41 is always in the communication cut-off position in FIG. Therefore, the valve operation unit 41 is rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction to switch to the first connection position in FIG. As a result, the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon 9 and the balloon 9 bulges. When the balloon 9 is inflated by a predetermined amount, the valve operating portion 41 is rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction to switch to the communication cut-off position shown in FIG. As a result, the balloon 9 is held in an expanded state. In this state, an ultrasonic inspection is performed.

  When the ultrasonic examination is completed, unless the balloon 9 is deflated, the operation of moving the insertion portion 2 or withdrawing it from the body cavity is hindered. Therefore, the valve operation unit 41 is further rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction from the state of FIG. As a result, the valve member 35 is switched to the second connection position, and the ultrasonic transmission medium in the balloon 9 is discharged and contracts. When the balloon 9 comes into close contact with the surface of the insertion portion 2, the valve operation portion 41 is switched to the communication blocking position shown in FIG.

  As described above, each operation of supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium to and from the balloon 9 can be performed accurately by making the click feeling a nuisance in a groping state without checking the position of the valve operation unit 41. And it can be operated reliably and there is no risk of incorrect operation. Moreover, since the communication blocking position is provided between the first and second connection positions, the reliability and stability of the operation can be achieved.

1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a fluid supply / discharge mechanism of an ultrasonic endoscope illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view showing a main configuration of a fluid control device in the fluid supply / discharge mechanism of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the control valve part in a fluid control apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the switching state of the flow path of the control valve part of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic endoscope 2 Insertion part 3 Main body operation part 9 Balloon 16 Air pump 19 Water supply tank 24 Suction source side piping 26 Fluid supply / discharge path 27 Flow path connection part 30 Fluid control device 31 Switching control valve 32 Piping part 34 Valve casing 35 Valve member 36 Connection line 36P Connection port 37 Water supply line 37P Supply port 38 Suction line 38P Suction port 39 Multi-lumen tube 40a-40d Switching flow path 41 Valve operation part 42 Spherical protrusion 43 Recessed part

Claims (4)

A fluid supply / discharge passage is provided in the insertion section connected to the main body operation section, and the fluid connection section can be attached to and detached from the body cavity inspection device provided by opening the fluid supply / discharge passage as a flow path connection section in the main body operation section. A fluid control device for an in-vivo inspection device connected to
A connection port that is attached to the flow path connection portion and communicates with the fluid supply / discharge flow path connected to the fluid supply / discharge passage, and a supply port that communicates with the fluid supply flow path and a suction port that communicates with the suction flow path are formed. A valve casing;
A switching control valve comprising a valve member mounted in the valve casing and switching a flow path between the ports by rotating around an axis;
A valve operating portion provided on the valve member and operated manually;
The valve member is positioned and rotated at predetermined angles in one direction so that the valve member has a communication cut-off position where the connection port is cut off from the supply port and the suction port, the connection port and the supply port The first connection position for connecting each of the ports, the communication blocking position for each port, the second connection position for connecting the connection port to the suction port, or the order opposite to the second connection position. A fluid control device for an in-vivo inspection device. The fluid control device for an in-vivo inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the valve operation unit is positioned at each position every 90 degrees. The in-vivo inspection device has an endoscope optical observation unit, and includes a cleaning water supply mechanism and a pressurized air supply mechanism for cleaning an observation window of the endoscope optical observation unit, and the supply 3. The fluid control device for an in-vivo inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply flow path connected to the port is connected to the washing water supply mechanism or the pressurized air supply mechanism. . 4. The fluid control of the in-vivo inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the in-body-cavity inspection device further includes a suction means, and a suction flow path leading to the suction port is connected to the suction means. apparatus.

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