JP2009232896A - Suction valve for endoscope and endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction valve for an endoscope, capable of bringing a piston member into contact with the peripheral edge of an opening part in an air-tight state for long time, and the endoscope. <P>SOLUTION: The suction valve 72 is disposed in a hand operation part 41 of the endoscope 100, and is composed of the piston member 67 and a cylinder member 71 which has the opening part in a part of a surface on which the piston member 67 slides. Communication of the opening part with one end or the other end of the cylinder member 71 is changed by the sliding of the piston member 67. An abrasion-resistant member made of a ceramic material is fixed to the peripheral edge of the opening part at least on the insertion side of the piston member 67 in the suction valve 72. In this case, the opening part is connected to a negative pressure generating flow passage, and one end of the cylinder member 71 communicates with atmospheric air while the other end of the cylinder member 71 is connected to a suction flow passage extended to the distal end of an insertion tube of the endoscope 100. The abrasion-resistant member may be fixed to the peripheral edge of the opening part, and may be formed in a frame shape with a hole corresponding to the opening part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope suction valve and an endoscope that are provided in an endoscope and switch a flow path for performing suction from inside the body.

  The endoscope is provided with a valve for fluid control such as an air supply / water supply valve for cleaning the observation window and a suction valve for sucking dirt from the body. These valves are provided with a piston for opening / closing or switching the flow path in a cylinder connected to the flow path, and an operation button is connected to the piston. Normally, it is held in a non-actuated state by the return spring, and when the operator pushes the operation button, the piston switches to the predetermined switching position against the return spring to supply the cleaning fluid. Inhalation from the body is performed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope provided with a conventional suction valve.
The suction mechanism has a suction flow path 7 that opens at the distal end of the insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1 and passes through the hand operation section 5, and a suction source device is detachably connected to the other end of the suction flow path 7. Configured to be. The hand operating section 5 is provided with a forceps port 11 for introducing the treatment instrument into the treatment instrument insertion channel 9. The end of the suction pipe 7 passes through the inside of the universal cord 13 connected to the hand operating portion 5, and a connector that is detachably connected to the pipe from the suction source device is provided at the tip of the universal cord 13.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional suction valve.
In order to perform a suction operation, a suction valve 14 is attached to the hand operation unit 5 of the endoscope 1. The suction valve 14 includes a cylinder 15, a piston 17, and a suction button 19, and the cylinder 15 is fixed to the hand operation unit 5. The piston 17 is slidably inserted into the cylinder 15, and a suction button 19 is attached to the top of the piston 17.

  The suction valve 14 normally shuts off the suction flow path 7 on the treatment instrument insertion channel side and opens the flow path 21 on the connection side to the suction source device to the atmosphere through the opening 23, the notch 25, and the leak hole 27. If the suction button 19 is pushed in, the flow path 7 on the treatment instrument insertion channel side is connected to the flow path 21 on the suction source device side through the opening 23, the side surface communication hole 29, and the bottom surface opening hole 31. And communication to the atmosphere is blocked. As a result, a negative pressure suction force acts in the treatment instrument insertion channel, and a body fluid such as body fluid or air is sucked from the body.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional cleaning situation inside a cylinder.
When a suction operation from the body is performed by the endoscope 1, the entire suction channel is soiled by the fluid in the body. This fouling extends not only to the treatment instrument insertion channel and the suction flow path, but also to the flow path formed inside the suction valve 14. For this reason, it is common practice to remove the contamination in the treatment instrument insertion channel and the suction flow path by flowing a cleaning and disinfecting solution therein. In addition, the inside of the suction valve 14 needs to be cleaned. For this purpose, the piston 17 is taken out from the cylinder 15 and the inside of the cylinder 15 and the piston 17 are cleaned with a brush 33 or the like as shown in FIG.
JP 2006-271790 A

Due to the development of endoscopic medicine and equipment, opportunities for medical treatment using an endoscope are increasing in clinical settings, and it is desired to extend the life and durability of the equipment. In addition, from the viewpoint of the operator's operation, it is required to realize a more stable and reliable operation.
By the way, the suction button 19 used in the hand operation unit 5 has reduced operability of the button by repeated use, or the coiled wire portion 33a of the brush 33 scrapes the peripheral portion 23a of the opening portion 23 by cleaning, and is airtight. There is a risk that the desired operation will not be performed even if the button is pressed. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, when the peripheral edge portion 23a is worn by the coiled wire portion 33a, the opening portion 23 is originally added to the channel A that is open to the atmosphere through the opening portion 23, the cutout portion 25, and the leak hole 27. A flow path B communicating with the wear gap 35, the side surface communication hole 29, and the bottom surface opening hole 31 is formed. When the flow path B is formed, unintentional intake may be performed from the insertion portion 3 from the distal end of the insertion portion 3 even if the suction operation is not performed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope suction valve and an endoscope capable of bringing a piston member and a peripheral portion of an opening into contact with each other in an airtight state for a long period of time. There is.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A piston member provided in a hand operation portion of an endoscope and a cylinder member having an opening portion on a part of a surface on which the piston member slides, and the opening portion is formed by sliding the piston member. An endoscope suction valve for switching communication with one end or the other end of a cylinder member,
A suction valve for an endoscope, wherein a wear-resistant member made of a ceramic material is fixed to at least a peripheral portion of the opening on the insertion side of the piston member.

  According to the suction valve of this endoscope, the wear resistance against sliding and brush cleaning of the piston member is significantly increased compared to the peripheral portion of the opening made of a stainless steel material, and the peripheral portion of the piston member and the opening Can be kept in an airtight state for a long period of time. That is, a gap is not easily generated due to wear, and leakage does not occur.

(2) The endoscope suction valve according to (1),
The opening is connected to a negative pressure generating flow path;
One end of the cylinder member communicates with the atmosphere,
An endoscope suction valve, characterized in that the other end of the cylinder member is connected to a suction flow path extending to the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope.

  According to the suction valve of the endoscope, when the suction valve is not pressed, the opening is communicated with the atmosphere, and the negative pressure from the negative pressure generation flow channel acts on the atmosphere through the opening, and the atmosphere is opened. To the negative pressure generating flow path. At this time, since the peripheral portion of the opening and the piston member are in airtight contact with the wear-resistant member, unintended intake is not performed from the insertion portion 3.

(3) The endoscope suction valve according to (1) or (2),
An aspiration valve for an endoscope, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to a peripheral edge of the opening.

  According to the suction valve of this endoscope, wear resistance can be improved with the minimum necessary structural and manufacturing changes by arranging the wear-resistant member locally at the position where the wear is most likely to occur at the periphery of the opening. Can be improved.

(4) The endoscope suction valve of (1) or (2),
The suction valve for an endoscope, wherein the wear-resistant member is formed in a frame shape having a hole corresponding to the opening.

  According to the suction valve of this endoscope, the portion having the possibility of occurrence of intake leakage, that is, the entire peripheral edge portion of the opening is covered with the frame-shaped wear-resistant member, and is more reliable and durable. An airtight structure can be formed.

(5) The suction valve of the endoscope according to any one of (1) to (4),
An endoscope suction valve, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to the cylinder member with an adhesive layer.

  According to this endoscope suction valve, when the wear-resistant member is fitted into the mounting recess formed on the piston member sliding surface of the cylinder member, the wear-resistant member is simply fixed with an adhesive or brazing. can do.

(6) The suction valve of the endoscope according to any one of (1) to (4),
An endoscope suction valve, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to the cylinder member made of a metal material by shrink fitting.

  According to the suction valve of this endoscope, when the wear-resistant member is fitted in the mounting recess formed on the piston member sliding surface of the cylinder member, the cylinder member made of a metal material is heated to thereby form an adhesive, Alternatively, the wear-resistant member can be fixed to the mounting recess without using a brazing material.

(7) the suction valve of the endoscope according to any one of (1) to (6);
An endoscope comprising: an imaging optical system that acquires observation image information at a distal end of an endoscope insertion portion.

  According to this endoscope, the operation of the air supply button becomes stable and reliable over a long period of time.

  According to the endoscope suction valve of the present invention, since the wear-resistant member made of a ceramic material is fixed to at least the peripheral portion of the opening on the insertion side of the piston member, the peripheral edge of the conventional stainless steel opening portion is provided. As compared with the portion, the wear resistance against sliding of the piston member and brush cleaning is remarkably improved, and the peripheral edge portion of the piston member and the opening can be brought into contact with each other in an airtight state over a long period. As a result, the durability of the suction valve is improved and the suction operation can always be performed stably.

  According to the endoscope of the present invention, the endoscope aspiration valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and an imaging optical system for acquiring observation image information at the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion Therefore, the suction operation can always be performed stably.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an endoscope suction valve and an endoscope according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope provided with a suction valve according to the present invention.
An insertion portion 43 to be inserted into the body is connected to the hand operation portion 41 of the endoscope 100, and a distal end hard portion 47 is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 43 via a bending portion 45. The bending portion 45 is bent by turning a pair of knobs 48 and 49 provided in the hand operation portion 41.

  An objective lens, an irradiation hole, an air / water supply hole, and a forceps channel (not shown) are formed on the end surface of the distal end hard portion 47, and a solid-state image sensor is provided inside the objective lens. The hand operation unit 41 is provided with a suction button 51 and an air / water supply button 53 in parallel, and a shutter button 55. By pressing the shutter button 55, an observation image is taken.

  The air / water feed button 53 is detachably attached to the casing 61, and when the air / water feed button 53 is pressed, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the air / water feed hole of the distal end hard portion 47.

  1 is a forceps hole into which a treatment tool such as forceps is inserted, and a forceps plug (not shown) is detachably attached to the forceps hole 63. In addition, reference numeral 65 in FIG. 1 denotes an LG (light guide) soft part. When the tip of the LG soft part 65 is connected to a light source device (not shown), illumination light from the light source device It is transmitted to the objective lens.

  The suction button 51 is fixed to the upper end portion of the piston member 67 and supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the knob member 69. A spring (not shown) is provided between the suction button 51 and the knob member 69, and the suction button 51 is urged upward with respect to the knob member 69.

  The suction valve 72 including the suction button 51, the piston member 67, and the knob member 69 can be detached from the cylinder member 71. When this button unit is attached to the cylinder member 71, the knob member 69 is fitted and fixed to the cylinder member 71, and the piston member 67 is slidably supported by the cylinder member 71. Accordingly, when the suction button 51 is pressed, the suction button 51 and the piston member 67 slide relative to the cylinder member 71 and the knob member 69.

2 is a main part configuration diagram in which (a) and II cross-sectional view of the cylinder member installed in the hand operation part shown in FIG. 1 are shown in (b), and FIG. It is a perspective view of the shown abrasion-resistant member.
A bottom opening hole 73 is formed at the lower end of the cylinder member 71, and the suction channel 7 (see FIG. 7) is connected to the bottom opening hole 73 via a suction tube (not shown). The suction tube is inserted through the insertion portion 43 and connected to the forceps channel of the distal end hard portion 47. An opening 75 is formed on the side surface of the cylinder member 71, and a suction-side flow path (negative pressure generation flow path) 21 (see FIG. 7) is connected to the opening 75 via a suction tube (not shown). The The suction tube is inserted into the LG soft part 65 of FIG. 1 and connected to a suction device (not shown).

  A groove 77 is formed in the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder member 71, and a positioning pin (not shown) protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the piston member 67 is engaged with the groove 77. Thereby, rotation of the piston member 67 in the circumferential direction is prevented.

  The suction valve 72 includes a piston member 67 provided in the hand operation unit 41 and a cylinder member 71 having an opening 75 in a part of a surface on which the piston member 67 slides. The opening 75 is switched to one end or the other end of the cylinder member 71. The opening 75 is connected to the negative pressure generation flow path 21, and one end of the cylinder member 71 (the upper end in FIG. 2B) communicates with the atmosphere. Further, the other end of the cylinder member 71 (the lower end of FIG. 2B) is connected to the suction flow path 7 extending to the distal end of the insertion portion.

  A wear-resistant member 81 made of a ceramic material is fixedly provided at the periphery of the opening 75 at least on the insertion side of the piston member 67 (upper side in FIG. 2B). The wear-resistant member 81 is formed in a cylindrical shape opened at an axial notch 83. The wear-resistant member 81 is fitted and fixed to the inner periphery of the cylinder member 71 so that the notch 83 coincides with the position of the groove 77. The inner peripheral surface of the wear-resistant member 81 fitted and fixed is flush with the other inner peripheral surface 85 of the cylinder member 71.

  The cylinder member 71 is thus a composite material of stainless steel and ceramic. The cylinder member 71 is made of stainless steel, and only the worn portion is made of ceramic, so that durability is improved. In terms of Vickers hardness, stainless steel is about 300, but ceramics is about 1500, which is five times as hard. Moreover, parts can be manufactured at low cost by using free-cutting steel. Since ceramics have a smaller thermal expansion than metal, brazing is possible even after the ceramic is fastened to the metal.

  In the opening 75 to which the wear-resistant member 81 is fitted, the lower end of the wear-resistant member 81 is exposed to the upper peripheral edge 75 a of the opening 75. Thereby, compared with the peripheral part of the opening part which consists of a conventional stainless steel material, the abrasion resistance with respect to the sliding of the piston member 67 and brush washing | cleaning increases remarkably, and the peripheral part of the piston member 67 and the opening part 75 is airtight over a long period of time. It becomes possible to contact the state. That is, a gap due to wear is less likely to occur, and leakage from the gap does not occur.

  When the suction valve 72 is not pressed, the opening 75 is communicated with the atmosphere, the negative pressure from the negative pressure generating flow channel 21 acts on the atmosphere via the opening 75, and the atmosphere is generated from the opening 75. It is sucked into the passage 21. At this time, since the upper peripheral portion 75a of the opening 75 and the piston member 67 are in airtight contact with the wear-resistant member 81, the negative pressure in the opening 75 is worn as in the conventional flow path B (see FIG. 10). It does not act on the suction flow path 7 through the gap, and unintended intake is not performed from the insertion portion 43.

In addition to the wear-resistant member 81 described above, the endoscope suction valve according to the present invention can be provided with a wear-resistant member in various forms. Below, the modification of the attachment structure of an abrasion-resistant member is demonstrated.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modification in which a wear-resistant member is provided on a part of the inner wall surface.
The wear-resistant member 81 </ b> A may be locally disposed only on the upper peripheral edge 75 a of the opening 75. By fixing such a small-piece-shaped wear-resistant member 81A, the wear-resistant member 81A can be disposed only at a position where the wear is most likely to occur in the opening 75. Abrasion can be improved.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an essential part of a modified example in which a frame-shaped wear-resistant member is provided.
Further, the wear resistant member 81 </ b> B may be formed in a frame shape having a hole 87 corresponding to the opening 75. The wear-resistant member 81B in this case is fitted into a recess 89 formed on the inner surface of the cylinder member 71 with the same outer shape. If such a frame-shaped wear-resistant member 81B is used, a portion where intake leakage may occur, that is, the entire peripheral edge portion of the opening 75 is covered with the frame-shaped wear-resistant member 81B, and the reliability is further improved. Highly durable and airtight structure can be formed.
Further, when the opening 75 is drilled in the cylinder member 71, burrs are formed and the removal process is difficult. Due to this burr, contact with the piston member 67 becomes insufficient, and natural suction may occur. If the hole 87 is made in advance as in this modification, the contact with the piston member 67 is sufficient without the influence of burrs, and a more reliable airtight structure can be obtained.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a modified example in which a cylindrical wear-resistant member is provided.
In this modification, the wear-resistant member 81 </ b> C is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a hole 87 that coincides with the opening 75 is formed on the side thereof. The cylinder member 71 is formed by expanding the inner peripheral portion by the thickness of the wear-resistant member 81C. The wear-resistant member 81 </ b> C is fitted coaxially to the inner periphery of the cylinder member 71 with the hole portion 87 coinciding with the opening portion 75.
According to this modification, the entire inner circumference of the cylinder member 71 is covered with the wear-resistant member 81C, and high wear resistance is obtained. Further, the fixing strength between the wear-resistant member 81C and the cylinder member 71 can be increased.

  Further, the wear-resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C described above can be fixed to the cylinder member 71 by various methods. For example, the wear-resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C can be fixed to the cylinder member 71 with an adhesive layer. When the wear resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C are fitted into the mounting recesses formed on the piston member sliding surface of the cylinder member 71, the wear resistant member can be simply fixed with an adhesive or brazing. it can.

  Further, the wear-resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C can be fixed to the cylinder member 71 made of a metal material such as stainless steel by shrink fitting. When the wear resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C are fitted into the mounting recesses formed on the piston member sliding surface of the cylinder member 71, an adhesive or brazing material is used by heating the cylinder member 71. Without wear, the wear-resistant members 81, 81A, 81B, 81C can be shrink-fitted and fixed to the mounting recesses.

  The endoscope 100 including the suction valve 72 according to the above-described embodiment includes an imaging optical system that acquires observation image information at the distal end (the distal end hard portion 47) of the endoscope insertion portion. -When the water supply button 53 is pressed and air is supplied into the stomach, the inhalation of the opening 75 does not act on the organ from the gap caused by wear, and the observation image information of the stomach wall that is sufficiently inflated is observed. Can be imaged.

  Therefore, according to the suction valve 72 of the endoscope 100 having the above-described configuration, the wear-resistant member 81 made of a ceramic material is fixed to at least the upper peripheral portion 75a of the opening 75 on the insertion side of the piston member 67. Compared to the peripheral portion of the opening made of stainless steel, the wear resistance against sliding and brush cleaning of the piston member 67 is improved, and the piston member 67 and the upper peripheral portion 75a of the opening 75 are kept in an airtight state for a long period of time. be able to. As a result, the durability of the suction valve 72 is improved, and the intake of the opening 75 does not act on the observation side through the gap due to wear, and a desired intake operation can be performed reliably and stably.

It is a schematic block diagram of the endoscope provided with the suction valve which concerns on this invention. It is the principal part block diagram which represented (a) and the II sectional view of the cylinder member installed in the hand operation part shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wear resistant member shown in FIG. 2. It is a disassembled perspective view of the modification in which the wear-resistant member was provided in a part of inner wall surface. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of the modification provided with the frame-shaped wear-resistant member. It is a disassembled perspective view of the modification provided with the cylindrical wear-resistant member. It is a schematic block diagram of the endoscope provided with the conventional suction valve. It is a disassembled perspective view of the conventional suction valve. It is sectional drawing showing the washing | cleaning condition inside the conventional cylinder. It is sectional drawing showing the leak flow path which generate | occur | produces by abrasion in the conventional suction valve.

Explanation of symbols

7 Suction flow path 21 Negative pressure generation flow path 41 Hand control section 47 Hard end of distal end (tip of insertion section)
67 Piston member 71 Cylinder member 72 Suction valve 75 of the endoscope 75 Opening portion 75a Peripheral portion 81, 81A, 81B, 81C on the insertion side of the piston member Wear resistant member 87 Hole portion 100 Endoscope

Claims (7)

A piston member provided in a hand operation portion of an endoscope and a cylinder member having an opening portion on a part of a surface on which the piston member slides, and the opening portion of the cylinder member is moved by sliding of the piston member. An endoscope suction valve for switching communication with one end or the other end,
A suction valve for an endoscope, wherein a wear-resistant member made of a ceramic material is fixed to at least a peripheral portion of the opening on the insertion side of the piston member. An endoscope suction valve according to claim 1,
The opening is connected to a negative pressure generating flow path;
One end of the cylinder member communicates with the atmosphere,
An endoscope suction valve, characterized in that the other end of the cylinder member is connected to a suction flow path extending to the distal end of the insertion portion of the endoscope. The endoscope suction valve according to claim 1 or 2,
An aspiration valve for an endoscope, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to a peripheral edge of the opening. The endoscope suction valve according to claim 1 or 2,
The suction valve for an endoscope, wherein the wear-resistant member is formed in a frame shape having a hole corresponding to the opening. An endoscope suction valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An endoscope suction valve, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to the cylinder member with an adhesive layer. An endoscope suction valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An endoscope suction valve, wherein the wear-resistant member is fixed to the cylinder member made of a metal material by shrink fitting. An endoscope suction valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An endoscope comprising: an imaging optical system that acquires observation image information at a distal end of an endoscope insertion portion.

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