JP2009273587A - Endoscope and method for detecting water leakage in endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope having a configuration that facilitates accurate detection of water leakage, and also to provide a method for detecting water leakage in the endoscope. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscope comprises an insertion section inserted into a conduit and an operating section of the insertion section. In the endoscope, a gap formed between the outer surface of at least one of the insertion section and the operating section and their built-in elements is filled with a material 200 that turns into solid, gel or jelly upon contacting with liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope that includes an insertion portion that is inserted into a duct and an operation portion of the insertion portion, and a leak detection method for the endoscope.

  In recent years, endoscopes are widely used in the medical field and the industrial field. An endoscope used in the medical field uses an objective optical system, an image sensor, or the like provided in a distal end portion on the distal side in the insertion direction of an insertion portion by inserting an elongated insertion portion into the body cavity. These organs can be observed or imaged, and various treatments can be performed using a treatment tool inserted into the insertion channel of the treatment tool provided in the endoscope as necessary.

  Endoscopes in the medical field are used by being inserted into body cavities, particularly for the purpose of examination and treatment. Therefore, after use, cleaning and disinfection are necessary for reuse. As a method for cleaning and disinfecting this used endoscope, for example, a method using a cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is well known.

  If the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is used, the endoscope can be automatically cleaned, disinfected, rinsed, drained, etc. by simply setting the endoscope in the cleaning / disinfecting tank of the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus. . At this time, the endoscope is cleaned and disinfected not only in the outer surface of the endoscope but also in a plurality of pipelines such as known air supply / water supply pipelines and treatment instrument insertion pipelines. The

  Further, the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus supplies air to a gap between the outer surface of the endoscope and various built-in objects before cleaning the endoscope, and detects a change in pressure of the air. Has a function of automatically detecting whether or not a hole is formed on the outer surface of the endoscope by detecting a pressure drop, that is, a water leakage detection function. In the endoscope, since the bending is repeatedly performed, a hole is particularly easily formed on the outer surface of the bending portion in the insertion portion where the outer skin constituting the outer surface is formed thinner than the other insertion portions.

Thus, a cleaning / disinfecting apparatus capable of detecting leakage of an endoscope by sending air to the gap inside the endoscope and detecting a change in pressure of the air is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. Is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-220110

  By the way, in general, an endoscope has a large-diameter insertion portion such as a diameter of 15 mm for insertion into the large intestine, or a thin tube such as a diameter of 4 mm for insertion into the nasal cavity, depending on the intended use. Endoscopes having various diameters in the insertion portion, such as those having a diameter insertion portion, are manufactured.

  Here, in an endoscope having a large-diameter insertion portion, an internal volume of the insertion portion is larger than that of an endoscope having a small-diameter insertion portion. That is, if the same built-in object is provided in the small-diameter endoscope and the large-diameter endoscope, the volume of the gap described above is also smaller in the large-diameter endoscope. It becomes bigger than the endoscope.

  Therefore, using the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when air is supplied to a gap inside an endoscope having a large-diameter insertion portion and water leakage is detected, the endoscope having a small-diameter insertion portion The change in pressure is smaller than when air is sent to the internal gap to detect water leakage. For this reason, when the hole formed on the outer surface of the endoscope is small, it is difficult to detect a change in pressure, and it may be impossible to accurately detect water leakage. It was.

  In addition, since the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus must be provided with a mechanism for supplying air to the gap inside the endoscope and a mechanism for detecting a pressure change, a complicated mechanism must be provided in the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus. There was a problem.

  In view of such a problem, air is supplied to the gap inside the used endoscope, and the endoscope is immersed in water in a cleaning / disinfecting tank of the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus, thereby generating air into the water. A technique for detecting water leakage by visual detection is also well known.

  However, even in this method, a mechanism for supplying air into the endoscope is required, and the generation of air into the water is visually detected because the holes formed on the outer surface of the endoscope are small. In some cases it is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope having a configuration capable of easily and accurately performing water leakage detection, and a water leakage detection method for the endoscope.

  In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope according to the present invention is an endoscope including an insertion portion to be inserted into a duct and an operation portion of the insertion portion, and at least one of the insertion portion and the operation portion. The gap formed between the outer surface and the built-in material is filled with a substance that is solidified, gelled, or gelled by contact with a liquid.

  Further, the endoscope water leakage detection method according to the present invention is an endoscope water leakage detection method comprising an insertion portion inserted into a conduit and an operation portion of the insertion portion. A placement step of placing on the endoscope, an irradiation step of irradiating the endoscope with ultraviolet light from a black light, and at least one outer surface of the insertion portion and the operation portion and a built-in object by irradiation of the ultraviolet light. By detecting the presence or absence of luminescence of a substance colored by a fluorescent agent filled in a gap formed between the liquid crystal and solidifying, gelling, or jellying by contact with a liquid. And a detection step of detecting water leakage of the mirror.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the endoscope which comprises the structure which can perform a water leak detection easily and correctly, and the water leak detection method of this endoscope can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, the endoscope will be described taking a medical endoscope as an example.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an endoscope apparatus including an endoscope showing the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus 1 includes an endoscope 2 and a peripheral device 100. The endoscope 2 is mainly composed of an operation unit 3, an insertion unit 4, and a universal cord 5.

  The peripheral device 100 includes a light source device 21, a video processor 22, a connection cable 23, a keyboard 24, and a monitor 25, which are arranged on the gantry 26. Further, the endoscope 2 and the peripheral device 100 having such a configuration are connected to each other by a connector 19.

  A bending operation knob 9, an air / water supply operation button 16, a suction operation button 17, and a treatment instrument insertion port 18 are disposed in the operation unit 3 of the endoscope 2.

  The insertion portion 4 of the endoscope 2 includes a distal end portion 6, a bending portion 7, and a flexible tube portion 8. The bending portion 7 is operated to bend by a bending operation knob 9 provided in the operation portion 3, and is provided between the distal end portion 6 and the flexible tube portion 8.

  On the distal end surface of the distal end portion 6 in the insertion direction S (hereinafter simply referred to as the distal end side), the distal end side (hereinafter simply referred to as the distal end) of the objective lens group in the imaging unit 31A (see FIG. 2) to be described later. An objective lens 11a located on the side) is provided.

  In addition, a distal end opening 12 of an air / water supply channel 20 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, feeds or feeds fluid toward the observation site, an illumination window 13, and a treatment tool, which will be described later, on the distal end surface of the distal end portion 6. A distal end opening 14 of the insertion channel 29 (see FIG. 2) is disposed.

  Gas and liquid are selectively ejected from the distal end opening 12 by the button operation of the air / water supply operation button 16 of the operation unit 3. From the distal end opening 14 of the treatment instrument insertion channel 29, the treatment instrument insertion channel 29 provided in the insertion section 4 from the treatment instrument insertion port 18 to the distal end opening 14 is operated by the button operation of the suction operation button 17 of the operation unit 3. In addition to selectively collecting mucus and the like in the body cavity, various treatment tools inserted from the treatment tool insertion port 18 protrude toward the observation site.

  A connector 19 is provided at the distal end of the universal cord 5 of the endoscope 2, and this connector 19 is connected to the light source device 21 of the peripheral device 100. The connector 19 is connected to a light guide base (not shown) constituting an end of a light guide (not shown), a base of an air / water supply pipe 20b (to be described later), and an end of a signal cable 48 (see FIG. 2) to be described later. An electrical contact portion and the like are provided.

  Further, the connector 19 is connected to a connection cable 23 for electrically connecting the image pickup apparatus included in the image pickup unit 31 </ b> A to the video processor 22 via the signal cable 48.

  The light guide is inserted from the above-described light guide base of the connector 19 to a position close to the illumination window 13 in the distal end portion 6 through the universal cord 5, the operation portion 3, and the insertion portion 4, The illumination light from the light source device 21 is sent to the illumination window 13, and the illumination light is spread and irradiated to the observation site via the illumination window 13.

  Further, the signal cable 48 is inserted from the image pickup device of the image pickup unit 31A to the above-described electrical contact portion in the connector 19 through the insertion portion 4, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 5, in the image pickup device. An electric signal of the captured image is transmitted to the video processor 22.

  Next, the internal configuration of the distal end side of the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration on the distal end side of the insertion portion of the endoscope of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram in which a hole is formed in the outer skin constituting the outer surface of the insertion portion of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing roughly the state which has been.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bending portion 7 of the endoscope 2 is configured by a plurality of bending pieces 37 that are built-in objects, a bending blade 39, and an outer skin 50 that forms the outer surface of the insertion portion 4. Has been. Specifically, a plurality of bending pieces 37 are connected to the inside of the bending portion 7 so as to be rotatable along the insertion direction S. Each bending piece 37 is provided with a wire guide 37a fixed by welding or the like.

  A curved blade 39 formed by braiding thin wires or the like into a cylindrical shape is covered on the outer periphery of the plurality of bending pieces 37, and an outer skin 50 is covered on the outer periphery of the curved blade 39.

  The outer skin 50 constitutes the outer surface of the insertion portion 4 composed of the distal end portion 6, the bending portion 7, and the flexible tube portion 8, and the distal end side of the distal end portion 6 is a distal end hard portion 15a. It is fixed to the outer periphery by a bobbin adhering portion 40a.

  Further, inside the insertion portion 4, for example, four bending operation wires which are built-in objects extending from the bending portion 7 toward the proximal end side in the insertion direction S (hereinafter simply referred to as the proximal end side). 38 is inserted.

  These four bending operation wires 38 are inserted through and supported by the respective wire guides 37a provided in the bending pieces 37 at intermediate positions along the insertion direction S, and the distal end portions of the respective bending operation wires 38 are supported. Are fixed to a fixed ring 28 provided in the tip 6.

  In addition, the base end portion of each bending operation wire 38 is connected to a bending operation mechanism such as a pulley (not shown) provided in the operation unit 3, and each bending operation wire 38 is provided in the operation unit 3 described above. The bending operation knob 9 pulls and relaxes. As a result, the bending portion 7 is bent in four directions, up, down, left and right.

  A cylindrical distal end hard portion 15a made of a hard metal which is a built-in object is provided in the distal end portion 6, and a circle which is a built-in object is provided on the outer periphery of the proximal end side of the distal end hard portion 15a. An annular reinforcing tube 15b is fitted.

  The proximal end side of the reinforcing tube 15b in the insertion direction S is fixed to the bending piece 37 located on the most distal side among the plurality of bending pieces 37. Further, a part of the outer periphery of the hard tip portion 15 a and the outer periphery of the reinforcing tube 15 b are covered with an outer skin 50. Further, the outer periphery of the distal end side of the distal end rigid portion 15 a and a part of the distal end surface are covered with the distal end cover 24.

  A plurality of through holes are formed in the distal end hard portion 15a along the insertion direction S, and a treatment instrument insertion channel 29, an air / water supply channel 20, and an imaging unit 31A, which are built-in objects, are provided in the respective through holes. It has been.

  The treatment instrument insertion channel 29 includes a tubular member 29a inserted through the through hole of the distal end rigid portion 15a, and a flexible tube whose distal end side is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the proximal end side of the tubular member 29a by thread winding or the like. It is formed in the space inside the treatment instrument pipe line 29b. The treatment instrument conduit 29 b is inserted into the insertion portion 4, and the proximal end side in the insertion direction S is opened at the treatment instrument insertion port 18 in the operation portion 3.

  The air / water supply channel 20 includes a tubular member 20a inserted through the through hole of the distal end rigid portion 15a, and a flexible tube whose distal end side is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the proximal end side of the tubular member 20a by thread winding or the like. It is formed in the space inside the air / water pipe 20b. The air / water supply pipe 20 b is inserted into the insertion portion 4, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 5, and is connected to a base provided on the connector 19.

  A signal cable 48 that is a built-in object extends from the imaging unit 31A to the proximal end side. The signal cable 48 is inserted into the insertion portion 4, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 5, and the proximal end side of the signal cable 48 is electrically connected to an electrical contact portion provided on the connector 19.

  Further, in the insertion portion 4, a plurality of bending pieces 37, four bending operation wires 38, which are each built-in object, the distal end hard portion 15 a, the reinforcing tube 15 b, the treatment instrument insertion channel 29, the air / water supply channel 20, and the imaging unit 31A, a gap between the signal cable 48 and the outer skin 50 is filled with a powdery substance 200 that is in any of solidification, gelation, and jelly by contact with a liquid.

  Examples of the substance 200 include known organic electrolyte oligomers, superabsorbent polymer materials usually used for disposable diapers, hydrogels, and the like. The organic electrolyte oligomer has the property of being in any of solidification, gelation, and jelly formation upon contact with an organic solvent, an aqueous solution, ionic water, or the like. Further, the substance 200 needs not to have conductivity in order to avoid short circuit with other electrical components.

  The substance 200 is colored with a paint or a fluorescent agent that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The substance 200 is filled in the bending portion 7 with an amount that does not hinder the rotation of the bending piece 37.

  When the insertion part 4 is inserted into the body cavity and the substance 200 is subjected to endoscopic examination such as observation or imaging of the observation part, the substance 200 is bent along with the bending of the bending part 7 as shown in FIG. Even if a hole 50g is formed in the outer skin 50 constituting the outer surface of the portion 7 and a liquid such as body fluid enters the inside of the insertion portion 4, solidification, gelation, and jelly formation due to contact with the liquid As a result, the liquid 200 comes into contact with the imaging unit 31A and the like, and the imaging unit 31A is prevented from being electrically short-circuited.

  At this time, the substance 200 does not necessarily need to be in any state 200g of solidification, gelation, or jelly in the hole 50g. That is, if the state is 200 g in any of solidification, gelation, and jelly inside the insertion portion 4 rather than the outer skin 50, it is possible to prevent the liquid from entering the imaging unit 31 </ b> A or the like.

  Further, the substance 200 is colored with a paint or a fluorescent agent, so that after the endoscopic inspection, the hole 50g formed in the outer skin 50 of the insertion portion 4 can be easily detected from the substance 200. . That is, it is easy to detect water leakage of the endoscope 2.

  The substance 200 is not limited to being inserted into the insertion portion 4, and may be filled in a gap between an exterior member constituting the outer surface of the operation portion 3 and the built-in object of the operation portion 3. The gap between the outer surface and the built-in object of the universal cord 5 may be filled.

  Next, the water leakage detection method of the endoscope 2 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for detecting water leakage of the endoscope of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a top view of the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus schematically showing a configuration in which a water leakage detecting mechanism is provided in the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the powdery substance 200 filled in the endoscope 2 will be described by taking a powdery substance colored with a fluorescent agent as an example. Moreover, the case where the leakage detection of an endoscope is performed using a cleaning / disinfecting apparatus will be described as an example.

  After the inspection using the endoscope 2 is completed, when the leakage of the endoscope is detected, first, as shown in step S1 of FIG. 4, the endoscope 2 is cleaned and disinfected as shown in FIG. The mounting step of mounting on the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151 formed in the apparatus main body 150s is performed. By placing the endoscope 2 in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151, the top cover 150t is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 150s, so that the endoscope 2 is placed in a dark place.

  In addition, the top cover 150t of the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus 150 is usually formed of a transparent member so that the operator can easily see the state of the endoscope 2 during cleaning / disinfecting. I will enter inside.

  However, if the top cover 150t is formed of a member that does not transmit the wavelength of ultraviolet light, the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151 is dark when the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151 is viewed at the ultraviolet wavelength, so the top cover 150t is transparent. The endoscope 2 can be placed in a dark place even if it is formed from a simple member.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, on the surface of the top cover 150 t facing the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151, the black light 160 that irradiates the endoscope 2 with ultraviolet light, and the irradiation of ultraviolet light from the black light 160, A photodiode 161 that detects fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent agent of the substance 200 is provided. Note that the black light 160 and the photodiode 161 may be provided in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151.

  Returning to FIG. 4, in step S2, an irradiation step of irradiating the endoscope 2 with ultraviolet rays from the black light 160 is performed.

  Next, in step S3, whether or not the hole 50g is formed in the outer skin 50 of the endoscope 2 by detecting the presence or absence of light emission of the fluorescent agent colored in the substance 200 by irradiation with ultraviolet rays in step S2. A detection step of detecting, that is, detecting water leakage is performed. The detection step is performed when the photodiode 161 detects light emitted from the fluorescent agent.

  When the leakage of water can be confirmed by the photodiode 161, specifically, when the fluorescent agent is detected from the hole 50g formed in the outer skin 50 of the endoscope 2, the operator can After the mirror 2 is taken out from the cleaning / disinfecting tank 151, the outer skin 50 is removed, and the substance 200 partially removed in any state of solidification, gelation, and jelly is removed. Then, after filling the gap | interval inside the insertion part 4 with the new powdery substance 200, the outer skin | wear 50 is mounted | worn. This is the same even when a hole is formed on the outer surface of the operation unit 3 or the universal cord.

  Further, in the water leakage detection method described above, an example in which the detection of the fluorescent agent is performed using the photodiode 161 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fluorescent agent may be detected by the operator's visual observation. Absent.

  In addition, the substance 200 is shown as an example colored with a fluorescent agent. However, the substance 200 is not limited to this, and a substance colored with a paint may be used. In this case, it is only necessary to detect whether or not the hole 50g is formed on the outer surface by confirming whether or not the paint is visible from the outer surface of the endoscope 2.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, any one of solidification, gelation, and jelly formation by contact with a liquid colored between the outer surface of the endoscope 2 and the built-in object by the paint or the fluorescent agent. It was shown that the powdery substance 200 such as an organic electrolyte oligomer is filled.

  According to this, whether or not the hole 50g is formed on the outer surface of the endoscope 2, that is, whether or not the leakage of water in the endoscope 2 is detected, and the color of the substance 200 exposed from the hole 50g is photographed. The detection can be performed only by detection with the diode 161 or confirmation by visual recognition.

  Accordingly, it is possible to provide an endoscope having a configuration capable of easily and accurately performing water leakage detection, and a water leakage detection method for the endoscope.

  In addition, even if a hole 50g is formed in the outer skin 50 of the insertion portion 4 of the endoscope 2 during the examination using the endoscope 2, the liquid that has entered the inside through the hole 50g It is possible to prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the imaging unit 31A or the like by the substance 200 in which a part of the contact is 200 g in any of solidification, gelation, and jelly formation. From this, it is possible to provide an endoscope having a configuration that can prevent the endoscope 2 from being broken during an examination using the endoscope 2.

  In the present embodiment, it has been shown that the water leakage detection of the endoscope 2 is performed by the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus 150. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in a dark place, for example, storage of the endoscope 2 is possible. Of course, you may go in the warehouse. In this case, if the black light 160 and the photodiode 161 are provided in the storage, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The external appearance perspective view which shows the endoscope apparatus which comprises the endoscope which shows this Embodiment. The fragmentary sectional view which shows roughly the structure inside the front end side of the insertion part of the endoscope of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which a hole has been formed in an outer skin constituting the outer surface of the insertion portion in FIG. 2. The flowchart which shows the water leak detection method of the endoscope of FIG. The top view of the washing | cleaning disinfection apparatus which shows roughly the structure which provided the water leak detection mechanism in the washing | cleaning disinfection apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

2 ... Endoscope 3 ... Operation part 4 ... Insertion part 7 ... Bending part 15a ... Hard tip part (built-in)
15b ... Reinforcement pipe (built-in)
20 ... Air / water channel (built-in)
29 ... Treatment instrument insertion channel (built-in)
31A ... Imaging unit (built-in)
37 ... Bending piece (built-in)
38 ... Bending operation wire (built-in)
48 ... Signal cable 50 ... Outer skin (outer surface)
160 ... Black light 161 ... Photodiode 200 ... Substance S ... Insertion direction

Claims (7)

In an endoscope comprising an insertion portion to be inserted into a duct and an operation portion of the insertion portion,
The gap formed between at least one outer surface of the insertion portion and the operation portion and the built-in object is colored with a substance that is solidified, gelled, or gelled by contact with a liquid. An endoscope characterized by being filled.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the substance is filled in a bending portion provided on a distal end side in the insertion direction of the insertion portion and directing the distal end side in a plurality of directions.   The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the substance is an organic electrolyte oligomer.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substance is colored with a paint.   The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substance is colored with a fluorescent agent that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. In an endoscope water leakage detection method comprising an insertion portion to be inserted into a pipeline and an operation portion of the insertion portion,
A placing step of placing the endoscope in a dark place;
An irradiation step of irradiating the endoscope with ultraviolet light from a black light;
Solidified by contact with a liquid colored by a fluorescent agent filled in a gap formed between at least one outer surface of the insertion portion and the operation portion and a built-in object by irradiation with the ultraviolet light. A detection step of detecting leakage of the endoscope by detecting the presence or absence of luminescence of a substance that is either gelled or gelled;
An endoscope leakage detection method comprising the steps of:   The method for detecting leakage of an endoscope according to claim 6, wherein the light emission of the substance is detected using a photodiode.

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