JP2010259565A - Adapter for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an adapter for endoscope capable of surely preventing excessive supply of a gas into a body cavity, securing safety, and keeping the excellent work efficiency of endoscope observation. <P>SOLUTION: A gas supply part 12 of the adapter is provided with a piston 20 and a cylinder 30. When a noncombustible gas G is supplied to a supply port 30M as indicated by an arrow B, the piston 20 is moved upward. Then, when a ventilation path 20A communicates with the supply port 30M, the noncombustible gas G flows into the ventilation path 20A as indicated by an arrow D, and is supplied through an air conduit of the endoscope into the body cavity. When the supply amount of the noncombustible gas G becomes excessive and the piston 20 is moved upward further, the supply port 30M communicates with a ventilation port 32M. As the result, a part of the noncombustible gas G flows out from the ventilation port 32M to the outside of the adapter as indicated by an arrow E, and excessive supply into the body cavity is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an adapter attached to an endoscope, and more particularly to an endoscope adapter for supplying gas into a body cavity via an endoscope.

  In an observation operation using an endoscope, gas may be sent into a body cavity. Examples of such gas include air for inflating the body cavity and non-combustible gas for preventing the generation of sparks due to high-frequency current during high-frequency treatment in the large intestine. When sending these gases, it is known to use an adapter that can be attached to and detached from the endoscope (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 2627520

  When the gas is fed into the body cavity, an excessive supply of gas cannot be prevented even when the adapter is attached to the endoscope. For this reason, when gas can be supplied excessively due to a gas cylinder failure or the like, endoscope observation and air supply are interrupted to ensure safety. Furthermore, in order to resume endoscopic observation, it is necessary to replace the gas cylinder with a normal one. Therefore, when the excessive supply of gas cannot be prevented, the efficiency of the endoscopic observation work is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to realize an endoscope adapter that reliably prevents an excessive supply of gas into a body cavity, ensures safety, and maintains good work efficiency of endoscopic observation.

  The endoscope adapter according to the present invention is an endoscope adapter for supplying gas into a body cavity via an air supply channel of the endoscope. The adapter for an endoscope urges the piston toward the supply port side, the piston provided with the air passage leading to the air supply conduit, the cylinder provided with the side wall having the air vent and the supply port supplied with gas, and the piston And an urging member. In the endoscope adapter, when the gas is supplied from the supply port, the piston moves in the cylinder against the urging force of the urging member, and the gas is supplied to the air supply pipe line through the ventilation path. When the flow rate of the supplied gas exceeds a predetermined amount, the piston moves to a communication position where the supply port and the vent port communicate with each other, and a part of the gas flows out of the adapter from the vent port.

  The piston preferably has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the supply port. In the endoscope adapter, it is preferable that the ventilation path communicates with the supply port when the piston moves from the initial position in a state where no gas is supplied.

  The tip region on the supply port side in the air passage is preferably inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the piston. In this case, it is more preferable that the region on the supply port side of the piston is inclined so that the front end opening on the supply port side in the air passage is in contact with the side wall perpendicularly.

  The endoscope adapter preferably further includes a sealing member that seals a gap between the piston and the cylinder. In the cylinder, it is preferable that a plurality of vent holes having different distances from the supply port are provided. The above gas is, for example, a nonflammable gas.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an endoscope adapter that reliably prevents an excessive supply of gas into a body cavity, ensures safety, and maintains the work efficiency of endoscopic observation.

It is a figure showing roughly the endoscope in which the adapter of a 1st embodiment is used. It is a perspective view which shows the adapter of 1st Embodiment, and the member by which an adapter is attached or detached. It is a perspective sectional view showing a part of adapter of a 1st embodiment, and a member to which an adapter is attached or detached. It is sectional drawing which shows the whole adapter in the state before nonflammable gas is supplied. It is sectional drawing which shows the gas supply part in the state in which the nonflammable gas is supplied. It is sectional drawing which shows the gas supply part in the state in which a part of nonflammable gas has flowed out from the vent hole. It is sectional drawing which shows the gas supply part in 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an endoscope in which the adapter according to the first embodiment is used. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the adapter according to the first embodiment and a member to which the adapter is attached and detached. FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view showing a part of the adapter according to the first embodiment and a member to which the adapter is attached and detached.

  The endoscope apparatus 40 includes an endoscope 50, a water supply tank 60, and a processor (not shown). The insertion portion 52 at the distal end of the endoscope 50 is inserted into a body cavity of a patient that is a subject for endoscopic observation. In the body cavity, an image signal generated by an imaging device (not shown) provided in the insertion unit 52 is sent from the endoscope 50 to the processor and processed.

  The endoscope 50 is connected to the water supply tank 60 via the first connector 62, the adapter 10 (endoscope adapter), and the second connector 64. Inside the water supply tank 60, water used for cleaning an observation window (not shown) for endoscopic observation provided in the insertion portion 52 is stored. Air is supplied to the water supply tank 60 from an air supply pump 66 in the processor. For this reason, the inside of the water supply tank 60 is moderately pressurized.

  Inside the endoscope 50, an air supply line 50A and a water supply line 50W are provided. When an air / water supply button (not shown) provided on the operation unit 54 of the endoscope 50 is operated, water or air moved through the air supply line 50A or the water supply line 50W is inserted. It is discharged from the tip surface 52T of the part 52. In order to switch between the air supply and the water supply, the operation unit 54 is provided with an air supply / water supply switching valve 56.

  The adapter 10 is used to supply a gas such as an incombustible gas into the body cavity via the air supply conduit 50A and the like. For this reason, the adapter 10 is provided with a gas supply unit 12 described later. The adapter 10 is detachable from the first connector 62 and the second connector 64 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In FIG. 3, the gas supply unit 12 of the adapter 10 is omitted.

  The first connector 62 is attached to the distal end of the endoscope side connecting tube 58 and is detachable from the processor (see FIG. 1). The second connector 64 is attached to the tip of the tank side connecting pipe 68. Inside the first connector 62, a first water pipe 62W and an air pipe 62A are provided. An adapter water supply pipe 10 </ b> W is provided inside the adapter 10, and a second water supply pipe 64 </ b> W is provided inside the second connector 64.

  Around the adapter water supply pipe 10W and the second water supply pipe 64W, an adapter air supply pipe line 10A for passing gas and a connector air supply pipe line 64A are respectively provided (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Thus, the adapter 10 and the second connector 64 are provided with the adapter water supply pipe 10W and the second water supply pipe 64W for water supply at the center, and the adapter air supply pipe line 10A and the connector air supply pipe line 64A are provided around them. It has a two-layer structure.

  In a state where the adapter 10 is connected to the first connector 62 and the second connector 64 (hereinafter referred to as a connected state, see FIG. 1), the adapter water pipe 10W, the first water pipe 62W, and the second water pipe 64W are The adapter air supply pipe 10A, the air supply pipe 62A, and the connector air supply pipe 64A communicate with each other. For this reason, gas, such as water and air, can be sent from the water supply tank 60 and the air supply pump 66 to the endoscope 50 side.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the entire adapter 10 in a state before the incombustible gas is supplied. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the gas supply unit 12 in a state where non-combustible gas is supplied. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the gas supply unit 12 in a state where a part of the noncombustible gas flows out from the vent.

  The gas supply part 12 of the adapter 10 is provided with a piston 20 and a cylinder 30. The piston 20 is slidable within the cylinder 30. An air passage 20 </ b> A is provided at the center of the piston 20. In the connected state, the air passage 20A communicates with the air supply conduit 50A of the endoscope 50 via the adapter air supply conduit 10A and the air supply conduit 62A (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

  A vent 32 </ b> M is provided in the side wall 32 of the cylinder 30. In addition, a supply port 30 </ b> M through which a nonflammable gas is supplied is provided at the tip of the cylinder 30. The gas supply unit 12 is further provided with a biasing spring 16 (biasing member). The urging spring 16 urges the piston 20 toward the supply port 30M along the direction indicated by the arrow A, that is, the longitudinal direction of the piston 20. For this reason, the piston 20 is located at the position of the supply port 30M (hereinafter referred to as the initial position, see FIG. 4) when the non-combustible gas G is not supplied.

  In this state, when the incombustible gas G is supplied to the supply port 30M as indicated by the arrow B, the piston 20 moves upward as indicated by the arrow C against the urging force of the urging spring 16. Due to the movement of the piston 20, the air passage 20A communicates with the supply port 30M (see FIG. 5). That is, in the initial position, a gap is generated between the supply passage 30M and the ventilation path 20A separated by the protruding portion 24 of the piston 20 protruding toward the supply port 30M.

  As a result, as shown by the arrow D, the noncombustible gas G flows between the protrusion 24 and the side wall 32 of the cylinder 30 and flows into the air passage 20A. The incombustible gas G is supplied to the air supply line 50A (see FIGS. 1 to 3) via the adapter air supply line 10A and the air supply pipe 62A. The incombustible gas G that has passed through the air supply conduit 50A is sent from the distal end surface 52T of the insertion portion 52 into the body cavity. The non-combustible gas G supplied in this way reliably prevents the occurrence of sparks even when a high frequency treatment is performed in the large intestine.

  Note that when the supply amount of the nonflammable gas G per unit time, that is, the flow rate is small and the biasing force of the biasing spring 16 is larger than the supply pressure of the nonflammable gas G, the piston 20 does not move from the initial position, and the ventilation The path 20A and the supply port 30M remain separated (see FIG. 4). For this reason, for example, due to a failure of a cylinder (not shown) for supplying the incombustible gas G, a small amount of the incombustible gas G may be erroneously supplied into the body cavity so that the user can easily miss it. Is prevented.

  On the other hand, when the supply amount of the nonflammable gas G becomes excessive and the supply pressure of the nonflammable gas G greatly exceeds the biasing force of the biasing spring 16, the piston 20 slides in the cylinder 30 further upward. . As a result, the supply port 30M and the ventilation port 32M communicate with each other (see FIG. 6). As described above, when the piston 20 moves to a position where the supply port 30M and the ventilation port 32M communicate with each other (hereinafter referred to as a communication position), a part of the incombustible gas G is transferred from the ventilation port 32M to the adapter as indicated by an arrow E. 10 flows out.

  For this reason, even when the flow rate of the incombustible gas G has increased remarkably due to, for example, a cylinder failure, the supply amount of the incombustible gas G into the body cavity is maintained at a certain upper limit value. An excessive supply of G is prevented. Furthermore, even if the user does not notice a cylinder failure or the like, excessive supply is automatically prevented, so safety is ensured. In addition, since the excessive supply can be suppressed without any special operation that may hinder endoscopic observation, the work efficiency is also kept good. When the supply of the incombustible gas G to the adapter 10 is stopped, the piston 20 returns to the initial position (see FIG. 4) by the urging force of the urging spring 16, and the air passage 20A and the supply port 30M are separated from each other again.

  Note that the lower end side of the air passage 20A, that is, the distal end region 20T on the supply port 30M side is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the piston 20 while being branched as illustrated. By providing the tip region 20T that is inclined in this way, the adapter 10 can be reduced in size. If a crank-shaped air passage including a region parallel to the radial direction of the piston 20 and a region parallel to the longitudinal direction is provided, the diameter of the piston 20 is increased, whereas in the present embodiment, the diameter is reduced. Because it is possible. Furthermore, the straight air passage 20A in the present embodiment can be formed by simple processing as compared with the crank air passage.

  In the present embodiment, the region on the supply port 30M side of the piston 20 is inclined so that the opening 20M (tip opening) at the lower end of the air passage 20A is perpendicular to the side wall 32. In this way, by drilling the tip of the piston 20 to form the piston-side tilted region 20S, drilling for providing the above-described tip region 20T is facilitated. The tip of the cylinder 30 is also a cylinder-side inclined region 30S corresponding to the shape of the piston 20.

  In the adapter 10, first to third O-rings 17 to 19 (sealing members) for sealing a gap between the piston 20 and the cylinder 30 are provided. That is, the first O-ring 17 is disposed around the protrusion 24 of the piston 20, the second O-ring 18 is disposed at a position in contact with the vent 32 </ b> M at the communication position, and the third O-ring 19 is disposed on the base end side of the piston 20. Yes. For this reason, for example, leakage of the non-combustible gas G such as intrusion into the air passage 10A at the initial position can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the piston 20 and the cylinder 30 can reliably prevent excessive supply of the incombustible gas G into the body cavity. Furthermore, since an operation for preventing excessive supply is unnecessary, the work efficiency of endoscopic observation is also kept good. Further, in the present embodiment, since the incombustible gas G is supplied by utilizing the air supply conduit 50A that is generally provided in the endoscope, individual conduits or the like are provided only for supplying the incombustible gas G. Is not required to be provided in the endoscope 50. That is, by using the adapter 10, the supply control of the non-combustible gas G can be performed without complicating the structure of the endoscope 50.

  Next, the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the gas supply unit 12 in the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same or corresponding members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the vents 32M is different from that of the first embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, a plurality of vent holes 32 </ b> M having different positions in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 30 indicated by the arrow A are provided in the side wall 32. For example, the right vent 32M is disposed closer to the supply port 30M than the left vent 32M in FIG.

  Thus, by providing the plurality of vent holes 32M having different distances from the supply port 30M, it is possible to prevent a rapid change in the flow rate of the non-combustible gas G supplied into the body cavity. That is, before the piston 20 reaches the communication position where the vent port 32M farthest from the supply port 30M communicates with the supply port 30M, a part of the excess non-combustible gas G flows out from the other vent port 32M. Thereby, the rapid increase of the nonflammable gas G which passes 20 A of ventilation paths can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the supply amount of the nonflammable gas G to the adapter 10 is rapidly changed, it is possible to control the change in the supply amount into the body cavity to be gentle. Also in this embodiment, the upper limit of the flow rate of the incombustible gas G into the body cavity can be changed by adjusting the position of the vent 32M farthest from the supply port 30M.

  A plurality of vent holes 32M may be provided at positions where the distance from the supply port 30M is equal, and the sizes thereof may be changed. This is because even in this case, a rapid change in the flow rate of the incombustible gas G can be prevented. Further, the vent 32M may be, for example, a spiral long opening.

  The shapes and the like of the piston 20 and the cylinder 30 are not limited to any embodiment. For example, although it is preferable that the branched air passage 20A and the supply port 30M are separated by the protruding portion 24 (see FIGS. 4 to 7), the straight air passage 20A is penetrated in the protruding portion 24 and air is passed at the initial position. The path 20A and the supply port 30M may be communicated with each other. Even in this case, if the diameter of the air passage 20A on the supply port 30M side is made sufficiently small, the piston 20 is moved to the communication position with the increase in the supply amount of the non-combustible gas G as in the above-described embodiment. Because you can.

  From the viewpoint of operability, the adapter 10 is preferably a separate body for both the first and second connectors 62 and 64 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), but for either one or both. It is good as one. A member corresponding to the gas supply unit 12 may be provided at the base end portion of the tank side connecting pipe 68 (end portion on the water supply tank 60 side).

  The supply target by the adapter 10 is not limited to the nonflammable gas G. For example, the adapter 10 may be used to supply a larger amount of air into the body cavity than normally supplied from the air supply conduit 50A (see FIG. 1).

  The first embodiment and the second embodiment may be appropriately combined. For example, a plurality of vent holes 32M having different sizes may be provided at positions where the distances from the supply port 30M are substantially equal.

10 Adapter (Adapter for endoscope)
16 Biasing spring (Biasing member)
17-19 First to third O-rings (sealing members)
20 Piston 20A Ventilation path 20T Tip area 20M Opening (tip opening)
24 Projection 30 Cylinder 30M Supply Port 32 Side Wall 32M Ventilation Port 50 Endoscope 50A Air Supply Line

Claims (8)

An endoscope adapter for supplying gas into a body cavity via an air supply line of an endoscope,
A piston provided with an air passage leading to the air supply conduit;
A cylinder provided with a side wall having a vent and a supply port to which the gas is supplied;
A biasing member that biases the piston toward the supply port;
When the gas is supplied from the supply port, the piston moves in the cylinder against the urging force of the urging member, and the gas is supplied to the air supply line via the ventilation path. When the flow rate of the gas to be supplied exceeds a predetermined amount, the piston moves to a communication position where the supply port and the ventilation port communicate with each other, and a part of the gas moves from the ventilation port to the outside of the adapter. An endoscope adapter characterized by flowing out.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, wherein the piston has a protruding portion protruding toward the supply port.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation path communicates with the supply port by moving the piston from an initial position in a state where the gas is not supplied.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, wherein a distal end region on the supply port side in the air passage is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the piston.   5. The internal view according to claim 4, wherein an area on the supply port side of the piston is inclined so that a front end opening on the supply port side in the air passage is perpendicular to the side wall. Mirror adapter.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member that seals a gap between the piston and the cylinder.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder is provided with a plurality of the vent holes having different distances from the supply port.   The endoscope adapter according to claim 1, wherein the gas is a nonflammable gas.

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