JP2013090721A - Air feeding and water feeding device for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air feeding and water feeding device for an endoscope capable of controlling a flow path of air feeding and water feeding and a flow rate with a simple structure without increasing a scale of the device.SOLUTION: The air feeding and water feeding device 10 for an endoscope includes: a first conduit connected to a first air feeding and water feeding conduit 34 of the endoscope 30; a second conduit connected to a water jet conduit 36 of the endoscope; a pump 11 supplying air at predetermined pressure; a tank 12 storing a liquid and delivering the stored liquid when the air is supplied from the pump; an air feeding and water feeding unit delivering the air or the liquid to the first conduit and delivering the liquid to the second conduit; an orifice 15 as a flow rate control unit for controlling the flow rate of the liquid inserted in a middle part of the second conduit and flowing the second conduit; and a control unit 16 for controlling the flow path of the air feeding and water feeding unit receiving a signal based on an operation of a user, and according to the signal.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air / water supply device used for an endoscope, and more particularly to an air / water flow path and flow rate control by an air / water supply pipe and a water jet pipe arranged in the endoscope. The present invention relates to an air / water supply device for an endoscope.

  Endoscopes that are inserted into a patient's body cavity to observe or image a target part have conventionally been provided with an air / water supply pipe and a water jet pipe inside an insertion tube that is inserted into the body cavity. It is configured to allow air supply and water supply to the distal end of the endoscope. Such an air / water supply tube expands the patient's lumen by air supply and secures a visual field, or when the objective lens surface at the tip of the endoscope becomes dirty due to body fluid or bleeding, etc. It is used to recover the field of view by ejecting cleaning liquid to remove dirt on the lens surface, or sending air to blow water droplets on the surface of the objective lens. In addition, the water jet tube is used when washing away filth and the like adhering to the stomach or intestinal wall with a washing liquid sprayed from the tip of the water jet tube, or washing away bleeding due to an endoscopic technique.

  When removing dirt from the stomach or intestinal wall or washing away bleeding due to endoscopic procedures (ie, when a water jet tube is used), when removing dirt from the lens surface (ie, using an air / water tube) Higher water pressure is required compared to Thus, since the water pressure of a different pressure is calculated | required, conventionally the pump for air supply / water supply with a low pressure and the pump for water jets with a high pressure were used together (for example, patent document 1). In addition, a plurality of valves (solenoid valves) are provided at the output of the pump for water supply, and the pressure of the pump is controlled by releasing (releasing) a part of the air sent from the pump to the atmosphere, so that the amount of water supply is variable (For example, patent document 2).

JP 2006-325813 A JP-A-11-276428

  However, since the configuration described in Patent Document 1 requires two systems of pumps and tanks having different pressures, the scale of the apparatus increases, and management of the cleaning liquid in the tank becomes troublesome. In addition, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 requires an extra valve for controlling the pressure of the pump, making it difficult to perform accurate flow control due to the effect of pressure loss at the valve. There is a problem that the control becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscopic air / water supply device capable of performing air / water flow paths and flow rate control with a simple configuration without increasing the device scale.

  In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope air / water supply device according to the present invention is an endoscope that supplies air and liquid to the distal end portion of an endoscope having an air / water supply conduit and a water jet conduit. An air / water supply device, a first line connected to the air / water supply line, a second line connected to the water jet line, and a pump for supplying air of a predetermined pressure An air supply tank that stores liquid and delivers the stored liquid when air is supplied from a pump, sends air or liquid to the first pipe, and sends liquid to the second pipe A water supply unit, a flow rate limiting means for limiting the flow rate of the liquid that is inserted in the middle of the second pipe and flows through the second pipe, and receives a signal based on a user's operation, and supplies air and water according to the signal Control means for controlling the flow path of air and liquid delivered from the unit The stage (1) sends air from the air / water supply unit to the first conduit when the signal is a signal based on the user's air supply operation, and (2) the signal is based on the user's water supply operation. If the signal is a signal, the liquid is sent from the air / water supply unit to the first pipeline, and (3) if the signal is a signal based on the user's operation of the water jet, the air / water supply unit sends the liquid to the second pipe. It is characterized by delivering a liquid to the channel.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to switch between air supply, water supply, and water jet with a combination of one pump and one tank, and therefore, with a simple configuration without increasing the scale of the apparatus. An endoscopic air / water supply apparatus capable of controlling the flow path and flow rate of the air / water supply is realized.

  The air / water supply unit includes a first flow path switching means for switching a flow path of air supplied from the pump to either the first pipe line side or the tank side, and a flow path of liquid supplied from the tank. And a second flow path switching means for switching the first flow path side to the first pipeline side or the second pipeline side, and the control means is configured to control the first flow path switching means and the second flow path based on the signal. The path switching means can be switched. According to such a configuration, the operation of the air supply, water supply, and water jet can be switched only by the control of the two flow path switching means, so that the entire air supply / water supply apparatus for an endoscope is simpler. It can be configured.

  The control means (1) switches the flow path of the air supplied from the pump to the first pipeline side by the first flow path switching means when the signal is a signal based on the user's air supply operation. At the same time, the flow path of the liquid supplied from the tank is switched to the second pipe side by the second flow path switching means, and (2) when the signal is a signal based on the user's water supply operation, the first flow The flow path of the air supplied from the pump is switched to the tank side by the path switching means, and the flow path of the liquid supplied from the tank is switched to the first pipeline side by the second flow path switching means. Is a signal based on the user's operation of the water jet, the flow path of the air supplied from the pump by the first flow path switching means is switched to the tank side, and supplied from the tank by the second flow path switching means. It is desirable to adopt a configuration for switching the flow path of the liquid in the second tube roadside.

  Further, the first flow path switching means and the second flow path switching means can each be constituted by an electromagnetic valve.

  Further, the flow restriction means can be constituted by an orifice. In this case, it is desirable that the orifice is a variable orifice that can change the size of the orifice opening, and the control means controls the size of the orifice opening based on the signal. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to adjust the pressure (momentum) of the cleaning liquid ejected during the water jet operation by the user.

  The liquid stored in the tank is desirably either water or physiological saline.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an endoscopic air / water supply apparatus capable of performing air / water flow paths and flow rate control with a simple configuration without increasing the scale of the apparatus is realized. .

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an endoscope air / water supply device (air / water supply device 10) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a table showing the relationship between each operation mode of the air / water supply apparatus 10 and the user operation and control in the air / water supply apparatus 10.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an endoscopic air / water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope air / water supply device 10 (hereinafter, referred to as an air / water supply device 10) is used by being connected to an endoscope (electronic endoscope) 30 via a cable. Note that when the endoscope 30 is actually used, the endoscope 30 is also connected to a processor that supplies power to the endoscope 30 and performs image processing and the like. In FIG. Description of peripheral devices such as is omitted.

  The endoscope 30 includes an air supply / water supply pipe 34 for supplying and supplying air from a distal end portion 31 to an operation portion 32 to an observation window (not shown) (lens surface of the objective optical system at the distal end of the endoscope 30). A water jet pipe 36 for injecting cleaning water onto the object to be observed is disposed.

  The operation unit 32 is provided with a first switch 37a and a second switch 37b, and these operation control signals are output to the control circuit 16 of the air / water supply apparatus 10 via a cable. Also, an air / water supply tube 34 disposed in the endoscope 30 and an air / water supply tube 24 extended from the air / water supply device 10 via a connector (not shown) disposed in the operation unit 32. Are connected, and a water jet pipe 36 disposed in the endoscope 30 and a high-pressure water supply tube 26 extending from the air / water supply apparatus 10 are connected.

  The air / water supply device 10 of the present embodiment receives operation control signals from the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30 connected as described above, and based on this, the air / water supply pipe 34 and This is a device for sending air and cleaning water (that is, air supply and water supply) to the water jet pipe 36.

  The air / water supply device 10 includes a pump 11 for supplying air of a predetermined pressure, a water supply tank 12 for storing a cleaning liquid such as water or physiological saline, a first electromagnetic valve 13, a second electromagnetic valve 14, an orifice 15, an air supply A control circuit 16 that comprehensively controls each component in the water feeding device 10 is provided.

  The pump 11 is an air pump that sucks air in the atmosphere from an inlet (not shown) and supplies air of a predetermined pressure. The pump 11 is connected to the control circuit 16 and is on / off controlled by the control circuit 16. The exhaust port of the pump 11 is connected to one end of the air supply pipe 21, and the other end of the air supply pipe 21 is connected to the input port of the first electromagnetic valve 13. The first solenoid valve 13 is a three-way solenoid valve controlled by the control circuit 16. One of the two output ports is connected to an air supply pipe 22 that guides air to the water supply tank 12, and the other is supplied with an air supply / water supply. An air supply tube 24b branched from the tube 24 is connected. Therefore, the air supplied from the exhaust port of the pump 11 is supplied to the air supply pipe 22 or the air supply tube 24b via the air supply pipe 21 and the first electromagnetic valve 13 under the control of the first electromagnetic valve 13 by the control circuit 16. Sent to.

  When the air supply tube 24 b side is selected as the output port of the first electromagnetic valve 13 by the control circuit 16, the air supplied from the exhaust port of the pump 11 passes through the air supply pipe 21 and the first electromagnetic valve 13. It is sent to the air supply tube 24b. The air sent to the air supply tube 24 b passes through the air supply / water supply tube 24 and the air supply / water supply pipe 34, and the outside of the endoscope 30 from the air supply / water supply port 33 at the tip of the air supply / water supply pipe 34. Is sent out. In the present embodiment, the air / water supply port 33 is disposed close to the lens surface of an objective optical system (not shown) disposed at the distal end portion 31 of the endoscope 30. And when the lens surface of the objective optical system becomes dirty due to body fluids or bleeding, the cleaning performance is deteriorated by spraying the cleaning liquid (to be described later) or sending air to remove water droplets on the lens surface. It can be used to restore visibility by flying. Thus, the operation of the air / water supply device 10 that sends out air to the air / water supply pipe 34 is referred to as an “air supply mode” in this specification.

  When the air supply pipe 22 side is selected as the output port of the first electromagnetic valve 13 by the control circuit 16, the air supplied from the exhaust port of the pump 11 is supplied through the air supply pipe 21 and the first electromagnetic valve 13. It is sent to the tank 12. As described above, the water supply tank 12 is a tank for storing a cleaning liquid such as water or physiological saline, and is sealed in a state where the cleaning liquid is stored. And the air supply pipe | tube 22 is inserted in the inside of the water supply tank 12 so that the front-end | tip may become a position higher than the liquid level of a washing | cleaning liquid. Further, the water supply tank 12 is provided with a water supply pipe 23 for sending out the cleaning liquid in the water supply tank 12. One end of the water supply pipe 23 is disposed at a position sufficiently lower than the liquid level of the cleaning liquid, and the other end is connected to an input port of the second electromagnetic valve 14 disposed outside the water supply tank 12. In such a configuration, when the air from the pump 11 is sent to the water supply tank 12, the pressure of the air in the water supply tank 12 becomes high, and the liquid level of the cleaning liquid is pushed down by the pressure of the air. For this reason, the cleaning liquid in the water supply tank 12 passes through the water supply pipe 23 and is sent out to the input port of the second electromagnetic valve 14.

  The second solenoid valve 14 is a three-way solenoid valve controlled by the control circuit 16. One of the two output ports is connected to a water supply pipe 25 that guides the cleaning liquid to the orifice 15, and the other is an air supply / water supply tube. The water supply tube 24a branched from 24 is connected. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied from the water supply tank 12 is sent to the water supply pipe 25 or the water supply tube 24 a through the water supply pipe 23 and the second electromagnetic valve 14 under the control of the second electromagnetic valve 14 by the control circuit 16. .

  When the water supply tube 24 a side is selected as the output port of the second electromagnetic valve 14 by the control circuit 16, the cleaning liquid supplied from the water supply tank 12 passes through the water supply pipe 23 and the second electromagnetic valve 14 and the water supply tube 24 a. Sent out. Then, the cleaning liquid sent out to the water supply tube 24a passes through the air supply / water supply tube 24 and the air supply / water supply pipe 34, and from the air supply / water supply port 33 at the tip of the air supply / water supply pipe 34 to the outside of the endoscope 30. Sent out. As described above, in the present embodiment, the air / water supply port 33 is disposed close to the lens surface of the objective optical system disposed at the distal end portion 31 of the endoscope 30. Therefore, when the lens surface of the objective optical system becomes dirty due to body fluid or bleeding, and the observation performance is deteriorated, it is possible to remove the stain on the lens surface by spraying the cleaning liquid. Thus, the operation of the air / water supply apparatus 10 that sends the cleaning liquid to the air / water supply pipe 34 is referred to as a “water supply mode” in this specification.

  When the water supply pipe 25 side is selected as the output port of the second electromagnetic valve 14 by the control circuit 16, the cleaning liquid supplied from the water supply tank 12 passes through the water supply pipe 23 and the second electromagnetic valve 14 and the water supply pipe 25. Sent to. As described above, the other end of the water supply pipe 25 is connected to the inlet of the orifice 15. A high-pressure water supply tube 26 is connected to the discharge port of the orifice 15. The orifice 15 has a throttle of a predetermined size in the pipe line, and the diameter of the pipe line on the outlet side (downstream side) is smaller than the diameter of the pipe line on the inlet side (upstream side). It is configured as follows. Accordingly, when the cleaning liquid passes through the orifice 15, the flow rate is rapidly reduced, and the pressure becomes high on the discharge port side (downstream side) and is sent to the high pressure water supply tube 26. The cleaning liquid passes through the high-pressure water supply tube 26 and the water jet pipe 36 and is sent out of the endoscope 30 from the jet port 35 at the tip of the water jet pipe 36. In the present embodiment, the jet port 35 is disposed to open forward from the distal end portion 31 of the endoscope 30. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid ejected from the jet port 35 is used when washing off the dirt or the like adhering to the stomach or intestinal wall in front of the endoscope 30 or washing away bleeding due to the endoscopic procedure. Thus, the operation of the air / water supply apparatus 10 that sends the cleaning liquid to the water jet pipe 36 is referred to as a “water jet mode” in the present specification.

  As described above, the air / water supply device 10 of the present embodiment is based on the operation control signal input from the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30, and the pump 11, the first electromagnetic valve 13, and The second electromagnetic valve 14 is controlled to send air and washing water (that is, air supply and water supply) to the air supply / water supply pipe 34 and the water jet pipe 36.

  Next, the relationship between the operation of the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30 by the user and each operation mode of the above-described air / water supply device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a table showing the relationship between each operation mode of the air / water supply apparatus 10 and the user operation and control in the air / water supply apparatus 10.

<Stop mode>
When the air / water supply device 10 is turned on and the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30 are not operated, the pump 11 is turned off, and the air / water supply device 10 starts the operation of the endoscope 30. Air supply and water supply are not performed on the air supply / water supply pipe 34 and the water jet pipe 36. That is, the air / water supply apparatus 10 is in a standby state until the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30 are operated. Then, when the control circuit 16 detects that the first switch 37a or the second switch 37b is operated by the user, the pump 11 is turned on, and the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve are controlled according to the operation content. Then, “air supply mode”, “water supply mode” or “water jet mode” is executed.

<Air supply mode>
When the first switch 37a is operated (turned on) and the second switch 37b is turned off, the air / water supply apparatus 10 operates in the air supply mode. That is, the air supply tube 24b is selected as the output port of the first electromagnetic valve 13 by the control circuit 16, and the second electromagnetic valve 14 is closed. Therefore, the air supplied from the exhaust port of the pump 11 is sent to the air supply tube 24 b through the air supply pipe 21 and the first electromagnetic valve 13. The air sent to the air supply tube 24 b passes through the air supply / water supply tube 24 and the air supply / water supply pipe 34, and the outside of the endoscope 30 from the air supply / water supply port 33 at the tip of the air supply / water supply pipe 34. Is sent out. In the air supply mode, since the second electromagnetic valve 14 is closed, the air supplied from the exhaust port of the pump 11 does not flow into the water jet pipe 36 or the water supply pipe 23 via the water supply tube 24a.

<Water supply mode>
When the first switch 37a is turned off and the second switch 37b is operated (turned on), the air / water supply apparatus 10 operates in the water supply mode. That is, the control circuit 16 selects the air supply tube 22 as the output port of the first electromagnetic valve 13, and selects the water supply tube 24 a as the output port of the second electromagnetic valve 14. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid in the water supply tank 12 is sent out by the air supplied from the pump 11, and the cleaning liquid passes through the water supply pipe 23, the water supply tube 24 a, the air supply / water supply tube 24, and the air supply / water supply pipe 34 to supply air. It is sent out of the endoscope 30 from an air / water supply port 33 at the tip of the water supply pipe 34.

<Waterjet mode>
When the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b are operated (turned on), the air / water supply apparatus 10 operates in the water jet mode. That is, the control circuit 16 selects the air supply pipe 22 as the output port of the first electromagnetic valve 13 and the water supply pipe 25 as the output port of the second electromagnetic valve 14. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid in the water supply tank 12 is sent out by the air supplied from the pump 11, and the cleaning liquid passes through the water supply pipe 23, the water supply pipe 25, the orifice 15, the high-pressure water supply tube 26, and the water jet pipe 36, It is sent out of the endoscope 30 from the jet port 35 at the tip of the jet tube 36.

  As described above, the air / water supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment uses the air supplied from one pump 11 based on the operation control signal input from the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30. Switching between air supply (air supply mode) and water supply (water supply mode and water jet mode) by switching with the first electromagnetic valve 13, and in the case of water supply (water supply mode and water jet mode), the second electromagnetic A water supply mode and a water jet mode are switched by a valve. That is, the air supply, water supply, and water jet modes are realized by one system of pump and water supply tank (that is, one pump 11 and one water supply tank 12). Therefore, it becomes possible to make the whole apparatus compact compared with the structure provided with two systems of pumps and a water supply tank like the structure of the conventional patent document 1, and also the cost of the whole apparatus will be reduced. In addition, switching between the air supply, water supply, and water jet modes only controls two electromagnetic valves (that is, the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve). It is excellent in that it is not necessary to perform complicated control using a solenoid valve.

  The above is the description of the embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the orifice 15 has been described as having a throttle having a predetermined size in the pipeline, but a variable orifice whose size is changed by the control of the control circuit 16 may be used. Good. In this case, for example, a configuration in which the pressure of the cleaning liquid ejected in the water jet mode is adjusted by changing the size of the aperture of the variable orifice by a signal from a switch or the like disposed in the operation unit 32 of the endoscope 30. Is desirable. Further, instead of the configuration in which the size of the variable orifice is changed, the discharge amount of the pump 11 can be changed.

  In the present embodiment, the high-pressure water supply tube 26 is described as being connected to the water jet pipe 36 of the endoscope 30. However, when the endoscope 30 does not include the water jet pipe 36, the high-pressure water supply tube 26 is connected. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the tube 26 is inserted into the forceps channel of the endoscope 30 for use.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the air / water supply device 10 is configured to operate based on the operation control signal input from the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30, but in this configuration, For example, the air / water supply device 10 may be provided with another operation means such as a foot switch.

  In the present embodiment, each operation mode is switched based on operation control signals input from the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b of the endoscope 30, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, instead of the first switch 37a and the second switch 37b, a single switch may be used, and each operation mode may be switched based on the amount of pressing of the switch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air / water supply apparatus 11 Pump 12 Water supply tank 13 1st electromagnetic valve 14 2nd electromagnetic valve 15 Orifice 16 Control circuit 21, 22 Air supply pipe 23, 25 Water supply pipe 24 Air supply / water supply tube 24a Water supply tube 24b Air supply tube 26 High pressure water supply Tube 30 Endoscope 31 Tip 32 Operation unit 33 Air / water supply port 34 Air / water supply tube 35 Jet port 36 Water jet tube 37a First switch 37b Second switch

Claims (7)

An endoscopic air / water supply device for supplying air and liquid to a distal end portion of an endoscope provided with an air / water supply conduit and a water jet conduit,
A first pipe connected to the air / water pipe;
A second conduit connected to the water jet conduit;
A pump for supplying air of a predetermined pressure; a tank for storing liquid; and for supplying the stored liquid when air is supplied from the pump; and for sending air or liquid to the first pipe line And an air / water supply unit for sending liquid to the second pipe line,
A flow rate limiting means for limiting the flow rate of the liquid that is inserted in the middle of the second pipeline and flows through the second pipeline;
Control means for receiving a signal based on a user's operation and controlling a flow path of air and liquid sent from the air / water supply unit according to the signal;
With
The control means includes
(1) When the signal is a signal based on a user's air supply operation, air is sent from the air / water supply unit to the first pipe line,
(2) When the signal is a signal based on a user's water supply operation, the liquid is sent from the air / water supply unit to the first conduit,
(3) An endoscopic air / water supply device that sends out liquid from the air / water supply unit to the second conduit when the signal is based on a user's operation of a water jet. . The air / water supply unit is
First flow path switching means for switching a flow path of air supplied from the pump to either the first pipe line side or the tank side;
Second flow path switching means for switching the flow path of the liquid supplied from the tank to either the first pipeline side or the second pipeline side;
With
The endoscopic air supply / water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means switches the first flow path switching means and the second flow path switching means based on the signal. The control means includes
(1) When the signal is a signal based on a user's air supply operation, the flow path of air supplied from the pump is switched to the first pipeline side by the first flow path switching unit,
(2) When the signal is a signal based on a user's water supply operation, the flow path of air supplied from the pump is switched to the tank side by the first flow path switching means, and the second flow path is switched. Switching the flow path of the liquid supplied from the tank to the first pipeline side by the flow path switching means;
(3) When the signal is a signal based on a user's operation of a water jet, the flow path of air supplied from the pump is switched to the tank side by the first flow path switching means, and the second The air supply / water supply device for an endoscope according to claim 2, wherein the flow path of the liquid supplied from the tank is switched to the second pipe side by the flow path switching means.   4. The endoscope air / water supply device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first flow path switching unit and the second flow path switching unit includes an electromagnetic valve.   The endoscopic air / water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flow restriction means is an orifice.   6. The internal orifice according to claim 5, wherein the orifice is a variable type orifice capable of changing the size of the orifice opening, and the control means controls the size of the orifice opening based on the signal. Air supply / water supply equipment for endoscopes.   The endoscope air / water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the liquid stored in the tank is water or physiological saline.

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