JP2017101598A - Liquid injection device, program, and control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the blockage of an injection pipe.SOLUTION: A liquid injection device includes an injection pipe for injecting liquid, a liquid chamber communicated with the injection pipe, a piezoelectric element for varying the volume of the liquid chamber, a tube pump rotated so as to supply the liquid to the liquid chamber, and a control device which expands and contracts the piezoelectric element at a frequency higher than in expanding and contracting for intermittent injection and reverses a direction of rotation of the tube pump for plural times when the injection pipe is blocked.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to liquid ejection.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a device that imparts pulsation to a liquid in a liquid chamber by vibration of a piezoelectric element and intermittently ejects the liquid from an ejection pipe. In some cases, the injection tube is blocked and cannot eject the liquid. In this case, there is known a technique for eliminating the blockage by increasing the amplitude of the piezoelectric element or increasing the pressure for supplying the liquid to the liquid chamber (Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-106748 A

  In the case of the above prior art, there is room for improvement in eliminating the blockage. This invention makes it a solution subject to eliminate obstruction | occlusion more effectively based on the said prior art.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve the above-described problems, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a liquid ejecting apparatus is provided. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes: an ejecting pipe that ejects liquid; a liquid chamber that communicates with the ejecting pipe; a piezoelectric element that changes the volume of the liquid chamber when a drive signal is input; A tube pump for supplying liquid; and when the injection tube is not closed, the drive signal of the first frequency is input to the piezoelectric element and the tube pump is rotated forward to close the injection tube. A controller that inputs the driving signal having a second frequency higher than the first frequency to the piezoelectric element and reverses the direction of rotation of the tube pump a plurality of times. According to this embodiment, the piezoelectric element is expanded and contracted at a high frequency and the direction of rotation of the tube pump is reversed a plurality of times, so that the blockage can be effectively eliminated.

  The said form WHEREIN: The said piezoelectric element into which the said drive signal of the said 2nd frequency was input may produce a bubble in the said liquid in the said liquid chamber. According to this embodiment, the blockage can be eliminated by using the foam.

  In the above aspect, the piezoelectric element to which the drive signal having the second frequency is input may vibrate the ejection tube. According to this aspect, the blockage can be eliminated by utilizing the vibration of the injection pipe.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms other than the above. For example, the present invention can be realized in the form of a method, a control device or program for realizing the method, a non-temporary storage medium storing the program, and the like.

The block diagram of a liquid ejecting apparatus. Sectional drawing of a handpiece. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the joint part and actuator unit vicinity. Sectional drawing which expanded the liquid chamber vicinity. The flowchart which shows the obstruction | occlusion cancellation process.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus 20. The liquid ejecting apparatus 20 is a medical device used in a medical institution, and has a function of excising an affected part by ejecting liquid onto the affected part.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus 20 includes a control device 30, an actuator cable 31, a pump cable 32, a foot switch 35, a suction device 40, a suction tube 41, a liquid supply device 50, and a handpiece 100.

  The liquid supply device 50 includes a water supply bag 51, a spike needle 52, first to fifth connectors 53a to 53e, first to fourth water supply tubes 54a to 54d, a pump tube 55, a blockage detection mechanism 56, And a filter 57. The handpiece 100 includes a nozzle unit 200 and an actuator unit 300. The nozzle unit 200 includes an ejection tube 205 and a suction tube 400.

  The water supply bag 51 is made of a transparent synthetic resin, and is filled with a liquid (specifically, physiological saline). In addition, in this application, even if it fills with liquids other than water, it calls the water supply bag 51. FIG. The spike needle 52 is connected to the first water supply tube 54a via the first connector 53a. When the spike needle 52 is stabbed into the water supply bag 51, the liquid filled in the water supply bag 51 can be supplied to the first water supply tube 54a.

  The first water supply tube 54a is connected to the pump tube 55 via the second connector 53b. The pump tube 55 is connected to the second water supply tube 54b via the third connector 53c. The tube pump 60 sandwiches the pump tube 55 between the stator and the rotor. The tube pump 60 handles the pump tube 55 by rotating a plurality of rollers by rotation of a built-in motor. By being handled in this way, the liquid in the pump tube 55 is sent out from the first water supply tube 54a side to the second water supply tube 54b side.

  The blockage detection mechanism 56 detects the blockages in the first to fourth water supply tubes 54a to 54d and the handpiece 100 by measuring the pressure in the second water supply tube 54b. When detecting the blockage, the blockage detection mechanism 56 inputs the detection result to the control device 30.

  The second water supply tube 54b is connected to the third water supply tube 54c via the fourth connector 53d. A filter 57 is connected to the third water supply tube 54c. The filter 57 collects foreign matters contained in the liquid.

  The third water supply tube 54c is connected to the fourth water supply tube 54d through the fifth connector 53e. The fourth water supply tube 54d is connected to the handpiece 100. The liquid supplied to the handpiece 100 through the fourth water supply tube 54d is intermittently ejected from the nozzle 207 provided at the tip of the ejection tube 205 by driving the actuator unit 300. In this way, the liquid is intermittently ejected, so that the resecting capability can be secured with a small flow rate.

  The injection tube 205 and the suction tube 400 constitute a double tube having the injection tube 205 as an inner tube and the suction tube 400 as an outer tube. The suction tube 41 is connected to the nozzle unit 200. The suction device 40 sucks the inside of the suction tube 400 through the suction tube 41. By this suction, liquid near the tip of the suction tube 400, a cut piece, and the like are sucked.

  The control device 30 includes a CPU and a storage medium. A program for controlling the tube pump 60 and the piezoelectric element 360 is stored in the storage medium. The control device 30 transmits the first drive signal via the actuator cable 31 and the second drive via the pump cable 32 while the foot switch 35 is depressed by the CPU executing this program. Send a signal. In the present embodiment, the first drive signal has a periodicity of 400 Hz, and drives the actuator unit 300. The second drive signal drives the tube pump 60. Therefore, the liquid is intermittently ejected while the user steps on the foot switch 35, and the liquid ejection stops while the user does not step on the foot switch 35. Hereinafter, the simple drive signal means the first drive signal.

  FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the handpiece 100. The fourth water supply tube 54d is bent in a U shape inside the handpiece case 210 and connected to the inlet channel 241. The inlet channel 241 communicates with the ejection pipe 205 via the liquid chamber 240 (see FIG. 4).

  The channel diameter of the inlet channel 241 is smaller than the channel diameter of the injection pipe 205. For this reason, even if the pressure in the liquid chamber 240 fluctuates (described later), the liquid in the liquid chamber 240 is prevented from flowing back into the inlet channel 241.

  The handpiece case 210 includes a recess 211 at the tip. The attachment of the suction pipe 400 is realized by fitting the convex portion 410 into the concave portion 211. The attached suction tube 400 communicates with the suction flow path section 230. The suction flow path unit 230 is connected to the suction tube 41 via the suction force adjustment mechanism 500.

  The user can adjust the suction force by the suction pipe 400 using the hole 522. Specifically, if the area where the hole 522 is opened is reduced, the flow rate of air flowing in from the hole 522 is also reduced, so that the flow rate of fluid (air, liquid, etc.) sucked through the suction pipe 400 is reduced. growing. That is, the suction force by the suction pipe 400 is increased. On the contrary, if the area where the hole 522 is opened is increased, the flow rate of the air flowing from the hole 522 is also increased, so that the suction force by the suction pipe 400 is reduced. Usually, the user adjusts the open area of the hole 522 by adjusting the area where the hole 522 is closed by the thumb. In a state where the hole 522 is not covered at all, the shape of the hole 522 is designed so that the suction force by the suction pipe 400 becomes minute or no suction force acts. In this embodiment, although the flow area of the suction pipe 400 is larger than the opening area of the hole 522, the flow resistance of the suction pipe 400 is reduced by making the length of the suction pipe 400 longer than the length of the hole 522. It is larger than the flow path resistance. In this way, when the hole 522 is not covered at all, the suction force by the suction tube 400 can be made minute.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the actuator unit 300 is attached to the joint portion 250 of the nozzle unit 200. Actuator unit 300 is configured to be detachable from joint portion 250.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the joint portion 250 and the actuator unit 300. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross section near the liquid chamber 240 provided in the joint portion 250.

  The drive unit 350 includes a housing 351, a fixed member 353, a piezoelectric element 360, and a movable plate 361. The housing 351 is a cylindrical member. The movable plate 361 includes a piston 362 and a drive side diaphragm 364.

  The piezoelectric element 360 is a stacked piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element 360 is disposed in the housing 351 so that the extending and contracting direction is along the longitudinal direction of the housing 351.

  The fixing member 353 is fixed to one end of the housing 351. The piezoelectric element 360 is fixed to the fixing member 353 with an adhesive.

  The material of the drive side diaphragm 364 is a metal, specifically stainless steel, and more specifically SUS304 or SUS316L. The drive side diaphragm 364 is formed thicker (for example, 300 μm) in order to preload the piezoelectric element 360. Further, since the piezoelectric element 360 is made of metal and is formed thick, it is smoothly curved when pushed by the piston 362. For this reason, the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 can also be smoothly deformed.

  The drive side diaphragm 364 is disposed so as to cover the other end of the housing 351 and is fixed to the housing 351 by welding.

  The piston 362 is fixed to one end of the piezoelectric element 360 with an adhesive, and is disposed so as to contact the drive side diaphragm 364. The piston 362 has a shape in which cylinders having different diameters are stacked as concentric circles. The smaller diameter is in contact with the drive side diaphragm 364. For this reason, the drive side diaphragm 364 is not pushed toward the end, and a large force does not act on the welded portion. The piston 362 and the drive side diaphragm 364 are not fixed by an adhesive or the like but are only in contact with each other.

  A male screw portion 351 a is provided on the outer periphery of the housing 351. The housing 351 is fixed to the joint portion 250 by tightening the male screw portion 351 a to a female screw provided in the joint portion 250. The housing 351 can be removed from the joint portion 250 by loosening the female screw.

  The connecting portion 310 includes a first case 311, a second case 312, a third case 313, a holding member 314, a metal plate 315, a first screw 316, a second screw 317, and a third screw 318. Is provided. Note that the metal plate 315 can also be referred to as the relay substrate 315.

  The first case 311 is fixed to the fixing member 353 by the first screw 316. The second case 312 is fixed to the first case 311 by a second screw 317 and a third screw 318. The two metal plates 315 are inserted (accommodated) in the first case 311.

  The holding member 314 is fixed by being crimped near the end of the actuator cable 31. The third case 313 is a member for connecting the second case 312 and the holding member 314. The third case 313 is fixed to the second case 312 in a state where the portion where the outer diameter of the holding member 314 is expanded is hooked.

  The actuator cable 31 is connected to the two metal plates 315 in a state of being fixed as described above. The metal plate 315 is connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the piezoelectric element 360 by wiring (not shown).

  The piezoelectric element 360 expands and contracts according to a drive signal input via the actuator cable 31, the metal plate 315, and the above wiring. When the piezoelectric element 360 expands and contracts, the piston 362 vibrates in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 360. When the piston 362 vibrates, the drive side diaphragm 364 is deformed following the vibration.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid chamber 240 is formed by covering the recess 244 with the liquid chamber-side diaphragm 260. The recess 244 is a portion that is thin and circularly recessed in the joint portion 250. The liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 is formed thinner than the drive side diaphragm 364 (for example, 50 to 100 μm) so as to be easily deformed according to the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element 360. The liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 has a diameter of 13 to 15 mm, and is fixed to the joint portion 250 by welding. The material of the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 is a metal, specifically stainless steel, and more specifically SUS304 or SUS316L.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 is in contact with the drive side diaphragm 364. For this reason, as described above, when the driving side diaphragm 364 is deformed, the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 is similarly deformed.

  When the drive side diaphragm 364 is deformed, the volume of the liquid chamber 240 changes. Due to this variation, the pressure of the liquid filled in the liquid chamber 240 varies. When the pressure in the liquid chamber 240 decreases, the liquid flows into the liquid chamber 240 from the inlet channel 241. When the pressure in the liquid chamber 240 increases, the liquid flows out from the liquid chamber 240 to the ejection pipe 205. The liquid that has flowed out to the ejection tube 205 is ejected from the tip of the ejection tube 205. Since the pressure in the liquid chamber 240 rises intermittently, the liquid is ejected from the ejection pipe 205 intermittently.

  As described above, the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 and the drive side diaphragm 364 are integrally deformed. That is, the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 and the movable plate 361 are integrally deformed. A reference numeral 460 shown in FIG. 4 indicates a composite diaphragm 460 in which the liquid chamber side diaphragm 260 and the movable plate 361 are deformed integrally as described above. The composite diaphragm 460 can be regarded as one diaphragm.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the blockage elimination processing. In the blockage elimination process, the control device 30 executes the blockage elimination process by executing a program stored in a built-in storage medium. When the signal indicating that the blockage is detected is input from the blockage detection mechanism 56, the control device 30 starts the blockage elimination process. Note that even if a blockage is detected by the blockage detection mechanism 56, the blockage does not necessarily occur in the ejection pipe 205. However, since the blockage is likely to occur in the ejection pipe 205, therefore, in the present embodiment, when the blockage is detected by the blockage detection mechanism 56, the blockage is considered to have occurred in the ejection pipe 205.

  First, the operations of the tube pump 60 and the piezoelectric element 360 are stopped (S610). Subsequently, the blockage elimination operation is executed for a predetermined time (S620). Specifically, the direction of rotation of the tube pump 60 is repeatedly reversed. That is, the rotation for supplying the liquid from the water supply bag 51 to the handpiece 100 (hereinafter, forward rotation) and the rotation in the opposite direction to the normal rotation are repeatedly reversed at a predetermined frequency (for example, once per second). . Thereby, a positive pressure and a negative pressure are repeatedly applied to a predetermined range of liquid. The predetermined range is a range downstream from the tube pump 60 and upstream from the occluding substance. When a positive pressure and a negative pressure are repeatedly applied to a predetermined range of liquid, sticking of the occlusive substance is easily eliminated.

  In addition, the piezoelectric element 360 is driven at a high frequency. In the present embodiment, a drive signal having a frequency 10 times or more that of the ablation mode by liquid ejection, specifically a frequency of 6000 Hz, is used as a drive signal for driving at a high frequency. This drive has two effects. The first is the generation of microbubbles in the liquid chamber 240. Microbubbles are fine bubbles. “Fine” means, for example, a diameter of 50 μm or less. When the microbubbles travel from the liquid chamber 240 through the jet tube 205 and reach the vicinity of the occluding material, at least a part of the occluding material is crushed by the bursting of the microbubbles. By this crushing, sticking of the occluding substance is easily eliminated.

  The second is to vibrate the injection tube 205 at a high frequency. When the ejection tube 205 vibrates at a high frequency, the blocking material also vibrates at a high frequency. As a result, the contact force between the occluding substance and the injection tube 205 is reduced, and the sticking of the occluding substance is easily eliminated.

  When the blockage elimination operation is completed, the rotation of the tube pump 60 is maintained at the normal rotation (S630). In this way, it is expected that the clogging substance is discharged from the nozzle 207 at the tip of the ejection pipe 205 by rotating the tube pump 60 forward after the clogging elimination operation.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the blockage has been resolved (S640). This determination is performed based on a signal from the blockage detection mechanism 56. If the blockage has not been resolved (S640, NO), the process returns to S610. If the blockage is resolved (S640, YES), the blockage elimination process is terminated.

  According to the present embodiment, the blockage of the injection tube 205 can be eliminated by using the tube pump 60 and the piezoelectric element 360 to cause various physical phenomena such as pressure fluctuation of the liquid, generation of bubbles, and vibration of the injection tube. .

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, examples, and modifications of the present specification, and can be implemented with various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in the embodiments described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the effects described above, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. If the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. For example, the following are exemplified.

  In the above embodiment, some or all of the functions and processes realized by software may be realized by hardware. In addition, some or all of the functions and processes realized by hardware may be realized by software. As the hardware, for example, various circuits such as an integrated circuit, a discrete circuit, or a circuit module obtained by combining these circuits can be used.

  The nozzle unit and the actuator unit may be integrally formed. What is integrally configured as described above may be regarded as an actuator unit or a hand piece.

The liquid to be ejected may be pure water or a chemical solution.
You may apply to the liquid ejecting apparatus used for surgical instruments, such as the ultrasonic coagulation incision apparatus using an ultrasonic wave, and an ultrasonic suction apparatus.
The liquid ejecting apparatus may be used other than medical equipment.
For example, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be used in a cleaning apparatus that removes dirt with the ejected liquid, or may be used in a drawing apparatus that draws a line or the like with the ejected liquid.

In the embodiment, the configuration in which the liquid is intermittently ejected is employed, but a configuration having a function of ejecting the liquid continuously may be employed. For example, the structure which can selectively use intermittent injection and continuous injection may be sufficient. In order to perform continuous injection using the hardware configuration of the embodiment, only the tube pump may be driven with the driving of the actuator stopped or reduced. In this configuration, intermittent spraying may be performed for excision and continuous spraying may be performed for cleaning.
Or the structure which can implement only continuous injection may be sufficient. In the case of this configuration, the ablation may be performed by continuous injection.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Liquid injection apparatus, 30 ... Control apparatus, 31 ... Actuator cable, 32 ... Pump cable, 35 ... Foot switch, 40 ... Suction apparatus, 41 ... Suction tube, 50 ... Liquid supply apparatus, 51 ... Water supply bag, 52 ... spike needle, 53a ... first connector, 53b ... second connector, 53c ... third connector, 53d ... fourth connector, 53e ... fifth connector, 54a ... first water supply tube, 54b ... second water supply tube, 54c ... 3rd water supply tube, 54d ... 4th water supply tube, 55 ... Pump tube, 56 ... Blockage detection mechanism, 57 ... Filter, 60 ... Tube pump, 100 ... Handpiece, 200 ... Nozzle unit, 205 ... Injection pipe, 207 ... Nozzle , 210 ... hand piece case, 211 ... recess, 230 ... suction channel part, 240 ... liquid , 241 ... Inlet flow path, 250 ... Joint part, 260 ... Liquid chamber side diaphragm, 300 ... Actuator unit, 310 ... Connecting part, 311 ... First case, 312 ... Second case, 313 ... Third case, 314 ... Holding Member, 315 ... Metal plate, 315 ... Relay board, 316 ... First screw, 317 ... Second screw, 318 ... Third screw, 350 ... Drive part, 351 ... Housing, 351a ... Male screw part, 353 ... Fixing member, 360 ... piezoelectric element, 361 ... movable plate, 362 ... piston, 364 ... drive side diaphragm, 400 ... suction pipe, 410 ... convex part, 460 ... composite diaphragm, 500 ... suction force adjusting mechanism, 522 ... hole

Claims (5)

An injection tube for injecting liquid;
A liquid chamber leading to the jet tube;
When a drive signal is input, a piezoelectric element that changes the volume of the liquid chamber;
A tube pump for supplying liquid to the liquid chamber by forward rotation;
When the injection pipe is not closed, the drive signal of the first frequency is input to the piezoelectric element and the tube pump is rotated forward. When the injection pipe is closed, the first frequency is A control device that inputs the drive signal of the second frequency, which is also a high frequency, to the piezoelectric element and reverses the direction of rotation of the tube pump a plurality of times;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element to which the driving signal having the second frequency is input generates bubbles in the liquid in the liquid chamber. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element to which the driving signal having the second frequency is input vibrates the ejection tube. When a driving signal is input, a piezoelectric element that changes the volume of the liquid chamber that communicates with the ejection tube;
A tube pump that rotates to supply liquid to the liquid chamber;
A program for causing a control device to control
When the injection pipe is not closed, the drive signal of the first frequency is input to the piezoelectric element and the tube pump is rotated forward. When the injection pipe is closed, the first frequency is A program for inputting the drive signal of the second frequency, which is also a high frequency, to the piezoelectric element and inverting the direction of rotation of the tube pump a plurality of times. When a driving signal is input, a piezoelectric element that changes the volume of the liquid chamber that communicates with the ejection tube;
A tube pump that rotates to supply liquid to the liquid chamber;
A control device for controlling
When the injection pipe is not closed, the drive signal of the first frequency is input to the piezoelectric element and the tube pump is rotated forward. When the injection pipe is closed, the first frequency is A control device that inputs the drive signal of the second frequency, which is also a high frequency, to the piezoelectric element and reverses the direction of rotation of the tube pump a plurality of times.

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