JP3104440B2 - Endoscope pipeline cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for cleaning pipes constituting an air supply passage, a water supply passage, a suction passage and the like in an endoscope after performing an inspection or the like using the endoscope. The present invention relates to an endoscope conduit cleaning device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An endoscope is inserted into a body cavity or the like of a human body and is used for inspection, diagnosis, treatment, and the like. Therefore, the endoscope must be cleaned each time it is used. here,
The endoscope is provided with a passage for supplying a cleaning fluid and a pressurized air as a cleaning fluid in order to clean an observation window or the like provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, and also removes body dirt by suction. There is also provided a suction passage for carrying out. This suction passage may be provided as an independent passage,
In general, from the viewpoint of reducing the diameter of the insertion portion, a treatment tool insertion passage for inserting forceps and other treatment tools is commonly used as a part of the suction passage.

[0003] Regardless of whether the suction passage is used in common with the treatment instrument insertion passage or when an independent passage is provided, the air supply passage, the water supply passage, and the suction passage are provided by a light guide flexible connected to the main body operation section of the endoscope. The light guide flexible portion has a connection portion provided at a distal end of the light guide flexible portion and connected to the light source device, and is detachably connected to a pressurized air supply portion, a cleaning liquid supply portion, and a suction source, respectively. It has become.
Therefore, in order to clean each of these conduits, first, a cleaning liquid supply device is connected to each connection portion, and the cleaning liquid is fed into the conduits, thereby cleaning the conduits. Connect and discharge the cleaning liquid staying in the pipeline.

[0004]

As described above, in the cleaning of the pipeline, the supply of the cleaning liquid and the supply of the pressurized air must be performed, and therefore, the supply path must be switched. Therefore, there is a problem that operability is poor. Since the pipes for air supply and water supply and the pipes for suction must be separately cleaned, the operation of completely cleaning the entire pipe is extremely troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily and smoothly clean a conduit of an endoscope with a simple configuration. .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a closed tank, a cleaning liquid inflow path for supplying a cleaning liquid to the closed tank, a cleaning liquid outflow path for sending out the cleaning liquid from the closed tank, and Each of the air supply paths for supplying pressurized air is connected, and a check valve for allowing the outside air to be sucked and preventing the internal air from flowing out is installed in the closed tank. A valve for opening and closing the flow path and the air supply path, respectively, and joining the cleaning liquid outflow path and the air supply path on the downstream side of the valve mounting position to form a connection path to the pipeline, wherein each of the valves is a valve. By the opening / closing control means, when the cleaning liquid outflow path is in an open state, the cleaning liquid inflow path and the air supply path are closed,
When the cleaning liquid inflow path is opened and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the closed tank, control is performed by using the air pressure that increases in the closed tank to discharge the cleaning liquid remaining in the pipe from the air supply path. It is characterized in that it is configured as described above.

[0007]

The cleaning liquid is supplied into the closed tank, and this cleaning liquid is obtained, for example, from a tap water tap. The pipe is connected to the faucet and the stopper is kept open. However, since a valve is provided in the cleaning liquid inflow path, the supply of the cleaning liquid into the closed tank and the stop of the supply are performed by the valve. Can be controlled. Next, the connection passage is connected to the conduit of the endoscope. Here, as the conduit of the endoscope, a normal air supply passage,
There is a water supply passage and a suction passage. However, the air supply passage and the water supply passage communicate with each other via an air supply / water supply valve. In addition, since the air supply passage and the water supply passage open concentrically at the connection portion of the connection connector portion of the flexible light guide portion, the connection passage is connected to this connection portion. In addition, the suction passage forms a connecting portion that opens at a position different from the connecting portion between the air supply passage and the water supply passage. Therefore,
In the case of cleaning both pipelines, the connecting passage is branched into two, one of which is used as an air / water supply passage, and the other is used as a suction passage. May be connected to the connection of the suction passage. And
The endoscope is placed lower than the closed tank.

In the above state, the pipes are cleaned by controlling the operation of the valves of the cleaning liquid inflow path, the cleaning liquid outflow path, and the air supply path by the valve opening / closing control means.

Now, it is assumed that the liquid level of the closed tank is at a predetermined height. In this state, the cleaning liquid inflow path and the air supply path are closed, and the flow path of the cleaning liquid outflow path is opened.
As a result, the cleaning liquid in the closed tank is sent into the conduit of the endoscope located at a lower position. Since the distal end of the conduit is in an open state, the cleaning liquid supplied to the conduit flows out from the distal end opening, and the inside of the conduit is cleaned during this time. As described above, when the cleaning liquid flows out of the closed tank, the space area in the tank increases,
Since the air is sucked from the outside air through the check valve, the pressure in the closed tank does not decrease. And
When the cleaning of the pipeline performed by supplying the cleaning liquid is completed, the cleaning liquid is replenished into the closed tank by closing the cleaning liquid outflow path and opening the cleaning liquid inflow path. As a result, the liquid level in the tank rises and the space area is narrowed. However, since the tank is sealed and the check valve is not designed to allow air to flow out of the tank toward the outside air, the pressure in the tank increases. Therefore, the air supply path is opened simultaneously with or after the replenishment of the cleaning liquid. As a result, the air pressurized by the rise in the liquid level in the tank is sent from the air supply path to the pipeline, and the cleaning liquid staying in the pipeline can be discharged, thereby completing the cleaning of the pipeline.

The above operation is executed by switching the valve by the valve opening / closing control means. To do this,
For example, these valves are constituted by electromagnetic valves, and the opening and closing of the valves is controlled based on a signal from the valve opening and closing control means. Here, the supply of the cleaning liquid to the pipeline can be performed by time control or flow rate control.

In the case of time control, a timer, a relay circuit and a liquid level sensor are used. This liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level has reached the highest position. In starting the cleaning of the pipeline, a timer is first operated, the cleaning fluid outflow channel is opened for a time set by the timer, and the cleaning fluid is supplied into the pipeline. And
When the set time of the timer elapses, the cleaning liquid outflow path is closed, the flow path of the cleaning liquid inflow path is opened by the relay circuit, and the cleaning liquid is supplied into the closed tank. When this is detected, the cleaning liquid inflow path is closed. The air supply path may be opened simultaneously with the opening of the cleaning liquid inflow path, or the air supply path may be opened after the cleaning liquid inflow path is closed.

On the other hand, in the case of flow rate control, an upper limit liquid level sensor at the highest position and a lower limit liquid level sensor at the lowest position are provided as liquid level sensors for detecting the liquid level inside the closed tank. To Further, when performing this flow rate control, either the cleaning liquid outflow path or the air supply path can be a flow path switching valve that selectively opens. When the upper limit liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is at the rising position, the flow path switching valve opens the cleaning liquid outflow path,
The cleaning liquid inflow path is closed, and when the lower limit liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is at the lowest position, the flow path switching valve opens the air supply path, and the cleaning liquid inflow path is opened. Set so that

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a conduit provided in an endoscope. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope, which is generally constituted by an insertion portion 1a inserted into a body cavity, and a light guide flexible portion 1c connected to a main body operation portion 1b and a light source device. Is done. Typical examples of the conduit provided in the endoscope 1 include an air supply conduit and a water supply conduit, and a suction conduit. In addition, there are also those provided with an auxiliary water supply channel or the like other than these. However, in the following description, the cleaning of the air supply line, the water supply line, and the suction line will be described. However, when other lines such as the auxiliary water supply line are provided, the same method is used for them. Cleaning is performed.

The air supply line and the water supply line are connected to the main body operating section 1b.
Are controlled by an air supply / water supply valve 2 provided in the apparatus, and a suction line is controlled by a suction valve 3. The air supply line and the water supply line are provided as passages constituting these lines. An upstream water supply passage 4, an upstream water supply passage 5, a downstream air supply passage 6, and a downstream water supply passage 7, with the downstream water supply passage 6 and the downstream water supply passage 7 interposed therebetween.
Is a merging passage 8 that merges near the distal end of the insertion portion 1a, and a nozzle 9 that opens toward the observation window is connected to the distal end of the merging passage 8. On the other hand, the suction conduit is also divided into an upstream suction passage 10 and a downstream suction passage 11 with the suction valve 3 interposed therebetween. The downstream suction passage 11 is commonly used as a treatment tool insertion passage for inserting forceps and other treatment tools, and the distal end portion is open to the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

The downstream air supply passage 6, the downstream water supply passage 7 and the downstream suction passage 11 are respectively
c, the connector extends to the connector 1d for connecting to the light source device. In this connector 1d, the downstream suction passage 11 is provided with a suction pump 12a constituting a suction mechanism.
Further, a pipe 13 communicating with the suction tank 12b is a connection portion 11a that is detachably connected. On the other hand, of the downstream air passage 6 and the downstream water passage 7, the downstream water passage 7
Is an inner pipe section 14a of the air / water supply connection section 14 which is concentric with the pressurized air supply path 6b of the downstream air supply path 6 in the connection connector section 1d as described later. A water pipe 16 from a water tank 15 is detachably connected to 14a. The downstream air supply passage 6 branches in the connection connector portion 1d, one of which serves as an air supply passage 6a detachably connected to an air pipe 18 from the air pump 17, and the other serves as a pressurized air supply passage. 6b, which is an outer tube 14b of the air / water connection portion 14. A liquid level pressurizing pipe 19 connected to the water tank 15 is detachably connected to the outer tube 14b. I have. Thus, the connection portion 11a, the air / water connection portion 14, and the air supply passage 6a are connected to the pipe 13,
When the water supply pipe 16 is separated from the liquid level pressurizing pipe 19 and the air supply pipe 18, a mechanism for closing the passage is provided.

The operation control of air supply, water supply and suction is operated by an air supply / water supply valve 2 and a suction valve 3. That is, each of the valves 2 and 3 has a valve body 2a, 3a and a valve body 2a.
a, operation button 2 that is connected to 3a and operated by finger
b, 3b. The operation is normally kept open to the atmosphere. When the operator touches the operation button 2b of the air / water supply valve 2 with a finger, the air supply state is set, and when the operation button 2b is pressed, the water supply state is set. The connection of the passage is switched, and the suction valve 3 can perform a suction operation by pressing the operation button 2b. However, since these components are well known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

The conduit in the endoscope 1 is constructed as described above. However, since the endoscope 1 is inserted into a body cavity of a patient or the like, it is necessary to clean the endoscope 1 each time it is used. It is necessary to thoroughly clean the entire pipeline. Therefore, the configuration of the conduit cleaning device of the endoscope 1 will be described below.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a tank for storing washing water. The tank 20 is screwed to the main body 20a. Lid 20b, and the lid 20b and the main body 2
0a, the inside is sealed by interposing a seal member 20c. Tap water is supplied to the tank 20 from a tap 21 for tap water. For this purpose, a washing water inflow section 22 is provided. The washing water inflow section 22 includes an inflow pipe 23a detachably connected to the faucet 21 and an inflow pipe 23b guided into the tank 20.
And an electromagnetically operated on-off valve 24 for opening and closing between the two inflow pipes 23a and 23b. The tank 20
Is connected to a washing water outlet 25 and an air supply unit 26. The washing water outflow section 25 has an outflow pipe 27 connected to a lower position of the tank 20, and the outflow pipe 27 is connected to a valve unit 28. The air supply section 26 has an air supply pipe 29, which is connected to the lid 20b of the tank 20. When the air on the liquid surface of the tank 20 is pressurized, the air supply pipe 29 The pressurized air is sent to the supply pipe 29.

The valve unit 28 is provided with on-off valves 30 and 31 of electromagnetically operated type. The on-off valve 30 is for opening and closing the washing water outflow passage 32 to which the outflow pipe 27 is connected, and the on-off valve 31 is for opening and closing the air supply passage 33. The washing water outflow passage 32 and the air supply passage 33 join on the way to form a fluid passage 34. The fluid passage 34 is switched by a switching valve 35 between a state connected to the air / water connection passage 36 and a state connected to the suction connection passage 37.

The on-off valves 24, 30 and 31 have the same structure, and specifically have the structure shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, a valve element V faces the valve chamber C, and a return spring R acts on the valve element V, and a plunger P surrounded by a solenoid S is connected to the valve element V.
The valve body V is normally kept in a state in which the pair of ports A and B that open to the valve chamber C do not communicate with each other. When the solenoid S is energized, the valve body V is displaced in a direction against the return spring R. As a result, the ports A and B communicate with each other.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the switching valve 35. A fluid passage 34, an air / water connection passage 36, and a suction connection passage 37 are connected to a valve chamber 35 a of the switching valve 35, and a valve body 38 is provided. Operation rods 38a and 38b are connected to both ends of the valve body 38, and the operation rods 38a and 38b are in a state of protruding outside from the casing. Therefore, when the operation rod 38a is pushed in, the fluid passage 34 is connected to the air / water connection passage 3
6 and the operation rod 38b side is pushed in, the fluid passage 34 communicates with the suction connection passage 37. At each of these positions, in order to position and hold the valve body 38, there are provided click means 39a and 39b comprising a recess formed in the peripheral body on the side of the operation rods 38a and 38b and a click ball engaging with the recess. Have been.

Further, a check valve 40 is provided on the lid 20b of the tank 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the check valve 40 has a holding cylinder 42 attached to an opening 41 formed in the lid 20b, and a cap 4 screwed to the holding cylinder 42.
The cap 43 is provided with an elastic member 45 in a through hole 44 that forms a passage between the tank 20 and the outside, and a part of the elastic member 45 is fixed to the inner surface of the cap 43. When the pressure in the tank 20 is lower than that of the outside, the outside air can be sucked into the tank 20. However, when the tank 20 and the outside have the same pressure or the pressure in the tank 20 is higher, the outside air can be sucked. It is kept out of communication.

Next, the open / close valves 24, 30 and 31 are controlled to be opened / closed by valve open / close control means. This valve opening / closing control means is composed of a timer 46, a relay switch 47 and a liquid level sensor 48, as shown in FIG. The timer 46 controls the operation of the on-off valve 30 of the washing water outlet 25, and the on-off valve 30 is opened for a time set by the timer 46. When the time set by the timer 46 elapses, the relay switch 47 is turned on by a signal from the timer 46, and the on-off valve 31 of the air supply unit 26 and the on-off valve 24 of the washing water inflow unit 23 are turned on. It is designed to open. Further, the liquid level sensor 48
An upper limit liquid level sensor for detecting that the liquid level of the washing water in the tank 20 has risen to a predetermined height position. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a limit switch 48a and a float 48b with a magnet are provided. And the like having a known structure composed of Then, the liquid level sensor 48
Detects that the liquid level in the tank 20 has reached the upper limit position, the on / off valve 24 of the washing water inflow section 22 and the on / off valve 31 of the air supply section 26 are closed. Thus, the pipe cleaning device is provided with an operation switch 49,
When the operation switch 49 is turned on, the operation of the timer 46 starts. However, when the operation switch 49 is turned on, the liquid level in the tank 20 may not be at the upper limit position. In such a state, if the timer 46 is operated immediately and the supply of the cleaning water to the conduit of the endoscope 1 is started, the cleaning water becomes insufficient. Therefore, even if the operation switch 49 is turned on, the liquid level sensor 48
Until the liquid level of the washing water reaches the predetermined upper limit position, the timer 46 does not operate, the opening / closing valve 24 of the washing water inflow section 22 opens, and the washing water flows into the tank 20, and the liquid level sensor 48
When it is detected that the liquid surface has reached the predetermined height position,
This signal is input to the timer 46 as a trigger signal,
The timer 46 starts operating for the first time.

The pipeline cleaning device is configured as described above.
Hereinafter, an operation for cleaning the conduit of the endoscope 1 using the conduit cleaning device will be described. First, the tap water faucet 21 is connected to the inflow pipe 23a of the washing water inflow section 22,
In addition, the air / water connection passage 36 and the suction connection passage 37 are provided on the connection connector 1d of the light guide flexible portion 1c of the endoscope 1 and the air / water connection portion 14 and the connection portion 11a.
Connect to Here, when an opening / closing mechanism is provided in the air / water connection unit 14 and the connection unit 11a, the opening / closing mechanism is opened at the time of connection, and the air supply passage 6a of the downstream air passage 6 is opened.
Hold closed. On the other hand, when a closing mechanism is not provided in each of these connection portions, a closing means is separately attached to the air supply passage 6a.

The supply of the washing water to the conduit of the endoscope 1 is performed based on the level difference between the liquid level of the tank 20 and the endoscope 1. Place it below. In addition, the faucet 21 is kept open so that the washing water can always be supplied into the tank 20. Further, the user selects whether to wash the air / water supply side or the suction side, and switches the switching valve 35 based on the selection. By the way, the air / water supply valve 2 and the suction valve 3
If it is not operated, the washing water cannot reach the upstream air supply passage 4, the upstream water supply passage 5, and the upstream suction passage 10. Therefore, in order to keep the air / water supply valve 2 and the suction valve 3 in the operating state,
The valve operating member 50 is connected to the main body operation unit 1b. As the valve operating member 50, for example, one having a structure as shown in FIG. 7 can be used. That is, a main body cover 51 detachably attached to the main body operation section 1b, and the air / water supply valve 2 and the suction valve 3 provided on the main body cover 51.
And an operating member 52, 53 made of an elastic member such as rubber to maintain the operating state. Suction valve 3
When the operation button 3b is depressed, the operation state is activated. Therefore, the operation part 52 is fixedly provided. The air supply / water supply valve 3 is in the air supply state when the air release port on the upper surface of the operation button 2b is closed, and is in the water supply state when the operation button 2b is pushed in. To be displaceable. For this purpose, a push button 53a is provided on the operating piece 53, and a click mechanism 54 is mounted to lock the push button 53a at the pushed position.

It is assumed that the cleaning of the conduit of the endoscope 1 is performed in the order of the air supply conduit, the water supply conduit, and the suction conduit. First,
To perform the cleaning of the air supply pipe, the operating member 52 of the valve operating member 50 is held at a position where the air is supplied, and the switching valve 35
In a state where the fluid passage 34 is connected to the air / water supply connection passage 36. Then, when the operation switch 49 is turned on,
First, the liquid level sensor 48 detects whether the liquid level in the tank 20 is at the upper limit position. If the upper limit position is not reached, the on-off valve 2
4 opens, and tap water flows into the tank 20. When the liquid level reaches the upper limit position and is detected by the liquid level sensor 48, the on-off valve 24 is closed. In this state or as soon as the liquid level is at the upper limit position from the beginning, the timer 46 is operated to start measuring the time, and based on the operation start signal of the timer 46, the washing water outlet 25 The on-off valve 30 is opened, and the washing water in the tank 20 flows from the outflow pipe 27 to the washing water outflow passage 32 and the fluid passage 3.
4 and the air / water connection passage 36, flow into the downstream air passage 6, pass through the air / water supply valve 2, reach the upstream air passage 4, and reach the merging passage 8. It is discharged to the outside from the nozzle 9 provided at the tip.
Further, the downstream water supply passage 7 constituting the water supply system pipe is also open to the air / water supply connection portion 14.
Is closed at the position of the air / water supply valve 2, and the pressure of the washing water is a relatively low pressure obtained from the energy at the position based on the height difference between the tank 20 and the endoscope 1.
Wash water does not flow into the water supply pipe side. Here, although the tank 20 is sealed, the outside air can be sucked in by the action of the check valve 40. Therefore, even if the liquid level decreases due to the outflow of the washing water, the tank 2 is sucked by the outside air.
The air pressure in 0 does not decrease.

The on-off valve 30 is operated for the time set by the timer 46.
Is open, and during this time, sufficient flushing water is supplied to the air supply line to complete the flushing. Then, when the set time has elapsed, the on-off valve 30 is closed. At the same time, the relay switch 47 operates to open the on-off valve 31 of the air supply unit 26 and open the on-off valve 24 of the washing water inflow unit 22. Thereby, the air supply pipe 29 and the air supply passage 33 are connected to the fluid passage 34 and the air / water connection passage 36.
Will communicate with you. When the washing water is supplied from the washing water inflow portion 22 into the tank 20, the air pressure inside the tank 20 increases as the liquid level of the washing water rises, and the tank 20 is pressurized. Air is supplied to air supply pipe 2
9, the air is supplied from the air / water connection unit 14 to the air supply line through the air supply passage 33, the fluid passage 34, and the air / water connection passage 36 in this order. Here, since the check valve 40 that allows only the suction of the outside air is interposed between the tank 20 and the outside air, the air does not flow out from the tank 20 side to the outside. Therefore, the air in the tank 20 pressurized as the liquid level of the washing water rises is smoothly and surely sent to the air supply line of the endoscope 1 so that the washing water staying inside is pushed out from the nozzle 9. And discharged. Then, when the liquid level reaches the upper limit position, it is
At 8, the on-off valves 24 and 31 are closed, thereby completing the cleaning of the air supply line.

When the cleaning of the air supply line is completed, the operation button 53a of the valve operating member 50 is pushed in, the air supply / water supply valve 2 is switched to the water supply state, and the operation switch 49 is activated again.
Is turned on, cleaning of the water supply pipeline is performed by the same operation as described above. Furthermore, when the cleaning of the water supply pipeline is completed,
By switching the switching valve 35 to switch the fluid passage 34 to a state communicating with the connection passage 37 for suction, and repeating the same operation, the suction conduit composed of the downstream suction passage 11 and the upstream suction passage 10 can also be cleaned. In this way, all the conduits of the endoscope 1 are completely washed, and the washing water after the washing is discharged.

In the above description, the cleaning operation of the air supply line, the water supply line, and the suction line is switched by manual operation. However, the cleaning of each of these lines is automatically switched. For example, by simply connecting the air / water connection passage 36 and the suction connection passage 37 to the endoscope 1 and operating the operation switch 49, all the pipes are automatically cleaned. In order to supply air at a higher pressure when supplying air, instead of opening the on-off valve 31 of the air supply unit 26 immediately after the cleaning water outflow unit 25 is closed, the air is supplied to the tank 20. What is necessary is just to set so that it may open after the washing water is completely replenished.

In the above-described embodiment, the supply of the cleaning water is performed by controlling the time. However, the supply of the cleaning water may be controlled by controlling the flow rate. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, as the liquid level sensor 60, an upper limit liquid level sensor 60a for detecting the upper limit liquid level position,
A lower limit liquid level sensor 60b for detecting the lower limit liquid level position is provided. The washing water outflow passage 32 and the air supply passage 33 are
Opening / closing control may be performed by the opening / closing valves 30 and 31, respectively, but it is also possible to provide a flow path switching valve 61 for selectively communicating these with the fluid passage 34. As shown in FIG. 9, the flow path switching valve 61
Wash water outflow passage 32, air supply passage 33, and fluid passage 3
A valve body 63 that switches between a state in which the fluid outflow path 27 communicates with the cleaning water outflow path 32 and a state in which the air supply pipe 29 communicates with the air supply path 33 is provided in the valve chamber 62 in which the 4 opens. The valve body 63 is normally urged by a return spring 64 so that the air supply pipe 29 communicates with the air supply passage 33, and is connected to a plunger 66 surrounded by a solenoid 65. When electricity is supplied to the fluid, the fluid outflow passage 27 and the washing water outflow passage 3
It is configured to switch to a state in which communication is established between the two.

With this configuration, the upper limit liquid level sensor 6
When 0a detects that the liquid level is at the upper limit position,
The opening / closing valve 24 of the washing water inflow portion 22 is closed, and the flow passage switching valve 61 connects the fluid outflow passage 27 to the washing water outflow passage 32 by the passage switching valve 61. When the lower limit liquid level sensor 60b detects that the liquid level of the cleaning water has dropped to the lower limit position, the air supply pipe 29 is switched to a state of being connected to the air supply passage 33, and the cleaning water inflow section is connected. 22 open / close valves 24
Is opened, and the washing water is supplied into the tank 20. Here, once the flow path switching valve 61 is switched to a state in which the air supply passage 33 is connected to the fluid passage 34, the washing water in the tank 20 is detected by the upper limit liquid level sensor 60a with the operation switch 49 turned on. Unless it is detected that the liquid level has risen to the upper limit position, it is necessary to set so that the washing water outflow passage 32 is not switched to the state of being connected to the fluid passage 34.

In each of the above-described embodiments, in order to be able to clean the pipeline for air / water supply and the pipeline for suction,
Although the switching valve 35 is configured to be provided, for example, when cleaning only the air / water supply pipeline or only the suction pipeline, the configuration is such that these pipelines are directly connected to the fluid passages. Just do it. Also, as the washing water, the tap water obtained from the faucet was used, but in addition to this,
You may make it supply with a supply apparatus, such as a disinfecting liquid.

[0033]

As described above, the present invention provides a cleaning liquid inflow path for supplying a cleaning liquid, a cleaning liquid outflow path for supplying a cleaning liquid, and an air supply path for supplying pressurized air to a closed tank for storing the cleaning liquid. And a check valve for preventing the air from flowing out is installed in the closed tank.
A valve is provided in each of the cleaning liquid outflow path and the air supply path, and the cleaning liquid outflow path and the air supply path are merged on the downstream side of the valve mounting position to form a connection path to a pipe, and each of these on-off valves When the cleaning liquid outflow path is open by the valve opening / closing control means, the cleaning liquid inflow path and the air supply path are closed, and when the cleaning liquid inflow path is opened to supply the cleaning liquid into the closed tank, Utilizing the increased air pressure in the tank, the cleaning liquid remaining in the pipe is controlled to be discharged from the air supply path, so that the cleaning liquid is supplied into the pipe and the cleaning is performed. The operation up to the removal of the cleaning liquid remaining in the pipeline can be continuously performed, and there is no need to provide a means for pumping the cleaning liquid or air, so that the structure of the cleaning apparatus can be significantly simplified. Play.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conduit of an endoscope.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of an endoscope duct cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of an on-off valve.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a switching valve.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a configuration of a check valve.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a valve opening / closing control unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a valve operating unit.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a configuration of an endoscope duct cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a flow path switching valve.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 endoscope 2 air supply / water supply valve 3 suction valve 4 upstream side air supply passage 5 upstream side water supply passage 6 downstream side air supply passage 7 downstream side water supply passage 10 upstream side suction passage 11 downstream side suction passage 11a connection part 14 air supply Water supply connection unit 20 Tank 21 Faucet 22 Wash water inflow unit 24, 30, 31 Open / close valve 25 Wash water outflow unit 26 Air supply unit 32 Wash water outflow passage 33 Air supply passage 34 Fluid passage 35 Red light valve 40 Check valve 46 Timer 47 relay switch 48,60 liquid level sensor 50 valve operating member 61 flow path switching valve

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-59-69015 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 1/00-1/32 G02B 23 / twenty four

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning device provided in an endoscope for cleaning pipes such as an air supply pipe, a water supply pipe, and a suction pipe, comprising a sealed tank, and a cleaning liquid inflow path for supplying a cleaning liquid to the closed tank. A check valve for connecting the cleaning liquid outflow path for sending out the cleaning liquid from the closed tank and the air supply path for supplying pressurized air and allowing a suction of outside air into the closed tank to prevent internal air leakage is provided. A valve is provided for opening and closing the cleaning liquid inflow path, the cleaning liquid outflow path, and the air supply path, respectively, and is joined downstream of the valve mounting position of the cleaning liquid outflow path and the air supply path to form a connection passage to the pipe line. Forming each of the valves, by the valve opening / closing control means, when the cleaning liquid outflow path is in an open state, the cleaning liquid inflow path and the air supply path are closed, and the cleaning liquid inflow path is opened,
When replenishing the cleaning liquid into the closed tank, the air pressure increasing in the closed tank is used to control the discharge of the cleaning liquid remaining in the pipe from the air supply path. Endoscope pipeline cleaning device. 2. The valve according to claim 1, wherein each of the valves comprises an on-off valve of an electromagnetic on-off type. After the time set by the timer elapses and the cleaning liquid outflow path is closed, a relay means controlled to open and close the air supply path and the cleaning liquid inflow path open / close valve;
2. A liquid level sensor for detecting that the liquid level in the closed tank has reached a predetermined height position, and controlling to close the on-off valve of the cleaning liquid inflow path. An endoscope pipeline cleaning device as described in the above. 3. Each of the valves is not provided with an electromagnetically operated flow path switching valve for switching a flow path in a cleaning liquid outflow path and an air supply path, and is also constituted by an electromagnetic opening and closing valve of a cleaning liquid inflow path. In order to control the opening / closing operation of each of these solenoid valves, the valve opening / closing control means includes a pair of liquid level sensors for detecting an upper limit liquid level position and a lower limit liquid level position of the closed tank, and the cleaning liquid outflow path is opened. Then, by supplying the cleaning liquid to the conduit of the endoscope, when the lower limit liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level of the closed tank has reached the lower limit liquid level, the cleaning liquid outflow path is closed and the cleaning liquid flows in. Open the on-off valve of the channel, supply the cleaning liquid to the closed tank, open the air supply path, and when the upper limit liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level of the cleaning liquid has reached the upper limit liquid level position. , Based on the detection signal, the washing liquid inflow path 2. An endoscope conduit cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-off valve is closed and the cleaning liquid outflow passage is opened. 4. The connection passage is branched into an air supply / water supply passage portion communicating with an air supply tube and a water supply tube of an endoscope, and a suction passage portion communicating with a suction passage, and these two passage portions are switched. 4. The apparatus for cleaning a conduit of an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the valve can be opened and closed by a valve. 5. The endoscope is removably mounted with valve operating means for holding an air supply / water supply valve and a suction valve provided in a main body operation unit thereof, and an operation unit of the air supply / water supply valve is provided. 5. An air supply state or a water supply state.
The pipe washing device for an endoscope according to any one of the above.