JP3306223B2 - Tip of side-viewing type endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a distal end portion of a side view type endoscope in which an observation window is provided on a side surface of a distal end portion main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a distal end portion of a conventional side view type endoscope. An observation window 92 and an illumination window 93 are provided on a side surface of a distal end body 91. A tip case 94 made of plastic is detachably attached so as to cover the outer surface of the tip body 91 except for the observation window 92 and the illumination window 93.

Further, a nozzle 95 for selectively jetting air and water to the surface of the observation window 92 to wash dirt is fixed to the tip main body 91 with the front end facing the surface of the observation window 92. .

[0004]

However, if the nozzle 95 is fixed to the tip main body 91 as described above, it is difficult to clean the inside of the nozzle and the air / water supply passage 96 communicating with the nozzle. In some cases, it is difficult to recover when the air is blocked, and it is not often the case that the inside of the air / water supply passage 96 cannot be sufficiently washed to prevent infection between patients.

[0005] In the case of a forward-looking endoscope, various types of detachable nozzles have been proposed in order to deal with such a problem. However, in the case of a side-view type endoscope, as shown in FIG. 6, since the nozzle 95 is located on the side surface of the distal end portion main body 91, a space for detachably configuring the nozzle 95 is required. Is difficult.

Also, unlike the forward-looking type, the structure is such that only the nozzle 95 protrudes from the distal end body 91, so that the nozzle 95 is less damaged and the nozzle 95 needs to be repaired more in the forward-looking type. Does not occur. Therefore, the above-mentioned problem has been left as it is in the side-viewing type endoscope.

Therefore, if a nozzle is formed in the distal end case 94, the distal end case 94 is removed from the distal end body 91 after use of the endoscope, and the air supply and water supply inside the nozzle on the distal end case 94 side and the distal end body 91 side are performed. The inside of the passage 96 can be easily cleaned.

However, the tip case 94 made of plastic is used.
Even if a nozzle is simply formed, a leak will occur at a communicating portion between the air supply / water supply passage 96 on the distal end portion main body 91 side and the nozzle on the distal end case 94 side.

Therefore, if the tip case 94 is formed of a resilient material such as rubber and the tip case 94 is firmly adhered to the tip body 91, such leakage can be eliminated. .

However, if the distal case 94 has elasticity, the distal case 94 will be deformed when it is attached to the distal end body 91.
It takes a lot of time to install the right.

Accordingly, the present invention makes it possible to easily and reliably clean the inside of the nozzle by removing the tip case from the tip body after using the endoscope, and to easily attach the tip case to the tip body. An object of the present invention is to provide a distal end portion of a side-viewing type endoscope that can be performed.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the distal end of the side-viewing type endoscope according to the present invention is provided with an observation window on a side surface of the distal end body, and at least the observation window portion is provided. Except for the distal case, which covers the outer surface of the distal end main body, is detachably attached to the distal end main body. And a deformation suppressing member provided integrally with the case body so as to suppress deformation of the case body. The observation window communicates with a fluid passage formed in the distal end body. A communication path and a nozzle for sending out a fluid toward the surface of the end case are formed in the end case.

[0013]

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, 2 and 3 are a side sectional view, a plan view and a III-III sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a distal end body made of metal, which is connected to a distal end of a curved portion 2 formed at the distal end of a flexible endoscope insertion portion. Reference numeral 3 denotes a flexible rubber tube that covers the curved portion 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end body 1 is
An observation window 4, an illumination window 5, and a treatment tool outlet 6 are formed on one side of a round bar-shaped material in such a shape that a part of the side is scraped off flat as shown in FIGS. Is provided.

The distal end body 1 is air-tightly covered by a distal end case 30 except for the portions other than the observation window 4, the illumination window 5, and the treatment tool outlet 6 so that the portions other than the portions are not exposed. The front end case 30 is formed in a cap shape whose front end side is closed and whose rear end side is open. The portion where the observation window 4, the illumination window 5, and the treatment tool outlet 6 are located is also shown in FIG. Has an opening 31 formed therein.

The tip case 30 includes a case body 301 made of a resilient material such as fluoro rubber,
It is formed by a case frame 302 arranged on the inner surface side of the case main body 301 so as to suppress the deformation of the case main body 301.

As shown in FIG. 1, the distal case 30 is mainly formed by a case body 301, and the case body 301 is formed only at a portion in contact with the circumferential surface of the distal body 1.
A case frame 302 is arranged on the inner side of the case.

As shown in FIG. 5, the case frame 302 is formed on the ring only in the vicinity of the rear end, and the other portion is open on the side where the observation window 4 and the like are located (the upper surface side in the figure). It is formed in a C shape.

The case frame 302 is made of a metal or plastic which does not have elasticity like rubber but is slightly elastically deformed. The case body 301 is lined or adhered to the outer surface of the case frame 302 so that both are joined. It is configured integrally.

A small-diameter portion 3 having a small inner diameter is provided at a rear end portion of the front end case 30 so as to be engaged with a circumferential groove 7 formed in the front end main body 1 when the front end main body 1 is attached to the front end main body 1.
21 and 322 are the case body 301 and the case frame 3
02 is continuously formed.

The vicinity of the ring-shaped rear end of the case frame 302 does not spread at all as it is,
0 cannot be attached to the distal end body 1, a pair of slits 303 opening rearward are formed on both left and right sides of the case frame 302.

As a result, the tip case 30 is moved to the tip body 1.
When attaching to the distal end case 1
The cap can be put on while pushing and spreading it.

At this time, since the case frame 302 suppresses excessive deformation of the case body 301 and the tip case 30 has only a moderate deformation required for attachment to the tip body 1, the tip case 30 is attached to the tip body 30. 1 can be easily mounted in the correct state.

When the distal case 30 is attached to the distal end body 1, the small diameter portion 32 at the rear end of the distal case 30 is provided.
1 and 322 are engaged with the circumferential groove 7 of the distal end body 1 to prevent them from falling off, and the distal end case 30 is fixed to the distal end body 1 by screws 8 on the distal end side. Reference numeral 33 denotes a counterbore hole formed at the end of the end case 30 for inserting the screw 8.

When the distal case 30 is attached to the distal end body 1, the screw 8 is loosened and the rear end side of the distal case 30 is slid in the opposite direction to the mounting direction while expanding the rear end of the distal case 30. It can be removed from the tip body 1.

A treatment instrument elevating piece 9 which is swung by remote control is accommodated inside the treatment instrument protrusion 6, and a distal end of the treatment instrument insertion channel 11 shown in FIG. Have been. Reference numeral 12 shown in FIG. 3 denotes an operation wire for swinging the treatment instrument raising piece 9.

As shown in FIG. 1, a light distribution lens 13 composed of a concave lens for expanding the illumination light is joined to the illumination window 5, and a light guide fiber bundle 14 for illumination is provided immediately inside. The exit end is located.

A cover lens 15 of the observation optical system is joined to the observation window 4, and a prism 16 for bending the observation optical axis at a right angle is disposed immediately inside the cover lens 15.
Behind the lens 6, an objective lens 18 is arranged in a lens frame 17.

An image receiving surface of a solid-state image pickup device 19 composed of, for example, a charge-coupled device (CCD) is arranged at a position where an object is formed by the objective lens 18.
Extends rearwardly therefrom.

Immediately behind the rear end of the cover lens 15, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a concave groove 22 having a width almost equal to the entire width of the flat portion of the front end body 1 is formed. ,
A fitting piece 35 that is fitted into the concave groove 22 in an airtight manner is protruded downward from the case body 301. The fitting piece 35 also has a function of preventing the tip case 30 from rotating with respect to the tip body 1 by being fitted into the groove 22.

On the vertical wall at the rear end of the concave groove 22 of the front end body 1, the front ends of an air supply passage 25 and a water supply passage 26 are opened.
An air supply pipe 23 and a water supply pipe 24 are connected to the air supply passage 25 and the water supply passage 26 from behind.

The fitting piece 35 of the case body 301
A communication groove 36 is formed in the latter half portion in a horizontally long shape, and both the air supply passage 25 and the water supply passage 26 are open to the communication groove 36.

On the front wall of the fitting piece 35 of the case body 301, a nozzle 37 communicating directly with the communication groove 36 is formed so as to open toward the surface of the cover lens 15. Therefore, air or water sent through the air supply pipe 23 or the water supply pipe 24 is jetted from the communication groove 36 toward the surface of the cover lens 15 via the nozzle 37.

The passage of air and water from the communication groove 36 to the outlet of the nozzle 37 is hermetically sealed with the distal end body 1 by a resilient case body 301. No water leakage occurs.

At the distal end of the side-viewing type endoscope thus formed, after the endoscope inspection is completed, the distal case 30
Can be removed from the distal end body 1. Then, for example, a cleaning brush is directly inserted into each opening of the air supply passage 25 and the water supply passage 26 from which the tip case 30 has been removed to expose the air supply pipe 25, the water supply pipe 24 from the inside of the air supply passage 25 and the water supply passage 26. The inside can be brushed and cleaned.
In addition, the nozzle 37 formed on the side of the detached tip case 30 can be sufficiently cleaned from both the front and back sides.

[0037]

According to the present invention, the tip case detachably provided to the tip end body is formed by the case body made of an elastic material and the deformation suppressing member for suppressing the deformation of the case body. Therefore, when attaching the tip case to the tip body, the deformation suppression member suppresses excessive deformation of the case body, and there is only moderate deformation necessary for the tip case to be attached to the tip body. The tip case can be easily attached to the tip body in a correct state.

Since the nozzle for sending the fluid toward the surface of the observation window is formed on the distal case side, after using the endoscope, the distal case is detached from the distal end body, and the inside of the distal case side nozzle and the distal end portion are removed. The inside of the fluid passage on the main body side can be cleaned sufficiently and very easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front (III-III) sectional view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tip case of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a case body of the tip case of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tip main body 4 Observation window 25 Air supply passage 26 Water supply passage 30 Tip case 36 Communication groove 37 Nozzle 301 Case main body 302 Case frame (deformation suppressing member)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An observation window is provided on a side surface of the distal end main body, and a distal end case covering an outer surface of the distal end main body except at least the observation window portion is detachably provided to the distal end main body. In the distal end portion of the side-viewing type endoscope, the distal end case is provided with a case main body made of a resilient material, and deformation suppression provided integrally with the case main body so as to suppress deformation of the case main body. Formed with members,
A side passage type endoscope, wherein a communication passage for communicating fluid with a fluid passage formed in the distal end portion body and for sending out a fluid toward the surface of the observation window and a nozzle are formed in the distal end case. The tip of the mirror.