JP4895751B2 - Endoscope leakage tester - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope leakage tester for detecting whether or not a pinhole or the like causing a water leakage accident is present on an outer wall portion of an endoscope.

  The outer skin of the insertion part of the endoscope is covered with a flexible or elastic tube-like member, and if it is used in a state where a pinhole or the like is formed, or is cleaned and disinfected, A so-called water leakage accident that leaks into the water occurs and heavy repairs are required. Therefore, an endoscope leakage tester for detecting a pinhole or the like of the exterior part that causes a water leakage accident is used.

The endoscope leakage tester detects the presence or absence of air leaks from the exterior of the endoscope, and prevents the air from flowing into the endoscope from entering the outer wall of the endoscope. With the check valve provided forcibly opened, pressurized air is sent into the endoscope, and it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an air leak in the endoscope from the subsequent pressure change in the endoscope. (For example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-2005-168540, paragraph [0041], FIG.

  When the conventional endoscope leakage tester as described above is used, any part of the exterior portion of the endoscope that has a pinhole or the like can be detected. However, if the check valve to which the endoscope leakage tester is connected is not fully watertight when closed, it cannot be detected and a water leak may occur. There was sex.

  The present invention can detect when the check valve provided on the outer wall portion of the endoscope is incompletely watertight and can prevent the leakage of the endoscope more completely. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscopic leakage tester.

  In order to achieve the above object, the endoscope leakage tester of the present invention is provided with a check valve provided on the outer wall portion of the endoscope so as to prevent gas from flowing into the endoscope from the outside. An endoscope leakage tester that is detachably attached from the outside, and to which a check valve connection base that can be attached to the check valve from the outside with the check valve closed and a check valve connection base are attached A pressurized air supply means for feeding pressurized air into a closed space formed facing the outer surface of the check valve, and a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the space. Then, pressurized air is fed into the space by the pressurized air supply means, and thereafter, the presence or absence of air leak in the check valve is detected from the pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means.

  The check valve connection cap is provided with a forced valve opening position for forcibly opening the check valve. With the check valve forcibly opened, the check valve is supplied by the pressurized air supply means. Then, it is possible to send pressurized air into the endoscope through and then detect the presence or absence of air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope from the pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means.

  A guide groove that engages with an engagement pin provided on the check valve side when being attached to or detached from the check valve is provided in the check valve connection base. A step may be formed between an engagement position for detecting the presence of an air leak and an engagement position for detecting the presence or absence of an air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope.

  According to the present invention, a closed space that is attached to the check valve from the outside in a state in which the check valve provided on the outer wall portion of the endoscope is closed and that faces the outer surface of the check valve. Compressed air is fed into the valve, and the presence or absence of air leak in the check valve can be detected from the pressure change measured after that. If the check valve is not fully closed, it is detected. It is possible to completely prevent the water leakage accident of the endoscope.

  An endoscope leakage tester which is detachably attached from the outside to a check valve provided on an outer wall portion of an endoscope so as to prevent gas from flowing into the endoscope from the outside. In the closed space formed facing the outer surface of the check valve by attaching the check valve connection base and the check valve connection base attached from the outside to the check valve with the check valve closed It has a pressurized air supply means for feeding pressurized air and a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the space, and the pressurized air is fed into the space by the pressurized air supply means, and then The presence or absence of air leak in the check valve is detected from the pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means. In addition, the check valve connection cap is provided with a forced valve opening position for forcibly opening the check valve. With the check valve forcibly opened, the check valve is supplied by the pressurized air supply means. The presence or absence of air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope can also be detected from the pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means after that.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 shows the overall configuration of the endoscope. A bending portion 4 that can be bent by rotating a bending operation knob 3 provided in the operation portion 1 is provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion 2 connected to the operation portion 1. The curved portion 4 is covered with a flexible rubber tube.

  Connected to the distal end of the bending portion 4 is a distal end portion main body 5 in which an observation window or the like is arranged. A light guide connector 7 that is detachably connected to a light source device (also a video processor) (not shown) is attached to the distal end of the flexible connecting tube 6 that extends from the operation unit 1.

  In this endoscope, the partition walls that are partitioned from the outside are all hermetically configured by packing, O-rings, and the like, and the insides are in communication with each other. The light guide connector 7 is provided with a check valve 10 for adjusting the pressure inside the endoscope during sterilization processing using ethylene oxide gas, autoclave, or the like.

  The check valve 10 of this embodiment is in a closed state when it is not operated, and when a valve opening adapter (not shown) is attached during sterilization, the pressure inside the endoscope is higher than the outside. It is open and allows gas to pass from the inside to the outside, and is closed whenever the pressure inside the endoscope is lower than the outside, and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside.

  However, the endoscope leakage tester of the present invention can also be applied to the check valve 10 having a structure that always opens and allows gas to pass from the inside to the outside when the pressure inside the endoscope is higher than the outside. The “valve opening adapter” is attached to the check valve 10 in advance before sterilization in order to reliably return the pressure inside the endoscope to atmospheric pressure after sterilization with ethylene oxide gas or autoclave. It is a known one that is removed after sterilization.

  FIG. 6 shows a check valve 10, which is formed on the outside of a substantially cylindrical valve seat forming member 14 that protrudes outward from the outer wall of the light guide connector 7 that partitions the exterior and interior of the endoscope. In the vicinity of the end, a valve seat 14a having a shape that tapers outward is formed. 13 is an O-ring for sealing.

  On the outer wall surface of the connection tube 11 that is fitted on the outer periphery of the valve seat forming member 14 and fixed by screws, there is an engagement pin 12 for engaging with a guide groove 38 of a check valve connection base 37 described later. It protrudes toward the side.

  The valve body 15 is disposed in the valve seat forming member 14 so as to be movable in the axial direction and rotatable around the axis, and is provided in an O-ring 16 in a circular groove formed in a tapered surface portion facing the valve seat 14a. Is installed.

  Therefore, when the O-ring 16 is pressed against the valve seat 14a, the check valve 10 is closed and the space between the inside and the outside of the endoscope is completely closed. When the O-ring 16 moves away from the valve seat 14a, the inside and the outside of the endoscope communicate with each other through the gap.

  A valve rotation drive piece 39 provided in a valve opening adapter or the like is provided at the outer end portion of the valve body 15 located outside the valve seat 14a as shown in FIG. A drive groove 15a for rotating the valve body 15 around the axis by engaging is formed also as a vent opening opened to the outer surface.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the valve body 15 is urged by the compression coil spring 17 in the direction in which the O-ring 16 is pressed against the valve seat 14 a and the check valve 10 is closed. A drive pin 19 for pushing the valve body 15 up against it and forcibly opening the check valve 10 from the outside is provided on the side surface near the inner end of the valve body 15.

  A spring receiving cylinder 18 that receives one end of the compression coil spring 17 is connected and fixed to the inner end portion of the valve body 15 by a drive pin 19. The spring receiving cylinder 18 is loosely fitted in the valve seat forming member 14, but can be moved forward and backward in the axial direction integrally with the valve body 15, and a plurality of ventilation grooves are formed in the outer peripheral portion in the direction parallel to the axial line. 18a is formed.

  A cam groove 22 for driving the drive pin 19 is formed on the side wall of the cylindrical portion of the valve seat forming member 14. As shown in the developed view of FIG. 8, the cam groove 22 is formed with a chevron cam surface on the lower surface against which the drive pin 19 is pressed by the urging force of the compression coil spring 17.

  The cam groove 22 restricts the movement of the drive pin 19 ″ accompanying the opening / closing operation of the valve body 15 when the valve opening adapter or the like is attached to the check valve 10 and the valve body 15 is rotated by the maximum rotation angle θ. In order to prevent this, it is formed in a shape opened upward from the bottom of the chevron-shaped cam surface, 22a being the open portion.

  The intermediate portion of the cam surface of the chevron of the cam groove 22 pushes up the drive pin 19 ′ that has come to that position against the urging force of the compression coil spring 17 so as to force the valve body 15 to open. To work.

  At the attachment / detachment position where the valve opening adapter or the like is removed from the check valve 10, a pin contact portion 22b that prevents the drive pin 19 from moving to the valve open state and forcibly maintains the closed state is a cam groove. 22 is formed on the upper surface.

  In the check valve 10 configured as described above, the O-ring 16 of the valve body 15 is pressed against the valve seat 14a by the urging force of the compression coil spring 17 when the valve opening adapter or the like is attached. When the pressure outside the endoscope drops more than a certain level from the internal pressure, the valve body 15 is pushed outward by the differential pressure, resulting in a valve open state in which a gap is formed between the valve seat 14a and the O-ring 16. Become.

  Then, at a position where the valve body 15 is rotated from the state to the attachment / detachment position in the direction of removing the valve opening adapter, the drive pin 19 ′ at that position is pushed up by the angled cam surface of the cam groove 22. The O-ring 16 is separated from the valve seat 14a, the check valve 10 is forcibly opened, and a forced open state is established in which the inside and outside of the endoscope communicate with each other.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the leakage tester 30 is connected to the check valve 10.
The leakage tester 30 of this embodiment is provided with a pressurizing pump 31 (pressurized air supply means) for manually pressurizing and sending out air, and a pressurized air passage provided manually near the outlet of the pressurizing pump 31. A pressure release valve 32 that can be opened to the atmosphere, an air chamber 33 through which pressurized air passes, a pressure gauge 34 (pressure measuring means) that measures and displays the atmospheric pressure in the air chamber 33, and an air chamber 33. An inflatable balloon 36 provided in the middle of the connection tube 35 extending from the outlet of the check tube, and a check valve connection cap 37 attached to the tip of the connection tube 35 for connection to the check valve 10. Has been.

  FIG. 2 shows a state where the check valve connection cap 37 is connected to the check valve 10 in order to detect whether or not the check valve 10 has a watertight defect. A check valve connection cap 37 formed in a shape that completely covers the connection cylinder 11 of the check valve 10 includes a guide groove 38 that engages with the engagement pin 12 and a valve that engages with the drive groove 15 a of the valve body 15. An O-ring 40 and the like for sealing a clearance between the rotary drive piece 39 and the outer peripheral surface of the connection cylinder 11 are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a development view of the guide groove 38, in which a linear groove parallel to the axis is formed at the attachment / detachment position of the engagement pin 12, and the circumferential groove is formed in the circumferential direction by the same angle as the maximum rotation angle θ of the cam groove 22 Is formed. However, a step 38a is formed in the guide groove 38 at an angle 3θ / 4 from the attachment / detachment position, and when the engagement pin 12 is guided, the engagement pin 12 collides with the step 38a in the middle thereof, In order to move the mating pin 12 to the far side, it is necessary to once move the check valve connection cap 37 in the axial direction at the position of the step 38a.

  The check valve connection cap 37 is formed with a display of “SCOPE”, which means an endoscope, in a range from a position slightly rotated from the attachment / detachment position to the front of the step 38a along the guide groove 38, At the maximum rotational position (θ), “VALVE” indicating a check valve is displayed.

  FIG. 2 described above shows a state in which the engagement pin 12 is in the “VALVE” position of the maximum rotation position (θ), and the valve body is determined by the positional relationship with the cam groove 22 shown in FIG. 15 is not in the forced open state, but is closed by the urging force of the compression coil spring 17.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 3, when the engagement pin 12 is in the position along the “SCOPE” in the guide groove 38 (forced valve opening position), the positional relationship with the cam groove 22 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 15 is in a forced open state, and pressurized air is sent into the endoscope via the connection tube 35.

Next, the use of the leakage tester 30 of the above embodiment will be described.
When the check valve connection cap 37 of the leakage tester 30 is attached to the check valve 10 and the engaging pin 12 hits the step 38a of the guide groove 38 and cannot be rotated any more, as shown in FIG. The check valve 10 is forcibly opened.

  Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the pressure pump 31 is operated in a state where the pressure release valve 32 is not open to the atmosphere, and pressurized air is sent into the endoscope via the check valve 10. The pressure change measured by the pressure gauge 34 is observed after increasing the pressure in the mirror.

  Then, if there is no air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope, there is no change in the pressure value measured and displayed by the pressure gauge 34, and when the pressure value displayed by the pressure gauge 34 gradually decreases, the exterior part of the endoscope There is an air leak. Therefore, the pressure release valve 32 is once opened to return the internal pressure of the leakage tester 30 to atmospheric pressure, and then the pressure release valve 32 is closed again.

  Next, in FIG. 3, the mounting position of the check valve connection cap 37 with respect to the check valve 10 is shifted in the axial direction and then rotated in the circumferential direction so that the locking pin 12 can pass the step 38a portion. When the combined pin 12 reaches the deepest “VALVE” position of the guide groove 38, the check valve 10 is closed as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, when the pressurization pump 31 is operated and the pressurization air is sent out from the pressurization pump 31 in the state shown in FIG. 1 again, the check valve 10 is in a closed state, and the pressurization air enters the endoscope. Since it is not sent (or hardly sent), the pressurized air is accumulated in the space (closed space) in the leakage tester 30 formed on the outer surface of the check valve 10 and the balloon 36 is inflated, and the pressure gauge 34 Is in a state of measuring and displaying the pressure in the space.

  Then, when a change in pressure measured by the pressure gauge 34 is observed, if there is no air leak in the check valve 10, there is no change in the pressure value measured and displayed by the pressure gauge 34, and the pressure gauge 34 displays. When the pressure value gradually decreases, it can be seen that there is an air leak in the check valve 10 and the pressurized air leaks into the endoscope. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect a watertight failure in the closed state of the check valve 10 that could not be detected in the past, and more reliably prevent an endoscope water leakage accident. Note that the air leak detection operation of the check valve 10 may be performed prior to the air leak detection operation of the exterior part of the endoscope.

  FIGS. 9 and 10 show the cam groove 22 and the guide groove 38 of the second embodiment of the present invention, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The air leak detection operation and the air leak detection operation of the check valve 10 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the check valve 10 is closed at the intermediate position (rotation angle θ / 2) of the cam groove 22, and the step 38a of the guide groove 38 is at the position of the rotation angle θ / 2. The position where the engagement pin 12 collides with is the air leak detection position (“VALVE”) of the check valve 10, and the position where the engagement pin 12 is guided to the innermost part of the guide groove 38 is the exterior of the entire endoscope. Air leak detection position (“SCOPE”).

  As described above, the specific modes of the present invention are various that can change depending on the relationship between the cam groove 22 and the guide groove 38.

1 is an external view of a state in which an endoscope leakage tester according to a first embodiment of the present invention is connected to an endoscope. FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the connection state with the non-return valve at the time of detecting the presence or absence of the air leak of a non-return valve by the endoscope leakage tester of 1st Example of this invention. It is an expanded view of the guide groove of the leakage tester for endoscopes of the 1st Example of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the connection state with the non-return valve at the time of detecting the presence or absence of the air leak of the exterior part of the whole endoscope by the endoscope leakage tester of 1st Example of this invention. 1 is an external view of an endoscope in which the endoscope leakage tester of the present invention is used. It is side surface sectional drawing of the non-return valve in which the leakage tester for endoscopes of the 1st Example of this invention is used. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 6 of the check valve in which the endoscope leakage tester according to the first embodiment of the present invention is used. It is an expanded view of the cam groove of the non-return valve in which the leakage tester for endoscopes of the 1st Example of this invention is used. It is an expanded view of the cam groove of the non-return valve in which the leakage tester for endoscopes of the 2nd Example of this invention is used. It is an expanded view of the guide groove of the leakage tester for endoscopes of the 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Check valve 12 Engagement pin 15 Valve body 22 Cam groove 30 Leakage tester 31 Pressurization pump (pressurization air supply means)
32 Pressure release valve 34 Pressure gauge (pressure measuring means)
37 Check valve connection base 38 Guide groove 38a Step 39 Valve rotation drive piece

Claims (3)

An endoscope leakage tester that is detachably attached from the outside to a check valve provided on the outer wall of the endoscope so as to prevent gas from flowing into the endoscope from the outside,
A check valve connection base that is attached to the check valve from the outside in a state in which the check valve is closed, and the check valve connection base is attached to face the outer surface of the check valve. A pressurized air supply means for feeding the pressurized air into the closed space; and a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the space, and the pressurized air supply means in the space. A leakage tester for an endoscope, wherein pressurized air is fed, and then the presence or absence of air leak in the check valve is detected from a pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means.   The check valve connecting base is provided with a forced valve opening position for forcibly opening the check valve, and the pressurized air supply means in the state where the check valve is forcibly opened The presence or absence of air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope can be detected from pressure change measured by the pressure measuring means after the pressurized air is fed into the endoscope through a check valve. The leakage tester for endoscopes as described.   A guide groove that engages with an engagement pin provided on the check valve side when the check valve is attached to or detached from the check valve is provided in the check valve connection base. The endoscope according to claim 2, wherein a step is formed between an engagement position for detecting the presence or absence of air leak and an engagement position for detecting the presence or absence of air leak in the exterior part of the entire endoscope. Leakage tester.

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