JP5404313B2 - Endoscope water supply system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope secondary water supply device that supplies various liquids as secondary water supply to the distal end of an insertion tube of an endoscope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, endoscopes that are inserted into a patient's body cavity to observe and image a target part have an air supply port, a water supply port, and a sub-water supply port at the tip of a long insertion tube that is inserted into the body cavity. Is provided. These air supply ports and water supply ports are used when the patient's lumen is expanded by air supply to secure a visual field, or when the observation performance of the electronic endoscope deteriorates due to contamination of the objective lens surface due to body fluids or bleeding. Is used to restore the field of view by removing dirt on the lens surface and sending air to blow off water droplets on the objective lens surface. It is used to peel off attached dirt and the like from the stomach and intestinal walls, and to wash away bleeding due to endoscopic procedures.

  In addition to the purpose of supplying air and water for the purpose of cleaning the lens and expanding the lumen, water used to clean the stomach and intestinal wall and to wash away bleeding due to endoscopic procedures is called secondary water supply. Water supply is supplied from the auxiliary water supply source provided outside the endoscope to the distal end of the insertion tube of the endoscope. As shown in Patent Document 1, sub-water feeding is controlled by driving a sub-water feeding pump having a foot switch. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a conventional sub-water supply device 100.

  A foot switch 4 is connected to the water feeder main body 1. When the practitioner steps on the foot switch 4, a signal from an on / off switch (not shown) provided in the foot switch 4 is sent to the step detection unit 5 a of the water feeding device body 1. An open collector circuit using a transistor can be used for the depression detection circuit of the depression detector 5a, and the depression amount can be detected as a voltage signal. When the depression detection unit 5a detects the depression of the foot switch 4, the auxiliary water pump 6 is driven by the control of the auxiliary water pump control unit 5b, and the liquid stored in the tank 3 is sucked up via the auxiliary water supply tube 7. The auxiliary water pump 6 sends the liquid sucked from the tank 3 to the endoscope 2 through the auxiliary water supply tube 8. During the operation of the auxiliary water supply pump 6, the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube 8 becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure. Due to this internal pressure, the liquid is pushed out from the distal end 11 of the insertion tube as sub-water supply and ejected through an air / water supply channel provided in the insertion tube of the endoscope 2.

  One end of the auxiliary water supply tube 8 is connected to the auxiliary water supply pump 6, and the other end is connected to a connection portion (not shown) provided on the connector 9 of the endoscope 2. The auxiliary water supply supplied from the connecting portion is guided to the distal end 11 of the insertion tube of the endoscope 2 through the operation portion 10 of the endoscope 2 and the auxiliary water supply channel provided in the insertion tube, and is provided at the distal end 11. It is ejected to the target part from the sub-feed port.

Patent No. 4095374

  However, in the conventional auxiliary water supply device as described above, if the operation of the auxiliary water supply pump is stopped by stopping the stepping of the foot switch, it takes time until the pressure in the auxiliary water supply tube 8 returns to the atmospheric pressure. In this case, water continues to come out from the auxiliary water supply port provided at the tip of the insertion tube of the endoscope, and the water drainage is bad. Therefore, the treatment efficiency may be adversely affected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above. An object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary water supply device that stops water supply from the distal end of an endoscope and at the same time stops driving of an auxiliary water supply pump and has good drainage.

  The auxiliary water supply device of the present invention connects an auxiliary water pump, a tank that stores liquid sucked up by the auxiliary water pump, an auxiliary water channel disposed in an endoscope, and the auxiliary water pump, An auxiliary water supply apparatus comprising: an auxiliary water supply tube that ejects liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply pump from the distal end of an insertion tube of an endoscope through the auxiliary water supply channel; and an operating means that operates the auxiliary water supply pump. The auxiliary water supply tube branches off in the middle, and one end of the branched flow path is opened in the tank or in the atmosphere, and the auxiliary water supply device branches off with a detection unit that detects the operation of the operating means. An electrically driven valve that opens and closes the liquid flow in the middle of the flow path, and when the detection unit detects that the operation means has started to operate, the electrical drive valve closes the liquid flow and the detection unit operates Means When it is detected that stop work, electric driving valve opens the liquid flow.

  Preferably, the auxiliary water supply pump starts water supply after the operation of closing the liquid flow by the electric drive valve and stops water supply before the operation of opening the liquid flow by the electric drive valve. This prevents the liquid sent from the auxiliary water pump from returning to the tank when starting the auxiliary water pump, and ensures a flow path for discharging the liquid in the auxiliary water tube to the tank, and then the auxiliary water pump. Can be stopped, and sub-feed water can be ejected and drained efficiently.

  One end of the branched flow path is inserted into the tank, and the one end faces a space where the liquid in the tank is not stored. Thereby, the liquid remaining in the auxiliary water supply tube can be used again as auxiliary water supply.

  Furthermore, the joint which connects the other end of the branched flow path is provided in the location where the auxiliary water supply tube branches. For this reason, since it becomes possible to replace | exchange partially a subwater supply tube, only the tube of a required part can be replaced | exchanged, and the cost concerning replacement | exchange can be restrained while tube replacement becomes simpler.

  The electrically driven valve includes a solenoid, a shaft, and a shaft receiving member provided at a position facing the shaft, and the flexible tube constituting the branched flow path is provided between the shaft and the shaft receiving member. The shaft is moved to the shaft receiving member side by the electromagnetic force generated by the solenoid to close the branched flow path. Alternatively, the electrically driven valve is a two-way valve, and the two-way valve is closed when the operating means starts operating, and the two-way valve is opened when the operating means stops operating. Further, the operating means may be a foot switch.

  According to the auxiliary water feeding device of the present invention, immediately after the operation of the auxiliary water feeding pump is stopped, the internal pressure of the auxiliary water feeding tube is returned to the atmospheric pressure, and the water drainage at the distal end of the endoscope can be improved. Furthermore, by returning the liquid in the auxiliary water supply tube to the tank, the liquid can be used without being wasted.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the conventional auxiliary water supply apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the auxiliary water supply apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. (A) And (b) is the schematic which shows the structure of the electrically driven valve in one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the state which the electrically driven valve act | operated, (b) The operating state is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the control by the auxiliary water supply apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, with reference to drawings, the auxiliary water supply apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected, when showing the same member over several figures.

  In FIG. 2, the outline of a structure of the auxiliary water supply apparatus 200 in this embodiment is shown. The foot switch 4 functions as an operating means for operating the auxiliary water pump 6. When the practitioner depresses the foot switch 4, the depressing operation is detected by the depressing detection circuit 25 a of the water feeder main body 21. The control circuit 25 controls the operations of the auxiliary water pump 6 and the electric drive valve 30 according to the operation of the foot switch 4. When the foot switch 4 is depressed, the depression detection circuit 25a detects the depression, and in response to the detection of the depression detection circuit 25a, the auxiliary water pump control unit 25b is operated, and under the control of the auxiliary water pump control unit 25b, The auxiliary water pump 6 sucks up the liquid stored from the tank 23 via the auxiliary water supply tube 7 and sends out the sucked liquid to the auxiliary water supply tube 28. At the same time, in conjunction with the detection of the depression detection circuit 25a, the electric drive valve control unit 25c is also operated, and the electric drive valve 30 is closed under the control of the electric drive valve control unit 25c. The return flow path 27 branched from the branch point 29 of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 and returning to the tank 23 is closed by the closing operation of the drive valve 30. In the present embodiment, the return flow path 27 is made of a soft tube such as resin, and the electrically driven valve 30 has an electromagnet, a torque motor, or the like as means for electrically driving the valve. Although there are means such as an electric motor such as a stepping motor and a piezoelectric element, an electromagnetically driven valve is used in this embodiment.

  Since the liquid sent from the sub-water feed pump 6 to the sub-water feed tube 28 travels in the sub-water feed tube 28, the return flow path 27 branched from the sub-water feed tube 28 is blocked by the electrically driven valve 30. The secondary water supply tube connecting portion (not shown) provided in the connector 9 of the endoscope 2 is reached, and proceeds from the auxiliary water supply tube connecting portion to the inside of the endoscope 2. The liquid reaches the distal end 11 of the insertion tube via the operation unit 10 and a secondary water supply channel provided in the insertion tube, and is ejected from a water supply port opened at the distal end 11 to a target site in the body cavity.

  Since the electric drive valve 30 is closed during the operation of the auxiliary water supply pump 6, the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure. As the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 increases, the liquid is ejected toward the distal end 11 of the insertion tube of the endoscope 2.

  Here, the electrically driven valve 30 in the present embodiment will be described. The electric drive valve 30 is electrically connected to the water supply device main body 21, and is closed during the operation of the sub-water supply pump 6 and stopped when the operation of the sub-water supply pump 6 is stopped by the control of the electric drive valve control unit 25c. open. FIG. 3 shows an outline of the structure of the electrically driven valve 30. The electrically driven valve 30 includes a solenoid motor 31. The solenoid converts electromagnetic energy into mechanical linear motion by energizing an AC or DC exciting coil and moving a plunger-type or round bar-type movable iron core. The solenoid includes an AC solenoid and a DC solenoid. The AC solenoid mainly operates with an alternating current (AC) power source, and a movable iron core mainly uses a plunger type. Plunger-type iron cores are made by punching, laminating, and riveting silicon steel plates, and the coils are processed to be suitable for impact resistance, heat resistance, wear resistance, and the like. The DC solenoid is mainly operated by a direct current (DC) power source, and the movable iron core is mainly a round bar. As the magnetic material, a cold rolled steel plate, a free-cutting rod, a round steel, or the like is used for the frame, the movable iron core, or the like.

  When the foot switch 4 is depressed and the auxiliary water pump 6 is started, the shaft 32 is opposed to the shaft 32 by the drive of the solenoid motor 31 constituting a part of the electric drive valve 30 under the control of the electric drive valve control unit 25c. It moves to the shaft receiving member 33 side. Since the tube constituting the return flow path 27 is disposed between the shaft 32 and the shaft receiving member 33, the movement of the shaft 32 sandwiches the shaft 32 and the shaft receiving member 33, and the liquid enters the tank 23 side. It stops flowing. When the practitioner stops stepping on the foot switch 4 and the operation of the auxiliary water pump 6 stops, the operation of the solenoid motor 31 is also stopped by the control of the electric drive valve control unit 25c, and the shaft 32 moves away from the shaft receiving member 33. Move to. Then, the liquid in the auxiliary water supply tube 28 returns to the tank 23 via the return flow path 27. As the liquid is discharged into the tank 23, the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 is also reduced and returned to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, immediately after the operation of the auxiliary water supply pump 6 is stopped, the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 is quickly returned to the atmospheric pressure so that the auxiliary water supply is not continuously sent from the distal end 11 of the insertion tube of the endoscope 2 to improve drainage. be able to.

  Since the shaft 32 is a metal member, the tip of the shaft 32 and the shaft receiving member 33 are covered with a resin material so as not to damage the return flow path 27. The end of the return flow path 27 that returns to the tank 23 is not immersed in the liquid stored in the tank 23 and is open to the atmosphere. As shown in FIG. 3, since the electrically driven valve 30 has a structure sandwiching the return flow path 27, even if the flexible tube constituting the return flow path 27 needs to be replaced due to deterioration with time, the electrically driven valve 30 It is only necessary to replace the soft tube by removing it from the battery, and the electrically driven valve 30 can be used continuously.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of control of the auxiliary water pump 6 and the electric drive valve 30 by the control circuit 25 of the water feeder main body 21. When the power supply of the water feeding device main body 21 is turned on, the control circuit 25 opens the electric drive valve 30 by the electric drive valve control unit 25c (S101). Next, the drive motor of the auxiliary water pump 6 is stopped by the auxiliary water pump control unit 25b (S103). Then, it is determined whether or not the foot switch 4 is depressed in the depression detection unit 25a (S105). When the foot switch 4 is not depressed, the steps S101 and S103 are repeated to maintain the state where the electric drive valve 30 is opened and the state where the drive motor of the auxiliary water pump 6 is stopped. When the practitioner depresses the foot switch 4, the depressing of the foot switch 4 is detected in S <b> 105. First, a current flows through the solenoid motor 31 of the electrically driven valve 30, the shaft 32 moves, and the return flow path 27 is moved. By shutting off, the electrically driven valve 30 is closed (S107). Subsequently, the auxiliary water pump control unit 25b starts the drive motor of the auxiliary water pump 6, sends the liquid stored in the tank 23 to the distal end 11 of the insertion tube of the endoscope 2, and ejects it as auxiliary water.

  While the foot switch 4 is depressed, S105 to S109 are repeated, and the auxiliary water supply continues to be ejected. When the practitioner stops stepping on the foot switch 4, it is determined in S 105 that the foot switch 4 has been turned off, and the process proceeds to S 101, where energization to the solenoid motor 31 is stopped and the shaft 32 is retracted to electrically retract the electrically driven valve 30. Is opened, and then the drive motor of the auxiliary water pump 6 is stopped. When the electric drive valve 30 is opened, the liquid in the return flow path 27 passes through the electric drive valve 30 and is discharged to the tank 23. As the liquid in the return flow path 27 is discharged, the internal pressure of the return flow path 27 decreases until it becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure. Immediately after stopping the foot switch 4 from being depressed in this way, the liquid does not continue to be ejected from the distal end 11 of the insertion tube of the endoscope 2 and can be released to the tank 23. Therefore, the water drainage immediately after water feeding at the distal end 11 is improved. Then, S101 to S105 are repeated until the foot switch 4 is depressed again.

  In FIG. 2, if a joint (not shown) is provided at the branch point 29 of the auxiliary water supply tube 28, even if the flexible tube constituting the return flow path 27 deteriorates due to repeated opening / closing operations by the electrically driven valve 30. Since only the part from the branch point 29 to the tank 23 of the auxiliary water supply tube 28 needs to be exchanged, it becomes unnecessary to exchange the whole auxiliary water supply tube 28, so that the exchange of the tube becomes simpler and the cost for the exchange is reduced. It can also be suppressed.

  Further, as the electrically driven valve 30, a two-way valve is used instead of an electrically driven valve that opens and closes the flow path by sandwiching a soft tube constituting the return flow path 27 by a shaft and a shaft receiving member as shown in FIG. May be adopted. In this case, the return flow path 27 is divided into a part extending from the branch point 29 to the electric drive valve 30 and a part extending from the electric drive valve 30 to the tank 23 to form a divided return flow path 27. By connecting the flexible tube to the outlet and the inlet of the two-way valve, the two-way valve is interposed in the middle of the branched return flow path 27. Then, the two-way valve is closed when the foot switch 4 is depressed, and the two-way valve is opened when the foot switch 4 is not depressed.

  The above is the description of the embodiment of the present invention. In the above description, the auxiliary water supply tube is connected to the connector of the endoscope, but instead, an auxiliary water supply tube connecting portion may be provided and connected to the operation portion of the endoscope.

2 Endoscope 4 Foot switch 6 Sub-feed pump 7, 28 Sub-feed tube 23 Tank 25 Control circuit 25a Depression detection unit 25b Sub-feed pump control unit 25c Electrically driven valve control unit 27 Return flow path 29 Branch point 30 Electrical drive Valve 31 Solenoid motor 32 Shaft 33 Shaft receiving member 100, 200 Sub-water supply device

Claims (5)

A tank for storing liquid;
An auxiliary water pump for sucking up the liquid stored in the tank ;
A drive switch for driving the auxiliary water pump;
The a auxiliary water channels arranged in the endoscope and the auxiliary water pump is connected, the sub liquid delivered from the sub water feed pump through a sub water supply channel is ejected from the distal end of the insertion tube of the endoscope A water supply channel;
One end is connected to the middle part of the auxiliary water supply channel, and the other end is a branched channel disposed in the tank or in the atmosphere ,
An electrically driven valve capable of closing and releasing the closing of the flow path from the auxiliary water supply flow path to the other end of the branch flow path;
Operation control means for controlling the operation of the electric drive valve and the auxiliary water pump;
With
The operation control means includes
When the drive switch is turned on, the sub-water feed pump is driven after closing the flow channel from the sub-water channel to the other end of the branch channel with the electric drive valve,
When the drive switch is turned off, the drive of the sub-water feed pump is stopped after releasing the blockage of the flow channel from the sub-water feed channel to the other end of the branch flow channel by the electric drive valve,
Sub-water supply device. A joint for releasably connecting the branch flow path and the middle part of the sub-water supply flow path
Comprising
The auxiliary water supply device according to claim 1 . Said electric driving valve,
A shaft,
A shaft receiving member provided at a position facing the shaft across the branch channel,
A solenoid that moves the shaft toward the shaft receiving member when energized;
Have
The operation control means includes
When the drive switch is turned on, the solenoid is energized, and the shaft is moved toward the shaft receiving member by the solenoid, so that the branch flow path is elastically deformed between the shaft and the shaft receiving member. By crushing, the flow path from the auxiliary water flow path to the other end of the branch flow path is closed,
When the drive switch is turned off, the energization of the solenoid is interrupted to return the shaft to a position away from the branch flow path, whereby the sub-water feed flow by the shaft and the shaft receiving member is restored. Releasing the blockage of the flow path from the path to the other end of the branch flow path,
The auxiliary water feeding device according to claim 1 or claim 2 . The electrically driven valve is a two-way valve;
The operation control means includes
When the drive switch is turned on, the two-way valve is closed to close the flow path from the auxiliary water flow path to the other end of the branch flow path,
When the drive switch is turned off, by opening the two-way valve, release the blockage of the flow path from the auxiliary water supply flow path to the other end of the branch flow path,
The auxiliary water feeding device according to claim 1 or claim 2 . The driving switch,
A foot switch ,
The auxiliary water feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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