JPH0382437A - Endoscope washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To hold constant the crude liquid concentration in a disinfection solution and maintain the disinfection effect by furnishing a crude liquid tank for disinfection solution besides a cleaning trough and a disinfection solution tank, and therefrom refilling the disinfection solution tank while the solution is controlled by a controlling means. CONSTITUTION:At normal times the cleaning water for endoscope remains a little in a cleaning trough after exhaustion to cause increase in the amount of the disinfection solution. Thus the concentration X% of the increased disinfection solution is sensed by a concentration sensor 14 and a concentration sensing part 19, and also volume calculation is made by a solution level sensor 13 and a volume calculator 17, and the volume Vl obtained and the abovementioned concentration X% are fed to a crude liquid amount calculating part 18 to make calculation of the amount of crude liquid which should give a concentration of 2% in a disinfection solution tank 4 according to the formula G=VX(0.02-X), where G is amount of crude liquid, V is volume is disinfection solution, and X is concentration of disinfection solution X/100. Further, a crude liquid tank is furnished, and the obtained amount of crude liquid G is fed to a valve control part 21. While the amount of crude liquid for refilling the disinfection solution tank is monitored with a rate-of-flow sensor 11, a valve V3 is opened until the crude liquid attains G. Refill of crude liquid is made so that the concentration of the disinfection solution is fixed, and the disinfection effect is maintained uniform at all times.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning system for cleaning an endoscope.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In recent years, endoscopes have been widely used for observing affected areas by inserting an elongated insertion section into body cavities and for performing treatments using treatment instruments.

After the endoscope is used, it is washed with water and 81 poisoned by an endoscope cleaning device. This cleaning device is equipped with a cleaning tank and a disinfectant tank.The endoscope is washed with water in the cleaning tank, and after the water is drained, it is disinfected with a disinfectant solution.After disinfection, the disinfectant solution is stored in the disinfectant tank. It is now being returned to the factory and used for disinfection again.

Disinfectants are used repeatedly in this way, but the water remaining in the cleaning tank during washing enters the disinfectant tank and gradually reduces the concentration of the undiluted solution in the disinfectant tank, so the undiluted solution must be used each time. The problem was that it had to be replenished.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope cleaning device that can maintain the disinfectant effect by keeping the concentration of the stock solution of the disinfectant constant.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The endoscope cleaning device of the present invention includes a cleaning tank for cleaning and disinfecting the endoscope, and a disinfectant solution for disinfecting the endoscope in the cleaning tank. It is equipped with a disinfectant tank for supplying, collecting and storing disinfectant solution, a stock solution tank for storing stock solution of disinfectant to be replenished to the disinfectant tank, and a control means for replenishing stock solution from the stock solution tank to the disinfectant tank. .

In the present invention, the disinfectant solution from the cleaning tank is collected and stored in the disinfectant tank, and the stored disinfectant solution is replenished with the stock solution from the stock solution tank under the control of the control means.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an endoscope cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The endoscope cleaning device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a cleaning tank 3 for cleaning the endoscope II2, and this cleaning tank 3 is connected to a return pipe 6 via a disinfectant tank 4 storing cleaning fluid and a valve 2. connected by. A drain pipe 7, a supply pipe 8, and a transfer pipe 9 are further connected to the disinfectant tank 4.

The drain pipe 7 is designed to discharge the disinfectant from the disinfectant tank 4 via the valve V4, and the supply pipe 8 is connected to the stock solution tank 12 for storing the stock solution of the disinfectant via the flow rate sensor 11 and the valve 3. It is connected to the. Further, the transfer pipe line 9 is connected to the cleaning tank 3 via a valve 1, and is configured to supply disinfectant to the cleaning tank 3.

Further, the disinfectant tank 4 is provided with a liquid level detection sensor 13 and a concentration detection sensor 14.

The liquid level detection sensor 13 is connected to the liquid level detection section 16, and detects the height of the liquid level in the disinfectant tank 4. The liquid level detection unit 16 is connected to the volume calculation unit 17, and the volume 1 of the disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 is calculated based on the input liquid level height. The volume calculation section 17 is the stock solution amount calculation section 18
It is connected to the. This stock solution amount calculation section 18 is connected to the concentration detection sensor 14 and is connected to a concentration detection section 19 that detects the concentration X% of the stock solution in the disinfectant solution.

In the stock solution amount calculation section 18, the concentration X from the concentration detection section 19 is calculated.
A control signal is output to the valve control section 21 so that the percentage becomes 2%. The valve control unit 21 is connected to the valve v3 to adjust the opening degree of the valve v3, and the valve control unit 21 is connected to the valve v3 to adjust the opening degree of the valve v3.
1 detects the amount of stock solution supplied from the stock solution tank 12 to the disinfectant tank 4.

In addition, in this embodiment, the liquid level detection section 16 and the volume calculation section 1
7, the stock solution amount calculation section 18, the concentration detection section 19, and the valve control section 21 constitute a control means.

The operation of the endoscope cleaning device 1 configured as described above will be explained.

The disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 is transferred to the cleaning tank 3 through the valve ■1.
After disinfecting the endoscope 2, it returns to the disinfectant tank 4 via the valve v2. In this case, it is usually a family celebration.
After washing I2 with water and discharging the water, disinfection is performed, but since a small amount of this water inevitably remains in the cleaning tank 3, the amount of disinfectant solution increases.

The increased disinfectant solution has a concentration of X% detected by the concentration detection sensor 14 and the concentration detection unit 19, and
3 and a volume calculation unit 17 perform volume calculation. The volume ■1 calculated by the volume calculation section 17 and the concentration X% detected by the concentration detection section 19 are input to the stock solution amount calculation section 18, and the amount of stock solution that makes the disinfectant tank 4 have a concentration of 2% is calculated. be done.

This calculation is performed using the following formula.

G - Vx (0,02 - The valve controller 21 opens the valve 3 until the amount of the undiluted solution reaches G while monitoring the amount of the undiluted solution supplied to the disinfectant tank 4 using the flow rate sensor 11.

As described above, in this embodiment, the undiluted solution tank 12 is provided, and the undiluted solution is supplied from this tank 12 to the disinfectant tank 4 so as to keep the concentration of the disinfectant constant, so that the disinfection effect of the cleaning device 1 is improved. can always be kept constant.

FIGS. 2 and 3 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a block diagram of the endoscope cleaning device, and FIG. 3 is a timing chart diagram explaining the operation of the valve.

The endoscope cleaning device 23 of this embodiment has a cleaning tank 3, which is connected to a disinfectant tank 4 by a return pipe 6 via a valve V^. Further, the disinfectant tank 4 is connected to a drain pipe 7, a supply pipe 8, and a transfer pipe 9.

The above-mentioned discharge pipe 7 is connected to the tank 4 through which the disinfectant is supplied through the valve ■0.
The disinfectant inside can be discharged, and the supply pipe 8
is connected to the cleaning tank 3 via a valve VC. Furthermore, the replenishment line 8 is connected to the stock solution tank 12 via a valve VB.

The valve opening degrees of the valves V^, VB, VC, and VD are controlled by a valve control section 24 as a control means. A disinfection switch 26 and a recovery switch 27 are connected to the valve control section 24, and input signals from the switches 26 and 27 cause the valve control section 24 to operate as follows: t<tLt7VA, VB,
It is designed to control VC and VD tr.

The operation of the endoscope cleaning device 23 configured as described above will be described next.

When the recovery switch 27 is turned on, the valve control unit 24 opens the valve VA for a time ta as shown in FIG. 3(a). Then, the valve VB is opened for a time tb, as shown in FIG. 2(b). This time tb is based on empirically predicting the amount of remaining water in the cleaning tank 3, and adjusting the disinfectant solution at 15 degrees to 2%.
The time is set in advance to allow the necessary stock solution to be replenished.

By operating these valves VA and VB, the disinfectant solution increased by the amount of remaining water is returned from the cleaning tank 3 to the disinfectant tank 4, and the undiluted solution to make the increased concentration of the disinfectant solution 2% is returned from the undiluted solution tank 12. The disinfectant solution is supplied to the tank 4.

Subsequently, when the disinfection switch 26 is turned on, the valve control section 24 turns on the valve VC as shown in FIG.
is opened for a time tc, and then the valve VD is opened for the time tc (
d), it is opened for a predetermined time flltd. The time td is empirically set based on the amount of remaining water, and approximately the same amount as the amount of remaining water is discharged from the drain pipe 7.

In this embodiment, the valve VB is opened and closed by the valve control section 24 so as to keep the concentration of the disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 constant, so that the disinfecting effect of the disinfectant can be easily kept constant.

Furthermore, since the valve VD discharges the same amount of water as the remaining water, the amount of disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 can be kept approximately constant.

4 to 6 relate to the third embodiment of the present invention, and the fourth embodiment
The figure is a block diagram of an endoscope cleaning device, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an outline of fuzzy inference, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of membership functions.

In this embodiment, the S degree of the disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 is kept constant using fuzzy reasoning.

Before explaining the embodiments, fuzzy inference will be briefly explained. Fuzzy theory was proposed by Professor L.B. Zadeh of the University of California in 1965, and 1
In 974, Mamdani (E, 口, Mam Dani) of the University of London
The possibility of practical use was demonstrated by Professor Dan I), and various implementation means have been proposed since then. Typical examples include: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-192407 describes a train operation control method that reduces the number of notch fluctuations using software inference. JP-A-61-2
No. 0428 describes an analog fuzzy circuit realized by a current circuit. Nikkei Electronics 1
October 3, 988 issue (N.

457) describes a memory-based processor implemented at Hosei University, the University of North Carolina, etc., and a dedicated processor for fuzzy control that writes inference data into an instruction memory by Togai Infralogic.

An overview of fuzzy inference will be explained with reference to FIG. Fuzzy inference is inference using fuzzy rules (fuzzy inference rules) expressed in vague words that humans use in their daily lives. The fuzzy rule is rif A=
BIG and B-NORMAL then
X=SMALL (If A is large and B is normal, make X small). In FIG. 5, A and B are input variables, and X is an output variable. Partial molecule that meets the conditions for the rule to hold if A=BIG and
B-NORMALJ is the antecedent part, and its conclusion part ``X-3
MALLJ is called the consequent. In fuzzy inference, each input variable is converted into a value between O and 1 for calculation, and this conversion is defined by the membership function (antecedent membership function).
It is. Membership functions are defined for each proposition (BIG, NORMAL, SMALL, etc.) handled by fuzzy rules. The degree to which the input variables satisfy each proposition is calculated by referring to the membership function. If there are multiple propositions in the antecedent part, find the minimum value among them. This is called minimum value (MIN) calculation. Next, the membership values for each rule are combined. This is done by comparing the consequents of each rule and taking the maximum value to create a new membership function. This is called maximum value (MAX) calculation. The centroid value of this combined membership function becomes the inference result (output value), and the subsequent υ control is performed based on this.

Although the inference method shown in FIG. 5 is a typical one, several other inference methods have been proposed. Although the explanation will be made according to the inference method shown in FIG. 5, the present invention is also applicable to cases where other inference methods are adopted.

The endoscope cleaning device 31 of this embodiment has a cleaning tank 3,
This cleaning tank 3 is connected to a disinfectant tank 4 by a return line 6 via a valve VC.

A drain pipe 7, a supply pipe 8, and a transfer pipe 9 are connected to the disinfectant tank 4.

The drain pipe 7 is configured to discharge the disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 via a valve VB, and the supply pipe 8 is connected to the stock solution tank 12 via a valve VA.

Furthermore, the transfer pipe line 9 is connected to the cleaning tank 3 via a valve VO.

The disinfectant tank 4 is further provided with a liquid level detection sensor 13, which can detect the level of the disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4. The liquid level detection sensor 13 is connected to a liquid level detection unit 16, and the liquid level detection unit 16 calculates the amount of disinfectant. The liquid level detection unit 16 is connected to a memory 32 that temporarily stores the amount of disinfectant and one input end of a subtractor 33. A memory 32 is connected to the other input terminal of the subtracter 33.
is connected, and the fuzzy inference section 34 is connected to the output end.

The output end of the fuzzy inference section 34 is connected to the valve control section 24, and the valve control section o-/L[24
LtThe valve opening degree of each C/I/7VA, VB, VC, V[l following the above-mentioned pulses 7VA, VB, VC, and VD is set to 1iIIIIII. In addition,
The fuzzy inference section 34 is connected to a warning section 36, and is configured to issue a warning when the liquid level in the disinfectant tank 4 decreases below a certain level.

In this embodiment, the liquid level detection section 16, the valve control section 24, the memory 32, and the subtractors 33 and 7? The easy inference section 34 constitutes a control means.

The operation of the endoscope cleaning device 31 configured for the above purpose will be explained.

When the valve VC is opened and the disinfectant liquid returns to the disinfectant tank 4, the liquid level is detected by the liquid level detection sensor 13, and the amount of the disinfectant liquid is calculated by the liquid level detection section 16. The liquid level detection unit 16 sequentially outputs the amount of disinfectant at predetermined time intervals. The calculated disinfectant temperature 1n-1 is temporarily stored in the memory 32. Next, 1j of the disinfectant liquid output from the liquid level detection unit 16
ln is output to the memory 32 and the subtracter 33. memory 3
2 outputs the already stored gun-1 to the subtractor 33 and stores the quantity fIn. In the subtracter 33, from the quantity 1n @
1Gn-1 is subtracted, and the change in the quality of the disinfectant is 41 n
-J n-1 is input to the fuzzy inference section 34 .

The fuzzy inference section 34 performs inference according to the fuzzy rules shown in FIG. 6, determines the opening degrees of the valves VA and VB, and outputs a control signal to the valve control section 24. The valve control section 24 controls the valve V^ based on the control signal.

■Adjust the valve opening degree in step 8.

Inference in the fuzzy inference section 34 is performed as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6d), the fuzzy rules are determined to adjust the valves VA and VB depending on the magnitude of fill n - fJ n-1 of the disinfectant.

For example, if fill n -J n-1 of the disinfectant is a, the degree to which the proposition of input variable a is satisfied is calculated. That is, the membership function J n −1 of the rules shown in FIGS. 6(a) and (C)! n-1 input @a
The membership values of valve VA and valve VB in are determined respectively.

Membership 11 (jl line part) of rules (a) and (C) obtained in this way is as shown in the same figure (e) for valve VA, and as shown in the same figure (f>) for valve VB. The centroid values of the combined membership functions are output, respectively.The output W1b controls the opening degree of the valve VA, and the output value C controls the opening degree of the valve VB.

Incidentally, when the rules shown in FIG. 6(b) are satisfied, the fuzzy inference section 34 operates the warning section 36 to issue a warning.

In this embodiment, the amount of disinfectant in the disinfectant tank 4 is managed by fuzzy reasoning, and the concentration of the disinfectant is kept constant, so that the disinfecting effect of the disinfectant can be easily maintained.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the concentration of the stock solution of the disinfectant can be kept constant and the disinfectant effect can be easily maintained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an endoscope cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a block diagram of an endoscope cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A block diagram of the cleaning device, Figure 3 is a timing diagram explaining the operation of the valve,
4 to 6 relate to the third embodiment of the present invention, and the fourth embodiment
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an endoscope cleaning device, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an outline of fuzzy inference, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of membership functions. 1... Endoscope cleaning device 2... Endoscope 3... Cleaning tank 4... Disinfectant tank 11... Flow rate sensor 12... Stock solution tank 13... Liquid level detection sensor 14... Concentration detection sensor 6... Liquid level detection section 7... Volume calculation section 8... Stock solution amount calculation section 9... Concentration detection section Fig. 1 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 1 ! n-In-+ "Va"Va NoVrup °v8 Procedural Neho Seisho (self-motivated) January 18, 1990 1. Display of the incident 1999 Patent Application No. 219443 2. Title of the invention Mirror cleaning device 3, relationship with the person making corrections case

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A cleaning tank that cleans and disinfects endoscopes; a disinfectant tank that supplies and collects a disinfectant solution for disinfecting the endoscopes in the cleaning tank and stores it; and the disinfectant solution. An endoscope cleaning device comprising: a stock solution tank for storing a stock solution of disinfectant to be supplied to the tank; and a control means for replenishing the stock solution from the stock solution tank to the disinfectant tank.