JPH0410329B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an endoscope provided with a plurality of channels for performing functions such as air supply, liquid supply, and suction.

[Conventional technology]

In general, the insertion section of an endoscope contains many various types of fibers, such as an optical fiber bundle for observation and an optical fiber bundle for illumination, a tube for a forceps channel that also serves as a suction conduit, and tubes for an air supply channel and a water supply channel. The members are arranged (for example, in JP-A-59-
(See Publication No. 49732). That is, in order to provide various functions to the endoscope, it is necessary to insert various members into the insertion portion of the endoscope.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

If the insertion section of a conventional general endoscope is intended to have various functions, the insertion section tends to have a large diameter because many parts are inserted into the insertion section. The pain was great. On the other hand, in the case of endoscopes used in narrow lumens such as bile ducts and bronchi, the insertion section must be particularly thin, so it has been necessary to take measures such as omitting certain functions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope whose insertion portion can be easily reduced in diameter without losing its various functions. be.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the endoscope of the present invention is provided with a forceps channel in the insertion section, and a plurality of channels each having a different function inside the endoscope body excluding the insertion section. The endoscope body, excluding the insertion portion, is provided with a switchable valve device that selects one of the plurality of channels and connects the selected channel to the forceps channel.

Then, by operating the switching valve device, a plurality of channels that perform different functions are selected and connected to a common forceps channel. In other words,
Multiple functions can be performed by sharing the forceps channel.

〔Example〕

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

1 in FIG. 1 is an endoscope, and this endoscope 1 includes an insertion section 2, an operation section 3, and a light guide cable 4.
The main body of the endoscope is made up of these. Inside the endoscope 1, various ducts (channels) are incorporated as described later. First, an air supply conduit 5 and a liquid supply conduit 6 are inserted across the operating section 3 and the light guide cable 4.
The ends of the air supply pipe 5 and the liquid supply pipe 6 are joined to form an air/liquid supply pipe 7, which is connected to a suction switching valve 21, which will be described later. On the other hand, a connector 9 is provided at the extending end of the light guide cable, and this connector 9 has first and second air supply mouthpieces 10 and 11 communicating with the air supply pipe line 5, and a first and second air supply mouthpiece 10, 11 that communicates with the water supply pipe line 6. Water supply caps 12 that communicate with each other are provided. The first air supply cap 10 is connected to an air pump in the light source device (not shown) when the connector 9 is attached to the light source device (not shown). Further, the second air supply mouthpiece 11 and the water supply mouthpiece 12 are connected to an air supply tube 15 and a liquid supply tube 16 on the side of the liquid supply tank 14, respectively. Furthermore, the suction cap 13 is connected to the suction conduit 1
7, and the other end of the suction conduit 17 is connected to a suction switching valve 21.

On the other hand, a suction conduit 17 is formed inside the insertion section 2, operation section 3, and light guide cable 4, and is also used as a forceps channel 18 on the distal end side. The distal end of the forceps channel 18 opens at the distal end surface of the insertion section 2, and the proximal end of the forceps channel 18 opens to the outside in the operating section 3 to form an insertion port 19. In addition, a forceps plug 20 is detachably attached to the insertion port 19.
is provided.

Furthermore, the forceps channel 18 is connected to the end of the suction conduit 17 that is not on the connector 9 side and to the suction switching valve 21.
connected via. Further, an air/liquid switching valve 22 is inserted between the air supply pipe 5 and the liquid supply pipe 6. These switching valves 21, 2
2 are arranged adjacent to the upper surface of the operating section 3, as shown in FIG.

The suction switching valve 21 is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the outer wall body 3a of the operation section 3
A mounting hole 23 is bored in the mounting hole 23, and a cylinder 24 serving as a valve seat body is fitted into the mounting hole 23. The outer end of the cylinder 24 projects outward from the outer wall 3a, and a collar 25 is formed on the outer periphery of the inner end of the cylinder 24, which corresponds to the inner surface of the outer wall 3a. A mounting ring 26 is screwed onto the outer periphery of the outer end of the cylinder 24, and by sandwiching the outer wall body 3a between the mounting ring 26 and the collar 25, the cylinder 24 is attached and fixed to the outer wall body 3a. A ring packing 27 is fitted between the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 23 and the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder 24 to ensure liquid tightness therebetween.

Further, the suction source side conduit portion 17a of the suction conduit 17 is connected to the inner end of the cylinder 24 via a first connecting pipe 28. Furthermore, cylinder 2
An opening 29 that opens into the cylinder 24 is formed in the side wall of 4, and a distal end side pipe section of the suction pipe 17 is connected to the opening 29 through a second connecting pipe 30. 17b is connected.

A piston 31 for switching control is fitted into the cylinder 24 so as to be movable up and down. A hollow hole 32 is formed in the inner end of the piston 31 along the axial direction of the piston 31.
The upper end opens laterally through an opening 33 provided in the side wall of the midway portion of the piston 31 . This opening 33
protrudes upward from the outer end of the cylinder 24 when the piston 31 is in the standby position as shown in FIG.
When pushed in, the opening 33 is inserted into the cylinder 2.
The opening 29 of No. 4 is arranged to face and communicate with the opening 29 of No. 4.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a starting point 49a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 31 at a position communicating with the opening 29.
There is a groove 49 from the end point 49b to the end point 49b. A communication port 50 is provided in the side wall of the cylinder 24 at a position that communicates with the end point 49b of the groove when the piston 31 is in a standby state. connected.

The mounting ring 26 has a fitting groove 34 formed on its outer peripheral surface, and its protruding outer end including the groove 34 serves as a mounting flange 35. This mounting flange 35 has an abutment member 36
It is designed to be attached and detached at will. Each of the abutment members 36 has an outer cylindrical portion 36a and an inner cylindrical portion 36b made of metal, which are arranged concentrically.
Connecting bottom wall portion 36 between one end of 6a and 36b
The outer cylindrical portion 36
A rubber member 37 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is integrally and continuously connected to a. That is, the rubber member 37 is integrally attached and fixed to the outer cylinder portion 36a of the abutment member 36 by insert molding. moreover,
The mounting flange 35 is attached to one end of the rubber member 37.
An engaging protrusion 38 is formed that tightly fits elastically into the groove 34 of the holder. In addition, the abutment member 3
An abutting portion 39 projecting radially inward is integrally formed at the outer end of the inner cylinder portion 36b of No. 6. The upper end step portion 41 of the piston 31 in the standby position abuts against this abutting portion 39, thereby regulating the position during standby.

On the other hand, the upper end of the piston 31 has a male thread 31.
a is formed, and a connecting pipe 42 is formed on this male thread 31a.
An internal thread 42a formed at one end of the holder is screwed and fixed. Furthermore, an operating button 43 made of relatively hard plastic is fitted onto the outer end of the connecting tube 42. Further, the peripheral edge of the operation button 43 is formed as a falling cylindrical wall portion 44, and this wall portion 44 enters into the rubber member 37 when the piston 31 is pushed in, and the inner edge protrusion 3
It is designed to touch the top surface of 7a.

Further, a piston 3 is provided between the outer end peripheral edge of the connecting pipe 42 and the bottom wall portion 36c of the abutment member 36.
A coil spring 45 as a biasing member is interposed around the coil spring 1 . And the piston 31
is urged outward, and the piston 31 is held at a position where the upper end step portion 41 abuts the abutting portion 39.

In addition, a plurality of leak holes 46 are formed in the wall of the inner cylindrical portion 36b of the abutting member 36, and when the piston 31 is on standby, the openings 46 of the piston 31
It is now connected to 3.

In order to prevent the piston 31 from rotating, the side wall of the cylinder 24 is provided with a guide pin 47 that protrudes from the inner wall surface thereof. A vertical groove 48 is formed along the axial direction, and the guide pin 47 is engaged with this vertical groove 48.

Next, the air/water supply switching valve 22 will be explained. The configuration of this is shown in FIG. That is, the cylinder 51 is composed of a cylinder 51 and a piston 52, and the cylinder 51 has a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape with a lower opening closed by a bottom cover 53. Also,
The upper outer end of the cylinder 51 is connected to the outer wall 3 of the operating section 3.
The cylinder 51 is fitted into a mounting hole 57 drilled in the outer wall 3a, and a mounting ring 58 is screwed into the portion protruding from the mounting hole 57 to the outside to fix the cylinder 51 to the outer wall 3a. There is.
Further, inside the cylinder 51, the open end side is formed as a large diameter cylindrical part 59, and the bottom cover 53 side is formed as a small diameter cylindrical part 60, and a tapered part 61 is formed at the boundary between these parts. Bottom cover 5 of small diameter cylindrical portion 60
An escape groove 62 is formed in the inner circumferential wall near No. 3. The upstream pipe section 6a of the water supply pipe 6 is connected to this portion. Furthermore, the downstream pipe section 6b of the water supply pipe 6 is connected to the small diameter cylinder part 60 above the relief groove 62, and the upstream pipe section 5a of the air supply pipe 5 is connected above this. has been done. In addition, an air supply pipe 5 is provided on the wall of the large diameter cylindrical portion 59.
The downstream pipe section 5b is connected to the downstream pipe section 5b.

The piston 52 is fitted into the cylinder 51 configured in this manner. This piston 52 consists of a first shaft portion 63 with a large diameter corresponding to the large diameter cylindrical portion 59 of the cylinder 51, and a second shaft portion 64 with a small diameter corresponding to the small diameter cylindrical portion 60. A leak hole 65 is formed from the middle of the shaft portion 64 to the entire length on the first shaft portion 63 side. Note that this leak hole 65 is connected to a connecting pipe 68 and an operation button 7, which will be described later.
2 is also formed to open to the outside. Further, a leak hole 6 is provided in the side wall of the second shaft portion 64.
An opening 66 communicating with 5 is formed. Further, a female thread 67 is formed at the outer end of the piston 52, and a male thread 69 formed at the outer periphery of one end of the connecting tube 68 is screwed into this female thread 67. A collar 70 is integrally formed at the other end of the connecting pipe 68.
An operation button 72 made of relatively hard plastic rubber is fitted into the collar 70. In other words,
The periphery of this operation button 72 is a descending cylindrical wall 7.
It is formed as 3.

On the other hand, the mounting ring 58 is attached to the suction switching valve 2.
Just like the attachment ring 26 of No. 1, a groove 74 for fitting is formed on its outer peripheral surface, and its protruding outer end including this groove 74 serves as an attachment flange 75. And this mounting flange 7
A butting member 76 is removably attached to 5. This abutting member 76 is connected to the suction switching valve 21.
It is constructed in exactly the same way as the abutment member 36 of. That is, an outer cylinder part 76a and an inner cylinder part 76b, each made of metal, are arranged concentrically to form a structure.
A and 76b are integrally connected with a bottom wall portion 76c between one end portion thereof. A cylindrical rubber member 77 is connected to the outer cylinder portion 76a. That is, this rubber member 77 is integrally attached and fixed to the outer cylinder portion 76a of the abutting member 76 by insert molding. Furthermore, the rubber member 7
At the lower end of 7 is a groove 74 of the mounting flange 75.
An engaging protrusion 79 is formed which elastically fits tightly into the engaging protrusion 79 . Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower end surface 76d of the inner cylindrical portion 76b of the abutment member 76 is configured to abut the outer end of the first shaft portion 63 of the piston 52 in the standby state of the piston 52 to regulate the position. It's summery.

Further, a coil spring 78, which is exactly the same as the coil spring 45 of the suction switching valve 21, is interposed as a biasing member between the outer end peripheral edge of the connecting pipe 68 and the bottom wall portion 76c of the abutment member 76. The above piston 5
2 is biased outward.

Further, a first mounting groove 82 is formed in the first shaft portion 63 of the piston 52, and a first sealing member 83 as an abutting member formed of an elastic material such as silicone rubber is formed in the first mounting groove 82. is attached.
The first sealing member 83 maintains airtightness of the air passage 84 formed by the large-diameter cylindrical portion 59 of the cylinder 51 and the first shaft portion 63 of the piston 52.

Further, a second mounting groove 85 is formed at the boundary between the first shaft portion 63 and the second shaft portion 64 of the piston 52, and a valve body 86 made of an elastic body is mounted here. . This valve body 86 is connected to the second mounting groove 85.
The flexible portion 88 extends diagonally upward from the base portion 87 and has a tip end contacting the inner circumferential surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 59. The base portion 87 is provided with a slope 89 that comes into close contact with the tapered portion 61 formed at the boundary between the large diameter cylindrical portion 59 and the small diameter cylindrical portion 60 of the cylinder 51 when the piston 52 is pushed in as shown in FIG. Further, the flexible portion 88 is configured to restrict the gas flowing through the air supply path 84 only in the direction of flow, that is, from the lower side to the upper side of the valve body 86.

Further, a third mounting groove 90 is formed at the lower end of the second shaft portion 64 of the piston 52, and a second sealing member 91 is mounted therein. This third
The mounting groove 90 is connected to a pair of side grooves 92, 92 spaced apart in the vertical direction of the second shaft portion 64, and these side grooves 9.
Side grooves 92, 92 formed between 2 and 92
It consists of an intermediate groove 93 that is shallower than the intermediate groove 93. Further, the second sealing member 91 has a pair of protrusions 94, 94 that fit into a pair of side grooves 92, 92 and come into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the small diameter cylindrical portion 60 of the cylinder 51, and a pair of protrusions 94, which correspond to the intermediate groove 93. A communication passage 96 is formed between the thin wall portion 95 and the inner circumferential surface of the small diameter cylindrical portion 60 . This communication path 96 is connected to the piston 5
2 is pushed in as shown in FIG.
It is designed to communicate with Furthermore, the opening 66 of the piston 52 is connected to the air supply pipe in both the standby state where the piston 52 is urged outward as shown in FIG. 4 and the operating state where the piston 52 is pushed in as shown in FIG. It has a width such that it communicates with the upstream pipe section 5a of the channel 5.

Next, the operation of this first embodiment will be explained.

During standby, the suction switching valve 21 is in the state shown in FIG.
is closed by the circumferential surface of the piston 31.
Therefore, the suction conduit 17 is blocked in the middle, and the suction action to the forceps channel 18 side does not work. However, the hollow hole 32 of the piston 31 and the opening 3
3 and the leak hole 46 of the abutment member 36 to communicate with the outside, so that outside air is sucked in. Therefore, when performing a suction operation, place your finger on the operation button 43 and move the piston 31 so that the wall portion 44 is connected to the inner edge protrusion 37a.
Push in until it hits. As a result, the aperture 33 of the piston 31 faces and communicates with the aperture 29 of the cylinder 24, and the suction conduit 17 is opened through this. However, it is blocked from the outside. Therefore, suction is performed through the suction conduit 17 while preventing the suction of outside air.

Next, the operation of the air/liquid switching valve 22 will be explained. First, when the air supply pump is operated in the standby state shown in FIG.
The gas sent to passes through the opening 66 and the leak hole 65, and is released from the leak hole 65 into the atmosphere. At this time, the gas tries to flow from the air supply path 84 to the downstream side pipe section 5b of the air supply pipe 5;
This flow path resistance is smaller and longer than the flow path resistance flowing from the leak hole 65 to the atmosphere, and is greater due to the resistance of the valve body 86, so the flow does not flow to this side. When air is to be supplied into the body cavity, a finger is placed on the operation button 72 to close the open end of the leak hole 65. Then, the gas released from the leak hole 65 flows into the air supply path 84 and the flexible portion 88 of the valve body 86
The downstream side pipe section 5b of the air supply pipe line 5 is elastically deformed.
flows into. Then, it enters the air/liquid feeding pipe line 7,
It flows into the cylinder 24 of the suction switching valve 21, and the groove 4
9 and flows into the opening 29 . Thereafter, it passes through the forceps channel 18 via the suction conduit 17 and flows out from the tip.

On the other hand, when feeding liquid, as shown in FIG.
is pushed against the biasing force of the coil spring 88 until the slope 89 of the valve body 86 comes into contact with the tapered portion 61 of the cylinder 51. Then, the upstream pipe section 5a and the downstream pipe section 5b of the air supply pipe line 5, which had been in communication until then, are cut off by the close contact between the slope 89 and the tapered part 61, so that the air supply is interrupted. Gas discharged from the pump flows into the pressurizing air supply tube 15 and pressurizes the inside of the water supply tank 14. Therefore, water tank 1
Water flows from 4 to the liquid feeding pipe 6. Then, the water flows through the air/liquid feeding pipe 7, flows into the forceps channel 18 via the groove 49, the opening 29, and the suction pipe 17, and flows out from the tip, just like when air is fed. do.

Incidentally, although air and liquid are sent through the suction switching valve 21, when the suction switching valve 21 is on standby, the air and liquid feeding pipe line 7, the groove 49, and the hollow hole 32 are in communication with each other. Air and liquid are supplied. Further, when the suction switching valve is pushed in, the groove 49 is covered with the inner wall of the cylinder 32 and the communication pipe line is cut off, so that the suction action is not affected.

Therefore, in the configuration of this embodiment, each of the air supply, liquid supply, and suction pipes 5, 6, and 17 is connected to the insertion portion 2.
Since the inner part is also used as the forceps channel 18, the diameter of the insertion part 2 can be reduced by the amount occupied by the air supply pipe 5, the liquid supply pipe 6, and the suction pipe 17 inside the insertion part 18.

In addition, automatic air supply, liquid supply, and suction can be performed even with an endoscope that only has a small diameter forceps channel 18.

Furthermore, since the forceps channel 18 has a larger diameter than the conventional air/liquid feeding conduit, a large amount of air/liquid can be fed.

By the way, in the above embodiment, each switching valve 2
Rubber member 3 of abutment members 36 and 76 for both 1 and 22
By removing 7, 77 from the mounting flanges 35, 75 of the mounting rings 26, 58, the pistons 31, 52, coil springs 45, 78, and connecting pipes 42, 68 can be removed together with the abutting members 36, 76. In addition, the connecting pipes 42, 6
8 from the pistons 31, 52 by loosening the screws, each of the above-mentioned members can be separated into individual parts. Therefore, cleaning is easy. In addition, each switching valve 21,
22, connecting pipes 42, 68 and pistons 31, 52
The screw connection method is the opposite of the recommended method, so it is easy to tell the difference when assembling.

In addition, the abutting member 3 at each switching valve 21, 22
The coil springs 6 and 76 (including the rubber members 37 and 77) and the coil springs 45 and 78 have exactly the same configuration and are made common. Therefore, even if it is disassembled and cleaned, there will be no inconvenience caused by reinstalling it by mistake.

Further, the rubber member 37 of the abutting member 36, 76,
77 can be attached and detached from the mounting flanges 35, 75 with a single touch, and the inner surfaces of the engaging edges 38, 79 of the rubber members 37, 77 are tapered, making attachment easy. In addition, the piston 31,
52 and the abutting portions of the abutting members 36 and 76 that abut against each other are both made of metal, so when they abut, a sound of metal hitting each other is heard and a good operational feel can be obtained.

In addition, the abutting members 36, 76 and the piston 31,
52 side, so that when the abutting members 36, 76 are pushed from the side, they do not become eccentric or tilt.

On the other hand, when the piston 31 is pushed halfway during the suction operation, even though the suction conduit 17 is in communication, the leak path is between the cylinder 24 and the piston 3.
When the operation button 43 is pushed all the way in, the tip of the wall 44 of the operation button 43 hits the rubber member 37 of the abutting member 36, and the leak path is completely blocked. For this reason, the amount of suction can be controlled by selecting the amount on the way. Further, the leak passage and the suction pipe 17 are momentarily communicated with each other during the return of the piston 31. Therefore, in the case where the sticky wall or the like is suctioned, even if the endoscope is pulled out as it is, the sticky wall will not be released from the suction port during the return of the piston 31, and the sticky wall will not be damaged.

Note that while operating the suction pump, the piston 31
If the operation part 3 is immersed in a disinfectant solution while the abutting member 36 is attached, the disinfectant solution flows inside the abutment member 36 and can be disinfected.

Further, the outer peripheral portions of the abutment members 36, 76 are covered with rubber members 37, 77, and the operation buttons 43, 76 are covered with rubber members 37, 77.
2 is made of plastic, so the surgeon will not get burned if he or she touches it during high-frequency treatment.

Further, accessories for cleaning pipes such as a cleaning device can be attached to the mounting flanges 35 and 75. When cleaning the pipe, the abutment member 36,
76 etc., the pistons 31 and 52 are connected to the cylinder 2.
Pull out from 4,51.

In the first embodiment, an air/water switching valve 22 is provided between the air supply pipe 5 and the liquid supply pipe 6.
However, if only the air-feeding action is required, only the air-feeding conduit 5 is provided, and if only the liquid-feeding action is required, the air-feeding conduit 5 can be eliminated. Bye. The same can be said about the following examples.

6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention.

The sixth shows the overall schematic configuration of the endoscope 1,
The same parts as in the first embodiment are given the same numbers.

The suction switching valve 21 is constructed as shown in FIG. This suction switching valve 21 is connected to the cylinder 10.
1 and a piston 100, the cylinder 1
01, the air/liquid feeding pipe 7 is connected to the lower end as in the first embodiment, and the suction pipe 17 is connected to the upper end.
It is connected to the suction source side conduit section 17a. Further, a communication hole 102 is provided in the center so as to communicate with the forceps channel 18. Furthermore, the operation part 3 and the cylinder 101 are fixed in the 26th embodiment in the first embodiment.
It is fixed to the outer wall body 3a of the operation section 3 by being sandwiched by a mounting ring 103 that corresponds to the operation section 3.

The piston 100 has a threaded upper end and is screwed to a push-in operation button 104. Further, the part to be fitted into the cylinder 101 has packings such as O-rings attached to the upper end 105 and the lower end 106 of the insertion part. The middle part between the upper end part 105 of the insertion part and the lower end part 106 of the insertion part is
A shaft portion 107 is provided so as to form a space 108 with the inner wall of the cylinder 101 . Further, the piston 100 is provided with a hollow hole 109 corresponding to the first embodiment 32, and the shaft portion 107 is provided with a groove 110.

An abutting member 1 is provided at the upper end of the cylinder 101.
11 is fixed with a screw, and this abutting member 11
The abutting surface of the piston 1 with the cylinder 101 has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the cylinder 101, and regulates the position of the piston 100 in the standby position.

The operation button 104 and the piston 100 are screwed together, and a spring 112 restricts the operation button 104 upward. The pushing position of the operation button 104 is restricted by the upper surface 111 of the abutting member 111.
This is done in a. A butting member 11 is provided on the outside of the abutting member 11.
A gripping portion 112 for gripping 1 is provided.

Next, the air/water supply switching valve 22 shown in FIG. 8 will be explained.

The air/liquid switching valve 22 consists of a cylinder 120 and a piston 121. The cylinder 120 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom.
22 and the cylinder 120 so as to be sandwiched therebetween. An air supply conduit 5 is connected to the lower end of the piston, and an upper portion thereof is connected to a check valve section, which will be described later, and which communicates with an air/liquid supply conduit 7. Further, a liquid feeding pipe line 6 is connected to the upper part thereof.

The piston 121 is inserted into the cylinder 120, and has an upper end portion 123 and a lower end portion 1 of the insertion portion where the piston 121 is inserted into the cylinder 120.
24 is fitted with a packing 128 such as an O-ring. A space 125 is formed between the piston 121 and the inner wall of the cylinder 120 between the upper end 123 and the lower end 124 of the insertion portion. Further, a leak hole 126 is formed in the piston 121 in the axial direction.
The upper end of the piston 121 is connected to the operation button 12.
7 and is fixed with screws. Further, the standby position of the piston 121 is regulated by an abutting member 129 screwed to the mounting ring 122. Further, a spring 130 is interposed at the upper end of the piston 121 to bias the operation button 127 upward during standby. The operation button 127 also has an inner peripheral surface 129a of the abutment member 129 and an outer peripheral surface 127a of the shaft of the operation button 127.
In addition, the push-in position of the operation button 127 is regulated by the abutting member 129.
This is achieved by contact between the upper surface 130 and the lower surface 127b of the operation button 127.

The check valve section includes a check valve cover 131 communicating with the cylinder 120, a check valve 132, and a spring 13.
3. Consists of a check valve cover 134, the check valve 132 is biased by a spring 133, and the check valve cover 13 is always
It is forced to 1. The check valve lid 134 is screwed to the check valve cover 131. Further, the air/liquid feeding conduit 7 is connected to the check valve lid 134 .

Next, the operation of this second embodiment will be explained.

In the suction switching valve 21 in the normal state (standby), air from the air supply pipe 5 tends to flow around the check valve 132 and toward the leak hole 126, but as in the first embodiment, the pipe resistance Flows to the small leak hole 126 side and leaks. The liquid feeding conduit 6 stops up to the space 125. The suction conduit 17 sucks outside air from the hollow hole through the space 108 and the groove 110.

To supply air, press the air/water leak hole 12 with your finger.
6, the air from the air supply pipe 6 passes through the check valve 132 and the air/liquid supply pipe 7 to the cylinder 10.
1 and pass through the communication hole 102 to the forceps channel 1.
8 and is discharged from the tip.

Operation button 1 for air/liquid feeding deeper for liquid feeding
When 27 is pushed in, the air supply pipe 6 is closed, the water supply tank 14 is pressurized as in the first embodiment, and the liquid flows out from the liquid supply pipe 6. At this time, piston 1
21, the liquid supply pipe line 6 communicates with the air/liquid supply pipe line 7, and the liquid is discharged to the tip through the same route as when air is supplied.

When performing suction, press the operation button 104 of the suction switching valve 21.
When the piston 100 is pushed in, the lowermost end of the piston 100 is located at the broken line in FIG. Therefore, it communicates with the suction conduit via the forceps channel 18, the communication hole 102, and the space 108, and suction is performed.

According to this embodiment, the forceps insertion port 19
The present invention can also be applied to the endoscope 1 in which the operation part 3 is located closer to the eyepiece.

9 to 12 show a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration of the endoscope 1, and the same parts as in the first embodiment are given the same numbers.

A switching valve 200 is shown in FIGS. 10-11. This switching valve 200 is an outer wall body 3a of the operating section 3.
is attached to. That is, a mounting hole 23 is bored in the outer wall 3a of the operation section 3, as in the first embodiment. This mounting hole 23 has a cylinder 1.
35 is fitted, and the outer end of this cylinder 135 protrudes from the outer wall 3a. Further, the outer wall body 3 is provided on the inner side of the cylinder 135.
A collar 137 is formed which abuts on the inner surface of a. A mounting ring 136 is screwed onto the outer periphery of the outer end of the cylinder 135. By sandwiching the outer wall 3a between the attachment ring 136 and the collar 137, the cylinder 135 is fixedly attached to the outer wall 3a.

Further, the cylinder 135 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and from the brim 137 toward the cylinder bottom 140, the downstream part 138a of the leak pipe and the upstream pipe of the liquid feeding pipe 6 are arranged in order. road section 6a,
The water supply pipe section 6b, the upstream pipe section 5a and the downstream pipe section 5b of the air supply pipe 5, the leak pipe midstream section 141, and the suction source side pipe section 17 of the suction pipe 17
a, tip side pipe section 17b, downstream pipe section 7b of air/liquid feeding pipe 7, leak pipe upper upstream section 137b
are each connected to the cylinder 135. In addition, the upstream side pipe line part 6a and the downstream side pipe line part 6b of the air supply pipe line 6 are arrange|positioned on the same circumference. and,
A first leak pipe 138 and a second leak pipe 139 of the leak pipes communicate with each other via a relay member 142 . Further, the relay member 142 also communicates with the midstream portion 141 of the leak pipe, and the first leak pipe 138 and the second leak pipe 139 form a leak pipe as a whole.

The air/liquid feeding pipe line 7 includes, at the upstream pipe line section 7a,
It communicates with the downstream side pipe section 6b of the liquid feeding pipe line 6 via the second relay member 143. Further, the relay member 143 is connected to the downstream pipe section 5b of the air supply pipe 5.
It also communicates with

A piston 144 is fitted into the cylinder 135 configured as described above. This piston 14
4, the leak pipe downstream part 138a is in the standby state.
A first shaft portion 146 is formed to form a first space portion 145 that communicates with the shaft. Similarly, the second shaft portion 1 is arranged so as to form a second space 147 that communicates only with the upstream pipe portion 6a of the liquid feeding pipe 6.
48, and similarly the upstream pipe line section 5 of the air supply pipe line 5
a and a third space 1 communicating with the downstream pipe section 5b.
A third shaft portion 150 is formed to form 49. Similarly, the fourth shaft portion 1 is arranged so as to form a fourth space 151 that communicates with the leak pipe midstream portion 141 and the suction source side pipe portion 17a of the suction pipe 17.
52 is formed. Similarly, the fifth shaft portion 154 is configured to form a fifth space 153 that communicates with the distal end side pipe line 17b of the suction line 17 and the downstream side line 7b of the air/liquid feed line 7. It is formed. Further, a leak hole 157 is formed in the piston 144, and the hole extends to the third shaft portion 150. A leak hole 15 is provided in the third shaft portion 150.
8 is formed and communicates with the third space 159. Further, a thread is formed on the inner periphery 155 of the upper end of the piston 144, and the connecting pipe 1
56 and is fixed with screws. This connecting pipe 15
6 also communicates with a leak hole 157, which also communicates with a leak hole portion of an operation button 159, which will be described later, and communicates with the atmosphere. An operation button 159 is fitted onto the upper end surface 156a of the connecting tube 156. Further, the periphery of the operation button 159 is formed as a falling cylindrical wall portion 160.

On the other hand, the mounting ring 136 has a flange 161 as in the first embodiment, and this flange 16
1, an abutment member 162 is detachably attached. This abutting member 162 is integrally formed with the rubber member 163 by insert molding. Further, the upper end portion 163a of the rubber member 163
Similarly, the threaded member 1 is made by insert molding.
64 are integrated. This screw member 164
is screwed to a second locking member 166 for locking the locking member 165. A first elastic member 168 is installed between the locking member 165 and the abutting member 162, and constantly urges the locking member 165 upward. and,
Several through holes 170 are bored in the locking member 165 . Further, a second elastic member 167 is also interposed between the connecting pipe 156 and the abutment member 162, and urges the connecting pipe 156 upward. Further, a leak hole 169 is formed in the abutment member 162 and communicates with the first space 145.

Next, the operation of this third embodiment will be explained.

First, in the standby (normal state) shown in FIG. 10, air flows out from the upstream pipe section 5a of the air supply pipe line 5, flows into the third space 149, and flows into the downstream pipe section 5b. It is divided into a leak hole 157. However, as in the first embodiment, most of the leakage flows toward the leak hole where the resistance of the pipe is low and is dissipated into the atmosphere.

On the other hand, since the upstream side pipe section 6a of the liquid sending pipe line 6 is closed to the second space part 147, water does not come out. In addition, the suction pipe line 17 is connected to the fourth space 151.
The middle part of the leak pipe 141 and the first
Atmospheric air is sucked in through the leak pipe 138, and further through the first space 145 and the leak hole 169. Therefore, in this standby state, the forceps channel 18 hardly performs suction, air supply, or water supply.

Next, the operation when supplying air will be explained.

When supplying air, it is sufficient to close the leak hole of the operation button 159. When the leak hole is blocked, the air that has been supplied until now cannot be released into the atmosphere through the leak hole 157, and flows into the downstream pipe section 5b from the third space 149, and the air and liquid are supplied. It flows into the fifth space 153 via the pipe line 7, and is sucked into the pipe line 1.
The air flows into the distal end side conduit 17b of No. 7, flows into the forceps channel 18 through this conduit, and air can be supplied from the distal end. The water supply and suction pipes 6 and 17 are the same as normal, so there is no change.

Next, the operation during liquid feeding will be explained. The state during this operation is shown in FIG. That is, the piston 144 is pushed one step with a finger. Then, it will become as shown in Fig. 16. At this time, the second elastic member 167 contracts, and the operation button comes into contact with the locking member 165. If an attempt is made to push it further, a force is also required to contract the first elastic member 168, so the pushing force is changed and the end of the first stage is signaled. At this time, since the air supply pipe line 6 in the air/wave transmission system is closed by the piston 144, pressure is applied to the water surface of the water supply tank 14 (Fig. 1) on the connector 9 side, and this pressure causes the liquid supply pipe line to open. 6, flows into the second space 147, flows into the air/liquid feed pipe 7 from the downstream pipe pipe 6b, and flows into the tip side suction pipe 17 via the fifth space 153. The liquid flows into the tube and the liquid is delivered from the tip.

On the other hand, the suction conduit 17 is unchanged from the normal state, and atmospheric air is sucked through the through hole 170 of the locking member 165 through the leak conduit.

Next, the suction operation will be explained. The operating state at this time is as shown in FIG. Push in further with your finger. As a result, both the first elastic member 168 and the second elastic member 167 contract, and the connecting pipe 156 and the abutment member 162 come into contact with each other, thereby defining the pushing position.

The upstream pipe section 5a of the air supply pipe line 5 flows into the downstream pipe parts 5b and 6b via the second space part 147, and then flows into the air/liquid supply pipe line 7 and flows into the fifth space. Part 1
It flows into 53. and second leak pipe 13
9. It flows into the first space 145 through the first leak pipe 138, and the piston 144 and the cylinder 1
35 and through the leak hole 169 drilled in the abutment member 162, the locking member 16
It is released into the atmosphere through the through hole 170 of No. 5.

On the other hand, the liquid does not flow through the liquid feeding pipe line 6 because the upstream side pipe line section 6a is blocked by the piston 144.
In the suction pipe line 17, the suction source side pipe line part 17a is connected to the distal end side pipe line part 17b via the fourth space part 151.
Because it communicates with the tip, suction can be done from the tip.

According to this embodiment, the piston is 1
Since it is a single piece, it can be operated with just one finger. In addition, since the air supply pressure leaks, it can be operated constantly without damaging the air supply source, so when the leak hole is plugged and the air supply state is turned on, air supply starts immediately (air supply responsiveness is good) Enables quick endoscopy work.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, one channel (pipe line) was provided in the insertion section, and multiple types of channels were selectively connected to this channel. Two or more wires may be provided in the section. However,
When there is only one, the diameter of the insertion portion can be made the smallest.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, each function can be performed by arranging forceps channels without arranging channels corresponding to each function in the insertion section. In other words, since it is sufficient to provide the forceps channel in the insertion section, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the insertion section without losing various functions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope in a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a suction switching valve in the same embodiment, and FIG.
A sectional view taken along the line, FIGS. 4 and 5 are side sectional views of the air/water supply switching valve in the first embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the endoscope in the second embodiment. , FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the suction switching valve according to the embodiment, FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the air/water supply switching valve according to the embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope in the third embodiment, and FIGS. 10 to 12 are respectively the third embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the switching valve in the embodiment. 1... Endoscope, 2... Insertion section, 3... Operation section,
5... Pipeline for air supply, 6... Pipeline for liquid supply, 7... Pipeline for air/liquid supply, 17... Pipeline for suction, 18...
Forceps channel, 21... Suction switching valve, 22...
...Air/water supply switching valve, 200...Switching valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A forceps channel is provided in the insertion section, and multiple types of channels each having a different function are provided in the endoscope body, excluding the insertion section, and 1. An endoscope comprising a switchable valve device which selects a seed channel and connects the selected channel to the forceps channel.