JPH0416168B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an endoscope device having a function of suctioning air, mucus, etc. within a body cavity.

Generally, an endoscope is provided with a suction conduit for suctioning and removing air, mucus, and the like within a body cavity. By the way, when a suction operation is performed during an examination, the tip of the insertion section often comes into close contact with or extremely close to the inner wall of the body cavity, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. If you inhale under these conditions,
The body cavity wall is damaged and dangerous. However, since the field of view is usually observed as a red dot, suction can be stopped immediately. However, when a gastric juice lake is removed by suction, the tip is originally immersed in the gastric juice lake, and as a result, suction is performed without securing a visual field, making it impossible to detect the above-mentioned abnormality.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a polyp removed by polypectomy is pulled out and recovered while being suctioned with an endoscope.
Polyps may fall out during the removal process. In this case, it is necessary to insert and retrieve the endoscope again, which places a heavy burden on the subject.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The purpose is to provide a safe endoscope device that does not injure the body cavity wall by suctioning it, and does not drop foreign objects to be recovered during the process.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment, in which reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope consisting of an operating section 2, an insertion section 3, and a guide cord 4. As shown in FIG. A hood portion 5 is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 3, and an observation objective lens 7 is provided on a distal end surface 6 facing the inside of the hood portion 5. The objective lens 7 is optically connected to an eyepiece 9 of the operating section 2 via an image guide 8. Further, a suction conduit 11 is formed inside the insertion section 3, operation section 2, and guide cord 4 of the endoscope 1 over the entire length thereof. The distal end of the suction conduit 11 opens into the distal end surface 6 to form a suction port 12 . Furthermore, the suction pipe 1
1 is a suction pump 1 installed in the light source device 13 when the guide cord 4 is connected to the light source device 13.
It is now connected to 4. Further, the operating section 2 is provided with an electric push button switch 15, and the push button switch 15 is connected to the suction pump 14 through a lead wire 16 inserted through the operating section 2 and the guide cord 4. Then, by operating the push button switch 15, the suction pump 14 is activated by the signal, and the suction conduit 1
It is designed to be sucked through 1. On the other hand, an air passage 17 as a sensitive part is formed inside the operating part 2 and the insertion part 3.
One end of this ventilation path 17 is connected to the distal end surface 6 of the insertion section 3.
The air passage 17 is opened to the inside of the hood part 5, and the other end of the air passage 17 is opened to the outside of the operation part 2.
Further, in the operation section 2, a sounding body 18 is provided in the middle of the ventilation path 17 as a notification means that generates a sound by air sucked from the outside of the operation section 2. This sounding body 18 is composed of a bowl-shaped rubber elastic body 21 that elastically adheres to the inner surface of the ventilation chamber 19.
It has a function as a check valve that prevents flow from the insertion portion 3 side. When viewed as a check valve, the forward flow path resistance is relatively large, and while it resonates and makes noise when a relatively large amount of air flows, it does not make any sound when a relatively small amount of air flows. ing.

Therefore, when the suction pump 14 is activated by operating the push button switch 15 after inserting the insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1 into the body cavity, the suction conduit 11
suction of air and fluids from the body cavity through the During this normal suction, the sounding body 18 is in close contact with the inner wall of the ventilation chamber 19 to prevent the air inside the body cavity from leaking out through the ventilation path 17. The same applies when not suctioning. However, if the tip of the hood part 5 comes into close contact with the inner surface of the body cavity and adsorbs the wall 22, a large negative pressure will be created in the inner space of the hood part 5.
Therefore, a relatively large amount of air flows through the ventilation path 17, and the sounding body 18 oscillates and makes a sound to inform the operator that the suction state is present. Therefore, the operator removes his finger from the push button switch 15 and presses the suction pump 14.
stop working. In this embodiment, the sounding body 18 serves as a safety valve. In other words, as the above-mentioned adsorption becomes stronger and the negative pressure state increases, the amount of suction from the outside is increased to prevent the pressure from becoming extremely negative. Furthermore, the endoscope 1 generally has an air and water supply function in addition to the above-mentioned suction function. The amount of air supplied is set to be smaller than the amount of suction. Furthermore, the ventilation path 17
Also, as the sounding body 18, a part having another function may be used. For example, the air passage 17 also serves as the air passage that performs the air and water supply function, and the sounding body 18 is an air and water supply switching valve (for example, JP-A-57
-See Publication No. 110228. ) may also be used as a check valve.

On the other hand, the sounding body 18 of the above embodiment may be replaced with one shown in FIG. 2 or 3. The one shown in FIG. 2 has a shape in which two thin rubber plates 23, 23 are stacked on top of each other and their edges on both sides are glued together. This also functions as a check valve, and when the flow rate exceeds a certain level, it resonates and makes a sound.

In addition, the one shown in FIG. 3 has two disc-shaped sounding plates 26, 26 with a small hole 25 in the center installed inside the ventilation chamber 24, and when the flow rate exceeds a certain level, a sound is generated. issue. Further, a check valve 27 is provided at the inlet portion of the ventilation chamber 24 .

As the sounding body 18, a reed of a wind instrument or the like may be used, and in short, any sounding body 18 may be used as long as it produces sound as long as air flows through it.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 uses an air supply pipe 28 as a ventilation path as a sensitive part, and uses a valve body 31 in an air supply switching valve 29 as a sounding body. That is, the distal end of the air supply conduit 28 opens at the distal end surface 6 of the insertion section 3, and the base end opens at the air supply pump 32 provided in the light source device 13.
It is now connected to Further, the air supply switching valve 29 has a valve body 3 made of an elastic member inside the valve chamber 33.
1 is detachably attached to the valve body 31, and a leak hole 34 is formed to pass through the valve body 31. Also,
An annular communication groove 35 is formed in the peripheral wall of the valve body 31, and the valve chamber 3 is located within the communication groove 35.
A check valve fin 36 that closely contacts the inner wall of the valve 3 is provided in a protruding manner. The upstream pipe line section of the air supply pipe line 28 is 2
One branch opens at the center of the bottom wall of the valve chamber 33 and communicates with the leak hole 34, and the other opens at the lower side wall of the valve chamber 33. Moreover, the downstream side pipe line part of the air supply pipe line 28 opens to the upper side wall of the valve chamber 33. Both this opening portion and the opening portion of the upstream pipe section opening into the lower side wall of the valve chamber 33 face the communication groove 35, and a check valve fin 36 is interposed therebetween. The check valve fin 36 is configured to allow air to flow only in the air supply direction and to block air flow in the opposite direction. The air pump 32 is kept in operation at all times.

During standby, the air is released from the leak hole 34 of the valve body 31 to the outside, so that the entire length of the air supply conduit 28 is not used to supply air. When the leak hole 34 is closed with a finger, air is supplied to the distal end side, but since the flow rate at that time is relatively small, it does not reach the point where the check valve fin 36 makes a sound.

On the other hand, when the suction pump 14 is activated to suction,
When the wall 22 of the body cavity is sucked to the tip of the insertion section 3,
A relatively large amount of air flows through the air supply conduit 28, so that the fins 36 resonate and produce a sound to notify that the suction state is present. Note that, as in the case of the first embodiment, when the suction force increases, the amount of air supplied increases accordingly, and the suction force does not become abnormally strong.

In this embodiment, a valve body 31 is used as a sounding body.
Since it is removable, it is easy to clean and hygienic. Furthermore, by changing the hardness of the fins 36, the flow rate when producing sound changes. Therefore, by selecting a material whose hardness corresponds to the suction pressure of the suction pump 14, sound can be reliably produced during suction. Also, unlike the first embodiment, there is no need to provide a dedicated ventilation path 17 inside the endoscope 1.
The insertion portion 3 can be made thinner to that extent, and the pain to the patient can be reduced.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. In this embodiment, a sounding body 18 is provided using an air/water supply switching valve 38, and an air supply conduit 39 is used as the ventilation path 17 as a sensing section. That is, the air/water supply switching valve 38 is inserted in the middle of the air supply conduit 39 in the operating section 2 . This air/water supply switching valve 38
A piston 42 having a leak hole 34 is inserted into a cylinder 41, and the inner part of the piston 42 is provided with a communication recess 43 and a closing circumferential surface 44. The communication recess 43 is provided with a skirt-shaped check valve fin 45 which also serves as the sounding body 18, and this fin 45 is normally in close contact with the inner wall of the cylinder 41 to allow air to pass therethrough only when air is being supplied. There is. Also,
A restoring coil spring 47 is wound around the operating rod 46 of the piston 42 . This restoring coil spring 47 biases the piston 42 toward the standby position shown in FIG. The piston 42 can be removed from the cylinder 41 by removing the mounting ring 48 from the cylinder 41. Further, the upstream pipe line section of the air supply pipe line 39 is connected and opened to the center of the bottom wall of the cylinder 41, and the downstream side pipe line part is connected and opened to the side wall of the cylinder 41 facing the communication recess 43 during standby. has been done. Further, in the air/water supply switching valve 38, a water supply switch 49 is provided near the operating rod 46, which is operated when the piston 42 is pushed in. This air supply switch 49 operates the water supply air pump 51 installed in the light source device 13 to cause the water supply tank 52 to
water is sent to the water supply conduit 52 of the endoscope 1. Suction pipe line 11, suction pump 14
The push button switch 15 is as described above.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the air supply pump 32
is in constant operation. During standby, air is released to the outside through the leak hole 34 of the piston 42, and air is not sent to the distal end side. Therefore, when the leak hole 34 is closed with a finger, the release of the air is prevented, so that the air flows to the downstream side of the air supply conduit 39, pushing aside the check valve fin 45, and is delivered into the body cavity.

Further, when sending water, the piston 42 is pushed in. As a result, the air supply pipe 39 is connected to the closing surface 44.
The water supply switch 4 is blocked, the air supply is stopped, and the water supply switch 4 is blocked.
9 is operated to operate the water supply air pump 51 to supply water.

On the other hand, when suctioning, the push button switch 15 is operated separately from the air/water supply switching valve 38, and the suction pump 14 is operated.
is activated to draw suction through the suction conduit 11.

By the way, when the body wall adsorbs during this suction operation,
Similarly to the above, the flow rate through the air supply pipe 39 increases, and this causes the check valve fin 45 as the sounding body 18 to increase.
It resonates and makes a sound to notify the operator that it is in an adsorption state.

In order to prevent the check valve fin 45 from turning over when sliding on the cylinder 41, thick portions 53 are provided at multiple locations on the skirt-like inner surface of the fin 45, as shown in FIG. may be provided. Although the number is not specified, usually 4 to 6 are provided. Furthermore, the intervals do not have to be equal. In particular, if the spacing is changed appropriately, oscillation can be achieved over a wide range of suction pressures.

In addition, in the third embodiment (FIG. 5), the water supply air pump 51 is operated by the water supply switch 49, but the water supply air pump 51 and the air supply pump 32 are operated by the water supply switch 49. May be used as one pump. That is, the discharge port of this one pump may be connected in parallel to the air supply pipe line 39 and the water supply pipe line 52.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment. This is the air supply pipe 39 and the water supply pipe 52.
This uses an air/water supply switching valve 55 that controls air/water supply by opening/closing and switching the pipe line.
An application for this format has already been filed (Patent Application
56-107463). That is, it consists of a cylinder 56 and a switching piston 57, and if the leak hole 58 is closed in the position shown in FIG. 7, the air is in the air supply state as shown by the arrow, and if the piston 57 is pushed in as shown in FIG. 8, it is in the air supply state as shown by the arrow. Water is being supplied like this. Further, the peripheral wall of the piston 57 is provided with a check valve fin 59 which also functions as a sounding body, similar to that shown in FIG. The function of this check valve fin 59 is the same as that shown in the fifth embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.
In FIGS. 7 and 8, 61 is a biasing elastic body, 62 is a seal, 63 is a ventilation hole, 64 is a communication groove, and 65 is a detachable attachment ring.

FIG. 9 shows a fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, a pressure sensor 71 is provided on the distal end surface 6 of the hood portion 5 as a sensitive part for detecting the adsorption state by suction force, and a signal from this pressure sensor 71 is used to control the control device in the light source device 13 (suction device). 70 instructs the sound generating device 72 to produce a sound, and at the same time lowers the output of the suction pump 14 to prevent damage to the wall 22 that has been sucked. At the same time, a warning light 73 in the eyepiece section 9 is turned on so that it can be observed from the viewfinder. In this embodiment, the sounding device 72 and the warning light 73 constitute the notification means. Note that the warning light 73 may be anything such as a small electric light or an LED.

FIG. 10 shows a sixth embodiment. In this embodiment, the image from the image guide 8 is received by the solid-state image sensor 75 in the eyepiece section 9, and the image is displayed on the television device 76. Similarly, the suction internal pressure detected by the pressure sensor 71 as a sensitive part is displayed as a number on the upper left side of the screen 77 of the television device 76 (notification means). In addition, the color of this number is the edge in a normal state, and becomes red when the body wall 22 is adsorbed and the pressure exceeds, for example, -10 cmHg.
In addition, during suction, the words "close contact" (notification) are displayed on the upper right side of the screen 77, and at the same time, the speaker 78 of the television device 76 emits a warning sound and synthesized voice, for example, "You have come into close contact with the suction port. ” is announced. Furthermore, the control device 79 lowers the output of the suction pump 14 to, for example, -5 cmHg to prevent damage to the wall 22.

A polyp collection switch 81 is connected to the control device 79, and when polyps are to be collected by suction, this switch is pressed to increase the output of the suction pump 14 to, for example, -30 cmHg. At this time, even if the pressure sensor 71 detects a pressure of -10 cmHg or less, the wall 2
The output of the suction pump 14 is not lowered as in the case of two close contact. In addition, at the time of this collection, TV device 7
"Collection" (notification) is displayed on the lower right side of screen 77 of 6.
Display the characters. Furthermore, when a polyp that has been adsorbed falls from its state due to some kind of shock, for example, as shown in FIG. ``The polyp has fallen off,'' he exclaims.

As explained above, the present invention is provided with a notification means to notify when something is attracted to the tip of the insertion section having a suction port. Will not damage walls. Furthermore, since the sensitive part that detects the pressure inside the hood is installed in a position independent of the suction pipe,
For example, it is possible to distinguish between negative pressure in the suction pipe when liquid such as gastric juice is being aspirated and when a polyp is being aspirated, and erroneous operation can be avoided. Furthermore, when collecting a polyp by adsorption, the endoscope is not pulled out without realizing that the polyp has been dropped.
And the endoscope can be used safely.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope device showing the first embodiment, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing different modifications of the sounding body, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus showing the third embodiment, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the check valve fin in the third embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an air/water supply switching valve according to a fourth embodiment, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope apparatus showing a fifth embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 1... Endoscope, 2... Operation section, 3... Insertion section,
5...Hood portion, 12...Suction port, 17...Air passage, 18...Sounding body, 26...Sounding body, 31...
Valve body (sounding body), 36...Fin for check valve, 45...
...Fin for check valve, 71...Pressure sensor, 72...
Sound device, 73...warning light, 76...television device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An endoscope having a hood protruding from the distal end of the insertion section and a suction conduit disposed inside the endoscope leading to a suction port provided on the distal end surface facing the inside of the hood. In the mirror, a sensitive part that detects the pressure inside the hood is provided at a position independent of the suction pipe, and when something is adsorbed to the hood, the sensitive part detects the adsorption state and notifies the operator. An endoscope device characterized by being provided with a notification means. 2. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein the sensitive section is an air passage communicating with the outside. 3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensitive section is a pressure sensor provided on the distal end surface facing inside the hood. 4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means comprises a sounding body. 5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means comprises a display means.