JPH042247B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device.

Endoscopes are generally used for diagnosis and treatment inside body cavities, but because endoscopes are inserted directly into body cavities, they must be cleaned after each use. In recent years, cleaning and disinfecting devices exclusively for endoscopes have been put into practical use. Generally, in such an endoscope washer/disinfector, the endoscope is housed in a cleaning tank and is cleaned with liquid sprayed from a nozzle provided at the top of the cleaning tank. A water tank for storing water and a detergent tank for storing cleaning liquid are provided, and the cleaning operation is performed by supplying the cleaning water from the water tank and the detergent tank to the nozzle via a pump. Thereafter, a rinsing operation is performed by supplying water from the water tank to the nozzle via a pump. The liquid supplied to the nozzle at high pressure by the pump is sprayed from the nozzle onto the endoscope, cleaning the outer casing of the endoscope. Disinfection is then carried out in the same manner as necessary.

Here, water is supplied from the water tank to the nozzle for a predetermined period of time. Therefore, if the waterway between the water tank and the nozzle is clogged, cleaning may end up being insufficient.
Further, if a waterway blockage occurs between the water tank and the pump, the pump may run idly and the performance of the pump may deteriorate. A similar situation occurs in the disinfectant water supply channel from the disinfectant tank to the cleaning tank.

This invention was made in order to deal with the above-mentioned situation, and by supplying a cleaning liquid or a disinfectant stored in a liquid tank for a certain period of time to a cleaning tank housing an endoscope, the endoscope can be cleaned easily. In an endoscope washer/disinfector that cleans or disinfects the endoscope, a blockage in the water supply channel from the liquid tank to the cleaning tank is detected, and insufficient cleaning is detected due to the specified amount of cleaning liquid or disinfectant not being supplied to the cleaning tank. The purpose is to disinfect or prevent the pump from running idle.

The endoscope cleaning/disinfecting device according to the present invention includes water level switches 28, 82; 30, 84 that detect two high and low water levels in the liquid tanks 24, 56, and determines the liquid during cleaning or disinfection based on the outputs of these water level switches. Detects the time it takes for the water level in the tanks 24 and 56 to go from high to low and compares it with a reference time. If the detection time is longer than the reference time, it is determined that the water supply channel from the liquid tank to the cleaning tank is clogged. control unit 70
Equipped with.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing its appearance. This cleaning/disinfecting device body has inside thereof a cleaning tank with an open top, a water tank for storing tap water, a detergent tank for storing cleaning solution, and a chemical solution tank for storing disinfectant solution. The upper surface of the cleaning tank is closed by a cover 2 that can be opened and closed. By housing the endoscope inside the cleaning tank, the endoscope can be automatically cleaned and disinfected using a cleaning liquid or a chemical solution, as will be described later. The amount of liquid in the detergent tank and the chemical solution tank can be confirmed through transparent windows 4 and 6 provided on the front side of the main body of the device, respectively.

An endoscope fixing part 8 consisting of a recess is provided on the left side of the front end of the upper surface of the main body. This fixing part 8 is designed to have an operating part installed therein when cleaning and disinfecting an endoscope whose only insertion part can be washed. Near the fixed part 8, there are a plurality of supply ports 10 that are connected to an operating part installed on the fixed part 8 via tubes (not shown) and are used to supply cleaning liquid and chemical solutions to the channels of the endoscope. will be provided.
On the other hand, when cleaning an endoscope whose entirety including the operating section is washable, the operating section is also housed within the cleaning unit.
A supply port (not shown) used at this time is provided in the cleaning tank.

A main panel section 12 consisting of operating members and a display element is provided on the right side of the front end of the upper surface of the main body. At the upper front surface of the main body, which is below the main panel section 12, there is provided a sub-panel section 14, which also includes operating members and a display element. Frequently used members and elements are arranged in the main panel section 12, and other members and elements are arranged in the sub-panel section 14. An alarm lamp is provided on the main panel section 12.

The internal structure of this embodiment is shown in FIG. A tap water faucet 20, which is a water supply source, is connected to a water tank 24 via a water supply valve 22. It is assumed that the faucet 20 is always open. A water level detector 26 is provided in the water tank 24 . The water level detector 26 has first, second, and third water level detectors each detecting a high water level, a medium water level, and a low water level.
It has water level switches 28, 30, and 32. Water in the water tank 24 is sent to a water inlet (not shown) of a cleaning tank 35 via a pump 34 and is also supplied to an input port of a pump 38. A detergent tank 40 is also connected to the input port of the pump 38 via a valve 42 . The output port of the pump 38 is connected to a nozzle 44 provided at the top of the cleaning tank 36, and is also connected to the mixing block 48 via a reverse valve 46.
connected to the input port of The cleaning tank 36 has a circular planar shape, and an endoscope (not shown) is housed in an annular shape along the wall of the cleaning tank. Therefore, when the nozzle 44 is rotationally driven by the motor 50, the endoscope is effectively cleaned.

A drain port is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 36, and the drain port is connected to the switching valve 52 through a communication pipe. The switching valve 52 has three output ports, the first output port is connected to a drainage channel (sewer, etc., not shown) via the drainage pump 54, and the second output port is connected to the chemical tank 5.
Connected to 6. The third port (not shown is closed). The chemical tank 56 is also provided with a water level detector 80 in the same way as the water tank 24. 1, second, and third water level switches 82, 84, and 86.The output signal of the water level detector 80 is transmitted to the control unit 70.
is supplied to The liquid in the chemical tank 56 is sent to the input port of the pump 58. The output port of the pump 58 is connected to the input port of the mixing block 48 via a reverse valve 60 and to the water inlet (not shown) of the cleaning tank 36 via a valve 62. The output of an air pump 64 is also supplied to the mixing block 48 via a reverse valve 66. The mixing block 48 mixes these input liquids and air, and its output port is connected to a supply port 68 connected to the channel of the endoscope. The operation of each of these parts is controlled by the control section 70, and the output signal of the water detector 26 is also supplied to the control section 70. The control section 70 also includes the main and sub panel sections shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. It is assumed that the detergent tank 40 and the chemical liquid tank 56 are filled with a detergent liquid and a chemical liquid, respectively. The endoscope is housed in the cleaning tank 36, and the supply port 68 and the channel are connected with a tube. Here, when the power switch is turned on, the water supply valve 22 opens and water is supplied into the water tank 24. When the first water level switch 28 that detects the highest water level is turned on, the water supply valve 22 is closed and water supply ends. Thereafter, when the cover 2 remains open and a water leak test instruction is supplied to the control unit 70 by operating the panel unit, the third switching valve 52
Switching is made to the output port side, the cleaning tank 36 enters a water storage state, and the pump 34 is turned on. Water in the water tank 24 is supplied into a cleaning tank 36 by a pump 34. At the same time, the air pump 64 is turned on, and only this output air is sent from the mixing block 48 to the supply port 6.
8 into the channel. Cleaning tank 3
6 is supplied by detecting the water level in the cleaning tank 36.
This is done until a predetermined water level is reached that is sufficient to immerse the endoscope. When the endoscope is immersed, if there is a leakage point such as a crack or pinhole in the outer skin of the endoscope, air bubbles will come out from there. Therefore, by observing this, an endoscope leak test can be performed.

Here, when the pump 34 is turned on, the water in the water tank 24 decreases, so the first water level switch 2
8. The second water level switch 30 is turned off in this order. Here, if water is being supplied to the cleaning tank 36 normally, the time from when the first switch 28 is turned off to when the second switch 30 is turned off is constant. Conversely, if the water supply channel is blocked, this time will be longer. This embodiment detects an abnormality in the water supply to the cleaning tank 36 based on this principle. That is, when the first water level switch 28 is turned off, the timer of the control section 70 starts timing operation. This timer is reset by the off signal of the second water level switch 30. The control section 70 predetermines the time at which the timer is reset during normal water supply, and if the timer is not reset even after this predetermined time has elapsed, the control section 70 determines that there is an abnormal state. In this way, the control unit 70 controls the tank 24 based on the outputs of the water level switches 28 and 30.
It is possible to detect an abnormality in the water supply to the cleaning tank 36, that is, a clogging of the water supply channel. As a result, the control unit 70
stops all operations of each part, and lights up an alarm lamp on the main panel 12 to give a warning to the user. This prevents the pump 34 from spinning idly during a water leakage test.

The water supply abnormality, which is the object of detection in this embodiment, also occurs during the cleaning period. During the cleaning period, the cover 2 is closed, the pumps 38 and 54, and the motor 50 are turned on.
The switching valve 52 is switched to the first port side. The water supply valve 22 closes when the first water level switch 28 is turned on, and opens when the second water level switch 30 is turned off. Therefore, the water tank 24 always stores water at a level higher than the second water level (middle water level) and lower than the first water level (high water level). The valve 42 is opened or closed depending on whether cleaning is performed with a mixture of cleaning liquid and water or with only water (rinsing operation). The operation of the pump 38 causes the cleaning liquid to be injected from the nozzle 44 to the endoscope. The liquid used for cleaning is drained by a pump 54 via a switching valve 52. During this water supply period from the water tank 24 to the nozzle 44, the water level in the water tank 24 also decreases. Here too, if something is clogged in the water supply channel, the pump 38 may run idly. Further, since the cleaning operation is performed for a predetermined period of time, sufficient cleaning cannot be performed unless the cleaning liquid is normally supplied to the nozzle 44. However, according to this embodiment, the control unit 70 detects the rate of decrease in the water level in the water tank 24 based on the time difference between when the first and second switches 28 and 30 detect the water levels, so that a warning is issued in the event of an abnormality in the water supply. All other operations are stopped, and the above-mentioned problem is resolved.

When the cleaning period ends, a disinfection period using a chemical solution is followed by a drying period or a direct drying period. During the disinfection period, the switching valve 52 is switched to the third port side, and the switching valve 52 is closed. The valve 62 is opened, the pump 58 is turned on, and the chemical solution in the chemical solution tank 56 is stored in the cleaning tank 36. In this case as well, if the rate of decrease in the water level in the chemical tank 56 is slow, the control unit 70 detects the time for the water level in the chemical tank 56 to decrease based on the outputs of the first and second water level switches 82 and 84. If the time is longer than the reference time, it is determined that there is an abnormality and the operation of each part is stopped, thereby preventing the pump 58 from running idle. The endoscope is sterilized by being immersed in a chemical solution. After the disinfection period ends, the switching valve 52 is switched to the second port side, and the chemical solution is returned to the chemical solution tank 56. After this, the endoscope is allowed to air dry. In addition, air pump 6
4 is turned on and the inside of the channel is dried with air. This ends the general operating cycle of the cleaning device.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, by detecting the time when the water level of the water tank or chemical solution tank decreases by a certain amount during the cleaning or disinfection period and comparing it with the reference time, An endoscope washer/disinfector is provided that can detect clogging of a water supply channel from a tank to a cleaning tank and prevent insufficient cleaning or disinfection due to insufficient water supply, or idling of a pump.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the cleaning, disinfecting operations, etc. can be modified in various ways.
In addition, processing after detecting an abnormality may include sounding a buzzer, etc.
Various changes are possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of its internal structure. 24...Water tank, 26,80...Water level detector, 36...Washing tank, 40...Detergent tank, 44
... Nozzle, 48 ... Mixing block, 52 ... Switching valve, 56 ... Chemical tank, 64 ... Air pump, 70 ... Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning tank in which the endoscope is stored, a tank connected to the cleaning tank and storing water or disinfectant used for cleaning or disinfecting the endoscope, and a tank that is connected to the cleaning tank and storing water or disinfectant used for cleaning or disinfecting the endoscope, and pump means for supplying water or disinfectant to the cleaning tank; a first water level switch provided in the tank to detect a first water level; and a second water level switch provided in the tank to detect a second water level lower than the first water level. a second water level switch that detects that the water level of the tank is below the first water level; An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device comprising means for detecting an abnormality in the supply of water or disinfectant from the tank to the cleaning tank when no water or disinfectant is detected.