JPH06254040A - Front end of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the hygienic front end of the endoscope without the need for forming a recessed part where filth, etc., are liable to accumulate on the body side of the front end by projecting a detaining pin for detaining a liquid injection nozzle on the surface of the front end body and constituting this liquid injection nozzle in such a manner that the nozzle can be detained with this detaining pin and is freely attachanble and detachable to and from the pin. CONSTITUTION:The front surface wall of the front end body 1 is projectingly provided with the detaining pin 38 made of metal or plastic for detaining the nozzle so as to face the front surface direction. The head part of the detaining pin 38 is formed to a tapered shape which is rounded and is made gradually larger toward the front side. On the other hand, the nozzle 30 is formed of a material, such as rubber, having elasticity. An engaging hole 39 which has the same shape as the shape of the head part of the detaining pin 38 and has the bore preferably slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the head part of the detaining pin 38 is formed in the position corresponding to the detaining pin 38. The center at the front end of the detaining pin 38 and the front end of the nozzle 30 are provided with indices 41, 42 formed to color in, for example, the recessed parts as earmarks for relative positioning.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a distal end portion of an endoscope provided with a fluid ejection nozzle for ejecting a fluid such as air or water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Fluid ejecting nozzles such as air supply and water supply nozzles provided at the distal end of an endoscope are used for cleaning air supply and water supply pipes and removing foreign matter clogging by brushing after using the endoscope. Therefore, it is desirable to be configured to be removable.

Therefore, conventionally, the base of the fluid ejection nozzle is inserted into the distal end main body of the endoscope insertion portion for screwing, or the fluid ejection nozzle is formed of an elastic material so that the distal end main body has a wide deep portion. A fluid ejection nozzle was elastically and detachably fitted into a recess formed in an inverse tapered cross-sectional shape (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 145403/1981, JP-A-59-129).
049).

[0004]

However, in any of the above-described conventional endoscope tip portions, the tip portion main body is deeply recessed in order to insert or fit the fluid ejection nozzle. Must. As a result, when the fluid ejection nozzle is removed and cleaned after use, it is difficult to clean the inside of such a recess, dirt and the like are likely to remain in the recess, and it is unsanitary and may cause infection of the next patient. There was a fear.

There is also a hood which is detachably provided on the tip end main body and is provided with a projection which functions as a nozzle so that the fluid jet nozzle is not provided as a single unit.
However, in such a type, not only is it difficult to form the nozzle into the optimum shape and the ability to clean the observation window surface is poor, but also the hood engaging part of the tip body is also recessed. Has the drawback that it tends to be unsanitary.

Therefore, the present invention provides a sanitary endoscope tip end that does not require the formation of a concave portion on which the fluid jet nozzle is removably attached and which easily collects dirt and the like. To aim.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a distal end portion of an endoscope of the present invention is provided with a fluid ejection nozzle for ejecting a fluid, which is detachably attached to a distal end body of an insertion portion. When the fluid ejection nozzle is attached to the distal end body, the distal end portion of the endoscope is configured so that the fluid delivery port formed in the distal end body and the flow passage formed in the fluid ejection nozzle communicate with each other. The locking pin for locking the fluid ejection nozzle is provided on the surface of the tip end main body so that the fluid ejection nozzle can be locked and disengaged from the locking pin. And

The fluid ejection nozzle may be made of an elastic material so that the fluid ejection nozzle can be elastically locked and disengaged from the locking pin. Leakage preventing means may be formed at a connecting portion between the tip end body and the fluid ejection nozzle so as to prevent leakage of the fluid from the connecting portion due to the pressure of the fluid flowing in the nozzle.

[0009]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a front view of the tip portion main body 1 formed at the tip of the insertion portion of the endoscope. FIG. 1 shows an ABEF section thereof, and FIG. 3 shows an ABCD section thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tip body 1 is
The distal end of an insertion portion formed by an elongated flexible tube is connected to a distal end portion of a bending portion 2 that is provided to be bendable by remote control.

The tip portion main body 1 is composed of a metal block portion 1a connected to the curved portion 2 and an electric insulating material fixed to the front surface side of the metal block portion 1a so that the metal block portion 1a is not exposed to the outer surface. It is formed by the plastic part 1b.

The endoscope of this embodiment is a so-called front-viewing type endoscope for observing the front of the tube axis, and as shown in FIG. Window 11,
An illumination window 12 and a forceps channel outlet hole 13 are arranged, and an air / water supply port 14 that opens toward the observation window 11 is provided.
And a jet injection port 15 opening in the observation direction is provided.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the observation window 1
The image entrance ends of the objective optical system 16 and the image guide fiber bundle 17 are arranged inside 1, and the exit end of the light guide fiber bundle is arranged inside the illumination window 12. However, illustration of the inside of the illumination window 12 is omitted. The present invention can also be applied to a so-called electronic endoscope using a solid-state image sensor so that image transmission is performed electrically.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tips of the air feeding tube 21 and the water feeding tube 22 inserted into the insertion portion are straightly bored in the tip end main body 1, and the air feeding hole 23 and the water feeding hole 24 are formed.
It is fixed by being inserted from the back to.

The front wall of the tip end main body 1 is provided so that the flow passage 31 of the nozzle 30 communicates with the air outlet 26 which is the outlet of the air supply hole 23 and the water outlet 27 which is the outlet of the water supply hole 24. The nozzle 30 is detachably attached. The outlet of the flow path 31, that is, the air / water supply port 14 is open toward the surface of the observation window 11 as described above.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the tip of the second water feeding tube 33 inserted into the insertion portion is inserted from the rear into the second water feeding hole 34 formed in the tip body 1 straightly. It is fixed firmly. And the delivery port 35
Communicate with a jet injection flow path 36 that is formed through the nozzle 30. The opening of the jet injection flow path 36 is the jet injection port 15.

With this structure, the air supply tube 21
Air and water selectively sent through the water supply tube 22 and the water supply tube 22 are sprayed from the air supply / water supply port 14 toward the surface of the observation window 11, and are sent through the second water supply tube 33. Is jetted vigorously from the jet injection port 15 toward the filth or the like in the observation direction.

A metal or plastic locking pin 3 for locking the nozzle 30 is provided on the front wall of the tip body 1.
8 is projectedly provided toward the front direction. In this embodiment, the locking pin 38 is screwed and fixed to the tip body 1 by adhesive, but the locking pin 38 may be formed integrally with the plastic portion 1b of the tip body 1.

The head portion of the locking pin 38 is formed in a taper shape with a rounded shape and the front end thereof being gradually thickened. On the other hand, the nozzle 30 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the locking pin 3 is provided at a position corresponding to the locking pin 38.
An engaging hole 39 having the same shape as the head portion of No. 8 and preferably having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the head portion of the locking pin 38 is formed.

The center of the protruding end of the locking pin 38 and the front end of the nozzle 30 are, for example, colored in the concave portion 4 to serve as marks for relative alignment.
1, 42 are provided.

The M portion surrounding the air outlet 26 and the water outlet 27 and the mouth portion N of the outlet 35 of the second water supply hole 34, which are shown by broken lines in FIG. 2, are shown in FIGS. As shown in, the front wall side of the tip portion main body 1 is formed to be slightly recessed by, for example, an inclined surface having an angle of 45 degrees, and the back surface side of the nozzle 30 is formed to project so as to match the shape.
The angle of the slope may be about 30 to 60 degrees.

Therefore, the locking pin 38 of the tip end main body 1
The nozzle 30 so as to fit into the engaging hole 39 of the nozzle 30.
Is strongly pressed against the tip end main body 1, so that the locking pin 38 is engaged with the engaging hole 39 of the nozzle 30 formed of rubber or the like.
While being expanded, the nozzle 30 is tightly fitted into the engagement hole 39, and in a state where the fitting is completed, the nozzle 30 returns to the original shape by elasticity.

In the M portion and the N portion, the front wall of the tip portion main body 1 and the back surface of the nozzle 30 are fitted to each other so that the nozzle 30 does not shift laterally from the state of being positioned at the correct position. Is attached to the tip body 1.

When air, water, or jet injection operation is performed to cause air or water to flow in the nozzle 30, the internal pressure of the air causes the M portion or the N portion to move toward the elastic nozzle 30 side. The end piece is pressed against the slope on the side of the tip body 1, whereby air or water flowing inside is
The tip body 1 and the nozzle 30 do not leak to the outside from the connecting portion.

The engagement between the locking pin 38 and the engagement hole 39 cannot be disengaged only by the operation of air supply, water supply or jet injection. However, if the nozzle 30 is strongly pulled forward, the engagement hole 39 is elastically deformed only when the locking pin 38 comes out of the engagement hole 39, so that the engagement between the engagement pin 38 and the engagement hole 39 is released. The nozzle 30 can be removed from the tip body 1. The nozzle 30 may be a so-called disposable type in which the nozzle 30 is replaced with a new one each time it is used.

In this way, the nozzle 30 can be attached to and detached from the tip end main body 1, and the nozzle 30 is removed after each use of the endoscope. As shown in FIG. The cleaning brush 50 is inserted into the second water supply tube 33, the air supply tube 21, and the water supply tube 22 from each of the water supply port 35, the air supply port 26, and the water supply port 27 of
The inside can be thoroughly brushed and cleaned.

In the present embodiment, the tip end body 1
In order to lock the nozzle 30 to the tip end body 1, it suffices to project the locking pin 38 on the tip end portion main body 1, and the tip end portion main body 1 side has an extremely shallow and smooth shape such as M portion and N portion. Since only the concave portion is formed, it is possible to easily confirm and clean the adhered dirt on the tip body 1 side.

5 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the nozzle 30 is extended to the outer edge portion of the tip end main body 1 and is formed large. In this embodiment, no slopes are formed around the delivery ports 26, 27 and 35, like the M and N parts of the first embodiment. And instead, the surface of the end portion main body 1 side of the portion that engages with the nozzle 30 is formed as a whole lower, and the boundary portion 45 between the both is formed entirely on the slope that acts in the retaining direction of the nozzle 30. Then, the ridge line portion 46 is rounded and formed.

As a result, the nozzle 30 is positioned with respect to the tip end main body 1 so as not to be displaced in the rising direction or the lateral direction, and when water or air is made to flow into the nozzle 30, the nozzle 30 at the boundary portion 45. The ridge is pressed against the slope on the side of the tip body 1 to prevent air or water from leaking from the boundary 45.

The other parts of the second embodiment, such as the locking pin 38 and the engagement hole 39, are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and for example, the position and shape of the locking pin can take various embodiments, and the present invention is applied to a rigid endoscope. Good.

[0031]

According to the distal end portion of the endoscope of the present invention, since the fluid ejection nozzle is detachably locked to the locking pin protruding from the distal end body, a deep recess is formed in the distal end body. It is not necessary to form a groove or groove, so it is easy to check and easily clean the dirt attached to the tip body, it is very hygienic, and the risk of infection to the next patient is also prevented. It has an excellent effect that can be.

By forming the fluid ejection nozzle with an elastic material, the fluid ejection nozzle can be elastically and easily engaged with and disengaged from the retaining pin, and the tip body and the fluid ejection nozzle can be easily engaged. Leakage of fluid from the connection portion with and can be prevented by the leakage prevention means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an ABEF sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an ABCD cross-sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an ABEF sectional view showing a cleaning state of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a GHKL sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a GHIJ sectional view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a GHKL sectional view showing a cleaning state of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main Body 26 Air Outlet 27 Water Outlet 30 Nozzle 31 Flow Path 35 Second Water Outlet Outlet 36 Jet Injection Flow Path 38 Locking Pin 39 Engagement Hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A fluid ejection nozzle for ejecting a fluid is detachably provided on a tip end main body of an insertion portion, and when the fluid ejection nozzle is attached to the tip end main body, an opening is formed in the tip end main body. At the tip of the endoscope in which the fluid delivery port and the flow passage formed in the fluid ejection nozzle communicate with each other, a locking pin for locking the fluid ejection nozzle is provided on the surface of the tip body. A distal end portion of an endoscope, which is projectingly provided so that the fluid ejecting nozzle can be engaged with and disengaged from the engaging pin. 2. The fluid ejection nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the fluid ejection nozzle is made of an elastic material, and the fluid ejection nozzle can be elastically locked and disengaged from the locking pin. The tip of the endoscope. 3. A leakage preventing means for preventing leakage of fluid from the connecting portion by the pressure of the fluid flowing in the nozzle is formed at a connecting portion between the tip end body and the fluid ejection nozzle. Item 1. The distal end portion of the endoscope according to Item 1 or 2.