JPH066102B2 - Air supply and liquid delivery device for endoscope - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an air-feeding and liquid-feeding device for an endoscope, which is capable of cleaning the air-feeding passage of the endoscope and draining the water of the liquid feeding passage.

Generally, when an endoscope is used, dirt such as mucus adheres to the observation window, often obstructing the observation field of view. For this reason, water is supplied to the tip nozzle from the liquid feed path of the endoscope, sprayed on the surface of the observation window to wash it, and then air is supplied to the tip nozzle from the air feed path to adhere to the observation window. By removing the accumulated water, the observation can be performed well.

By the way, in recent years, nosocomial infection due to the use of an endoscope has become a problem. Therefore, after using the endoscope, the insertion portion is immersed in a chemical solution, or the chemical solution is passed through the forceps channel to disinfect the inside of the channel. In addition, since water or a drug solution can be easily sent to the above-mentioned liquid supply path like the forceps channel, the cleaning or disinfection is performed.

However, if it is considered that the entire endoscope is to be surely sterilized, filth may flow backward from the tip nozzle to the liquid feeding path, so it is necessary to wash and sterilize the air feeding path as well. Actually, due to the structure of the endoscope, its cleaning and disinfection cannot be easily performed. As a result, the air supply passage is not cleaned and disinfected, and there is a risk that filth adhering to the air supply passage may lead to nosocomial infection.

In addition, when the liquid supply path is disinfected or washed, the liquid medicine or water remains in this liquid supply path, but if left as it is, the liquid medicine will flow out into the body cavity of the patient when the endoscope is used and may cause chemical damage. In the case of water, it may spoil and bacteria may be generated, which may cause hospital-acquired infection.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to send a liquid to an air supply passage to perform cleaning and disinfection thereof with a simple structure, and to send an air to the liquid supply passage to eliminate residual liquid. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air feeding and liquid feeding device for an endoscope which is capable of performing.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an endoscope including an operation section 2 and an insertion section 3. An air supply path 4 and a liquid supply path 5 are formed in the endoscope 1. The tips of the air supply path 4 and the liquid supply path 5 merge into one at the tip of the insertion section 3, communicate with a tip nozzle 6 provided at the tip of the insertion section 3, and are operated in the middle. In the section 3, a first switching operation valve 7 for supplying air and water is connected. As shown in FIG. 2, the first switching operation valve 7 includes a cylinder 8, a piston 9 slidably inserted in the cylinder 8, and a spring biasing the piston 9 in a direction projecting from the cylinder 8. It is composed of 10 and. The upstream side 4a and the downstream side 4b of the air supply passage 4 are connected to the cylinder 8 at the same height position on the lower end of the peripheral wall thereof, and the upstream side of the liquid supply passage 5 is located above the air supply passage 4. 5a and the downstream side 5b is connected slightly below the upstream side 5a. Further, a leak hole 11 penetrating in the axial direction of the piston 9 is formed, and a peripheral groove 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface. When the piston 9 is urged by the spring 10 to project from the cylinder 8 as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream side 4a and the downstream side 4b of the air supply passage 4 pass through the internal space of the cylinder 8. The upstream side 5a and the downstream side 5b of the liquid feeding path 5 are blocked by the piston 9 in communication. In addition, the piston 9 and the spring 10
When pushed into the cylinder 8 against the urging force of the liquid supply passage 4, the upstream side 4a and the downstream side 4b of the air supply passage 4 are blocked by the piston 9, and the upstream side 5a and the downstream side 5b of the liquid supply passage 5 are separated by the piston. 9
It is adapted to communicate with each other through the circumferential groove 12 of The piston 9 includes the piston 9 and the cylinder 8.
An O-ring 13 that keeps airtightness is provided between and.

Further, the rear ends of the air supply passage 4 and the liquid supply passage 5 are led from a universal cord connected to the operation portion 2 to a connector (neither is shown) and open there, and the air supply passage 4 and the rear end are respectively provided. The tube 14 and the liquid sending tube 15 are connected at one end. The other ends of the gas feeding tube 14 and the liquid feeding tube 15 are connected to a liquid feeding tank 17 containing the liquid L via a second switching operation valve 16. The second switching operation valve 16 has a cylindrical main body 18 formed on an upper wall portion of the liquid feed tank 17, a cylindrical storage space 19 formed at an axially intermediate portion of the main body 18, and Storage space 19
And a cylindrical valve body 20 that is rotatably housed around its axis. An operating lever 21 is projectingly provided on the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 20, and the operating lever 21 projects from an opening 22 formed in the circumferential wall of the main body 18 in a range of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction.

A first through hole 23 and a second through hole 24 penetrating in the thickness direction of the valve body 20 are drilled on the same radius from the center of rotation of the valve body 20 and shifted by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Further, one end is opened on the upper surface of the valve body 20 at a position deviated by 90 degrees from the first and second through holes 23, 24, and the other end is opened on a lower surface at a position deviated by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction from the one end. The thus formed third through hole 25 is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the axis of the valve body 20. Both open ends of the third through hole 25 communicate with communication grooves 26 that are formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the valve body 20 along the circumferential direction so as to be long.

In addition, a first connecting passage 27 and a second connecting passage 28, which penetrate the main body 18 in the axial direction through the storage space 19, are formed in the valve body 20 to form first and second through holes. 23, 24
Are provided at intervals corresponding to. The other end of the air supply tube 14 is connected to the first connection path 27, and the other end of the liquid supply tube 15 is connected to the second connection path 28. Further, the liquid transfer tank 17 of the first connection path 27
An air feeding short pipe 29 is connected to the inner opening with its lower end opening located in the upper space of the liquid feeding tank 17, and the second connecting path 2
A pumping pipe 30 has an opening at the lower end at the opening 8
7 is located and connected to the inner bottom part. Further, in the main body 18, the third connection path 3 is provided at a position outside the storage space 19.
1 is provided. An air supply pump 32 is connected to the third connecting path 31 by a pressurizing pipe 33.
The tip of 3 serves as a pressurizing port 34 opened in the upper space of the liquid sending tank 17.

Next, the operation of the air / liquid feeding device will be described. First, when the endoscope 1 is used for normal observation or the like, the operation lever 21 of the valve body 20 of the second switching operation valve 16 is moved to the fourth position.
The state shown by the solid line in the figure (this state is called the neutral position). Then, the first through hole 23 formed in the valve body 20 is in the first connecting path 27, and the second through hole 24 is in the second connecting path 28.
Therefore, when the air feed pump 32 is operated, the air sent to the liquid feed tank 17 is sent from the first connection passage 27 to the upstream side 4a of the air feed passage 4 and the first switching operation valve 7
Is released into the atmosphere from the leak hole 11 of the piston 9.
Therefore, if the leak hole 11 is closed, the air flows to the downstream side 4b of the air supply passage 4 and is ejected from the tip nozzle 6. Further, when the piston 9 of the first switching operation valve 7 is pushed in to cut off the upstream side 4a and the downstream side 4b of the air supply path 4 and connect the upstream side 5a and the downstream side 5b of the liquid supply path 5 to each other, Since the liquid L in the liquid feed tank 17 is pressurized by the air from the air feed pump 32, this liquid L flows through the pumping pipe 30 and the liquid feed tube 15 to the liquid feed path 5, and the tip nozzle 6 Drained from.

On the other hand, when the use of the endoscope 1 is finished, the valve body 20 of the second switching operation valve 16 is rotated 90 degrees in the clockwise direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 4 and the operation lever 21 is shown by the chain line in the figure. A state (this state is referred to as a first switching position) is set. Then, the fifth
As shown in the figure, a third through hole 25 formed in the valve body 20 connects the air supply tube 14 and the water pump 30 to each other. Therefore, if the leak hole 11 of the piston 9 of the first switching operation valve 7 is closed after the second switching operation valve 16 is set to the first switching position, pressurization is performed by the air from the air supply pump 31. The liquid L thus generated flows from the pumping pipe 30 to the air supply passage 4 through the third through hole 25 and the air supply tube 14, and then flows out from the tip nozzle 6, so that the liquid L is passed through the air supply passage 4 and the tip nozzle 6. Can be washed by. If the liquid L is a chemical liquid, the air supply passage 4 and the tip nozzle 6 can be disinfected.

When the air supply passage 4 is washed with the liquid L in this way, the valve body 20 of the second switching operation valve 16 is set to the neutral position and air is sent to the air supply passage 4 and the air supply passage 4 is discharged. After removing the residual liquid L, the valve body 20 is rotated 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, and the operating lever 21 is in the state shown by the chain line in the figure (this state is the second state). Switch position). Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the third through hole 2
5 connects the liquid feeding tube 15 and the air feeding short pipe 29.
Therefore, after the second switching operation valve 16 is set to the second switching position, the piston 9 of the first switching operation valve 7 is pushed in so that the upstream side 5a and the downstream side 5b of the liquid supply path 5 are communicated with each other. If
The air sent from the air sending pump 32 to the liquid sending tank 17 flows into the liquid sending path 5 through the short air sending tube 29, the third through hole 25, and the liquid sending tube 15, and thus remains in the liquid sending path 5. The liquid L to be removed is removed.

Further, according to the above configuration, liquid can be sent to the air supply passage 4 and air can be sent to the liquid supply passage 5, so that the air supply passage 4 or the air supply passage 4 can be supplied when the endoscope 1 is used in a normal state. When the liquid passage 5 is blocked due to various causes, either the air supply passage 4 or the liquid supply passage 5 is used to perform the air supply and the liquid supply by the switching operation of the second switching operation valve 16. Can be done.

Although the downstream side 4b, 5b of the air feeding path 4 and the liquid feeding path 5 are separate in the above-described embodiment, these downstream sides 4b, 5b are separated.
It is apparent that the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained also in the endoscope 1 in which the above can be shared by one conduit.

As described above, according to the present invention, the second switching operation valve is provided between the endoscope and the liquid feeding tank, and the operation of the second switching operation valve causes the air passage of the endoscope to be connected. It was designed to be able to supply air to the liquid supply and liquid supply paths. Therefore, by feeding the liquid to the air feeding passage, the air feeding passage can be cleaned and disinfected, and by feeding the air to the liquid feeding passage, the liquid remaining in the liquid feeding passage can be removed. Moreover, since such a switching operation can be performed by the switching operation of the second switching operation valve, the operation is easy and the structure is not complicated. Further, since the liquid can be sent to the air supply passage and the air can be sent to the liquid supply passage, even if one of the pipes is blocked due to various causes, the other pipe is used. Can be used to supply air and liquid.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a first switching operation valve, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the switching operation valve of FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view when the valve body of the second switching operation valve is operated from the neutral position to the first switching position, and FIG. 5 is the same as the first switching position. 6 is an explanatory view when the valve body of the second switching operation valve is operated from the neutral position to the second switching position, and FIG. 7 is the same when the second switching position is reached. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope, 4 ... Air feeding path, 5 ... Liquid feeding path, 7 ... 1st switching operation valve, 14 ... Air feeding tube, 15 ... Liquid feeding tube, 1
6 ... 2nd switching operation valve, 17 ... Liquid feeding tank, 32 ... Air feeding pump, 34 ... Pressurizing port.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuya Saito 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-57-134139 (JP, A) JP 57-89840 (JP, A) JP 59-131324 (JP, A) Actual opening 57-26202 (JP, U) Actual opening 54-168785 (JP, U) Actual opening 59-24005 (JP , U) Actual public Sho 59-10963 (JP, Y2) Actual public Sho 58-16723 (JP, Y2)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A liquid feed tank, a liquid feed pump communicating with a pressurizing port provided in the liquid feed tank, one end connected to the liquid feed tank, and the other end fed to an air feed path of an endoscope. An air supply tube and a liquid supply tube respectively connected to the liquid passage, and an air supply from the air supply pump to supply air or liquid to the distal end of the endoscope by switching operation provided on the endoscope. First
Of the switching operation valve, and the liquid transfer tank and the endoscope, the first switching operation of which supplies the liquid to the air supply path including the air supply tube, and the second switching operation of the liquid transfer tube. And a second switching operation valve for supplying air to a liquid supply path including the air supply and liquid supply device for an endoscope.