JPH0723899A - Endoscope provided with connector for air feeding - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate washing and disinfecting of a valve part and pipes by enabling feeding of high-pressure air separately from the air feeding from an air feed/water feed operation valve. CONSTITUTION:The outside surface part of the endoscope between the air feed/water feed operation valve and the front end is provided with the valve 22 in common use as a connector formed with a coupling part 28 for air feeding by an injector. The air feed pipe 120 communicating with the operation valve and the air feed pipe 121 to the front end 2 are connected to this valve part and simultaneously the valve part is provided with back flow preventive valves 30, 33. Then, the feeding of high-pressure air enabled connecting the injector to the coupling part 28. The upper part where the coupling part 28 is formed is formed as a cover 27. This cover 27 is formed removably from a base part 25. Thus, the washing and disinfecting become easy.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope, and more particularly to the structure of an endoscope provided with a connector for supplying air to its tip.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An endoscope apparatus has a structure capable of supplying air or water to a distal end portion to be inserted into an object to be observed, whereby water (physiological saline) for cleaning an observation window or It is possible to send air or supply treatment water or the like to the object to be observed.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic structure of air supply or water supply in a conventional endoscope (electronic endoscope) device. An endoscope 1 as a scope has a distal end portion 2 (curved portion), The operation unit 3 and the like are provided, and the light source unit 5 is connected to the endoscope 1 via a cable 4. Inside the endoscope 1 and the cable 4, pipes from the water tank 6, the air pump 7, and the suction connector 8 to the tip portion 2 are arranged as shown in the figure, and the operation unit 3 is supplied with air / air. A water supply operation valve 9 and a suction operation valve 10 are attached.

Further, a first connector 11 and a second connector 12 to which an injector such as a syringe is connected to the distal end side of the operating portion 3.
The first connector 11 is connected to the water supply pipes 100 and 101 in the endoscope 1, and the second connector 12 is independently connected to the water supply pipe 110 that supplies treatment water or the like to the distal end portion 2. . A backflow prevention valve 14 is attached to the water supply pipe 100 connected to the first connector 11, a backflow prevention valve 15 is attached to the water supply pipe 110 connected to the second connector 12, and a backflow prevention valve 16 is attached to the air supply pipe 120. .

According to the above structure, the air pump 7 is closed by closing the upper opening of the air / water supply operation valve 9 with a finger.
The air supplied from the air is sent toward the observation window of the tip portion 2 through the air supply pipe 120. At this time, backflow of air, liquid, etc. from the tip portion 2 is prevented by the backflow prevention valve 16. Further, when the air / water feeding operation valve 9 is pushed downward, the air feeding pipe 120 is closed and the water feeding pipe 101 is opened, so that the water supplied from the water tank 6 passes through the water feeding pipe 101 and reaches the tip. It is supplied to the part 2.

Further, water can be supplied from the injector connected to the first connector 11 to the tip portion 2 in an air supply state different from the above case, and the treated water can be also supplied from the second connector 12 by the injector. Can be supplied to the tip portion 2, and this treatment water is discharged straight from the tip portion 2 toward the object to be observed. Also in this case, the backflow of liquid or the like is prevented by the backflow prevention valves 14,
Is prevented by.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional endoscope, since the predetermined pressure is set for the safety of the air supply of the air pump 7, it may have a sufficient strength depending on the situation. In some cases, the residual water in the observation window left after the cleaning with water cannot be quickly blown off because the air is not sent. Therefore, conventionally, the air pressure has been variably adjusted by the air pump 7 or the like, but there is a problem that the air cannot be sent at a sufficient pressure due to the limits of the length and strength of the air supply pipe.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned check valve 14-
There was a problem that it was difficult to clean and disinfect 16 and the pipes in the vicinity thereof. That is, it was found that the backflow preventive valves 14 to 16 and the pipes in the vicinity thereof were contaminated by the backflowing liquid or the like or due to continuous use.
Disinfection is required. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the check valves 14 to 16 are disposed inside the endoscope 1 in the middle of the tube, and a brush for cleaning is inserted from the air / water supply operation valve 9 side. Since it cannot be done, it must be inserted from the front end opening or the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 side, which makes cleaning and disinfection difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to easily provide high-pressure air supply separately from air supply from an air / water supply operation valve, Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope provided with an air supply connector that facilitates cleaning and disinfection of a valve portion and a pipe.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope provided with an air supply connector according to the invention as defined in claim 1 supplies air or water to a distal end portion from a predetermined supply source. In order to perform the operation, in an endoscope in which a pipe and an operation valve are arranged, a connector for supplying air by an injector to the outer surface part of the endoscope between the operation valve for supplying air or water and the tip part. Is provided with a valve part having a valve formed therein, and an air supply pipe communicating with the operation valve and an air supply pipe to the tip end are connected to the valve part, and at the same time, a check valve for preventing backflow to the outside of the connector and the operation valve side are provided. It is characterized in that a check valve for preventing back flow is provided. The invention according to the second aspect is characterized in that the upper portion of the valve portion in which the connector is formed is a lid body that can be detached from the valve portion, and the inside of the valve is exposed.

[0011]

According to the above construction, by connecting the injector to the connector provided separately from the air / water supply operation valve, it becomes possible to perform high-pressure air supply from the injector. Further, since the valve portion to which the check valve is attached is arranged on the outer surface of the endoscope, cleaning and disinfection of the check valve and the pipe in the vicinity thereof are facilitated. At this time, if the valve unit is provided with a removable lid, the valve unit in which the check valve is arranged can be easily disassembled, and cleaning and disinfection can be performed more efficiently.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the structure of a valve portion of an endoscope provided with an air supply connector according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows the entire structure of the endoscope. Let's start with. In FIG. 2, the endoscope 18 is similar to that of FIG.
The operation section 3 is provided, and the light source section 5 is connected to the endoscope 18 via a cable 4. The endoscope 18 is provided with respective supply pipes from the water tank 6, the air pump 7 in the light source unit 5 and the suction connector 8 as shown in the drawing, and the operation unit 3 is supplied with air / air. A water supply operation valve 9 and a suction operation valve 10 are attached. In addition, reference numeral 19 is a forceps introduction port for inserting forceps or the like.

On the distal end side of the operation portion 3 of the endoscope 18, there are arranged connector / valve portions 20 and 21 for water supply and a connector / valve portion 22 for air supply in which a check valve is incorporated. That is, in the embodiment, a connector for air supply is formed in the connector / valve portion 22 and a check valve is attached.
The water supply connector incorporates a check valve.

FIG. 1 shows a detailed structure (one example) of the connector / valve portion 22. The connector / valve portion 22 is substantially hemispherical fixed to the outer plate 24 of the endoscope 18. A lid 27 having a rotating ring 26 is detachably attached to the base body 25. This rotating ring 2
As shown in the figure, 6 is coupled to the base body 25 in the form of male and female screws, and a coupling portion 28 for connecting an injector such as a syringe is formed at the center of the lid 27. A backflow prevention valve 30 for preventing backflow to the outside of the connector is arranged in a flow path communicating with the flow path 29 of the coupling portion 28.

An intermediate member 32 is attached to the lid 27 by screws or the like, and the intermediate member 32 is connected to the air supply pipe 120 connected to the air supply / water supply operation valve 9 below. A backflow prevention valve 33 for preventing backflow is arranged, and a flow path 34 is provided in the central longitudinal direction and a plurality of flow paths 3 are provided in the lateral direction.
5 is formed. In addition, each member is O
Airtightness is maintained by the ring. Then, as described above, the air pipe 120 is provided at the bottom of the base 25.
And the air supply pipe 121 formed up to the distal end portion 2 of the endoscope is connected to the slope portion.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the check valves 30 and 33. The check valves 30 and 33 are made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the inner valve 37 is connected to the outer ring 38 so as to be movable in the axial direction.
When the lid 27 of FIG. 1 is attached to the base 25,
It becomes what is shown in FIG.

According to the connector / valve portion 22 of FIG. 4, the air supply pipe 120 is operated by operating the air supply / water supply operation valve 9.
The air that has passed through the check valve 33 passes through the flow path 34,
It will be sent to the air supply pipe 121 via 35. At this time, the upper backflow prevention valve 30 is closed to prevent backflow to the outside. On the other hand, in the case where an injector is connected to the coupling portion 28 to inject at a pressure different from the above, for example, air injected at a high pressure passes through the check valve 30 and is also sent through the flow paths 34, 35. It flows into the trachea 121. At this time, the backflow prevention valve 33 on the lower side is closed, and backflow to the air / water supply operation valve 9 side is prevented. In this way, in the embodiment, for example, high-pressure air can be sent via the coupling portion (connector) 28, in addition to the predetermined air pressure set by the air pump. The air by this air supply will be ejected toward the observation window of the endoscope distal end portion 2,
This air supply improves the observation state. Here, when the air supply is not performed, both the backflow prevention valves 30 and 33 prevent the liquid or the like in the observed body from flowing back from the air supply pipe 121 to each part.

Further, according to the above construction, by rotating the rotary ring 26 as shown in FIG. 1, the check valves 30, 3 are checked.
The lid 27 can be removed while holding 3. Then, if the intermediate member 32 is removed, the check valve 30 is also exposed. Therefore, there is an advantage that the backflow prevention valves 30, 33, the air supply pipes 120, 121, etc. can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

In the above embodiment, the lid 27 can be detached from the connector / valve portion 22 so that cleaning and
Not only the disinfection becomes easy, but also the check valves 30, 33 can be easily replaced. Further, since the valve portion 22 is disposed on the outer surface portion of the endoscope 18 and also serves as a connector, even if the lid type is not detachable, cleaning,
There is an advantage that disinfection is easier than in the past.

The connector / valve portion 2 of FIG. 1 described above is also used.
The configuration of 2 can also be used as the valve unit 20 that also serves as a connector for water supply. Therefore, even in the case of water supply in the embodiment,
With the configuration similar to the above, cleaning and disinfection of the inside of the connector / valve unit 20, the check valve, and the water supply pipes 101 and 102 are facilitated. Further, the connector / valve portion 21 for treated water also has the same structure, but in this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the water pipe 110 is connected to the connector / valve portion 21 to connect the connector side to the connector side. Check valve 4 only
It is sufficient to have a configuration in which 5 is arranged.

[0021]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the injector is used to supply air to the outer surface of the endoscope between the operation valve for supplying air or water and the distal end. Since a valve section with a connector was provided and an air supply pipe was connected to this valve section, and at the same time a check valve was installed to prevent backflow from the tip side, what is meant by the air supply / water supply operation valve? Separately, there is an advantage that, for example, high pressure air can be easily sent to the endoscope distal end through the connector.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the upper portion of the valve portion on which the connector is formed is a lid which can be detached from the valve portion so that the inside of the valve is exposed, the reverse flow is caused. There is an advantage that the prevention valve and the inside of the pipe can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a connector-combined valve portion of an endoscope provided with an air supply connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall view showing a configuration of an endoscope of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a check valve according to an embodiment.

4 is a view showing a state in which the connector / valve portion of FIG. 1 is assembled.

FIG. 5 is an overall view showing a configuration of a conventional endoscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 18 ... Endoscope, 2 ... Tip part, 3 ... Operation part, 9 ... Air / water supply operation valve, 20, 21, 22 ... Connector / combined valve part, 25 ... Base body, 27 ... Lid body, 28 ... Coupling Part (connector), 30, 33, 45 ... Backflow prevention valve, 120, 121 ... Air pipe.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope in which a pipe and an operation valve are provided for supplying air or water from a predetermined supply source to the tip, and between the operation valve for supplying air or water and the tip. The outer surface of the endoscope is provided with a valve portion in which a connector for supplying air by an injector is formed, and at the same time as connecting the air feeding pipe communicating with the operation valve and the air feeding pipe to the distal end portion to this valve portion, An endoscope provided with an air supply connector, comprising a check valve for preventing back flow to the outside of the connector and a check valve for preventing back flow to the operation valve side. 2. The first part, characterized in that an upper part of the valve part on which the connector is formed is a lid which can be detached from the valve part so that the inside of the valve is exposed.
An endoscope provided with the air supply connector according to claim 10.