JPH0728853B2 - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope device which performs a standby operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an endoscope is equipped with a pipe line, a nozzle, a valve and the like for performing suction, air supply, water supply and the like. Then, in order to prevent nosocomial infection and clogging of nozzles and the like, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the inside of the duct after using the endoscope. Moreover, since the water remaining in each pipe is easily decomposed, it is necessary to reliably discharge the residual water. Prior to using the endoscope, each conduit is empty.

[0003]

However, when the endoscope is used, especially when the water supply system pipeline is left empty, when the water is first delivered during an endoscopic examination, the interior of the pipeline is The water supply function cannot be fully exerted until it is satisfied. Sufficient water is not supplied at the same time as the start of water supply, and the cleaning power is weak for a while after the start of water supply.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sufficient amount of water to be supplied from the start of the water supply operation during an endoscopic examination and to ensure a cleaning power. An object is to provide an endoscope device.

[0005]

The present invention provides an observation window.
An endoscope having a water supply channel is arranged leading to the water supply nozzle provided towards, in the endoscope apparatus comprising a conduit control means for controlling the water supply, the endoscope prior to insertion into a patient, the tube
A channel control means is used to fill at least a part of the water supply line with water.
Provided with a pipeline function use preparation control means that operates to add
It is a thing. Therefore, when inserting the endoscope into the patient,
Fill at least a portion of the water pipeline before
Since a predetermined water supply operation is performed as described above, a sufficient water supply amount can be obtained from the start of the water supply operation at the time of inspection with an endoscope ,
Detergency can be secured by the water supply operation.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an endoscope apparatus. In the figure, 1 is an endoscope and 2 is an endoscope control device.

The main body of the endoscope 1 is composed of an insertion portion 3 for inserting into the body cavity, an operating portion 4 and a cable 5, and the extension tip of the cable 5 is connected to the endoscope control device 2. It An observation window 6 is provided at the tip of the insertion portion 3, and the observation window 6
An air / water supply nozzle 7, which is also used for air / water supply, is provided with three illumination windows 8, a suction port 9, a front water supply port 10, and the like.

Inside each of the three illumination windows 8, three white lamps 12 facing each other with red, green and blue color filters 11 interposed respectively are installed. Each of the white lamps 12 is connected to the illumination control circuit 13 in the endoscope control device 2, and is selectively turned on by the illumination control circuit 13.

A solid-state image pickup device (CCD) 14 is installed inside the observation window 6. This solid-state image sensor 1
4 is connected to the video process circuit 15 in the endoscope control device 2. A frame memory 16 and a monitor 17 are connected to the video process circuit 15. The frame memory 16 stores contents 1, 2, 3 and 4 described later.

The air / water supply nozzle 7 is connected to an air supply passage 18 and a water supply passage 19 in the endoscope 1. The air supply passage 18 and the water supply passage 19 are guided into the endoscope control device 2, and the air supply passage 18 serves as an air supply source of the air supply passage air supply means via the check valve 20. Connected to the first pump P ₁ of the. Further, a gas tank 21 is connected to the discharge side of the first pump P ₁ via a _first valve V _1, and a relief valve 22 is connected via a _second valve V ₂ . The water supply path 19 is connected via a _fourth valve V ₄ to a water supply tank 23 as a water supply source of the water supply means for the water supply path and the water supply means for the air supply path. This water tank 23
Is the second pump P as an air supply source of the air supply means for the air supply passage.
Connected to ₂ . The second pump P ₂ is the third pump
Is connected to the water supply passage 19 via a valve V ₃ .

The air supply passage 18 and the water supply passage 19 are connected to each other via a _fifth valve V ₅ . The first pump P ₁ and the first to fifth valves V ₁ , V ₂ , V ₃ , V
₄ , V ₅ are connected to an air / water supply control circuit (pipe line control means) 24 for controlling the air supply means and the water supply means, respectively. The air / water supply control circuit 24 is connected to the air / gas supply switch S ₁ and the water supply switch S ₂ provided on the operation unit 4, respectively. The air / water control circuit 24 as the conduit control means receives a signal from the standby switch S ₇ and receives a standby operation command from the central control circuit 36 as described later, and performs a predetermined water supply operation to perform the conduit function. It is ready to be prepared.

The suction port 9 is connected to a suction passage 25 that also serves as a forceps channel of the endoscope 1. This suction passage 25 is provided with a liquid storage tank 26 provided in the endoscope control device 2.
It is connected to the fourth pump P ₄ via. The flow path 27 between the liquid reservoir tank 26 and the fourth pump P ₄ has an eighth
Valve V ₈ is inserted, and a humidity sensor 28 and a pressure sensor 29 are provided in the flow path 27. The eighth valve V ₈ , the humidity sensor 28 and the pressure sensor 29
Is connected to the suction control circuit 31. The suction control circuit 31 is connected to the suction switch S ₃ provided on the operation unit 4. It should be noted that a forceps plug 32 provided in the operation portion 4 is connected in the middle of the suction path 25 that also serves as a forceps channel of the endoscope 1.

The front water supply port 10 is connected to a front water supply passage 33, and the front water supply passage 33 has a seventh valve V.
_It is connected to the front water supply tank 34 via _7, and the third pump P ₃ is connected to the front water supply tank 34.
The third pump P ₃ is directly connected to the front water supply passage 33 side via the sixth valve V _6, and the water supply passage 33 is connected.
A seventh valve V ₇ is inserted in the. In addition, the seventh valve V ₇ , the third pump P ₃ and the sixth valve V ₆
Is connected to a front water supply control circuit 35 as a conduit control means for controlling water supply. This forward water supply control circuit 35
Is connected to a front water supply switch S ₄ provided on the operation unit 4 and a foot switch S ₄ ′.

A central control circuit 36 is provided in the endoscope control device 2, and the central control circuit 36 is
The lighting control circuit 13, the video process circuit 15, the frame memory 16, the air / water supply control circuit 24, the suction control circuit 31, and the front water supply control circuit 35 are connected to each other. In addition, the endoscope control device 2 is provided with various operation switches. That is, the air / gas feed switch S ₅ , the air relief switch S ₆ , the standby switch S ₇ , the water tank residual water amount confirmation switch S ₈ , the observation start switch S ₉ , the observation stop switch S ₁₀ , the remove switch S ₁₁ , and the simplified switch. A remove switch S ₁₂ and a drain switch S ₁₃ are provided.

Next, each operation of this endoscope apparatus will be described in sequence. (Standby Operation) ... See FIG. 2 This operation is to connect the endoscope 1 to the endoscope control device 2 so that each duct system can be inspected before the inspection.
To this end, first, by pressing the standby switch S ₇ , the central control circuit 36 commands the air / water control circuit 24 to drive the _first pump P ₁ . First pump P ₁
Operates intermittently (T ₆ , T ₇ ) as shown in FIG. 2, and intermittently supplies air to the air supply passage 18. As a result, residual water that may remain in the air supply passage is discharged from the air supply / water supply nozzle 7 on the tip side. The reason why the air is supplied to the air supply path 18 intermittently is that the discharge force is stronger than the constant air supply.

Here, by thoroughly draining water, when the air is sent during the inspection, the residual water in the air supply passage 18 does not come out and is blown to the observation window 6 so that the observation visual field is not obstructed. . That is, the inspection cannot be interrupted. During this operation, since the first valve V ₁ and the second valve V ₂ are closed, all the air feeding force of the first pump P ₁ can be utilized, and strong air feeding is performed.

On the other hand, at the same time as the start of the air supply, the air / water supply control circuit 24 as a conduit control means for controlling the water supply receives the signal from the standby switch S ₇ and the central control circuit 36.
Based on the command from, prepare for the pipeline function for the prescribed water supply operation. That is, the second pump P ₂ also starts to operate at the same time as the start of the air supply, and the fourth valve V ₄ is also opened, so that the water supply passage 1
Water is sent to 9. When this water supply is performed for a certain time (T ₈ ), the water supply passage 19 is filled with water. After the elapse of this time (T ₈ ), the fourth valve V ₄ is automatically closed and the water supply is stopped. However, the second pump P ₂ continues to operate, increasing the pressure in the water supply tank 23. As a result, when water is supplied during the inspection, it is possible to immediately start reliable water supply with a large water supply amount, improve water supply operability, and increase the water supply amount to enhance the cleaning power. Further, even if the inner surface of the water supply passage 19 is wet before the inspection and the dirt and the like flow backward during the inspection and use, the water is easily washed off by the water supply.

The same water feeding operation as described above is also performed in the front water feeding system. That is, the central control circuit 36
In response to a standby operation command from the front water supply control circuit 3
5 prepares a pipe line function for a predetermined water supply operation. The second pump P ₃ is activated and the seventh valve V ₇ is opened. The front water passage 33 is filled with water, and after a certain time (T ₈ ),
The seventh valve V ₇ is automatically closed and the water supply is stopped. The second pump P ₃ continues to operate and the inside of the front water supply tank 34 is pressurized.

Further, the fourth suction pump P ₄ has started its operation at the same time as the operation of the standby switch S ₇ , and continues to operate steadily thereafter. Then, the suction operation is turned on and off by opening and closing the eighth valve V ₈ . Here, a case where the cleaning liquid is sucked into the suction passage 25 for cleaning will be described. For this purpose, the tip of the endoscope 1 must be immersed in the cleaning liquid. Also, after that cleaning,
The cleaning liquid in the suction passage 25 must be removed by suction. Therefore, the tip of the endoscope 1 is pulled out from the cleaning liquid halfway. Although this work is performed by a person, if this is not done securely, the cleaning may be insufficient or the cleaning liquid may remain. Therefore, in order to ensure this, a comment is displayed on the monitor 17 and the color of the illumination light is changed.

First of all, during the time (T ₉ ) from the start, the content 1 "Please insert the tip of the endoscope into the cleaning liquid" stored in the frame memory 16 is displayed on the monitor 17. indicate. Further, during this time (T ₉ ), the white lamp 12 corresponding to the red filter 11 is turned on to illuminate red, and the color is displayed as the background color on the monitor 17. Therefore, the content 1 can be known also by the color. Then, at the subsequent time (T ₁₀ ), the display content of the monitor 17 changes, and the content 2 “Please remove the tip of the endoscope from the cleaning liquid.” Is displayed.
Further, the white lamp 12 corresponding to the blue filter 11 is turned on to perform blue illumination, and the background of the monitor 17 is changed to blue.

If the work is performed while receiving such an instruction, the work can be surely processed without an error in the work. Moreover, if the meaning of the color of the illumination is remembered, the content can be discriminated without looking at the monitor 17. If the color of the characters of the contents 1 and 2 or the background color is matched with the illumination light, the meaning of the color can be easily remembered.

By the way, if there is water in the middle of the suction passage 25, the negative pressure inside the suction passage becomes large, and it is higher than normal when it is normal. This is detected by the pressure sensor 29, and the negative pressure is detected. If it is large, it is assumed that there is residual water, and suction is continued until the negative pressure becomes small. At this time, the display (content 2) on the monitor 17 and the illumination light are blinked to call attention.

Further, when the humidity sensor 28 provided in the middle of the suction passage 25 overflows into the liquid reservoir tank 26 and the sewage is about to flow to the side of the fourth pump P ₄ for the suction pump,
Upon detecting this, the fourth pump P ₄ is immediately stopped.
Therefore, damage to the pump P _{4 and the} like can be prevented in advance.

The observation is not possible until the standby operation is completed. Therefore, the endoscope 1 may be inserted into the body cavity of the patient before the standby operation is completed. There is no, and it is safe.

(Water tank remaining water confirmation operation) If the water in the water tank 23 is exhausted during the inspection, the air will be sent as if water had been sent, which is extremely dangerous.
Therefore, a method of detecting the residual water amount in the water supply tank 23 and not operating the second pump P ₂ for water supply may be considered, but here, a manual water supply tank residual water amount confirmation switch S ₈ is provided, When the standby operation is finished, the contents 3 stored in the frame memory 16 are displayed on the monitor 17.

That is, the message "Check if the water in the water supply tank is clean and if it is sufficient, and if it is OK, press the remaining water amount confirmation switch." Is displayed. It is not hygienic that the water in the water supply tank 23 will be spoiled if the water in the water tank 23 is not changed for many days, but it is not so when it is actually used. It seems Therefore, if only the residual water amount is detected and it can be used as it is, there is a risk that the user will not be more concerned about water.

In this respect, here, the water supply tank residual water amount confirmation switch S ₈ is provided as described above, and the observation start switch S ₉ cannot be observed unless the water supply tank residual water amount confirmation switch S ₈ is pressed. I did it. Therefore, it becomes possible to observe only after checking the remaining water amount,
Safe and hygienic. After this confirmation, if the switch S ₈ for confirming the residual water amount in the water supply tank is pressed, the display of the content 3 on the monitor 17 disappears.

[0028] In addition to the above content 3, "Please confirm whether the capacity of the liquid storage tank is sufficient" may be added. (Observation start operation) When the observation start switch S ₉ is pressed after confirming the remaining water amount, the field-of-view image formed on the solid-state image sensor 14 is converted into an electric signal, and the video process circuit 15 performs signal processing. And is displayed on the monitor 17. At this time, the white lamp 12 is sequentially turned on to provide illumination light of each color.

(Switching operation of gas supply / gas supply) ... See FIG. 3 To switch between gas supply and gas supply, the gas supply / gas supply switch S ₅ is selected. In other words, the gas / gas supply switch S ₅ is a switch of two alternatives,
On the air supply side, while the air supply gas switch S ₁ is being pressed, the first pump P ₁ operates to supply air. Further, similarly, in this state, the air supply relief switch S ₆ can be switched to the closed state or the relief state. When the air supply relief switch S ₆ is closed, the second valve V ₂ is closed, and the entire amount of the air discharged from the first pump P ₁ is supplied. When the air supply relief switch S _{6 is set} to the relief side, the second valve V ₂ communicates, and when the air supply pressure is above a certain level, it leaks to the outside, and the risk of damaging the body cavity organ by supplying more air than necessary is avoided. . The relief pressure is 0.15 kg.
It can be changed and adjusted in the range of / cm ² to 0.3 kg / cm ² .

Next, when the gas / gas feeding switch S ₅ is switched to the gas feeding side, when the gas / gas feeding switch S ₁ is pushed, the first valve V ₁ is opened to carry the gas feeding. At this time, the second valve V ₂ is always in the communication state regardless of the air supply relief switch S _6, and the pressure of a certain amount or more leaks to the outside. When, for example, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder is used as the gas tank 21, the pressure by the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is a high pressure of several tens kg per cm ² . Then, this is usually lowered to a safe pressure by using a regulator. However, the adjusting pressure varies considerably depending on the hospital that uses it, and it is likely that the adjusting pressure is set to be considerably high. However, since the relief valve 22 is always operated in the above configuration, it is safe for the patient even if the regulator fails.

(Water supply operation) ... See FIG. 4. The water supply operation is performed only while the water supply switch S ₂ is pressed, but during the water supply operation, the first pump is operated at a constant interval T ₁ for a time T _2. Activate P ₁ .
Therefore, since the air is intermittently added during the water supply and the mixed fluid of water and air is blown to the observation window, the cleaning power is much larger than that of the case where only water is used. In addition, if you continuously supply air, there is a risk of excessive air supply.
I tried to supply air intermittently.

Further, after the air supply switch S ₁ is released, air is automatically supplied for a certain period of time T ₃ to remove water droplets on the observation window. Therefore, there is no water drop on the observation window after the water is sent, and the observation is not supported.

(Suction) ... See FIG. 5. When performing suction, the suction switch S ₃ is pressed and suction is performed only while the switch is pressed.

(Front water supply operation) ... See FIG. 6 This is performed while the front water supply switch S ₄ or the foot switch S ₄ ′ is being pressed. Also at this time, the sixth valve V ₆ is opened and closed in the cycle of the periods T ₄ and T ₅ ,
It is a mixture of air and water and has a strong cleaning power.

(Remove operation) ... See FIG. 7. When the remove switch S ₁ is pressed, the remove operation is performed.
That is, the second and third pumps P ₂ and P ₃ operate, and the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth valves V ₄ , V ₅ , and V
₇ , V ₈ opens, and during the period T ₁₂ , the air supply path 18 and the water supply path 1
9. Water is supplied to the front water supply passage 33. Further, during the subsequent period T ₁₅ , the third and sixth valves V ₃ , V _3
6 is opened / closed to form a fluid mixture of steam and water, which is sent to the water supply passage 19 and the front water supply passage 33 to strongly clean the inside thereof. Further, during the subsequent period T ₁₇ , the third and sixth valves V ₃ and V ₆ are kept open to supply the air to the water supply passage 19 and the front water supply passage 33 to remove the water therein. To do. Further, in the subsequent period T ₂₀ , the second and third pumps P ₂ and P ₃ are intermittently operated to intermittently supply air to strongly discharge the water droplets. Then, in the last period T ₂₁ , the valve V leading to the water passage 19 and the front water passage 33 is connected.
₃ , V ₄ , V ₆ , V ₇ , and V ₉ are opened to make the pressures in the water supply tank 23 and the front water supply tank 34 equal to the atmospheric pressure.

For the suction passage 25, the same operation as the standby operation described above is performed. When these remove operations are completed, the monitor 17 displays the contents 4
“The cleaning of the inside of the flow path is completed. The endoscope may be pulled out from the endoscope control device.” Is displayed.

(Simple remove operation) ... See FIG. 8. When the above remove operation is not always necessary, for example, a large number of patients must be treated, and those patients do not carry infectious viral bacteria. When it is clear, the cleaning of the air supply passage 18 can be omitted. The cleaning operation in this case is a simple remove. That is, after water is supplied to the water supply path 19 and the front water supply path 33 for the period T ₂₄ , water is supplied to the air supply path 18, the water supply path 19, and the front water supply path 33 for the period T ₂₅ . The suction path 25 is the same as the standby operation described above. However, the time is shorter than that of the remove operation.

(Draining operation) ... See FIG. 9. This operation is performed after the entire endoscope is immersed in a chemical solution.
Used when draining each flow path.

If the removal operation is started while the endoscope 1 is being inserted into a patient, air supply or water supply is automatically performed, which is dangerous. However, here, the observation stop switch S ₁₀ is provided so that the removal operation is not performed unless the switch is pressed. When observing stop switch S ₁₀ is pressed, the illumination and imaging is stopped. Therefore, since the endoscope 1 is taken out from the patient, the observation stop switch S ₁₀ is pressed, and then the remove switch S ₁₁ is pressed, the remove operation is performed only.
It's safe.

[0040]

As described above, the present invention provides an endoscope.
Prior to insertion into a patient, that is, prior to endoscopy, the conduit control means is filled with water in at least a portion of the water conduit.
Before the endoscope is inserted into the patient, since it is equipped with a conduit function use preparation control means for performing a predetermined operation to be satisfied.
To, by performing a predetermined water supply operation, use of the endoscope
Sufficient water amount from the start of the water supply operation at the time of use is obtained, detergency Ru secured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart of a standby operation of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of air supply and gas supply of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of a water supply operation of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a time chart of a suction operation of the endoscope device.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of a forward water feeding operation of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a time chart of a remove operation of the endoscope apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a time chart of a simple remove operation of the endoscope device.

FIG. 9 is a time chart of a draining operation of the endoscope device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope, 2 ... Endoscope control device, 7 ... Nozzle, 18 ...
Air supply passage, 19 ... Water supply passage, 23 ... Water supply tank, 24 ... Air supply / water supply control circuit (pipe control means), 25 ... Suction passage, 31 ...
Suction control circuit, 33 ... Front water supply channel, 34 ... Front water supply tank, 35 ... Front water supply control circuit (pipe control means), 36 ...
Central control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Patients and the endoscope where the water supply channel arranged in the endoscope apparatus comprising a conduit control means for controlling the water supply, the endoscope leading to water supply nozzle provided towards 1. A viewing window To
Prior to inserting the pipe control means,
If necessary, use a conduit function that operates to fill part of the water.
An endoscope apparatus comprising a preparation control means .