JPH078449A - Conduit line switching device for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the conduit line switching device for an endoscope, by which the inside of the conduit line can be cleaned surely by brushing by inserting a cleaning brush from a cylinder side into a fluid feeding conduit line after the endoscope is used, and also, operability of an operating part is satisfactory. CONSTITUTION:In a conduit line switching device 20 for an endoscope constituted so that plural fluid feeding conduit lines 14, 15 subjected to piping in an operating part 2 of the endoscope are connected to a cylinder body 22 arranged in the operating part 2, and a communicating state between the fluid feeding conduit lines 14, 15 is switched by moving a conduit line switching member 23 in the cylinder body 22, the cylinder body 22 is constituted so as to be freely attachable and detachable to and from the operating part 2 and the fluid feeding conduit lines 14, 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conduit switching device for an endoscope, which switches a communication state between a plurality of fluid communication conduits by moving a switching member forward and backward in a cylinder body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional endoscope line switching device of this type, generally, a cylinder body into which a switching member is inserted is fixed in an endoscope operating portion so that liquid or gas can pass therethrough. A plurality of fluid communication conduits are connected to the cylinder body.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to prevent interpatient infection via an endoscope, which has recently been required to be strict,
It is necessary to completely clean the inside of the conduit switching device and the fluid communication conduit after each use of the endoscope. For that purpose, it is desirable to brush the entire length of the fluid communication conduit.

However, if the cylinder body to which the fluid communication conduit is connected is fixed in the operating portion as described above, even if the switching member is pulled out from the inside of the cylinder, the fluid is communicated from the cylinder side into the fluid communication conduit. It was difficult to insert the cleaning brush and it was not possible to completely clean the inside of the pipeline.

Therefore, there is one in which the suction switching device and the suction pipe (fluid-feeding conduit) are formed as an integral unit that is detachable from the operating portion. However, such a device has a drawback in that the suction tube is exposed to the outside of the operating portion, which makes it extremely difficult to handle the operating portion.

Therefore, according to the present invention, after the endoscope is used, a cleaning brush can be inserted into the fluid passageway from the cylinder side to surely clean the inside of the fluid passage by brushing, and the manipulability of the operating portion is improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a good endoscope line switching device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the conduit switching device for an endoscope according to the present invention operates a plurality of fluid communication conduits piped in an operating portion of the endoscope. In the conduit switching device for an endoscope, the conduit switching device is connected to a cylinder body disposed in a section, and the communication state between the fluid communication conduits is switched by moving the conduit switching member in the cylinder body. It is characterized in that the cylinder body is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the operation section and the fluid communication conduit.

It should be noted that the fluid communication conduit is opened on the operating portion side of the attachment / detachment portion between the cylinder body and the operation portion, and the fluid communication conduit opening is connected to the fluid communication conduit opening. It may be formed on the cylinder body side in alignment with the opening of the conduit.

Detachment means for attaching and detaching the cylinder body to and from the operating portion by moving in the same direction as connecting and disconnecting the two openings may be provided, and one of the two openings may be formed in a protruding shape. It may be fitted into the other inside.

[0010]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 3
1 shows an electronic endoscope to which the present invention is applied, 2 is an operating section, 3 is an insertion section made of a flexible tube, and the tip of the insertion section 3 has a tip body 4 containing an objective optical system and the like. Are connected.

In the operation section 2, an air / water supply operation valve 20 and a suction operation valve 40 are provided above the grip section 5, and a remote control switch 6 such as a video controller is disposed above the operation section 2.

A connector 10 which is detachably connectable to a light source device (also serving as a video processor) (not shown) is attached to the tip of the connecting flexible tube 9 connected to the operating portion 2.

The connector 10 is connected to a light guide connecting rod 11 for inserting the entrance end of the illumination light guide fiber bundle into the light source device, a suction base 12 for connecting a suction device, and an air / water supply device. An air / water supply mouthpiece 13 and the like for performing the operation are provided.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, a suction pipe and an air / water supply pipe that open outward at the tip end main body 4 are provided in the insertion portion 3 from the inside of the connecting flexible tube 9 through the inside of the operating portion 2. And are inserted.

The suction tube is connected at its base end to the suction mouthpiece 12 of the connector 10, and the suction operation valve 40 is connected midway.
The air / water supply pipe is connected at its proximal end to the air / water supply mouthpiece 13 of the connector 10, and the air / water supply operation valve 2
It is connected to 0.

FIG. 1 shows an air / water supply operation valve 20.
The main body of the air / water feeding operation valve 20 is a cylinder body 22 and a piston-shaped switching valve body 23 slidably fitted therein, and the plastic cylinder body 22 opens outwardly, The bottom is closed.

On the side surface of the cylinder body 22, a pair of projections 24 which are elastically deformed and fitted into a pair of engagement holes 7 formed at intervals on the side surface of the operating portion 2 are provided. The cylinder body 22 can be fixed to the operation portion 2 or removed from the operation portion 2 by fitting 24 into the engagement hole 7 or extracting from the engagement hole 7. With such a configuration, the cylinder body 22 is attachable to and detachable from the operating portion 2.

The cylinder body 22 is connected to intermediate portions of the air supply pipe 14 and the water supply pipe 15, respectively, and is connected to the air supply / water supply mouthpiece 13 from the side close to the mouth side of the cylinder body 22. Each of the upstream side water supply pipe 15a, the downstream side water supply pipe 15b and the downstream side air supply pipe 14b connected to the tip end body 4, and the upstream side air supply pipe 14a connected to the air supply / water supply mouthpiece 13 are cylinders in this order. The body 22 is connected while shifting its position in the axial direction.

These air supply pipes 14a and 14b and the water supply pipe 15
The intermediate open ends of a and 15b are arranged side by side with the engaging hole 7 and the operating portion 2
It is arranged to project. About half the thickness of the wall 22a between the pair of protrusions 24 of the cylinder body 22 is formed of an elastic rubber material, and the air supply pipes 14a, 14b and the water supply pipes 15a, 15b are fitted therein. The connection openings 38a, 38b, 39a, 39b are formed so as to be aligned with the air supply pipes 14a, 14b and the water supply pipes 15a, 15b. Further, on the wall of the cylinder body 22 inside thereof, the respective connection openings 38a, 38b, 39.
A hole larger than a and 39b is provided so as to penetrate therethrough.

With such a configuration, each connection opening 38
a, 38b, 39a, 39b in the air supply pipes 14a, 14b
The pipes 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b are airtightly connected to the cylinder body 22 by fitting the water supply pipes 15a, 15b with the projections 24 and the engaging holes 7 at the same time. To be separated.

The shaft portion of the switching valve body 23 is provided with a vent hole 25 penetrating the entire length thereof, and the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion communicates the upper and lower water supply pipes 15a and 15b in the water supply state. The communication groove 26 is formed in a circular shape.
However, in the standby state shown in FIG. 1, the communication groove 2
6 only communicates with the upstream water supply pipe 15a.

The communication groove 2 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the switching valve body 23.
6, and first and second sealing O-rings 27 and 28 are mounted on both sides of the first O-ring 27.
The communication groove 26 and the outside air are closed by the second O-ring 28, and the communication groove 26 and the downstream side water pipe 15 are closed by the second O-ring 28.
The space between b and is closed. Further, a space between the downstream side water supply pipe 15b and the downstream side air supply pipe 14b is closed by a third sealing O-ring 29 mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the switching valve body 23.

Although the upper and lower air supply pipes 14a and 14b are directly communicated with each other in the cylinder body 22, the flange 31 formed at the end of the switching valve body 23 narrows the flow passage area to the downstream air supply pipe 14b. Therefore, the flow path resistance is increased.

At the projecting end of the switching valve body 23, a push button 33 having a leak hole 32 formed at its center is formed.
Is connected and fixed via, and is always urged outward by the compression coil spring 35.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a cover cylinder which is locked to the mouth of the cylinder body 22 so as to surround the compression coil spring 35 portion, and plays a role of attaching and detaching the unit of the switching valve body 23 and the push button 33 to the cylinder body 22. There is.

The air / water supply operation valve 20 configured as described above
Is in the standby state shown in FIG. 1 (however, each pipe 14a, 14
b, 15a, 15b are assumed to be connected to the cylinder body 22), the opening of the upstream water supply pipe 15a is closed by the first and second O-rings 27, 28.

The air sent into the cylinder body 22 from the upstream air supply pipe 14a passes through the vent hole 25 at the center of the switching valve body and the leak hole 32 at the center of the push button 33,
It is released into the open air. A collar 3 is provided in the downstream air supply pipe 14b.
Due to the flow path resistance in part 1 and the downstream side air supply pipe 14b, the air supply does not enter.

At the time of air supply, by closing the leak hole 32 at the center of the push button 33 with a fingertip, all the air sent from the upstream side air supply pipe 14a into the cylinder body 22 is completely supplied to the downstream side air supply pipe 1.
It is sent into 4b.

At the time of water supply, the push button 33 is pushed with a fingertip to move the switching valve body 23 inward of the cylinder body 22. Then, the opening of the downstream side air supply pipe 14b is completely closed by the second and third O-rings 28 and 29, and the upper and lower water supply pipes 15a and 15b communicate with each other through the communication groove 26, and inside the downstream side water supply pipe 15b. Water is sent.

The air / water supply operation valve 20 configured as described above
Simultaneously presses the projection 24 on the side surface of the cylinder body 22 into the engagement hole 7 of the operation portion 2 to fit the projection 24 into the engagement hole 7 of the operation portion 2, thereby simultaneously
4a, 14b and water pipes 15a, 15b are cylinder bodies 22
Are connected to the connection openings 38a, 38b, 39a, 39b.

Then, the cylinder body 22 is detached from the operating portion 2 by pulling out the projection 24 from the engagement hole 7 in the opposite operation, and the air supply pipes 14a, 14b and the water supply pipe 15 are removed.
The openings (intermediate openings) a and 15b are exposed on the surface of the operation portion 2 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Therefore, after the endoscope is used, the air / water feeding operation valve 20 is removed from the operating portion 2 so that a cleaning brush (not shown) is provided in each of the air feeding pipes 14a and 14b and the water feeding pipes 15a and 15b. ) Can be inserted to brush the entire length in each tube.

FIG. 2 shows the suction operation valve 40. On the side surface of the cylinder body 42 of the suction operation valve 40, a pair of projections 41 are provided in a protruding manner similarly to the air / water supply operation valve 20, and an engagement hole 8 that engages with the projection 41 is formed on the operation portion 2 side. The cylinder body 42 is detachable from the operation unit 2.

An inwardly projecting throttle portion 43 is formed at an intermediate portion of the cylinder body 42, and the intermediate portion of the suction pipe 16 is opened to the cylinder body 42 on both front and rear sides of the throttle portion 43. Connected.

That is, the downstream suction pipe 16a communicating with the suction mouthpiece 12 of the connector 10 is open-connected to the cylinder body 42 on the mouth side of the throttle portion 43, and the upstream suction pipe 16b communicating with the tip body 5 is An opening is connected to the cylinder body 42 on the inner side of the throttle portion 43.

Both suction pipes 16a and 16b on the downstream side and the upstream side
The intermediate open end of is arranged in a juxtaposed manner on the operation portion 2 side by side with the engagement hole 8. Then, the pair of protrusions 41 of the cylinder body 42
About half of the thickness of the intervening wall 42a is formed of a rubber material having elasticity, and the suction tubes 16a, 1
Connection openings 58a, 58b into which 6b is fitted are formed so as to be aligned with the suction tubes 16a, 16b.
Further, a hole larger than each of the connection openings 58a and 58b is formed through the wall of the cylinder body 42 inside thereof.

With such a configuration, each connection opening 58
By fitting the suction pipes 16a and 16b into the a and 58b, the suction pipes 16a and 16b are airtightly connected to the cylinder body 42, and the connection and separation operations simultaneously connect the projection 41 and the engagement hole 8. To be separated.

The switching valve element 44 is made of elastic rubber and is formed integrally with the push button portion 45. The pedestal portion of the push button portion 45 is doubly formed in an umbrella shape, and the edge portion of the umbrella portion 46 makes the outer surface closely contact with the recess formed in the annular shape around the mouth of the cylinder body 42. It is fitted like.

At the tip of the switching valve body 44, a thick annular seal portion 47 that abuts the throttle portion 43 is formed on the inner side of the throttle portion 43 of the cylinder body 42, and the cylinder body 42 is closed at that portion. ing.

Then, from the seal portion 47 to the cylinder body 42
A communication groove 48 is formed on the outer periphery of the switching valve body 44 so that a large gap is formed between the cylinder body 42 and the intermediate portion up to the mouth of the cylinder body 42. It is slidably fitted to.

However, a ventilation groove 49 for communicating the communication groove 48 with the inner space of the umbrella-shaped portion 46 is formed in the fitting portion, and the inner space of the umbrella-shaped portion 46 is communicated with the outside air. A leak hole 50 is provided to allow the leak.

The suction operation valve 40 thus formed is
The standby state shown in FIG. 2 (however, suction tubes 16a, 16b
Is connected to the cylinder body 42), the upper and lower suction pipes 1 are connected by the throttle portion 43 and the seal portion 47.
The space between 6a and 16b is closed, and the communication groove 48 and the ventilation groove 49 are formed.
Also, the outside air is sucked into the downstream suction pipe 16a through the leak hole 50.

When the push button portion 45 of the head portion of the switching valve body 44 is pushed in with a fingertip, the annular seal piece 51 formed in the umbrella-shaped portion 46 comes into close contact with the mouth of the cylinder body 42 and the leak hole 50. Is prevented from being sucked.

Since the seal portion 47 at the tip of the switching valve body 44 moves to the inner side of the throttle portion 43 of the cylinder body 42, the upper and lower suction pipes 16a and 16b communicate with each other through the communication groove 48 and the upstream suction pipe. The inside of 16b is the downstream suction pipe 1
6a is sucked.

The suction operation valve 40 thus constructed is
By pressing the projection 41 on the side surface of the cylinder body 42 into the engagement hole 8 of the operation portion 2 and fitting the projection 41, the suction pipe 16
a and 16b are connection openings 58a and 58b of the cylinder body 42.
Connected to.

By pulling out the projection 41 from the engagement hole 8 in the opposite operation, the cylinder body 42 is removed from the operating portion 2, and the openings (intermediate openings) of the suction pipes 16a and 16b are shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, it is exposed on the surface of the operation unit 2.

Therefore, after the endoscope is used, the suction operation valve 40 is detached from the operation portion 2 so that the suction tube 1
An operating brush (not shown) can be inserted into each of the openings 6a and 16b to brush the entire length of each tube.

[0048]

Since the conduit switching device for an endoscope of the present invention is applied to an endoscope in which a fluid feed conduit is inserted into the operating portion of the endoscope, the manipulability of the operating portion is good, Moreover, since the cylinder body is configured to be detachable from the operating portion and the fluid communication conduit, after the endoscope is used, the cylinder body is removed from the operating portion so that the removed portion can be inserted into the fluid communication conduit. A cleaning brush can be inserted to easily and reliably brush the entire length of the pipe.

In this case, the cleaning brush can be easily inserted into the conduit through the fluid passage conduit opening on the operating portion side after the cylinder body is removed. Further, since the cylinder body is attached / detached to / from the operation portion by the movement in the same direction as connecting and disconnecting the fluid communication conduit opening and the connection opening on the cylinder body side, the attachment / detachment operation can be performed very easily and reliably. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an air / water feeding operation valve.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a suction operation valve.

FIG. 3 is an external side view of the endoscope.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the operation unit with a cylinder body removed.

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the operation unit with a cylinder body removed.

[Explanation of Codes] 2 Operation part 14 Air supply pipe 15 Water supply pipe 16 Suction pipe 20 Air supply / water supply operation valve 22 Cylinder body 23 Switching valve body 40 Suction operation valve 42 Cylinder body 44 Switching valve body

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Katsuta 2-36-9 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Keito Ito 2-3-36 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo No. 9 In Asahi Gaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinichi Matsuno 2-36 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inside Asahi Gaku Gakuin Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of fluid communication conduits piped in an operating portion of an endoscope are connected to a cylinder body arranged in the operating portion, and a conduit switching member is moved in the cylinder body to move the conduit. In a conduit switching device for an endoscope configured to switch the communication state between fluid communication conduits, the cylinder body is configured to be detachable from the operation section and the fluid communication conduit. And a conduit switching device for an endoscope. 2. The fluid communication conduit opens on the operation part side of the attachment / detachment part of the cylinder body and the operation part, and the fluid communication conduit has a connection opening connected to the fluid communication conduit opening. The conduit switching device for an endoscope according to claim 1, which is formed on the cylinder body side in alignment with the conduit opening. 3. A pipe line switching device for an endoscope according to claim 2, further comprising attachment / detachment means for attaching / detaching the cylinder body to / from the operating portion by moving in the same direction as connecting and disconnecting the two openings. . 4. A conduit switching device for an endoscope according to claim 3, wherein one of the openings is formed in a projection shape and is fitted into the inside of the other.