JPH0910168A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope which eliminates any failure attributed to the residue of a washing/disinfecting liquid at a connection part by preventing the washing/disinfecting liquid from touching the connection part on the side of an operating section from which an illumination light supply unit is removed when the endoscope is to be washed and disinfected. SOLUTION: A waterproof cap 60 is provided freely detachably at a connection part 27 on the side of an operating section 2 where an illumination light supply unit is connected to close the connection part 27 watertightly from outside when the illumination supply unit is not attached.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope in which an illumination light supply unit for supplying illumination light to a light guide is detachably connected to an operating portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a so-called simple endoscope having a light emitting body for illumination provided on an operating portion is constructed so that an illumination light supply unit containing a miniature bulb and a dry battery is detachably connected to the operating portion. For that reason, a connection mouthpiece for connecting the illumination light supply unit is provided on the operation portion side.

[0003] In order to prevent infection between patients via the endoscope, each part of the endoscope is provided with an O-ring or the like so that the endoscope can be immersed in a cleaning and disinfecting solution after use. It is watertightly sealed.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned endoscope, the inside of the connection mouthpiece for connecting the illumination light supply unit is also watertightly sealed by an O-ring or the like.

However, even if such a seal portion is provided,
The connection portion between the illumination light supply unit and the connection mouthpiece is always wet with the cleaning / disinfecting solution when the illumination light supply unit is removed.

Therefore, for example, if alcohol or the like for cleaning and disinfecting adheres to the connecting portion and remains there, there is a risk of ignition due to the heat received from the light source during use. Also,
Even if it is not so important, if residual chemicals etc. solidify and accumulate, it will be in the same state as if a semi-transparent filter was inserted in the incident light path to the light guide, and The illumination light that is emitted becomes dark.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the endoscope is cleaned and disinfected, the cleaning / disinfecting liquid does not touch the connection portion on the operation portion side where the illumination light supply unit is removed, and the cleaning / disinfecting liquid remains on the connection portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope that does not cause a malfunction.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the endoscope of the present invention has an incident end portion of a light guide for transmitting illumination light for illuminating a subject arranged on an operating portion. In an endoscope in which an illuminating light supply unit for supplying illuminating light to the light guide is detachably connected to the operating section, the operating section side connection section to which the illuminating light supply unit is connected is connected to the illumination section. It is characterized in that a waterproof cap for watertightly closing the connection portion from the outside when the light supply unit is detached is detachably provided.

[0009]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the operation unit 2 portion of the endoscope,
The base end of the insertion part 1 which is covered with a flexible tube is connected to the lower end of the operation part 2.

The lower three-quarters portion of the operating portion 2 is a grip portion 2a, and the pressure inside the airtight endoscope is adjusted between the grip portion 2a and the insertion portion 1. A pressure adjusting valve 3 is provided for this purpose.

A suction operation valve (not shown) for performing a suction operation through a forceps channel inserted in the insertion portion 1 is provided in the operation mechanism portion 5 above the grip portion 2a of the operation portion 2.
A bending operation lever 7 for remotely bending and operating a bending portion (not shown) formed at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 1 is arranged on the front surface and the rear surface, and an eyepiece portion 8 is projected on the upper surface. There is.

An illumination light guide fiber bundle 9 for transmitting illumination light for illuminating an object has an incident end portion arranged in an operation mechanism portion 5, and has a grip portion 2a of the insertion portion 1 and the operation portion 2. Through the inside, the ejection end portion is arranged at the tip of the insertion portion 1.

The light guide fiber bundle 9
Illumination light supply unit 3 for supplying illumination light to
0 is detachably attached to the side surface portion of the operation mechanism unit 5.

The illumination light supply unit 30 contains a light source lamp 32 for emitting illumination light to be supplied to the light guide fiber bundle 9, a battery 100 as a power source for turning on the light source lamp 32, and the like. There is. As the battery 100, any battery such as a dry battery or a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery may be used.

The battery 100 is replaceable by removing the cap portion 50 detachably attached to the end of the illumination light supply unit 30, and an AC / DC adapter or the like may be connected instead of the battery 100. it can. A light guide cable may be connected instead of the illumination light supply unit 30.

Further, instead of the illumination light supply unit 30,
A light guide cable or the like that transmits the illumination light incident from the external light source device and emits it toward the incident end surface of the light guide fiber bundle 9 on the endoscope side can be connected to the operation unit 2.

FIG. 3 shows the operation unit 2 and the illumination light supply unit 3.
The main body case 11 which shows the vicinity of the connection portion with 0 and covers the operation mechanism portion 5 of the operation portion 2 is made of electrically insulating plastic.

The bearing cylinder 12 supporting the bending operation lever 7 and the suction operation valve 6 are fitted and inserted in separate holes formed in the main body case 11, and are watertightly sealed at respective portions. The bearing tube 12 and the base of the suction operation valve 6 are fixed to a metal frame 13 in the operation section 2.

A lid 15 made of electrically insulating plastic is fitted into the side opening formed in the main body case 11 and an O-ring 16 for sealing is attached to the fitting surface so that it can be removed from the gap. Water does not enter the inside of the operation unit 2.

A rotation stopper 2 for restricting relative rotation between the lid 15 and the main body case 11 is provided at the fitting portion.
1 is formed. Although the O-ring 16 is crushed by being attached, the figure shows a cross section in a natural state before crushing.

At the central axis position of the through hole formed in the central portion of the lid body 15, the base portion is the metal frame 13 inside the operation portion 2.
A support cylinder 17 fixed to the is arranged. Then, the light guide mounting cylinder 18 screwed and connected to the support cylinder 17
However, it protrudes outward from the projecting end of the support cylinder 17.

The incident end of the light guide fiber bundle 9 is screwed and fixed at the central axis position of the light guide mounting barrel 18, and the light guide fiber bundle 9 is incident on the projecting end portion of the light guide mounting barrel 18. A convex meniscus lens 20 is watertightly joined to face the end face.

A through-hole formed in the lid 15 is provided with a cylindrical unit receiving cap 27 made of, for example, stainless steel for receiving (connecting) the illumination light supply unit 30 which is attached to and detached from the operating portion 2. It is fitted so as to project inward, and is fixed by being pressed inward by a metal tightening ring 28 screwed into the support cylinder 17.

However, the unit socket 27 and the tightening ring 2
A cylindrical insulating tube 29 made of electrically insulating plastic is interposed between the unit receiving mouth 27 and the tightening ring 28 so that the unit receiving mouth 27 and the tightening ring 28 do not come into contact with each other. The ring 28 is electrically insulated.

As described above, since the lid 15 and the insulating tube 29 which are in contact with the unit receiving cap 27 on the operating portion 2 side are both electrically insulating, the unit receiving cap 27 protruding outward from the operating portion 2 is attached. Even if a leak current or the like from the outside flows, the leak current is not transmitted to other members of the operation unit 2.

An O-ring for sealing is attached to the fitting portion between the respective members arranged inside the hole of the lid body 15, and the operating portion 2 is protected from water from the outside in all portions. It has a watertight structure that does not enter. Of course, the insertion portion 1 is also formed in a watertight structure.

The illumination light supply unit 30 is formed in a straight tubular shape as a whole, and has a lamp chamber portion 30a near the connection portion with the operation portion 2 and a battery on the side remote from the connection portion with the operation portion 2. It is divided into a chamber portion 30b, and FIG. 3 shows the entire lamp chamber portion 30a.

The outer wall of the battery chamber portion 30b is formed by an outer case 31b having good corrosion resistance (chemical resistance), such as stainless steel, metal or plastic with a chemical resistant surface treatment, and the inside of the outer case 31b is electrically conductive. A cylindrical inner case 31a made of copper or a copper alloy having good properties such as phosphor bronze is inscribed and arranged.

At the boundary between the lamp chamber portion 30a and the battery chamber portion 30b, the lamp socket 33 to which the light source lamp 32 is detachably inserted and attached is fixed to the inner case 31a through some components. . The structure of the fixed portion will be described later.

The cylindrical lamp chamber case 35a forming the outer wall of the lamp chamber portion 30a is formed of strong stainless steel, for example, and is connected and fixed to the outer case 31b.

Lamp chamber case 35a and outer case 31b
The rotation restricting pin 37 protruding from the lamp chamber case 35a is rotated in the groove 36 formed in the outer case 31b.
Is regulated by engaging with.

Further, a fixed ring 38 fixed to the lamp chamber case 35a by a rotation restricting pin 37 is fitted to the outer periphery of the lamp chamber case 35a and is screwed with the outer case 31b. The lamp chamber case 35a and the outer case 31b are sandwiched between and fixed in the axial direction. Reference numeral 39 is an O-ring for sealing the connecting portion between the lamp chamber case 35a and the outer case 31b.

At the tip of the lamp chamber case 35a, a reflecting mirror 34 for converging the illumination light emitted from the light source lamp 32 toward the incident end face of the light guide fiber bundle 9 surrounds the light source lamp 32. Adhesive fixed.

A transparent cover glass 49 is fixed to the front end surface of the reflecting mirror 34 by a pressing nut 40. A sealant is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the cover glass 49, and is sealed so that water does not enter the lamp chamber case 35a from the outside.

The outer peripheral surface near the tip of the lamp chamber case 35a is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the unit receiving cap 27, and the connecting portion (ie, the inner peripheral surface of the unit receiving cap 27 and the outer peripheral surface of the lamp chamber case 35a). And an O-ring 41 for sealing the space between

Further, a male screw 35s which is screwed with a female screw 27s formed on the inner peripheral surface of the unit receiving cap 27 is formed at a portion further to the tip side of the lamp chamber case 35a than the O-ring 41. , Both screws 27s, 35
By combining s, the illumination light supply unit 30 is connected to the operation unit 2.

Then, after the illumination light emitted from the light source lamp 32 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 34, the cover glass 4
After passing through 9 and the convex meniscus lens 20, they converge and enter the incident end surface of the light guide fiber bundle 9.

In this way, the illumination light supply unit 30
Is connected to the operation unit 2, the lamp chamber case 35
The fitting portion between a and the unit receiving cap 27 is sealed by the O-ring 41.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the illumination light supply unit 30 is detached from the operation portion 2 by uncoupling the female screw 27s of the unit socket 27 and the male screw 35s of the lamp chamber case 35a. .

At the tip of the lamp chamber case 35a of the present embodiment, a male screw 35 is provided on the front side of the mounting portion of the O-ring 41.
Since the s is formed, the O-ring 41 does not touch the female screw 27s on the unit receiving cap 27 side when the illumination light supply unit 30 is attached to or detached from the operation unit 2. Therefore, the O-ring 41 is not damaged when the illumination light supply unit 30 is attached or detached.

Returning to FIG. 3, the two electrodes projecting rearward from the light source lamp 32 are inserted into the socket 33 and electrically connected to the connecting pins 42a, 42b at the rear side thereof. The base end of each connection pin 42a, 42b is an insulating plate 44.
It is divided and fixed to two electrode plates 43a and 43b which are arranged with a space between them.

The positive electrode of the battery 100 is always in contact with the one electrode plate 43a, and the other electrode plate 43a is in contact therewith.
In b, via a holding cylinder 46 made of a highly conductive metal,
The inner case 31a is electrically connected.

These members are surrounded by an electrically insulating tubular body 45, and are pressed and fixed together with the socket 33 to the inner case 31a by a holding nut 47 screwed to the inner case 31a.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the illumination light supply unit 30 is removed from the unit socket 27 and the waterproof cap 60 is attached to the unit socket 27 at the time of cleaning and disinfecting after using the endoscope.

The waterproof cap 60 is formed in a cap shape with its head side sealed, and the tip side is detachably fitted into the unit receiving cap 27. Then, the outer peripheral portion of the portion fitted into the unit receiving cap 27 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the unit receiving cap 27, and the connecting portion (that is, the inner peripheral surface of the unit receiving cap 27 and the waterproof cap 60).
An O-ring 62 for sealing the outer peripheral surface) is attached.

When the waterproof cap 60 is attached to the unit receiving cap 27, the O-ring 62 is in close contact with the portion just inside the mouth opening of the unit receiving cap 27 and seals the portion.

A male screw 60s, which is screwed with a female screw 27s formed on the inner peripheral surface of the unit socket 27, is formed at the tip of the waterproof cap 60.
By connecting both screws 27s and 60s, the waterproof cap 60 is attached in a state where the opening of the unit receiving cap 27 is watertightly closed.

Therefore, if the endoscope is immersed in the cleaning / disinfecting solution in this state, the cleaning / disinfecting solution will not enter the inside of the mouth opening of the unit receiving cap 27 where the O-ring 62 is located.

As a result, when the waterproof cap 60 is removed from the unit receiving cap 27 for the next endoscopic inspection, the inside portion of the unit receiving cap 27, which is the connecting portion with the illumination light supply unit 30, is cleaned and disinfected. No liquid remains.

Since the waterproof cap 60 is screw-connected to the unit receiving cap 27, it is necessary to hold it by hand and rotate it about the axis when attaching and detaching. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a knurl 63 for preventing slippage is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the head-side half of the waterproof cap 60.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and if the waterproof cap 60 is attached to the unit receiving base 27, the unit receiving base 27 is sealed at the base portion, so that it is shown in FIG. 6, for example. As described above, all the O-rings inside the unit receiving cap 27 may be omitted, and conversely, there may be a ventilation path 19 for communicating the inside of the operation portion 2 and the inside of the unit receiving cap 27.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation portion side connection portion to which the illumination light supply unit is connected is waterproof to seal the connection portion from the outside in a watertight manner when the illumination light supply unit is removed. Since the cap is detachable, when the illumination light supply unit is removed to clean and disinfect the endoscope, the cleaning / disinfecting solution does not come into contact with the connection part. Does not occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention with a waterproof cap attached.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the endoscope according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention with an illumination light supply unit attached.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention with the illumination light supply unit removed.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the head of the waterproof cap.

FIG. 6 is a plan cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention with a waterproof cap attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Operation part 9 Light guide fiber bundle 27 Unit socket 30 Illumination light supply unit 60 Waterproof cap 62 O-ring

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sano 2-36-9 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takisuke Adachi 2-3-36 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo No. 9 In Asahi Gaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takashi Koeda 2 36-9 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Inside Asahi Gaku Gakuin Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An illumination light supply unit for supplying illumination light to the light guide is arranged in the operation portion while an incident end portion of the light guide for transmitting the illumination light for illuminating an object is arranged in the operation portion. In a detachably connected endoscope, the operation light-side connection unit to which the illumination light supply unit is connected is watertightly closed from the outside when the illumination light supply unit is removed. An endoscope having a waterproof cap for detachably mounting.