JPH11244221A - Fluid jet nozzle for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jet nozzle for an endoscope which can remove dirty things sticking to an observation window of the endoscope effectively without using surplus fluid by forming a jet passage, which is made up in a jet part of a nozzle body, as a slant passage which can jet the fluid onto a surface of the observation window with a predetermined angle obliquely from above. SOLUTION: A nozzle body 30 has a jet part 32 which is installed consecutively to a passage connection part 31 in such a manner that the jet part 32, being connected to a top of the passage connection part 31, protrudes in a lateral direction, wherein a channel passage 33 communicating with the fluid passage 15 is formed at a side of the passage connection part 31 of the nozzle body 30, a jet passage 34 communicating with this channel passage 33 is formed at a side of the jet part 32 side of the nozzle body 30 between the jet part 32 itself and a surface of a head cover 11, and further an end of the jet channel 34 is opened to provide a jet orifice 35. The jet passage 34 is designed to be a slant circular arc shape whose upper plane is slanted down, as approaching to the end. Further, an outer surface of the jet part 32 is formed to be a slant planar part 32a and a portion where a jet orifice 35 is formed is designed to be a lowest portion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope used for medical purposes or the like, which is used for ejecting a fluid toward an observation window provided at the distal end of an insertion portion when the observation window is contaminated. It concerns the nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 8, an endoscope used for medical use or the like is inserted into a body cavity or the like in a main body operation section 1 for an operator or the like to perform an operation by holding it by hand. It is generally configured by connecting the insertion section 2 and extending a universal cord 3 detachably connected from the main body operation section 1 to a light source device or the like. The insertion portion 2 is formed of a flexible portion 2a that bends in an arbitrary direction along the insertion path from the side connected to the main body operation portion 1 and has a main body operation portion at the tip of the flexible portion 2a. An angle portion 2b that is operated to bend by an angle knob 4 provided at 1 is continuously provided, and a tip configuration portion 2c is continuously provided at a tip of the angle portion 2b.

[0003] The distal end portion 2c is provided with an illumination window and an observation window, and a treatment instrument insertion channel is opened. Therefore, by illuminating a dark place such as the inside of the body cavity from the illumination window, an image in the body cavity can be observed through the observation window. In addition, when an affected part is found while observing the inside of the body cavity, forceps or other treatment tools are inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel to remove the affected part, perform other treatments, Etc. can be collected. Therefore, the angle portion 2b is for orienting the tip constituting portion 2c in a desired direction.
Here, as the direction of the observation field of view through the observation window, in the axial direction of the insertion section 2, a direct-view endoscope having an observation field in front and a side-view endoscope having an observation field in a direction perpendicular to this axis. And a perspective endoscope having an obliquely forward observation field of view.

[0004] Since body fluids and other contaminants are present in the body cavity, and if these contaminants adhere to the observation window, a good observation field of view cannot be obtained, the observation window must be cleaned even when inserted into the body cavity. You can do it. Cleaning the observation window
First, contaminants are removed by spraying washing water toward the observation window. Even if the contaminants are removed, it is necessary to remove the water droplets immediately after that because the water droplets adhere to the observation window. For this purpose, pressurized air is further supplied to the observation window to remove water droplets.

[0005] A fluid injection nozzle is provided for cleaning the observation window, and cleaning water or pressurized air can be selectively supplied from the fluid injection nozzle toward the observation window. An air supply / water supply button 5 is mounted on the main body operation unit 1 to control the supply of the fluid composed of the cleaning water and the pressurized air. An air pump is provided as a supply source of the pressurized air. The air pump is generally built in the light source device, and the washing water is supplied from a washing water tank installed at an appropriate place. Then, the piping from the air pump and the washing water tank is connected from the universal cord 3 to the main body operation unit 1.
The supply path of the washing water and the supply path of the pressurized air are merged at a position before the angle part 2b in the insertion part 2 to form one fluid passage. A fluid passage is connected to the fluid ejection nozzle.

FIG. 9 shows the structure of a conventional observation window cleaning mechanism. FIG. 9 shows a perspective endoscope, but there is no particular difference between the direct-view type endoscope and the side-view type endoscope with respect to the structure of the observation window cleaning mechanism. The distal end component 2c shown in FIG. 1 includes a distal end main body 10 and a distal end cover 11. That is, the distal end main body 10 which requires high strength and easy processing is formed of metal, and in order to prevent the metal from directly touching the patient's body when using an electric knife or the like, The distal end cover 11 covering the main body 10 is formed of an electrically insulating member. However, when the distal end body is made of an electrically insulating member, the distal end cover is not necessarily provided.

As described above, the insertion portion 2 is provided in the distal end portion 2c composed of the distal end body 10 and the distal end cover 11.
An observation unit is provided together with an illumination unit and the like on a surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of the objective lens unit 12 and the solid-state imaging device 13 arranged at an image forming position of the objective lens unit 12. Be composed. The objective lens unit 12 is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the distal end body 10, and the distal end of the objective lens unit 12 penetrates the distal end cover 11, and a plano-convex lens 12 a is arranged so as to face the surface of the distal end cover 11. I have. Therefore, this lens 12a forms an observation window. The member forming the observation window can be formed of, for example, a plane-parallel plate other than the lens. Further, the solid-state imaging device 13 is provided inside the distal end main body 10 having high strength.

The lens 12a constituting the objective lens unit 12 is exposed to the outside, and when a contaminant adheres to the lens 12a, the lens 12a is cleaned by supplying a cleaning fluid.
For this purpose, an air supply / water supply tube 14 is inserted into the insertion section 2, and the air supply / water supply tube 14 is connected to a fluid passage 15 formed in the distal end body 10. The distal end of the fluid passage 15 is a nozzle insertion portion 15a having an enlarged diameter, and the nozzle unit 16 is mounted so that the base end of the nozzle unit 16 is inserted into the nozzle insertion portion 15a.

The structure of the nozzle unit 16 is shown in FIG.
0 is shown. The nozzle unit 16 includes an insulating ring 17,
It comprises a connecting ring 18 and a nozzle body 19.
The insulating ring 17 and the connecting ring 18 are formed of a cylindrical member, and a flow passage 20 through which the cleaning fluid flows is formed therein. Further, the nozzle body 19 is formed of a substantially L-shaped member, and changes the direction of the cleaning fluid supplied from the flow passage 20 by approximately 90 ° to form the lens 1 forming the observation window.
An injection passage 21 for directing to 2a is formed. A narrow slit-shaped injection port 22 having a width substantially equal to the diameter of the lens 12a is formed by the inner surface of the nozzle body 19 and the outer surface of the tip cover 11.

The reason why the nozzle unit 16 is composed of the three members of the insulating ring 17, the connecting ring 18, and the nozzle body 19 is because of the problem of strength and the viewpoint of electrical insulation. May be used. Thus, the insulating ring 17 is formed of an electrically insulating member, and the connecting ring 18 and the nozzle body 19 are formed of a metal such as stainless steel. As already described, the distal end body 10 is formed of metal,
Similarly, the nozzle body 19 formed of metal is exposed to the outside. Therefore, in order to electrically insulate between the nozzle main body 19 and the tip end main body 10, the insulating ring 17 is interposed therebetween. Then, in order to securely connect the nozzle body 19 and the insulating ring 17 and to reinforce the insulating ring 17, the nozzle body 19 is inserted from the inside of the insulating ring 17.
A metal connection ring 18 having a length facing the inside of the inside is mounted. The three members constituting the nozzle unit 16 are bonded to each other, and
The entire nozzle unit 16 is fixedly held by pressing a set screw 23 screwed into the outer periphery of the insulating ring 17.

With the above configuration, when the lens 12a constituting the observation window is contaminated with a contaminant such as a body fluid, the air / water supply button 5 is operated to disconnect the lens 12a from the air / water supply tube 14. The washing water is supplied to the flow passage 20. This washing water is turned by 90 ° in the ejection passage 21 in the nozzle unit 16 and is ejected from the ejection port 22 toward the lens 12a, and by the ejection pressure of the washing water, the dirt adhering to the surface of the lens 12a is washed away. It is. Then, by spraying pressurized air from the nozzle unit 16, water droplets attached to the lens 12a can be removed.

[0012]

In the nozzle unit 16 according to the prior art described above, the passage from the ejection passage 21 to the ejection opening 22 is substantially parallel to the surface of the lens 12a, and extends in the entire width direction. The openings have a uniform slit shape. From the above, the fluid such as cleaning water injected from the injection port 22 flows along the surface of the lens 12a. For example, when viscous film-like contaminants adhere to the lens 12a, There is a problem that water and the like cannot be effectively removed just by flowing on the surface of the film-like contaminants, and cannot be surely removed depending on the state of the contaminants adhering to the lens 12a.
Further, since the injection port 22 has an even slit-shaped opening, substantially the same flow rate of fluid is supplied to the peripheral portion and the central portion of the lens 12a, but since the lens 12a is circular, There is also a problem that the fluid cannot be supplied to the entire circular observation window without waste, such that the fluid supply is insufficient at the center of the lens 12a and the fluid supply is excessive at the periphery. there were.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to supply a fluid so that dirt adhering to an observation window can be more efficiently removed. It is in.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a fluid ejecting nozzle for ejecting a fluid toward an observation window provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope. Is inserted into a fluid passage formed in the distal end component,
A passage connecting portion having a flow passage formed therein, and a nozzle body including an injection portion for forming a jet passage for changing the direction of the fluid from the flow passage and jetting the jet from the jet port to the surface of the observation window, The injection passage is characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the passage is continuously reduced toward the injection port, and that the injection passage is an inclined passage that jets at a predetermined angle from obliquely above the surface of the observation window. It is assumed that.

Here, the passage connecting portion and the injection portion constituting the nozzle body may be formed as separate members, but they may also be formed integrally. The inner surface of the injection portion may have a substantially flat inclined surface, but has an arc surface shape in which the length of the arc increases continuously from the injection port toward the connecting portion to the flow passage. An injection passage that changes the direction of the fluid from the flow passage between the tip component and
This is more preferable because the fluid can be efficiently supplied to the observation window without waste. Although the injection port is opened in the form of an arc, the fluid may not be supplied to both sides of the observation window if the shape of the observation window remains in relation to the diameter of the observation window. In this case, widened portions may be formed at both ends of the arc surface on the inner surface of the injection unit. In addition, the injection port is made as close as possible to the observation window. However, if the outer surface of the injection section protrudes greatly from the distal end component, the field of view of the observation window may be blurred by the wall surface of the injection section. In order to avoid this, the outer surface of the ejection unit may be formed in a substantially planar shape, and the outer surface may be inclined obliquely downward toward the observation window. When a set screw is used to fix the nozzle body to the distal end component, a cylindrical portion is provided in the passage connecting portion, the set screw is screwed into the distal end component, and the tip of the set screw is used. It can be fixed by bringing the cylindrical portion of the passage connecting portion into pressure contact with the inner surface of the distal end portion constituting the fluid passage. In order to integrally form the passage connecting portion and the injection portion constituting the nozzle main body, it is preferable that the nozzle main body be formed of an electrically insulating member.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a perspective endoscope will be described. However, it goes without saying that the fluid ejection nozzle of the present invention can be applied to a direct-view endoscope and a side-view endoscope. . Also, there is no particular difference between the configuration other than the fluid ejection nozzle and that of the above-described prior art. Therefore, the same or equivalent configurations as those in FIGS. Description is omitted.

First, FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the distal end constituting portion 2c of the insertion portion provided with the fluid ejection nozzle, and FIG. 2 shows the fluid ejection nozzle in an enlarged manner. As is apparent from these figures, the nozzle body 30 constituting the fluid ejection nozzle is constituted by a single member. Therefore, the nozzle body 30 is made of, for example, polysulfone or an electrically insulating member made of a hard plastic or the like having high strength and having properties such as chemical resistance and heat resistance. This nozzle main body 30
A passage connecting portion 31 that is inserted into the enlarged nozzle insertion portion 15a at the distal end of the fluid passage 15 to which the water supply tube 14 is connected, and an injection portion 32 that projects from the distal end cover 11 to the outside.
Are integrally formed.

That is, the outer diameter of the nozzle body 30 is as shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, the passage connecting portion 31 is a substantially cylindrical portion. On the other hand, the injection portion 32 is continuously provided so as to protrude laterally from the distal end side of the passage connection portion 31, and has a width dimension substantially equal to or larger than the diameter of the passage connection portion 31. It is slightly narrower. And the injection unit 32
The lower surface of the upper and lower surfaces that constitutes (1) has a concave curved shape, and both side portions thereof extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis of the passage connecting portion 31. On the other hand, the upper surface side has a substantially planar shape, and is an inclined plane portion 32a that is inclined downward as it goes toward the distal end side. Further, both side portions and the tip portion on the upper surface side of the injection portion 32 and the portion connected to the passage connection portion 31 are formed in a curved surface shape so as to prevent an edge from being generated.

When the nozzle body 30 having the above outer diameter is mounted on the distal end component 2c, a fluid passage is formed. That is, a flow passage 33 communicating with the fluid passage 15 is provided on the passage connecting portion 31 side, and the tip cover 1 is provided on the injection portion 32 side.
An injection passage 34 communicating with the flow passage 33 is formed between the air passage 1 and the surface of the injection passage 35. Here, the injection passage 34 is a passage having an arcuate surface shape, and the arcuate surface has an inclined arcuate surface shape that is inclined obliquely downward toward the distal end side. The center axis of the arc surface includes an intermediate position in the width direction of the injection portion 32, is located in a plane in the axial direction of the passage connection portion 31, and is substantially parallel to the inclined plane portion 32a of the injection portion 32. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the inner surface of the injection portion 32 continuously decreases in arc angle from the side communicating with the flow passage 33 to the side of the injection port 35 at the tip, in other words, continuously. The inclined circular arc surface portion 32b is formed so that the cross-sectional area of the passage is reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, on both sides of the inclined arc surface portion 32b,
The end face portions 32c, 32c extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the passage connecting portion 31 have a width that decreases from the distal end toward the back.

The inclined arc surface portion 32b is formed, for example, by using a processing jig for circular cutting, and the axis of the processing jig is positioned on the lower surface side of the injection portion 32 as described above. It can be formed by cutting in a direction substantially parallel to the direction until it enters the flow passage 33 formed in the passage connecting portion 31. In addition, an opening 36 is also formed in the peripheral body of the passage connecting portion 31 by this processing, but a portion of the passage connecting portion 31 which has a completely cylindrical shape below the portion where the opening 36 is formed is secured.

In the nozzle main body 30 having the above-described structure, the passage connecting portion 31 is inserted into the nozzle insertion portion 15a of the fluid passage 15 formed in the distal end main body 10 of the distal end portion 2c of the insertion portion 2. The ejection section 32 is projected from the front end cover 11, and the ejection port 35 of the ejection section 32 is directed toward the lens 12a of the objective lens unit 12 constituting the observation window. Then, the nozzle body 30 is fixed to the distal end component 2c using the set screw 23. The set screw 23 fixes the peripheral body of the passage connecting portion 31 so as to press it against the wall surface forming the nozzle insertion portion 15a. The opening 36 is formed in the passage connecting portion 31. The lower part remains cylindrical. Therefore, the set screw 2 is attached to this cylindrical part.
3. Make contact with 3 and tighten strongly. Thereby, there is no possibility that the nozzle main body 30 is deformed or damaged, so that the nozzle main body 30 can be firmly fixed.

Here, when the nozzle body 30 is mounted,
The end faces 32c, 32c of the jetting section 32 are brought into contact with the surface of the front end cover 11 so that no gap is formed therebetween. Further, preferably, an adhesive or a sealing material is injected into an outer peripheral portion of a contact portion of the jetting portion 32 with the front end cover 11 to seal this portion. As a result, the inclined arc surface portion 32b of the injection portion 32 and the tip cover 11
An injection passage 34 having an arc shape and having a continuously changing passage cross-sectional area is formed between the injection port 3 and the tip of the injection passage 34 where the passage cross-sectional area becomes the smallest.
5 is open.

With the above-described configuration, when contaminants such as body fluids adhere to the lens 12a constituting the observation window, the cleaning water is jetted from the nozzle body 30 to cause the lens 1a.
The water droplets attached to the lens 12a can be removed by washing away the contaminants adhering to the lens 2a and then injecting pressurized air. As a result, the lens 12a constituting the observation window can always be kept in a transparent state.
The observation field of view when observing the inside of a body cavity or the like can be maintained in a favorable state. In addition, by using the fluid ejection nozzle including the nozzle body 30 having the above-described configuration, the cleaning effect of the lens 12a performed by injecting a fluid such as cleaning water or pressurized air is significantly improved, and stubborn dirt is quickly and quickly removed. It can be removed reliably and completely.

First, as shown in FIG.
The fluid is jetted at a relatively shallow angle α to the lens 12a. As a result, when the fluid comes into contact with the lens 12a, the lens 12a is in a knife-edge state. Even if the contaminant adheres to the lens 12a in the form of a viscous thin film, the contaminant is removed by the cleaning water injected obliquely from above. It can be effectively peeled off by being scraped off from the surface of 12a. In addition, since the cross-sectional area of the injection passage 34 decreases toward the injection port 35 and the flow path is continuously narrowed, the pressure increases during that time, so that the injection pressure from the injection port 35 increases. As a result, the separation of the contaminated material from the lens 12a is further promoted. Also,
Even when pressurized air is sprayed to remove water droplets adhering to the lens 12a after jetting the cleaning water, the same effect is exerted, and the water film adhering to the lens 12a is more quickly and reliably removed. it can. Therefore, in order to make the effect of the knife edge affect the entire lens 12a more, the cleaning efficiency is that the extended line L of the inclined arc surface 32b contacts at a position between the center position of the lens 12a and the end position thereof. It is preferable from the viewpoint of.

The lens 12a is circular.
Since the injection port 35 is arranged so as to line up with the lens 12a, the center area of the lens 12a is the largest and the area decreases toward the periphery. Therefore, it is possible to achieve more efficient cleaning if the flow rate of the fluid injected from the injection port 35 is the maximum flow rate at the central portion and the flow rate is reduced toward the peripheral portion. Since the injection passage 34 has an arc shape, as shown by the region Q in FIG. 6, the flow rate of the fluid injected from the injection port 35 is largest at the central portion thereof, and gradually increases as it goes to the peripheral portion. A flow rate distribution in which the flow rate is reduced can be provided. Further, since the cross-sectional area decreases continuously as the injection passage 34 itself approaches the injection port 35, the injection direction tends to converge toward the center. As a result, a substantially uniform flow rate of fluid can be jetted onto the entire surface of the circular lens 12a,
The lens 12a can be efficiently cleaned without waste.

As described above, by forming the injection passage 34 into the shape of an inclined arc surface, the height of the injection portion 32 must be protruded from the distal end constituting portion 2c by an amount corresponding to the inclination angle of the injection passage 34. . In addition, in order to clean the lens 12a more efficiently, the ejection port 34 should
It is necessary to approach 2a. Here, a wide-angle lens is used as the objective lens 12 in order to provide a wide field of view, and a wide viewing angle such as the angle θ in FIG. 1 is provided. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the visual field from being obstructed by the nozzle body 30. However, since the outer surface of the injection unit 32 becomes the inclined plane portion 32a and the portion where the injection port 35 is formed is the lowest, this injection unit 32
Does not enter the field of view of the objective lens 12.

Further, the injection section 32 having the injection port 35 formed therein
The height of the outer surface protruding from the end cover 11 must be suppressed to a low value, and the injection passage 34 has an inclined arc-shaped surface. Therefore, it is necessary to make the radius of curvature of the arc as small as possible. Then, the injection port 35
May become narrower than the diameter of the lens 12a. In this case, as shown in FIG.
What is necessary is just to comprise so that the widening part 35a 'may be formed in the left and right both sides of the injection port 35' formed in the injection part 32 '. Here, the dimension of the widened portion 35a 'in the width direction is set so that the entire width of the injection port 35' is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the lens 12a. In addition, the dimension in the height direction is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of having a flow rate distribution,
It is preferable to make it somewhat smaller. However, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 7, even if the opening is formed in a slit shape having a substantially uniform height, if the depth of the widened portion is narrow, the angle and the flow rate distribution of the fluid with respect to the lens 12a are reduced. Has no special effect.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the injection passage formed in the injection portion of the nozzle main body is formed as a slanted passage for injecting a predetermined angle from obliquely upward toward the surface of the observation window. In addition, there is an effect that a fluid can be supplied to more effectively remove contaminants adhering to the observation window.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion section to which a fluid ejection nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a half cross-sectional view of a nozzle body and an inner surface shape of an injection unit.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the nozzle body.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view showing a fluid ejection direction by a fluid ejection nozzle.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a flow rate distribution of a fluid ejected to an observation window by a fluid ejection nozzle.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a main part of a nozzle body showing another example of the injection unit.

FIG. 8 is an external view of an endoscope.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion portion to which a fluid ejection nozzle according to the related art is mounted.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body operation part 2 Insertion part 2c Tip construction part 10 Tip part main body 11 Tip cover 12 Objective lens unit 12a Cover glass 15 Fluid passage 15a Nozzle insertion part 23 Set screw 30 Nozzle body 31 Passage connection part 32, 32 'Injection part 32a Inclined plane portion 32b Inclined arc surface portion 32c End face portion 33 Liquid passage 34 Injection passage 35, 35 'Injection port 35a'
Widening section

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A fluid ejecting nozzle for ejecting a fluid toward an observation window provided in a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope, wherein the fluid ejecting nozzle is inserted into a fluid passage formed in the distal end portion and has a flow passage therein. Having a nozzle body consisting of a passage connecting portion formed with a nozzle, and an injection portion forming a jet passage for changing the direction of the fluid from the flow passage and jetting from the jet port to the surface of the observation window, wherein the jet passage is An endoscope, wherein the cross-sectional area of the passage is continuously reduced toward the injection port, and the inclined passage is configured to jet at a predetermined angle from an obliquely upper direction with respect to the surface of the observation window. Fluid injection nozzle. 2. An arc in which the passage connecting portion and the injection portion are integrally formed, and an inner surface of the injection portion continuously increases in arc angle from the injection port toward the connection portion to the flow passage. The injection passage is formed between the inner surface and the front end constituting portion in a planar shape.
The fluid ejection nozzle of the endoscope according to the above. 3. A widening portion is formed at both ends of an arcuate surface on the inner surface of the jetting portion in order to make the size of the jetting port in the width direction substantially equal to the diameter of the observation window. The fluid ejection nozzle for an endoscope according to claim 2. 4. An outer surface of the injection unit has a substantially planar shape,
The fluid ejecting nozzle of an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface is inclined obliquely downward toward the observation window. 5. The passage connecting portion has a cylindrical portion, and a set screw is screwed into the distal end component,
2. A fluid injection nozzle for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein said set screw fixes a cylindrical portion of said passage connecting portion. 6. The fluid ejecting nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle body is formed of an electrically insulating member.