JPH11262472A - Air/water feeder of endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve feeding of air and water matching purposes by enabling the amounts of air and water fed to be independently variably adjusted. SOLUTION: A solenoid valve V1 is provided at a water feed pipe 12C, and a water feed pump 23 is connected to the water feed pipe 12C via a water feed tank 22. An air feed pump 27 is connected to an air feed pipe 13C via a solenoid valve V4 and to the water feed pipe 12C via a first connecting pipe 30 and a solenoid valve V7 . Further, atmosphere release pipes 25A, 25B and solenoid valves V2 , V3 are arranged in the pump 23 to variably control the amount of water fed, and atmosphere release pipes 28A, 28B and solenoid valves V5 , V6 are arranged in the pump 27 to variably control the amount of air fed. Therefore, the feeding of air and the feeding of water can be independently controlled by the different pumps 23, 27, and the feeding of air to the air feed pipe 12C for the purpose of draining water is made possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air supply / water supply apparatus for an endoscope, and more particularly to an air supply pipe provided in the endoscope and a flow control and flow rate control of the air supply / water supply by the water supply pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An endoscope has conventionally been provided with an air supply pipe, a water supply pipe, and the like, and is configured so that air can be supplied and water can be supplied (liquid supply) to a distal end portion by these conduits. Washing of the provided observation window (lens surface), removal of water droplets, and the like are performed, and air is introduced into the body to be observed to expand a body cavity such as a stomach. Further, when washing and storing after the use of the endoscope, drainage of water from the water pipe is performed.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a conventional endoscope on an electromagnetic valve unit side. A water pipe 2A and an air supply pipe 3A on the endoscope side are connected to the electromagnetic valve unit 1 shown in FIG. . In the solenoid valve unit 1, the water supply pipe 2B and the pipe 2
Solenoid valve V11 for controlling the opening and closing of B, the air supply pipe 3B and this pipe 3
An electromagnetic valve V12 for controlling the opening and closing of B is provided, and the water pipe 2B is connected to the water tank 4 via the water pipe 2C.

In the solenoid valve unit 1, a pump 5 for air supply and water supply is arranged, and the pump 5 is connected to the above-mentioned air supply pipe 3B and a pipe 3C for water supply (air supply pipe). The pipe 3C is connected to the water supply tank 4 via a pipe 3D. Further, an atmosphere open pipe 6 is connected to the pump 5.
An electromagnetic valve V13 is attached to the open-to-atmosphere pipe 6. The air / water supply operation switch is arranged, for example, in an endoscope operation unit.

According to the above configuration, when the air / water switch is not operated, only the solenoid valve V13 is opened, and the air sent from the pump 5 is released to the atmosphere from the atmosphere opening pipe 6. When the water supply operation is performed by the air supply / water supply switch, the solenoid valve V11 is opened and the solenoid valves V12 and V13 are closed, so that the water in the water tank 4 is supplied to the water supply pipes 2C and 2C.
It is supplied to the endoscope side via B and 2A. On the other hand, when the air supply operation is performed, the solenoid valve V12 opens, and the other solenoid valves V1
1, when V13 is closed, air is sent through the air supply pipes 3B and 3A.

[0006]

However, in the conventional endoscope air / water supply apparatus, the flow rate per unit time cannot be variably adjusted, and only the control of whether or not to execute the air / water supply is performed. At present, it has not been possible to optimally supply air or water (liquid) according to the purpose.
In the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the flow rate of air supply and water supply can be adjusted by changing the air supply pressure (capacity) of the pump 5 itself. However, the supply pressure of the pump 5 can be changed to adjust the air supply amount. If this is the case, the amount of water supplied will also change, and there has been a problem that air supply and water supply cannot be controlled at different flow rates.

For example, in the case of water supply for cleaning the observation window, it is better to inject water at a relatively high flow rate value (in a state where the flow rate per unit time is large). Injecting air at a flow rate that is not strong results in better drainage without leaving small water droplets on the observation window lens surface. In addition, when the endoscope is applied to a body cavity such as the stomach, air supply for inflating the body cavity is performed.At this time, the air supply may be terminated in a short time with a relatively high flow value. desirable.

Further, after the endoscope is used, water is drained from the water pipe 2A. In this water drain, too, the strength of the air supply is determined by the supply capacity of the pump 5, and the optimum water is drained. There is an inconvenience that the extraction cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to be able to independently and variably control an air supply amount and a water supply amount, and to perform air supply and water supply according to the purpose. To provide an endoscope air / water supply apparatus.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to an endoscope for supplying air and water to a distal end portion through an air supply pipe and a water supply pipe. In the device, an air supply pump for performing the air supply, a water supply pump for performing the water supply separately from the air supply pump, and a second connecting the air supply line and the water supply line. A first connecting pipe and an on-off valve for controlling the opening and closing of the first connecting pipe are provided so that air can be supplied to at least the air supply line. The invention according to claim 2 is provided with a second connection pipe for connecting the water supply pump to the water supply pipe for air supply, and an on-off valve for controlling opening and closing of the second connection pipe, It is characterized in that air can be supplied to the water supply pipeline by two pumps.

According to the above configuration, the pump for air supply and the pump for water supply are independently disposed, so that a pump having a capacity corresponding to the purpose of air supply and water supply can be used. Also, the means for controlling the flow rate can be separately arranged for the air supply and the water supply, whereby the air supply amount and the water supply amount per unit time can be set according to various purposes. Then, the first connection pipe and its opening / closing valve allow air to be supplied into the water supply pipe by the air supply pump, so that air supply with optimal strength for drainage can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the two pumps can be combined to send air into, for example, a water pipe, and in this case, air can be sent according to the situation at the time of drainage. There is an advantage that the range of selecting the strength is widened.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 and 2 show a configuration of an endoscope air / water supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. (Electronic endoscope) 10
Has a water pipe 12 from the distal end 10A to the operation unit 10B.
A, an air supply pipe 13A, and a suction pipe 14A are provided. A detachable cap 15 is attached to the distal end of the endoscope distal end portion 10A, and a nozzle or the like for supplying air / water to an observation window (lens surface of the objective optical system) is provided on the cap 15. Can be

As shown in the figure, the operation section 10B is provided with an air supply / water supply switch 16, a suction switch 17, and a photographing button 18 which are two-stage switches, and controls the operation of these switches 16, 17. The signal is supplied to the solenoid valve unit 20 of FIG. Further, the water supply pipe 12 is connected to connect the operation unit 10B and the solenoid valve unit 20.
B, an air pipe 13B is provided in the cable. And
A pipe unit 10C is detachably provided on the rear side of the operation unit 10B, and the water supply pipes 12A and 12B and the air supply pipes 13A and 13B are formed by a folded portion formed when the pipe unit 10C is connected. Be linked.

A suction pipe 14B extending to the solenoid valve unit 20 is attached to the conduit unit 10C.
1 is provided. The illustrated member 19 is a lens surface flash port for supplying air / water by mounting a syringe or the like when the degree of dirt on the observation window lens surface is high. Optional.

In FIG. 2, a water pipe 12C connected to the water pipe 12B and a solenoid valve V1 as an opening / closing valve are provided in the solenoid valve unit 20, and the water pipe 12C is connected to a water tank via a water pipe 12D. 22. A water supply pump 23 is disposed in the electromagnetic valve unit 20, and the water supply pump 23 is connected to the water supply tank 22.
Are connected via pipes (air pipes) 24A and 24B. The pump 23 is provided with open-to-atmosphere pipes 25A and 25B and solenoid valves V2 and V3, which branch off from the middle of the pipe line. The amount (High, Low) can be variably adjusted. That is, the air supply pressure by the pump 23 changes when both of the solenoid valves V2 and V3 are closed and when one of the solenoid valves is closed. Therefore, if the solenoid valve to be closed is selected, the flow rate of air supply (per unit time) can be changed. .

On the other hand, an air supply pipe 13C and an electromagnetic valve V4 connected to the air supply pipe 13B on the endoscope side are provided, and an air supply pump 27 is connected to the air supply pipe 13C. As the air supply pump 27, a pump having a different air supply capacity (air pressure) from the water supply pump 23 is used in this example, but it is needless to say that the same capacity may be used. This pump 27 is also provided with air release pipes 28A and 28B and solenoid valves V5 and V6 branching from the middle of the pipe line as flow control means, and air is supplied by controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valves V5 and V6. The amount can be variably adjusted to two different amounts (High, Low).

The first connecting pipe 30 is connected from the air supply pipe 13C at the output of the air supply pump 27 to the water supply pipe 12C.
A solenoid valve V7 is attached to the first connecting pipe 30. The connecting pipe 30 and the solenoid valve V7
Air supply for draining water can be performed on the water supply pipes 12B and 12A. The air supply pipes 13C, 24
A and 30 are each provided with a check valve 31. The check valve 31 allows the air supply pipes 13C, 24A and 30 to be connected.
Water is prevented from flowing back.

Further, in the solenoid valve unit 20, a suction pipe 14C connected to the suction pipe 14B and a solenoid valve V8 are provided, and a suction tank 33 connected to a suction pump (not shown) is connected to the suction pipe 14C. Is done. This suction tube 1
An atmosphere opening pipe 34 and a solenoid valve V9 are connected to 4C.
A control unit 3 for controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valves V1 to V9.
6 and a power supply unit 37 are arranged.

On the other hand, on the operation panel of the solenoid valve unit 20, a flow rate adjusting switch for adjusting the flow rate per unit time is provided.
gh and Low air supply volume control switch 38,
A water supply amount adjustment switch 39 for controlling the water supply amount to High and Low is provided. Also, on this operation pulse,
A drain switch 40 is arranged.

The above flow rate adjustment is performed by the operation unit 10.
The operation can be performed by an operation switch provided on B.
For example, the air supply and water supply operation switches are separately arranged, and the air supply operation switch and the water supply operation switch may be two-stage switches, or an operation switch capable of sensing the pressing force of the operation and performing stepwise control. It may be a body.

For example, the operation switch body is provided with a pressure-sensitive diode, a piezo-type micromachined silicon element, or the like as a pressure-sensitive sensor, and is configured to press the pressure-sensitive sensor with an operation body (push button unit) that moves up and down (or An operation stroke amount may be detected). According to this, the solenoid valve V2, V3 or V5 is set in accordance with the stepwise pressing force of the operating body.
, V6 can be variably adjusted by controlling the air supply or the water supply.

This example has the above configuration, and when performing air supply or water supply, the air supply amount or water supply amount adjustment switches 38 and 39 and the air supply / water supply switch 16 of the endoscope operation unit 10B are used. The opening and closing operations of the respective solenoid valves V1 to V7 at this time are shown in FIG. That is, when the power of the solenoid valve unit 20 is turned on, the water pump 2
3. The air supply pump 27 is operated, and as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, the solenoid valves V2 and V3 are open (or only one is open), and the solenoid valves V5 and V6 are open. Then, the air from the pumps 23 and 27 is exhausted to the atmosphere (V9 is open on the suction side).

When the air supply / water supply switch 16 is pressed with the air supply control switch 38 set to High, the solenoid valve V4 of the air supply pipe 13C is turned on as shown in FIG. 3B. It opens, and the solenoid valves V5 and V6 for flow adjustment are closed (CLOSE). According to this, the open-to-atmosphere pipe 28A,
28B are closed, so that air is supplied by the air supply pipes 13C to 13A at a high flow rate value (a state in which the flow rate per unit time is large). For example, this operation can send air into a body cavity such as the stomach in a short time.

On the other hand, when the second stage of the air supply / water supply switch 16 is pressed while the water supply control switch 39 is set to High, the solenoid valve V1 of the water supply pipe 12C is set as shown in FIG. 3D. Both the solenoid valves V2 and V3 for opening and adjusting the flow rate are closed. Also in this case, since both of the open-to-atmosphere pipes 25A and 25B are closed, water is supplied by the water supply pipes 12C to 12A at a high flow rate value. For example, the dirt attached to the observation window can be removed by this operation, and good water washing can be performed with relatively strong (high flow rate) water supply.

Next, the air supply control switch 38 is set to Low.
When the first stage of the air / water switch 16 is pressed in a state where the air supply / water supply switch 16 is set as shown in FIG.
Is opened, and only one solenoid valve V6 for adjusting the flow rate is closed. According to this, since only one open-to-atmosphere pipe 28B is closed, air is supplied at a low flow rate value (a state in which the flow rate per unit time is small). For example, the drainage after the above-mentioned water washing can be performed by this operation, and the drainage can be satisfactorily performed with relatively weak (low flow rate) air supply.

On the other hand, the water supply control switch 39 is set to Low.
When the second stage of the air / water switch 16 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 3E, the solenoid valve V1 of the water pipe 12C is opened, and only the solenoid valve V2 for flow rate adjustment is closed. Become. Also in this case, since only one open-to-atmosphere pipe 25A is closed, water is supplied at a low flow rate value.

When the drain switch 40 of the solenoid valve unit 20 is pressed, for example, after the use of the endoscope is finished, the state shown in FIG.
As shown by F, the solenoid valve V7 of the first connecting pipe 30 is opened, and the solenoid valves V5 and V6 for adjusting the flow rate are closed. As a result, air from the air supply pump 27 is supplied to the water supply pipes 12C and 12C.
It is sent to the tip through B and 12A, thereby draining and washing the pipe. In this way, it is possible to independently control the air supply and the water supply at a flow rate or a flow rate according to the purpose.

When the suction switch 17 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed, the solenoid valve V8 is opened and the solenoid valve V9 is closed.
Suction is performed via the suction pipes 14C to 14A, and the tip 1
The dirt sucked from 0A is discharged to the suction tank 30.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration of an air / water supply apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the drainage of the water supply pipe 12 is performed using two pumps. Things. The second example is substantially the same as the first example, except that the second connection pipe 42 is connected to the outlet side of the first connection pipe 30 from the pipe 24A connected to the water supply pump 23 in the electromagnetic valve unit 41. The solenoid valve V10 is attached to the second connection pipe 42.

According to the second example, when the drain switch 40 of the solenoid valve unit 41 is pressed, the first connection pipe 3
The solenoid valve V7 and the solenoid valve V10 of the second connecting pipe 42 are opened, and the solenoid valves V5, V6, V2 and V3 for adjusting the flow rate are closed.
Any of these solenoid valves V2, V3, V5, V6 can be opened to reduce the flow rate. According to this, the water inside the water pipes 12C, 12B, and 12A can be drained by the air supply from both the air supply pump 27 and the water supply pump 23. Air supply enables drainage processing.

In the above embodiment, the flow rate is adjusted in two stages, but the number of controls can be arbitrarily set. Further, the first and second connecting pipes 30 and 42 are
Although it is arranged to supply air to the water supply pipe 12, it may be arranged to supply water to the air supply pipe 13 on the contrary.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The air supply pump and the water supply pump are arranged independently, and the air supply line and the water supply line are connected by a first connection tube, and the first connection tube is provided with an open / close valve. Can be performed at a flow rate or a flow rate according to the purpose, and for example, drainage of a water pipe can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, two pumps can be used for one pipe line by the second connecting pipe and the opening / closing valve, so that, for example, air is supplied into the water pipe by the two pumps. In this case, there is an advantage that the range of selecting the strength of the air supply for draining is widened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration on an endoscope side of an air / water supply device for an endoscope according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electromagnetic valve unit connected to the endoscope of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of an electromagnetic valve at the time of air supply or water supply operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus according to a second example of the embodiment on a solenoid valve unit side.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional endoscope on a solenoid valve unit side.

[Description of symbols] 1,20,41 ... solenoid valve unit, 2,12 ...
Water pipe, 3,13 ... air pipe, 10 ... endoscope,
16 ... air supply / water supply switch, 23 ... water supply pump, 25 (A, B), 28 (A, B), 34 ... atmosphere open pipe, 27 ... air supply pump, 30 ... first connection pipe, 36 ... Control unit, 38 ... Air supply amount adjustment switch, 39 ... Water supply amount adjustment switch, 40 ... Drainage switch, 42 ... Second connection pipe, V1 to V13 ... Solenoid valve.

Claims (2)

[Claims] An air supply / water supply device for an endoscope for supplying and supplying water to a distal end portion through an air supply line and a water supply line, comprising: an air supply pump for performing the air supply; A water supply pump for performing the water supply separately from the water supply pump, a first connection pipe for connecting the air supply pipe and the water supply pipe, and an on-off valve for controlling opening and closing of the first connection pipe Characterized in that an air supply can be performed at least to the air supply conduit. 2. A water supply line, comprising: a second connection pipe for connecting the water supply pump to a water supply pipe for air supply; and an on-off valve for controlling opening and closing of the second connection pipe. 2. The air / water supply device for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein air is supplied by two pumps.