JP3471970B2 - Endoscope internal pressure adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an internal pressure adjusting device provided in an endoscope which may be sterilized by an autoclave or ethylene oxide gas (EOG).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to sterilize an endoscope using ethylene oxide gas or an autoclave, it is necessary to depressurize the sterilization chamber containing the endoscope. It must be a structure that can withstand.

In this case, the problem is that the most flexible part of the exterior of the endoscope, for example, the covering tube of the curved part which is generally made of rubber, swells and bursts when the pressure is reduced. That is.

Therefore, a check valve is provided which allows gas to pass from the inside to the outside of the endoscope and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside of the endoscope. The internal pressure is reduced by removing the steam, and there is no risk that steam, gas, cleaning water, or the like will enter the endoscope during sterilization or cleaning.

However, with such a structure, the check valve closes at the same time when the sterilization process of the endoscope is completed,
The internal pressure of the endoscope remains lower than atmospheric pressure.

Then, the covering tube of the most flexible bending portion in the exterior of the endoscope is in a state of digging between the node rings inside thereof, so that if the bending operation is performed as it is, the bending mechanism becomes extremely difficult. It may apply force and cause a failure or accident.

Therefore, a valve opening adapter is detachably attached to the check valve so that the check valve is forcibly opened during attachment and detachment of the adapter to and from the check valve. Atmosphere is sent to.

In order to prevent water from entering the endoscope in such a case, the valve opening adapter is connected between the inside and outside of the endoscope communicating with the check valve. A porous member having no water permeability but having air permeability is attached to the valve opening adapter so as to block the communication passage.

[0009]

However, since the porous member has a large ventilation resistance, and the check valve is opened by the valve opening adapter for a very short time during the attachment / detachment operation, the adapter is attached / detached during the attachment / detachment. In a short period of time, a sufficient amount of air to bring the internal pressure of the endoscope close to the atmospheric pressure is not sent into the endoscope, and the outer rubber of the bending portion or the like may be damaged due to the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure.

Therefore, in order to increase the ventilation amount per unit time so that a sufficient amount of air is sent into the endoscope, the ventilation area of the porous member may be increased. However, simply expanding the ventilation area of the porous member causes the adapter to become large, which makes it difficult to handle.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the porous member, which is not water-permeable but has air permeability, provided in the valve opening adapter allows a sufficient amount of air to restore the pressure in the endoscope in a short time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope that can be operated and is easy to handle without making the valve opening adapter large.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope according to the present invention is an endoscope in which all partition walls for partitioning the outside are airtight. A check valve is provided that allows gas to pass from the inside to the outside of the endoscope and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside of the endoscope, and the check valve is forced to open during attachment / detachment to / from the check valve. An internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope in which a valve opening adapter is detachably attached to the check valve, wherein an inside and an outside of the endoscope that communicate with each other when the valve opening adapter is attached to and removed from the check valve It is characterized in that a porous member having no water permeability but having air permeability is provided in a cylindrical shape in the valve opening adapter so as to block the communication passage between them.

[0013]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, it is a partition wall that separates the outside and the inside of the endoscope, and is, for example, the outer wall of the operation unit or the light guide connector unit.
In this endoscope, all partition walls that partition the outside are airtightly configured by packing, O-rings, and the like.

A mounting seat 11 of the check valve 10 is screwed onto the outer surface of the partition wall 1 so as to project therefrom. The side surface of the cylindrical mounting seat 11 has a valve opening adapter 3 which will be described later.
The locking pin 12 for engaging with the engagement groove 33 of 0 is projectedly provided. Reference numeral 13 is an O-ring for sealing.

A base end portion of a cylindrical valve seat forming member 14 projecting outward is screwed and fixed to an inner side portion of the mounting seat 11, and the valve seat forming member 14 has an outwardly protruding end side. The tapered surface portion formed so as to widen toward the side is the valve seat 14a.

The valve body 15 is disposed in the valve seat forming member 14 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and an O-ring 16 is mounted in a groove formed in a circular shape in a tapered surface portion facing the valve seat 14a. ing.

Therefore, the O-ring 16 has the valve seat 14
When pressed against a, the check valve closes and the inside and outside of the endoscope are completely closed, the valve body 15 moves outward, and the O-ring 16 moves from the valve seat 14a. When separated, the inside and the outside of the endoscope communicate with each other through the gap.

A nut 18 is screwed and fixed to an inner end portion of the valve body 15, and one end of a compression coil spring 17 arranged in the valve seat forming member 14 is received by the nut 18.

Therefore, the valve body 15 is biased inward (that is, the direction in which the check valve 10 is closed) by the compression coil spring 17. 18a is a ventilation groove formed in the outer peripheral portion of the nut 18 in the axial direction.

A drive pin 19 for pushing up the valve body 15 against the urging force of the compression coil spring 17 and forcibly opening the check valve 10 from the outside is provided on the side surface of the nut 18. An elongated hole 20 which is elongated in the axial direction and through which the drive pin 19 passes is formed in the side wall portion of the valve seat forming member 14.

Further, the mounting seat 11 and the valve seat forming member 14
A drive groove 21 that is rotatably mounted around the shaft is provided with a cam groove 22 for driving the drive pin 19, and the drive groove 21 penetrates the elongated hole 20 and projects outward. The head of the pin 19 is engaged with the cam groove 22.

The movement of the drive cylinder 21 in the axial direction is restricted by the mounting seat 11 and the valve seat forming member 14, and the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the drive cylinder 21 are respectively sealed. O-rings 23 and 24 are attached.

In addition, an engaging groove 25 for engaging a valve opening adapter 30 described later to rotate the drive cylinder 21 around the axis is formed in the protruding end portion of the drive cylinder 21 in a shape that is opened to the outside. The clearance groove 26 is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat forming member 14 in alignment with the groove.

In this way, the drive pin 19 and the cam groove 22
Are O of a check valve closed by the valve body 15 and the valve seat 14a.
O-rings 23, 2 arranged on the inner side of the endoscope with respect to the ring 16 portion and sealing the inner and outer both surface portions of the drive cylinder 21.
Since it is arranged closer to the inner side of the endoscope than 4 is, it is not contaminated by dirt and the like outside the endoscope.

FIG. 3 shows the cam groove 2 with which the drive pin 19 is engaged.
2 is expanded and shown, and the long hole 20 is also shown by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive pin 19 can move only in the axial direction of the check valve 10 in the elongated hole 20, and the cam groove 22 has a rotation angle at which the drive pin 19 rotates about the axis. The cam surface 22a is formed in a chevron shape so as to push up the drive pin 19 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 17 in the middle portion of θ. The cam groove 22
Is a long hole 20 at both ends of the drive pin 19 in the rotation range.
It is formed with a large window opening so that it can freely move back and forth in the axial direction.

FIG. 4 shows the valve opening adapter 30,
The valve opening adapter 30 includes a cylindrical inner cylinder 31 that is detachably fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the mounting seat 11 of the check valve 10, and a cap-shaped cover that covers the outer end side of the inner cylinder 31. The outer cylinder 32 and the outer cylinder 32 are connected and fixed by machine screws.
Reference numeral 34 is an O-ring for sealing between the mounting seat 11 and the outer peripheral surface thereof.

An engagement groove 33 for engaging with the locking pin 12 of the check valve 10 is formed on the opening end side of the inner cylinder 31. The engagement groove 33, as shown in FIG.
1 is formed in an L-shape that can open the inner cylinder 31 by an angle θ, and has a click groove 33 for lightly locking the locking pin 12 at the end thereof.
a is recessed.

Returning to FIG. 4, a ventilation space 37, which communicates from the outer surface side to the outside through a ventilation groove 37a, is formed around the entire circumference between the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32. Is communicated with the inside of the inner cylinder 31 via a ventilation hole 38 formed in the side wall of the inner cylinder 31.

Inside the ventilation space 37, a thin porous member 35 having no air permeability but having air permeability is formed in a cylindrical shape and arranged. The porous member 35 is pressed and fixed by the ring-shaped fixing members 36 at both upper and lower ends, and is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 31 with an adhesive so that no gap is formed in the fixed portion, and the other portions are It is arranged in the air in the ventilation space 37 so as not to touch the wall surfaces of the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32.

The porous member 35 is arranged so as to partition the inside of the ventilation space 37 into the inside and the outside so as to close the communication passage between the inside and the outside of the endoscope. Therefore, air that enters and leaves the valve opening adapter 30 from the outside through the ventilation groove 37 a, the ventilation space 37, and the ventilation hole 38 always passes through the porous member 35. On the other hand, since the porous member 35 has no water permeability, even if the endoscope to which the valve opening adapter 30 is attached is immersed in a cleaning liquid or the like, the liquid does not enter the inside of the endoscope.

Further, the drive cylinder 21 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 31.
A rotation transmission pin 39 that engages with the engagement groove 25 and transmits the rotational movement of the inner cylinder 31 to the drive cylinder 21 as it is is provided to project inward.

FIG. 1 shows a check valve 10 and a valve opening adapter 30.
Shows that the valve opening adapter 3 is attached.
The check valve 10 is mounted so as to cover the check valve 10. At the time of attachment, the locking pin 12 may be guided into the engagement groove 33.

When the locking pin 12 is guided into the engagement groove 33, the rotation transmission pin 39 passes through the escape groove 26 and engages with the engagement groove 25. Therefore, by rotating the valve opening adapter 30 by the angle θ from the state shown in FIG. 6 immediately before rotating the valve opening adapter 30 about the axis,
The rotational movement is transmitted to the drive cylinder 21 via the rotation transmission pin 39, and the drive cylinder 21 rotates about the axis by an angle θ as shown in FIG. 7.

When the drive cylinder 21 rotates in this way,
Since the cam groove 22 formed in the drive barrel 21 rotates about the axis, the drive pin 19 is temporarily pushed up by the cam surface 22a shown in FIG. 3 in the middle of the rotation range. Therefore, at that time, the valve body 15 is forcibly pushed up to open the check valve 10, and after the inside and outside of the endoscope communicate with each other,
The drive pin 19 returns to the same position as before.

When the endoscope with the valve opening adapter 30 attached to the check valve 10 is placed in a sterilizer or the like in a vacuum or low-pressure environment in this way, as shown in FIG. The valve body 15 is pushed open against the urging force of the compression coil spring 17 due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside, and the gas in the endoscope is discharged from the ventilation groove 18a through the ventilation hole 38, the ventilation space 37, and the like. Low pressure inside the endoscope.

When the endoscope is taken out of the sterilizer, the inside of the endoscope has a low pressure, but when the valve opening adapter 30 is removed from the check valve 10, the cam groove 22 is inserted in the middle thereof.
The drive pin 19 is pushed up by the drive valve 19 and the check valve 10 is temporarily opened as shown in FIG. 9, so that external air is sent into the low-pressure endoscope, and the pressure in the endoscope is changed to atmospheric pressure. Is restored to a state close to.

During this operation, the check valve 10 is opened for a very short time, but since the porous member 35 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a large ventilation area, a sufficient amount of air is short. It is fed into the endoscope through the porous member 35 in a time. In addition, even if there is water near the porous member 35,
Does not penetrate into the endoscope because it has no water permeability.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, a thin sheet material is used as the porous member 35, and as shown in FIG. The overlapped portion is sandwiched and fixed between the pressing member 41 pressed by the screw 40 and the flat portion formed on the outer surface of the inner cylinder 31, and the outer periphery of the upper and lower end portions of the porous member 35 is suppressed. The member 36 may be formed in a C shape so as to avoid interference with the pressing member 41. The fixed portion of the porous member 35 is hardened with an adhesive so that no gap is formed.

[0039]

According to the present invention, since the porous member is arranged in the valve opening adapter in a cylindrical shape, the ventilation area of the porous member can be widened without enlarging the valve opening adapter, and the inside of the endoscope can be improved. A sufficient amount of air for recovering the pressure can be passed in a short time during attachment / detachment of the adapter, and as a result, damage due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the endoscope can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a valve opening adapter is attached to a check valve according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the check valve of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a development view of a cam groove of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the valve opening adapter of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a development view of the engagement groove of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing a state where a valve opening adapter is attached to the check valve of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing a state in which a valve opening adapter is attached to the check valve of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the operation of the check valve of the embodiment with the valve opening adapter attached.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an operation in the middle of removing the valve opening adapter from the check valve of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view of a porous member fixing portion of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Check valve 15 valve body 30 valve open adapter 35 Porous member

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A non-return check for preventing gas from passing from the inside to the outside of the endoscope, in an endoscope in which all partition walls for partitioning the outside are airtightly configured. An internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope, in which a valve is provided, and a valve opening adapter for forcibly opening the check valve during attachment / detachment to / from the check valve is detachably provided to the check valve. In the above, the valve opening adapter has an outer cylinder and a vent hole communicating inward.
The inner and outer cylinders described above are configured as a double cylinder structure of the formed inner cylinder.
There is no water permeability so as to form a cylindrical space between the two and to block the communication passage between the inside and outside of the endoscope that communicates when the valve opening adapter is attached to or detached from the check valve. Is a breathable tubular porous member and is the inner cylinder of the valve opening adapter .
An internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope, which is provided so as to surround the inner cylinder in a space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder . 2. The cylindrical porous member is provided at both ends thereof.
And is fixed to the inner cylinder, and the other parts are
Place it so that it does not touch either the inner cylinder or the outer cylinder.
The internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope according to claim 1.