JP3490798B2 - Endoscope internal pressure adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

Description: 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] In order to sterilize an endoscope with an ethylene oxide gas or an autoclave, it is necessary to reduce the pressure in a sterilization chamber accommodating the endoscope. The structure must be able to withstand low pressure environments. [0003] 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 portion generally formed of rubber may expand and burst when decompressed. That is. Therefore, a check valve is provided to allow gas to pass from the inside of the endoscope to the outside and not to pass gas from the outside to the inside of the endoscope. The inner pressure is reduced by being removed, and there is no possibility that steam, gas, cleaning water or the like may enter the endoscope during sterilization or cleaning. However, with such a structure, the check valve closes at the same time as the endoscope sterilization process is completed.
The internal pressure of the endoscope remains lower than the atmospheric pressure. [0006] Then, the covering tube of the bending portion, which is the most flexible in the exterior of the endoscope, is in a state of biting between the articulation rings inside the endoscope. Applying force may cause a breakdown or accident. Therefore, a pin is protruded from the valve body of the check valve, and a valve opening adapter is mounted on the check valve and rotated, whereby the pin is driven by the cam to forcibly open the check valve. He communicates with the inside and outside of the endoscope. [0008] However, there is a case where dirt and the like enter the gap between the outer surface of the check valve and the portion that is opened and closed by the valve body and the valve seat by using an endoscope. is there.
Then, the pin may not operate when the valve opening adapter is attached due to the dirt entering the gap in such a case, and the state in which the internal pressure of the endoscope is low may not be released. Accordingly, the present invention provides an endoscope internal pressure adjusting device which can reliably open the check valve even when dirt or the like adheres to the check valve so that the inside and outside of the endoscope can communicate with each other. The purpose is to provide. [0010] In order to achieve the above object, an internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope according to the present invention comprises an endoscope in which all partitions partitioning from the outside are hermetically sealed. A check valve that allows gas to pass from the inside of the endoscope to the outside and does not allow gas to pass from the outside to the inside of the endoscope, and a pin driven by a cam to force the check valve to open from the outside In the internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope, wherein the pin and a cam for driving the pin are arranged on the inner side of the endoscope from the open / close portion of the check valve. And An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a partition that separates the outside and the inside of the endoscope, for example, an outer wall of an operation unit or a light guide connector unit. In this endoscope, all partitions separating from the outside are hermetically sealed by packing, an O-ring, or the like. A mounting seat 11 for a check valve 10 is screwed into and protruded from the outer surface of the partition 1. A valve opening adapter 3 to be described later is provided on a side surface of the cylindrical mounting seat 11.
The locking pin 12 for engaging with the 0 engaging groove 33 is protruded. 13 is an O-ring for sealing. A base end of a cylindrical valve seat forming member 14 protruding outward is screwed and fixed to an inner portion of the mounting seat 11. The tapered surface portion formed so as to expand toward the end 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 circular groove formed in a tapered surface portion facing the valve seat 14a. ing. Therefore, the O-ring 16 is connected to the valve seat 14.
a, the check valve is closed 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 outside of the endoscope communicate with each other through the gap. A nut 18 is screwed and fixed to the inner end 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 element 15 is urged 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 driving 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 a side surface of the nut 18. An axially elongated hole 20 through which the drive pin 19 passes is formed in the side wall of the valve seat forming member 14. The mounting seat 11 and the valve seat forming member 14
A cam groove 22 for driving the driving pin 19 is formed in the driving cylinder 21 rotatably mounted around an axis between the driving cylinder 21 and the driving cylinder 21 that protrudes outward through the elongated hole 20. 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 regulated by the mounting seat 11 and the valve seat forming member 14. The inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the drive cylinder 21 are respectively provided with seals. O-rings 23 and 24 are mounted. An engaging groove 25 for engaging a valve opening adapter 30 to be described later and rotating the driving cylinder 21 around an axis is formed at the protruding end of the driving cylinder 21 so as to have an outwardly opened shape. A relief groove 26 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the valve seat forming member 14 so as to be aligned therewith. As described above, the drive pin 19 and the cam groove 22
Are the check valve O closed by the valve body 15 and the valve seat 14a.
O-rings 23 and 2 arranged on the inner side of the endoscope with respect to the ring 16 and sealing both inner and outer surfaces of the drive cylinder 21.
Since it is arranged on the inner side of the endoscope from 4, it is not contaminated by dirt and the like outside the endoscope. FIG. 2 shows the cam groove 2 with which the drive pin 19 is engaged.
2 is shown in an expanded manner, and the elongated hole 20 is also shown by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 2, the drive pin 19 is movable only in the axial direction of the check valve 10 within the elongated hole 20, and the cam groove 22 is provided with a rotation angle at which the drive pin 19 rotates around the axis. The cam surface 22a is formed in a chevron so that the drive pin 19 is pushed up against the urging force of the compression coil spring 17 at an intermediate portion of θ. Also the cam groove 22
The drive pin 19 is provided with a long hole 20 at both ends of the rotation range.
It is formed with a large window-like opening so that it can freely advance and retreat in the axial direction inside. FIG. 3 shows the valve opening adapter 30;
The valve opening adapter 30 has a cylindrical inner cylinder 31 detachably fitted on 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. Is connected and fixed with a small screw.
Reference numeral 34 denotes an O-ring for sealing between the mounting seat 11 and the outer peripheral surface. 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 is, as shown in FIG.
1 is formed in an L-shape which can rotate 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 formed to be concave. Returning to FIG. 3, between the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32, a ventilation space 37 communicating from the outer surface side to the outside through the ventilation groove 37a is formed all around. Communicates with the inside of the inner cylinder 31 through a vent hole 38 formed in a side wall of the inner cylinder 31. In the ventilation space 37, a thin porous member 35 having no water permeability but air permeability is formed and arranged in a cylindrical shape. The porous member 35 is pressed and fixed at both upper and lower ends by ring-shaped fixing members 36, and is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 31 with an adhesive so that no gap is formed in the fixing portion. , Are 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. Since the porous member 35 is arranged so as to partition the inside of the ventilation space 37 into the inside and the outside and close the communication passage between the inside and the outside of the endoscope, the outside of the ventilation groove 37 is provided.
a, the air that enters and exits the valve opening adapter 30 through 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. The inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 31 is provided with a drive cylinder 21.
A rotation transmission pin 39 for engaging with the engagement groove 25 and transmitting the rotational movement of the inner cylinder 31 to the drive cylinder 21 as it is is provided inwardly. FIG. 5 shows a check valve 10 with a valve opening adapter 30.
Shows the state in which the valve opening adapter 3 is attached.
0 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 engaging groove 33, the rotation transmitting pin 39 is engaged with the engaging groove 25 through the clearance groove 26. 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 around the axis,
The rotational motion is transmitted to the drive cylinder 21 via the rotation transmission pin 39, and the drive cylinder 21 rotates around the axis by the angle θ as shown in FIG. When the driving cylinder 21 rotates in this manner,
Since the cam groove 22 formed in the drive cylinder 21 rotates around the axis, the drive pin 19 is once pushed up in the middle of the rotation range by the cam surface 22a shown in FIG. Therefore, at that time, the valve body 15 is forcibly pushed up, the check valve 10 is opened, and the inside and the outside of the endoscope communicate with each other.
The drive pin 19 returns to the original position again. When the endoscope with the valve opening adapter 30 attached to the check valve 10 is placed in a vacuum or low-pressure environment in a sterilizer or the like, 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 is at a low pressure. However, when the valve opening adapter 30 is removed from the check valve 10, the cam groove 22
As a result, the drive pin 19 is pushed up, 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 reduced to atmospheric pressure. Is restored to a state close to. During the operation, the check valve 10 opens 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 can be short-circuited. It is fed into the endoscope through the porous member 35 within the time. Further, even if there is moisture in the vicinity, the porous member 35
Has no water permeability and does not penetrate the endoscope. According to the present invention, the pin driven to forcibly open the check valve from the outside and the cam for driving the pin are arranged inside the open / close portion of the check valve. Thus, even if dirt or the like adheres to the check valve, the pin portion is not contaminated, so that the check valve can be reliably opened whenever necessary to communicate the inside and outside of the endoscope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a check valve according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a development view of a cam groove according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the valve opening adapter of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a development view of an engagement groove according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a valve opening adapter is attached to the check valve 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 where a valve opening adapter is attached to the check valve of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation in a state where the valve opening adapter is attached to the check valve of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation in a state where the valve opening adapter is being removed from the check valve of the embodiment. [Description of Signs] 1 Partition wall 10 Check valve 14a Valve seat 15 Valve body 16 O-ring 19 Drive pin 22 Cam groove

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims 1] An endoscope in which all partitions partitioning from the outside are hermetically sealed, a gas is passed from the inside of the endoscope to the outside to allow the gas to pass from the outside of the endoscope. as to the inside does not pass gas, the check valve the valve body opposite from the outside to operate moved in the valve seat
And the valve element passes through the valve seat and
Formed into a shape extending from the valve seat to the inside of the endoscope.
A pin is protrudingly provided on the side surface of the extending portion, and a valve is provided so that a driving cylinder for engaging with the pin and forcibly opening the check valve can be rotated about the axis from outside. An internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope mounted on an outer surface of a seat forming member, wherein an engaging portion between the pin and the driving cylinder is provided on an inner side of the endoscope from an opposing portion between the valve seat and the valve body. A seal member that seals a gap between the valve seat forming member and the driving cylinder so as to shield an engaging portion between the pin and the driving cylinder from the outside, and an outer peripheral surface of the valve seat forming member. When
The gap between the inner peripheral surface of the drive cylinder facing it and
Between the engaging portion of the pin and the drive cylinder and the outside of the endoscope
An internal pressure adjusting device for an endoscope, wherein the internal pressure adjusting device is provided in a portion where the endoscope is located.