JP3607860B2 - Endoscope - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an endoscope having an optical fiber bundle in which a large number of optical fibers are bundled.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Endoscopes that can observe deep parts in body cavities by inserting elongated insertion parts into body cavities, etc., and can be used for medical treatment by using treatment tools as necessary are widely used in the medical field. It came to be able to. In the case of a medical endoscope, it is indispensable to surely disinfect and sterilize the used endoscope in order to prevent infections and the like. Therefore, recently, autoclave sterilization (high-temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization), which can be used immediately after sterilization without complicated work and is low in running cost, is becoming mainstream in endoscope apparatuses.
[0003]
When performing such autoclave sterilization (high pressure steam sterilization), a negative pressure process is performed in which the inside of the sterilizer is a negative pressure as the previous process and the subsequent process. For this reason, the endoscope (also referred to as a scope) is provided with a check valve for preventing the flexible portion of the elongated insertion portion from rupturing and preventing the invasion of gas and vapor. Gas is allowed to pass through, but the gas is not allowed to pass from the outside to the inside. In general, an endoscope includes a light guide, which is an illumination light transmission means formed by covering a bundle of optical fibers, which is a bundle of many optical fibers, with a flexible tube, an image guide, which is an optical image transmission means, and the like. It is arranged.
[0004]
In such a conventional endoscope, the flexible fiber tube covers the optical fiber bundle in a watertight manner. Therefore, the inside of the scope becomes negative pressure during the negative pressure stroke, and the tube expands due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube. There was a risk of bursting.
For this reason, for example, the endoscope described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-120418 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-131303 forms a vent hole in a flexible tube covering the optical fiber bundle, A configuration that eliminates the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube has been proposed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in general, an endoscope has a flexible tube that covers an optical fiber bundle made of thin silicone or the like. For this reason, the endoscopes described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-120418 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-131303 disclose that when a force such as tension is applied to the tube, the endoscope has a vent hole formed in the tube. There was a risk of the tube breaking.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an endoscope that equalizes the pressure inside and outside the flexible tube covering the optical fiber bundle and prevents the tube from being broken. To do.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an endoscope of the present invention includes an optical fiber bundle in which a large number of optical fibers are bundled, a base for fitting at least a part of the optical fiber bundle, and the optical fiber bundle and the base. And a flexible tube covering at least a part of the flexible tube, and a vent hole through which gas can flow in and out of the flexible tube is formed in the base.
With this configuration, an endoscope capable of equalizing the pressure inside and outside the flexible tube covering the optical fiber bundle and preventing the tube from being broken is realized.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
1 to 8 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an endoscope of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a check valve cap of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view for explaining the sterilization sheath of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a tray used in place of the sterilization sheath of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an endoscope of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a light guide fiber provided with this embodiment, FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a modification of the light guide fiber of FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another modification of the light guide fiber 6.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment is connected to an elongated and flexible insertion portion 2 having a built-in imaging device such as a CCD at the distal end and a proximal end side of the insertion portion 2. This is an electronic endoscope that is watertightly configured from an operation unit 3 that is held by an observer and performs various operations, and a universal cord 4 that extends from the operation unit 3. In the present embodiment, an endoscope (electronic endoscope) 1 having an imaging device built in the distal end of the insertion portion 2 will be described. However, the object taken in from the distal end of the insertion portion 2 by an inserted image guide. It may be an optical endoscope that guides an optical image in the specimen and observes the eyepiece.
[0010]
At the end of the universal cord 4, there is provided a connector portion 5 that can be detachably connected to a light source device and a camera control unit (hereinafter referred to as CCU) (not shown). The connector portion 5 is connected to the light source device. A light guide connector 6 and a camera connector 7 connected to the CCU are provided. Note that the internal spaces of the insertion portion 2, the operation portion 3, the universal cord 4, and the connector portion 5 communicate with each other. That is, one internal space is formed with respect to the endoscope exterior.
[0011]
The insertion portion 2 is provided with a flexible flexible tube portion 8 having flexibility, a bending portion 9 provided at a distal end side of the flexible tube portion 8 and capable of being bent by operation of the operation portion 3, and provided at a distal end. The distal end portion 10 is provided with an observation optical system and an illumination optical system (not shown).
The operation unit 3 includes a bending operation lever 11 for controlling the operation of the bending unit 9, a treatment instrument insertion port 12 for inserting a treatment instrument such as forceps, and a plurality of switches for performing image freeze, release, and the like. 13 is provided. The bending operation lever 11 is rotatable and is assembled in a watertight state by an O-ring (not shown).
[0012]
When the light guide connector 6 of the endoscope 2 is connected to the light source device and the camera connector 7 of the endoscope 2 is connected to the CCU, the illumination light from the light source device is transmitted to the universal cord 4 and the endoscope. It is guided to the tip through a light guide fiber, which will be described later, inserted through the mirror 2, and illuminates a subject such as an affected part from the tip (see FIG. 5). Then, the reflected light of the illuminated subject is imaged and photoelectrically converted by the imaging device in the endoscope 2.
The electrical signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging device is transmitted to the CCU via the universal code 4, and various signal processing is performed by the CCU to generate a video signal, which is then transmitted to a monitor (not shown). Thus, an observation image is displayed on the monitor screen.
[0013]
A vent hole 14 is formed in the camera connector 7 for communicating the internal space with the outside. A waterproof cap 15 can be detachably attached to the camera connector 7. The waterproof cap 15 is used by being attached to the camera connector 7 when the used endoscope 1 is washed or immersed in a chemical solution. The camera connector 7 allows a gas to pass from the internal space of the endoscope to the outside, but a check valve cap 16 having a check valve function for preventing the gas from passing from the outside to the inside is also detachable. It can be attached.
[0014]
Further, when autoclave sterilization (high-temperature high-pressure steam sterilization) is performed on the endoscope 1 after use, when inserting the endoscope 1 into an autoclave sterilizer (not shown), the insertion portion 2 should not be bent. There is a need. For this reason, the endoscope 1 is configured such that the insertion portion 2 is covered with a sterilization sheath 17 and the sterilization sheath 17 is fixed to the operation portion 3. Thereby, when the endoscope 1 is put into the autoclave sterilization apparatus, the insertion portion 2 is maintained in a straight state so that the insertion portion 2 is not bent due to heat at the time of autoclave sterilization.
The sterilization sheath 17 and the check valve cap 16 are integrated by a chain 18 so that a user can be urged not to forget to attach the check valve cap 16 during sterilization.
[0015]
Next, the check valve cap 16 and the sterilization sheath 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the check valve cap 16 includes a metal check valve cap body 22 provided with a valve seat 21, a metal valve body 24 integrally provided with a rubber seal member 23, and the like. , A valve spring 25 for urging the valve body 24 against the valve seat 21, a metal attachment portion 26 that can be attached to the camera connector 7, and the attachment portion 26 as an outer peripheral surface of the camera connector 7. And a rubber seal member 27 that maintains watertightness between the two.
[0016]
The check valve cap 16 is attached to the camera connector 7 instead of the waterproof cap 15 when the endoscope 1 is autoclaved. By attaching the check valve cap 16, high temperature and high pressure steam during autoclave sterilization is prevented from entering through the vent hole 14.
[0017]
The valve body 24 is constantly pressed in the seating direction by the urging force of the valve spring 25, and when the check valve cap 16 is attached to the camera connector 7, the valve body 24 is attached to the valve seat 21 and the seal member 23. On the other hand, when the pressure reduction process of autoclave sterilization is performed, when the internal pressure of the endoscope 1 becomes relatively higher than the external pressure and the pressure difference becomes equal to or greater than the urging force of the valve spring 25, the valve The valve body 24 moves in the valve opening direction against the urging force of the spring 25. As a result, the valve body 24 is separated from the valve seat 21 and opens the communication port 21a. Then, the pressure inside the endoscope 1 is released to the outside from the communication port 21a of the check valve cap 16, and the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the endoscope 1 is eliminated. The opening timing of the valve body 24 can be set to an amount of force that can release the bias of the valve body 24 toward the valve seat 21 by the spring constant of the valve spring 25. Further, the cap body 22 is provided with a not-shown on-off valve that protrudes from the upper surface of the valve body 24 to the outside of the cap so that the operation of the valve body 24 is prevented even when the check valve cap 16 is in contact with another member. It may be possible to avoid this.
[0018]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the sterilization sheath 17 to be put on the endoscope insertion portion 2 includes a sheath body 31 formed of a hard resin or metal pipe, and a fixing portion 32 that fixes the sheath body 31 to the operation portion 3. Consists of.
The fixed portion 32 is provided with a plurality of convex members 33 therein, defines the positional relationship between the sterilization sheath 17 and the operation portion 3, and ensures that sterilization between the sterilization sheath 17 and the operation portion 3 is performed reliably. It is configured.
[0019]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a tray 35 that houses the endoscope 1 with the insertion portion 2 in a straight state may be used instead of the sterilization sheath 17. The check valve cap 16 may be formed integrally with the tray 35.
[0020]
After the check valve cap 16 is attached to the camera connector 7 as described above, the sterilization sheath 17 is placed on the insertion portion 2 or the endoscope 1 is placed in a tray and the endoscope 1 is inserted into the autoclave sterilizer. Autoclave sterilization is performed.
[0021]
Next, the light guide fiber provided with this Embodiment used for the endoscope 1 is demonstrated using FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide fiber 40 is inserted into the endoscope 2 as described above, and guides illumination light supplied from a light source device (not shown).
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 6, the light guide fiber 40 includes, for example, a light guide element wire 41 that is bifurcated on the distal end side, and a base 42 that is externally fitted to the base end side (light source side) of the light guide element wire 41. And a first covering tube 43 covering the light guide element wire 41 and the base 42, and two second covering tubes 44 covering the tip side from the branching portion. The light guide fiber 40 according to the present embodiment is divided into two forks on the distal end side, but may be divided into a plurality of parts.
[0023]
The distal end portion 45 of the light guide element wire 41 is hardened and adhesively formed between fibers by an adhesive, and is adhered to the second covering tube 44 in a watertight manner. In addition, the first covering tube 43 covers both the branched second covering tube 44 in the branching portion 46, and the branching portion is configured to be watertight, and is configured by the first covering tube 43. The watertight space constituted by the second watertight space and the second covering tube 44 are bonded so as to communicate with each other.
[0024]
The rear end portion of the light guide strand 41 is bonded inside the base 42 so that the wires and the base 42 are watertight. The base 42 and the first covering tube 43 are bonded to each other so as to be watertight.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, the base 42 is formed with a vent hole that allows gas to flow into and out of the coated tube 43.
That is, a vent hole 47 that communicates the inside and outside of the cap 42 is formed between the portion covered with the first covering tube 43 and the portion where the element wire 41 is formed of an adhesive. The light guide fiber 40 is configured to be ventilated inside and outside.
[0026]
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the light guide wire 41 is fixed to the first base 49 and the first base 49 to be water-tightly fixed, and the first base 49 is fixed to the first base 49 in a water-tight manner. The present invention may be applied to a light guide fiber 40b configured by a second base 48 having an inner diameter that forms a gap with the light guide strand 41. In this case, a vent hole 47 is formed in the second base 48.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, a base 51 may be provided on the tip side of the light guide fiber 40c, and a vent hole 52 may be formed in the base 51.
[0027]
The endoscope having the light guide fiber 40 configured as described above is put into an autoclave sterilizer as described above, and autoclave sterilization is performed.
And when performing autoclave sterilization, the inside of a sterilizer is made into a negative pressure as a front stroke and a back stroke. At this time, when the outside of the light guide fiber 40 becomes lower than the internal pressure, air inside the light guide fiber 40 leaks from the vent hole 47 and is released to the outside of the endoscope through the check valve cap 16. The
As a result, the light guide fiber 40 does not burst when the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure during autoclave sterilization.
[0028]
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a light guide fiber used in an endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the first embodiment, a vent hole is formed in a base that is externally fitted to the distal end side or the proximal end side (light source side) of the light guide fiber so that the inside and outside of the light guide fiber can be vented. However, in the second embodiment, a vent hole is formed in a base provided at a branching portion that branches off at the distal end side of the light guide fiber. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted, and the same components will be described with the same reference numerals.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 9, the light guide fiber 60 used in the endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention is provided with a base 61 at the branching portion 46, and a vent hole 62 is formed in the base 61. .
[0030]
The base 61 is fitted on the branched second covering tube 44, and is covered with the first covering tube 43, and is fixed in a watertight manner. And the watertight space comprised by the said 1st coating tube 43 and the watertight space comprised by the said 2nd coating tube 44 are connected inside the nozzle | cap | die 61, and the inside and outside of the tube are connecting through the communicating hole 62. .
Accordingly, it is possible to ventilate the inside and outside of the light guide fiber 60 through one communication hole 62.
[0031]
(Third embodiment)
10 and 11 relate to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an endoscope of the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is used for the endoscope of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image guide fiber bundle used.
In the first and second embodiments, the present invention is applied to an electronic endoscope having a built-in imaging device at the distal end of the insertion portion. However, in the third embodiment, the optical through which an image guide is inserted. The present invention is applied to a type endoscope. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted, and the same components will be described with the same reference numerals.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 10, the endoscope 100 according to the present embodiment transmits an endoscope optical image captured by the observation optical system (not shown) from the distal end portion 10 of the insertion portion 2 by the image guide bundle 110, and operates the operation portion. 3 is an optical endoscope that can be observed with an eyepiece 101 provided at the top. The endoscope 100 includes the light guide fiber 40 described in the first and second embodiments, and the light guide fiber 40 can guide illumination light from a light source device (not shown). It is configured as follows.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 11, the image guide bundle 110 is externally fitted to both ends of the image guide fiber 111, an image guide fiber 111 that transmits an image, a coated tube 112 that covers the image guide fiber 111 and is watertight. It consists of a base 113.
Then, a vent hole 114 similar to that described in the first embodiment is formed in either the front end side or the rear end side of the image guide bundle 110 or both of the caps 113.
[0034]
After using the endoscope (optical endoscope) 100 configured in this manner, the autoclave sterilization is performed by putting it into the autoclave sterilization apparatus in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. And when performing autoclave sterilization, the inside of a sterilizer is made into a negative pressure as a front stroke and a back stroke. At this time, when the outside of the image guide fiber bundle 110 becomes lower than the internal pressure, the air inside the image guide fiber bundle 110 leaks from the vent hole 114 and passes through the check valve cap 16 to the outside of the endoscope. Released.
As a result, the image guide fiber bundle 110 does not rupture when the inside of the endoscope has a negative pressure during autoclave sterilization.
[0035]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0036]
[Appendix]
(Additional Item 1) An optical fiber bundle in which a large number of optical fibers are bundled, a base that fits at least a part of the optical fiber bundle, and a flexible material that covers at least a part of the optical fiber bundle and the base. An endoscope having a tube and having a vent formed in the base that allows gas to flow in and out of the flexible tube.
[0037]
(Additional Item 2) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the optical fiber bundle is a light guide fiber.
[0038]
(Additional Item 3) The endoscope according to Additional Item 1, wherein the optical fiber bundle is an image guide fiber.
[0039]
(Additional Item 4) The endoscope according to Additional Item 2 or 3, wherein the base in which the vent hole is formed is a base provided on the distal end side of the endoscope.
[0040]
(Additional Item 5) The endoscope according to Additional Item 2 or 3, wherein the base formed with the vent hole is a base provided on the endoscope connector side.
[0041]
(Additional Item 6) The endoscope according to Additional Item 2, wherein the base in which the vent hole is formed is a base provided at a branch portion of the light guide fiber.
[0042]
(Additional Item 7) The endoscope according to Additional Item 3, wherein the base in which the vent hole is formed is a base provided on the endoscope eyepiece side.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the pressure inside and outside the flexible tube (coated tube) covering the optical fiber bundle (light guide fiber) is made uniform, and the tube (coated tube) is prevented from being broken. It is possible to achieve an endoscope capable of
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of a check valve cap of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a tray used in place of the sterilization sheath of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a light guide fiber that is inserted through the endoscope of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a modification of the light guide fiber of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another modification of the light guide fiber of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a light guide fiber used in an endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention. ] An explanatory diagram showing an image guide fiber bundle used in the endoscope of FIG. Description of the issue]
1 ... Endoscope (electronic endoscope)
2 ... Insertion part 3 ... Operation part 4 ... Universal cord 5 ... Connector part 6 ... Light guide connector 16 ... Check valve cap 17 ... Sterilization sheath 40 ... Light guide fiber 41 ... Light guide strand 42 ... Base 43 ... First Coated tube 44 ... second coated tube 47 ... vent hole

Claims (1)

An optical fiber bundle in which a large number of optical fibers are bundled; a base that externally fits at least a part of the optical fiber bundle; and a flexible tube that covers at least a part of the optical fiber bundle and the base. An endoscope, wherein a vent is formed in the base to allow gas to flow in and out of the flexible tube.

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