JP4058718B2 - Endoscope washing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for inserting a wire brush into a pipeline of an endoscope and automatically washing the pipeline.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the endoscope cleaning brush automatic insertion device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-27517 (Patent Document 1), the flexible shaft of the cleaning brush is sandwiched between a pair of guide rollers, and then the brush guide path is moved. It extends to the entrance of the endoscope duct. At the tip of the brush guide path, there is an adapter that can be attached to and detached from an opening of a cylinder provided in the operation section of the endoscope, so that the brush guide path is smoothly connected to the inlet of the pipe line. The brush delivered by the action of the advance motor can pass through the adapter and advance while brushing the conduit of the endoscope.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-275717
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When cleaning an endoscope, there are cases where it is desired to use different cleaning brushes depending on the part of the human body where the endoscope is used. For example, there is a case where it is desired to use separate cleaning brushes for an endoscope inserted into the stomach and an endoscope inserted into another human body part. If it is an apparatus of patent document 1, what is necessary is just to select the brush for washing | cleaning corresponding to the used endoscope, and to insert this in a brush guide way, but this apparatus is a means to prevent selection mistake of the washing brush. There is no.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to improve an endoscope cleaning apparatus so that an error in selecting such a cleaning brush does not occur.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a wire brush that is washed under the action of a wire brush drive mechanism in at least one of the forceps insertion port and the suction button insertion port of an endoscope housed in a washing tub. It is a device that enters with water for cleaning and automatically cleans the pipeline that leads to the insertion port.
[0007]
In such an apparatus, the features of the present invention are as follows. The wire brush is housed in a pipe portion connected to either the forceps insertion port or the suction button insertion port so that the wire brush can advance and retreat, the drive mechanism acts on the wire brush, and the pipe portion has the wire An identifier detecting means provided for each of the wire brushes is provided for classifying the brushes, and the apparatus has a function of displaying a detection result by the means.
[0008]
The present invention has the following preferred embodiments.
(1) The identifier is a light-shieldable member attached to a rear end portion opposite to a front end portion to which the brush of the wire brush is attached.
(2) Each of the wire brushes is classified based on either the size of the light-shieldable member or the number of attached members.
(3) The detection means includes a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The details of the endoscope cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a top view of a washing tub 3 constituting an endoscope washing apparatus according to the present invention. The washing tub 3 is in a state in which a lid 4 is opened. Is attached. The endoscope 2 after use is stored in the washing tank 3 for washing, and washing water can be supplied from the water supply ports 13 and 14. Alkaline water, acidic water, and tap water are used for the washing water. The condition for supplying these washing water can be set by the operation panel 10 attached to the washing tank 3. The water in the washing tub 3 goes out from the drain 15. The endoscope 2 is a conventional one, and includes a connector portion 17, a universal cord portion 18, an operation portion 19, an insertion portion 21, and the like. The operation unit 19 is provided with a forceps insertion port 22, a suction button insertion port 23, and the like.
[0011]
Inside the washing tub 3, two flexible connecting pipes 26 and 226 extend from the side wall 3 a to the inside of the washing tub 3, and two wire brushes 31 and 231 extend from the connecting pipes 26 and 226. . The wire brushes 31, 231 have wire portions 33, 233 and brush portions 36, 236 at the tips of the wire portions 33, 233, which can advance and retract from the tips of the connecting pipes 26, 226, respectively. . The connecting tubes 26 and 226 can be attached to and detached from the forceps insertion port 22 and the suction button insertion port 23 of the endoscope 2. The wire brushes 31 and 231 have the inside of the pipe line cleaned by brushing and washing the wire parts 33 and 233 together with the brush parts 36 and 236 by repeatedly moving forward and backward toward the inner side of the endoscope 2, that is, the inner part of the pipe line. can do.
[0012]
A first cleaning device 51 and a second cleaning device 52 constituting an endoscope cleaning device are attached to the outside of the cleaning tank 3. Since the first washing device 51 and the second washing device 52 have the same structure in a substantial sense, only the first washing device 51 will be described below.
[0013]
A first cleaning device 51 in FIG. 1 includes a wire brush 31 housed in a pipe portion 56 that extends about 3/4 so as to surround the cleaning tub 3 from the outside, and drive means 50 that moves the wire brush 31 forward and backward. And a cleaning water supply means 60 (see FIG. 2) capable of flowing cleaning water through the pipe portion 56 to the endoscope 2. A guide box 57 that forms the driving means 50 is provided at the front end portion 56 a of the pipe portion 56, and the guide box 57 is fixed to the outside of the side wall 3 a of the washing tub 3. The rear end portion 56b of the pipe portion 56 extends to the inside of the washing tub 3, and an openable / closable sealing plug 61 is attached to the end. The rear end portion 56b is fixed to the side wall 3b of the washing tub 3 in a watertight state.
[0014]
In the wire brush 31, the wire portion 33 passes through the guide box 57 and is guided to the washing tub 3. Inside the washing tub 3, the tip portion of the wire brush 31 is seen from the attachment 59 attached to the tip of the connecting pipe 26. Yes. Inside the guide box 57 is a drive member comprising a pair of rollers 72a and 72b sandwiching the wire portion 33 and a drive gear 74 for rotating the rollers 72a and 72b, and the wire brush 31 is advanced by the rotation of the rollers 72a and 72b.・ Can be retreated. The guide box 57 is provided with a forced drainage means 80.
[0015]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view when the first cleaning device 51 fixed to the side walls 3a and 3b of the cleaning tub 3 is in an extended state. In the first cleaning device 51, the wire portion 33 of the wire brush 31 extends in the length direction of the pipe portion 56 inside the pipe portion 56, and the almost entire length of the wire brush 31 extends from the connecting pipe 26 of the device 51 to the sealing plug 61. It is stored between. A washing water supply device 60 is provided at the rear end portion 56 b of the pipe portion 56. The wire portion 33 has a brush portion 36 at its front end and a plate-shaped light shielding member 66 at its rear end. The pipe portion 56 has a front sensor 67 at the front end portion 56a behind the guide box 57, and a rear first sensor 68a and a rear first sensor 68a at the rear end portion 56b slightly ahead of the sealing plug 61. And a rear second sensor 68b located in front of each other.
[0016]
The front sensor 67 and the rear second sensor 68b are the same, and include a light projector 93 and a light receiver 94 that face each other on the radially outer side of the light-transmitting pipe portion 56. In the drawing, the light shielding member 66 of the wire brush 31 is behind the rear first sensor 68a. However, when the light shielding member is at the position of the rear second sensor 68b, the light brush 93 blocks the light from the projector 93 and the wire brush 31 The rear second sensor 66b senses that it is in the retracted position. The rear second sensor 68b at that time transmits a signal to the gear 74 (see FIG. 1) of the guide box 57 via an appropriate control circuit, and stops or advances the wire brush 31. When the wire brush 31 moves forward and the light blocking member 66 reaches the position of the front sensor 67, the light from the projector 93 is blocked and the front sensor 67 senses that the wire brush 31 is in the advanced position. The front sensor 67 at that time transmits a signal to the gear 74 of the guide box 57 to stop or retract the wire brush 31.
[0017]
The rear first sensor 68a includes a light projector 91 and a light receiver 92, and detects a time during which the light from the light projector 91 is blocked by the light blocking member 66 when the light blocking member 66 moves forward at a substantially constant speed. The detection result can be sent to the operation panel 10 of the washing tub 3 through an appropriate control circuit. On the other hand, the operator of the endoscope cleaning apparatus 1 uses at least the wire brush 31 according to the length of the light shielding member 66 so that the wire brush 31 can be used properly according to the human body part where the endoscope 2 is used. Classify into two types. That is, each wire brush 31 is prepared so as to have a specific light shielding time according to the classification. In the operation panel 10, the detection result of the rear first sensor 68a is compared with the light shielding time specific to the wire brush 31 to be used for the endoscope 2 scheduled to be cleaned, and the detection result is compared with the inherent light shielding time. It is formed so that it can be determined whether or not they match and the determination result can be displayed. Simultaneously with the display, the panel 10 rotates the drive gear 74 to advance the cleaning operation when the detection result matches the inherent light shielding time, and stops the drive gear 74 when they do not match. In this state, the operator can be prompted to replace the cleaning brush 31.
[0018]
In the 1st washing apparatus 51 formed in this way, the attachment 59 of the connection pipe 26 is fixed to the forceps insertion port 22 of the endoscope 2 in FIG. At this time, if the wire brush 31 protrudes from the connecting tube 26, it is inserted into the forceps insertion port 22 in advance. When operation is started using the operation panel 10 of the washing tub 3, the electromagnetic valve 64 of the water supply pipe 63 is opened, and washing water of any one of alkaline water, acidic water, and tap water enters the inside of the pipe portion 56. Supplied according to setting conditions. In the wire brush 31 at the start of operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the light shielding member 66 is located behind the rear first sensor 68a. After starting operation, the rollers 72a and 72b advance the wire brush 31 so that the light blocking member 66 passes through the rear first sensor 68a at a predetermined speed, and temporarily stop the second brush 68a by the rear second sensor 68b. The rear first sensor 68a detects the time when the light projection is blocked by the light blocking member 66, and the detection result matches the light blocking time scheduled for the wire brush 31 to be used in the endoscope 2. For example, the rollers 72a and 72b start with the rear second sensor 68b as the starting point and the front sensor 67 as the end point, and extend the wire brush 31 forward and backward between the two sensors 68b and 67, so that the endoscope 2 It is gradually advanced while brushing inside the forceps channel. When the light blocking member 66 of the wire brush 31 reaches the front sensor 67, the wire brush 31 is stopped by a signal from the front sensor 67 where the projection is blocked. Thereafter, the rollers 72a and 72b return the wire brush 31 to a position where the light shielding member 66 reaches the rear second sensor 68b while moving the wire brush 31 forward and backward, or simply by moving backward. Normally, such washing is performed for each of alkaline water, acidic water, and tap water, thereby completing washing of the endoscope 2 with the forceps conduit (channel). However, if the detection result of the rear first sensor 68a does not match the light shielding time scheduled for the wire brush 31, the rollers 72a and 72b remain stopped and the wire brush 31 is not advanced further. An alarm indicating that the wire brush 31 should be replaced is output to the operation panel 10 as characters or sounds.
[0019]
The second cleaning device 52 shown in FIG. 1 is used in the same manner as the first cleaning device 51. However, in the illustrated second cleaning device 52, the attachment 259 of the connecting tube 226 is connected to the endoscope 2. The suction button insertion port 23 is fixed. The wire brush 231 of the second cleaning device 52 is used for cleaning the suction conduit and the universal cord section conduit (both not shown) of the endoscope 2.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating two types of wire brushes 31a and 31b used in the present invention. The wire brush 31a has one spindle-shaped light shielding member 66 at the rear end, and the wire brush 31b has two spindle-shaped light shielding members 66 at the rear end. The rear first sensor 68a detects the number of light shielding members 66 in the wire brush 31 and determines whether or not the detection result matches the number of wire brushes 31 to be used.
[0021]
In the present invention, the wire brushes 31 to be used can be classified into two types or three or more types, and identifiers such as the length and number of the light shielding members 66 can be prepared according to the number of types. Further, the means for detecting the difference in the type of the wire brush 31 is not limited to optical means such as the rear first sensor 68a in the illustrated example, and appropriate means such as electrical means can be employed. Furthermore, the positions of the rear first sensor 68a and the rear second sensor 68b can be switched. In the endoscope cleaning apparatus 1, it is preferable that the means for detecting the type of the wire brush is provided in each pipe part that accommodates the wire brush, but this means is provided only in a specific pipe part. It is also possible to implement.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
The endoscope cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is intended to be used by comparing the identifiers of the wire brush to be used for the endoscope to be cleaned and the wire brush to be actually used. Since the suitability of the wire brush can be determined, the selection of the wire brush is not mistaken for cleaning.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial view of an endoscope cleaning apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first cleaning device extended.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a wire brush.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope washing apparatus 2 Endoscope 3 Washing tanks 31 and 32 Wire brush 68a Detection means (back 1st sensor)

Claims (4)

Under the action of the wire brush drive mechanism, the wire brush enters with the cleaning water into at least one of the forceps insertion port and the suction button insertion port of the endoscope housed in the washing tank, and a conduit connected to the insertion port is formed. An automatic washing device,
The wire brush is housed in a pipe portion connected to either the forceps insertion port or the suction button insertion port so that the wire brush can advance and retreat, the drive mechanism acts on the wire brush, and the pipe portion has the wire An apparatus for detecting an identifier provided for each of the wire brushes for classifying the brushes, and the apparatus has a function of displaying a detection result by the means. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is a light-shieldable member attached to a rear end portion of the wire brush opposite to a front end portion to which a brush is attached. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the wire brushes is classified based on one of a size and a number of attached members capable of shielding light. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit.

Images