JP7620283B2 - Pump tube unit and endoscope system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pump tube unit and an endoscope system.

In the medical field, examinations and surgeries using endoscopes are widespread. In addition to a light guide that irradiates illumination light onto a target site in a body cavity and an objective lens of an imaging device that observes and photographs the target site in the body cavity, an endoscope is equipped with an air/water nozzle at the tip of the insertion section that feeds liquids such as air or saline into the body cavity, and a forceps port that projects a treatment tool such as forceps into the body cavity. The forceps port also functions as a suction port that sucks liquid used to clean the target site in the body cavity or blood that has bled from the target site, and an injection port that injects liquid into the body cavity. In recent years, endoscopes equipped with an auxiliary water supply port at the tip of the insertion section that sprays liquid into the body cavity have also been provided (see Patent Document 1). With an endoscope equipped with an auxiliary water supply port at the tip of the insertion section, the target site in the body cavity can be cleaned in parallel with the use of a treatment tool using the forceps channel, so that examinations and surgeries using the endoscope can be performed efficiently.

The liquid used in examinations and surgeries using an endoscope is stored in a water supply tank, for example, and is sent to the forceps channel and auxiliary water supply channel provided in the endoscope by driving the water supply device. The water supply device is a device that, for example, is driven by a built-in pump when a foot switch is pressed, sucks up the liquid stored in the water supply tank into a water supply tube, and sends it out toward the endoscope.

JP 2006-167049 A

The inner diameter of the forceps port is 2 to 3.2 mm, while the inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port is small at around 1 mm, so when the water supply device is operating, the internal pressure of the water supply tube becomes higher than atmospheric pressure. For example, after the water supply device is stopped, it takes time for the internal pressure of the water supply tube to return to atmospheric pressure. As a result, even if the water supply device is stopped, liquid continues to come out of the auxiliary water supply port until the internal pressure of the auxiliary water supply tube returns to atmospheric pressure, creating a problem of poor water drainage. This problem of poor water drainage leads to problems such as reduced efficiency in examinations and surgeries using endoscopes.

The water supply device rotates a rotor with multiple rollers supported on its outer periphery, and repeatedly squeezes a water supply tube installed inside with each of the multiple rollers to suck up liquid stored in a water supply tank and send the sucked up liquid toward the endoscope. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the water supply tube becomes high, the water supply tube squeezed by each of the multiple rollers may crack in the direction of extension of the water supply tube, or the tube may break and leak water. The occurrence of such an event not only makes it impossible to perform examinations or surgeries using an endoscope efficiently, but also puts the patient at risk. Therefore, there is a growing demand for a means to reliably supply water to an endoscope during examinations and surgeries using an endoscope.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can reliably deliver water to an endoscope during examination or surgery using an endoscope, and can also improve water drainage when the water delivery device is stopped.

According to one aspect, the pump tube unit of the present invention is installed in a pump having a rotor and a plurality of pressing parts arranged at a predetermined angular interval on the outer periphery of the rotor, and is equipped with a pump tube that delivers liquid to an endoscope connected thereto and draws in new liquid by being sequentially pressed by at least one of the pressing parts that rotate with the rotation of the rotor, characterized in that the endoscope has an opening for discharging the liquid delivered from the pump tube, and the inner diameter of the pump tube is set so that the amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube is approximately the same as the amount of liquid discharged from an opening provided in the endoscope.

The set flow rate of the liquid pumped by the pump is 700 mm/min, the inner diameter of the opening is 1 mm, the inner diameter of the pump tube is 3.4 mm or more and 3.8 mm or less, and the outer diameter of the pump tube is 6.7 mm or more and 7.1 mm or less.

The opening is preferably an auxiliary water supply port provided at the tip of the endoscope insertion portion of the endoscope, and the liquid pumped from the pump tube is discharged from the auxiliary water supply port via an auxiliary water supply channel provided in the endoscope.

According to one aspect, the endoscope system of the present invention is characterized by comprising an endoscope having an auxiliary water supply channel with an auxiliary water supply port at its tip, a water supply tank for storing liquid, a pump having a rotor and a plurality of pressing parts supported at a predetermined angular interval on the outer periphery of the rotor, and the pump tube unit described above, one end of which is connected to the water supply tank and the other end of which is connected to the auxiliary water supply channel of the endoscope, and which draws in liquid stored in the water supply tank when the pump is driven and sends the drawn-in liquid toward the endoscope.

According to the present disclosure, water can be reliably delivered to an endoscope during examination or surgery using an endoscope, and water can be easily drained when the water delivery device is stopped.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configuration of a nozzle tip provided in an endoscope insertion section. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one configuration of a roller pump included in the water conveying device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one configuration of a pump tube unit. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the verification results of (a) the water supply amount of the pump tube unit and (b) the discharge amount discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the water supply amount in the water supply device is H (H = 700 ml/min). 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the verification results of (a) the water supply amount of the pump tube unit and (b) the discharge amount discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the water supply amount in the water supply device is M (M = 500 ml/min). 13A shows the results of verification of the water supply volume of the pump tube unit and the discharge volume discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the water supply volume in the water supply device is L (L = 250 ml/min). FIG. 13A shows the results of verification of the water supply volume of the pump tube unit and the discharge volume discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the inner diameter D3 of the pump tube is D3 = 3.4 mm and the outer diameter D4 is D4 = 6.7 mm. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the results of verification of the water supply volume of the pump tube unit and the discharge volume discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the inner diameter D3 of the pump tube is D3 = 3.6 mm and the outer diameter D4 is D4 = 6.9 mm. 13A shows the results of verification of the water supply volume of the pump tube unit and the discharge volume discharged from the auxiliary water supply port when the inner diameter D3 of the pump tube is D3 = 3.8 mm and the outer diameter D4 is D4 = 7.1 mm.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope system 10 includes an endoscope 15, a water supply device 16, a water supply tank 17, and a pump tube unit 18. The endoscope 15 includes an operating handle 21, an endoscope insertion section 22, a universal tube 23, and a connector 24.

The operating handle 21 includes a plurality of operating parts 25, a forceps insertion part 26, and the like. The plurality of operating parts 25 include, for example, an ankle knob 28, as well as various buttons such as an air/water supply button 29, a suction button 30, and a shutter button 31. The ankle knob 28 is rotated when bending the bending part 22a provided at the tip side of the endoscope insertion part 22. The air/water supply button 29 is operated when cleaning the observation port 40 and the illumination ports 41 and 42 provided at the tip of the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion part 22. The suction button 30 is operated when suctioning waste matter (including liquid used to wash a target part in the body cavity) in the body cavity using the forceps port 44 provided at the tip of the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion part 22. The shutter button 31 is operated when imaging a target part in the body cavity using an imaging device (not shown) provided inside the tip of the endoscope insertion part 22.

A treatment tool such as forceps is inserted into the forceps insertion section 26. When the endoscope 15 is not in use, a forceps plug 32 is attached to the forceps insertion section 26. The lock adapter 74 of the pump tube unit 18, which will be described later, can be connected to the forceps plug 32 via a connector (not shown).

The endoscope insertion section 22 has an air supply channel and a water supply channel (not shown), as well as a light guide 35, a forceps channel 36, and an auxiliary water supply channel 37 inside. The light guide 35 guides light emitted from a light source device (not shown) to which the connector 24 is connected, to illumination ports 41, 42 provided at the tip of the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion section 22.

The forceps channel 36 guides a treatment tool such as forceps inserted through the forceps insertion section 26 provided on the operating handle 21 to the forceps port 44 provided at the tip of the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion section 22. When the pump tube unit 18 is connected to the forceps insertion section 26, the forceps channel 36 also delivers liquid delivered by the water delivery device 16 to the forceps port 44.

The auxiliary water supply channel 37 supplies liquid from the pump tube unit 18 connected to the tube connection section 24b to the auxiliary water supply port 45 provided at the tip of the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion section 22.

The universal tube 23 connects the operating handle 21 and the connector 24. The universal tube 23 has a light guide 35 and an auxiliary water supply channel 37 inside.

The connector 24 has multiple connector parts, including a light source connection part 24a that allows connection to a light source device, and a tube connection part 24b that allows connection to a pump tube unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion section 22 includes an observation port 40, illumination ports 41 and 42, an air/water nozzle 43, a forceps port 44, and an auxiliary water port 45. Note that the configuration of the nozzle 22b is merely an example, and the type and position of the openings provided in the nozzle 22b can be set as appropriate.

The observation port 40 exposes the objective lens 46 of the imaging device provided inside the tip of the endoscope insertion section 22. The objective lens 46 captures an observation image of the target area inside the body cavity into the imaging device. The illumination ports 41 and 42 emit light guided by the light guide 35 as illumination light toward the target area inside the body cavity and the vicinity of the target area.

The air/water nozzle 43 sprays air or liquid toward the observation port 40 and the illumination ports 41 and 42 to clean the observation port 40, the illumination ports 41 and 42, and their surrounding areas.

The forceps port 44 allows the tip of the treatment tool inserted from the forceps insertion section 26 to be inserted and removed. When a suction device is connected to the endoscope 15, the forceps port 44 also functions as a suction port for sucking up waste material such as blood that has bled out from within the body cavity. The inner diameter of the forceps port 44 is 2 to 3.2 mm. The auxiliary water supply port 45 sprays liquid that is supplied to the auxiliary water supply channel 37 of the endoscope 15 via the water supply device 16. The inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 1 mm.

The water supply device 16 is a device that supplies liquid stored in a water supply tank 17 toward the endoscope 15 by driving a pump that the device has. The water supply device 16 is driven by pressing a foot switch (not shown), for example. In this embodiment, a water supply device 16 having a roller pump 51 as shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the roller pump 51 has a pump tube 62 installed along the inside of an arc-shaped guide wall 53 provided on the front surface. The pump tube 62 installed in the roller pump 51 is held along the outer periphery of a rotor, which will be described later.

The roller pump 51 includes a rotor 55, rollers 56, and a motor 57. The rotor 55 is, for example, a plate member having a substantially triangular shape. The shape of the rotor 55 may be a polygonal plate member according to the number of rollers it supports, or may be a disk-shaped member. The rotor 55 is fixed to the drive shaft 57a of the motor 57, and rotates in the counterclockwise direction (direction A) in FIG. 3 when the motor 57 is driven.

The rollers 56 are each supported on the surface opposite to the surface where the rotor 55 is fixed to the motor 57, and at the same distance from the center of rotation of the rotor 55. In FIG. 3, the rollers 56 are each supported near each vertex of the rotor 55, which is a plate member in the shape of an equilateral triangle. In other words, the rollers 56 are arranged at intervals of 120°. Here, the gap (clearance) between the rotation trajectories of the multiple rollers 56 and the arc-shaped guide wall 53 is, for example, 3.1 mm.

When the rotor 55 rotates, the rollers 56 rotate while pressing (squeezing) the pump tube 62, which is routed along the inside of the arc-shaped guide wall 53, against the arc-shaped guide wall 53. When the rollers 56 squeeze the pump tube 62, the liquid inside the pump tube 62 is pushed out toward the endoscope 15. In addition, when the pump tube 62 returns to its original state after being squeezed by the rollers 56, it draws in the liquid stored in the water supply tank 17. As described above, the rollers 56 are arranged at 120° intervals. Therefore, when the rotor 55 rotates once, the above operation is performed by all the rollers of the three rollers 56. Note that the rollers 56 are taken as an example of a pressing part, but instead of the rollers, pressing pieces protruding outward from the rotor 55 may be used.

Here, the amount of water delivered by the water delivery device 16 is set to, for example, the amount of water delivered when a pump tube 62 with an inner diameter of 6.6 mm and an outer diameter of 9.7 mm is used. Here, the amount of water delivered when a pump tube 62 with an inner diameter of 6.6 mm and an outer diameter of 9.7 mm is used is set to, for example, 700 ml/min.

Returning to FIG. 1, in the endoscope system 10, the liquid stored in the water supply tank 17 is supplied to the endoscope 15 via a pump tube unit 18 installed in the water supply device 16 while the water supply device 16 is operating.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pump tube unit 18 includes a filtered water supply tube 61, a pump tube 62, and a water supply tube 63. The pump tube unit 18 is integrated by connecting the filtered water supply tube 61 and the pump tube 62 with a joint 64, and connecting the pump tube 62 and the water supply tube 63 with a joint 65.

The filter-equipped water supply tube 61 includes a filter device 68 and water supply tubes 69 and 70. The filter device 68 includes a case 68a and a filter body 70b stored in the case 68a. The case 68a is a cylindrical member with both ends open. The case 68a is made of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin material or glass. The case 68a has an inner diameter of 17.0 mm and an outer diameter of 20.0 mm. The filter body 70b is a substantially conical member with an open bottom and a filter net formed on the conical surface. The filter body 68b is fixed inside the case 68a so that the bottom is located downstream.

The water supply tubes 69, 70 are made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC). The water supply tubes 69, 70 have an inner diameter D1 of 3.4 mm and an outer diameter D2 of 6.0 mm.

Of these water supply tubes 69 and 70, the water supply tube 69 is connected to the filter device 68 using a joint 71 on the upstream side of the filter device 68. The water supply tube 69 also has a connector 73 at the end opposite the end connected to the filter device 68. The connector 73 is connected to the suction tube of the water supply tank 17.

The water supply tube 70 is connected to the filter device 68 downstream of the filter device 68 using a joint 72. At the same time, the water supply tube is connected to the pump tube 62 using a joint 64 at the end opposite to the end connected to the filter device 68.

The pump tube 62 is a member that is routed along the inner peripheral surface of the arc-shaped guide wall 53 provided on the roller pump 51. The pump tube 62 is manufactured from, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC). The polyvinyl chloride resin used for the pump tube 62 has, for example, a degree of polymerization of 2500 or more and a plasticizer content of 40% or more. Here, the pump tube 62 may be made of a material that is softer than the water supply tubes 69, 70 and the water supply tube 63 of the filtered water supply tube 61.

The inner diameter D3 and the outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 are set so that the amount of water delivered by the pump tube unit 18 is approximately the same as the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45.

The outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 is set so that the pump tube 62 elastically deforms due to the clearance between the rotation trajectory of the roller 5 and the guide wall 53 and the pressure of the roller 56, blocking the internal space of the pump tube 62 at the portion pressed by the roller 56. Specifically, the pump tube 62 is set to an inner diameter D3 = 3.6 mm and an outer diameter D4 = 6.9 mm. The inner diameter D3 of the pump tube 62 is preferably set in the range of 3.4 mm to 3.8 mm, for example. The outer diameter of the pump tube 62 is preferably set in the range of 6.7 mm to 7.1 mm.

The water supply tube 63 has one upstream end fixed to the pump tube 62 via a joint 65, and the other downstream end connected via a lock adapter (Luer connector) 74 to the forceps insertion section 26 provided on the operating handle 21 of the endoscope 15 or to the tube connection section 24b provided on the connector 24 of the endoscope 15. The water supply tube 63, like the water supply tubes 69 and 70, is made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC). The water supply tube 63 has an inner diameter D5 = 3.4 mm and an outer diameter D6 = 6.0 mm.

According to the endoscope system 10 using the pump tube unit 18 of the above configuration, the inner diameter of the pump tube 62 is set so that the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port of the endoscope 15 and the amount of water supplied by the pump tube unit 18 are approximately the same. As a result, when liquid is pumped out from the pump tube 62, excessive load is not applied to the liquid inside the water supply tube 63 of the pump tube unit 18 and the auxiliary water supply channel 37 of the endoscope 15, and the internal pressure of the pump tube unit 18 can be prevented from becoming higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, when the water supply device 16 is stopped, dripping from the auxiliary water supply port 45 provided on the nozzle 22b of the endoscope insertion section 22 of the endoscope 15 can be prevented.

The outer diameter of the pump tube 62 is set so that the internal space of the pump tube 62 is blocked at the portion pressed by the rollers 56. Therefore, the pump tube 62, whose internal pressure is suppressed when liquid is being pumped, can be reliably pressed by the rollers 56. As a result, the load on the tube is reduced, and the occurrence of cracks in the pump tube 62 and the occurrence of water leakage due to damage to the pump tube 62 can be prevented.

Below, verification tests were conducted before adopting the pump tube unit 18 of this embodiment.

First, when the pump tube 62 had an inner diameter D3 = 6.6 mm and an outer diameter D4 = 9.7 mm, the amount of liquid fed in the pump tube unit 18 was measured when the amount of water fed in the water feed device 16 was changed, and the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water feed port 45 when the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the endoscope 15. At this time, the amount of liquid fed in the water feed device 16 was changed in three stages: H (H = 700 ml/min), M (M = 500 ml/min), and L (L = 250 ml/min). The amount of liquid fed and the amount of liquid discharged were measured at 30-second intervals.

In addition, in a verification test in which the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the endoscope 15, the water supply device 16 was stopped after 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 seconds had elapsed, and the presence or absence of water dripping from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was confirmed. In addition, the presence or absence of cracks or breaks in the pump tube 62 was also confirmed. In the following, the average water supply amount in the pump tube unit 18 and the average discharge amount discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 were calculated from the amount of change after 30 seconds had elapsed.

5(a) and 5(b), when the amount of liquid fed in the water supply device 16 is H (H=700 ml/min), the average amount of liquid fed through the pump tube unit 18 is 350.4 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 is connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and liquid is fed to the endoscope 15, the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 140 ml. In other words, the average amount of water fed in the pump tube unit 18 using the pump tube 62 with an inner diameter D3=6.6 mm and an outer diameter D4=9.7 mm is 700.8 ml/min, whereas the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 280 ml/min. In other words, it was found that the amount of liquid fed from the pump tube 62 is significantly greater than the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. When the water supply device 16 is stopped, water dripping continues for a long time. Additionally, cracks occurred in the pump tube 62.

6(a) and 6(b), when the water supply rate of the water supply device 16 is M (M = 500 ml/min), the average water supply rate of the liquid supplied through the pump tube unit 18 is 248 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 is connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and liquid is supplied to the endoscope 15, the average discharge rate of the liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 132.4 ml. In other words, the average water supply rate of the pump tube unit 18 using the pump tube 62 with an inner diameter D3 = 6.6 mm and an outer diameter D4 = 9.7 mm is 496 ml/min, while the average discharge rate of the liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 264.8 ml/min. In other words, it was found that although the water supply rate was reduced in the water supply device 16, the water supply rate of the liquid discharged from the pump tube 62 was greater than the discharge rate discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. Furthermore, when the water supply device 16 was stopped, water dripping continued for a long period of time. Also, cracks occurred in the pump tube 62.

7(a) and 7(b), when the water supply rate of the water supply device 16 is set to L (L = 250 ml/min), the average water supply rate of the liquid supplied through the pump tube unit 18 is 126.8 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 is connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and the liquid is supplied to the endoscope 15, the average discharge rate of the liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 109.2 ml. In other words, the average water supply rate of the pump tube unit 18 using the pump tube 62 with an inner diameter D3 = 6.6 mm and an outer diameter D4 = 9.7 mm is 253.6 ml/min, while the average discharge rate of the liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 218.4 ml/min. In other words, in this case, the water supply rate is set even lower in the water supply device 16, but it was found that the water supply rate of the liquid discharged from the pump tube 62 is greater than the discharge rate discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. Furthermore, when the water supply device 16 was stopped, water dripping continued for a long period of time. Also, cracks occurred in the pump tube 62.

In this way, when the inner diameter D3 and outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 are set to inner diameter D3 = 6.6 mm and outer diameter D4 = 9.7 mm, the pump tube unit 18 can obtain water supply performance based on the water supply amount set in the water supply device 16. On the other hand, the average discharge amount discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 of the endoscope 15 is 218.4 ml to 280 ml, and even if the average water supply amount in the water supply device 16 is changed, the average discharge amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 of the endoscope 15 does not change much. In other words, if the water supply performance in the water supply device 16 is higher than the water supply performance in the auxiliary water supply channel 37 of the endoscope 15, i.e., the discharge performance from the auxiliary water supply port 45, there is no effect even if the water supply performance in the water supply device 16 is reduced. Also, if the water supply performance in the water supply device 16 is higher than the discharge performance of the auxiliary water supply port 45, the internal pressure of the pump tube unit 18 increases due to the liquid pushed out from the pump tube 62 and becomes higher than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, it is expected that water will drip from the auxiliary water supply port 45 until the internal pressure of the pump tube unit 18 drops to atmospheric pressure. In addition, it is expected that the high internal pressure of the pump tube unit 18 will cause the pump tube 62, which is squeezed by the roller pump 51, to crack, and furthermore, damage to the pump tube 62 will cause water leakage.

Next, the inner diameter D3 and the outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 were changed to measure the amount of liquid fed by the pump tube unit 18 alone and the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 when the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the endoscope 15. The amount of liquid fed and the amount of liquid discharged were measured at 30-second intervals. At this time, the amount of water fed by the water supply device 16 was set to 700 ml/min (constant). In addition, in a verification test in a state in which the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the endoscope 15, the water supply device 16 was stopped after 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, and 150 seconds had elapsed, and the presence or absence of water dripping from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was confirmed. In addition, the presence or absence of cracks or breaks in the pump tube 62 was also confirmed. In this case, the average amount of water fed by the pump tube unit 18 and the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 were obtained from the amount of change after 30 seconds had elapsed.

First, the inner diameter D3 and the outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 were verified as inner diameter D3 = 3.4 mm and outer diameter D4 = 6.7 mm. As shown in Figures 8 (a) and 8 (b), the average amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube unit 18 alone was 102.8 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and liquid was delivered to the endoscope 15, the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 104.4 ml. In this case, the average amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube unit 18 using a pump tube with an inner diameter D3 = 3.4 mm and an outer diameter D4 = 6.7 mm was 205.8 ml/min, while the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 208.8 ml/min. Therefore, the amount of liquid delivered from the pump tube unit 18 is approximately the same as the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. In this case, when the water supply device 16 was stopped, no dripping occurred. Also, the pump tube 62 did not crack.

Next, the inner diameter D3 and the outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 were verified with the inner diameter D3 = 3.6 mm and the outer diameter D4 = 6.9 mm. As shown in Figures 9 (a) and 9 (b), the average amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube unit 18 alone was 118.8 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and liquid was delivered to the endoscope 15, the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 106.8 ml. In this case, the average amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube unit 18 using the pump tube 62 with the inner diameter D3 = 3.6 mm and the outer diameter D4 = 6.9 mm was 237.6 ml/min, while the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 213.6 ml/min. Therefore, the amount of liquid delivered from the pump tube unit 18 is slightly higher than the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. In this case, when the water supply device 16 was stopped, no dripping occurred. Also, the pump tube 62 did not crack.

Finally, the inner diameter D3 and outer diameter D4 of the pump tube 62 were verified as inner diameter D3 = 3.8 mm and outer diameter D4 = 7.1 mm. As shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), the average amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube unit 18 alone was 128.4 ml. When the pump tube unit 18 was connected to the tube connection portion 24b of the connector 24 of the endoscope 15 and liquid was delivered to the endoscope 15, the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 128.8 ml. In this case, the average amount of water delivered by the pump tube unit 18 using the pump tube 62 with inner diameter D3 = 3.8 mm and outer diameter D4 = 7.1 mm was 256.8 ml/min, while the average amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 was 257.6 ml/min. Therefore, the amount of liquid sent out from the pump tube unit 18 is approximately the same as the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45. In this case, when the water supply device 16 was stopped, no dripping occurred. In addition, the pump tube 62 did not crack.

In this way, the water supply rate of the water supply device 16 is 700 ml/min, the inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 1 mm, the inner diameter D3 of the pump tube 62 is 3.4 mm or more and 3.8 mm or less, and the outer diameter D4 is 6.7 mm or more and 7.1 mm or less, so that the amount of liquid delivered by the pump tube 62 is approximately the same as the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 provided in the endoscope 15. As a result, as described above, it was found that it is possible to prevent dripping from the auxiliary water supply port 45 when the water supply device 16 is stopped, and at the same time, to prevent cracks from occurring in the pump tube 62.

In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port 45 is 1 mm, but the inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port 45 is not limited to 1 mm, and can be set between 0.8 mm and 1 mm, for example. In addition, in this embodiment, the water supply amount (700 ml/min) when using a pump tube 62 with an inner diameter of 6.6 mm and an outer diameter of 9.7 mm is used as a reference, but the water supply amount is not limited to 700 ml/min. In other words, in this invention, as long as the inner diameter of the pump tube 62, the set water supply amount in the water supply device 16, and the inner diameter of the auxiliary water supply port 45 of the endoscope 15 can be set so that the amount of liquid sent from the pump tube 62 and the amount of liquid discharged from the auxiliary water supply port 45 of the endoscope 15 are approximately the same, the present invention is not limited to the above.

Reference Signs List 10: Endoscope system 15: Endoscope 16: Water supply device 17: Water supply tank 18: Pump tube unit 37: Auxiliary water supply channel 45: Auxiliary water supply port 51: Roller pump 55: Rotating body 56: Roller 62: Pump tube

Claims (3)

A pump tube unit is provided in a pump having a rotor and a plurality of pressing parts arranged at a predetermined angular interval on an outer peripheral edge of the rotor, the pump tube being pressed sequentially by any one of at least one of the pressing parts which rotate with the rotation of the rotor to deliver liquid to an endoscope connected thereto and draw in new liquid,
the endoscope has an opening for discharging the liquid pumped from the pump tube,
an inner diameter of the pump tube is set so that an amount of liquid delivered from the pump tube in accordance with a delivery amount set in the pump tube unit when the pump tube is not connected to the endoscope is equal to an amount of liquid discharged from the opening when the pump tube is connected to the endoscope ;
When the set water flow rate of the liquid pumped by the drive of the pump is 700 ml/min and the inner diameter of the opening is 1 mm,
The inner diameter of the pump tube is 3.4 mm or more and 3.8 mm or less,
The outer diameter of the pump tube is 6.7 mm or more and 7.1 mm or less.
A pump tube unit characterized by: 2. The pump tube unit according to claim 1,
the opening is an auxiliary water supply port provided at a tip of an endoscope insertion portion of the endoscope,
A pump tube unit, characterized in that the liquid pumped out from the pump tube is discharged from the auxiliary water supply port via an auxiliary water supply channel provided in the endoscope . an endoscope having an auxiliary water supply channel with an auxiliary water supply port at a tip thereof;
A water tank storing liquid;
a pump having a rotor and a plurality of pressing parts journalled at a predetermined angular interval on an outer peripheral edge of the rotor;
a pump tube unit according to claim 1 or 2, one end of which is connected to the water supply tank and the other end of which is connected to an auxiliary water supply channel of the endoscope, the pump drawing in liquid stored in the water supply tank when the pump is driven and delivering the drawn-in liquid toward the endoscope;
An endoscope system comprising :

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