JPS6326649B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an endoscope that can be cleaned without causing water leakage.

Because endoscopes are inserted into the body, they must be cleaned and disinfected with a cleaning solution each time they are used.However, endoscopes may not have a watertight structure other than the insertion site, such as the operating section, so there is a risk of water leakage. For this reason, the entire endoscope is generally not cleaned. Furthermore, even in locations with a watertight structure, there may be minute pinholes, from which water may leak during cleaning.

This invention was developed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to make it possible to clean and disinfect the entire endoscope without causing water leakage, and to detect leakage points such as minute pinholes at the same time as cleaning. Our goal is to provide endoscopes that can

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, 1 is the endoscope main body, 1a is the operating section constituting the main body 1, and 2 is the insertion section.A light guide cord 3 is led out to the operating section 1a, and the tip of the light guide cord 3 is A connector 4 for connecting to a light source device (not shown) is attached. The internal space of the connector 4 and the internal spaces of the operating section 1a and the insertion section 2 communicate with each other via a passage within the light guide cord 3.

The connector 4 has an air supply port 5 projecting therein which communicates with its internal space. This air outlet 5
An inflow check valve 6 that only allows inflow of pressurized gas, which will be described later, is provided inside. Note that a threaded portion 5a for attaching a pressure regulator is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the air supply port 5.

An automatic pressure regulator 7 is detachably attached to the air supply port 5. This automatic pressure regulator 7 is constructed as follows. That is, 8
is a pressure regulator main body, and a valve body 10 for opening and closing a valve hole 9 is slidably provided in the pressure regulator body 8, and this valve body 10 is always kept closed by a pressure regulating spring 11. It is biased in a direction to close the valve hole 9. The biasing force can be adjusted using a pressure adjustment knob 12. The pressure regulator body 8 is also provided with an inlet 13 communicating with the inlet side of the valve hole 9 and an outlet 14 communicating with the outlet side. There is provided an outflow check valve 15 which is opened when the valve is opened. Further, a connection screw 14a for attachment to the threaded portion 5a of the air supply port 5 described above is attached to this outlet 14.

On the other hand, a pressure vessel 16 as a pressurized gas supply source is detachably attached to the inlet 13. A gas harmless to the human body, such as air, is stored at high pressure in the pressure vessel 16, and is connected to the inlet 13 via a connecting screw 18 attached to a spout 17 of the pressure vessel 16. Note that the above spout 17
A check valve 19 that opens when pushed by the inflow port 13 is provided inside.

However, one embodiment configured as above is
When the automatic pressure regulator 7 and the pressure vessel 16 are connected to the connector 4 as shown in FIG. passes through the valve hole 9, flows into the connector 4 through the air supply port 5, and is also sent to the operating section 1a side. When the pressure inside the endoscope reaches a set value, the valve body 10 moves due to the internal pressure and the force of the spring 11, and the valve hole 9 closes. Therefore, excessive pressure is prevented from being applied to the endoscope. By turning the pressure adjustment knob 12, the optimum pressure can be set according to the pressure resistance of each endoscope.

Then, as described above, the entire endoscope is cleaned with the pressure vessel 16 attached. Then, if there is a waterproofing defect such as a pinhole or crack in a part of the endoscope, the gas inside will leak from there.
The gas that blows out prevents cleaning water from entering. In addition, the leakage location can be discovered at the same time by the bubbles generated at that time. Then, when the internal pressure decreases due to gas leakage, the valve body 10
moves, valve hole 9 opens, pressurized gas is supplied, and the pressure inside the endoscope is always kept constant. Note that when there is almost no gas leakage, cleaning may be performed with the pressure vessel 16 and automatic pressure regulator 7 removed; in this case, the inflow check valve 6 is closed, so that the inside of the endoscope is cleaned. Can trap gas.

Although the automatic pressure regulator is provided in the connector in the embodiment, it goes without saying that the automatic pressure regulator may be provided in the endoscope body. Furthermore, an air pump or the like may be connected as the pressurized gas supply source.

As explained above, this invention provides a removable automatic pressure regulator for an air supply port that can communicate with the internal space of an endoscope, and controls pressurized gas supplied from a pressurized gas supply source to a predetermined pressure. Since the endoscope can be cleaned while being fed into the endoscope, even if there is a part of the endoscope that is not watertight, pressurized gas will be released from there to prevent leakage. It can be prevented. Therefore, since the entire endoscope can be kept waterproof, it becomes possible to clean the entire endoscope, and defects in waterproofing can be easily discovered by bubbles generated from leakage points. Moreover, since gas can always be supplied at a constant pressure, excessive pressure is not applied to the endoscope even if the pressure of the pressurized gas supply source is high. In addition, one automatic pressure regulator can be used with a number of endoscopes, making it economical and providing various excellent practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an endoscope showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an automatic pressure regulator in the endoscope. 1... Endoscope body, 4... Connector, 5... Air supply port, 6... Inflow check valve (occlusion valve), 7... Automatic pressure regulator, 16... Pressure vessel (pressurized gas supply source) ).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An air supply port having an inward valve that normally closes the space inside the endoscope is provided on the endoscope body or the connector of the light guide cord, and the air supply port is connected to the air supply port to prevent the above-mentioned occlusion. The valve is opened to allow communication with the space inside the endoscope, and is opened only when the pressure inside the endoscope is below the set value, allowing pressurized gas sent from the pressurized gas supply source to enter the space through the air supply port. An endoscope characterized by being equipped with an automatic pressure regulator that feeds the inside of the endoscope in a detachable manner.