JPH0359685B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a waterproof endoscope into which dry air can be fed.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] In recent years, waterproof endoscopes have been developed. This type of endoscope is of a type that allows the entire endoscope to be cleaned and disinfected and sterilized by immersion in a chemical solution, but if immersed for a long period of time, the outer skin of the endoscope's flexible tube and light guide cord will form. It was discovered that water vapor penetrated the polyurethane resin and the rubber material that forms the outer skin of the curved tube, creating a high humidity condition inside the endoscope. Such high humidity conditions have the disadvantage of causing the components built into the endoscope, particularly the image guide fiber and light guide fiber, to break.

Therefore, in an earlier application (unpublished), a new cap was added to the connector part of the light guide cord, and dry air was sent into the endoscope through a tube connected to this cap, and the air inside was sucked. This is done to keep it dry.

However, in this type of connector, a new cap is installed on the connector, which complicates the structure of the connector, and it is narrower than the suction cap, air/water supply cap, and ground cap that are already installed on the connector. It is extremely complicated to install it in different locations. Further, tubes and cords are connected to each of the above-mentioned caps, but these connections are difficult to operate.

[Object of the invention] The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances, and
The purpose is to provide a waterproof endoscope that can simplify the structure of the mouthpiece and improve the operability of connecting tubes and the like.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a mouthpiece necessary for diagnosis, which is provided in a connector part of a waterproof endoscope, and is provided with a means for switching off communication between the inside and outside of the endoscope.

[Embodiments of the Invention] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the invention.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes an endoscope, and this endoscope 1 includes an operating section 2, an insertion section 3, and a light guide cord 4. As shown in FIG. The insertion section 3 is formed by connecting a distal end component 7 to the distal end of a flexible tube 5 via a curved tube 6, and its base end is connected to the operating section 2. Further, the light guide cord 4 is made of a flexible tube, and its base end is connected to the operation section 2 described above. A connector 8 is attached to the light guide cord 4 and the extending end thereof. The endoscope 1 as a whole has a waterproof structure. In other words, it is configured as a waterproof endoscope. In addition, the operation section 2 includes an air/water supply switching valve 9 and a suction switching valve 1.
1 and a forceps channel opening 12 are provided. Further, the operating section 2 is provided with a switching knob 13 for connecting or disconnecting the inside and outside of the endoscope 1.

A suction cap 14 is provided on the side wall of the connector 8, as shown in FIG. 2, and the suction cap 14 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
That is, the suction cap 14 consists of a cylinder 15 and a piston 16 inserted into the cylinder.The open end of the cylinder 15 is attached to the side wall of the connector 8, and the opening of the cylinder 15 is It's blocked. The piston 16 is formed with a small diameter portion 18 that penetrates the lid 17 and projects to the outside, and a grip portion 19 for rotating the piston 16 is provided at the protruding outer end of the small diameter portion 18.
is installed. Furthermore, a tube connection portion 21 is formed in the grip portion 19 . Furthermore, a suction hole 22 is formed in the piston 16 over its small diameter portion 18, gripping portion 19, and tube connection portion 21, and opens to the outside at the tube connection portion 21 and communicates with a tube connected to the tube connection portion 21. I'm starting to do that. An O-ring 23 is provided on the lid 17 side so that the small diameter portion 18 passes through the lid 17 in an airtight manner. A compression coil spring 24 is wound around the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 18 in the cylinder 15, and is interposed between the piston 16 and the lid 17 to bias the piston 16. ing.

Further, the inner end of the suction hole 22 opens into the sliding side wall of the piston 16, as shown in FIG. O-rings 26, 26 for sealing are located above and below this opening 25, and on the peripheral wall of the piston 16, respectively.
is installed. When the piston 16 is pushed in as shown in FIG.
The connection port 28 is opposed to and communicates with. Further, when the piston 16 is rotated 180 degrees and raised as shown in FIG. It's getting old. In other words, it constitutes a switching means for selecting either of the above two states. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a guide pin 31 protruding from the inner surface of the cylinder 15 is provided to regulate this switching operation, while the guide pin 31 is provided on the peripheral wall of the piston 16 as shown in FIG. A guide groove 32 into which the guide 31 is fitted is formed.
The guide groove 32 is continuous with a horizontal groove part 32a along the rotational direction of the piston 31 and one end of the horizontal groove part 32a.
The length of the horizontal groove part 32a is set at 180 degrees at each rotation interval of the piston 31, and the length of the vertical groove part 32b is set between the connection port 28 and the communication hole 29. are provided corresponding to the height difference in the axial direction of the piston 16. By holding the grip portion 19 of the piston 16 and manipulating the piston 16, the above state can be switched. In other words, guide pin 3
1 is positioned in the longitudinal groove 32b, the piston 16 is pushed in by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 24, and the opening 25 of the suction port 22 is in communication with the connection port 28 of the suction pipe tube 27, as shown in FIG. becomes. In this state, the suction hole 22 communicates with the suction pipe tube 27, so the guide connection part 2
If you connect a suction tube (not shown) to 1,
The endoscope 1 can perform normal suction.

In addition, the piston 16 is pulled up and the guide groove 32
When the piston 16 is rotated to the end while positioning the guide pin 31 in the horizontal groove 32a of the fourth
As shown in the figure, the opening 25 of the suction port 22 is connected to the communication hole 2.
9 and communicates with the inside of the endoscope 1. Also,
The connection port 28 side is blocked by the piston 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, dry air can be supplied into the endoscope 1 by connecting the supply tube 34 of the dry air supply device 33 to the tube connection portion 21 of the suction mouthpiece 14 in this state. When supplying this, open the switching pot 13,
The air inside the endoscope 1 is exhausted to the outside. That is, the interior of the endoscope 1 can be dehumidified by sending dry air into the interior of the endoscope 1 and expelling the air containing moisture instead.

6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is also applied to the suction cap 14, but the cap main body 42 is removably fitted into the cylinder 15 via the elastic member 41, and the above-mentioned structure is applied between the cap main body 42 and the elastic member 41. A suction hole 22 similar to the example is formed. Also,
The elastic member 41 is attached within the cylinder 15 so as to be in close contact with the inner circumferential wall thereof and to be rotatable in a fixed position. Note that the cap body 42 has an elastic member 4
1, but by engaging a protrusion 43 provided on the base body 42 with the elastic member 41, it is prevented from shifting. In addition, the grip part 1
9 is provided on the elastic member 41 and is connected to the tube connecting portion 2
1 is provided on the base body 42. On the other hand, on the cylinder 15 side, a connection port 28 and a communication hole 29 similar to those in the above embodiment are formed, but although their positions are shifted by 180 degrees at rotational angle intervals, they are provided at the same height position that does not shift in the axial direction. is being used.

If the opening 25 of the suction hole 22 is aligned with the connection port 28 as shown in FIG. 6, the normal use condition will be achieved, and as shown in FIG. When rotated, the opening 25 of the suction hole 22 aligns with the communication hole 29 and communicates with the inside of the endoscope 1, so that the same drying process as described above can be performed in this state. In addition, in this embodiment, the elastic member 41 can be fitted into the cylinder 15 by utilizing the elasticity of the elastic member 41, and the base body 42 can be fitted into the elastic member 41, and can be removed in the reverse order. can.

FIG. 8 shows the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. This embodiment is an example in which a ground cap 51 provided on the connector 8 of the endoscope 1 is used. That is, a cylinder 15 that opens to the outside is provided on the wall of the connector 8, and the opening is closed by a lid 17. The cylinder 15 also has a ground cap member 52 made of a conductive material.
is fitted in such a way that it can rotate freely. One end of the ground cap member 52 penetrates the lid 17 and protrudes to the outside, and a grip member 5 made of a conductive material is attached to the outer end portion of the earth cap member 52.
3 is connected to the gripping member 53, and a screw 53a for connecting an earth cord (not shown) or a supply tube 34 of the dry air supply device 33 is connected to the gripping member 53.
is formed. Furthermore, a ventilation hole 54 is formed in the earth cap member 52 extending from the inner part thereof to the grip member 53, one end of which is open on the outside and communicates with the supply tube 34. Further, the other end of the ventilation hole 54 is connected to the cylinder 15.
It opens in the side wall of the earth cap member 52 inside. In the state shown in FIG. 8, the opening 55 of the vent hole 54 is closed by the inner wall of the cylinder 15.
When rotated, the communication hole 29 formed in the wall of the cylinder 15 aligns with the endoscope 1 through the communication hole 29.
It is designed to communicate with the inside of the An annular elastic body 56 for sealing is fitted onto the peripheral wall of the ground cap portion 52 corresponding to the opening of the ventilation hole 54 and the communication hole 29.

In the state shown in FIG. 8, the ventilation hole 54 is closed and cut off, and the ground cord connected to the ground cap member 52 is electrically connected to the ground pin (not shown) on the connector 8 side through the ground cap member 52. Also, rotate the earth cap member 52 by 180°.
When rotated, the ventilation hole 52 communicates with the inside of the endoscope 1 via the communication hole 29, so by connecting the supply tube 34 to the grounding cap member 52, dry air can be introduced into the interior as in the embodiment described above. It can be sent into the endoscope 1. In addition, in order to display the rotational position of the ground cap member 52, the ground cap member 52 is
A display 57 may be provided.

FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This is an example in which the air and water supply cap 61 provided on the connector 8 of this embodiment is used. That is, in this case as well, the connector 8 is provided with a cylinder 15, and the switching tubular member 62 is rotatably fitted into the cylinder 15. Further, a water supply tube 63 inserted into the inside of the tubular member 62 is fixed to the bottom wall of the cylinder 15 and connected to a water supply tube 64 inside the endoscope 1 . Further, a connection port 66 for connecting the air supply tube 65 is attached to the side wall of the cylinder 15, and the connection port 66 opens to the inner wall of the cylinder 15. A communication hole 29 that opens into the interior of the endoscope 1 is provided in the side wall of the cylinder 15, located 180 degrees apart from and at the same height as the connection port 66. A hole 67 is formed in the side wall of the switching tubular member 62 so as to be located at the same height as the connection port 66 and the communication hole 29. If the hole 67 is located at the connection port 66, it communicates with the air supply tube 65, and if it is located at the communication hole 29, it communicates with the inside of the endoscope 1. Further, at the outer end of the switching tubular member 62, a connecting portion 68 that also serves as a grip portion 19 is provided.
is provided. A connector 69 of the supply tube 34 of the dry air supply device 33 is fitted into this connection portion 68 . Further, this connection portion 68 includes an air supply tube 70 configured similarly to the supply tube 34 and its connector 69.
The connector 71 is connected to the
A water supply tube 72 is inserted into this air supply tube 70, and this water supply tube 72 is connected to the water supply pipe 6.
It is now connected to 3. That is, when performing air and water supply, the connector 71 of the air supply tube 70 is connected to the connecting portion 68. At the same time, the water supply tube 72 is connected to the water supply pipe 63. Then, with the switching tubular member 62 in the state shown in FIG.
3, water is supplied to the water supply tube 64 on the endoscope side. Further, the air supply tube 70 supplies air through the tubular member 62 to the air supply tube 65 on the endoscope side.

In addition, when drying the inside of the endoscope 1, the connection part 6
Connect the connector 69 of the supply tube 34 to 8,
The switching tubular member 62 is rotated 180 degrees from the position shown in FIG. 9 to align the hole 67 with the communication hole 29.
As a result, the connection hole 66 is opened, and the supply tube 34 communicates with the endoscope 1 through the communication hole 29. Thus, dry air can be fed into the endoscope 1 and drying can be performed in the same manner as described above.

In each of the above embodiments, dry air is sent into the mouthpiece through the supply tube, but a suction device may be connected to suck the air inside the endoscope to dehumidify it. Furthermore, the switching knob is not limited to the operating section, and may be provided, for example, at the tip component.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, a switching means for switching communication cutoff between the inside and outside of the endoscope is provided in the mouthpiece provided in the connector of the endoscope and used during endoscopic diagnosis. When the endoscope is used normally, the base can be used for its original function, and when the inside of the endoscope is dehumidified, it can be used as a place to connect a drying device. Therefore, there is no need to provide a new base portion, and the situation does not become complicated. In particular, even if the connector portion is used to install various types of caps side by side, it does not get in the way when handling them, and the connection work is easy and does not impair operability. Furthermore, the structure can be simplified and the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where an independent cap part is provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an endoscope showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side sectional view of the connector portion, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the suction mouthpiece. 4 is a side sectional view of the suction nozzle portion in another state, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the piston portion thereof, and FIG. 6 is a suction nozzle portion as a second embodiment of the present invention. , FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the suction cap portion in another state, FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the grounding cap portion showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the ground cap portion showing the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional side view of the air supply and water supply mouthpiece part which shows the 4th Example. 1...Endoscope, 2...Operation unit, 8...Connector, 14...Suction cap, 15...Cylinder, 16
... Piston, 19 ... Gripping part, 22 ... Suction hole, 25 ... Opening, 28 ... Connection port, 29 ... Communication hole, 33 ... Dry air supply device, 34 ... Supply tube, 51 ... Earth cap, 52... Earth cap member, 54... Ventilation hole, 61... Air/water supply cap, 62... Tubular member, 66... Connection port, 67...
...hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 The connector of the endoscope is provided with at least one of a suction cap, an air/water supply cap, and a ground cap used during endoscopic diagnosis, and the cap is connected to the internal space of the endoscope and the external space. A waterproof endoscope characterized by being provided with a switching means for switching between communication and cutoff.