JP4013088B2 - Endoscope washing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning apparatus, and in particular, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle of an endoscope cleaning apparatus is connected to a connector of a pipeline such as an air / water supply tube or a suction tube inserted into the endoscope. The present invention also relates to an endoscope cleaning apparatus for cleaning a pipe line by supplying a cleaning liquid from the nozzle to the pipe line.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The endoscope used for the inspection is housed in the washing tank of the endoscope washing apparatus, and then the outer surface is washed through a plurality of washing steps such as pre-washing, ultrasonic washing, chemical disinfection, and rinsing. The
In addition, since it is necessary to clean the pipelines such as the air / water feeding tubes and the suction tubes arranged in the endoscope in the same manner, the connectors of these pipelines are connected to the washing liquid on the endoscope washing apparatus side. The nozzle is connected to a supply nozzle, and a chemical or water is supplied from the nozzle to the pipeline to clean the pipeline.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, since the pipe part of the endoscope after use is often contaminated with the contact part with the cleaning liquid supply nozzle, this contact part must also be cleaned. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in which a small-diameter air / water connector 2 is inserted into and connected to a large-diameter cleaning liquid supply nozzle 1, and the contact portion is indicated by reference numeral 3. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view when the large-diameter air / water supply connector 4 is inserted and connected to the small-diameter cleaning liquid supply nozzle 1, and the contact portion is indicated by reference numeral 5.
[0004]
However, since the conventional cleaning liquid supply nozzle 1 is always connected to the connectors 2 and 4 of the pipe line from the start to the end of cleaning, the contact portions 3 and 5 with the connectors 2 and 4 are cleaned. There is a disadvantage that can not be.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an endoscope cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning a contact portion between a cleaning liquid supply nozzle on the endoscope cleaning apparatus side and a pipe line on the endoscope side. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning liquid supply nozzle.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a conduit for an endoscope by connecting a connector at one end of a conduit inserted through the endoscope to a cleaning liquid supply nozzle of the endoscope cleaning device. In the endoscope cleaning apparatus for cleaning the endoscope, the nozzle is provided with an attachment / detachment mechanism including a first holding member and a second holding member capable of holding and releasing the endoscope, and the tube of the endoscope When cleaning the path, the first holding member holds the connector of the endoscope duct and connects the connector and the nozzle, and the second holding member is released from the endoscope, When washing the contact portion between the first holding member and the connector of the conduit, the first holding member is released from the endoscope and the second holding member holds the endoscope. It is a feature.
[0007]
By the way, when rinsing is performed after chemical liquid disinfection, the position of the endoscope is displaced by the momentum of the chemical liquid ejected from the nozzle while the contact portion is being washed with the chemical liquid, and the nozzle is not connected to the tube when rinsing is performed. There is a problem that it becomes impossible to reconnect to the road.
Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, when washing the endoscope conduit, the connector of the endoscope conduit is held by the first holding member to connect the connector and the nozzle. When the contact portion between the 1 holding member and the connector is washed, the holding of the first holding member is released and the endoscope is held by the second holding member. That is, according to the present invention, when the contact portion is sterilized with the chemical solution, the second holding member prevents the endoscope from being displaced, so that the nozzle is reliably reconnected to the pipe line when rinsing is performed. Can do.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of an endoscope cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view of an endoscope cleaning apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus main body 12 of the endoscope cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a cleaning tank 18 that houses the endoscope 16 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12, and injection devices 20 and 22 are provided in the cleaning tank 18. The endoscope 16 is housed such that the hand operating unit 24 is accommodated in the vicinity of the small ejection device 20, and the soft portion 26 and the light guide (LG) soft portion 28 are enclosed around the large ejection device 22. When the injection device 20 is driven in this accommodated state, the hand operation unit 24 is washed with the cleaning liquid from the nozzle 20A, and when the injection device 22 is driven, the soft portion 26 and the LG soft portion 28 are discharged from the nozzle 22A. Washed with a washing liquid. Reference numeral 29 denotes a positioning pin that holds the cleaning posture of the endoscope 16.
[0009]
Here, the endoscope 16 will be described. The endoscope 16 includes a hand operating section 24, a flexible section 26, a bending section 30, a distal end rigid section 32, a light guide (LG) flexible section 28, an LG connector 34, and an electrical connector. The signal connector 36 is configured.
The hand operation section 24 is provided with an operation knob 38 for bending the bending section 30, an air / water supply button 40 for sending air / water, a suction button 42 for sucking, and a forceps insertion port 44 for inserting forceps. It has been.
[0010]
The hard tip 32 is provided with an objective lens (not shown), a forceps / suction port, an air / water nozzle, and an illumination window for irradiating illumination light, and a CCD is disposed at the imaging position of the objective lens. Yes.
The soft part 26 and the bending part 30 are supplied with forceps inserted from the forceps insertion port 44 of the hand operation unit 24 to the forceps / suction port of the distal end hard part 32, and air or water is supplied to the air supply / water supply nozzle. An air / water supply tube to be supplied, a light guide of an optical fiber bundle for guiding illumination light to the illumination window, and a signal cable for guiding a video signal converted by the CCD are arranged.
[0011]
The LG flexible portion 28 is provided with an air / water supply tube, a light guide, and a signal cable. The LG flexible portion 28 is branched into two paths along the way, and an LG connector 34 is connected to one of the branched ends. An electrical signal connector 36 is connected to the other end. The air / water supply tube is connected to the air / water supply connector 46 of the LG connector 34, the suction tube is connected to a suction connector (not shown), the light guide is connected to the light guide terminal 48, and the signal cable is connected to the electrical signal connector 36. Yes.
[0012]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 50 and a display panel 52 are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12. The operation panel 50 is provided with various setting buttons related to the cleaning content, a start button for giving an instruction to start cleaning, and the like. Further, the display panel 52 displays various contents such as the current cleaning process, the remaining cleaning time, and a warning when a trouble occurs.
[0013]
The mesh-like support frame 54 that forms the bottom surface of the washing tub 18 is formed with injection ports 56, 56,... For jetting the washing liquid upward. The support frame 54 is formed in a hollow shape, and washing water and air for pumping the washing water are supplied to the hollow portion. The support frame 54 is connected to a pump 60 via two supply pipes 58 and 58 indicated by broken lines in FIG. 1, and a chemical liquid tank and a water tank are connected to the pump via a switching valve (not shown). . When the switching valve is switched to the chemical tank and the pump 60 is driven, the chemical liquid is sucked from the chemical tank and the outside air is sucked, and the chemical liquid and the outside air are supplied to the support frame 54 via the supply pipes 58 and 58. Supplied to the space. As a result, the chemical solution reaches the entire space of the support frame 54 and is ejected upward from the ejection ports 56 of the support frame 54, so that the outside of the endoscope 16 in contact with the support frame 54 is removed. The surface is disinfected with chemicals. When the switching valve is switched to the water tank and the pump 60 is driven, water from the water tank is ejected upward from the ejection ports 56 of the support frame 54, and the outer surface of the endoscope 16 is water. Washed. In addition, the washing water ejected from the injection ports 56, 56... Is washed with the washing water ejected from the injection devices 20, 22 through the drain port 62 shown in FIG. 2 provided below the support frame 54. It is discharged outside.
[0014]
Incidentally, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70 is provided on the upper right side of FIG. The nozzle device 70 is connected to the tank 60 of FIG. 1 via a supply pipe 72, and is connected to the air / water supply connector 46 of the LG connector 34 when the endoscope 16 is cleaned. Therefore, at the time of chemical solution sterilization, the chemical solution from the chemical solution tank is supplied to the air / water supply tube via the supply pipe 72, the nozzle device 70, and the water supply connector 46, and the air / water supply tube is sterilized. At the time of rinsing, water from the water tank is supplied to the air / water supply tube via the supply pipe 72, the nozzle device 70, and the water supply connector 46, and the air / water supply tube is washed with water. 1 and 2 show only the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70 connected to the air / water supply connector 46, and the other cleaning liquid supply nozzle device connected to the suction connector is omitted. .
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70. A nozzle device 70 shown in the figure mainly includes a nozzle body 73, a first chuck 74 (first holding member), a second chuck (second holding member) 76, an inner cylinder 78, and an outer cylinder 80.
The nozzle body 73 is a nozzle that is connected to the supply pipe 72 shown in FIG. 1 and supplies the chemical solution and water sent from the supply pipe 72 to the air / water supply connector 46.
[0016]
The first chuck 74 is a chuck that holds the air / water supply connector 46 shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 and connects the nozzle body 73 and the connector 46, and is composed of two semi-cylindrical members 74A and 74B. ing. The semi-cylindrical member 74A is rotatably provided at the top end of the nozzle body 73 via a hinge 82A, and is fed by a biasing force of a torsion spring 84A provided on the hinge 82A as shown in FIGS. The holding position of the air / water supply connector 46 is urged. The semi-cylindrical member 74B has the same configuration, and is provided rotatably at the lower end of the nozzle body 73 via a hinge 82B, and the biasing force of a torsion spring 84B provided on the hinge 82B is shown in FIG. The air supply / water supply connector 46 shown in FIG.
[0017]
Also, as shown in FIG. 5, one end of a wire 86A is attached to the semi-cylindrical member 74A, and this wire 86A is attached to the inner cylinder 78 by a fixing member 87 via a pulley 85 provided in the nozzle body 73. It is fixed. As shown in FIG. 6, the semi-cylindrical member 74B is also attached with one end of a wire 86B, and this wire 86B is fixed to the inner cylinder 78 by a fixing member (not shown) via a pulley (not shown) provided in the nozzle body 73. Has been. Therefore, when the inner cylinder 78 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 3, the semi-cylindrical member 74A is pulled by the wire 86A, and the semi-cylindrical member 74B is pulled by the wire 86B to open, and When the inner cylinder 78 is located at the position shown in FIG. 5 (position rotated 90 ° from the position shown in FIG. 3), the semi-cylindrical members 74A and 74B are fully opened. As a result, the holding of the air / water supply connector 46 by the first chuck 74 is released, and each contact portion is exposed. On the contrary, when the inner cylinder 78 is rotated clockwise from the position of FIG. 5 and is positioned at the position of FIG. 3, the wires 86A and 86B are loosened, and the semi-cylindrical members 74A and 74B are twisted springs. By returning to the original position by the urging force of 84, 84B, the air / water supply connector 46 is held again by the first chuck 74, and the connector 46 and the nozzle body 73 are reconnected.
[0018]
On the other hand, the second chuck 76 is disposed in front of the first chuck 74, holds the midway portion of the air / water supply connector 46 as shown in FIG. 5, and air / water supply as shown in FIG. The holding of the connector 46 is released.
The second chuck 76 includes two semi-cylindrical members 76A and 76B. The semi-cylindrical member 76A is provided at the tip of two arms 88A, 88A, and one of these arms 88A, 88A is inserted into the upper gap between the nozzle body 73 and the inner cylinder 78, and One arm 88 </ b> A is inserted into a lower gap between the nozzle body 73 and the inner cylinder 78. Similarly, the semi-cylindrical member 76B is provided at the tip of the two arms 88B and 88B, and one of these arms 88B and 88B is inserted into the upper gap between the nozzle body 73 and the inner cylinder 78. The other arm 88B is inserted into the lower gap between the nozzle body 73 and the inner cylinder 78.
[0019]
The two arms 88A and 88A are supported by the inner cylinder 78 through a pin 90A (only one pin 90A is shown) so as to be swingable in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Also, cam pins 92A (only one cam pin 92A is shown) are provided at the base end portions of the arms 88A, 88A, and the cam pins 92A are formed in the cam groove 94A of the outer cylinder 80 through an opening (not shown) of the inner cylinder 78. Is engaged. Similarly, the two arms 88B and 88AB are supported on the inner cylinder 78 through a pin 90B (only one pin 90B is shown) so as to be swingable in the direction of arrow B in FIG. Is provided with a cam pin 92B (only one cam pin 92B is shown), and this cam pin 92B is engaged with a cam groove 94B of the outer cylinder 80 through an opening (not shown) of the inner cylinder 78. Therefore, when the inner cylinder 78 is rotated counterclockwise from the position of FIG. 3, the arms 88A and 88A are moved along the cam groove 94A and the arms 88B and 88B are moved closer to each other along the cam groove 94B. The semi-cylindrical members 76A and 76B are brought into contact with each other when the inner cylinder 78 is rotated by a predetermined angle. As a result, the air / water supply connector 46 is held by the second chuck 76. On the contrary, when the inner cylinder 78 is rotated clockwise, the semi-cylindrical members 76A and 76B move away from each other, and when the inner cylinder 78 is positioned at the position shown in FIG. The holding of the air / water supply connector 46 is completely released.
[0020]
A gear 96 is formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 80, and a gear 102 attached to the output shaft 100 of the motor 98 is engaged with the gear 96. The motor 98 is controlled by a control device (not shown) to rotate the outer cylinder 80 within a range of 90 ° between the position shown in FIG. 3 and the position shown in FIG. The motor 98 rotates the outer cylinder 80 from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 5 when the chemical cleaning is completed for a predetermined time, and waits at that position until the chemical cleaning is completed. The controller controls the outer cylinder 80 to rotate from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 3 immediately after rinsing.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the endoscope cleaning apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, after the endoscope 16 is accommodated in a predetermined position of the washing tank 18, the air / water supply connector 46 of the endoscope 16 is replaced with the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device shown in FIG. The first chuck 74 of 70 is inserted and connected. As a result, the air / water supply connector 46 is held by the first chuck 74 and connected to the nozzle body 73. At this time, since the semi-cylindrical members 76A and 76B of the second chuck 76 are open, they are connected to the first chuck 74 through the air / water supply connector 46 between the semi-cylindrical members 76A and 76B.
[0022]
Next, after closing the upper lid 14, the start button is pressed to start pre-cleaning. In this pre-cleaning step, large dust adhering to the outer surface of the endoscope 16 is removed by the water jetted from the jetting devices 20, 22 and the jetting ports 56, 56.
When pre-cleaning is completed, ultrasonic cleaning is started. In this ultrasonic cleaning process, first, water is poured into the cleaning tank 18 and the endoscope 16 is immersed in water. Next, the endoscope 16 is ultrasonically cleaned by driving an ultrasonic vibrator provided in the cleaning tank 18 and applying water ultrasonic vibration injected into the cleaning tank 18.
[0023]
When the ultrasonic cleaning is completed, the water stored in the cleaning tank 18 is drained, and then the medical solution is sprayed from the spraying devices 20, 22 and the spray ports 56, 56. The surface is sterilized with a chemical solution, and a chemical solution is supplied from the cleaning solution supply nozzle device 70 to the air / water supply tube via the air / water supply connector 46 to sterilize the air / water supply tube.
[0024]
When the chemical liquid sterilization elapses for a predetermined time, the control device drives the motor 98 shown in FIG. 3, and rotates the outer cylinder 80 from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. As a result, the semi-cylindrical members 74A and 74B of the first chuck 74 are pulled and opened by the wires 86A and 86B, so that the holding of the first chuck 74 and the air / water supply connector 46 is released, and the first chuck 74 and A mutual contact portion with the air / water supply connector 46 is exposed. In this state, since the chemical liquid is continuously supplied from the nozzle body 73, as shown in FIG. 6, the contact portions 46A (contact portions on the air / water supply connector 46 side), 75A, 75B (semi-cylindrical member 74A) , 74B side contact portion) is sterilized by the chemical solution. When the contact portions 46A, 75A, and 75B are sterilized, the air / water supply connector 46 is held by the second chuck 76, so that the position of the endoscope 16 is not shifted.
[0025]
When the chemical liquid disinfection is completed, the chemical liquid in the washing tank 18 is drained. Then, the control device drives the motor 98 shown in FIG. 5 to rotate the outer cylinder 80 by 90 ° from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. As a result, the semi-cylindrical members 74A and 74B of the first chuck 74 are closed by the urging force of the torsion springs 84A and 84B, so that the air / water supply connector 46 is held again by the first chuck 74 and the nozzle body 73 is connected to the connector. 46 is reconnected. At the time of this reconnection, the position of the endoscope 16 is prevented from being displaced by the second chuck 76, so that the nozzle body 73 is reliably reconnected to the air / water supply connector 46.
[0026]
After this, rinsing is performed by injecting water from the injection devices 20, 22 and the injection ports 56, 56... Of the support frame 54, and air is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70 through the air / water supply connector 46.・ Supply water to the water supply tube and wash the air / water supply tube with water. In this rinsing process, the chemical solution adhering to the outer surface of the endoscope and the air / water feeding tube is washed away.
[0027]
When rinsing is completed, the endoscope 16 is dried. Then, after drying, the upper lid 14 is opened, the air / water supply connector 46 is pulled out from the first chuck 74 of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70, and the endoscope 16 is taken out from the endoscope cleaning device 10 for the next use. Keep until.
Thus, in the present embodiment, when cleaning the contact portion between the air / water supply connector 46 and the first chuck 74, the first chuck 74 is separated from the air / water supply connector 46 to expose the contact portion. So, the contaminated contact part can be washed.
[0028]
In the present embodiment, only the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70 for cleaning the air / water supply tube has been described, but the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device for cleaning the suction tube is also provided in the endoscope cleaning device 10. Since the structure of the nozzle device is the same as that of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle device 70, the description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, the example in which the air / water connector 46 is connected to the nozzle body 73 via the first chuck 74 has been described, but the structure in which the air / water connector is directly connected by being fitted into the nozzle body. Then, for example, an attachment / detachment mechanism for moving the nozzle 1 shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the endoscope cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the nozzle can be connected to the connector of the conduit when the conduit is cleaned, and the nozzle is cleaned when the contact portion between the nozzle and the connector is cleaned. Since the attachment / detachment mechanism capable of separating the connector from the connector is provided, the contaminated contact portion can be washed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of an endoscope cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view in which an endoscope is accommodated in a cleaning tank of the endoscope cleaning apparatus of FIG.・ External view of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle while cleaning the water supply tube. [FIG. 4] Cross-sectional view of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle shown in FIG. 3. [FIG. 5] Cleaning the contact portion with the air / water supply connector during cleaning. External view of the liquid supply nozzle [FIG. 6] Cross-sectional view of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle shown in FIG. 5 [FIG. 7] Cross-sectional view of the conventional connection structure between the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and the air / water supply connector [ FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another connection structure between the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and the air / water supply connector.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Endoscope washing apparatus 12 ... Apparatus main body 16 ... Endoscope 18 ... Washing tank 46 ... Air supply / water supply connector 70 ... Nozzle apparatus 73 for washing liquid supply ... Nozzle main body 74 ... First chuck 76 ... Second chuck 78 ... inner cylinder 80 ... outer cylinder

Claims (1)

In the endoscope cleaning device for cleaning the endoscope channel by connecting the connector at one end of the tube formed through the endoscope to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle of the endoscope cleaning device,
The nozzle is provided with an attachment / detachment mechanism comprising a first holding member and a second holding member capable of holding and releasing the endoscope.
When washing the endoscope duct, the first holding member holds the connector of the endoscope duct to connect the connector and the nozzle, and the second holding member is the endoscope. Is released,
When washing the contact portion between the first holding member and the connector of the conduit, the first holding member is released from the endoscope and the second holding member holds the endoscope. Endoscope washing device characterized.

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