JPS6232931B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an air supply device for an endoscope.

Generally, an endoscope is equipped with an air/water supply device that jets air or water from a nozzle at its tip to inflate a body cavity or clean the surface of an objective lens. A switching valve mechanism is provided in the middle of the pipe that communicates the air supply mechanism or water supply mechanism that supplies air or water with the nozzle at the tip of the endoscope. The switching valve mechanism is built into the operating section of the switching valve mechanism, and is configured to switch between supplied air and water by operating the switching valve mechanism. Further, a check valve is provided in the middle of the air supply pipe line for supplying air, and is configured to prevent air from flowing back from the nozzle side to the switching valve mechanism side. By the way, in the above-mentioned check valve, the check valve body sometimes stuck to the valve opening. If the check valve body becomes stuck, air cannot be supplied, and this sticking cannot be removed by increasing the air supply pressure. For this reason, in the past, when the check valve body became stuck, the operating section of the endoscope had to be disassembled and repaired, which was extremely troublesome.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an air supply device for an endoscope that can easily release the check valve body from sticking when it occurs. It is in.

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and numeral 1 in the figures is an endoscope. A nozzle 3 is provided at the distal end 2 of the endoscope 1, and an air supply line 4 and a water supply line 5 are connected to the nozzle 3, respectively. The air supply pipe 4 and water supply pipe 5 are connected to an air supply device (not shown) and a water supply device (not shown), respectively. A switching valve mechanism 6 is provided in the middle of these air supply pipe 4 and water supply pipe 5, and this switching valve mechanism 6 is built in the operating section 7 of the endoscope 1. This switching valve mechanism 6 is constructed as follows. 8 is its main body, which has a cylindrical shape. An air inlet 9 and a water inlet 10 are provided on the circumferential surface of the main body 8, respectively.
0 communicates with the air supply pipe 4 and water supply pipe 5 on the side of the air supply device and the water supply device, respectively. In addition, an air outlet 11 is provided at the bottom of the main body 8.
A water outlet 12 is formed on the circumferential surface of the main body 8 at a position above the water inlet 10, and these air outlet 11 and water outlet 12 are connected to the air supply pipe on the nozzle 3 side. 4 and the water supply pipe 5, respectively. A switching valve body 13 is slidably inserted into the main body 8, and the upper end of the switching valve body 13 protrudes from the outer surface of the operating section 7 of the endoscope 1. An annular communication groove 14 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of the switching valve body 13.
A sealing material 1 is formed at both upper and lower ends of the communication groove 14 and at the lower end of the sliding valve body 13.
5... are provided to maintain airtightness and liquidtightness with the inner circumferential surface of the main body 8. In addition, this sliding valve body 1
3 has an air release hole 16 formed along its central axis, and the air release hole 16 opens at the upper and lower end surfaces of the sliding valve body 13. Further, this sliding valve body 13 is urged upward by a spring 17, and is configured such that the lower end of this sliding valve body 13 is always located above the air inlet 9.
Further, a partition wall 18 is formed within the lower end portion of the main body 8 so as to traverse the interior of the main body 8 . A valve port 19 is formed in the center of this partition wall 18, and this valve port 19 coaxially faces the lower end opening of the air discharge hole 16 of the sliding valve body 13. And this bulkhead 1
A check valve element 20 is provided on the air outlet 11 side of the air outlet 8 . The check valve body 20 is made of an elastic material such as a soft synthetic resin, has a plate shape, has a thin wall portion 21 formed in a part thereof, and is rotatable around the thin wall portion 21, so that air can be Outlet 11
It is configured to sit on the valve port 19 from the side and prevent backflow of air from the nozzle 3 side to the switching valve mechanism 6.

In the first embodiment of the present invention constructed as described above, the switching valve body 13 is urged upward by the spring 17, so that the lower end of the switching valve body 13 is normally located above the air inlet 9. Furthermore, the communication groove 14 is located above the water inlet 10, and the communication groove 14 is located above the water inlet 10.
is not facing. Therefore, the water supplied from the water supply device is shut off by the switching valve body 13,
It is not supplied to the nozzle 3. In addition, air outlet 1
1 to the nozzle 3 is an air discharge hole 1
Since the conduit resistance is much greater than the length of the conduit 6, the air supplied into the main body 8 from the air inlet 9 is discharged to the outside through the air discharge hole 16 and is not supplied to the nozzle 3. When air is to be supplied, as shown in FIG. 2, when the air release hole 16 is closed with a finger A or the like, the air supplied from the air supply device pushes open the check valve body 20 and passes through the air outlet 11 and the air supply pipe. It is supplied to the nozzle 3 via the passage 4 and is ejected from the nozzle 3. Next, when water is to be supplied, the switching valve body 13 is pushed down. Then, the air inlet 9 is closed by the switching valve body 13 and the supply of air is cut off, and the communication groove 14 of the switching valve body 13 faces the water inlet 10 and the water outlet 12. Therefore, water flows through the communication groove 14 to the water outlet 12 and is ejected from the nozzle 3 via the water supply pipe 5. If the check valve body 20 is stuck to the partition wall 18, a rod B of an appropriate small diameter is inserted into the air discharge hole 16 as shown in FIG. The above-mentioned valve port 19 is connected to this air discharge hole 1.
6, the tip of this rod B hits the check valve body 20, and by pushing the check valve body 20 through this rod B, it is easy to fix the check valve body 20. Can be canceled at

Note that the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment described above.

For example, FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this second embodiment, a valve body accommodating chamber 30 is attached to the lower end of the main body 8, an air outlet 31 is provided on the circumferential surface of the valve body accommodating chamber 30, and a valve opening 19 of the partition wall 18 of the main body 8 is provided with the valve body accommodating chamber 30. A tapered check valve body 32 is seated from the body accommodation chamber 30 side by the biasing force of a spring 33. Note that this second embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the above points.
In the drawings, parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted. This second embodiment has the same function as the first embodiment, and if the check valve body 32 becomes stuck, a rod can be inserted through the air release hole 16 in the same way as in the first embodiment. Check valve body 32
You can release the fixation by pressing .

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the second embodiment described above.

For example, the configuration of the switching valve mechanism is not necessarily limited to the one described above, but the point is to provide a valve port opposite to the air discharge hole, and provide a check valve body that seats on this valve port from the nozzle side, so that the air What is necessary is to forcibly release the fixation of the check valve body by inserting a rod through the discharge hole.

Furthermore, the configurations of the air supply pipeline, water supply pipeline, etc. are not necessarily limited to those described above; for example, the air supply pipeline and water supply pipeline from the switching valve mechanism to the nozzle may be shared by one pipeline. It can also be applied to things.

As described above, the present invention provides a switching valve mechanism provided in the middle of an air supply pipe with a valve port facing the air release hole, and a check valve element is seated on this valve port from the nozzle side. . Therefore, in the event that the check valve body becomes stuck, the stickiness of the check valve body can be easily released by inserting a rod of a suitable small diameter into the air release hole and pushing the check valve body. At the same time, the structure is simple, etc.
The effect is great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the main part, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the check valve body is released from sticking. FIG. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the second embodiment. 1... Endoscope, 3... Nozzle, 4... Air supply pipe, 5...
Water supply pipe, 6... Switching valve mechanism, 8... Main body, 9... Air inlet, 10... Water inlet, 11... Air outlet, 1
2...Water outlet, 16...Air release hole, 19...Valve port,
20...Check valve body, 32...Check valve body.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An air discharge hole opened to the outside is provided in the middle of the air supply pipe between the air supply device and the nozzle at the tip of the endoscope, and the above air supply is achieved by closing the opening of the air discharge hole. The device is equipped with a switching valve mechanism that sends air supplied from the device to the nozzle, and the switching valve mechanism includes a valve port provided opposite to the air release hole, and a valve port provided on the nozzle side of the switching valve mechanism. An air supply device for an endoscope, comprising a check valve body that is seated from the nozzle side and prevents backflow of air from the nozzle side.