Endoscope and endoscope system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016309990-A1
Application number	US-201615200623-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A valve unit is switchable to an open position at which an outside of an exterior portion and an inner cavity communicate with each other and a closed position at which a communication between the outside of the exterior portion and the inner cavity is blocked in an endoscope. In the endoscope, an electric power is supplied to a drive force generation section only when a connection portion of an universal cord is connected to a peripheral device, and the drive force generation section generates a drive force to drive the valve unit by a supply of the electric power. The valve unit moves from the closed position to the open position by the drive force generated by the drive force generation section.

First claim

1 . An endoscope used together with a peripheral device in an endoscope system, the endoscope comprising:
an exterior portion which forms an exterior of the endoscope, and inside which an inner cavity is formed; a connection port which is separately connected to the peripheral device; and a valve unit switchable to an open state in which an outside of the exterior portion and the inner cavity communicate with each other and a closed state in which a communication between the outside of the exterior portion and the inner cavity is blocked, wherein when the connection portion is connected to the peripheral device, a drive force generated by an electric power supplied from the peripheral device is applied to the valve unit, and thereby the valve unit is switched from the closed state to the open state.

2 . The endoscope according to claim 17 , further comprising an urging portion which is configured to urge the valve unit to be in the closed state.

3 . The endoscope according to claim 17 , wherein in a state in which the drive force is not generated in the drive force generation section, the valve unit switches from the closed state to the open state due to pressure from the inner cavity when the pressure in the inner cavity becomes higher than the pressure outside the exterior portion, and
in the state in which the drive force is not generated in the drive force generation section, the valve unit is kept in the closed state even when the pressure outside the exterior portion becomes higher than the pressure in the inner cavity.

4 . The endoscope according to claim 17 , wherein the valve unit is movable between a position in the open state and a position in the closed state along a movement axis extending toward the inner cavity from the outside of the exterior portion, and
the drive force generation section moves the valve unit toward an outer side from the position in the closed state along the movement axis by the drive force, and switches the valve unit to the open state.

5 . The endoscope according to claim 4 , further comprising a movement regulation portion which is configured to regulate the movement of the valve unit from the position in the closed state toward an inner side along the movement axis.

6 . The endoscope according to claim 5 , wherein when the pressure in the inner cavity becomes higher than the pressure outside the exterior portion, the valve unit moves toward the outer side from the position in the closed state along the movement axis due to the pressure from the inner cavity, and is switched to the open state, and
in a state in which the pressure outside the exterior portion is higher than the pressure in the inner cavity, the movement regulation portion is configured to regulate the movement of the valve unit from the position in the closed state toward the inner side along the movement axis due to the pressure from the outside of the exterior portion, and keeps the valve unit at the position in the closed state.

7 . The endoscope according to claim 17 , wherein the valve unit is attached to the universal cord portion, and
the drive force generation section is located inside the universal cord portion.

8 . The endoscope according to claim 17 , wherein the drive force generation section includes an electromagnet which is magnetized by the supply of the electric power, and which is configured to generate an electromagnetic force as the drive force.

9 . An endoscope system comprising:
the endoscope according to claim 16 ; and the peripheral device to which the connection portion is separately connected, the peripheral device including an electric power source which is configured to output the electric power to be supplied to the drive force generation section.

10 . The endoscope system according to claim 9 , wherein the endoscope includes a first electric path which extends through an inside of the exterior portion, and which has one end connected to the drive force generation section, and
the peripheral device includes a second electric path which has one end connected to the electric power source, the other end of the second electric path being connected to the other end of the first electric path to allow the electric power to be supplied to the drive force generation section from the electric power source when the connection portion is connected to the peripheral device.

11 . An endoscope system comprising:
an endoscope which includes an exterior portion forming an exterior, an inner cavity being formed inside the exterior portion; a universal cord portion which includes a connection portion, and which forms a part of the exterior portion in the endoscope; a peripheral device to which the connection portion is separately connected; a valve unit provided in the endoscope, the valve unit being switchable to an open state in which an outside of the exterior portion and the inner cavity communicate with each other and a closed state in which a communication between the outside of the exterior portion and the inner cavity is blocked; a drive force generation section which is provided in the peripheral device, and which is configured to generate drive force by a supply of an electric power; and a connection receiving portion which receives the connection portion in the peripheral device, when the connection portion is connected to the connection receiving portion, the connection receiving portion locating the valve unit at a position at which the drive force generated in the drive force generation section is applied, and switching the valve unit from the closed state to the open state by the drive force.

12 . The endoscope system according to claim 11 , further comprising an urging portion which is configured to urge the valve unit to be in the closed state.

13 . The endoscope system according to claim 11 , wherein in a state in which the drive force generated in the drive force generation section is not applied to the valve unit, the valve unit switches from the closed state to the open state due to pressure from the inner cavity when the pressure in the inner cavity becomes higher than the pressure outside the exterior portion, and
in the state in which the drive force generated in the drive force generation section is not applied to the valve unit, the valve unit is kept in the closed state even when the pressure outside the exterior portion becomes higher than the pressure in the inner cavity.

14 . The endoscope system according to claim 11 , wherein in a state in which the connection portion is not connected to the connection receiving portion, the valve unit is located at a position at which the drive force generated in the drive force generation section is not applied.

15 . The endoscope system according to claim 11 , wherein the peripheral device includes an electric power source which is configured to output the electric power to be supplied to the drive force generation section.

16 . The endoscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a drive force generation section which is provided in the connection portion, and which is configured to generate the drive force to be applied to the valve unit by a supply of the electric power from the peripheral device.

17 . the endoscope according to claim 16 , further comprising a universal cord portion in which the connection portion is provided, and which forms a part of the exterior portion.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Yajima Masanori
• Shinmura Toru

Classifications

• A61B1/00133 Primary

  Drive units for endoscopic tools inserted through or with the endoscope · CPC title

• A61B1/00032 Primary

  internally powered · CPC title

• A61B1/00114

  Electrical cables in or with an endoscope · CPC title

• A61B1/123

  using washing machines · CPC title

• A61B1/0661

  Endoscope light sources · CPC title