Endoscope cleaning tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9505038-B2
Application number	US-201615141047-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	Jul 16, 2014
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

An endoscope cleaning tube according to the invention includes a housing portion; a movable portion adapted to divide an inner part of the housing portion into a side of the fluid introduction port and a side of the fluid lead-out port and placed between a first position and a second position in the housing portion, the second position being located closer to the side of the fluid lead-out port than the first position; a pressure-receiving portion which, being equipped with a pressure-receiving surface placed at a position facing the fluid introduction port and adapted to receive pressure of the fluid, is adapted to pivot according to fluid pressure on the pressure-receiving surface; and a linking portion adapted to connect the movable portion and the pressure-receiving portion with each other and move the movable portion from the second position to the first position when the pressure-receiving portion receives the fluid pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An endoscope cleaning tube comprising:
a housing portion equipped with a fluid introduction port adapted to introduce a fluid and a fluid lead-out port adapted to lead out the fluid introduced through the fluid introduction port;
a hook portion extending out from an outer surface of the housing portion in a lead-out direction of the fluid to connect the housing portion to a pipe sleeve;
a movable portion placed movably between a first position and a second position in the housing portion, being equipped with a partition portion adapted to divide an inner part of the housing portion into a side of the fluid introduction port and a side of the fluid lead-out port and with an opening portion which is an opening provided in the partition portion, the second position being located closer to the side of the fluid lead-out port than the first position;
a pressure-receiving portion which, being equipped with a pressure-receiving surface placed at a position facing the fluid introduction port and adapted to receive pressure of the introduced fluid and with a first end portion pivotably connected to an inner wall of the housing portion, is adapted to pivot according to an amount of the fluid pressure acting on the pressure-receiving surface; and
a linking portion adapted to connect the pressure-receiving portion and the movable portion with each other and move the movable portion from the second position to the first position along with pivoting of the pressure-receiving portion when the pressure-receiving portion receives fluid pressure equal to or larger than a predetermined amount.

2. The endoscope cleaning tube according to claim 1 , further comprising a spring portion placed in the housing portion and adapted to urge the movable portion toward the fluid lead-out port.

3. The endoscope cleaning tube according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure-receiving surface is positioned to close the fluid introduction port;
the linking portion comprises a lock portion adapted to connect the housing portion and pressure-receiving portion with each other, configured to be transformable to a first state and a second state, and adapted to restrain pivoting of the pressure-receiving portion by pressing the pressure-receiving surface against the fluid introduction port when placed in the first state, and release the pressing when placed in the second state; and
a first linking portion adapted to connect the lock portion and the movable portion, the first linking portion bringing the lock portion to the first state when the movable portion is located at a third position closer to a fluid lead-out port than the second position, and bringing the lock portion from the first state to the second state when the movable portion moves from the third position to the second position.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Iwasaki Tomokazu

Classifications

• A61B1/125

  using fluid circuits · CPC title

• B08B9/023

  Cleaning the external surfaces {(B08B9/021 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A61B1/123

  using washing machines · CPC title

• B08B9/0323 Primary

  Arrangements specially designed for simultaneous and parallel cleaning of a plurality of conduits · CPC title

• A61B1/12 Primary

  with cooling or rinsing arrangements · CPC title