EP0081098A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Endoscope
Assignee: Olympus Corp
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Filing: 1982-11-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-11-12
Abstract
Abstract An endoscope comprises a connector (11) attached to a universed cord (10) of the endoscope, a gas feed tube (45) and a liquid feed tube (46) each connected to a feed liquid tank (5) at one end, an insertion member provided at the other ends of the gas feed tube and the liquid feed tube and capable of being attached to and detached from the connector, and a movable member provided at the connected portion and capable of taking a first position in which a gas feed passage (18) and a liquid feed passage (19) of the endoscope communicate with the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, when the connector is connected to the insertion member, and a second position in which the gas feed passage (18) and the liquid feed passage (19) are disconnected from the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, and the liquid feed passage communicates with an air pump (4) when the insertion member is removed from the connector, so that the interior of the liquid feed tank is pressurized by the air pump and a liquid in the tank is fed into the liquid feed passage through the liquid feed tube when the connector (11) and the insertion member are connected, and that gas is fed from the air pump into the liquid feed passage when the insertion member is removed from the connector.
Inventors
- 👤 Yutaka Ohshima
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 18:18
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B1/00; A61B1/12; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/8593; Y10T137/86493; Y10T137/86879
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
318 words
An endoscope capable of gas and liquid feeding operations by the use of gas feeding means and a liquid feed tank, comprising: an endoscope body having a gas feed passage (18) and a liquid feed passage (19); a connected portion (11) attached to the endoscope body; a gas feed tube (45) and a liquid feed tube (46) each connected to the feed liquid tank (5) at one end; and a connecting portion (30) provided at the other ends of the gas feed tube and the liquid feed tube and capable of being attached to and detached from the connected portion; characterized by comprising communicating means (29) connecting the gas feeding means (4) and the gas feed passage (18); and a switching mechanism (23, 25) provided at the connected portion (11) and capable of taking a first position in which the gas feed passage (18) and the liquid feed passage (19') communicate with the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, when the connecting portion (30) is connected to the connected portion (11), and a second position in which the gas feed passage (18) and the liquid feed passage (19) are disconnected from the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, and the liquid feed passage (19) communicates with the gas feeding means (4) by the communicating means (29) when the connecting portion (30) is removed from the connected portion (11), so that the interior of the.liquid feed tank (5) is pressurized by the gas feeding means (4) and a liquid in the tank (5) is fed into the liquid feed passage (19) through the liquid feed tube and the switching mechanism when the connected portion and the connecting portion are connected, and that gas is fed from the gas feeding means into the liquid feed passage through the switching mechanism when the connecting portion is removed from the connected portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
318 words
An endoscope capable of gas and liquid feeding operations by the use of gas feeding means and a liquid feed tank, comprising: an endoscope body having a gas feed passage (18) and a liquid feed passage (19); a connected portion (11) attached to the endoscope body; a gas feed tube (45) and a liquid feed tube (46) each connected to the feed liquid tank (5) at one end; and a connecting portion (30) provided at the other ends of the gas feed tube and the liquid feed tube and capable of being attached to and detached from the connected portion; characterized by comprising communicating means (29) connecting the gas feeding means (4) and the gas feed passage (18); and a switching mechanism (23, 25) provided at the connected portion (11) and capable of taking a first position in which the gas feed passage (18) and the liquid feed passage (19') communicate with the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, when the connecting portion (30) is connected to the connected portion (11), and a second position in which the gas feed passage (18) and the liquid feed passage (19) are disconnected from the gas feed tube (45) and the liquid feed tube (46), respectively, and the liquid feed passage (19) communicates with the gas feeding means (4) by the communicating means (29) when the connecting portion (30) is removed from the connected portion (11), so that the interior of the.liquid feed tank (5) is pressurized by the gas feeding means (4) and a liquid in the tank (5) is fed into the liquid feed passage (19) through the liquid feed tube and the switching mechanism when the connected portion and the connecting portion are connected, and that gas is fed from the gas feeding means into the liquid feed passage through the switching mechanism when the connecting portion is removed from the connected portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
The endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that said switching mechanism includes urging means (40) and a movable member (25), said movable member being moved in one direction by the urging means to take said second position, and pushed by the connecting portion to move in the other direction against the urging force of the urging means thereby taking said first position when the connecting portion is connected to the connected portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
73 words
The endoscope according to claim 2, characterized in that said switching mechanism includes a cylinder member (23) fixed to the connected portion and open at one end, and a connecting cylinder (24) coaxially fixed to the opening side of the cylinder member and open at both ends, said movable member is axially movable in the cylinder member and the connecting cylinder, and said urging means urges the movable member toward the connecting cylinder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
202 words
The endoscope according to claim 3, characterized in that said movable member has an axially extending bore portion (33) formed in one end face thereof located in the connecting cylinder (24) and a communication hole (34) formed in an outer peripheral surface portion located in the cylinder member and opening into the bore portion, and said cylinder member has a first connection port (27) communicating with the gas feed passage (18) and a second connection port (28) communicating with the liquid feed passage (19), so that, when the connecting portion is inserted into the connecting cylinder to be connected thereto, the liquid feed passage communicates with the liquid feed tube by means of the second connection port, the communication hole, and the bore portion, and the gas feed passage communicates with the air feed tube by means of the first connection port, the cylinder member, and the connecting cylinder, and that, when the connecting cylinder is removed from the connecting portion, the movable member is moved toward the connecting cylinder by the urging means to cause the liquid feed passage to communicate with the gas feed passage by means of the second connection port, the cylinder member, and the first connection port.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
The endoscope according to claim 4, characterized in that said connecting portion (30) includes a liquid feed mouthpiece (48) connected to the other end of the liquid feed tube (46) and a gas feed mouthpiece (47) connected to the other end of the gas feed tube (45), the liquid feed mouthpiece moving said movable member against the urging means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The endoscope according to claim 5, characterized in that said liquid feed mouthpiece (48) is disposed coaxially in the air feed mouthpiece (47), which is to be inserted coaxially into the connecting cylinder for engagement.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
235 words
The endoscope according to claim 3, characterized in that said-movable member has an axially extending bore portion formed in one end face thereof located in the connecting cylinder and a valve seat (55) formed on the other end face located in the cylinder member and connected to the bore portion, and said cylinder member has a first connection port (27) communicating with the gas feed passage, a second connection port (28) communicating with the liquid feed passage, and a valve plug (52, 53) protruding axially from an internal closed end wall surface of the cylinder member to engage the valve seat, thereby closing the same when the movable member is moved toward the connecting cylinder by the urging means, and to be disengaged from the valve seat, thereby opening the valve seat, when the movable member is moved toward the cylinder member-against the urging means, so that, when the valve seat is closed, the liquid feed passage communicates with the gas feed passage by means of the second connection port, the cylinder member, and the first connection port, and that, when the valve seat is opened, the liquid feed passage communicates with the liquid feed tube by means of the second connection port, the cylinder member, the valve seat, and the movable member, and the gas feed passage communicates with the gas feed tube by means of the first connection port and the cylinder member.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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