JP2950111B2 - Endoscope air / water supply channel connection pipe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting pipe for connecting an air supply channel and a water supply channel to a merging channel in an air supply / water supply mechanism provided for cleaning an observation window of an endoscope. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope 1 generally includes an insertion portion 3 inserted into a body cavity of a main body operation portion 2 and a light guide flexible portion 4 connected to a light source device. It is configured to be connected continuously. An observation window 5 is provided at the distal end of the insertion section 3, and an air / water nozzle 6 for supplying a cleaning fluid toward the observation window 5 is provided. The air / water supply nozzle 6 is provided with an air / water supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning fluid comprising cleaning water and pressurized air.

The air / water supply mechanism has an air pump 10 and a water supply tank 11. A pressurized air supply pipe 12 is connected to the air pump 10, and a water supply pipe 13 is connected to the water supply tank 11. Here, the water supply tank 11 does not have an independent drive source for supplying water, but pressurizes the liquid surface with pressurized air from the air pump 10 and sends the cleaning water to the water supply pipe 13 by applying pressure to the liquid surface. It is configured to be. For this purpose, a tank pressurizing pipe 14 branches off from the pressurized air supply pipe 12.

An air supply channel 15 for supplying pressurized air and a water supply channel 16 for supplying cleaning water are inserted through the flexible light guide 4 of the endoscope 1. The supply pipe 12 and the water supply passage 16 are connected to the water supply pipe 1.
3 is detachably connected. The air supply channel 15 and the water supply channel 16 extend to the main body operation unit 2, and the main body operation unit 2 is provided with an air supply / water supply valve 17. Further, an air supply channel 18 and a water supply channel 19 are connected to the air supply / water supply valve 17, and the air supply channel 18 and the water supply channel 19 extend into the insertion portion 3. 3
The two flow paths 18 and 19 are merged at a position near the front end of the flow path to form a merged flow path 20. The other end of the merging flow path 20 is connected to the air / water supply nozzle 6.

[0005] The air / water supply valve 17 is used to connect and disconnect between the air supply passage 15 and the air supply passage 18 and between the water supply passage 16 and the water supply passage 19. 1
An open-to-atmosphere path 17b is provided in 7a to connect the air supply path 15 and the air supply path 18 to the atmosphere. The air / water supply valve 17 can be operated by the fingers of the hand holding the main body operation unit 2, and when the air / water supply valve 17 is not touched, the water supply flow path 16 and the water supply flow path 19 Is shut off, and the air supply passage 15 and the air supply passage 18 communicate with each other.
At the same time, since the open-to-atmosphere path 17b is also open, the air from the air pump 10 is released to the atmosphere, and the pressurized air supply pipe 12 is maintained in a state where no pressure is generated, that is, in the open-to-atmosphere state.

[0006] The air supply channel 18, the water supply channel 19, and the junction channel 20 are configured to join via a connecting pipe 21. An upstream side of the connection pipe 21 is provided with a first upstream side connection part 21a to which the air supply flow path 18 is connected, and a second upstream side connection part 21b to which the water supply flow path 19 is connected. The downstream connection portion 21c to which the joining flow path 20 is connected is provided. From the first upstream connection portion 21a to the downstream connection portion 21
c is almost linear, while the second
The upstream connection portion 21b is located at a position in line with the first upstream connection portion 21a, and is bent at a predetermined angle in the middle from this position to form a merging opening formed at an intermediate position between the straight pipe portions. 22. The connecting pipe 21 thus configured includes a straight pipe section 23 extending from the first upstream connecting section 21a to the downstream connecting section 21c, and a second upstream connecting section 2.
It is configured by connecting and fixing a curved tube portion 24 extending from 1b to the opening 22.

[0007]

The bent pipe portion 24 of the connecting pipe 21 is bent from the middle thereof, and the bent portion is connected to the straight pipe section 23.
It is extremely difficult to integrally mold the entire connection pipe 21. Therefore, the curved tube portion 24 is formed separately from the straight tube portion 23, and the curved tube portion 24 is joined so as to surround the portion where the opening 22 of the straight tube portion 23 is formed, and is brazed or soldered. To fix.

[0008] By the way, the curved tube portion 24 is
Since the end face portion to be joined has a curved shape, it is extremely difficult to rigorously process it so as to completely adhere to the straight pipe portion 23 at the time of joining, so that when performing brazing or soldering, However, it is impossible to prevent a slight gap from being formed at the joint. When brazing or soldering is performed in such a state where a gap is formed, the brazing or solder enters the inside of the joint from the gap, and as shown by P in FIG.
Is solidified in such a way that it goes around the inner side of the straight pipe portion 23 from the periphery of the edge portion of. As a result, the second upstream connection portion 21b moves to the downstream connection portion 21c.
The cross-sectional area of the flow path of the opening 22 forming the flow path toward the flow path is reduced, and the first upstream flow path 21a is connected to the downstream connection portion 2.
The flow path to 1c also has a problem in that a narrowed portion is formed by the solder or solder that has entered the straight pipe portion 23, thereby impeding the flow of a fluid composed of cleaning water or pressurized air.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has been made in consideration of the above points, and when joining and fixing a straight pipe portion and a curved pipe portion of a connecting pipe, an air supply and water supply path is formed by solder or solder penetrating inside. The purpose is to prevent the flow path from being narrowed.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention relates to a straight pipe portion provided substantially in a straight line, and an end portion substantially parallel to the straight pipe portion and bent from an intermediate position. And a curved pipe section connected to the opening formed in the straight pipe section. The opening at the end of the curved pipe section is made wider than the opening on the surface of the straight pipe section,
Are joined so as to surround the opening portion of the straight tube portion with a predetermined width so as to be fixed by brazing or soldering, and at least inside the curved tube portion from the edge of the opening in the straight tube portion . The feature is that the surface portion having the convex curved surface is configured to be a rough surface for improving the wettability to solder or solder.

[0011]

[Function] When fixing the curved tube portion to the straight tube portion, if the entire end surface portion of the curved tube portion is in close contact with the straight tube portion, no solder or solder will enter the inside. Since the end face shape of the curved pipe portion is formed of a complicated curve, it is difficult to achieve strict processing accuracy. On the other hand, there is no problem even if the processing accuracy is not extremely increased except for the problem that the solder or the solder enters the inside and narrows the flow path.

In view of the above, in the present invention, when this curved tube portion is joined to the straight tube portion, it is allowed to allow a slight gap to occur at the joined portion. And when brazing or soldering is performed, the fact that the brazing or solder enters the inside through a gap is not a particular problem. However, the flow path is not narrowed down to the opening formed in the straight pipe portion.

Here, when joining the curved tube portion to the straight tube portion, from the viewpoint of estimating a certain dimensional error or assembling error, etc., the opening of the curved tube portion from the inner diameter of the joint portion to the straight tube portion is considered. Although the opening diameter is formed smaller, the outer surface of the straight pipe portion has a convexly curved surface inside the portion surrounded by at least the curved pipe portion from the edge of the opening.
The surface is subjected to a roughening treatment to improve the wettability to solder and solder. As a result, when brazing or soldering,
Even if the solder or solder enters the gap, the fluidization is suppressed by the rough surface, and it accumulates at that location, and the gap is quickly closed, and excess solder or solder flows in. Therefore, it does not flow toward the edge of the opening.
As a result, it swells inward from the edge of this opening,
It is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the flow path hangs in the straight pipe portion and the flow path is narrowed.

[0014]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, the same or equivalent components as those of the above-described related art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a specific description thereof will be omitted.

Thus, as shown in FIG.
8, a connection pipe 30 that joins the water supply flow path 19 and the junction flow path 20 has a first upstream connection part 30 a to which the air supply flow path 18 is connected, and a water supply flow path 19 connected to its upstream side. A downstream connection portion 30c to which the merging flow path 20 is connected, and a second upstream connection portion 30c from the first upstream connection portion 30a to the downstream connection portion 30c. The space is almost straight. Further, the second upstream connection portion 30b is located at a position aligned with the first upstream connection portion 30a, and is bent at a predetermined angle in the middle from this position to be formed at an intermediate position of the linear pipe portion. Opening 31 for merging
It is connected to the. The connecting pipe 30 is a straight pipe section 3 extending from the first upstream connecting section 30a to the downstream connecting section 30c.
2 and the curved pipe portion 33 from the second upstream connection portion 30b to the opening 31 are joined and fixed by brazing or soldering. Regarding the above points, there is no particular difference from those shown in the prior art.

On the outer surface of the straight pipe portion 32 having a convex curved surface shape , a rough surface 34 is formed around the opening 31. The rough surface 34 is formed over a wide range from an edge portion of the opening 31 to a position where the curved pipe portion 33 is joined. By forming the rough surface 34 in this manner, the wettability of the surface of the straight pipe portion 32 with respect to solder or solder is improved, and the flow of the solder or solder along the surface toward the opening 31 is suppressed. Can be.

As described above, the opening 3 in the straight pipe portion 32
The curved portion 33 is joined to the straight tube portion 32 by making the peripheral portion of the portion 1 a rough surface 34. When brazing or soldering is performed from the outside of the joined portion, a slight gap is formed in the joined portion. Even if solder or solder enters through the gap, the fluidization is suppressed by the rough surface 34 as shown in FIG. As it stops and accumulates at the stage, the gap becomes closed, and it is ensured that excess solder or solder intrudes and protrudes around the edge of the opening 31 or enters the straight pipe portion 32. Can be prevented. As a result, the flow path of the opening 31 constituting the flow path from the second upstream connection section 30b to the downstream connection section 30c is narrowed by solder or solder, or the flow path from the first upstream connection section 30b is reduced. No restriction is formed for the flow path reaching the downstream connection portion 30c,
The cleaning water and the pressurized air in the connection pipe 30 can be reliably flowed at the flow rate as designed, and the observation window 5 can be efficiently cleaned.

In the embodiment described above, the air supply passage 18 is connected to the first upstream connection portion 30a, and the water supply passage 19 is connected to the second upstream connection portion 30b. However, on the contrary, the water supply passage 10 is connected to the first upstream connection portion 30a, and the air supply passage 18 is connected to the second upstream connection portion 30b. You may. Further, the rough surface 34 is formed only on the outer surface of the straight tube portion 32. However, if a similar rough surface is formed on the inner surface of the tip portion of the curved tube portion 33, the flow of the solder or solder entering the inside can be achieved. It is possible to further increase the effect of suppressing the formation.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the convexly curved portion from the edge of the opening in the straight pipe portion to at least the portion surrounded by the curved pipe portion has a rough surface. Since the treatment to improve the wettability to solder or solder was applied, when joining the curved tube part to the straight tube part and fixing it, some gaps occurred at this joint part,
When brazing or soldering is performed, even if the solder or solder enters the inside from the gap, its fluidization is suppressed, the gap is closed, and excess solder or solder enters and the opening Up to the edge portion of the opening, the flow path cross-sectional area of the opening is not narrowed, and it does not protrude into the straight pipe part, so that there is no restriction part for the flow path in this straight pipe part. In this way, the flow of fluid can be carried out, and operations such as cleaning of the observation window can be performed smoothly and efficiently, and the end face of the joint portion of the curved pipe portion to the straight pipe portion is processed with high precision. Since there is no need, there are various effects such as easy production.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of an air / water supply mechanism of an endoscope.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a connection pipe that connects an air supply flow path, a water supply flow path, and a merge flow path in a conventional technique.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a connecting pipe showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external view of a straight pipe portion.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope 2 Main body operation part 3 Insertion part 5 Observation window 6 Air supply / water supply nozzle 17 Air supply / water supply valve 18 Air supply flow path 19 Water supply flow path 20 Merging flow path 30 Connection pipe 30a First upstream connection part 30b Second Upstream connection part 30c downstream connection part 31 opening 32 straight pipe part 33 curved pipe part 34 rough surface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (56) References JP-A-54-9016 (JP, A) JP-A 52-97926 (JP, U) JP-A-2-63804 (JP, U) (58) Investigation Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61B 1/00-1/32 F16L 41/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An air supply flow path and a water supply flow path connected to an air supply / water supply valve provided in an operation section of a main body of an endoscope are merged near an end of an insertion portion to form a merge flow path. In order to supply the fluid to the fluid jet from the fluid supply channel, the water supply channel and the connection channel are connected to each other, a straight pipe portion provided in a substantially straight line, A curved tube portion that is substantially parallel to the straight tube portion, is bent from an intermediate position, and is connected to the opening formed in the straight tube portion.
The opening is wider than the opening on the surface of the straight pipe part,
Joined to surround the opening with a predetermined width ,
Be fixed by brazing or soldering and at least a curved tube portion from the edge of the opening in the straight tube portion
An air supply / water supply flow path connecting pipe for an endoscope, wherein a surface portion having a convex curved surface inside the inside of the endoscope is a rough surface for improving wettability to solder or solder.