JPH08266595A - Sterilizing device and washing and sterilizing device for pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate disinfecting, sterilizing and washing without using disinfecting liquids, etc. CONSTITUTION: This sterilizing device is composed of a UV light source 10 which outputs UV light of, for example, 254nm, an insertion part 20 which has an optical fiber bundle 14 for introducing the UV light from this UV light source 10 to a front end and an exit direction changing member 17 which is disposed at the front end of this optical fiber bundle 14. The washing and sterilizing device is composed by mounting a washing brush 21 at the front end side of the insertion section part 20 in addition to these elements. The insertion part 20 is inserted into the treating means insertion channel of, for example, an endoscope and the disinfection and sterilization by the UV light emitted in a side face direction from the exit direction changing member 17 are executed according to these devices. The simultaneous washing by the washing brush 21 is possible as well.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention particularly relates to sterilization of a pipe in a medical instrument such as an endoscope, for example, a pipe used for washing or sterilizing a treatment instrument insertion channel provided for passing a treatment instrument. The present invention relates to the configurations of a device and a cleaning / sterilizing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various medical instruments such as endoscopes and rigid endoscopes are subjected to various treatments via a tube provided in the instrument itself. For example, in an endoscope, a treatment tool such as forceps is inserted into the body to be observed through a treatment tool insertion channel, and various treatments are performed, and at the same time, filth and the like in the body are treated through the treatment tool insertion channel. Suction is also performed.

[0003]

By the way, the inside of the pipe arranged in the above-mentioned conventional medical device is cleaned by using a cleaning brush after use and is sterilized by a disinfecting solution, hot water or the like. Be seen. However, for example, an electric circuit such as an endoscope, a medical instrument having an optical member, etc., cannot be boiled as a whole like a surgical instrument, and in order to sterilize (or sterilize) well, It is necessary to increase the concentration of the disinfecting solution, increase the temperature of hot water, or perform disinfection and sterilization for a long time, which causes a problem that the disinfection and sterilization work is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe sterilizing apparatus capable of easily performing disinfection and sterilization without using a disinfectant or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe cleaning and sterilizing device that can perform cleaning and can easily perform disinfection and sterilization without using a disinfecting solution.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a pipe sterilizing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises an ultraviolet light source and ultraviolet light incident from the ultraviolet light source emitted from a tip. And an insertion portion having a diameter capable of being inserted into a tube provided in various instruments. A pipe disinfecting and sterilizing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention has an ultraviolet light source and an optical fiber bundle that emits ultraviolet light incident from the ultraviolet light source from a tip portion, and is installed in a pipe arranged in various instruments. It is characterized by including an insertion portion having a diameter that can be inserted and a cleaning brush attached to the tip end side of the insertion portion. In the strict sense, the sterilization is used as a concept including sterilization that not only kills microorganisms but also non-pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, and bacterial spores. Further, the invention according to the second and fourth aspects is characterized in that an emitting direction changing member for emitting the ultraviolet light in the side direction is provided at the tip end portion of the optical fiber bundle.

[0006]

According to the above sterilizer, the wavelength of 254 nm is emitted from the ultraviolet light source while the insertion portion having the optical fiber bundle is guided into the tube such as the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope.
When the ultraviolet light is output, the ultraviolet light passes through the optical fiber bundle and is emitted from the tip end portion thereof into the tube. Therefore,
The ultraviolet light sterilizes (or sterilizes) the inside of the tube.

Further, according to the cleaning and sterilizing apparatus equipped with the cleaning brush, it is possible to simultaneously perform the sterilization by the ultraviolet light while removing the dirt in the pipe with the cleaning brush.

In the above, the light emitted from the tip of the optical fiber bundle is irradiated in the lateral direction with a predetermined spread even by the numerical aperture (NA) of the optical fiber bundle or the output lens, so that the tube wall is sterilized. Have. However, when the emitting direction changing member having the reflecting surface is provided at the tip of the optical fiber bundle, the ultraviolet light can be concentrated and emitted in the lateral direction of the optical fiber bundle, so that the efficiency of sterilization is improved. .

[0009]

1 shows the structure of a pipe sterilizing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and this sterilizing apparatus is applied to an endoscope. In FIG. 1, the ultraviolet light source 10 has a wavelength of 2
The ultraviolet light source 10 outputs ultraviolet light having a sterilization (or sterilization) effect of 00 nm to 280 nm.
Then, the insertion portion 12 is connected via the condenser lens 11.
The insertion portion 12 is composed of an optical fiber bundle 14 on which the light from the condenser lens 11 is incident, a coating 15, and a flexible exterior member 16, and is configured to bend freely.

Further, in the embodiment, the emitting direction changing member 17 is provided at the tip of the optical fiber bundle 14, and the emitting direction changing member 17 is formed with a conical groove-shaped reflecting surface 18 as shown in the drawing. . Therefore, the ultraviolet light that has passed through the optical fiber bundle 14 is reflected in the lateral direction by the reflecting surface 18. The reflective surface 18 can be coated with a reflective coating to improve the reflection efficiency.

According to the sterilizing apparatus of the first embodiment, the ultraviolet light emitted from the emitting direction changing member 17 in the side direction, for example, the wavelength of 254 nm, is used in the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope to be described later. Can be sterilized.

FIG. 2 shows the construction of a pipe cleaning and sterilizing apparatus according to the second embodiment, which is also applied to an endoscope. In the case of the device of FIG. 2 as well,
An insertion portion 20 is connected to the ultraviolet light source 10 via a condenser lens 11, and the insertion portion 20 is connected to the optical fiber bundle 1
4, coating 15, flexible exterior member 16, and emission direction changing member 18 (reflection coating is optional). And such an insertion part 20
A cleaning brush 21 is attached to the tip of the via a support member 22.

FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the above-mentioned cleaning / sterilizing device and the electronic endoscope device to be cleaned. The electronic endoscope device drawn on the right side of the drawing has an operating portion 24 and a bendable body. The insertion section 25 and the tip section 26 in which the image sensor is arranged
have. A forceps port 27, which is a treatment instrument introduction port, is provided between the operation unit 24 and the insertion unit 25, and the treatment instrument insertion channel is provided inside the forceps port 27 up to the distal end portion 26. To be done. On the other hand, the cleaning and sterilizing apparatus depicted on the slightly left side of the drawing includes a main body 29 in which the ultraviolet light source 10 is housed, and the insertion section 20. Then, as shown in the drawing, the insertion portion 20 of the cleaning / sterilizing apparatus is introduced into the endoscope through the forceps port 27.

FIG. 4 shows the insertion state of the insertion section 20. The insertion section 20 is inserted from the forceps port 27,
As shown in FIG. 4, it is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 30 inside the endoscope. Then, according to the insertion portion 20, the pipe wall of the channel 30 can be brushed by the cleaning brush 21 at the tip, whereby dirt and the like adhering to the pipe wall are removed. Further, from the ultraviolet light source 10, for example, ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 254 nm (or 265 nm) is supplied to the tip portion by the optical fiber bundle 14 in the insertion portion 20, and this ultraviolet light is mainly emitted by the emission direction changing member 18. It is reflected in the lateral direction.

Therefore, the ultraviolet light is radiated from the side surface of the emission direction changing member 18 toward the tube wall of the treatment instrument insertion channel 30, and the treatment instrument insertion channel 30.
Inside is sterilized. In such irradiation of ultraviolet light, sterilization (for example, 254 nm) and sterilization (for example, 26 nm) are performed by selecting the wavelength of ultraviolet light from 200 nm to 280 nm.
5 nm) can be selected according to the purpose.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of a cleaning and sterilizing apparatus according to the third embodiment. This third embodiment does not use an emission direction changing member. As shown in the drawing, the insertion portion 31 is composed of the optical fiber bundle 14, the coating 15, and the flexible exterior member 16 as in the above embodiment, and the emission lens portion 32 is provided at the tip of the optical fiber bundle 14. It is provided. The cleaning brush 33 is attached to the tip of the insertion portion 31 by fixing the coil-shaped fixing portion 34 on the exterior member 16.

According to the third embodiment, the ultraviolet light is emitted with a predetermined spread due to the numerical aperture (NA) set by the configuration of the optical fiber bundle 14 and the exit lens section 32, and this also Sterilization (or sterilization) inside the treatment instrument insertion channel 30 can be performed.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of applying to the treatment instrument insertion channel 30 of the endoscope has been described, but the above-mentioned pipe sterilizing apparatus and cleaning / sterilizing apparatus can be applied to other medical instruments having a tube.

[0019]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the insertion portion is formed in such a size that it can be introduced into the tube provided in the medical device, and the optical fiber bundle provided in this insertion portion. Since the ultraviolet light is guided to the tip by means of the above, it is possible to easily perform the disinfection and sterilization (or sterilization) in the tube by the ultraviolet light without using a disinfectant or the like.

Further, according to the invention described in the third aspect, there is an advantage that the disinfection and sterilization (or sterilization) by the ultraviolet light can be performed at the same time when the inside of the pipe is cleaned by the brush. Furthermore, according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the emission of the ultraviolet light can be concentrated in the lateral direction, and sterilization (or sterilization) can be performed efficiently.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pipe sterilizing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pipe cleaning / sterilizing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a cleaning / sterilizing apparatus of a second embodiment and an electronic endoscope to be cleaned / sterilized.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how cleaning and sterilization is performed in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pipe cleaning / sterilizing device according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Ultraviolet light source, 12, 20, 31 ... Insertion part, 14 ... Optical fiber bundle, 17 ... Emission direction conversion member, 18 ... Reflecting surface, 21, 33 ... Cleaning brush, 30 ... Treatment tool insertion channel.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An ultraviolet light source, and an insertion portion having a diameter of an optical fiber bundle for emitting ultraviolet light incident from the ultraviolet light source from a tip portion, the insertion portion having a diameter that can be inserted into a tube provided in various instruments, A sterilizing device for pipes comprising. 2. The tube sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein an emission direction changing member for emitting ultraviolet light to a side surface is provided at a tip portion of the optical fiber bundle. 3. An ultraviolet light source, and an insertion part having an optical fiber bundle for emitting the ultraviolet light incident from the ultraviolet light source from its tip part, and having a diameter that can be inserted into a tube provided in various instruments, A cleaning brush attached to the tip side of this insertion part,
A cleaning and sterilizing device for pipes including. 4. The pipe cleaning and sterilizing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an emission direction changing member for emitting ultraviolet light to a side surface is provided at a tip portion of the optical fiber bundle.