ENDOSCOPE APPARATUS

• US 20110295070A1
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: YASUNAGA, Shinji
• Application Number:
  US13/114,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/157
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/126 provided with means for cleaning in-use

Abstract

Provided is an endoscope apparatus which is equipped with an endoscope including an object lens, a distal end portion and a handling section, a heat-producing device being incorporated into the distal end portion. The endoscope apparatus includes: a cleaning system which transiently discharges a cleaning liquid toward the object lens to clean the object lens; a cooling system which refluxes a coolant in the distal end portion to cool the heat-producing device; a liquid sending system, installed outside the endoscope, for supplying the cleaning liquid and the coolant; and a liquid-sending pressurizing system shared between the cleaning liquid and the coolant.

Claims

1. An endoscope apparatus equipped with an endoscope including an object lens, a distal end portion and a handling section, a heat-producing device being incorporated into the distal end portion, the endoscope apparatus comprising:

a cleaning system which transiently discharges a cleaning liquid toward the object lens to clean the object lens;

a cooling system which refluxes a coolant in the distal end portion to cool the heat-producing device;

a liquid sending system, installed outside the endoscope, for supplying the cleaning liquid and the coolant; and

a liquid-sending pressurizing system shared between the cleaning liquid and the coolant.

2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid and the coolant are supplied to the endoscope from the liquid sending system through a common liquid supply tube.

3. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 2, wherein liquid supplied to the endoscope through the common liquid supply tube is bifurcated inside the endoscope to flow into a cleaning liquid sending tube and a coolant sending tube through which the cleaning liquid and the coolant are delivered to the distal end portion, respectively,

wherein the cleaning liquid is transiently discharged as needed via a valve installed in the handling section, and

wherein the coolant is sent to the distal end portion at all times while the endoscope apparatus is operated.

4. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the cleaning liquid is discharged, the endoscope apparatus performs one of the following two operations:

temporarily stopping delivery of the coolant; and

decreasing a flow rate of the delivery of the coolant.

5. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the cleaning liquid is discharged, the endoscope apparatus temporarily suppresses temperature rise of the heat-producing device.

6. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the endoscope apparatus temporarily suppresses the temperature rise of the heat-producing device by a reduction in power supplied to the heat-producing device.

7. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the cleaning liquid is discharged, a liquid sending capability of the liquid sending system is temporarily increased.