Endoscope

• US 5,022,382 A
• Filed: 05/23/1989
• Issued: 06/11/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Satoshi, Ohshima, Fumio, Ohshoji, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US07/355,748
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 128/4, 128/5, 128/6, 128/7, 128/8, 128/9
• US Class Current: 600/156
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

An endoscope including a scope for observing an object, in which at least one of sucking, gas feeding and liquid feeding operations is conducted at the scope, and a time elapsed after a start of the operation is detected by a time detector, and in which the time detected by the time detector is compared with a predetermined reference value, and then the operation is canceled by a canceling device when the time detected by the detected means is at least equal to the predetermined reference value.

Claims

1. An endoscope comprising:

a scope for observing an object;

means for simultaneously conducting one or more of sucking, gas feeding and liquid feeding operations through the scope, the conducting means including a suction device connected to the scope via a first line for sucking through the scope, a first valve for carrying out an open-close control of the first line, a container device for containing at least one of a liquid and a gas connected to the scope via a second line, a second valve for carrying out an open-close control of the second line, and a pump device for feeding at least one of a liquid and gas contained in the container device to the scope through the second line and the second valve;

means for detecting the elapsed time after start of each operation, the detecting means including a clock generator for generating a clock signal, a switch circuit switching to pass or stop the clock signal generated by clock generator, a frequency divider for frequency-dividing the clock signals fed from the clock generator, and a counter for counting signals outputted from the frequency divider;

means for comparing the time detected by the detecting means with a predetermined reference value included in the comparing means; and

means for canceling any operation when the time detected by the detecting means is at least equal to the predetermined reference value, the canceling means including a driver device for controlling the open-close control of the first and second valves on the basis of the comparison result of the comparing means.

2. An endoscope comprising:

a scope for observing an object;

means for simultaneously conducting one or more of sucking, gas feeding and liquid feeding operations through the scope, the conducting means including a suction device connected to the scope via a first line for sucking through the scope, a first valve for carrying out an open-close control of the first line, a container device connected to the scope via a second line for containing at least one of a liquid or gas, a second valve for carrying out an open-close control of the second line, and a pump device for feeding at least one of the liquid or gas contained in the container device to the scope through the second line and the second valve;

means for detecting the time elapsed after start of an operation, the detecting means including a clock generator for generating a clock signal, a frequency divider for frequency-dividing the clock signals fed from the clock generator, and a first processor device which counts signals output from the frequency divider using a count program read out of a memory;

means for comparing the time detected by the detecting means with a predetermined reference value, the comparing means including a second processor device which compares the time detected by the detecting means with the predetermined reference value contained in a comparison program read out of the memory; and

means for canceling an ongoing operation when the time detected by the detecting means is at least equal to the predetermined reference value, the canceling means including a driver device for controlling the open-close operation or operations of the first and second valves on the basis of the comparison result of each comparing means.

3. An endoscope comprising:

a scope for internally observing an object or person;

any or all of a sucking apparatus, a liquid supply apparatus and a gas supply apparatus operatively contained within the scope;

a switch means associated with each apparatus to signal its on-off condition;

counter means for measuring and storing the length of time each apparatus has been continuously functioning;

a comparator for comparing each length of time with a predetermined duration of time; and

a switch circuit for terminating the operation of each apparatus which has been functioning continuously for a time equal to or greater than the predetermined duration of time.

4. The endoscope of claim 3, further including means associated with the clock for varying the predetermined time.