Endoscope with suctioning means

• US 8,182,419 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kohno, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasztejna, Matthew J
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENDERSON, RYAN N
• Application Number:
  US11/392,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 600/133, 600156-159, 417/145, 417147-149, 417152-154
• US Class Current: 600/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00068 Valve switch arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation

Abstract

An endoscope comprises: an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity; an operation portion continuously provided from a proximal end side of the insertion portion; and a suction section that performs suction from an distal end of the insertion portion, wherein the suction section comprises: a cylinder in which a gas is compressed and filled; a nozzle unit that generates a negative pressure inside the nozzle unit by jetting out the gas in the cylinder; and a liquid receiver tank communicated with the distal end of the insertion portion, the negative pressure inside the nozzle unit being transmitted to the liquid receiver tank.

Claims

1. A hand endoscope comprising:

an insertion portion to be inserted into a body cavity;

a hand operation portion continuously provided from a proximal end side of the insertion portion, wherein an operator holds the hand operation portion in hand; and

a suction section that performs suction from a distal end of the insertion portion,

wherein the suction section comprises;

a cylinder in which a gas is compressed and filled;

an air-feed section that feeds the gas in the cylinder to the distal end of the insertion portion;

a nozzle unit that generates a negative pressure inside the nozzle unit by jetting out the gas in the cylinder;

the nozzle unit including;

a nozzle;

a diffuser;

an air supply port at an inlet port of the nozzle;

an exhaust port at an outlet port of the diffuser; and

a suction port between the nozzle and the diffuser, wherein when the gas in the cylinder is fed from the air supply port, the gas is jetted from the nozzle and flows into the diffuser with a gas around the nozzle unit being suctioned from the suction port to generate a suction force at the suction port;

a liquid receiver tank communicated with the distal end of the insertion portion via a first pipe and tubes, and connected with the nozzle unit via a second pipe, the negative pressure inside the nozzle unit being transmitted to the liquid receiver tank, and the nozzle unit is arranged between the cylinder and the liquid receiver tank, and the exhaust port in the nozzle unit releases the gas into external air;

an air feeding unit is entirely formed into a thin and long rectangular shape,

the air feeding unit is disposed so that a longitudinal direction of the air feeding unit becomes orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the hand operation portion when the air feeding unit is attached to an air feeding unit connector, and

the air feeding unit connector is disposed on a proximal end side of the hand operation portion on a side opposite to a suction button and/or an air feeding button.

2. The hand endoscope according to claim 1,

wherein the cylinder, the nozzle unit, and the liquid receiver tank are formed integrally as a suction unit separated from the hand operation portion.

3. The hand endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder is attached to the hand operation portion.

4. The hand endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the suction button and the air feeding button are provided adjacent each other and adjacent a function switching button of the hand operation portion.